As Iran continues to play Iran games with peace efforts, I’m reminded of the phrase “Kill them all, let God sort them out.”

A variation of this phrase, “Kill ’em all let God sort ’em out” is available on patches for sale on various online shopping outlets, including Amazon.com, even as I type this Saturday morning.

I first became aware of this sentiment during the Vietnam War years of my youth. It was used by American soldiers who were frustrated with fighting an enemy that tended to melt into the population, then re-emerge to kill their buddies. William Calley of My Lai massacre infamy was convicted by court-martial of acting out the thought.

While researching this post, I found out that history tells us the phrase originated, curiously, with the Pope, in this case the ironically named Innocent III.

Please don’t tell Pope Leo about this. Then again, since our current Pope seems willing to overlook Muslims killing Christians for religious reasons, but can’t stomach President Trump reining in Iran, maybe it wouldn’t bother him.

Old Pope Innocent got his vestments in a bunch in the early 1200s when a breakaway order, the Cathars, rejected many traditional Catholic teachings and set themselves up as independents, mostly in Southern France.

In 1209, Innocent declared a crusade against the Cathars. Cynics say it was more about wealth and power than religion. Regardless, the traditional Catholics soon prevailed, beginning with the successful siege of a town known as Beziers.

Virtually the entire population of the town (at least those not already killed by Catholics ransacking the place) took sanctuary in churches, leaving the invading forces with the task of deciding which were Cathars and which were faithful Catholics.

It is said that Papal Legate Arnauld Amalric issued an order, in Latin, that translates roughly to “Kill them all, for God will surely know his own.”

Cue the carnage.

Present day American leadership finds itself facing the same dilemma regarding Iran. Promises are made, perhaps by some would-be leaders, and quickly broken by others. Actions contrary to the supposed agreements are undertaken and uncertainty rules the land.

Overnight, Iran is reported to have sent small craft to attack tankers in the Strait (Gay?) of Hormuz and I would expect oil prices to skyrocket and stock markets to plunge when markets reopen Sunday night/Monday, erasing most or all of the spectacular progress made Friday.

And we ask, where is today’s Arnauld Amalric to deal with this?

Today we consider the world of the defiant, belligerent resignation, and an accompanying sideshow or two.

The resignation reference is to disgraced Democrat politician Eric Swalwell and disgraced NFL reporter Dianna Russini, both of whom were in the news with resignations this week. Swalwell had a BOGO, first pulling out (pun intended) from the California governor’s race, then resigning his (hot) seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Russini resigned, under fire, from the New York Times sports production named The Athletic.

Both resignations centered on inappropriate relationships. With Swalwell, it escalated to allegations of sexual assault. With Russini, it appeared to be consensual activity, which she denies regardless.

What Russini is alleged to have done is not illegal, but it violates the spirit of journalistic ethics, admittedly a rapidly diminishing category. Simply put, Russini stands accused of being a married woman carrying on with a married man (not married to each other, by the way) and said man just happened to be NFL coach Mike Vrabel and a subject of Russini stories.

Pictures of Russini lounging with Vrabel at an adults-only Arizona resort, including holding hands and dancing on a private rooftop patio, were published and the denials began.

In some ways, Russini appears to be like Swalwell in that each thought fame and position insulated them from the rules.

Both chose the defiant resignation route in an effort to stop the bleeding.

Swalwell’s resignation statement was a steaming pile of contradiction. He began by saying he was sorry to family, staff and constituents, but then launched into calling the allegations false, before again lapsing into the apologetic mode.

Before he was done, Swalwell lamented being tried in the court of public opinion, a delicious irony in view of how in the past he had rushed to any available microphone to pass judgment on President Trump and other Republicans.

It was amusing to see the figurative rats deserting the Swalwell ship. The silence of Hollywood loudmouth Swalwell donors, including Robert DeNiro, Jon Hamm, Sean Penn, Kathy Griffin, Jon Cryer and Rob Reiner has been deafening. OK, give Reiner a pass since he is dead, allegedly at the hands of his own son.

And then there was Democrat godmother Nancy Pelosi, denying having any knowledge of Swalwell’s alleged sexual misconduct. “None whatsoever,” she insisted, repeatedly.

