James Lovell, R.I.P.

One of the United States' courageous astronauts having participated in

both the Gemini and Apollo programs, James Lovell was an excellent

astronaut candidate; a Naval Academy graduate in 1952 and a test pilot

--- he finished at the head of his class in the test pilot training course at

the Naval Test Center, all that after he had built his first rocket at the 

tender age of sixteen. 

And the confidence that people had in Lovell were well rewarded. 

On the Apollo 8 mission, he was a crew member of the team that was

the first to orbit the moon having positioned the craft such that crew 

member William Anders could take the iconic and breathtaking 

"Earthrise" photograph of the Earth floating above the moon's surface.

On Apollo 13 in 1970 Lovell reported back upon finding that the lunar

module had been compromised by an explosion to mission control

("Houston, we've had a problem"). The Apollo 13 crew went about 

fixing the problem, Lovell commanding everything, miraculously 

returning to Earth with safety and without further difficulty.

Oh, by the by, the aforementioned quote by Captain Lovell is 

indeed correct; "Houston, we have a problem" is how the quote 

has been passed along to the public and has been oft repeated as 

such, being almost but not quite right.

Having retired from the Navy and NASA in 1973, having been for 

a time in charge of Houston along the way, he provided for his wife 

Marilyn and their four children working in the telecommunications

industry and ran a Chicago-area restaurant. Marilyn passed away in

2023, Lovell having gone to join her mere weeks ago aged 97. 

A long and full life, to be sure. Requiescat in pace, James. Bravo!

MEM

DOGE and Air Traffic Control

No sooner than President Trump was once again inaugurated,

the Lamestream Media spread a bunch of harum scarum about

Americans being afraid to travel by air, punctuating their claim

with news of the deadly helicopter/plane collision at Reagan

Washington International Airport, then adding them up to arrive 

at the sum being that commercial flying in Trumpian America

is taking one's life into one's hands. The truth is, however, that

most Americans haven't thought that at all; the number of air-

travel passengers soared to record highs this summer, much like

a jet airplane. So although DOGE has made some budget cuts

concerning air traffic control, they have not at all cut flight

safety.

Flying is, then, still the safest way to travel. And President Trump

lives in the heads of the Lamestream Media rent-free.

MEM

Anthony "Tony" Dolan, R.I.P.

Anthony "Tony" Dolan was an enduring fixture in the Republican Party

and the conservative movement. Born in 1948, he was a most enthusiastic

volunteer for the Goldwater campaign at just sixteen years of age, and 

later went to Yale. 

In 1970 he became the deputy press secretary on the James L. Buckley 

Senate campaign. Yes, THAT James L. Buckley, brother of William F.

Buckley Jr., the godfather of modern conservativism. Later working 

for the Stamford Advocate, Dolan won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting 

on municipal corruption. As chief speechwriter for President Ronald

Reagan he was the one who called the Soviet Union an "evil empire",

and Reagan did same in a rather famous speech. Dolan also did some

work in the George W. Bush and Donald J. Trump administrations.

Dolan even wrote and recorded folk songs; who says that folk songs

can only be written and sung by lefties? 

All this is but a part of Tony Dolan's legacy. He has left this world 

at the age of 76. R.I.P.

MEM

The Peasant Returns

Now that I'm back from my annual Irish holiday 

(attending the Milwaukee Irish Fest) we shall re-

commence our perusal and examination of the 

political news stories. I had such a grand time 

getting together with old friends, some whom I 

haven't seen in one, two, more years. Sadly, some 

have passed on; among the fallen were fellow 

members of the Milwaukee Irish Fest Song Circle

which your musical Peasant had belonged to for

many years. Still others weren't able to attend 

due to poor health, one of them a fine singer,

songwriter/arranger, and musician who appeared 

at our Irish Fest in years past with a wonderful 

band which played Irish music with a rockin' 

beat and volume as well as rock music with an 

Irish brogue. Get well soon, Jim Kiley! My other

ailing friends as well! 

The weather was decidedly undecided, as throughout

most of the festival it vacillated between sun, wind, 

and rain, warm and cool, humid and airy. Luckily 

your diligent Peasant planned ahead, having brought 

my umbrella with me; perhaps I should have brought 

my mac along, too. 

However, with all the wonderful and wonderous music,

all the good food and drink, all the historical exhibits,

all the friends present, and all the lovely Irish breeds of

dogs going through their paces and also taking time to

enjoy human attention from their loving owners and 

from festival attendees, there was so much to take in 

and to enjoy. And your joyful Peasant enjoyed it to 

the fullest! 

And now, down to business.

MEM

It's My Irish Holiday Time Again!

Folks, it's time once again for The Peasant's Irish holiday.

Your red white and blue and also green Peasant will be off 

during the week of the Milwaukee Irish Fest (August 14 - 17).

So no blog article for this week, but we'll get back to business

the following week! 

I'll share with you about the fest on my return. And we'll pore

over the political and economic news of the day as always!

See you then!

MEM

How Will the World End?

From the August 2025 issue of National Review:

"Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ICE."

The Peasant says that the world will end in ICE for illegal aliens

who immigrated to the U.S. bringing their criminal pasts and 

criminal activities with them. As well it should be so!

MEM

Conservativism and the Second Amendment Break the Bank

Citigroup, one of the country's largest financial service firms

has recently announced that it will no longer require retail clients

to restrict gun sales as a condition of service, clarifying that Citi

"does not discrimination the basis of political affiliation in the 

same way we are clear that we do not discriminate on the basis 

of other traits such as race and religion." This is a reversal of the

policy enacted by Citi in 2018 on the heels of the Parkland, 

Florida shooting that informed that Citi would no longer do 

business with retailers that sold guns to individuals under 21,

along with other restrictions. The change in policy came about 

after Republicans became increasingly alarmed and angry over

the possibility of politically driven de-banking a' la that which

was used against the Canadian truckers who protested against

Canadian anti-Covid lockdowns three years ago. 

