Category: Uncategorized

Columbus: If you ever doubted the expertise and creativity of the engineers and scientists in Israel, they just removed all doubt.

The Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon were warned by their funders (bosses) in Iran that cell phones could be used to track individuals. So, they decided to communicate by old-fashioned pagers and walkie-talkies instead. On Tuesday, thousands of the pagers blew up simultaneously as the terrorists “answered” their pagers. Wow!

The Hezbollah murderers who survived, switched to walkie-talkies. On Wednesday, on cue, the walkie-talkies blew up.

Now Israel has the attention of Iran and all of their puppets in Gaza, Yemen, and especially in Qatar. The top Hamas leaders are living in luxury in Qatar. Do you suppose they might be afraid to answer or even be within ten yards of their phones? Or open an email on their laptop computer?

Pretty soon, the Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi Islamists in Yemen, and Hamas in Gaza will be communicating with smoke signals.

Candidate Kamala Harris keeps letting us down. Ever since she became the choice of the Democrats to run for President, many folks (but definitely not all) have been asking her to clearly state her policies. For example, she has been asked, “What will you do to bring down prices which have gone up 20% since you and President Biden were elected?” Her answer, “So, I grew up in a middle-class home in a neighborhood where everyone was proud of their lawns.”

VP Harris refuses to explain why she changed her mind on “fracking.” Her response should be, “I’ve learned in the last few months that hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling are essential and safe technologies. Without them the price of natural gas and oil would likely triple. And oil and gas are essential fuel supplies for electricity and our trucks and automobiles, and manufacturing and farming. We like solar and wind, but it will be many decades before our country can thrive without depending on our abundant supply of natural gas and crude oil.”

Rather than speaking like a serious candidate for President, she sounds more like a failed motivational speaker. I won’t put quotes on this but you have heard her say things like: Americans are optimistic because our values are based on principles and the children of the community are the children of the community and will be future voters in the future.

Forget politics for a moment. Severe drought is hurting the southern half of Ohio and the whole state of West Virginia. We’re accustomed to hearing about drought in the Great Plains and Southwest. But for this area (and probably others I’m not familiar with) the lack of rainfall this summer is the worst in almost a hundred years. Corn and soybean crops are maturing early and yielding less. Farmers with cattle and sheep have hauled water and fed bales of hay since July because pastures, creeks, and ponds have dried up.

The Federal Reserve Board met and lowered interest rates by half a percent. This was the first reduction in four years. The reduction was somewhat of a surprise. The Board usually avoids changing interest rates a few weeks before an election. Wall Street liked the reduction. Mortgage rates may decrease.

Economists don’t agree on which candidate or political party will benefit. Some economists say the Federal Reserve Board should be dissolved. And Will Rogers agrees, “There is two things that can disrupt business in this country. One is war and the other is a meeting of the Federal Reserve (Board).” (DT #837, April 2, 1929)

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

     “Of all the dumb issues that candidates bring up to try and influence people how to vote, I think ‘prosperity’ takes the cake. How a speaker can convince a man that he is prosperous when he is broke or that he is not prosperous when he is doing well is beyond me.” DT #704, Oct. 29, 1928

Oh my. For the second time, a man has attempted to kill President Trump. The critical difference between the July 13 attempt and today is that today the Secret Service shot first! They didn’t wait until the shooter fired at Trump.

Thanks to a quick-thinking citizen taking a photo, the assassin and his vehicle were quickly located as he tried to escape on I-95. I won’t name him, but the would-be assassin is in custody.

Did you watch the debate Tuesday night? Supporters of Democrat Harris bragged that she won. Republican Trump announced that he won. The loser appears to be ABC. You may disagree, but most viewers noticed that David Muir and Lindsey Davis were quick to question statements by Trump, but not once did they attempt to correct Harris. They often let Harris ignore the question and respond with a well-rehearsed 2-minute “answer.”

The most glaring omission from the debate was clear statements by Harris about her policies related to illegal immigration, hydraulic fracturing of gas and oil wells, late term abortion, biological males in female sports, and crime in cities. She did not clearly say where she disagreed with policies and actions by the Biden-Harris administration or whether she regrets any tie-breaking votes as VP.

Trump rambled and was often distracted by baiting by Harris. Most people know where Trump stands because he was President and has been interviewed frequently during the campaign.

