Department of Defense Education System Ranked Best Schools in the Nation

 

The DoD shows them how it’s done.   The Department of Defense runs 161 schools in the US and around the world to educate the children of US military members and other DoD personnel.   The just released “Nation’s Report Card” ranks the DoDEA as the best school system in the country… by a lot.   My state of NJ is ranked 3rd, behind Massachusetts and DoDEA.   We are 3rd … but it’s not really close.   Here is a comparison of DoDEA vs NJ vs the National Average for 4th and 8th Grade math:

4th Grade Math
% BELOW Basic % @ Basic % @ Proficient % Advanced
DoDEA 9 37 43 11
NJ 23 33 33 11
National (Public) 24 36 31 9
8th Grade Math
BELOW Basic Basic Proficient Advanced
DoDEA 19 40 30 11
NJ 35 29 23 14
National (Public) 41 32 19 8

I can’t find the National Average by Race, but the Demographic Breakdowns are available for the states and some select cities.   Below is NJ vs DoDEA:

Has Elon Musk Opened Pandora’s Box?

 

The Democrats are losing their collective mind over the actions and discoveries of Elon Musk and Donald Trump. They have tried in every way possible to discredit these activities to cover up the disastrous revelations :

A fiery group of about a dozen congressional Democrats blasted Elon Musk and President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon outside of USAID’s headquarters amid their attempts to shut down the overseas funding agency, claiming the rapidly unfolding events are causing chaos and harming national security.

The Wider War on Grift

 

The onrush of good news from so much winning has me a bit giddy, so I need to step back and assess what the enemy might do to regroup and counter.

Old hands Carville and Axelrod have warned Democrats not to make USAID a hill to die on for the simple reasons that (a) voters do not love foreign aid programs and (b) the USAID funds distribution looks like an elite inside scam. They advise to wait and pounce when cuts actually affect real people, then the pushback and political regrouping can begin.

Robert and Ericka are not tired of winning! Trump’s first two weeks in office have seen more action than Biden’s four years. Listen for more on DOGE, USAID, and tariffs!

Brash, irreverent, and mostly peaceful! Stay in contact with us!
Robert Chernin
X – @RBChernin
FB – @OfThePeopleShow
IG – @rbchernin1

Is a Total Purge Justified?

 

It appears that President Trump (and, eventually, Kash) intends to fire all FBI agents who had any involvement in investigating or arresting J6 protestors.

It would seem the logic or the justification for this purge parallels the very justified prosecution of prison guards during the Holocaust.  “Just following orders” is not a defense.

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy interview historian Marcus Rediker, Distinguished Professor of Atlantic History at the University of Pittsburgh and author of The Amistad Rebellion. Prof. Rediker explores the 1839 slave revolt aboard the schooner La Amistad. He recounts the leadership of Sengbe Pieh (Joseph Cinqué) and the wider history and human toll of the transatlantic slave trade. Prof. Rediker details the Amistad Africans’ journey from Sierra Leone to Havana’s barracoons, their rebellion at sea, and their capture off Long Island. He examines the legal battle, from their defense by abolitionists to American statesman John Quincy Adams’ stirring legal argument before the U.S. Supreme Court, which helped secure their freedom. Prof. Rediker highlights the Amistad SCOTUS case’s impact on the abolitionist movement and the fate of Cinqué and his comrades upon returning to West Africa. He discusses how the Amistad revolt should be remembered and taught, ensuring that this extraordinary story of resistance and justice remains a vital part of our historical consciousness. In closing, Prof. Rediker reads a passage from his book The Amistad Rebellion.

Politico Fails to Meet Payroll

 

Stop USAID payments and Politico fails to meet payroll? Apparently the withholding of that payable in the USAID line item had surprising urgency for those employed by Politico. From Benny Johnson on X:

The presidential pardon is the most sweeping and unchallengeable of a president’s powers, and it seems that each time someone leaves the White House, pardons generate at least some level of controversy. Why did the Founders include this power? How was its use originally envisioned, and how has it evolved over time? Historian Jonathan White joins Cara Rogers Stevens to discuss the issue, using Abraham Lincoln as a vehicle to better understand this significant, yet poorly-understood presidential power.

