Taking Inventory…at Home and Abroad

This piece will be short on commentary and long on content.  There are lots of things going on in the world around us and the best way to try and understand them is to observe from different angles.  Hope this helps that process along.

 

It is really that simple: Minneapolis and Minnesota choose chaos.

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/01/29/slouching-towards-fort-sumter/

 

https://nypost.com/2026/01/28/us-news/police-union-head-slams-minn-as-gov-walz-agrees-to-have-top-cop-work-with-border-czar/

 

With so many decent, competent, and intelligent people in the Trump Administration, why do they continue to put people like this in front of the cameras?

 

https://reason.com/2026/01/29/stephen-millers-hardline-immigration-tactics-are-backfiring/

 

THIS is the man who should be the face of ICE.

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/homan-says-minnesota-dems-ready-to-cooperate-with-ice-allowing-agency-to-begin-pulling-officers-out/

 

Why do you think the mainstream media outlets are closing up shop and losing what small amount of credibility they still possess?

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/02/02/the-remaking-of-alex-pretti-imperfect-times-demand-the-perfect-hero/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/voluntary-stalinism/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-new-york-times-edited-and-buried-video-of-prettis-earlier-confrontation-with-federal-agents/

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/02/05/the-washington-post-hit-with-massive-layoffs-as-guild-suggests-the-need-for-new-owner/#more-240714

 

Immigration Reform will remain a hot topic into the midterm elections…as it should…and it is hard to see how the Democrats can use it to their advantage.

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/02/02/democrats-using-shutdown-threat-to-rewrite-immigration-enforcement/

 

https://newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2026/01/30/dhs-6947-criminal-illegal-aliens-released-ny-jan-20-7113

 

https://newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2026/02/02/dc-homicides-continue-plummet-2026-fueled-trumps-surge-law

 

Even “The One” could understand the simple logic of enforcing our immigration laws.  Isn’t it hilarious how politicians always seem to forget that EVERYTHING is on video somewhere?

 

https://www.foxnews.com/media/that-sounds-so-republican-joe-rogan-stunned-obamas-old-deportation-rhetoric

 

The Democrat Party “seems” to be slipping back into Woke.  If Trump’s economy…yes, it is undeniably Trump’s economy…continues to improve as it appears it will; the Republicans might just shock a few people come November.

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/02/05/midterm-palpitations/

 

https://www.liberalpatriot.com/p/warning-lights-for-team-blue

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/census-shifts/

 

https://newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2026/01/26/va-dems-seek-more-double-their-pay-while-rushing-impose

 

Do the Democrats really want to revisit issues such as this?

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/02/medical-malpractice-comes-home-to-roost-in-detransitioner-verdict/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/detransitioner-wins-2-million-medical-malpractice-lawsuit/

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/02/04/major-medical-group-comes-out-against-gender-reassignment-surgeries-for-minors/

 

…Or this?

 

https://freebeacon.com/democrats/climate-change-was-supposed-to-make-dc-winters-more-southern-and-its-colder-than-its-been-in-three-decades/

 

…Or this?

 

https://freebeacon.com/energy/solar-companies-scramble-to-hide-china-ties-as-trump-readies-rules-barring-chinese-owned-green-energy-firms-from-receiving-taxpayer-funds/

 

…Or this?

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/01/about-the-affordability-crisis.php

 

…Or this?

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/02/05/the-national-miseducation-association/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/james-traub-misreads-the-classroom/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/its-time-to-teach-civic-literacy/

 

…Or this?

 

https://freebeacon.com/culture/medicines-descent-into-madness/

 

Most people understand common sense and fairness when it comes to election integrity.

 

https://newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2026/02/03/cnn-admits-voter-id-not-controversial-country-even-among

 

And as evidenced by the previously-linked articles on the lunacy in Minnesota under Governor Walz and Mayor Frey… …and in Virginia under Governor Spanberger…and by the projected census figures where people are voting with their feet…and as linked below in California under Governor Newsom…and below in New York City under Mayor Mamdani…Democrat Party liberal/progressive policies are incredibly stupid, unsustainable, irresponsible, and ultimately…clearly destructive to our people and our nation.  When voters simply stop and think seriously about it, these truths are self evident.