Note, Pelosi didn’t seem to deny knowing Swalwell was of questionable character with the ladies, only that she was unaware of serious stuff such as possible rapes and druggings of women.

But, as pointed out in an article by prolific legal scholar Jonathan Turley, Pelosi had backed Swalwell to the max back when he was accused of sleeping with an alleged Chinese spy Fang Fang (we call her U Bangh Mi).

At the time, Pelosi stated, “I don’t have any concern about Mr. Swalwell.”

And, when Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy had looked to have Swalwell removed from the intelligence committee, again Pelosi was right there to prop up her Swalwell attack dog stooge.

Pelosi’s hands might be clean in a very narrow sense, but it’s hard to believe she never had any doubts about Swalwell’s character.

As for Russini, her resignation statement was an exercise in indignation, including this: “Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now – before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”

Memo to Russini, it already has defined you and your career.

In a vague, but perhaps telling statement from a spokesman for The Athletic, a reference was made to the investigation, noting “As additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of our investigation.”

Possible translation: We learned this was not an isolated incident.

But, Swalwell and Russini left the stage claiming the moral high ground, as absurd as that would seem. I doubt either story is anywhere close to being finished.

Opportunistic Democrats, many of whom have at best a casual relationship with religion, have been quick to blast President Trump for telling Pope Leo to leave foreign affairs and crime to the experts.

Surely, other presidents have bristled under critiques from previous, often hypocritical popes. The difference with Trump is that he’s willing to go public with it.

And Democrats, as we have outlined here before, are only too eager to seek political advantage by engaging in over-the-top histrionics about the evil Trump, even if they think the Pope is just some guy wearing a funny hat.

I am not Catholic, so I’m not automatically going to side with Pope Leo on this. Considering all the documented problems the Catholic Church has had through the years with priests abusing children and doing other heinous things, often getting away with it due to the church’s influence, you’d think the Pope would stick to his knitting and not be criticizing an operation in Iran designed to end that terror regime’s world influence.

Not Pope Leo. It is curious that the Pope began his public critique of Trump and our Iran policy shortly after a reported private meeting with Obama operative David Axelrod. Imagine that. The Deep State and Democrats weaponized the FBI, CIA, lied to a FISA court, ginned up a false dossier, fabricated impeachments and spent years pitching a fake Russian collusion narrative regarding Trump.

Now, can it be true they’ve enlisted the Pope, too? You’d hope not. But history doesn’t exactly paint Popes as incapable of treachery, deceit and debauchery.

Type “Popes who did bad things” into the Bing search engine and you will find many responses, including “The 7 worst popes in the history of the Catholic Church” as posted on historyskills.com.

In that story you can read of Pope Stephen VI (896-897) who dug up the corpse of his predecessor, dressed it in vestments and held a trial. The dead Pope was found guilty of perjury and illegally assuming the job. He had three fingers lopped off and his body was thrown in the River Tiber.

Pope Benedict IX (1032-1048) sold the papacy to his godfather (A deal he couldn’t refuse?). His immoral behavior, described as debauchery spiced with violence, was legendary.

Through the years, popes have been said to have fathered multiple illegitimate children, unduly acquired power, carried on like utter Hedonists and generally done the sort of things you would not like to confess to your parish priest.

Ah, ancient history, you say. Not really, I say.

Type “Did Popes conspire with Hitler” into Bing and you will see a link to a June 2022 story, on PBS.org, no less. The headline: “Vatican documents show secret back channel between Pope Pius XII and Hitler.”

In that story, it is noted that Pope Pius XII was merely being expedient, thinking Hitler would win World War II and trying to curry favor with him. I’m not sure Pope Leo thinks Iran will prevail vs. the United States, but he does seem to be looking to be buddies with the Ayatollah. And all the crap the Pope has been spewing about how Muslims and Christians are just one big happy family neatly ignores Muslims killing Christians because, well, it’s mandated by the Koran.

That PBS report notes Pope Pius XII also didn’t exactly go to the wall vs. Hitler to protect Rome’s Jews when they were being rounded up by Nazis for shipment to internment camps. Again, Pius was just being expedient.

