ESSE SINE METU IN FACIE INIMICI TUI. TUENDAM INOPS ET FACERE NON MALI.
Oh, I almost forgot. Today is also ‘Flag Day’ which was instituted in 1916, When President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation that designated June 14 as ‘Flag Day’.
In 1777 the same Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution; “That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”
Different people had their own interpretations of that specification and even the story of George Washington employing Betsy Ross to sew a flag doesn’t have much to back it up. The nation didn’t have a ‘standard’ flag until the new U.S. Congress passed the Flag Act of 1794, when 2 stars a 2 stripes were added due the entry of Vermont and Kentucky into the Union.
Francis Hopkinson’s flag for the U.S.
Hopkinson’s flag for the U.S. Navy
The ‘Star Spangled Banner’ design which flew over Ft McHenry during the was of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write our National Anthem.
This is Tiburon, California
Here residents can be fined up to $500 for not separating their trash when disposing of it
As you can see when the city comes to pick it up, it’s all thrown in one bin and taken to the landfill
“Activism is a way for useless people to feel important, even if the consequences of their activism are counterproductive for those they claim to be helping and damaging to the fabric of society as a whole.”
-Thomas Sowell
June 14, 2025
1775- Less than two months after British forces attempt to confiscate arms of the Massachusetts Militia, resulting in the Battles of Lexington and Concord, beginning the American Revolution, the Second Continental Congress of the United Colonies, meeting in Philadelphia, passes a resolution forming a Regular Continental Army. Delegate John Adams nominates George Washington as Commander in Chief.
Southwest Missouri politician Billy Long has been confirmed to lead the IRS.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Long as the commissioner in a 53-44 vote Thursday, June 12, according to reporting from Politico. This concludes a lengthy process that began in December when President Donald Trump announced Long as his top pick for the role.
Who is Billy Long?
Long is a Springfield native. He owned his own auctioneer business from 1979 to 2011, according to his Congressional biography. Long has also worked as a real estate broker and radio host. As of July 2023, Long has been a Realtor with Murney Associates, according to the Missouri Real Estate Commission.
He has been a longtime supporter of Trump, often emphasizing that he supported the president-elect before others in the Republican Party.
Long served as a representative in Congress from 2011 to 2023. There, he sponsored a total of 46 bills, 13 of which were about health care. He also sponsored a bill that was “expressing the sense of the House of Representatives” that Congress should not pass legislation that would tax or confiscate personal savings accounts.
Those who suggest (or insist) that correlations prove that gun possession guarantees gun-related harm are essentially arguing a version of Schrödinger’s cat — where every person is simultaneously a shooter, a victim, and a bystander… and your neighbor’s dusty rifle, locked in a closet, is somehow shooting up a school, protecting someone, and doing absolutely nothing, all at the same time — until a policy advocate opens the box and decides which outcome they prefer.
Israel managed to trigger an emergency where most of Iran‘s military top brass gathered in one place. Then Israel took them all out.
One of the marvels of yesterday was the Israeli military’s incredible precision and effectiveness. It can blast a terrorist leader to his eternal reward without destroying the whole building. It could have a secret drone base in Iran. And it could apparently induce most of Iran’s military — especially air force — leaders to group together in one place for their own annihilation.
It is too bad that Israel didn’t take out Iran’s political leaders, including the ever-insidious Ayatollah Khamenei, but Israel definitely had its hands full, and it did incredibly well. After all, with reportedly every one of the top air force and several of the other top military leadership gone, presumably it will be much more difficult for Iran to plan its retaliation against Israel, especially since Israel also took out a lot of its military targets and thus its weapons. There might not be — hopefully — an awful lot left ready to fire at Israel.
Fox News talked to an Israeli security officer who claimed that it was no coincidence that so many Iranian military leaders, all of whom have been complicit in terrorist activities, had conveniently gathered together for an Israeli strike. “We carried out specific activities to help us learn more about them, and then used that information to influence their behavior,” the source told Fox. “We knew this would lead them to meet — but more importantly, we knew how to keep them there.”
The official added that the strikes were more successful than Israel had anticipated. According to the source, air defense systems and ballistic missiles that were intended for use against Israel were preemptively targeted.
