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3/07/2026
Kennedy and Eisenhower: Respect for the Ages
On May 8, 1965, more than a year after Kennedy’s death,
Dwight D. Eisenhower did something that revealed just how deeply the loss still
weighed on him. Despite his own failing health and doctors’ warnings—he was 74
and recovering from his third heart attack—Eisenhower traveled to the Kennedy
Library groundbreaking ceremony in Boston.
Standing beside Jacqueline Kennedy, he told the assembled
crowd something that made even hardened reporters weep:
"President Kennedy possessed the greatest campaign
weapon any man could have—he had Jacqueline Kennedy by his side, but more than
that, he possessed a quality I grew to admire deeply in our many
conversations—the courage to admit when he didn’t know something and the wisdom
to seek counsel."
What made the moment even more powerful was Eisenhower’s
revelation that he had kept every letter Kennedy had ever written him, bound
carefully in a private collection he called “Letters from a Young Lion.” That
day, he donated them to the future Kennedy Library, saying he wanted history to
know their friendship had been real—that politics hadn’t divided them where it
mattered most.
Jackie Kennedy squeezed Eisenhower’s hand and whispered
something those nearby heard: “He called you his North Star, General. He never
stopped seeking your guidance.” Eisenhower’s voice broke as he replied, “And I
never stopped believing in him.”
Here were two people from different worlds—the widowed First
Lady and the retired Republican general—united in grief and mutual respect.
They showed us that the bonds forged in service to country transcend everything
else.
This is the America worth fighting for—the one where we see
each other’s humanity first.
Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States of America
Washington, D.C., January 20, 1953.
Dwight D. Eisenhower had just been sworn in as the 34th
President of the United States. The ceremony ended. The crowds thinned. And
—who had led the nation through the final months of World War
II, authorized the atomic bomb, and launched the Marshall Plan—walked to Union
Station to catch a train home.
Not a private railcar. Not a military aircraft. A regular passenger train.
He bought his own ticket.
There was no press spectacle. No staged farewell. Truman
simply boarded a Baltimore & Ohio train bound for Independence, Missouri,
and took a seat among ordinary travelers. No security cordon cleared the aisle.
No one was removed from the car. Within minutes, passengers began to recognize
him.
They didn’t panic. They approached him.
They shook his hand, asked questions, shared opinions.
Truman chatted easily, smiling, looking like a man relieved of an immense
burden. One passenger later recalled him saying he was glad to be going
home—that he had done his job.
What makes that ride even more remarkable is where he was
going: not to wealth, but to financial uncertainty.
In 1953, former presidents received no pension. No staff. No
office allowance. No benefits. Once out of office, they were private citizens
again.
Truman’s only steady income was his modest Army pension from
World War I—just over $100 a month. He had a house in Independence (owned by
his wife Bess’s family) and little savings. Corporations offered him lucrative
board seats. Companies proposed endorsements. Speaking tours promised easy
money.
He refused them all.
Truman believed profiting from the presidency would cheapen
it. The office, to him, was a public trust—not a brand to monetize. So he
returned home and lived modestly. He wrote his memoirs to earn income. He sold
family land. He walked the streets of Independence without escort, stopping to
greet neighbors, visiting the barber, mailing packages himself.
This wasn’t performance. It was character.
Yet his financial strain embarrassed lawmakers. By the late
1950s, leaders in Congress agreed that former presidents should not face
hardship after serving the nation. In 1958, the Former Presidents Act created a
pension system for ex-presidents—largely in response to Truman’s situation.
Ironically, Truman hesitated to accept it. He worried it
looked like charity. Eventually, he agreed—saying the system mattered more for
future presidents than for himself.
That train ride symbolized something larger than a journey
home. It reflected a time when a president could step away from immense power
and return to ordinary citizenship. Truman never confused the office with his
identity. He had served, and now he was done.
Today, security realities and modern expectations make such
a scene unimaginable. Former presidents travel with protection, staff, and
lifelong benefits. The presidency has grown into something far more insulated.
Truman died in 1972, still living in the same modest home in
Independence. He never sought grandeur in retirement. The man who helped shape
the postwar world returned quietly to private life.
