The Top 5 Plus (August 8)

1) “If The West Won’t Defend Itself, Third World Hordes Will Destroy Us” (Nathan Stone, Federalist)

From the article -- The “Allahu Akbar!” screaming invaders — some 60,000 military-aged Moroccans with nothing but the clothes on their backs — were dumped into Ceuta, Spain to destroy it. The laxer ones did their part by turning the streets into toilets and the fountains into bathtubs (two ways of killing beauty fast). The friskier ones waged war against the city and its people. They set cars afire. They cracked open and looted homes and businesses...

Why is all this important? Because Ceuta is the latest reminder of what the stakes are. It’s not just about borders, or even sovereignty; it’s about civilization. “Civilization” gets thrown around a lot, and people have spilled good gallons of ink defining it. The simplest and truest definition is that civilization is the bedrock of who we are as a people.

Being part of a civilization means that the world is divided between “us”— we who see the world this way, we who believe this, and do things this way — and “them” — everyone else. Greeks are not Romans; Romans are not Frenchmen; and Frenchmen are not Americans.

You can lose a lot of things — influence, power, even territory — but if you can keep your civilization, you’re still in the game. It’s why the Jews are still a people (in the religious sense) and the Carthaginians are not. Lose that, and you lose yourself.

2) “The Current Status of American Schools -- As we head into the new school year, what follows is a brief assessment of the sorry state of public education in the U.S. and what parents can do about it.” (Larry Sand, American Greatness)

From the article -- Student skills are diminishing.  Recently, more than 1,800 math and science lecturers at the University of California signed an open letter outlining a distressing problem. First-year undergraduates, they say, are increasingly arriving without the basic skills needed to succeed. At U.C. Berkeley, they maintain that 20-30% of students taking an early calculus course face “severe preparation deficits.” The challenge has become so great, they add, that instructors are forced to reteach middle-school math.

On a similar note, a shocking report on the University of California San Diego campus finds that the number of first-year students entering with math skills below the high school level has increased nearly thirtyfold over five years, to almost one in eight.

Along with worries about undergraduate math skills, there are long-standing concerns about declining literacy levels. Lecturers warn that literature students cannot finish books.

These problems are widespread. At Harvard, some humanities and social-science professors say they feel compelled to shorten texts, according to a report released in October. Students are entering America’s most revered university with less experience reading complex prose and a reduced capacity for focus and sustainedattention andd are struggling with books they completed with ease just ten years ago.

Chronic absenteeism remains a major problem...In the 2024-25 school year, after recovering from the COVID-19 school shutdowns, the chronic absenteeism rate remained high at 23%.

3) “Misidentifying The Enemy: What Happens When a Nation Can No Longer Recognize Its Allies?” (Daniel Cohen, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- Yet even as Iran demonstrated exactly who it is, much of the public debate shifted away from the regime responsible for the attack and toward Israel, America’s closest ally in the Middle East. Vice President J.D. Vance argued that Israeli influence helped derail negotiations with Iran, suggesting that voices in Israel preferred continued military action over diplomacy. That framing misses the larger point. The agreement did not collapse because Israel objected to it. It collapsed because Iran has repeatedly demonstrated that it uses negotiations to buy time while continuing to pursue its long-term objectives.

This is where discernment becomes indispensable. A nation that cannot correctly identify its adversaries will inevitably begin questioning its allies instead. History is filled with civilizations that spent more energy arguing among themselves than confronting the threats gathering outside their borders. The danger is not merely military. It is intellectual and moral. When a society begins treating warnings as manipulation and allies as liabilities, it loses the clarity necessary to make wise decisions.

Israel’s relationship with the United States has never been based on sentimentality. It rests on shared strategic interests, democratic values, intelligence cooperation, and a common recognition of the dangers posed by radical Islamic terrorism. Those realities should not disappear simply because political narratives become more convenient than geopolitical facts.

4) “What the Fauci Diaries Reveal About America’s COVID Response: The hearings have revived debate over lockdowns, government power, scientific authority, and who should be held accountable.” (Steve Apfel, American Spectator)

From the article -- Fauci’s undoing was to forget that discretion is the better part of valor. Senators, keen to trap him into perjury, desired to nix Biden’s autopen pardon. It’s a crying shame that getting rich while massive misery stalked the land is not a felony. Ditto for sending love notes to himself and logging media stories that really did make him the most famous and talked about celebrity on earth.

Yes Fauci, the vainest of men, disabled a whole generation of school-goers by locking schools. Yes, he lied that Covid came from bats in a wet market rather than a leak from a lab. Yes, he was among the first shutdown adherents. Yes he knew as early as February 2020 that the fatality rate was pretty low...Yes, he deleted emails. Yes, lies tripped off his garrulous tongue. Yes, he approved aborted baby parts used in mice research. Yes and more yeses.

Even so, Governors Gavin Newsome and Andrew Cuomo outdid Fauci by a long chalk in the havoc they sowed, the preventable deaths they caused, and in the business collapse they cold-heartedly supervised. They too should be grilled by Senators.

Though we spare a thought for the commoners, in their hundreds of millions, they weren’t exactly blameless. The greater part, poltroons who caved to PC, were enamoured with a limpid rule of thumb guaranteeing the apocalypse that was Covid...

Related articles: “Fauci Tyrannus: To restore public trust, we must have accountability.” (Jacob Howland, American Mind)...“COVID-19: Fauci's Holocaust” (Kevin Downey Jr., PJ Media)...“Collins and Fauci and the GOP’s Missed Opportunity” (Chuck Donovan, Washington Stand)

5) “The Typhus Rats of Los Angeles: A medieval disease is rocking the vermin-ridden county.” (Christopher F. Rufo, Ryan Thorpe, City Journal)

From the article -- Rats, and the fleas that live on them, can be carriers of deadly diseases—including, most notably, the plague, which, in bubonic form, killed tens of millions of people and laid waste to cities in the Middle Ages. In L.A., however, the main concern is a different medieval disease: typhus.

Since 2009, the number of flea-borne typhus cases in L.A. has increased by a staggering 2,300 percent. Last year, the county recorded more cases than at any point in its history. Some patients have died. Behind the scenes, the authorities responsible for protecting the public admit that they lack the resources they need to get the situation under control.

The rats, meantime, spread disease in predictable ways. They feed on trash, fleas feed on those rats, and the infected fleas bite people, who in turn suffer anything from a mild illness treatable with antibiotics to a sickness that ends in death.

This City Journal investigation—based on interviews with leading rodent experts, on-the-ground reporting, and a review of hundreds of pages of documents obtained via public-records requests—reveals that Los Angeles County has allowed a disease once associated with the Middle Ages to terrorize a major metropolis.

Other Excellent Reads from this Week

* “Abortion Drugs In US Drinking Water: Another Horrifying Consequence Of The Culture Of Death” (Ken Ham, Harbinger’s Daily)

* “Left-Wing Violence Is Being Normalized: Liberal elites created a permission structure for extremism.” (James B. Meigs, (WSJ Free Expression)

* “The Original American Superhero: Young Washington tells an underdog tale for the ages.” (Jack Hunter, Modern Age)

* “Marijuana Overtakes Cigarettes, Alcohol as Most Used Daily Drug in U.S.” (Dan Hart, Washington Stand)

* “The Democrats are a menace to America’s Jews -- Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Democratic primary is an ominous sign.” (Joel Catkin, spiked!)

“Nothing Stays in the Closet Nowadays”

Remember when Hollywood executives sought to cover up the scandalous activity of their stars in order to avoid severe damage to box office receipts?

Today, anything goes. In fact, the executives now holding those high Hollywood posts actually go out of their way to parade, publicize, and promote the most brazen immorality of the folks they have under contract. They have concluded (rightly so, obviously) that scandal actually helps one’s career, so vastly different are the moral standards of the public from days gone by. 

Forget Dorian Gray. Nothing stays in the closet nowadays.

Meanwhile, American Christians continue to drink freely from these polluted waters, desiring hipness over holiness, entertainment over enlightenment, and mindless conformity over the counter-culture lifestyle that Jesus commanded.

It’s a very sad state of affairs.

As an ancient seer put it, “Like a trampled spring and a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.” (Proverbs 25:26, NASB)

The Top 5 Plus (August 1)

You may find of interest 3 very brief Vital Signs Blog posts that I posted earlier this week. You'll find them further down the Vital Signs Blog entries. But for now, here's this week's Top 5 Plus.

