You stub your toe on the bedpost. Before your brain even registers the pain, a word explodes from your mouth — sharp, loud and oddly satisfying. Far from being a simple slip in manners, swearing is a reflex rooted deep in the structure of the human body, drawing on networks in the brain and autonomic nervous system that evolved to help us survive pain and shock.

Research shows that a well-placed expletive can dull pain, regulate the heart and help the body recover from stress. The occasional outburst, it seems, isn’t a moral failure — it’s a protective reflex wired into us.

The impulse to swear begins far below the level of conscious speech. Most everyday language originates in the cerebral cortex, where ideas are shaped into words. Swearing, however, lights up a much older network — the limbic system, which governs emotion, memory and survival responses. […]

Recent research shows that swearing can actually change how much pain people can handle. A 2024 review looked at studies on swearing’s pain-reducing effects and found consistent evidence that people who repeated taboo words could keep their hands in icy water significantly longer than those who repeated neutral words.

Another 2024 report found that swearing can also increase physical strength during certain tasks, further supporting the idea that the body’s response is real rather than merely psychological. 

This suggests that the body’s reflexive vocalisation – the curse word – triggers more than just emotional release. One possible explanation is that a burst of automatic bodily arousal activates natural pain-control systems, releasing endorphins and enkephalins and helping people tolerate discomfort better.

What is less clear is the exact pathway – whether the effect is purely physiological or partly psychological, involving reduced self-consciousness, increased confidence, or distraction from pain. Importantly, the effect seems strongest among people who do not habitually swear, suggesting that novelty or emotional charge plays a key role.

Swearing also helps the body recover from sudden stress. When shocked or hurt, the hypothalamus and pituitary release adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream, preparing the body to react. If this energy surge isn’t released, the nervous system can remain in a heightened state, linked to anxiety, sleep difficulties, weakened immunity and extra strain on the heart.

Studies of heart-rate variability – small changes between heartbeats controlled by the vagus nerve – show that swearing may cause a quick rise in stress, then a faster return to calm. This bounce-back, driven by the vagus nerve’s effect on the heart, helps the body settle down more quickly than if you held the words in.

What is less clear is the exact pathway – whether the effect is purely physiological or partly psychological, involving reduced self-consciousness, increased confidence, or distraction from pain. Importantly, the effect seems strongest among people who do not habitually swear, suggesting that novelty or emotional charge plays a key role.

Swearing also helps the body recover from sudden stress. When shocked or hurt, the hypothalamus and pituitary release adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream, preparing the body to react. If this energy surge isn’t released, the nervous system can remain in a heightened state, linked to anxiety, sleep difficulties, weakened immunity and extra strain on the heart.

Studies of heart-rate variability – small changes between heartbeats controlled by the vagus nerve – show that swearing may cause a quick rise in stress, then a faster return to calm. This bounce-back, driven by the vagus nerve’s effect on the heart, helps the body settle down more quickly than if you held the words in.

Viewed anatomically, swearing is one of several reflexive vocal acts – alongside gasping, laughing, and shouting – shaped by ancient neural circuits. Other primates produce sharp calls under pain or threat, activating the same midbrain regions that fire when humans swear.

That emotional charge is what gives profanity its potency. The taboo word bridges mind and body, giving shape and sound to visceral experience. When released at the right moment, it is the nervous system expressing itself, a primal and protective reflex that has endured through evolution.

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Michelle Spear is Professor of Anatomy at University of Bristol. This article was originally published by The Conversation.

“The best way to guarantee a loss is to quit.” The best lessons in life are often the simplest, and this quote by Morgan Freeman proves exactly that. At first glance, it sounds almost obvious, yet the more you think about it, the deeper it becomes. We all face moments where giving up feels easier than pushing forward. This quote gently but firmly reminds us that quitting removes any chance of success before it even has time to arrive. Its message is clear, practical, and deeply human. This quote speaks to anyone who has ever struggled, failed, or doubted themselves. Whether in personal goals, careers, relationships, or creative pursuits, Freeman’s words highlight a universal truth: persistence is the gateway to possibility. You don’t need guaranteed success; just the courage to keep going.

