For many of us there is so much "going on" in Ukraine that we have ignored what is going on at home - continuation of forced vaccinations, the never-ending flood of illegals across our border, our record inflation, the scarcity of food and other products on our shelves, the shocking price of filling a gas tank, revelations relating to Hunter Biden, to election fraud, to other scandals and not least of all, the nomination of another candidate to the US Supreme Court.  We aren't supposed to be paying attention to this.  After all - Ukraine.  We're all guilty to some extent of having ignored these important issues.  But no more.  After all, long after Zelenskyy's war subsides we will be saddled with the person who takes Justice Breyer's place on the bench and it could profoundly change our own country.

I received a newsletter today from Congressman Tom Emmer (R-MN).  I was disappointed to hear his mindless praise and support of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the puppet president of Ukraine.  It is unfortunate that members of the United States Congress seem to be willing to be led around by someone such as this without regard as to how this developed, what part the United States has played in bringing about this disaster for the people of Ukraine.  Emmer is facilitating supply of ammunition to the Ukraine government.  Sadly, the history is that their government has been shelling their own people for the past eight years or so - the people of Donbas.  Maybe we should ask them why.  Maybe we should assure ourselves that we are not enabling something worse than Putin in Ukraine.  It has never been my position that Russia should invade anyone.  But we made it possible by Biden being sworn into office.  He made Putin all-powerful by stopping our own energy production and opening the way for Russia to export its gas and oil.  We gave Putin reason to feel his interests were best served by invading Ukraine.  We have refused to listen to him or communicate in a civil way.  Maybe that would have prevented it.  Instead, we teased him, goaded him, basically dared him.  What did we think would happen?  And Emmer and his colleagues refuse to think about this open-mindedly and critically.  We should not support Putin, but we have no reason at all to support the un-democratic tyrant, Zelenskyy either.  Zelenskyy is up to his neck in war crimes, but we are silent as to that, maybe because of our own war crimes in establishing bio weapons labs in that country.  I will post Mr. Emmer's newsletter entry and my response, sent to him via email.  wou

It should not be lost upon us either that it is believed by some to be in Biden's and the Democrats' best interest vis-a-vis the 2022 elections that this war should continue until November, regardless of how many more Ukrainian people suffer and die.  It would be much to be desired by some that we do not turn our focus from Zelenskyy's war to the issues that really should concern us and really are our business.

Lastly I would offer a word of caution here:  when we sent ammunition and military equipment to countries here and there to oppose our foe-of-the-moment, as we did in Afghanistan, in Iran and other places, we have a funny way of finding the same bullets in our own fallen soldiers at a later date.  We need to learn not to do this.  We should vet very carefully the people to whom we supply arms.  I would not say that Zelenskyy would be a good candidate.   And the chances are very, very good that our current "most hated foe", Putin, will end up in possession of them.  This is stupid.  

Between Valentine’s Day and Easter lies St. Patrick’s Day breaking the “winter blues.”

This good-natured celebration holds fun for all. But there is more to St. Paddy’s Day than fun. This occasion celebrates Scots-Irish descendants and their ethnic heritage -- political correctness and “white privilege” be damned.

Who are the Scots-Irish? Where did they come from and how did they influence American history and culture? Good questions deserve good answers.

Earlier this week, the world lost a prolific journalist, speaker, freedom fighter, and family man. Charles Wiley passed away in his sleep at age 95. Wiley visited Grove City College many times to speak to students and was a long-time friend of professor and IFF scholar Dr. David Ayers. In this tribute, Ayers remembers his friend and mentor. He writes, “Charlie revolutionized the way that I think, the way I analyze things. I have read incredible books, had amazing professors, met some real geniuses, but no one like him.”

A little-reported story of the Ukraine conflict involves a clandestine unit of a Kremlin-backed private military organization which allegedly helped lay the groundwork for the invasion of eastern Ukraine. In 2014, the self-styled Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic broke away from Ukraine after Russia invaded and annexed Crimea. Fighting continued there ever since with an estimated death toll of more than 14,000. Then, several months ago a group of Russian operatives from the shadowy Wagner Group arrived in the separatist enclaves in eastern Ukraine dressed as civilians.

While details of the group’s specific mission remain unclear, Wagner’s paramilitary soldiers, comprised of former Russian soldiers, are increasingly involved in some of the bloodiest conflicts in the world where Russia has an interest. The Wagner Group is linked to serious human rights abuses not only in Ukraine but also in Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Mozambique. In accomplishing their mission the Wagner Group employs gruesome atrocities.

