Victor Davis Hanson Won't Take It Any More; Neither Should We!

America is Saying 

It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way

 

By: Victor Davis Hanson

September 23, 24, 2025

 

The grotesque assassination of Charlie Kirk by a pro-Antifa zealot, Tyler Robinson, following the macabre throat slitting of 23-year-old Ukrainian immigrant Iryna Zarutska by a freed 14-felon Decarlos Brown, proved the proverbial straws that broke the national camel’s back. The status quo is over. Kaput. And what follows will not be the same.

More than half the country is in the midst of an exasperating “enough is enough,” or perhaps “I cannot take the madness anymore.”

Victor Davis Hanson Won't Take It Any More and Neither Should We!

America is Saying 

It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way

 

By: Victor Davis Hanson

September 23, 24, 2025

 

The grotesque assassination of Charlie Kirk by a pro-Antifa zealot, Tyler Robinson, following the macabre throat slitting of 23-year-old Ukrainian immigrant Iryna Zarutska by a freed 14-felon Decarlos Brown, proved the proverbial straws that broke the national camel’s back. The status quo is over. Kaput. And what follows will not be the same.

More than half the country is in the midst of an exasperating “enough is enough,” or perhaps “I cannot take the madness anymore.”

Who Is Pope Leo? Where Does He Stand on Grave Issues of the Faith?

Who Is Pope Leo?

I wrote yesterday that I would share a timeline today about my concerns with Pope Leo's actions since occupying the chair of Peter on May 8th. This list is hardly exhaustive. I could have written much more: about the danger of ecumenism and syncretism under Leo, the LGBTQ pilgrimage and soft-peddling of Church teaching on sexuality, welcoming heterodox spokesmen, calling the migration invasion a "sacrament of hope," playing footsie with Communist China, etc. Consider this list as the tip of the iceberg. I suspect there will be more to come. 

Where is Pope Leo Taking the Church?

Did Francis make Robert Prevost a cardinal in 2023 to pass the torch to a man he knew would continue his agenda after his death?

Several years ago my husband and I attended the Catholic Identity Conference, Michael Matt's annual confab of traditionalists. It was a great weekend. Diane Montagna spoke about Francis and his dishonest description of the survey of bishops about the Traditional Latin Mass. Bishop Athanasius Schneider attended and offered a pontifical Mass at a local parish. I met Peter Kwasniewski and enjoyed many conversations with other faithful Catholics from around the country. No one minced any words about the crisis in the Church. While criticism of Pope Francis was charitable it was clear, truthful, and unambiguous. We were among the most courageous warriors for the faith.

So what happened?

Sometimes Ya Just Gotta Laugh. These "Sisters" are a JOKE!

The Sisters of Charity of New York recently came out with a statement criticizing Cardinal Dolan over his remarks about Charlie Kirk calling him a modern St. Paul. They went on to slander Charlie with statements about his racism, homophobia, etc. (Yawn.) Let's face it, they're angry because Charlie spoke the truth about sexual deviance, the disaster of our border invasion, etc. 

What Were Those 275+ Plainclothes FBI Agents in the Crowd Doing on January 6th?

On Jan. 6th, a masked man sporting dark sunglasses used a pole to keep the capitol doors open, urging people to enter. He used his free hand to push individuals inside. Despite the recorded behavior, he hasn't been charged, arrested, or placed on the FBI's wanted list. pic.twitter.com/lR2eUvqQD5

— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) March 8, 2023

For more see:

BREAKING: FBI Admits They Had HUNDREDS Of Plainclothes Agents At J6 Capitol Protests

Some Demons Can Only Be Driven Out by Prayer and Fasting!

 

I hardly recognize the country I grew up in these days. In 1963 when JFK was shot I was a sophomore in high school. Everyone in the country, all the leaders in government, joined in mourning. Were there some conspirators crying crocodile tears? The more we learn, the more it seems likely, but no one publicly rejoiced or danced in the streets. Of course, social media was non-existent: no Tik Tok or Instagram or Facebook so we were spared the fulminations of lunatics. Did people rejoice over evil? If they did, it was private. I don't remember anyone saying, "He deserved it" about Kennedy or Martin Luther King or Robert Kennedy. The country pulled together in shock and grief.

Do We Dream for a Reason?

St. Helena dreamed of 
finding the true cross.

Clearing off the kitchen table this morning, I came across several Mass cards for my sister Jeanne who died on July 25th. Death, I think, has a way of reminding one of all the losses in life -- not just losses through death, but losses through moving and losing touch, estrangements over disagreements, loss of jobs or health or dreams. It's so easy to become despondent and discouraged over all life's losses. 

I'm a melancholic so I tend to remember all the painful and sad events of life -- all my mistakes and regrets. For years, I dreamed about things that happened in high school that brought me to tears. Here I was a young mom with a growing family and those sad events, that I never thought of during waking hours, continued to intrude on my sleep. For what purpose I ask myself now. 

Do we dream for a reason? And why do all the dreams I have tend to be negative? Does my melancholic temperament explain it? At best my dreams are neutral. I'm stripping wallpaper and the paper underneath is identical to what I'm stripping. But often I'm in a car and can't remember where I'm going or someone else is driving.  Sometimes I'm in a vehicle like Fred Flintstone's that I have to operate with my feet. After those dreams I wake up exhausted and thankful for modern transportation. In many dreams, I've lost something, my purse or my wallet. Sometimes I find it again occasionally with someone helping me. I rarely have nightmares. In fact, when I'm having a bad dream my unconscious self tells me, "This is just a dream," so I never moan in my sleep or cry out or wake up in a panic. My husband, on the other hand, occasionally has nightmares and I have to wake him up.

