Kurt Schlichter
THE AGONY OF JOHN ROBERTS
Pity poor John Roberts. No, he’s not corrupt or compromised.
He is simply a man who has found himself at a pivotal time and place in a position of great responsibility for which he is utterly unsuited.
He’s not a dumb man. He is, in fact, a very smart man – Hugh Hewitt knew him personally in the Reagan administration and testifies to that. I have no doubt it’s true.
I know many smart people who have similar flaws. As objectively intelligent as John Roberts is, he is unwise, and he is endangering the institution he wants to preserve because he does not understand human nature or the times he finds himself in.
Frankly, I’ll take wisdom over raw intellect any day of the week.
If he had the capacity to lead that he so manifestly lacks, John Roberts could save his institution with decisive and bold action. But that’s not who he is.
Understand what John Roberts wants. He is an institutionalist who has always wanted to protect the judiciary branch.
He wants it to be a fully co-equal branch that is respected by all. But the very actions he has chosen to take – or not to take – in response to the current crisis of out-of-control subordinate courts are guaranteeing that it will fall.
TRUMP VOWS TO CATCH UP TO CHINA’S GROWING NAVAL FLEET
The United States' military isn't often outnumbered by a foreign nation's military power, nut it is when it comes to a naval fleet.
Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, China has spent 12 years investing in an ambitious military shipbuilding program.
That communist country now has a navy with one-third more combat ships than the U.S.
It's much more than a status thing. A large navy can project a country's power virtually anywhere in the world.
We heard about that in recent days when President Donald Trump ordered the destruction of much of the Houthis' military capabilities in Yemen.
That would be by U.S. naval forces in the region.
Armed by Iran, the world's largest exporter of terrorism, the Houthis have crippled much of the world's maritime trade through the Middle East, forcing ships to travel all around Africa at much greater cost in money and time instead of using the Suez Canal.
Last weekend, President Trump issued a lengthy statement that said, in part:
“Today, I have ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen. They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones.Joe Biden's response was pathetically weak, so the unrestrained Houthis just kept going. It has been over a year since a U.S. flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden.”
HALF-FULL REPORT 03/21/25
Thank You, Elon
Many people suggested negotiating with Russia to end the war in Chechnya in the 1990s. The Chechens attempted this approach multiple times, making peace deals with Russia. However, each time, Russia used the 'peace' to prepare for its next, more devastating military offensive while still waging a hybrid war. In reality, Russia's war against the Chechens never ceased until their territory and people were consumed and weaponized for Russia's next war against other nations.
If Ukrainians stopped resisting, they would face the same fate as the Chechens. Moreover, the children of Ukrainians being attacked and stolen today could be used in future conflicts against other nations. The world tried to justify looking away in the 1990s by claiming that Chechnya was part of Russia. Now, the argument has shifted to "Ukraine was part of the Russian empire." Imperial logic can lead anywhere, and Russia will always find a pretext to advance. Sacrificing one more nation to Russian aggression will never make it stop.
This brings us to the ceasefire negotiations underway in Saudi Arabia between the United States and Russia. A 30-day ceasefire against energy infrastructure was reached this week and promptly violated as someone attacked a natural gas metering station near Kursk last night. Russia and Ukraine continue to slug it out as before, with neither side willing to show their cards.
Russia is estimated to have taken 900,000 military casualties, which includes killed and wounded, and these losses are not included in the population pyramid. If the war continues, the slight Russian teenager population bulge will be killed, and Russia will effectively lose its domestic workforce.
Putin does not need Ukrainian land, he needs warm bodies for their labor. Ukrainians understand this, and like their kidnapped children, they do not want to become Russian slaves.
President Trump continues to expose Russian economic limitations as the State Department under Marco Rubio continues to negotiate a ceasefire. Russia is demanding that land now occupied belongs to Russia, and there will be no concessions.
Come on over to this week’s HFR. The world is changing rapidly. Not everyone supports human freedom and flourishing. A new terrorist group stepped out of the shadows this month and they are burning down Tesla dealerships. The USA announces a sixth generation fighter aircraft and more…
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE TRY TO CHANGE SOMEBODY
One of the most common questions I get in my coaching practice goes something like this:
“My (husband, wife, son, daughter, friend, neighbor, etc.) has this behavior, or belief, or way of doing things… How can I get them to change it?”
Now, if it’s a very specific behavior, and changing it would make a big difference in your relationship, it’s always worth just simply asking, for example, “When you talk with your mouth full it really bothers me, could you please do your best to not talk while you’re chewing?”
But often what we want the other person to change is much bigger and more abstract than that.
Of course, we’ve all felt this at some time or other – “If only this person we care about would just stop being so negative, or change this one belief… then they’d be so much better off.” (It’s always something that seems so obvious and simple to us.)
The big problem with this is that it’s hard enough to change a big habit or belief within ourselves, when we want to. Trying to get somebody else to change a habit or belief, that maybe they don’t want to change, is really a long-shot.