That image—Harry Truman on a passenger train, chatting with
strangers—remains a reminder of leadership defined not by privilege, but by
humility.
Power, in his view, was temporary. Character was permanent.
And when his time was over, he simply went home.
3/06/2026
THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY OF IRAN (CPI) OFFICIAL FOUNDING DECLARATION
OFFICIAL FOUNDING DECLARATION
THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY OF IRAN (CPI)
Hereby, we, the loyal children of Iran, officially proclaim
the formation of the Conservative Party of Iran.
At this decisive moment in our nation’s history, we rise
with a deep sense of responsibility, dedicated to helping our people in
reclaiming our homeland, restoring its dignity, and securing its rightful
future.
The Conservative Party of Iran stands firmly upon the
enduring pillars of Iran's historical and political truth: its national
identity, its sovereignty, and the continuity of Iran’s original and native
polity, the Monarchical Institution of Iran, which has long been the guardian
of stability, unity, and the enduring foundation of the true and actual Iranian
state.
Hereditary Monarchy:
Under the Iran-building Pahlavi Dynasty, and under the
rightful leadership of Iran’s exiled Shah and National Leader of Iran’s Lion
and Sun Revolution, His Majesty Reza Shah Pahlavi
@PahlaviReza
], in continuity through Her Royal Highness Crown Princess
Noor Pahlavi [
@NoorPahlavi
], the Iranian state shall be anchored in historical
legitimacy, peace, stability, freedom, prosperity, and uninterrupted national
continuity.
National Unity:
Iran is one nation under one flag, indivisible and eternal.
We affirm absolute territorial integrity and unbreakable
national unity beneath the Lion and Sun flag of Iran, the sacred symbol of our
civilizational nationhood and sovereignty.
Secular Democracy:
We uphold a secular and democratic constitutional order,
namely Iran's Constitutional Monarchy, rooted in the Rule of Law, guaranteeing
equal rights, freedoms, dignity, and civic equality for every Iranian citizen.
Mission:
Our immediate mission is clear. We stand beside the
courageous Iranian people and their exiled Shah and National Leader to end
clerical rule and liberate Iran from the destructive ruins of the 1979 Islamist
revolt.
We unequivocally reject all anti-Iranian ideologies,
including Islamism, Marxism, separatism, tribalism, and ethno-fascism, which
fracture the nation, erode its sovereignty, and endanger its security.
We draw inspiration from the civilizational legacy of Cyrus
the Great, father of ancient Iran, and from the modernizing vision of Reza Shah
the Great, father of modern Iran. Our movement is ancient in identity and
history, yet modern in purpose, direction, and resolve.
To the International Community:
The Conservative Party of Iran is committed to peace,
stability, prosperity, and responsible global partnership.
Under a Pahlavi-led national government, the political
system in Iran will cease to be a source of regional instability. Instead, Iran
shall:
▫️Restore Predictability, replacing ideological adventurism
with rational, interest-based diplomacy.
▫️Ensure Security, acting as a pillar of regional stability
and a reliable partner in global commerce.
▫️Foster Peace and Prosperity, advancing cooperation,
economic development, and the complete rejection and termination of
state-sponsored terrorism.
Iran shall once again stand as a responsible nation among
nations.
National Vision:
We champion civic nationalism.
Iranian identity is defined by citizenship, civic
responsibility, and shared civilizational nationhood and heritage, not by
ethnicity, tribe, race, geography, religion, sect, gender, class, or ideology.
National loyalty and civic commitment form the foundation of our unity, and we
reject all forms of tribalism, separatism, and involuntary collectivism.
Membership in the Conservative Party of Iran is open to all
Iranians who affirm their loyalty to Iran, its unity, and the Pahlavi Throne.
The Conservative Party Manifesto and the Comprehensive Draft
Constitution of the Conservative Party of Iran are both available on the
party’s official Telegram channel: http://t.me/IranConservativeParty
Long Live Iran
Long Live the Shah
Rayan Amiri Savadkouhi
Founding Leader
Conservative Party of Iran
Trump Just Outmaneuvered the "British Empire" at Hormuz
Trump Just Outmaneuvered the "British Empire"
at Hormuz
A viral breakdown has exposed a subtle but devastating
dynamic unfolding in the Persian Gulf.
