Critical Thinking in Critical Times

Critical Thinking in Critical Times Retired trial lawyer, judge, mediator, and soldier. My goal is to look at issues with an eye to perspective and clarity. Husband, father, grandfather.

I bring this diverse legal experience to a wide range of news and topics sprinkled with my hillbilly and Cajun common sense. Over time we have changed from a primary focus on Kentucky legal matters to more pressing issues of state and national interest relating to government affairs, soldiers, retirees, and matters that affect our national security and safety - civil liberties, freedom, patriotism

, national defense and more. I am a retired trial lawyer and a retired military lawyer where I was a Lieutenant Colonel. As a Judge Advocate, I was certified as a military judge and federal military magistrate. In my early career, I prosecuted and defended soldiers serving in Texas, California, Virginia, Kentucky, and Germany. My Father was a mountaineer and my mother was Cajun which gave me uncommon common sense.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang reflects on how “surprising” and “different” Trump is when you actually meet him.“He surprised m...
12/04/2025

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang reflects on how “surprising” and “different” Trump is when you actually meet him.

“He surprised me.”

“First of all, he’s an incredibly good listener. Almost everything I’ve ever said to him, he’s remembered.”

“Part of his genius is he says what’s on his mind.”

“You could tell his love for America, what he wants to do for America, and everything that he thinks through is very practical and very common sense, and it’s very logical.”

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang reflects on how “surprising” and “different” Trump is when you actually meet him. “He surprised me.” “First of all, he’s an incredibly good listener. Almost everything I’ve ever said to him, he’s remembered.” “Part of his genius is he says what’s on ...

12/03/2025
11/25/2025

Devotional — When Faith and Common Sense Walk Together (250 words)(Sourced from “Faith”, Oct. 30, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers.

Faith and common sense were never meant to compete; they steady one another. Oswald Chambers warned that faith without common sense becomes reckless, and common sense without faith shrinks into quiet self-trust. Both can pull us off course.

Faith listens to God. Common sense helps us act on what He says. When they stay together, we find a healthy rhythm—trust that looks up, and wisdom that looks ahead. Scripture gives us vivid examples.

Abraham believed God’s promise long before he saw it, yet he still lived with steady obedience—pitching tents, tending flocks, taking the next step in front of him. Noah trusted God’s warning, but he still cut timber and built the ark with patient precision. Their faith didn’t cancel common sense; it clarified it.

Trouble begins when we force a separation. Faith without common sense becomes impulsive, expecting God to endorse every bold idea. Common sense without faith becomes timid, waiting for guarantees before moving. Both keep us from growing.

But when faith anchors the heart and common sense guides the hands, we follow God with steadiness. Faith points us toward His calling; common sense shapes the daily disciplines that make obedience real.

The Christian walk isn’t blind risk or fearful caution. It’s the simple weave of trust and wisdom—believing while building, praying while planning. When faith and common sense walk together, our steps become sure and our path becomes clear.

Scripture:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart…” — Proverbs 3:5
“By faith Noah… prepared an ark.” — Hebrews 11:7

Hashtags:

Lock em up. Or deport asap. Stealing food from American children is evil. And there are hose who turn a blind eye to Ame...
11/14/2025

Lock em up. Or deport asap.

Stealing food from American children is evil.

And there are hose who turn a blind eye to Americans in need.

All the Congressmen and women who voted against keeping the government open, the skies safe, and food on the table for the children and the eldely should be held accountable too.

McGarvey
Massie
Paul

Party matters not.

She also said that if some SNAP benefits were cut off, more illegal immigrants would self-deport.

Market Jitters, Mixed Signals, and the Shifting State of the American EconomyNov. 14, 2025 — Summary of Key Reports and ...
11/14/2025

Market Jitters, Mixed Signals, and the Shifting State of the American Economy
Nov. 14, 2025 — Summary of Key Reports and Data

Markets swung sharply yesterday, with the Dow falling just one day after hitting a record high — an uncommon pattern seen only ten times in two decades, according to MarketWatch and CNBC. Several forces are pushing the economy in different directions at once.