About Morgan Freeman (A Living Icon)

Morgan Freeman is very much alive and continues to inspire millions across the world. Born in 1937, he is one of the most respected actors, narrators, and cultural figures in American history. Known for his calm voice, thoughtful presence, and powerful performances, Freeman has portrayed characters who embody wisdom, resilience, and moral strength. Beyond acting, Morgan Freeman is admired for his outlook on life. His interviews and public statements often carry simple yet profound truths about perseverance, growth, and responsibility. This quote reflects the same philosophy he has embodied throughout his decades-long career. Freeman didn’t achieve overnight success; his rise came after years of persistence, rejection, and hard work, making this quote not just advice, but a lived experience.

Understanding the Core Meaning of the Quote

“The best way to guarantee a loss is to quit”, points out a fact we often ignore: failure is only permanent when we stop trying. Loss is not always about falling short: it’s about removing the possibility of winning altogether. Every goal carries uncertainty. Success is never promised, but quitting guarantees one outcome: you won’t succeed. Freeman’s words shift the focus away from fear of failure and toward commitment. As long as you stay in the game, there is always a chance, no matter how small, that things can change.

What Does This Quote Suggest?

This quote suggests that perseverance is more valuable than talent, timing, or luck. It teaches us that effort creates opportunity, while quitting destroys it. Even when progress feels slow or invisible, continuing forward keeps doors open. In business, this mindset is critical. Entrepreneurs who quit at the first setback never learn what might have worked next. In careers, people who give up after rejection miss the opportunity to grow stronger and more skilled. On a personal level, quitting on yourself often leads to regret rather than relief. The quote also suggests emotional resilience. It doesn’t deny hardship; instead, it acknowledges struggle while offering a simple rule: don’t walk away too soon. Success often arrives after most people decide to stop trying.

Why This Quote Resonates in Everyday Life

What makes this quote so powerful is its relatability. Everyone has felt discouraged. Everyone has faced a moment where quitting seemed logical. Freeman’s words don’t shame that feeling—they simply show the consequence of acting on it. In fitness, learning, relationships, or creative work, progress rarely looks dramatic at first. This quote reminds us that consistency, not perfection, leads to results. You don’t have to win today, you just have to stay. It also encourages patience. Growth is rarely linear. Setbacks are not signs to stop; they are signals to adjust and continue.

Applying the Quote to Modern Challenges

In today’s fast-paced world, quitting has become easier than ever. We’re used to instant results, quick wins, and immediate feedback. Freeman’s quote challenges that mindset. It asks us to value long-term effort over short-term comfort. For professionals and creators, this quote is a call to resilience. Algorithms change. Markets shift. Rejection happens. But staying committed keeps momentum alive. Persistence compounds, even when results aren’t immediately visible.

When Quitting Feels Like the Only Option

There will be moments when continuing feels exhausting. This quote doesn’t say “rest” or “never change direction”, it simply warns against giving up entirely. There’s a difference between pausing and quitting. One allows growth; the other closes the door. Sometimes, the bravest choice is not to push harder, but to refuse to walk away from your potential. Staying in the game doesn’t guarantee success, but it guarantees something equally important: possibility. As long as you haven’t quit, your story isn’t over. And often, that’s where real success begins. Morgan Freeman’s quote isn’t about pressure; it’s about hope. A reminder that as long as you keep going, loss is never final.

Donald Trump’s desire for Greenland is not just about access to oil, minerals and control of the new strategic and commercial corridors opening in the region. It’s also about data. Specifically, the most important data in the world.

For decades, Pituffik Space Base – formerly Thule – in Greenland has been central to US space defense and Arctic strategy. It’s the US military’s only base above the Arctic Circle and their most northerly deep-water port and airstrip. It’s home to the 12th Space Warning Squadron. Its massive AN/FPS-132 radar has 240 degrees of coverage surveying the Arctic Ocean and Russia’s northern coast, especially the Kola peninsula where it has concentrated its strategic nuclear weapons.