Our current Pope Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, was an Argentinian leftist comfortable meeting and exchanging gifts with Cuba’s Fidel Castro, a man with a lot of blood on his hands. Did he criticize Castro? Not publicly.

Pope Francis was open about trying to reshape the Western hemisphere with unfettered (read: Illegal) immigration. “Our theology is a theology of migrants,” he said.

But aren’t popes supposed to be virtual deities and certainly not mere mortals with all the attendant failings?

No, at least they are not according to an entry on catholiccompany.com, which states “the Pope is not infallible on all matters.”

That truth is self-evident, proven by history. Pius XII failed regarding Nazis and Jews. Francis failed regarding spreading Marxism and illegal immigrants. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Leo is failing regarding geopolitical events, even if he is the reigning Pope.

Back in my days as a sportswriter, the euphemism trend had begun to infiltrate what once had been the meritocracy of sports, where decisions previously had been made and explained without regard to feelings.

Somewhere along the line, players no longer were cut from the roster because they were not good enough. Instead, we began to hear it was just “the numbers game,” as in a team simply had too much talent at any position and someone had to go.

This talk of the numbers game was a win-win in the minds of the team, which didn’t need to impugn the abilities of said player when he was released, and for the player, who didn’t have to admit he simply was not good enough. Trust me, if that player was better than the competition, someone else would have been a victim of the numbers game.

Life in general has become a numbers game, with underachievers blaming the system or society, and never being required to take a long, hard look in the mirror.

That’s the figurative numbers game. We also have the literal numbers game, in which we are bombarded on a daily basis with numbers, often designed to manage our perceptions without providing context.

Here’s a sampling of numbers I have seen just today.

Start with 2.7% and $1,160 – The White House released a study, based on work by consulting firm McKinsey & Co., that as of 2023, productivity at firms that had been heavily committed to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) grift had 2.7 percent lower productivity. The consulting firm also estimated DEI was hurting the average family to the tune of $1,160 a year in increased costs. The surveying of this by McKinsey had begun in 2015.

Next, we have .5 % – This was the monthly producer price index (PPI) increase which came in well below consensus estimates of 1.1 %. For the past 12 months, the PPI is up 4 %. Still, economists are screaming about runaway inflation, conveniently forgetting the 9.1 rate it was running at in June 2022 under Clueless Joe Biden, which was a 40-year high.

Along this line, think 47.6 – This is the April 2026, ALL-TIME RECORD LOW reading from the consumer confidence survey from the University of Michigan, the school with the scandal-plagued football program and a national champion men’s basketball team. I wonder how the Michigan football program would rate these days in a confidence survey? But, I digress. This survey long has been accused of being a politicized operation and it’s hard to argue. Consider that, according to a Wikipedia post on its history, the Michigan survey was higher at more than 50 (probably 51 or 52 but the chart is not easily readable) in mid-1979. Recall that in 1979 inflation was a reported 13.29 percent, the Russians had invaded Afghanistan, Iranians were holding American hostages after taking over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and the Three Mile Island nuclear incident was sparking intense fear. Yet, according to the folks at old UM, consumer sentiment is lower now. Also, during the 2008-11 great financial crisis, according to UM numbers, consumer confidence never dipped as low as 55. We’re to believe that we are lower now, with the stock market near all-time highs, real estate prices way up, wages increasing and unemployment low. I’m calling BS on this latest fear porn reading. At best, the UM survey merely confirms my fear that this nation has devolved into a pool of way too many whining complainers.

Finally, think $200,000 and $250,000 – The $250,000 is the AVERAGE retirement (401k and IRA) savings of Americans in the 70-plus age group, according to figures as of March 2025 from Fidelity.com. Meanwhile, $200,000 is the MEDIAN number for ages 65-74 according to Kiplinger.com in a December 2025 post. Yes, the age range and report dates are not exactly the same, but it’s safe to say the $50,000 difference is mostly a function of mean vs. average, with the latter often misleading statistically. If we had a group of 5 retirees in any age group and one had $1 million in retirement savings, while the others had $1, $2, $3, and $4, respectively, the average account would be $200,002 — $1,000,010 divided by five — while the mean account would be $3 – half accounts above that number and half below. Statistical outliers provide undue influence on averages.

I’m sorry, time is a finite commodity and so this concludes today’s numbers game.

