Mount Rushmore Threatened By Blockheads

              Mount Rushmore is the nation’s most iconic symbol and was often referred to as the “Shrine of Democracy.” It was carved out of a hard granite mountainside over the course of more than 14 years by Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers. Ironically, after Gutzon died in 1941, his son Lincoln carried the work to completion. Rushmore’s rocks are robust. It is thought that the granite erodes only about one inch every 10,000 years.

              Congress approved the project on March 3, 1925, and the carving began on October 4^th of that same year. Roughly 90% of the rock was removed by dynamite, an amount equal to 450,000 tons. Incredibly, there were no fatalities during construction of the memorial.

              The first face to be completed was that of George Washington’s, the “Father of His Country.” His countenance took seven years to finish, with the final touches applied on July 4^th, 1934. His face was covered by a giant American flag prior to its unveiling, an act that was then repeated for each of the other three presidents enshrined on the cliff. The likenesses of Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln were completed in the seven years thereafter.

              Mount Rushmore is, unarguably, one of the most amazing engineering feats ever accomplished, a stupefying blend of idea, art, effort and explosive power. Physically, the work should last thousands of years. Unfortunately, the nation is no longer near as stout as it was…nor as strong as the rock outcropping the Founder’s faces grace. The Founders had brains as well as balls, two things in very short supply today. The “Shrine of Democracy” is now labeled as “racist,” and a symbol of “white supremacy” by far-left Marxist malcontents and their enablers. Such as CNN’s Don Lemon, who, after disparaging Mount Rushmore, suggested that Barack Obama be placed on it “front and center,” as a kind of penance, I suppose.  

              Instead of destroying the existing shrine, let’s create a second Mount Rushmore, this one dedicated to the worst presidents in American history. (Prior to their eventual unveiling, each of their countenances could be covered by a giant facial mask.) On that “reverse” Mount Rushmore, Barack Obama would be front and center. He would be accompanied by Jimmy Carter and, if I had my druthers, Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson, with Lyndon Banes Johnson, Woodrow Wilson, and James Buchanan on deck in case the mountain could accommodate seven ex-presidents. Obama, Carter, Clinton and Johnson would comprise a fantastic Faulty Foursome, a diverse mix of two black presidents and two “crackers.”

              Interestingly, academics now rank Obama, Wilson, LBJ and Clinton among the top half of American presidents…proving that they are dumber than the granite in which the great men are carved.

Study Finds Coin-Flippers Happier

Study Finds

              Steven Levitt, a University of Chicago economist and co-author of the best-selling book Freakonomics, oversaw a study of people’s happiness after making big decisions. The enquiry, published in The Review of Economic Studies, presented participants with questions including, “Should I quit my job?” and “Should I propose?” Those surveyed could also make up their own questions. Participants agreed to make their decisions by flipping a coin with “yes” on one side and “no” on the other.
              Counterintuitively, the study found that the coin flip mandates generally made people happy, particularly when directing them to make a big change in their life. Participants were surveyed by a third party two months after their coin flips and six months after. At the six-month mark, most surveyed were living happier lives, with most of those instructed to make a major change in their lives much happier. Levitt suggested, “A good rule of thumb in decision making is, whenever you cannot decide what you should do, choose the action that represents a change, rather than continuing the status quo.”
              Those surveyed also said they would make the same decision if they had to choose again.
              I’m keen to test Levitt’s findings out myself. I’ve made up my own questions. And my own coin. “Wheaties or Cheerios?” “Boxers or briefs?” “Make love now or wait until I’m married?” “Bet everything I own on red or buy a nice house?” “Bomb China or Iran?”
              I thought of one more: “Write this post or rearrange my sock drawer?”
              Did the coin make the right choice?
              Flip a coin before you answer.