1) “Mainstream Education Systems Have Become Modern Marxist Discipleship Centers” (Patricia Engler, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- For years, public education systems have been discipling young people to believe a destructive false gospel. This reality helps explain why youth we know and love may seem to be learning less about reading, math, and science than about activism, sexuality, and liberal ideology. Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s going on and what we can do about it.

Through an approach known as “critical pedagogy,” schools are teaching students to think and act like modern Marxists. This approach has been pervading mainstream education, as a 2015 article in the Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies reveals:

"After several decades of existing on the educational fringe, it is safe to say that critical pedagogy has entered the mainstream in the United States. . . . Academic conferences such as the American Educational Research Association regularly feature hundreds of sessions related to critical pedagogy and there are special interest groups solely devoted to scholarship in the field. Critical pedagogy and its left-centrist derivative social justice is also applied to previously untouched contexts, from teaching math to physical education. Social justice has even been incorporated into business and sustainability degree programs, including the concept of servant leadership."

In other words, schools are teaching students to view every subject through a Marxist lens...Put differently, the purpose is to raise up modern communists.

2) “John Adams made a terrifying prediction. America is close to proving him correct: The national debt is pushing close to $40 trillion with no simple options to fix it.” (Les Rubin, Fox News)

From the article -- "Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There was never a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams, our second president, wrote those words more than two centuries ago, yet they are relevant today. Adams understood that free societies are not destroyed only by foreign enemies. They can also be weakened from within through complacency, indifference and the gradual abandonment of the principles that made them successful.

America's Founders spent years studying history and learning from the greatest political, economic and philosophical thinkers who came before them. They deliberately created a constitutional republic built upon limited government, fiscal responsibility, individual liberty and the protection of the unalienable rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

That framework produced the most prosperous and powerful nation the world has ever known. For nearly 250 years, it has survived wars, economic crises, political upheaval and countless challenges because it rested on principles that valued freedom and restrained government.

3) “Socialism and Islam: A tale of two psychoses -- A dark night is descending over America.” (Eric Utter, American Thinker)

From the article -- The times, they are a-changin’. Rapidly. And not in a good way. Two separate -- and growing -- psychoses are converging in a perfect highly imperfect storm of authoritarianism to existentially threaten the land of the formerly free and brave.

To wit: In 2000, only 28% of Democrats identified as “liberal.” Today, that figure has nearly doubled. The number who claim to be very liberal has also risen dramatically. In fact, a recent survey shows that 1 in 3 Democrats now proudly consider themselves to be Democratic-Socialists. The party has been fundamentally transformed — and quickly. DSA candidates are now running in elections across the fruited plain … and winning. This would have been unthinkable just a couple of decades ago.

Simultaneously, the number of Muslims in the U.S. has also dramatically increased, from perhaps as low as 1.1 million in 2000, to perhaps as many as 4.5 million today. That would be greater than a 400% increase. In one generation.

4) “With No Opposition, Canada Has Become The Most Radically Progressive Nation In The World” (Breanna Claussen, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- If the two examples above were not enough, Canada passed the “Online News Act” in 2023, which resulted in Canadians being blocked from viewing news reports from outside the country on Meta platforms. This, coupled with the Liberal government’s suppression of Conservative news groups within the country, should set off alarm bells, harkening back to regimes throughout history that sought to control the information accessible to their citizenry. Today, Canada is the only nation in a total and permanent “blackout” from foreign news sources through Meta.

Of all the Western nations, Canada stands out in the worst possible way. Within the last decade, the nation has startled the world by arresting pastors, freezing bank accounts of dissenting voices, suppressing press freedom, killing its most vulnerable, and taking direct aim at religious liberty. Even members of the highly progressive European Union have pushed back against what they view as a “dictatorship” steadily emerging in the country.

Despite the astonishing state of affairs in Canada, it is even more shocking to hear the views of many average Canadians, who routinely express delight that their politics are not as “messy” as those in the United States. By making this claim, they fail to recognize that the so-called “messiness” stems from having individuals willing to push back and defend their freedoms and morality—something which is present in varying degrees in all other Western nations.

When all of your politicians are careening down the same treacherous path, there is no stopping the train. 

5) “The Left's Rotating Loyalty Oath: The left's articles of faith keep expiring because they were never sincere in the first place.” (John Tillman, The Political Vise)

From the article -- A little more than half a decade later, climate has nearly disappeared from the left’s top concerns. Last year, researchers at Yale asked American voters to rank twenty-five issues by how much they mattered to their midterm vote. Global warming came in twenty-fourth. Only 1% of respondents named it as their most important issue. In September 2025, the Searchlight Institute, a think tank aligned with Democratic priorities, advised progressive politicians to stop using the term “climate change” altogether. The weather hasn’t changed, nor has the left succeeded in its aim of getting everyone to turn vegan and ride public transit. What has happened is that the environment has ceased to be what animates those who turn the levers of the Political Vise.

What’s the latest test? Israel. This year, from Maine to California, primary season has witnessed vicious Democratic infighting over American aid to the Middle East’s only democracy. And to that party’s most dedicated activists, one name has become dirtier than Blackwater or Big Oil: AIPAC.

I am not here to weigh in on foreign policy. The government of Israel may or may not be above reproach. What strikes me here is less Israel itself than the fact that until very recently, other issues commanded far more attention on the American left. Israel, like climate change and the Iraq War before it, has suddenly become the one political issue about which reasonable progressives (perhaps an oxymoron) are not allowed to disagree. And so for the left, this summer’s litmus test is denouncing AIPAC, a venerable organization devoted to drumming up support for our embattled ally.

Other Excellent Articles from the Week

* “The Damage Caused By Fauci’s Lies Is Incalculable—And The American People Deserve Answers” (Mike Pompeo, Harbinger’s Daily)

* “Turkish F-35 Stealth Fighter Jets: A Grave Threat to Greece, Israel, the West” (Nils A. Haug, Gatestone Institute) 

* “AI Will Save the U.S. Economy: The pace of innovation is unlike anything we’ve ever seen.” (Jordan Schachtel, American Greatness)

* “The Misplaced Fixation with Israel’s ‘Image’ -- The practical problems with spinning the Jewish state.” (Eric Dezenhall, American Greatness)

* “3 Lessons from Secretary Rubio’s Speech about Leftist Terrorism” (Kathy Athearn, Washington Stand)

Real Religion Is Both Other-Worldly AND Historical

“The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:1-3, New American Standard Bible)

I love this beginning of Luke’s Book of the Acts of the Apostles, emphasizing as it does Christianity’s grounding in real-time, verifiable history. This is seen most clearly in Luke’s care as a historian, in the trustworthiness of his account to an inquiring friend, and in how he begins his letter by reference to the evidential nature of Jesus’ physical resurrection as shown to so many witnesses and in so many “convincing” ways, including His physical presence, other miracles, and the divine wisdom of His teaching.

Ours is a religion of divine, other-worldly origin, to be sure, but God was pleased to unfold His revelation (and the awesome plan of salvation through the atoning sacrifice of Christ for our sins) in human history. That, in itself, is terrific grace.

By the way, this painting of Luke the physician, historian, and missionary was painted by Giorgio Vasari (1570-1571)

The Trumpets Sound!

Here is a stirring passage from John Bunyan’s classic, The Pilgrim's Progress. It comes from Part Two of that classic allegory and describes what occurs after Mr. Valiant-for-Truth is summoned to the Celestial Gate by the Master. Mr. Valiant-for-Truth makes his will, as it were, then speaks his parting words and departs for glory.

“Then said Mr. Valiant-for-Truth, ‘I am going to my Father’s and though with great difficulty I am got hither, yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble I have been at to arrive where I am. My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought His battles Who now will be my rewarder.’

When the day that he must go hence was come, many accompanied him to the riverside, into which as he went, he said, ‘Death, where is thy sting?’ And as he went down deeper, he said, ‘Grave, where is thy victory?’

So he passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side.”

By the way, the illustration of Mr. Valiant-for Truth comes from an 1894 edition. The figure was designed by Frederick Barnard and the woodcut engraved for the edition by Dalziel Borthers.

Summer Too Hot for You? Here's Sixteen Very Cool Songs to Help You Out.

This list of 16 songs was, by the way, originally compiled back in 2012. But it probably wouldn't be any different if I made made it today. So, here you go...

