History Repeats (sort of)

“So, Greg Bovino, the most generously compensated Hobbit in government since Linda Hunt left NCIS, is being escorted back to California under the plain vanilla soothing euphemism of a ‘normal transition.’ Turns out that ignoring fatal shootings and child abuse, all while treating the Constitution like a suggestion box, isn’t disqualifying so much as… “mildly inconvenient.”

His move out of Minnesota comes after two fatal shootings, a public‑relations crater, and a weekend where his claim that an ICU nurse planned to “massacre” agents collapsed under witness accounts and unassailable video evidence. Under his phantom control, ICE became a street gang empowered by a complete lack of conscience and concern at the top. One is almost surprised that Kristi Noem didn’t volunteer to pick up the homicidal slack on her weekends off. CNN’s sources called Bovino’s exit a “mutual decision,” which in Washington is code for: “Everyone agreed he should leave, especially the people who actually make decisions.”  Supposedly Administration officials were allegedly “deeply frustrated” with his handling of the Pretti shooting and the messaging meltdown that followed.

While the Minnesota violence had continued for weeks, and the death of Renee Good had been all but swept under the asphalt, Bovino’s weekend assertion that Alex Pretti intended to “massacre” agents — offered without evidence — became the accelerant on an already raging fire. Witnesses and video clearly contradicted him, and suddenly the administration’s “face of the operation” became the “please just shut up” guy.

News outlets, based on such actual information as is reasonably accurate, report that he’s headed back to his old post in California’s El Centro sector — the bureaucratic equivalent of “Go to your room, young man and think about what you’ve done.”  There has been speculation regarding the possibility of retirement, though DHS publicly denied he’d been relieved.

This current debacle and overreach is all new to those who forget their High School history class, but something similar happened 93 years ago in the nation’s capital. And you know I’m gonna tell you about it because there are sad similarities

    Back in 1932, Washington, D.C. played host to the Bonus Army — a ragtag force of World War I veterans who made the tactical error of believing that the government might honor a promise. WWI veterans' bonuses were initially enacted into law on May 19, 1924, (“roaring 20s” economy) through the World War Adjusted Compensation Act (or Bonus Act). This act promised compensation for lost wages, but payments were structured as certificates not payable until 1945. 

    However, the stock market crash and subsequent Depression left many WWI vets jobless and without the means to feed themselves or their families.  The 1932 Bonus March was a non-violent protest by roughly 20,000 to 45,000 WWI veterans, known as the "Bonus Expeditionary Force," who camped in Washington, D.C., to demand early payment of bonuses promised for their service.

        The group, consisting of men, women and children, camped in tents and shanties (called by the press “Hoovervilles” after then President Herbert Hoover) on the Anacostia flats. At first, Hoover, a fiscal conservative, acknowledged the reality, that they were largely honest, struggling veterans. While opposing their demand for early bonus payments due to budget concerns, he allowed them to assemble and even ordered the military to provide tents, cots, and rations.  As the camp grew to tens of thousands and remained after Congress rejected their bill, Hoover became irritated, viewing them as a chaotic, lawless element that needed to leave Washington. It is noteworthy that there were no contemporary reports of violence on the part of the veterans. Until…

         On July 28, 1932) Capitol police attempted to          remove the veterans and used force. After a violent confrontation between police and veterans left two veterans dead, Hoover, ever the humanitarian, responded to the sight of starving veterans and their families by calling in the U.S. Army — because, apparently, nothing says “thank you for your service” like cavalry charges and tear gas.

        Enter Army Chief of Staff, General Douglas MacArthur, a man who never met a situation he couldn’t escalate. He rolled into Anacostia Flats with tanks, infantry, and even some cavalry, and the kind of self‑importance that requires its own railcar (This ego would later get him removed from command during the Korean war). His mission: remove the veterans. His method: remove the veterans and their encampments and any lingering public sympathy Hoover might have had left. The result was a national spectacle in which decorated soldiers were gassed, beaten, and burned out of makeshift shelters, many of them, while wearing their old uniforms. It was the only time in American history when the Army attacked its own veterans and then tried to spin it as “maintaining order.” Sound familiar? 

