Category: Uncategorized

Here’s a question: why isn’t the Gaza Strip, with 25 miles of beachfront property on the Mediterranean, a wealthy country? Compare it to 25 miles of beachfront in South Florida.

I wrote that paragraph in Weekly Comments on Oct. 8, 2023, the day after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel.

President Trump had the same thought. On Tuesday he announced that the U.S. would take over Gaza and turn it into “The Riviera of the Middle East.” Of course, there are plenty of obstacles facing such a transition of war-torn land. Persuading neighboring Arab countries to accept more than a million Gaza Palestinians won’t be easy. Nobody wants them because they support terrorism.

If miraculously, the Gaza Strip ever resembles the Vegas Strip, the temporarily displaced Palestinians can return and have plenty of jobs. And no tax on tips.

California Governor Newsom proudly announced he has $50 million to pay lawyers to fight Trump directives, including one to keep boys out of girls’ sports and locker rooms. Then he flew to Washington to beg Trump for money to help victims of the fires in Pacific Palisades and other areas around Los Angeles.

I’m guessing President Trump might respond to Newsom’s plea like this, “I feel for the thousands who lost homes, businesses, schools and churches. So I’ll get $500,000,000 for the victims.” (Newsom smiles broadly.) Trump continues, “Now, since you found $50 million to waste on shyster lawyers to fight my decisions, you can stop and redirect those millions to the fire victims. And you’re so shrewd I’m sure you can dig up another $50 million from the Legislature. So, I only need to take $400 million from taxpayers in the other states, not $500 million.”

Whether you like President Trump or not, he is taking decisive actions so rapidly the Democrats can’t keep up. Senator Schumer and others are harping about something Trump did yesterday while Trump is on TV announcing today’s big decision. And he’ll have another shocker tomorrow.

Will Rogers said, “I don’t belong to any organized political party… I’m a Democrat.” Even prominent Democrats agree they are disorganized. Every politician has campaigned against waste, fraud and abuse. But they never seem to find any after they get to Washington. Yet, in a few days Elon Musk and a handful of computer whiz kids have uncovered Billions. Instead of celebrating the exposure of hidden wasteful expenses, Democrats are yelling at Musk, claiming his actions are a “Constitutional crisis”.

The President seems to assign Elon Musk a different department or agency every day to dig into. Once Musk works his way through every nook and cranny in the Executive Branch, can you imagine the waste he could uncover in Congress? Of course, I’m joking because 535 Representatives and 100 Senators would never allow an outsider to look through their spending. Back in 1932, Will Rogers suggested, “(in Washington) One man could do what 10 of ’em do. There could be a quarter or third as many Congressmen or Senators, and we would pick better ones then.” Naturally, Will added a lighthearted comment, “But they are all likable cusses. You can’t help but like ’em.” (WA #506, Sept. 4, 1932)

The Philadelphia Eagles clobbered the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. They led 24-0 at the half and continued to dominate, winning 40-22.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“Our Constitution protects aliens, drunks and United States Senators.” DT #2678, March 6, 1935

COLUMBUS, Ohio: It’s Groundhog Day in Punxsuntawney, Pennsylvania. The town is known for a groundhog named Phil. Phil is over a hundred years old and still wakes up from hibernation long enough to crawl out of his hole every year on February 2.

Television reporters say Phil saw his shadow this morning. But the sun seldom shows up on a blustery winter morning in Pennsylvania. So the local Chamber of Commerce sometimes uses an LED spotlight to trick Phil into thinking he saw a shadow. If the TV weather folks in Pittsburgh, Erie, and Philadelphia can agree on a specific week that Spring will arrive, they coordinate with Phil’s handlers on whether or not a shadow will be witnessed by the crowd of 20,000.

Meanwhile, across the Mason Dixon Line in West Virginia, another groundhog, French Creek Freddie, has horned in (or dug in) on the action to do his own predictions.  West Virginia does not trust Pennsylvania to tell ‘em when it will be warm enough to discard their flannel shirts and start digging ramps.

