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Saturday, February 15, 2025

Too Soon?



Friends, the majestic Zeppelin may be making a comeback, as a startup in California has built and flown a giant, rigid dirigible named Pathfinder 1, which is the first time anyone has done so since...the 1930s.  Apparently, the airship industry suffered a significant P.R. setback in the 30s.  Not sure what that's all about, but I've always loved the idea of airships, and I hope they get a second chance.  I, for one, would love to be a passenger on a luxury airship.  I think the touristic potential is immense.

 

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250214-pathfinder-1-the-airship-that-could-usher-in-a-new-age 

 

In other news, the "Gulf of America" continues to win new converts.  On the other hand, the Associated Press has dug in its heels and refuses to despoil the Gulf by calling it by its Trumpian moniker.  As a result, the A.P. has been banned from Trump's presence.  I say: it's not enough!  The A.P. ought to be banned from AMERICA altogether, including the Gulf of America.  They're welcome to visit Mexico, of course.  Who's with me???

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/15/apple-maps-renames-gulf-of-mexico-gulf-of-america/ 

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/14/white-house-restricts-ap-access-misinformation-gulf-americas-official-name/ 

 

Before I forget, did I mention that I've been lighting up the airwaves this weekend, enlightening radio listeners far and wide about the accomplishments of the Trump-Musk imperium?  Oh yes!  You won't want to miss this week's Newsmakers show -- especially the part featuring ME!

 

https://wysl.podbean.com/e/newsmakers-2-15-25/ 

Friday, February 14, 2025

Making Kennedys Cool Again


 


Friends, congrats to RFK, Jr., who has stood up to the Democratic Party elite, the corporate elite, lobbyists, and even his own family in the course of his migration from la-la to MAGA.  I have high hopes for what he'll be able to achieve at HHS!


https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/3-things-watch-rfk-jr-takes-helm-health/story?id=118787702


DOGE is finding so many instances of federal money flowing to the legacy media and to NGOs that espouse the agenda of the Deep State.  My question is: how will these corrupt organizations get by without constant subsidies?  Maybe they won't!


https://x.com/AutismCapital/status/1890062843632099538


Finally, a big thumbs-up to Vice-President Vance, who is calling out our European "friends" for their persecution of dissent.  Granted, Europe has never upheld the right to free speech with the rigor that we have in America, but liberal values (that's classical liberalism, to be precise) ought never to extinguished in the continent that gave birth to them.  Here's hoping that the Euro-weenies will heed Vance's admonition.


https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2025/02/14/jd-vance-tells-europe-threat-from-within-greatest-risk-to-continent/

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

No More Wondering For This Formidable Woman

 


Friends, Tulsi Gabbard, former Democrat and current America First all-star, has won confirmation as our new Director of National Intelligence.  Wow!  Words cannot express how much the D.C. hawks and the political establishment loathe her.  I, for one, look forward to seeing what kind of mischief she can make, and how much corruption and duplicity she can expose.  Kudos, Tulsi!

 

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-lands-key-tulsi-gabbard-confirmation-following-uphill-senate-battle 


In a closely related development, President Trump had a long conversation with President Putin of Russia today, and it looks like the wheels are in motion regarding a settlement of the Russia-Ukraine War.  Trump appears to understand that Ukraine will never be in NATO, and that ominous (if speculative) prospect was the main trigger for all this senseless slaughter, lest we forget.  Alas, we can't undo all the damage that the arrogance and naivety of the Biden Administration and the Western security elite caused, but we can end this ridiculous war, and we can try to patch up America's relationship with Russia, which ought never to have deteriorated this badly.  There is far too much at stake for us ever to court WWIII so blithely again.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c04n622gzx7o 

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

No Way, José!

 


Friends, among the flurry of accomplishments that the Trump Administration has notched in a mere three weeks is the near total elimination of illegal immigration.  What I mean by this is that the numbers of migrants crossing the southern border is rapidly approaching...zero.  This is a stunning turnaround from a year ago under El Presidente Biden.  How did Trump (and Homan) do it?  Not by building a wall, but simply by being themselves.  Turns out that, when people expect the U.S. government to enforce its own laws against illegal immigration, they stay home!  Who would've thunk it?