 

https://freebeacon.com/california/newsoms-failures-exposed-in-california-gubernatorial-debate/

 

https://nypost.com/2026/02/05/real-estate/thousands-of-new-yorkers-left-without-heat/

 

If President Trump will simply talk less and let his actions speak for him, his foreign policy…and his domestic policy…record will be a tremendous asset for him politically.  He consistently mitigates the benefit of his good policy with his childish, hyperbolic, arrogant rhetoric.

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/01/25/the-countdown-to-irans-liberation-has-begun/

 

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/iran-demands-donald-trump/2026/02/03/id/1244753/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/01/25/from-greenland-to-red-white-and-blue-land/

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/a-realist-case-for-americas-acquisition-of-greenland/

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/the-road-to-pax-americana-runs-through-congress/

 

Fundamental, rational, achievable gun control measures are so very difficult to obtain.  The gap between the two extreme positions on the matter is so wide…and it seems to be growing every day.

 

https://reason.com/2026/02/03/if-you-bring-a-gun-to-d-c-u-s-attorney-jeanine-pirro-warns-youre-going-to-jail/

 

And if we are going to take inventory…why not inventory some tunes…

 

I never get tired of hearing this man’s music:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnUmFeZMqEM

 

Heaven knows this gal can be loopy sometimes, but man…she sure can sing:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUw3-6YuJTo

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq0yQlYxB-M&list=RDu71Lrl_EQGk&index=4

 

My favorite TP and the HBs song…so good:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh8xy58dOV4

 

Great, great tune by one of the best…give this one a chance and it will get in your head:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnNC2Nb7vIk&list=RDPnNC2Nb7vIk&start_radio=1

 

No need to say anything about this lady…she speaks for herself:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffcitRgiNDs&list=RDu71Lrl_EQGk&index=5

 

Authentic musicians singing real songs about real people will always be worth listening to:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORBgHdVUMMs

It’s Just a Damn Shame…

The recent events in Minnesota…where lives have been lost, people and property have been severely damaged, and politicians have egotistically preened at the expense of those who elected them…all of these things amount to a great tragedy.  This situation should never have occurred…but it did.  The question now is…where do we go from here?

 

Governor Walz and Mayor Frey should immediately resign from their elected offices…but that will not happen.  Through their personal beliefs and political ambitions, they have betrayed the people they represent and caused great damage to those they are pledged to serve.  Their stubbornness and conceit is unforgiveable.  Whatever rational substance might exist in their protestations, it has been lost in their stupidity of action…or lack thereof. They don Napoleonic personas when in reality they are Lilliputian.

 

Our American legal system is a complex and byzantine affair.  The dynamic between federal law, state law, and municipal law is sometimes puzzling and difficult to understand.  Who is in charge of enforcing what can sometimes create a fog in the administration of the law.  The solution to clearing these areas of uncertainties lies first in the justice system and the judges who administer it.  But just as critical…perhaps more so…is the precious obligation of elected officials to co-operate with each other for the good of their people.  In this instance, our justice system has proven woefully inadequate due to its lack of character, clarity, and efficiency; and the elected officials involved in this matter have shown themselves to be egomaniacal, self-possessed ideologues.

 

While it appears to be undeniably true that ICE and DHS have a legal mandate to conduct their assigned duties within the mission, power, and authority granted them; their leaders must also have the wisdom and discretion to co-ordinate with states or cities when conflicts in the administration of official duties rise up.  Having the clear right to do something does not require that all who oppose that right must be crushed.  As difficult as it is to deal with, especially considering the plodding and inconsistent legal system that must be accounted for, federal authority must always go to the greatest extent possible to work with state and municipal entities when federal law trumps state and local law and these conflicts arise.