And Ohio decided they needed their own groundhog. They named him Buckeye Chuck (after the Ohio State football team). Marion was the home of Buckeye Chuck until two years ago when the mayor decided Marion prefers to be known as the home of President Warren G. Harding. So, the mayor hauled Buckeye Chuck to Cleveland which gave him a new home in the Cleveland Museum. Yes, Chuck has dug under ancient artifacts including Hopewell spear points, ceramic pots, dinosaur bones, and the last championship trophies won by the Browns and Indians. Kinda like those two teams, for the past 20 years the groundhog has had a losing record.

In financial news, the “temporary freeze” announced by Trump has been an eyeopener for taxpayers. Howls went up from a lot of organizations we never even heard of, much less realized we’re financing their existence. The temporary freeze affects plenty of legitimate uses of our money. But it also exposes a lot of others, especially NGOs. I bet that when most of us hear about a Non-Governmental Organization doing charity work, we assume it is funded by generous wealthy donors and other contributors. But we have learned that many are funded almost entirely by government grants. And their activities are opposed by most of us.

You probably know that NGOs have been providing housing, food, transportation and other “free” benefits to people who crossed our border illegally. I bet you didn’t know they are also way down in Mexico, helping and encouraging these migrants to come to the border and cross it. And we’re paying for it! And the politically connected NGO leaders are making huge salaries.

Since President Trump changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico, our Ohio Governor DeWine should immediately declare, “From now on, the Lake on our northern border will be Lake Ohio.” How it ever got connected with Erie, PA, we’ll never know. Erie has only a couple of miles of lakefront. Any boat on Lake Erie has about a one percent chance of docking in Erie. Ohio has 260 miles of shoreline, far more than PA and NY on this miss-named Lake Erie. Now, Canada has more miles on the lake than all 3 states combined, but they already have Lake Ontario.

You might say, Ohio already has a river, why do they need a lake. Well, a little-known fact is the Ohio River is Ohio’s in name only. West Virginia and Kentucky own it. If Ohio wants to dip their big toe in the water, they have to ask permission. If Ohio catches fish in the Ohio River, they have to toss half of them to the opposite shore. Except carp. Ohio is encouraged to keep all the carp they catch.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

       “Most people and actors appearing on the stage have some writer to write their material . . . Congress is good enough for me. They have been writing my material for years… Besides, nothing is so funny as something done in all seriousness.” WA #78, June 8, 1924

“Say, this Trump is a fast worker. Even on a Monday Holiday… this President called Congress in extra session, and that’s not all he is going to call ’em either if they don’t get something done.”

That quote (with a couple of substitutions) was written by Will Rogers right after Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated in 1933 (DT #2055, March 6).

We talk about the first 100 days of a presidency. For Trump, it’s more like 100 hours. Pardons, deporting dangerous illegal immigrants, changing names on maps, tariffs, eliminating DEI, AI infrastructure, visits to North Carolina and Los Angeles, and at least 100 of other Executive orders.

Speaking of pardons, both Biden and Trump are getting hammered. Biden pardoned his whole family, apparently including 6 (or 7) grandchildren, plus a few murderers. His “pre-pardon” of a few other politicians has people wondering what they are guilty of and if we need some restrictions on presidential pardons.

Trump quickly pardoned everyone convicted in the January 6, 2021, charge into the Capitol, and a lot of old folks who were jailed for protesting at abortion clinics. I think he should have been more selective with the J-6 riot leaders; a few probably deserved to still be in jail. My advice to everyone who has received a “controversial pardon” is to go home, be thankful, and stay quiet.

I got an update from my friend with the four fancy gowns and patriotic boots. She got to wear three of the gowns as she and her husband danced at the All-American Ball on Saturday night, the Texas Ball on Sunday, and the Military Ball with Rally4Vets after the Inauguration on Monday night. The Texas Ball drew 6000 and she said, “The sparkling cowboy boots fit right in with the sparkle and shine and the patriotic theme. It was a night where Democrats and Republicans celebrated ‘Patriotism before Politics.’” Say, that’s a good theme for all of us.

Fires are still burning in California. And the ears of a few political leaders are burning after being grilled by President Trump. To paraphrase an exchange, Mayor Bass said, Red tape has been cut, and residents in Pacific Palisades can start to clean up their house sites in a week. Trump replied, A week? Let ‘em start tomorrow! (See the two quotes below about California water and calamities.)