 

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2025/02/11/migrant-encounters-on-southwest-border-drop-96-percent-from-last-year/ 

 

While the mainstream media and lefties are hammering Elon Musk and DOGE day and night, Joe Rogan, who has emerged as a titan of the "new media", is standing by him.  Rogan believes that Musk is exposing massive waste and corruption.  Legacy media polls say that Americans have had it up to here with Musk, but the more historically accurate polling firms, like Trafalgar and Rasmussen, paint a different picture.  They suggest that Musk's popularity is similar to Trump's, which is to say it's hovering around 50 percent.  That's good enough for government work, I'd say.

 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/02/10/joe_rogan_elon_musk_and_doge_are_uncovering_insane_corruption_what_they_found_so_far_is_very_enlightening.html 


https://www.newsweek.com/elon-musk-doge-polling-2029471

 

Finally, while many Americans and people all over the world are frightened by A.I., the Trump Administration, including Vice-President Vance, is articulating a more optimistic view.  Trump and Vance believe that the U.S. can lead the A.I. sector, and that A.I. will generally enhance worker productivity rather than destroying jobs.  We shall see, but in my view A.I. is here to stay whether we like it or not, and the smart approach is to try to maximize its advantages and minimize its downsides.  In other words, I'm with Vance.

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/11/jd-vance-tells-world-leaders-paris-summit-ai-will-make-our-workers-more-productive/ 

Monday, February 10, 2025

How America Got Its Groove Back

 


Friends, there's no denying that these days there a feeling of giddy optimism among conservatives, but some of that "joy" (to borrow a phrase) is spilling over to consumers and investors too.  Both are increasingly keen on America's prospects in the year ahead.  Is it "the Trump effect"?  He ain't hurting matters any...

 

https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2025/02/10/breitbart-business-digest-americas-economic-mood-soars-as-confidence-in-the-future-returns/ 

 

While the lamestream media tries its hardest to blacken the name of Elon Musk, the Wall Street Journal is defending DOGE as a necessary step in bringing entrenched interests and the Deep State to heel.  They point out, quite rightly, that DOGE hasn't saved us a heck of a lot of money as yet, but it is finding sweetheart deals for elite insiders galore, and that may ultimately be every bit as valuable a contribution to the revitalization of our democracy and the recalibration of our moral compass.

 

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/democrats-stand-up-for-the-bureaucrats-protest-dodge-government-policy-d9b18071?st=s7wYb2 


In a fascinating move, the Trump-Bondi DOJ is asking that charges against New York City's Democratic Mayor Eric Adams be dropped.  Republicans and conservatives suspect that the charges were meant to punish Adams for criticizing the Biden Administration, and now Democrats and progressives are suspicious that all Trump wants is to make the NYC mayor his pet.  What a tangled web we weave!

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/eric-adams-charges-dismissed-rcna191600 

 

According to DJT, it's time for us to say goodbye to the noble penny.  That's right: the U.S. Mint will stop making new pennies, and thus, we assume, the penny will someday soon go the way of the dodo bird.  It's a sad day for penny pinchers, to be sure, but let's face it: inflation has made the penny a laughable medium of exchange.  I say it's time to reevaluate the division of the dollar into one hundred units more fundamentally.  Perhaps the nickel is the new shilling?  Another fun gambit would be to knock a zero off of everything, and then all of a sudden a penny wouldn't be quite so worthless anymore...  Plus, we could go back to buying a car, say, for a few thousand bucks, which sounds about right to me!

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/02/09/trump-announces-plan-stop-producing-pennies/78378996007/ 


Finally, take note that Amazon is retreating from wokeness and showing a little more deference to the principle of free speech.  Maybe Amazon isn't so evil, after all!  Side note: I strongly advise all lefties to cancel their Amazon accounts.  There's really no need for one.  Kmart has you covered!  Or, better yet, retreat into the woods and pick berries for sustenance.  You know you've always dreamed of doing exactly that.  Imagine the bliss of never having to hear a single news story about Trump ever again!  Yup, you'll be much happier cut off from society, and in all likelihood society won't miss you much either...

