Frank Lee

If you enjoy studying history, as I do, then you know how brilliant these men were. "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams, written in an October 11, 1798 letter. This is now playing out in real time. Fascinating.

Garbage in. Garbage out. The entertainment media industry primarily Hollywood film/television, later joined and in some metrics surpassed in intensity by video games, with social media/internet platforms amplifying both fictional and real violent imagery in recent decades. Over the roughly 50 years since the mid-1970s, this sector has produced and distributed the largest volume of violent imagery (fictional and increasingly real) to the widest audiences through commercial channels designed for mass consumption and profit. I'm sure it's had no effect at all. Hollywood is demonic.

I gave up on the radical left a long time ago. The minute they start in with trans women are women, politeness and punctuality is white supremacist, we should have no borders, abolish prisons and the police, and all the other nonsense they spew non-stop, I just walk away. I don't try to convince them of anything, they're too far gone. I don't want to talk to them, see them, engage them in any manner. It's folly and a waste of my time. It's the old joke about getting into a battle of wits with an unarmed person. They are dead from the neck up. I'm for a complete divorce. A complete separation.

One of the great things about the good ole USA is that anyone can, regardless of background, rise up to high levels within the US Gov and commit almost any crime and never be held accountable.

Our words are a direct reflection, or mirror, of our inner self, particularly the heart. What we say reveals what truly fills us, whether good or evil, because speech flows from our deepest thoughts, treasures, and character. In essence, words are like fruit from a tree or overflow from a storehouse: they expose the quality of what's inside. You can't consistently produce good words from a corrupt heart or vice versa. People will give account for every word, for by your words you will be justified, or by your words you will be condemned. Words aren't neutral; they testify to the soul’s condition. Listening to your own words (or others') is a diagnostic tool for the soul, much like a mirror reveals your appearance. Guarding and renewing the heart is essential because out of it spring the issues of life. Pure speech flows from a heart filled with goodness; corrupt speech reveals what needs cleansing. Seek heart-level transformation.

Just drove past the opulent Elevance Health (formerly Anthem) office building here in town. Quite impressive. Executives make millions. Stockholders make bank. Everyone's happy. Oh, except the rank & file employees and the insured customer. Doesn't work out as well for them. It is long past time to take the for-profit out of Healthcare. You're either in it for the money or humanity. Can't be both. Unfortunately, the feckless politicians can't fix anything, and sure as heck won't stop the golden goose health insurers money tree. Meanwhile, we're dying here, literally. Sleep well.

The form of governance most closely associated with systematically restricting free speech and abolishing or severely undermining trials by jury is an authoritarian dictatorship (or its more ideologically driven subsets: totalitarianism, fascism, or communist one-party rule). The UK is systematically restricting free speech and abolishing jury trials. The UK is moving away from freedom into authoritarian one party rule.

Music is the language of love and reminds us that we're all in this together. Psalm 150:3-5: "Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!"

The fall of great empires throughout history rarely stems from a single cause but from a combination of interconnected factors that compound over time. The most common recurring conditions include: 1-Internal Decay & Institutional Weakness Bureaucracies become corrupt, inefficient, or parasitic. Tax systems collapse or become unbearably oppressive. The ruling elite grows detached from the population. 2-Economic Decline & Overextension Empires overexpand militarily, creating unsustainable defense costs. Currency debasement (inflation), chronic trade deficits, loss of productive capacity, and reliance on import labor erode economic vitality. Wealth concentrates in fewer hands while the middle and working classes stagnate or decline. 3-Military Stagnation Professional standing armies become expensive and politically powerful (leading to coups) or are replaced by cheaper foreign mercenaries/barbarian foederati who eventually turn on the empire (Rome, late Han China, Byzantium). 4-Demographic Decline & Loss of Civic Virtue Falling birth rates, urban decadence, mass immigration without assimilation, or the replacement of citizen-soldiers with hired foreigners all weaken social cohesion and the will to defend the state. 5-External Pressures Exploiting Internal Weakness Rival powers rarely destroy a healthy empire; they overwhelm one that is already rotting. Examples: the Goths vs. Rome, the Manchus vs. Ming China, the Arabs vs. Sassanid Persia and Visigothic Spain. 6-Ideological & Cultural Erosion Loss of the founding ethos or religion that once unified the empire. Cynicism, hedonism, or fatalism replaces confidence and duty (Gibbon’s famous diagnosis of Rome: “The decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness… the stupendous fabric yielded to the pressure of its own weight”). 7-Succession Crises & Civil War Weak, incompetent, or rapidly rotating leadership (often via assassination or capital intrigue) prevents long-term planning and invites constant internal conflict (Roman 3rd-century crisis, late Han warlords, Ottoman sultanate murders). 7-Technological or Environmental Shifts Climate change (e.g., the 535–536 volcanic winter, Medieval Warm Period → Little Ice Age transitions), epidemics (Antonine Plague, Justinian Plague, Black Death), or the empire’s failure to adapt to new military technologies (stirrup, gunpowder, naval innovations) can act as triggers or accelerators. In almost every case (Rome, Han China, Abbasid Caliphate, Spain, Ottoman, British, etc.), the empire is already hollowed out internally when the final blows land. The dramatic “fall” moment, sack of the capital, last emperor deposed—is usually just the visible culmination of centuries of decay. Strong empires can survive enormous external shocks; weak ones collapse under comparatively minor ones.

