The Global Impact Of The Iran War

According to brics.br:

The BRICS is a group formed by eleven countries: Brasil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran. It serves as a political and diplomatic coordination forum for countries from the Global South and for coordination in the most diverse areas.

Basically, this is Russia and China’s attempt to move oil trade away from the U.S. dollar, and some of our ‘friends’ are playing both sides. Well, the war on Iran has had a serious negative impact on BRICS.

On Tuesday, The Conservative Treehouse reported:

Consider the severe economic body blows to China in the past 14 months.

♦ First blow, the Trump tariffs hit Beijing hardest. ♦ Second blow, the Beijing tentacle on the Panama Canal is severed.  ♦ Third blow, global tariff threats changed the risk dynamic for southeast Asia countries who acted as transnational shippers for China. ♦ Fourth blow, cheap sanctioned oil from Venezuela was cut-off. ♦ Now, the fifth blow; cheap, sanctioned Iranian oil is disrupted.

As noted by Politico: Following USA military strikes, “ships have begun to avoid the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran — a critical shipping lane for Gulf nations to export oil to Asia. China in 2025 received about half of its imported oil from the six Gulf countries that rely on the strait. Other large crude oil producers in the region — including Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates — transport almost all their crude exports through the geographic bottleneck.

The article includes this chart from Politico:

The article notes:

With Iranian oil removed from the non-petro supply chain, the only remaining non-petro oil producer is Russia – who is simultaneously hit with a loss in military hardware support.  China may end up as a larger oil customer to Russia, but at what price and in what payment structure.

With global oil supplies in a state of flux, and with the USA in control of the oil flow from Venezuela, North America is certainly in the best position for minimal energy disruption.

Asia is heavily dependent on oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, and the majority of Europe has already shut themselves off from Russian oil production, putting themselves in a position of dependency to the global markets.  The short-term ramifications of this oil disruption hit China, Southeast Asia, Japan and Europe particularly hard.

“OPEC+ countries affirmed on Sunday that they would boost oil production starting in April by 206,000 barrels daily — a modest increase intended to dampen the war’s effect on prices down the road. The majority of the increase would come from Saudi Arabia and Russia.” {SOURCE}

As usual, President Trump is playing chess while much of the world is playing checkers.

I Didn’t Pay To Be An Ally Of Iran

On March 5th, Hot Air posted an article about the changing alliances in the Middle East. There are a lot of reasons for those changes–economic, political, and reading the writing on the wall. In an effort to expand the war and apply pressure against Israel, Iran has attacked Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, and Iraq. Those attacks have not had the desired effect–in fact in many cases those countries have now quietly or openly aligned with Israel. I wonder if these countries are grateful that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon.

The article reports:

Donald Trump is breaking the post-Cold War assumptions in foreign policy and rewriting the strategic rules. Campus radicals in America, and antisemitic professors and transnational elites are much more hostile to Israel than Saudi Arabia or even Qatar.

The international establishment can’t wrap its head around the new reality, nor the opportunities that the changes in strategic alliances promise.

Winning the Iran war, or whatever you want to call it, has the potential to reshape the Middle East for decades to come. Especially if the new Iranian regime is relatively moderate, as we can hope, if not expect, yet.

In the1970s the Middle East was divided between Arab states hostile to Israel and an alliance of Israel, Iran, and the United States. Since the Iranian revolution, the Arab states remained enemies with Iran, had reasonable relations with the US, and a mostly hostile peace with Israel.

Could we soon see a new alignment, with Israel, the Arab states, and even Iran coexisting well together?

We can hope.

The Abraham Accords were the beginning of this process. We could be looking at a peaceful Middle East. It has been a long time since that happened.

When Elected Officials Endanger Americans

On Wednesday, Legal Insurrection posted an article about Abdul Jalloh, an illegal immigrant accused of killing Stephanie Minter, 41, at a Virginia bus stop on February 23rd. Aside from the fact that he was in the country illegally, Abdul Jalloh had a record of violent crimes.

The article reports:

Mr. Jalloh has more than 40 past charges, and almost every case, Descano’s (Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano) office dropped those charges and released this illegal immigrant, violent offender, back into the community, and they had a warning from the police department.

The article concludes:

7News found Jalloh has more than 40 past charges in Fairfax County, ranging from rape to assault, and in almost every case, Descano’s office dropped the charges.

An email of a bond alert from August 2025 from a Fairfax County police employee to Assistant Chief Brooke Wright, which says Jalloh: has had over 100 involvements with FCPD over the years, resulting in multiple charges and arrests, spanning from theft to violent crimes against persons. JALLOH’s offenses began with domestic violence incidents and escalated to assaulting other victims and threats with weapons (knives). He has been involved in multiple stabbing incidents with victims identifying him as the offender in these cases. This year JALLOH has been the offender in a malicious wounding where he stabbed a man in May 2025, in which he received a bond on July 31, 2025— three weeks later, this incident occurred where he assaulted an older male and stomped his head into the ground.

I bet the police department lost its mind when Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said she would not honor an ICE detainer for Jollah. She told DHS to get a judicial warrant.

*sigh*

ICE does not need a warrant unless a judge finds probable cause that a federal crime was committed.

I wonder if the people in Virginia regret their vote for governor yet. This is certainly a textbook case for deporting illegal aliens who commit crimes THE FIRST TIME they are arrested.

