Judgegate and the DC Circuit: Alaska has the solution for the problem of biased federal judges

This week, the House Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on the problem of biased federal judges in the D.C. Circuit. The Trump administration has fared poorly before several DC Circuit judges, and there is ample evidence that some judges are biased in favor of the Democratic Party. 

James Howard Kunstler identified five judges as the prime suspects in the Judgegate scandal: James Boasberg, Amy Berman Jackson, Tanya Chutkan, Beryl Howell, and Amir Ali. All five judges were appointed by Democratic presidents, and some have family members who are active in Democratic Party politics.

Assuming the Judiciary Committee concludes that the DC Circuit is a nest of Democratic Party hacks, how do you break up the cabal? After all, federal judges are appointed for life. It is true that federal judges can be impeached; however, as Chief Justice John Roberts pointed out, impeachment is an inappropriate means of addressing biased judges.

Justice Roberts said that the appellate process is the appropriate way to seek redress from politically motivated judicial decisions, but I disagree. Appeals to federal appellate courts can take years to rectify the injustice caused by a politically corrupt judge, and the appellate process is often expensive. 

Of course, a party can file a motion before judges they believe are biased, requesting that they recuse themselves due to a conflict of interest. But who rules on such motions? The judges themselves, and they seldom admit that they are unable to be fair.

Alaska may have a solution to this problem. In the Land of the Midnight Sun, attorneys in the state courts have the right to preemptively request a judge's recusal if they believe the judge might be biased against their client. An attorney isn't required to give a reason for the request, which is automatically granted.

Allowing litigants one free bump of a federal judge won't solve the problem of biased judges in the DC Circuit, but it would be a solid step toward ensuring fairness in the federal courts. After all, if the judges aren't fair and impartial, there is no point in having a judicial system.

Alexander Hurst trashes "Maga-Land" for the Trump-Deranged Guardian

 Of all the Trump-hating media outlets that hate Trump--and there are dozens of them--the Guardian is the most brazen and unprincipled. Thus, I was not surprised to find Alexander Hurst's Trump-bashing opinion piece on the Guardian's website. 

Actually, Hurst wasn't bashing Trump so much as the regions in America where Donald Trump is popular. Hurst was trashing Flyover Country, which he labels as MAGA-land.

Hurst's essay was inspired by a road trip he took with a friend from Washington, DC to New Orleans. He didn't like what he saw: the box stores, convenience stores, and gas stations —miles and miles of sprawl.

Indeed, Hurst despises America's urban and suburban sprawl, which he diagnosed as an expression of Trumpism. "Trumpism, too, has an aesthetic," Hurst writes. "Allow me to pretentiously, subjectively declare it not beautiful. The aesthetic of Trumpism is sprawl."

I found much of Hurst's essay incoherent, despite his inclusion of esoteric references to various sages, including Keats, Saint Augustine, Plato, John Dewey, and Plotinus. However, the essence of his thesis is contained in this condescending passage:

Perhaps there is something authentic to suburban sprawl when experienced as spectator and anthropologist. But as everyday life, sprawl is deadening, ugly, fake. Devoid of art, beauty and truth alike.

To all this blather, I have this to say: Get off the fuckin' Interstate. Yes, the gas stations and convenience stores clustered along the Interstate are unappealing, but where else can I get gasoline and beef jerky?

In any event, anyone who gets off the Interstate highways will find a lovely America, overflowing with charm, authentic regional culture, good food, and fascinating historic architecture. 

Suppose Hurst had explored the Heartland's byways and small towns. In that case, he might have visited William Faulkner's home in Oxford, Mississippi, the birthplace of Elvis Presley in Tupelo, or the site of the Vicksburg siege, where Grant split the Confederacy atwain.

If he had wandered into Texas, he might have viewed the eighteenth-century missions—great examples of Spanish Baroque architecture. Before leaving this old Texas City, he could have eaten barbecue on San Antonio's River Walk or Mexican food at Mi Tierra in the El Mercado District.  

Apparently, Hurst doesn't get out much. He needs to get in his Tesla and explore Flyover Country, which is the real America.

Elvis at 13

Atlantic Editor Inadvertently Included in Top Secret Group Chat of Trump Officials: A Mistake of the Head and not the Heart

If it is a mistake of the head and not the heart, don't worry about it. That's the way we learn.

Earl Warren

 In the evening of my life, I am painfully aware of the mistakes I made when I was young, and I've grown more tolerant of mistakes made by others.

A few weeks ago, someone in the Trump administration. Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic, was inadvertently included in a group chat attended by President Trump's top administrative advisors, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President J.D. Vance, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Director Tulsi Gabbard, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

This elite inner group of Trump's senior advisors was discussing military attacks on Yemen's pesky Houthis, and Goldburg had no business listening in. Oops!

This was a serious mistake, and Trump's enemies pounced. Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democrats' chief jackal, described the error as a "stunning" breach of military intelligence, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called for a congressional investigation. Jeffries also accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of being "the most unqualified person to lead the Pentagon in American history."