The high north is on the approach route for Russia’s ballistic missiles as they head for the US mainland. When a Russian rocket blasts off, especially if unannounced, Pituffik reacts to data from the Air Force’s Space Based Infrared System, which detects the rocket’s heat signature from its engines during take-off.

It then reconfigures the radar to track it, sending real-time reports to the US Combined Space Operations Center at Vandenburg Air Force Base in California, as well as the Missile Warning Center in Colorado Springs. Every day, Pituffik also tracks hundreds of satellites: Russian, and the increasingly sophisticated orbital manoeuvres of the Chinese.

Donald Trump recently posted on social media that Greenland is “vital for the Golden Dome we are building” – referring to his enormous defense project against space weapons and ballistic weapons. Pituffik will be at the front line of the Dome and duly upgraded in the next few years. It will provide an outer shield and important extra time and data for ground and space-based interceptors.

In March last year, Vice President J.D. Vance, who two months before hosted the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers in Washington, visited Pituffik. Soon after his trip, the commander of the station, Colonel Susannah Meyers, was fired, reportedly for distancing herself from Vance’s criticisms of Denmark’s handling of Greenland’s security.

The base is run by the US, but the Danish flag flies over it. Visitors can see it is functional but run down. At the same time, China and Russia are currently refurbishing old oilfields and infrastructure, radars and sensors in the region. Pituffik used to be assigned to US European Command but was last year reassigned to US Northern Command, an indication that the island is seen as a growing part of homeland defense.

And Pituffik is not the only high-latitude space base that is vital to the US, and indeed the West. Svalbard is a Norwegian island chain 600 miles north of Norway’s most northernmost city Tromsø. It is the world’s most important space base, providing ground services to more satellites than any other facility on Earth. If you control space, you control the Earth, and this time Russia is already there. The US believes that nobody will fight them if they move on Greenland. Europe has said it will be the end of NATO. This is just what Russia wants, and it’s got its eyes on Svalbard.

Polar ground stations are the only places where satellites in certain vital orbits can downlink their data and receive commands on every lap of the Earth. They are important to gather data for science and weather forecasting, and internet traffic generally relies on the satellite infrastructure in Svalbard.

The Svalbard Treaty of 1920 between Norway and Russia gives sovereignty to Norway, but gives Russia rights to settlements there. The treaty bans military fortifications and activities on Svalbard, but satellite data of almost any kind can have dual use: for example, the weather over Ukraine and its internet traffic have military significance. While Svalbard doesn’t work directly with military satellites, other ground stations in northern Norway do, connecting with satellites that do military communications and missile warning.

In its early years such data had to be shipped out on magnetic tape, but since the early 2000s the island has been linked to mainland Norway with an undersea data cable that, along with a second cable, sends valuable data to the continent and provides the internet to the island.

In January 2022, one of the cables was cut. For 11 days the island ran on just one communications line. Some investigators suggest it was accidental, possibly due to a dragging anchor from a fishing boat, but inevitably suspicion turned on Russia. A Russian trawler passed over the cable’s path more than 20 times in the days before the cut. Svalbard has workarounds for such a situation, but it still resulted in delays of several hours which can affect weather predictions. Just last month, Finnish authorities accused Russian ships of severing a cable in the Baltic Sea.

Norway’s sovereignty over the archipelago allows people from other national signatories to live and work as full residents without visas. There are hundreds of Russian citizens among its population of 3,000.

In 2023, some Russian residents staged a military-style parade in two Svalbard settlements. Men in Army green flew in a Mi-8 helicopter after a “navy parade” in the waters off Svalbard the previous year. In 2023, a group led by a prominent Russian bishop erected a 20ft Orthodox cross, with a ribbon supporting the war in Ukraine. The subtle undermining of the treaty is underway. Russian officials have questioned Norway’s sovereignty over the island prompting the Norwegian government to increase its presence on the archipelago.