I’ve been working with people to – in part – help them change their beliefs and habits for over 40 years. But it’s not easy. It takes time and energy – and often a good deal of courage – to face our troubling behaviors, and the fears that sometimes accompany them.
THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH? NITRIC OXIDE – A “MIRACLE MOLECULE”
[As you know, Durk and Sandy have passed on. Durk as “Skye” was beloved on TTP. We are preserving his and Sandy’s legacy through these “Live Long and Prosper” TTP columns. —Greg and Michelle Pryor of Life Priority]
After I retired from a 16-yr career in pro baseball at age 37, it seemed like the aging process started to speed up.
During my career, I was paid to stay in shape to perform on the field and it was a great way to make a living.
I was able to stay younger physically and mentally. But when I turned 40, reality set in
and the aging process became a big concern.
In 1991, at age 42, I was fortunate to attend an anti-aging seminar in Dallas. The scientists who spoke at the convention, Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw, wrote a NY Times best-seller specifically for doctors entitled, Life Extension, A Practical Scientific Approach.
At the seminar, Durk and Sandy explained how the use of certain nutrients in adequate amounts could slow up aging. One of the nutrients that they discussed was L-arginine (arginine).
ARREST ALL THEIR DEUCES
We continue our examination of how to cope with civil disorder that might arise from the Donald, Elon, Kash, and Pam taking a carpet beater to the arse of the Federal Deep State.
There is no doubt that they are having an effect and that for the Left, this is going to be a very, very long four years.
We’ve looked at the dark side of riots and protests and how to cope with them— or at least try to—from the perspective of the civilian underdog.
Some may have regarded the tone as overly pessimistic, and for the record I am willing to be proven wrong if the Left and globalists do indeed collapse like a deflated balloon in the face of our efforts without any of the violence that I think might be coming.
But in this article, we are going to examine what a response could be with the stars lining up in earthshattering fashion—if it does play out like I think it might.
First, the elected officials will have huevos and stand up against the rioters.
Two, the local prosecutors and police will too.
And three—with the Federal government under new management and with more and more of the bad actors both administrative and commissioned being made to walk the plank, the intriguing possibility that the Federal government might be part of the solution and not the problem this time.
So here we go…..
ROBED RADICALS
When he took office two months ago, President Trump broke the shackles on our Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
He ordered a major nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration, beginning with violent gang members who have been terrorizing American citizens coast to coast.
To expedite the process of removing these vicious gang members, President Trump declared two of the worst illegal alien gangs, Tren de Aragua (TdA) and MS-13, to be terrorist organizations. He then invoked the Alien Enemies Act, which authorizes the president to remove foreign nationals.
More than 260 illegal alien gang members were loaded onto airplanes and deported over the weekend. But some leftists evidently want these violent gang members to stay in the country.
The left went to a well-known leftist judge and he did not disappoint them. He actually ordered President Trump to turn the planes around and bring these thugs back to America. This is part of the ongoing effort to cripple Trump’s presidency.
Thankfully, the judge’s order was issued too late, and these animals are locked up in a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.
Who is this crazy judge? He is Judge James Boasberg, currently serving on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He is an Obama appointee. And the judge has a history.
BE STUNNED BY IMMIGRATION NUMBERS, NOT TRUMP’S ENFORCEMENT
“All we really needed was a new president,” Donald Trump wryly noted in his recent address to Congress.
He was talking about closing the border, which he and his team have achieved immense success in doing in short order.
With the faucet turned off, so to speak, now the administration must turn its attention to mopping up the floor.
And oh, what a mess it is.
Yes, America is a welcoming place for immigrants, or at least that’s often citizens’ intent.
Yes, many immigrants come here to work hard and build a better life for themselves and their families.
Yes, the legal process is onerous, arguably prompting millions to circumvent it without further law-breaking intent.
We are, however, a nation of laws.
Enforcing those laws may sometimes be unpleasant, not least because of the number of people involved.
Let’s examine some numbers on that latter front.
HALF-FULL REPORT 03/14/25
Tariffs, Markets, and Traditions
I'm thrilled to share that St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner on Monday, March 17th. It's a day when my family, like so many others, absolutely loves getting together with our extended clan. We go the extra mile (quite literally) to join in the fun at various events, parades, and convention-style gatherings. And let me tell you, these get-togethers are more than just a good time. They're a powerful display of the Irish diaspora's political clout. Our leaders definitely take notice when hundreds thousands take to the streets in all types of cities, representing all walks of life.
President Trump recently posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, about communication with Russian President Putin. Diplomats apparently had a productive chat and there might be a chance to pause the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. But, there are thousands of Ukrainian troops currently in a tight spot in Kursk, surrounded by Russian forces. Trump urged Putin to spare their lives to avoid a horrific massacre.