NBA Players To Sport Social Justice Messages

            The National Basketball Association recently announced a list of “approved messages” that its players will be allowed to brandish on their jerseys when the season resumes later in July. The league and its player’s union agreed on 29 words and phrases the players can choose to display in magnificently virtue-signaling fashion above their jersey numbers where their name would normally be located. If a non-woke or racist player chooses not to advertise for the Black Lives Matter Movement, their name will be displayed as per usual. Although in scarlet letters. Just kidding. These social-justice-warring tropes will be featured for the first four nights of the restarted season, after which a player can choose whether to replace the admonition with his name or continue to display the trite tags and have his name placed below his number.

This will be a particularly difficult decision for many, as it will pit the player’s immense ego against his desire to appear woke, hip, caring, courageous and, frankly, better than you. In other words, it will pit his ego against…his ego.

Speaking of egos, NBA Commissioner Adam “Hi, Ho’” Silver recently stated: "The league and the players are uniquely positioned to have a direct impact on combating systemic racism in our country, and we are committed to collective action to build a more equal and just society.” Really? Are Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook going to give some of their salary to white players? Silver added, “A shared goal of our season restart will be to use our platform in Orlando to bring attention to these important issues of social justice." The league will also paint “Black Lives Matter” on its arena’s hardwood playing floors when the season resumes on July 30^th.

Here is the list of NBA-approved words and phrases: Black Lives Matter, Say Their Names, Vote, I Can’t Breathe, Justice, Peace, Equality, Freedom, Enough (I couldn’t agree more at this point), Power to the People, Justice Now, Say Her Name (huh?), Si Se Puede (which apparently means ‘Yes We Can’), Liberation, See Us, Hear Us, Respect Us, Love Us, Listen, Listen to Us, Stand Up, Ally, Anti-Racist, I Am A Man, Speak Up, How Many More, Group Economics (huh?), Education Reform, and Mentor.

First off, no real man wears apparel stating, “I Am A Man.” Secondly, all of these words and phrases actually translate into, “I am a shameless virtue-signaler.” If an NBA player wanted to be “a man,” be courageous and independent, he would choose to sport phrases like “Save the Babies,” or “Resist the Chinese Communist Party,” or even “I Admit It, We All Travel.” But, no. “See Us,” “Hear Us,” “Respect Us,” “Love Us,” “Listen,” “Listen To Us?” Really?

Why not “Stroke Us,” “Worship Us,” “Obey,” or “Obey Us.?” Maybe “Tolerance,” “Rap Music Rules,” or “Marxism Now?” Perhaps “Che Guevara Lives,” “Trump Sucks,” or “White Players Can’t Jump?”

It won’t happen, but the NBA should be on the receiving end of an “approved message” from Americans who value freedom and disdain hypocrisy: “Take Your Sport And Shove It, We Won’t Watch It Anymore!”

Conservatives Call For Yale To Be Renamed

              Turns out Yale University, that bastion of Ivy League progressivism, was named after Elihu Yale, a British merchant and slave trader who made several donations to the college in the early 1700s when it was known as the Collegiate School. Elihu had also been President of the East India Company settlement of Fort St. George, at Madras, and was also involved in the diamond trade. By 1745, the entire institution had been renamed Yale University in his honor.  

              In the midst of the cancel culture movement, with statues of erstwhile slave owners being torn down and buildings, streets and products being renamed at a dizzying pace to appease the ever growing mob of wokesters, thugs and anarchists, many conservatives, myself included, are calling on the venerable old repository of higher education to change its name. To this end, I recently spoke with several of the school’s officials about this demand. They would only agree to speak to me on the condition of anonymity, but, of course, that is their right and the journalist’s sacred prerogative.

              The first Yale-fellow-well-met I spoke with flatly denied that the school was named after Elihu Yale in the first place. He said that “Yale” was actually an acronym for “Young Americans’ Learning Environment,” and claimed neither he nor anyone he ever met knew of the existence of an “Elihu Yale.” The second person I spoke with also denied any knowledge of “the Yale fellow.” Oddly enough, she too said that “Yale” was an acronym, but claimed it stood for “Youthful Academics Loving Education.” The third and last official agreeing to talk to me said that Elihu Yale never existed and was, in fact, “created out of whole cloth by the vast right-wing conspiracy and white supremacists. He is fake news.” He added that “Yale” actually was shorthand for “Youth Association (for) Living Exceptionally.”