Harris asked for another debate, obviously forgetting that she earlier turned down a plan for three debates. If no more debates, she needs to accept more interviews with a variety of journalists. We know she has style; but to make an informed vote, we need more substance.

Unfortunately, as a result of a Trump comment, Springfield, Ohio has received a lot of negative publicity. This small city of about 50,000 in a rural county is only 40 miles west of me. Several years ago, Springfield welcomed a few hundred immigrants from Haiti, perhaps the poorest country in the world. They were treated so well, their Haitian friends and family decided to move to Springfield. Over a few years, that added up to several thousand.

You may say, Florida has welcomed over 500,000 Haitians (mostly in Miami), so why can’t Springfield, Ohio welcome 15,000 to 20,000? Good question. Miami-Dade County has over a million residents of Cuban heritage. Adding thousands of Spanish-speaking Haitians is not a problem for them.

So, the next time you see a meme or cartoon about dogs and cats being eaten in Springfield, just laugh. Most of us in Ohio, including Haitians, prefer beef, chicken and pork.

Have you seen the Reagan movie? You may be surprised it was filmed mostly in Oklahoma in 2020. I had not gone to a movie theater for several years. I learned you should not go in hungry; popcorn and a drink cost more than the ticket. Almost everyone (98%) who have watched the movie liked it.

Oddly, only 20% of movie critics like it. That reminded me of a comment by Will Rogers about critics in 1923, “Their contribution to the success of most theaters is in about the same ratio that a fire would be.” (WA #8, Feb. 4, 1923)

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“Now the rules of the Debate are as follows: the first half of the debate is to settle on what the Issues are that we are to debate on, and the last half of the Debate is just to Debate on ‘em. In case there is No Issues, like it would be if you was debating with some Democrat, why then of course there would be no use holding the last half.” Life magazine, Aug. 9, 1928

Randall Reeder
614-477-0439

Columbus: The big political event this week is the second Presidential Debate. Yes, it’s the first for Kamala Harris, but the second for Donald Trump in 2024.

For Democrat Harris this is a “coming out party.” This debate will be her first opportunity to answer random questions without notes or a teleprompter on live TV. If you’re a member of a Toastmasters Club you know this is something we do every meeting, without the TV. And the more you do it, the better you get at impromptu speaking.

For Republican Trump, one challenge will be to rein in his tendency to ramble in answering questions. Unlike VP Harris, he has done several presidential debates. He has an opportunity, like a football player, to review the videotapes and see where he had a good response and where he failed.

You probably know that this election boils down to a half dozen states, led by Pennsylvania. Even in those states where the race is tight, about 90% of voters have already decided how they intend to vote. Oddly, while millions will tune in Tuesday night, the two candidates will aim their comments at a few thousand undecided voters in each of those states. For example, with Pennsylvania in mind, I hope the Moderators ask VP Harris, “What is fracking, and are you for it or against it?” A great follow-up question would be, “What is your policy on horizontal drilling?”

With North Carolina and Georgia in mind, the Moderators should ask Mr. Trump, “What is your policy on abortion? Please be specific.”

I hope both candidates are asked about the causes of inflation and what their economic policies would be to maintain it at about 2% per year.

On foreign policy, each candidate should explain their views on Ukraine, Hamas, Iran, and how to keep China from attacking Taiwan.

President Biden has kept pretty quiet lately. But his son Hunter finally decided that not paying over a million dollars in income taxes is a crime, so he pleaded guilty. I’ve heard that a friend recently paid the back taxes for Hunter. I wonder if President Biden feels that Hunter has paid his “fair share.”

On a different topic, as a retired faculty member of a prestigious university, it pains me to share the following information. The Brookings Institution surveyed “chief academic officers” and “business leaders,” asking a simple question: Are current college graduates ready for the workforce? In the opinion of the university administrators, 90% believe their graduates are ready to work.

Do business leaders agree? No way! Only 11% think new college grads are prepared to enter the workforce. (I’m guessing one of those “11%” is president of McDonald’s.)

That is a shocking discrepancy. Perhaps universities need to replace their current Deans with people with business experience. Hiring a CEO as a university president might help, too.