        Hoover insisted it was all necessary. MacArthur insisted it was all glorious. Major Dwight Eisenhower, who was there under MacArthur’s command, later reflected on how he had hated the event.  The American public insisted Hoover pack his things. And by that November, they made that insistence official. (Coda: Enter FDR, who treated those that were left humanely, authorizing food, shelter and CCC jobs.)

      There are too many similarities to overlook between ICE bullies’ actions in 2025 and the Army’s in 1932. In both cases the rights of citizens were and have been ignored and any violence in response is reaction to the initial violent acts of government agents. 

These brutal actions in the current free for all are frequently “justified” by many, from Donald Trump to the dumbest MAGA marginally literate nose picker, by claims that undocumented immigrants (and many of them really mean any immigrant at all), are rapists, murderers, drug dealers, etc. They imply that eliminating these folks would greatly reduce the incidence of such heinous crimes. 

Sadly, you’ll never hear Trump, Noem or any red hatted simpleton ever admit the truth of the matter. In Trump’s case, it’s simply his inveterate lying to people dumb enough to believe him. In many more, it’s simply refusing to consider data which doesn’t fit their bias. So, you ask …what is the data? Read on, children.

Those claims aren’t supported by any credible data. Federal and state statistics consistently show that undocumented immigrants are much less likely to commit violent or sexual crimes than native‑born Americans. Texas — the only state that tracks immigration status at arrest and conviction — finds lower rates for rape, child molestation, and violent offenses among undocumented immigrants. The stereotype isn’t based on evidence; it’s based on isolated anecdotes and political rhetoric.”

The numbers: What the Data Actually Shows

1. Incarceration Rates: Immigrants vs. Native‑Born: Multiple years of analysis using U.S. Census and American Community Survey data show:

Native‑born Americans have the highest incarceration rate:            1,221 per 100,000 natives (2023).

Undocumented immigrants have a much lower incarceration rate:613 per 100,000 undocumented immigrants. Conclusion: Undocumented immigrants are about half as likely to be incarcerated as native‑born Americans.

2. Sexual Offenses: Actual Conviction Numbers

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) tracks convictions among individuals apprehended at the border who already had criminal histories. Sexual offense convictions among undocumented immigrants apprehended by CBP in recent years are very low relative to total apprehensions:

For FY2025 (through June): 89 sexual offense convictions nationwide.  FY2024: 284    FY2023: 365   FY2022: 488

These numbers represent convictions among people already apprehended, not the entire undocumented population—and still remain extremely small. Conclusion: There is no statistical basis for the claim that undocumented immigrants disproportionately commit rape or child molestation.

3. Violent Crime Convictions

For FY2025 (through June): 469 violent crime convictions among undocumented immigrants apprehended by federal authorities. This includes assault, domestic violence, and other violent offenses. Again, this is a tiny fraction of the millions of undocumented people living in the U.S.

4. Broader Criminality Research

Independent criminological studies consistently find: Immigrants (legal and undocumented) are less likely to be arrested, convicted, or incarcerated than native‑born Americans. Immigrants do not increase crime rates in communities and often correlate with lower crime rates.

Bottom Line: The claim that undocumented immigrants are disproportionately “rapists and child molesters” is demonstrably false when compared to actual federal data. Every major dataset—CBP, ICE, FBI-linked analyses, and independent research—shows lower criminality, including sexual offenses, among undocumented immigrants relative to native‑born Americans.

So, why does the myth (because that’s what it is) persist? There are a few reasons, none of them based on reality. First: anecdotes overshadow statistics. A single horrific case gets amplified far more than millions of peaceful lives. Sadly, racial bias plays a part. Also, political rhetoric often frames immigration through the lens of crime so it becomes a partisan issue. And yet ICE, enabled by Trump, is treating people, whose status they don’t even know or haven’t even tried to determine, and whose proof of citizenship they ignore, with total disregard for legal rights, Constitutional rights and basic human decency. It is an American tragedy.