1) “All Summer Long” -- The Beach Boys. (But, of course, you could toss in here a dozen others from these guys that could also make the list: “I Get Around.” “Surfin’ U.S.A.” “Surfer Girl.” And so on. They are certainly pop music’s version of The Boys of Summer.)

2) “Summer Nights” -- Marianne Faithfull (Moody, romantic. It’s been a favorite ever since the days of my misspent youth.)

3) “Our Last Summer” -- Abba (Like many of Abba’s later songs, this is great music…but music with a message of particular relevance to my generation.)

4) “Theme from ‘A Summer Place’” -- Percy Faith Orchestra (Beautiful music by which to fall in love. And, as I can also attest, by which to stay in love!) (Note also that the Lettermen have an excellent version of this song.)

5) “See You In September” -- The Happenings (Tuneful, fun but also tender, especially for those who remember the pain of summer partings.)

6) “A Summer Song” -- Chad & Jeremy (A Top Ten hit from 1964. Mellow harmony. Meaningful lyrics. A very pretty number.)

7) “Under the Boardwalk” -- The Drifters (Classic New York soul from one of the greatest vocal groups of the early rock era.)

8) “Summer Rain” -- Johnny Rivers (A dreamy 1967 song that was played on hi-fi sets, 8-track tape machines, and late night FM radio programs throughout the flower power years.)

9) “One Summer Night” -- The Danleers (No doubt about it, this is doo-wop magic. The Diamonds had a nice recording of this too.)

10) “Sealed With a Kiss” -- Brian Hyland (A little saccharine perhaps but this 1962 song effectively captures the feeling of a temporary separation that at least one of the parties suspects might end up being more than temporary.)

11) “V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N” -- Connie Francis (Fun and funky. Connie at her playful best.)

12) “Here Comes Summer” -- Jerry Keller (Could it be that I’ve loved this song for over 65 years? Yep. I first heard it played over Denver's KIMN in 1959.)

13) “Wonderful Summer” -- Robin Ward (A one-hit wonder from a pretty brunette who was raised in Nebraska. And though she didn't have any other radio hits, you can hear her voice in the TV theme songs of Batman, The Partridge Family and several others. Also in hundreds of commercials like those touting Rice-a-Roni.)

14) “Summer in the City” -- Lovin' Spoonful (A harder-edged song that any of the others in this list but still a favorite. I hear this song and...presto...I'm back pumping gas at Banner Tire on West Evans in south Denver.)

15) “Hot Fun in the Summertime” -- Sly & the Family Stone (Did I say “funky” to describe an earlier song. Forget it. THIS is funky.)

16) “Summertime, Summertime” -- The Jamies (Sure, it’s almost a nonsense song but with such a catchy chorus that I had to put it in the mix. And who can't help like a song that contains these lyrics: “Well, I'm so happy that I could flip. Oh, how I'd love to take a trip. I’m sorry teacher but zip your lip. Because it's summertime.”)

If you don't remember these songs (or if you’ve never heard them at all), you can find most of them on You Tube. Have fun. And stay cool, kids!

A Major Summer Buzz? The Odyssey.

There’s an awful lot of buzz this summer over The Odyssey. But alas, the attention is not on Homer’s epic poem, one of the genuine wonders of ancient literature. Oh no, moderns never bother with originals. Their egos insist on the new, the novel, and selected revisions of important works that cover their own ignorance and flatter their own ideological and fashion preferences. That's why the buzz going round is not about Homer’s flawed yet noble hero, but rather on Christopher Nolan’s big-budget and extremely splashy (pun intended) movie.

Of course, reading Homer’s classic is itself far too difficult for most people nowadays. Good grief, don’t imagine I’m going to really read a book! Give me instead an awesome flick with blaring sound, cinematic wizardry, and 2026 progressivism. And then, after comfortably being ensconced in a theater for a mere 90 minutes, I can pride myself on not only knowing full well The Odyssey; I can even applaud my own experience of the work as being more authentic, more profound, and more impressive to my peers than all those squares before me that only read a boring book.

An exaggeration? Hardly. But the most relevant thing to note is that whatever the understanding of The Odyssey is for this summer’s moviegoers, it will be a far, far cry from the real thing, the classic poetic work of Homer.

Now you’re right in guessing that I have not seen the film. I was never tempted to. I rarely go to the movies and I almost never watch a movie version of a book. But in the case of Christopher Nolan’s movie, I had more reasons than usual to miss the thing. Among those reasons were Nolan’s oh-so-hip bow to the woke fads so worshiped by the left today: casting a skinny transgender actor as a fierce Greek warrior; casting a Kenya-born actress as Helen of Troy; and, most damning of all, portraying Odysseus as a weak, feminine, vacillating, drug-addled, dishonorable man -- all of which Homer’s Odysseus was not.

Therefore...because I believe Homer’s original poem to be a far more worthy artistic work than the movie which is getting all the attention, I wanted to pass along 2 suggestions of how to respond to this summer's fuss. 

Number One -- dare to read the original. Claire and I are doing so right now. We are, in fact, adding to our understanding, pleasure, and inspiration by also reading The Iliad, Homer’s first work. We are reading them in Robert Fagles’ translations, but any you find available can open the doors to rich adventures. And Number Two -- we are adding to our reading of these exciting texts the free online lectures offered by Hillsdale College regarding The Odyssey. As some of you know, Claire and I have enjoyed many of Hillsdale’s online courses in recent years, but these lectures from literature professor Dr. Benedict Whalen have quickly become among our most delightful. 

Indeed, I’ll go so far as suggesting to those of you who feel a moderate interest in The Odyssey but do not figure that you’d not go so far as to tackle the book, to go ahead and at least enjoy these lectures. You'll find them very interesting...and they just might lead you to the book itself. 

The Top 5 Plus (July 25)

1) “On the Abortion Pill, Follow the Evidence” (Tony Perkins, Washington Stand)

From the article -- Following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in 2022, the Biden administration sought to undermine the decision by expanding access to chemical abortion. It relaxed the FDA’s Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS), removing the long-standing requirement for in-person dispensing and medical oversight.

But another obstacle remained: the Comstock Act, an 1873 federal law prohibiting the use of our mail system to send articles intended for abortion. Rather than enforce that law, the Biden Justice Department issued an opinion concluding that abortion drugs could be mailed unless the sender specifically intended an illegal abortion. In effect, the government said, “Presume lawful use and ask no questions.”

That DOJ opinion remains in effect today under the Trump administration. Unlike the FDA’s REMS policy, which is being challenged in court, the Justice Department can withdraw and replace that opinion without waiting for Congress or the courts.

Related articles: “Blanche Hearing Blows Holes in Trump’s Pro-Life Credibility” (Suzanne Bowdey, Washington Stand)

2) “A Winning Political Strategy? JD Vance Opts To Appease Dangerous Anti-Israel Conspiracies” (Breanna Claussen, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- As antisemitism ingrains itself deeper into the Democrat Party, and many young Republicans follow behind, taken captive by the conspiracies of Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and others, recent statements by Vice President JD Vance have shown that he is more than willing to feed into the trend.

On an episode this week of the “Joe Rogan Experience,” Vance seemed eager to brand himself as the “reasonable moderate” voice, repeatedly calling Israel an ally while simultaneously propping up outlandish theories directed against the Jewish State.

Related article: “The Vance Variable: Veep is the partisan divide on Israel -- In a week when the majority of House Democrats abandoned the Jewish state, the vice president served as a reminder that the GOP's lockstep pro-Israel stand is not set in stone.” (Jonathan Tobin, Jewish World Review)

3) “‘Art’ and the Pathology of our Age: Modern art stopped challenging convention long ago. Now it challenges only common sense and rewards the people willing to applaud the loudest absurdities.” (Roger Kimball, American Greatness)

From the article -- What is it about the word “art”? Pronounce it, and the IQ of susceptible folk is instantly halved. (I’ve seen cases where it is diminished by 87 percent.) Normally sensible people who do not, as a rule, appreciate being made fools of stand idly by as someone tells them that a video of some charlatan climbing naked up a scaffolding while applying Vaseline to sensitive parts of his body is “the most important American artist of his generation.”

Instead of throwing something soft and rotting at such mountebanks, they nod solemnly and reach for their wallets. They are only too eager, when a stiffy arrives from the Museum of Modern Art or some similar establishment, to don the soup and fish and buzz round to the super-exclusive evening event where scores of beautiful people line up to sip the shampoo (David Niven’s word for champagne) and admire a tank full of formaldehyde and a dead tiger shark.

