Monthly Archives: November 2025

political news

This ‘ticket’ deserves an early look

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As a general rule I don’t think one bit about potential presidential tickets this early in an election season, but I am going to make an exception today.

I keep seeing social media memes that suggest a potential Democratic ticket comprising California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly might be in the making. I’ll make this admission, which is that such a notion sounds pretty appealing to me. I happen to think a lot about both men.

I hear that Newsom has his foes in California, as he governs the state in a kind of spotty fashion. He has emerged as an articulate foe of Donald Trump … who won’t be on the 2028 GOP ballot. He has crafted a humor campaign against the Republicans that pokes fun at Democrats, drawing bipartisan laughter.

I should state here that the chatter has Newsom running for POTUS, Kelly for VPOTUS.

I’ll admit, too, that of the pair Kelly has emerged as the bigger media star. Trump has singled Kelly out as a seditionist, claiming he should face the death penalty if convicted of a “crime” that involves him declaring that military personnel must not obey “an unlawful order.”

It’s particularly laughable that Kelly would be targeted in this manner. The senator graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, served for 25 years in the Navy, flew 39 combat missions in Iraq, flew four times aboard space shuttles and has been elected to the U.S. Senate. The man has led a full life … all of it committed to public service.

I won’t commit to undying devotion to this Democratic tandem. Kelly has to win re-electiion to the Senate next year, which I believe he will do. He has lashed out articulately against Trump’s foolishness. As for Newsom, well, who knows if some skeletons emerge from the governor’s closet?

It’s still early and I am willing to suggest there will be a lot of Democrats — and Republicans — seeking the keys to the White House in 2028.

crime news, local news

Museum always breathtaking

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DALLAS — It doesn’t matter how many times I have come to this exhibit — or how many times I will see it in the future — every visit fills me with awe about one of this country’s most profound tragedies.

I came here this week with a dear friend to tour the Sixth Floor Museum, which commemorates the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963. Sixty-two years have passed since that horrifying day and I continue to be struck by how that single senseless act sent a great city’s emotional psyche spiraling into the sewer.

I saw for the first time on this visit a copy of the Dallas Morning News editorial page published on the day of JFK’s visit. The editorial referred to the city’s “partisan cleavage” that would disappear hopefully that day as it welcomed the 35th president of the United States. Indeed, there had been fear that right-wing activists might protest the president’s visit, accusing him of being “soft” on the Soviet Union.

Well, it turned out the world was looking in the wrong direction. Lee Harvey Oswald turned out to be an avowed Marxist who two days later met his own end when a night club owner, Jack Ruby, shot him in the gut as he was being transferred from the city jail to the county lockup.

I continue to be struck by the quietness of the large crowd of museum-goers who were milling around the sixth floor, looking at the artifacts, reading the text on the walls explaining JFK’s legacy, his record, his accomplishments and even where he fell short during the 1,000 days of his presidency. I found myself whispering information into the ear of my friend; I didn’t want to make any sort of unwanted noise. I felt as though we were in a church sanctuary.

I likely won’t ever buy into the notion that John Kennedy should rank among the nation’s great presidents. One thousand days doesn’t give anyone much of a chance to carve out a lasting legislative legacy. He had some success and he fell short a time or two during his time in office.

He did bring a huge wellspring of hope to a nation that needed it in the moment. That hope was blown to bits by the gunman aiming his rifle from the sixth floor of a building that reportedly was destined to be torn down.

I’ll be back again someday. I cannot get enough of that exhibit.

national news

Trump goes beyond vile with this screed

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Many of us were waiting for this sort of thing from the man posing as POTUS … but we got something even worse.

Here is how Donald Trump opened his Thanksgiving Day screed of insults, vitriol and outright racism:

“A very Happy Thanksgiving salutation to all of our Great American Citizens and Patriots who have been so nice in allowing our Country to be divided, disrupted, carved up, murdered, beaten, mugged, and laughed at, along with certain other foolish countries throughout the World, for being ‘Politically Correct,’ and just plain STUPID, when it comes to Immigration.”

It gets even more despicable.

This individual is certifiably off his rocker. He is fu**ing nuttier than a Snickers bar.

The rest of his series of social media posts are chockful of lies, smears, slurs, demogogic statements, stuff that could have been gleaned from KKK or white supremacist manifestos … and they sound for all the world like the beliefs of a serial sociopath/madman.

And to think that a tiny plurality of Americans actually elected this certifiable moron to the nation’s highest office.

I will invite any of you who are interested in reading what this dipshit said to look it up on the Internet. It’s out there in its sickening entirety.

OK, here is a taste of what I am talking about.