 

 

 

                           

                       Some of us Have Short Memories

 

Ah, the selective amnesia of the American political memory—where yesterday’s architects of war become today’s elder statesmen, and the cost of blood is buried beneath the shifting sands of narrative control. Rewind to 1991: Then–Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney was a voice of restraint, cautioning President George H. W. Bush against marching to Baghdad after liberating Kuwait. His reasoning? Toppling Saddam Hussein would destabilize the region, embroil the U.S. in a prolonged occupation, and cost untold American lives. Cheney’s own words from that era are chillingly prescient: “It’s not worth it,” he said. “It’s a quagmire.”

Fast forward to 2003, and that same man—now Vice President—was the chief evangelist for regime change. Armed with shaky and fabricated intelligence and a post-9/11 appetite for vengeance, Cheney helped steer George W. Bush into a war that would do precisely what he once warned against. The irony is not just historical—it’s tragic. Over 4,400 American service members dead, tens of thousands wounded, and a generation of veterans carrying the physical and psychological scars of a war sold on the premise of weapons that didn’t exist.

And yet, here we are. Cheney’s role in that pivot—from caution to crusade—is rarely invoked in mainstream retrospectives. .The media moved on. The public, exhausted by the war’s duration and ambiguity, let the narrative fade. Cheney himself, never one for public remorse, has been recast in some circles as a grizzled sage of national security, his legacy burnished by time and the short attention span of the electorate. Today’s paper carries a large, and largely laudatory, spread of what amounts almost to a eulogy.

It’s not just about Cheney, of course. It’s about how we metabolize history. How we allow complexity to be flattened, culpability to be diluted, and consequences to be abstracted. The Iraq War wasn’t a bipartisan misstep—it was a calculated gamble by a small cadre of powerful men, with Cheney at the helm and a naïve POTUS at his bidding, and the cost measured not just in lives, but in trust, credibility, and the moral authority of a nation that once claimed to liberate, not occupy.

So yes, we’ve forgotten. Or perhaps we’ve chosen to forget. Because remembering demands reckoning—and reckoning is rarely convenient or satisfying. If speaking the truth about the dead is speaking ill of the dead, then the truth is simply the truth. Sorry, not sorry!

 

                                  

                          You Can’t Make This S**t Up

If you ever thought maybe Donald Trump was actually as “brilliant” as he, and he alone, claims, then perhaps you are either a suck up sycophant toady (ala Pam Bondi) or more likely, you are as blind to his mental decline as he, himself seems to be.

In a week where the U.S. government at home remained shuttered, and some Americans were denied essential food assistance, the Commander-in-Chief embarked on a diplomatic tour of Asia that felt less like statesmanship and more like a traveling vaudeville act. Japan, ever the gracious host, received President Trump with military honors, a red carpet, and—unfortunately—an electromagnetic elevator.

We see the odd anecdotal comment about private moments of less than lucid behavior, but this visit to Japan was a world stage shit show of accelerating mental decline. We’ll get to that momentarily but first, let’s reflect on Trump’s description of a recent MRI as “routine.”   According to actual doctors who are knowledgeable in the field, there is nothing “routine” about an MRI. MRIs are diagnostic tools, not “routine” screening tests. They’re used to investigate symptoms like unexplained headaches, seizures, or signs of neurological decline—not as part of a general wellness check. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist and CNN medical analyst, emphasized that an MRI is “not part of a routine screening examination”—especially in the context of President Trump’s recent Walter Reed visit, where he also bragged about “acing” a routine cognitive test. But … back to Japan.

The recent Trump Japan visit included two truly surreal moments: a rambling, (and physics denying) “magnet” rant aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier and a video recorded and circulated clip of him, seemingly confused as to where he was, wandering away from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a formal ceremony. Both incidents have ramped up the ongoing speculation about his cognitive state and political theatrics. Here’s the breakdown of the two episodes.

The “Magnet” Rant on the USS George Washington:

During a speech to U.S. Navy personnel at Yokosuka Naval Base on October 28, Trump launched into a bizarre critique of electromagnetic systems on modern aircraft carriers.  He mocked the Navy’s shift to electromagnetic catapults and elevators, saying he preferred steam and hydraulics, as if he would know the difference. This was not the first time he has ranted about the Navy’s newer electromagnetic aircraft carrier catapult systems. In tone it was reminiscent of similar mindless natterings about wind turbines.

