Thursday, March 14, 2024

With Friends Like Biden and Schumer...

With Friends Like Biden and Schumer…
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
March 13, 2024

With so-called friends like Joe Biden, current occupant of the White House, and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Israel certainly needs no more enemies. From both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, Israel, the closest ally of the United States in the Middle East, is receiving terrible advice and veiled threats, which undoubtedly will be tossed into the circular file by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

During his State of the Campaign shout fest, Thursday March 7, Biden stated so grandiosely that Israel has the right to defend itself, exactly five months to the day of the heinous Hamas invasion of Israel slaughtering more than 1,200 innocent Israeli children, women, and men. Without missing a beat, Biden all but called for a ceasefire and demanded Israel provide MORE humanitarian aid to Gaza. Lest Biden forget, and there’s a pretty damn good chance of that, a ceasefire existed on October 6, 2023. That ceasefire ended when Hamas invaded Israel, raping women and little girls - it only took a United Nations committee five months to begrudgingly come to that same obvious conclusion.

Hamas also murdered men, women, and children in such horrific fashion as decapitating babies while forcing parents to bear witness before executing the parents. Burning babies alive. And taking more than 200 people hostage from more than a dozen countries, including the United States, of which more than 100 are still in captivity, including five from the United States. Yet Biden, and much more often, Kamala Harris, continues demanding a ceasefire from Israel.

Hamas is also the elected body of Gaza. Hamas controls what comes in and goes out of Gaza - including humanitarian aid. Hamas has commandeered more of these supplies than most people could imagine, depriving those few Gazans not helping Hamas. That said, for Biden to say Israel must step up and provide more humanitarian aid, simply proves his lack of understanding of the situation there, as well as his lack of understanding of war. Did the US provide humanitarian aid to Nazi Germany during World War II? There’s always that double standard concerning Israel. Israel is expected to go above and beyond, but to be fair, Israel historically makes every bona fide attempt to limit civilian casualties. Succeeding is harder than the uninitiated would realize because Hamas infamously hides its terrorists within civilian homes and sites, uses those very civilians as human shields, as well as putting their weaponry amongst civilians in places such as hospitals, kindergartens, the underground tunnels, and even mosques.

And Hamas is not alone in its assault on Israel. Israel is under constant attack by Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, al-Aqsa Martyrs, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, and the Houthis from Yemen. These terrorist organizations are funded and sponsored by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Under Biden, billions of dollars have been released to Iran, that heretofore were never surrendered by the Donald Trump administration. 

Both Biden and Schumer foolishly continue calling for a two-state solution, which anyone who pays attention, understands how untenable such a suggestion is, and how much at risk it puts Israel. There is no two-state solution to be had when Hamas and the Palestinians will not even recognize Israel and its right to exist. There is no two-state solution to be had when Hamas and Hezbollah have written in their charters the call to eviscerate Israel and slaughter the Jewish people, as they have continued doing since October 7. Netanyahu referenced a 99-9 vote in the Knesset. “That’s over 90 percent supported my policy of opposing a Palestinian state being rammed down Israel’s throat.”

The most obvious first step toward any kind of peace must begin with the release of all the hostages by Hamas. Has Biden suggested such a plan? Harris? Schumer? NO; and no one should hold their breath. But while Biden is merely a puppet, a stooge, doing the bidding of the radical, progressive, leftists, in desperate need of the Muslim votes from Michigan and Minnesota, Schumer should know better. 

Instead Schumer continues playing politics. Speaking from the Senate chamber on Thursday, March 14, Schumer had the audacity to call anyone opposing a Palestinian state “bigots.” Schumer said new elections in Israel are necessary to bring about a two-state solution and because so many Israelis have lost confidence in their government. But that’s simply not true. Having spoken with numerous friends who live in Israel, to a person, as much as some of them absolutely do not like Netanyahu, they all support the decisions made by his government in its necessary quest to completely eliminate Hamas. They have said that it is vital the nation of Israel stand unified and strong in this common goal and put partisan politics aside - at least for now.

“Ultimately, I’m the Prime Minister of Israel. I’m responsible for the security and future of the Jewish state and I’m supported in my policies - the overwhelming majority of Israelis support my policies - that we have to eradicate Hamas as a terrorist and governing organization, get our hostages back, and we have to make sure Gaza doesn’t form a threat to us anymore,” said Netanyahu. 

“Of course the US cannot dictate the outcome of an election, nor should we try,” said Schumer from the Senate floor. “That is for the Israeli public to decide; a public that I believe understands better than anybody that Israel cannot hope to succeed as a pariah opposed by the rest of the world. As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips fall where they may. But the important thing is that Israelis are given a choice - there needs to be a fresh debate about the future of Israel after October 7,” said Schumer.

Here is where Schumer didn’t just cross a line, he pole vaulted over it. “In my opinion, that is best accomplished by holding an election. If Prime Minister Netanyahu’s current coalition remains in power after the war begins to wind down, and continues to pursue dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing US standards for assistance, then the US will have no choice but to play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage to change the present course.”

Sounds like more than a veiled threat. Sounds like Schumer is calling for regime change by hook or by crook. This is not the way one ally treats another ally. Seems Schumer wants to install a puppet or stooge in the Israeli Knesset to take orders the same way Biden does. Seems Biden, Schumer, and the Democrat Party have the same visceral hatred of Netanyahu as they do of Trump. Seems Netanyahu and Trump are in good company.

But what Netanyahu said several days ago should remind Schumer of several immutable truths. “Our battle is your battle, and our victory is your victory…. We’re going to defeat Hamas. We’re going to do whatever is necessary to minimize civilian casualties - something we believe in, but we have to defeat this terrorist Nazi army, otherwise there’s no future for anyone in the Middle East,” said Netanyahu. Notice he referenced the entirety of the Middle East, and not just Israel. Netanyahu is not a megalomaniac. He knows the importance of future treaties and alliances as were accomplished under Trump with the Abraham Accords.

Retired army general Benny Gantz, a Netanyahu opponent but member of the Prime Minister’s war cabinet took exception to Schumer’s Senate chamber remarks just a few hours later. Gantz posted on X, “The US and Israel share common values and interests, and the citizens of Israel and its leadership are very grateful for the US standing by the state of Israel in its difficult and complex moments.
“The leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate Chuck Schumer is a friend of Israel who helps her a lot even these days, but he made a mistake in his statement. Israel is a strong democracy, and only its citizens will determine its leadership and future. Any external intervention in the matter is incorrect and unacceptable,” concluded Gantz’s text.

No wonder Gantz is a diplomat - he offered much kinder, and more tactful words than Schumer deserved. Schumer’s words were offensive, threatening, contrary to appropriate behavior between allies, and a shonda - a disgrace.

Michael Herzog, Israeli Ambassador to the United States, also took issue with Schumer’s incongruous message on X. “Israel is a sovereign democracy. It is unhelpful, all the more so as Israel is at war against the genocidal terror organization Hamas, to comment on the domestic political scene of a democratic ally. It is counterproductive to our common goals,” wrote Herzog.

“There is no substitute for total victory - we’ll achieve it,” said Netanyahu. “It’s either Israel or Hamas, there is no middle way. We have to have that victory we can’t have ¾ of a victory. We can’t have ⅔ of  a victory, because Hamas will reconstitute itself, reconquer the Gaza Strip and do the October 7 massacre over, and over, and over, again. For the people of Israel, that’s the Red Line. We can’t let Hamas survive,” Netanyahu said.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Biden's Angry State of the Campaign Address

Biden’s Angry State of the Campaign Address
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
March 10, 2024

To paraphrase former President Donald Trump, Joe Biden exhibited high energy during his delivery of what G-d willing will be the last State of the Union address of his occupation of the White House. But, much more is needed than a one dimensional shout fest of an inappropriate campaign speech set in the House chamber blaming Republicans for anything and everything, while taking no responsibility for anything himself.

But the hypocrisy began even before Biden left the White House to make the trip up Pennsylvania Avenue. So concerned about the safety of Biden, a huge fence was erected for the purpose of protecting the so-called leaders, yet those same elected officials can’t seem to construct a wall or fence at the southern border to protect the American citizens living in such a precarious state. A state that would not have existed had Biden not destroyed the Trump border policies and intentionally allowed eight to 10 million illegals from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe to invade this nation.

Some of those illegals and citizens alike were responsible for Biden’s delay in reaching the Capitol as they protested, what they believed to be, his pro-Israel policy. The protesters are pro-Palestinian, pro-Hamas, and pro-ceasefire. Reaching the Capitol past 9:10 PM, Biden took several more minutes to reach the Speaker’s podium being mobbed by Congressional well-wishers - much more so than usual State of the Union addresses. (Quite frankly, I think Biden took smaller and shorter steps so as not to fall down, and stopped for the members of the two houses in order to ask for directions getting down the aisle.) The Democrats did not seem so concerned with the state of the Union, but with the state of Joe Biden.

