Peggy Noonan Worries About the Fate of the Republic Under Trump: Does She Have a Point?

 Peggy Noonan, a conservative columnist, wrote an op ed essay in the Wall Street Journal earlier this month expressing her concern about the Trump administration. She worries that some of Trump's most controversial actions have destabilized the republican principles that are the foundation of American democracy.

"Are we maintaining our republic?" she writes. "Is our equilibrium holding?" 

Noonan focused on three of President Trump's initiatives: sending the military to quell urban crime and violence, directing the Justice Department to prosecute his political enemies, and ordering a major remodel of the east wing of the White House.

I respect Peggy Noonan as one of the most reasoned and insightful political commentators on the national scene, but I disagree with her concerns.

Sending the National Guard into the District of Columbia and Los Angeles was a dramatic move, but the federal government has called out troops before. President Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock in 1957 to desegregate the public schools. President Johnson dispatched the National Guard and U.S. Marines to the District of Columbia during the 1968 riots sparked by the assassinbation of Martin Luther King.

Indeed, federal troops and state militias have been called up to curb civil disturbances since George Washington's administration. Washington led federal troops into western Pennsylvania to break up the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. Fifty years later, the Pennsylvania state militia entered Philadelphia to quell the so-called Bible riots of 1844.

I also believe that the people who abused the legal process to undermine Trump's administration should be prosecuted. It is wrong to describe the prosecution of James Comey and Letitia James as political vengeance. Trump's political enemies misused the criminal courts and should be called to account. I would not be sorry to see Alvin Bragg, Fani Willis, and Jack Smith prosecuted as well.

Finally, Ms. Noonan finds the President's White House Ballroom project disturbing, and again, I disagree. As the New York Times observed, Presidents have remodeled the White House from time to time since the administration of Thomas Jefferson.

I don't agree with all of President Trump's policies, but he is trying to put America's house in order after four years of Joe Biden's cynicism, venality, and corruption. Surely Ms. Noonan agrees that our country must have secure borders. Surely she agrees that it's insane to allow boys in girls' locker rooms. And everyone of good faith surely understands that the United States is better off under President Trump than it was when a senile grifter and his cackling, airheaded sidekick ran the country.

Modern Life: I bought a Car Faster Than I Traded in My Verizon Cellphone

 After nine years of faithful service, my cellphone euthanized itself and died a painless death. 

My wife and I went to Verizon to buy a new phone, and it took us about two hours to complete the transaction. I purchased my new Honda pickup truck in less time.

Later, I went back to the Verizon store to turn in the old cellphone, which took 40 minutes. I could have bought a set of tires faster.

I'm not complaining about Verizon. My sales associates were very helpful and professional. That's just how long it takes to switch out a cellphone nowadays.

After leaving the Verizon store, I drove out on a side street where my car was blocked by a woman sitting in an idling vehicle that completely straddled the road, impeding traffic.

Why? She was waiting in the takeout line at Panda Express, which stretched out into a public road. 

Did it bother her that she was impeding other drivers? I doubt it. She was probably talking on her mobile phone.

I bought groceries at my neighborhood Albertson's store a few weeks ago. My cashier was wearing earbuds and carrying on a personal conversation while he scanned my grocery items. He sacked my purchases without ever acknowledging my presence, but the checkout process was slower because my groceries distracted him from his social life. I felt like I should apologize.

My CVS store wants me to scan and bag my purchases without a cashier's assistance, but it takes me twice as long as it would take me to pay a CVS employee standing at a cash register. If I buy cough syrup, my transaction is stopped until a live sales associate saunters over to view my driver's license to ensure I'm at least 21. I'm 77.

If I scan a CVS coupon that entitles me to get a buck off a bottle of Tums, I must stuff it into a slot where it always gets stuck. I'm forced to wait until a salesperson walks over to jam the coupon deeper into the bowels of the self-checkout machine.

America has constructed an urban landscape that has become increasingly tedious and inconvenient for average people to conduct their personal business. People drive around in air-conditioned cars, anonymous behind tinted windows, and consult their cellphones while waiting in the takeout line of fast food restaurants. They needlessly burn gasoline, and when they finally arrive at the takeout window, their food is cold.

Occasionally, I'm surprised by mercantile speed and efficiency. I have a monthly car wash account at Benny's Car Wash. A sticker on my windshield registers me as a dues-paying member, entitling me to purchase a car wash for a cheaper price.

I bought a pickup truck recently and knew I would need to register it with Benny's and get a new sticker. How long would that take, I wondered? Probably an hour.

No, a cheery young man, probably an LSU student, transferred my account to my new truck while I was going through the car wash. He awaited me when my clean car emerged and slapped a new sticker on my windshield. 

That young man will succeed in life, regardless of his chosen vocation. For my sake, I hope he keeps working at Benny's Car Wash.

Image credit: The Today Show

Students Who Take Out College Loans Are Compulsive Gamblers; They Just Don't Know It

Veteran gamblers know that the casino always wins. You can put your chips on red or black, but the house makes money either way. Yet they still gamble because they're addicted.