        The President, aboard the USS George Washington, took one look at the Navy’s modern catapult system and declared war—not on China, not on inflation, but on magnets. “You drop a little glass of water on magnets,” he warned, “I don’t know what’s going to happen.” Neither do physicists, apparently, because they’re still trying to decode the “science” behind that statement. He then vowed to replace electromagnetic launch systems with steam-powered ones, citing their “beautiful hiss” and “real American pressure.” Hydraulic elevators, he claimed, are “more trustworthy than anything run by magnets, which are basically woke metal.” (WTF?) This came after his theatrical entrance to the carrier’s flight deck, set to the tune of “YMCA”, and included complaints about the elevator system itself. (we know how he is about elevators and escalators!) The navy’s newer Ford-class carriers do use electromagnetic systems, but Trump’s technical claims were inaccurate. The comments drew laughter from the mandatorily assembled sailors but raised eyebrows among defense analysts.

The welcoming ceremony ramble:

      The shipboard rambling followed an earlier welcoming ceremony in the presence of the newly elected Japanese Prime Minister when Trump appeared confused during a welcoming ceremony in Tokyo.  As he walked through a room of dignitaries and a military band, he abruptly wandered away from Prime Minister Takaichi, leaving her stranded like a forgotten NPC in a diplomatic role-playing game. The footage, now viral, shows him meandering toward a military band as if drawn by an invisible steam whistle only he could hear. The moment was caught on video and widely shared, with captions like “Bro has no idea what is going on.”  Critics have cited this as further evidence of cognitive decline, especially following Trump’s own admission that he’d recently undergone that “routine” MRI at Walter Reed Medical Center.  He also described taking a “very hard aptitude test” involving animals like “tigers, an elephant, a giraffe,” which resembled cognitive screening for dementia.

So, we’ve got a president who rails against magnets, praises steam and strolls off like he’s chasing a butterfly—while the Japanese PM stands frozen.

The Trump Asia tour has become a surreal blend of Top Gun, Alice in Wonderland, and a Home Depot plumbing aisle. He’s not just rejecting modernity—he’s steamrolling it. Literally. And while critics cite cognitive decline, supporters see a man unshackled by electromagnetic tyranny. After all, who needs coherence when you have charisma, catapults, and the promise of a future Nobel nomination from a Prime Minister? In the end, Trump’s Japan visit wasn’t about policy. It was about propulsion. And if the future of diplomacy is steam-powered, we’d better start boiling.

        While most world leaders arrive in Asia armed with policy briefings and diplomatic nuance, President Trump came equipped with a cognitive aptitude test involving jungle animals. “They showed me a tiger, an elephant, a giraffe,” he said, “and I got them all right.” The test, reportedly administered at Walter Reed, was described by Trump as “very hard,” though it remains unclear whether it was designed for presidents or preschoolers.

This revelation came amid his week of steam-powered declarations and magnet paranoia. Trump, fresh off his rant against electromagnetic catapults, now seemed to be measuring global leadership in giraffe recognition and elevator reliability. Forget the SATs—can you identify a giraffe under pressure? Can you distinguish a tiger from a particularly aggressive housecat? These, apparently,  are the metrics of modern governance. Critics argue this signals cognitive decline. Supporters say it’s cognitive defiance. After all, who needs policy when you’ve got pachyderm proficiency? Apparently, in this new age of evaluating executive aptitude, the jungle is the cabinet, the elevator is the litmus test, and the giraffe is the gold standard.

God help us if he ever sees a platypus.

                                       

                    More “Florida Man” Antics

 For those of you who live elsewhere, let me indoctrinate you into the cult of our state goofy headline generator  – Florida Man. (and occasionally woman.)  “Florida Man”—equal parts meme, myth, and mugshot. He’s the unofficial state cryptid, and he lives in headlines such as (and these are real!):  

“Florida Man throws alligator through drive-thru window.”

“Florida Man arrested for driving stolen vehicle filled with stolen items to court for his stolen vehicle hearing.”

“Florida Man tries to light cigarette with blowtorch, burns down apartment.”

