The REAL Reasons the U.S. Is Attacking Iran
March 1, 2026 6:12am
All day yesterday, I heard Democrats and their allies in the propaganda press saying with confidence that 1) Trump did not have the authority to attack Iran, and 2) he did it to get the Epstein Files off the front page. I wrote yesterday about Trump's lawful authority to order the strikes. Today, I will address the purpose of this war and the absurd claim that this is a "wag the dog" war to distract from the Epstein Files. The contents of those files were known to the Biden Administration for four years. If there was any proof of wrongdoing by Trump, it would have been revealed then.
This conflict is about removing the theocratic leaders of the world's biggest sponsor of international terrorism. This is about Iran becoming a pro-western, secular nation. This is about denying the mad mullahs the nuclear weapons they so fiercely desire. This is about ending Iran's ballistic missile program. This is about denying cheap oil to China. This is about supporting Ukraine by denying Russia access to Iranian drones. This is a war with multiple objectives - all of which would benefit the United States and our allies.
If it works, it will be the greatest foreign policy success of this millennium. If it fails, it will be our biggest blunder; which, considering our other blunders, would be pretty damn bad. I only caution one thing; that Trump doesn't end hostilities until Iran's regime is replaced with a secular, pro-western government. I hope Trump and the Republican majorities in Congress have the stones to dismiss the Democrat and media criticism for what it is; prioritizing hatred of Trump over love for America.
Did Congress Grant the President the Authority to Attack Iran? Yes.
February 28, 2026 10:52am
Did Congress grant the President the authority to attack Iran? Yes.
Firstly, Public Law 107–40 (Authorization for Use of Military Force), which was passed by the 107th Congress in 2001, is still in effect. It states that "the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons." The intent was probably to authorize force only against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. But the approved language is much broader than that. Barack Obama used that Joint Resolution as his legal justification for airstrikes in Iraq, Syria, and Libya. It is inarguable that Iran is the world's biggest sponsor of international terrorism, much of which has been directed at the United States and our allies.
Army Captain Nathan Smith sued President Obama, arguing that that 2001 AUMF was not applicable to the 2016 orders he'd received vis a vis Operation Inherent Resolve, an operation against ISIS. ISIS did not even exist in 2001, but Barack Obama applied that 2001 law to it. The case was dismissed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. I should note that it was dismissed as moot not based on any merits.
Secondly, Public Law 107-243 (Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002) has never been repealed. Although the "Against Iraq" verbiage seems very specific, Section 3(a) of the resolution states "The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq." But Iran is not Iraq, right? Yet Barack Obama used that Joint Resolution as his legal authority to order airstrikes against ISIS. Donald Trump later used it to justify killing General Soleimani, the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force.
Then there's the 1973 War Powers Act. It specifically recognizes the President's authority to commit military forces to hostile action without Congressional approval. It requires the President to notify Congress within 48 hours that troops have been deployed, and that such action may only last 60 days unless Congress authorizes a longer period (although there is an automatic 30 day extension, so it's really 90 days). No court has ever ruled on it, but there are many legitimate arguments that the War Powers Act is unconstitutional. Most arguments challenge the Act's language that limits a President's authority to engage in hostilities not the language that grants it.
Lastly (last in this writing not last in constitutional importance), Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution says "The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States..." It has been generally agreed historically that the President has unilateral power to repel and prevent attacks against the United States even without a Declaration of War. Congress hasn't declared war since June 5, 1942 when it formally added the Axis-aligned nations of Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania to our World War II campaigns. Yet every President since has ordered the use of military force somewhere in the world.
Donald Trump absolutely has the authority to order these current strikes against Iran. Is it wise? It's too soon to tell. But if the people of Iran take this opportunity to rise up and overthrow the mad mullahs who have oppressed them for nearly half a century; and they install a secular, pro-western government; then the current military action will prove to have been the greatest accomplishment of his Presidency.
War
February 28, 2026 4:12am
President Trump did not start this war with Iran. But he will hopefully end the war the Iranians started in 1979. To accomplish that, we must not cease hostilities until there is regime change in Tehran.
Air power will certainly help. But the people of Iran need to be the "boots on the ground" to remove the mad mullahs who have oppressed them for nearly half a century.
Will the U.S. Strike Iran?
February 27, 2026 5:31pm
Publicly available, non-classified reports indicate that the U.S. Navy has put to sea its ships in Bahrain, home to the Fifth Fleet. The reason for putting ships to sea is because they are better defended in open waters than tied up at the piers. Bahrain is on the western shore of the Persian Gulf across the water from Iran.
Reports also indicate that the Navy's facilities in Bahrain have been scaled back to mission-critical levels. This, coupled with the State Department advising Americans to leave several Middle East countries, may indicate that a U.S. military strike on Iran is imminent. I hope it is. We should have attacked Iran last month when there was a massive citizen uprising against the regime. But if President Trump makes the decision to attack Iran, he better be making it for the right reasons.
The primary goal of every decent person should be denying Iran the nuclear weapons it desires. Because if the mad mullahs who rule Iran obtain nuclear weapons, it would detrimentally change the balance of power in the Middle East and threaten the entire planet. Consequently, Iran must be denied nuclear weapons at all costs. All costs.
But if the United States takes military action against Iran, it cannot limit the destruction to only Iran's nuclear weapons program. The goal MUST be regime change. Because if we don't achieve regime change, then all we'd accomplish is kicking the nuclear can down the road as every president since Jimmy Carter has done. We can do so no longer. Iran is the world's biggest sponsor of international terrorism. Between its proxies like Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Harakat al-Nujaba, the Houthis, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps themselves, Iran has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans and allies alike. That needs to stop.
The Jerusalem Post reported that President Trump has not yet ordered an attack on Iran because, for political reasons, he wants Israel to take the lead. The stated reason is that the Administration believes more Americans would stomach a war with Iran if the United States or an ally were attacked first. It's certainly true that more Americans would stomach a war under those circumstances. Nonetheless, I hope that report is false. Because Israel will bear the brunt of Iran's response, our Israeli allies must be involved. But Iran is our war.
Should the U.S. attack Iran? Absolutely we should. But only if we are committed to fighting until Iran is no longer ruled as an Islamic theocratic state. If we aren't committed to achieving a secular government in Tehran, then we shouldn't attack at all. I hope we do attack. But let me be clear. I do not want President Trump to start a war in Iran. I want President Trump to end the war the Iranians started in 1979.
Dogs or Muslims?
February 20, 2026 3:07pm
Congressman Randy Fine (R-FL) got himself some bad press about his post on X earlier this week stating that "If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one."
Naturally, the Council on American-Islamic Relations demanded his resignation. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) called Fine "an Islamophobic, disgusting and unrepentant bigot." Other Democrats and their allies in the propaganda press piled on. But Fine responded with an explanation that his post was "in response to a major Muslim leader saying dogs should be forbidden from New York City because to some Muslims, it bothers them. Well, if they're going to make us choose between our dogs and them going home, the choice is easy."