Like most Americans, I can distinguish a mistake of the head from a mistake of the heart. Someone obviously goofed in granting Jeffrey Goldberg access to a secret intelligence discussion, but good people occasionally make mistakes in military matters. The United States sent a ship packed with mustard gas to Italy during World War II, which was bombed by the Germans, leading to hideous injuries to American soldiers. Winston Churchill made lots of errors during that war, including a military misadventure in Greece.

When mistakes are made, we must soldier on. President Trump is on the edge of success in bringing the Ukraine war to an end, something President Biden never could have done. And he got American hostages out of Gaza. 

At the end of the day, what's more important, the security breach that allowed a Trump hater to listen in on sensitive military discussions or peace in Eastern Europe?

Slimy Chuck Schumer has one answer to that question, but I have another.

Note: Most of the information cited in this essay is from a Racket News report written by Greg Collard and James Rushmore, titled "Timeline: The Houthi Attack Chat on Signal That Includes a Journalist."

"Social Security is beaking down," claims the Washington Post: Ain't necessarily so

 "Social Security is breaking down," the Washington Post cried out yesterday, and the Democratic National Committee joined in the alarm. "Long waits, waves of calls, website crashes," reads the WaPo subheading. Chaos reigns is the implicit message, all inflicted by Elon Musk.

The WaPo article was an exercise in fear-mongering, intended, I believe, to undermine public support for Elon Musk's efforts to make the federal government more efficient. As one of the millions of older Americans who rely partly on Social Security, I can attest that Social Security is not breaking down.

My wife and I receive our Social Security checks on time every month, and we can easily check our account status on the government's website. What's the problem?

Earlier this month, the Social Security Administration demonstrated its efficiency by the speed with which it implemented the Social Security Fairness Act (SSFA), which Congress passed last December. 

My wife and I are among the 3.2 million retired Americans who contributed to state-sponsored pension plans that did not participate in the Social Security program. Consequently, we were both unfairly penalized when we started drawing our Social Security benefits. 

The Social Security Fairness Act canceled those penalties, and the Social Security Administration distributed our refund checks earlier this month, depositing them directly into our checking accounts. Next month, my wife and I will be receiving our enhanced benefits. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the SSA's alacrity in implementing the SSFA, which was apparently accomplished with a reduced staff.

Some Americans have occasionally been irritated when dealing with the SSA's bureaucracy. Still, I doubt that their frustration was any greater than that of many Americans who stand in line at the Post Office during the Christmas season. All in all, the Social Security Administration probably functions as well or better than other federal agencies.

That is not to say that the Social Security program is without problems. As many commentators have pointed out, the SSA faces a massive funding shortfall in the coming years because Americans are living longer than they did when the Roosevelt administration created the program in 1935.  Sooner or later, Congress will need to find new sources of revenue to support the program.

Nevertheless, the Social Security program is not breaking down, and it was irresponsible for Washington Post reporters to suggest otherwise. 

Image credit: Right at Home

Trump moves student loan administration to the SBA. You got a problem with that?

 Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that 43 percent of borrowers who owe on their student loans weren't making payments. According to the WSJ, that's about 9 million people.

How about the 57 percent of borrowers who aren't delinquent? Are they faithfully making their monthly loan payments and whittling down the principal of their loans?

Not all of them. Approximately 2.5 million borrowers have economic hardship deferments that exempt them from making their monthly loan payments, and millions more are enrolled in Income-Based Repayment plans (IBRPs), which result in payments so low that they don't cover accruing interest. 

The General Accounting Office recently reported that 4.5 million borrowers who were current on their income-driven repayment plans were paying zero on their loans due to their low income. 

In 2018, Education Secretary Betsy Devos gave a speech comparing the federal student loan program to a looming thunderstorm. Only one out of four borrowers, Devos said, were paying down the interest and principal on their loans.

Do you think student loan repayment rates have improved since Secretary Devos made that speech six years ago? No, they haven't. In fact, almost no one paid on their college loans for three years due to the COVID crisis.

Indeed, the federal student loan program is in disarray, mainly due to the Department of Education's mismanagement.  DOE couldn't do a competent job when it was tasked with designing the standardized financial aid (FAFSA) application

Now, President Trump has transferred the administration of the student loan program to the Small Business Administration. If Trump hasn't been sued yet for this move, he will be soon. After all, his administration has been sued more than 100 times during the first two months of Trump's presidency.

Critics should refrain from slamming Trump's efforts to reform the federal student loan program. The only sector of the American economy benefiting from the status quo is the higher education industry, which charges students an exorbitant price for college degrees that often fail to prepare graduates for the world of work. 

Working harder than a one-legged pole dancer: Life in my corner of Flyover Country

 Wilkinson County, Mississippi, is a beautiful part of Flyover Country. Bounded on the west by the Mississippi River, its alluvial soil is incredibly fertile. Trees grow fast here, providing the lumber industry with an endless supply of hardwood timber.