The phenomenon largely stems from Florida’s broad public records laws, which make arrest reports easily accessible to journalists. Combine that with a humid cocktail of heat, eccentricity, and questionable decision-making, and you get a steady stream of surreal news stories that start with “Florida Man…”

But it’s not just about the headlines—it’s a cultural reflection.  “Florida Man” is a chaotic, common sense impaired, icon of American folklore: unpredictable, unfiltered, and often unintentionally profound. He’s the guy who wrestles a bear in his backyard, then sues the HOA for not warning him about the bear.

Florida Man never sleeps, and neither do the headlines. Here’s some more gator-wrestling, meth-surfing, raccoon-smuggling chaos:

 “Florida Man claims to be time traveler from 2048, warns of alien invasion, demands to speak to the president.” (this guy also stole a truck and drove to Patrick Space Force base insisting that he had to warn the President of the alien invasion. Considering  the current POTUS, this bordered on redundant.)

“Florida Man arrested after spaghetti-fueled rampage at Olive Garden—shirtless, shoeless, and covered in marinara.”

“Florida Man caught stealing iguanas to “start a Jurassic Park-themed petting zoo.”

And just when you think it’s peaked, Florida Woman enters the chat:

“Florida Woman pulls python from her pants during traffic stop.”

“Florida Woman rides motorized shopping cart through Walmart while sipping wine from a Pringles can.”

 Here’s a fresh batch of headlines that feel like they were written by a fever dream in a bait shop:

“Florida Man arrested for trying to duel a neighbor with live chickens—claims it's “Old Seminole tradition.”

“Florida Man builds homemade air conditioner using igloo cooler, leaf blower, and frozen shrimp—declares it “better than NASA’s.”

“Florida Man spotted flying drone shaped like UFO over retirement community—says he’s “testing panic response for future alien overlords.”

“Florida Man steals flamingo from zoo, names it “Chad,” and takes it to court as emotional support animal.”

“Florida Man caught siphoning Capri Sun from school vending machine—tells police he’s “just hydrating the youth.”

And: Even more outré:

“Florida Man runs through gym naked, hides in tanning bed at closing time. Deputies dubbed him the “Birthday Suit Bandit”.

“Florida Man tries to steal $1,500 of merchandise from Lowe’s, flees on the back of a UPS truck.” A Citizen tip helped track him down.

“Florida Man shoots neighbor’s pregnant cow after it wandered onto his property.” He’d previously threatened to shoot any animal that crossed the line.

“Florida Man arrested after dog-fighting ring uncovered—alongside a neglected 9-foot alligator” The gator was kept in inhumane conditions.

“ Florida Man dubbed “Nail Bandit” charged after damaging fire rescue vehicles with sharp objects—for over a year and a half.”

“Florida Man leads deputies on chase, then offers them a can of vodka spritzer.” Bodycam footage confirmed the bizarre peace offering.

“Florida Man under fire for holding a dolphin out of water for a photo.”
 Wildlife officials were not amused.

“Florida Man wakes up in hospital missing an arm—last thing he remembers is going to the bathroom near a body of water.” Gator encounter confirmed.

These are just a sampling of the Florida State Doofus in action. For more, check out our Governor and Surgeon General.

 

Donnie and Pete’s Shameful Pep Talk: Mandatory Indoctrination or Morale Hazard? The Theater of Trump and Hegseth’s Military Sermons

It was a mandatory attendance spectacle of forced submission. It’s one thing to brief the brass on emerging threats. (the sort of briefings which Trump frequently either doesn’t attend or sleeps through).  It’s another to subject them to a flagrantly politicized tent revival disguised as “leadership development.”

When Generals and Admirals—men and women who’ve commanded fleets, divisions, and nuclear assets—are required to sit through ideological monologues from draft dodger Don, and  lush/misogynist Pete we’ve crossed the line from professional development, mutuality of mission purpose and National security into mere performative loyalty. This isn’t about national security. It’s about political narrative control. This is theater of the absurd, aimed at Maga dolts who pleasure themselves to old copies of “Sgt. Rock of Easy Company.” (for those of you much younger than I, this was a popular Post WWII comic book, which survived until 1988)

This was a classic example of the chain of command meets the ratings machine, most likely spawned by burgeoning negative public reaction to the illegal deployment to US military forces to US cities and Trump’s slavish worship of “ratings” (his) and concern over their recent retrograde direction.