Changing Taxes For The Better

In 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed. It reads:

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

The idea of a permanent income tax was sold as something that would only affect the extremely rich and the average America would not be touched by it. Later that year Congress enacted the Revenue Act of 1913. The tax ranged from 1% on income exceeding $3,000 to 7% on incomes exceeding $500,000. Today, the rate of tax increases according to the amount of income–the more you make, the higher percentage you pay.

According to smartasset (2025 study):

The top 1% of earners across the U.S. earn an average of 19.5% of all income – sometimes garnering criticism from pundits and politicians – but pay 37% of total income taxes.

The way to balance the burden of taxes so that it would be shouldered equally would be tax consumption rather than income. Everyone would share the burden.

On March 4th, The Missouri Independent reported:

On a party-line vote, a Missouri House committee approved the bill putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot to allow expanded sales tax to supplant income tax

A sales tax is a consumption tax.

The article notes:

The income tax generated about 65% of the state’s annual general revenue receipts in fiscal year 2025, which were $13.4 billion in the year that ended June 30. 

The proposal, if passed by the General Assembly, would go on the ballot in August or November. It would give lawmakers three years to expand the sales tax to “all goods and services” and eliminate exemptions to raise enough revenue to replace the income tax without having to seek another statewide vote. 

The current state sales tax is 3% for general revenue, plus 1.225% earmarked for public schools, conservation, state parks and soil conservation. Local option sales taxes add to the 4.225% total, and there are more than 50 locations in the state where the total sales tax is 11% or higher.

Matching the current revenue from the individual income tax without expanding the transactions that are taxed would require raising the state sales tax to nearly 13%.

The proposal would allow sales tax on motor fuel for the first time. It would also exempt revenue from sales tax on fuel from a constitutional provision dedicating all taxes on gasoline and diesel to highway needs.

Missourians will reject the plan, Democrats said during committee debate.

“They’re already worried about the current budget and the cost of living,” state Rep. Pattie Mansur, a Kansas City Democrat. “They’re concerned about essential programs that are being cut now. The building has been full of people the last couple of weeks worrying about this. No one is asking for the elimination of state income tax.”

Republicans responded by saying the proposal will test what voters want and make the legislature conform to that.

“This really does nothing but go to the voters and say, ‘Do you want to change the system and try a new approach’,” said House Speaker Jon Patterson, a Republican from Lee’s Summit who is sponsoring the proposal. 

With a consumption tax, there is no need for an Internal Revenue Service, and earnings received ‘under the table’ are taxed when they are spent. It also limits government control of taxpayer behavior. It will be interesting to watch the campaign on this issue.

Out Of Touch Again

The  Democrats are clutching their pearls over President Trump’s being part of the Israeli attack on Iran. When Nancy Pelosi was Speaker of the House, she defended President Obama’s attack on Libya as constitutional. Now she is singing a different tune. Meanwhile, there are an awful lot of people in the world rejoicing at the death of a very evil leader.

On Tuesday, Behind the Black reported:

Without doubt there remain great risks and real constitutional issues involved the present military campaign by both the United States and Israel to destroy the Islamic leadership in Iran. First, it is almost impossible to force a change in power solely by air power. This has been tried numerous times, with little success. Killing the leaders of this terrorist Iranian government is a positive step, but it remains entirely unclear whether this war can produce a better government there.

Second, as much as there might be legal precedents that allow President Trump to initiate this action without direct congressional approval, it continues a dangerous trend ceding power away from Congress and to the presidency, in direct opposition to the intentions of the Founding Fathers in their writing of the Constitution. They very much were opposed to giving any president the power to start a war unilaterally.

Having stated the reasonable objections to this military action, however, we must now take a look at the two images to the right to see its immediate and very positive consequences. Both pictures are from videos of very spontaneous demonstrations on February 28, 2026 by Iranian refugees celebrating the American/Israeli attacks against Iran.

Did you ever think you would see the American, Iranian, and Israeli flag together at a celebration?

The article notes:

Moreover, these demonstrations took place in two Democratic Party strongholds, cities where pro-Hamas demonstrations have been routine, including rioting and violence against Jews and anyone who dared suggest Israel’s actions in Gaza might be justified.

Nor are these two demonstrations an exception. They have been the rule across the United States and Europe, as well as in Iran itself. The public — the ordinary people for whom governments are meant to serve — seem very much in favor of what President Trump and Netanyahu are doing in Iran. And they are expressing that support of both America and Israel quite unequivocally. If this doesn’t indicate to the world that Israel and the rest of the Middle East can live together in peace and mutual cooperation, nothing can.

This conclusion is further supported by the response by almost every Arab nation in the Middle East, most of whom started off quite willing to let the U.S. and Israel do this deed, with no opposition or with covert support. Now, because of Iran’s indiscriminate attacks on Arab nations, they have all publicly joined the war, allying themselves not with the Islamic nation of Iran but with the U.S. and Israel.

This is the path to freedom for the Persian people. They need our prayers.

Update On The War In Iran

Iran has been at war with America since 1979. We are now at war with them. This is an update on where we are. Note that the Kurds may play a role in the future of Iran. They have been America allies and have suffered under the Muslim tyrants that ran the Middle East for so many years. This war may loosen the grip of those tyrants.