The Kansas City Chiefs will play in the Super Bowl for the third straight time, on Feb. 9. Their opponent is the Philadelphia Eagles (or as the Mayor spells it, E-G-S-E-S).

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“We’re up here taking scenes on the river [for the movie, Steamboat Round the Bend].  We’re working on the Sacramento River.  And we could have worked on the Los Angeles River, but they’d have had to haul the water too far.” Radio, May 19, 1935

“We had an earthquake… You see the Lord in his justice works everything on a handicap basis. California having the best of everything else must take a slice of the calamities. Even my native Oklahoma — the Garden of Eden of the West — has a cyclone… New York with its splendors has its Wall Street, and Washington, the world’s most beautiful city, has a lobbyist crawling out to attack you from every manhole. So every human and every place is equal after all.” DT #2060, March 12, 1933

COLUMBUS, Ohio: Could we pack any more events and activities into tomorrow, Jan. 20, 2025? Martin Luther King Day all day. At noon we’ll have a new (former) President Donald Trump. The National NCAA football championship, Notre Dame vs. Ohio State starts at 7:30.

And Inaugural Balls all over Washington, DC. A good friend is flying there with her husband. I think his main job is to lug all the suitcases. She is packing four fancy evening gowns. (No woman can show up and dance at different balls wearing the same outfit.) And boots. Only one pair, but what a pair. Red, white and blue pattern with 16,000 sequins. With her in the saddle wearing those patriotic boots glistening in the sun, any horse would high-step mighty proud down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Ohio State is favored to beat Notre Dame tomorrow night. Thanks to a recent change allowing college football players to be paid for NIL (name, image and likeness) these two teams are among the most highly compensated.

But the idea is not new. Will Rogers suggested this in 1929: “Mr. Hoover has had all the financiers of the country gathered and made ’em sign a pledge to spend some money for the general prosperity of the country. So next week he is really going into big business: he is calling the coaches of the various football teams together and get them to promise to build bigger grandstands, make longer trips and pay more for promising high school talent… That’s what’s the matter with this country… a lot of cheap colleges won’t go out and spend the dough. Bigger grandstands! Look at Chicago with Soldiers Field [hosting games with] Army and Navy and Notre Dame! Why, that’s brought ’em more publicity than Al Capone and machine guns combined.” (DT#1044, Nov. 29, 1929)

The news from Los Angeles keeps getting worse. With fires still burning, and more expected, we’re learning about solid, scientific advice that politicians have ignored for years.

Stephen Pyne, a retired professor at Arizona State University, is an internationally recognized expert on fires. He warned that building houses among the natural landscape around Los Angeles is “guaranteed to compromise fire prevention.” So, what’s his solution? Build houses with roofs that won’t catch fire when wind-blown embers land on them. And, equally important, have open space around the house. No bushes or trees within several feet of the house. And the entire region has to do this, no exceptions.

Wow, will the Governor and Legislature follow Prof. Pyne’s advice and pass laws that put fire prevention above environmentalists’ demands that no trees or brush ever be removed? How about metal roofs?

          The historic Will Rogers house was not the only “prominent” house to burn in Pacific Palisades. Several well-known actors, musicians, and others you see on television lost homes. For them, and everyone else in the region, the Will Rogers State Historic Park was a place to go and get away, kind of like Central Park is for New York City.

Will’s great granddaughter, Jennifer Rogers Etcheverry, knew at least 40 people who lost homes there, including nine who volunteered or worked at the Park. As I mentioned last week, to help those connected with the park, if you want to donate, go to: WillRogersRanchFoundtion.org, and click on “Join us in Rebuilding Lives.”

The historic quote gives another example of Will’s compassion, generosity and comfort, this time in Ireland.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