Eric Swalwell now knows how Clueless Joe Biden felt, both having experienced a time when all their former apologists and blind supporters morphed into a pack of attack dogs coming for them.

Democrats are like that. They are willing to tolerate mental shortcomings, outright crime, lack of character, questionable policy, any number of foibles, until all that threatens an election victory.

Then the trapdoor is pulled. They did it with Biden, anticipating after his disastrous stumble through a debate with Donald Trump that he didn’t have a prayer in the 2024 presidential election.

Some have postulated that Joe got the last laugh, pushing Cackling Kamala into the vacuum created by his departure from the race before the Democrat powers behind the throne could get their preferred Biden replacement teed up.

Then, Joe put on that Trump 2024 hat in September in Shanksville, just to stick it in the face of the Cackler and Democrat powerbrokers. Did that hurt Kamala? Probably not as much as her vapid answers to obvious questions, but it didn’t help.

Fast-forward to April 2026 and Democrats and their lapdogs in LameStream media are taking victory laps for forcing Swalwell first to drop out of the governor’s race in California, then to resign his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Forgive me for not buying any of this altruistic BS. Swalwell was heading a Lilliputian field of candidates for governor in California, a group so unimpressive that two Republicans are atop polling in that deep blue state.

Someone had to go and Swallwell (Swelled Balls?) had the alleged baggage that made him the leading candidate to be sacrificed on the altar of Democrat politics.

Now, we hear it was an open secret on Capitol Hill about all the supposed Swalwell indiscretions. Funny, the same people who defended him in the wake of revelations that he’d been in an intimate relation with an alleged Chinese spy (U Bhang Mi?), now were calling for his scalp, at least as far as the California governor race.

They seemed OK with the guy as a House member.

The thinking seemed to be get Swalwell out of that governor chase, divide up his support percentage among the top one or two Democrats, and there was no longer any need to fear the doomsday scenario of two Republicans taking the top two spots and so facing off for the job in the general election, a curious potential result due to California’s bizarre “jungle primary” where primaries no longer are segregated by parties.

Swalwell’s decision also to drop his House seat reportedly comes in anticipation of yet more tawdry accusations coming in the near future. Talk about overkill, if even a fourth of what already has been alleged is true, Swalwell is one horny hypocrite.

Recall how he tried to derail the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh with holier-than-thou rhetoric. Seems a bit ironic these days.

Biden has been reduced to an historic political afterthought by Democrats turning on him, left to try to raise funds for a presidential library that more and more seems destined to be a bookmobile, and perhaps acting as a promoter and sending out feckless son Hunter to challenge Trump’s sons to a cage match. God, would I love to see that one, against either Trump scion.

As for Swalwell, he can always get a job lobbying for China, or running his mouth as an anti-Trump type on any of those Libtard cable “news” channels. They don’t seem to have a problem with checkered pasts of their hosts.

But, Swalwell is not going to be governor of any state, or even a member of the U.S. House any longer. And for that we all can be grateful.

It has been another week of widespread insanity, both geopolitical and economic, which cries out for an edition of News and Views. We answer that need.

NEWS: Four British hikers were arrested after illegally entering Maine from Canada in April.

VIEWS: Would it surprise you to learn that three of the four men were named Mohammed and the fourth, Ibrahim Ayyub? They claimed they were lost, a claim debunked by their own GoPro camera recording celebrating having reached the U.S. The group was spotted and reported by maple sugar workers due to their unusual presence on this isolated road, along with a parked vehicle which turned out to have transported them to the scene. When officials approached two occupants of this car, one reportedly reached under the seat where a 9mm handgun resided. And you thought sealing the Mexican border solved all our problems with illegals.

NEWS: A pastor in England has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter after a baptism resulted in a man drowning.

VIEWS: At first this smacks of more anti-Christian governmental over-reach. But, following a quick read of the story, the charges seem warranted. According to a report in The Telegraph, the baptism was being live-streamed on the church’s Facebook page, then cut off, and since has been removed. But the pastor recorded a video later that she saw the victim in Heaven “dancing with Jesus.”

NEWS: Four women have come forward accusing Democrat House member and would be California governor Eric Swalwell of sexual assault.