What is it about the word “art” that endows it with this mind- and character-wrecking property? Why does it induce incontinent gibbering, not to mention mind-boggling extravagance, among normally hard-headed souls?

4) “NEA Same Ol’ Same Ol’ -- The latest annual National Education Association convention, as usual, focused on the union’s radical political and social agenda.” (Larry Sand, American Greatness)

 From the article -- Then, in her opening talk, Moss said that teachers must “organize, organize, organize.” Notably, she went off on the new national tax-credit scholarship program, which is set to go into effect next year. She attacked the program, incoherently spouting, “First of all, it’s important our members understand what’s happening. I don’t know if they know there is an intentional plan to destroy public education—and if public education is destroyed, then we have a population whose critical thinking skills are diminished, and it’s easier for an authoritarian government to have influence.” Moss also said that the NEA “can be and must be the most powerful force in America.”

On another note about leadership, Cecily Myart-Cruz, the president of United Teachers Los Angeles, was elected by her union colleagues to serve on the organization’s highest governing body, the NEA Executive Committee.

This is the union boss who, when asked about the learning loss students incurred during the COVID-19 shutdown, replied, “There is no such thing as learning loss. Our kids didn’t lose anything. It’s OK that our babies may not have learned all their timetables. They learned resilience. They learned survival. They learned critical-thinking skills. They know the difference between a riot and a protest. They know the words insurrection and coup.” She even bizarrely suggested that “learning loss” is a fake crisis marketed by “shadowy purveyors of clinical and classroom assessments.”

5) “Zero Sympathy for the Democrats’ Political Death March: After years of empowering the fringe, Democrat insiders are discovering that the monsters they cultivated are now consuming them.” (Scott McKay, American Spectator)

From the article -- Primary season is just about over in advance of the 2026 midterms, and it looks like the old-time party faithful on the Democrat side are awfully disappointed with how things sit.

I could show you lots of other examples of the old-school Democrats coming out of the woodwork to sound the alarm about the Democratic Socialists of America turning out enough radicals to win low-turnout party primaries around the country — and tubing the chances of that massive wave election they’ve all but guaranteed themselves.

Other Provocative Articles from the Week

* “The Church of England has betrayed British Jews – again. General Synod has given oxygen to vile lies about Israel.” (Limor Simhony Philpott, spiked!)

* “Fraud: More Than We Can Imagine?” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* “Feds Recover Less Than 1% of $400 Billion+ in COVID Relief Funds Lost to Fraudsters” (Mark Tapscott, Washington Stand)

* "Where is Muslim-American Assimilation Headed? A new poll shows a strong patriotic streak -- but also reason to worry." (Zainab Al-Suwaij, City Journal)

* "America’s Top Companies? -- This survey of the nation’s greatest companies is both nonsensical and evidence of the problems that plague our mainstream media." (Stephen Soukup, American Greatness)

The Top 5 Plus (July 18)

1) “Ignorance Is Not Bliss: The Dumbing Down of America: The bill for lowered standards is coming due.” (Richard K. Vedder, American Spectator)

From the article -- I once testified before a state legislative committee that I thought it should be a felony for a school principal or superintendent to knowingly hire a graduate of a college of education. States breaking from the old ways of the educational establishment are showing big gains in student performance. The poorest state in the Union, Mississippi, has shown eye-popping gains in student test scores by rejecting contemporarily fashionable curricular and evaluation practices and getting back to the basics. According to Education Week, less than 30 years ago (1998), only 47 percent of Mississippi students performed at or above the basic level of proficiency on the nationally used National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam. Poor academically, poor economically. 

Fast forward a generation to 2022. The proportion scoring at the basic level or above on the NAEP exam rose substantially to 64 percent — above the national average. Why? Massive economic growth in Mississippi accompanied by a huge expansion in educational spending? No. The state remains the nation’s poorest. More native-born Americans are still leaving the state than are moving in. But the old educational ways have been interrupted and some adult supervision imposed, surprisingly in large part by Mississippi’s leading politicians. The legislature passed a Literacy-Based Promotion Act. Third-grade students doing poorly on a standardized literacy test are now not advanced to the fourth grade until they show at least minimal literacy competency. Horrors of horrors! Meaningful consequences for poor academic achievement.

There are lessons here that can be replicated. 

Related articles: “Class Warfare: Student behavior is deteriorating, and teachers are leaving the profession as a result.” (Larry Sand, American Greatness) ...“How Schools Made Gen Z Weaker: Screen-based learning and the replacement of discipline with therapy have undermined students’ cognitive and emotional development.” (Dana E. Abizaid, American Spectator)

2) “Congress Needs To Defund Planned Parenthood -- Once And For All” (Family Research Council via Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- Meanwhile, pro-life advocates are now expressing outrage as the expiration date for blocking Medicaid dollars to Planned Parenthood came and went on July 4 — a ban that Congress failed to renew. The defunding of Planned Parenthood originally passed under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but the provision only lasted a year. Now, the abortion giant will once again receive funding for all non-abortion services. 

That frustrates conservatives like Rep. Nathanial Moran (R-Texas), who sees the reconciliation 3.0 process as an opportunity to take a big bite out of the abortion mammoth’s bottom line. “It needs to be in there,” he told Family Research Council President Tony Perkins on Tuesday’s “Washington Watch.” “I will be very unhappy if we don’t have … an instruction from our Budget Committee that allows us to deal with that, because … we only got a one-year moratorium effectively [from the One Big Beautiful Bill],” which, he added, expired on July 4th. “One year is not good enough,” Moran insisted. “It certainly did some good work, but one year is not good enough. We need to make it permanent — or as long as possible — to keep those Planned Parenthood centers from popping back up.”

FRC’s Quena González, senior director of Government Affairs, agrees. “In the first year of the Trump administration, it looked like we might get a down payment on what we had wanted for so long. … But in a twist of irony, America celebrated its 250th anniversary by turning back on the spigot for $800 million in taxpayer funding through Medicare for Planned Parenthood,” he told The Washington Stand. “We have faced the indignity of watching our tax dollars being spent to subsidize Big Abortion. Pro-life voters turned out enthusiastically in 2024 to re-elect a pro-life president and pro-life majorities in the House and Senate, hoping to put an end to this injustice.”

3) “The Iran-Backed ‘Decisive Campaign’ To Destroy Israel and the West” (Khaled Abu Toameh, Gatestone Institute)

From the article -- The documents, recovered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip and published by the Amit Terrorism and Intelligence Research Institute, reveal that Hamas had meticulously planned the October 7 massacre more than a year before it was carried out. They also expose Sinwar's unwavering commitment to Hamas's founding objective: the destruction of Israel through mass murder and conquest.

The operational planning was astonishingly detailed. Sinwar envisioned breaching the border simultaneously at 25 locations using approximately 2,500 terrorists in the opening assault.

Sinwar estimated that approximately 10,000 "well-trained fighters" would eventually be required to carry out the operation successfully. Each Israeli community was assigned specific assault teams. Military bases were designated for destruction. Strategic road junctions were mapped and allocated to specialized units. Every aspect of the operation had been carefully calculated.

These were not defensive plans. They were invasion plans.

4) “Scapegoating the Jews: Astoundingly, the demonization of Israel has become a key driver of Western politics.” (Melanie Phillips, Jewish News Service)

From the article -- Astonishingly, in America and Britain, the vilification and scapegoating of Israel through an agenda of malice and mendacity—and with undertones of something even darker—has become a key driver of political life.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance has ramped up his attacks on Israel by channeling anti-Jewish tropes of covert manipulation and warmongering...

Not only is there no evidence in the article for this recycled Jewish conspiracy theory, but Vance himself is reportedly close to lobbyists for the Iranian regime. Two years ago, he addressed the Quincy Institute, which Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has described as a “hotbed of pro-Iran lobbying.”

In April, Lee Smith wrote in Tablet magazine that the group of officials, journalists and think-tank experts who formed the Obama administration’s notorious “echo chamber” to give a favorable spin to the 2015 nuclear deal, which would have allowed Iran to develop nuclear weapons with only a few years delay, were trying to pull the same stunt again—this time with “structurally aligned” Vance as America’s lead negotiator pushing things their way.

The more obvious reason for the criticism of Vance is that he’s responsible for a stupid, gullible and dangerous strategy that’s now gone belly-up. He tried to negotiate with a regime whose goal of destroying America and Israel is totally non-negotiable. Vance has chosen to mask his humiliation by the time-dishonored ploy of dumping on the Jews.