 

An argument can be made that the intransigence of Walz and Frey in this instance made such a federal effort at cooperation unworkable.  The fact is that you cannot negotiate with an idiot; both Walz and Frey are certainly guilty of some idiotic behavior.  But an argument can also be made that…President Trump through his typical hyperbolic rhetoric, DHS  Secretary Noem through her inflammatory and premature public remarks, and selected high-profile ICE commanders through their occasional overly-aggressive actions…have also contributed to the worsening of this situation.  We would all like for our elected leaders to be better than they are, but it is what it is.  Elections have consequences.

 

While the blame game plays out and the fallout spreads accordingly, the reality is that there are facts and there are opinions.  Opinions might analyze the “why and the how”, but the facts must determine the “what”.  The “what” tells us that no matter how tragic the deaths of Good and Pretti were, the simple fact is that they willingly placed themselves in bad situations and their poor judgment cost them their lives.  As regrettable as that loss is, it is only fair to equally assess the damage done to the ICE personnel who are injured or killed while doing their jobs and earning a living. 

 

It must be acknowledged that if Walz and Frey would simply cooperate with ICE…as apparently “nearly” all of the other fifty states and their cities do…then the illegal immigration compliance mission performed by ICE would not turn into public spectacles or violent conflicts.  The acquisition and custody exchange of these bona fide illegal individuals could then take place in an orderly, safe, non-violent, and PROPER fashion.  If Walz and Frey had done/would do this…if Good and Pretti had used better personal judgment…then this situation might not have occurred.  Those are the facts.

 

The reality is that if Good’s front tires had not spun, she would have run over the ICE employee standing in front of her vehicle and either killed or severely injured him.  If Pretti had taken his pistol out of its holster, he might easily have killed or injured either himself or the ICE employees he was struggling with.  ICE employees are no different than you or me…or those federal employees who work for the USDA, the SSA, or HUD.  They are given a job to do, they earn a paycheck, and they try to create good lives for themselves and their families.  They should not have to deal with this stupidity.

 

Governing is difficult at best.  Hard and unpopular decisions are unavoidable.  Pleasing all of the people all of the time is an impossible task.  But when you run for elected office, you know these things.  It appears that all of the political forces involved in this conflict are beginning to turn down the rhetorical heat, initiate some clearly compromising actions, and are turning ever so slightly towards a reasonable solution to this immediate crisis.  We can only hope and pray that all of them, both federal and local, can find within themselves the wisdom, strength, and courage to bring this unfortunate string of events to a close.  It is quite simply a damn shame that it happened in the first place.  Perhaps lessons will be learned and solutions thus applied to prevent a repeat.

 

Here are several articles that, taken in their totality, can begin to give us a reasonably fair assessment of what went down in Minneapolis.

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/01/26/a-citizens-guide-to-violence-in-minneapolis/

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/01/25/mobocracy-democratic-politicians-compete-in-race-to-the-bottom-over-ice-shooting/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/01/28/the-tragedy-of-alex-pretti/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/alternative-answers-in-the-political-rorschach-test-of-alex-prettis-death/

 

https://justthenews.com/nation/states/bring-country-halt-sarsour-singham-network-students-vow-nationwide-anti-ice-shutdown

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/01/decoding-the-signals.php

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/01/revolutionary-theater-in-minneapolis-2026.php

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/the-revolution-is-on-in-minnesota/

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/minnesotas-post-assimilation-reality/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/01/28/morning-greatness-ice-agents-their-families-face-8000-increase-in-death-threats/

 

https://reason.com/2026/01/28/after-alex-prettis-death-the-administration-signals-a-shift-on-immigration-enforcement/

 

https://nypost.com/2026/01/27/opinion/michael-goodwin-trumps-stance-on-immigration-key-to-de-escalating-minnesota/

 

https://thefederalist.com/2026/01/28/trump-has-failed-his-nullification-crisis-other-states-will-follow-minnesotas-example/

 

Gotta close out with some music…

 

These first two were written about a different social struggle than that addressed above, but much of the lyric applies.  It all boils down to all of us getting along somehow.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6jKE6YIxmc

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb8JZ5wQGKI

 

As long as people are running the show, we are gonna have problems.  But there is one answer to What’s Going On and this Ball of Confusion.  Here it is…

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYTKYpnRnAQ

California, New York City, Virginia…is USA Next?

