If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well It were done quickly:

Macbeth Act 1 Scene 7

In 2016 I was a supporter of Ted Cruz for the GOP Nomination and I stuck with Cruz till the moment he pulled out.

I had reservations about Trump at the time but made a point of endorsing him before the convention making the following argument:

But while Trump will occasionally disappoint me (when he does I’ll call him on it) I am convinced he will neither persecute me nor strip me of my rights for holding my Conservative Catholic beliefs and acting on them.

I am very sorry to say I can not make that same statement about Hillary Clinton, and I’m even sorrier to see the day when I would say this about a presidential candidate.

And I was so convinced that voting for Trump was necessary when almost every other blogger/pundit ran for the hills after the Billy Bush tape I actually re-endorsed him

No this is about convincing those who still have to values to allow the election of someone who not only is directly opposed to all you hold dear but will persecute you on every level.  This is about tricking you into letting go of your one chance to stop your own destruction.  They want you to lose your nerve. Furthermore they want the GOP to lose their nerve and the press will do all they can do enable it.

In other words they are counting on you to be suckers.

I’m still voting Trump and I’m still encouraging you to keep your nerve and do the same.

You all know how that story ended but alas he didn’t take the best advice I ever gave just a few days after the election was won: Get Ready for Fraud in 2020:

Democrat Bosses in Wisconsin Michigan and Minnesota had no inkling that the election was close, that being the case there was no reason why, in an age where proof of a federal offense is a cell phone video away, Dem bosses in Detroit or elsewhere felt the need to take any risk.  They figured those states were won (and they were right about Minnesota) and by election night it was too late to change it.

However that won’t be the case in 2020,  I’ll wager that in 2020 the bosses in Milwaukee, Detroit, Madison and elsewhere will be ready, we’ll see plenty of mail in ballots and absentee ballots that we didn’t see before in those states and plenty of voters looking to go for the GOP will be in the same spot that Steven Kruiser was on election night.

We have four years to prepare for this so we’d better get ready because as our friends on the left have demonstrated in the past, they play for keeps.

After all you don’t think Soros has been quietly sinking millions into AG races, you know the people who would be protesting election fraud on a local level, just because it’s fun?

And while Trump much to my surprise and delight governed like a conservative until he fell for what Fauci sold him (I suspect this is because he was from a generation that trusted Doctors to worry about life and death vs serving China for fun and profit). he failed to take that good advice and thus “lost” in 2020. Looking at his presidency the day Biden was sworn in I rated him the 4th best president who ever served.

You literally have to go to Lincoln and Washington to find a president who did as much in the face of adversity Lincoln’s adversity being the civil war and the hatred of his own party and Washington having to do it all from scratch with a new country and constitution and nothing to back him up.

Trump in my opinion is below both Washington & Lincoln but right now with passions where they are while I’m not solid where in this group he goes. If you forced me to name a spot my gut says above Cleveland and Polk by a hair and sparing with TR for that 3rd spot as both had a personality that rubbed many the wrong way but I’ll have a better perspective in four year unless he wins in 2024 then I’ll have to completely reevaluate his position based on a 2nd non-consecutive term. A bad enough job in a 2nd terms and he could drop to the 3rd tier easy. A good enough one and he could solidify the bronze but I would doubt he could take the silver or Gold from Lincoln or Washington, but with what is likely coming from the Biden and Harris administration coming (or what is actually Obama’s 3rd term) I suspect Trump’s stock will only rise in comparison.

As time went on two things came out, one for and one against him. The information about the deep state both during Obama’s term and his own trying to sabotage him makes his accomplishments even more impressive, but his failure to fire and or restrain Fauci combined with his embrace of the untested COVID vaccines hurt him. I think they’re a wash and so I leave Trump ranking where it is (pending a 2nd term).

Meanwhile Governor Ron DeSantis impressed me by his actions in Florida and continues to do so. He’s the type of guy who gets things done and deals with reality and most important of all when he had a chance he did the vital thing that Trump did not, election reform. His election reforms destroyed Democrat thievery in the state which contributed to his overwhelming re-election almost as much as his record.

He was a prime candidate to run in 2024 and Trump realizing this started attacking at once. The Democrats realized this as well and I suspect Trump’s attacks on him were one of the prime reasons why platforms like Facebook suddenly found him acceptable again.