President Trump also brought up the subject of de-banking

at the World Economic Forum, and Republicans in Congress 

have introduced legislation to prevent it from being implemented

in the United States. Yet another sign of the new times which have

taken hold in our country with a most refreshing and necessary

change of leadership.

MEM

When Less is More

Much to the shock and the consternation of the Democrats,

The Republicans have announced plans to reduce enrollment 

in Medicaid, the program which pays the medical expenses

incurred by low-income people. But to the contrary of the 

Dems' fears that the GOP is dismantling most of the program,

the Republicans are actually redirecting the money in the 

program from going to ineligible people whose incomes are 

higher than the threshold of eligibility to be in it to go instead 

to those people whose income is under the maximum income

barrier. They are also kicking illegal immigrants off the rolls

of Medicaid that got signed up in those states (largely blue)

and never should have been recipients in the program.

Furthermore, Obamacare expanded Medicaid to cover the 

disabled and the children that the latter was created for.

And Medicaid's status quo shows its enrollment rate is 

actually double the poverty rate (!) and able-bodied folk

are being covered while disabled people and children are

on waiting lists for lengthy periods of time. With these 

reductions, there will be more money to channel to 

both the disabled and the children, with more of them

enrolling and not have to be on interminably long waiting

lists.

In summation, making Medicaid solvent simply requires 

spending less money on it and covering fewer people,

whether the Democrats like it or not (and believe me,

they don't). But the taxpayers will love it!

MEM

Who the Real Radicals Are

During the mercifully short time that Joe Biden was in the White 

House this misbegotten president has done the bidding of the most

horrible elements in our political arena which, of course, put him

into the Oval Office to be their point man, or puppet, or however

you wish to term him. He made sure that they got their quid pro quo,

hence his nickname "Quid Pro Joe". Among these payoffs were getting

the tech firms with their social media to censor the entries made by

political conservatives of various stripes and religious faiths that

the aforementioned people behind President Biden were 

uncomfortable with, labeling some of the latter as domestic terror

threats and investigating them for terroristic activity, and even 

comparing traditional Catholics, i.e. those supporting the Latin Mass

and holding conservative views on the family, abortion, contraceptives,

homosexuality and so forth to "Islamist ideology". 

It turns out that in February 2023 a former FBI agent leaked a memo 

from the bureau's field office in Richmond, Virginia, warning about the

supposed emerging threat posed by "radical traditionalist Catholic 

ideology." When summoned by Congress to explain about the memo,

FBI Director (at the time) Christopher Wray tried to dismiss it as merely

the product of a single office and claimed that it was never the basis for 

investigation. But then internal documents obtained by U.S. Senator

Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) suggest more targeting of traditionalist

Catholics, and more widely performed. The memo also looks like it is

part of what was supposed to be a sustained effort. An effort born of 

bigotry, prejudice, and a thirst for unbridled power.

One would think that such activity takes place only in countries with 

totalitarian governments. Would that it were so. This episode is some-

thing that our recently re-elected President Donald Trump should 

order an investigation into.

MEM

Who Really is Defending Democracy

Recently the House passed, 220 to 208, the Safeguard American 

Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. This piece of legislation would require 

those who wish to register to vote to present proof of citizenship. 

Now, it is already illegal to, under federal law, to falsely claim to

be a U.S. citizen. This is just an extra layer of commonsense 

protection to make the U.S. Code more enforceable.

Many Americans agree; roughly two-thirds of likely U.S. voters 

preferred in an April survey by Rasmussen Reports favored the

SAVE Act. Just four House Democrats joined the Republicans

in voting for the bill, just enough votes altogether to pass it.

Your unperplexed Peasant would not have expected anything 

better from the Dems. The four were courageous standouts, and

they deserve our thanks and praise for their votes. The rest, well,

they voted in typical Democrat fashion. For a political party which 

professes to love and revere democracy so much they have done

nothing in this instance (or at any other time) to protect it. 

Hypocrisy uber ales with the Democrats.           

MEM

Fulfillment of a Desire and More!

At the end of June your grateful Peasant had been given

the wonderful opportunity to engage in something that I

have long wanted to do but didn't get the opportunity 

until now at 67 years; two-thirds of a century! Sometimes

something is better late than never.

What is this wonderful thing, you ask? The Peasant took 

part in a political debate. My first ever. Both it  --- and I --- 

were great! Three days before the event I received a call

from an old friend and fellow conservative activist who 

asked if I would like to be in a political debate. My response 

was "When and where?" After getting the details I made my

 arrangements to be there where I would be joined by my

conservative friend and two liberal friends, one of whom

was the organizer of the event and its host. He brought along

two hourglasses, one with a one-minute flow and the other

a two-minute instrument. We each chose a political topic and 

were given two minutes each to present our topics, after which

the others would have one minute to respond either in agree-

ment or in opposition. Then the presenter of the topic would 

get a minute to rebut the latter. We would go around the table 

to get everyone involved in the various roles in the proceedings,

then close and have refreshments together; we were at an ice

cream parlor in Wauwatosa and had fantastic ice cream and

cool beverages, which were an even bigger treat because we 

were at an outdoor table on an oppressively hot afternoon

complete with unrelenting sun.

My topic was "President Trump is Not a Fascist", in which I first

defined what fascism is, then gave examples of how our president 

has not governed as a fascist and is therefore not a fascist. 

My conservative chum gave a fine speech in corroboration while 

our liberal friends did their best to poke holes in my points but to

no avail. Amazingly, astonishingly, and almost shockingly, there 

were no angry words, no angry outbursts, no rancor at all. Even

though we all are good friends we walked through dangerous 

territory which could have resulted in the hardest feelings and

serious feuding. But with our strong bonds of friendship, and our

desire to have a debate without any negativity we accomplished 

what we intended. Furthermore, we have established a debate club

which will meet on a monthly basis and at various venues, be they

our homes or restaurants, pubs, parks, or indeed ice cream parlors.