Woodville, the seat of Wilkinson County, is the county's only incorporated community, with a population of under 1,000 people.  Founded in 1811, before the nation was torn apart by the Civil War, it is a classic Southern town. The stately courthouse, with its impressive cupola, sits in the middle of the town square. To Kill a Mockingbird wasn't filmed here, but it might have been.

Woodville boasts the state's oldest newspaper and some of Mississippi's oldest churches. Antebellum homes line Church Street, mostly built in the Greek Revival style, evoking serenity, grace, and understated dignity.

Wilkinson County is the last place one would expect to find a strip club--much less a strip club where the dancers are both topless and bottomless. Yet, until recently, Illusions, a gentlemen's club, did a thriving business on Highway 61, just outside the Woodville city limits.

According to local lore, investors in the club circulated a petition in support of an application for a resort license, which would allow the establishment to sell alcohol. Imagine the townspeople's surprise when they discovered that their signatures had paved the way for commercial nudity!

Several sources confirm that one of Illusion's strippers had a prosthetic leg, which gave her pole dances an especially exotic appeal. Did she do lap dances? No one  I talked with has given me a definitive answer.

Not surprisingly, Woodville's religious leaders were scandalized. I am told that a Protestant preacher read the names of people who signed the petition in support of the new business, which included several church deacons. A Pentecostal group picketed the club for a time, apparently without discouraging its customers.  

The East Coast elites are contemptuous of Flyover Country, which they consider to be a wasteland of Trump supporters and utterly devoid of culture. But they are wrong. 

Woodville has its own brand of diversity, encompassing diversity of race, diversity of religion, and diversity of culture. Lake Mary, where I live, is home to some of the world's most beautiful waterbirds, including white ibises, wood storks, green herons, snowy egrets, and many more.

Illusions closed before I had the opportunity to see the Pentecostal pickets or the one-legged stripper. Yesterday, however, I spotted a bald eagle while driving along Route 24 west of Woodville. The majestic bird was on the wing, fending off an aerial attack by crows. Yes, according to the Audubon website, crows are known for harassing bald eagles.

I once lived in Greater Boston, the epicenter of East Coast snobbery and elitism. I attended Harvard to get a doctorate and often walked the streets around Harvard Square.

I expected Harvard to be a glittering intellectual Camelot, which would open new vistas of opportunity for me. I was surprised by the grubbiness of the neighborhoods around the university and the town of Boston in general. I was shocked by the provincial perspective of most Bostonians, who seemed to prefer a leftist political viewpoint to independent thought.

How impoverished are the lives of the Bostonians! I'll bet most of them have never seen a one-legged pole dancer or a majestic eagle fighting off crows over the hardwood forests of the lower Mississippi Valley. 

I pity the coastal dwellers who disparage Flyover Country; they may never know the richness of life in the real America.

Why Kindness Might Be the Secret to Your Next Big Breakthrough: Guest essay by Steve Rhode

Why Kindness Might Be the Secret to Your Next Big Breakthrough

The smallest act of kindness—whether given or received—can change everything. Here’s why your next big breakthrough might be just one kind moment away. 

We’re often told that breakthroughs come from hard work, persistence, and never giving up. And while that’s true, there’s another key ingredient that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: kindness. 

Not just kindness to others, but also kindness to yourself.

The Power of a Single Act

This isn't some feel-good lecture. It's just an observation. I have seen kindness work in my life and in the lives of others, and I know it makes a difference. No guilt trips here, just something to think about.

Think about a time when someone’s unexpected kindness changed your day or even your life. Maybe it was a stranger who covered your coffee when you forgot your wallet. A mentor who gave you a shot when you did not have the experience. A friend who sent a message at just the right moment to remind you that you were not alone.

One small act. One moment of human connection. And yet, it shifted everything. Like the time I was having a terrible day, and a complete stranger held the door for me, smiled, and said, "Hope your day gets better." In that instant, the weight I had been carrying felt just a little lighter. It was such a small thing, but I carried that warmth with me all day. Sometimes, it really is the little things that make the biggest difference.

But here is what everyone misses. We think success is all about pushing forward, but what if the real breakthrough comes from pausing and offering kindness instead? The biggest breakthroughs do not always come from hustling harder. Sometimes, they come from the simplest act of grace, either given or received.

We Have All Been Through Tough Times

It is easy to assume that kindness is something extra, something reserved for when life is going smoothly. But the truth is, we have all lived through tough times. Mine might not have been worse than yours, but they sure felt pretty bad at the time.

I once lived in a mobile home in Louisiana, sitting in a field with no power. The place was not level, so everything rolled off the counter. Looking back now, it does make me chuckle, but at the time, it was not so funny. It taught me something important though. Hard times do not last, but how we treat ourselves and others during those times stays with us. Even in the middle of frustration, a little kindness, whether from others or from myself, helped me keep going.