Well, I'd like to examine the dogs versus Muslims question in the broader context of the entire United States - and really the entire western world. I have traveled to Muslim areas in the Middle East and found every Muslim with whom I've had personal interaction to be outwardly friendly. When I was in Bethlehem in the Muslim-majority West Bank, after purchasing a gold Jerusalem Cross necklace for my wife, I asked the Muslim jewelry merchant for hotel and dinner recommendations. He not only recommended a nice hotel and restaurant (which were not co-located), but he offered my friend and I the use of his car and chauffeur to get there. We had our own rental car, so we drove ourselves to the hotel. But we took him up on his offer for transportation to and from the restaurant. Then after enjoying an outstanding meal, we decided to instead walk back to the hotel. A few miles. At night. Through dark streets in Muslim neighborhoods. Although we joked between us that we would be kidnapped, we never felt fear. It was a wonderful experience. I've received medical care from Muslim physicians in the United States. I could go on and on with other examples. But I won't. Suffice it to say that I have had many favorable interactions with Muslims in the U.S. and abroad. Just like every other demographic, there are good people and bad people. No group should ever be painted with a broad brush. Nevertheless, I'm going to get out my brush to paint some facts.
Not all Muslims are violent. Not all Muslims are jihadists. But Islam has spread like a cancer across the globe. Its spread is nothing new. Islam's founder, Muhammad (May Peace Be Upon Him) was a violent murderer himself. Through his guidance, Islam was spread by the sword. While it is true that there are many suras (verses) in the Quran that advocate for peace, those were written during the Meccan period of 610 – 622 AD when Muhammad and his followers were in the minority and had to peacefully coexist.
But then Mohammed moved to Medina in 622 where he rapidly obtained political power and military strength. It was then that his writings advocated violence against the Infidels. Muhammad himself was illiterate, so technically he never wrote anything. But his words that are written in the Quran are believed by faithful Muslims to be the absolute, final, and unquestioned truth. Unlike the Christian Bible where there is a clear delineation between the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Meccan suras and the Medinan suras are intertwined throughout the Quran. That makes it difficult to determine when it was written without significant scholarly research. The suras most quoted by Jihadists are Suras 9:5-6, which states "Kill the polytheists (Infidels) wherever you find them, capture them, besiege them, and lie in wait for them on every way. But if they repent, perform prayers, and pay alms-tax, then set them free. Indeed, Allah is all-forgiving, most merciful. And if anyone from the polytheists asks for your protection ˹O Prophet˺, grant it to them so they may hear the Word of Allah, then escort them to a place of safety, for they are a people who have no knowledge." In other words, Muslims are commanded to do one of four things when they encounter an Infidel: 1) convert them, 2) tax them, 3) enslave them, or 4) kill them. A fifth option of just getting along with them is not available. Those instructions are being used by Muslim Jihadists to justify their violence.
Today's Islamic violence is not being committed by all Muslims. But it is being done by faithful Muslims. And Islam's hatred is not limited to the Jewish people. Muslims hate all Infidels, which they define as anyone who is not Muslim. While the Middle East may be the focus of most Islamic terrorism, calls to "Globalize the Intifada" are growing, especially among Muslim youth. There is a saying among the Muslim Brotherhood organization: "First the Saturday People, then the Sunday People."
Islam has used the same playbook for 1400 years:
Step 1: Immigrate
Step 2: Populate
Step 3: Dominate
Step 4: Subjugate
Most Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and North Africa were predominantly Christian prior to the Islamic conquests which began in the 7th Century and have continued to this day. Under the Byzantine Empire, Turkey was the center of Eastern Christianity. The Levant (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel) was dominated by the Christian Roman Empire. Central Asia & Iran were predominantly Zoroastrian, Buddhist, and Christian. Those are all now intolerant Muslim-majority states. Europe has imported so many Muslims that it is only a matter of time before most of Europe is Muslim. Poland will be the exception because the Poles were wise enough to prohibit the mass migration of Muslims into Poland. Although the United States has also imported millions of Muslims, we have not yet reached the tipping point of inevitable conquest.
There are many peaceful Muslims in the United states. In fact, I would say that most Muslims in the United States are peaceful. But history has shown that as the Muslim population grows, it becomes emboldened to demand fealty and to commit more and more acts of violence.
Is speaking that truth Islamophobia? A phobia is an irrational hatred of something. I don't hate Muslims. But because I know the history of Islam, I am wary of allowing its growth in the West because Islamic culture is incompatible with Western values. Islam does not value free speech, freedom of religion, or even free will. The word "Islam" translates to "Submission." Faithful Muslims are not given the option to submit. It is mandatory. They are told to do what Muhammad told them to do in the Quran. And they are to do with the imams tell them to do at Friday services. Free will and free choice are not Islamic values. Moreover, Islam is not just a religion. It is a culture, a rule book, a government, and a military force. It exists for one reason and one reason only; to dominate the planet with everyone submitting to the Islamic faith.
Much of Christianity has spread through the use of force as well. But that was centuries ago. Today, Christians try to grow their faith by sharing the gospel with unbelievers in the hopes of converting them. But it is done through persuasion and voluntary choice. If someone rejects an invitation to become a Christian, they are allowed to live. But that is not true for those who reject an invitation to become a Muslim.
In 2014, I was invited into the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem's office located at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the Temple Mount (what Muslims call Haram al-Sharif) for a meeting. I was asked to convert to Islam by the Grand Mufti's assistant. I politely declined and was allowed to leave his office alive. So of course there are exceptions. But in the macro sense, Islam's agenda is built upon the strategy of convert or die. And that is not what we need more of in the United States.
Randy Fine's words were perhaps an inadvisable thing to say. But it was his sincere opinion based on facts. Dogs are cute and cuddly. Ask yourself this question: would the United States be better off with more dogs? Or with more Muslims?
More Fake News About Federal Law Enforcement Activities in Minnesota
January 25, 2026 4:31pm
Another day... another lie about federal law enforcement activities in Minnesota.
When Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE Agent on January 7th, the Democrats and their allies in the propaganda press immediately called it a "murder" and put forth the false narrative that Good was an innocent bystander who posed no threat to law enforcement. It was later confirmed that she was part of an organized group that had been illegally impeding ICE all day AND that her vehicle DID strike Agent Jonathan Ross. THE TRUTH WAS NOTHING LIKE WHAT THE FAKE NEWS TOLD US.
When ICE took custody of a five year-old boy on January 20th, the Democrats and their allies in the propaganda press immediately called it a "kidnapping" and put forth the false narrative that the boy was being used as "bait" to catch his father, illegal immigrant Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias. It was later confirmed that the boy's father abandoned his child in the car as he fled from law enforcement who were trying to effectuate his arrest. When the boy's mother refused to take custody, ICE cared for the boy. THE TRUTH WAS NOTHING LIKE WHAT THE FAKE NEWS TOLD US.