As it is in Greenland, so it is in the European Arctic. The US Space Force’s Space Development Agency is constructing a satellite ground station on the island of Andøya, alongside an existing Norwegian military installation, to communicate with and control a constellation of satellites carrying out missile tracking and weapons targeting. The US and Norway recently launched Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission to maintain contact with military facilities in the High North.

The scenario concerning analysts is what would happen if Russia made a move on Svalbard, citing a possible Trump military move on Greenland as justification to protect its own national assets. Moscow can clearly portray America’s activities as looking for provocation, while positioning itself as the defender of the Svalbard Treaty. It’s unlikely that Russia would occupy the main settlement, but it could start expanding its loss-making mining colony at Barentsburg and smuggling in equipment.

Russia would also be able to jam and spoof the satellites Svalbard maintains links with, and in so doing disrupt global communications. Given Russia’s stalemate in Ukraine, a move against Svalbard makes much more sense than moving against the Baltic States.

An invasion is not seen as militarily possible, and even without a NATO response the combined Scandinavian forces are impressive. But in many ways Svalbard is a modern-day Thermopylae – a vulnerable pinch point for information. It’s also been called NATO’s Achilles’ Heel.

Unhinged, intellectually illiterate lesbian Communists attacking brave American soldiers on American soil, and then applauded for it by half the country. Would Jefferson, Franklin, Washington and Madison have believed it?

The Federal ICE presence in Minneapolis is now five times the size of the Minneapolis police force. The radical totalitarian leftist mayor of Minneapolis screams about this like it’s a bad thing.

To my knowledge, nothing like this has ever happened in American history before — except between the years of 1861-1865.

Has it occurred to anyone else that Civil War II has already begun?

Michael J. Hurd, Daily Dose of Reason

EUREKA, Kan. (KWCH/Gray News) — Parents at an elementary school in Kansas are upset after students were reportedly told that they were not allowed to list President Donald Trump or late conservative activist Charlie Kirk as their role models for an assignment.

The situation happened at Marshall Elementary School in Eureka, Kansas, in October. A formal complaint said the incident only recently came to light because students were originally instructed not to tell their parents about what happened.

The American Center for Law & Justice, described as “a politically conservative, Christian-based legal organization,” has filed a civil rights complaint with the school.

The organization said it is representing a parent and a student in the case.

The complaint filed Tuesday accuses the district and Marshall Elementary School of religious discrimination, political or viewpoint discrimination, violation of free speech rights and retaliation.

The complaint said a school guidance counselor gave sixth-grade students an assignment called “Find Your Voice,” in which the students were asked to identify their role models.

“When a student identified Charlie Kirk as a role model, [the guidance counselor] got very uncomfortable and refused to allow this name to be written on the board, yelling that he was ‘not a hero,’ and that he was not a role model,” the complaint read.

When another student chose Trump as their role model, the guidance counselor reportedly had the same response.

When another student selected President Donald J. Trump as a role model, [the guidance counselor] reiterated her prohibition even more angrily, stating that students could not write political or religious figures on the board, and in fact excluded political and religious topics altogether,” the complaint read.

A parent told KWCH that another student chose Jesus as their role model and that the guidance counselor did not allow this either.

However, the guidance counselor reportedly allowed other “controversial figures” to be listed as heroes, though it’s unclear who they were.

The American Center for Law & Justice argued that “the selective prohibition created immediate confusion among students about whose voices were valued and whose were not.”

The group also called out the school’s response to what happened, saying that administrators claimed that prohibiting political and religious figures from being discussed in the activity was in the name of being “inclusive and neutral.”

The American Center for Law & Justice also took issue with an alleged instruction for students to bring concerns to teachers or the principal, not to their parents.

“This directive, instructing children not to report concerns to their parents … violates fundamental principles of parental rights, educational ethics and child safety,” the group said.

The Eureka school board reportedly addressed the issue during a Dec. 8 meeting.

However, the American Center for Law & Justice said that “no public response was provided, no corrective action has been announced, and the violations continue to remain unaddressed.”

“Our client has been forced to withdraw her children rather than continue to subject them to these practices,” the group said.