We want to show that it is possible, desirable, and necessary to 

have discussions of the issues of the day while taking a calm,

measured approach and even a bit of collegiality to the activity.

With the divisiveness in our country in which even friends and 

families are acrimoniously divided, we could promote healing 

and, dare I say, friendship.

I am proud to be a charter member of such a fine group of people

with this shared purpose and these goals. I shall be sharing the 

related events as they unfold over time, among which I hope to 

include the club and its concept catching on. And boy, debating 

is a lot of fun!

MEM

Independence Day Thoughts and Wishes

249 years a nation, sovereign and proud. Our United States

of America is celebrating another birthday in two days, and 

we her people have a lot to celebrate in addition to her birth-

day.

We have Donald Trump back in the White House. Thanks to 

President Trump, we are having a reduction in the rate of infla-

tion. We have all but sealed the southern border, and far fewer

illegal entrants have gotten in; many of them, however, have 

been caught and deported --- not released, as was the procedure

in the Biden era. Countries with whom we trade with in the 

world marketplace are now treating us with respect and are 

no longer imposing stiff tariffs on our goods, blocking them

from being sold while we have very low, if any tariffs on 

theirs. 

We are cracking down on allowing males to compete against

female athletes in college sports, resulting in far fewer injuries

to the latter by the former as well as the latter winning events

on a level playing field. Enemy nations are now realizing once 

again that we are not to be trifled with and must be taken seriously

lest they become imperiled. And best of all, we have a head of state

who commands respect rather than draws scorn and ridicule.

At home we are regaining our constitutional rights, i.e. freedom of 

expression; high tech firms are less willing to block or censor us

on their public media sites because of our expressing certain political

beliefs. Freedom of worship without being placed on any political or

governmental organizations' list of alleged extremist groups, such as

the Southern Christian Leadership Council drawing up such a list and

placing pre-Vatican II Catholics and conservative activist groups such

as Moms for Liberty. I could go on, quite easily, but you get the gist.

Our country is embracing once again what it was meant to be, created 

to be, and is once again deemed by her people to be; a free, sovereign

republic ruled by its people and not by a self-proclaimed elite behaving

like gods on high, treating the people like peasants or children. And 

in light of the events of recent years it's none to soon.

Happy Independence Day!

MEM

Update re: the Judge Dugan Case

The Peasant just learned that Judge Hannah C. Dugan's 

federal court case has been postponed until a future date.

No clear reason was given, and no new date was announced

to resume proceedings. All I can tell you, my wonderful

readers, is that when your dependable Peasant finds out 

anything new, you shall know all the relevant details.

Stay close!

MEM

The Fall of a Respected Legal Figure

One would think that after 52 years one would know someone

extremely well. But then, something happens where you see a 

side of that person that you never even thought was there. 

Your astonished Peasant learned in April of a friend and class-

mate since our high school days had become that person in my

life. Judge Hannah C. Dugan, of late a Milwaukee County Circuit

Judge, was always interested in politics and law; she was on our 

All Student Council. After Catholic Memorial High School 

Dugan went on to earn her degree in law, then became an attorney

specializing in providing legal aid for low-income people

through Catholic Charities. In 2016 liberal Dugan was elected 

to her current judicial position, and became a respected barrister

with praise from both liberals and conservatives --- including

members on the Wisconsin Supreme Court; I myself voted for

her as well. 

And here in 2025 I am trying to make sense out of what transpired

recently in Judge Dugan's courtroom that has confounded me and

so many people like me who held the judge in the highest esteem.

On April 18, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

agents were in the courthouse to find and arrest Eduardo Flores-

Ruiz on the grounds of being in the country illegally.

Flores-Ruiz happened to be in Dugan's court as the defendant in

a trial in which he was being tried on assault charges, having 

severely beaten three people. Two of the victims were in Dugan's

court when she concealed and aided in the escape from her court

and the courthouse the defendant, Flores-Ruiz, and ICE agents

came to arrest him on the charge of being an illegal immigrant.

Judge Dugan had Flores-Ruiz go to the Jury Room and wait for

further instructions. Now, no one goes into that room but the 

jury members in a case, the bailiff, and the judge; your layman

Peasant is not certain of this being so because of a law, or if

it is a in-court proscribed procedure. From that room, Flores-Ruiz,

who was accompanied by his attorney, was instructed to go out

through a door at the back of the room which led to the public 

hallway. From there, Flores-Ruiz and his attorney made their 

way to an elevator which they rode to the main exit from the 

courthouse and exited the building. When Flores-Ruiz began

to leave the grounds, he was chased and apprehended. But what

about the two victims of this thug, who also happened to hear 

Judge Dugan's instructions to their attacker? They seemed to 

have been flipped the middle finger in all this. 

The FBI got involved, subsequently beginning an investigation 

into whether the judge helped an illegal immigrant avoid arrest. 

She was arrested by the FBI and charged with two felony counts

of obstruction and concealment of an individual, and was jailed.

Judge Dugan was later released on her own recognizance after

a few hours. FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney General

Pam Bondi both publicly spoke in support of the arrest of Dugan.

Judge Dugan hired two attorneys to represent her, interestingly

enough both being prominent Republicans: former U.S. Attorney

Stephen M. Biskupic and former U.S. Solicitor General Paul 

Clement. One would think that she would have hired some 

heavyweight Democrat attorneys, perhaps someone high up in

the hierarchy of the ACLU, as she has strong left-wing political

leanings. That, and most Republicans in government support 

Dugan's arrest with some of them calling for her disbarment 

while many Democrats oppose her arrest and hail her as a 

heroine, a modern day Joan of Arc.

AG Bondi made it clear that judiciary members opposing the 

Trump administration's immigration policies would face 

prosecution; "If you are harboring a fugitive, we don't care who

you are; we will come after you and we will prosecute you."