Even more sickening, Pete Hegseth, whose military credentials include a stint in the National Guard and a long tenure on morning television, now lectures the Joint Chiefs on patriotism. Trump, whose grasp of military strategy is rivaled only by his grasp of spelling, delivers rambling stump speeches to an audience trained to salute, not swoon.

Yes, Pete Hegseth’s relationship with alcohol has been a source of controversy and scrutiny throughout his post-military career—especially during his time leading veterans’ advocacy groups and working in media. He has openly acknowledged that after returning from deployments, he often coped with trauma by drinking yet, despite these admissions, he insists he never had a “drinking problem.”  Still, multiple former Fox News employees claimed they saw him intoxicated at work.  He was reportedly forced out of two nonprofits—Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America—due to intoxicated behavior, mismanagement, and other misconduct. A whistleblower report described him as “totally sloshed” at public events, sometimes needing to be carried away.

While he characterizes it as a common veteran coping mechanism, his drinking history has raised serious concerns about judgment, professionalism, and leadership. Yet, here he is, carping about facial hair and chromosomes.

As an aside and based on personal experience, I served with female sailors and officers and never saw an issue of any sort.

There have been no documented or credible examples showing that the inclusion of women, even on submarines, has caused a decrease in readiness or performance. In fact, the available evidence and official commentary suggest the opposite: that integration has been successful and beneficial. Despite Hegseths whining and implication, here’s what the record shows. I’m using the submarine force because it is the ultimate daily close contact, professional stress situation other than combat, and I have 26 years of experience in the area:

Historical Context & Integration: Women began optional assignment to on U.S. Navy submarines in 2011, following a policy change by Defense Secretary Robert Gates in 2010. This integration was phased, starting with female officers on Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, then expanding to fast-attack submarines and enlisted ranks. No Navy reports or peer-reviewed studies have linked female presence on submarines to degraded operational performance. In fact, the Navy has emphasized that readiness and professionalism are gender independent. Female submariners are held to the same standards and have earned warfare qualifications (“dolphins”) just like their male counterparts.

Admiral John Richardson, a former Chief of Naval Operations, has stated that inclusive teams “achieve maximum possible performance” and “maintain high standards”. This is the sort of thing Hegseth, a flaming misogynist, even described as such by his own mother, detests. Anecdotal accounts from female submariners, including my recent conversations with a friend’s niece, herself a submarine qualified (USS Florida) intelligence expert, highlight mutual respect, strong crew cohesion, and the absence of gender-based limitations on performance. As might be expected, early discussions of such integration faced some initial resistance and heightened concern, but the result has not translated into measurable declines in readiness. If anything, such scrutiny underscores the need for fair evaluation rather than assumptions.

The U.S. military has long prided itself on remaining above the partisan fray. It’s why officers don’t campaign in uniform, why political rallies are off-limits on base, and why the oath is to the Constitution—not to any individual. But when attendance at these events becomes mandatory, the message is clear: neutrality is no longer enough. Visibility is loyalty. Applause is allegiance. This isn’t just a morale hazard. It’s a constitutional one.

It's not as if we haven’t seen this type of shitshow before.  In banana republics, strongmen parade before the military to affirm their dominance. In autocracies, generals are props in the theater of power. The U.S. has always stood apart—until now.

Even MacArthur, with all his ego, never demanded the Army sit through his political musings. Patton may have slapped a soldier, but he didn’t slap the Constitution. What we’re witnessing is not leadership—it’s political liturgy. If things remain as they are supposed to be, and the military is to remain the last bastion of nonpartisan service, its leaders must resist becoming simply stoic stagehands in a political pageant. That means pushing back on mandatory attendance. That means refusing to conflate patriotism with partisanship. That means remembering that the oath is not to a man, but to an idea, because when the generals are forced to clap, the republic begins to crack.