Columbus Statue To Be Replaced By Chef Boyardee

            There is a trending online petition calling for the statue of Christopher Columbus in Cleveland, Ohio, to be replaced by…you guessed it…one of Chef Boyardee. The recent Change.org plea urges the Cleveland City Council to remove the likeness of the man who discovered America in favor of one of Ettore Boiardi, the man who discovered ways to package and sell various pasta products at reasonable prices.

Boirardi emigrated from Italy at age 16, and eventually moved to Cleveland and opened a restaurant. His sauce became so popular that he began bottling it for sale, and the enterprise grew to become the Chef Boyardee brand of pasta and sauces that we know and love today. Only in America. But his success story was only possible because of Christopher Columbus. The man affectionately known by his Americanized moniker, “Chef Boyardee,” would live in Northeast Ohio until he passed away in 1985.  

The petition to jettison Columbus has nearly 3,000 signatures as of this writing and claims, “Columbus is not someone we should celebrate. He was a racist monster who initiated the genocide against indigenous Americans.” Monster? Really? The petition does, however, praise Boiardi and his legacy as an “immigrant success story who enriched our community with his food and iconic mustache.” 

And his mustache? Well, no wonder why. Columbus was clean shaven. Couldn’t possibly compete with the hirsute Italian chef.

            Look for any remaining statues of George Washington to be pulled down and replaced by the large, red and white checkered-overall-adorned likeness of Marc’s Big Boy fame. Lincoln statues will give way to those of the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Those of Jefferson will be replaced by figures of Betty Crocker. Any statues of Bill Clinton extant? If there are, those might be unmolested, so to speak, as many consider him “the first black president.” But, who knows, statues of abolitionists have come down and that of Frederick Douglas was recently vandalized. If a monument to Clinton is removed, it could well be replaced…by an Oscar Meyer Wienermobile.

           I know what you’re thinking. But, after all, both Bill Clinton and Oscar Meyer have a way with… B-O-L-O-G-N-A.

                                                  

The Last, Best Hope

What happens to the world after America, which, by the look of things recently, might not be that far off? Sadly, as I sat pondering what to write for the Fourth of July this year, that is the thought that kept crossing my mind.

Perhaps the best way to start answering this question is to take a look at the world before America. In 1775, the average life expectancy in the advanced nations of Europe and including the land that would become the United States, was approximately 36 years. Life in 1775 wasn’t really all that much different for many than life in the Middle Ages, more than 400 years before. Even the Renaissance didn’t dramatically change the average person’s daily life. Horses were still the main mode of transportation, their dung covered “streets” and byways. Bloodletting was still a preferred medical procedure. Anesthesia was a bottle of whiskey. Prior to Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, slavery existed virtually everywhere on Earth.

Fast forward less than two and a half centuries and the life expectancy in the West is nearly 80 years and most families have more than one automobile unless they prefer to take the various forms of public transportation available. There are countless types of anesthesia, painkillers, and drugs that can defeat diseases and enhance and prolong life. Slavery has been eradicated except for a few Marxist states, and, ironically, African nations. Literally billions have been lifted out of poverty and desperation around the world. Nearly all the “poor” in America have smart phones, two televisions, a car, and access to the internet. Many are, unfortunately, obese.

The staggering litany of American innovations and inventions could not be properly catalogued in a large book, let alone a blog post, so suffice it to say that it has benefitted the world in ways incalculable. And America’s greatest gift to the world was—and is—freedom. The idea and the reality of it. (Natural Law is the defining aspect of this.) No matter what the left says, no matter what any of America’s detractors say around the world, there is an inescapable reason why so many fled towards American troops at the end of World War II in Europe. There is a reason why so many millions have—unbidden—risked their lives to come to the United States over the course of many decades.