Democrat members of Congress and liberals in the judiciary

said that Judge Dugan's arrest was an attempt to intimidate the 

courts in order to get them to acquiesce with President Trump's

immigration policies, that this was something they'd expect from

Third World countries, that it defies the Constitution, that this 

is a threat to the independence of the judiciary, and a plethora of 

similar moanings, groanings, hootings and hollerings one would

expect from lefties. 

But the plain and simple truth is, at the end of the day, Judge Hannah

C. Dugan violated the law. While it is true that a judge has authority

over his or her courtroom, the judge is still not allowed to undertake 

some certain measures which are outside the bounds of the law --- 

among which is the concealment of a defendant from law enforcement

and assisting a defendant in fleeing to avoid arrest. My old friend had

done both. Apparently Her Honor shares the opinion of many on her  

side of the political spectrum, thinking President Trump is not only 

wrong but tyrannical in wanting to round up as many who are illegally 

here in our country as possible. Moreover, many of these like-minded

sorts have protested outside of the Federal Courthouse in Milwaukee

where news of Judge Dugan's arrest was made public. While many of

these people may not have much, if any, knack for understanding the 

relevant parts of the law (and don't care), Judge Dugan should, and 

should also respect the law and its bounds, as the law is what covers 

each and every one of us. Judges interpret the law as it applies to each

situation which is at the heart of each case that comes into court. 

The judge cites the law in telling the plaintiff or defendant 

no, you can't do that. But what credibility would a judge have if he

or she violated the law as it is applied to how that judge manages

his or her court?

It's a sad situation that Judge Dugan has gotten caught up in. On one 

hand, I feel badly for her. She made a huge mistake in judgement, no

pun intended. On the other hand, your sorrowful Peasant opines that

she must face the lawful consequences of her huge mistake, whatever 

they may be. Maybe she'll be fined. Maybe she'll be imprisoned. 

Maybe she'll have to give up her judgeship. Maybe she'll have to give 

up her license to practice law. Whatever sentence is meted out, Judge

Dugan must face it squarely and accept her just desserts. For our  

nation is a nation of laws, not a nation of people who make the laws, 

having their political stripes dictate what laws they would write and 

what they would mean, and how they would be interpreted, never mind

the Constitution or any court in the judiciary.

Judge Dugan returns to Federal court in July. My guess is that her case

will be decided by November. The next five months will prove telling

for the judge and what her future from that point forward will look like.

MEM

John "Paddy" Hemingway, R.I.P.

The last of the fighter pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain,

John "Paddy" Hemingway joined the Royal Air Force as a

teenager, and came home one heck of a man. Having participated

in the three-month battle in British skies, "Paddy" helped secure

his country from the threat of invasion by Nazi Germany. 

During the war he was shot down four times and was awarded 

the Distinguished Flying Cross, through it all becoming a 

Group Captain. 

When Winston Churchill said "Never in the field of human conflict

was there so much owed by so many to so few," of the courageous

men who fought this battle to keep Britain free, he was talking about

men like Paddy Hemingway.

Paddy went to the Ultimate Glory at 105. Rest in Peace. 

You are a truly Great Briton.

MEM

Meanwhile Back at the Ivy League ...

Very recently, masked activists (thugs, really) burst into Columbia

University's main library, ejected students, physically attacked 

dissenters, committed vandalism, and engaged in general mayhem.

At least 78 of these hoodlums were arrested, 65 students received

interim suspensions, and another 33 individuals, how many of which

were students was unclear, were barred from the campus.

Columbia's acting president, Claire Shipman, called the police; 

something liberal college and university presidents at liberal

schools haven't been known to do when confronted by such 

situations. After viewing the carnage, Shipman stated "I saw

it defaced and damaged in disturbing ways and with disturbing 

slogans." Congratulations are to be given to Acting President 

Shipman for her exhibiting such resolve. Let's hope that her

courage catches on with other heads of institutions of higher learning. 

Harvard will be rocky soil upon which the seeds of this courage 

displayed at Columbia will fall. Harvard has deep-running anti-

Israel and Jewish bias; an internal investigation, no less, discovered

as much. Its activist enclave does not regard Israel so much as a 

sovereign state but as a boil on the skin of the earth which must be 

lanced. Israeli and American Jewish students are routinely harassed,

often to the point of these students not being able to attend class.

Harvard's administration has done almost nothing to help them.

These pro-Palestinian students and others have dominated classrooms

and classes, clubs and other extracurriculars, and campus public spaces

with "discussions" about the Palestinian cause. Harvard's bowing and

scraping at the altar of "inclusivity" backs this to the hilt, the safety

and emotional well-being of Jewish students and Jewish faculty

members be damned. 

The war for academic freedom will be fought in many universities,

fought on a campus-to-campus basis from without and from within.

Some colleges and universities will stand up to and ultimately defeat 

these ratbags, while other institutions will cower and knuckle under

to them. It's too early in the game to assess the score and how it will 

end, so we must wait and see who will prevail.

MEM

Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R.I.P.

Lincoln Diaz-Balart was a Republican member of the House 

of Representatives from Miami, but wasn't always a Republican,

nor always from Miami. A Democrat until the mid-1980s, 

he admired President Ronald Reagan and his ambassador to the

United Nations, Jeane Kirkpatrick, both of whom saw the world

as Diaz-Balart saw it. Both Diaz-Balart and Kirkpatrick left the 

Dems for the GOP in the mid-1980s. 

Born into a prominent Cuban political family in 1954, the family 

fled Castro and his communist revolution to Miami, where they 

became just as prominent. LD-B has a brother, Mario, who was 

elected to the House in in 2002 and is still there. 

Both brothers are heroes to the Cuban dissidents still in Cuba,

either not having yet escaped or unable to escape. Lincoln Diaz-

Balart passed away at 70. Requiescat in pace.