The irony in this situation is flagrant: a man who dodged the draft now commands the attention of those who’ve faced live fire. A true “fake media“ pundit, who once called diversity “a cancer” now lectures a force that thrives on cohesion and inclusion. As a veteran who knows better, it turns my stomach.

 

                       The Myth of the Overcrowded Sky

When Charlie Kirk declared “We’re full. No more visas for Indians,” it wasn’t a policy proposal—it was a bumper sticker masquerading as a worldview. In a nation built on immigration, innovation, and the occasional in-flight pretzel, Kirk’s remarks land with all the grace of a goose in a jet engine.

Let’s be clear: the U.S. aviation industry isn’t being overrun by foreign pilots. It’s being held aloft by them. Indian American professionals make up a vital part of our tech, healthcare, and yes, aviation sectors. They don’t displace American workers—they keep the planes flying, the code compiling, and the hospitals running while certain pundits are busy fearmongering from the comfort of a podcast studio.

Kirk’s comments weren’t just xenophobic—they’re economically illiterate. The H-1B visa program exists because there’s a shortage of qualified workers in key industries. If we’re “full,” it’s only of bad takes and empty slogans.

And let’s examine safety. The FAA doesn’t track pilot crashes by race or nationality because it’s irrelevant to performance. What do they track? Training hours, fatigue, mechanical issues, and weather. You know—actual safety factors? The idea that demographic diversity compromises safety isn’t just wrong, it’s dangerous. It undermines trust in a system that’s statistically safer than driving to the airport.

But, of course Kirk’s worldview didn’t stop at borders—it extended to bedrooms and boardrooms. At a women’s conference, he advised young women to avoid careers like orthopedic surgery, suggesting they should prioritize marriage and children instead. His claim that “all the good ones are gone” if women don’t settle down early wasn’t just regressive—it was a throwback to the kind of gender norms that make Donald Trump and Brigham Young seem progressive.

This wasn’t just rhetoric—it was ideology. It limns diversity as a threat, ambition as a flaw, and equality as a zero-sum game. It’s the kind of worldview that fears a cockpit staffed by a Black man or woman more than it fears turbulence.

So, what was really behind the “we’re full” and “stay home, ladies” messaging? In truth, a fear of change and a fear of complexity. A fear that the world is bigger than one ideology can contain.

If Kirk wanted to fly in a plane staffed only by people who looked and thought like him, he was welcome to charter one. The rest of us will be boarding commercial flights piloted by professionals—regardless of where they were born or what gender they are—because we care more about credentials than chromosomes.

 

                          

                                     A Medical Fool’s Carnival

 

A recent newspaper article contains the alarming story of Florida governor and Trump wannabee, Ron de Santis, declaring that it is his desire and intent (and he is encouraged in this by the  surgeon general of the state of Florida) to discontinue all mandates for vaccinations as a criterion for entering public schools in the state.

De Santis refers to, and summarily dismisses, strong cautionary disagreements from legitimate medical authorities on all levels, local, state, and federal, as “unsubstantiated.”  His toady State Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, has also ignited a firestorm with recent comments and a policy push to eliminate all vaccine mandates statewide, including those for beginning schoolchildren. At a press conference on September 3, 2025, Ladapo emphasized personal autonomy over public health mandates, stating: “Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.” (yep, keeping kids alive is slavery?)  He continued, “Your body is a gift from God. What you put into your body is because of your relationship with your body and your God.” Contemplating the potential ramifications of this type of thinking make my head hurt. That said, and as stated above, our illustrious governor is on board.

Ladapo has a well-documented history of diametrical differences between himself and the rest of the responsible medical community. He came to prominence in Florida for his opposition to COVID-19 mitigation measures, and promotion and furtherance of COVID-19 misinformation, for which he has been rebuked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He has a history of promoting unproven treatments, opposing vaccine and mask mandates, questioning the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, and contradicting professional medical organizations. All this is with absolutely zero scientific justification. He joined De Santos in supporting monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID 19 up to the point where the drug’s manufacturer, a DeSantis contributor, finally admitted that their therapy didn’t work. Incidentally, Ladapo has also opposed gender affirming care and counseling for trans and non-binary minors.