So charged up, Biden began his address as soon as he gave the customary copies of his speech to Kamala Harris and Speaker Mike Johnson, before Johnson even had the opportunity to introduce Biden as is conventional. Biden jumped in with both boots to tell the American people the state of Ukraine, not the state of OUR Union. Seeking to increase spending on Ukraine’s defense, Biden should have opened with seeking to increase spending on defending the United States and the permeable southern border - which he allowed on his so-called watch. The United States needs to suspend funding for Ukraine until Europe makes a more concerted effort to do their fair share. Biden so enjoys demanding Americans pay their fair share, so too should Europe, especially after saying that Europe is at risk.

After Biden demanded more aid for Ukraine he turned his attention to yelling at Americans who don’t love their country. “You can’t love your country only when you win.” I imagine he directed that barb at the Republicans, for what reason I could not fathom. Most Americans love their country and want the best for the nation and its citizenry. That said, Biden’s accusation should have been directed to the left wing, radical, progressive, America last Democrats - the ones who support open borders and a dissolution of the border patrol, freebies for illegals, putting illegals ahead of Americans, granting amnesty and ultimately citizenship and voting rights for illegals, those calling for the defunding of law enforcement. If Biden wants to condemn folks for not loving their country, he must start with every Democrat who voted against condemning anti-Semitism, and for calling for the removal of Trump from ballots, saving democracy, which couldn’t be further from the truth. (https://sanfordspeaksout.blogspot.com/2024/03/scotus-rules-9-0-keeping-trump-on.html)

The gaslighting portion of the Biden “campaign” speech followed the criticizing Americans who don’t love their country section. Biden claimed 15 million new jobs have been created during his term in office, that the economy is strong, that crime is down, and that the GOP is responsible for the crisis at the border. Not once did Biden take responsibility for his many failings. How many of those so-called new jobs happened to be people returning to work following Covid (you know, the China virus)? Biden actually had the audacity to say the US economy is “the envy of the world.” Did Biden even bother to read the crime statistics, especially those in the biggest of American cities, those run by Democrats for decades and decades?

During the gaslighting, as if on a Kool-aid high, the Congressional Democrats began chanting “four more years,” something they did at least three times during the Biden “campaign” speech. Four more years? Four more years of what? An invasion at the southern border thus far having allowed more than eight million illegals into this country to rape, pillage, plunder, murder, attack, and assault at will? Illegals supplanting veterans from certain housing? Illegals supplanting American children from schools? Prices so high people have to hedge between buying groceries, medications, gas for their vehicles, or paying mortgage/rent? An administration telling students they don't have to pay back their college loans and forcing the rest of us to pay them? An administration supporting the bastardization of Title IX - recognizing biological males as so-called women? An administration trying to cut more freedoms from Americans - telling us what kind of car to buy, what kind of crappy working appliance to buy, what kind of food to eat? Four more years of out of control spending making the dollar worth less and less every year? Four more years of rampant Anti Semitism - especially on those college campuses Biden is so quick to force us to pay for that poor excuse of an education? Four more years of a military not making its quotas of new recruits? Four more years of the military worrying more about pronouns than protecting America?

As Biden continued his angry, get off my lawn rant, he turned his attention to the size of a Snickers bar, which seemed more important than the size of the holes at the southern border. Biden also seemed more concerned with snack chips infinitely more than China stealing US computer chip technology.

Soon thereafter, US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) stepped up, practically turning the State of the Union address into a session of the British Parliament. Attired in a Make America Great Again ball cap, a shirt reading “Say Her Name,” in memory of Laken Riley, and two buttons with Riley’s name and photo on her jacket. Riley was the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student beaten to death on February 22 by an illegal alien from Venezuela. Greene began to shout “say her name,” in an attempt to goad Biden into mentioning the victim of his own border policies. It worked.

Biden held up the button Greene gave him earlier that evening upon his arrival in the House chamber. Looking at it, he shouted, “Lincoln. Lincoln Riley, an innocent young woman that was killed by an illegal. That’s right. But how many thousands of people killed by illegals,” BIden asked derisively, meaning, by legals. Or did he say legals in the first place? Hard to tell; Biden didn’t have complete control of his speech and diction as has become his norm. And even holding the button, Biden couldn’t correctly say the name of Laken Riley. (https://sanfordspeaksout.blogspot.com/2024/02/bidens-broken-border-claims-life-of.html)

That Biden called Laken Riley’s murderer an illegal stirred up more consternation within the legacy media than the actual slaughter of that innocent nursing student. For days since the State of the Union “campaign” speech Biden has had to answer for the “sin” of using the word illegal, which is exactly what this waste of space should be called. Biden has been verbally genuflecting over this egregious transgression, in an effort to assuage his base. Donald Trump, on the other hand, met with Laken Riley’s parents, not that the legacy media would report such information. 

Biden sounded equally delusional when discussing Israel, and the war started by Hamas on October 7, 2023. To be fair, Biden did support Israel’s right to defend itself - he’s a real sport, as if Israel, a sovereign nation, needs any other nation’s permission to defend itself. It was all downhill from there, as Biden clamored for a two-state solution, which is completely untenable. There is NO two-state solution to be had when one of those states won't even recognize the existence of the other, when the same group wants to destroy the other, and continues slaughtering its people as it did on October 7.

There also has been an almost constant harangue, mostly from Kamala Harris, demanding a ceasefire in the war Hamas started against Israel. On October 6, 2023 a ceasefire existed. The very next day, on October 7, Israel was attacked. Hamas slaughtered more than 1,400 Israeli men, women, and children. Hamas is also the elected body of Gaza. Hamas controls what comes in and goes out of Gaza - including humanitarian aid. Hamas has commandeered more of these supplies than most people could imagine. That said, for Biden to say Israel must step up and provide more humanitarian aid, simply proves his lack of understanding of the situation there, as well as his lack of understanding of war. Did the US provide humanitarian aid to Nazi Germany during World War II? There’s always that double standard concerning Israel. Israel is expected to go above and beyond, but to be fair, Israel historically makes every bona fide attempt to limit civilian casualties. Succeeding is harder than the uninitiated would realize because Hamas infamously hides its terrorists within civilian homes and sites, uses those very civilians as human shields, as well as putting their weaponry amongst civilians in places such as hospitals, kindergartens, and the underground tunnels.

Biden sounded like a cranky, angry, demented, old man, delivering a partisan, rancorous, campaign speech, ignoring key issues, or not spending nearly enough time on them. He bellowed at the people as an old school marm looking down the nose of her spectacles. He was disrespectful, dithering, doddering, and downright disagreeable, May we the people be Blessed that this be the last State of the Union address he delivers.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield,, IN.

Monday, March 4, 2024

SCOTUS Rules 9-0 Keeping Trump on State's Ballots

SCOTUS Rules 9-0 Keeping Trump on State’s Ballots
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
March 4, 2024

Less than 24 hours before the polls are due to open in 15 states for Super Tuesday primaries, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled unanimously on Monday, March 4 that the Colorado Supreme Court decision barring former President Donald Trump from their primary ballot cannot stand.

While the justices took various and in some cases circuitous routes to arrive at “yes,” their unanimity delivers a definitive and solid message that courts or singular individuals will not decide elections. More importantly, it is the will of the people - the legal, voting age, registered voting citizens of the United States who undertake the enormous responsibility of ensuring the preservation of the Constitution and all its protections.

When asked about the impact of the Supreme Court’s nine-nothing vote on the remaining states that have either decided to remove Trump from their ballots or are suing to do so, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley responded, “I think they’re all dead as Dillinger.” Turley is certainly not known as a conservative, but a level-headed, fair thinker, capable of being objective.

“Colorado, Maine, most recently Illinois - those are the outliers. Many of those other people that rejected them were Democrats who did the right thing, like the three liberal justices on the court. They stood with their colleagues, spoke with one voice and said, enough; that we are not going to introduce what Justice Jackson referred to as ‘an undemocratic interpretation of the 14th Amendment.’ We should take some solace and encouragement from that. I think the court is showing this divided country that there are still things that bind us to each other - a certain covenant of faith that we can find in the Constitution,” said Turley.

According to Lawfare, the Supreme Court ruling reversed the ballot disqualifications of Trump in California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Of that group of 10 states, half of them - California, Colorado, Maine, North Carolina, and Virginia go to the polls on Super Tuesday.

Part of the Supreme Court ruling indicated it is up to Congress, not the states, to make such decisions impacting federal elections; that Section Three of the 14th Amendment is supported by Section Five of that same amendment. In the case of Donald J. Trump, Petitioner v. Norma Anderson, et al, (Anderson being one of six Colorado residents to officially call for Trump’s dismissal from that state’s ballot.) the Supreme Court reversed the decision issued by the Colorado state supreme court in December 2023. The Colorado state supreme court decided against Trump in a four to three vote by seven Democrat justices - a margin slim enough to understand the gravity of such a decision, that by a margin of one vote, one justice, one person decided for an entire state for whom the citizenry should have the opportunity to vote. That’s dangerous.

As Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz has oft-said, he wants Trump on the ballot because he wants the opportunity to vote against the man for the third time (2016 and 2020).

Section Three of the 14th Amendment reads, in its entirety:
                “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice         President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who,            having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or         as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support         the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the            same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of         each House, remove such disability.” 