When Border Patrol officers shot and killed Alex Pretti on January 24th, the Democrats and their allies in the propaganda press immediately called it a "murder" and put forth the false narrative that the Pretti was just an innocent nurse who happened to be in the area. We don't know all the facts yet. But we do know that Pretti was committing the crime of interfering with federal officers performing official duties (a felony under 18 U.S.C. § 111), and he was committing the crime of carrying a firearm without being in immediate possession of proper permits and identification (a misdemeanor under Minnesota Statute 624.714(1b)). Fake News doesn't have to be false; it is fake when facts are deliberately omitted because they don't support the false narrative the press wants the public to believe. When the full truth comes out, I expect it to be NOTHING LIKE WHAT THE FAKE NEWS TOLD US.
Based upon the evidence known by the public thus far, it is clear that ICE cared more for five year-old Liam Conejo Ramos than his parents did, and that the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti were unnecessary but not unlawful. And none of it would have occurred if those criminals had not made the poor decisions to impede law enforcement and resist arrest.
Those federal law enforcement officials are enforcing duly-enacted laws that passed the United States Congress, were signed by the President of the United States, and are part of The United States Code. Those laws were on the books long before Donald Trump became President. Past presidents chose to ignore their Article 2, Section 3 constitutional obligations to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." President Trump made enforcement of our immigration laws a top priority during his campaign. That he is now doing so does not give the Leftist Trump-haters the right to use violence to oppose him.
While personal responsibility lies with the individual violent protesters, we must acknowledge that they are acting unlawfully with the full encouragement and support of Democrat Governor Tim Walz, Democrat Mayor Jacob Frey, and much of the national Democrat apparatchik. Meanwhile, the activists posing as journalists in the propaganda press are doing all they can to dishonestly use these unfortunate occurrences to further their attacks on President Trump and the Republican Party in the months leading to the midterm elections. It’s political. It's disgraceful. And it’s dangerous.
The Other Las Vegas
January 24, 2026 11:14am
Everyone knows about "Fabulous Las Vegas" in the Nevada desert. Lesser known is the Las Vegas that pre-dates Nevada's Sin City by 70 years. Established in 1835, this town in the northeast quadrant of New Mexico is rich in history from the time of the Paleo-Indians through today.
Las Vegas, New Mexico has many interesting connections to American stories: the Santa Fe Trail; the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad; Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders, notorious outlaws of the Wild West; and much more. On today's radio program, I sat down with Michael Rebman, the Curator & Manager of The City of Las Vegas Museum & Rough Rider Memorial to discuss this interesting town in the Land of Enchantment. That episode is now archived online as a podcast at www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/podcasts/260124. Viva Las Vegas... New Mexico!
Why the U.S. Must Attack Iran
January 14, 2026 10:10pm
The Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that protests have occurred in 614 locations in 187 cities across all 31 Iranian provinces. It is a massive uprising that could end the Islamic Republic of Iran's theocratic government. The United States has expressed support for those protests with President Trump saying he would use force if the Iranian government violently cracked down on protesters.
But Trump has done more than merely state his support. He has encouraged the protesters with promises of help. Yesterday, he posted to social media, "Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price." This came after he earlier told the protesters "HELP IS ON ITS WAY" without defining what that would entail. But he clearly implied that help would come from the United States.
I hope he means it, and he intends to follow through with the threat because sitting on the sidelines is not an option. The Iranians protesting in the streets know that the President of the United States made those statements. What they don't know, however, is exactly what he meant by them. I doubt anyone knows what he meant. Perhaps Donald Trump himself probably doesn't know what he meant.
That ambiguity is a double-edged sword. America has a policy of strategic ambiguity vis a vis Taiwan (in which we express enough support for the defense of Taiwan that China won't invade, but not so much support that it emboldens the Taiwanese to take aggressive action towards independence and force an invasion by China). We need to make our intentions clear to the protesters in Iran.
Somewhere between 2000 and 20,000 Iranians have already been killed on the direct orders of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 2000 is the count confirmed by the Government of Iran. 12,000 dead is the number given by the exiled Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi. Others claim 20,000 deaths. But regardless of what the actual number is, the United States needs to take action. We must support the Iranians protesting against the mad mullahs who rule them.
What form of aid should that be? I don't know exactly. Whatever it is, it must not involve American military personnel overtly on the ground, but it may need to involve covert forces in country. And it probably would require airstrikes by U.S. military aircraft. We are not the world's policeman, and I do not advocate American military action solely to defend the lives of the protesters. I say it because the Islamic theocracy that rules Iran must be destroyed.
If the Islamic regime can be replaced by a secular, pro-western government, it would almost certainly result in a complete dismantling of Iran's nuclear weapons program. Permanently ending Iran's nuclear ambitions needs to be the top priority of the United States and the entire Western world. That is critical because the threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran would extend far beyond Israel and the Middle East. It would threaten the entire planet.
Not only are the fundamentalist Muslim clerics who run Iran crazy enough to think that using nuclear weapons would please Allah, they are on the record saying that losing 60 million Muslims in a nuclear counterstrike would be a small price to pay if it meant killing 6 million Jews.
Iran's clerics believe in Shia Islam's end times prophecy of the 12th Imam. Iran's leaders believe that if they create enough death and destruction, it will usher in the return of the 12th Imam who would kill all the infidels and establish Islam to reign for eternity as the sole religion on the planet. Consequently, Iran's nuclear ambitions must be terminated at all costs.
So, while I would love to see the Iranian people topple the theocratic rulers who have subjugated them for the past 47 years, the reason I support military action against the regime is to permanently end Iran's nuclear ambitions. The freedom that Iranians would subsequently enjoy is not, in and of itself, sufficient reason for the United States to take military action against the Iranian regime. It would be a nice secondary benefit, however.
Another reason the United States must support the protesters is because we said we would. If we have encouraged the uprising by promising to assist them with more than just words of support, we need to do it. This is not to say that the United States military should be used to back up every statement ever uttered by the President. God knows if that was the case, the military would be vacillating back-and-forth between extreme positions every time Donald Trump says something that counters his previously stated policies.
Donald Trump has a bad habit of speaking, posting, tweeting, or otherwise communicating his thoughts with varying degrees of actual intent to follow through. It is impossible for us to know where things stand with him. But if the Iranian people have risen up against the mad mullahs who have ruled their nation since the 1979 Islamic Revolution because Donald Trump promised he'd defend them, we cannot morally fail to follow through with that promised support.
If Donald Trump is able to facilitate regime change in Iran, he will have achieved a foreign policy objective that every president since Jimmy Carter has supported. I think it is necessary to remind you that Jimmy Carter is the godfather of Islamic terrorism. He is the reason the mad mullahs run Iran. Carter was warned that the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini would be a violent and oppressive theocrat. But Jimmy Carter very foolishly ignored that advice and vocalized his support for Khomeini because Khomeini was "a religious man, a man of peace." So Carter supported Khomeini's return to Iran from exile in Paris. Well, we all know how that worked out. Carter was rewarded with 52 Americans being held hostage for 444 days at the U.S. embassy in Tehran.