Rep. Ron Estes, representing Kansas’ 4th Congressional District that includes Eureka, called the situation “alarming.”

“Schools shouldn’t be a place where a teacher’s political beliefs are forced onto students. This is a violation of their constitutional rights and does not represent Kansas schools’ fundamental principles … I do not condone this type of political censorship in any school,” Estes said in a statement, in part.

Marshall Elementary School Principal Stacy Coulter said she was aware of the incident but was unable to provide many details for privacy reasons.

“We are aware of this incident and are always working with families and our school staff to make sure every learning activity is a positive and encouraging experience for every student,” Coulter said. “We are unable to comment on the individuals involved because of our commitment to the privacy of our students and employees. This information is also protected by confidentiality laws.”

Copyright 2026 KWCH via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Trump confirmed on social media that Machado had left the medal for him to keep, saying it was an honour to meet her.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Thursday presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump at the White House, in an unusual move for a winner of the world’s most coveted peace award.

“I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize,” Machado told reporters as she departed the White House.

Trump confirmed on social media that Machado had left the medal for him to keep, and he said it was an honour to meet her.

“She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done,” Trump said in his post. “Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María.”

The White House subsequently shared a picture of Machado holding the medal in a big frame while standing next to Trump in the Oval Office.

The framed medal states that it was presented to Trump “as a personal symbol of gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan people in recognition of President Trump’s principled and decisive action to secure a free Venezuela.”

“She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done,” Trump said in his post. “Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María.”

The White House subsequently shared a picture of Machado holding the medal in a big frame while standing next to Trump in the Oval Office.

The framed medal states that it was presented to Trump “as a personal symbol of gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan people in recognition of President Trump’s principled and decisive action to secure a free Venezuela.”

Thursday’s meeting between Trump and Machado took place as acting President Delcy Rodríguez delivered her first State of the Union speech in Caracas, and just as US forces in the Caribbean Sea seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says had ties to Venezuela.

Thursday’s meeting between Trump and Machado took place as acting President Delcy Rodríguez delivered her first State of the Union speech in Caracas, and just as US forces in the Caribbean Sea seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says had ties to Venezuela.

Jeremiah Fisayo-Bambi, Euronews

NewsWorldUSA

Venezuela’s Machado presents Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize during White House meeting

Copyright The White House

By Jeremiah Fisayo-Bambi

Published on 16/01/2026 – 8:00 GMT+1 •Updated 9:28

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Trump confirmed on social media that Machado had left the medal for him to keep, saying it was an honour to meet her.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Thursday presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump at the White House, in an unusual move for a winner of the world’s most coveted peace award.

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Machado’s gesture to Trump followed a series of developments in Venezuela after a blitz US military raid captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife and brought them to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges two weeks ago.

During the visit, Machado gave Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal “as a recognition for his unique commitment to our freedom,” she told reporters outside the US Capitol on Thursday.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gestures to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with Donald Trump Thursday. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Copyright 2026 The AP. All rights reserved.

“I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize,” Machado told reporters as she departed the White House.

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Trump confirmed on social media that Machado had left the medal for him to keep, and he said it was an honour to meet her.

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“She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done,” Trump said in his post. “Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María.”

The White House subsequently shared a picture of Machado holding the medal in a big frame while standing next to Trump in the Oval Office.

The framed medal states that it was presented to Trump “as a personal symbol of gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan people in recognition of President Trump’s principled and decisive action to secure a free Venezuela.”

ROWLING CALLS OUT ACTIVISTS

NEWSMAX reports: “British author J.K. Rowling on Sunday accused Western human rights activists of hypocrisy, arguing that movements quick to condemn Israel and the West have largely ignored mass protests in Iran.

“In a post on X that quickly went viral, Rowling said activists who claim to defend human rights have exposed their true priorities by remaining silent as Iranians risk their lives demanding basic freedoms under the country’s Islamic government.