MEM

On Memorial Day ...

Memorial Day this year is May 26. This important day 

is the day we Americans remember and honor our brave

countrymen and countrywomen who, through the years

of our country's history, have given their lives so that we

might have our country and that it always be sovereign 

and free. 

Let us live our lives in a manner which would show our

gratitude for our fallen fellow Americans that we don't 

take the fruits of their sacrifice for granted, nor do we

do same with our citizenship in our great nation. Let us

strive to maintain our country in the way it was meant

to be, and to rebuke and rebuff all attempts by those who 

would change our beloved country into one which we 

would not recognize and would not want to live in. 

Come join your humble and grateful Peasant in these

actions and to celebrate our blessings!

MEM

Venezuela's Regime Takes One on the Chin

The United States picked Venezuela's pockets --- 

no, not literally. However, the U.S. did cause 

Venezuela's Marxist regime more than a little

embarrassment when it liberated four hostages 

from dictator Nicolas Maduro's grasp quite 

recently. 

Originally there were five hostages, but one 

hostage escaped by unknown means. The five

were members of Venezuela's democratic oppo-

sition: Magalli Meda, Omar Gonzalez, Claudia

Macero, Pedro Urruchurtu, and Humberto Villalobos

had been working for the presidential campaign 

of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado last

year when Maduro's regime attempted to arrest them.

The five took refuge on March 20, 2024 in the 

Argentine embassy and requested safe passage out of

Venezuela under international law, which Maduro

promptly refused. 

Machado won the July presidential election in a landslide,

but when Argentine President Javier Milei refused to call

the election in favor of Maduro's regime, Maduro expelled

the Argentine diplomats who were trying to insure that the

election would be conducted on an even playing field.

Brazil agreed to take charge of the embassy but a few 

months later their diplomats were barred from entry to

the building. The regime then cut its electricity, and made

the situation force the occupants to ration food and water.

There seemed to be no firefight to keep the hostages contained,

nor to kill them. This caused regime enforcer Diosdado Cabello

major conniptions, for the hostages all escaped, leaving him

with no other human bargaining chips. So Cabello ordered his

thugs to raid Magalli Meda's home, thinking such a move would

even things (no, it didn't). Machado said the operation was 

"a precise, complex and perfectly executed operation." 

Meanwhile, President Trump is smiling his famous broad smile. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the mission to free the 

hostages, further stating that "Maduro's illegitimate regime has

undermined Venezuela's institutions, violated human rights, and

endangered our regional security." The State Department chimed 

in, stating "The Maduro regime's vulnerability and internal weak-

ness in its own country is clear." Let's hope that this is the beginning

of the end for the totalitarian regime of Nicolas Maduro, and the 

sooner the better.

And all the while, President Trump keeps on winning; not just at 

home, but in the Western Hemisphere.

MEM

George Foreman, R.I.P.

The heavyweight knockout artist people in the boxing world

nicknamed "Big George", breezed to a gold medal in the

1968 Olympics then won the world heavyweight boxing title

twice, and did the latter in two separate stages of his storied 

boxing career --- he retired once, then came back after twenty 

years thinking he still had lots left in his tank (he was right!)

and won the heavyweight title for the second time. Both 

victories were by knockout, and the second came when

Foreman was 45! 

Big George was a man of many things: boxer, businessman,

preacher, entrepreneur, and pitchman for his George Foreman 

grill (designed to "Knock the fat out!"). and a patriot, waving 

the U.S. flag all about the ring after knocking out his opponent

from the U.S.S.R. in the championship round of the Olympics 

and answered why he waved the American flag after winning

the bout "How could I not?". Never a political animal, 

he celebrated his gold medal victory because he was simply

proud to be an American and to have honored his country

with his winning performance; before his ring success he

was a street thug who often ran afoul of the law. Boxing was 

his way to a better life.

Along the way he did some acting on TV shows, once in a 

cameo role on Sanford and Son, also in The Six Million Dollar

Man and was a guest on several talk shows. He was even a 

contestant on the game show "The Dating Game"! What is more,

is he was a much-in-demand public speaker; your admiring Peasant

attended one of his talks when he came to Milwaukee a few years

ago.

Foreman also had a ranch which was home to many different

kinds of animals, including alpacas. And he was a most generous

philanthropist. 

Big George went to his final reward on March 21, at the age of

76. He is reunited with some of the other heavyweight champions

and luminaries whom he fought, defeating most of them ----

Joe Frazier, Ron Lyle, Ken Norton, and Muhammad Ali

(who knocked Foreman out in the "Rumble in the Jungle", the only

fighter who could accomplish this feat) to name a few.

And he left a legacy of excellence in everything he did, including

excellently serving and saving souls. Requiescat in pace.

MEM

David Horowitz, R.I.P.

Sometimes the most dedicated, the most committed, and

the most active conservatives are people who weren't 

always conservatives; many of them have come over to

our side and our cause from the Left, having eschewed

socialism and communism. David Horowitz was one such

person.

David grew up in this leftist milieu and was a fervent communist

into his thirties. He had one flaw where his comrades were 

concerned; he had the nasty habit of questioning everything.

This habit caused Horowitz to turn away from his youthful

radicalism and embrace conservatism. This move launched

his career and began his reputation as one of the most

prominent conservative thinkers of our time. 

Having been on --- and one of --- the Left, David Horowitz

understood the Left and their adherents; everything about

the ideology and its followers from its underlying motivations 

to its tactics, and ultimately to how to confront and defeat it.

His life was an example of courage, intellectual rigor and clarity,

and unflinching moral conviction blended with action. He saw

the Left for what it is, in all its deception and its uncovered ugliness.

His David Horowitz Freedom Center launched many a political

career, sending conservative spokesmen and spokeswomen into

battle for conservatism. Many of these young activists ran for 

office, were appointed to government positions, became opinion

journalists espousing conservative ideas, faculty members at

colleges, and many more such positions with opportunities to 

spread conservative thought and practice. 