It’s hard finding an American, anywhere, who believes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a good thing. I’m no exception. War is ugly, and innocent people suffer as the pseudo-elites play their geopolitical chess games driven by power-lust, pocketbook and politics. This also isn’t about rooting for the “good guys.” For Vladimir Putin cannot be counted among them, and, for that matter, neither can ex-actor and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy or our globalist “leaders.” Rather, this concerns something else.

I have a confession to make… I was a leader in two campaigns using the primary to defeat the NDGOP state convention endorsed candidate in the primary.

The years were 2012 when Kevin Cramer skipped the convention went straight to the primary.  He won the primary for Congress and who now serves as a U.S. Senator.  The other was 2016 when Doug Burgum defeated Wayne Stenehjem.

It has been 15 days since Russia invaded Ukraine and energy prices have risen sharply over the last few weeks. Are there other economic ramifications to come? In this article, economist Dr. Mark Hendrickson examines the situation and highlights the expected global economic fallout.

Let's talk about Texas . . . . 

Vladimir Putin’s war today is not designed to win the hearts and minds of the Ukrainian people. His objective is to force people to flee or be bottled up in built up areas. Once bottled up, cities could be razed on top of the people. Putin acted so in Syria in order to break resistance. Either way – no people, no resistance. But Putin’s best-laid plans might easily unravel in the face of a popular Ukrainian insurgency. The resilient Ukrainians have done so before. Putin will face a long, bloody insurgency that could spread across multiple borders.

The Mob knew how to get things done.  It seems that wimpy Senator Lindsay Graham thinks so, at least.  He has called for assassination to supplement our foreign policy.  Maybe he knows a guy.

It is 2022 and we are living in a Fun House - a lot of wavy mirrors, a lot of weird lighting and strange sounds.  It's a carnaval atmosphere and nothing is what it seems.  We can turn the place upside down and not find so much as a moth that will be willing to hear that the conflict that is raging in Ukraine is not 100% black and white.  Putin is the black hat, Zelenskyy is the snow-white hat.  He's a comic book hero, the newest member of The Avengers.  He dashes about "saving his country" from the Bad Guys.  From where I see it, he's just another bad guy and we should not do anything to extend his tenure or prop him up.  He's got George Soros and Klaus Schwab to do that for him already.  I have heard only two voices anywhere near the main stream who have not bee scattering rose petals for Zelenskyy to walk on (I take that back!  I guess Tucker Carlson is also a skeptic) - Col. Douglas Macgregor, who was interviewed by Stuart Varney on FOX, and the abrasive and hard-to-take Joy Behar of the View.  Things must be really getting crazy and really, really bad because I find I'm on her side for once.  It probably won't ever happen again, but that is just how ridiculous this story has become.

“FAITH IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS MAY FINALLY ERODE!” 

                  EXCLAIMS SOCIOLOGICAL EXCAVATOR

The risk of earth warming to very high temperatures is increasingly unlikely thanks to slowing population growth and abundant natural gas. Horizontal drilling, Hydraulic Fracturing, and Clean Coal technologies of the 21^st century have insured an ample supply of clean fossil fuel to keep us comfortable during then coming “Cold Era”. 

For the unconvinced among readers of this Part II, Mr. Casey’s book, “Dark Winter” (© 2014) is highly recommended. The reader can then personally decide if spending up to $10 Trillion to combat so-called “Climate Change” is preferrable to the solutions of Part I. The alternative is to continue fighting each other like pre-school children that government has not brainwashed… yet.

Now more than ever it is important for us to stand up for the right of the people to be heard. And I have a confession to make. While I’ve always believed in this fundamental tenet of the founding documents, I have not always been the most vigilant to act on it. I have let my own bias and opinion get in the way.  

With what’s been happening in North Dakota politics, I feel compelled to speak out…My battle cry?  

Let the people Speak. 

The world is becoming more savage than ever.  The so-called "civilized" community of nations is now backing a war criminal.  Since when is it okay with all these self-righteous western "democracies" to behave like Genghis Khan?  Because that is what we are countenancing now in the Ukraine.  At the same time its president is seeking to join up with the European Union, while he is not solilciting but demanding the support of our western arms and ammunition, while he is posing for the camera - Zelenskyy just put out two announcements:  1) that any Russian soldier who defected and put down his gun would receive $40,000; and 2) a day later, that the Ukrainians would take no prisoners - all would be shot.    That ought to make it an easy decision for the Russian soldiers, don't you think?  How many will surrender?  And we just watched the President* of the United States end his incoherent State of the Union Speech with a directive to "Go get him" - apparently the "him" being Putin.  And everyone in Congress decked out in the team colors of Ukraine.  There is a really bad smell here.  