If the United States and its founding ideals are essentially “overthrown” by radicals, if it becomes just another garden-variety Marxist state, it will be a grave loss for the world in general. If the primary driver of innovation and the world economy, the most generous nation in history, and the historic guarantor of so many people’s freedom passes into history, no one will be better off.

If the “shining city on a hill” shines no more, everything around it grows darker, too.

We are indeed at a tipping point. Lincoln’s message to Congress on December 1^st, 1861, is just as true today: “We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.”

Repost: A Fourth Of July Message To Americans From Six Former Presidents

                  I recently received, in my mailbox, three letters. One was apparently written by (several of) the Founders, another stems from the hand of Abraham Lincoln and the third is from Ronald Reagan. All were addressed to: “The modern-day citizens of the United States of America, to be opened and read on July 4^th, the year of our Lord 2016.” All came on the same day. Surreal.

                 The first letter I read was crafted with a quill pen on parchment and bore a distinct message from each of four Founding Fathers. The second was Abraham Lincoln’s missive, and the third flowed from the pen of the Great Communicator himself, Ronald Reagan. Here they are, in the order in which I have just read them.

A Fourth of July Message from Thomas Jefferson:

                Dearest Americans, the Declaration of Independence, though written by my own hand, had many contributors, just as did the Constitution of these United States of America. Not just Mr. Adams, Mr. Franklin and other Founders, but Socrates’, the Magna Carta, Montesquieu, Burke, Adam Smith and others. It was written as a national Emancipation Proclamation. And, though it didn’t reach its full fruition for another four-score and seven years or more, it was intended to protect the smallest minority- each and every individual- from the greatest tyrants and bullies: Kings, dictators and governments. I implore you: never lose sight of that. We Founders won freedom for the inhabitants of this land and all the generations to follow. We are ourselves now free of all earthly shackles, yet I fear that the endeavors you have recently undertaken are leading you into an endless, if “voluntary,” servitude. Be mindful that Dr. Franklin, when queried about the form of government the Founders had given the nation’s citizenry, replied: “A Republic, as long as you can keep it.” Implicit in his answer was the fact that we didn’t want a pure democracy, as we had seen that a form of immorality nearly always overtook voters of nations with such form of government, leading the simple majority to rule roughshod over even a large minority.

               I fear something similar is happening to you now. Many of your votes are being cast not for life and liberty, and what is best for the general welfare, but are being offered up to those scoundrels who promise to give the most money and goods to specific blocks of voters, or “special interest groups”. This causes a great rupture in society. This is robbing Peter to pay Paul and also leads to sloth and a diminution of individual endeavor, discipline, self-respect and…liberty.

               Time indeed changes manners and notions. But time  produces also corruption of principles, and against this it is the duty of good citizens to be ever on the watch, and if the gangrene is to prevail at last, let the day be kept off as long as possible.

A Fourth of July Message from George Washington:

                Countrymen, I bid you good tidings and hoped that they would find a nation united, strong and free, blessed in its liberty. You may know that I was honored to lead a “rag-tag” militia and eventually molded them into a fine fighting force, and that I had several horses shot out from under me, and countless musket-balls pass through my attire. I am absolutely convinced that Providence spared me for a grand purpose. This upstart nation, with virtually no navy, lacking in arms and ammunition- and materiel’ of almost every ilk and stripe- went on to defeat the mightiest military the world had ever known. I always tried to lead from the front and refused to accept any remuneration for my part in this blessed battle for liberty.

                What you may not know, is that my greatest fear was- and is- that the inhabitants of this Union would one day forget why and how it came to be in the first place. That the stupefying sacrifice my men made for nigh eight years should ultimately prove in vain is more than I can bear for eternity. Please, for your sake and theirs, for posterity and hope, for dignity and reason, do not continue in your attempts to “fundamentally change this nation.” When you fundamentally change the freest, most prosperous nation the world has ever known, the result can only be less freedom and prosperity.