“‘If you claim to support human rights yet can’t bring yourself to show solidarity with those fighting for their liberty in Iran you’ve revealed yourself,’ Rowling wrote. ‘You don’t give a damn about people being oppressed and brutalised so long as it’s being done by the enemies of your enemies.’”

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“Those who seek to control others are the ones who most need to be controlled.”

— Plato

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“If printing money would end poverty, printing diplomas would end stupidity.”

— Javier Milei

Michael J. Hurd, Daily Dose of Reason

For months now, far-left activists across America have been gathering in groups, seeking out locations where federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers (known as ICE) are conducting raids, hunting down and arresting criminal aliens who are in the country illegally.

They then swarm the ICE action, blowing whistles, yelling and chanting to alert anyone whom the agents might be after, in hopes that the criminals can escape. They frequently use their cars, vans and SUVs in an attempt to block roadways or driveways so that the ICE agents can’t get through, and recently, they’ve even gone so far as to use their own vehicles to ram the agents’ vehicles, or to threaten to run down the agents themselves.

The practice came to a very public head on January 7, when Renee Nicole Macklin Good, an alleged poet and professional leftist activist, tried to run down an agent in the middle of a Minneapolis street, and the agent responded the only way he could to the oncoming vehicle.

The demonic look of glee on her face – as she turned her SUV toward him and hit the accelerator – makes the videos of this incident especially painful to watch; hearing her “wife” egging her on, with the words “Drive, Baby, Drive!” tells us more than we ever wanted to know about the mentality of these radical bands of rent-a-marxists, mobilized at a moment’s notice and given directions, picket signs, and marching orders.

What we have long suspected about these incidents is finally being broadly reported: that these are not organic groups of neighbors, upset at the prospect of the federal government arresting the criminals in their midst.

Rather, these are members of a huge pool of trained – and often compensated – activists, who have drunk the Kool-Aid of the Left, and happily believe everything their trainers tell them, things that we sane and normal onlookers would recognize as a pack of lies in an instant.

Their organizers tell them that ICE has headed somewhere to raid an apartment complex, or business, or shelter, or whatever – so they should rush over there and stage a “protest,” which they define as being a time to harass the agents, to make noise, to use their cars as obstacles, and so forth.

Do the organizers directly tell their foot soldiers that such action is legal? That’s not always clear, but judging from the activists’ action, and from their often obviously absolute confidence when on video or microphone, the activists certainly seem to believe that their actions are perfectly legal.

They arrive at these incidents to cause trouble, as much trouble as possible, with the object of rendering the raids unsuccessful, so that the targeted criminals can get away. They claim to believe that ICE is after innocent families, pure as the driven snow, who are here legally and shouldn’t be “kidnapped” by the feds.

And they appear to believe their mayors’ and congressmen’s rants that the ICE agents are conducting illegal actions.

And they believe that their own actions, their efforts to obstruct these apprehensions, are totally legal, and are protected by the First Amendment protections of the freedoms of speech and assembly.

There’s just one big problem with all that:

Virtually everything they believe – everything they have been told by their superiors, everything they’ve heard on the news and internet, everything they’ve told each other in their excitement to be part of this “resistance” – is a lie.

ICE is there to apprehend violators of federal law, generally not only border jumping but also drug crimes and other serious felonies like human trafficking, child abuse, and interstate gang activity. That’s who ICE is going after.

You might also like Ted Dabrowski Pivoting From Property Taxes to Crime After Poll Shows Him Trailing by 26 Points Pro-Life Leader David Smith Endorses Dabrowski Even as Pro-Choice Democrat Donors Linked to Pritzker, Johnson Bankroll His Campaign Tribal Coalition Seeks Balanced Oversight as Childcare Funding Delays Hit Rural Communities Of course these ICE actions are legal. What’s illegal are the sanctuary policies that so many cities and states have put in place to oppose ICE, without any authority whatsoever to do so; federal law about federal crimes obviously overrules illegal, contradictory state laws and local ordinances.

Yes, there is a right to protest government policy, but that right is limited to normal, legitimate political protests: a rally at the town square, a march in front of a capital, the publication of articles and brochures, etc. That’s not what these “ICE-Watchers” are doing.