A very Happy Thanksgiving salutation to all of our Great American Citizens and Patriots who have been so nice in allowing our Country to be divided, disrupted, carved up, murdered, beaten, mugged, and laughed at, along with certain other foolish countries throughout the World, for being “Politically Correct,” and just plain STUPID, when it comes to Immigration. The official United States Foreign population stands at 53 million people (Census), most of which are on welfare, from failed nations, or from prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels. They and their children are supported through massive payments from Patriotic American Citizens who, because of their beautiful hearts, do not want to openly complain or cause trouble in any way, shape, or form. They put up with what has happened to our Country, but it’s eating them alive to do so! A migrant earning $30,000 with a green card will get roughly $50,000 in yearly benefits for their family. The real migrant population is much higher. This refugee burden is the leading cause of social dysfunction in America, something that did not exist after World War II (Failed schools, high crime, urban decay, overcrowded hospitals, housing shortages, and large deficits, etc.). As an example, hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia are completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota. Somalian gangs are roving the streets looking for “prey” as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses hoping against hope that they will be left alone. The seriously retarded Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, does nothing, either through fear, incompetence, or both, while the worst “Congressman/woman” in our Country, Ilhan Omar, always wrapped in her swaddling hijab, and who probably came into the U.S.A. illegally in that you are not allowed to marry your brother, does nothing but hatefully complain about our Country, its Constitution, and how “badly” she is treated, when her place of origin is a decadent, backward, and crime ridden nation, which is essentially not even a country for lack of Government, Military, Police, schools, etc…

I trust you’ll see what I am talking about.

Uncategorized

One holiday at a time … thank you!

The street where I live in Princeton, Texas, is part of a nice subdivision just south of U.S. 380. It’s next to an elementary school and the neighborhood is crawling with kids who run or skateboard to school each morning.

The homes are modest, but nice. It’s probably my forever place to live.

But as I look up and down the street this evening just after saying good night to my family who were here to celebrate Thanksgiving with dear ol’ Dad and Grandpa, I am struck by the sight of lights adorning rooflines celebrating Christmas. Some of the houses have those blow-up decorations on the lawn depicting Santa Claus, Rudy the Reindeer and assorted other symbols of Christmas.

I have to tell you that it boggles my mind how folks can celebrate two famed holidays at once. I mean, c’mon! Thanksgiving is quite enough to stand all by itself in Americans’ homes, as it commemorates the settling of this great land along the 13 Colonies in the 17th and early 18th centuries. We went to war with the Crown to win independence from the Brits. I watched “The Patriot” the other evening just to remind myself of the brutality associated with the American Revolution.

Now I turn my attention to Christmas. Not while I’m carving a turkey in the kitchen and serving it to my sons, my daughter-in-law and my granddaughter.

One holiday at a time is sufficient for this old-timer.

national news

Will Trump choke on this message?

Americans from coast to coast are getting ready to celebrate a uniquely American holiday when they commemorate Thanksgiving. I am — strange as it sounds — waiting to hear how the president of the United States is going to honor the day.

Donald Trump has repeatedly botched what should be a simple task: to deliver a statement honoring veterans, or the birth of the nation, or to honor the flag we fly on our front porches. He tends to politicize everything. He also has laced his comments with a level of snarkiness that simply has no place.

Will the man in the White House deliver a snotty statement sometime tomorrow or will he somehow rise to the occasion and speak to us as the leader of the nation he was elected to lead? I have no particular expectation on what we’ll get from this fellow.

To borrow the cliche, I’ll hope for the best but won’t be surprised if Trump falls on his face … again.

national news

How in the world did we elect this guy?

Never, not ever, in the history of the U.S. of A. have Americans had to witness an elected president who is so ignorant, so damn filled with hatred of his political enemies, who is such a pathological liar continue to function as the ostensible leader of what we used to call the free world.

Donald Trump has declared what amounts to war on Democrats in the Congress, threatening with death for speaking the truth about why service personnel should resist following illegal orders. One of them, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, has been singled out as a particularly egregious target of Trump’s retribution campaign.

Kelly is a retired Navy captain, a former combat aviator, husband of a congresswoman who was nearly killed by a gunman in an assassination attempt, a former astronaut who has flowin space on four missions. He is a patriot. Kelly serves with honor and humility. He has spoken the truth. He dissents from Trump’s public policy … which the Constitution guarantees in its First Amendment.

Trump is ignorant of all of that. He doesn’t give a crap about the Constitution. He blindly accuses Sen. Kelly of commiting sedition, which carries a death penalty if convicted.

And yet … this nation somehow managed to elect this idiot to a second term as POTUS.

Kelly is not the only Democrat in power who has drawn Trump’s petulant anger.

Kids, we are living in a dangerous era in this nation’s long history.

The only recourse we seem to have at this moment happens to the federal court system, which appears to be stiffening its spine at just the right moment. Congress is rolling over for Trump’s idiocy. Trump has populated the executive branch with yes men and men. That leaves the court system to stand tall against this individual’s moronic overreach.

I have heartened by the actions of a Trump-nominated federal judge who tossed aside the indictments of former FBI director James Comey and New York AG Letitia James, calling those indictments pure political revenge brought by a U.S. attorney who is unqualified to hold her job.

Right there you have an example of the Constitution doing its job. I am clinging to the hope that it remains strong and that the courts stand firm against the Trump’s frontal assault on the rule of law.

media news

MTG resignation outlives its importance

There once was a time — in a long-ago political universe — that the resignation of a junior member of Congress would last about a day, maybe two, on the nation’s attention cycle.

