Happy 250th birthday, United States Army

AUSA (Association of the US Army, a private organization) tells us:

Happy 250th!

From the Revolutionary War to today, America’s Army has steadfastly served and defended the nation before the nation was even born. On Saturday, the service marks its 250th birthday with events across the country and a huge bash on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

What to Watch: AUSA will mark the Army’s milestone birthday with a three-day, once-in-a-lifetime celebration in Philadelphia, the birthplace of American independence. From Friday through Sunday, there will be an enlistment ceremony for 250 new soldiers, reenactments, concerts, commemorative ceremonies and community tributes—culminating in a grand celebration on Independence Mall, where the American Army’s story began.

Freedom – and liberty – always has a price. That is the firm belief of all of us here at The Price of Liberty, as it was of our founder Lady Susan Calloway – Mama Liberty. That price is often paid not just in the blood of tyrants but in the blood of lovers of liberty. Sadly, many who have sacrificed limb and life have done so in a state of misunderstanding exactly what they were actually fighting for. And many more paid those prices because of the stupid actions of politicians and their own leaders. That should not distract from their service, nor from their sacrifice.

But, it does.

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Secession? or expulsion? Or both?

The “peaceful protests” now pasting screens with unforgettable images are spreading across the States. In doing so, the events and the motives and reasons for them seem to be creating still more divisions. And fears.

Nobody will deny that The Donald’s propensity is to be “in your face” on virtually everything he does. Obviously, the Trumpistas love that about him. For the rest of us, it is a reminder that he is not really a likeable or particularly moral man. Or yet another reason to hate him with incredible venom.

It is definitely a trait that is shared by many present Democratic politicians and office-holders. Gavin Newsom’s rhetoric is ramping up, also. Again, as with The Donald, this is hardly new.

After the first five or six days of the LA border-jumper-hunt by the Feds and the nicely-orchestrated riots (excuse us, “mostly peaceful protests”) we recently heard a spokesman for the border-jumpers now in Los Angeles in a radio-recording. We have been unable to get a name, but his remarks are curious.

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Space, our future, and other issues of liberty

New Atlas recently discussed a Brit company (Sunbird) that plans to deploy a fusion engine for spacecraft within one to two years.

Now, we’ve heard this all before. Nowadays from New Atlas, but for a century we’ve seen this kind of over-optimism from the likes of Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, and more government publications and comic books than we can count. It will be pie in the sky – next year, next decade, but soon, soon, soon! Pie in the sky by and by.

We hear this almost monthly about many things to do with producing energy – especially electricity. From the next great battery that is going to replace lithium-ion, lead-acid, and all the others from AAA up to massive solar-wind storage batteries with tens of thousands of Amp-hours.

The next great fuel: for example, how “green” or “white” hydrogen is now being touted by all sorts of people as being the next best thing to replace gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, and natural gas. Oh, and of course, coal.

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A slip of the tongue? Or is he that stupid?

We here at TPOL don’t really like The Donald. Trump has many, many faults. And like all POTUS, he is not truly an advocate of liberty, and presides over all kinds of really bad activities of the FedGov. Among which are actions in dealing with immigrants, especially border jumpers.

But it is kinda scary when we look at the major, or at least loudest and heard, opponents of The Donald.

One of those, of course, is the Governor of the People’s Republic of California. Gavin Newsom has many faults as well. And, we submit, his faults are much greater than those of The Donald.

Here is an amazing example. Read this quote from Mr. Newsom:

He [Donald Trump] is testing the boundaries by nationalizing the federal guard. Heck, his own great– Kristi Noem was just a year ago sitting there with newsmaker Sean Hannity saying it’s outrageous that Biden is considering nationalizing the guard in my great state. Kristi Noem, the same Kristi saying, what about state sovereignty and state rights? And where the hell is Hannity now? Where the hell is Kristi Noem? They’re out there just singing the siren songs of chaos, trying to sow chaos and putting our democracy at risk. This, these are acts of authoritarians. Period. Full stop.

Mediaite comments on this: Newsom was referring to a February 2024 interview Noem, now Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security, did on Fox’s Hannity, in which she called then-President Joe Biden considering federalizing the National Guard a “direct attack on states’ rights.” Notably, Newsom and Hannity have had a friendly relationship in recent years, with Newsom debating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on his show.

My, oh, my. Where do we start?

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Wow – a wise decision? Maybe?

Every once in a while, SCOTUS does something which appears to be quite good. However strange and whatever the reason, it is cause to celebrate at least a bit. Too bad they are not more consistent in actually judging honestly and fairly and constitutionally. (Assuming we are right about this decision being “good” – and that it doesn’t have some odd results.)

This latest “good decision” happened recently, according to a report on the Ames v. Ohio Youth Department case. Basically, it is a decision against at least one kind of judicial overreach.

Not only that, but surprisingly, SCOTUS issued a unanimous ruling. (Of course, that is itself a reason to worry about what is going on.)