It was a touch call between the pair for me. I’ve compared it to choosing between Williams and Musial in Left, but there was one factor that decided it for me. The fact that there are voters Blue collar conservative voters in swing states who irrationally hate Trump and will vote against him even vs Biden:

Bottom line DeSantis draws votes that Trump can’t and doesn’t lose votes suffering from Trump fatigue and proved this by turning his squeaker election the first time around into a landslide, a landslide that came not despite his strong conservative record but BECAUSE OF IT. No matter how much you might dislike those voters who reject Trump this ability to expand one’s electorate is in fact a feature, not a bug but not as big of a feature as the fact that the left (and the Lincoln Project crowd) are scared to death of him.

We’re conservative we deal with facts. These are the facts, and these facts need to be put before GOP voters NOW before the voting begins and before all the lesser candidates dogpile on DeSantis which for most if them is the only reason they are in the race at all. There is no time to wait on this.

Like Kurt Schlichter I got a lot of pushback over this but someone had to sound the alarm.

Well in the end it didn’t matter. Trump took over 50% in Iowa which is really impressive when you consider his showing from 2016 and while I think it would have been worth staying in for a bit, mostly due to Trump’s age, DeSantis being DeSantis decided to act on the basis of reality rather than wishful thinking:

So what was the reaction of Trump people now that DeSantis is out and endorsing Trump. I expected some ribbing which is the prerogative of the winning side but I didn’t expect stuff like this:

The next few days will be fraught with demands to unite the clans.  However, please remember the proven and demonstrably accurate axiom:  Never Trust a Never Trumper. 

The Ron DeSantis campaign was built upon a foundation of fraud. Long planned as an effort to destroy the threat that MAGA represents to the Republican apparatus, nothing about the DeSantis campaign was grassroots, authentic, natural or real.  The Sea Island organized campaign was a specific and detailed approach driven by the professional political class.  Ron DeSantis was a vessel, a willing vessel, for the deliberate schemes and Machiavellian intents of the worst elements in USA Republican politics.

WE CANNOT UNITE with that group.  Think about it.

Think about this for a second. We are heading into a general election with a candidate who the left has already stolen one election from and is willing to steal another, furthermore we are running a candidate that is irrationally hated by a segment of the population to the point where they are willing to vote against their own welfare and beliefs in order to defeat him.

In such a situation the only prayer we have is to win beyond the margin of fraud. 

Maybe it’s just be but I think given that situation telling the 20% of the GOP who voted DeSantis to go to hell just might be a bad idea. I called it idiocy on his site and frankly that’s an understatement.

However in the end that stuff doesn’t matter. Reality matters and the reality is that we need to get the socialists and communists out of office. Schlichter nails it here:

And what you need to do is get on board and fight for the guy who won fair and square. Yeah, fair and square. In primaries, you go out, you make your case, and part of that means cutting down the other guy. If you can’t get your head around that reality, you probably shouldn’t be involved in politics. This is a tough game. It’s not for the faint of heart. Donald Trump doesn’t take it personally. As soon as Chris Christie dropped out to take on his new role as spokesman for Golden Corral, Trump was saying nice things about him. And after Ron DeSantis dropped out and properly endorsed the President in one of the best and most gracious concession speeches I’ve ever seen, Trump said he was “honored” by the endorsement of Ron DeSantis. Why, after so much acrimony? Because it’s not personal, it’s just business.

Look, I will not start sugarcoating it for you now. I still believe Donald Trump has an uphill fight to win in November. He’s got a chance to win, probably a little higher than he did a year ago, but the advantage still lies with that desiccated zombie pervert because of the irrational hatred of Donald Trump of so many people. Republicans shouldn’t add to that challenge because they are ticked off. Maybe you don’t like Donald Trump‘s tweets. Maybe you don’t like his behavior. Maybe you have some rational critiques of his policies. Whatever. Get over it.

For me it comes back to what I said the very first time I endorsed him. Yes he had a good record, yes he has a list of accomplishments worth singing about, yes if he is re-elected we will likely see the end of the war in Ukraine and possibly the final destruction of Hamas. All that is great but the bottom line is still this:

Donald Trump will neither persecute me nor strip me of my rights for holding my Conservative Catholic beliefs and acting on them.

That is the reason why I now again endorse Donald Trump for President and urge you vote for him. You may not like Trump, nor might you like the Laura Loomers of the world, but in the end your rights as an American depend on electing a president that will respect those rights.