Not too long ago, I was fairly confident in my belief that the majority of Americans were repulsed by the lunacy of Democrat Party liberal/progressive policy and leadership.  I was hopeful that the election of Donald Trump to the presidency in 2024 was an indication that this particular element in the Democrat Party had finally overreached to the point that a serious kickback was commencing.  President Trump and the Republican Congress have spent the first year of his second term trying to unwind the intrinsic damage done to our government by the Biden Administration, which was largely ruled by this manic form of ideology.

 

Much progress has been made towards eliminating some of this madness and mitigating that which cannot be entirely erased.  However, the evidence is becoming quite clear that in certain departments and agencies of our national government, in certain states in our union, in certain cities in our country, and in certain areas of our culture and society…this liberal/progressive fever is alive and well.  It has found pockets of space in which to take root, find adequate nourishment, and strategically use its available influence to promote radical policies and ideals; most notably in the mainstream media, academia, and deep state Justice and State Departments.

 

It continues to baffle me why any group of people would willingly accept this type of guiding principle for living; yet it somehow persists.  I must admit that as realistic as I have tried to be, I believe I have underestimated the underlying strength and stamina of this philosophy.  If we consider the overall population of our nation, I still think it represents a fairly small…but not insignificant…percentage.  The canny ability of its organizers, supporters, and leaders has allowed it to maximize the not insubstantial assets it possesses in various ways as to remain a valid presence overall, and a powerful threat in selected circumstances. 

 

When you view film footage of the progressive/liberal protesters in the street, throwing their rocks and carrying their bats, screaming at ICE…or police…or each other, you have to wonder...What do these people do for a living?  How do they pay their bills? Who is watching their children?  Is this their lives or are they simply paid mercenaries?  The very same people show up day after day to these staged events that more resemble frat parties than protests.  I would not be surprised…if research was done…that many of them simply travel from state to state, city to city, to wherever the next event is planned.

 

Americans should pay close and thoughtful attention to New York City and Virginia.  What has already played out in California, Illinois, and Minnesota is now just beginning in Virginia; the song remains the same.  The Democrats take the Governor’s seat, control of the state Legislature, and then proceed…immediately…to foist their ridiculous progressive agenda upon the people who elected them; the very people who were sold a colossal bill of goods about how moderately they would govern.  This is precisely what happened with the Biden Administration on a national scale.  How did that turn out for our nation?

 

https://nypost.com/2026/01/21/opinion/new-govs-expose-moderate-democrats-true-colors/

 

I will continue to cling to the thought that at some point in this political and ideological battle of wills, reason and substance will prevail over presentation…and the sheer absurdity of liberal/progressive thought will be ultimately exposed as the sophomoric notion that it is.  Towards that end, I continue to urge Americans to monitor the power centers where this type of thinking has flourished…and is flourishing.  Use the sense the Good Lord has given you; use your eyes to see; use your mind to think…and most of all…consider the future of your children and grandchildren.  Where this madness prevails…Is that the world you wish to live in?