VIEWS: Swalwell (Swelled Balls?) denies it all, but there is a wave erupting among the Democrat hierarchy urging Swalwell to drop out of the governor’s race. How about leaving Congress? Maybe he can rent space in the bunker Clueless Joe Biden hid in during the 2020 presidential campaign? And we wonder if his former Chinese concubine and alleged spy (U Bangh Mi?) is jealous of these other women?

NEWS: The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the United States sent two guided missile destroyers through the Strait of Hormuz Saturday in a “freedom-of-navigation” mission. The same report said the transit occurred without any issues.

VIEW: Predictably, a “senior Iranian military official,” not named Baghdad Bob, rushed to a microphone to deny the report and instead insist any U.S. ship would be targeted within 30 minutes of attempting such a maneuver. There also was a claim that an American warship immediately turned back after the warning. No doubt, deranged leftists will accept the Iran version of events. I’m thinking the ships did sail through unmolested. I’m also buying President Trump’s report of efforts beginning to clear underwater mines from the area, helping our ungrateful NATO partners.

NEWS: A recent New York Times headline posited the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) without America.

VIEWS: It was yet another glaring gaffe for the once-proud newspaper. NATO is the North ATLANTIC Treaty organization, you arrogant arbiters of the truth. At least the Times is not (yet) as bad as CNN, which added to its credibility hits by proclaiming leftist actor and general all-around political whiner Michael J. Fox had died. This came as news to Fox, on par with his shock when Trump won, and then won again. Hang in there, Michael J., you can be sure of at least two things. First, Trump will not again run for president or win. Second, you, like all of us, eventually will die.

To put a twist on a popular scene from the movie When Harry Met Sally, I DON’T want what the leftist Democrat politicians, their sycophantic stooges in LameStream media, and the libtard members of the population are having.

If you missed the movie, Sally (as played by Meg Ryan) demonstrates to Harry (Billy Crystal) how easy it for women to fake orgasms, at a table in a crowded deli, no less. Amidst much panting, screaming, and pounding of the table, Sally makes her point. An older woman at another table tells the waiter she’ll have what Sally was having.

It was amusing. Once. In a movie. But what passes for the Democrat Party these days moves from fake orgasm to fake orgasm repeatedly in the attempt to gin up hatred for President Trump among the populace. It’s not funny, more like sickening.

Their breathless histrionics, their pearl-clutching, their affected vapors almost always have zero basis in fact. They latch onto some word, some meaningless act, and devolve into hysteria.

Trump uses harsh language to get the attention of Iran leadership, noting either they come to the peace table or he can blow up bridges, power plants and other infrastructure to end, effectively, their “civilization.”

Oh, how these hyperbolic types latched onto that, claiming it meant Trump planed to kill 90 million Iranians, give or take.

Hey, morons, the word “civilization” is defined as referring to “human social and cultural development and organization” according to an online definition found using the Bing search engine.

Take away the electricity, the ability to get around using bridges, the political leadership and you have pushed that “civilization” back, as Trump noted to the Stone Ages. You don’t need to kill all the people to neuter a civilization.

Repeat, you haven’t killed all the people, merely removed their systems of a civilization.

Yet these vapid types say Trump would commit a war crime by bombing infrastructure. Somehow, they didn’t feel that was the case in 1999 when Bubba Clinton was blowing up Serbian power plants, bridges, oil facilities and water supplies to win a war.

These leftists also took a pass on decrying the actions of Barack Hussein Obama when he blew up ISIS oil infrastructure in Syria and Iraq and bragged out it.

Ah, but neither was Trump. Instead, they were leftists and everyone knows there is a double standard on such things.

It’s sickening to watch these opportunistic Democrats go overboard emotionally in their desperate attempt to take attention away from their coddling of criminals and illegal immigrants (often the same thing), rampant fraud in Democrat social programs, increasing evidence of voter fraud in past elections, and a general lurch toward socialism that the elders of the party seem unwilling or unable to staunch.

You want to talk about war crimes, you hyperventilating baboons, how about the Iran regime chanting for most of five decades death to America and death to Israel?