       “I had heard about that terrible Movie Disaster in the little Town of Drumcolloger [in Ireland; a fire in a theater killed 46] and by a coincidence I had passed through there when over here before. And it was such a quiet, peaceful little place and to have all this terrible trouble was certainly not deserved. So when I read about it and as I had finished playing in London, why I wired President Cosgrove of Ireland that I would come right over and for him to get me a Theatre and I would give a benefit. Well, they only had two days to do it in, but they did it, and they took over a big fine Theatre — the man donated it — and we had our show. They put on their wonderful Military Band and a Lady Singer and I want to tell you I have been mixed up in all kinds of shows but this one last night was the greatest one I ever was in. You talk about an audience! They were packed in! And you talk about “Getting” your stuff! Say, you leave it to these Irish. They get you and they get you good. If there is a speck of humor or fun in anything you say or do, they will dig it out, and they won’t be all day digging. They were without a doubt the most appreciative audience I ever saw in my life, and at moderate prices we got their fund about four thousand dollars. And then from New York come donations to me from Brandon Tynan, the best Irish Actor that ever started an argument, a Mr. Pandem of New York, and Mr. Frank Sogan, and Miss Lois Wilson the Movie Actress, and I want to hereby thank them and if they could have heard the applause their names got for thinking of those poor people away over there it would have done their hearts good. Had President Cosgrove in the Box and introduced him. He is doing a lot for Ireland.”  WA #198, Sept. 26, 1926

Will Rogers was a comforter.

This week, in his own way, Will Rogers is still providing comfort. Hundreds of neighbors of the Will Rogers State Park in Pacific Palisades, California, have lost their homes to the wind-driven fires.

The house that Will and Betty built and lived in for the last ten years of his life was burned to the ground. The Will Rogers house (on the National Register of Historic Places) was the centerpiece of the 186-acre state park.

On losing the house, Will would probably say, “It’s just a house. It can be replaced. The lives lost, the memories that burned; those are priceless.”

The Will Rogers legacy as a comforter is in good hands. For the last 15 years, his great granddaughter, Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, has gladly accepted the role. Since Wednesday, she has received hundreds of text messages. Many are yearning for comfort from Will Rogers, and Jennifer is responding. She is giving comfort to those who have lost homes and families who lost loved ones.

Jennifer has been interviewed on California stations, Fox News, Newsmax, and even international news outlets. The love for Will Rogers is still there, almost 90 years after his death. “Will would be the first one on a plane to travel and raise funds for natural disasters. If he was alive today, he would be right there in the middle of it, seeing what he could do to help.”

Yes, Will offered support for so many suffering from disasters, including the Dust Bowl and a major fire in an Ireland movie theater while he was visiting the country. (See 3 more examples in the Historic quotes below.)

Among those who need help today are the people who work or volunteer at the park. Several lost their own homes!  Jennifer announced, “Our Will Rogers Ranch Foundation is accepting donations to help those people that were part of our community with Will Rogers State Historic Park. We’re going to help with transportation costs, help with housing, help with just the basic necessities.”

To join me in donating, go to: WillRogersRanchFoundtion.org, and click on “Join us in Rebuilding Lives.” Mail a check or donate by credit card. Thanks.

And while Los Angeles is in the spotlight, don’t forget about victims of Hurricane Helene, which killed over 100. There were no $25,000,000 houses lost in Chimney Rock, North Carolina, but that does not reduce the needs of those folks for compassion and comfort.

I’ll write more next week. The fires are still burning. High winds are predicted through Wednesday.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

       “I don’t believe our people that have never been around a flood area realize the tremendous need of these sufferers down on the Mississippi. It’s by far the worst thing that has happened in this country in years… Now we have a chance to help the poorest people we have in America, and that is the renter farmer. Mr. Ziegfeld has generously given me his wonderful new theatre in New York City, and I am going to put on my little one-man [show] for this great cause next Sunday night. So even if you don’t like cowboy gum chewers on the stage, come anyway and help out a real cause. They will get every cent that comes in, even if there is nobody there but my wife—who will have to pay to get in.” DT #236, Apr. 25, 1927

      “These people in the drought-stricken country ain’t waiting for the government to relieve ’em. Their well-to-do are helping their less fortunate themselves. At a matinee today in Wichita Falls, we [raised] $9,100. At Fort Worth tonight, the cowman’s paradise, we played to $18,000. At my breakfast matinee yesterday morning at Abilene at 10 o’clock, got $6,500, and every cent of that is net. People in America have got the money and will give if they know the need is there, and these people know it is.” DT #1411, Jan. 30, 1931

