The Pro-Russian Nationalists Have Lost the Serbian Parliamentary Elections

 

    The autocratic nationalist far-right ruling party of Serbia has lost power after a student-led anti-corruption party won a majority of votes and seats in the Serbian parliamentary elections today.  As I have posted, Serbia has been pro-Russian, despite recognizing Ukrainian territorial integrity.  The opposition party is pro-European.  Like the defeat of the far-right authoritarian and corrupt ruling party in Hungary earlier this year, the Serbian election removes an ally for the Russian Federation and opens the door to integration with Europe, which leads to more political and economic liberty and less corruption.  It is hoped that the Serbian election results would also reduce tensions between ethnic Serbs and others in Bosnia and Kosovo, now that their nationalist sympathizer in Belgrade is leaving power.

Follow-Up on the Conservative Analysis of the 2026 Republican Primaries Across America

 

    Earlier this month, I posted my analysis of the 2026 Republican primary elections in Pennsylvania and across America.  I noted some instances when a pro-Trump Republican incumbent was successfully challenged by an even more Trumpist candidate because the incumbent mildly criticized Trump on one issue or took a different position or two.  I observed that some of these extreme Trumpist GOP nominees would have difficulty winning election in the 2026 General Election November 3.  

    But a post-primary political observation is worth making.  The Republican United States Representatives and Senators who were defeated in the primaries, like those who are not standing for reelection, no longer have anything to fear politically from Trump and his supporters.  Thus, they have been emboldened to follow their consciences and take more stands against Trump, on issues like the Russo-Ukrainian War and on various domestic matters.  With the two chambers of Congress closely divided and the Republican majority of only a handful of seats in each body, Trump and his GOP supporters in Congress cannot afford such defections, in addition to the handful of members who tend to have non-Trumpist views on various issues.  

    With the legislative session coming soon to an end, this block of non-Trumpists and those who had been targeted by Trump, or who no longer fear him politically ought to continue to use their leverage for good, not only for America, but even for the Republican Party as a matter of honor, as well as for the Legislative Branch as a more effective check on a Chief Executive with autocratic proclivities.  

Columbus Day and Migration

 

    At least like this year, the federal and state holiday of Columbus Day is sometimes observed on October 12, the date of the discovery of the Americas in 1492 by Christopher Columbus.  As I have observed, Washington’s Birthday, the federal holiday that most States call “Presidents’ Day” or something similar, is never observed on George Washington’s birthday.  But as I do every year, today is appropriate to reflect on the significance of this anniversary and holiday.    

    Columbus not only discovered a western and oceanic route to the Americas from the Eastern Hemisphere, but in the name of Spain founded a colony and began the permanent settlement of the Western Hemisphere by Europeans, unlike the temporary and limited settlement by previous Europeans, such as the Vikings on the island of Greenland.  Some of the Native Americans were friendly while others were hostile to the Spanish and other Europeans who later colonized the Americas.  The Europeans purchased or bartered for some of the Native Americans’ land rights in North America.  But there was some resistance to European migration and settlement, particularly among some of the Eastern Woodland Indigenous Peoples, which led to violent conflict between the Europeans and the Natives, who were fearful of losing their land or culture.  Most Indigenous People, especially outside of the eastern part of North America, still live where they have for millennia.  Many still speak their native languages, or at least maintain some degree of their cultural practices, except that they converted to Christianity and have been heavily influenced by Western European culture, like much of the world has.  

    Today in America, some of the descendants of the Europeans or of later immigrants are excessively fearful of immigrants, migrant workers and refugees from foreign lands around the globe, including from the Americas, and including Catholic and other Christians.  They even fear refugees fleeing the tyranny of Communism or Socialism, or Islamism who appreciate liberty more than those who have never been without it.  Nativists and xenophobes do not fear losing their land, but, like eugenicists, unreasonably fear population increase, despite a natural decline in population.  They especially fear a loss of culture, instead of being confident that Western values are attractive, or of economic or political power, despite the economic contribution of immigration and the embracing confidently the competition for votes for those immigrants who become naturalized citizens.  While many of these nativists hold up European colonizers and celebrate Columbus Day, they fail to see how they are as acting as intolerantly toward migrants as the Indigenous Americans they disrespect for being intolerant of migrants. 

    As I have posted, Columbus Day was established as a counter to nativists whohated Southern Europeans, Catholics and others, because it makes the obvious point that America would not even exist but for its discovery by Southern Europeans and Catholics.  The celebration of Columbus Day, therefore, is a celebration of immigration.

Conservative Analysis of the 2026 Republican Primaries in Pennsylvania and Across America

 

    Now that the general election season has begun in Pennsylvania and across America, some conservative analysis of the Republican primary elections is timely. 

    There were few candidates for the GOP nominations for public offices who were not Trumpist or at least who support Donald Trump or at least did not publicly reject him.  Many Trumpist candidates were endorsed by him or touted their support of him.  Because Trumpism (a populist blend of protectionism, nativism and isolationism in a context of authoritarianism, cruelty corruption and imperialism) and Trump is wholly unfit for public office, few Republican candidates are worthy of a vote, lest Trump and Trumpism become legitimized. 

