Before battle, the Viking warriors known as “berserkers” would work themselves into an inhuman rage with superhuman strength.  Quite literally seeking death, they would lead the way into battle, inspiring their comrades to victory or a demise worthy of Valhalla.  The berserkers terrified their enemies; not that the Franks, Anglo-Saxons and other opponents of the Vikings were afraid of a little skull-bashing and gut-spilling.  It was the berserkers’ madness that was terrifying, the eagerness to die and take as many with them as they could, all in search of glory in an afterlife which could only be attained through bravery … Continue reading The Art of War in the Age of Trump

A last word on the 2022 elections Pity Pennsylvania and Georgia.  Like so much of the country, their citizens’ political views are deeply polarized, split right down the middle.  Aided and abetted by the outrage machine that just is modern media (including and especially the internet), people at the extremes have been pushed to the forefront rather than being consigned to shout epithets and obscenities from the fringes; the better to attract eyeballs, ears and clicks, don’t you know. So Pennsylvania was faced with the choice of Mehmet Oz or John Fetterman for an open Senate seat, and Georgia got … Continue reading None of the Above Redux

Dear people of Russia, Russian history is a litany of tears.  You have been governed so badly for so long – your czars and dictators having ranged from bad to evil, with only a few mediocre rulers to relieve the tragedy – that it is a credit to your spirit that a Russian people even exists.  Your ability to withstand almost any hardship – World War II comes quickly to mind – is a demonstration of your greatness.  But yet… The United States came about because there is a wide streak of rebelliousness and tradition of freedom in Western culture, … Continue reading Dear Russian People – You Are Not The Enemy

Watched a great movie the other night, A Christmas Story, with Ralphie yearning for a Daisy air rifle in spite of the warnings that he would shoot his eye out, and all the travails and adventures of a kid growing up in post-World War II America.  Including the dreaded double-dog dare, which no self-respecting boy could dodge, and which is how one of Ralphie’s classmates, on a very cold winter day, wound up with his tongue stuck to the school’s flag pole. Which reminds me very much of the way that Joe Biden has allowed his minions to govern.  First, … Continue reading The Double-Dog Dare

Republicans came up lemons in the recent election.  Time to make lemonade. In Pennsylvania, a brain-damaged, far-left Democrat (that’s not disparagement, but an accurate assessment, I hope, and no offense intended) beat a TV celebrity carpetbagger whose only qualification was an endorsement from Donald Trump.  At least one commentator on the MAGA right looked at the results and decided that the reason is that Pennsylvania voters are idiots.  That’s idiotic, of course.  We can safely assume that some voters in Pennsylvania are idiots, and not all of them voted for Fetterman.  Some are geniuses, too, and not all of them … Continue reading Random Thoughts, Making Lemonade Edition

Dear former President Trump, Let’s not beat around the bush.  Please butt out.  For at least the 2nd straight election, your interference has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. I’m a conservative who (almost always) votes Republican for lack of a better alternative, so I’m at least open to hearing you out.  But last night is confirmation and proof positive of what conservatives have been saying since 2016: You are toxic to the conservative cause.  Hatred of you drives committed leftists to the polls.  Concern and distaste for you convinces those in the middle to vote against you and … Continue reading Dear Donald Trump – Butt Out

In the real world, good intentions count for little.  Thus it is that our inhumane treatment of the mentally ill, in spite of what are (for the most part) the very best of intentions, is a national disgrace.  It’s a multi-dimensional problem of confounding complexity, admittedly; but that’s no excuse for our allowing it to continue largely unabated and often ignored.  At the worst, its victims are literally dying in our streets; even at best, the demons inhabiting their minds make life a horrible experience, and, as their suicide rate attests, often not worth living. In the TriCities, the homeless … Continue reading When Mercy Is A Quiet Death Under A Bridge

It says what it means, and means what it says. The Supreme Court has struck down a New York state law that restricts carry permits to people who can show a “proper cause” for needing one.  The Court held that this violates the 2nd Amendment, which simply acknowledges that Americans have the right to own and carry guns.  It doesn’t say a word about “proper cause”. National Review’s Brittany Bernstein reported that “Justice Stephen Breyer wrote a dissent accusing the majority opinion of deciding the case ‘without discussing the nature or severity’ of gun violence”. Well, duh.  The Constitution is … Continue reading The Constitution Is Not Contingent

Comes word that Chesa Boudin, District Attorney of San Francisco, has been recalled, and the size of the vote leaves no question about the results.  Even San Francisco has had enough of the radical Left. In 2013, in another life, business took me to San Francisco for a few days.  The combination of perfect location, staggering beauty, unbeatable climate, rich soil, vibrant population and what’s probably the greatest harbor in the world have made it one of the world’s great cities.  An article resulted, but wasn’t published by the newspaper I was writing for at the time.  I wrote: It’s … Continue reading Peak Wokeness

(This essay was originally published in 2019. Sadly, it has held up pretty well. Our prayers and kindest wishes go out to the people of Uvalde, Texas. – KDG) Mass shootings – what won’t work, and what might. Pardon the inappropriate title to this essay.  Unfortunately that’s the term we use when describing the can’t-miss sure thing that is going to fix the problem under consideration.  Or, rather, the can’t-miss sure thing that someone is absolutely convinced will fix the problem.  But, of course, it won’t. Mass shootings are the problem.  The magic bullet is gun control.  It would seem … Continue reading Magic Bullet Redux