A recent ruling by a federal judge has reinstated a member of the board overseeing personnel disputes for federal workers. The judge ruled that President Donald Trump did not have the authority to remove her without proper justification. This situation highlights a constitutional conflict between the branches of government, as Trump claims the power to hire and fire all members of the executive branch. Congress places limits on the removal of leaders of independent agencies like the Merit Systems Protection Board.
As of publishing time, we have a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada scheduled to launch next month, except for Canadian energy which has a 10% tariff. These apply to finished products in the automotive, manufacturing, and retail sectors, but not to higher order goods that aren't sold directly to consumers.
The stock market experienced another turbulent day due to new tariff threats and mixed inflation news. The S&P 500 fell by 1.4%, entering its first correction since October 2023, which is a drop of over 10% from its record high on February 19. The NASDAQ Composite went down by nearly 2%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased by 1.3%.
It was a tough week. Next week will surely be better.
TAKING YOUR TIME AT THE START
When we see someone who truly excels at what they do, one quality often jumps out: they make it look easy.
But what is it that gives us the impression of ease?
They seem to take their time. Even when you’re seeing an elite athlete making lightning quick moves, it seems to be moving more slowly than the actual elapsed time. They’re not panicked, they’re not forcing things; the moves look fluid.
When someone has reached a state of mastery, with all the deliberate practice that requires, they’ve accumulated a vast store of knowledge and experience in their working memory. So when they get to work, they don’t need to take time to look things up; or when it’s a physical skill like athletics or music, they don’t have to think about the movements themselves.
Because of this, they also don’t feel rushed to act. They have time to orient to the problem or the task, and before they take action, they will have scanned their working memory for the information they need - the facts, the experience, the causes and effects they know – and then when they do act, they do so magnificently.
In my college astronomy course, our professor brought in a guest speaker one day who had once shared an office with Albert Einstein. He told us how Einstein had been on vacation for a couple of weeks, and during this time this (then very young) professor was working on a complex formula on the board in their office. He was stumped by one section of the formula...
HEADLINES HAVE CAUGHT UP TO MIKE ROWE. NOW WHAT?
JOHNSTOWN, Pennsylvania — Alex Bambino, 21, is the son of two educators.
He’s busy working, welding a piece of material that will be used on a heavily armored military vehicle when finished.
Despite two college-educated parents, who teach at the local Cambrian County schools, he wanted nothing to do with college following high school.
“I like working with my hands, being part of making something that is important, and I had no interest in starting my adult life in debt,” he said.
So he went to Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center, and he became so good at what he did that he was recognized at the SkillsUSA championship as a national competitor.
He found work in his hometown at JWF Defense Systems, located in the old Bethlehem Steel plant along the Conemaugh River.
And he became part of something bigger than himself in the machines he helped make.
Bambino is just the kind of young person Mike Rowe has been talking about for the past few years in his tireless effort to inspire young people to consider a different path after high school.
EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT THE USAID CASE MAY BE WRONG
Welcome to your chance to nerd out on the difference between process and merits in legal actions. Our case of interest is AIDS Vaccine Advocacy v. Department of State.
For non-lawyers, this is the case challenging President Trump’s order to freeze all payments from USAID until they can be fully reviewed for compliance with the law and the administration’s policies.
If your claim has merit, it will be paid. If not, pound sand.
And if you think you’re owed money that the government says they won’t pay, you can go to the Court of Federal Claims.
The District Court does not have jurisdiction to hear you. Nor does it have the power to order anyone to pay you.
After Donald Trump was elected, on December 2, 2024, Joe Biden hustled (I think that means he shuffled less slowly…) to appoint Amir Ali, a reliable left-wing lawyer, to a seat in the reliably left-wing District Court for the District of Columbia, a reliably left-wing locale.
Ali had barely gotten his chair adjusted when the USAID case landed on his desk.
SYRIA’S RULING ISIS ‘MODERATES’ COMMENCE SLAUGHTERING CHRISTIANS
Syria’s new head of state, Ahmed al-Sharaa
When Syria's dictator, Bashar al-Assad, was thrown from power last December and fled to Russia, Europe's elites, and its Washington swamp allies, rejoiced.
Sure, the new guys in charge, Head of State Ahmed al-Sharaa and an armed rebel group called HTS, had been members of al-Qaida in Iraq. But Assad was the bad guy -- evil, wicked, worst person in the world.
What's more, the rebels had changed. They were now Muslim “moderates” as they told the dancing gullibles at PBS who dutifully took them at their word.
Freedom would flow. They would govern as Jeffersonian democrats now. They were woke and “diversity-friendly,” too, and no, that's not a sarcastic phrase I made up.
All of the favorite things of blue rule were cited.
The Guardian suggested that feminism would flourish. Gays would be okay. Veils would be optional. The ever-diminishing Christian minority, which came to about 2% of the population, from about 20% two decades ago, would be fine.