Nowhere does this section mention the office of the President of the United States. “We granted former President Trump’s petition for certiorari, which raised a single question: “Did the Colorado Supreme Court err in ordering President Trump excluded from the 2024 presidential primary ballot?” See 601 U. S. ___ (2024).  Concluding that it did, we now reverse,” wrote the Supreme Court on pages three and four in its ruling per curium. (Per curium indicates the court’s ruling was written and issued by the court as a unit and not by any specific judge or justice.)

Section Five of the 14th Amendment, in support of Section Three, reads in its entirety: “The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.” 

Page six of the March 4 Supreme Court ruling states definitively, “This case raises the question whether the States, in addition to Congress, may also enforce Section 3.  We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office.  But States have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency.”

US Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) said the Supreme Court decision is “monumental.” 

Trump himself called the ruling, “very well crafted. …I think it will go a long way to bringing the country together. The voters can take the person out of the race very quickly. …A great day for liberty.”

“I think this was the right decision,” said former US Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. (D-TN). “I think it was important for the Court to speak declaratively with one voice. I agree, this will settle this issue, and leave it to the voters,” said Ford, a panelist on the Fox News program, “The Five.”

Lest anyone think this decision is about Trump, yes, he is the current beneficiary of the nine-nothing Supreme Court vote, make no mistake who the real victors are here: the American people, our Democratic-Republic, and quite frankly the world. The United States is the beacon of freedom - after all, why are millions upon millions of people trying to enter the United States by whatever means necessary (another issue for another column). Quite frankly, the words from the liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor, Elana Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, in their concurring opinion of March 4, speak volumes regarding the importance of not upholding Colorado’s decision. “Allowing Colorado to do so, would, we agree, create a chaotic state-by-state patchwork, at odds with our Nation’s federalism principles. That is enough to resolve this case.”

All those shortsighted people yelling that Trump is a Nazi and a threat to democracy and must be removed from all ballots far and wide are the true, genuine threats to democracy. Their visceral hatred of Trump, which clearly overshadows their respect and support of the Constitution, while legal, is dangerous. These are the people who believe one person - a state secretary of state - should decide for hundreds of thousands to millions of citizens for whom they should be allowed to vote. If they got their way on March 4 and the Supreme Court fostered an alternative ruling, imagine the chaos that would ensue as Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson suggest would invariably occur. 

Suppose Trump is removed from ballots in Colorado, Maine, Illinois, and perhaps the entirety of the left coast and New England. Perhaps Biden is removed from ballots for cause - say faulty cognition, from the Deep South, the Plains region, and Big Sky country. Consider the Balkanization of the voting process or that the election could be decided by 50 individuals before Election Day itself. Does that sound like a Democratic-Republic?

No, that’s the slippery slope to becoming communist Russia. If Russia, under the despotic regime of Vladimir Putin, can’t ban opponents from the “ballot,” those opponents mysteriously fall prey to some malady a la the Soviet leaders who disappeared for days, then weeks before anyone learns he has a “cold.” A “cold” that ultimately claims his life. This is not a tale of fiction to be found in Chekov, Dostoyevsky, Pushkin, or Tolstoy. The February 16, 2024 questionable death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, 47, is being widely attributed to Putin in global circles. Navalny, born June 4, 1976 in the village of Butyn, in the Moscow region, attempted to challenge Putin, but summarily found himself barred from running in 2018 - deemed ineligible due to a prior conviction. This past August, already serving an 11.5 year sentence, a Russian court added an additional 19 more years, on what Navalny called trumped up charges - no pun intended. He died in a Russian penal colony two months after Putin’s announcement he would stand for reelection in 2024.

That is not how political opponents are “handled” in the United States. Or is it? How many opponents of the Biden administration are anonymously sitting in prisons because of alleged crimes committed on January 6, 2021? That is also not the American way. The First Amendment of the Constitution is designed to protect people’s right of free speech, as well as their right to assemble peaceably. 

Even Eugene V. Debs, (1855-1926), born in Terre Haute, IN, where he served as city clerk and later as a member of the state legislature, ran for president - from jail. The perennial candidate for the Socialist Party of America, of which he was a co-founder, Debs ran for president five times in every election from 1900 through 1920, save for 1916. The advocate for organized labor and unionism grew in popularity with each campaign earning 94,768 votes in 1900 and by 1920 Debs garnered 917,799 votes from prison. Debs served time for criticizing the US government’s policy of prosecuting people accused of violating the Espionage Act of 1917.

If the likes of a Eugene V. Debs could run for president from a jail cell, certainly a candidate not having been charged with any crime, let alone convicted of one, should remain on the ballots across the nation. Those who continue to object, have the right to vote against that candidate, as Dershowitz looks forward to doing.

Trump’s lone remaining GOP rival, former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, while speaking in Spring, TX , said “the Supreme Court ruled today that Donald Trump can stay on the ballot.” Followed by a light chorus of boos, Haley continued, “No, I think that was important. We don’t ever want some elected official in a state, or anybody else saying who can and can’t be on a ballot. This is America. This is America. Look, I’ll defeat Donald Trump fair and square, but I want him on that ballot.”

The White House should have the good sense to realize the bullet the nation, and the free world, dodged, and applaud the Supreme Court for their perspicacious ruling. The optics of the White House seeking the de-balloting of Biden’s future opponent would shout Putin.

In her concurring opinion of March 4, Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote, “In my judgment this is not the time to amplify disagreement with stridency. The Court has settled a politically charged issue in the volatile season of a Presidential election. Particularly in this circumstance, writings on the Court should turn the national temperature down, not up.  For present purposes, our differences are far less important than our unanimity: All nine Justices agree on the outcome of this case. That is the message Americans should take home.”

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Biden's Broken Border Claims Life of Nursing Student

Biden’s Broken Border Claims Life of Nursing Student
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
February 29, 2024

Say her name: LAKEN HOPE RILEY

With the ever growing number of illegal aliens streaming across the southern border, invading the United States, understand that this nation used to be one of givers that is now most certainly replete with takers.

As pages of the calendar flipped from the 19th century to the 20th, the United States welcomed foreigners - legal immigrants (except for Jews during the Holocaust under President Franklin Roosevelt), under certain criteria. New immigrants underwent health and medical exams. Those deemed ill, diseased, or contagious could, at the very least be quarantined, if not possibly sent back to their country of origin.

New immigrants required a sponsor, typically a family member or a member of his or her ethnic or religious community who would ensure the newcomer would not  be a miscreant or drain on society, but instead a productive member of society. In other words, a giver, not a taker.

Millions sought their fortunes or religious freedom in America with the promise of streets paved with gold. In those days, the streets were barely paved with asphalt. There were no safety nets. People either sank or swam. The socialist New Deal had not yet been created. (To be fair, the founding of FDIC turned out to be the best part of the New Deal.) Some who sank turned to less than honest ventures.

The overwhelming majority of new Americans took pride in their new country, their new homeland. They may have spoken Yiddish, Italian, Greek, Russian, or Polish at home, but outside, they spoke English - even if broken, accented English. These folks became part of the Melting Pot - getting jobs side by side with people from numerous other countries, sending their children to public schools, and many of whose grandchildren became the first in their families to graduate college.

These people became givers - donors to, or founders of charities, scholarships, builders of hospitals, arts centers. Businessmen and women who made fortunes also employed those who could work toward their own. As successes in their fields, they could participate in the above giving.

(This is not to paint a picture behind the disguise of rose-colored glasses. Before the end of World War II segregation continued unchecked, neither sports nor the military had yet to integrate, more than 125,000 Japanese-Americans suffered degrading internment thanks to FDR, and anti-Semitism was prevalent - although it has reached ever-growing highs over the last six months.)

The immigration criteria has simply been relaxed, ignored, or reduced to pulp fiction in the last four-plus decades. Illegal immigration has skyrocketed to new and appalling heights. While Barack Obama may or may not have earned the moniker of “Deporter in Chief,” and Donald Trump began building a wall that would be thwarted by a Democrat Congress, Joe Biden ended the Remain in Mexico policy and has flung open the doors to the United States in a brazen attempt to ensure Democrat rule in perpetuity. Estimates range from six to eight million illegals entering the United States since Biden occupied 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Diseased, unvaccinated - with no requirement to be so, unlike US citizens who lost jobs, or were kicked unceremoniously out of the military or schools in hypocritical fashion. Illegal aliens from numerous countries, and not just in Latin America, but also from the African and Asian continents are bringing with them “diphtheria, tetanus, polio, hepatitis C, measles, and chicken pox,” said Dr. Marc Siegel of Fox News.

Unvetted millions - single, military aged males who have no education, no promise of work, many with criminal records are invading the United States demanding “free stuff.” And the uniparty - Democrats and RINOS together are granting medical care, placement for children in schools, debit cards, ethnically appropriate food, housing in hotels many Americans could not afford - hotels in many cases were housing now supplanted military veterans in dire need. (Every administration is guilty of abandoning our veterans, for whom we should all be grateful every day.)