Related articles: “Israel as Alibi” (Yochanan Schimmelpfennig, Times of Israel)...“Absolutely Screwed Up -- JD Vance accuses Israel of secret plot against him and drops Mossad-Epstein bombshell in explosive Joe Rogan interview” (Phillip Nieto, Daily Mail)...“The Conspiracy Vance Needs” (Amit Segal, It's Noon In Israel)

5) “Trump Administration Unleashes Global Campaign to Crush Radical Left Terrorism” (The White House)

From the article -- Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent announced powerful tools to combat illicit funding: “At President Trump’s direction, Treasury is expanding its efforts to identify organizations that abuse charitable and nonprofit structures as vehicles for illicit finance. We are examining where tax-exempt status has been exploited, where charitable entities have become financial conduits for foreign influence activity…”

Secretary Bessent vowed to dismantle the financial infrastructure sustaining left-wing terrorism: “We will identify illicit funding, however artfully it is concealed. We will dismantle the networks that sustain political terrorism, however respectable their fronts may be. We will pursue those who enable political violence, however distant their jurisdictions.”

Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller made clear there must be no retreat: “One of the hallmarks of left-wing violence and terrorism is its completely pre-textual and disingenuous appeal to civil liberties in an effort to shield its own violence… When the leftist — who does not believe in freedom, who does not believe in civil rights, who does not believe in any ordinary notion of justice — protests that we are violating his rights, understand the he is lying to try to persuade people who are not closely following the political scene that some injustice has perpetrated against him. We must stay the course and be completely unflinching in the pursuit of justice against these enemies of civilization.”

Other Important Reads from the Week

* “British Police Course Correct after Conservative Christian Politician Murdered” (S.A. McCarthy, Washington Stand)

* “Facts, Figures, and Fantasy: Why Children Need Fairy Tales and Myths” (S.A. McCarthy, Washington Stand)

* “The West Is a Superior Civilization (And I Don’t Care If That Offends You) -- The civilization that gave the world constitutional liberty, modern science, and human dignity deserves defense, not embarrassment.” (Itxu Díaz, American Spectator)

* “Erasing Little Italy Is About More Than a Map” (Ben Shapiro, Jewish World Review)

* “U.K. Bars Finnish Christian MP from Country over Biblical Beliefs on Sexuality” (Dan Hart, Washington Stand)

The Surefire Investment Plan: Get Yourself a 'Paradise Portfolio'

If you were to believe the advertisements of many brokerage firms and insurance companies, you would think that a safe, even luxurious, future was yours if you simply sign on the dotted line with them. But that certainly doesn’t make sense for those who can hardly keep up with expenses now.

The truth is in the numbers; a fellow who lives from paycheck to paycheck just doesn’t have enough to build up a cushion for retirement.

Now don’t get me wrong. Financial planning, frugality, savings, and prudent investments are all good things.  But the best investment plan of all – and the only surefire one – is the one explained by Jesus when He explicitly told us to lay up our treasures in heaven.  This is a fantastic opportunity for us!  Indeed, all of God’s children are saved from the penalty of sin through faith in God’s grace alone.

However, the Scriptures are also clear that believers will receive heavenly rewards by living lives of obedience, trust, and love.  And that heavenly savings account (I’ve taken to calling it my paradise portfolio) is completely safe from thieves, natural forces, and all the sin-stained politics of this earth.

This investment plan, by the way, has nothing to do with your income, your pension, your Social Security or Medicare.  It has only to deal with your faithfulness to God.

No, after paying our bills, we may not have a nickel left over to put into stocks, bonds, or precious metals. But we can always make investments in heaven, adding every single day to that glorious paradise portfolio that the Lord is saving for us as part of our forever inheritance.

Now that is great news!

The Top 5 Plus (July 11)

1) “Mamdani’s Embittered Fourth of July Rant to America” (Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness)

From the article -- Thus spoke the pampered rich kid from Uganda, who immigrated to America with his now-endowed professor father and elite filmmaker mother, the latter reportedly supported by millions of dollars in grants from the Qatari royal autocracy.

Upon arriving, the Mamdanis joined what is statistically America’s wealthiest and most highly credentialed ethnic group: the enormously privileged Indian American community. (But how was that possible in Mamdani’s version of a racist America that supposedly detests the wrong accents and skin colors?)

When this nepo baby includes himself among the supposedly “victimized” (“the rest of us”), should we laugh or cry?

If Mamdani wishes to invoke the tired Marxist oppressed-oppressor binary (“how small they are” versus “the rest of us”), then, by his own revolutionary vocabulary, he once belonged to a settler-colonial Indian expatriate elite.

After all, although Uganda’s Indian community comprises only about 1 percent of the population, it still controls roughly 60 percent of the nation’s GDP.

2) “Just Defund Planned Parenthood Already -- If we can’t defund abortion organizations, we’re going to struggle to do everything else on the pro-life agenda.” (Aubrey Harrisby, American Spectator)

From the article -- It seems a bit counterintuitive. If all the right people are in charge, having been granted what everyone is calling a “popular mandate,” how hard could it possibly be to cross the finish line? And yet, every time we approach it, we suddenly seem to question whether we should have even started the race in the first place. Do we really want to incur the inevitable blowback that always comes with political change? Is it really worth it? Maybe it’d be just fine to let things be. 

It’s that kind of political apathy that sent the House on its Independence Day recess a bit early this year. Sure, they had difficult things to do — like passing the SAVE Act and preventing Planned Parenthood from reacquiring federal funding — but the hamburgers were calling (okay, and maybe Speaker of the House Mike Johnson needed to work on sweetening the deal for a few more Republicans to vote on the SAVE Act). 

Then, July 5 rolled around, and the portion of the Big Beautiful Bill that had effectively defunded Planned Parenthood and two other smaller (but still quite large) abortion providers expired. Promptly, our taxpayer dollars started flowing into the coffers of the nation’s largest abortion mills. 

3) “Yes, They’re Communists, and Yes, They’re Lying About It. For Now. -- The label promises reform. The ideology points toward something far more radical.” (Scott McKay, American Spectator)

From the article -- There is no such thing as a democratic socialist. That’s a term invented to mask what people who call themselves democratic socialists actually are.  They’re communists.

Oh, they’ll tell you it isn’t the same thing. That’s one of an unbroken string of lies they’ll tell you, because lies are all these people have. And a pretty good tell where that’s concerned is to look at the resumes of practically every single one of the people who are rapidly taking over the Democrat Party in primary election after primary election. What you’ll find is that these are people who literally lie for a living.

4) “Antisemtism And Vitriol For Israel: One Of The Most Distinguishing Signs Of Our Time” (Jonathan Brentner, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- It’s everywhere. We hear it on popular news channels. Its anthem rings out in the halls of the US Congress. Most churches, many knowingly and others unwittingly, promote it.

The steadily intensifying antisemitism of our day points to the reality of the rapidly approaching Tribulation period. It’s one of the more distinguishing signs of our time because it aligns with so many prophecies that predict hatred for Israel and the Jews during the last days. In Zechariah 8:13, the Lord foretold what we see today along with His promise to dramatically reverse the fortunes of the Jewish people: “And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.”

What we see today fulfills the first part of these words from the Lord. Those inside and outside the church who attack Israel, however, overlook the Lord’s promise that after the hatred and cursing, He will save Israel and cause it to be a blessing to the nations.

It will be one of the greatest plot twists of all time, rivaling what the account recorded in Esther with its radical change of direction, with its most unexpected outcome.

Related articles: “Antisemitism Is Not A Fringe Position In The Democratic Party” (Zach Stark, Daily Wire)...“When A Literal Interpretation Of The Bible Is Abandoned, The End Result Is Replacement Theology (Bruce Scott, Harbinger’s Daily)...“The year that could change Europe -- and prove decisive for Israel.” (Nissan Shtrauchler, JNS)

5) “The Seduction of Artificial Certainty” (Robert Maginnis, Washington Stand)

From the article -- A pastor and Christian author recently described an experiment that left him deeply unsettled. While researching church history and biblical doctrine, he spent hours questioning two of today’s leading artificial intelligence systems. Their answers arrived almost instantly. They were articulate, persuasive, supported with hyperlinks, and delivered with remarkable confidence.

Then he did what every careful researcher should do. He opened the cited sources.