       “Well, here we are at Managua, Nicaragua… Eight days after [the earthquake] there is from one to three hundred bodies still under those ruins. Naturally what they need is money. The government or the people haven’t got a cent. The Red Cross combined with the relief organization here has done great work as usual and still is. They are feeding about 8,000… If through the Red Cross and public donations from up home they could get $250,000, it would relieve the situation as to food and get some roofs to cover these people… Goodness knows, you generous folks have been asked till you are ragged, but honest, if you saw it, you would dig again… It just falls where everything else does, on the generosity and goodness of the American people. If you saw, as I did this morning, 2,500 mothers with babies in their arms go by and get their ration of milk you would say there was some poor devil that needed it worse than you do.” WA #1469, Apr.8, 1931 (Will Rogers donated $5000 himself)

Well, friends, we made it to 2025. When I started writing these Weekly Comments in 1997, I had no idea these columns would last into the 28^th year. We’re going through 5 Presidents (Bill Clinton, George Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and soon, Donald Trump again).

In my first Weekly Comments, I ended with this Will Rogers quote, “A person learns in two ways: one is reading, the other is associating with smarter people.”

As I reread the Weekly Article it came from, I wish I had included a full paragraph, “I do hope I last long enough to reach your town. If it’s got a railroad and a Town Hall we will be there sooner or later. A Man only learns by two things, one is reading, and the other is association with smarter people. I don’t like to read and one can’t find the associates in New York. I am going out among the people whom New Yorkers call Rubes. But these people I am going out among are the people that just look at New Yorkers and laugh.”  WA #147, Oct. 5, 1925

Interestingly, Will wrote his 665 Weekly Articles, 1922-1935, through 4 Presidents (Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin D. Roosevelt).

In football, the NFL and colleges are into the playoffs. The first 12-team NCAA college football playoff is down to 4: Penn State will play Notre Dame, and Texas plays Ohio State. Oddly, none of the 4 conference champions survived. The winners of these two games will play Jan. 20 for the championship, a few hours after Trump becomes President again. The NFL Super Bowl will be Feb. 9.

President-Elect Trump was ridiculed when he suggested we buy Greenland from Denmark because of its abundant natural resources. Lincoln got the same reaction when he suggested we buy Alaska from Russia.

Trump also said, half-jokingly, that Canada could become our 51^st state. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was not amused despite Trump’s offer that he could be the Governor. Will Rogers discussed a similar plan a century ago and offered one of our border states as part of the deal. (see below)

Historic quote by Will Rogers: (on Canada)

         “Now I have no idea but what we could take [Canada] over and make a paying proposition out of them, for the country now is supplying about everything we use in the way of raw materials. But I hate to interrupt a friendship that has been going on now pretty steady since the battle of Lake Erie. You see they don’t owe us and they still think we are pretty good neighbors, so if we can just keep from annexing them and keep from loaning them anything in the way of a government debt, why we ought to be friends for years to come.
         Canada is principally an agricultural country and we raise more now than the farmers down home can sell for enough to put in the next year’s crop. About the only thing I can think of we could use it for would be a skating rink in the winter and we got such a poor class of skaters that we couldn’t hardly afford to maintain it just for that. Unless we could trade in Wisconsin on it some way, I can’t see any reason for annexing it. So I have advised against it.” WA #201, Oct. 17, 1926

Jimmy Carter died today at age 100.

As the President for four years between Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan his accomplishments were often overshadowed by problems with high inflation and 52 Americans being held hostage by Iran for 444 days.

However, for 44 years he has been our most outstanding former president ever. He was an engineer, farmer, Sunday School teacher, and builder of homes for Habitat for Humanity. He was a true servant leader.

Now, on to the main topic for this week. I have friends who are lawyers. We are blessed with plenty of good, honest lawyers.

We also have an oversupply of lawyers who mess with the natural flow of our economy and our justice system. This is not new. Will Rogers made the same point ninety years ago, “Went down and spoke at some lawyers’ meeting [American Bar Association convention] last night. They didn’t think much of my little squib 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).

Here is an example. President Biden granted clemency to 37 federal prisoners on death row for murder. Instead of being executed, they will remain in prison for the rest of their lives. (Yes, Joe Biden has a law degree. He graduated in 1968 from Syracuse in the bottom 10% of the class.)