                My friends, government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.

A Fourth of July Message from John Adams:

                I would like to start by greeting my fellow patriots, but I fear that many inhabiting the land now no longer think in those terms or understand fully what it means. It doesn’t mean a dislike or disdain for other individuals or countries, but a pride in the shared achievements and character of one’s own. It doesn’t mean everything it does is perfect- or indeed even right in every case, but it doesn’t mean that anything another nation does is necessarily its equal-or better. True patriotism is attained- and laudable- when founded on individual liberty, not entitlements, on morality, not its opposite. A people can only stay truly free when educated, involved, vigilant- and unafraid- of their own government. It has been some twenty dozens of years since we declared independence. I fear that you have become soft- and content to be kept as if livestock, as long as your “civil-servant” masters will see to your food, shelter, “protection”… and ease. Remember what happens, in the end, to livestock.

               The happiness of society is the end of government.

A Fourth of July Message from James Madison:

               If you are reading this, dear citizens, perhaps there is still hope for the Republic we bequeathed you. Our instructions for this letter were clear: it was not to be opened until July 4^th, 2016. We decided on this date, the 240^th anniversary of the Declaration, as the most successful republics have lasted between 200 and 250 years, and this being also a presidential election year. I have often been referred to as the Father of the Constitution, but, though I did write much of this unique document, I am not its father. Ironically, tyranny and despotism were the parents of its blessed birth. You see, without these two, there would have been no need for their produce. The document, itself reflecting the combined wisdom of the ages, was precisely structured to protect the citizens of this land from tyrannical government… in perpetuity. It took the immutability of human nature and desire into account, along with a vast knowledge of all the world’s previous types of governments- and the results of their governance. The document, we hoped, would lead to a happier people than any that had come before, free in their pursuit of life, liberty and property. Please do not think that it should be fundamentally altered or aborted now. Be ever vigilant and jealously guard your freedoms and independence.

                I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.

A Fourth of July Letter from Abraham Lincoln-

                Seven score and thirteen years ago, your forefathers engaged in a titanic clash to determine whether a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal…could long endure. Through their bloodshed and heartache, their sacrifice and courage, their honor and commitment, it did. Now I ask of you: should their sacrifice have been in vain? Will the actions you take now, render their courage, bloodshed and heartache moot? I have beseeched the Almighty. Now I beseech each and every one of you reading this…to answer each of those questions with a distinct and determined no!

A Fourth of July Letter from Ronald Reagan-

                My fellow Americans, we are a nation that has a government, not the other way around.

                You know, not so many years ago, I said it was “Morning in America.” And it- at least figuratively- truly was. I also urged Mr. Gorbachev to “Take down this wall!” Shortly thereafter, it came down, leading to a rebirth of freedom for many souls previously trapped in servitude. Now, my fellow Americans, it is in your charge to answer these questions: Is it still morning in America, or will we soon be in mourning…for America? Is that shining city on a hill going to continue to be a beacon, or will you let it slide into the yawning abyss, never to rise again?

The U.N. Cautions Everyone To Use Gender-Neutral Language

              Recently, the United Nations tweeted: ”What you say matters. Help create a more equal world by using gender-neutral language if you’re unsure about someone’s gender or are referring to a group.” Thank goodness the U.N. believes words matter. I’d hate to think I was the only one who thinks highly of language. The august body cautioned people to choose their words carefully in consideration of identity politics and to ensure acceptance in a “more equal world.” 

              The tweet contained specific examples and helpfully recommended using “spouse” instead of “wife” or “husband,” “owner” in place of “landlord,” “family name” in lieu of “maiden name,” etc., etc. How about “significant gender-neutral entity” in place of the Lord?

              Though the U.N.’s troops have frequently spent more time raping and pillaging those they were sent to protect than actually protecting them from something, it is nice that perhaps the blue helmets will now honor their preferred pronouns while doing so.

