Month: April 2026

If you can imagine an attempted murder witnessed by a thousand newspaper and television reporters… that’s what happened last night.

I wasn’t at the Washington Hilton so I can’t add any details to what you have already heard or read. The gunman seems to be an intelligent person who used to have common sense. Like many others who kill or try to kill a president or other prominent leader, he changed 180 degrees. He was influenced by insults and hatred against the intended victim.

For President Trump, this was the third attempted assassination. It’s time for those who openly spew hatred, including many in that Hilton ballroom and Congress, to stop the personal hateful attacks. It’s fine to disagree on policies and express those thoughtfully and logically. No need to cuss and call someone another Hitler. (If you think Trump, or Charlie Kirk, or the CEO of an insurance company, could kill 6 million people, then express that in logical way with numbers.)

Meanwhile, the topic I planned to discuss today is rampant fraud involving our tax dollars. Keep in mind that losing 2 or 3 percent to fraudsters is usually acceptable. It would likely cost more to prevent that loss than the amount saved. But lately in Minnesota, California, Maine and other states, the fraud adds up to 25 to 50 percent, and millions or billions of tax dollars.

Fraud is hard to prevent. And it’s almost impossible to prevent when governors and other office holders are benefiting from the fraud.

A different kind of fraud has been practiced by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Such a wonderful name: an organization set up to use the law to fight poverty (and racism) in the South. Wealthy people and businesses have generously financed this group of lawyers to root out racism, starting in 1971.

Attitudes changed over the recent decades. Government support and personal donations for the poor have reduced poverty. Voters elected a black man as President in 2008. While racism did not disappear, it greatly diminished.

So, did the SPLC declare victory and close up shop? No. That wouldn’t do for the 80 shyster lawyers and 150 staff people.

They decided to INCREASE racism. Yes, they gave $3,000,000 to the KKK. The SPLC revived this nearly defunct white supremacy organization, sponsored a deadly racial conflict in Charlottesville, Virginia (funding both sides), and persuaded the major news media to report on the terrible racist acts by white people. The SPLC attracted more supporters by naming Christian and conservative groups as racists who should be shunned and banned from society.

Now, the Justice Department is charging the Southern Poverty Law Center and going after fraudulent spending of health and education funds in states. Let’s hope these lawyers can claw back our money and make it much harder to fool those who allocate tax dollars and folks who give generously to charities.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

(Will Rogers spoke to the American Bar Association annual convention) “They didn’t think much of my little (newspaper article) yesterday about driving the shysters out of their profession. They seemed to kinder doubt just who would have to leave.” DT #2791, July 16, 1935

Iran forgot the Strait of Hormuz has TWO ends.

Is the Strait open or closed? Depends on the day. Friday it was open. Saturday it was closed.

Here’s a reminder… the Strait of Hormuz is international water. No one owns it. It is about 20 miles wide at the narrowest point, bordered by Iran on one side and Oman and United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the other. Compare it to the Strait of Gibraltar which is only 8 miles wide. Nobody in Spain or Morocco is shooting at ships entering or leaving the Mediterranean.

Interestingly, that was not always the case. For a couple of centuries, the Barbary Pirates ruled the Strait of Gibraltar. But 225 years ago, President Thomas Jefferson sent the U.S. Navy and Marines to stop the illegal activity. You may know the Barbary Pirates were Muslims, ancestors of the current Iranian Muslim (radical Islamic) leaders.

In Iran, news reports say at least 40,000 innocent citizens and protesters have been killed, including an Olympic wrestler. And currently they are planning to hang a young woman. The violent executioners are the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) which has about 150,000 elite soldiers.

Now, if the radical Islamic political leaders somehow surrender completely, forcing the IRGC to give up their guns, what’s next? The 90 million freedom-loving citizens have been stomped on and persecuted for 47 years, and they watched in horror as 40,000 have been killed. They will rise up, form a democratically elected government, create a judicial system, and those executioners will be tracked down, tried, and executed.

The temporary leaders who, so far, have refused to give in to U.S. demands are looking out for their own hides. If they give in, the well-armed IRGC will kill them before Israel can do it. Do you think President Trump would allow these current leaders to come here under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program? No way! Especially since Congress voted to change the definition of “temporary.”

For most of us it still means a short period of time. But thanks to Congress, for 350,000 natives of Haiti who were welcomed here temporarily, temporary means permanent.

Back to the war in Iran. Despite threats to ships in the Strait, Iran has little defense left other than drones and small motorboats. Now that the war is 90% over, Europe has finally decided to help out.

This reminded me of the story of the Little Red Hen. You probably remember it. Here is the story, with a few modest updates.

The little red hen finds a bag of certified Hard Red Winter wheat seed and asks the other barnyard animals “Who will help me plant the wheat?” “Not I” said the cat, “Not I” said the dog, “Not I,” said the pig. So, the hen said “Then I will plant the seed myself.” After the wheat was growing in the Spring, she asks, “Who will help me apply nitrogen fertilizer?” “Not I,” said France. “Not I,” said England. “Not I,” said NATO.

At each later stage (harvest, threshing, milling, preparing, and baking the bread) the hen asks for help. “Not I,” was the response. When the little red hen removes the bread from the oven, she asks “Now, who will help me eat the bread?”

You know the end of the story. All were eager to eat fresh bread. “No, you did not help me plant, nor help me harvest, nor help me mill, nor help me bake the bread,” so the Little Red Hen ate the bread and gave it to her chicks. And Trump said to Europe, “No help needed now. Forget receiving oil from Iran. You can buy it from us. And Liquefied Natural Gas, too.”

Reid Wiseman and the other three astronauts on Artemis II left no doubt about their belief in God. After seeing Earth against the blackness of the universe, and the eclipse of the sun behind the moon, “Humanity has not evolved to comprehend what we saw.”