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/conservative-author-says-amazon-made-a-purely-political-move-to-restore-his-book-critical-of-trans-ideology/ar-AA1yJMcF 

Sunday, February 9, 2025

No Holds Barred

 


Friends, our heroes DJT and Elon Musk continue to wrestle, hour by hour, and day by day, with the Dems and the Deep State (not that there's much daylight between the two), and the outcome is still in doubt.  On one hand, DOGE is expanding its scope and setting its sights on the Department of Defense, and the Department of Education, and far beyond.  On the other hand, DOGE's resources are limited, and the administrative state is fighting back by enlisting federal judges as allies, and Democrats on Capitol Hill are plotting to use the federal budget as a weapon against Trump and Musk.  It's thrust and parry, thrust and parry.  It's exciting to watch, and so far Trump's poll numbers are holding up, although the main focus of Dem/leftist attacks may now be Musk, and we must watch carefully to see if his popularity suffers even more than it already has.  Ideally, the Dems would love to drive a wedge between Trump and Musk, and making Musk toxic would be a fine way to do it.  These Deep State shills may be morally bankrupt, but they're not dumb!

 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/02/09/defense_secretary_hegseth_we_welcome_doge_at_dod_its_long_overdue.html 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/elon-musk-s-doge-has-swept-into-14-federal-agencies-here-s-what-to-know/ar-AA1yExBD 

 

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2025/02/09/trump-musk-will-find-millions-of-dollars-in-fraud-and-abuse-at-department-of-education-military-next/ 

 

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2025/02/09/stephen-miller-radical-left-judges-blocking-elon-musk-is-unconstitutional/ 

 

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/09/politics/democrats-spending-trump/index.html 

Friday, February 7, 2025

Trump(ism) on Trial

 

Trump's Nov. 26 Hush Money Sentencing Called Off, Court Says - Bloomberg

 

Friends, Trump's show trials may be over, for now, but in a sense his fate, and our nation's too, is no less vulnerable to judicial overreach, obstructionism, and abuse.  That's because court challenges are about the only (legal) tool that the Dems have left to slow down the Trump train, which, as we've all found out in the last two weeks, has left the station with a very big head of steam.  The current battle over DOGE and USAID is a great test case for whether Trump and Musk really will be able to exercise the powers of the executive branch to impose fundamental change in Washington, D.C. (and, in this case, globally).  Success is by no means guaranteed, because, so far at least, a single federal judge can, with a unilateral injunction, halt literally ANY executive action or initiative.  We can't even rule out the possibility that a judge would, by himself or herself, toss Elon Musk off his perch as head of DOGE once and for all.  The corruption and waste that USAID represents is real -- make no mistake.  But the principles that 1) federal spending ought to be transparent and in the national interest, and 2) federal bureaucrats ought to be accountable to the American people, rather than solely to themselves and their friends in the Deep State, are vital and non-negotiable, from a MAGA, conservative, and frankly patriotic perspective.  The battle that is brewing at DOGE and USAID, therefore, is a proxy for the battle royal that is just getting started between Trump, Musk, and the American people, on one side, and the entitled and entrenched elitists, on the other.  Buckle up, because it's bound to be a bumpy ride!

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/why-the-courts-may-be-the-last-constraint-on-trump-but-may-not-contain-his-power-grabs/ar-AA1yzsNy 

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/3312999/making-sense-war-doge/ 

 

https://issuesinsights.com/2025/02/07/wait-you-mean-theres-corruption-in-washington/ 

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/07/trumps-usaid/ 

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

The Gazan Riviera

 


Friends, Trump's territorial ambitions know no bounds!  He's now proposing that the U.S. take control of the Gaza Strip, level it, and build the equivalent of a world class resort on its shores.  I guess that does sound better than living in crater-encrusted squalor, but what of the people who currently live there?  That thorny problem might require some Trumpian legerdemain...  Wow!  Possibly Trump thinks that, by asking for the Moon, he can at least get...Detroit?  Let's face it, any neighborhood in Detroit would be an improvement on what the Gazan people are facing now.  One thing is for sure: the lefties and the Fourth Estate will be tearing out the few hairs they have left.


https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2025/02/04/trump-u-s-will-take-over-gaza-we-will-own-it/

 

In much more important news, the Senate has confirmed Pam Bondi as our new Attorney General.  This means that the Trumpian Revolution that has hit D.C. like a ton of bricks will now be venturing into the legal and prosecutorial realms.  In short, if I were a Dem who has previously gotten his hands even a little dirty, I would be thinking wistfully about exile in some Trump-hating Nordic socialist paradise right about now -- assuming that Scandinavia isn't on Trump's "to-conquer" list, which might be excessively optimistic!