In a single stroke of economic and military genius, the
Trump administration appears to have neutralized one of the United Kingdom's
most ancient and powerful geopolitical tools, potentially "crushing"
a key ally's economy to secure American energy supremacy.
The crisis began when Lloyd’s of London—the world's only
insurance market large enough to back the staggering value of the global oil
fleet—abruptly announced it would no longer insure any vessel transiting the
Strait of Hormuz.
This move, according to Armes, would have effectively
grounded the 20 to 30 percent of the world’s oil that flows through that
21-mile chokepoint.
"Trump just killed the British Empire."
Let me explain. This is the Strait of Hormuz. You've been
hearing about it on the news. About 20 to 30 percent of all oil in the world
goes through this strait. Here is what you don't know.
In order to go through this strait, ships have to have
insurance. There is only one company in the entire globe that is big enough to
insure all the oil tankers going through this strait. That company is Lloyd’s
of London.
It is responsible for about 2 percent of the British
Empire’s GDP, over a $40 billion contribution to the United Kingdom and 50,000
jobs, but it’s also a geopolitical tool for the UK.
And they decided they were no longer going to insure anyone
going through the Strait of Hormuz, which would have halted all energy
shipments. It was kind of a giant F you to Donald Trump to confuse and distort
the energy markets and make America look bad.
But Trump said that the United States government is going to
start insuring these shipping companies. Not only that, they will provide
personal escorts for these boats with the U.S. Navy.
Just in a matter of minutes, the United States has shut down
one of the largest geopolitical tools the United Kingdom has had all the way
back to the 1600s.
This not only ensures they no longer have geopolitical
leverage but is going to crush their economy. It's not like Lloyd’s can just
magically come back online.
Now that the United States is insuring these boats, which,
by the way, were the reason boats could even go through that strait anyway
because of the United States military, it's not like these boats are going to
go back to Lloyd’s of London insurance.
They’re probably going to stay with the United States, and
Trump knows this.
A very subtle move but incredibly important."
Friedrick Hayek, Nobel Prize for Economics, 1974
When Friedrick Hayek stood on the Nobel Prize in Economics podium in
1974, no one imagined that this titan of economics would, four years later, do
something that shocked the academic world. In Paris, he publicly set up a
debate challenge, inviting all scholars who questioned his theories to come and
argue with him—yet in the end, not a single one dared to step forward.
And the seven resounding quotes he left behind, each one
piercing straight to the essence of human nature:
The first: He said money is the greatest tool ever invented
by humanity—only money opens its doors to the poor, while power never will.
The second: Why do some problems never get solved? Because
the people who solve problems are the very ones who create them.
The third: A world where the rich hold power is often far
better than one where only the powerful can get rich.
The fourth: The purpose of law is not to abolish and
restrict freedom, but to protect and expand it. If a person need only obey the
law and no one else, then that person is free.
The fifth: If the real world allowed free human migration to
continue, the flow of people would point the way to civilization.
The sixth: Those willing to trade freedom for security will
end up with neither freedom nor security.
The seventh: The road to hell is usually paved with good
intentions. The very things that turn the world into hell are the ideas people
have for turning it into paradise.