In a representative republic, representatives are chosen to exercise the people’s sovereign power on their behalf while balancing popular will, expert judgment, constitutional limits, and the long-term interests of the republic. The following issues are considered "80-20" issues. Human trafficking opposition Child sexual exploitation opposition Term limits for Congress Requiring photo ID to vote Banning biological males from women’s sports Cracking down on cartel activity Opposing biological males in women’s private spaces (locker rooms, prisons, shelters) Increasing deportations of illegal immigrants with criminal records School choice and education savings accounts Banning gag orders on parents at school board meetings Requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote Cracking down on criminal activity Are our representatives representing us or ruling us? These issues should have been long settled. The will of the people within the limits of the constitution is their job.

Imagine a world of leaders with integrity. Confucius (c. 500 BCE) “The ruler’s character is like the wind, and the people’s character is like the grass. Wherever the wind blows, the grass bends.” (From the Analects – the leader’s integrity shapes the entire society) George Washington “I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” Dwight D. Eisenhower “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.” Famously echoed by Peter Drucker: “There is no success without integrity; there is only the illusion of success.” These voices, from antiquity to the modern era, all converge on the same truth: a leader may achieve temporary power through cunning or force, but enduring legitimacy, trust, and real accomplishment rest exclusively on integrity.

The "Fabian strategy" was the major factor in securing victory during the Revolutionary War for American fighters. “Fabian strategy” or “Fabianism”, first utilized by Fabius Maximus during the 2nd Punic War (217 - 203 BCE), now means any deliberate policy of delay, attrition, harassment, and refusal of decisive engagement until the enemy is worn down or circumstances change. In short, Fabius Maximus didn’t beat Hannibal in battle. He beat him by never fighting the battle Hannibal wanted until Hannibal’s invasion slowly bled to death in a hostile land. That is the pure essence of Fabian tactics. The result during the Revolutionary War of Major General Nathanael Greene employing the Fabian strategy was that Cornwallis lost control of the Carolinas piece by piece. By the summer of 1781, Cornwallis' army was down to 4,000 effectives (from over 7,000 a year earlier) and hundreds of miles from secure supplies. In frustration, Cornwallis marched north to Virginia, a mistake that set the stage for Yorktown. Nathanael Greene never won a major tactical victory on his own (except indirectly through subordinates like Morgan at Cowpens), yet Henry Lee famously summed it up: “He conquered by retreating and triumphed by flying." That is the essence of Greene’s Fabian strategy, probably the most successful example of Fabian tactics in military history. Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus

“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption… every other correction is either useless or a new evil.” Thomas Jefferson

On this date in 326, the original St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, one of the earliest Christian churches, was consecrated by Pope Sylvester I, marking a foundational milestone in Western architecture and Christianity. St. Peter's Basilica is located in Vatican City, the independent city-state entirely surrounded by the city of Rome, Italy. It sits on the west bank of the Tiber River, in the heart of Vatican City, just northwest of central Rome. The massive elliptical St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro), designed by Bernini, lies directly in front of the basilica and serves as its main public entrance. The basilica itself is built over the traditional burial site of Saint Peter, the first Pope, beneath the high altar. Creator: Petr Polak Credit: pyty - stock.adobe.com