Enrollment at colleges and universities of all sizes is dropping. This survey helps explain why more high school graduates are bypassing college and going to a trade school.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

          “You can’t beat an Administration by attacking it. You have to show some plan of improving on it.” WA #101, Nov. 16, 1924

“The only salvation I can see for the young is to increase the college term to an additional four years…  You’ll say, ‘Well, what could they learn in another four years?’ Well, there must be some little something about making a living that they haven’t learned yet, and they could kind of work on that for the next four years.” Radio, June 2, 1935

As promised, I will summarize a wonderful month, including two conferences with professional speakers and three events for farmers.

A highlight was having Will Rogers honored as a Legend in Professional Speaking on Aug. 24. This was recognition for the real Will Rogers, although I had some fun pretending it was me. It was a “posthumous” award; I mis-read it as “post humorous.” The Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore, Oklahoma, prepared a 6-minute video of Will for the occasion. His great-granddaughter, Jennifer Rogers Etcheverry, accepted the award, by video, on behalf of the family.

Will Rogers was honored as a Legend by the Veteran Speakers Network, along with four top professional speakers (who are very much alive) at their annual retreat at Herndon, Virginia. It’s a fun group who are mainly, shall we say, mature professional speakers. Eight former presidents of the National Speakers Association attended, plus several who have received the top honors from NSA.

The month began with the annual conference (called Influence) of the National Speakers Association, in Denver, Colorado. Plenty of educational sessions to help us become better presenters for the meetings business. Topics included storytelling to add impact, audience involvement, and of course, AI.

For me, a highlight was taking an official photograph of the “Tall Women Speakers.” I was asked to take their photo in 1996, and I’ve only missed 4 or 5 years since. The only requirement is to be at least 6-ft tall, but most have outstanding speaking careers. We have had as many as 20 in the photo, with “no back row.” (In school, these gals were usually taller than their classmates and were stuck in the back row of group photos. They didn’t like it. So now they line up in one wide row.)

Shifting to my other life, in agriculture, I helped with three educational events focused on how to build soil health for improved production of corn and soybeans. These were spaced across Ohio and included hands-on experiences out in the field. Farmers learn about the value of adding organic matter to the soil (carbon from the air) and how to do it by skipping tillage and adding cover crops in the down time between cash crops. In addition, I attended a big event at the Ohio State Fair that named four outstanding individuals to the Ohio Ag Hall of Fame. One honoree was a colleague for many years, a pioneering no-till farmer, David Brandt, who died last year. Yes, I knew it was a posthumous recognition. In addition, I wrote two monthly columns, one for National No-till Farmer magazine and the other for Ohio’s Country Journal.

While in Colorado, I got to drive the winding road up the side of Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs to see the “Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun.” It was constructed by Spencer Penrose, who earlier built the famous Broadmoor Hotel. It is a granite tower, 114 feet tall, overlooking the city. I climbed to the top. Oh, and I ate lunch with my oldest granddaughter. (She works remotely as a nutrition specialist for a hospital. Her husband is in the new U.S. Space Force.)

I’m not telling you all of this to brag. Rather to point out that an old retired agricultural engineer and a slowed down “Will Rogers” impersonator can still find plenty of useful pursuits. And I have a few more of those in September.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

       “Tomorrow is Labor Day. I suppose set by act of Congress. Everything we do nowadays is either by or against acts of Congress. How Congress knew anything about labor is beyond us, but any how tomorrow is Labor Day.” DT #967, Sept. 1, 1929

Randall Reeder
614-477-0439

A few folks have referred to Kamala Harris as the backup Quarterback who comes into the game after the starter suffers too many blows to the head, his brain is addled and he is removed from the game. (Some say the last of those blows was from his own teammates.)

Now, if you are not into football, you may want to stop reading. However, this analogy shows what can happen if football gets politicized.

A young Kamala Harris became a football Referee in Berkeley, California. No one was sure about her qualifications, but she came highly recommended by the respected Willie Brown. Her time as a Referee produced some odd results. Often a major penalty, such as crushing the quarterback, was reduced to a 5-yard penalty instead of 15. Several lower-level infractions were not called at all. If a defensive tackle jumped offsides only a half a second early, she ignored it even if the quarterback got smashed to the ground and broke three ribs.

After a few years, she was promoted to be the Referee for the state of California. She called a few major penalties on drug criminals, but overall, she closed her eyes to more crimes than she penalized.