And for all the shouting from the surrogates of the Biden administration about dictatorship in the end we’ve seen the current administration use Government as a tool to suppress the rights of political foes. Donald Trump has demonstrated he will do this, even when greatly provided he didn’t do this when he had that chance. 

If you fail to do this then you will get the pleasure of Obama’s 4th term with a government that knows the voters will not punish them for abusing their rights. You will get the government you deserve, good and hard.

You have been warned.

I’ll close with the same words I ended my endorsement of DeSantis with:

Closing thought: I’m convinced that if we nominate Donald Trump we will lose but if my advice is ignored and he wins the votes to be the nominee I will support him in the general election and make the best possible arguments for Trump (there is no lack of good arguments for his re-election) to convince those Blue collar folks to abandon their irrational hatred and vote for him, even though I think said effort is doomed to failure.  After all with God all things are possible.

Short of my sons each finding a nice Catholic wife there is nothing that is likely to make me happier then to be proven wrong in my assessment of our chances come November 2024.

Cue the Donald Trump song:

Oh Trump he's a bastard,
he offends us every night,
He's tweets out very nasty things
and there's no end in sight,
and we're embarrassed in return
while he triggers up such fuss,
what has the Donald ever done for us?  ♫

♫ What has the Donald,
what has the Donald,
what has the Donald ever done for us? ♫

The tax cut?
What?
...he, he gave us the Tax cut...

♫ Yes, he did give us that, that's true
And Isis is crushed and now they're through
The tax cut I'll grant is one
thing that Donald Trump he may have done
And the regulations he's cut right back too
And the embassy move ♫

♫ Well, apart from ending ISIS and regulation,
And the Jerusalem relocation
And safety from terrorists for all the nation
Apart from those, which are a plus,
what has the Donald ever done for us ?♫

♫ What has the Donald,
what has the Donald
what has the Donald ever done for us? ♫

The Wall?
What?
...He's built hundreds of miles of real wall...

♫ Oh, yes, he did... ♫ 

♫ The southern border now is more tight,
and the New Space force will be ready to fight.
Vets now have choice instead of grief
The China travel ban and COVID relief
Killed the deal funding the Iran terror hoards
and new stock market records ♫

♫ Well apart from China and the VA choice,
Space force, Iran, relief and 401k rejoice,
And the wall stopping the immigration fuss
what has the Donald ever done for us? ♫

♫ What has the Donald,
what has the Donald,
what has the Donald ever done for us? ♫

Justice Reform?
What?
...Criminal Justice Reform...

♫ Oh, yes, yes... ♫

♫ Criminal Justice reform made a wrong a right,
and new trade deals mean a fair trade fight.
Abundant Energy for our needs,,
Right to try and NATO deals
the great new judges for all our nation
and funding black education ♫

♫ Well apart from, Health, Judges, trade and NATO deals,
Independence from Arab oil fields,
And black colleges funded instead of handcuffs,
what has the Donald ever done for us? ♫

♫ What has the Donald,
what has the Donald,
what has the Donald ever done for us? ♫

Brought peace.
Peace, Oh, shut up!

By John Ruberry

There are a couple of good ways to feel the pulse of what is going in politically in Chicago–and they both involve John Kass, a former Chicago Tribune columnist. You can read his new columns at JohnKassNews.com and you can listen to his Chicago Way podcast.

In his most recent podcast, Kass’ guest was longtime Chicago television reporter, Anita Padilla, who now reports for the Florida Voice. They speak freely about current events, something that was hard for them do to when they worked in the legacy media.

Chicago’s mayor, leftist and Chicago Teachers Union product, Brandon Mayor, was discussed. It was Padilla who brought up a topic that the local mainstream media won’t touch–rumors that Johnson, who was sworn into office last spring–has suffered panic attacks since becoming mayor.

“Because sources told me–two sources–told me that he has been in the hospital for these panic attacks,” Padilla told Kass. “And he is stressed out because this is a big, big job for him.”

Kass replied, “He wasn’t ready for it.” Padilla immediately responded back, “He’s not ready for it, he’s not ready for it. He’s not a leader.”

In October on JohnKassNews, Kass discussed the Johnson panic attack speculation.

