With all the mid-term elections coming up, a lot of candidates are unclear whether their viewpoints are conservative, libertarian, or liberal. Here’s a quick guide that can help you candidates understand the issues. Your Opinion on… Conservative Libertarian Liberal Warfare … Continue reading →
Gentle Readers, Dr. J. finds Scotland’s bid for independence somewhere between cute and amusing. It would be like the gulf coast, or, perhaps California, Oregon and Washington voting to leave the U.S. depending on your point of view. The upside … Continue reading →
The Czar’s recent post got GorT thinking about recent meals that he has prepared. One in particular is a family favorite: Fried Chicken and Waffles. There are many ways to make fried chicken but I rely on one of two … Continue reading →
The Czar is not sure that we have received prior mail from TexAggie 04, code-named because he is from Texas, went to A&M, and like most of the people from Texas A&M has about four friends. Fortunately, he likes the … Continue reading →
And speaking of cooking, because no one was: Dear The All-powerful Czar, This weekend, I obtained a grill and did some time travel through Gormogia*. In my travels, I came upon your post, Memorial Day Grilling, in which you graciously … Continue reading →
Gentle Readers, Our beloved Hello Kitty has been making headlines lately. There has been debate among the chattering classes that the official [mouthless] spokesmodel of the Gormogons has been revealed not to be a cat, and is simply an albino … Continue reading →
The President could have spoken out against ISIS any time in the last couple of months, but chose to do so the night before September 11. We can only assume this was part of his recently confessed understanding of political … Continue reading →
The Czar’s often enigmatic father has been able to explain NFL behavior off-the-field for a long time, and there was no point in us even talking to him about the Ray Rice situation. We already know what he will tell … Continue reading →
The Czar has gotten a lot of mail recently, and he won’t be able to get to all of it, especially ones with which he disagrees. Let us start going through all of your thoughts. Operative BJ: “We know that … Continue reading →
Americans are done with Democrats, done with Obama, done with Harry Reid, and so done with liberalism. So why are Republicans polling so badly? The Czar is about to advance a theory, here, and you are welcome to help shape … Continue reading →
Did you have a good Labor Day? The Czar certainly hopes you did, but if not, consider yourself in pretty decent company. That said, Labor Day is a day we set aside to honor a grotesquely un-American tradition of worshiping … Continue reading →
From the Double-Wide: Dear Your Czarness: With the “Guns of August” booming, your humble minion has done me some pondering. Not to brag, but I do believe I may have just come up with a “unified theory” for understanding the … Continue reading →
Anytime a news-worthy shooting event occurs, the anti-gun crowd is positively orgasmic over the chance to have yet another national conversation nobody wants to have with them. Tragically, as you have heard by now, a 9-year-old girl in Arizona shot … Continue reading →
In contemplating the Ferguson disaster over the past two weeks, ‘Puter’s wondered if anything good will come from it. Pundits predictably called for yet another national conversation on race before Michael Brown’s body assumed room temperature. Media kept up its … Continue reading →
Gentle Readers, Before one of you gets all #waronwimmen on Dr. J. let him state, for the sake of full disclosure that his great-grandmother and grandmother died of breast cancer. His aunt ultimately died of complications from treatment for breast … Continue reading →
The utterly stupid and horrifying execution of journalist James Foley is, with due respect for his family and friends, only another example of how terrible the Islamic State is. But the Czar noticed that every news agency was talking about … Continue reading →
‘Puter’s waited until now to weigh in on the mess in Ferguson, Missouri. ‘Puter had hoped that a bit of distance between a white police officer’s shooting of an unarmed young black man would enable cooler heads to prevail. However, … Continue reading →
The untold story of the Ferguson tragedy is that it makes libertarians look not crazy. Really, one of the structural problems with the tragedy is that two worlds of fanatical leftism have collided, and neither side is right because both … Continue reading →
Operative BG writes in after a too-long absence, and saves the Czar from having to think an original thought: I read Robert Caro’s Master of the Senate, about Lyndon’ Johnson’s years as Senate Majority Leader, a few months ago. Say … Continue reading →
Long-time reader and Thinker of Deeper Thoughts Mitch, who might be a full-time operative of ours in some department to which the Czar doesn’t pay much attention, wrote in on the recent discussions of Israeli demographics. Mitch is a bit … Continue reading →