As a result, European leaders from Germany and France came to court them, and the big EU cash streams flowed, at least $300 million worth. It was as if George Bush was president all over again.
Now the bearded beasts are back to their old form, targeting and slaughtering Christians, Alawites, Druze and Yazidi minorities now, not exactly concerned if anyone knows.
This is what is going on now:
ACTBLUE PROBES MAY SHUT DOWN THE DNC’S MONEY LAUNDRY
Before the recent election, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability asked then-Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to turn over all Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) relating to ActBlue — not much happened. An SAR is a document that banks file with the Treasury Department pursuant to potentially fraudulent or illicit financial activity.
Yellen stalled, presumably in the hope that the Democrats would win the House back in November and halt the investigation. That obviously didn’t happen and the new Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, is of course cooperating with the committee.
This may well be what precipitated the sudden departure of seven senior officials from ActBlue in February. The New York Times reports that the exodus included “the associate general counsel — who was the highest-ranking legal officer at ActBlue — the assistant research director, a human resources official, the chief revenue officer and an engineer who had spent 16 years building and maintaining the electronic pipes through which the group’s donations flow.”
These “electronic pipes” are clearly of particular interest to the Chairman of the Oversight and Accountability Committee, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who included the following forewarning in his letter to erstwhile Treasury Secretary Yellen:
TRUMP’S DEMOCRATIC “ALLIES”
Former Clinton strategist James Carville has reinvented himself at age 80 as a sage Democrat podcaster. His predictions—remember, a victorious Kamala Harris?—are usually wrong.
He enjoys engaging in public duels with celebrities to gain online clicks and media appearances. Yet sometimes he appears judicious in his effort to return his party to the Clinton glory days of 1992-2000, before the takeover of the party by the lunatic left.
That said, he too has become part of the new left nihilism he supposedly despises.
Most recently, Dr. Carville diagnosed Donald Trump as suffering from tertiary syphilis. Carville’s “proof” was his identification of a bruise on Trump’s much-used shaking hand, along with his supposed brain dementia.
As confirmation, Carville described Trump as a “fat f—ing slob” with a “beached whale body.” So, a once top Democratic strategist has gone from his 1992 iconic campaign reminder, “It’s the economy, stupid,” to smearing Trump as a fat slob with syphilis.
Carville’s descent sums up his entire party.
HALF-FULL REPORT 03/07/25
The Address to Congress _____________________________
On Tuesday, President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress, an event that was met with outstanding reactions from the public and boos and hisses from the mean-girl Democrats.
During the session, many Democratic lawmakers displayed signs and mini whiteboards expressing their dissent. Frankly, they looked juvenile. Representative Al Green from Texas's 9th Congressional District was removed from the session by the Sergeant at Arms due to his behavior, as instructed by Speaker Johnson. Discussions are occurring among House members about potentially removing Representative Green from his committee assignments and formally censuring him. The Freedom Caucus has expressed that they believe censure is not a sufficient punishment.
This is a going to turn into a FAFO moment for Rep. Al Green.
During the session, several official guests were introduced. Among them was a child cancer survivor from Representative Al Green's district, who was made an honorary Secret Service agent. The young man's reaction was one of pure joy. Other guests included a female athlete who suffered brain damage while competing against a tranny, and the parents of victims of serious crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
Throughout, the snarky and hissing snake pit of Democrats refused to stand or applaud as they put there vile politics ahead of human decency. The nation watched them and was disgusted.
During his address, President Trump outlined his intention to impose tariffs on nations that do not take significant measures to curb fentanyl smuggling. Following this announcement, Mexico agreed to enhance its efforts in this area, and the tariffs on Mexican goods have been rolled back for thirty days. Trust but verify.
In Canada, where an election is imminent, the political landscape is heating up. The liberal faction is intensifying its campaign against Trump, possibly in an attempt to undermine the conservative candidate, Pierre Poilievre. The Canadian strategy is to deny the existence of a fentanyl problem and possibly terminate the sale of electricity from Ontario Hydro to the Northeastern and Midwestern American grids.
Come on over to the HFR, and share your insights on the forum.
THE SHTARKER AND THE SHTOONKS
Watching President Trump speak to both Houses of Congress, two colorful Yiddish words kept floating into my mind.
I believe that each captures an aspect of the reality of that unprecedented gathering that the English language fails to convey with the same level of nuance.
As President Trump spoke, I kept thinking that he’s a real shtarker, which is often translated as “tough guy,” but which carries considerable historical context.
At Quora, Wolf Krakowski explains:
“In Europe, studious, myopic Jews who spent their days warming a yeshivah bench were easy pickins for their loutish, violent anti-Semitic neighbors and were often attacked and beaten. Every community had their tough guy (shtarker = strong one) who could be summoned to prevent or mitigate a beating, by showing up….”