    There were a few cases where at least the Republican primary candidate had voted for Trump’s impeachment in 2021 for attempting to overturn the valid election in 2020 of the Democratic candidates for President and Vice President, such as Senator Susan Collins of Maine, or at least who have split with Trump on enough issues to attract Trumpist primary challengers every two years, such as Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.  But there were no serious challengers contesting the nomination in these cases. 

    What was more common across America were contests between incumbents who were Trumpist and challengers who were even more Trumpist whom Trump backed because he thought the incumbent was not perfectly in lock step on every issue with him or who had expressed the mildest criticism of him.  The result was the nomination of even more extreme Trumpist candidates who are even less attractive to general election voters and less likely to be elected.  Unless and until Republicans take control of their party back from Trump and his family and return to their conservative principles, they will continue to have difficulty electing candidates of integrity and principle who can serve honorably and effectively.  And until then, I would continue to advise not to vote for Republican nominees, but instead to write in suitable Republican candidates or even to vote for independent or third-party candidates, to resist the legitimization of Trump and Trumpism, instead of accepting poor choices and being forced to vote for “the lesser of two evils.”

    Our Republican Legacy Our Republican Legacy | Republican Party is an organization founded by former Republican members of Congress and joined by former GOP Governors and Republican National Committee Chairmen. It has state chairmen in most States.  Its goal is to nominate a candidate for President in 2028 who shares Republican beliefs of reverence for the Constitution, and who supports fiscally sound policies, the free enterprise and peace through strength.  America needs at least one major party worthy of support for conservatives, if not the founding of a minor center-right party.  Restoring the Grand Old Party to principle should be a vital goal of conservatives.

Russian Plot to Assassinate Russian Exiles on American Soil Has Been Busted

 

    Five Russians were indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. last week for plotting to assassinate prominent Russian exiled dissidents on American and European soil.  As I have posted, the regime of Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, a former Soviet intelligence officer who has ruled the Russian Federation for 26 years, has persecuted opposition leaders, human rights activists, journalists, whistleblowers and anyone critical of him, arresting and imprisoning them, driving them into exile, or killing them.  The Czar tolerates no criticism, even by Russians abroad.  Russian dissidents or whistleblowers have been targeted in attacks in Eastern and even Western Europe previously, some of which have been fatal.

Update on the Pennsylvania Measles Outbreak: 1,000 Cases and 5 Deaths

         

    There have been nearly 1,000 cases of measles in Pennsylvania’s worst outbreak in three decades, with five associated deaths also recorded.  As I have been posting, measles, the most contagious diseases, is a deadly virus that had been eradicated in America and in Europe but has returned because of vaccine hesitancy, even though the vaccine is effective and safe.  Lancaster County, where Anabaptists (Amish, Mennonite, etc.) are concentrated, is the main focal point of the outbreak, as the Anabaptists tend not to vaccinate.   The latest reported death was of a young Amish woman.  Although most cases are mild, measles can lead to hospitalization, organ failure, deafness (it was the leading cause of childhood deafness before immunization) and even death.  

American Troop Withdrawal from Iraq after a Successful Counterterrorism Mission

    

    The last American troops withdrew from Iraq last week, after a successful twelve-year mission against the Islamic State terrorists.  

    Most United States troops had withdrawn last year, but as I had posted, the last few hundred had remained in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, by demand of the Kurds, to continue counter-terrorism operations against the Islamic State, the offshoot of al-Qaeda, the Islamist terrorist organization responsible for the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on America that killed nearly 3,000 people.  There had also been attacks targeting American troops in Iraq by Iranian-backed militias, which the U.S. has struck back at periodically.  The U.S. withdrawal eliminates the American troops as targets.  The mission began in 2014 by the invitation of Iraq after the Islamic State, based in Syria, had conquered large swaths of Syria and Iraq and proclaimed a caliphate.  The U.S.-led international mission was successful against Islamic State.  As fewer American troops are needed, they are relocating to neighboring Jordan.  The withdrawal is thus on U.S. terms, not a defeat.  A normal bilateral security agreement would have to be negotiated between the U.S. and Iraq.  Iraq is purchasing U.S. and other weapons to defend Kurdistan from Iranian attacks.

    Most Iraqi militias have not disarmed, as the Iraqi government is demanding or at least asking them to place their heavy weapons under state control, particularly the Iranian-backed militias.  The militias in Iraq are nominally part of the Iraqi armed forces.

    The American-led mission in Iraq since 2014 was separate from the 2003 Liberation of Iraq, in which the tyrannical Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein, a serial aggressor and state sponsor of terrorism, was overthrown after repeated violations of the 1991 cease-fire after the Liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi aggression and United Nations resolutions against Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction programs.  The premature withdrawal of U.S.-led international forces from the Arab State in 2011 necessitated the return of American troops to Iraq in 2014, as the Islamic State took advantage of power vacuums in Iraq and Syria.  Iraq is an ally in the War on Terrorism.