Many of these illegal aliens are miscreants who have raised the crime rates in the United States to disturbing levels. There are attacks and assaults on members of law enforcement, women and children, theft, and not just in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Southern California because all states have become border states; because all major and minor cities have become sanctuary cities.

The impact of the Biden open borders has struck far too many families across the fruited plain. There is even a name for those who have suffered the loss of a child - a club that which no one would ask for membership. These are the Angel Moms and just a week ago a new member was added - Allyson Phillips - grieving mom of Laken Hope Riley.

Laken Hope Riley met her fate allegedly at the hands of an illegal alien - Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, a Venezuelan national. This filthy animal beat Riley so terribly as to disfigure her skull. Because Ibarra had no reason to commit such a heinous crime, a 22-year-old nursing student savagely lost her life while simply enjoying a run outside the University of Georgia campus in Athens, GA. The cause of death is listed as blunt force trauma.

This is the epitome of a giver and a taker. Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University with no criminal record, chose a career of giving and caring for others. Riley would soon have been a saver of lives, but Ibarra is a taker of life. Ibarra, who illegally entered the United States on September 8, 2022, gained release from Border Protection. He was arrested in New York City on September 14, 2023 for child endangerment - a child under 10 years of age. Arrested again on February 23, 2024, this time on  charges of felony murder, malice murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment, aggravated assault, and concealing the death of another. If found guilty, Ibarra deserves nothing less than the death penalty. As an aside, Ibarra's brother Diego is behind bars for possessing a counterfeit Green Card.

Laken Riley, from Woodstock, GA, graduated River Ridge High School in 2020, also in Woodstock, where she ran Cross Country. Her funeral is set for Thursday, February 29 and the burial on Friday, March 1.

Laken Riley’s family issued a statement. “Laken was an amazing daughter, sister, friend, and overall person in general. Her love for the L-rd was exemplified in every aspect of her life. She will be missed every day but we promise to honor her life moving forward in a very big way.”

Riley’s freshman year roommate Bianca Tiller described her friend as the “sweetest soul” she’s ever met, and that she’s infuriated that Riley’s murderer is here illegally. “We need to be careful who we’re letting in the United States. I know they’ve sent letters to the president and I hope everything gets taken seriously, and of course Laken was such an amazing person. I really do hope that everyone gets to realize who she is and that her legacy really lives on,” said Tiller.

Biden and recently impeached (but not yet tried by the Senate) Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, have blood on their hands. Not just for the death of Riley, but many others - some not yet even discovered.

Since Biden began his occupation of the White House, he has made it his continuing goal to dismantle the good works of President Trump, and this includes destroying the fabric of our nation with his open borders. Despite the constant messaging from Biden, Mayorkas, and Kamala Harris that the border is closed and/or that the border is secure, more than eight million invaders are proof to the contrary.

Government has but one obligation - protect its citizenry from all enemies foreign and domestic - period. This government is failing miserably on both counts because it is too focused on placating illegals, controlling the purchasing power of Americans whether via automobiles, dishwashers, or the food we eat, or the idiocy of pronouns and so-called microaggressions. How about worrying about, and combating MACROaggressions? Does this sound like consent of the governed? 

Demonstrating the tone deafness of the Democrat Party, on February 1 of this year, 150 Democrat House members voted against a bill to deport illegals who commit DUIs - 150. Fortunately, 59 Democrats had the good sense to join the GOP in passing this bill. This is the bare minimum regarding the disposition of illegal aliens.

Even more callous is US Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA). Practically dismissing the tragedy of Laken Riley, Porter said “one instance shouldn’t shape our overall immigration policy, which has so many different facets including economic choices about what workers to allow in, to how to create prosperity in America. So the situation is tragic and it’s a loss and it’s important to acknowledge that, but also to recognize all the other parts of immigration policy fit together.” Is Porter’s word salad coming from the same salad bar as Kamala Harris’s?

Say her name: MOLLIE TIBBITTS

Sadly, as is so well known, the murder of Laken Riley at the hands of an illegal alien is not simply “one instance,” as Porter suggests.  Coincidentally, Porter, 50, is a native of Fort Dodge, IA, the same state where another runner, Mollie Tibbetts, 20, lost her life - murdered at the hands of yet another illegal alien. Tibbetts, born in San Francisco and attending the University of Iowa disappeared on July 18, 2018. Her body was found a month later - stabbed repeatedly. Arrested in August 2018 after leading authorities to the cornfield where he buried Tibbetts’s body, was Mexican national Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24. In August 2021, then 27, Rivera earned a life sentence with no possibility for parole. Iowa does not have the death penalty at its disposal.

In some of the most irresponsible so-called journalism this journalist and writer has seen, the Associated Press all but blamed the victim in the Riley case. Its February 24 headline read, “The killing of a nursing student out for a run highlights the fears of solo female athletes.” Part of the article read, “...authorities Thursday found the body of Laken Hope Riley and arrested Athens resident Jose Antonio Ibarra.” Nowhere in the article is there a mention that Ibarra is an illegal alien with a criminal record.

Not to be left out for the award for irresponsible journalism, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution posted on X, “#BREAKING: A 26-year-old Athens man has been charged with murder in the death of a nursing student on the University of Georgia campus.” The Atlanta paper also ignored Ibarra’s immigration status and criminal record because for neither media outlet do the facts fit their narrative. Illegal aliens are, in fact, responsible for some of the worst killings in the United States.

But, in what has to be one of the biggest media lies, Axios posted on February 24, 2024, "by using the term 'open border,' conservatives are falsely suggesting that anyone can get into the United States without much hassle. But the southern border is more fortified than its ever been."

And just one day prior, US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) doubled down on the Axios lie with her own stupidity, saying on MSNBC, that the Republicans are "ginning up a false narrative about this thing [illegal immigration] being a crisis."

Say her name: LIZBETH MEDINA

On December 5, 2023 Lizbeth Medina lost her life at the hands of an illegal alien - stabbed to death in her Edna, TX home, and found in the bathtub by her mother Jacqueline. Lizbeth, a 16-year-old Edna High School student and cheerleader was murdered by Rafael Govea Romero, 23, later arrested on December 9. With sufficient evidence, Romero was indicted on capital murder charges.

Say her name: KAYLA HAMILTON

Kayla Hamilton, 20, of Aberdeen, MD lost her life on July 27, 2022 in Aberdeen, raped and strangled by an illegal alien. A 16-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador committed the murder and belonged to MS-13, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, one of the most violent gangs to rear their ugly heads. Thanks to DNA evidence, the murderer, still a minor at 17, was arrested on January 15, 2023.

Hamilton’s mother Tammy Nobles is suing both the departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services. “Our young women aren’t safe. Our young women aren’t safe. I see our women being killed, murdered, and raped. Nobody’s standing up and doing anything. I’m trying to do what I can to bring awareness and keep this from happening and let government officials know something has to be done. This cannot keep happening. Where’s the outrage? Does citizenship mean anything anymore,” asked Nobles, appearing on The Ingraham Angle on Fox News.

Nobles is absolutely right. So too are Jacqueline Medina, Bianca Tiller, and Allyson Phillips. And Donald Trump is also right. Posting on Trump Social on February 26, he wrote, “When I’m your President, we will immediately Seal the Border, Stop the Invasion, and on Day One, we will begin the largest deportation operation of illegal CRIMINALS in American History.”

And deportation is what is so desperately needed. We the people support immigration - LEGAL immigration; givers, not takers - people who will make America a better place than they found it. Yes, we want people to make America great again. In order to do that, government, from all levels, must stop incentivizing foreign nationals from coming to the United States illegally. These foreign countries are not sending their best and brightest here, reminiscent of Fidel Castro’s Mariel Boatlift out of Cuba in 1980 where many of the 125,000-plus Cubans coming to ports in Florida had criminal records and mental instability.

Come legally the way my great grandparents did; the way my grandparents did; the way my mother-in-law did - all proud to be AMERICAN. Proud to wave the AMERICAN flag, not a foreign flag. Want to wave a foreign flag, stay in that country. Be a giver, not a taker. Serve your new country as numerous members of my family did, including a grandfather who worked on the Manhattan Project. Don’t know what that is? Look it up! We want new Americans who are not public health or public security risks. We want people who learn English, and become part of the Melting Pot, and not a Balkanization of peoples unable to communicate with one another, creating fear, loathing, criminal activities, and a further crumbling of the Republic. This is an imperative vital before the United States becomes even more unrecognizable. 

May G-d save the Union.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

First Timers Beltre, Mauer Lead Hall Class of '24

First Timers Beltre, Mauer Lead Hall Class of ‘24
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
January 17, 2024

While baseball fields and stadia across the fruited plains lay dormant under a shiny, pristine, white crust of crunchy, unpunctured snow, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) labored at determining who would be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This year, the announcement from Cooperstown to determine the Class of 2024 will be made on Tuesday, January 23. The Hot Stove season has been in full bloom as the ballparks enjoy the winter slumber.

Still at issue, those ballplayers tainted by substance allegations. The only way steroid/HGH-addled balloteers should be admitted to the Hall of Fame is with a paid ticket for admission to the museum.

