Casualties of War

 St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle...

I've noticed that in the past year, the philosophical soldiers of light are being picked off the battlefield of good vs. evil.

I'm referring to prominent champions of Western values, the outspoken cultural warriors who defend the tenets of the Western world's Judeo-Christian faith such as the necessity of God's grace, strong men, healthy nuclear families, and a country that honors its laws and founding principles.

By my observation, the onslaught against the agents of light began in November 2024 with Dennis Prager's catastrophic injury; it has left him sidelined as a quadriplegic. Speaking as a longtime member of PragerU, this loss has been devastating. Dennis was followed by so many people, young and old, worldwide. I looked forward to Dennis Prager's Fireside Chat each week, and I although I enjoy PragerU CEO Marissa Streit's weekly interviews, I sorely miss Dennis and his cheerful, common-sense wisdom. 

Jordan Peterson, a popular author, psychologist, and conservative influencer, was critically ill and in the hospital for most of this year. He was close to death and, although still unwell, is now recovering from chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS).

In August, the founder of Focus on the Family, James Dobson, died. At age 89, he was certainly entitled to do so, but it was yet another strong voice for good silenced. I did not follow Dobson closely, but I noted his passing as another casualty in our ongoing struggle against the cultural darkness.

In September, of course, we lost Charlie Kirk to an assassin's bullet. Kirk's death is a tragic blow to uncounted millions of people around the world, perhaps especially a loss to the young people he so successfully was able to reach and influence for good. Charlie, cut down at age 31, is irreplaceable.

Today, my favorite of all the great thinkers of our time, Victor Davis Hanson, is undergoing "major surgery" for a "serious problem." I don't even want to imagine what the "problem" could be, although my mind keeps going there. All I can do is pray for him, which I have done and will continue to do. The forces of good have lost too much. We need a win, badly.

On his podcasts, Hanson has referred to this surgery and the threat of death with dark humor: "Not today," he wryly remarks of his demise. I'm praying he's right. I'm begging the Lord to let us keep Victor here, on the battlefield, at least for a little while more.

Victor's Podcast, "In His Own Words" - The Daily Signal

Merry Christmas to All

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us..." ~ John 1:14

Joy to the World ~ Christmas 2025

May your days be merry and bright.

Tiptoeing Around Terrorism

It was a bad news weekend, beginning with the murderous ISIS ambush of two US soldiers and their translator in Syria and ending with the stabbing deaths of Hollywood's Rob Reiner and his wife inside their home (this last, not terrorism). Sandwiched in between were the Brown University mass shooting (motive thus far undeclared) and the anti-Semitic slaughter of Jews celebrating Hanukkah on a beach in Australia.

I think most reasonable people--worldwide--are sick of the collective media types and government officials walking on eggshells around the bloody results of radical Islamic terrorism. The following are my top three "tiptoe terms," and they should no longer be tolerated:

1. "Globalize the Intifada" - This is an elegant way of urging radical Islamists and their acolytes to kill Jews and Christians wherever you find them. It's been a spectacularly successful strategy for the Kill the West crowd lately.

2. "Senseless tragedy" - This is doublespeak that in reality is describing a purposeful, carefully planned atrocity deliberately inflicted upon people of a particular religion or political ideology, specifically Jews (e.g., Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre in Australia), Christians (e.g., murder of Christians by radical Islamists in Africa), or adherents to political conservatism (e.g., Charlie Kirk in the USA).

3. "Islamophobia" - This mislabel is a ubiquitous attempt to extinguish a perfectly logical skepticism and suspicion about the intentions of radical Islamists who are actively dedicated to destroying Western civilization. Westerners aren't the ones deploying around the world with detailed plans to murder radical Islamists by as many dozens as possible; quite the reverse is true.

If the Judeo-Christian Western world has any hope of survival, it's long past time to stop tiptoeing around radical Islamist terrorism and start stomping on it--hard. Lace up your combat boots, and let's go.

RIP ~ Iowa National Guardsmen, Sgts. Torres-Tovar and Howard

'Tis the Season

Okay...the tree is up, the cards are in the mail, and the shopping is just about done. I've given myself permission to take it easier this year; many people in my life are doing the same. It's more the season to enjoy and spend precious time together. 

My closest friends are retired, as am I. We are busy planning social get-togethers rather than gift exchanges, and we're all looking forward to enjoying the luxury of time with each other. Time is what was always in such short supply during our hectic working years. It's a true Christmas treat for us to be able to splurge on unfettered hours together, celebrating in leisurely fashion.

Good memories are far more enduring than gifts. They are, in fact, gifts in themselves. I hope you are planning to share these Christmas holidays with family and friends. 'Tis the season to unwrap good times. May your days be merry and bright.

"Remembrance, like a candle, burns brightest at Christmastime."
~ Charles Dickens 

The Christmas Rush

In my neighborhood, Christmas decorations appeared on Veterans Day--November 11.

It wasn't just one or two houses; it was entire blocks, fully illuminated in festive decor. I was driving in the dark on November 12 and thought I had entered a rupture in the space/time continuum. Wait...wasn't it still two weeks until Thanksgiving?

What is up with this frantic rush to year-end? Whatever happened to celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, which once upon a time was a treasured tradition? Thanksgiving is the only truly American holiday, but it has been all but eliminated by the stampede to Christmas. If it weren't for the enduring popularity of turkey and trimmings, Thanksgiving would probably be a mere memory by now.

My Christmas tree isn't set up yet, nor are any of my yuletide decorations. I'll do that this weekend. There's plenty of time until Christmas, nearly three weeks. When they do go up, my decorations will stay put until the Church celebrates the wise men arriving in Bethlehem, the feast of Epiphany in January. As usual, I'll be the last one in my neighborhood to wait until the Twelve Days of Christmas are completed to store away my seasonal items. All those trees tossed at the curb or dumped in lots on December 26 are being thrown out on the second day of Christmas. 

These days it seems that Christmas expires faster than leftover turkey. 'Tis the season to hurtle ahead, I suppose. But I'm in no rush. Cheers to a long and leisurely Christmas season.

The Twelve Days of Christmas ~ December 25 to January 6