This is where it gets weird. Based on her performance as a Referee, she was drafted as a football quarterback and sent to Washington. Before reporting, she somehow made them change their name from the Redskins to something less distinctive. In those early years with the team, she was mainly known as a passer. Not an outstanding passer, but that was her reputation despite having more interceptions than scores.

Then she decided to go for it all; she wanted to be the starting quarterback! During the early months of practice, she flopped so badly that she was the 12^th rated QB and dropped out of the competition. But soon a miracle saved her career; based on an odd set of qualifications and statistics, she was named the backup QB. In that role, she was determined to become a prolific passer. Twice, with time running out in a tie game, she made passes that won the game for her starting QB, earning her team a bonus of about Four Trillion Dollars to spend, much of it frivolously. No one connected with her team seems to know where the money came from. But millions of fans of other teams across the country are convinced it came out of their pockets.

Despite those critical passes, this backup QB fell into disfavor. Too many fumbles. Many connected with the team urged the top executives to demote her and bring in another backup QB for the tough, demanding games near the end of the season. As you get close to the playoffs, you need a competent backup QB.

Then another miracle; among the available high-ranking quarterbacks, none wanted to join as No. 2. They all decided that 3 or 4 more years of experience with their own team would give them a better crack at jumping directly to be the No. 1 QB in Washington.

In a sudden shock, the starting QB suffered brain damage and was forced to leave the game. The failure had been gradual over a couple of years, but his team supported him, propped him up, and almost made it to the championship.

Now they are desperate. The backup QB they all wanted to fire is standing there, jumping with excitement, shouting “Pick me! Me. Me. Me.”  In an unbelievable turnaround, this backup QB became the darling of the team. It was unanimous, one hundred percent, total support for QB Kamala Harris.

Remarkably, the new QB has rebranded herself. Instead of a passing QB, she is now a running quarterback. Naturally, everyone connected with the team is cheering for her success. With her unique charm, she has attracted fans from other teams. Imagine, abandoning your own team to cheer for a previously little-known opponent.

The coach, or whoever is calling the plays (and no one is sure who that is), installed a play just for her that is proving successful. Here it is: The other 10 players all form a tight wedge that is designed to overpower the 11 opponents, giving the running QB an open field to the goal line.

Stay with me; The 11players on defense are journalists. Their job is to tackle her and keep her pinned down long enough to make her answer important questions. But oddly, as she is running her favorite play, at least 8 of the 11 defenders back away, refusing to lay a hand on her. Three run off the field to get a drink. Five actually join the Offense, drowning out questions shouted desperately at the QB as she glides on by. As she crosses the goal line, she is filled with Joy, and laughs uncontrollably at her doubters.

Of course, the other team (Republicans) gets the ball and has their own chance to score. Their starting QB has been around for what seems like a long time. But only since 2016. He is reminiscent of George Blanda of the Chicago Bears. As Trump and his team take the field, suddenly the opposition (journalists) is alert and ready to pounce. No backing away now. The blocking and tackling is fierce. Tough questions get precise answers, such as, “On energy, we will become a supplier to the world. Drill, baby drill. On illegal immigration, when we say, ‘Don’t come,’ it will be backed up by a 30-foot wall. We will grow the economy, build more businesses right here in the USA, increase tax revenues without raising taxes, and bring down inflation.”

It’s not easy, but the Republicans score, tying the game.

Ok, this “game” will continue until November 5. Everyone expects it to be a tight score. As Will Rogers said on election day in 1932, “let everybody pray that it’s not a tie, for we couldn’t go through with this thing again.”

(Next week I’ll tell what I’ve been doing in August, including an Award that helps explain why this is a day late.)

Randall Reeder
WillRogersToday (dot) com

 

Democrats are gathering in Chicago for an unusual convention. It won’t be as wild as their convention 100 years ago. That one lasted 17 days and took 103 ballots before finally agreeing on John W. Davis as their nominee to take on Calvin Coolidge in 1924. I guarantee if this one goes even close to 17 days, the pro-Hamas protesters/rioters will tire out, leave Chicago, and return to college campuses to harass Jewish students.

You may recall that a month ago, Joe Biden was the nominee for a second term. He won all the primaries, without any real competition. And as recent as three months ago, he was being encouraged to drop Kamala Harris as VP and pick someone more competent.