“We hope the day never comes when known steroid users are voted into the Hall of Fame. They cheated. Steroid users don’t belong here,” wrote late Hall of Famer Joe Morgan in a November 2017 letter to the BBWAA, hoping to influence their Hall votes in 2018. Hopefully Morgan’s letter continues to resonate in 2024 as cheaters such as Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez (A-Roid) may inch closer to the magic number of 75 percent - the required minimum to grant one admission to the Hall.

The cloud of controversy has been dark and heavy, while initially eliminating some from Hall of Fame contention. In the cases of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa, the BBWAA voters rejected those candidacies, and after 10 years, their eligibility expired. Votes for Ramirez, in his seventh year on the ballot moved slightly upward to 33.2 percent in 2023 from 28.9 percent in 2022, while Rodriguez checked in with 35.7 percent of the vote in his second year on the ballot, up from 34.3 percent of the vote in 2022. 

I remain a consistent and virulent opponent of the steroid players and will continue to do so for the next eight years as Alex Rodriguez is on the ballot for the third year. The last thing to be said about A-Roid speaks volumes as to why he should never earn a plaque in Cooperstown. Admitting his use of steroids/banned substances, Rodriguez found himself suspended for 211 games from August 2013 through the entire 2014 season - a suspension well merited.

Ramirez, while expressing some sense of contrition during a 2019 interview with Boston 25 News, still should not be admitted to the Hall. On getting caught using steroids Ramirez said, “it was a good thing for me because it made me grow up. Maybe a lot of people didn’t get caught and they were doing maybe some crazy stuff and they’re not learning from it. So I think everything happens for a reason and everything is working for the good. I’m in a better place than I’ve ever been, even when I was playing, so I don’t regret it because it made me grow up.”

Players like Bonds, Clemens, Ramirez, Rodriguez, and Sosa, more than likely would have been enshrined in Cooperstown sans steroids.

Rodriguez banged out 696 home runs, good for fifth all time, 2,086 RBI, fourth all time, 2,021 runs scored, good for eighth place, 3,115 hits, for 23rd place, seventh place in both total bases with 5,813 and extra base hits with 1,275. Rodriguez won three MVP awards, appeared on MVP ballots in 15 seasons, and made it on to 14 All Star teams in a career spanning 1994-2016.

Ramirez, who played 1993-2011, hit 555 home runs - 15th all time, 1,122 extra base hits, good for 18th place all time, 1,831 RBI, 20th all time, a two-time World Series winner with the Red Sox, a 12 time All Star, and 11 times batted over .300. He cracked 2,574 base hits for a .312 career batting average - impressive for a power hitter.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame has a so-called character clause. “Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contribution to the team(s) on which the player played.” So-called because it has existed since 1945 and more than a fair share of miscreants have found their way to Cooperstown. (https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/bbwaa-rules-for-election)

With voting in mind, were I a privileged member of the BBWAA charged with the task of electing the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2024, six former major leaguers would earn my votes - two holdovers, and four first timers, including a charity vote for Bartolo Colon.  Twelve retirees are on the ballot for the first time with another 14 holdovers. Candidates who do not attain 75 percent of the vote must receive at least five percent of the vote or will be eliminated from future consideration. 

Omar Vizquel, was the quintessential shortstop of a generation, having won 11 Gold Glove awards during his 24 year career, second most at that position all time. Vizquel was also the oldest shortstop to win a Gold Glove, having done so at age 39 in 2006. After five years with the Seattle Mariners, Vizquel took his talents to Cleveland continuing to be the defensive gem that will vault him into Cooperstown.

Vizquel was three times an All Star, overshadowed by Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, elected to Cooperstown in a near-unanimous vote in 2020. On the field, Vizquel led the league in Fielding Percentage six times as a shortstop and is the all time leader in Fielding Percentage at .985. Vizquel shares the season record with Cal Ripken, Jr. for committing the fewest errors by a shortstop playing in at least 150 games with a paltry three. Additionally, Vizquel is first all time in double plays turned by a shortstop, third all time in assists at shortstop, and 11th all time in putouts made by a shortstop.

At bat, Vizquel compares rather favorably to Hall of Fame shortstops Ozzie Smith, Luis Aparicio, and Luke Appling. Vizquel hit more home runs than Smith and Appling, trailing Aparicio by only three. Vizquel drove in more runs than Smith and Aparicio, stole more bases than Appling, hit for a higher batting average than Smith and Aparicio, while collecting more hits than all three. This is the seventh year on the ballot for Vizquel, having dropped from 23.9 percent of the vote in 2022 to 19.5 percent in 2023. Vizquel’s numbers may dip even further in 2024 due to allegations of a rather serious nature. Until they are adjudicated, I will not traffic in rumors and/or innuendo. Should Vizquel be found guilty, I will withdraw my support of his entry into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

While this is his sixth year on the ballot, Todd Helton had earned my support from his first year of eligibility. The 17-year MLB veteran played his entire career with the Colorado Rockies (1997-2013) batting .316 in 2,247 games with 2,519 hits, 369 home runs, scoring 1,401 runs, and driving in 1,406 runs. The Knoxville native finished second in the 1998 Rookie of the Year balloting, earning five All Star game selections in consecutive years, from 2000 through 2004. Appearing on MVP ballots in six years, Helton’s breakout season was in 2000, leading the National League in hits with 216 and all of MLB with 59 doubles, 147 RBI and a .372 batting average, yet could only manage a fifth place finish in the MVP race that season. Earning 52 percent in 2022, Helton enjoyed the largest leap of any returning candidate of 20.2 percent to 72.2 percent of the vote in 2023, but fell short of admission by 11 votes. Helton will more than likely earn induction this summer.

I’m throwing Bartolo Colon a vote when I doubt he will receive the requisite five percent to remain on the ballot. But, as a member of my New York Mets, Colon, larger than life, was a fan favorite. For a guy who batted .084 in a 21 year career, when Colon cracked his lone home run, a two-run blast in San Diego, on May 7, 2016, the baseball world turned upside down. Mets television broadcaster Keith Hernandez said of Colon’s trip around the bases, “I want to say that was one of the longest home run trots I’ve ever seen, but I think that’s how fast he runs!”

Colon hit that home run at age 42, and pitched until age 45. The Dominican-born right handed hurler won 247 games with 2,535 strikeouts and was named to four All Star teams. Colon pitched for 11 teams, and won the Cy Young award in 2005 with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, with a record of 21 and eight.

While Colon may only appear on the ballot for one year before being eliminated from contention, both Adrian Beltre and Joe Mauer could very well also appear on the ballot for one year. Beltre and Mauer both have excellent chances of gaining election to the Baseball Hall of Fame on their first ballot and head to Cooperstown this July.

In his 21 year career, which began at age 19, Beltre suited up with the Dodgers, Mariners, Red Sox, and Rangers. He struck for 3,166 base hits - 18th all time, 1,707 RBI - 25th all time, 477 home runs - 31st all time, 636 doubles - 11th all time, 5,369 total bases - 15th all time, and 1,151 extra base hits - 15th all time. Beltre earned spots on four All Star teams, and garnered five Gold Gloves at third base.

Beltre played 2,759 of his 2,933 Major League games at the Hot Corner - second all time behind only the late great Brooks Robinson who played 2,870 games at third base. If and when Beltre gets inducted at Cooperstown, he will be the fifth Dominican-born player to reach the Hall, after Juan Marichal (1983), Pedro Martinez (2015), Vladimir Guerrero (2018), and David “Big Papi” Ortiz (2022).

Joe Mauer, a St. Paul, MN native played his entire 15 year Major League career with his hometown Minnesota Twins. It might be a close call, whether or not Mauer will be a one and done on the ballot heading to Cooperstown, but no doubt he will be enshrined there. In the first two-thirds of his career, Mauer, as a full time catcher had his best years and by far should be enough to vault him into the Hall of Fame. Mauer won three batting titles - most ever for a catcher, batting .347 in 2006, .328 in 2008, and his career best .365 in 2009, also his MVP season. In that MVP season, Mauer reached career highs in hits, with 191, home runs, with 28, and RBI, with 96. In those first 10 years, Mauer earned three Gold Gloves, was named to six All Star teams, and batted .323, before closing out his career at .306.

Another player who stayed with one team his entire career, New York Mets third baseman David Wright, must be classified as a “what might have been.” And although Wright did not grow up in the environs of Shea Stadium, a childhood in Norfolk, VA proved the next best thing, as that, for 38 years, housed the Mets Triple-A team, for whom Wright rooted. As a Met for his 14 season career, Wright, like Mauer, both a fan favorite and had his best years in a 10 year stretch. During that time, Wright averaged 144 games played with a slash line of .301/.382/.506. He hit 216 home runs, drove in 899 runs, and scored 866, while being named to seven All Star teams, and earning two Gold Gloves at the Hot Corner. Wright played in 77 games during his last three seasons, giving way to severe Spinal Stenosis. It should be noted that Wright is but one of four third basemen with 350-plus doubles, 200-plus home runs, and 150-plus stolen bases. Each of the others, George Brett, Chipper Jones, and Michael Jack Schmidt, are in the Hall of Fame. While not expected to make the Hall, hopefully Wright can earn enough votes to warrant another year or two on the ballot.