Lifting Others Lifts Us Too

I have found that my life is richer when I get paid in smiles. The smallest acts, a kind word, a quick compliment, or just being present, can be priceless.

We have all been down, but that does not mean we cannot lift people up every opportunity we get. Simple things can make someone's day. Yesterday, I offered up a nice hat comment to a guy who was looking pretty sad. He gave me a big smile and a heartfelt thank you. The little things can matter more than we realize.

Can you think of a time when someone lifted you up for free when you least expected it?

The Downside of Kindness?

You might be thinking, "What is the downside of kindness?" After all, it is free, it feels good, and it helps others. But here is the twist. Kindness can sometimes go unnoticed, unappreciated, or even rejected. You hold the door for someone, and they do not say thanks. You compliment a coworker, and they brush it off. Does that mean it was not worth it? Not at all.

I remember a time when I went out of my way to help someone who was struggling. I offered advice, checked in, really tried to be there for them. And you know what? They never acknowledged it. No "thank you," no sign that it even mattered. At first, I felt a little stung, wondering if I had wasted my energy. But looking back, I realize that kindness is not about the reaction, it is about the action itself. Maybe they were not in a place to receive it at the time. Maybe it meant more to them than I will ever know. Either way, I know I did the right thing, and that is what counts.

Kindness is not about keeping score. It is about showing up in a way that reflects who you are, not how others react. Sometimes, the people who need kindness the most do not know how to receive it. And that is okay. Because at the end of the day, every act of kindness, whether acknowledged or not, adds something good to the world. And that is never wasted.

Kindness as a Writer

Kindness is not just about what we do in person. It is something we can extend through our words too. As a writer, a single sentence can change someone’s perspective, offer them hope, or make them feel seen. Think about the books, articles, or even comments that have stuck with you over the years. Odds are, they were not just full of information. They carried a sense of humanity and understanding.

Even a simple message, like telling a struggling writer that their work matters, leaving a thoughtful comment on someone’s post, or sharing an encouraging story, can have a bigger impact than you realize. If you have ever received a kind word at just the right time, you know how powerful that can be.

Here is a challenge. Take a moment today to write one kind comment, on a blog, social media post, or even in a message to a friend. See what happens. You might just make someone’s day.

Kindness as a Catalyst

• Kindness opens doors. People remember those who treat them well. A single moment of generosity can lead to opportunities you never saw coming.

• Kindness builds resilience. It is easy to be hard on yourself when things are not going right. But offering yourself kindness, accepting that you are human, helps you keep going.

• Kindness heals. Whether it is past wounds, self doubt, or strained relationships, kindness has a way of softening the edges and creating space for growth.

What If Your Breakthrough Is One Kindness Away?

If you feel stuck right now, ask yourself.

• Who in your life needs encouragement today?

• Where can you show unexpected kindness?

• Are you being as kind to yourself as you would be to a friend in your situation?

So many of the life changing moments we crave, new opportunities, deeper relationships, even a sense of peace, are not just about grinding harder. They are about slowing down long enough to extend kindness.

And sometimes, that one moment of kindness is the very thing standing between you and your next big breakthrough.

Who needs your kindness today? Maybe it is the barista who looks exhausted, the coworker drowning in stress, or the neighbor you barely know. A simple "Hey, I appreciate you" or "That is a great shirt" might be all it takes to turn their day around. Try it and see what happens.

And if you need a little bit of kindness right now, if you are reading this, you are taking a moment to invest in yourself and seeking a way to be better. That is pretty damn terrific. Good for you.

*****

Steve's essay was originally posted on Get Out of Day. I recommend that you subscribe.

Louisiana executed Jessie Hoffman Jr. last night: The State killed him twice

 The State of Louisiana executed Jessie Hoffman Jr last night in Angola Prison's death chamber. He was killed with nitrogen gas after his lawyers lost a last-minute appeal arguing that the execution method was cruel and unusual.

If anyone deserved the death penalty, it was Mr. Hoffman. He kidnapped, raped, and murdered a young woman in 1996.

Nevertheless, it is unconscionable for Louisiana to confine someone on death row for decades before killing him. As Pope Francis observed, a life sentence is a death sentence. 

In essence, then, the state of Louisiana executed Hoffman twice: First, by confining him for more than a quarter of a century as a death row inmate and a second time by injecting him with nitrogen gas.

In my humble opinion, that's a cruel and unusual punishment.

The Ukraine war will end this year and someone will get the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping it

After three years of fighting, Ukraine's war with Russia is at a stalemate, Russia controls about 20 percent of Ukraine, and the Ukrainians can't drive them out.

Last August, in a surprise move, Ukrainians staged what the Western media called an incursion into the Kursk region of Russia and captured about 500 square miles of Russian territory. The United States, Ukraine's closest ally, claimed to be surprised by this move, but I suspect the Americans helped plan this mini-invasion. 