The rumors flying through City Hall from sources are that Johnson has suffered at least two episodes that are being described by some as “panic attacks.” I’m not a doctor. I wouldn’t know what to prescribe. But I do know this: as Johnson continues to panic, speculation is growing about a replacement if he can’t do the job.

He’s proven he can’t do the job.

And Kass appears to be right. The local legacy media quickly moved on after it was revealed that, as the Chicago Sun-Times reported, that Johnson “unwittingly” signed an extension of a $10 million contract with ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection company. On the campaign trail, Johnson vowed to cancel that deal.

The speculation about, well, the speculation of Johnson’s panic attacks centers on the migrant crisis. Chicago is a sanctuary city, although America’s third-largest city has not been an able sanctuary host.

A 2,000-person migrant tent city on the Southwest Side–a project Johnson championed–was vehemently opposed by neighborhood residents. Citing environmental concerns, Gov. JB Pritzker pulled the plug on the camp last month–a rare instance when I supported an official action of his–but after the city spent nearly $1 million on it. This summer, many migrants were sleeping at police stations and inside O’Hare Airport terminals.

Two weeks after the migrant tent city was cancelled, a five-year-old Venezuelan boy died at a migrant shelter, an old warehouse, also on the Southwest Side. The boy’s cause of death has not been determined, but conditions in the shelter, which the Johnson administration had been aware of since October, were horrid. Third World-like. Among the problems in the old warehouse were cockroach infestation, exposed piping with raw sewage, not enough bathrooms, and widespread illness.

Johnson will soon have even more to panic about. Crime was the biggest issue of last year’s mayoral campaign. Voters chose to ramp up Johnson’s predecessor’s failed approach to tackle the “root causes” of crime, rather than fighting criminals. Delayed until last September because of a court challenge, Illinois’ no-cash bail SAFE T-Act is finally in effect. Johnson scored a lucky break on that litigation, because the Chicago crime rate usually goes down, along with the temperatures, when summer ends. But the full effect of the pro-criminal SAFE T-Act probably won’t be felt until spring, when those crime rates go back up and Chicago’s career criminals will be emboldened, if they aren’t already, with the belief that crime does pay, even if you are arrested.

And there is now a migrant crime wave in Chicago and the suburbs, although for the most part, the mainstream media is ignoring it.

And this summer, in a foolish move by the Democratic National Committee, the city of Chicago, and the state of Illinois, the Democratic National Convention will convene in Chicago. Many expect violent protests and yes, riots. Which led the Chicago Contrarian to remark on X, “If @ChicagosMayor is experiencing panic attacks over illegals flooding Chicago, one wonders what kind of hysterical meltdown he will suffer when confronted with the maelstrom of rage and rioting the DNC will bring.”

Such a “maelstrom” could end up as a morbid morph of the George Floyd riots of 2022 and the DNC outrage of 1968.

And the “panic” could be spreading to Johnson’s staff. Last week a Bloomberg reporter, Ian Kullgren, was jostled by someone in the mayor’s inner circle. ”Unbelievable, “Kulgren posted on X, ” A staffer for @ChicagosMayor just physically shoved me for trying to ask the mayor a question. 1st time in 15 years as a reporter I’ve had anything like this happen.”

Let’s Go Brandon.

John Ruberry regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit.

WQPH 89.3 FM Shirley/Fitchburg MA an EWTN Catholic Radio Station will be holding our 1st Annual Shrove Tuesday Brunch on Tuesday February 13th (the feast of the Holy Face of Jesus) at Slattery’s Restaurant 106 Lunenburg St, Fitchburg, MA 01420-4466 (978 342 8880) from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM.

Enjoy a tasty brunch with your local WQPH show hosts (including yours truly who hosts Your Prayer Intentions Saturdays at Noon and Midnight as we prepare together for our Lenten Journey together while helping WQPH (Queen of Perpetual Help) continue to bring you the daily mass, the daily rosary and all our shows to help spread and maintain our Catholic Faith.

Tickets are $45 but only $40 if purchased by before February 4th. 

If you can’t go yourself consider sponsoring a member of the Clergy (Put “Clergy” in the subject line) or someone who might not be able to afford a ticket (Put “Sponsor” in the subject line) to come and share our brunch with us.