On March 4th, Zero Hedge reported:

Here are the most critical developments unfolding in the US-Iran conflict

    • CIA working to arm Kurdish forces to spark uprising in Iran, sources say: CNN
    • State Department securing military aircraft, charter flights to get Americans out of Middle East
    • Iran International is claiming (unverified) Iran’s Assembly of Experts chose Mojtaba Khamenei as new Ayatollah under heavy IRGC pressure to ensure hardline continuity and regime stability after his father’s death
    • Drone hits CIA station in Saudi Arabiaalso reportedly a consulate in Dubai. WaPo: A suspected Iranian drone attack hit the CIA’s station in Saudi Arabia in what would amount to a significant symbolic victory for the Islamic Republic as it lashes out at U.S. targets and personnel across the Middle East.
    • IAEA’s Grossi says there has been no evidence of Iran building a nuclear bomb; Iran’s large stockpile of near-weapons grade enriched Uranium and refusal to grant IAEA full access are cause for serious concern
    • Trump Weighs Backing Militias to Dislodge Iran’s Regime. Future insurgency fragmentation and Iraq-style nightmare coming to Iran?
    • Trump tries to articular war justification: says if we have a little high oil prices, could be for a little while, but they will drop, and could even be below the levels before, but that he ‘had to’ act or else Iran would have ‘used nukes’. Claims Israel didn’t force America’s hand. Admits leadership vacuum.
    • US to offer military protection to ships/insurance in the Strait of Hormuz 
    • The Pentagon has released Operation Epic Fury’s objectives; 1- Demilitarization of Iran: destruction of its missile forces, production facilities, and naval fleet 2- Elimination of the terrorist regime 3- Protection of the United States from current and future threats 4-  Ensuring that Iran does not possess nuclear weapons
    • UAE mulling joining US-Israel attack on Iran, and the Saudis too, to stop Iranian missile and drone strikes on their countries.

Please follow the link above for more information.

Doing The Right Thing After Being Told Not To

On Monday, Hot Air posted an article about Vinny Martorano, a young reporter who covers Austin, Texas. He was out and about covering the protests and rallies in Austin after the attack on Iran.

The article reports:

He’s just about ready to go when his cameraman hands him a phone with a message from the station bosses, telling him to cool his jets on the ‘Yay, Trump‘ crowd coverage.

They don’t want us focusing on that,‘ says the cameraman, and it is hard to make out over the racket of the voices behind him.

WELL, I AM

The article concludes:

What a sad commentary on the state of the media that this one young man’s honest adherence to the essence of reporting the truth of the story in front of him is just a gobsmacker in this day and age.

A reporting job for a major affiliate in a larger market like Austin is a plum opportunity, and to buck the bosses to tell the truth?

To show THE UNADORNED, UNEDITED TRUTH instead of massaging the sensitivities of the pervading ideology?

I’m sorry – that is beyond spectacular.

Maybe it’s because he went to a mid-major like Ball State (yes, I read his bio) that he’s kept his innate integrity. 

Whatever it is, his parents raised what used to simply be known as a ‘good man’ – the same ‘good men’ who are now as rare as Sasquatch sightings in his profession.

I don’t know what will happen once word of this hits the bosses, or if they’ve already ripped him a new one for his report.

All I know is that the media could use more Vinnies on-air and a whole lot less of the national CBS reporters.

I’ll lay you dollars to donuts they do the exact opposite.

Vinny has a future in alternative media. It remains to be seen if he has a future with CBS.

Looking At The Big Picture

Despite what his enemies tell us, President Trump is a very smart man. The backing of the Israeli attack on Iran is a major step toward American national security because of its impact on China’s fuel supply. President Trump may have just prevented an Chinese attack on Taiwan.

On March 3, Red State reported:

President Donald Trump’s latest attack on Iran takes a big economic bite out of one of America’s chief rivals: China.

Over the span of two months, the Trump administration has removed the leaders of two countries that both shared China as their most important crude oil customer. Although China buys oil from nations all across the Middle East, Iran was second only to Saudi Arabia as its supplier last year, according to a POLITICO analysis of data provided by market research firm Kpler.

Almost all of Iran’s exported oil, and more than half of Venezuela’s, went last year to China, which remained one of the only purchasers of goods from the two heavily sanctioned nations. The two countries combined represented some 17 percent of China’s overall oil purchases — a meaningful share for the world’s largest importer of crude oil.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Saturday said it was “highly concerned” by the attacks on Iran and called for an end to the war. The squeeze on China’s energy supply also comes just weeks before Trump is slated to hold a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

…Iran has a single use beyond supplying cut-rate oil to China’s economy, that is to provide a distraction to the U.S. Iranian operations effectively handed us defeats in two wars. Iranian explosive-formed penetrators killed hundreds of American soldiers and Marines. Iran’s sponsorship of Lebanese Hezbollah and the Houthis has created conflict and disrupted international trade. In case of a real war, a nuclear-armed Iran could create a massive distraction to any U.S. effort in the Indo-Pacific and put the Suez Canal as well as Gulf oil fields at risk.