Those hostages were held until January 20, 1981. Iran released those hostages during Ronald Reagan's inaugural address. Why such timing? Because the Iranians feared President Reagan would take military action against Iran if they continued to hold those hostages. Islamic cultures only respect strength. They perceive any weakness as something to be exploited. Carter was weak. Reagan was not.
Last June, President Trump took action against the Iranian regime with Operation Midnight Hammer when American B-2 bombers and other military assets attacked Iran's nuclear weapons facilities. Between that and Israel's destruction of Iran's air defenses in Operation Rising Lion nine days before, it should be extremely easy for America to strike government targets in Iran unchallenged. If such strikes would help topple the regime, we need to do it.
Unlike past street demonstrations sponsored by the regime, the current protesters are not chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel." They are demanding the death of the theocratic government that has forced Sharia Law upon them for nearly half a century.
Another reason the United States needs to militarily aid the protesters is because if we help overthrow the Islamic government, we'll have more influence upon the secular government that would take over.
Given the severity of the crackdown on these protesters by the Iranian regime, it's likely there is a very narrow window for the United States to help topple the terrorism-supporting, theocratic government of Iran. We should take advantage of it. And all decent Americans should support it. I know the deranged Left opposes everything Donald Trump does. But they need to put aside their irrational hatred of Trump and support the national security of the United States and the betterment of the entire world.
Historically, Democrats have put the interests of the Muslim extremists who govern Iran over the interests of the United States even when the Democrats controlled the U.S. government. It is now time for them to put America first for a change.
Democrats Ignore Video Proof of Justified Shooting
January 10, 2026 11:45am
There is VIDEO PROOF that Renee Nicole Good hit ICE Officer Jonathan Ross with her vehicle. Unfortunately, the Leftist malcontents don't care about this video proof. They have already made up their minds. This false belief is encouraged by the fake news that continues to "report" on this story as if this video didn't prove their pre-determined narrative to be false. The fake news also shows agitators making provably false statements without refutation.
Just like most Democrats still believe the "Hands Up! Don't Shoot" lie that Michael Brown was not attacking Officer Darren Wilson when he was shot in Ferguson, they will always believe the lie that Renee Nicole Good didn't drive into the ICE officer. Democrats don't care about the truth. Because if they knew the truth, they wouldn't be Democrats.
And another point... why are Democrats so outraged about Good's death? Where was their outrage when Laken Riley was murdered by an illegal alien in Athens, Georgia? Or when Rachel Morin was raped and murdered by an illegal alien in Bel Air, Maryland? Or when 12 year-old Jocelyn Nungaray was sexually assaulted and strangled to death by illegal aliens in Houston, Texas? Or when DaCara Thompson was brutally raped and murdered by an illegal alien in Bowie, Maryland? Or when Santiago Lopez Morales was shot and killed by illegal aliens in Garland, Texas? Or when 15-year-old Luis Jocsan Nanez Lopez was shot and killed by illegal alien in Morehead, Kentucky? Or when... The list could go on.
Why is it that Democrats were silent about those deaths? Why is it that Democrats are only outraged when the decedent is a criminal who is killed by the police while resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer?
Democrats are dangerous enemies of our Republic.
The Good Shooting Death by an ICE Officer in Minneapolis
January 8, 2026 5:20pm
Renee Nicole Good, a 37 year-old woman, was shot and killed by ICE Officer Jonathan Ross yesterday in Minneapolis. The Left predictably responded with violent rioting - not just in Minnesota but in cities across the country. Both sides have since jumped to conclusions and are shamefully abusing this situation for partisan gain.
The Republicans have referred to Renee Nicole Good as a domestic terrorist, which is a patently absurd description. And they have amplified the injuries sustained by the ICE officer, assuming he was injured at all; Good's vehicle barely hit him.
The Democrats, however, have blood on their hands because they have been encouraging violent resistance against law enforcement since at least 2014. Good died yesterday while committing at least two simultaneous crimes. Perhaps she forgot she was dealing with federal agents instead of with Minnesota cops who had been instructed by Democrat politicians to allow violence to go unpunished.
Whether one agrees with ICE enforcement raids or not is irrelevant. Those raids are legal. So impeding the raids is illegal, especially when impeded with violence. Despite Governor Walz's complaints to the contrary, a law enforcement officer is well within his rights to use deadly force against someone aggressively driving a vehicle towards him. Not that it's relevant to federal law enforcement operations, but even Minnesota Statute 609.066 authorizes the police to use deadly force in the situation that occurred. But don't take my word for it. It can be read at https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/609.066
Some activists on the Left have tried to silence conservative critics by pointing to the death of Ashli Babbitt. She was the Air Force veteran who was shot and killed by Capitol Police Officer Michael Byrd as she climbed through an internal window near the Speaker's Lobby on January 6, 2021. But that is a complete non sequitur to Good's death because 1) Babbitt did not pose an imminent threat to Byrd's life, and 2) Byrd was exonerated in the subsequent investigation with the shooting being deemed "lawful and within Department policy." So the two deaths have almost nothing in common. The riots of January 6th were stupid, illegal, and unAmerican. But that riot doesn't justify the ongoing violence being committed against police officers across this nation at the behest of elected Democrats who have instructed their followers to engage in violent "resistance."
The ICE agents in Minneapolis are after people with names like Muhammad, Farouk, Hakeem, Barack, Khalid, Ilhan, and Rashida. The Minnesota raids are in response to the billions of taxpayer dollars stolen by Somali immigrant families through fraudulent welfare schemes that helped fund foreign terrorist organizations.
Critics of yesterday's ICE shooting cite the direction of the tires on Good's vehicle. Yeah, from watching it several times in the comfort of my office, Good appeared to be turning her wheels to the right to drive away not to strike the ICE officer. But 1) the officer had no way of knowing that in the fraction of a second he had to respond, and 2) whatever Good's intentions were, she DID strike the ICE officer! She made several bad decisions yesterday. And it cost her her life.
NBC News reported that Officer Ross had been dragged by a car during an immigration enforcement traffic stop seven months ago. He suffered multiple wounds which required 33 stitches to close. So he may have had heightened sensitivity to an oncoming vehicle being driven in an aggressive manner. But heightened sensitivity or not, the shooting looked like appropriate self-defense to me.
We have the right in this country to PEACEABLY assemble. We do not have the right to violently attack the police. Yet these ne'er-do-well protesters have been emboldened by their Democrat overlords to think they can commit acts of violence without suffering any consequences. Well, under Trump - or any decent elected official - they cannot. But if they insist on trying, some will pay with their lives.