Horowitz also wrote many books and articles. He debated. 

He didn't just debate, he marched into battle entering hostile

auditoriums and did intellectual battle with Marxist professors

and students, Islamist apologists, and race hustlers. In all, he

published over 50 books, debated thousands, mentored dozens,

all with just a few weapons: truth, moral clarity, ice water in his

veins, and a razor-sharp tongue. His opponents never had a chance.

Twenty-six years ago, in 1999, Horowitz openly castigated the Left 

for its weaponization of civil rights and its festering hatred of white

people. Conservatives had been too timid to take on the Left over

these issues and would not do so for another twenty years, but 

Horowitz blazed a trail for them by doing exactly that. 

His final book --- his Grand Finale --- was published in 2023; he was

84 by then. David Horowitz never retired, as he held that his work was

too important to just shelve for the sake of retirement. He passed away

yesterday at 88, leaving a legacy of staunch advocacy for freedom, 

reinforced with moral and intellectual clarity, and championing the 

truth regardless of the cost. 

You shall be missed, Lion of modern conservatism, always remembered

but never forgotten. Requiescat in pace.

MEM

A Distinctly Distinguished Gentleman is Honored

Will wonders never cease! William F. Buckley Jr. is going to be

honored by commemorating his 100th birthday with his picture

on a Forever Stamp! The U.S. Postal Service will release the stamp

later this year. 

The stamp will present a charcoal illustration of WFB, modeled after

a photo taken of Buckley aboard his beloved sailboat. His facial 

expression shows a look of steely determination, which is how he

faced both the seas and the American political landscape --- and in

his remarkable life he conquered all.

Ten years ago, in 2015, National Review thought about how to honor 

its founder's centennial. Members of the NR staff came up with the 

idea to honor him on a postage stamp. As Buckley was a famous

American, why not? Now, stamp proposals require years to plan, 

complete, and get approval; The completed plans have to be submitted

a minimum of three years before the proposed release date and need 

to meet special standards before being okayed by the Citizens' Stamp

Advisory Committee which has eleven members, all appointed by the 

Postmaster General. They then choose the subjects to appear on the

roughly 35 the USPS annually releases to grace the stamps.

The Criteria for the nominees for honoring on U.S. stamps are that

they be deceased and have had "significant impact on American 

history, culture, and environment." As Buckley "defined the conser-

vative movement of the mid-20th century and was one of its most 

recognizable spokesmen." So now William F. Buckley Jr. will join 

U.S.presidents, first ladies, Supreme Court justices, athletes, 

astronauts, entertainers, inventors, and journalists. 

Buckley is remembered as the father of modern conservatism as well 

as a man of a charming and easy manner and a zest for adventure; 

founding his magazine of intellectual conservatism, observation of the 

political scene and accompanying commentary was certainly an adven-

turous undertaking in the 1950s when Rooseveltian/Trumanesque 

robust government was the political order of the day while conser-

vatism was the politics of cranks and Republicans, now the vessel 

for conservatism, was back then in the supine position of getting along 

to go along with the preferred politics of that time. Buckley took the 

brickbats along with the bouquets as he established his magazine 

for the conservative literary readership, not as abundant as it is now.

But its abundance at least in part owes its growth and staying power

to Buckley, and is now rightfully honored in being selected to grace 

a U.S. Forever Stamp. Posthumous congratulations to William F.

Buckley Jr.! He now takes his place alongside other famous 

Americans who made tremendous contributions to American life.

MEM

Tax Time Follies

Tax his land,

tax his bed,

tax the table, 

at which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,

tax his mule, 

teach him taxes 

are the rule.

Tax his work,

tax his pay,

he works for peanuts

anyway!

Tax his cow,

tax his goat,

tax his pants,

tax his coat.

Tax his ties,

tax his shirt,

tax his work,

tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,

tax his drink,

tax him if he

tries to think. 

Tax his cigars,

tax his beers, 

if he cries, 

tax his tears.

Tax his car,

tax his gas,

find other ways 

to tax his ass.

Tax all he has

then let him know

that you won't be done

'til he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers

then tax him some more;

tax him 'til 

he's good and sore. 

Then tax his coffin,

tax his grave, 

tax the soil

in which he's laid.

Put these words 

upon his tomb:

"Taxes drove me 

to my doom."

When he's gone

do not relax,

it's time to apply

the inheritance tax.

                         Unknown author

And if that doesn't make your blood boil 

on this, our annual Tax Day, peruse this 

list of taxes which we currently have:

Accounts Receivable Tax

Building Permit Tax

CDL License Tax

Cigarette Tax

Corporate Income Tax

Dog License Tax

Excise Taxes

Federal Income Taxes

Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)

Fishing License Tax

Food License Tax

Fuel Permit Tax

Gasoline Tax

Gross Receipts Tax

Hunting License Tax

Inheritance Tax

Inventory Tax

IRS Interest Charges 

IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax!)

Liquor Tax

Luxury Taxes

Marriage License Tax

Medicare Tax

Personal Property Tax

Property Tax

Real Estate Tax

Recreational Vehicle Tax

Road Usage Tax

Service Charge Tax 

Social Security Tax

Sales Tax

School Tax

State Income Tax

State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)

Telephone Federal Excise Tax

Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax

Telephone Federal, State, and Local Surcharge Taxes

Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax

Telephone Recurring and Non-Recurring Charges Tax

Telephone Usage Charge Tax

Utility Taxes

Vehicle License Registration Tax

Vehicle Sales Tax

Watercraft Registration Tax

Well Permit Tax

Workers Compensation Tax

A total of 46 taxes! And for all your aghast Peasant knows,

there might be even more!!

Furthermore ...

Please note that NOT ONE of these taxes existed 100 years ago,

and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.