"Common Sense" was one of the most impactful publications ever written and should be required reading in all schools. "Common Sense" was a 47-page pamphlet published on January 10, 1776, in Philadelphia, written by Thomas Paine, an English-born recent immigrant to the colonies. It was written in plain, forceful, accessible language aimed at ordinary colonists rather than educated elites. The main arguments were that the hereditary monarchy is absurd and tyrannical. Paine attacked the very idea of kingship as unnatural and contrary to reason and scripture (“monarchy is the most prosperous invention the devil ever contrived”). He argued that the government should derive from the people, not from divine-right rulers. And that Britain’s relationship with the colonies was exploitative, not protective He portrayed Britain as a parasitic “parent country” that used the colonies for profit while offering nothing but oppression. He wrote that reconciliation was impossible; Britain had repeatedly shown hostility (especially after Lexington and Concord in 1775). And that independence was both necessary and inevitable Paine insisted that the colonies had everything needed to stand alone: population, resources, geography, and a shared cause. He said that remaining tied to Britain would drag America into endless European wars and prevent it from becoming a true asylum for liberty. It was a moral and practical call to action. He framed independence not just as a political break but as a moral duty for the present generation to secure freedom for posterity. “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” The pamphlet ended with a rough outline for a republican government based on a continental charter and annual assemblies. It had an immediate impact (1776–1777) with massive sales and circulation. Estimates range from 100,000 to 150,000 copies sold in the first few months (in a colonial population of ~2.5 million, this is equivalent to tens of millions of copies today). It was reprinted in almost every colony, read aloud in taverns and churches, and passed hand-to-hand. Before "Common Sense," most colonists favored reconciliation with Britain or moderate reform. After it, support for full independence surged. John Adams later said Paine’s pamphlet “converted the spirit of the colonies from a spirit of reconciliation to a spirit of independence almost overnight.” He legitimized independence for the common people. It gave farmers, artisans, and soldiers intellectual ammunition to demand separation, democratizing the debate that had previously been dominated by elite lawyers and merchants in the Continental Congress. Six months after publication (July 4, 1776), Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Many of its ideas and even some phrasing echo Paine (e.g., the rejection of hereditary rule, the emphasis on natural rights, and the moral urgency). It galvanized recruitment and morale. George Washington had "Common Sense" read to his troops; it helped sustain enlistments during the dark early years of the war. "Common Sense" was the single most influential publication of the American Revolution. It transformed independence from a fringe or elite idea into a popular mass movement in a matter of months and is widely credited with making the Declaration of Independence politically possible in 1776.

Nelson Aldrich (R-RI) played a pivotal role in laying the groundwork for the modern U.S. central banking system (the Federal Reserve). After the Panic of 1907 exposed the weaknesses of America’s decentralized banking system, Congress created the commission to study banking reform. Aldrich, a powerful Senate Republican and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, led it. Aldrich secretly convened a small group of leading bankers (including J.P. Morgan associates Paul Warburg, Frank Vanderlip, and others) at a private club on Jekyll Island, Georgia. Over about ten days, they drafted the core ideas of what became known as the Aldrich Plan, a proposal for a central bank controlled primarily by private bankers with minimal direct government oversight. “The refusal of King George III to allow the colonies to operate an honest money system, which freed the ordinary man from the clutches of the money manipulators, was probably the prime cause of the revolution.” Benjamin Franklin, in a letter reflecting on the Currency Act of 1764. Nelson Aldrich was the leading Republican architect of early central-bank proposals; his plan didn’t become law in its original form, but its ideas and the Jekyll Island draft became the blueprint that the Federal Reserve System was built upon.

Does this seem wise? Here is a partial list of professions with strict eligibility requirements. Medical Doctor Lawyer Certified Public Accountant Commercial Pilot Registered Nurse Professional Engineer Pharmacist Public School Teacher Dentist Real Estate Broker Veterinarian Architect Physical Therapist Psychologist (Clinical) Optometrist Certified Financial Planner Air Traffic Controller Occupational Therapist Chiropractor Speech-Language Pathologist Commercial Truck Driver Electrician Plumber HVAC Technician Carpenter (Union/Commercial) Welder (Certified) Heavy Equipment Operator Elevator Mechanic Pipefitter Ironworker Here are the eligibility requirements to be a member of Congress. Other than age and residency, there are no formal education, professional experience, or other qualifications that are constitutionally required.

The title "father of morality" isn't officially pinned on one person, but many point to Socrates (470–399 BCE) as a strong contender. His focus on ethics, virtue, and the question "How should one live?" laid foundational ideas for moral philosophy in the West. Through the Socratic method, he probed concepts like justice, goodness, and piety, influencing Plato and Aristotle, who built on his work.

"No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." Winston Churchill's 1947 House of Commons speech emphasizes democracy’s comparative strength against all other forms of government despite its flaws.