On Tuesday, 2/22/22, Tucker Carlson offered an opinion piece on Fox News. The topic was the Ukraine, the US, and our national interest. As a contrarian, Carlson easily grabs his listeners’ attention using scorn, irony, and most of all, hyperbole. Those who have never learned hyperbole are destined to be sucked in by it. It may startle those who seldom “think outside the box.” His lampoon targeted foolish policymakers and leftist media. I confess. I’m prejudiced left and biased right.

Carlson’s thesis: “…Democrats in Washington have told you it's your patriotic duty to hate Vladimir Putin… Hating Putin has become the central purpose of America's foreign policy…Very soon, that hatred of Vladimir Putin could bring the United States into a conflict in Eastern Europe.

It could well be that there are no "good guys" in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.  My granny used to advise us to be careful of whom we associate with, and somehow I hear her voice in this one.  We should step back from the drama for just a moment and take note of whom we are throwing in with here.  It is easy to fear or distrust Putin.  He's not a "good guy".  But we know little to nothing of Volodmyr Zelenskyy aside from the flukish rise from comedian to president.  Yet the more we see of him, the more we do learn about him, the less we should feel confident in following him.  Our real interests lie elsewhere.  This is like a magician's technique - "Watch this hand!"  Who is on Russia's team?  Mainly just Xi Jinping, whom we know we can't trust (Biden just found this out).  Not good.  But who is backing Zelenskyy?  George Soros.  The E.U.  Klaus Schwab.  Perhaps this is an indication that 1) there are no good guys and 2) we should stay far away from this conflict and wait for a more important issue while we try to restore our own military and energy supply and recover our flagging economy.  We have no business in the Russia-Ukraine fight.

China will not allow you to own your conscience or your soul.  

The City of Grand Forks, together with the blessing of North Dakota's Governor Doug Burgum, is about to embark on a very risky game with China.  Although the people have been told that the Fufeng Group, an agribusiness enterprise based in China, is like any other big business and it would be a feather in the cap of Grand Forks to nail this deal for a many-multi-million-dollar investment, the people are not convinced.  That has made little difference in other decisions by the council, but one thing to keep in mind is that there is no such thing as a business in China that is not controlled by the CCP government.  In case you want evidence, the project is billed as part of China's "Belt and Road Initiative" (formerly known as "One Belt One Road"), which is part of China's long-range, over-arching strategy for its intended world domination.  Nations that have partnered through this program have rued the decision.  China has the ability through its strategic use of "economic development" throughout the world to steal our soul.

Dubbed the JR-15, the AFP relates that it’s “marketed by maker WEE1 Tactical as ‘the first in a line of shooting platforms that will safely help adults introduce children to the shooting sports.’” Clearly aghast, the news organ further reports that the “company’s website says the rifle ‘also looks, feels, and operates just like Mom and Dad's gun.’”

Unsurprisingly, the AFP reminds people in its commentary masquerading as hard news that the AR-15 “has been used in multiple mass killings in the United States…” while quoting only anti-Second Amendment activists in its piece. Yet is mixing kids and guns really anything to fear? Let’s examine the matter.

Like the prophets of old, Sobran had nothing new to offer. He was not an innovator. He could see no “root causes” as understood by the secular experts, at least none ameliorable by their generic prescriptions. The society that spawned the teen killers was a negative residue: it’s “what’s left when you subtract Christianity” from civilization.

Sobran’s cultural and historical memory informed him that the permanent things are never finally won or forever lost. The battle continues, and those who reject the miserable truce are entitled to a warrior’s exuberance. Nothing said here will resuscitate this great talent from the general amnesia. But those happy few who read Joe Sobran will be better armed against the armies of dissolution.

His point? You can’t fiddle with freedom by allowing a little here and a little there while retaining your favorite restrictions. Likewise, you can’t fiddle with the free market skipping the costs while reaping the benefits.

In the end, “The free market is ugly and stupid, like going to the mall;…” but under Marxism, Communism, and Socialism “…[the] unfree market is just as ugly and just as stupid, except there’s nothing in the mall and if you don’t go there they shoot you.”

O’Rourke holds the dubious distinction as the most quoted man in “The Penguin Dictionary of Modern Humorous Quotations.” (“Giving power and money to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.” “You can’t get rid of poverty by giving people money.” “When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators.”)

Happy Birthday Mr. Washington and Mr. Lincoln. I have a confession to make. I never liked the birthday gifts we made for you in elementary school.