We had absolutely no debt, had the largest middle class in the world,

and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. 

What in the heck happened? Can you spell "politicians"?

Happy April 15!

MEM

Happy Easter Everyone!

Easter greetings from your friendly neighborhood Peasant!

May you, my fabulous and wonderful readers, and your 

families have a beautiful and blessed Easter; services at

your churches, Easter brunches, gathering with relations

and friends! 

This, Easter Sunday, is truly the day that the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it! Lord Jesus Christ made this day

for us by paying a frightening price. Let us dedicate how we 

spend this day to Him with reverence, gratitude, and love.

And let us love one another, as He bids us to, let us love our

family members and friends regardless of their varied religious

faiths, their cultures, whether they are Packer fans, Bears fans,

Viking fans or whatever fans, politics (yes, that means loving 

your way out lefty uncles, your so solidly righty cousin that

she makes you look like Sen. Bernie Sanders, and your child

home from college who has lapped up lots of the left-wing

pablum and is spitting it all over the place, including at the 

dinner table on The Big Day!), or which is their favorite 

baseball player of all time and the statistics to back up their 

choices. And your bold Peasant is leading from the front, 

not the rear; a very dear cousin who has for years been a 

political centrist has taken a hard-left turn! It was painful to 

learn, I aver, but we have made peace with it and kept the 

peace with each other. And she is still an avid reader of this blog!

Your love-filled Peasant also wishes a Happy Easter to my 

lefty friends as well, and may they all enjoy, perhaps some 

of them are just now discovering, the boundless and eternal 

love of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. He doesn't care what

your politics are; He just cares how you treat people, as He 

wants us to treat others as he treats us.

Therefore, here is the way to make and have the happiest,

most beautiful, most blessed, and most loving of Easters!

Peace, love, and holiday joy to you!

MEM

Facebook Tries to Silence The Peasant (to No Avail!)

Just a few months ago I told you, my grand readers,

about my getting banned by Twitter (now known as X)

because of the online media company taking exception

to some content I placed on my page, refusing to tell me 

what Twitter rules I had transgressed, then I got reinstated 

when Elon Musk bought out the firm and stopped the 

censorship shenanigans perpetrated by some of the staff.

Next, your suddenly embattled Peasant is having similar

troubles with Facebook. I side-stepped Face-Slap, as I like

to refer to them, by guiding many of you, my fantastic 

readers, to this blog via my page on MeWe, a free-speech

alternative to the Liberal Establishment-allied social media

sites, Face-Slap being but one. Furthermore, I am seeking

other such sites to set up a personal page and to guide 

people to PWAP. 

Still, we persist! No apologies whatsoever to Sen. Elizabeth 

Warren (D-MA), who first invoked this persistence statement.

We shall persist, persevere, push on, and pester our political

foes including (but not limited to!) Sen. Warren and the rest!

MEM

Thoughts on the Recent Wisconsin Election

On this, the recently held first state election in Wisconsin

since Donald Trump's second ascendancy to the presidency,

your ready-to-burst Peasant wants to give my observations

and opinions about its results, and have I got a lot to say!

One race on the slate was the battle for a seat on the Wisconsin

State Supreme Court being vacated by a retiring left-wing 

justice. Former state Attorney General and current Waukesha

County Judge Brad Schimmel faced Dane County Judge 

Susan Crawford for the opening, and the race was very important

for several reasons: with the court having had a 4-3 liberal 

majority, if Schimmel had won there would have been a 

4-3 conservative majority which would have buffered 

Act 10, then-Gov. Scott Walker's economic reform package 

which would have meant lower property taxes because 

it limited public service unions' bargaining rights on wages 

and benefits. This meant that governors could not simply give

the unions whatever they asked for because the governors

would have been giving the unions money that wasn't theirs 

in the first place but were the monies derived from the taxes 

paid by the people of Wisconsin, the property taxes which were 

paid generally went to fund the public schools. This has long 

been discussed and debated in political circles, especially

by those in the Democrat Party, with some otherwise pro-union

Democrats being hesitant to support this idea --- most notably

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who supported unions most

of the time. He was concerned, as are many people today, that 

increasing the compensation for the unions would drive up 

taxes without taxpayers having a place at the table, so to speak,

to give their yea or nay to any deals made under such an 

arrangement. But the Wisconsin Dems want to reinstate that

very arrangement, and with the state's highest court remaining

in liberal hands the court could (and would) easily strike down

Act 10. 

Not only that, but the top court could reorder the political maps 

of the state redrawn to combat the imagined gerrymandering

of the current maps, which by the way were the very maps drawn

up by Wisconsin's current governor, Democrat (!) Tony Evers.

The Dems want to eliminate two congressional districts which 

would necessitate two Republican incumbent congressmen to

run against each other if they wanted to remain in Congress.

Other things which would be up for very possibly being eliminated

include abortion restrictions, gun ownership and usage laws favoring

wider latitude, and the rights of schools and gyms to keep men out

of women's sports and locker rooms. This is a hotly debated issue

throughout the country as well.

Finally, the election was, for some people (especially Democrats)

a favorability measurement for President Trump. It must be noted

that the incumbent president's party generally does not do well in

non-presidential elections such as this one. But two factors were

what spelled defeat for Republicans and conservatives in 

Wisconsin's elections: the lack of an effective ground game and a

failure of many pro-Trump voters to go to the polls. On the 

former, the GOP has long been behind the Dems in the effectiveness

of getting out the vote with vigor and aggressiveness. They have

been much too gentlemanly in their approach, and it has been like 

bringing a pocket knife to a gunfight, or adhering to the Marquess 

of Queensbury Rules in a fight against a streetfighter who has no 

regard for any rules at all. The GOP and its allies should alter their

approach accordingly if they are to remain at all competitive in 

elections. Regarding the latter, and this really frosts your otherwise

placid Peasant, many conservatives and pro-Trump voters didn't 

go to their polling places to support Brad Schimmel, including 

counties with considerable conservative majorities such as Waukesha

County where Judge Schimmel is from. Schimmel actually ran behind 

President Trump in terms of the percentage of the vote he received

compared to that which Trump won in 2024. Judge Crawford actually 

outperformed expectations in terms of the percentage of votes that 

she was expected to win in heavily Democrat counties such as 

Dane and Milwaukee Counties, the "mother lodes" of Democrat 

votes in elections. This also affected the other race for office,

that being for the office of the State Superintendent of Public 

Instruction, which has sway over the public schools. Incumbent 

and big lefty Dr. Jill Underly, who lowered the statistical benchmark

measurement for public school students' performance in the classroom

and claiming that said students have had an increase in their perform-

ance scores, in an shameful attempt to gaslight the student's parents 

and taxpayers, won another term and will hold on to her current job.