So was a nuclear facility. Among the Iranian casualties were most of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) Air Force leadership, according to Fox, including commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, along with Revolutionary Guard leader Gen. Hossein Salami and armed forces chief of staff Gen. Mohammad Bagheri. They have gone to join their master below.
We’ve been told for so many years that Iran was close to a nuclear weapon that we have become bored with it, but let’s be honest — isn’t it entirely possible Iran has a nuclear weapon, which no one wanted to admit? Or maybe they did have one before last night.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations told Fox that Iran has been planning to attack the United States and Israel. In fact, Iran was already attacking Israel through its terror proxies, the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah. And the Iranian regime certainly prioritizes hatred for America and Israel. Whatever was going on behind the scenes in Iran, it is true however that the Israeli attack yesterday seriously crippled the genocidal regime.
One of the best things about President Donald Trump winning and Kamala Harris losing in November is that the insufferable Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, also lost.
Walz is not having a good week. He got flamed big time at the Sanctuary State hearing, where his answers were ridiculous.
But then came his remarks at a Center for American Progress (CAP) event, “What’s Next: Conversations on the Path Forward”with CAP CEO and former Biden official Neera Tanden. Those remarks confirmed again how lucky we are that he is not in power. They were truly next-level bad.
They were talking about the “escalatory” nature of the strikes in Israel and Iran.
Walz said, “Iran has to retaliate, in their mind,” and the “Middle East is back on fire in a way that has now expanded.”
“Now, who is the voice in the world that can negotiate some type of agreement in this? Who holds the moral authority? Who holds the ability to do that? Because we are not seen as a neutral actor, and we maybe never were,” Walz said of the United States’ role in de-escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Guess who he thought might be the “neutral actor” with the “moral authority” to negotiate peace? China.
There are so many things wrong with this, it’s just mind-numbing.
He’s saying Communist, oppressive China has more moral authority than we do? How many millions of innocent people has the Chinese government slaughtered over the years? And since when are they a “neutral actor” as far as Iran? Does he not know they support Iran? Or does he not care, given his prior connection to China?
Harris Faulkner noted in the above “Outnumbered” report that China issued a similar statement about being ready to help, and it sounded like Tim received the same memo.
Kayley McEnany called it “one of the most naive articulations of foreign policy” — and she was kind.
Yes, we’re not neutral, nor should we be. Is he nuts? They’ve been our enemy, chanting “Death to America!” for decades since the mullahs took over. So much of what has gone wrong over the years in the region has been because of the failed Obama positions on Iran.
But Walz wasn’t quite done with the radical remarks yet. He was upset that — gasp — we would celebrate the 250th birthday of the Army. Listen as he explains how the preparations for the event offended his delicate sensibilities, that they were “horrific,” “looks wrong, feels wrong.” He’s talking about our military.
Tim Walz compares DC on Saturday to “Pyong-yong” and hopes the military runs into bad weather at the parade.
Walz explained that he would go somewhere else where they had a tradition of “separation” (not sure what he was talking about). He said, “This was not Pyong Yang on a Saturday.”
He confessed, “This may get me into trouble…but I have never so hoped for rain in my life.”
Then Neera Tanden laughs like it’s the funniest thing ever.
What the heck? He hopes the military is rained on/out. Again, I say, is he nuts? How petty and twisted is this? And he’s comparing our military with North Korea? How could anyone support this character for anything, even dogcatcher, much less for president? But it’s JD Vance, who they termed “weird.”
The 9th Circuit stayed this idiocy a few hours after it was written. They’ll hear arguments on it this coming Tuesday.
Judge Charles Breyer is another member of this unholy fraternity that’s leading this judicial coup. The man tried to—and this is just beyond laughable—wrest the commander-in-chief role from the executive last night. It lasted about 30 seconds before an appeals court slapped it down for gross overreach. It’s become the hallmark characteristic of this cabal of judges who think they’re the entire government. Once again, we have a clown in robes who would fit better as an MSNBC commentator than a judge.
Charlie, brother of former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and a Clinton nominee, shares a common thread that’s shared by most of these nutty coup jurists: he’s a race lecturer. He’s a hardcore Democrat and has donated thousands to the party. However, that’s the least shocking part. If you wish, you can listen to this panel discussion from 2020 about how the system is racist or something. You know the deal with these people.