One pressure is valuation. Strong earnings helped lift stocks over the past year, but prices rose even faster. Barron’s reports that margin debt has climbed significantly, a sign that speculation may be building. With prices stretched, many investors are taking profits and stepping back.

A second issue is concern inside the AI boom. Many non-AI companies have struggled to integrate new AI tools, and some systems have behaved unpredictably. Because AI-driven firms accounted for much of the market’s gains this year, investors worry that a portion of the rally may rest on shaky ground.

Government uncertainty is also weighing on the outlook. The U.S. just exited the longest shutdown in its history, and another could arrive in two months, according to Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Shutdowns slow the economy and interrupt federal data collection. The administration confirmed that October jobs data will be released, but the headline unemployment rate will be missing.

These developments feed into the divide inside the Federal Reserve. Markets had expected a December rate cut, with inflation easing and household finances tightening. But Reuters reports that Fed officials are split. Governor Stephen Miran argues that weakening labor signals call for at least another half-point cut, while Governor Lorie Logan believes inflation remains the larger threat and opposes lowering rates. The disagreement has added another layer of volatility.

Recent data point to cooling conditions. Bank of America notes that while high-income card spending remains stable, younger, lower-income, and blue-collar Americans are leaning heavily on credit. CNBC reports foreclosure activity is up — 20% for initial filings and 32% for completed ones year-over-year. Subprime auto delinquencies continue to climb. Tyson Foods reports a shift in grocery purchases as consumers move from higher-priced beef to cheaper meats. Together, these trends suggest rising financial strain for many households.

The White House is pursuing several responses. President Trump continues pressing the Fed to cut interest rates. His team has proposed portable mortgages to help unfreeze the housing market by allowing homeowners to transfer low rates to a new property. Vice President JD Vance says housing supply could also rise as more undocumented migrants are deported, citing similar trends in Canada.

The administration has tightened “public charge” rules for immigration. Under new State Department guidelines, foreign applicants with costly medical conditions must prove long-term financial independence or be denied entry. Supporters say the rule restores a long-standing standard; critics argue it is discriminatory.

Energy and industry developments added to the week’s news. New York approved a natural-gas pipeline from Pennsylvania to parts of New York City and Long Island, a project The Hill reports could lower electricity prices. Toyota announced a major U.S. expansion, including a $14 billion battery plant in North Carolina and another $10 billion across other states. Workforce details remain uncertain as legal challenges continue over higher H-1B visa fees.

Amid these shifts, the country continues to debate its economic direction — balancing market strength against household stress, and short-term volatility against long-term policy choices.

Sources: Bryan Dean Wright, The Wright Report (Nov. 14, 2025); MarketWatch; CNBC; Barron’s; Reuters; Fox Business; Bloomberg; NPR; Miami Herald; The Hill.

11/13/2025
COMING TO A TRAILER PARK NEXT TO A B-2 BOMBERWhen did we grow so complacent — so numb to the danger — that we let commun...
11/12/2025

COMING TO A TRAILER PARK NEXT TO A B-2 BOMBER

When did we grow so complacent — so numb to the danger — that we let communists set up shop beside our most critical military bases?

Remember when the Chinese spy balloon drifted across the heart of America, floating over nuclear missile silos while Washington watched? It twisted, hovered, gathered intelligence, and only after it had done its work was it finally shot down. That wasn’t a show of strength. It was surrender dressed as restraint.

Now, another quiet incursion: Chinese nationals tied to intelligence networks buying land beside Whiteman Air Force Base — home of America’s B-2 Spirit bombers, the tip of our nuclear spear. It sounds unbelievable, the stuff of spy thrillers. But it isn’t fiction. It’s fact.

This week, The Wright Report uncovered the story your nightly news didn’t. A trailer park, a shell company, and a foreign adversary parked right beside the very bombers that have carried the weight of our deterrence for decades. For every veteran who ever stood watch, it’s a slap in the face — and a warning that the watch may no longer be kept.

Here is a digest from his podcast.