FEED YOUR BRAIN- PART TWO
[As you know, Durk and Sandy have passed on. Durk as “Skye” was beloved on TTP. We are preserving his and Sandy’s legacy through these “Live Long and Prosper” TTP columns. The following is an interview they gave to us that is abundantly informative. Greg and Michelle Pryor of Life Priority]
GREG: Moving over to the other two neurotransmitters …
DURK: Noradrenaline is nature’s natural speed. It is your “get up and go” juice. But unlike speed, it doesn’t cause free radical damage that burns out the neurons in your brain. Noradrenaline … if you have enough of it you’re full of energy, you’re excited, you’re self-confident. If you don’t have enough of it …
SANDY: You can be depressed, but you’re certainly going to be having less energy, less drive. You may just lose interest in doing most things.
DURK: If you have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning and maybe even feel like you’d like to go jump out a window, except it’s too much trouble…. chances are you’re suffering from an inadequate supply of noradrenaline.
But in the case of people who, getting older, don’t have the spring to their mental step they did when
they were teenagers, it’s because their noradrenaline levels drop off with age. So we designed a nutritional formulation to correct that!
GRATITUDE: THE ANTIDOTE TO THE HEDONIC TREADMILL
“Hedonic adaptation” is the term that researchers use to describe this capacity to adapt to different circumstances while staying within a range of overall happiness. This gift of adaptability is a wonderful advantage in a continually changing world, full of endless creativity, unanticipated events, and unpredictable possibilities, good or bad.
It also means that we adapt to good things relatively quickly, so the happiness we experience from them is often fleeting.
…then we need another good thing.
…and another.
And when we become used to the availability of good things, when we come to expect them as a regular experience of a good life, we enter what’s called the “Hedonic Treadmill.”
Needing more and more good things in order to feel what we’ve come to expect as a baseline of happiness can be exhausting. It can undermine the sense of happiness we enjoy with each positive experience.
And in that way we can undermine our sense of being happy about our life.
But there is an antidote; something we can deliberately practice and gets easier over time, and that can significantly affect our happiness:
TRUMP’S VIBRANT RETURN
In case you have not heard, according to every mainstream media outlet, Donald Trump did NOT give a State of the Union speech Tuesday evening. Once a year, some Leftmedia scribe does a Google search on "state of the union" and then copies and pastes Article II, Section 3, Clause 1 from our Constitution, which defines the information the president is to give Congress. Then, all the other outlets reprint that post.
But according to the American Presidency Project, the fact that it was technically not a State of the Union address makes little difference because the "impact of such a speech on public, media, and congressional perceptions of presidential leadership and power should be the same."
Gosh, I am so glad the MSM spent the 48 hours ahead of Trump's address clearing that up....
The last time Trump did deliver a State of the Union speech was February 4, 2020. It was a remarkable testament to his previous three years, despite being plagued with attacks by deep state conspirators endeavoring to undermine his administration in collaboration with impeachment charades.
Trump began that address by declaring, "I say to the people of our great country and to the members of Congress: The state of our Union is stronger than ever before."
That was all about to change — dramatically.
WHO REALLY POLITICIZED THE PENTAGON?
Is the era of rounding up government or academic “experts” to declare their support or opposition to ongoing controversies over? Public declarations by Anthony Fauci and his associates to follow their “expertise” or “science” did not work out well and persuaded few.
Recall the 1,200 partisan healthcare “professionals” of June 2020 who flipped to assure us that it was mysteriously now medically OK to break quarantines—but only if to publicly protest during the post-George Floyd unrest.
Most recently, five former Secretaries of Defense—William Perry, Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, James Mattis, and Lloyd Austin—co-authored a public letter to Congress. They blasted the Trump administration’s dismissals from command of several generals—including the current chairman of the joint chiefs, General C. Q. Brown Jr.
This will not work out well.
LAID-OFF IRS AGENTS NOW FORCED TO GO DOOR TO DOOR ROBBING PEOPLE DIRECTLY
U.S. — The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the most recent government agency affected by the rule of DOGE, with layoff numbers reported in excess of 6,000 persons. Now, bands of former IRS agents are roaming the country, forced to go door to door to rob people directly.
"It's just so sad," MSNBC's Rachel Maddow said. "Elon Musk is quashing the dreams of real people who devoted their lives to stealing for the federal government. But some heroes remain, choosing to spend their own private time going door to door to rob people without government compensation. And I applaud them for it."
Reports are coming in around the country that former IRS agents are wearing bandanas and going door to door to commit violent home invasion robberies on their own time.
"It's like the Wild West out there," warned New York Police Chief Lou Bilgins. "Do not open the door for any unsolicited visitors, or you could be killed during an attempted robbery or, worse, audited."
“After all, everyone knows the difference between a bank thief and an IRS Agent, right? That the bank thief doesn’t claim he has a moral right to steal your money.”
At publishing time, a gang of former IRS agents were seen looting the ruins of Manhattan’s SoHo art district..