Given the current company, are we shocked this man tried for a Hail Mary to strip what is clearly a defined power of the executive? No. Breyer ruled last night that Trump—get this—must return the California National Guard, whom he federalized, to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s control. There’s a riot in Los Angeles; this isn’t some new move, Chuck. Why is it that liberals whose first names begin with Charles all seem to suck so much?
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller months ago warned that if this judicial coup continues to fester in the judiciary, we’re going to have district judges weigh in on troop deployments—that just happened. It’s an outrageous ruling that not even the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals could stomach it, which they quickly slapped down.
We’ll deal with Charlie and his robed judicial insurrectionists, but first, we need to get the reconciliation package through Congress.
Esmail Qaani took command of Iran’s Quds Force after the assassination of his predecessor, Qasem Soleimani, in a US drone strike in 2020
The Quds Force is an elite branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) responsible for extraterritorial military operations and supporting proxy groups across the Middle East.
Qaani began his military career during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, leading several brigades before becoming deputy commander of the Quds Force in 1997, serving under Soleimani. Unlike Soleimani, who was often seen on the frontlines with Tehran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, Qaani has maintained a lower profile, conducting meetings privately and away from public view. His leadership has coincided with increased Israeli airstrikes against Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah and other paramilitary groups.
In October 2024, Qaani was reported missing after Israeli airstrikes targeted the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh. He had travelled to Lebanon following the death of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike in late September. The attack also targeted Hashem Safieddine, Nasrallah’s presumed successor, who has also been unreachable since.
Birdshot…Birdshot? BUCKSHOT PEOPLE! B-U-C-K S-H-O-T!! #4 or bigger
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Hendersonville business owner and his wife survived a gun battle with an armed man inside the couple’s collectible shop early Wednesday morning. As for the suspect, he’s facing multiple charges — including attempted homicide — following his release from the hospital.
According to the Hendersonville Police Department, surveillance footage from The Cache on West Main Street shows a man — later identified as Dylan Bryan, 33, of East Tennessee — using a hammer and smashing the store’s glass doors around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, June 11.
“It sounds like explosions going off while he’s getting in, and then he tiptoes around like he’s the Hamburglar,” HPD Assistant Chief Scott Ryan told News 2.
Video shows the suspect going behind the counter. Then, authorities said he heard one of the owners in a back room, so he fled the store.
“We think everything’s over with,” Ryan said.
Then, just moments later, Bryan can be seen coming back to the door, pulling what law enforcement described as a 9mm from his backpack, ducking back through the broken glass into the store, and rushing toward the back of the shop.
“He’s looking to do harm at that point,” Ryan stated.
By this point, the co-owner of The Cache, Roger McCandless, was ready and armed with a shotgun loaded with birdshot.
From multiple cameras inside the store, you hear the gun battle as McCandless fired one round from his shotgun. Police said the birdshot, fired from about 30 feet away, struck Bryan in the stomach.
Video shows Bryan quickly retreating, but while doing so, officials said he opened fire. News 2 counted as many as many as five rounds fired by the suspect.
Authorities later learned that Bryan’s bullets hit the floor, the ceiling, and the wall, even passing through to the next business, according to The Cache’s co-owner, Shera McCandless.
News 2 documented the metal parts of the front door that were peppered with birdshot.
Despite all the gunfire, neither Roger nor his wife, Shera, were hurt.
“It happened so fast you don’t have time for emotions. The problem got resolved pretty quick. Right now, it’s good guys one, bad guys zero. We’re happy about that because it could have went the opposite very, very quickly,” Roger explained.
Bryan was reportedly unfamiliar with the area, so while he escaping in the darkness, he fell a great distance — which Ryan estimated was about a story high — and broke his pelvis.
Police dash camera footage shows the armed man limping into the street, falling to the ground, tossing his firearm, and surrendering to law enforcement.
Ryan credited the store owner for being ready to protect his family and his property: “This owner was prepared for the situation, and had he not been prepared, I’m afraid this would have been a complete slaughter. There was nothing good going to come from this.”
According to officials, Bryan was brought to a hospital, where he’s being treated for the shotgun wound to the stomach and the broken pelvis. Upon his release, he faces two counts of attempted homicide, attempted robbery, aggravated burglary, possession of a firearm during a dangerous felony, and possession of stolen property.
Meanwhile, the McCandless family wants everyone to know they are okay and The Cache is open for business.