 

Sweet Virginia…be very careful what you wish for…

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/01/democrats-radical-left-wing-vision-for-virginia/

 

https://freebeacon.com/editorial/abigail-spanbergers-48-hour-honeymoon/

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/01/23/with-control-of-virginia-democrats-rush-go-into-a-tax-and-regulatory-frenzy/

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/crime-guns-and-taxes-democrats-seek-to-reshape-virginia-moments-after-taking-power/ar-AA1UEiZm?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=6970eda68a394593aef7e5e232617ccf&ei=69

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/4425385/abigail-spanberger-californication-virginia/

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/full-list-of-spanberger-executive-orders-signed-on-day-one-as-governor/ar-AA1Urk6i?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=696ce2890f9249a48b9913c458adac5c&ei=92

 

Democrats rule Minnesota/Minneapolis just as they do California…

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/01/20/this-is-first-amendment-activity-minnesota-attorney-general-keith-ellison-denounces-the-investigation-of-protesters-for-disrupting-church-services/#more-240206

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/01/into-the-fray.php

 

If you were President of these United States…a state Governor (Walz) and a city Mayor (Frey) threatened not only a federal department and agency that you were responsible for, but also worked to instigate violence against those federal employees…what would you do?

 

https://freebeacon.com/democrats/minneapolis-mayor-calls-for-release-of-activists-who-stormed-church-service/

 

https://newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2026/01/23/arizona-police-assn-blasts-state-ag-justifying-use-deadly

 

https://policy.defense.gov/portals/11/documents/hdasa/references/insurrection_act.pdf

 

https://thefederalist.com/2026/01/22/trump-needs-to-emulate-one-of-his-favorite-presidents-to-crush-the-blatant-insurrection-in-minnesota/

 

WHY in the world would the Democrats shut down our federal government to extend a program like this?

 

https://justthenews.com/accountability/waste-fraud-and-abuse/waste-fraud-minnesota-being-paid-taxpayers-outside-state

 

Can we simply change the name of California to Democratonia?

 

https://www.hoover.org/research/failures-governance-reason-why-state-california-bad-and-getting-worse

 

The Democrats are running Illinois into the ground…

 

https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/01/22-billion-wasted-pritzkers-big-government-spree-bleeds-illinois-dry-as-residents-flee-and-taxes-soar.html

 

Mayor Mamdani has great plans for New York City…but will they work?

 

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2026/01/11/cea-weaver-government-housing-will-cost-you-30-percent-of-your-income-n2669287

 

Is this the government you want?

 

https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/biden-era-fbi-paid-anti-trump-sedition-hunters-informants-j6-arctic

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/01/21/its-going-to-get-really-serious-liberal-influencers-discuss-public-tribunals-and-court-expansion-after-democratic-takeover/#more-240227

 

Liberal and progressive views in the Democrat Party are based on concepts and policies that are detached from reality.  Any adult who has worked and strived to make a life for themselves and their families know this to be true.  They are so costly, they cannot be reasonably sustained (tax and spend); they pit certain elements of our culture and society against each other (identity politics); and they simply defy common sense, reason, and logic (wokeness).  How do they continue to get elected?

 

Trump must focus on maximizing his remaining time in office to continue moving this country back towards responsible and sane governance.  That effort requires a continuation of Republican control in Congress and the White House…looking at YOU mid-term elections.

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/01/trump-at-year-one/

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/what-trump-should-learn-from-old-hickorys-succession-plan/

 

The geo-political pot continues to boil incessantly.  Thank goodness we have a steady hand like Marco Rubio to provide some American foreign policy leadership.  There are so many battles to win…

 

https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/donald-trump-marco-rubio-board-of-peace/2026/01/16/id/1242456/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/01/18/the-fog-of-prewar-in-iran/

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/trump-presses-u-s-case-for-greenland-in-davos-speech-but-rules-out-use-of-force/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/01/22/reconciling-us-needs-vs-danish-claims/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/01/22/reconciling-us-needs-vs-danish-claims/

 

https://nypost.com/2026/01/21/opinion/trump-has-unfinished-business-in-iran-he-must-do-better-than-obama-and-take-action-for-the-protesters-sake/

 

Sometimes…it is difficult to tell whether or not Europe is on our side…

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/01/17/the-czech-republic-shows-europe-how-its-done/

 

In order for the United States of America to remain the preeminent power on this planet, we must be energy independent and a primary source for global energy as well…

 

 https://amgreatness.com/2026/01/21/in-2026-congress-can-predict-our-energy-future-by-creating-it/