We are in the early stage of a rollback of Chinese influence. From an oil perspective, Venezuela and Iran account for 17 percent of China’s oil imports. Not much you say. Making up that oil volume at below-market rates is difficult. Add to that the fact that the supply of Russian oil smuggled by “dark fleet” tankers is also coming to an end. President Trump and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi have agreed that India will stop buying bootleg Russian oil. In fact, only three weeks ago, India seized a tanker carrying Russian oil; Indian Coast Guard Seizes Three Sanctioned ‘Dark Fleet’ Tankers Carrying Illegal Iranian Oil…to India – RedState. This has caused a significant disruption in the supply of Russian oil to China.

Please follow the link above to read the entire article. The implications of the fall of the current government of Iran are wide-ranging.

History Repeating Itself

On March 3, Real Clear Politics posted an article about some of the history between Iran and Israel. Remember, Iran is not an Arab country–it is Persian, and Israel and Persia have a history. Israel is currently celebrating the feast of Purim, where Queen Esther prevented the genocide of the Jewish population in Persia.

The article reports:

The joint United States and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, 2026, did more than destroy military infrastructure. They decapitated the ideological command center of a regime that has spent four decades promising Israel’s annihilation and financing America’s enemies. The death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei marks the most consequential blow to state-sponsored terror in modern history.

It revives a question Jewish thinkers have wrestled with for centuries: When does confronting evil move from a strategic option to a moral obligation?

The Torah’s final commandment provides the frame. “Remember what Amalek did to you … you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget.” The mandate sounds ruthless because it addresses something ruthless: a force that attacks the vulnerable without provocation and defines itself through destruction.

Maimonides did not treat Amalek as a racial category. He treated it as conditional. If Amalek accepted basic moral law, it survived. If it persisted in predatory evil, it forfeited its claim to endure. Amalek therefore describes not bloodline, but ideology – a governing doctrine that sacralizes annihilation.

The article notes:

The timing could not resonate more clearly. Purim begins as the Iranian regime loses its supreme leader. The Megillah names its villain precisely: Haman the Agagite, traced to Agag, king of Amalek. Scripture signals continuity. Hatred survives defeat. It reappears when it acquires power.

October 7 exposed that continuity in blood. Hamas did not act spontaneously. It operated within an architecture financed, armed, trained, and strategically directed by Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The massacre of civilians – deliberate, theatrical, ecstatic – reflected doctrine, not desperation. It was a demonstration of what the regime believes is holy.

Iran built the machinery that made it possible.

The article concludes:

Amalek returns whenever annihilation joins theology to weapons and funding. Purim does not mark vengeance. It marks survival – the moment when a people recognized genocidal intent before it matured beyond containment.

This year, as the Megillah recounts the fall of Haman the Agagite, the final mitzvah reminds us that confronting predatory ideology cannot wait until encirclement completes itself.

The obligation lies in refusing to mistake declared annihilation for diplomacy – and in acting before the next decree becomes irreversible.

Many people in America and around the world are tired of diplomacy that simply feeds the other guy to the alligator. It’s time to destroy the alligator.

Remove the Filibuster?

Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D. 

There is a legitimate controversy brewing about the U.S. Senate so-called filibuster rule that requires legislation by the Senate to be approved by 60 out of the 100 senators. This is not the rule in the House of Representatives, where a majority of at least one vote is necessary. Some people argue that requiring 60 votes makes it very difficult to pass legislation since in most cases one political party does not have enough senators to meet the filibuster threshold of 60, and therefore the minority is able to block the majority.  Let’s take a look at the issues involved.

First of all, it should be noted that the U.S. Constitution does not require 60 votes out of 100 to pass legislation; it requires only a simple majority of one. The term filibuster refers to the process of a senator taking the floor to speak and continuing in order to block a vote on pending legislation by “talking the bill to death.” In 1841, then senator Henry Clay threatened to introduce a process by which debate could be ended and thereby, forcing a vote. He was not successful. It was not until 1917, that the Senate passed a “cloture “ rule that allowed the Senate to terminate debate with a three-fifths majority of 67. That rule was modified in 1975 to require only 60 votes for cloture. Filibusters over the years have been used to block legislation that most of the people in the country supported, for example, civil rights legislation in the 1950s and1960s. Now they do not even have to stand up and speak for hours; all they have to do is threaten to do it!

As noted above, the filibuster rule allows the minority to block action by the majority. A glaring example today is the “SAVE” Act that is being blocked in the Senate by Democrats. That bill would require all voters in federal elections to show a photo ID and verification of citizenship, which polls show is supported by over 80% of Americans regardless of party affiliation. Herein lies the essential problem where the will of the majority of people is being blocked by the minority political party thereby denying the right of the people to control their government. The recent extended shutdown of the entire federal government for over 40 days by the Democrats is another example. I believe it is fair to argue that a political party winning the Presidency, the majority in the House, and the Senate has demonstrated that the majority of citizens support their platform and should be able to implement the changes voted for by the people. This is what government of the people, for the people and by the people, looks like.

The Democrats have stated that if they win all the branches of government they would add the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico as States giving them four more senators; expand the Supreme Court to twelve allowing them to appoint three more socialists to the court; and grant citizenship to all illegal aliens. If this occurs, it will be next to impossible for the conservative majority of people in this country to reassert control over the federal government. Given this stated goal and the country’s fight against a Marxist takeover, it seems clear that we must ensure that the issues of the Republican Party to support this country, especially on its 250th anniversary, are implemented through legislation not just executive orders by President Trump. For example, removing the filibuster would allow the Congress to give President Trump the authority to implement tariffs that are essential to fair trade with other countries. The entire Trump agenda is in jeopardy if it is not confirmed by Congress. Otherwise, the next Democrat President can open the borders, reinstate climate change policies that are neither necessary or helpful, weaken the military, and increase taxes.

