The Right Stuff: What are America’s constitutional rights?
As we witness America’s most divisive political environment in our lifetimes, including those living in the Great Depression, let us review America’s founding principles. When America in 1795 appropriated funds for the first Navy warships that eventually led to the termination of the Barbary Pirates in 1830, it set the example for leadership to the […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Citizenship in a republic requires action
I recently read another letter against President Donald Trump written, in the Daily Republic (DR), by a frequent chronic complainer. Again, storming over Trump’s handling of the real Covid-19 crisis the nation is in. This is just the latest made-up nonsense inflicted upon us for more than three years by the omnipresent Democrat Socialists Progressive […Read More]
The Right Stuff: There is a sucker born every minute
I worked years ago in Bridgeport Connecticut. For those who don’t know, the city is the home of the P.T. Barnum Museum. Mr. Barnum is credited with being the greatest showman in circus history and coined the phrase “The Greatest Show on Earth.” He was the city’s mayor for several years in the 1800s and […Read More]
The Right Stuff: ‘Resistance’ response the wrong one
The Right stuff column of last week examined the lack of principles in Democratic Party leadership. Since the Democratic Party declared their “Resistance” in November 2016, a massive change has occurred. Two offenses primarily generate a “Resistance” response – any position in opposition to a progressive objective or every action planned by President Donald Trump. […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Does your political representative have principles?
The Right Stuff columns are written almost exclusively with facts. Of the 300 published columns, only one erroneous statement was made because I accepted a city staff employee’s legal interpretation; a correction was printed the next week. This column will deviate from policy by presenting questions with the hope of receiving truthful answers. Everyone is […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Socialism a seductive, dangerous, big lie
By Kevin Ryan Socialism is a fundamental issue in the coming presidential election. In socialism, the means of production are owned and managed by the state. Private ownership is not allowed and social gains are primary with little regard for personal interest. All of the fabric and foundations of society are owned and maintained by […Read More]
The Right Stuff: It’s silly season, election time in America
Here we are in the midst of the silly season, or election time. So, because it’s that time, I’m reminded of some quotes by H.L. Mencken (1880-1956), the so-called Sage of Baltimore, who wrote a political column in the Old Baltimore Sun along with 30 books on various subjects from art to music to politics.
The Right Stuff: How not to remove an elected president: Part II
The March 2 column defined constitutional authority of Congress to remove federal elected officers, explained the special counsel’s findings, and identified the never-before applied House impeachment proceedings. The House is constitutionally designated the sole power to commence the impeachment process by alleging evidence of misdoing, similar to a grand jury indictment. The Senate is granted
The Right Stuff: How not to remove elected president: Part 1
Article II of the Constitution identifies that “. . . all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” These limits were heavily discussed by the Founders and malfeasance was specifically excluded because of the potential for political
The Right Stuff: Use vote to toss out brass donkeys
We have all seen the three brass monkey sculpture: See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. The reference has been used often to describe a person who is willfully deaf, dumb and blind. Well, I propose a variation I call three brass donkeys: See no good, hear no good and speak no good
The Right Stuff: Now for the rest of the story . . .