College students who take out federal loans year after year are gambling addicts; they just don't know it. They believe their lives will improve if they get a college degree, but in reality, it's a crap shoot.

Whether you study engineering or sociology, your college will take your money, and even if you can't get a job with your fancy diploma, your alma mater won't give you a refund.

Indeed, the universities raise their tuition prices every year and don't even apologize for it. They know students and their parents will simply take out more loans to pay the higher freight costs.

The only way alcoholics can get their addiction under control is to stop drinking. Heroin addicts will only recover if they stop putting needles in their arms.

Likewise,  the only way college students can avoid ruining their lives by taking out federal loans they can't repay is to stop borrowing the money. 

For most students, a four-year degree in the humanities, liberal arts, or social studies is worthless. Studying sociology or gender studies is like playing slot machines. It's a sucker's game. There will be no life-changing jackpot.

Too often, students ruin not only their own lives but their parents' lives as well. If a kid wants to study at a snooty Ivy League casino, mom and dad will likely have to take out Parent Plus loans that the federal government will happily offer.  Whether little Johnny gets a job or even a degree, his parents' loans must be paid back with interest.

Millions of college students have ruined their lives because they took out federal loans for shoddy educational experiences. Often, their parents are burdened as well. And there is no bankruptcy relief for student loan debt.

Americans must abandon the illusion that colleges and universities are benign institutions that give fair value for the obscene price of a bachelor's degree. The colleges are casinos, and the administrators and bureaucrats who run them are hucksters and shills.

Colin Farrell in Ballad of a Small Player

90-Second Movie Review: Eden Showcases Sydney Sweeney's Acting Talent (She's Got More Going for Her Than Great Jeans)

 Eden, a 2024 movie directed by Ron Howard, is a tale about a small group of people who settle on Floreana Island, an uninhabited and almost waterless isle in the Galapagos, shortly after the end of the First World War. Based on actual events, Eden is a survivalist story, reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, The Mosquito Coast, and Into the Wild.

Jude Law plays Friedrich Ritter, a German philosopher who settles on Floreana to write a philosophical treatise that will save mankind from itself. Day after day, he types away on his portable typewriter, spouting a mishmash of philosophy that seems to be drawn from Nietche, Marx, Freud, and--who knows--Joseph Conrad. Dore Strauch, played brilliantly by Vanessa Kirby,  lives with him on the island as his paramour and muse, hoping to recover from multiple sclerosis.

Baroness Eloise, a beautiful sociopath played by Ana de Armas, arrives on Floreana accompanied by a two-man fan club and announces plans to construct a luxury hotel. She is bad news for everybody.

A married German couple also settles on Floreana. Heinrich Wittmer, a veteran of the First World War, and Margaret, his young wife, hope to build a home and lead an idyllic life far from the corruption and decay of post-war Germany.

Almost all the characters behave badly except Margaret, played against type by Sydney Sweeney. She becomes the movie's sole hero. In Eden's most dramatic scene, Margaret gives birth alone while fighting off feral dogs. Her husband and stepson are away hunting when she goes into labor, and she is too distracted by childbirth and wild canines to discover that the Baroness's two young lackeys are stealing her family's food.

All the actors gave outstanding performances, but I want to focus on Sydney Sweeney, who was recently vilified for appearing in a sexy ad for American Eagle jeans. Sweeney was criticized on several fronts, including the claim that her ad sexualizes women and promotes eugenics.   

Suppose you were swept into that silly American Eagle controversy and came away with a negative opinion of Sydney Sweeney. In that case, you should watch Eden, where Sweeney plays a courageous and somewhat plain young mother who stands by her principles in a stressful and hostile environment. 

Sweeney has a lot more going for her than great jeans.

Sydney Sweeney as Margaret Wittmer in Eden.

Trump sells Pelosi Federal Building to hamburger chain and renames Alcatraz prison in honor of Eric Swalwell

 President Trump's ongoing project to construct a ballroom at the White House ignited a firestorm of criticism from Democratic politicians. California Congressman Eric Swalwell demanded that all 2028 Democratic presidential candidates promise to demolish the luxurious dance venue if elected.

"Don’t even think of seeking the Democratic nomination for president unless you pledge to take a wrecking ball to the Trump Ballroom on DAY ONE," Swalwell warned in an X post.

Stung by this criticism and seeking to assuage Democrats' outrage, Trump offered Swalwell an olive branch. "Effectively immediately," Trump announced, "I'm renaming the federal prison at Alcatraz the 'Eric Swalwell Federal Correctional Facility."

"I think Eric's gonna love it," Trump told reporters as he was boarding Air Force One. "He's gonna love the new tiled gang showers. They're HUGE!"

Later that day, Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, announced that the federal government is selling the Pelosi Federal Building to the In-and-Out Hamburger chain. In-And-Out is introducing a five-patty hamburger called the Pritzker Burger to celebrate the transfer.

Did someone say In-N-Out?

Did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor Again? No, Worse. LSU FIRED Coach Brian Kelly!