Ukraine hoped to use the captured territory as a bargaining chip to improve its position during peace talks, which were bound to occur sooner or later. Unfortunately for the Ukrainians, the Kursk invasion brought North Korean troops into the war as Russian allies, and now Russia has pushed the Ukrainians out of Russian territory. 

President Trump has pushed aggressively to end the Ukraine war--this "ridiculous war," as Trump has described it. He's taken a lot of heat from Democratic politicians and the Trump-hating media for his efforts. His enemies at home would rather continue the senseless bloodshed than allow Trump to get credit for brokering a peace deal.

Trump may have made some tactical errors in his vigorous efforts to push Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to the bargaining table. Trump cut off arms shipments to Ukraine for a short time, giving his enemies an opening to accuse Trump of being Russia's ally. 

Nevertheless, Trump's diplomatic pressure, asserted against both Ukraine and Russia, has changed the dynamics of the conflict. This war will end before the year is out.

Ukraine and its allies must face the fact that Russia will control Crimea and much of the Donbas region when this war is over. Crimea has been part of Russia since the 18th century,  and Russia has critical military installations there. Moreover, Russia must control the Sea of Azov and at least part of the Donbas to safeguard its supply line from the Russian Motherland to the Crimean peninsula.

The sooner the warring nations reach a peace deal, the fewer young soldiers will die in this nonsensical conflict.  I predict someone involved in bringing peace negotiations to fruition will be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

However, it will not be President Trump. The leftist media, afflicted with a terminal case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, would never allow it.

Cover of Crimean Blunder by Pete Gibbs. Image credit: Amazon 

WaPo Columnist Catherine Rampell accuses Trump of pushing Americans to become subsistence farmers: I can think of worse things to be

Egg prices are up all over the U.S. primarily due to bird flu, which forced chicken farmers to liquidate their poultry. However, prices will come down soon because if there is anything Americans know how to do, it's mass-producing chickens.

Nevertheless, the Trump administration feels compelled to address this short-term crisis because the President promised to lower food prices. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins off-handly suggested that people should raise their own chickens.

Catherine Rampell, a Washington Post op-ed columnist, jumped on this casual remark, accusing Trump of urging Americans to go back to subsistence farming. I have a few bones to pick with her arguments.

First, the Trump administration is not pushing Americans to become subsistence farmers, and it was disingenuous for Rampell to say that it did.

Second, Ag Secretary Rollins's suggestion that people raise chickens for home consumption is not a bad idea. Rampell pointed out that some cities ban townspeople from raising livestock on residential property, but that's not universally true. People are raising chickens in their backyards all over America.

A young relative of mine raised chickens at his suburban home in upstate New York for several years. His family obtained all the eggs they needed from just six chickens. I ate some of those eggs, which tasted delicious--much better than store-bought eggs.

Rampell's essay throws cold water on the notion that Americans should grow their own food. "The fact that we humans don't have to spend all our time growing our own sustenance, and can instead specialize in other fields where we're more productive is a tremendous victory for our species," she writes. Indeed, Rampell argues, "Our post-agrarian society has allowed Americans to lead richer, healthier, longer, more leisure-filled lives."

I disagree. Over my life, I've known a few people who grew most of their food from backyard gardens.  I think their lives were just as rich as those of urban dwellers who bought all their groceries from Whole Foods. And home gardeners, I feel sure, are as healthy as people who don't cultivate anything besides a marijuana plant.

Let's not go hating on the notion that people should be encouraged to grow some of their food. During World War II, roughly half of American households tended victory gardens, which provided 40 percent of the nation's wartime vegetable supply. During the 900-day siege of Leningrad, people grew gardens in parks and public places to fight off famine.

My father was a wheat farmer and cattleman, and I spent many weary hours driving a tractor on hot summer days. I experienced enough farm life to know I didn't want to be a farmer. I wound up being a college professor.

Nevertheless, if I were given a choice between tending my garden on a sweltering summer afternoon and attending a university faculty meeting, my decision would be easy. I would much rather weed my vegetable patch than sit through a tedious academic discussion in an air-conditioned university conference room. There are worse ways to spend a day than tending a garden.

Not the best of all possible worlds: A litany of distressing news in my local newspaper

 This morning, I scanned my local newspaper as I sipped my first cup of coffee and was slammed with a litany of depressingly lousy news. 

First, Anthony Robinson, a 17-year-old high school student, was shot and killed just after getting off a school bus. The police arrested a 16-year-old and charged him with first-degree murder. 

Second, the Baton Rouge police charged a third student with felony hazing after Caleb Wilson, a fraternity pledge at Southern University, died from injuries he received during a hazing ceremony.

Third, a federal judge halted the scheduled execution of Jessie Hoffman Jr., a convicted murderer, to consider Hoffman's argument that execution by nitrogen gas constitutes "cruel and unusual punishment" in violation of his constitutional rights.

And there's more. Ashley Lights, a 39-year-old mother, was arraigned on charges of criminal abortion for reportedly giving her teenage daughter abortion-inducing drugs that Lights ordered online from New York.