What these radical activists are doing, in truth, is obstructing federal law enforcement in the process of arresting criminals. They are aiding and abetting criminals who are resisting and escaping arrest. They are making themselves accessories to the criminals’ escape attempts.

Not only is there no First Amendment protection for any of this at all, in fact, it is specifically illegal, in any state, in any way, for people to get in the way of law enforcement officers who are in the process of catching and arresting suspects.

This shouldn’t be hard to figure out. We should really know from childhood that you mustn’t interfere when law enforcement is doing their job of arresting people, not only because it’s illegal, but because it’s dangerous; you can get in the crossfire, you can get other people in the crossfire, you can get hurt or killed yourself (as Ms. Good discovered when she aimed her 5000 lb vehicle at a federal agent and hit the gas).

Our society needs to figure out why so many thousands of people think it’s okay to deviate from the knowledge of a lifetime of experience, and harass law enforcement officers doing important and dangerous work.

Is it perhaps because their bosses, the radical organizations run by George Soros, the DNC, and other such moneyed interests, have fed them a pack of lies in order to get these things to escalate into bloodshed?

If you want to protest government policy, there IS a path to do so. You can stage rallies downtown, or in front of the state capitol building, or in front of city hall. Sometimes it takes a permit, sometimes it doesn’t; stay off the street and don’t disturb traffic or block the sidewalks or doors, and you’ll usually be fine. You can even get TV coverage.

But it is never – NEVER – acceptable to just “declare a protest” in front of an active law enforcement action, and attempt to disable the law enforcement community in their process of catching criminals.

These activists have been committing hundreds, even thousands, of felonies per day, for quite a while now, and ICE has been lenient with them until now.

But they’ve gone too far, and the word is, now that they’re getting people killed, ICE is finally going to crack down, as they probably should have done long ago.

The place for a protest is City Hall or the local federal building. These ICE-Watchers really aren’t protestors at all; many, if not most, of them are criminals themselves, obstructing federal police business.

Alerting a criminal’s hideout that it’s about to be raided, obstructing law enforcement in the midst of an official ICE action, and using a 5000 lb vehicle as a weapon, are all serious federal offenses.

It’s high time these wannabe revolutionaries are brought to justice.

And maybe it’s time to start investigating the sources and leadership – both the funding and the training – of these mobile bolshevik units as well.

Copyright 2026 John F. Di Leo

John F. Di Leo is a Chicagoland-based trade compliance trainer and transportation manager, writer, and actor. Once a County Chairman of the Milwaukee County Republican Party in the 1990s, after serving as president of the Ethnic American Council in the 1980s, he has been writing regularly for Illinois Review since 2009. Professionally, he is a licensed Customs broker, and has worked in freight forwarding and manufacturing for over forty years. John is available for very non-political training seminars ranging from the Incoterms to the workings of free trade agreements, as well as fiery speeches concerning the political issues covered in his columns.

His book on vote fraud, “The Tales of Little Pavel,” his three-volume political satires of the Biden-Harris regime, “Evening Soup with Basement Joe,” and his 2024 non-fiction work covering the issues of the 2020s, “Current Events and the Issues of Our Age,” are available in eBook or paperback, only on Amazon.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a presidential memorandum directing the U.S. to withdraw from 66 international organizations that the White House said no longer serve American interests.

The White House said the directive orders all executive departments and agencies to stop participating in and funding 35 non-United Nations organizations and 31 U.N. entities that the administration concluded operate contrary to U.S. national interests, security, economic prosperity, or sovereignty.

The White House said the action follows a review of every international intergovernmental organization, convention, and treaty that the U.S. belongs to, funds, or otherwise supports.

The White House said the withdrawals will end American taxpayer funding and involvement in entities it argues advance globalist agendas over U.S. priorities, or address important issues so inefficiently that federal dollars are better spent elsewhere.

In a fact sheet released Wednesday, the White House said many of the targeted bodies promote radical climate policies, global governance, and ideological programs that conflict with U.S. sovereignty and economic strength.