Supported by my trusty walking cane, I hobbled out on the front lawn this morning to retrieve my local newspaper.  I immediately saw a giant headline--the huge fonts reserved for reporting on major catastrophes.

I wasn't wearing my eyeglasses, so I couldn't read the momentous news. What happened? 

Did the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor again? Did Trump tear down the Washington Monument to make room for a new hotel?  Did Ireland reject Rachel Maddow's request for political asylum?

I stumbled back into my house, trembling with deep forboding, and retrieved my peepers. My god! The news was terrible--worse than a new world war. LSU fired Coach Brian Kelly less than 24 hours after the Texas Aggies whupped the Tigers 49 to 25.

Coach Kelly had promised LSU football fans too much--a run at the National Championship during the 2025 gridiron season. Kelly bragged that LSU had spent $18 million to assemble a fearsome roster of talented players, and a shot at the national title was in the bag.

More than that, LSU had landed the nation's most promising quarterback, Garrett Nussmeier. LSU reportedly paid Nussmeier $4 million in NIL compensation, a hell of a lot of money to give a college kid. However, LSU's athletic boosters must have thought the investment was worth it for an athlete who might win the Heisman trophy and be the next Joe Burrow.

Alas, as poet Robert Burns might have phrased it, the best laid plans of Yankee football coaches often go astray. The Tigers looked less than stellar throughout the 2025 football season. The humiliating loss to Texas A & M in LSU's own friggin' stadium was the final straw. Coach Kelly had to go.

Unfortunately for LSU, Coach Kelly's weekend firing is just the first chapter in a melodrama likely to last for months. The university will have to buy out Kelly's contract, which will cost over $50 million. Where will that money come from? 

The public will demand an accounting of the NIL money paid to LSU athletes. How much did each player get, and where did that money come from?

And LSU fans will be scrutinizing Scott Woodward, LSU's athletic director. Woodward is the guy who signed off on Coach Kelly's $100 million contract in 2021 and then fired Kelly yesterday evening. 

This is de ja vu all over again. Woodward was the athletic director at Texas A & M when that university bought out Coach Jumbo Fisher after a disappointing football season. That cost the Aggies $75 million!

With that track record, should Woodward be put in charge of hiring LSU's next football coach? And what will it cost LSU to entice a new coach into the viper's nest of LSU athletics? Kelly's contract promised him $10 million a year for ten years. The next coach may demand $15 million. 

The LSU-Coach Kelly fiasco will reverberate throughout the world of higher education. The cost of a college degree has reached an obscene level--even at public universities like LSU. 

Should colleges spend millions of dollars a year entertaining football fans on a dozen Saturdays every autumn while asking parents to take out college loans so their child can get a worthless degree in sociology? What the hell are we doing?

Texas Aggies annihilate LSU in Tiger Stadium, and Coach Brian Kelly Becomes the Naked Prey

In a Death Valley spectacle, Texas A & M annihilated LSU's beleaguered football team last night by scoring 49 to 25 in Tiger Stadium. The Tigers led the Aggies at halftime, a minor miracle, but early in the third quarter, LSU's team folded like a cheap suit.

LSU fans turned on Coach Brian Kelly as their team collapsed before the Aggies' relentless, almost robotic onslaught. Thousands joined a chant to fire Kelly, and disgusted LSU students streamed out of the stadium by the thousands early in the fourth quarter. 

What a debacle! Even the supposedly objective television commentators began speculating about Coach Kelly being cashiered in mid-season.  

 Watching the tragic drama on television from my home in southern Mississippi, I was reminded of the movie Naked Prey, in which an African explorer played by Cornel Wilde is doggedly pursued through the jungle by spear-chucking native tribesmen. No mercy!

Coach Kelly displayed remarkable composure during the post-game press conference, humbly taking full responsibility for his team's humiliating loss. He knows he will be fired.

Here's the problem. Coach Kelly makes $10 million a year as LSU's football coach, and the LSU Athletic Department will have to pay him more than $50 million to buy him out! 

And that's not all. Some of Kelly's coaching staff may also be let go, requiring more buyouts. 

And LSU will need to hire Kelly's replacement. What will that cost? Conceivably, the university will need to match Kelly's $10 million salary to entice a new coach to move to Baton Rouge.

My sympathies are entirely with Coach Kelly. What was LSU athletic director Scott Woodward thinking when he agreed to pay Kelly $100 million to coach the Tigers for ten years? Based on past experiences (coaches Les Miles, Ed Orgeron, Coach Gerry DiNardo, etc), he surely knew the day would come when LSU's fans and donors would turn on Kelly like howling spectators in the ancient Roman coliseum, and LSU would be forced to buy out his contract. 

Now you know why a beer costs almost a tenner at LSU home games and tickets sell for over a hundred bucks. 

But you can watch future LSU games with me at my home on Lake Mary Road, where the popcorn is free and there are three La-Z-Boy recliners. Just bring along your favorite beer and a six-pack of Shiner for me.

Go Tigers!

LSU fans have turned on Coach Kelly.