In the quiet Missouri town of K**b Noster — population just under 3,000 — sits one of America’s most vital military installations: Whiteman Air Force Base, home of the B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, the backbone of our nuclear deterrent. Right across its chain-link fence lies a 25-acre trailer park. And that trailer park, it turns out, is owned by a shell company tied to Chinese nationals with reported connections to Beijing’s intelligence network.

The company, Property Solutions 3603, was created in August 2017. Within days, it bought the K**b Noster Trailer Park and transferred ownership to two Chinese citizens living in Canada. These same individuals also own other firms that have purchased land near U.S. military bases and weapons plants in Michigan, Utah, and Georgia. Coincidence? Not likely.

To a casual eye, it’s just a cluster of mobile homes. To a trained one, it’s a forward perch. From that location, operatives could tap into power or water systems, launch cyber intrusions, or collect signals intelligence — emails, phone data, even base communications. With a clear line of sight to Whiteman, they could track activity or map response patterns. China has used such tools before, often through civilian fronts that appear harmless until it’s too late.

And if this sounds far-fetched, remember how Russia was hit last year when Ukrainian drones emerged from hidden shipping containers deep inside its borders. The same playbook — pre-position, disguise, strike — could unfold here, hidden behind a white picket fence and “For Rent” sign.

The greater failure isn’t China’s cunning. It’s America’s complacency. The FBI chases crimes after they happen; it doesn’t think like a spy. What’s needed is a permanent counter-intelligence corps trained to anticipate such tactics, to guard against the next breach before it begins.

Because this isn’t just a Missouri story. It’s a warning. When foreign interests buy property next to nuclear bases, it’s not about profit margins — it’s about proximity to power. And if we don’t start thinking like our adversaries, the next attack won’t come from across an ocean. It’ll come from across the fence.

BTW. This is not an actual photo thanks to AI.

Sourced: The Wright Report, November 11, 2025

The Smile That Hides the Fist or Xi Jinping Caught "Red Handed Again"When Xi Jinping shakes hands, it’s wise to count yo...
11/12/2025

The Smile That Hides the Fist or Xi Jinping Caught "Red Handed Again"

When Xi Jinping shakes hands, it’s wise to count your fingers afterward. His words sound warm, but his deeds run cold — all control, calculation, and quiet threat.

China now says it will ease the flow of rare earths and other restricted materials to the United States. The new system, called the “validated end-user” plan, sounds cooperative on the surface. But beneath the polished phrases lies a clever trap.

Beijing will decide who can buy its minerals. Any company tied to the U.S. military will be cut off. Others — those judged “safe” or commercially useful — will get fast-tracked approvals. In effect, Xi can claim friendship while tightening his grip on the raw materials that drive modern life — from electric vehicles to missiles, satellites, and fighter jets.

Rare earths are more than trade goods; they are the sinews of power in a digital and mechanical age. Whoever controls them can make others bend or break. Xi’s promise to “ease trade” is not an act of generosity but a test of obedience.

This is how China plays the game: smiling for the cameras while scheming behind the scenes. Words of peace and partnership mask a policy of pressure and punishment. And still the West listens, hoping this time the serpent’s hiss means harmony.
We are not dealing with merchants of goodwill but masters of deceit — men who lie with calm faces, steal without shame, and value power far above human life. Every pledge from Beijing should be met with suspicion, not applause.

Sourced: The Wall Street Journal, November 2025

LIGHT AND DARKNESS: KNOWING, OBEYING, AND THE PERIL OF REFUSAL (Word Count: 654)Part 3 of 4 — “Nicodemus Chooses the Lig...
09/27/2025

LIGHT AND DARKNESS: KNOWING, OBEYING, AND THE PERIL OF REFUSAL (Word Count: 654)

Part 3 of 4 — “Nicodemus Chooses the Light”

Synopsis: At the cross, Nicodemus stepped out of the shadows. Bearing wealth, risk, and reputation, he chose the light — a costly act of public allegiance to Christ.