By
In homage to the great broadcaster Paul Harvey, I’m responding to the column from my colleague Jack Batson concerning the 5th District Board of Supervisors election. Paul Harvey would open the broadcast with a topic then he would say to his listeners – “And now the rest of the story!” We were told biographical data
The Right Stuff: Evidence of king, queen of wishful thinking
We seem to be living the old curse attributed to the Chinese: “May you live in interesting times.” We have fake news, real news and opinions and delusions all wrapped up in a ball that we consumers are left to guess whether it is fact or biased fiction. How do we, regardless of political affiliation
The Right Stuff: Perspective, content critical elements in society
Presidential impeachment is serious and daunting. The Democrat/Socialists/Progressive Party officials say Donald Trump has committed high crimes (felonies) and misdemeanors. What has President Trump done? Nothing that constitutes anything remotely approaching a crime. It’s political hocus-pocus. I have alluded, in recent columns, to the biased press coverage of Trump his family and to the connected
The Right Stuff: Democrats employ rules to misinform the uninformed
The Founding Fathers knew the importance of public education to maintain the Republic. Since 1965 the federal government commenced exerting considerable influence over the states, wresting away much of prior state and local control over education. Subsequently, the world ranking of American education has fallen from the top one-third to bottom one-third. The typical citizen
The Right Stuff: America experiences ‘Rashomon’ moment
The great Japanese film director Akiri Kurosawa’s film “Rashomon” has as its theme the loss of faith in the nature of man and indeed the human soul. The story is told through the lens of the character’s perspective. We see a similar theme in William Faulkner’s great Southern classic “Absalom, Absalom!,” showing the universality of
The Right Stuff: Executive privilege well-defined, justified, historic
The Right Stuff policy is to print facts, rarely an opinion, and ignore deniers. A local Letter to Editor from Dec. 28, quoting the Democratic-Socialist party line, necessitates a truthful correction. I appreciate that the columnist did not challenge The Right Stuff description of the impeachment process as being “half-truths, lies and innuendo presented as
The Right Stuff: Take steps to protect your vote
Take steps to “protect your vote in the March 3 Primary. Verify the accuracy of your voter registration information. Why? Thousands of registered voters recently discovered their party affiliation was changed without their knowledge or consent to “No Party Preference (NPP)”. Many of these changes were automatic due to “glitches” in the DMV voter registration
The Right Stuff: Wage stagnation, income inequality root causes of socialism’s rise in US
When wondering why a thing is the way it is or why something happened, I found the best way to determine this: Find the root cause. OK, what’s that and how do you find it? It’s the initiating cause of a chain of events or outcomes. Well, many people, me included, wonder why millennials are
The Right Stuff: Is president entitled to due process?
Much has been said by both political parties about the impeachment inquiry but let us review some points of law that have not received substantial consideration: • The Fifth Amendment. “No person shall be held to answer . . . nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law . .
The Right Stuff: Half the truth is a full lie
The Ten Commandments are part of our national fabric whether some like that or not. If you read both the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution, it’s apparent. Without an understanding of our history and the struggle for freedom and justice throughout all the ages, one cannot understand the primal place moral fabric and common
The Right Stuff: What have we done to our kids?
American poet, essayist, educator and abolitionists Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “America is another name for opportunity. Our whole history appears like a last effort of divine providence on behalf of the human race.” Emerson lived from 1803 to 1882, seeing three seminal events in his life. The War of 1812 which, in significant ways, was
The Right Stuff: We need to restore states’ powers
The Right Stuff Columns of Nov. 11 and 18 reviewed changes to the Constitution that affected culture of America. Amendments are authorized and approved reflecting changing needs with the nation’s growth. However, the Founders’ concepts in the Constitution are based on human nature which never changes. The Founders had intense knowledge of governing successes and
The Right Stuff: Ship of Fools on display
One of my favorite Roman writers is Marcus Tullius Cicero. I assume Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) was fond of him, too, or perhaps it’s just common sense. I read a fellow Daily Republic writer’s column Nov. 18 and, as usual, I marvel at how wrongheaded someone who seems smart can be by staying with
The Right Stuff: More damage to America’s culture
The concepts that established America’s culture, as previously explained, remained stable for 150 years. The grand experiment of government by the people produced phenomenal growth of the nation. Following quotations indicate the Founders’ guiding beliefs and wisdom. Then consider the altered concepts. • “Government is not reason and it is not eloquence. It is force!