FEED YOUR BRAIN
[As you know, Durk and Sandy have passed on. Durk as “Skye” was beloved on TTP. We are preserving his and Sandy’s legacy through these “Live Long and Prosper” TTP columns. The following is an interview they gave to us that is abundantly informative. Greg and Michelle Pryor of Life Priority]
DURK: Everything that happens in your brain … every memory … every thought … every emotion … every innovation … every “wow, that’s great!” … is a result of the release of neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters are not drugs; they are natural substances made by nerve cells in your brain that transmit messages from one nerve cell to another across the synapse that divides them. That’s why they are called neurotransmitters. They are made the nutrients in your diet, but there is a very good chance that even if you have a good diet, you’re not getting the optimum amount of the raw materials that your brain can use to make neurotransmitters. LIFT is our formula created to help support more get up and go and help eliminate mental fatigue.
The three most important neurotransmitters have been known for a long time: acetylcholine, noradrenaline, and dopamine.
Acetylcholine is involved in memory and organization—the way you order things in your mind, the way you retrieve them in an orderly manner. It’s also involved in focus and concentration. A good example of what happens if you don’t have enough cholinergic activity can be found in a person who has taken the psychoactive drug atropine or any other anticholinergic drug. In many respects, they resemble someone with Alzheimer’s disease.
BLACKROCK AND BANK OF AMERICA DITCH DEI
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has been dying a slow death since Donald Trump assumed the presidency once more. Suddenly, it’s in rigor mortis.
It’s a philosophy that was aimed at evening the playing field for people of all races, genders and sexual persuasions, but instead it merely divided people and encouraged institutionalized racism, division, and putting someone’s characteristics over their actual merit for jobs and promotions.
Now two financial giants, BlackRock and Bank of America, are moving away from DEI even after BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink made the ludicrous statement in 2021 that “we must embed DEI into everything we do.”
A very strange priority, since his firm is supposed to effectively manage capital for people, pension plans and companies, not wage social justice campaigns.
But BlackRock, the world’s largest investment company that manages over $11.5 trillion, has now cut some key wording out of its annual report:
AMERICA’S FUTURE DEPENDS ON DOGE
Critics view the Department of Government Efficiency’s emails asking federal employees for evidence of productivity as chaotic, arbitrary and even cruel measures to impose on a devoted civil service.
But Elon Musk is simply bringing normal private-sector standards to a government that desperately needs them. Since the Pendleton Act of 1883 introduced merit-based selection and civil-service job protections for federal workers, the administrative state has proliferated without sufficient checks and balances from the president or Congress.
The federal bureaucracy has ballooned from a few agencies to more than 450, many of which are “independent” of the president. Americans often view the president as responsible for the actions those agencies take. The system nudges new presidents to give up and go along.
And that’s exactly what they’ve done. No president—not Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Richard Nixon or Ronald Reagan—has cracked this nut. Most reforms have made the administrative state larger, not smaller. Mr. Trump refuses this deal.
GOP SENATORS SOUND ALARM OVER TRUMP’S UKRAINE STRATEGY
Republican lawmakers are sounding the alarm over the Trump administration’s pointed refusal to blame Russia for starting the war in Ukraine, and they are highly skeptical about negotiating any lasting peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom many describe as a war criminal.
The Republican criticism of President Trump’s strategy for ending the war in Ukraine comes after the United States voted with Russia and its allies, such as North Korea and Belarus, against a United Nations resolution condemning Russian aggression toward Ukraine and calling for the withdrawal of its troops from the country.
The vote was on Monday, three years to the day when Russian began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The measure, which received the backing of NATO allies, passed the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly despite the U.S. opposition.
While GOP senators were willing to grant Trump broad deference on his controversial Cabinet nominees, they are doubling down in blaming Russia for starting the war and warning the president to approach Putin warily in any negotiation.
SPEAKING TRUTH ON UKRAINE TO THE UNITED NATIONS AND TO DONALD TRUMP
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I had many ideas for today’s speech, but one by one I discarded them. Here’s why. We live in turbulent times. After a short break from history that some of us enjoyed, it has again caught up with us all.
In times like these, when the world seems out of joint, when the old seems to be dying but the new cannot yet be born, what we need is a return to basics. To questions about what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s true and what’s actually happened, and what’s just a figment of propaganda.
According to Kremlin’s propaganda, what started three years ago was a justified reaction to Western imperialism allegedly threatening Russia’s security.
In fact, we have seen a modern-day colonial war against Ukrainian people who want a better life and realize they can never achieve this goal by going back to their subjugation to Russia. Kremlin aggression is a manifestation of a failing empire’s desperate struggle to restore its sphere of influence.
ANGRY DONORS TURN OFF THE DEM MONEY TAP
Democrats are anxious to rebuild their party on the heels of President Trump’s victory in November. But they have a major problem as they try to refashion their brand: The money isn’t there.