Ever Faithful Operative SMR writes in about the background of modern Israelis, and asks a good question. Dear Your Greatness, Operative BJ wrote in recently explaining the racial component of the Progressive view of Middle East relations, stating that, “Israelis … Continue reading →
Here’s the next installment of the countdown. Number 30: Battlestar Galactica (1978-79) A science fiction mish-mash of Mormonism (courtesy of creator Glen A Larson) and some mythology and we get the original BSG. As cheesy as it was, it … Continue reading →
Operative BJ offers an explanation as to why the American Left hates Israel: Your Majesty, Israelis are, for the most part, descendants of Europeans. White Europeans. Palestinians are, for the most part, Arabic, indigenous to the area, and are not … Continue reading →
Poor JAB—you know, the one from the Double-wide—has had this note sitting in the Czar’s mailbox for over a week. Dear Your Czarness: So I saw that our Pres. Obama had a meeting with the leaders of Honduras, Guatemala and … Continue reading →
The Czar does not have much more to add to Dr. J’s stammering but otherwise well-done review of Guardians of the Galaxy. Like his clan, the Czar war platoon loved this movie. Even the Царица, who did not initially want … Continue reading →
Gentle Readers, Like Clan Czar, Clan J. took in the Guardians of the Galaxy this weekend. The four of us, Dr. J., Mrs. Dr. J., the Lil Resident and Lil Medstudent all loved it, This was no easy feat as … Continue reading →
‘Puter’s had it with the Left’s ignorance of Israeli history. ‘Puter suspects, however, that much of this ignorance is not ignorance. Rather, it’s rank bigotry affecting an ignorant guise. Great Britain controlled the territory that comprised modern Israel and Gaza … Continue reading →
The Czar wishes to report with personal sadness the passing of his beloved family member, Sally, whom a few of you emailed and tweeted to us about periodically. Sally, as some of you may remember, was a Shetland Sheepdog we … Continue reading →
Quick—what does the Russian incursion of Ukraine have in common with the Israeli strikes on Hamas in Gaza? If you lean to the Left, you might be inclined to say something about an offensive military power taking advantage of a … Continue reading →
It’s been some time since ‘Puter’s excoriated E.J. Dionne, America’s Foremost Mentally Retarded ColumnistTM. Frankly, ‘Puter got bored tearing apart Mr. Dionne’s “logic.” It’s not very challenging to do so. But Mr. Dionne’s column, run in today’s Washington Post,* piqued … Continue reading →
GorT is a manager of 20+ software engineers in two different cities in the United States. GorT has been in the software industry for 20+ years and this group is one of the highest performing and talented teams he’s seen … Continue reading →
St. Jerome, in his busier days, once wrote that pretty much nihil was novus under the solis, and that observation is pretty true in politics. Know all those stupid tropes that Democrats keep throwing out about their Republican rivals? You … Continue reading →
Gentle Readers, Dr. J. saw this casting news this morning. Lucy Lawless will be joining the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. cast this fall in an unspecified role for an unknown duration of episodes. Dr. J. would like to make a casting … Continue reading →
Gentle Readers, Dr. J.’s thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the Malaysian Airline that appears to have been shot down in the Ukraine by Russian or pro-Russian forces. President Obama gave an odd forty second acknowledgement yesterday … Continue reading →
Gentle Readers, As you are aware, The Czar is, among other things, our Grammarian-in-Chief, a title Dr. J. will never own. Weird Al is back! He’s putting out parody videos like he’s back in the ’80s. Dr. J. suspects that … Continue reading →
On the one hand, we get a note from Boneman: Oh powerful and feared Czar, Your minion, Boneman, humbly suggests that those who think Dear Leader somehow doesn’t understand or appreciate the ongoing southern invasion and how to deal with … Continue reading →
The following essay is a guest post from Operative BG. We remind our readers that you are welcome to submit your thoughts either as an email or as a complete essay. Every year, the weekend after Independence Day, the city … Continue reading →
Following up on yesterday’s essay on the Quinnipiac poll of best and worst presidents, the Czar wanted to take the opportunity to provide his rankings. Agree or disagree as you wish, but here are some thoughts on best to worst. … Continue reading →
Dr. J. loved GorT’s tribute to Nikola Tesla, however, GorT didn’t quite get it right with regard to Tesla’s fan base. Back in the 1980s, the ladies loved Nikola, and indeed, Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark (OMD) made a video … Continue reading →
No, not that change of life! Dr. J. spent a good amount of his training time in research related activities, and actually held a grant or two from the NIH at various times in his career. At a critical juncture … Continue reading →