The Right Stuff: Some see changes to America’s culture as damaging
The primary vision of the Pilgrims in 1620 was to escape religious persecution in England. The leaders of American colonies in 1776 cited 27 oppressions by the king of England and declared the colonies “to be free and independent states absolved from all allegiance to the British crown and . . . the state of
The Right Stuff: Let’s smarten up, America
Mark Twain said, “Don’t let your learning get in the way of your education.” Twain was a great wit and folksy philosopher, but he forgot to finish the sentiment. How about adding, “And don’t let your ignorance and lack of mental/emotional training weigh down yourself, your loved ones and all of society.” The lack of […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Impeachment idiocy a political passion play
Widening conflict between the Democratic-led House of Representatives and the Trump administration could alter the balance of power between Congress, the presidency and politics. The nation’s three previous presidential impeachment efforts reshaped and redistributed institutional power in Washington, D.C. even if they didn’t force a president from office. If history is any guide, the looming clash[…Read More]
The Right Stuff: States seen as laboratories of democracy: Part 2
Last week’s column reviewed concepts applied in preparing the United States Constitution. The objective was maximum individual freedom, which they knew required government of limited size and authority. Those concepts were unchallenged until early 20th century and the nation prospered exceptionally. What’s happened since? The first deviation from founders concepts was Amendment XVII that transferred[…Read More]
The Right Stuff: States seen as laboratories of democracy: Part 1
Before proceeding with discussion about altered governing principles, let’s review the nation’s Founders’ intentions as recorded in the Constitution. The first two surviving colonies in America were Jamestown, May 1607, and Plymouth Rock, 1620. Jamestown colonists were primarily looking for gold and were not well led. Plymouth Rock colonists were Pilgrims, primarily protestant Congregationalists escaping […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Price of socialism is not right
Do you know who owns the vast wealth of our nation? Households headed by people older than 55 own 73 percent of the value of domestically owned stocks and the same percent of America’s total wealth with average household net worth of $1,066,000. Those between ages 35 and 44 are worth less than a third. […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Same stuff, different day
Well, here we are folks, after another remarkably predictable boring performance by mostly current or former elected Democratic/Socialists/Progressive Party politicians. They do seem to embrace – indeed embody – ignorance of what the consequences of their false promises will do to America, let alone how to pay for it. Anyway, I have recovered from the […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Dems, media gnaw on Kavanaugh
It was Yale in the 1980s. Supposedly, at a drunken party, then-student and now Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh dropped his pants and waved his genitals in a female student’s face. The claim comes from a book on the alleged incident written by two New York Times reporters, and is similat […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Delayed arrival of 1984 fulfills prophecies
George Orwell published a book in 1949 depicting “The Party” taking control of much of the world population by 1984. Though written as fiction to warn about tendencies within liberal democracies, it was banned by Soviet Russia until 1990. Too much like home? The setting (1984) has passed more than three decades, but many aspects […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Mental heath illness lives in our community
In Part 1 of this two-part series we discussed the scope and breadth of mental health illness. In this part we put a face on it. One may not share their mental health illness because there is a stigma associated with it. Stigma can lead to discrimination. Mental health illness does not […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Beware the socialists’ premise
A premise is a pronouncement from which another is inferred or follows as the conclusion to base an argument, theory or understanding. An argument is supported by a main premise, an assumption of something, usually a statement or position that forms the basis of a theory. In logic, the premise is the basic statement upon[…Read More]
The Right Stuff: What have we learned about humanity?
A quote I’ve always liked from the novel “All the King’s Men” by Robert Penn Warren says, “And what we students of history always learn is that the human being is a complicated contraption and that they are not good or bad but good and bad and that the good comes out of the bad[…Read More]
The Right Stuff: Scope of Mental Health Services in Solano County – Part 1
As children and teens are headed back to school and we continue our relationships with friends, families and colleagues and in our community, it is important for us to be able to identify mental health resources available in Solano County. I have been a nurse for 29 years and am passionate about[…Read More]
The Right Stuff: Events do not provide foundation for special counsel investigation
Donald Trump’s supporters and haters expected that the special counsel’s report would resolve the issues, but the losing side did not accept the answer so let’s review chronologically significant associated events. The first notable event leading to the special counsel investigation is the email communications between FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. In a[…Read More]
The Right Stuff: Dems ID Trump as scapegoat, Azazel
A ritual documented in Leviticus 16.8 reveals during the Days of Atonement (Yom Kippur) two goats were chosen by the high priest for sacrifice, one was pure and called God’s sacrifice and the other was the Azazel or scapegoat. The Azazel was ritually burdened with the sins of the people, and driven out. The quote […Read More]
The Right Stuff: America boasts assimilation then, diversity now
America’s de facto motto has been “E Pluribus Unum” (“Out of many, one”) since it was placed on the Great Seal of the United States in 1792, although, “In God We Trust” was officially adopted in 1956. America’s unique national strength has resulted from this assimilation concept as it has accepted immigrants from the entire […Read More]
The Right Stuff: What will the Democrats run on?