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

       “That’s one good thing about European nations: They can’t hate you so much they wouldn’t use you.” Radio, March 31, 1935

Let’s start with the great news from NASA. Most of us old folks will remember the beginning of manned space flight, with John Glenn and other astronauts in 1962. Then we watched Neil Armstrong take “one small step for man” on the moon, July 20, 1969. Even more amazing was the fact they could leave the moon surface and fly home safely. After a couple more moon landings, no American had gone to the moon since 1972. The focus for human space flight shifted to low Earth orbit, ignoring the moon.

Now, 54 years later, we have Artemis II. Young students today need to be excited at the opportunities and challenges. Can you imagine the physics and engineering involved in sending 4 people on a 10-day, 700,000-mile flight around (behind) the moon? And they landed exactly on schedule, 8:07 p.m., within a mile of the exact target in the Pacific. And we won’t have to wait 54 more years for the next steps. Landing on the moon and setting up a permanent base at the South Pole.

Then on to Mars. Wow! I had to look this up: Mars never gets closer to us than about 35,000,000 miles. It will take about 100 days to fly there.

There’s no deal with Iran. The (temporary) leaders met with V-P JD Vance in Pakistan and refused to budge. No change in 47 years of dealing with the Islamic terrorist regime. They choose death over common sense.

Here at home, there’s some doubt over who’s winning the war in Iran. It depends on which TV network, newspaper, or social media “expert” you’re paying attention to. The Iran military is reduced to fighting with guerilla warfare tactics. Their air force is reduced to drones; their navy is mainly small motorboats. The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, not owned by anybody. Unlike some turnpikes, there is no toll booth. Freely shipping oil, nitrogen fertilizer and other goods through the Strait is essential for the global economy.

Every recent President has said that Iran can never have a nuclear bomb. But until now, no President did anything to prevent Iran from having a nuclear bomb. Critics claim that Iran’s enriched nuclear materials do not pose an “imminent threat” to us. I reckon the threat wouldn’t become imminent until a missile with a bomb attached was a half hour from landing in New York City.

Meanwhile, income taxes are due this week. Most of us will be happy to know that the top 10% of income earners pay about 75% of all Federal income taxes. Imagine our tax bill if those top earners took their income and moved to Guatemala.

Will Rogers had plenty to say about taxes. Enjoy a few of his quotes.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers, on Taxes. 

“The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has.” WA #17, April 8, 1923 (also WA #99, Nov. 2, 1924)

“There is some talk of lowering (the income tax), and they will have to. People are not making enough to pay it.” WA #17, April 8, 1923

“If your Income Taxes go to help out the less fortunate, there could be no legitimate kick against it in the world. This is becoming the richest, and the poorest Country in the world. Why? Why, on account of an unequal distribution of the money.” WA #421, Jan. 18, 1931

“Our financial ills will never be settled till you fix it so every man will pay an income tax on what he earns, be it a farm, grocery store or municipal or government bonds.” DT #2068, March 21, 1933

“There is a tremendous movement on to get lower taxes on earned incomes. Then will come the real problem, ‘Who among us on salary are earning our income?’” DT #1051, Dec. 8, 1929

“We got a long-sighted government. When everybody has got money they cut the taxes, and when they’re broke, they raise ’em.” DT #1770, March 27, 1932

“The crime of taxation is not in the taking it, it’s in the way that it’s spent.” DT #1764, March 20, 1932

“It costs ten times more to govern us than it used to, and we are not governed one-tenth as good.” DT #1770, March 27, 1932

Being Easter Sunday, let me begin (rather than ending) with Will Rogers quotes.

         “I heard (‘Easter Bonnet’) on the radio. It’s pretty. It’s my favorite tune, with it being Easter.” Radio, Apr. 21, 2935

         “I bet any Sunday could be made as popular at church as Easter is if you made ’em fashion shows too… We will do anything, if you just in some way turn it into a show.” DT #2718, Apr. 22, 1935

        “I was raised predominately a Methodist, but I have traveled so much, mixed with so many people in all parts of the world, I don’t know now just what I am. I know I have never been a nonbeliever. But I can honestly tell you that I don’t think that any one religion is the religion…. Which way you serve your God will never get one word of argument or condemnation out of me.” WA #524, Jan. 8, 1933

Was the No Kings activity last Saturday successful? Well, within hours after it ended, I saw the announcement that an important visitor is planning to come to the White House: King Charles of England. I guess he wants to learn how a man with no royal heritage seems to have dominating power.

Ten million “No Kings” followers are determined to keep ten million others from being deported. Even King Charles himself will admit he has no power, and if he did, he would also deport a bunch of intruders, mainly the ones who have walled off parts of the UK and replaced English law with Sharia laws. Of course, the No Kings protesters have other goals and some are mighty popular. Mainly, they want Donald Trump and all Republicans out of office. And the sooner the better.

On this day, Christians around the world all agree there is only one true king. If you’re not Christian, and don’t believe that Jesus died on a cross, was buried, and three days later rose from the dead and lives with us today, then that’s ok. Followers of Jesus Christ are not going to cut off your right hand or slice your tongue just because you practice a different religion, or none at all.

Meanwhile in Iran, both pilots of the F-15 shot down have been rescued. President Trump has told the new Ayatollah and his henchmen (what’s left of ‘em) their time is running out. Clearly, we don’t want to destroy essential infrastructure, but if that’s what it takes to get free and clear use of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, then that’s THEIR choice.

Here at home, the main complaint is gasoline costing $4.00 a gallon. We forget that four years ago it was even more expensive. Let’s hope that this war ends quicker than the Russia invasion of Ukraine, which is still raging!