3/04/2026
THE TRUTH ABOUT WAR POWERS
Mark Levin
THE TRUTH ABOUT WAR POWERS -- DECLARING WAR, MAKING WAR, THE CONSTITUTION, AND THE WAR POWERS ACT FACT: No president, of either party, has accepted the constitutionality of the 1973 War Powers Act. Every president has viewed it as a violation of separation of powers -- the president's Article II plenary power to run foreign policy and his authority as the commander-in-chief. FACT: The Supreme Court has never ruled on the Act's constitutionality and likely never will. Indeed, Congress itself is split on the issue, with Democrats supporting Democrat presidents and Republicans supporting Republican presidents. The War Powers Act is nothing but a political tool used by members of Congress typically against a president of the opposite party -- and their arguments mostly switch from one side to the other depending on who is president. FACT: The first draft of the Constitution provided that Congress would have the power to MAKE war. The delegates at the Constitutional Convention rejected that language and changed it to DECLARE war, intentionally watering it down because they did not believe a body with numerous members was institutionally capable of making such decisions. FACT: To declare war does not result in making war, e.g., if Congress were to declare war and a president refused to accept such a declaration, Congress cannot force the commander-in-chief to execute such a war. Congress declaring war, which it has done a mere 11 times (mostly during World War II) since the nation's founding, is essentially the highest means by which it can proclaim its support for a war. It is not a condition precedent to making war and never has been. FACT: The only power Congress has to prevent a military operation is the power of the purse. That said, a president who, as commander-in-chief, has authorized military action will not sign such a bill for it is intended to prevent what he has already commanded. Therefore, Congress would need a two-thirds majority of both Houses to override his veto. In other words, a president has broad power to take military action. FACT: Other than the vice president, the president is the only federal official elected by the entirety of the people. In addition to the institutional impossibility of war powers and decisions in the hands of a multi-member body like Congress, the president is the only official who was elected to, among other things, serve as commander-in-chief.
3/03/2026
Patriotism Strengthens the Rule of Law
Patriotism Strengthens the Rule of Law
Patriotism in the American civic tradition is not mere
feeling; it is a disposition that binds love of country to fidelity to its
founding principles and institutions. When citizens are patriotic in this
reflective, constitutional sense, they treat the rule of law as the primary
means by which liberty, order, and justice are preserved. That connection works
through three mutually reinforcing channels: legitimacy, restraint, and
stewardship.
Legitimacy —
patriotism gives the law moral force
Shared allegiance to the Constitution and common civic
principles makes laws and institutions legitimate in citizens’ eyes. Legitimacy
encourages voluntary compliance and reduces reliance on coercion.
Moral language of the founding—rights, consent, and equal
protection—turns abstract rules into obligations citizens accept as part of
being American. As Benjamin Franklin put it, “Where liberty dwells, there is my
country.” That sense of belonging makes the law more than an external
constraint; it becomes a shared covenant.
Restraint — patriotism channels power through institutions
- A patriotic citizenry expects leaders to govern within
constitutional limits and to respect procedures for changing policy. This
expectation creates **social and political pressure** against arbitrary
rule.
- James Madison explained the constitutional design that
channels ambition into checks: “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.”
When citizens value that design, they resist shortcuts and demand that power be
exercised through the rule‑bound mechanisms the Constitution
prescribes.
Stewardship — patriotism motivates citizens to sustain
institutions
- Patriotism supplies the civic virtues the Constitution
presupposes: civic knowledge, public-spiritedness, willingness to serve, and
readiness to defend rights. George Washington’s insistence that the
Constitution be a guide reflects this duty: “The Constitution is the guide
which I never will abandon.”
- Those virtues sustain courts, legislatures, elections, and civil society so the rule of law can function in practice, not just on paper.
America Civics
Why are Americans shocked to discover the President can actually… command the military.
Every time a strike happens, social media reacts like the Commander-in-Chief just logged into Call of Duty and pressed random buttons without permission.
“Did Congress approve this???”
Meanwhile half the country doesn’t vote in midterms but suddenly wants a live referendum before sunrise.
The Constitution has been sitting there since 1787 politely explaining presidential war powers, and somehow, we still act surprised like this was added overnight in an app update.
News flash: America didn’t become a superpower by sending enemies a survey that says, “Please wait while we finish arguing online.”
Presidents from BOTH parties have launched military actions for decades. Same authority. Same process. Same national confusion every single time.
We love the idea of strength until strength looks like real decisions being made in real time — then everybody wants a committee meeting and snacks before anything happens.
Here’s the patriotic part nobody likes to admit protecting a country sometimes means decisions get made fast, quietly, and without consulting the comment section first.
You can question policy. You SHOULD question policy. That’s democracy.
But acting shocked that the Commander-in-Chief commands the military is like being surprised the fire department shows up with water.
God bless America — where we debate everything loudly and learn civics accidentally.