I do not believe that the majority of people in this country want this to happen. The filibuster rule must be eliminated; the sooner the better.

Why Senators Should Study Economics

On March 2nd, The Washington Free Beacon posted an article detailing a tax proposal by Senator Bernie Sanders, socialist of Vermont, and Representative Ro Khanna.

The article reports:

Sen. Bernie Sanders, socialist of Vermont, and Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California best known for trafficking in Epstein-related conspiracy theories, are pushing legislation that would impose a new 5 percent annual wealth tax on billionaires and use the revenue to give money to everyone earning less than $150,000 a year.

The bill, which the politicians are calling the Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act, would raise $4.4 trillion over a decade, according to a letter from Emanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman, economists at the University of California, Berkeley, that was released by the leftist politicians.

At some point, someone needs to tell Senator Sanders and Representative Khanna that the problem is not the income–the problem is the spending. Americans have learned in the past year that the amount of fraud in government programs is staggering. Congress needs to focus on ending the fraud–not demanding more money.

The article concludes:

It’s easy to understand why Sanders and Khanna would want to tax those fortunes away—they would get to spend the money themselves and use it to diminish the power of forces that constrain unlimited government power. Why the Times wants to pile on in the campaign by French economists and socialist politicians against the non-Sulzberger rich is a separate question.

One billionaire wealth pool that Sanders and Khanna and the Times‘s intrepid investigative journalists don’t seem eager to shine a light on is the New York Times Company itself, whose stock today traded at a price above $81 a share, a record. Leave it to the people with inherited sixth-generation family control of a company with a $12.4 billion enterprise value and political agenda-setting power that, if sharply diminished, remains significant to sound a panicky alarm about the creation of new fortunes.

The funniest thing about the Times billionaire article is the undertone of old-money horror at the arrivistes. “The number of U.S. billionaires jumped 50 percent by some estimates between 2017 and 2025, to more than 900 people,” the Times frets, fulminating about “stunning velocity” and the “colossal leap.” At pro-growth widely read news websites, we call that the American dream of upward mobility and opportunity. Celebrate it rather than complain about it.

When you tax something, you get less of it. A wealth tax will eventually result in less wealth.

A Question That Needs An Answer

On Sunday, Just the News posted an article titled, “Did Founding Framers intend for the Census to count Illegal aliens? Courts could soon decide.” This is an important question because it impacts the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The article reports:

Historical evidence suggests the framers did not intend for illegal immigrants to be counted for apportionment. A new lawsuit filed by the State of Missouri urges the Census Bureau to return to that original understanding.

The Constitution’s text 

Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution requires an “actual enumeration” of the population for purposes of congressional representation. The Fourteenth Amendment later clarified that this enumeration must count the “whole number of persons” residing in each state.

The Constitution, however, has never been interpreted to require counting every individual physically present within a state on census day. For example, no cases have contended that the Census Bureau must count temporary visitors, such as foreign tourists or short-term travelers. 

While there is broad agreement that the phrase “whole number of persons” does not require a literal counting of every individual physically present in a state at a given moment, there is disagreement over whether it requires the Census Bureau to include illegal immigrants.

For much of American history, whether illegal immigrants should be included in the census was a purely academic question. For nearly a century after the nation’s founding, there were few meaningful federal restrictions on immigration. Congress did not enact the first statute excluding certain classes of immigrants until 1875. Numerical limits on immigration were not imposed until the Immigration Act of 1921, and unauthorized entry across the border was not criminalized until 1929. 

Because lawful immigration was relatively accessible, illegal immigration remained limited for much of the nation’s early history.

The article concludes:

The framers’ and early Congresses’ repeated use of the term “inhabitant” is significant. In eighteenth- and nineteenth-century legal usage, the term was closely associated with the concept of domicile—a fixed, lawful, and enduring residence. That concept stands in sharp contrast to transient presence or unlawful entry, suggesting that the Constitution’s original understanding of apportionment was tied to lawful, settled membership in a political community.

Will the Supreme Court decide?

Missouri’s lawsuit may finally force a definitive answer. If the case reaches the Supreme Court, the justices may be asked to determine whether the Constitution permits counting illegal aliens for purposes of apportionment. Missouri has asked for expedited resolution of its case.

The census should be limited to citizens–the people who have skin in the game.

Was It Legal?

On Saturday, John Hinderaker at Power Line Blog posted an article about the legality of President Trump’s attack on Iran. John Hinderaker is one of the founders of Power Line Blog. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School. He worked as a lawyer in Minnesota before he retired. He is currently President of the Center of the American Experiment, a think tank headquartered in Minnesota.

The article at Power Line Blog states:

Seemingly with one voice, Democrats have denounced the administration’s attack on Iran as “illegal” and “unconstitutional.” But the Democrats’ views on legality vary wildly, depending on who is in the White House. My friend Ilan Wurman, Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota, points out the obvious parallel between Iran and Libya:

The article includes excerpts from the opinion of the Office of Legal Counsel that concluded Obama’s air strikes on Libya were legal. Please follow the above link to the article for further details.

