A Perspective from the Edge

"Call back Trump."

~ Prime Minister Orban, Hungary

Perhaps because I was just a visitor to the beautiful and vibrant nation of Hungary two months ago, the Tucker Carlson interview with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban resonated very strongly. 

It's worth every second of a half hour to hear this man who prioritizes "family, nation, and God" ahead of political affiliations speak about his country, his people, and the war in Ukraine--with which Hungary shares a border. It's vitally important to gain the perspective of a world leader whose country is living so close to the edge of wartime destruction.  Orban makes a convincing argument that the key to peace in Europe is the reinstatement of President Donald Trump. 

Americans might be surprised to learn that some of our tax dollars were diverted to a campaign against Orban's reelection. It didn't work. Orban was comfortably reelected. Then Carlson asked him if he ever considered bringing charges against his opponent. Orban declares such a tactic "in Hungary, that is impossible to imagine...that was done by the Communists." Indeed.

US leaders tend to think they know it all and to be dismissive of other nations. These so-called leaders should watch, listen--and, just possibly, learn something of value from a true leader.

Tucker Carlson interviews Prime Minister Orban in Budapest, Hungary

Weather or Not

It's August, which is usually a hot, dry, dusty month in Southern California. However, we are in the midst of a tropical storm, formerly known as Hurricane Hilary, and it's been raining all day.

The storm's winds are supposed to arrive this afternoon and evening. From the local media coverage, you would think Armageddon was approaching. My phone has exploded with siren blasts and multiple emergency warning calls from the power company, my insurance company, and city government. Good grief, people, calm down. Rain is a good thing in this part of the country, regardless of the calendar month.

Earlier this week, the full-on hurricane was expected to hit. That hasn't happened around here since 1858. The last time a tropical storm hit this area was 1939. That's 84 years ago. No one was worried about carbon footprints or climate change back then. Hurricanes and tropical storms were accepted as the consistently unpredictable weather. And today's storm proves that weather continues to do whatever it's going to do, no matter the amount of angst and wailing from the environmentalists.

The late comedian George Carlin did a fabulous stand-up bit on "the planet" nearly a quarter century ago. The man was not only common-sense smart and logical; he was prescient. His descriptions of the environmentally preoccupied concerns and the examples he offers of the stolid resiliency of Planet Earth are not just hilariously funny. Carlin's observations are perfectly timed to our climate-obsessed modern moment.

It's kind of fun to have the weather to blame for going nowhere today and settling in with a book. The storm is also a good reminder that we shouldn't kid ourselves that we are in control. Weather will do what it will, whether or not we are prepared.

George Carlin - The Planet is Fine"

Somber Fighting Words

Victor Davis Hanson is a national treasure. He is a classicist who can read, speak and write Greek and Latin; a university professor; a military historian; a prolific author; a farmer; and a native Californian with many generations preceding him on the family farm.

Hanson has boundless knowledge of the state and its history, along with the rest of the world and its history. I am completely addicted to his podcasts and wish he published one each day. The knowledge, the wisdom, and the logic he imparts to his listeners--always in a calm, measured, and humble manner--is priceless and always leaves me wanting to hear more.

In addition to his many books, Hanson is a prolific writer of several articles each week. He publishes several thought-provoking articles each week on various platforms. His most recent piece, "The Remaking of America," on American Greatness, is especially sobering. It could be described as depressing. But it is so true, and such an eloquent summation of the carefully engineered collapse of our unique republic, that every American who is concerned for our children's future should read it.

The Remaking of America. We are living through it, and it's only the beginning of what the leftists hope to achieve. Hanson's article can be read as an incentive for concerned Americans. I hope we who understand the damage our country has suffered, and will continue to suffer, can find the strength to fight back. "Each according to their own station," as Hanson often quietly urges in his podcasts. Fight for the US, on our own ground and while we still can. We know it's worth it.