2/10/2026
Sensible Truth on The Medlock Post Ep. 25: Spiritual Dangers Today
Our purpose is to Lift, Inspire, Encourage, and Empower our viewers. A God complex is one of the most spiritually corrosive forms of pride because it distorts a person’s relationship with truth, with others, and with God Himself. It’s not just “thinking highly of yourself.” It’s the deeper illusion that you are the final authority—morally, intellectually, spiritually, or socially. That illusion carries real dangers.
1/07/2026
Wake-up Call on Fraud and Corruption is Needed Right Now in America
Here’s Why the Book of Mormon’s Wake-up Call on Fraud and Corruption is Needed Right Now in America
If you have doubts about the Book of Mormon and aren’t sure if it is ancient scripture that was tailored by ancient prophets to be valuable in our day, you may wish to read a few passages in the book of Helaman. It deals with a time period shortly before the First Coming of Jesus Christ to the earth, and seems to have parallels related to the challenges of the latter days before the Second Coming of Christ.
1/01/2026
11/24/2025
The Thanksgiving Blessing Tree
Thanksgiving week is a natural invitation to pause, notice, and respond with gratitude. Here are some thoughtful ways to deepen gratitude to God and sharpen our recognition of blessings:
🌿 Ways to Increase Gratitude to God
Prayer of Thanks: Begin and end the day with a short prayer naming specific blessings—health, family, opportunities, even challenges that helped you grow.
Scripture Reflection: Read passages that emphasize gratitude (e.g., Psalm 100, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Alma 34:38). Let them shape your perspective.
Gratitude Journal to God: Write daily entries addressed to Him, acknowledging both ordinary and extraordinary gifts.
Acts of Service: Express gratitude by serving others—sharing food, visiting someone lonely, or offering encouragement. Service becomes a living prayer of thanks.
Worship Through Beauty: Notice creation—sunrise, autumn leaves, laughter—and consciously thank God for the artistry woven into life.
🌟 How to Recognize Blessings in Our Lives
Shift Perspective: Instead of asking “What am I missing?” ask “What have I been given?” This reframes even small things as gifts.
Celebrate the Ordinary: A warm meal, a safe home, a conversation with a friend—these are blessings often overlooked.
Remember Past Deliverance: Reflect on times God carried you through difficulty. Gratitude grows when we recall His faithfulness.
See Blessings in Trials: Challenges often bring hidden blessings—patience, resilience, compassion. Naming these helps us see God’s hand even in hardship.
Community Reflection: Share with family or friends what you’re grateful for. Hearing others’ blessings expands your awareness of your own.
✨ A Thanksgiving Practice
Here’s a simple ritual you could try this week:
Gather stones or slips of paper.
Each day, write one blessing and place it in a jar or basket.
On Thanksgiving Day, read them aloud as a prayer of gratitude.
It becomes a tangible reminder of God’s abundance.
🧠Teaching Moments
Young children: Ask, “What made you smile today?” or “What do you love that God gave you?”
Teens: Invite deeper reflection: “What blessing have you overlooked?” or “How has God helped you grow?”
Adults: Encourage naming blessings in disguise—hardships that led to growth or healing.
To guide reflection, you can write a prompt on the back of each leaf:
“What did God give me today?”
“What challenge became a blessing?”
“Who am I thankful for?”
“What beauty did I notice?”
11/23/2025
New Take on Colonoscopy Preparation
Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald.
This Article
This is from newshound Dave Barry's colonoscopy journal:
I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis. Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'
I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now, suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America 's enemies.
I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.
The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose, watery bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.
MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.
After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.
At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.
Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first, I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this is, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.
When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' had to be the least appropriate.
'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha ha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.
I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that it was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.
On the subject of Colonoscopies...
Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous..... A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:
1. 'Take it easy, Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before!
2. 'Find Amelia Earhart yet?'
3. 'Can you hear me NOW?'
4. 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?'
5. 'You know, in Arkansas , we're now legally married.'
6. 'Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?'
7. 'You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out...'
8. 'Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!'
9. 'If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!
10. 'Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.'
11. 'You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?'
12. 'God, now I know why I am not gay.'
And the best one of all.
13. 'Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up there?'
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