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/04/senate-confirms-pam-bondi-as-attorney-general-with-bipartisan-support-54-46/ 

Monday, February 3, 2025

Be Afraid -- Be VERY Afraid!

 


Friends, things are getting very, very interesting inside the Beltway, as Musk and DOGE take aim at entrenched bureaucrats and Deep State power centers.  The sweeping nature of the personnel changes in the federal bureaucracy has already been astonishing, but now Musk is trying to abolish an entire agency: USAID.  One wonders when a leftist federal judge will swoop in and slap an injunction on all things DOGE...  I'm surprised it hasn't happened already, in fact.  In the meantime, Musk is cutting a swath of destruction through the Deep State, and I couldn't be happier!


https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjdmx12j9no

 

In other news, Trump's tariffs on Canada and Mexico have already been suspended for 30 days, as both countries have agreed to step up enforcement measures at the northern and southern border, respectively.  This certainly signals a short-term win for Trump in these trade wars/negotiations, but we're not quite out of the woods yet...

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/3309313/canada-dodges-trump-tariffs-with-border-commitments/ 


https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/03/trump-tariffs-mexico-canada-china-sheinbaum-responds.html

 

Finally, Panama has agreed to uncouple itself from Chinese influence, at least to a degree.  That's a positive sign, and another win for America via Trumpian bluster, but is it smoke and mirrors or can we finally breathe a sigh of relief?

 

https://www.foxnews.com/world/panama-pledges-end-key-canal-deal-china-work-us-after-rubio-visit 

Sunday, February 2, 2025

A Nearly Spotless Record

 


Friends, this week's Newsmakers show, featuring, among others, ME, was a broadcasting tour de force.  You'll want to listen in as I reflect on the extraordinary accomplishment of our aviation industry, which went 16 years without a single fatality in commercial operations.  All good things must come to an end, however, and, as you will know, we had a midair collision at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.  I reflect on this, as well as Trump's newly-confirmed cabinet officers, the quick victory that DJT won over Colombia on the issue of deportations, the debate over birthright citizenship, the abortive "pause" on federal funding of grant programs, the new efforts to secure California's secession from the Union, the prospects for a resolution of the Russia-Ukraine War, and the growing threat to U.S. dominance in artificial intelligence from China.  It's well worth a few minutes of your time, if I do say so myself!


https://wysl.podbean.com/e/newsmakers-2-1-25/

No More Mr. Nice Guy

 


Friends, I'm not crazy about Trump's tariffs against Canada and Mexico, in themselves, but my guess is that they are part and parcel of a broad strategy to realign America's relationship with a host of international "partners" in a way that is more respectful of the interests and sovereignty of the USA.  That I can live with, and in fact such an effort is long overdue.  And that's the subject of my latest article:


Trump Drops the Hammer on America's Fair-Weather Friends


President Trump's shock and awe tactics against Democrats and the Deep State appear to be bearing fruit, but equally impressive has been his strong, unapologetic stance vis-à-vis other countries, allies and adversaries alike.

Setting the tone in a dramatic way, Trump wasted no time in responding to the refusal of Colombia's socialist president to receive a planeload of deportees. Trump threatened harsh, escalating tariffs as well as other sanctions and penalties, and the Colombian government caved almost instantly. Score one for Trump and Trumpism!

In the days and weeks ahead, a higher stakes battle will play out with the two countries that are, in many respects, our most important allies, neighbors, and trade partners: Canada and Mexico. Trump promised on the campaign trail to raise tariffs on a host of countries, including his bête noire: China. But why target seemingly harmless Canada and Mexico, specifically? He says it's because both are failing to control the flow of illegal migrants and fetanyl across our common borders. He also says that Canada and Mexico don't play fair in terms of trade, and thus they maintain large trade surpluses with the U.S. and drive American companies out of business.