Then came social media. Smart phones, websites, the Internet changed it all. Now we have a junior member of Congress resigning after five years on the job in the House of Reps and you’d think the world had just spun off its axis.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, the one-time QAnon queen of Congress, the fomenter of lies and conspiracies and the leading lady of the MAGA movement, has announced her resignation from Congress effective Jan. 5, 2026. And we’re still talking about it! Hell, this blog is mentioning it!

She earned so much attention from the media that we’ve now assigned her an ID based on her initial. I have to admit that “MTG” does kinda roll off the tongue. This isn’t right. She has put forward virtually no constructive legislation. Yet MTG has become something of a household name.

She reminds me, to be ironic, of a political rival. Recall that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., burst onto the scene in a similar fashion. She, too, has been elevated to initial status. We call her AOC. She’s also been a fiery blowhard, talking about about the democratic socialism that drives her agenda. AOC, just like MTG, has become a media darling. I questioned at the time of her swearing in why the media were spending so much time on this one-time no-name member of the House. I’m still scratching my head over that one.

Social media do have their good qualities. Real news gets immediate attention. If it’s accurate, the news generally tends to draw quick response to questions raised.

Then again, it elevates back-bench members of Congress to immediate superstar status … e.g. MTG and AOC. For better or worse, that’s the world we have.

media news

War on Christmas is over!

You remember Bill O’Reilly, the Fox Propaganda Channel blowhard who every year about this time would commence his seasonal diatribe about how “liberal mainstream media” had declared war on Christmas.

I’ll tell you what. O’Reilly is still gone from the mainstream cable TV airwaves after having been booted off the air by Fox over allegations of sexual harassment. He’s still out there, I’m sure, fomenting the fantasy of a war on Christmas.

Allow me to declare that the war on Christmas is over. Done with. Finished. In reality, it never really existed as O’Reilly said it did. If there was any war on this holy and festive holiday, it was conducted by Madison Avenue and its intense commercialization of the holiday that commemorates Jesus’s birth while at the same time tracking Santa Claus’s circumnavigation of the planet to deliver gifts to those of us who have been nice … and not naughty.

Those who take aim at the media criticize them for suggesting it’s somehow sacreligious to say “happy holidays” during this time, not understanding that most of the world’s 8 billion inhabitants don’t celebrate Christmas the way we Christians do. I don’t hold it against them. I guess some of us believe everyone should celebrate the birth of a baby who we believe is the son of God.

So, when merchandisers wish us “happy holiday,” they do so out of respect for everyone they serve. It ain’t a declaration of war!

Bill O’Reilly got a good bit of mileage out of his war on Christmas demagoguery. He’s still out there somewhere spreading the lie. The reality, though, tells me something different. There is no war on Christmas! It never really existed!

Sports news

Will the POTUS stay away?

They’re going to play a big football game next weekend that well could focus as much on one of the spectators as on the student-athletes on the field.

Army will play Navy in the annual right of autumn. Custom tells us the president of the United States attends the game. He’s the commander in chief. That custom also says the POTUS will watch the from one side of the field, then switch to the other side for the second half.

The sold-out crowd usually cheers the president on his arrival. But wait! The POTUS this season happens to be Donald J. Trump. He’s becoming a highly unpopular politician … y’know?

So, my question is whether Trump is going to force himself to listen to the hoots, jeers and boos from the sold-out crowd. Hey, this guy always seeks affirmation. He’s been known to reap it even when it isn’t apparent.

My hunch is that Trump ought to stay away. The Black Knights and the Midshipmen don’t need the distraction the commander in chief would create. Let the officers-to-be play their top-quality brand of tackle football.

Just stay away, Mr. POTUS.

national news, political news

Real reason for MTG’s departure?

As a rule, I dislike being called a cynic, but I have to take issue with Marjorie Taylor Greene’s stated reason for quitting Congress after five turbulent years representing a rural NW Georgia district.

She entered the House after the 2020 election with both guns blazing. She was a proud MAGA Republican dedicated to furthering the agenda favored by her fella … Donald Trump. She has fallen out of favor with the Big Man, who recently called her a “traitor” because she had the gumption to stand up for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s shenanigans. MTG sought to make peace in recent weeks by declaring she no longer would engage in the vitriol that became part of her brand. Well, I believe the congresswoman was about to find out that payback is a serious bitch! I believe the Republican Party is going to have its genitals handed to it after the 2026 midterm election and Greene, who always has struck me as a politician more dialed into the limelight than actual governing, was about to be shoved to the back shelf. Democrats who often were the victims of her barbs would not take kindly to her remaining among their midst were they to retake the majority in January 2027. Therein, I believe, lies the real reason for MTG’s stunning departure from Congress. She alluded briefly to the GOP’s immediate future in her statement, declaring that she does not want to subject her family to the Trumpian onslaught in a bitter GOP primary only to see the Republicans “lose the election.” I will say further that I am glad to know that MTG has thought better of her flame-throwing rhetoric and has vowed to take a more civil tone in discussing policy differences with Democrats. I salute her for standing by her principles … yes, even those with which I disagree. Marjorie Taylor Greene also knows that memories can last seemingly forever in Washington. Reality is a force with which not everyone can reckon.