The White House said American taxpayers have spent billions of dollars on such organizations with little return, while some of those groups criticize U.S. policies, advance agendas contrary to American values, or fail to achieve meaningful results despite large budgets.

Congressional Research Service reporting on U.S. contributions to the U.N. system has noted that American support is delivered through assessed dues for the U.N. regular budget and peacekeeping, along with voluntary contributions to agencies, funds, and programs, meaning funding withdrawals can have broad operational impacts even beyond the specific entities targeted.

The memorandum represents the administration’s most expansive pullback to date from multilateral engagement, extending Trump’s long-running argument that international commitments must produce measurable benefits for Americans and must not constrain U.S. decision-making.

The White House said Trump initiated the withdrawal of the U.S. from the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement immediately upon returning to office, framing both steps as necessary to restore national sovereignty over public health and energy policy.

The White House also said Trump notified the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development on day 1 that its global tax deal has no force or effect in the U.S. while directing an investigation into whether foreign tax rules are extraterritorial or disproportionately target American companies.

The administration’s broader posture has included steps to leave or defund politically charged U.N. bodies, including a February 2025 executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the U.N. Human Rights Council and prohibiting any future U.S. funding for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for the Near East.

The White House said Wednesday’s memorandum is designed to save taxpayer money and refocus resources toward America First priorities such as infrastructure, military readiness, and border security, while ending what it views as subsidized hostility toward U.S. interests.

The White House did not immediately provide a detailed public roster of all 66 organizations covered by the withdrawal order, but said agencies have been instructed to wind down participation and funding consistent with the memorandum’s directives.

The administration’s push has drawn objections in prior, similar actions from outside experts and advocacy groups who argue that withdrawing from global institutions can reduce U.S. influence and weaken international coordination on cross-border challenges.

For instance, public health experts warned the administration’s earlier move to pull out of the World Health Organization could weaken U.S. readiness for future outbreaks, with Georgetown University health-law professor Lawrence Gostin telling Kaiser Health News, “It’ll isolate us diplomatically, and it’ll isolate us in pandemic response.”

Amnesty International USA criticized Trump’s decision to withdraw from the U.N. Human Rights Council, with Amnesty’s Amanda Klasing calling it “performative disregard for human rights” in a statement released by the group after the February 2025 order.

Financial analysts have also warned that a sweeping U.S. retreat from multilateral institutions could have consequences beyond diplomacy, with Reuters reporting that S&P Global multilateral-lender analyst Alexander Ekbom said a U.S. withdrawal from the World Bank would be “unprecedented” and could threaten the institution’s top-tier credit ratings.

Supporters of the administration’s approach argue the president is correcting decades of U.S. overcommitment to bureaucratic international bodies that do not serve American workers, taxpayers, or national security.

They argue that in an era of great-power competition, Washington should deploy resources toward bilateral leverage, hard-power deterrence, and direct investment at home rather than underwriting institutions that often turn against U.S. interests.

Critics counter that U.S. exits can reduce America’s ability to shape global standards and norms, while leaving strategic space for rivals to dominate rulemaking in arenas ranging from public health to development policy.

The White House said the withdrawals align with Trump’s longstanding America First doctrine and reflect an effort to ensure every international relationship is judged by outcomes that advance U.S. security, sovereignty, and economic strength.

Implementation now shifts to the federal agencies directed to halt participation and funding, setting up a new phase of scrutiny over which programs are affected, what statutory obligations remain, and how quickly the U.S. can unwind decades of multilateral commitments.

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Some fun facts: 1. The Insurrection Act has been invoked 30 times by 17 different presidents.

2. In fact, 37% of American presidents have invoked the Insurrection Act.

3. It was invoked to deal with rebellions and uprisings. What are rebellions and uprisings? Examples: – Armed groups openly defied federal law – State or local authorities could not or would not enforce federal law – Violence or organized resistance threatened the authority of the federal government – Courts were blocked, taxes couldn’t be collected, or officials were attacked Look I just described Minnesota.

Defiantly Free