Then Biden dropped out (forced out?), Kamala Harris was designated as his replacement, and the process of reinventing her began. She is already the “Czar of AI” (Artificial Intelligence) and is using it to the full extent. She still looks the same, even more joyful and beautiful, but her policies and deeply held beliefs have been turned 180 degrees. At least until November 5. Then the AI-generated Harris 2.0 will revert to the original Kamala of San Francisco, California.

After more than three weeks of ignoring the press, Kamala Harris promised a few key items for her “Opportunity Economy.” She will give first-time home buyers $25,000. That will have the same effect on house prices that generous student loans have had on college tuition.

Then she pointed out that food prices have jumped since Trump left office, specifically eggs and ground beef up 50%. That comment immediately caused Democrat voters to wonder, if Trump had been reelected would food costs have stayed low?

She plans to have the federal government control the price of food. She claims that Kroger, Aldi, and other grocery chains are making outlandish profits. She was reminded their profits are usually less than 3%. So, having learned that economics lesson, she may force grocers to pay their suppliers less. She wants farmers to get less money for cattle, hogs, chickens, and major crops such as wheat. After all, if the price of a loaf of bread is going to be set at $1.00, the farmer shouldn’t get more than a nickel for the wheat. That’s bad for the farmer, but worse for the rest of us. The bakeries will decide they will lose money at $1.00 a loaf, so they will shut down, laying off thousands of employees (who are making $20.00/hr thanks to a recent increase to cover inflation). At the local grocery store, the shelves in the bread aisle will remind us of Venezuela.

Maybe if Harris becomes President, she can go after successful companies with higher profit margins. I read that Apple makes over 25% profit. Instead of attacking food producers, how about setting the maximum price of an I-phone (and the same for Samsung and others) at $500. Having no new phones would get a howl from 300 million people quicker than going without bread.

I promised a couple of questions for Republican candidate, Donald Trump. You want to deport about 10 million people who came here illegally under Biden. For ICE to accomplish this in 4 years would require about 30 to 40 plane loads of illegal aliens leaving every day for countries around the world. How do you plan to do this, and where will they go? Suggestion: the first planes should haul away the hundreds of shyster lawyers who argue that illegal aliens aren’t illegal.

You promise to bring down energy prices (gasoline, diesel, electricity). Are you sure the oil companies, for example, will be happy with $50 a barrel instead of $80?

While thousands of pro-Hamas protesters/rioters (most of them well paid) are harassing Democrats in Chicago, the Hamas top leaders are lounging in their Penthouse suites in Qatar. They are smiling, laughing, and enjoying the spectacle of the U.S. and European nations negotiating with Israel.

Hamas has no fear of losing because they hold dozens of hostages. The longer Hamas terrorists hide behind Gaza women and children, the higher the price tag (in Billions of dollars) and the number of Hamas prisoners Israel must release to get their citizens returned, alive or dead. President Biden sent Secretary Blinken to Qatar, probably to promise even more Billions for release of hostages, including a few Americans. As Will Rogers wrote about diplomacy in 1923, “Our foreign dealings are an open book, generally a check book.”

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

       “You know I have often said in answer to inquiries as to how I got away with kidding some of our public men, that it was because I liked all of them personally, and that if there was no malice in your heart there could be none in your ‘Gags.’ And I have always said I never met a man I didn’t like.”  WA #392, June 29, 1930

Columbus: I was in Colorado for 6 days so I skipped a “Weekly Comments.” Did anything happen while I was gone?

Yes, the Democrat-designated nominee Kamala Harris made a decision on her running mate from among the 2 or 3 still interested in being a VP. She picked Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota. He seems to agree with her on everything. That’s important, kinda like Trump selecting Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.

Walz was governor in the summer of 2020 during the protests that turned violent. He did nothing to stop millions of dollars in damage and the destruction of several businesses. Like Nero, he fiddled while Minneapolis burned. And for any rioters that got arrested, Kamala Harris was coordinating with her friends to bail them out of jail.

If elected, Walz can continue the Biden Family policies with the Communist leaders in China. He spent a lot of time in China starting in 1989. He made about 30 trips, including for his honeymoon.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris is surging in the polls. On social media, women (and a lot of men) are going wild over the prospect of her being the first woman President.

