“When the George W. Bush administration invaded Iraq in March 2003, that war had 72% support among Americans, according to Gallup. If Donald Trump now wants to start a U.S. war with Iran, the president would not remotely enjoy that level of support. He doesn’t even have half of it. Scratch that, not even a quarter of Americans want him to bomb Iran today. A SSRS/University of Maryland poll asked participants earlier this month: ‘Do you favor or oppose the United States initiating an attack on Iran under the current circumstances?’ Only 21% favored, 49% opposed, and 30% answered ‘I don’t know.'” (02/13/26)
Source: CounterPunch
by John W Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead
“This country was built on the radical idea that government exists to serve the people — not to control them, monitor them, manage them, or rule over them. That idea is being systematically dismantled by a Deep State determined to entrench its power at our expense by keeping the nation divided, distracted, and perpetually at war with itself. This is what happens when those in power discover that a divided people are easier to manipulate than a united one — and that hate is not a byproduct of politics, but one of its most effective weapons. This nation is being destabilized by forces that masquerade as political movements, but dig down deep, and you’ll find that power and greed work the same no matter which party hat they wear. The ‘politics of hate’ is a bipartisan tool.” (02/13/26)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“VMI, like all other colleges and universities, should have the right to run its affairs any way it wants. If a college wants to adopt DEI, it should be free to do so. If it wants to reject DEI, that’s fine too. If it wants to have a black-studies program, great. If it doesn’t, that’s great too. If it wants to honor Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, John Archibald Campbell, and other people who fought for their country and for the right of secession, so be it. If it wants to instead honor Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Philip Sheridan, and other war criminals, so be it as well. The problem, of course, is that VMI is on the state dole. He who pays the piper calls the tune.” (02/13/26)
“Five years ago, climate activists stunned corporate America by winning three seats on Exxon Mobil’s board. Similar revolts have forced some of the nation’s biggest companies to address climate change. Now, the federal regulator overseeing shareholder rights is making it harder for small investors to convey their concerns. In November, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, announced that it would essentially stop weighing in on whether companies must put shareholder proposals to a vote. Then, in January, the agency said it would no longer allow investors with less than $5 million in shares to use its online system to send communiqués, known as exempt solicitations, to fellow shareholders.” (02/13/26)
“It has been illegal since 1986 for the federal government to establish a national firearms registry. As you might expect of the sort of people who gravitate to government employment, the bureaucrats at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), enabled by Biden-era policy changes, have taken that as a challenge. Now, members of Congress want answers from the federal gun cops about a vast gun registry database that could threaten the liberty and privacy of firearms owners. They have been stonewalled so far.” (02/13/26)
“‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’ The line from Forrest Gump is meant to capture uncertainty in love and life, but every Valentine’s Day, it accidentally describes markets just as well. Chocolate prices rise, products take different shapes, and consumers are surprised once again at the checkout line. The usual explanation immediately turns to corporate greed. Yet what Forrest Gump’s chocolate box really reminds us is that uncertainty, timing, and expectations shape outcomes, and that prices exist to navigate uncertainty, not to exploit it.” (02/13/26)
“The concept of ‘filial piety’ is as old as Western civilization itself. From The Oresteia to Virgil’s Aeneid and Shakespeare’s King Lear, generational continuity has hinged on the children’s hierarchical duty to honor, obey, and sometimes even avenge their parents. But in the modern era, where individualism reigns, hierarchy is all but leveled, and historical change can occur within one generation, generational obligation feels more mutual. In literature, Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev was among the first to notice this shift.” (02/13/26)
“President Trump’s ‘border czar,’ Tom Homan, announced Thursday that Operation Metro Surge (the violent occupation of Minneapolis and surrounding regions by DHS kidnapping squads) was going to end. At a minimum, it’s unclear how honest Homan was being; if the Minneapolis city council is any judge, ICE kidnappings were still ongoing Thursday, and Homan said that some officers would remain. On Wednesday, one particularly violent kidnapping in St. Paul left three cars wrecked and someone being taken out in an ambulance. Given the Trump administration’s outrageous dishonesty about every possible subject, it would be wise to assume that the occupation (with kidnapping squads regularly snatching people off the streets, with cars full of ICE goons hanging menacingly around workplaces, schools, and even day cares) will continue until proven otherwise.” (02/13/26)
“Economic reasoning explains why sports gambling reliably makes the average bettor poorer. Point-shaving scandals and information asymmetries reveal why the odds are stacked against participants.” (02/13/26)