This afternoon, two people in a car in Portland were shot after the driver allegedly tried to run over a Customs and Border Patrol Agent during a targeted traffic stop. As of this writing, they're both alive. But if they die, it's their own damn fault - although it would also be the fault of those Democrats who encouraged them to engage in the lawless behavior.
Some people have asked "What good does it do to engage in violence against ICE officers?" What good does it do? It does a lot of good if the goal is to destroy the United States as a free, constitutional republic. And that is the goal of these Leftists protesters. Aided and encouraged by Democrats and their allies in the propaganda press, these malcontents are attempting to destroy the very foundation of our nation, so they can rebuild it into a socialist utopia, with them in charge, of course. They view a few deaths of their useful idiots to be a small price to pay. That's why Democrats are dangerous enemies of our Republic.
Good's death, while unfortunate, was her own damn fault. She and her wife (yes, those gender descriptions are correct) were both part of an organized attempt to obstruct ICE operations in Minneapolis. Good described herself on social media as a "poet and writer and wife and mom." So to honor her love of poetry, I have written the following advice for other ICE protesters:
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
Don't drive into the cops,
Or you'll end up dead too.
Israel Has Recognized Somaliland’s Independence
December 28, 2025 8:25pm
Something interesting happened the day after Christmas that almost no one is talking about. Israel recognized Somaliland as a sovereign, independent state.
From a geopolitical perspective, this is very good news for Israel, Somaliland, and the entire Middle East. But most westerners - if they even know about the recognition - are thinking Somaliland? What's Somaliland? They've heard of Somalia, of course. But what's Somaliland? Both Somalia and Somaliland are in the Horn of Africa, which is the easternmost corner of the continent lying below the Arabian Peninsula. The Horn borders the Indian Ocean on its east coast and the Gulf of Aden on its north coast. Somaliland is comprised of the northwest portion of that horn abutting Djibouti and Ethiopia.
The quick history of Somaliland is that the Somaliland Protectorate was proclaimed through treaties between Great Britain and the various Somaliland clans in the 19th Century. France, Italy, and Ethiopia recognized the international boundaries of the Protectorate via various treaties signed between 1887 and 1894.
It wasn't until June 26, 1960 that Somaliland ended its colonial relationship with Great Britain and became an independent, sovereign state. Five days later, Somaliland united with Somalia. But that unification lasted less than a year. Because on January 31, 1961, the National Assembly of the Republic of Somalia passed the "Act of Union" that retroactively dissolved their 1960 unification agreement - something that is illegal under international law. But Somalia did it anyway.
It got worse, however. Somalia didn't just tell Somaliland that it didn't want to be a combined entity anymore. It told Somaliland that Somaliland was now a fully incorporated region of Somalia and was subject to Somalia's government in Mogadishu. And there wasn't much the government of Somaliland could do about it because Somalia had already annexed Somaliland, its institutions, and its infrastructure. Somali law was imposed upon Somaliland, and all of Somaliland's government was dissolved. The merger was no longer an agreement among equals. The people of Somaliland played no role in crafting the Constitution of the new Somali Republic. It was a takeover imposed unilaterally by Somalia. You can imagine how well that was received in Hargeisa, the capitol of Somaliland. High ranking Somaliland military officers mounted a coup, but it wasn't successful.
Mogadishu disproportionately awarded political and military positions to people from southern Somalia, which meant that the residents of the Somaliland region in the north of the country were treated as second class citizens. In 1969, Abdirashid Shermarke, the President of Somalia was assassinated, and the government was taken over by Mohammed Siad Barre who lead the military coup against the government in Mogadishu. He imposed a one-party, Marxist–Leninist, communist state. He renamed the country the Somali Democratic Republic, something that is traditional among communists; to hide their dictatorships behind empty words like "Democratic" and "Peoples Republic." As is also traditional among communist governments and military dictatorships, there were widespread human rights abuses throughout the country.
Then in the 1980s, the armed, independence minded Somali National Movement was formed within Somaliland. A brutal civil war raged between Somaliland and Somalia until 1991 when the Barre regime collapsed. Somaliland gained some de facto autonomy but not de jure independence. And while various militias in the south fought for control of Mogadishu, Somalia sank into anarchy.
Leaders in Somaliland declared Somaliland’s sovereignty and independence from Somalia by renaming themselves the Republic of Somaliland. But no nation recognized the Republic of Somaliland as a legitimate entity - until December 26th that is; when, after 34 years of no one formally recognizing Somaliland's independence, Israel became the first nation to do so.
I will get into why Israel recognized Somaliland's independence in a moment. But first, I think it's important to explain that Somaliland’s constitution largely mirrors the Constitution of the United States. It requires a separation of power between three branches of government (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial). It mandates that the government is a representative democracy that allows the existence of opposition political parties, the rule of law, free press, and respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms. It has held seven free and fair elections with the losing side peacefully accepting the outcomes every time. The Republic of Somaliland is an anomaly in the region. It has enjoyed 34 years of peaceful democratic governance. That's very rare among Muslim majority nations.
So why did Israel recognize Somaliland's independence? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in his announcement on the social media platform X that "The State of Israel plans to immediately expand its relations with the Republic of Somaliland through extensive cooperation in the fields of agriculture, health, technology, and economy."
What does that mean? Well, in addition to establishing mutual embassies, it means Israel will have a formal presence along the Gulf of Aden. The Gulf of Aden is just outside the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which is the southern entrance into the Red Sea. So the location is very beneficial for purposes of protecting freedom of navigation through the Suez Canal which connects the northern Red Sea with the Mediterranean. So Somaliland's geographic location brings a lot strategic benefit to Israel, although the current deal does not include IDF military bases there. I suspect the Israel Defense Forces will be able to use Somaliland territory on an as-needed basis, but permanent bases are not included in the current deal.
The economies of both Israel and Somaliland should benefit. As Muslims in other nations see the lives of Somaliland citizens improve through economic development and trade with Israel, they will hopefully reconsider their hatred of Israel and reject the violent tactics they use in their efforts to destroy the Jewish State. But just as important - or perhaps more important - is the message this deal sends to Iran, Qatar, and Türkiye (Turkey).
Iran has used its terrorist proxies in Yemen (which also borders the Bab el-Mandeb Strait) to impede global maritime trade through the region and to attack Israeli shipping interests trying to traverse the Suez Canal. Formal diplomatic relations and intelligence cooperation between Israel and Somaliland should improve maritime security for Israel and limit Iran's desired hegemony in the region. It may also discourage Houthi attacks from Yemen. Or it may encourage more attacks. That is difficult to predict.
Qatar has opposed Israel via diplomatic condemnation and its funding of organizations that seek the destruction of Israel through violence, boycott, divestment, and sanctions. Israel's air strikes of September 9th notwithstanding, Doha gives protective shelter to the terrorist leaders of Hamas. Its government and so-called "charities" funnel money to Hamas, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, ISIS, the Al-Nusra Front in Syria, and to Muslim Brotherhood affiliates worldwide. The Qatari state-funded Al Jazeera news network engages in aggressive propaganda against Israel and anyone who supports the Jewish state.
