Ken's Comments

 It used to be a joke.  "Well I got that [name any very challenging task] completed and for my next magic trick I'll go bring peace to the Middle East." Finally, onto the scene came a magician who could make it happen - President Donald J. Trump. But let's admit it, we're not all the way there.  The last of the living hostages are back, the Israeli Defense Force has pulled back and humanitarian aid is moving in unrestricted.  But, that's just the "first Phase."   The next part is fleshing out the remaining points of Trump's 20 point peace plan.  If that is implemented even 80% there will be dramatic improvements in the lives of the Palestinian people living in Gaza, which will make future conflicts extremely unlikely. I stand with the Palestinian people and want to see them benefit from this.  For this to work, we need to recognize that the interests of Hamas and the interests of the Palestinian residents of Gaza are not the same. For this peace ...

 The title paraphrases the question - "ICE Unmask, what are you afraid of" - asked recently by California Governor Gavin Newsom at a press conference announcing he signed state legislation requiring ICE agents and other Federal Law Enforcement officers to not wear masks when conducting immigration enforcement actions.  Let's answer the question for the Governor. Last week an ICE agent was followed home by three women who then live streamed on Instagram as they identified the agent and his wife and their home and the address of their home.  In addition to livestreaming and harassing the agent and his wife, the women were shouting to the neighborhood that an ICE agent lives here, presumably inviting others in the neighborhood to also harass the couple. Adding emphasis to why the action of those women was horrible, an ICE facility in Dallas was attacked last week by a young man firing his rifle at ICE vehicles.  Three migrant detainees were killed by materials left behi...

Charlie Kirk believed in free speech and debate.  His process was peaceful.  Charlie Kirk went to colleges and other locations to listen to the views of others and offer his responses.   He would answer any question and talk to anyone.  Charlie Kirk was murdered because he offered ideas others did not want anyone to hear.  Progressives have tried for years to stop him going to College campuses.  Local branches of Mr. Kirk's Turning Point USA have had their tables and materials attacked and vandalized.   And now Charlie Kirk is assassinated - the culmination of all the efforts by progressives to deny him free speech, to prevent others from hearing what he has to say. I heard a clip of comments by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) saying people can finger point, but look at the record.  So let's look at the record...* Know what didn't happen last night after Mr. Kirk's death was announced?  Conservatives did not take t...

From the moment President Trump announced "Liberation Day" and laid out a list of tariffs he planned to impose, we've heard from economists, politicians, the media and the Federal Reserve about the impact of the tariffs on consumers.  Clothing, food, technology, cars, and toys are some of the categories of products tariffs will effect.  But there is a key point they overlook in their complaints about tariffs. From the media, we see headlines like these: CNN - "'Sneakflation': How Trump's tariffs are gradually raising costs for American consumers." Forbes - "Tariffs may have a bigger impact on consumers than some experts think." The Hill - "The misery of auto tariffs is hitting families and factories." Then there was the Federal Reserve which held off changes in the interest rate citing the "uncertainty" caused by tariffs as their reason for doing so. Democrats' criticism has been a bit awkward because progressives su...

 Zohran Mamdani, NY State Assemblyman and candidate for NYC Mayor, has suggested the idea of City run supermarkets.  Specifically, Mr. Mamdani proposes five supermarkets, one in each NY City Borough and all run by the City of New York.  The idea would be to provide low-cost food to underserved New Yorkers. It sounds like a good idea.  I think Mr. Mamdani should do it but in a slightly different way.  I suggest Mr. Mamdani create a non-profit organization.  Mr. Mamdani can then create a business plan describing how the supermarkets would work.  To show his support for the idea, Mr. Mamdani should put his money where his mouth is - pony some of his own cash and money from his family. With seed money, a business plan and the offer of tax-deductions, Mr. Mamdani can then start tapping his friends - including the ones who attended his wedding in Uganda, they are not paupers.  Mr. Mamdani can also reach out to supporters, like the billionaire hedge fund...

The headline from Democracy Now! calls it "Whitewashing of History."  The network formerly known as MSNBC had a headline saying President Trump is rewriting history.  CNN's headline says "Trump's 'chilling effect' is coming for museums..."  The Independent claims Trump is purging Smithsonian Exhibits, the sub-headline claims "White House said it would begin reviewing Smithsonian exhibitions to ensure they align with Trump's agenda." The reason for the reaction from the press is that Trump issued an Executive Order, on March 27, calling for essentially a review of the Smithsonian Institution.  The Executive Order said "Museums in our Nation's capital should be places where individuals go to learn - not be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history." Adding fuel to the fire, on August 19, President Trump posted on Truth Social a statement "The Smithsonian is OUT OF CON...

Equitable is derived from "Equity," which means "recognizing that people have different circumstances and providing them with the resources and support they need to have an equal chance of success."   Equity and Equitable are used a lot in today's political dialogue, mostly by progressives and liberals. I prefer "equality" over equity.  "Equality means providing the same resources and opportunities to everyone, regardless of differences or needs."   "Equality aims for equal opportunity, while equity aims for equal outcomes."  Achieving "equity" requires taking money from someone determined to have a better chance and giving that person's money to someone who needs more resources and support.  Some people definitely need help or a helping hand depending on their circumstances.  But building a true system of equity creates a number of questions. In the real world, who decides which person needs resources and who is the p...