I read that, even though she is running for President, we are not allowed to ask probing questions because she is a woman and she is Black. Any serious question would be interpreted as racist or anti-female. We can ask similar questions of Donald Trump, Joe Biden, JD Vance, and other men, but not her.

So, I will abide by that rule. I will NOT ask her these 10 questions:

1. You changed your mind and now support hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells. With that 180-degree switch, do you also regret being the tie-breaking vote in the Senate on the mis-named Inflation Reduction Act that is borrowing $400,000,000,000 to spend on solar, wind, and EVs?
2. Do you still favor allowing transgender girls (biological boys) to compete in high school and college sports?
3. You announced in Nevada that you want to eliminate income taxes on tips. What other ideas already favored by Trump do you plan to adopt? Maybe complete the border wall?
4. You said recently you have a plan to manage illegal immigration. Why haven’t you and President Biden already used that “plan” the last 3 years?
5. As the California Attorney General, you wrote a bill titled “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act.” It was “Prop 47” and of course the voters supported it. But instead of anything related to safety, it allowed thieves to steal up to $950 per day from stores with no consequences. Would you like to expand that law nationally, meaning criminals could legally steal over $300,000 in a year?
6. Do you favor adding the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico as new states?
7. To stop the killing of Gaza citizens, do you want the Hamas terrorists to surrender and release the hostages, including several American citizens?
8. What policy changes would you make to keep Iran from funding terrorists in Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen?
9. Do you want Ukraine to regain territory taken by Putin and remain a free, independent country?
10. You challenged Trump to debate. He accepted and has scheduled 3. Will you accept all 3, and more if requested?

As I said, we’re not permitted to ask her those questions. So I won’t.

A dream job this summer would be a journalist assigned to cover Kamala Harris. Since she was named as the Democrat nominee for President 3 weeks ago, she has held no press conferences. So, no effort needed to come up with unique, in-depth questions. The daily report would be simple “No comment from the VP today.” Get to enjoy flying around the country on Air Force 2. And the Vice-President says she will continue to ignore the press corps until the end of August. Wow, what a job!

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“You know the American custom is when you can’t beat a man at anything why the last straw is to Debate him.” Life magazine, Aug. 9, 1928

Will Rogers joked on different occasions, “I’m not a member of any organized political party… I’m a Democrat.”

Then he would follow with a serious point, “But really, I don’t take sides with anybody politically. I kid those folks. But I know that they all get in there and do the best they can. None of ‘em from any party are going to purposely ruin the country.”

Will wrote in 1928, “The Parties will never be changed as long as we live, for you can’t change human nature.” (WA #278, Apr. 22, 1928) I think Will was too optimistic. The Democratic party of Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy is not the same party today. Republicans have also changed.

Will walked a fine line, often using humor to make a serious point, “I certainly know that a comedian can only last till he either takes himself serious or his audience takes him serious, and I don’t want either one of those to happen to me till I am dead, if then.” DT #1538, June 28, 1931

So, I’m going out on a limb tonight with my observations about Kamala Harris. If you disagree, don’t blame Will.

We always heard about political deals made in a “Smoke-filled room”. This time I think the deal was made in a Ladies Powder room.

Democrats claim that Republicans, especially Trump, are a “threat to democracy.” So various Democrat leaders forced out Joe Biden, who received 14,000,000 votes in the 2024 primaries, and anointed Kamala Harris, who received zero. Was that “preserving democracy?” When she ran for President in 2020, she received no votes in a primary and none at the Democratic National convention.

V-P Harris is so determined to win Michigan and Minnesota with the Palestinian vote, I’m surprised she hasn’t named Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib as her running mate.

She may go against the DEI defining principles of the Democratic Party and name a white man. But not a Jew. Preferably someone non-religious (except Muslim). You will remember, as a Senator she voted against Amy Coney Barrett for Supreme Court because she was religious.

She wants to eliminate ICE, the agency responsible for deporting immigrants who are here illegally, comparing ICE to the Ku Klux Klan.

She wants to eliminate “fracking.” Hydraulic fracturing of gas and oil wells has been common for more than 60 years, making our major energy supply more economical. After eliminating fracking, she wants to eliminate all fossil fuels. She broke a tie vote in the Senate that approved the $750 Billion (misnamed) Inflation Reduction Act. And if Sen. Joe Manchin hadn’t resisted for months, it would have cost twice as much.