GorT told his friends and family a few years ago that the whole “cupcake industry” as it were has 3 to 5 years of viability. Then people will tire of it, there will be some new trendy thing and all … Continue reading →
As you know, DC Comics is locked in an epic battle for domination of the superhero movie genre with Marvel Comics. DC has not fared so well; as they try to figure out how modern audiences will adapt to the … Continue reading →
Operative BJ writes to opine: Your Highness, This lowly one has been watching the recent reaction to the deaths of 3 teens unfold in Israel and wishes to make an observation. The child-king Obama spoke to Israel and asked for … Continue reading →
XKDC.COM posted this cartoon today: It shows the surface area of all of the solid celestial bodies in the solar system. Just like on heart, some real estate is better than others for building a home, it nevertheless is pretty cool. … Continue reading →
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Human_Fertilization.png One of Dr. J.’s hep-cat progressive friends from on teh Facebook posted this article from the Atlantic during her wailing, rending of garments and gnashing of teeth as a consequence of the narrow-in-scope Hobby Lobby decision. The article tries, like so many, … Continue reading →
The Czar is glad Americans are watching the World Cup in such numbers, because since last week the number of people claiming baseball is way more boring than soccer has dropped to nearly nothing. No matter how tiring you feel … Continue reading →
It is all as Dr. J. has foretold. The Supreme Court upheld the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 5-4. Dr. J. expected more intellectual honesty from the ladies (and Mr. Breyer) of the court, resulting in a 7-2 or … Continue reading →
The Czar’s day-to-day annoyance level is pretty typical, and normally we shrug off morons who put political bumper stickers on their cars. Bumper stickers are written by and for people with a shallow understanding of the topic, but feel they … Continue reading →
Here’s what’s rattling around in ‘Puter’s head this morning, in no particular order. ‘Puter agrees with GorT. There’s precious little chance the IRS inadvertently “lost” Lois Lerner’s emails. To so thoroughly erase all traces of such emails requires more than … Continue reading →
From the Fox News link on the Redskins Trademark ruling, this quote from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “Daniel Snyder may be the last person in the world to realize this, but it’s just a matter of time until he is … Continue reading →
GorT has been in the IT business as a full-time career for over 20 years and in and around computers since 1980. The whole “IRS lost Lerner’s emails” is such a crock of shit that I’m not sure where to … Continue reading →
Operative BJ writes in with something that has been bugging a lot of people, including your Czar, regarding the alleged loss of every critical Lois Lerner email—to and from—regarding the IRS scandal. Your Majesty, Even I, a lowly minion, am … Continue reading →
The other night, Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA) was soundly defeated in his primary by Virginia citizen David Brat. The punditosphere proceeded to navel gaze and read the tea leaves as it is not everyday, or even every primary, in which an … Continue reading →
Gentle Readers, Superbusy is evolving into the new normal for Dr. J. Today’s mailbag has three letters. The first comes form Operative Run SMC regarding the Apple/Dr. J. Axis: Dear Dr. J., So, I think Apple knows who you all … Continue reading →
Curiously perhaps, but all six of the Gormogons who write on this site have some sort of skill with food. Some of us are better in the kitchen and some of us are better out in the backyard, but each … Continue reading →
Your Czarness: Loved the analysis of girls’ volleyball! The Bubbas and I were watching SEC softball last week and I observed a lot of differences compared to SEC baseball, and it was not just the ponytails with team-color-ribbons in the … Continue reading →
A lot of folks are going rightfully nutso over a recent image taken by the Hubble telescope, which is aged and obsolete by all accounts. But boy, it can take some pictures. This is the photo that’s tearing it up … Continue reading →
Just so we are clear, the Veterans Affairs problem still exists, but thanks to Shinseki’s resignation, they’re now one person short. So imagine this email we received from a doctor with inside information. What follows is not for the faint … Continue reading →
GorT normally covers kids playing sports—and trust your Czar on this one, but he has a cannon ready to fire on that—but the Czar quite by chance found himself attending a regional volleyball tournament over the weekend. No, the Czar … Continue reading →
The Czar cannot decide which sentence in this email is more amazing. Oh great and powerful Oz Czar, Your humble and trembling minion on the plains recently saw this and thought it was particularly applicable to many calamities currently occurring … Continue reading →