Three other former players on the ballot of note are, Gary Sheffield, Billy Wagner, and Francisco Rodriguez. Sheffield is in his 10th and final year on the ballot. He played for eight teams in a 22 year career, driving in 1,676 runs and scoring 1,636 runs. The number of interest will be the home runs - 509, ranking Sheffield 27th all time. But 500-plus home runs is no longer an automatic ticket to the Hall of Fame - eight players who are above Sheffield - six not in the Hall due to steroids/PEDs allegations and two who have not yet appeared on Hall ballots, but are certain locks for the Hall. The nine time All Star appeared on 55 percent of the ballots in 2023, up 14.4 percent from 2022, but that same jump will not allow Sheffield to reach 75 percent. Sheffield did appear in the Mitchell Report that investigated steroid/PED usage. His only hope is the Veterans Committee, but for me, I pass.

Wagner and Rodriguez are an interesting study because of their similar stat lines. Both closers pitched in 16 seasons and played for five teams each. Wagner’s record is 47-40 with a 2.31 ERA and Rodriguez’s record is 52-53 with a 2.86 ERA. Wagner’s 422 saves ranks him sixth all time and Rodriguez’s 437 saves ranks him fourth all time. Wagner is in his ninth year on the ballot, and fell 27 votes short of induction in 2023. His 17.1 percent jump from 51 percent in 2022 was second highest behind only Helton. Wagner, a seven time All Star, appeared in 853 games, pitching 903 innings, and striking out 1,196 batters. Rodriguez, a six time All Star, appeared in 948 games, pitching 976 innings, striking out 1,142 batters. Rodriguez received 10.8 percent of the vote in 2023, as a freshman on the ballot. Wagner’s fate may very well be a harbinger for Rodriguez.

While it is important to not sully the Baseball Hall of Fame with the likes of Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez, the focus must be on the greats who may be enshrined this July 21 and how they will continue to be the true ambassadors to the game of baseball as so many before them have been. Sadly, this is an ever shrinking community as Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson passed away on September 26, 2023, at age 86.

Brooks Robinson (05/18/1937 - 09/26/2023) earned admission into the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot in 1983 with a commanding 92 percent of the vote. Known as the “Human Vacuum Cleaner,” Robinson could turn a certain double or triple smashed down the third base line into a putout at first with seamless relative ease. He played the entirety of his 23 year career with the Baltimore Orioles, winning the American League MVP in 1964. Robinson also won the MVP of the 1970 World Series, as the Orioles defeated the Cincinnati Reds in five games. Named to 18 All Star teams, Robinson also won 16 Gold Glove awards - in consecutive seasons, with a career fielding percentage of .971.

Robinson “was so beloved in Baltimore that sportswriter Gordon Beard wrote, ‘Brooks (Robinson) never asked anyone to name a candy bar after him. In Baltimore, people named their children after him.’” (The National Baseball Hall of Fame ® Almanac) I had the enormous pleasure of meeting Brooks Robinson in 1998 at a political function in Baltimore, MD.

May his memory be for a Blessing, may 2024 be a better, healthier year for one and all, and may the baseball season continue to excite its fans while earning new fans to discover the greatness of America’s national pastime.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He has been a Patron-level member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame since 2007.

Thursday, January 4, 2024

Gay Is Out, But Not Gone

Gay Is Out, But Not Gone
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
January 4, 2024

Upon the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon, his successor, President Gerald R. Ford said, “Our long, national nightmare is over,” during his August 9, 1974 inaugural address.  Claudine Gay resigned the presidency of Harvard University on Tuesday, January 2 after a tumultuous just shy of a month since her disastrous December 5 appearance before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the discovery of myriad instances of plagiarism in her professional work.

While the nightmare only seemed long, Gay dragging out what should have been a decision made within days, not weeks, of her appearance on Capitol Hill, it is a national story. Harvard is considered the elite of the elites in college education - the producer of presidents - five (Yale is second with three), vice presidents - four (Princeton is second with three), Supreme Court justices - 18 (Yale is second with nine). Yet Harvard’s reputation has taken a beating during Gay’s six month tenure as president, the shortest in its nearly four century existence.

Gay appeared before the House Education Committee alongside M.I.T. president Sally Kornbluth and now former president of the University of Pennsylvania Liz Magill, regarding the horrific rising scourge of campus anti-Semitism. All three had equally repugnant performances before the committee, yet only Magill had sense enough to resign within days, on December 9. Not one could, or would, condemn the calls for genocide of their Jewish student populations, or anti-Semitism, hiding behind the First Amendment of the US Constitution, calling such incendiary language free speech and priding themselves as leading universities dedicated to the free and open exchange of ideas.

Such claims couldn’t be further from the truth. According to The FIRE (The Foundation for Individual Rights in Expression) Free Speech Rankings, Harvard bottomed out dead last at 248 out of 248 schools in terms of a free speech culture on campus. Penn has only Harvard beneath it, ranking 247th, and M.I.T., the “leader” of this group of least free in free speech at 136th. (https://rankings.thefire.org/rank) 

“You get kicked out of places like Harvard for misgendering someone. You get kicked out of a school; you get expelled if you’re falsely accused of sexual assault with no due process. When you call for the genocide and somehow the president of the university acts as a human shield on your behalf - and I hope these wealthy donors of every stripe, every background, look at this and withhold their gifts - because this is what has been created in this disgusting laboratory,” said Kennedy on the December 6 Fox News noon program “Outnumbered.” The laboratory to which Kennedy referred is the Ivy League and quite frankly, numerous other campuses.

“Microaggressions are condemned with extreme moral outrage and yet violence against Jews, anti-Semitism, seems to have found a place of tolerance on the campus,” said Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan. Rowan is also a former Penn board member, and contributed more than $50 million to Wharton, the business school at Penn. 

While some might suggest Kennedy’s words are hyperbole, that simply is not true. Students, professors, and coaches alike get “canceled” for the slightest of so-called infractions or microaggressions. “Harvard’s women’s [ice] hockey coach said after a loss, ‘too many chiefs, not enough Indians,’ and her job is in jeopardy but calling for global intifada is free speech?” queried former Secretary of Education Bill Bennett. More than a year after coach Katey Stone made that comment, there were calls for her resignation. After 29 years as head coach, Stone retired the first week of June 2023.

Presidents Gay, Kornbluth, and Magill made Bennett’s point for him during their shameful testimonies on December 5. US Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), as a member of the Education Committee, took each university president to task and took them apart for their inability to appropriately answer even the most simple question, with the most obvious answer.

Billionaire hedge fund CEO Bill Ackman posted the following on December 5, “The presidents of @Harvard, @MIT, and @Penn were all asked the following question under oath at today’s Congressional hearing on antisemitism: Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate [your university’s] code of conduct or rules regarding bullying or harassment? The answers they gave reflect the profound moral bankruptcy of presidents Gay, Magill, and Kornbluth… They must all resign in disgrace.”

A sampling of answers from each of these alleged leaders in higher education:

Stefanik: “Calling for the genocide of Jews does not constitute bullying or harassment?”

Kornbluth: “I have not heard calling for the genocide of Jews on campus.”

Stefanik: “But you’ve heard chants for intifada.”

Kornbluth: I’ve heard chants, which can be anti-Semitic, depending on the context when calling for the elimination of the Jewish people.”

Stefanik: “So those would not be according to the M.I.T. code of conduct or rules?”

Kornbluth: “That would be investigated as harassment if pervasive or severe.”

Intifada is the uprising against Israel and/or Jews. Could Kornbluth not put two and two together and understand what the pro-Hamas supporters called for at M.I.T.?

Magill: “Our approach to speech, as I have identified it, follows, and is guided by the United States Constitution which allows for robust perspectives.”

Stefanik: “You’re speaking out of both sides of your mouth. You’re defending it. You’ve allowed these professors to teach at your college. You create a safe haven for this kind of anti-Semitic behavior. Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Penn’s rules or code of conduct?”

Magill: “If the speech turns into conduct it can be harassment, yes.”

Stefanik: “Conduct meaning committing the act of homicide?”

Magill: “It is a context-dependent decision, Congresswoman.”

Stefanik: “It’s a context-dependent decision? That’s your testimony today, calling for the genocide of Jews is dependent on the context? That is not bullying or harassment. This is the easiest question to answer yes, Ms. Magill.”

Stefanik: “You’re president of Harvard, so I assume you’re familiar with the term intifada, correct?

Gay: “I’ve heard that term, yes.”

Stefanik: “And you understand that the use of the term intifada in the context of the Israeli-Arab conflict is indeed a call for violent armed resistance against the state of Israel including violence against civilians and the genocide of Jews. Are you aware of that?”

Gay: “That type of hateful speech is personally abhorrent to me.”

Stefanik: “And there have been multiple marches at Harvard, with students chanting, quote, ‘there is only one solution - intifada - revolution,’ and quote, ‘globalize the intifada.’ Is that correct?”