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Transgender Women (Men) in Women’s Prisons

 

Remember the applause for President Trump during his inaugural speech when he stated there are only two genders: male and female. His audience was ecstatic, given that we have seen innumerable attempts to create multiple genders and the wellbeing, not only of children, but adults, too, has been challenged.

Apparently, there is a judge who was not convinced of the wisdom of Trump’s Executive Order:

Birthright Citizenship

 

For people interested in the topic of United States “birthright citizenship” that has recently reentered the news discussion, I highly recommend the January 30, 2025 edition of the podcast Case In Point right here on the Ricochet Audio Network. (The recommendation is late because I am behind on my podcast listening.)

The podcast is an interview with Amy Swearer of the Heritage Foundation, based on a law review article by Ms. Swearer.

Governor Dares ICE to Enforce the Law

 

In remarks to the news media, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (see right) implied that he and his wife are harboring an immigrant in a room above their garage who may be an illegal alien. “And good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her,” Murphy said.

Are armed New Jersey state police protecting the woman in question? Is there an implied threat of armed resistance here? As far as I know, a governor’s residence is not like an American embassy overseas. It can be searched with a warrant signed by a magistrate or judge (see also the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago). If the woman in question is an illegal alien, especially an illegal alien with a deportation order, and Governor Murphy and his wife are knowingly shielding her from ICE, then they are breaking federal law. This may be the opportunity for the new administration to stand behind its FAFO policy. Contrary to declarations by Democrats who turned a blind eye to the criminal acts of the Biden family, they clearly believe that some individuals are indeed above the law.

An ICE raid on the governor’s home would certainly be “must-see-TV”. I have the necessary popcorn on hand to enjoy the festivities. Perp-walking and booking the governor and his wife for violating federal immigration law would be delightful to see.

A Sense Of Urgency

 

The first few days of the second Trump administration might seem historic, but that is only because they are. There is much to be said and written about the specific actions taken. They do not just hint at an active and transformative administration. They set a standard and an expectation as well as a pace which could begin a true reversal of a 100-year erosion. It could be an administration that will not fundamentally transform America but build on the basic fundamentals given us in the Constitution and our traditions. It has the promise of halting what has been a deliberate transformation away from those traditions and that fundamental document.

Trump’s broad, sweeping executive actions are addressing a wide range of issues. Some will require additional action by Congress. Others will survive simply because Congress has long since abandoned its responsibilities. Some will be court-tested, as they should be. Birthright citizenship comes to mind. The current application of it was certainly not what the Reconstruction Congress had in mind when they enacted the 14th Amendment. And the way in which we now apply it is not just senseless but self-destructive. The Supreme Court has never held that children of illegal immigrants were entitled to citizenship. It is long past time for the Court to answer this practice.

But to my rather unsophisticated mind, perhaps the most important element shown by Trumpian actions is that the core issue we are facing is cultural, and there has to be a determined urgency in all we do to reclaim the very nature of the republic. We have been up to the very last inch before the abyss, and it is not the time for the timid incrementalism that establishment types have fooled themselves into endorsing for so long.

The Gordian Knot: Actually Defunding the Left

 

Back when I was a lobbyist for business groups, a pet peeve was the assumption, prevalent at dinner parties, that I must be working for Goliath against heroically underfunded Davids like environmentalists and other ‘public interest’ groups.  The notion that the network of leftists in rather expensive downtown office spaces was somehow a shoestring enterprise was always misguided and annoying. It was never just the largesse of ultra-wealthy liberals that sustains some very powerful groups but the complex maze of federal funding sources that empowers leftist movements and provides sinecures for defeated Democratic politicians as well as former and future staffers, makes some players wealthy—and insulates so much policy power from the impact of public choice and elections.

For example, on a small scale, I sometimes had to join efforts to combat the litigation kabuki in which the EPA or some other agency expands its powers by losing in court:

“There Are Three Things You Can’t Coach”

 

Jonah Elkowitz, Photo ID: 2529055697 (Shutterstock)

Before I make a few more points about what has been a whirlwind first days of the second Trump administration, I would like to establish a couple (or maybe more) about the first. If I had to rank administrations of the last several decades, Trump One would be in the top three or four easily. The only other candidates are Coolidge, Reagan and Eisenhower, in that order. Trump’s might well have been the best foreign policy presidency of the bunch. His constitutional compliance was as good or better than anyone’s.