I, like many, watched the Democratic Party’s two-day traveling road show billed as debate. There is a reason Broadway shows have trial runs before hitting Broadway. Well, after the painful experience of watching “#MeToo” and socialist/progressive economic nonsense plus character assassination, I am reminded of the Old West snake oil salesman – Dr. Feel Good’s […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Rule of law requires census citizenship question
Of the numerous statements of wisdom recorded by the nation’s founders, this James Madison jewel portrays a current problem: “It will be of little avail to the people [who] the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they[…Read More]
The Right Stuff: Fellow columnist akin to ‘king of wishful thinking’
I read the column of another columnist last Monday. We are polar opposites in most things political and certainly on the report of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Now, as I have said about another leftist writer, the columnist in question mirrors to a degree a quote I attributed to a fellow Southerner, former President Bill[…Read More]
The Right Stuff: Democratic Party the party of disappointment
Our American legal system created, in the main, by our founding documents the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were written by well-educated men who could actually read Greek, Latin, had studied mathematics, history, geography, philosophy and law. Men who, because of their education, were familiar with important concepts. Components of our legal system[…Read More]
The Right Stuff: Caring for aging population everyone’s responsibility
Supporting our aging population in Solano County is all of society’s business. It’s about as bipartisan as one can have. We are on the same journey from birth to death; it’s how we treat each other along the way that defines us as a people. In light of these[…Read More]
The Right Stuff: Where is California today?
I just came back from my eldest granddaughter’s high school graduation in Southern California. This was quite an experience. Leaving at 7 a.m., the trip to Riverside took 9 1/2 hours. The 75 miles took 4 1/2 hours. I returned Saturday in 7 1/2 hours. OK, so what? For many years what took 6 1/2 […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Is there a swamp to be drained?
President Donald Trump wants to “Drain the Swamp.” Is there a swamp to be drained? The first step for solving a problem is to define the problem. One scandal in American history (1922) has sent a senior federal official, Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall, to jail. Two presidents, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, have […Read More]
The Right Stuff: California experience not a good path forward
The noted, controversial, Democrat/Socialist/Progressive, author and feminist, transgender professor Camille Paglia wrote: “Society is an artificial construction, a defense against nature’s power.” I concur. To quote a fellow Southerner, former President Bill Clinton: “Even a blind pig can find an acorn once in a while.” I am not completely certain whether Paglia was referring to […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Let’s compare Trump’s, Obama’s accomplishments
As an afterthought recently to reporting President Donald Trump administration’s accomplishments for his first 18 months, it seemed logical to compare the first 18 months of his predecessor, President Barack Obama. It was a pleasant surprise to find a similar first-year report of Obama’s administration. Had Hillary Clinton been elected, remember her campaign platform was […Read More]
The Right Stuff: A silver lining? Well, sort of
I have a friend named Tony who was born in Communist Yugoslavia. His parent fled with he and his siblings to Sweden, a Socialists nation, where he was raised. As an adult he chose America and capitalism. He became an American citizen. His son just finished Marine Corps basic training and he is really proud[…Read More]
The Right Stuff: There’s a difference between political correctness, truth
The Right Stuff policy is to print only positive facts (exceptions are identified as opinion) and avoid criticizing someone’s opinion. However, a regular columnist provided numerous examples of echoing party line fiction as fact. Direct quotations printed below are disproved by easily verified comments […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Actions, reactions on display in Latin America
I was out of the country in Costa Rica for most of April. I had little exposure to “news” and the internet. I got to speak and do business literally with real people who are affected by America’s colossal economic power in the world. I must say it was illuminating. The thing I always find […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Walk Away Part 3: Trump keeps campaign promises
It’s considered unwise to engage a stranger with discussion of politics or religion. I broke that rule recently after seeing a man with a sign stating Trump should be in prison. I had to ask, “What law did the president violate since no one has proven a violation?” I did not expect conversation, but only […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Walk Away Part 2: Separate fact from fiction