Gay: “I’ve heard that thoughtless, reckless, and hateful language on our campus, yes.”

Stefanik: “So do you believe that type of hateful speech is contrary to Harvard’s code of conduct, or is it allowed at Harvard?”

Gay: “We embrace a commitment to free expression, and give a wide berth to free expression even of views that are objectionable…”

Stefanik: “You and I both know that’s not the case. You are aware that Harvard ranks dead last when it came to free speech; are you not aware of that report?”

Gay: “As I observed earlier, I reject that characterization…”

Stefanik: “The data shows it’s true…. So the answer is yes, that calling for the genocide of Jews violates the Harvard code of conduct. Correct. (The spoken word “correct” sounded like an affirmation, or statement, not so much a question.)

Gay: “Again, it depends on the context…”

Stefanik: “It does not depend on the context. The answer is yes, and this is why you should resign. These are unacceptable answers across the board.”

Quite frankly, these three miserable excuses for university presidents were tossed softballs the size of basketballs and should have hit them out of the park with their eyes closed. Instead, they issued testimony that was stiff and unemotional. Stefanik seemed to be the only person to have any sense of urgency regarding the shocking degree of campus anti-Semitism, not just at Harvard, M.I.T., and Penn, but on campuses all across the nation - at least 70 at last count, according to several sources. (Sadly, "Saturday Night Live," mocked Stefanik in an over exaggerated skit, and shame on SNL, a program that hasn’t been relevant in decades.)

This was an opportunity to reach moral clarity, but this triumvirate of feckless so-called university leaders failed terribly and disgracefully. The calls for the resignations of all three university presidents came swiftly and with alacrity. As noted above, Magill resigned four days after her appearance before the Education Committee, yet retains her teaching position with Penn Carey Law. Kornbluth has neither resigned nor been dismissed from her position at M.I.T.

But Gay’s circumstances traversed an all new direction as the allegations of plagiarism came fast and furious. It was due to this issue and not the issue of anti-Semitism on Harvard’s campus, that Gay poorly addressed, that became the bane of her existence.

“This is a moral failure of Harvard’s leadership and higher education leadership at the highest levels. And the only change they have made to their code of conduct, where they failed to condemn calls for genocide of the Jewish people, the only update to the code of conduct is to allow a plagiarist as the president of Harvard,” said Stefanik, herself an alumnus of Harvard.

Stefanik is absolutely correct in that assessment. As seems to be typical, campus anti-Semitism, more the norm than at any time since the Holocaust, is considered an aberration or treated as free speech. Calls for Gay’s ousting didn’t reach fever pitch until the revelations of severe plagiarism surfaced. And even then, it was couched as “duplicative language,” in the headline of a December 20 New York Times article written by Jennifer Schuessler. (Note to former president Gay - use of quotation marks and appropriate attribution and citation - not much of a challenge.)

From “The Fellows of Harvard College,” on Gay: “an independent review by distinguished political scientists… conducted a review of her published work. On December 9 the Fellows received the results, which revealed a few instances of inadequate citation.” Gay received praise for proactively seeking to correct two of the articles under review, according to The Ingraham Angle on December 21.

Yet, Aaron Sibarium wrote for The Washington Free Beacon on December 19, that “Harvard University on Tuesday received a complaint outlining over 40 allegations of plagiarism against its embattled president Claudine Gay… which comprise almost half of her scholarly output.”

Forty-plus instances of plagiarism over a 30-year academic career, including her Ph.D. dissertation at the outset of her career, through “her final academic paper before becoming dean and then president,” said Chris Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. As would eventually be discovered, 50 instances of plagiarism plagued Gay’s work, including in the acknowledgement of her dissertation. The acknowledgement? Smacks of severe laziness. Incredibly, Gay’s dissertation won her the Toppan Prize for best dissertation or essay at Harvard. Who conducted source verification?

“Students, who for whatever reason, submit work either not their own or without clear attribution to its sources will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including requirement to withdraw from the College.” This is a direct quote from the Harvard plagiarism policy. Rufo researched the policy from 1995 and 1998 when Gay wrote her Ph.D. dissertation and found Gay clearly violated Harvard’s plagiarism policy. (https://usingsources.fas.harvard.edu/harvard-plagiarism-policy) 

Part of Harvard’s motto or credo includes the word veritas, truth in Latin. “Does Harvard value veritas, or truth, or does Harvard value DEI and having the right race or gender symbolism at the top of its university hierarchy? You can only pick one in this case,” said Rufo.

One of Gay’s plagiarism victims is esteemed academician Dr. Carol Swain, holder of five college degrees, including a B.A. from Roanoke College in criminal justice, an M.A. from Virginia Tech in political science, a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in political science, and an MSL from Yale. After earning tenure at Princeton University, Swain served as a full professor at Vanderbilt University teaching political science and law. Currently, Swain is a senior fellow at the Institute for Faith and Culture.

“From my perspective, if there was harm to me, it was because I lost out on a lot of citations, and in academia… it’s all about the citations. If people are not citing their work, that harms you. She [Gay] has one cit[ation], in most of the articles, but the work is clearly derivative of my research. It’s not pathbreaking. She did not  meet the standard I had to meet to get tenure at Princeton,” said Swain during her December 20 appearance on Newsmax’s “National Report.”

Examples of Gay’s “work” and that of Swain’s side by side depict almost identical passages, save for some punctuation. Swain called for Gay to resign or for Harvard to fire her in mid-December. At the time the Harvard board stood by Gay, in spite of her appalling appearance before the Education Committee and what the board called “instances of inadequate citation,” which, in reality, was overwhelming and damning evidence of plagiarism.

Asked if she had heard from Harvard, Swain said, “no, I have not heard from Harvard. The focus I want to direct people’s attention to is the fact that Claudine Gay, and I’m not going to call her ‘Dr. Gay,’ because it’s clear she plagiarized her dissertation, and in academia you have to write a dissertation and successfully defend it before a committee before you become a doctor [Ph.D.], and that dissertation is supposed to contain some original work. You have to do something that hasn’t been done before…. She presented a dissertation that had plagiarism in it, she became a professor with research that… [was] plagiarized. No, she does not belong as the president of Harvard or any college and university,” said Swain.

Newsmax, during the same “National Report,” showed additional so-called work by Gay side by side with the writing of Lawrence Bobo and Franklin Gilliam entitled “Race, Sociopolitical Participation, and Black Empowerment.” The passages were virtually identical with merely cosmetic changes to a word or two.

“And now we know that she even plagiarized the acknowledgement of her dissertation. That’s where you thank the people that helped you. She has two sentences that are verbatim, pretty much, other than switching the names of the people you thank, from someone else’s work,” said Swain. “This is sad. It’s sad for American education. It’s bigger than me. That the implication of Harvard’s lack of action against Claudine Gay will affect American higher education as well as K through 12 because Harvard University [is trying to] redefine plagiarism. They’re trying to cover for her,” Swain concluded.

And in the category of “splitting hairs,” is the defense of Gay by CNN’s “News Central” reporter Matt Egan. “Claudine Gay has had to issue corrections; multiple corrections. Now, we should note that Claudine Gay has not been accused of stealing anyone’s ideas in any of her writings. She’s been accused of - sort of - more like copying other people’s writings without attribution,” said Egan, with a straight face on Tuesday January 2. Gay has, in fact, been accused of stealing, by Swain above, at the very least. This is a clear case of the theft of intellectual property. And, did Egan sleep in on the day plagiarism was taught in journalism school?

But to what end? Clearly the scandal of Claudine Gay is damaging to the reputation of Harvard University because that institution created Gay. Bowing at the altar of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and ensuring Gay checked the correct boxes, she found herself president of Harvard University. How carefully was her dissertation examined? Or any of her other writings? There don’t seem to be that many of them. There were also a number of honor’s students seeking Gay’s removal knowing the impact such a scandal could have on their own futures.

Yet an unrepentant Gay has decided to martyr herself on the throne of victimhood. From her letter of resignation, Gay writes, “...it has been distressing to have doubts cast upon my commitments to confronting hate and to upholding scholarly rigor - two bedrock values that are fundamental to who I am - and frightening to be subjected to personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus.”

Lacking from Gay’s letter includes words of apology for violating both “confronting hate and… upholding scholarly rigor.” Attacks against Gay should not have been personal, but instead, professional, for which her works are fair game. Any racial animus Gay may have suffered does not seem to have been made public, yet if any exists either publicly or privately are completely uncalled for.

If Gay is a victim of anything, it is the DEI system that promoted her to Harvard president in the first place. Diversity for diversity’s sake is not progress. It’s an admission that box checking is more important than merit and bona fide credentials - verified and vetted to avoid such scandals as this one. The DEI model itself, akin to affirmative action, does more harm than good - propping up someone with expectations perhaps unreachable. Racism did not cost Gay her job, but it may have gotten it for her. But in the long run, Gay is a victim of her own making, responsible for her own actions; for taking easily discernible shortcuts.