The article concludes:

The Democrats’ assertions about the law–they don’t actually make arguments–are frivolous.

Unlike Ilan, I don’t take “international law” seriously, and I give zero credence to the United Nations. The job of the President is to defend American national security, period. And I would add that Iran posed approximately a million times more danger to our security than did Libya.

Iran has been at war with us since 1979. It was time for us to return the favor.

When The Predator Becomes The Prey

On Saturday, Townhall posted an article which might explain President Trump’s decision to attack Iran on Friday night.

The article reports:

Now we have more information on why the strikes happened today, from Salem Radio host and CNN contributor Scott Jennings. Jennings is reporting that intelligence indicated Iran was planning strikes on U.S. military and civilian targets in the region, which would have resulted in mass casualties.

The article quotes a CNN report:

A senior administration official said today that they believed Iran was preparing to potentially launch preemptive missile strikes, a factor that influenced President Donald Trump’s decision to initiate military action.

“We had indicators that they intended to use it potentially, preemptively, but if not, if not simultaneous, against with any actions against them, immediately against us,” the senior administration official added. “And the president decided he was not going to sit back and allow America’s forces in the region to absorb attacks from conventional missiles.”

“We are not going to be held hostage by them, and we are not going to let them hit us first, because it would have substantially increased the risk to our troops in the region and to our allies,” the official added.

However, a source familiar with the intelligence contradicted that assertion to CNN, saying that there were no indications that the Iranians planned to strike US forces or assets first — unless they were attacked by Israel or the US.

Given the choice between having civilians and American military killed by a regime that murdered thousands of its own people in cold blood and ending that regime, I choose ending that regime. Iran has been at war with America since 1979, when they began chanting “Death to America.” We have ignored those chants for too long. We have allowed the women of Iran to live as non-persons for a long time. Where are the feminists?

I commend President Trump for taking much-needed action. I pray that the people of Iran will finally be free.

Just a note–much of the military hardware Iran was using to protect itself came from Russia and China. The same was true for Venezuela. Are Russia and China not giving their allies their best technology, or are they both not as advanced as we thought? It’s too late now, but if I were aligned with either Russia or China, I would be asking them for better air defenses!

The Next In Line?

The future of Iran is uncertain. Although the people were protesting in the streets recently, we don’t know if there is enough unity in the country to form a cohesive government. There are a lot of Iranian ex-patriots around the world celebrating the fall of the regime, but the regime has already named its successor. One of the ex-patriot voices is that of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince of Iran. His father was a dictator who did horrible things to those that opposed him, despite moving the country closer to western ideas. The Prince is making noises as if he wants freedom, but he is in ‘campaign mode’ at this time.

On Saturday, Breitbart reported:

The son of the last Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, called on the country’s military, police, and security forces to abandon the “crumbling” Islamist regime of the Ayatollah amid U.S. and Israeli strikes on Saturday.

“Decisive moments lie before us,” the exiled crown prince of Iran said amid a major military operation launched in the early hours of Saturday by U.S. President Donald Trump in conjunction with Israeli forces targeting the rogue nation’s missile programme and leadership apparatus.

In a statement on social media, Reza Pahlavi said that the military operation initiated by President Trump should be seen as a “humanitarian intervention” targeting the Islamist regime —  “and its machinery of killing” —  rather than a strike on the country and people of Iran.

“However, despite the arrival of this assistance, the final victory will still be achieved by us. It is we, the people of Iran, who will finish this task in this final battle. The time to return to the streets is approaching,” he said.

Pahlavi, who has lived in the United States since 1978, shortly after which his father, the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was deposed in an Islamist revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, called on the Iranian military, law enforcement, and security services to abandon the “collapsing” regime.

“You have sworn an oath to protect Iran and the Iranian nation, not the Islamic Republic and its leaders. Your duty is to defend the people, not to defend a regime that has taken our homeland hostage through repression and crime. Join the nation and help ensure a stable and secure transition. Otherwise, you will sink with Khamenei’s ship and his crumbling regime.”

The hope is that because he has lived in America for so long, Reza Pahlavi understands the value of freedom and can bring freedom to his home country.

Israel And America Are At War With Iran

That really isn’t news–Iran has been at war with Israel and America since 1979. However, last night America and Israel turned the war into a kinetic war.

The National Pulse has the transcript and video of President Trump’s 3am speech informing Americans about what was happening (does that man ever sleep?).

Here is the transcript:

A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran.

Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.

Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.

For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted “Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops, and the innocent people in many, many countries.

Among the regime’s very first acts was to back a violent takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, holding dozens of American hostages for 444 days.

In 1983, Iran’s proxies carried out the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut that killed 241 American military personnel.

In 2000, they knew and were probably involved with the attack on the USS Cole.

Many died.

Iranian forces killed and maimed hundreds of American service members in Iraq.

The regime’s proxies have continued to launch countless attacks against American forces stationed in the Middle East in recent years, as well as U.S. Naval and commercial vessels in international shipping lanes.

It’s been mass terror, and we’re not going to put up with it any longer.

From Lebanon to Yemen and Syria to Iraq, the regime has armed, trained, and funded terrorist militias that have soaked the earth with blood and guts.