This column continues the Walk Away concerns of last week to encourage voters to make an effort to learn the full story of our government’s programs. With a record-setting number of presidential candidates for 2020, it is apparent that each is trying to convince voters that he/she will obtain more “free” support to all. Remember […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Separate fact from fiction; #Walk-Away
This is addressed to all citizens – left, center and right. Are you satisfied with our government’s actions and policies? Are you confident that your elected representatives are courageous enough to vote for the betterment of the state even though it is damaging to their political careers? A well-known axiom is that a democracy can […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Abuse of First Amendment has grown
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for redress of grievances.” In their wisdom, the nation’s founders placed this as the First Amendment. […Read More]
The Right Stuff: Time to weed out wickedness in high places
America has been blessed in avoiding major government corruption until recently. The nation’s fathers well-considered human nature faults and established the famous checks and balances that contributed to this success. A major contributor also is that American citizens have elected leaders who understood leadership. Significant failings, however, occurred soon after the presidential election of 1920. […Read More]
The Right Stuff: California boasts interesting history
I thought about writing the usual kind of political column this week but by chance I ran across some interesting facts that seem to explain a lot about us. First, however, I want to confess I, too, am an immigrant to California. I didn’t need a visa, although at times I have indeed felt like […read more]
The Right Stuff: Where are we headed as a nation?
First, some good news. Our booming economy reaching 3 percent GNP credited to removal of 30,000 pages of federal regulations and income tax reform (after assurances from the previous administration that 2 percent was the new norm). As promised, taxes for middle-income residents was reduced 14 to 18 percent, compared to 9 percent for the […read more]
The Right Stuff: Emergency or hate? You decide
I believe anyone living in America for the past two-plus years well knows the progressive/socialists Democratic Party has relentlessly attacked President Donald Trump, his family and people who support him. They have personally attacked him for everything from his haircut to real or imagined behavior before the election, which is not impeachable for all you […read more]
The Right Stuff: Party of old white men? Not really
As most readers know, I have been an official of the California State Republican Party for some number of years now, at both the county and state levels. However, before that I was just a Republican voter fortunate enough to have been born and raised in Washington, D.C., where politics is the all-consuming business of […read more]
The Right Stuff: Where is the truth in politics?
The value of truthfulness was taught to me early. A farm neighbor was friendly and well-liked by all, but everyone knew he was a pathological liar and to never react to anything he said. At that early age I recognized that after an adult lies once, it is foolish, without verification, to believe another word […read more
The Right Stuff: Redress of grievance pays off for citizens
The First Amendment triumphed Tuesday night in Vacaville. Citizens affected by a proposed government policy came forward exercising their First Amendment right to petition their government for a redress of grievance. The issue before the City Council was the so-called Tiny Shelter Project championed by Solano County Supervisor Skip Thomson, his wife Gail and the […read more]
The Right Stuff: Pros of tiny shelters to help homeless in Vacaville
Solano County cities, specifically Vallejo, Fairfield, Suisun City and Vacaville, each have their own homeless problems. These people may be destitute, jobless or mentally challenged. While the rest of the population would like to see them disappear, simply asking them to leave for other areas of the state does not solve the problem.
Counties are obligated to serve the homeless for health and social services, but not housing. However, homeless presence creates significant financial and moral costs.
The Right Stuff: Give credit where credit due
A recent letter to the editor from “Progressive” Democrat Solano County Supervisor Monica Brown concerning her vote on an Association of Bay Area Governments tax is something I agree with. What? Yeah, but there’s a catch.
Brown voted against a regional housing compact titled CASA supported by the Association of Bay Area Governments, a subset of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, on whose executive board she serves. Brown asserts she could not support a tax where Solano County gets no benefit. She sited Solano County’s 70 percent vote against Regional Measure 3 that raised bridge tolls. Political cover? Yeah, certainly!