She claims that defunding police makes cities safer. She wants to take meat off the “food pyramid” and ban plastic straws.

Does she support Israel? She blames Israel for failing to get over a hundred hostages released (including 8 Americans) rather than blaming Hamas and Iran. She wants a “cease fire” instead of encouraging Israel to wipe out Hamas terrorists.

Kamala Harris is a strong Liberal from San Francisco. I have good friends in San Francisco, from both Parties. Some love her and can’t wait to vote for her again. Others see her in the same vein as ousted district attorney Chesa Boudin, Gov. Newsome, who is bankrupting the state, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has enriched herself. Her parents are natives of India and Jamacia. Both were professors at Stanford University.

Surprise!! Will Rogers received more delegate votes at a Democratic National Convention than Kamala Harris has. She ran in 2020 and got zero votes.

At the 1932 Democratic Convention Will Rogers got 22 votes on the sixth day. (Read Will’s version of that day below.)

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

        “Politics ain’t on the level.  I was only in ’em for an hour but in that short space of time somebody stole 22 votes from me. I was sitting there in the press stand asleep and wasn’t bothering a soul when they woke me up and said Oklahoma had started me on the way to the White House with 22 Votes.

          I dropped off to sleep again, and that’s when somebody touched me for my whole roll, took the whole 22 votes, didn’t even leave me a vote to get breakfast on.

Course I realize now that I should have stayed awake and protected my interest, but it was the only time I had ever entered national politics and I didn’t look for the boys to nick me so quick.  Course I should have had a manager but the whole thing come on me so sudden and I was so sleepy. No man can listen to thirty-five nominating speeches and hold his head up.  And I am sure some of these that did the nominating can never hold theirs up again.

Now I don’t want you to think that I am belittling the importance of those 22 votes. They was worth something there at that time. Not in money, mind you, for there is not $2.80 in the whole convention. 

But they buy ’em with promises of offices. I expect at that minute Roosevelt’s bunch would have given me Secretary of State for that 22. And I could have sold Al Smith for maybe Mayor of New York. Ritchie would have given me the whole State of Maryland with the Vice Presidency thrown in just for amusement sake.

And what do I do? Go to sleep and wake up without even the support of the Virgin Islands.”  Article #6, Democratic Convention, July 2,1932

For the second week in a row, I am tossing out most of what I already wrote. Maybe I should leave my computer off until Sunday evening.

President Biden announced this afternoon he will not be the Democrat candidate for 2024. He wants Kamala Harris to succeed him.

VP Harris is not a shoo-in because she is less popular than Biden. She has not won a single vote in a primary election. In the 2020 campaign she dropped out before the Iowa caucuses. Of course, she did not run in the 2024 primaries because her boss was the “chosen one.” However, any prominent young Democrat who challenges her, especially a white man, would be committing political suicide.

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to start Aug. 19. In reality, it started today. If VP Harris is the pick for President, the race will be for her running mate.

You may remember my comments last week about the 1924 Republican convention. As Will Rogers wrote, that convention 100 years ago, was simply to choose a VP. Two leading candidates turned it down! Will any top Democrat accept the VP slot with Kamala Harris?

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin just announced he may challenge Kamala Harris. With all the chaos, this is another reflection to 1924. If you don’t know the history, you will be shocked. The 1924 Democratic convention lasted 17 days! Sixteen candidates received votes. It required 103 ballots before the delegates agreed on a candidate for President. Yes, 103 ballots! And the candidate they finally agreed on was John W. Davis. He is the only person to be selected as a nominee for President from the state of… West Virginia.

The Republican convention ended with a rousing unanimous endorsement of the Trump-Vance ticket. Republicans seem to be happy with the selection of JD Vance for VP. He’s a young Senator from Middleton, Ohio, with deep roots in eastern Kentucky. He is better known as the author of “Hillbilly Elegy” than as a politician.

Donald Trump gave a 90-minute acceptance speech Thursday night. That was too long for several folks in the media (and many watching at home). I think he did it as a challenge to Joe Biden. If Kamala Harris speaks on the closing night of the Democratic Convention, she may keep it to half an hour just to limit the risk of too many uncontrollable bouts of laughter.