In case after case, the references did not support the claims AI had confidently presented. Some sources were incomplete; others were mischaracterized. In one exchange, the AI offered three different answers to the same question, each with its own supporting citations — then admitted, after repeated challenges, that it could find no reliable evidence for any of them.

His conclusion was not that artificial intelligence is useless. Quite the opposite. It proved remarkably helpful in organizing information and accelerating research. His concern was simpler — and far more important. “How many people,” he asked me afterward, “would simply accept the first answer as fact without ever checking the sources?”

Related article: “The Worship Of Artificial Intelligence Is Gaining Astonishing Traction” (Ron Rhodes, Harbinger’s Daily)

Other Excellent Articles from the Week

* “America’s Entitlement Illusion” (Vladlena Klymova, Issues & Insights)

* “As National Debt Approaches $40 Trillion And Fertility Keeps Collapsing, Does Either Party Have A Plan?” (Robert Romano, Daily Torch)

* “The Smithsonian’s Patriotism Problem” (Dan McCarthy, Jewish World Review)

* “Platner Proves Dems Will Put Up With Anything, Except Losing” (I & I Editorial Board) 

* “How California Effectively Legalized an Open-Air Sex Market: Four years after passage of a disastrous 2022 law, cops roll past as prostitutes walk the Figueroa corridor.” (Christopher F. Rufo, Kenneth Schrupp, City Journal)

Gratitude Down the Manhole

Returning home after walking my regular course one afternoon, I came across an unusual scene.  In front of the Christian school that I pass by were two men I know who worked there. One was kneeling beside the sewer opening at the curb while the other was actually lying on the pavement and trying to reach down inside.  A nicely-dressed woman was standing nearby.

I stopped to help and discovered they were trying to retrieve a schoolbook that had a girl had dropped down into the sewer and which was lying, safe and dry for the moment, on a bit of concrete shelf.  Being dressed down in shorts and T-shirt and already dirty, I offered my help and got down beside my friend.  Though taller and having a longer reach, I couldn’t get to the book either even though I got down as far as I could into the sewer opening.  Even using a pole with a gripping device wouldn’t work.

Well, we worked at it quite awhile before my friend thought about possibly prying the manhole cover from its rust-encrusted position so that he could drop inside.  It wasn’t easy and the iron cover proved heavy and cumbersome -- but finally we got it off.  Once we had, it took just seconds for him to drop down, retrieve the book, and but another minute to maneuver the manhole cover back into place.  

Hooray! Our efforts had produced a successful conclusion and we all felt a wonderful sense of achievement. But the most notable detail of this story was one that wasn’t wonderful at all for that was the inaction of the young girl whose book had been saved.  

During the whole time of the adventure -- 15 minutes since I had showed up and who knows how long before that -- she had merely sat in a nearby car, messing with her phone.  It was the girl’s mother who had stood alongside watching our efforts in her daughter’s behalf. The mom was encouraging and very grateful.  But, even when the book was retrieved, the girl herself displayed absolutely no gratitude, not even any interest. 

The mother was terribly embarrassed by her daughter's attitude and she finally had to order her daughter to roll down the window and thank us for getting her book. (Remember, it was her book and she was the person who dropped it.) The girl, visibly perturbed, let the car window come down, snatched the book from her mom’s hand, gave us what was more of a quick smirk than a sincere smile, and…zip…up went the window and she returned her attention to her phone. The mom repeated her own thanks and assured us that her daughter was grateful too.  The evidence of that, however, could hardly been weaker.

I shook hands with the other guys and thanked them for their efforts in behalf of the student.  I thanked them too for letting me be a part of the project for, when all was said and done, it had been kinda’ fun. 

But, as I walked the rest of the way home, I thought about how sad an example this presented of modern youth, even in Christian circles.  Self-centered. Ungrateful.  A haughty indifference to elders -- even when beholden to them. Indifference to parental expectations or feelings. And being so tied to “social media” that true social responsibilities are ignored.

I wonder -- will those of us who are older finally recognize the trouble our youth are in (and, through them, the whole culture) because of the counter-productive polices we’ve practiced in the schools, the church youth programs, parenting priorities, and the tragic extent that we have allowed kids to be engulfed in technology, fad and fashion, and Hollywood media? 

And, even if we recognize the situation, will we begin to take steps to instruct (and require) our youth in respect, responsibility, a work ethic, humility, real life skills, rites of passage to adulthood, and a personal devotion to both the precepts and the power of biblical Christianity? 

Make no mistake, this is a critical matter, one that must be seriously and continually addressed. If not, the future of Christian culture (short of heaven) is bleak indeed. Lord, please help us to help them.

The Top 5 Plus (July 4)

1) “Beneath The Surface: The Spiritual Battlefield Surrounding The Nation of Israel” (John Rodrigues, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- It was a geopolitical shift that left political analysts and casual observers alike absolutely stunned. President Donald Trump—the man whose entire public persona and political brand was built on unyielding strength, masterful negotiation, and the fame of The Art of the Deal—returned from highly anticipated high-level talks with Iran bearing a completely changed tune. The defiant, aggressive tone that had defined his approach to foreign policy for over a decade seemed to have vanished; everyone noted it. He appeared defeated, deflated, and even humiliated. 

In a staggering reversal, the self-proclaimed master negotiator gave in to virtually every demand of the Iranian regime. What the world witnessed was not the art of the deal; it was the art of the kneel. How does a man of such immense worldly confidence suffer such an absolute, sudden collapse of resolve? 

The answer does not lie in the realm of political strategy, economic leverage, diplomatic maneuvering or even secular psychology. President Donald Trump stepped into a room to negotiate a political contract, completely unaware that he was stepping onto a spiritual battlefield of an intense, ancient war. Because he was unequipped, unprepared, ‘in the flesh’ for a spiritual battle, he was utterly overwhelmed by his adversary.

2) “One-Third Of Americans Can Barely Read, But They Can Still Vote -- There is a culture of silence around the true status of American schools, and how their incompetence is destroying American self-government.” (Angela Morabito, Federalist)

From the article -- As Americans gear up for our country’s 250th Independence Day, a shamefully small percentage of the rising generation truly understands what we’re celebrating. On the latest Nation’s Report Card, only 22 percent of eighth graders had a proficient understanding of civics. A measly 14 percent were proficient in U.S. history.

This cohort, which was tested as eighth graders in 2022, graduated from high school this year. In practice, this means that emerging adults are woefully unprepared to take on the responsibilities of citizenship.

Most of this cohort is now eligible to serve on juries; less than half knew that the Bill of Rights guarantees citizens the right to a jury trial. Almost all of them will be eligible to vote in this year’s midterm elections, yet only 34 percent knew the functions of the three branches of government. All of them will participate in civic life, whether as neighbors, citizens, taxpayers, parents, or perhaps all of those things. This makes it all the more concerning that 31 percent could not identify why freedom of expression is important for a healthy society.

Ten generations ago, a group of patriots – most of whom were young adults – laid the groundwork for the greatest country the world has ever known. They did a lot of writing, winning the war for public opinion through Common Sense and The Federalist Papers. There was no public school system at the time, but there was a public that was willing and eager to read these texts, which most young people cannot understand today.

Now, not only are the public schools failing to deliver a history and civics education, they are also failing to teach the reading skills students would need to educate themselves on these topics.

3) “Islamist Terrorists Have Killed Almost 80,000 in Nigeria in Last 6 Years, Mostly Christians” (You Suarez, Washington Stand)

From the article -- In Nigeria, 79,323 people lost their lives in 15,434 attacks. These are the figures resulting from violence in the African nation during the six-year period between October 2019 and September 2025, according to a report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA). This amounts to an average of seven attacks per day within the country. Amidst this sea of bloodshed, Christian civilians were “disproportionately” affected, according to ORFA. They faced a relative risk of death 4.4 times higher and a relative risk of abduction 3.2 times higher than Muslim civilians...

In November 2025, the Nigerian government challenged President Donald Trump’s assertion that Christians were being “massacred” in the country, emphasizing that the claim “did not reflect reality.” Mainstream media — more interested in displaying their anti-Trump stance than in investigating the truth — repeated the words of Nigerian leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu without any critical thought. Tinubu is a political leader facing accusations ranging from money laundering and fraud to tax evasion.

