1-22-25
Monologue:
Dawn of the Golden Age
Triple Dipper:
1. It Begins!
2. Military Minded
3. Pardon Power
Guests
3:30pm: Congresssman Gary Palmer
4pm: Grand Council w/Jeff Poor & Dale Jackson
Resources
1. It Begins!
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/jeremyfrankel/2025/01/21/fema-director-deanne-criswell-leaves-n2650874
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/01/21/heritage-experts-analyze-trump-executive-orders/
2. Military Minded
3. Pardon Power
https://dailycaller.com/2025/01/21/cnn-panel-trumps-j6-pardons-scott-jennings/
https://www.thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5096041-biden-pardons-family-corruption/amp/
Rightside Way Monologue
The lovely Charlene and I returned late last night from DC…..it was an adventure
and to say that I have some impressions is an understatement…..first of all, I will
point out that she and I have had some unique opportunities over the years to
attend spectacular events, to even be present for history making moments……we
were there when Republicans took back Alabama’s government after 136 straight
years of Democrat control…..we attended the Balls and the speeches….I was there
when US troops destroyed Al Qaeda on the battlefields of Afghanistan and rode
horses across its northern regions…..I personally handed a copy of the new Iraqi
Constitution to leaders of the newly elected government in Baghdad…..every once
in a while I’ve been able to stand next to heroes, leaders, preachers and
politicians who were truly impacting culture and changing their times…..but at the
same time I am not prone to seek those moments out….they typically just
involved being in the right place at the right time for the right reasons with the
right people…..but these past few days were something that I wanted to seek
out….I wanted to be there…..I wanted, like so many thousands of others, to just
be in the nations capital and watch history unfold…..so we went…..and it did not
disappoint……
To say that we are tired right now would be an understatement……hotel living
ain’t grand…..every Uber ride was apparently upcharged by double because they
could….but every street was also closed which meant that more than once we just
had to tell our driver to let us out and we would walk the last mile….which we
did…..plans also changed on a minute by minute basis…..we went to DC with
tickets to two Balls, the inauguration itself, the Governors prayer breakfast, the
Trump Rally on Sunday, and the victory parade…..we arrived to find that
everything had changed…..the inauguration was inside, the rally and the parade
were now first-come-first-serve and the weather…..wow….the weather made it all
the more exciting…..was it cold? You better believe it…..did it snow? Some, but it
also sleeted and rained while we were out walking…..and then the road
closures….there was no rhyme or reason….we once walked a mile and a half in
freezing weather and sleet only to find the last quarter mile blocked by barricades
that had the crowds hemmed into the sidewalks…..there was no way to get to our
Hotel….I finally walked up to the ten foot high steel mesh fencing and called a
police officer over and asked him how we were supposed to get to our
destination…..he looked around and said, “you didn’t hear this from me. But go
back the way you came for a block. They’re about to barricade that intersection.
Step out into the road itself and walk with the cars”…..so we did just that. Acted
like we owned the place and walked in the traffic lines and made it back to the
room in time to watch the rally on TV…..and by then we were fine with that…..We
had one Uber driver that began asking me for directions as she was so frustrated
with trying to get through gridlock and barricades…..I had to remind her that she
was the one who was from there, not us…..security was unreal…..thousands of
National Guard, Police, Border Patrol, Secret Service and an unknown number of
city workers…..all bundled against the cold and manning every street corner and
lamppost spot you can imagine…..