All these news stories are depressing, but they're particularly dispiriting because they highlight our society's inability to solve our most profound and pervasive social problems.

The United States has struggled with the issue of school violence since the Columbine school massacre more than 25 years ago. Yet a 16-year-old Baton Rouge kid was apparently able to obtain a loaded pistol and gun down a high school student.

Louisiana strengthened its anti-hazing law after Max Gruver, an LSU fraternity pledge, died of alcohol poisoning in 2017. One LSU student was sentenced to prison for negligent homicide in the wake of that tragedy, but fraternity hazing continues in Louisiana.

And then there's the ongoing litigation to stop capital punishment in this country, which has stretched out over decades while more than 2,000 men and a few women sit on death row.

I'm adamantly opposed to the death penalty for one reason: the practice brutalizes our society. Nevertheless, I don't understand why one man's execution is delayed in Louisiana to determine whether death by nitrogen gas is unconstitutional while a man in South Carolina is executed by a firing squad.

I'm also troubled about the criminal case against Ashley Lights, the mother who allegedly obtained abortion-inducing drugs from a state where such drugs are legal and then gave them to her daughter in Louisiana, where abortion is a crime.

Like most Americans, I believe abortion is wrong, but I'm sympathetic to women caught in desperate circumstances or who become pregnant through incest or rape. The prosecution would not want me on the jury if Ms. Lights's case goes to trial.

Most of the issues highlighted in my morning newspaper will be resolved in the courts, but the larger issues that these cases symbolize will continue to fester for many years. These events remind me that I do not live in the best of all possible worlds and that my puny efforts will do little to make the world a better place.

Voltaire is right to remind us that all we can do in this world of violence and injustice is cultivate our gardens.

My spring garden is planted in tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, and popcorn. If my popcorn is a success, I can at least take comfort in knowing that my homegrown popcorn is better than Orville Redenbacher's.

Jesse Hoffman Jr., scheduled for execution on March 18

90 second movie review: The Brutalist is a fine movie with a few flaws

 The Brutalist, a period drama that takes place in the aftermath of World War II, stars Adrien Brody, who plays a Hungarian Jewish Holocaust survivor. Film critics have widely praised the movie, which garnered ten Academy Award nominations and won three Oscars, including Brody's award for Best Actor.

Brody's Oscar is well deserved. Brody plays the character of Laszlo Toth, a Hungarian architect who emigrates from Germany to the United States after surviving the Buchenwald concentration camp.  Traumatized by the Holocaust and separated from his wife, Toth struggles against various obstacles, including antisemitic prejudice, until Harrison Van Buren, a wealthy industrialist played by Guy Pearce, hires him to create a monumental structure in a small Pennsylvania town to commemorate Van Buren'sdeceased mother.

Toth's anguish and pain are perfectly portrayed on Brody's tortured face, along with his pent-up anger, which Toth displays from time to time throughout the film. Indeed, the energy in Brody's performance carries the entire movie.

Nevertheless, The Brutalist has a few flaws. First, the movie is far too long--three and a half hours, so long that it includes an intermission. Gone with Wind needed an intermission. Doctor Zhivago needed an intermission, The Brutalist needed to be shorter.

Second, Director Brady Corbet included some scenes that added nothing to the movie except gratuitous shock value. Van Buren, Toth's wealthy patron, rapes Toth in Italy.  The audience already knew that Van Buren was a creep. The rape scene should have been cut.

Finally, the film's title, The Brutalist,  links Toth's architectural style with Brutalist architecture, but that association was probably unclear to most moviegoers. Perhaps Corbet sensed this and included an epilogue in which Toth's niece explains that Toth's Brutalist architectural design was Toth's way of processing his traumatic experience at Buchenwald. The film would have been stronger if Corbet had connected Toth's trauma to his Brutalist architectural style earlier in the movie.

All told, The Brutalist is a fine movie. Laszlo Toth, Brody's chain-smoking, grief-stricken, agonized character, compellingly displayed the lifelong damage of trauma for those who survive it. Toth drew on his creative architectural talents as a way of coping with his psychic injuries, but, like every victim of profound trauma and violence, he never recovered from the pain. 

Buchenwald Concentration Camp. Photo credit: West Virginia University.

People die too soon in Flyover Country: Do the Democrats care?

 The New York Times published a story a few days ago about Sam Runyon, a homecare nurse in Mingo County, West Virginia. Eli Saslow, a Times reporter, accompanied Ms. Runyon on her home visits to several working-age people suffering from chronic diseases.

Runyon's patients suffered from such illnesses as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, liver disease, and kidney disease. These chronic afflictions are reducing life expectancy in Wingo County and working-class communities nationwide.

Indeed, Wingo County is typical of rural, low-income communities across America, where life expectancy has gone down dramatically over the past twenty years due to a rising rate of chronic disease, drug addiction, and suicide. Americans spend more money on health care than any nation in the world, but they don't live as long as people in other developed countries.