Since Erdoğan rose to power in Turkey in 2014, he has tried to exert his Islamic influence throughout what was once the Ottoman Empire. The area that is Somaliland was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1548 - 1884. Through military cooperation and political patronage, Turkey has aided the Islamicization of Somalia and other Muslim majority nations in the region. Despite its membership in NATO, Turkey has weakened its alliances with the West in exchange for relationships with the Muslim Brotherhood and the terrorists the Muslim Brotherhood supports. Erdoğan has fomented instability and violence against Israel.
This new relationship between Israel and Somaliland could help illuminate a bright future for Israel. I'm not being a Pollyanna here. Israel will continue to face real challenges and real threats. Despite the ceasefire, hostilities are still raging in Gaza. Violence against Jews continues in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). Hezbollah still has the capability to rain rockets upon Israeli cities. Jihadists in Syria have not been eliminated. Diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia remain elusive. And antisemitism is a fast-growing cancer throughout the world.
But this formalized recognition of legitimacy between the Jewish State of Israel and the Muslim-but-not-Islamist Republic of Somaliland can demonstrate to the world that peaceful cooperation with Israel is the proper way to prosperity and peace. It will hopefully send a message to the Muslim Brotherhood terrorists and to those who support its destructive agenda that the achievable path to prosperity and peace is not through wars and intifadas. But it is instead through cooperation with Israel, one of the most decent and moral nations to have ever existed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdallah deserve praise for this accomplishment. And in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, President Donald Trump deserves a nod as well. I don't want to overstate things. But on December 26, 2025, the geopolitical map of the region changed to the benefit of Israel. And because Israel helps guard America's security, the United States benefited as well.
The Trump-Kennedy Center? No!
December 19, 2025 8:43pm
A lot of stupid decisions are made in Washington every day. And while the decision to rename the Kennedy Center may not be the worst decision of the day, it was certainly a stupid one.
In a unanimous vote yesterday, the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts changed the center's name to "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts." Why? Because the entire board was appointed by Trump, he serves as its chairman, and the sycophantic fealty of those MAGA trustees has no limits.
But is the name change legal? Via a joint resolution on January 7, 1964, Congress mandated that the National Cultural Center be named in honor of slain President John F. Kennedy. Therefore, only Congress can change the name. But the Board wasted no time changing the name on the building. Earlier today, the sign included the added Trump name. The sign's letters are not off-the-shelf stock from Home Depot. They were custom made, indicating the name change was a fait accompli long before yesterday's vote.
But with a few exceptions for acknowledging major donors, current law states that "no additional memorials or plaques in the nature of memorials shall be designated or installed in the public areas of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts." Unless the name change is not a "memorial" to Trump, the law's verbiage is pretty clear to me. Changing the name was a stupid - and probably illegal - action. But there is more to be said about it.
Sales of memberships have declined since Trump’s people took over governance of the center. Consultants have resigned. Theatrical productions have canceled their appearances. And artists have refused to perform there. That tells me those so-called "artists" are more concerned with their political activism than the performing arts; and that is disgraceful.
Lastly, I find it to be very hypocritical that the people crying the loudest about this name change are the same Leftist malcontents who, just a few years ago, demanded we change the names of cities, military bases, sports teams, consumer products, university buildings, streets, and more in pursuit of their self-righteous effort to replace America's history with their politically cleansed, woke versions.
As for me? I opposed all those name changes. I also opposed the name changes to "Gulf of America" and "Department of War." And I love the arts. Because "Earth" without art is just "eh."
NOTE: Don't give me credit for that last line. I heard it at an American Advertising Federation event more than twenty years ago.
The 2025 North Atlantic Hurricane Season Ends Today
November 30, 2025 2:52am
Today is November 30th. It's the last day of the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Have you noticed that not a single hurricane entered the Gulf of America since President Trump renamed it that? To be clear, the President does not control the weather. But you can't argue with success!
50 years ago: The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald
November 10, 2025 12:12am
Exactly fifty years ago, on November 10, 1975, the 729 foot bulk freight carrier "SS Edmund Fitzgerald" sank to the bottom of Lake Superior (a.k.a. Gitche Gumee) while sailing from Superior, Wisconsin to Detroit, Michigan. Yes, I know Gordon Lightfoot's song said the ship was headed to Cleveland, Ohio. However, that was not historically accurate. Her destination was indeed Detroit. But along the way, she encountered a terrible storm with hurricane-force winds and 50 foot waves.
Another ship, the "Arthur M. Anderson," was helping the Edmund Fitzgerald navigate that night because the Fitz had lost her all her radar in the storm. Ernest McSorley, the captain of the Fitzgerald reported to the Anderson that the Fitz had a "bad list” and was taking heavy seas over the deck. The last communication between the two ships occurred a little after 7:00pm on November 10th when the Fitzgerald radioed, "We are holding our own." But a short while later, the Fitzgerald disappeared from the Anderson's radar screens. She had gone down. The twenty-nine men aboard the Edmond Fitzgerald all perished. No distress signals were sent before she sank.
The wreckage was located in 535 feet of water just four days after she sank. The U.S. Navy photographed the wreckage six months later, so we know the ship broke in two, with the bow half and stern half resting on the bottom 170 feet apart from each other. The exact cause of the sinking remains unknown. The U.S Coast Guard’s Marine Casualty Report stated that "the most probable cause of the sinking was the loss of buoyancy resulting from massive flooding of the cargo hold. This flooding most likely took place through ineffective hatch closures. The vessel dove into a wall of water and never recovered, with the breaking up of the ship occurring as it plunged or as the ship struck the bottom." That USCG Marine Casualty Report can be read in full here.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest and longest vessel ever built on the Great Lakes. The ship's 200 pound bronze bell was recovered in 1995 and is now on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Paradise, Michigan. So who was Mr. Edmund Fitzgerald? What did he do to get a ship named for him? He was the president of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, which owned the ship. Seriously.
A month after the sinking, Gordon Lightfoot recorded his hit song "The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald" for his "Summertime Dream" album. In 1976, the song hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rod Stewart's "Tonight's the Night" held the #1 slot. But Lightfoot's tune did reach #1 on the RPM singles chart in his native Canada (RPM Magazine, short for "Records, Promotion, Music" was the Canadian equivalent of Billboard).
More than 6000 commercial ships have sunk on the Great Lakes in the hundred year span of 1875 - 1975, but the one we all remember was the one Gordon Lightfoot memorialized in song. Lightfoot died in May 2023. But his haunting ballad that tells the tale of that great crew on that great ship on that great lake during that great storm continues to be one of my favorite songs.
If you'd like to hear it today, it's on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzTkGyxkYI. A cover video by Home Free is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um1PCCkyYHE. "The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee. Superior, they said, never gives up her dead when the gales of November come early."
Is Elon Musk the One Trillion Dollar Man?