But aside from all of that there was still a magical feeling in the whole
area…..everywhere you went there were throngs of people wearing Trump hats,
and sweatshirts and MAGA jackets……there were outbreaks of spontaneous
applause and people slapping backs and talking about how great everything
felt…..the air in DC was different…..the mood was electric….and I wouldn’t have
missed it for the world……and in the midst of it all there were some key memories
that would not have been there had we not gone there……we dressed in all our
finery and went to mingle with crowds at formal Balls and enjoy being among
folks who were, like us, just glad to be present……we met with friends and
colleagues and like-minded folks from Alabama for Governor Ivey’s prayer
breakfast and praise and worship broke out……I hung out in the waiting area of a
store and made a new friend from Alaska as both of our wives were shopping for
clothes we didn’t know they needed and compared notes on how our respective
states were responding to the incoming new administration……Alaska and
Alabama are worlds apart but there are Rightside Ruffians everywhere and we
saw things the same…….we connected with friends we haven’t seen in a while and
had a great time laughing over an Italian dinner at Filomena’s in Georgetown and
while we were there half the restaurant broke out in chants of “USA! USA!”……we
were invited to go to the office of Congressman Robert Aderholt to a watch party
for the inauguration itself and it wound up being one of the best moments of the
trip as folks all stood, sat and sprawled out on his floor to watch the swearing in
of the new administration…..I was in a military chow hall headed to Iraq when the
TV news broke in that we had captured Saddam Hussein and that was the only
time that beat the mood and spontaneous joy that I saw in that room…..it was
almost an emotional event as we all hung on every word of Trumps oath of office
until the Chief Justice finally said, “Congratulations Mr. President!” and the room
broke out in cheers and laughter and high fives and hand shakes…..we hung
around afterward and talked with folks and then realized that right outside the
window of the Congressmans Office where I was standing was the Marine One
helicopter that was spooling up to take Biden away…..to take Biden away….let
that sink in…..I filmed from my perfect vantage point as Marine One….which
technically was just on loan from the new President…..lifted off and flew past the
American flag and around the dome of the Capitol while I caught the moment on
camera…..it was like the bad dream came to a fitting in…..like scripture says, “you
will look them and you will not find them”……yes indeed……
But the most significant thing for me….out of all it…..was standing there and
listening to Trump deliver his acceptance speech…..he nailed it…..he delivered a
speech for the ages and as I stood among other like-minded folks in the
Congressman’s office I had to take notes…..the points that flowed out in that one
speech were everything we’ve been looking for…..he promised God, country,
family and common sense were coming back…..he vowed that “the golden age of
America starts now”……in that speech Trump Pulled no punches….. Said
everything he wanted to say…… Did not care who was sitting to his left hand while
he said it. They tried to kill him. They tried to destroy his character. They tried to
ruin his business. They tried to disrupt his family. And they certainly tried to
rebrand America in their own image……Why would he not say the things he
said!....He appeared relaxed, but resolute….. Some of his key points were
delivered with emphasis and then a stare at the audience that said I'm not
kidding……Called out the southern border….. Called out the weaponization of
government….. Called out lawfare….. Called out economic ruin….. Said that the
turnaround time begins right now…..Called for Unity and said that we will not
forget our God!.....he labeled it all as the the revolution of Common Sense….and
what made it all the more enjoyable is that Biden and Harris looked miserable the
entire time he spoke……
He said It is time to once again act with a vigor of being the greatest nation….. We
will not be deterred. ….we will pursue our Manifest Destiny into the stars and will
pursue planting the American flag on the planet of mars!.....He remarked on the
history of what it took to build this country. Everything from westward expansion
to the splitting of the atom, and launching mankind into the heavens…..If we work
together, he said, there is nothing we cannot do and no dream we cannot
achieve. …..In America The Impossible is what we do best!
But his closing quotes were perhaps the most electric……he said, “After all we
have been through together, we stand on the verge of the four greatest years in
American history. We will reveal the nation we love. We are one people one
family and one glorious nation under God. So, to every parent who dreams for
their child, and every child who dreams for the future, I am with you. And I will
win for you. We are going to win like never before”…..and then he added, and I
quote, “America will be respected again and admired again, including by people
of religion, faith and goodwill. We will be prosperous. We will be proud. We will
be strong, and we will win like never before. We will not be conquered. We will
not be intimidated. We will not be broken, and we will not fail. From this day on,
the United States of America will be a free, sovereign and independent nation.
We will stand bravely. We will live proudly. We will dream boldly, and nothing will
stand in our way because we are Americans. The future is ours and our golden
age has just begun.”
Am I tired today? Darn right…..I need a vacation…..but am I glad I went? Darn
right….and I would do it again. This was history my friends! This was real history!
And we are in the middle of it……so bring on the golden age of America! Let’s do
this.
And that’s a wrap for the Rightside Way