As Saslow pointed out, Wingo County was once solidly Democratic, but 85 percent of the county's voters cast their ballots for Trump in the last presidential election. Statewide, Trump carried West Virginia by a margin of 40 percent. 

Poor and working-class Americans living in Flyover Country don't live as long as their parents did, and millions spend the last decades of their lives suffering from chronic diseases. The Democratic Party doesn't seem to care. 

If they cared, they wouldn't have given Robert F. Kennedy such a hostile reception during his Senate confirmation hearing. Kennedy has spoken out tirelessly on health issues for many years, raising the alarm about the American diet of ultra-processed food and the overconsumption of sugar.

 Kennedy was the perfect choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Nevertheless, Democrats tried to paint Kennedy as an opportunist whose stance on health issues was based on greed. Not a single Democrat voted to confirm him.

The Democrats have abandoned Flyover Country, and Flyover Country has abandoned the Democrats. The Dems fuss and fume over President Trump's policies, but their disdainful attitude toward the American working class handed Trump his victory. 

In my opinion, the Democrats have lost their core constituency forever and will never get it back. An effective political party may rise up to oppose Trumpism, but it will not be the Democratic Party of the coastal elites.

Photo credit: Erin Schaff/New York Times

Democrats dig in on transgender sports: Are they nuts?

 President Trump gave a speech to a joint session of Congress last night while Democratic legislators sulked in their seats, looking very much like small children who didn't get what they wanted for Christmas. Nancy Pelosi appeared particularly unhappy. She wore a sullen expression, angry perhaps that no one gave her a copy of Trump's speech to tear up.

The Dems are digging in, making it clear to Americans that they hate President Trump and will resist anything he tries to accomplish. Like lemmings rushing to the sea, they are scurrying toward total irrelevance. 

Nowhere is the Democrats' urge to commit collective suicide more apparent than their opposition to Trump's efforts to ban boys from participating in girls' sporting events. The vast majority of Americans think it's nuts for a boy to be allowed to compete against girls simply because he identifies as female. 

Forty-five Democrats in the U.S. Senate filibustered against a Republican-written bill that would bar transgender athletes from female sports teams--a bill that was supported by a majority of legislators in both houses of Congress. Not a single Senate Democrat voted to allow the bill to go forward for an up-or-down vote.

Sixteen Democratic senators are women, and 15 joined the filibuster, which is astonishing. Do any of these female senators have daughters or granddaughters who participate in girls' sports? If so, how can they oppose a law banning biological boys from competing against girls at school athletic events?

My granddaughter plays soccer on her high school's varsity team. She could get hurt if she were forced to compete against a transgender six-footer.

I hope voters remember that 15 Democratic women in the U.S. Senate voted to stall the bill that would bar transgenders from playing on girl's school sports teams. They should all be voted out of office.

Angela Alsobrooks (MD)

Tammy Baldwin (WI)

Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE)

Maria Cantwell (WA)

Catherine Cortez Masto (NV)

Tammy Duckworth (ILL)

Kirsten Gillibrand

Maggie Hassan (NH)

Mazie Hirono (HI)

Amy Klobuchar 

Patty Murray (WA)

Jacky Rosen (NV)

Jeanne Shaheen (NH)

Tina Smith (MN)

Elizabeth Warren (MA)

The list of 45 Democratic senators who filibustered the bill banning transgenders from competing against girls in school sports.

"The status quo sucks." Trump's enemies would rather prolong the Ukraine war than let Trump get credit for ending it.

 Someday, the Ukraine war will end, and the outcome is predictable. Russia will retain Crimea and much of the Donbas. Ukraine will not join NATO but will get security guarantees from the United States and many Western European countries. Russia will promise not to invade its Western neighbors again.

The war can end now on these terms, or the war can stretch on for several years. In the end, however, after the killing has stopped, Russia will hold Crimea and much of the Donbas.

President Trump moved the peace process forward by forcing Ukrainian President Zelensky to face reality. The U.S. is not going to prop up the Ukraine military forever. 

Trump also pressured the Europeans to take more responsibility for their defense and actively participate in peace negotiations. Indeed, the Europeans recently put forward their own peace proposal.

In the U.S., the slimy D.C. swamp dwellers are doing all they can to prevent Trump from getting a peace deal. As I wrote yesterday, President Zelensky met with Senator Chris Murphy only a few minutes before going to the Oval Office to sign a mineral rights agreement with President Trump.

I do not know what was said between Zelensky and Senator Murphy, but the upshot of that meeting was that Zelensky went to the Oval Office, spoke rudely to President Trump, and refused to sign the mineral rights deal.

President Trump's political enemies, led by Senators Murphy, Blumenthal, and Schumer, prefer the status quo in Ukraine to peace. But, as the comedian George Carlin once remarked, "The status quo sucks."

Most Americans support President Trump's efforts to bring peace to Ukraine. If his efforts fail, they will place the blame where it belongs--on the insidious Democrats in the U.S. Senate.