The Nigerian government noted that, under the leadership of President Tinubu, the statement continued, Nigeria “remains committed to fighting terrorism, strengthening interfaith harmony, and protecting the lives and rights of all its citizens.” If that is the case, the truth is that it has not yielded results.

4) “The Israel they hate is imaginary: The younger generation’s opposition to a “genocidal” Jewish state has become one of the organizing principles of U.S. politics. But these toxic beliefs have nothing to do with the actual place.” (Jonathan S. Tobin, Jewish News Service)

From the article -- Israel, for those who come to know it, is a complicated place. It’s not the idealized fantasy of novels like Exodus or other classics of Zionist cheerleading. Bringing together Jews from different cultures and traditions from the world over is a wild and often difficult ongoing experiment that is still only eight decades old. Clashes between religious and secular, Ashkenazi and the Mizrachi, as well as adherents of right and left-wing political factions, remain a messy business and adds stress to everyday life. Not to mention the ongoing struggle against an entrenched government bureaucracy and the efforts of liberal elites to hold onto power, despite their diminishing share of the population. It can be a place of anger, inveterate political squabbling and endless arguments.

But the main takeaway from the experience of being in Israel after arriving back in the United States is that, whatever its great strengths and shortcomings, it’s nothing like the place described in the U.S. and international media.

One of the most extraordinary developments of recent history is the way opinions about Israel have become one of the organizing principles of American politics. Opposition to the Jewish state and its supposed policies of “genocide” and “apartheid” have become ubiquitous not just in the liberal media that has long treated it unfairly and judged it by double standards not applied to any other democracy, let alone one fighting for its life. But the drumbeat of incitement against Israel and its supporters—Jewish and non-Jewish—has now become an ever-present topic not merely of debate but of political allegiance.

5) “Who Really Are These New Democratic Socialists and Their Fellow Travelers? -- The new socialist movement claims to speak for ordinary Americans, but its leaders often come from the very elite institutions they criticize.” (Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness)

Who are the so-called Democratic Socialists of America and their fellow travelers? While it is difficult to generalize, many current and would-be socialist officeholders share several common traits. Most of them represent a relatively small slice of American life. Almost all are urban, with little knowledge of small-town or rural existence. Their world is subways, buses, high-rises, Uber, taxis, and proximity to corporate, academic, and financial institutions—yet often with little understanding of where their food, fuel, water, or everyday goods originate, or where their waste and sewage ultimately go. Their worldview is shaped more by consumption than production, as though goods simply arrive in and depart from cities on autopilot.

A disproportionate number of our most prominent radicals are either first- or second-generation immigrants, most originating from failed or illiberal states in what was once called the Third World. They or their parents left their homelands in search of wealthier countries, fairer societies, greater opportunity, and, in many cases, safety and freedom. Yet once here, many of their families have prospered, often aided by extensive educational and institutional support from the generous American host. Few have even tried to explain the paradox of fleeing failed states, only to become virulent critics of the charitable nation that they chose to join.

Many are college-educated, often with degrees in fields that did not translate into the professional pathways they believed they were entitled to. They are often glib but otherwise poorly educated. Few possess any real grounding in history, literature, or the STEM fields. Most of their major and minor courses of study are in the social sciences—political science, sociology, psychology, community relations, and the like—or the infamous “studies” programs.

When they graduate from left-wing universities, they emerge strikingly arrogant and ignorant at once. As elite radical egalitarians, they proudly brandish their degrees and constantly reference their university training. Yet for all the time and money poured into college during what were supposed to be the best years of their lives, prolonged adolescence and bitterness appear epidemic among the new young socialists.

Other Excellent Reads from this Week

* “Why Negotiating With Terrorist Regimes Such as Hamas and Iran Is a Terrible Idea -- Needed: Unconditional Surrender, as After World War II” (Khaled Abu Toameh, Gatestone Institute) 

* “The enduring promise of America: At 250 years old, the US remains a nation committed to freedom and prosperity.” (Joel Catkin, spiked!)

* “Save American Lives and Prosperity by Cutting the FDA Bureaucracy. -- The FDA’s mission is to protect patients, but its outdated bureaucracy can delay lifesaving medicines. Reforming drug approval could save lives, cut costs, and unleash American innovation.” (Thaddeus G. McCotter, American Greatness)

* “As Lessons Of History Are Ignored, It Has Never Been More Important For America To Remember The Consequences Of Deadly Ideologies” (Erick Stakelbeck, Harbinger’s Daily)

* “Whatever Happened to the Bicentennial Spirit? -- The joyous unity of 1976 offers a striking contrast to the fractured mood of the nation’s 250th anniversary.” (Greg Maresca, American Spectator)

A Thank-You Letter Regarding American Energy Independence

After reading this Fox News story a few days ago, "How American engineers unlocked the impossible beneath the Gulf of America," I wrote letters of commendation both to Chevron and Transoceanic. After all, innovation and hard work that pays off for America deserves appreciation. Right? The basic letter sent to both companies is below.

Dear Transoceaan, 

The recent accounts of your amazing breakthroughs in the Gulf of America with Deepwater Titan and Deepwater Atlas have made for a particularly relevant success story as we prepare to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States of America. Your optimistic and innovative work is paying off for your company AND for the grand goal of securing America’s energy independence.

That, of course, is also wonderful news for the average American whose savings accounts will be nicely helped as energy costs decline

Perhaps businesses do not receive many thank-you notes, but the Transocean team certainly deserves them So, as both a consumer and an American patriot, I send my thanks for the very impressive achievements you have made in partnership with Chevron and others. A good grip of the science. Boldness. Courage. Hard work. A unified team. Perseverance. You are truly to be congratulated and again, to be thanked.

Letters to Justices Thomas & Alito

Dear Justice Alito,

“When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin; you must, at any price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith.” (Abraham Kuyper)

Battle has indeed been your calling, Justice Alito, as you must so consistently fight through the drivel coming through grossly unqualified Justices, the inconsistencies and cowardice of so many other Justices, and then the rank foolishness of a once-grand culture now in sad decline.

But you have fought so well. And you remain such a critical pillar of reason and integrity and justice. The ripple effects of your defense of the Constitution, the rule of law, and the ideals of Judeo-Christian civilization are greater than what you can imagine. Thank you!

The Lord is well served and well pleased with your faithful stewardship. And may He continue to bless you, your family, and help you to stay the course in these challenging times. 

Dear Justice Thomas,

“Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt.” (William V. Wells)

I am once again moved to write to you in deep appreciation -- and admiration -- for the steady course you sail, despite the stormy seas arising from the “corrupt manners” of our times. For instance, you endure with great tolerance the drivel coming through grossly unqualified Justices, the inconsistencies and cowardice of other Justices who know better, and the general foolishness of a once-noble culture now in sad decline. Indeed, Justice Thomas, you not only endure, you have triumphed. Your decisions, arguments, and personal example are shining brighter than ever and you are accomplishing a very great deal for the causes of reason, freedom, and justice. 

Thank you so very much!

Stay the course and know that you are in our frequent prayers.

Dear President Trump...

 Dear President Trump,

I write as one who has enthusiastically promoted your ideas and agenda, defended you against foolish and mean-spirited criticism, and regularly prayed for God’s richest blessings on your life and family and leadership. 

However, I have become especially and increasingly disillusioned with two areas in your administration. 1) The fumbling away of the massive advantage you had won over Iran. Remarkably now, these arrogant, unrepentant terrorists who remain viciously anti-American and anti-Israel, are getting away with it! Getting away with mass murder, with jihadist intentions towards Israel, and with winning from the U.S. and other nations yet more millions of dollars as they profit from blackmail and violence. Why, oh why the hesitation, the second guessing, the gullibility, the hypocrisy? When your friends (Israel and the genuine conservatives in the Republican Party here) are alarmed and disappointed at your actions (or, in this case, the lack thereof), and your unprincipled enemies like Hillary Clinton are patting you on the back, something stinks very badly. 

Please, President Trump, get this thing over with!

And then 2) Your pro-life statements notwithstanding, sir, your administration’s ongoing promotion of abortifacient poisons is – quite -- literally killing millions of preborn kids and inflicting serious damage on the bodies and souls of thousands and thousands of moms. Please, Mr. President, stop the double-mindedness you’ve shown to date on this critically important issue and start today to truly protect human lives from the abortionists’ bloodthirsty designs.