Democrat donors — from bundlers to small dollar donors — say they are still angry about the election results and uninspired by anything their side has put forward since then.
“I’ll be blunt here: The Democrat Party is effing terrible. Plain and simple,” one major Democrat donor said. “In fact, it doesn’t get much worse.”
A second donor was equally as pointed. “They want us to spend money, and for what? For no message, no organization, no forward thinking. … The thing that’s clear to a lot of us is that the party never really learned its lesson in 2016. They worked off the same playbook and the same ineffective strategies and to what end?”
MR. PRESIDENT: PUTIN IS THE DICTATOR — 10 UKRAINE-RUSSIA WAR TRUTHS WE IGNORE AT OUR PERIL
Apartment building destroyed by Russian missile in Kherson yesterday (2/20)
This has been a dizzying and disorienting week in international diplomacy. One with wild implications for Ukraine, the future of America’s standing in the world and President Trump’s legacy.
President Trump is absolutely right in wanting to end the bloodshed in Ukraine. The suffering has been appalling and the stalemate brutal. But in the furious mix of wild opinions this week from the White House down, there are at least 10 truths which every American voter must hang onto.
In Trump’s rush to end the bloodshed, these are also the truths against which any deal will be judged and will define him when the history books are written.
To ignore them or not treat them with the gravity they deserve will also have enormous consequences for decades to come:
TRUTH No. 1
Vladimir Putin started this war, despite what President Trump said days ago.
IS THERE A DEMOCRAT BLUEPRINT TO REGAIN POWER?
What is the long-term Democratic Party’s strategy to return to power?
The latest poll on Democrat favorability—conducted by liberal Quinnipiac—reveals historic dislike of Democrats, with only 31 percent of voters expressing a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party.
Are Democrats then pivoting or self-correcting?
Do they support legal-only immigration? Do they wish to join in finding fraud in the federal government? Do they perhaps at least wish to reform the Pentagon, or lower the price of energy?
Nope.
So, what then is their agenda?
It is a retread of 2017, mixed in with the anti-Trump hysteria of 2021-4. By now we all recognize the weary symptoms of their five-point blueprint:
BASIC MAKE-READY FOR URBAN UNREST: PART THREE
For the first part of the series, go here.
For Part Two, go here.
The Donald has seen His Royal Senescence and the giggler, Cackling Death, off from the White Place and has begun implementing the agenda that he ran on. We are pleased, but continue in our conviction that this is going to get ugly.
We are already seeing the goons of La Raza and those supporting murderous Hamas lining the streets of American cities, and we are seeing push back in Federal agencies against DJT’s attempts to clean house.
The latter are reeling from the shock and awe brought by the Trump Team, but they may find their feet at any time and this much-needed housecleaning will continue for years.
This is not going to be easy; many, many traitors have been bred here, and many invaders have been let in and we will have to deal with them. Once they think, together with their globalist allies, that they can go up a notch with street fighting and violence, they will try it.
They are likely uncertain right now of (1) the level of backing they will get, and (2) the willingness of the new Administration, as well as local officials, to kick the tires and light the fires in response.
The T-Team has come in like gangbusters – this is not your grampa’s GOP – but much of the GOP in Congress still is, and the black underbelly of the Left is no less determined to destroy the West. It will regroup.
TRUMP’S CONFIDENTIAL PLAN TO STRANGLE UKRAINE
US Treasury Sec Bessent meets with Zelensky in Kyiv about the contract (2/12)
Donald Trump’s demand for a $500 billion “payback” from Ukraine goes far beyond US control over the country’s critical minerals. It covers everything from ports and infrastructure to oil and gas, and the larger resource base of the country.
The terms of the contract that landed at Volodymyr Zelensky’s office a week ago amount to the US economic colonization of Ukraine, in legal perpetuity. It implies a burden of reparations that cannot possibly be achieved.
In genuine commerce the other side can usually walk away. Trump’s demand is iron-fist coercion by a neo-imperial power against a weaker nation with its back to the wall, and all for a commodity bonanza that exists chiefly in Trump’s head.
TRUMP’S LATEST EXECUTIVE ORDER REINSTATES A CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT
Yesterday (2/18), Trump did something extraordinary to return the American government to constitutional principles: He issued an executive order (“EO”) entitled “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies.”
The leftists are decrying the EO as the end of so-called “independent” agencies, but that’s exactly the point. Under our Constitution, there are only three branches of government, not four. The agencies are subordinate to the Executive branch, and Trump’s EO properly restores that reality.
By the end of last month, we taxpayers were supporting a staggering 438 federal agencies. There’s no doubt that some of these agencies are useful, even necessary, and some are in the Constitution, of course. But now, with this EO, an equally staggering number of them will be headed for the chopping block.
ZELENSKY AT MUNICH
[This is the full text of the President of Ukraine delivered at the Munich Security Conference last Saturday, February 15. Full video is here.]