Ann’s interview with Erik Prince, Blackwater founder, patriot and gentleman on Pete Hegseth, women in the military, Columbine, Katrina, monopoly military contractors and why the GOP should stop showering the Department of Defense with money.

Give ’em Hell, Elise!

 

It’s about as goofy a picture of me as you’ll see, but I have to post it anyway. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend a send-off event for my congresswoman and our future UN Ambassador, Elise Stefanik, and I fought the crowd to get this shot.

Trade War

 

Trade war is now underway. Trump’s announcement of tariffs on Canadian goods is very destructive to the Canadian economy. I know tariffs are on other countries as well, but frankly, I don’t care – I don’t live in those countries. Trudeau’s hubris and rank stupidity have led us to this point. We’ve been a terrible security partner to the United States, quietly living under their nuclear umbrella whilst shirking our NATO commitments, leaving our borders open for smugglers of all descriptions to cross unimpeded. Canada can no longer even participate in NATO exercises because we don’t have enough functional equipment to field a pretend army to play.

George Eliot’s Middlemarch

 

It’s been a while since I posted a book review. The main reason is I’ve been immersed in George Eliot’s massive novel, Middlemarch.

I’m a big fan of nineteenth-century British literature; Charles Dickens is my favorite author. I also like Wilkie Collins and Anthony Trollope. It takes a while to get into the rhythm of these Victorian writers – they use ten words when five would suffice, and they love double and triple negatives in their sentences! I had never read anything by George Eliot, but I recently came across a couple of essays extolling the virtues of Middlemarch, and the BBC lists it as the greatest British novel, so I decided to check it out.

Chuck Schumer is Being Investigated

 

Do you remember when Chuck Schumer threatened the Supreme Court Justices around the time of the actions regarding Roe v. Wade? It was pretty ugly. The interim D.C. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. has decided to take action against his threat:

. . . effectively launching an investigation into Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer over comments he made back in March 2020 during a #MyRightMyDecision rally outside the Supreme Court. During the rally, Schumer blatantly threatened Trump-appointed Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch over their potential votes in the first abortion case before the Supreme Court with the new conservative majority.

How to Czech Monster Hunting

 

Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter series is highly popular among Czech Republic fantasy readers. This is a nation where splatterpunk is big, so Monster Hunter’s appeal is obvious. After a Monster Hunter anthology appeared in 2020, Correia’s Czech writers wanted in on the game. Especially authors who wrote Czech versions of urban fantasy and splatterpunk.

Monster Hunter Fantom, written and edited by Martin Fajkus and Jakub Mařík, is the result. It is a series of tales set in the Monster Hunter universe, which take place in or around the Czech Republic.

They are rooted in the myths, legends, and folklore of Czechia.  Except for the opening story, authored by Larry Correia, they are all written by Czech authors. Despite its small size, Czechia has had a big literary tradition that continues today. The collection contains eleven stories by different authors, each with a different style but unifying threads.

Situational cuteness: Why do women love victims so much?

 

In July 2015, some rich dentist went to Zimbabwe and killed a lion named Cecil. This was a massive deal in America because lions are cuter than starving African children. Well, starving African children who are being starved by a black dictator rather than a famine aren’t as cute as lions. Kind of odd, that.

Please ignore the savagery of my species’ gender roles.

This wide-ranging, round-robin format episode begins with celebrating the end of “Dry January” (which we, um, didn’t much observe), mockery of Bernie Sanders’ obsession with “onesies,” a brief account of a Steve roadtrip to Villanova University, and a declaration of war against the Commentary podcast. (It’s serious: it involves McRibs.)

After we clear away this opening frivolity, we get down to serious business. Lucretia is in high dudgeon about the Catholic bishops behaving just the way they did in the 1980s—like lapdogs for the left—which generated reflections on theology, federal grant restrictions, J.D. Vance’s dialectical skill, and some reasons for optimism for the future of both the Catholic Church and the world as a whole.