A friend cautioned me that I may have judged Nicodemus too harshly. After all, he did take a risk at the cross, and stepping out of the shadows was no small thing. I have reconsidered my earlier “legalistic” take, and in the spirit of Harry Callahan’s line in Magnum Force — “A man has to know his limitations” — I admit mine. Reflection sharpens us all, especially when we are too quick to measure another man’s heart.

John’s Gospel tells us that after Jesus breathed His last, Joseph of Arimathea came to claim the body. And with him was Nicodemus, “who earlier had come to Jesus by night,” now bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds (John 19:39–42). The Synoptic Gospels are silent. Only John, inspired by the Spirit, preserves this detail.

It was not a small gesture. The spices were expensive, the quantity extravagant, an honor fit for kings. To associate openly with a condemned man risked status, wealth, even safety. Nicodemus was not hiding anymore. He stepped into the light of public witness, and his act was probably costly.

We can debate motive. Was it only respect? Was it quiet devotion? Was it an attempt to dignify death while avoiding the demands of discipleship? The Gospels do not answer. But the act itself mattered. A man who once came in darkness now walked onto Golgotha in the light of day. He put his hands to the work of burial. Obedience may begin in small steps, but it begins.

The Scriptures often remind us that faith is not always measured by clarity but by courage. Ruth left Moab with Naomi saying, “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). The thief on the cross had only the breath of a confession, “Jesus, remember me” (Luke 23:42). Nicodemus’ spices, lavish and heavy, may stand as his own confession. However imperfect, it pointed him toward the Light.

Oswald Chambers once wrote, “The proof that I am in vital contact with Jesus is that I can face the reality of life as it is.” Nicodemus faced that reality at last. He touched the lifeless body of the Son of God. He saw blood and bruises, thorn and nail. And in that moment he chose to be identified with Christ. Whatever confusion had marked his earlier questions, whatever caution had guided his defense of procedure, this was a step into daylight.

Providence weaves even ambiguous deeds into God’s plan. The Sanhedrin pressed for the tomb to be sealed and guarded, fearful that disciples might steal the body. In truth, the seal and the soldiers only strengthened the testimony of the resurrection. Nicodemus’ spices, Joseph’s tomb, the guard — each detail intended to quash hope only made the empty tomb more undeniable. What men meant for denial, God used for proof.

So was Nicodemus faithful or fearful? Courageous or cautious? The text leaves much unsaid. But one thing is clear: the man who once crept by night stepped into the light. He chose Christ, and in that act he declared his allegiance.

Respect is not the same as discipleship, but it can be the first step. Nicodemus made his choice. He chose the light by coming out of the shadows. And that choice still challenges us: when the cross demands a decision, will we hide, or will we step into the light?

Commentary note: Later traditions — from apocryphal texts like the Gospel of Nicodemus to the veneration of Nicodemus as a saint — sought to fill in the silence. But John’s Gospel, inspired by God, gives us enough. Nicodemus stepped into the light at the cross, and that is the witness that still speaks.




09/09/2025

Sept. 9, 2025 Morning Report. Health Edition
Covid Long Presentation but Lots of Good Information

This presentation comes from Dr. Peter McCullough, one of the most widely published cardiologists in America. He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases, and clinical lipidology, and has spent decades at the center of academic medicine and patient care. Dr. McCullough has authored hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and has been a leading voice in public discussions on COVID-19, vaccines, and broader medical controversies.

This particular video is long—and deliberately so. Dr. McCullough tackles medicine, vaccines, big pharma, and public health with candor and clarity. I’ve followed his work for years, often through Diane and his Substack, and I listened to this lecture in full this morning. It is worth your time if you want to see what is happening “behind the curtain.”

Two items stand out. First, he explains how you can order a lab test—without a prescription—to measure your body’s load of spike proteins from the COVID vaccine, along with a regimen for breaking them down since the immune system does not clear them naturally. Second, he exposes the troubling conflicts of interest between government health agencies and the pharmaceutical industry, where officials move seamlessly into private posts with the same companies they once oversaw. It underscores the urgent need for real guardrails, such as mandatory cooling-off periods, to protect the public.

This is part of his Henkel Lecture series, titled Great Medical Controversies: When Orthodoxy is Dead Wrong.

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