November 8, 2025 11:15am
The headlines screamed "Musk Receives Trillion Dollar Pay Package from Tesla." And the anti-capitalist ne'er-do-wells went nuts. They're screaming all kinds of complaints. "That's insane!" "That's criminal!" "No one is worth that kind of money!" "Kill the billionaires!"
And one I haven't heard yet - and I probably haven't heard it yet because it requires math, and most anti-capitalist losers are too stupid to do the math - although their Leftist overlords will no doubt do the math for them, and it will soon be parroted at Communist protests and street riots. And that is that Elon Musk is receiving the pay of seven million workers. I based that calculation on 50 weeks of 40 hour work weeks, so 2000 hours per year times the $7.25 federal minimum wage times ten years. So with those numbers, a minimum wage worker would get paid $14,500 per year. That's $145,000 over ten years, which is the same length of time as Musk's contract. And then I divided $1 trillion by $145,000 and got 6,896,551 workers, which is close enough to seven million that I rounded up. I know that's a horrible way to compare Musk's pay package to what a regular employee gets paid. But, hey, most of what the Left complains about is poorly developed and is indefensible upon examination and the use of facts, reason, and logic.
Fortunately, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Hakeem Jeffries, AOC, and other Democrat politicians don't have the authority to set private sector pay; at least not yet, although they'd love to have that power. It is the shareholders who get to set private sector pay. I'm excluding union contracts and legislated mandates in government contracts for the moment. Well, 75% of Tesla shareholders approved the $1 trillion pay package for CEO Elon Musk at Thursday's shareholder meeting.
But contrary to what the propaganda press wants you to think, they didn't just agree to pay Elon Musk $1 trillion dollars over the next ten years. What they agreed to pay Elon Musk was $1 trillion over the next ten years IF certain sales goals are met, and IF the company's stock price rises to certain levels.
For Elon Musk to receive the full $1 trillion, Tesla would have to sell 20 million vehicles, 10 million active FSD (Full Self-Driving) subscriptions, have 1 million robotaxis in commercial operation, along with manufacturing 1 million Optimus humanoid robots. Not only must those lofty sales goals need to be achieved, but Tesla stock would have to increase nearly five-fold. That would add about $7 trillion to Tesla's market capitalization. And earnings would have to increase by 8000%. That was not a typo. It would mean Tesla earning $400 billion in annual profits.
Now, there are payouts for hitting intermediate goals along the way. So it's not like Musk will be working for free unless and until he earns the $1 trillion a decade from now. But his pay package is not what the Leftists are complaining about. Would you pay someone ten cents for every dollar they increased your net worth? I would. And so would you. And so would every single person complaining about Tesla shareholders offering such a deal to Elon Musk. If he earns that $1 trillion, it will be because shareholders have earned $9 trillion. In other words, Musk would be worth every penny of that $1 trillion. And besides, a lot of that compensation would be in the form of stock not cash.
You want to talk about outrageous pay packages? Let's talk about Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M. Let's talk about Brian Kelly at LSU. Let's talk about James Franklin at Penn State. Let's talk about Dabo Swinney at Clemson. Let's talk about Mike Norvell at Florida State.
If you think it's insane to pay a trillion dollars to someone who increases the value of his company by $7 trillion, then you must have really lost your mind over college football coaches who get paid multi-million dollar salaries even if their teams lose ten games in a twelve game season and then have buyout clauses in their contracts that require schools to pay them $49 million - $76 million if they get fired. Your outrage would be justified in the case of college football coaches. But if you're outraged over Elon Musk's pay package at Tesla, then you're either clueless about its details or you're clueless about economics. And in the case of the Leftist malcontents crying and complaining about it, it's both.
If Elon Musk gets that trillion dollars - and I don't think he will, because I don't see Tesla meeting the requisite sales or market cap goals - but if he somehow does, it'll be because he's worth every penny.
The Wizard of Oz As You’ve Never Seen It Before
October 17, 2025 9:11am
When the Wizard of Oz was released in 1939, it was a revolutionary film. Over the nearly nine decades since, the Wizard of Oz has been revered as one of America’s most iconic cultural accomplishments. One would think it would be impossible to improve upon that. One would be wrong.
Las Vegas, with its over-the-top glitz and glamour, has done it. In 2023, Sphere opened in that desert oasis. Sphere is the most astonishing entertainment venue on earth, featuring a near wrap-around 16K LED video screen with 256 million pixels across 1.2 million light modules. The Wizard of Oz is currently showing Sphere. But the technology used to shoot the movie in the 1930s compared to the technology Sphere uses to entertain today is the difference between riding a horse and flying in a 747. If the original Wizard of Oz were to simply be projected onto Sphere’s massive video screen, it would be so pixelated that it would make a 1975 Atari video game look like an IMAX production. So before the Wizard of Oz could be shown at Sphere, it needed significant digital enhancements and embellishments.
Through the use of Artificial Intelligence, The Wizard of Oz was digitally enhanced to achieve far sharper focus and better color & clarity than the original, thus allowing it to be viewed in true-to-life quality projected onto Sphere’s massive video screen. But just as importantly, the original film’s aspect ratio of 4:3 had to be expanded to satisfy Sphere’s 160,000 square foot screen that fills the entirety of one’s peripheral vision right, left, and up. So producers for the The Wizard of Oz at Sphere had to also digitally create additional scenery that never existed in the original film.
The immersive life-like visuals stun the eyes and the imagination. And Sphere’s 1900 strategically placed speakers, which are controlled by 167,000 computer drivers, deliver sound that the original producers would never have even dreamed possible. Unlike most movie theaters, whose experience is limited to audio and visual, attending a show at Sphere is a four-dimensional immersive experience. With its haptic seats and its targeted air blowers, the audience is whipped into the tornado along with Dorothy and Toto. Fortunately, the flying cow that nearly hit me in the head was only a digital creation.
In the original film, when walking through the enchanted forest along the yellow brick road, the apple trees threw their fruit at Dorothy, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tin Man. At Sphere, the apple trees throw their fruit at the audience as well. I did not catch one of those foam apples, but I wish I had one as a souvenir. They are quite coveted.
Dorothy Gale said, “There’s no place like home.” Yeah, and there’s no place like Sphere. I predict other classic films will find their way to the screen at Sphere. But for now, it is The Wizard of Oz that thrills. Why? Because, because, because, because, because… because of the wonderful things Sphere does. Go see it for yourself. You’ll be blown away.
The Violent, Intolerant, and Lying Left's Assassination of Charlie Kirk
September 20, 2025 10:41am
Today's radio show was all about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, which occurred ten days ago. I discussed how it was the violent, intolerant, and lying Left that killed him. For the past quarter century, the dishonest Democrats have demonized anyone who disagrees with their destructive agenda. "Nazi!" "Fascist!" "Hitler!" To the intelligent and informed, those false accusations just roll like water off a duck's back. But there are crazy people who believe it.