The Secret Service is expected to be the most elite agency in the government. But last Saturday was a colossal failure. The Secret Service has 7000 people, but they couldn’t spare enough of them to adequately prepare and protect the presumed Republican nominee for President. Director Kimberly Cheatle refuses to resign and Biden has not fired her.

The 20-year-old killer was a “rank amateur”, but he was smart. One of the brightest students in his high school class. So why didn’t he go to college?  He fired 8 shots before a Secret Service sharpshooter killed him with one shot. The first shot at Trump was accurate, within a half inch of killing him. But the other 7 were far off target. If he had been steady, probably a couple Secret Service agents (the ones who did their job exactly as trained) would have died. Instead, three men in the stands behind Trump were hit. Cory Comperatore was killed.

In the hour before Trump was shot, officials missed opportunities to foil the attempted assignation. Here is one you probably have not heard speculated. When the killer was spotted on a roof, a local policeman was helped by a fellow officer to reach the edge of the roof. He was holding on with both hands when the killer turned and pointed the rifle at him. He dropped to the ground. He and his partner immediately got on their “radio” to warn about the shooter. Did they call the Secret Service? No, there was no direct communication connection. So the delay allowed the shooter to fire at Trump.

But suppose, as soon as the policeman dropped to the ground, he would have pulled out his gun and fired several shots into the air. What would have happened? Hearing shots, the Secret Service agents near Trump would have immediately got him on the floor of the stage and laid on top of him.

I don’t know how the 20-year-old would have reacted. But Trump would not have gotten shot.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“If we got one-tenth what was promised to us in these acceptance speeches there wouldn’t be any inducement to want to go to Heaven.” DT #645, Aug. 20, 1928

This is not the same column I started yesterday morning.

A 20-year-old killer at a Trump Rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, tried to change history. Based on what we know now, his first shot nicked Donald Trump’s right ear. Fortunately, Trump had turned his head facing in the general direction of the shooter. If he had been facing the audience… we would likely be noting July 13, 2024 as the date former President and 2024 Republican candidate Donald Trump was assassinated.

The killer apparently fired 3 more shots, killing Cory Comperatore, and severely injuring two other men. Those shots were aimed at Trump, missed him, and hit these three who were unfortunately sitting in the line of fire.

The top leaders of the Secret Service are being blamed for not recognizing the potential for an assassin to shoot from the roof of a building only 160 yards away. And a local police officer climbed a ladder to the roof, engaged with the man, but retreated back to the ground.

Question: have we reached the point in this country where a police officer refuses to shoot a man, who is obviously intending to kill someone, because of public backlash for “killing a guy who had done nothing wrong?”  Also, the two Secret Service snipers appear to be looking in the direction of the killer before he shot Trump. Were they waiting for orders that would allow them to “shoot first?”

With the Republican National Convention starting tomorrow in Milwaukee, let’s look back 100 years.

Will Rogers attended the 1924 Republican Convention in Cleveland. He wrote five “Convention Articles,” June 9-13. President Coolidge was the obvious choice to continue as their candidate. The intrigue was in selecting a V-P. Two prominent Republicans turned it down (Senator Borah of Idaho and Illinois Governor Frank Lowden). On the third ballot, Charles Dawes won the nomination.

Here are a few quotes from Will’s Republican Convention Articles, 1924:

“(Republicans) preach Economy, and here are hundreds of thousands of dollars being wasted to ship all these Delegates to a place to announce something that everybody  in the United States knew six months ago.  He could have been nominated by post card.” 

      “Mr. Mondell in his Chairmanship keynote speech (repeated) the same gag that Mr. Burton finished his with yesterday: ‘We want Republicans that will stick together, not Republicans in name only.’” [probably the first use of RINO]

      “Why at the last Republican Convention [1920] they were days nominating Mr. Harding and just as they were putting on their hats to leave, someone happened to think, ‘Why, we haven’t nominated a Vice President.’ So someone who happened to have read  of  the  Boston  police  strike  suggested  Mr.  Coolidge, so they nominated him that minute, and the others went home to read the next day who he was.”

       “Mr. Coolidge has gained well deserved fame by being our first public official to know when not to say anything.”

Will’s five columns, in their entirety, have more humor (and maybe more valuable information) than anything you will read this week from Milwaukee. I’m tempted to print one a day on Facebook.