The Nazgul decided that members of majority groups do not need to meet a higher standard to prove discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, writing for the Court, clarified that employment discrimination protections apply equally to all individuals, regardless of their group status.

If we understand this correctly, it means that you no longer have to be a member of some kind of “privileged” (read, historically disadvantaged) group to be able to enjoy equal rights under the law. Which is contrary to 80 years of court decisions.

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Summer riot season is here: what do we do?

As the last few days in Los Angeles has demonstrated, we have a new edition of the annual chaos, violence, and destruction that now characterizes the largest cities of the once-great American union. The Crazy Years (Heinlein’s idea) continue.

It is probably not a question of whether the anti-ICE “peaceful protests” in Los Angeles will spread to a dozen other cities. Rather, it is a question of when. What can be done? Both as a society and as individuals and families?

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California does it again – as predicted


A guest commentary from correspondent Bob Malone.

As [Bob wrote about in March 2023 and we here at TPOL have decried several times regarding the formerly-Golden State’s reparations] efforts a couple of years back and put out a warning – reparations are coming. First, California and then the movement is spreading to other blue states, as they follow suit. [And don’t think that red and purple States will not be impacted.]

Here is an update:

Funding for Reparations Initiatives in California: The 2024-2025 state budget allocates up to $12 million for reparations-related efforts. Some of this money will be used to establish an agency to oversee future (direct) reparations.

Here is the thing about creating new bureaucracies – once they are set up, they become leviathans.


TPOL thoughts: This is just a earnest payment (not even a “down payment”). $12B is a tiny portion of the $800 billion Sacramento wants to steal and dole out to the descendants of black slaves. (And notice, nothing is said about AmerInd slaves (of whites, blacks, or other AmerInd), or of how Chinese and other immigrants were in essence slaves when brought to California. Why? They don’t have the votes, no doubt.

Meanwhile, California’s vaunted, compassionate, and Woke leaders seek to do everything possible to complete the destruction of California’s economy, society, and future. More and more parts of the State resemble 1960s and 1970s Third World countries. This will, of course, continue.

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Parents and responsibility for children’s lives

The pushback against Trump 2.0 comes as no surprise. His attempt to “bring efficiency” to the FedGov while ending at least some of the corruption and theft is naturally going to be opposed by those who have grown fat with stolen money doled out by government agencies. To say nothing of the millions of government employees. Or the millions of people who have benefited from government welfare: whether “official” welfare recipients or beltway bandits and all the contractors. If they were not screaming so loudly (and calling in the tabs of their corrupt judges), we might worry that is was just another example of playacting.

So far The Donald has not done much to threaten the gun-control machine. Nor a hundred other unconstitutional and immoral operations. And in some cases, efforts have been rolled back. Hopefully temporarily.

Much of this has to do with the fact that generations of Americans have been coddled and cozened into believing that government can save us. Not just that government is essential and can follow different rules from us mere humans. Or the hundred other lies perpetrated by the true beneficiaries of government. And especially those running the agencies and the “private” firms grown wealthy from government largess.

Here is a thought experiment: Go down a street and ask a couple of dozen people “is government responsible for the safety of your children?” Don’t be surprised if most will tell you “yes.” (Don’t argue with them. It’s common to believe this.)

A few months ago, an article by the Associated Press promoted efforts nationwide by parents to see “meaningful” gun control laws passed to prevent tragedies like those in Nashville and Uvalde. The article decries “mixed results.” Using our TPOL (unpatented, uncopyrighted) Regressive Language Interpreter (RLI), this means “gun bans” and “failure to outlaw guns for all but cops and celebrities’ security guards.”

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More about rule by judges and a look at juries

Is a governmental system of rule by judges (called a kritarchy) acceptable? Tolerable? Able to be endured? Better than what we are supposed to have?

In our recent commentary, we concluded that such a system would be intolerable. And what we seem to have morphed into in these Fifty States today, a form of kritarchy, is just as intolerable.

(We are not alone in this idea, though our reasons may be different than that of others. Consider what Craig Paul Roberts wrote: “The incompetent two-bit punk ideologues that Congress has appointed to the bench are hardly to be respected.  They are the enemies of justice and the American people.  They are currently busy at work overturning the presidential election.  Little wonder the ruling establishment let Trump win.  They knew that they could stop him cold with the judiciary and move him in their direction with advice that gives him ‘broader perspectives.’ “

Supporters of international progressivism (Communism) claim, “They just didn’t do it right all these other times. But now we know better and will make it work!” There is no doubt that advocates of judge-rule will make the same claim.

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Seventh generation warfare? Coming or here?

Folks with a military bend are familiar with the concept of generational warfare.

After the 1 June 2025 attack on Russian bases by Ukrainian security forces in a covert operation, some tell us that the world has entered a new, 7th generation of war (7GW).

What does this mean? The generations of war all blend in together.

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