You have already read or heard complaints about this undeserved leniency. I have a different take on the issue. In one case a policeman in Columbus was murdered and the man confessed. That happened TWENTY YEARS ago. Why wasn’t he executed a few weeks or months after his trial? Most of the 37 have been on death row for many years. Why?

In these examples, our legal system is out of control. Most, if not all, of those 37 men should have been executed years ago. Biden did not grant clemency to three of the very worst who killed multiple victims. One, Dylan Roof, killed 9 church members in South Carolina and was convicted 7 years ago. Why is he still “enjoying” life in a federal prison?

Illegal immigration highlights another example. Lawyers who favor open borders prevent rapid court decisions on deportation, meaning that once immigrants sneak in, it takes years to kick them out. Sanctuary cities have mayors who are… lawyers.

President-elect Trump has promised to deport illegal immigrants, starting with those who have committed heinous crimes. That’s probably over a million. Here’s my suggestion: Make every illegal immigrant we deport take his lawyer(s) with him. That would speed up the deportation process and save us Billions of dollars. (Do you realize we taxpayers are paying the salaries, directly or indirectly, of these lawyers?)

Guatemala announced they would accept our deported immigrants with no place to go home to. But I rather doubt they would accept their lawyers.

While I’m picking on shyster lawyers… we have too many lawyers and not enough professional engineers. I’m not taking sides on Elon Musk’s comment that we need to allow companies to hire more foreign engineers. But it’s a fact, our schools and universities are not producing enough engineers, scientists, and other technical experts. Too many lawyers decided algebra and physics classes were too hard, so they chose an easier path through school.

Happy New Year to you!  (including lawyers!)

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

       “A comedian is not supposed to be serious nor to know much. As long as he is silly enough to get laughs, why, people let it go at that. But I claim you have to have a serious streak in you or you can’t see the funny side in the other fellow.” WA #13, March 11, 1923

      “Did you read how many thousands, not hundreds, but thousands of students just graduated all over the country in law? Going to take an awful lot of crime to support that bunch.” DT#1527, June 15, 1931

Did you read the huge “breaking news” story in the New York Times? The journalists at the Times revealed that President Joe Biden has had mental issues almost his entire term. Wow. What a surprise.

For people who only get their news from the NYT or television networks (other than Fox), this really is breaking news. They had no idea of the President’s limited mental capacity until June when he stumbled through the debate with Donald Trump.

The “lame duck” Congress debated and wrestled with a budget bill to avoid a government shutdown. A 1600-page bill, loaded down with “pork barrel” items, was killed when Elon Musk, supported by Trump, pointed out the goal is to reduce federal spending, not increase it. Finally, on the third or fourth vote, a 118-page bill passed at midnight Friday.

Several TV commentators decided Elon Musk was the one in charge, not Trump, and started calling him “President Musk.”

Considering Joe Biden’s mental condition, do they still call him “President Biden?” Who in the White House is making the decisions? Who decided to sell the unused steel components of “The Wall” for a few pennies on the dollar? Who decided to ban exports of LNG? Who decided to let federal employees continue to work from home for five more years? And, looking back to 2021, who decided to encourage millions to cross our borders illegally?

Switching to a heavier topic… San Francisco has a budget deficit of over $800,000,000. So, Mayor Breed decided to ADD to the deficit to address an essential issue for the future of the city. She hired a person to build up the self esteem of fat people. You read that right. She hired a fat woman to encourage overeating by the residents of San Francisco. Any average size person who eats enough to become obese will receive a tax break. And folks who are currently fat, including illegal immigrants in the sanctuary city, can receive the same tax rebate if they gain 20 pounds.

Ok, I’m joking about the tax breaks. I think the mayor is counting on restaurants and grocery stores to profit handsomely and pay more taxes to cut her deficit to around $799,000,000.

Merry Christmas from the Reeder family and Will Rogers.
Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“This was a very happy Christmas for me, in fact the best I have enjoyed in years. The shirts my wife gave me were the right size for the first time since wedlock. Of course, they were the wrong color, but one, if married, must not be too particular. For a while it looked like I would spend a perfect Christmas. Then about noon a necktie arrived.” WA #108, Jan. 4, 1925

“Still getting straggling Christmas cards. But they were mighty welcome I tell you. Just on first thought a Christmas card don’t mean much, but the older you get the more you like to open ’em and know that someone has remembered you.” WA #525, Jan.15, 1933

HILLIARD, Ohio: If the barrage of drones had come 75 to 100 years ago, we would have figured it was Martians. But we’ve learned enough about Mars to rule out Martians. Oddly, we don’t know enough about Russia, China or Iran to rule out any of them.