You can get tickets or sponsor someone to attend in several ways:

WQPH 89.3 FM
PO Box 589
Medford MA 02155

In all cases above in the subject line put

  • “Tickets” if you are buying tickets for yourself.
  • “Sponsor” if you wish to sponsor someone else to attend.
  • “Clergy” if you wish to buy a ticket for a local Priest, Nun or Deacon to attend.

Hope to see you there.

SPECIAL MATCHING OPPERTUNITY: WQPH has a donor who is offering to match $200 donations unrelated to this event. If you donate $200 to the station our sponsoring donor will match it

America’s non-Warfighting Navy

Posted: January 20, 2024 by navygrade36bureaucrat in Uncategorized

Plenty of people make New Years Resolutions. Plenty of those have been broken by this time already. It seems the Navy wants to engage in that silliness too. Check out NAVADMIN 003/24, titled America’s Warfighting Navy. Sounds cool right? Well, let’s take a look.

1. Who We Are. We are the United States Navy, the most powerful navy in 
the world. We are the Sailors and Civilians who have answered our Nations
call to service. We are Americans who embody character, competence, and
dedication to our mission. Our identity is forged by the sea and we serve
with honor, courage, and commitment.
2. What We Do. We are here to preserve the peace, respond in crisis, and win 
decisively in war. We operate far forward, around the world and around the 
clock, from the seabed to space, in cyberspace, and in the information 
environment to promote our Nations prosperity and security, deter aggression, 
and provide options to our nations leaders. We deliver power for peace, but 
are always postured and ready to fight and win as part of the Joint Force and 
alongside our Allies and partners.
3. Where We Are Going. The threats to our nation and our interests are real 
and growing. The strategic environment has changed; gone are the days of
operating from a maritime sanctuary against competitors who cannot threaten
us. The National Defense Strategy makes clear that we must defend our
homeland, deter strategic attack, deter and be prepared to prevail in
conflict against the Peoples Republic of China, and meet the acute challenge
of an aggressive Russia and other persistent threats. Our adversaries have
designed their militaries to overcome our traditional sources of strength. We
must move rapidly to stay ahead and continuously create warfighting
advantages. We must think, act, and operate differently, leveraging wargaming
and experimentation to integrate conventional capability with hybrid,
unmanned, and disruptive technologies. Tomorrows battlefield will be
incredibly challenging and complex. To win decisively in that environment,
our Sailors must be the best warfighters in the world with the best systems,
weapons, and platforms to ensure we can defeat our adversaries. We will put
more players on the field platforms that are ready with the right
capabilities, weapons and sustainment, and people who are ready with the
right skills, tools, training, and mindset.
4. Our Priorities. We will focus on Warfighting, Warfighters, and the 
Foundation that supports them.
a. Warfighting: Deliver Decisive Combat Power. We will view everything we
do through a warfighting lens to ensure our Navy remains the worlds
preeminent fighting force. We will prioritize the readiness and capabilities
required to fight and win at sea, and the logistics and shore support
required to keep our Navy fit to fight. We recognize that we will never fight alone. We will advance naval integration with the Marine Corps, and synchronize and align our warfighting efforts with the Joint Force. We will design and drive interoperability with our Allies and partners to deliver combined lethality.
   b. Warfighters: Strengthen the Navy Team. We will use the principles of 
mission command to empower leaders at all levels to operate in uncertain, 
complex, and rapidly changing environments, ready to take initiative and bold 
action with confidence. We will build strong warfighting teams, recruiting 
and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America. We will 
provide world- class training and education to our Sailors and Civilians, 
honing their skills and giving them every opportunity to succeed. We will 
ensure our quality of service meets the highest standards, and we will look 
after our families and support networks, who enable us to accomplish our 
warfighting mission.
    c. Foundation: Build Trust, Align Resources, Be Ready. We will earn and 
reinforce the trust and confidence of the American People every day. We will
work with Congress to field and maintain the worlds most powerful Navy and
the infrastructure that sustains it. We will team with industry and academia to solve our most pressing challenges. We will cooperate with the interagency to bolster integrated deterrence. We will align what we do ashore with the warfighting needs of our Fleet.
5. Our Charge. America is counting on us to deter aggression, defend our 
national security interests, and preserve our way of life. With the right 
tools, a winning mindset, and the highest levels of integrity, we will 
operate safely as a team to deliver warfighting excellence.

Well…good luck! You certainly have your work cut out for you!

This post represents the views of the author and not those of the Department of Defense, Department of the Navy, or any other government agency.