And it was a ranch proxy, Hamas, that launched the monstrous October 7th attacks on Israel, slaughtering more than 1,000 innocent people, including 46 Americans, while taking 12 of our citizens hostage.

It was brutal.

Something like the world has never seen before.

Iran is the world’s number one state sponsor of terror, and just recently killed tens of thousands of its own citizens on the street as they protested.

It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular, my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon.

I’ll say it again.

They can never have a nuclear weapon.

That is why in Operation Midnight Hammer last June, we obliterated the regime’s nuclear program at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

After that attack, we warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons, and we sought repeatedly to make a deal.

We tried, they wanted to do it, they didn’t want to do it.

Again, they wanted to do it, they didn’t want to do it, they didn’t know what was happening.

They just wanted to practice evil.

But Iran refused, just as it has for decades and decades; they’ve rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore.

Instead, they attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and to continue developing long-range missiles that can now threaten our very good friends and allies in Europe, our troops stationed overseas, and could soon reach the American homeland.

Just imagine how emboldened this regime would be if they ever had and actually were armed with nuclear weapons as a means to deliver their message.

For these reasons, the United States military has undertaken a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical, dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests.

We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground.

It will be totally, again, obliterated.

We’re going to annihilate their Navy.

We are going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces and no longer use their IEDs or roadside bombs, as they are sometimes called, to so gravely wound and kill thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans, and we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

It’s a very simple message.

They will never have a nuclear weapon.

This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States armed forces.

I built and rebuilt our military and my first administration, and there is no military on Earth, even close to its power, strength, or sophistication.

My administration has taken every possible step to minimize the risk to U.S. Personnel in the region.

Even so, and I do not make this statement lightly, the Iranian regime seeks to kill.

The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war, but we’re doing this, not for now.

We’re doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission.

We pray for every service member, as they selflessly risk their lives to ensure that Americans and our children will never be threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran.

We ask God to protect all of our heroes in harm’s way, and we trust that, with his help, the men and women of the armed forces will prevail.

We have the greatest in the world, and they will prevail.

To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces, and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity, or in the alternative, face certain death.

So, lay down your arms, you will be treated fairly with total immunity, or you will face certain death.

Finally, to the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand.

Stay sheltered, don’t leave your home.

It’s very dangerous outside.

Bombs will be dropping everywhere.

When we are finished, take over your government.

It will be yours to take.

This will be probably your only chance for generations.

For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it.

No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight.

Now you have a president who is giving you what you want.

So let’s see how you respond.

America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force.

Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach.

This is the moment for action.

Do not let it pass.

May God bless the brave men and women of America’s armed forces. May God bless the United States of America.

May God bless you all.

Thank you.

We need to pray for American, Israel, and the people of Iran at this time.

UPDATE: It has been announced that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been killed.

The Danger Of Epstein

I apologize for the fact that this is going to be a very cynical post. It is not all original information, but has been taken from various sources I follow.

So far the release of the Epstein files has had more impact in England and Europe than it has in America. I expect that trend to continue.

The people on the international state have not had any charges brought against them or proven–they have simply stepped down from their positions because of their association with Epstein. In America, everyone on the flight logs or memos has stayed put.

It is very obvious that Epstein had some very powerful connections. It is also very obvious to me that because of the corruption in both political parties in America, no American leader or politician will be held accountable for actions or connections to Jeffrey Epstein, regardless of what he/she did. So ignore the depositions of the Clintons, the cries of the Democrats that bringing the Clintons before Congress was unfair. Relax, nothing will come of it.

However, particularly on the left, accusations will fly–just as accusations flew in the confirmation hearings of Justice Thomas and Justice Kavanaugh. The political left is already accusing the Department of Justice of not releasing documents in the Epstein files related to President Trump.

Do you really believe that if there were ‘smoking gun’ evidence against President Trump in the Epstein files that the Biden administration would not have released it? The  Biden administration had all of the information that the Trump administration has yet there was never a call to open up the files.

The Epstein files are much ado about nothing, but the Democrats will use them to create imaginary charges against President Trump. There is no other reason for the Democrats to be focused on the Epstein files at this point.

The Alternative

Some Democrats chose not to attend the State of the Union Address. Some Democrats went so far as to create events running simultaneously with the State of the Union Address. One such event was the People’s State of the Union rally. I am not exactly sure what they were trying to accomplish, but Hot Air posted a few videos on Thursday.

Please follow the link above to see the videos. I could not figure out how to insert them.

The article at Hot Air is titled, “When Democrats Make Donald Trump The Normie In The Room, They’re Losing.” I totally agree.

The article reports:

Donald Trump has had, without question, a first fourteenish months in office that is hard to top in any other administration of my lifetime in accomplishments. And to be fair, it would also be correct to say that no president has stirred up more angst and controversy among his detractors than any other administration in a similar time period.

After last week’s press conference at the White House a day after the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on the tariffs case, Donald Trump’s contempt for the majority opinion was so palpable that one of the questions going into last night’s State of the Union was how soon and how hard the President would rhetorically apply the Trump tattoo to the justices present in the joint session of Congress.

Trump certainly had words, but they were tempered and not made personal. In fact, for virtually the entirety of the address, which came in a few ticks under two hours, the speech was about the best speech Donald Trump has ever delivered.