        So, what then do the actual statistics say about mandatory vaccination? Let’s preface this with the statement that no valid study has ever shown an actual link between vaccines and Autism. Period. What follows will be an analysis of the effects of measles vaccine on what was once an annual epidemic in the US.

Historical Timeline of Measles in the U.S.

Pre-Vaccine Era

•       1765: First recorded measles case in the U.S.

•       Early 1900s: Measles killed ~6,000 Americans annually

•       1950s–1960s: Annual cases averaged 500,000+, with 48,000 hospitalizations and 400–500 deaths

 Vaccine Breakthrough

•       1963: Measles vaccine licensed—rapid and dramatic drop in cases

•       1978: CDC recommends two doses of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) for full protection.

Elimination & Resurgence

•       2000: CDC declares measles eliminated in the U.S.—no continuous transmission for over a year Yes, it works!

•       2014: 667 cases reported, mostly linked to unvaccinated communities. This coincides with the birth of the anti-vax movement, which was a conglomerate of anti-government, anti-science, deep state conspiracy, etc. movements in states such as California, Oregon, Idaho, Texas, and a few others which allowed “personal exemptions” for mandatory vaccines. California reversed course in 2015 and saw a step change drop in childhood communicable diseases, and in COVID cases later, (explanation below).

•       2019: 1,282 cases—the highest since 1992—sparked by outbreaks in New York and Washington among primarily unvaccinated individuals.

•       2024: only 285 confirmed cases across 16 outbreaks

•       2025 (as of August): 1,408 confirmed cases, 35 outbreaks, and 3 deaths reported across 43 states

•       86% of cases are outbreak-associated

•       Vast majority are among unvaccinated individuals

The trend and number of cases track similarly for Mumps. For Rubella, the same is true, but even more critical in some ways, in that Rubella can also, if transmitted to a pregnant individual, cause serious and disabling birth defects in the newborn. Rubella was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2004, but cases still pop up due to international travel and vaccine gaps.

All this of course implies that measles can become an unwanted gift. Susie ‘s mom is an anti-vaxxer, Susie goes to school and contracts measles, comes home, hugs grandma who may never have had the vaccine or has far less resistance. Grandma gets very ill as a result. The same was true in the COVID epidemic. Children, who had been vaccinated may have had contact with the virus and were contagious but essentially asymptomatic because their recent MMR vaccines also supplied some resistance to COVID (verified in a Harvard study). Adults at home with less resistance and less recency of MMR vaccination, or even none, contracted COVID from their apparently healthy children.

The same government which can require you to have a driver’s license and insurance should certainly have the right to require parents to have their children vaccinated as a measure to insure their health by insuring they are protected against known and potentially fatal diseases which thrive in close circumstances such as a schoolroom.

Dr Ladapo immigrated with his family from Nigeria when he was five years old. At that time (1983) Nigeria had no vaccine mandates and consequently had periodic outbreaks of contagious diseases. Oddly enough in that same year, Nigeria initiated the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). It was a major operational research project, launched in August 1983, aiming to dramatically increase vaccine coverage. It wasn’t yet a legal mandate, but it was a government-led push with strong community involvement and outreach. The project ran until July 1984 and boosted coverage from 9% to 83% in targeted areas. Now Nigeria does have vaccine mandates, particularly for childhood immunizations. In December 2021, the Federal Government of Nigeria also implemented a compulsory vaccination policy for all public sector employees. Workers had to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or present a negative PCR test within 72 hours to access their offices., Nigeria requires routine vaccinations for children, and these mandates are enforced especially for school entry. I point his out only to show the retrograde thinking of Dr Ladapo compared to his African homeland.

Between Dr. Ladapo’s lamentable religious philosophical flummery and DeSantis’ politically driven grandstanding, Florida has the potential to regress to the 1950s as far as public health essentials are concerned. Remember Polio? If you’re my age you do since we were kept indoors when the too frequent local cases occurred. Likewise, community pools closed.

 Drs. Salk and Sabin wiped out Polio as a threat via vaccines. Vaccines save lives. imbeciles like Ladapo and DeSantis threaten them. Amen.

    No matter what it takes, vote in the midterms. Also take the time to encourage your Congressional Representatives to push for election day to become a national holiday.