The Hearing Protection Act should survive the Byrd Rule challenge it’s currently dealing with, in part because, as Cam noted on Wednesday, it deals with the tax portion specifically. Remove the tax, and there’s no reason to have a registry, which was just about knowing who paid the tax.
The National Firearms Act really revolves around taxes, not availability. The way those who passed the law saw it, it didn’t violate the Second Amendment because it didn’t tell anyone what they could and couldn’t have.
Yet now that suppressors are potentially being removed from the NFA, the usual suspects are losing their minds.
The budget bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and now before the Senate has rightly drawn a lot of criticism for its sharp cuts to Medicaid. But what has largely escaped the public’s attention is the part of the bill that would aid mass shooters, terrorists, and assassins byderegulatinggun silencers.
Silencers on guns make it harder for ordinary civilians and police to hear the sound, see the flash, and quickly detect the location of the shooter. Thus they can serve to facilitate mass shootings.
In Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 2019, a gunman who shot and killed twelve people used a silencer. At first, those present didn’t even know that a shooting was underway. Some of them began running but didn’t know which way to go because they hadn’t heard the gunfire.
I find it amusing that the author had to go back to 2019 to find a high-profile case involving a legally purchased suppressor.
First, Virginia Beach kind of proves that their inclusion on the NFA doesn’t stop bad actors from doing bad things with legally purchased suppressors if they decide to do so.
Second, this whole thing was written by someone who learned everything they know about suppressors from television or movies. A number of suppressors don’t even lower the sound of a shot enough to justify shooting without hearing protection in some cases, and none make those shots whisper quiet. Sure, people didn’t recognize the sounds at first in Virginia Beach, but part of that was simply because they didn’t realize what they were hearing in the first place.
I also notice that the author didn’t mention the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. His alleged assassin, Luigi Mangione, allegedly used a 3D-printed suppressor that he didn’t purchase legally.
Unfortunately, legalizing silencers fits the pattern of Trump’s second term gun policy. He weakened the Brady background check system byrevoking President Joe Biden’s Zero Tolerance Policy. Under it, the licenses of gun dealers could be cancelled if they failed to run background checks as required or sold guns to prohibited people. And Trump’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) would even allow “irresponsible and dangerous gun sellers who lost their licenses because of willful violations of the law to get back into business,” as the group Brady Unitedput it. They can simply reapply.
And this is how you know this writer either doesn’t know what the heck he’s talking about or is actively lying to his readers.
The policy didn’t somehow make it possible for licenses to be revoked for breaking the law. That’s always been on the table, as well as prosecution, should a licensed dealer fail to conduct a NICS check or knowingly sell a gun to a prohibited person. That’s still something dealers face should they do such a thing.
That wasn’t Biden’s “Zero Tolerance” policy.
What his policy did was lead to licenses being revoked for things like abbreviating a county instead of spelling it out, or misunderstanding when the 72-hour waiting period for a NICS check properly starts.
So, with either such a poor understanding of what that policy did or a propensity to outright lie to his readers, why should anyone take his expertise on suppressors seriously?
There is no reason.
Suppressors aren’t commonly used in crimes, even with them being available for 3D printing these days. They add bulk to a gun and make it harder to conceal, which most bad guys prize for various reasons. They also have a finite lifespan, which means you can only get the sound suppressed so many times before it stops.
But hey, when you’re focused on fearmongering to delusional nutjobs who are predisposed to being lied to on guns, what else can you expect?
“Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival”
– Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Iran has been secretly advancing a plan for the “technological advancement of all parts of the development of a nuclear weapon,” the Israeli military says, after launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Reported to have been killed, so far:
Mohammad Bagherim, Chief of the Iranian military
Gholam Ali Rashid, Deputy Chief of the Iranian military
Hossein Salami, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Ali Shamkhani, reported to be Supreme Leader Khamenei’s right hand man
Mohammad Tehranchi, President, Azad University, theoretical physicist.
Fereydoon Abbasi, former head, Atomic Energy Organization & MP.
Strikes reported on:
The D2O (heavy water) manufacturing facility in Arak.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps HQ in Tehran
The Natanz uranium enrichment facility in Isfahan
The Founders expected the people to have “weapons of war” not just as a right, but as a duty, and anyone who tells you otherwise is ignorant, a liar, or both
-David Codrea