The President is very busy these days. As the economy proves his policies have prolonged a stagnant economy for longer than the Great Depression, the President announced that he is very working to draw attention to youth sports concussions. While … Continue reading →
The Czar was loath to publish this on or just before Memorial Day, but cannot delay any longer. Some time ago, the Czar proposed eliminating the Department of Veterans Affairs, and rolling its functions into the Department of Defense—after stripping … Continue reading →
Thanks to long-timer Mark Spahn of West Seneca, New York—who suffers under the illusion that the Czar is the proprietor here and not a mere contributor—we heard back from Professor Eugue Volokh himself on the subject of intentionally posting improper … Continue reading →
Now they’ve gone and done it. ‘Puter’s finally had enough. Enough of the hypocrisy of our media betters. Enough of the dipshittery masquerading as trenchant commentary. Enough of the unearned self-esteem. Enough of the asshattery of certain voters. The following … Continue reading →
Our beloved Archivist, the one and only Marie writes: I’m catching up on lackadaisical reading; my apologies. Re: April 18th, “The Science of Contraception”, I think you nailed the 4 associations on the continuum quite fairly. As a Millenial Catholic, … Continue reading →
Your Mandarin received this dispatch attached to a brick thrown through one of the windows at the castle. This irritates your Mandarin for two reasons, the first being that the door was open, and second, well you can figure it … Continue reading →
The internationally famous drummer, author, and academic swimsuit model (truly one of our best disguises ever), Professor Mondo himself (@ProfMondo) writes in to add some spin to a recent topic here on the site: Hail, O Inspiration for at least … Continue reading →
Operative BJ swung by the Castle the other day, and the subject of the VA debacle came up. He mentioned to us: And now we hear – yet again – that the Veteran’s Administration has failed to administrate the care … Continue reading →
The Czar was interested to learn that Chipotle restaurants are no longer allowing guns on their facilities. Illinois has legalized concealed carry, and there are now thousands of license holders throughout the state enjoying, at last, the last-denied Constitutional right. … Continue reading →
Sorry we missed you, but there was such a secret meeting of the minds of the Gormogons in Chicago yesterday, that we could not tell you about it. Or ‘Puter. But GorT, Volgi, and your Czar got together at the … Continue reading →
The more your Mandarin listens to the media try to cover for Hillary Clinton, the more he is reminded of Nathan Thurm. Enjoy: The MandarinThe Mandarin, whose real name is 吏恆, joined the order in 1309, and introduced the Gormogons … Continue reading →
Dr. J. took in the documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune last week. The movie discussed director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s attempt to make the movie Dune in the early 1970s. Dr. J. highly recommends the movie if you are a film junkie and/or are curious to … Continue reading →
The Czar writes a nice little something, expects that he will receive angry letters about it, but typically gets richly thought-out responses by really smart people. Case in point: the Czar wrote a feel-bad piece about whether Protestants are really … Continue reading →
Aiden Braeden Clayton Dayton Eaton Faedin Gaetan Hayden Jayden Kreighton Leyden Maiden Nayton Odin Peyton Queyton Rodan Satan The Czar of MuscovyБожію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes … Continue reading →
To all our spouses, mothers and mother-in-laws, the Gormogons wish a very Happy Mother’s Day. We hope you have an enjoyable day in the mode that you wish to celebrate. Mrs. GorT is coming to watch replicant #2’s soccer game … Continue reading →
The Great Scott O, whom you should follow on Twitter because he is highly regarded by people who could destroy you with a mere caprice, send the Czar his thoughts: Your Immenseness, As always, thank you for a well-thought-out exposé … Continue reading →
Dear Your Czarness, I heard President Obama respond to a reporter’s question about Ukraine. Standing in the Rose Garden next to Angela Merkle, he opined that it was pretty obvious that the Ukrainian helicopters could not have been shot … Continue reading →
You might never think of it like this, but you know who has more in common than not? Ready? Atheists and biblical literalists. After Monday’s Supreme Court ruling, this spot-on tweet came out: If you think a moment of prayer … Continue reading →
Here’s the executive summary, but if you’re at all interested in this stuff, you should really read the whole thing. Vladimir Putin is exploiting the Ukrainian revolution—specifically, by manufacturing “crises” in Crimea and eastern Ukraine and nationalist euphoria and anti-Western … Continue reading →
