News and Views on the Global Stage....

Revolution
Currently...

American, French Revolutions Took Different Paths in 18th Century

History often treats the American and French Revolutions as twin siblings of the Enlightenment—born from the same philosophical womb, nurtured by the same ideals of liberty and human rights, and destined to reshape the modern world. This narrative is seductive but fundamentally misleading. While both revolutions emerged from 18th-century Enlightenment thought and sought to overthrow tyrannical rule, they were not variations on the same theme. They were entirely different species of political transformation. The American Revolution was a conservative war for political independence fought against a distant power, designed to preserve existing liberties. The French Revolution was a radical, totalizing restructuring of society from within, designed to obliterate the past and forge a new human order. Understanding why these revolutions diverged so dramatically—and why one produced a stable republic while the other descended into terror and dictatorship—reveals essential truths about the nature of revolutionary change itself. The Core Motive: Political Separation vs. Social Re-engineering The first and most fundamental difference lies in what each revolution sought to accomplish. The American Revolution was primarily a war of political secession. The colonists did not seek to demolish British society, rewrite its laws, or reimagine its social hierarchy. They believed they were British

Read More »
lLK8Q
Currently...

So Much for the Separation of Bank and State

President Trump pocketed $2.2 billion in 2025, with $1.4 billion coming from a cryptocurrency firm he opened with his sons. And here, all along I thought crypto had been tanking for the past year. That’s the catch. If you market crypto, you make money whether the buyers do or not. Bingo — billions! (I also see Trump on TV all the time promoting watches, Bibles, and you name it, with his name or signature on everything.) What’s interesting is that having a crypto business can open the door to bribes. Now, if you’re president, no one can transfer $1 million into your bank account without raising red flags. But if you sell crypto and someone wants to earn some favors from you, all they have to do is buy, buy, buy. Not saying that’s what the Trumpster did, but the interesting thing is that only the president and vice-president, among all federal officeholders, are exempt from having business and/or financial interests outside of office. Even JD Vance made $7.5 million in 2025, due to his publishing genius. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi — poor woman — had to share her insider secrets with her husband to win in

Read More »
Declaration
Currently...

Thomas Jefferson and the Document That Changed the World

Picture a young man, just 33 years old, sitting alone in a second-floor rented room in Philadelphia during the sweltering heat of June 1776. Thomas Jefferson has locked himself away in his lodgings at Market and Seventh Street—a modest space in what’s now known as the Graff House—with a peculiar wooden writing desk of his own design balanced on his lap. Over the next 17 days, he will craft one of the most consequential documents in human history. But here’s the thing: Jefferson wasn’t trying to be revolutionary in his thinking. As he later admitted, his goal was simply to provide an “expression of the American mind”—to put into words what many colonists were already feeling but hadn’t quite articulated. He wasn’t inventing new philosophy. He was synthesizing, borrowing, and elevating ideas that were already in the air. The Ingredients of Revolution Jefferson didn’t have a massive research library with him in Philadelphia. He couldn’t Google “how to justify revolution” or pull up Wikipedia articles on political theory. Instead, he relied on something more powerful: years of voracious reading that had built a vast mental library of classical philosophy, legal precedent, and Enlightenment thought. The Philosopher’s Blueprint Jefferson’s deepest intellectual

Read More »
Bridge2
Currently...

Canada Opens Bridge to Nowhere, Thanks to Trump

The Gordie Howe Bridge — named after Canada’s hockey great — connects Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit, Michigan. Financed completely by Canada, the bridge now sits idle because Donald Trump says he wants part of the action — for the U.S., of course. The shutdown has Michigan politicos blaming Trump’s involvement with the proprietors of the current Canada-Michigan bridge. The Moroun family, owners of the decrepit Ambassador Bridge, reportedly made a $1 million donation to a Trump PAC. Meanwhile, Trump says the Gordie Howe Bridge stands to make “astronomical” sums from tolls, and the U.S. should have 50 percent ownership, though we paid zero for its construction. The president has now tied the opening of the bridge to negotiations for the renewal of the USMCA, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade. His administration is using the bridge as a bargaining chip to push Canada for major concessions on unrelated trade friction points, including: Canadian tariffs on U.S. dairy products. The absence of U.S. steel in parts of the bridge’s early construction phases. The placement of American alcohol products on Ontario retail shelves. My View: If Trump wants 50 percent of the revenue, he should reimburse Canada for 50 percent of the