President Biden may be going after the record for pardons that was set almost a hundred years ago. Texas Governor “Ma” Ferguson pardoned more than 3200 convicted criminals during her two-year term. We don’t know who in the White House is drawing up the list of criminals to receive pardons or commutations. Unlike Santa Claus, no one is “checking it twice to find out who’s been naughty or nice.” There’s a few scoundrels on Biden’s list that rank up there with Al Capone and John Dillinger.

If the handsome 26-year-old that shot the insurance company CEO in the back can get convicted before January 20, some love-struck woman in Biden’s administration may wrangle him a pardon. Meanwhile, a few jerks are mad that Daniel Penny is a free man. He is the Good Samaritan who protected New York subway riders from catastrophe by subduing a crazed man. Anyone who admires the murderer and hates Daniel Penny needs an appointment with a psychiatrist, even if their health insurance doesn’t cover it.

Time magazine gave their Person of the Year award to Donald Trump. He was the obvious choice. A few disgruntled Democrat commentators are having fun comparing Trump to Stalin and Hitler who were also honored as “Man of the Year” by Time.

Kamala Harris was on the short list of potential Time honorees. All she had to do to be Time’s Person of the Year was win the election. That’s all. And if she had, those same commentators would be happily comparing her to Taylor Swift, the Person of the Year for 2023. Only difference is that Taylor Swift has made a Billion dollars, while Kamala Harris squandered a Billion.

Will Rogers always bragged about accomplishments by heroes from his home area of Claremore and Oologah, Oklahoma. So, I’ll highlight the star player in the Navy upset of Army, 31-13. Quarterback Blake Horvath is from right here in Hilliard, Ohio. He ran for 204 yards and 2 touchdowns, and threw for 2 more TDs.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“Time (magazine), that’s where all the authentic news comes from.” WA #446, July 12, 1931

“I have always been a reader of the magazine ‘Time’ ever since it started.” WA #604, July 22, 1934

Last Sunday I said the President’s pardon of Hunter Biden would give “America something to argue over other than college football upsets and positions in the 12-team playoff.”

The pardon and college football playoff have dominated conversations this week. The Clemson narrow upset of SMU knocked out Alabama. The Big 12 feels jilted because only one team, Arizona State, got in while the Big 10 has four. The first round will be played Dec. 20-21.

In addition to the playoffs, there are 35 other Bowl games. Wow. Old-timers will remember when there were only a half dozen Bowl games. And the smallest was probably the Tangerine Bowl.

Now these Bowls have names including Duke’s mayonnaise, Scooter’s coffee, Idaho potatoes, Cheez-its, and Pop-Tarts. (Those will be hard on my diet. I would prefer an Omaha Steaks Bowl.) Others are sponsored by a Mortgage (with a Guaranteed Rate?), Snoop Dogg, Gronk, and Tony the Tiger. I guess we’ll have to watch the games to find out what Radiance, Isleta, Wasabi, Reliaquest, and Transperfect represent. One Bowl is sponsored by… Bowling.

President Biden pardoned Hunter for any and all crimes committed since 2014 and into the future. It also has the effect of protecting the entire Biden family from prosecution for any financial deals since Joe became Vice-President in 2009.

Democrats are hinting that President Biden might “pre-pardon” several top Democrats that President Trump might decide to prosecute for made-up charges connected to impeachments, the 2020 election, and January 6 trials. Names mentioned include Adam Schiff, Liz Cheney, and Dr. Fauci.

One person NOT mentioned is VP Kamala Harris. I think Biden might pardon her, but he will never excuse her for wasting $1,500,000,000.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

     “These post-season football games never decide anything… Yours for games that decide something.” DT #1049, Dec. 5, 1929

     “Pittsburgh is coming out to play [the undefeated University of Southern California] New Year’s in what we humorously call our ‘Rose Bowl.’” DT #1982, Dec. 10, 1932 (USC beat Pitt, 35-0)