Our population is estimated at about 340 million, likely with another 20 or 30 million illegals that Clueless Joe and his fellow porous-border Democrats allowed into the country, and are trying to prevent ICE from deporting because, hey, they vote Democrat.

Israel’s population is a reported 9.5 million. So, if Iran got its wish of death to the United States and Israel, that’s 350 million or so dead – legal citizenry.

Do Democrats and their propagandists in the news call Iran leadership war criminals? Of course not. It doesn’t fit their agenda.

Everything’s an existential crisis to these fools, except when it really is.

And I’m left to wonder how these gutless, hyperbolic types would react if they actually faced existential danger, perhaps one of their illegal immigrant criminals aiming a handgun right between their eyes from close range.

I’m thinking they might get religion in that case, albeit likely too late.

Iran remains defiant, refusing a ceasefire offer, and I am reminded of Japan, just before the end of World War II.

No, Trump isn’t going to order an atomic bomb be dropped on Tehran. At least, I don’t think he will. But, I do expect him to follow through on promises to destroy Iran’s infrastructure, likely killing citizens in the process if Iran doesn’t meet his deadline to re-open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic.

Back when schools in this country taught history, we learned of things such as the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

There were few bleeding hearts among the populace when I was in elementary school, or junior high, but since then I have seen the usual suspects berate the United States for using its superior weaponry to force Japan to drop the belligerent posturing and accept the reality of defeat.

These critics don’t buy the assertion of President Harry S. Truman that using the bomb actually saved lives on both sides, including those of American soldiers who would have been lost had the United States been forced to invade mainland Japan and conquer it.

They also chose to ignore the warnings — many of them – sent by the Americans to the Japanese. President Truman, a Democrat sounding a lot like President Trump of current days, told the Japanese in what has come to be known as the Potsdam Declaration to surrender unconditionally or face “prompt and utter destruction.” This was July 1945.

Emperor Hirohito, like current Iranian leadership, didn’t take the threat seriously. He did after atomic bombs obliterated two of his cities in August 1945.

The United States warnings did not stop with the Potsdam Declaration. Leaflets were reported to have been dropped on numerous Japan cities, including Hiroshima and Nagasaki, before the blasts, warning residents to evacuate cities that were facing destruction.

Quibblers note the leaflets didn’t specify Hiroshima or Nagasaki and didn’t include other details. This reminds me of the current microphone jockeys who delight in asking Trump to share battle plan specifics with them, in advance. This idiocy amuses Trump. I’m not sure Truman was ever asked such insipid questions. If he had been, I suspect his response might have been strident.

The leaflets dropped in Japan also suggested citizens rise up to oust war-mongering leadership.

Suddenly, 2026 sounds a lot like 1945.

And, as an ironic side note, both Presidents’ last names begin T-R-U-M. Interesting.

It was with intent that I avoided Sunday cable news shows this morning, not wishing to put an early damper on my Easter.

This way, I got to avoid the anticipated gaggle of leftist stooges from Congress, or the LameStream media, and assorted RINOs showing up on my TV and screaming how President Trump had violated his no-boots-on-the-ground promise regarding Iran by sending in special forces to rescue a downed airman.

Would these vacuous types be capable of such political opportunism? Have you been paying attention through the 30-plus days of this “endless” war, how they seemingly root for our failure? There’s your answer.

Ironically, my escapism into the world of Leave It To Beaver reruns brought me the tail end of an episode in which Beaver and Wally got a horse from a carnival and father Ward ended up paying a farmer to keep it, since the town of Mayfield didn’t allow horses to in the Cleaver’s neighborhood. The boys previously had sold the horse to a guy from a glue factory, but realized their error and canceled the transaction.

The irony came in the following episode regarding Ward’s service in World War II, when he had been in the Seabees (Construction Battalion). Beaver went looking in Ward’s army footlocker for guns and grenades, but instead found a T-square and surveyor’s transit.

This was tough stuff for the kid, who had been bragging in school about his war hero father.

While Ward and his wife June were discussing the matter in general terms, since they did not yet know the details, Ward was planning to ignore it and told June “never trouble trouble ’til trouble troubles you.”

This works for father figures in traditional sitcoms. It doesn’t work (despite many tries by Clueless Joe and Barack Hussein) when you are president of these United States.