As for Zelensky, he needs to realize that he will be jeopardizing his own safety if the war drags on. Russia launched a new hypersonic missile into Ukraine a while back, a weapon that the Russians claim is nearly impervious to Ukraine's anti-missile defenses. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he might aim his new missile at "decision-making centers" in Ukraine. What do you suppose he meant by that remark?

Senator Chris Murphy plays the demagogue. Photo credit: The Irish Times

Did Senator Chris Murphy sabotage President Trump's Oval Office meeting with President Zelensky to sign an important mineral rights agreement?

 Like an overprotective mother comforting a spoiled child, progressive Democratic politicians were quick to comfort President Vladimir Zelensky after his acrimonious meeting with President Trump last week. 

As widely reported, Zelensky appeared at the Oval Office to sign a mineral rights deal that would pave the way for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Zelenski behaved disrespectfully toward President Trump, and the mineral agreement didn't get signed. Indeed, the President sent Zelensky packing without feeding him lunch.

Senator Bernie Sanders, who never misses an opportunity to show Americans he's a grumpy, superfluous old geezer, said Americans are "embarrassed" and "ashamed' of President Trump for the way the President is handling the Ukraine war. Senator Chuck Schumer accused Trump of "doing Putin's dirty work," disingenuously implying that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are allies in the Ukraine war.

Senator Chris Murphy, whose attack on President Trump verged on hysteria, said this:

[Trump's Oval Office meeting with Zelensky] "was a planned ambush designed to embarrass President Zelensky to benefit Vladimir Putin. That was an embarrassment. That was an abomination. What you watched was American power being destroyed in the world as everybody watches President Trump become a lapdog for a brutal dictator in Moscow.

Indeed, Senator  Murphy may have deliberately undermined President Trump's effort to bring peace to Ukraine when he and perhaps some other Democratic senators met privately with Zelensky just minutes before the Russian president's scheduled meeting with Trump and Vice President Vance. 

According to the New York Post, Senator Murphy may have encouraged the Ukrainian president not to sign the mineral deal, which was the chief reason Zelensky was slated to meet with President Trump less than an hour later.

If the Post's surmise is accurate, then Senator Murphy used his meeting with Zelensky to undermine the Trump administration's diplomatic efforts to end three years of bloodshed in Ukraine.

In my view, Zelensky is a scoundrel, and Senator Murphy is a sneak. I would like to see the Ukrainians kick Zelensky out of office and the U.S. Senate censor Senator Murphy for attempting to sabotage Trump's noble effort to bring peace to Eastern Europe.

Thuggery afoot in Washington, DC

Reality bites: Trump and Vance aren't buying Zelensky's Joan of Arc routine

Yesterday, President Vladimir Zelenskyy arrived at the White House to sign a mineral rights deal with the United States. This deal was intended to be a prelude to a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, and the media was on hand in the Oval Office for the signing.

Zelensky apparently saw the event as an opportunity to chide the Americans for what he regarded as inadequate support for his nation in its war with Russia. Thus, the little Ukrainian showed up at the Oval Office wearing his signature pajama combat fatigues and a What-have-you-done-for-me-lately attitude. Zelensky told President Trump and Vice President Vance that he wanted to end Ukraine's war with Russia but only on his terms, which included an open-ended American security guarantee for Ukraine in perpetuity.

Unfortunately, Zelensky overplayed his hand. The meeting imploded in heated recriminations, and Zelensky left the White House without signing the mineral rights agreement. 

The Democrats--never known to pass up an opportunity to bash Trump--chastised the President for mishandling the meeting and for failing to fully back Ukraine in its war with Russia. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy bluntly accused Trump of being "a lapdog" for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Here's my take on this imbroglio. First, the Trump White House should not have allowed the media to view the mineral rights signing event, given the possibility that Zelensky would go off script and embarrass the President.

Second, as several commentators noted, Zelensky failed to read the room. He woefully miscalculated when he lectured President Trump and VP Vance in front of the TV cameras.

Nevertheless, this little kerfuffle will blow over, and the Trump administration will eventually get a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Negotiations often have heated moments when one party or the other breaks off talks and stalks out of the room. Nevertheless, as football coach Darell Royal famously observed, you gotta dance with who brung you. Zelensky arrived at the Russian war with the U.S. by his side. Put another way, President Trump pays the orchestra, and he gets to call the tune.

"Laws are like sausages,' Otto Bismark is said to have remarked. "It is best not to see them being made.” For good or ill, Americans and the world got a glimpse of the messy negotiations to end Ukraine's disastrous war with Russia. We saw how the sausages get made, and it wasn't pretty.

I have confidence in Trump and Vance to end the bloody conflict in Ukraine. I believe a patriot must support our President as he tries to to bring peace and security to Europe.

Now is the time for the Democrats to set rancor aside and support Donald Trump as he deals with Zelensky and Russian President Putin. To undermine our popularly elected President during these delicate peace negotiations is to promote more bloodshed; in my mind, it is treason.