At times, establishing the narrative that real progress has been made on economic problems created and/or exacerbated by the Biden Regency, and at other points a celebration of American excellence, whether in sports, or bravery, courage, and resilience in all walks of life, this was simply a State of the Union speech unlike any other we’ve heard. And that is a very, very good thing.

One thing to remember when considering the bad behavior of some Democrats who attended the speech–these Democrats were elected by their districts. To be even more clear–Ilhan Omar probably accurately represents the voters in her district. Obviously, we need to think carefully about who we allow to come to America.

Breaking The Rules For Political Purposes

On Thursday, John Hinderaker at Power Line Blog posted an article about the recent news that the Department of Justice under Merrick Garland secretly subpoenaed phone records of both Kash Patel–now, ironically, the Director of the FBI–and Susie Wiles, now the President’s Chief of Staff. At the time, they were both private citizens–not working for President Trump (source here).

The article includes an X post by Hugh Hewitt:

The article concludes:

Hugh is being charitable. It is inconceivable to me that any lawyer would permit the FBI, or anyone else, to record an attorney-client conversation without the knowledge of his client. That is a grotesque betrayal of a lawyer’s most basic duty, and it is hard to imagine how a lawyer who did such a thing could keep his license.

It is almost impossible to fathom how deep the corruption ran during the Joe Biden/Merrick Garland years.

On Thursday, Just the News reported:

At least 10 FBI employees were fired after working on the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, according to a news report Friday.

The firings occurred after news broke on Wednesday that the FBI obtained phone records for now-director Kash Patel during the Biden administration in 2022, and current White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ phone records in 2023, while they were both private citizens.

The subpoenas for the phone records were issued as part of then-special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into President Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Patel told Reuters that the bureau’s subpoenas were an example of federal overreach by unelected officials.

There should be more serious consequences than firing. Otherwise, the next time the Democrats are in charge, it will happen again.

Who Do You Invite To Your Daughter’s Wedding?

I have three daughters. I was involved in two weddings and one elopement. Wedding invitations go to friends and sometimes business associates, but they rarely go to people you don’t know. That might be a problem for the Clintons as they testify before the House Oversight Committee in their Jeffrey Epstein probe–Ghislaine Maxwell attended Chelsea Clinton’s wedding. I am not sure if Jeffrey Epstein was there.

On Thursday, Fox News reported:

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is accusing the GOP-led House Oversight Committee of using her to “distract” from President Donald Trump during her high-stakes testimony in Congress’ Jeffrey Epstein probe.

“A committee endeavoring to stop human trafficking would seek to understand what specific steps are needed to fix a system that allowed Epstein to get away with his crimes in 2008,” she is telling the panel, according to her opening remarks.

“But that’s not happening. Instead, you have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation, in order to distract attention from President Trump’s actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers.”

“I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that,” her remarks state.

“Like every decent person, I have been horrified by what we have learned about their crimes. It’s unfathomable that Mr. Epstein initially got a slap on the wrist in 2008, which allowed him to continue his predatory practices for another decade.”

The House Oversight Committee’s deposition is officially kicking off on Thursday morning after months of back-and-forth.

“No one’s accusing, at this moment, the Clintons of any wrongdoing. They’re going to have due process,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters shortly before it began. “But we have a lot of questions, and the purpose of the whole investigation is to try to understand many things about Epstein.”

I have no idea what the Clintons did or didn’t do. I do, however, think that if the full story of Jeffrey Epstein ever comes out, we will see the same amount of resignations of people of both political parties in high places that is currently happening in Europe come to America.

Quietly Working Against The Cartels

Mexico right now is a place you do not want to be. After the killing of Nemesio “El Mencho” Osequera Cervantes, the country has descended into what looks like a nationwide gang war. However, before El Mencho was killed, the Trump administration was able to accomplish something that will at least slow down the activities of the cartels in Mexico.

On Monday, The New York Post reported:

Mexico has quietly shipped nearly 100 suspected cartel drug traffickers to the US to stand trial after President Trump branded the groups foreign terrorist organizations last year — and pressured the Mexican government to cooperate.

The suspects include the brother of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes — the brutal Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader who was killed by the Mexican army on Sunday.

The Justice Department said many of the 92 defendants released to the Americans had US extradition requests that were not honored during the Biden administration.

“As President Trump has made clear, cartels are terrorist groups, and this Department of Justice is devoted to destroying cartels and transnational gangs,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said of the first round of transfers, which kicked off last February.

“We will prosecute these criminals to the fullest extent of the law in honor of the brave law enforcement agents who have dedicated their careers — and in some cases, given their lives — to protect innocent people from the scourge of violent cartels.”

The article concludes:

The US Marshals Service, which usually handles retrieval of cross-border crime suspects, praised Trump and Bondi for their efforts in getting Mexico to turn over the fugitives.

“Leadership like President Trump’s and Attorney General Bondi’s to work diligently to bring all of these wanted criminals back to the United States reinforces their commitment to getting justice for their victims,” said USMS Director Gadyaces S. Serralta.

“This sends a very clear message; justice does not stop at borders.”

I have been told by a local law enforcement officer that the price of illegal drugs on the street has skyrocketed since President Trump began securing America’s borders. That is good news for all Americans.