Based on the box office returns, everyone in the United States has seen Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier about eight times. The Czar did not do a review for this film, nor will he discuss the numerous surprises in … Continue reading →
“Judgmental Baltimore: So Much to Judge!” ©2014 The Notorious DGD. Source. Thanks to fellow native Washingtonian KRS-One. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →Local Muscovy church Наша Дама Вечера had no less than three biographies each for Sts. John and John Paul. One for each was in the body of the bulletin, one for each was in a special insert flyer, in case … Continue reading →
The Czar is the last person who should advise you on religious matters, given his own weak beliefs. But there are some things he can underline for you. In 2012, the Democratic National Platform stipulated that abortion is a specific … Continue reading →
There has been some talk around the political analysis circles lately, and the Czar is reluctant to admit he agrees with all of it. All of it, unfortunately. Yes, the Czar agrees that the midterm elections will be disastrous for … Continue reading →
The delightfully named executive director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, one Leah Gunn Barrett,* takes to the pages of today’s New York Times to display her ignorance of firearms, government and law, not necessarily in that order. Ms. Gunn … Continue reading →
Decades ago, the Czar used to to present lessons in the Russian language for you readers to learn. It has been quite a while since then, and the Czar will pick up exactly where he left off. We assume you … Continue reading →
The IRS is considering a program by which they will offer a free, no-return-necessary tax filing service. No, really. In other words, you sign up for the program, and they fill out your tax forms for you and send you … Continue reading →
Good analysis of Illinois’ multiple, connected fiscal-political problems at the WSJ. If the states are laboratories of democracy, then a great comparative policy experiment is taking place in America’s Great Lakes region. Democrats in Illinois have been pursuing their blue-state … Continue reading →
Terrific read: Modern people who are lost in the cosmos pick up all kinds of self-help manuals in search of guidance, or, if they are Christian, buy books bubbling over with godly therapeutic psychobabble. Don’t do it. Take up and … Continue reading →
How terrible and tragic is the news from Overland Park, Kansas. Passover is a holiday rooted in horror, when you think about it, but this holiday will never be the same for the many families that knew or included the … Continue reading →
So many Americans are wondering why the hell the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform doesn’t just grant immunity to Lois Lerner so we can finally learn the delicious details of the IRS scandal, and discover once and for … Continue reading →
Hello children. Hello. It has been a busy time at the Castle, getting ready for Spring and teasing the robins and running unusual experiments on the tulips to see if we can grow them in infrared. Obey me. Many of … Continue reading →
Two good posts from Andrew Stuttaford at NRO’s Corner. First, the ominous appearance of “little green men,” the unofficial Russian troops who took Crimea, in various places in eastern Ukraine. One data point in a pattern: Men in camouflage, armed … Continue reading →
‘Puter woke up this morning with a start, immediately realizing two things were very, very wrong. First, ‘Puter was in his own bed and curiously vomit free, and that never happens after all you can drink Courvoisier and Clam Juice … Continue reading →
Hard but true. As July draws nearer, the White House should show that it wants the nuclear deal less than Khamenei and Rouhani do. Above all else, the president and senior officials should be playing on the supreme leader’s longstanding … Continue reading →
LOS ANGELES — The Irwindale, Calif., city council declared a plant that produces Sriracha chili sauce a public nuisance Wednesday, giving the facility 90 days to make changes to an odor some neighbors have complained about. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask … Continue reading →
Outstanding review by Bruce Bawer of a new biography of the poet. Read this. In the opening pages of Charles Molesworth’s 1990 biography of Marianne Moore, the reader encounters two exceedingly curious sentences. “I have chosen,” declares Molesworth in the … Continue reading →
Read the whole thing. Recognizing the valid concerns of your adversary in an effort to resolve disputes is, of course, a standard negotiating tactic, whether in marital counseling, business, or diplomacy. But recognizing invalid, made-up concerns is likely to be … Continue reading →
Contrary to what many in Washington are suggesting, understanding the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, was never difficult. Three U.S. administrations failed to do it not because of a lack of evidence of his criminality but rather because facing that reality … Continue reading →
