President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday to call his son, Don Jr., now surely the Fredo Trumpleone of America’s ruling clan, a “great person who loves his country.” That may well be true. I don’t pretend to have any insight into what is in Trump the Younger’s Heart. There should be a baseline assumption that all Americans are, to some extent or another, patriotic... more

If you’d told me last week there were two California politicians who believed in borders, proving residency and preventing identity theft I would have thought you were auditioning for an anchor chair on CNN. Even one actually happening would not have seemed even remotely possible, yet all three were witnessed by credible observers... more

Once upon a time, praising the essence of what is America was a good thing. Normal even. Not anymore. Do that now and you are written off as a racist or a member of the alt-right. Mention God and country and you are branded a “Nazi.” Talk about traditional family values and you are a homophobe. Discuss following the rule of law about immigration and you are labeled with all sorts of “phobes.”... more

Boy, I could use a vacation about now - like millions of other hardworking Americans. According to a recent study by the U.S. Travel Association’s Project Time Off, 54 percent of American employees ended 2016 with unused time off - a total of about 662 million unused vacation days... more

Much has been made about President Trump’s tweets. The Never-Trumpers shake their heads in disgust. The #Resistance goes ape, which includes the mainstream media. Even some supporters occasionally cringe. He should just stop tweeting, they all say, but that would be a huge mistake... more

“Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.” – Henry David Thoreau. Maybe a hectic lifestyle has prevented you from marking it on your calendar; but July 12 is the bicentennial of the birth of essayist, poet, abolitionist, philosopher, naturalist, surveyor and historian Henry David Thoreau... more

Only in Washington, D.C. will you find politicians so wrapped up in themselves, their party, crazed ideology, or something -- that they will not come together to pass legislation for the sake and safety of the American people. Even though the House managed to pass two common sense, safety-focused bills on June 29, it is beyond comprehension that most Democrats voted against Kate’s Law and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act. The GOP did have a handful of rogue nays, but very few in comparison... more

Normally, the most notable part of a Supreme Court decision is not the dissent. But Monday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor penned a dissent that is much more interesting in its transparency than the relatively mild majority opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts in a case being watched by everyone interested in the tension between church and state, and the status of that crumbling wall... more

Senate Republicans better get ready for some fireworks. Their July 4 recess is going to be a hot one. Earlier this week, with Republican ranks deeply fractured, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, announced he was postponing a critical, make-or-break procedural vote on a bill repealing the Affordable Care Act, until after a weeklong holiday break... more

Should conservatives shut up about Nancy Pelosi or keep her in their public spotlight? The Georgia 6th Congressional District race became all about Pelosi. Democrats and liberal allies poured over $24 million into Jon Ossoff’s campaign to prove no one supports Trump any longer. Karen Handel, the Republican, spent just $4.5 millions... more

By Phil Valentine The tide seems to be turning. It shouldn’t come as any big surprise. No matter how villainous you make a character, if you beat up on him long enough he’s bound to garner sympathy. What has greatly aided President Trump is, after nearly a year of the non-stop media drumbeat of Russian collusion, there’s still nothing there... more

I can’t stop myself from keeping a mental list of words and phrases that have been bastardized beyond repair by journalists. They range from the trite, such as “Breaking News,” to the abused, such as “anonymous sources.” For TV journalists they include crutch phrases such as “at the end of the day.” The next time a cable pundit suggests “there’s no there there,” switch the channel - although, frankly, on cable “it is what it is.”... more

“Where have all the graveyards gone? Gone to flowers every one. Oh, when will they ever learn?” – Pete Seeger and Joe Hickerson. “Well, excuse me for living!” That phrase is so 20th century! In the 21st century, we’re moving toward “Well, excuse me for dying.”... more

Millennials, who understandably hate being called “millennials,” did not invent narcissism with the selfie. A noticeable number of 18 to 34 year-olds have simply navigated current technology into the dank waters of self-love and/or marketing one’s self into what they hope is an attractive brand... more

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee provides legal advice and representation on civil legal issues for seniors in 48 Middle Tennessee counties. Recently, many seniors have contacted our offices because they have received notices from TennCare or Social Security stating they will stop getting help paying for Medicare. Many seniors do not understand what has happened because there has been no change in their circumstances... more

In the course of human events it is necessary, now and again, to renew our commitment to the principles and practices that made our country great in the first place. Our country has always held what the Declaration of Independence says about certain “Truths”: They are “self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”... more

It’s impossible to argue with Rush Limbaugh. When Rush said the nut job who shot House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and four others at a D.C. baseball field on Wednesday was radicalized by the leftwing establishment media, he’s absolutely correct. Everyone in Washington has been urging us not get into a political blame-game like the ones that followed the shooting of Congresswoman Gabby Gifford in 2011 or the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995... more

June 2017 was supposed to be the month my 13-year-old son Gideon went to Washington, D.C. on a youth tour. For reasons that had nothing to do with recent gunfire or the current occupant of the Oval Office (or the fact that “draining the swamp” might be too overpowering a concept for a lad who still cringes at parental suggestions about “emptying the cat litterbox” or “picking up that HazMat suit from your bedroom floor”), my wife and I decided to cancel our plans and get a refund... more

(Note to editors: A version of this column was distributed in 2015.) Dear Mom and Dad, It’s been less than a week since you dropped me off at summer camp. You better come get me ‘cause I’m in big trouble. On my first day, I was feeling homesick. So I found a piece of wood and began carving it with my Swiss Army knife the way Daddy showed me... more

Although longtime Democrat voter and Bernie Sanders supporter James Hodgkinson is the one who pulled the trigger at the GOP batting practice in Alexandria, Va. on June 14, the Democratic Party and its leftist media sidekicks should take a long look in the mirror... more