Neither of these justifications is completely off-base, but the problem is that they are very different from one other, and Trump has set down no clear metrics for how Canada and Mexico (or any other country) can avoid tariffs. How much progress has to be made at the border before Trump will rescind his tariffs? How much must Canada and Mexico's trade surpluses be reduced before Trump's ire abates? Are these tariffs, fundamentally, retaliatory, or are they part of a protectionist philosophy that aims to revive American manufacturing, agriculture, and energy production? The answers to these questions, even for Trump's most wholehearted supporters, are obscure, but could this be intentional on Trump's part?

Many analysts believe that the purpose of these tariffs is not to restrict North American trade on a permanent basis, but to prove Trump's seriousness to the likes of Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau and Mexican President Sheinbaum. Trump may be angling for substantial concessions from Canada and Mexico, on border enforcement, trade policy, and other issues, that a more conventional American administration would never even dream of asking for. Whether these stiff tariffs would need to remain in place for a day, a week, a month, or a year in order to bring the necessary pressure to bear and make Canada and Mexico crack is hard to say, but the gravity with which these actions are viewed in Ottawa and Mexico City in undeniable. “Business as usual” is frankly no longer an option in North America, whether U.S., Canadian, and Mexican elites like it or not.

And this is why the long-term impact of Trump's international strength/intransigence (depending on your perspective) could be revolutionary: by bending our closest neighbors and erstwhile friends to our will, we will send a message to the entire world that no longer is the United States of America a nation to be trifled with. No longer will we subsidize the defense of half the world without expecting anything in return. No longer will we open up our own markets to all comers, while foreign governments and their corporate allies conspire to freeze out American products and seize control of whole industries. Certainly, no longer will the U.S. accept an unlimited number of migrants in the guise of “refugees” from the four corners of the earth.

Imagine, then, how much easier it will be for President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio to negotiate with China, and Europe, and Russia, and Iran, and North Korea, and countless other nations, friend and foe alike, when the new administration has proven its mettle in a miniature “trade war” with Canada and Mexico. Why, if they aren't already, the Panamanians and the Danes must be quaking in their boots!

The smart money says that the 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico aren't really about Canada and Mexico at all – they're about transplanting a spine into America itself, which, under President Biden, so conspicuously lacked one. Thanks to President Trump, the USA is no longer a nation to be taken for granted, derided, and abused. For the 77 million people who voted for Trump, all they can say is: “It's about time!”


Dr. Nicholas L. Waddy is an Associate Professor of History at SUNY Alfred and blogs at: www.waddyisright.com. He appears on the Newsmakers show on WLEA/WYSL.

 

And here it is at World Net Daily:

 

https://www.wnd.com/2025/02/trump-drops-the-hammer-on-americas-fair-weather-friends/ 

 

***

 

In other news, there's an argument to be made that Trump's approach to Colombia, Canada, and Mexico is redolent of the consciously erratic and blustering negotiating style of President Nixon.  In other words, Trump is in esteemed company!

 

https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/david-shribman/2025/02/02/shribman-madman-theory-trump-nixon/stories/202502020041  


The dastardly Dems are electing new leaders, and so far it's hard to read the tea leaves and ascertain what shape the Democratic Party is going to take in the next four years.  "Attack Trump!" is the easy choice, and I'm sure the Dems will do plenty of that, but the evidence is that those relentless assaults based on TDS have proved counterproductive.  What else have they got in their playbook?  We shall see.


https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/ken-martin-democratic-national-committee-chair-dnc-rcna190219

 

https://www.breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2025/02/02/david-hogg-elected-vice-chair-dnc-after-gun-control-message-fails-resonate-young-voters/ 


Vice-President Vance continues to hold out hope that the U.S. will end up in control of Greenland, as do I!  The real question is why the U.S. didn't secure possession of Greenland decades ago, when the Cold War was raging and the Arctic was a key theater in our incipient conflict with the Soviets.


https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2025/02/02/vance-u-s-could-control-greenland-even-if-europeans-scream-at-us/