I would have rather been taught something true and important that carried a message of your contribution to the political process or to the Presidency.  Something that may of helped us do what Mr. Franklin alluded to when he answered the question after the Second Continental Congress adjourned,

“What have you got for us??” to which he quickly replied, “a Republic, if you can keep it.”

Correction!

There are different ways to identify an enemy within, but one is quite simple. Anybody who’d cancel George Washington should be considered a fifth-column member fit only for scorn and ostracism.

We’ve seen attacks upon Washington take many forms, with San Francisco’s 2021 decision to rename a school bearing our first president’s name a prime example. It’s a red flag because it reflects hatred of America’s very foundation, of everything she truly represents.

George Washington is unlike any other American figure. His arch rival, King George III, knew this well. Responding to news that with the Revolutionary War’s conclusion, Washington would relinquish power and return to his farm, the monarch exclaimed, "If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world."

An article titled “I’m a Liberal Professor, and My Liberal Students Terrify Me,” authored by Edward Schlosser, perfectly captures our current situation. Redefining truth through the politics of personal testimony and identity, through critical race theory, and through cancel culture has unleashed a monster. Even the professors that have propagated the errant philosophy of “be your own truth” are now petrified of the practical realities. Students are turning on their mentors. Their students, based on classroom material, are formally charging them, claiming “grievous harm” at their own institutions. Their professorial campaign to radically change America is coming around to bite them in their own ivory towers. The monster is devouring its own.

The monster is no match for absolute truth. This truth reflects actuality and is tethered to reality. God is the source and author of truth. This truth is absolute, singular, objective, authoritative, and unchanging. Honesty and truth-telling are ultimately grounded in the character of God. The truth stands independent of feelings, preferences, emotions, biases, human knowledge, and wisdom or experience. A fundamental expectation and the glue which has kept a semblance of order and trust in our lives is people speaking the truth. When truth and honesty are removed from daily genuine interactions, there is turmoil, resulting in individual and societal chaos. All authentic communication and sincere respect for one another begins with truth-telling. Truth-telling is essential for a thriving society. All human experience depends on your yea being yea and your nay being nay.

A psychopath can be engaging, charming, charismatic. He can appear easy-going, casual in attitude. But a psychopath is very controlling and arrogant beneath the veneer. Manipulative. Dishonest, exhibiting total disregard for the safety or rights of others, could care less about what is right or true.

Our leaders in the West, especially those of the formerly free Anglophone world, are psychopaths. There is no other way to describe them. They – Dan Andrews of Australia, Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, Justin Trudeau of Canada, Boris Johnson of Britain and Joe Biden of the United States, are displaying all of the attributes of a psychopath. I looked it up. Here is what we should look for:

socially irresponsible behavior

• disregarding or violating the rights of others

• inability to distinguish between right and wrong

• difficulty with showing remorse or empathy

• tendency to lie often

• manipulating and hurting others

• recurring problems with the law

• general disregard towards safety and responsibility

Other behaviors that may be signs of ASPD include a tendency to take risks, reckless behavior, and they are abusive, remorseless and sometimes violent. In the case of Dan Andrews and Justin Trudeau, they are vicariously violent at least

You be the judge. When you look at the behavior of late in these leaders, the description fits. No one is safe when our leaders are psychopaths.

History has recorded countless episodes of repression and violence against helpless people by armed thugs.  We had the assault on peaceful protesters in Moscow which ushered in the beginning of the end of the Romanov Empire.  We had Tienanmen Square.  We have seen a lot of ugly tyrants attempting to cut down the people they pretend to serve throughout history.  Our era is obviously no exception.  We had January 6 last year in Washington, where an unarmed patriot was brutally killed in cold blood, and her attacker is still defended by "conservatives" such as Kevin Cramer.  No doubt he would approve of Trudeau's response to a massive, nation-wide people's protest - that is, with violence and oppression.  Canadians are known for their manners and their peaceful behavior.  They have shown this attribute now for three weeks as the "law enforcement" people have vandalized their costly equipment, beaten old men and grandmothers, threatened parents with abduction of their children and euthanasia of their beloved companion pets.  They have remained peaceful, never raising a hand, when their fuel was stolen.  In Alberta, the RCMP broke into trucks and stole winter survival gear and then destroyed valuable excavators.  For a year now they have been persecuting pastors and owners of local coffee shops.  Tonight they have crossed a line.  How many people will remain with the cops now?  None that have a soul, a conscience or a scrap of decency will be able to remain.