Who was the most famous fascist in history? Adolf Hitler, right? Wouldn't the world have been better off if Hitler had died long before April 30, 1945? So if Donald Trump and Republicans are fascists, wouldn't it be better off if they died sooner rather than later? There are enough brainwashed, uninformed, and deranged Leftists out there that they absolutely believe that. And they absolutely believe that it is their duty to hasten the deaths of those "fascist Republicans."
So while it may have been just one person who pulled the trigger, it was the dishonest, hyperbolic, and inflammatory rhetoric of the Left that killed Kirk. The Democrats claim their non-stop labeling of Republicans as "fascists" and "threats to democracy" does not lead to violence against Republicans. But it absolutely does.
Kirk's killer was not just angry with Charlie Kirk. He did not just want to kill Charlie Kirk; he wanted to kill what Charlie Kirk stood for and what Charlie Kirk said. He wanted to end the movement that Charlie Kirk was very effectively leading. He wanted to terminate the effective communications that Charlie Kirk regularly issued, primarily on college campuses.
The assassination of Charlie Kirk was an attempt to kill MAGA and to kill the conservative movement. It was much bigger than just an attack on one man. It was an attack on the very ideals and principles that Charlie Kirk stood for. The number one thing Kirk stood for was his faith in Jesus Christ. But after that, he most stood for freedom of speech. He believed in the American ideal that every voice had a right to speak. He would let people speak who disagreed with him; he encouraged people who disagreed with him to speak; he even put them at the front of the line at his on campus events. Charlie Kirk believed that words could be used to inform, educate, persuade. He felt that, only through dialogue, could we reach an understanding among citizens who might be complete opposites in their political beliefs. Because even if that conversation did not end in agreement, if it ended in an understanding of why the other person believed as he did, then the conversation was productive and worth having.
Of course, Charlie Kirk was hoping to persuade people to believe as he did. But absent agreement, he valued the respectful exchange of ideas. And that is why his death strikes so deeply into the heart of America. Dialogue and debate was the very thing that gave birth to the United States of America. Yes, we engaged in a hot war against the British. But it was the free expression of ideas that gave birth to the concept of what is now the United States. The assassination of Charlie Kirk should have hit all Americans very deeply. But it didn't. The Radical Left celebrated it. They cheered the killer. They relished in the fact that a bullet killed a supporter of the Second Amendment. And they laughed at his grieving widow. But all decent Americans should be outraged by this senseless assassination.
Until this generation, free speech was a principle that Americans cherished. It has been only since around 2000 that the Left has sought to outlaw speech; to equate speech with violence; and to call for the imprisonment or death of people solely for the words they speak.
Leftists think hate speech should be a crime. But what is hate speech? To a Leftist, hate speech is any speech they hate. And they say that hate speech has no constitutional protections, which is, of course, complete nonsense. Because the whole point of the First Amendment is to guarantee the freedom to speak unpopular words. Happy talk needs no constitutional protection because nobody objects to it. The entire purpose of the First Amendment's free speech clause is to guarantee that people have the right to say words that others may not want to hear. Because if nobody objected to certain speech, there would be no need to guarantee the right to speak it! But the Left doesn't value free speech. It values conformity. With them, of course.
The left values power and control. And because the Left only demands power and control, they give rise to political violence in an effort to impose their standards. The Left, who claims to be so tolerant, are the most intolerant people in this country. They believe it is acceptable to silence their opposition by whatever means necessary. Including murder.
On today's radio show, I explained the type of rhetoric from top Democrats, including two Democrat Presidents, that created the toxic environment that caused the assassination of Charlie Kirk and its corresponding attack on America's most basic principles. I also exposed the dishonest mischaracterization of Charlie Kirk's words to falsely demonize him as a racist, misogynist, transphobic hater who deserved to die. That episode is now archived online as a podcast at www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/podcasts/250920
Alaska’s Meade Glacier
July 5, 2025 9:15pm
I flew by helicopter to the Meade Glacier today. It's about 12 miles south of Skagway, Alaska, but it is part of the same massive 1500 square mile Juneau Icefield that includes the Mendenhall Glacier located 90 miles south of Skagway. The Meade Glacier feeds the Katzehin River, which is east of Haines on the opposite side of the Lynn Canal, North America's longest and deepest fjord.
With special studded footwear for traction on the ice, I viewed the deep cracks (crevasses), deep shafts (moulins), and the crystal-blue glacial water pools. Laying prone on the ice, I drank some ice-cold water directly from the stream of glacial melt as it flowed to the lake below. Such streams contain glacial silt, but small quantities are harmless. It was a very cool experience. No pun intended.
The Declaration of Independence Was NOT Signed on July 4th
July 4, 2025 8:27am
The Declaration of Independence Was NOT Signed on July 4th!
Why do we celebrate America's birthday on July 4th? We were taught in elementary school that was the day the Declaration of Independence was signed, and we got our independence from Britain. But that is an inaccurate oversimplification of what actually happened. The REAL story is much more detailed and far more interesting.
The Declaration of Independence is just one page and 1338 words, not including the signatures. Yet its effect on world history was immense. On my radio show, I shared some details about each of its 56 signers who, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, mutually pledged to each other their Lives, their Fortunes and their sacred Honor.
Despite all the problems in our country today, the fact is that the United States of America is the greatest country the world has ever known. We have done more good in the world than any nation in the history of civilization. Be proud to be an American. Appreciate what this nation means. Respect the men and women who have made it possible. Commit to passing to future generations this great country we inherited. And be knowledgeable about how it all happened.
American history is interesting. But when you know the details, it's spectacularly fascinating. You'll love the details I shared at www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/podcasts/250628
Happy Birthday, America!
USA Attacks Iran
June 21, 2025 10:02pm
On my radio show this morning, I called for the United States to join Israel in the necessary military campaign to destroy Iran's nuclear weapons program. And it definitely was a nuclear weapons program. If you believe Iran's lies that they were only building civilian nuclear power plants, then you're an idiot. Or you're uninformed. Or you're an uninformed idiot. But you can get informed by listening to the radio program I did two weeks ago. It is archived online at www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/podcasts/250607
Today, the U.S. Air Force struck Iran's nuclear weapons facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan less than 12 hours after my broadcast. The timing was, of course, unrelated to my call this morning for President Trump to send in the B-2 Bombers. And I, of course, had no inside knowledge that the airstrikes would occur today. But I am very pleased that we have joined the fight.
While I would certainly prefer peace, there is something much worse than attacking Iran today; attacking Iran after they've got nukes. I won't go into all the details in this post. But if you're interested in hearing what I said this morning, that episode of my radio show is archived online as a podcast at www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/podcasts/250621
Now is not the time for you Trump-hating, leftist, ne'er-do-wells and Israel-hating antisemites to condemn today's attacks. Now is the time to do the right thing for once in your life. Recognize that Israel has done the world a favor by attacking Iran as it did. And President Trump has done the world a favor by joining the fight.