On “Outnumbered” on Wednesday January 3, Dagen McDowell said, “let me quote Coleman Hughes who is a CNN analyst, who’s a terrific author: ‘Claudine Gay has no one to blame but herself. She chose an easy path of plagiarism - 50 times - over the hard path of writing original prose. It’s a pattern of serious fraud, plain and simple. This moment is a useful litmus test - anyone who is blaming Gay’s resignation on other factors, right wingers or racism, is nuts and can safely be ignored for the rest of time.’” Hughes, who is Black, is also a Manhattan Institute podcast host.

Joy Reid on MSNBC said on Tuesday January 2, “There is this, sort of, open war on Black progress, Black history. Claudine Gay, the president of Harvard University, at least up until she resigned, is now the latest casualty of that.”

Hughes is absolutely correct. This is not about right wingers or racism. This is on Gay. She did not condemn Hamas, the anti-Semitism on campus, or the student groups blaming the October 7 invasion of Israel and the slaughter of more than 1,400 innocent civilians on Israel itself, not to mention the deplorable answers she provided regarding anti-Semitism and context. Gay did not stand up for, or defend, the Jewish students on her campus either. 

Rewarding Gay continuing her work as a professor of government and African and African American Studies is an insult to the other professors and students at Harvard. Keeping her nearly $900,000 salary? What a golden parachute. But allowing her to proceed with her teaching and indoctrinating more students is just wrong to its core - whether at Harvard, Hawaii, High Point, Hobart, Hofstra, Howard, or Hunter.

Race hustler Marc Lamont Hill said the next president of Harvard “MUST be a Black woman.” Well, Mr. Hill, you may not like this choice, but she certainly checks your boxes - Dr. Carol Swain. But would she really want to leave Nashville for the mess in Cambridge, Massachusetts?

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Friday, December 29, 2023

Bellows Bars Trump from Ballot in Maine

Bellows Bars Trump from Ballot in Maine
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
December 29, 2023

If four Colorado state Supreme Court justices was not a small enough number of unelected individuals to determine who an entire state should have the right for whom to vote, try one. Yes, in the state of Maine, one person, one person unelected by popular vote, the state secretary of state, unilaterally determined that the entire voting population of the Pine Tree State should be prevented from casting their ballot in their upcoming primary for former President Donald Trump. 

Shenna Bellows, Maine’s secretary of state, singularly disqualified Trump, pending appeal, from appearing on the March 5, 2024 primary ballot. “I likewise conclude that Mr. Trump was aware of the likelihood for violence and at least initially supported its use given he both encouraged it with incendiary rhetoric and took no timely action to stop it,” wrote Bellows in her statement on Thursday, December 28.

Trump has five days to challenge the Bellows decision in Maine Superior Court. His campaign already announced the forthcoming challenge.

Bellows must be clairvoyant,  citing her conclusion “Trump was aware… ” Does Bellows know what’s in the head or on the mind of the former president? She based her disqualification on a feeling, without any discernible evidence, and without either a charge or conviction of Trump of any lawbreaking. This flimsy case to remove Trump from the primary ballot in Maine is about as solid as a house of cards in front of an oscillating fan.

Bellows, a solid partisan Democrat who served in the Maine state senate before the state legislature selected her to be secretary of state, is not an attorney. She also served as one of the three Biden electors for the presidential election of 2020, and can be seen looking very chummy with Biden in a photo taken in March of this year. What is evident, is a pure case of election interference and the disenfranchisement of more than 832,000 registered voters in the state of Maine. (www.worldpopulationreview.com)

Yet, on Friday, December 29, the very next morning, Bellows suspended her ruling, pending the appeal by the Trump campaign, saying she doesn’t have the power to remove a candidate from the ballot. Her ruling is stayed until a ruling by the Maine Supreme Court.

Bellows, as also cited in the Colorado case, referenced Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution as the rationale behind her decision to exclude Trump from the primary ballot. Yet many, including legal expert Alan Dershowitz, noted Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which references “insurrection or rebellion,” had the intent of keeping former members of the Confederacy from the War Between the States from serving in elected office. 

“It’s clearly unconstitutional. The Constitution provides for the disqualification of those who fought in the Civil War. Now Trump’s old, but not old enough to have fought in the Civil War…. I’m not a Trump supporter, but I want the right to vote against Trump, just like you have the right to vote for Trump, and that right can’t be denied us by a Colorado court, or a Michigan court, or by any court. It’s just not the way the Constitution operates,” said Dershowitz, professor emeritus at Harvard Law School.

And while the word “insurrection” from Section 3 of the 14th Amendment is bandied about so freely, and Trump has neither been charged with, or convicted of such, that same passage also says “or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.” In that case, why not disqualify Joe Biden from appearing on ballots for giving aid and comfort to enemies of the United States on at least three counts. Biden gave the Islamic Republic of Iran $16 billion, which has freed up the same amount to be used for expanding its potential nuclear capability - the likes of which has been threatened against the United States (the big satan) and Israel (the little satan). Biden has sold off oil reserves to the Chinese Communist Party, while Americans are being hammered at gas pumps all across the nation. Biden’s disastrous open border policy has allowed eight to 10 million illegal aliens into the United States, unvetted, of no known status, and a number of known terrorists have been captured. But, how many of the “got-aways” are terrorists plotting nefarious acts inside the borders of the United States?

Yet, neither Trump nor Biden have been charged or convicted. “If no convictions are required under Shenna Bellows’ rules then that’s why this is such a dangerous game she’s created,” said John Andrews, a Republican state representative. “She opened the door to election chaos. Even extremely progressive Democrat Jared Golden (ME-2) said she’s in the wrong, that he doesn’t like Trump, but he should be on the ballot. I applaud him for saying that because he’s correct; it’s the right move,” said Andrews.

In other words, before jumping to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, don’t skip over Section 1. “...nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Due process. How about that?

Due process may have been in the back of Bellows’ mind when tweeting the following on January 4, 2022: “The fundamental right of any American citizen to vote freely, fairly and to have their vote counted is the premise of our democracy. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights are not values to be compromised away. #FreedomToVoteAct” But somehow, she hypocritically forgot her own words - and smart words at that, when determining unilaterally, that the former president should not appear on Maine ballots. Bellows, a former executive director with the Maine ACLU, and a potential candidate for governor in 2026, seems more than a bit power hungry.

This sort of megalomania is being exhibited in 13 additional states who have lawsuits to bar Trump from their ballots: Alaska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Republicans are almost certain to carry Alaska, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming. That’s 58 potential electoral votes Trump would be excluded from garnering, and an almost certain defeat at the polls.

Attempts to remove Trump are “the M.O. of the Democrat elite,” said former US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, adding that these kinds of tactics are just one reason she left the Democrat Party.  “They will stop at nothing to try and maintain their power even if it means taking away the right to vote of Americans. There’s no issues taking Trump off the ballot. They have no issue in pursuing him, persecuting him through a weaponized and politicized Department of Justice. It’s ridiculous that we’re having this conversation here in the United States of America, when I have heard and seen how the warhawks in Washington - they will see this happen in other countries. They’ll be very quick to say, we must go and intervene, we must go and topple this banana republic or the dictatorship. Many of these same people are the people who are driving this. It’s not just Democrats. There are Republicans who are threatened by President Trump’s unwillingness to buy into their establishment ways,” said Gabbard.

Yet, even in a state as liberal as California, the secretary of state, Shirley N. Weber announced that President Trump will appear on the Golden State’s primary ballots. Michigan and Minnesota previously announced likewise. These left of center states understand what is at stake - making sure the voters, the people for whom the politicians work, have the greatest access possible to support the candidates of their choice.

This is not about liking Trump or disliking Trump. Nor is this about liking Biden or disliking Biden. This is about the will of the people to freely choose their elected officials, whether for president, the Senate, the House of Representatives, or any office down ballot to the candidates for the school board. For a single individual, or the slimmest majority of a state court to determine for millions of voters for whom they should be allowed to vote, is the kind of dangerous precedent seen in places like the Chinese Communist Party, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Russia, where roughly two dozen potential opponents to Vladimir Putin have been squelched from the ballot.

It is imperative for the United States Supreme Court to step up with a unanimous nine to nothing vote denying the states the ability to keep a presidential candidate off the ballot when there is no legal reason to do so. Anything short of total unanimity will send the wrong message. That a divided court, even at eight to one, leaves open the door for the possibility that a future court, one that leans in a different direction, will determine states can willy-nilly bar a candidate from its ballot in an effort to remain in power. This would be a most dangerous precedent, from which there is no turning back, and this republic would cease to exist. 

When the voters lose their right to choose, which is sacrosanct, the nation loses itself, giving way to despots and dictators the likes of which have been seen in the Chinese Communist Party, Cuba, the Islamic Republic of Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela. When the United States of America ceases to be that “shining city on a hill,” that beacon of hope for the truly oppressed, when people lose their freedoms of speech and religion, their right to peacefully protest their government, we become those other despotic regimes and the world as we know it, is damned. As we head into 2024, let’s fight like hell, in unison - Democrats, Republicans, Independents, even the apathetic who don’t vote, to maintain the freedoms we cherish, and remember the words of the 40th president.

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it along to our children in our bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” - President Ronald Reagan.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.