Presidents need to be decisive. Trump is just that.

Reportedly, it was Trump who gave the initial OK to put boots on the ground for the rescue mission, as he since has made clear on social media and at least one interview.

The situation was uncertain when I went to bed last night, including stories of intense firefights with Iran forces, some Iran citizens helping hide/locate the guy and others looking to cash in a bounty from the disintegrating Iran government for his capture.

An account of the rescue of this weapons officer from a downed fighter plane (the pilot had been rescued previously) told of the injured airman hiking up a 7,000-foot peak, perhaps having the CIA being involved in aiding him with ground assets, and, finally a commando team being inserted to facilitate his rescue.

Even that was complicated when two transport planes “got stuck” in sand at a remote Iran base and three replacements had to fly in to remove the personnel. The “stuck” planes were destroyed on the ground, lest Iran grab them and benefit from examining them.

Trump noted – correctly – that it was net another brilliant effort by our military, with zero U.S. casualties.

It’s an uplifting story on this most special Christian holiday, no matter how leftists might try to propagandize it.

Inspiration is where you find it. Example: The inspiration for this blog post on names came while watching the Minnesota Twins play baseball the other day.

On that Twins roster was outfielder James Outman. Out Man, an ironic name for a player of a game which is delineated in outs made. If you are the out man, making outs whenever and wherever, well, that’s not a good thing, at least when you are batting.

It’s sort of like former Pirates pitcher Bob Walk. Pitchers strive mightily not to dispense walks, the so-called free passes that so often come back to bite. Yet, here was a successful pitcher named Walk.

Some names fit the player and his or her circumstance. Foremost among these is Johnstown’s own Steve Smear, former star defensive lineman at Penn State and in the Canadian Football League. A football defender named Smear, that’s a natural.

With all due respect to Gertrude Stein (A rose is a rose is a rose) and William Shakespeare (A rose by any other name would smell as sweet), sometimes a name does make a difference, either by being the antithesis of the individual’s circumstance, or by affirming it. Either way, it provides amusement.

Sometimes, we just take these oddities for granted. I recall when a sports writer from the Philadelphia area joined the staff at what has become the Johnstown Woke Gazette and he was amused by how many families locally we had named Boring or Dull.

I’d never really thought about it, but he had a point.

And now, let us proceed with a list of my favorite name oddities.

Imagine a placekicker named Blew It(t). Pitt had one, Chris Blewitt, from 2013 through 2016. Belying his name, Chris ended his college career second on Pitt’s all-time list for field goals made,.

Sometimes names conspire to provide the amusement. I recall the time in the mid-1960s when the Pirates were playing the Philadelphia Phillies and the bottom of the Phillies batting order, much to the joy of Pirates announcer Bob Prince, was first baseman (Bill) WHITE, shortstop (Bobby) WINE and pitcher (John) BOOZER.

A female swimmer, who won Olympic gold, fittingly was and is named Misty Hyman.

The Pirates had an outfielder for a few seasons in the late 1930s named Johnny Dickshot. As if that weren’t bad enough, his self-appointed nickname was “Ugly.”

Outfielder Milton Bradley played in the Major Leagues for more than a decade beginning in 2000, but was more notable for his off-field legal problems and on-field gaffes, the latter including the time he threw a live ball into the stands thinking he’d recorded the third out of the inning. Blame the parents, perhaps, for sticking him with the name of the famous game company. Perhaps if they’d gone with Hasbro, or Mattel it would have worked out better?

Fair Hooker was a poor wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns in the early 1970s, recording just 129 catches in five seasons.

General Booty (General Axel Booty, actually), whose name sounds like a 101 level class in Gender Studies, is a vagabond of a quarterback. He is reported to have attended four high schools (two each in California and Texas), one junior college and two colleges (including Oklahoma for two seasons). Current whereabouts are unknown.

Last, because it’s nearly lunch time, we have Coy Bacon, the pass-rushing defensive end Steelers fans might recall from his multiple seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals in the late 1970s. His given name was Lander McCoy Bacon, shortened to Coy.

Bacon survived a drug-related shooting in 1986 that left him critically injured and became a born-again Christian. If he had a sense of humor, considering his last name, he’d have become a Muslim.