Underly defeated moderate and "Readin', writin' and "rithmetic"

oriented challenger Brittany Kinser, who currently has children in a

public school in addition to being a schoolteacher. What ruined the 

race for the State's high court also ruined the race for the DPI super-

intendentship for the Republicans and conservatives. These are races 

that they could have, and and should have won. 

Your cheesed-off Peasant is sick and tired of people on our side 

blowing off the off-year races when the presidency, the governor-

ship, and/or the legislative seats are not being contested! We have the 

quantity of voters to win elections with, but when they don't go to the

polls they are, in effect, voting without voting; they are voting for the

enemy! They should know that the victory goes to those who show 

up! In Wisconsin we can vote early, up to two weeks ahead of 

Election Day. We can vote via Absentee ballot. We can even vote by

mail. We have no excuse for not voting. None! And I'll tell you this:

Over the net few years, until the next time a liberal justice is up for 

re-election or until Gov. Evers is up for same, these no-shows better 

not come crying to me about their taxes going on a rocket ride, 

or their ability to obtain firearms and ammunition for which to defend

their families, their homes, and all are negatively impacted,

or that their children complain that boys are allowed to change in the 

same locker rooms that they use, or some other awful consequence of  

the results of this recent election making them miserable, your angry 

Peasant doesn't want to hear it! I don't want to hear one word, I don't
want to see one teardrop! You can shove it where the sun don't shine!

We all know what needs to be fixed, and what needs to be done when 

election time rolls around again. 2026 is coming! Let's get down to 

business!

MEM

Thoughts on Elon Musk and DOGE

As you all know, my fantastic readers, Elon Musk 

is helping President Donald Trump to rein in the costs

of government at the federal level. Although not 

officially a cabinet member, Musk knows how to 

utilize money, including how to carefully allocate 

it on a large scale; look at his business ventures 

which include, but aren't limited to the Tesla 

automobile, spacecraft, and AI (artificial intelligence).

He shall be heading up the Department of Government 

Efficiency, commonly known as DOGE, with the mission

of identifying and eliminating things from unnecessary 

government departments and functions to wasteful 

expenditures of tax money. It's about high time that 

someone undertakes this sorely needed task, and 

President Trump has taken on the role with Musk 

riding shotgun, so to speak.

National Review said in its latest issue, that Musk 

"should combine an old and new passion, and launch

some federal agencies into the sun."  Stated in its

section "The Week", NR's witty take on the political

news of the day, may your mirthful Peasant suggest 

that Musk aim the rocket carrying the agencies at

a black hole? Nothing that goes into one never comes 

out.

Gee, the next four years are going to be a lot of fun!

MEM

Greenpeace Faces the Consequences of Its Actions

The international environmental activist organization

Greenpeace is known for its confrontational tactics in

fighting to preserve certain species of wildlife and

land owned by or adjacent to indigenous peoples. 

Sometimes they break laws in order to make their 

point, including engaging in destruction of private

property. Well, this time they had taken it on their 

collective chin to the tune of a $667 million verdict

against them in court.

A North Dakota jury very recently ordered Greenpeace

to pay $667 million in damages for its destructive 

campaign in the '10s to block the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Energy Transfer LP, the plaintiff, gave strong evidence 

during the trial that Greenpeace defamed the company 

and abetted vandals. Protesters threw feces and burning 

logs at security officers, and had even chained themselves

to construction equipment. All to get the pipeline's

financial backers to step aside from the DAPL project

by claiming --- quite erroneously --- that the company's

"personnel deliberately desecrated documented burial 

grounds and other culturally important sites," T

Energy Transfer stated that Greenpeace's actions delayed

the pipeline's construction and increased construction 

costs by hundreds of millions  of dollars. Greenpeace 

said, in its defense, as it never expressly order the vandalism

even if it did train protesters. The jury wasn't buying it,

therefore it awarded the colossal amount in damages that

it did. 

Greenpeace tried to cloak their actions in the First Amendment,

stating that they were merely exercising their free speech and

protest rights. However, there are no 1A rights to defame and

destroy. This is a commonly fallacious way of thinking among

far-left groups that take violent actions against people and 

property in their protests. Maybe this ruling will persuade such

groups to reconsider their methods of protestation.

But your leery Peasant wouldn't bet on it.

MEM

Unexpected Sick Leave

Your much-loved Peasant wants to offer my apologies for my having

disappeared rather suddenly and without notice; I was sick with some

sort of influenza for about 1 1/2 weeks, spending much of the time in

bed. I of course didn't engage in my blogging activities. As a matter of 

fact, this was the sickest that I have been since my near-fatal heart 

attack four years earlier. 

As of this writing I am still not quite at 100% but am gradually getting 

there. Hopefully by next week I shall have a new offering for all of you,

my grand and wonderful readers, and we'll be back on track. For now,

please accept my apologies for my unannounced absence and thanks

for your understanding, your concern, and your wishes for my 

regaining my physical health. Thank you all for keeping me in your 

thoughts and prayers! We'll gather together here again soon!

MEM