LA anti-ICE protests reaches Day 2

At this point, I honestly don't care what Trump does w/regard to these "protesters" so long as its' within the bounds of the law.

Founders Quotes, 3-4 June 2025

Congress and the Constitution may seem at odds with one another but really shouldn't be...

(1) If the present Congress errs in too much talking, how can it be otherwise in a body to which the people send 150 lawyers, whose trade it is to question everything, yield nothing, & talk by the hour? That 150 lawyers should do business together ought not to be expected. - Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography, 1821

(2) I never expect to see a perfect work from imperfect man. - Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 85, 1788

There's truths to both of their quotes - Jefferson's in that whenever a bunch of lawyers get together nothing much good ever comes out of it and Hamilton's in that so long as we depend on human works to achieves peace and stability, we will never have it often or well enough to please everyone.

Happy Sabbath, 6 June 2025

Even when there are storms in one's life (weather-related or otherwise) we can always count on the seventh-day sabbath as a period of calm respite.

DoJ Sues Texas Over In-State Tuition for Illegal Aliens....

...and wins. Per Patriot Post, On Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Justice Department finally did what every prior administration (including Trump 1.0) for the past three decades refused to do — enforced the federal immigration law that bans states from providing in-state tuition to illegal aliens unless they provide the same benefit to citizen-students from any state. 

That same day, Texas cried uncle, agreed with the government, settled the case, and entered into a consent decree.

TL/DR: In 1996, Congress passed the Illegal Alien Reform & Immigrant Responsibility Act which prohibited states like Texas from giving in-state tuition benefits to those here in the country illegally. Until this week, seventeen states and D.C. had laws (in DC's case, a DC City Counsel ordinance that was later approved by Congress) allowing this. This not allows gave an unlawful benefit to illegals already here, it encouraged more illegal immigration and whenever parents of citizen/legal resident alien students tried to sue, the courts rebuffed them stating there was no private right of action in the statute (thus putting it on DoJ's shoulders to you know, actually enforce the law as written).

In the consent decree, Texas acknowledged that the law-in-question violated the Federal Supremacy Clause and were unconstitutional.....now, let us hope that either (a) DoJ goes after the other states and D.C. on this and.or (b) Congress gets off their schnides' and passes an amendments law putting this prohibition into statutory law.

On This Day in 1944...

....Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy eighty-one years ago, marking the beginning of the end in Western Europe. It was a defense of freedom and liberty vs. the forces of evil and freedom/liberty won the day. (Makes you wonder if today's generation could do likewise.)

Anyway, here's a bit of music, per Patriot Post, to honor the day...

Founders Quote, 2 June 2025

Okay, I gotta catch on these....

Commerce: The prosperity of commerce is now perceived and acknowledged by all enlightened statesmen to be the most useful as well as the most productive source of national wealth, and has accordingly become a primary object of its political cares. - Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 12, 1787

Hamilton's right there; the best way for a country to prosper is to unleash the economic commerce engine to full blast and then, after making sure there's a fair system of laws/regulations, getting well the hell outta' the way.

JD Vance Bitcoin 2025 Keynote Speech

Cryptocurrencies really stepped out into the spotlight in 2024 and if they didn't become as established part of the financial sphere beforehand, they sure did after. And VP Vance is right in one regard - America should definitely become a center for cryptocurrency; we have a strong, stable regulatory structure, the laws are relatively straightforward and so long as you do your due diligence and research before dipping your finger into the crypto sphere, it's akin to the stock market.

RIC FLAIR is an A**HOLE - Jim Ross & "Consent" Tweets

Two things you can say about wrestling legend Ric Flair that are equally true - (1) that he is one of the most legendary wrestlers in the world and (2) that h'es the kind of asshole attention whore who makes regular-grade attention whores look like upstanding people.

He's also one of the reasons the National Wrestling Alliance lost a lot of its' authority back in the 1980's as the old territory era of pro wrestling waned and disappeared; quoting TV Tropes..."The treatment of the NWA World Heavyweight title, particularly in the late 80s throughout Ric Flair's various reigns. The NWA presidency was becoming declawed while various member promotions were stretching just how much they could get away with. Specifically, NWA bookers wanted their own top stars to go over the champion. In the past, the champ was the champ, and while the champion's job was to make local stars look good, he would still almost always come out on top. But more and more, regional members wanted special exemptions made: Dusty Rhodes did not want to lose in Florida, the von Erichs did not want to lose in Texas, and so on. More and more, the front office gave in, leading to more and more time limit draws meant to keep their members happy. The overall perception, then, to the casual wrestling fan, was that perennial WWF champion Hulk Hogan was an unstoppable juggernaut who had a solid hold on his belt, while Ric Flair was more lucky than good by taking a beating in every match from almost everyone and just barely escaping. A lack of solid high-profile victories over anyone of status by the NWA champion eventually began to erode the importance of the NWA title."

In other words, while Vince McMcMahon, for all of his numerous faults, kept his top dog Hulk Hogan as an unstoppable force w/in the then-WWF while the 80's NWA, in an effort to appease their declining territorial power, played wag-the-director w/local promoters, thus making Flair look like he LCS'ed (LIed-Cheated-Stole) his way through championship title matches, thus weakening the overall brand.

USDoT to Offer $5.4bn in Transportation Contracts, Strikes Diversity Provisions in Contract Language

Sooner they can end diversity provisions in federal contracts, the better....

The U.S. government will make available $5.4 billion in grant funding for building, replacing or repairing bridges across the country under a 2021 infrastructure law, but is striking diversity requirements, the U.S. Department of Transportation said on Monday.

USDOT said it was removing climate change, environmental justice and diversity, equity and inclusion from grant application requirements for bridges from the funding approved in 2021 under a $1-trillion infrastructure law signed by former President Joe Biden.

Last week, USDOT said separately it would end consideration of race or gender when awarding billions of dollars in federal highway and transit project funding set aside for disadvantaged small businesses. (Salem News Channel)

The problem with diversity provisions aren't that not everyone will benefit but that, to borrow John Roberts' famous dictum, the way to prevent discrimination on the basis of race (or ethnicity or gender, etc.) is very simple: stop discriminating by those bases. Pick the best offer that is cost-effective and let the chips fall where they will.

Might not mean you get the absolute best company/individual (although that should be an ideal) but anything would be better than what currently exists nowadays.

Founders Quotes, 31 May-1 June 2025

A pair of quotes from America's first president, George Washington, on the topics of character and citizenship...

Character: Your love of liberty - your respect for the laws - your habits of industry - and your practice of the moral and religious obligations, are the strongest claims to national and individual happiness. - letter to the residents of Boston, Mass., 1789

Citizenship: The citizens of the United States of America have the right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were by the indulgence of one class of citizens that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support. - letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island — 1790

Two of the hallmarks of America are the ideas of character and citizenship - the American character (love of liberty/freedom, respect for the law, a strong work ethic) and citizenship (just as Romans took pride in being citizens of Rome, "Civis Romanus sum", Americans still take pride in being a citizen of the United States - "Civis Americanus sum."

Top 10 Paul Tracy Angry Moments

Say whatever you want about "the Thrill from West Hill" but there was never a dull moment whenever Paul Tracy was racing in the IndyCar Series (well, at that time CART/ChampCar)....

Jesus, Jerusalem and the Final Signs | Mark Finley

Thought-provoking video and a reminder of the role Jerusalem - a holy city for Christians, Jews and Muslims - will play in the end times. What those are no one knows but we do know those times will, assuming Christ doesn't delay his coming, eventually arrive.