Read More »
Sweden
My Take

Ever Heard of New Sweden? They Owned What Is Now Philadelphia

How many visitors to Philadelphia during America’s 250th Anniversary will realize that it was once Swedish? Here’s the story about how a “Small Colony Helped Build a Great Nation” that will provide some context to the development of American civilization, beginning with the introduction of the log cabin and peaceful interactions with the Native Indian Tribes. How 17 Years and 600 Settlers Shaped a Nation’s Character As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, we naturally turn our gaze to the familiar landmarks of our founding: Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, Boston’s harbor, Virginia’s plantations. But woven into the fabric of our national story are quieter threads—brief experiments that burned brightly and left permanent marks on the American character. New Sweden, a tiny Scandinavian colony that existed for just 17 years along the Delaware River, is one of those essential threads. Though it never grew beyond 600 souls, this remarkable settlement pioneered the peaceful coexistence, innovative spirit, and multicultural cooperation that would become hallmarks of the American experiment. From the log cabins that symbolize frontier independence to the very boundaries of Delaware and Pennsylvania, New Sweden’s legacy surrounds us still—hidden in plain sight, waiting to be celebrated. A Northern Power’s Bold Vision In the

Read More »
Birth
Currently...

‘I’m Shocked, Shocked!’ That SCOTUS Upheld the Birthright Scam

Unlike the constable in “Casablanca” who was “shocked, shocked!” to learn that gambling was going on at Rick’s nightspot, I am actually not “shocked, shocked” that the Supreme Court has upheld the scam interpretation of the birthright clause in the U.S. Constitution. Actually, had the writers of the 14th Amendment been more careful in their wording, they might have conveyed what they truly meant — that all children of slaves born in the U.S. are natural citizens. (Note: the constable wasn’t shocked either, just caught with his legal pants down.) The key element in the 14th Amendment, which contains the much-ballyhooed birthright-citizenship clause, is the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.” As Marc Levin points out on his FOX television show, the children of illegal aliens are subject to the jurisdiction of their home countries, not strictly the United States, thereby excluding them from automatic constitutional citizenship. Now, those haughty TV commentators who now throw the SCOTUS ruling back in Donald Trump’s face should take a look at history, specifically at the federal Civil Rights Act passed in 1866, which was the basis for the 14th Amendment. As Justice Clarence Thomas (the best thing to happen to the Supreme Court

Read More »
image (50)
U.S. News

Fed’s Lisa Cook Is Safe, But Trump Gets Overall ‘You’re Fired!’ Power

The Supreme Court, in decisions released today, won’t allow President Trump to fire the Federal Reserve’s Lisa Cook, but will allow Sir Donald to dismiss at will at other federal agencies. Welcome back, the moderator of “The Apprentice” and your famous line, “You’re fired!” The ruling on the president’s power to dismiss agency heads and others concerned his firing of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioner, who sued to get her job back. SCOTUS thus ruled against Rebecca Slaughter, a fired Demofiend member of the FTC. After the ruling, Trump told reporters: “It gives me the right to do what the president should have the right to do. It [the decision] gave strength to the president.” In the case of the Fed’s Lisa Cook, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts cited the independence of the Federal Reserve, writing: “Not only the fact of independence but also the appearance of independence is key to the Federal Reserve’s design.” The vote was surprisingly narrow, 5-4, with Roberts and his deciding vote showing his true colors as a liberal establishmentarian and not as the conservative he tries to paint himself as being. On the FTC ruling, Demofiend Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois summed up his party’s fears

Read More »
popup

Have a Novel Burning
Inside of You?
SudoWrite to the Rescue!