              The tweet was generated by U.N. Women, a sub-entity of the United Nations that purports to be a “global champion for women and girls,” and that claims to have been established to “accelerate progress on meeting [women and girls’] needs worldwide.” UNW is ostensibly “dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.”

              I wonder how often a representative from Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia or Yemen sits in the group’s Executive Director chair?

Politico "Journalist" Makes A Mockery Of Journalism

              Conservatives tend to like to preserve the best of past ages and accumulated wisdom whereas progressives aren’t interested in anything that existed prior to last Thursday. An objective person must admit that journalists, at least, just aren’t what they used to be. Sorry, progs.

              To wit: one august member of the Fourth Estate, Ryan Lizza, chief Washington correspondent for Politico, recently put the following comment and question to White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. "I think a lot of people are trying to understand what his view of memorializing the Confederacy is and the proper place of the Confederate flag. Does President Trump believe that it was a good thing that the South lost the Civil War?" McEnany replied, "Well, your first question is absolutely absurd. He's proud of the United States of America," before quickly moving on to address somewhat less insane questions and inferences.

              I don’t care what one thinks of President Trump. Love him, hate him, or still don’t know what to make of him, the holder of his office deserves at least a modicum of respect. But the very same “journalists” (I just threw up a little in my mouth) that “felt thrills going up their legs” as they slobbered all over President Barack Hussein Obama have spent more than three years vilely smearing Trump at every single opportunity. And then some.

             No member of the media ever asked Obama if he thought “it was a good thing that the Holocaust ended when it did.”

            Why hasn’t a reporter asked Bernie Sanders if he thought “it was a good thing the United States won the Cold War?”

And someone should ask Rep. Alexandria Occasional-Cortex Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) if she knows who won the Civil War. Or who George Washington was? Or who is buried in Grant’s Tomb. Or what two plus three equals.  

And Ryan Lizza certainly needs to be asked why he thinks he is a journalist.

Minneapolis City Council Members Hire Private Security

           The far-left Minneapolis City Council recently voted-- once again-- to disband the city’s police force. Unanimously. In response to a question on national television, one of them famously (infamously) replied that if your house is being broken into in the middle of the night and your first impulse is to call the police, that impulse is coming from a “place of privilege.” Better to let countless folks of all races get robbed, raped and killed than take the chance that one more black man with a lengthy rap sheet should be the tragic victim of a rogue bad cop.

           Now three members of that very same city council have hired private security to protect

themselves from lawlessness and criminality. Andrea Jenkins, Phillipe Cunningham, and Alondra 

Cano —all of whom have been outspoken proponents of defunding and disbanding the police — are

 costing city taxpayers $4,500 per day in private security fees, KMSP-TV reported. A city 

spokesperson told the station that the city has spent over $63,000 of taxpayer’s money on security for 

the despicable trio over the past three weeks. The private security details “are intended to be a 

temporary bridge until other security measures can be implemented by council members,” according

 to KMSP. Like moats and draw bridges, perhaps?

          Jenkins claims she has been receiving “threatening communications” from “the large number 

of white nationalists in our city,” a claim utterly preposterous on its face. There are no more than a 

handful of “white nationalists” in Minneapolis, an overwhelmingly progressive city, and what few 

there may be are seldom if ever seen or heard from. I know. I’ve lived there. She understandably may 

have received uncomfortable communications from her neighbors…whose tax money is paying for

 her protection while she has abandoned them to the figurative wolves. Talk about taxation without 

representation!

       The Minneapolis Police Department told KMSP there has not been a single police report filed for threats against any of the city's council members, though it added one could conceivably have been filed confidentially.

    What a place of privilege these asshats come from! If they refuse to protect the people they “serve,” they certainly deserve no protection. They are sentencing countless others to needless risk, worry—and death-- by disbanding the police force. They should be willing to accept the same fate.