Most sincerely,

The Top 5 Plus (June 27)

1) “Our ‘Terrible Masters’” (I & I Editorial Board)

From the article -- “Terrible masters” have been elected the mayors of New York City, Seattle, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Los Angeles will elect another one this fall, either the Castro-ite incumbent will get another four years to torment the citizenry, or her challenger, a council member who could drag the city of angels back to a demonic “Marxist 19th century” existence, will get her chance to ruin the town that had long been the envy of many but has become an oozing sore on the nation.

As we noted Tuesday, there could be 10 socialist mayors in the U.S. by the end of this year. If only that were the extent of it. Congress has a pair of prominent socialists in Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents the radical, the lazy, the ignorant, and the useful idiots in her Bronx-Queens district. Joining them might be Graham Platner of Maine, who has no interest in civil service and would rather be the raging fire that burned our connections to our past so that his tribe of political savages can take more ground for the far left.

We should expect, and even fear, more will come, because, as our poll shows, nearly half (46%) of Democrats hold a favorable view of socialism. No surprise there, though. Democrats have been trending toward socialism for decades, and this is who they are now: Terrible masters who are the irresponsible actors Washington cautioned us about. Their policies encumber rather than liberate. Their objective is to rule rather than respect constitutional boundaries. They can’t tolerate dissent, patriotism, or challenges to their power-hungry agenda.

They thrive on lies, promise Heaven but deliver hell, sow division at every opportunity in hopes of creating chaos that only they can straighten out with the boot of the state, and traffic in political violence both directly and indirectly. The evil twin Cs, as they see it, are Christianity and capitalism, both of which must be stamped out. The virtuous C in their twisted minds stands for censorship.

2) “It Doesn’t Take A Brain Surgeon To See Through Iran’s Strategy In Lebanon… So Why Is America Putting Up With It?” (Erick Stakelbeck, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- Israel has pounded Hezbollah and left it in tatters. Iran knows that Hezbollah is in very big trouble and badly wants to save the crown jewel of its proxy network. The regime not only demanded to have Lebanon included in the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed by President Trump last week, but also ordered Hezbollah to continue attacking Israel. The Jewish State gets the blame when it responds, and the U.S. then calls for Israeli restraint. Do you see how this works?

Even though our leaders would obviously never tolerate a terror group on America’s borders launching rockets from Canada or Mexico, Israel, as usual, is held to a different standard. Israel is being asked very openly to not respond to Hezbollah attacks. It’s an impossible situation for the world’s one and only Jewish state. For some reason, US negotiators have allowed Iran to create this status quo. And it’s not good.

Related articles: “JD Vance Is Wrong: Israel Is Not Just Another Ally” (Ahmed Charai, Gatestone Institute)...“Iran: Did Trump Cave In?” (Amir Taheri, Gatestone Institute)...“Did Trump Snooker Iran? Trump may have given Iran everything it wanted on paper -- but the real question is whether Tehran fell for a deal that gives America the leverage to walk away.” (Ken Timmerman, American Greatness)

3) “Study Shows Christianity’s Role in U.S. Founding Excluded By Publishers” (Decision Magazine Staff)

From the article --  A study, which assessed more than 300 books curated by children’s publishers for America’s 250th anniversary, found that public libraries and publishers are ignoring Christianity’s role in the U.S. founding, focusing instead on progressive history.  “No books about the Pilgrims as religious refugees,” the report reiterated. “No books about the Great Awakening. No books about religious liberty as a founding principle. No books about the faith lives of the founders. No books about the Black church's role in American history, even on lists heavy with Black history content. No books about faith-motivated abolitionists, even on lists featuring abolitionist narratives. No titles from any faith-based publisher.”

Franklin Graham responded to the report’s release on social media, stating it is “up to us” to ensure “our children and grandchildren learn about the role that faith in God has played in the founding and history of our nation.” “As we approach our nation’s 250th birthday, a new study found that public libraries and publishers are censoring faith OUT of the American story—and actively pushing progressive, revisionist history,” Franklin said. “When they analyzed more than 300 books across 25 reading lists curated by children’s publishers, libraries, and other institutions, guess how many books the study found included faith, religious liberty, or Christianity’s role in the founding of the U.S.? Zero! Exactly none!”

Ben Carson and Riley Gaines, authors at Brave Books, the publisher that released the study titled “The America 250 Faith Gap,” both criticized the exclusion of Christianity’s influence in U.S. history.  “Dr. Ben Carson is right—'A generation that does not know where their freedoms come from will not know why those freedoms are worth fighting for,’” Franklin said. “I agree with Riley Gaines that ‘kids deserve more than a story of what is wrong with America!’”

The study discovered that among the 300 books found within 25 reading lists, there were no titles that directly acknowledged or centered on faith, religious liberty or Christianity's role in the nation's founding. Among the books, the most common themes were minority perspectives, the American Revolution, black history, civil rights and women’s history while books on the American Founders, civics, the classics and other American symbols were minority recommendations. Other titles centered on LGBTQ history, including the 1969 Stonewall Riots, an event considered by homosexual and transgender activists as pivotal to their movement.

4) “Embracing Masculinity: Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month: Men built, protected, and sustained civilization. If we want stronger families and communities, we must stop dismissing masculinity and start supporting men.” (White Papers Policy Institute and Cyan Quinn, American Greatness

From the article --  We pathologize masculinity, yet masculinity is the very quality that leads men to put their lives on the line for perfect strangers every day. Likewise, 93 percent of garbage truck drivers are men. Yet we don’t hear demands to diversify this section of the workforce.

Our men are in trouble. In America, White males, who make up 31 percent of the population, account for almost 70 percent of suicides in America—nearly four times the rate of women. In the UK, 74 percent of suicides are men. Whites made up 95 percent of those suicide deaths. Most of these men are between 40 and 50 and have difficulty with employment or are separated or divorced.

Also in the UK, 77 percent of men have suffered from symptoms of common mental health conditions such as anxiety, stress, or depression, yet 40 percent of men have never talked about their mental health to anyone.

These don’t have to be simple grim statistics. We can actively create a policy environment that encourages male happiness by celebrating healthy masculinity and family formation.

5) “’Kill Your Parents’ at the Obama Presidential Center (Daniel Greenfield, Trajectories)

From the article --  Media reporting spent a good deal of time spotting celebrities in the VIP section. There was a sprightly Tom Hanks in sunglasses, there was Oprah, on her fortieth diet, and girlfriend Gayle King, and LA Mayor Karen Bass who had to return home after Los Angeles burned again which seems to happen every time she leaves town. And then again there were the people who actually mattered, who had made Obama and the era of radicalism he brought into national politics, happen.

“Dig it!” the old woman in the third row of the Obama Presidential Center, had once gloated over the brutal murder of Sharon Tate by the Manson Family. “First they killed those pigs, then they ate dinner in the same room with them. They even shoved a fork into the victim’s stomach! Wild!” “Kill all the rich people,” the old man wearing the Communist ‘red star’ had defined his radical movement. “Break up their cars and apartments. Bring the revolution home, Kill your parents.”

Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, the former terrorist leaders of the Weathermen and the Chicago power couple who spotted Obama and moved him up the political ladder getting third row seats to the opening of the Obama Presidential Center spoke more eloquently about what Obama represented than any of the hollow political speeches and media press releases.

“We want to find a way to turn toward each other again,” Barack Obama claimed, insisting that he stood for the traditional American values of “fairness and common sense and mutual respect.” But what he actually stood for was sitting in the third row and wearing the Communist star. The media didn’t even believe that Obama’s mentor getting a front row seat to the opening of his presidential center while wearing the symbol of a movement responsible for the mass murder of millions mattered.

Related article: “Obama’s Hideous Monument to Hubris: It is the perfect symbol for a sociopathic solipsist and a failed presidency.” (David Catron, American Spectator)

Other Excellent Reads from the Week

* “Air Conditioning? It’s Illegal!” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* “Bill Clinton, Jeffrey Epstein, and the Questions That Won’t Go Away.” The public doesn’t seem to care about the former president’s close relationship with the convicted pedophile. (Ellie Gardey Holmes, American Spectator)

* “Why the EU is so much worse than when we left -- Ten years on from the Brexit vote, Brussels is more meddlesome, authoritarian and anti-democratic than ever.” (Fraser Myers, spiked!)

* “The Next Gutenberg Moment: Why Christians Should Lead the AI Storytelling Revolution” (Robert Maginnis, Washington Stand)

* “New Research Points to iPhone as Significant Factor in Plunging Birth Rate” (Dan Hart, Washington Stand)