________________________________
At the start of the Conference, every country usually shares its stance, priorities, whether officially, openly or through informal talks with journalists, with partners.
This year, a country that was not even invited still made its presence known. A country that everyone talks about here – not in a good way.
The night before Munich this year, a Russian attack drone struck the sarcophagus covering the ruined fourth reactor of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
It was a modified “Shahed” drone – a Russian drone, a technology Iran passed on to Russia. Its warhead carried at least 50 kilograms of explosives.
We see this as a deeply symbolic move by Russia, by Putin.
THE VOTER FRAUD CASE THAT COULD OVERTURN DEM CHEAT-BY-MAIL HOUSE RACES
William “Boss” Tweed (1823-1878) was, of course, a Democrat
Last November, Democrat fraudsters bypassed the presidential race and focused instead on the down-ballot races. In Florida, local Democrat candidates received more votes than either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris at the top of the ballot. Something was definitely amiss.
For instance, Republican Rocky Rochford was running against incumbent Democrat Kathy Castor for the U.S. House seat in Congressional Race 14 (FL-14). The district straddles Hillsborough and Pinellas counties and includes the cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Castor was declared the winner, but Rochford is now contesting the race, claiming voter fraud, primarily by vote-by-mail ballots.
There is deep suspicion that this method of fraud has happened across the country, costing Republicans four Senate seats, about a dozen House seats, and countless local municipal seats and referendums.
A longtime Trump associate, Peter Ticktin, is representing Rochford. The Ticktin Law Group has identified a systematic breakdown of internal election controls that affected the FL-14 race and other races far beyond, those in the Senate and House mentioned above in particular.
RESISTANCE TO TRUMP IS DEAD IN LESS THAN THREE WEEKS
We are, as Trump promised in his inaugural address, entering the 'golden age' of common sense. And there's no going back, not anytime soon.
Just look at three of the biggest ads during the Super Bowl 59 — an event at which Trump, as the first sitting US president to attend the game, was cheered, while Taylor Swift, who wholeheartedly endorsed Kamala Harris, was booed.
The culture has gone full MAGA. Brad Pitt, as you saw above, starred in a nearly five-minute long Super Bowl ad for FOX Sports and the NFL, extolling national unity and pride. There was no irony, no winks to a liberal agenda or racism or the 'threats' to so-called marginalized communities.
Nope, just a full-on ad for American exceptionalism — a phrase and a concept that hasn't been part of the lexicon since the 1980s.
MYTHOLOGIES ABOUT MUSK
Here are some of the untruths told about Elon Musk and DOGE.
“Musk has no right to cut USAID.”
Elon Musk and his team are not cutting any federal programs. They are auditors. They were given legal authority under a presidential executive order creating the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Ultimately, Musk can propose program cuts, but Trump holds the authority to approve or reject them. He may or may not act on all, some, or none of the DOGE recommendations.
“No one elected Musk.”
NO, TRUMP DOES NOT HAVE TO ABIDE BY A MYTHICAL ‘JUDICIAL SUPREMACY’
They may develop a sense of entitlement and even become narcissistic. And proving that judges are no exception to this reality are a number of recent court “opinions” designed to scuttle President Trump’s agenda.
There is a real solution to what we have now, a kritocracy, a dictatorship of judges. It’s that federal and state officials take an oath to uphold the Constitution. They do not take an oath to uphold judges’ opinions. What are the consequences of this?
TAKE THEIR DEUCE TO COURT
Let the January 6th Lawsuits Begin!
In my career I have done a lot of law enforcement jobs, some of which involved jail time – not for me, of course, at least not in the way that is usually understood.
I started working at “intake,” where a newly-arrested person came in, and later I helped to run a jail in Texas. That experience gave me an overview not only of what goes on in a jail, but also the liabilities for the ones running it.
In Texas, every jail must comply with the standards of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, which has a detailed list of the rights of prisoners and the responsibilities of those guarding them based on Federal and state law.
Inspectors show up and do compliance inspections—some announced, and some not, depending, and they have the authority to decertify and close jails that are out of standard.
In addition, staff members can face civil and criminal liability for things done, or not done, concerning these inmates.
Other jails in other states and jurisdictions have their own, similar regulatory systems and agencies.
HOW TO COMMIT DEMOCRAT PARTY SUICIDE
The Democrat Party is polling about 31 percent approval, a near-historic low.
Democrat self-destructive obsessions with DEI/woke racialism, bi-coastal talk-down elitism, boutique transgenderism, and nonstop America Lastism all came to fruition during the Biden years. A shameless conspiracy to use an enfeebled John Biden as a prop to masque an otherwise unpalatable radical, neo-socialist agenda ensured the MAGA counterrevolution.
But instead of postmortem autopsy and introspection, since Election Day, the Democrats have doubled down on their veritable collective self-destruction.
Given that collective meltdown, what would a sane Democrat Party do? Evidently, that question has not even been asked, much less any attempt to answer it.