President Obama called on Democrats to "toughen up" and said the next few years are "...going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions."  President Obama also said "...now is exactly the time that you get in there and do something."* Putting it more bluntly, Mark Cuban criticized the Democrats as having no message other than "Trump sucks!"**   Mark Cuban then puts his finger on the right answer saying "...it's about the people of the United States of America - and what's good for them." If Democrats really want to do what's good for the people of the United States of America, as Mark Cuban suggests, then they need to first recognize that Donald Trump is the President and Republicans control both the House and the Senate, and second they need to come up with ideas they can offer to help shape and contribute to the policies being adopted.  For example: Deportation - If De...

A few weeks ago Governors from New York, Illinois, and Minnesota, Democrats all, appeared before a House Committee to discuss illegal aliens within their States.  The statements by the Governors say they want to be "tough on illegal immigrants," while trying to placate their liberal base.  Let's review what they said and some questions I'd like to ask them. Summary of what they said:* Their States are not sanctuary states.   All want violent criminals off the streets of their communities. They claim they cooperate with the federal government as it is the Federal Government's job to enforce immigration laws. Sounds tough on crime, doesn't it?  But here's the "But..."  They blamed the Federal Government for the insecure borders that led to this situation.  None want ICE conducting raids on communities and workplaces. Their states won't honor ICE detainers.   Illegal immigrants deserve "due process." ICE officers shouldn't wear mas...

 Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the "Maryland Man" whose deportation to El Salvador has been described by the Democrat media as mistaken and "declared illegal" by the Supreme Court has been brought back to the US.  But his return is not what Democrats and their allies in the media expected.  Mr. Garcia was extradited to the US to face criminal charges in Tennessee.  It will be curious to see what his legal and Democrat supporters have to say now that his situation essentially has gone from bad to worse. 1. It was about the process, not the person. Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat from Maryland, had already begun to back away from Mr. Garcia when it was first revealed that Mr. Garcia was not the loving father originally depicted but a gang member and wife beater.  The Senator decided his position was about seeing due process done and not about the individual.  With the announcement of the charges, Senator Van Hollen has completed the distancing, by "...welcom[ing]t...

1.  Deportations  A common refrain from the ACLU*, and their Democrat and media allies is to say the illegal alien "has no criminal record" when objecting the Trump Administration's efforts to deport that person.  The statement may be true, but the statement was also true about the following individuals: Jose Ibarra had no criminal record prior to being arrested for the murder of Laken Riley. Victor Martinez-Hernandez had no criminal record prior to being arrested for the murder of Rachel Morin Jing Ming-Long had no criminal record until he was arrested for sex trafficking Mark Anthony Scaffe had no criminal record until he was arrested for rape and indecent assault and battery all involving a child under 14 years of age. Why isn't the fact that these individuals aren't supposed to be in the United States enough of a reason to deport them?  Why do the ACLU, Democrats, and the Media want to wait until an illegal alien has a criminal record before that person can be...

President Trump has begun using tariffs as a tool to bring other countries to the negotiating table to remove barriers to trade erected by other countries and to encourage them to purchase more American products.  Trump did this in his typical dramatic fashion, giving rise to dramatic reactions.  Wall Street reacted with significant losses for a few days and remains unsettled, financial experts have questioned the approach, and Democrats have seized on this to criticize Trump for his actions. Before looking further at the whining and complaining, let's remember that President Trump paused the tariffs for all countries that offered to negotiate - basically everyone but China.  People are wailing about tariffs that may never go into effect if the negotiations with other countries are successful. As for the whiners and complainers, if I could play the violin, I'd pull one out and play a sad song and then you I have no sympathy.  You've profited while America has suffere...

President Trump gave his State of the Union speech recently to massive approval ratings from the American people.  Meanwhile, the actions, reactions and response by the Democrats were widely criticized.  Democrat approval ratings in the polls are incredibly low and members of the party were calling for Senator Chuck Schumer to step down as Minority Leader. When we examine what the Democrats stand for or seem to stand for it becomes apparent why Americans prefer Trump.  Democrats support: -- Biological men competing in women's sports.  They disregard the impact to women who have lost scholarships, awards and trophies, or who have been physically injured.  They further disregard the feelings of women who are offended by seeing biological men in their locker rooms. -- Biological men being incarcerated in women's prisons, ignoring the fact that women in those prisons complain of being raped and impregnated by those "female" prisoners with male appendages. -- Ignorin...

Opponents are deriding Elon Musk as an unelected bureaucrat - for example Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said "no one elected Elon Musk."  Senator Schumer, Minority Leader and senior Senator from NY, was quoted saying "Its like letting a tiger into the petting zoo..." and "...the US was witnessing a hostile takeover of the federal government..."*1  Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called it a "plutocratic coup."*2  Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn) said "this is what the beginning of dictatorship looks like." *3   A University of North Carolina law professor, Michael J. Gerhardt, closed his comments by saying "There is no mechanism for keeping Elon Musk in check." *4  Many, if not all of these comments come after, and are complaining about, the shutdown of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  The first two comments, the one by Senator Warren and the first quote from Senator Schumer are corr...

California is experiencing horrific fires around Los Angeles, so let's use this opportunity to talk about how the Democrat controlled government has run what should be an idyllic paradise into the ground. Let's start by defining "Democrat controlled government." Governor - Democrat for 14 years State Senate - Democrat for 32 years State Assembly - Democrat for 30 of the last 32 years Los Angeles - there has been one Republican Mayor (8 years) since 1961 Los Angeles - Not one Republican on the City Council San Francisco - Democrat mayors since 1964 I could list more cities or city councils but I think that makes the point.   What has single party Government gotten the people of California? High taxes.   Nerdwallet report on taxes High inflation - Cumulative inflation since 2021 was over 20%.   Joint Economic Committee  and  National Business Capital High Homelessness -  Highest number of homeless people, in fact 1/3rd of all homeless people in...