No Thanks, Democrats, for Inciting Violence against ICE Agents!

Another day, another attack on ICE. 

1 Dead, 2 Injured in Shooting at Dallas ICE Facility: Officials

In the last six months violence against ICE facilities and agents has increased almost 1,000% over 2024. Check out the stories below about the violent attacks on ICE agents who are often arresting and processing illegal aliens with criminal records:  

Where are the Shepherds? Silence after the Murder of Charlie Kirk

One of the saddest realities since the assassination of Charlie Kirk has been the silence for the most part from our shepherds about the brutal murder of this godly man. Kirk continuously witnessed to Jesus Christ and often openly prayed for his adversaries. Of the 17 cardinals and 400+ bishops in the country only a handful have released statements on the assassination. I have also read several nasty comments from priests who, taking Kirk's statements out of context, condemn him in the same vein as the radical Democrats. He's a racist, homophobe, misogynist, yadda, yadda.... Was Charlie Kirk perfect? Of course not, but his life was clearly motivated by his love for Jesus Christ, for family, and for country.

With regard to the pope, he expressed his condolences to the American Ambassador privately, but limited his public discussion of martyrs to a homily on September 14th at an ecumenical prayer service. Only four days after Kirk's brutal slaying, the pope ignored this newly martyred Christian. Why? If he had mentioned no one by name, it would be more understandable, but he did mention several people specifically. This paragraph totally described Charlie Kirk:

Praying for Charlie and our Family at Eagle Rock!

View from Eagle Rock

For the past few weeks, I've been taking two of my young grandsons hiking. We've had three adventures so far. Our first hike was the Fishers Hill Battlefield in Strasburg. We stopped and read every historical marker to follow the progression of the battle. It always makes me sad to think of all the men killed in that useless war. 

But it was a good starter hike -- less than two miles and much of it in a grassy meadow with only a little up and down. And it was an opportunity for a history lesson for two homeschoolers.

Charlie Kirk Inspired Millions. Have "We got it from here?"

Did you watch the memorial to Charlie Kirk yesterday? I did -- all of it. And what struck me the most was the disparity between the message I heard over and over again from the speakers about the love of God and the reign of Jesus Christ and the message we get day after day from the Vatican and our bishops. 

Walking in the Footsteps of the Bolsheviks and French Revolutionaries

Walking in the footsteps of Robespierre and Lenin, our socialist revolutionaries

Conservative columnist Joe Sobran used to call the Democrats the "evil party" and the Republicans the "stupid party." If you know the policies of the Democrats, it's hard to claim they aren't evil as a party. Their policies and strategies make me think of the Bolsheviks of the 1917 Russian revolution and the Committee of Public Safety during the French Revolution. Both parties engaged in a reign of terror and murdered millions of people. But their murderous activities began by instigating mob violence. Isn't that what we are seeing from the Democrat party? They encouraged and enabled the 2020 riots. Their violent rhetoric continues to encourage attacks on law enforcement personnel and MAGA supporters. It's not surprising because they have for decades championed murder of the innocent. If you can kill the baby in the womb, you can justify any evil!

Did your doctor celebrate Charlie Kirk's Assassination?

This is chilling! 

New Jersey Doctor Resigns After Nurse Reports Him for Celebrating Charlie Kirk’s Death in Hospital

Think about it. You are scheduled for surgery and go for your pre-op appointment.  You're in the waiting room and your doctor starts celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk...in front of you, other patients and hospital staff. In a previous appointment he asked about the little feet pin on your jacket lapel. You told him you are pro-life and spent years doing sidewalk counseling talking to women going into abortion facilities. He gives you some pushback about a woman's right to choose. It makes you a little uneasy, but not enough to cancel your appointment. But then you witness this a week before your scheduled cancer surgery his statement that Charlie Kirk deserved what he got! 

We Need More Men Like Nick Freitas in the Virginia General Assembly....

 ....and across this nation. He is confronting the ideology of the Left and he is unapologetically condemning it and the violence their evil rhetoric triggers. 

Common Sense from Sky News as Lefties Celebrate and Mock Charlie Kirk's Assassination

It's gratifying to see many leftists fired from their jobs for their hate-filled reactions to the murder. Can you imagine having your child in a classroom with one of these teachers who applauds the political assassination of someone you admired?

Scott Jennings Confronts the Left and Pegs It!

First, the left tried to convince us the man who killed Charlie Kirk was a conservative. That failed.

Now, we're seeing multiple attempts to frame this as some transgender love story. ENOUGH.

It's time to accept the glaring truth that is staring you right in the face. pic.twitter.com/umjLwhGMGt

— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) September 17, 2025

The Left Is Trying to Re-Write the Past about George Floyd

I've heard many people claiming that protests after George Floyd's death were peaceful. In fact one commenter who trolls my blog claimed the peacefulness after Charlie Kirk's assassination was in imitation of the George Floyd protesters. 

Screwtape Lives!

One of the scenes in The Screwtape Letters that I find most chilling involves Screwtape's advice to eliminate silence. He writes to his nephew, Wormwood, expressing his concern about the woman Wormwood's "patient" is seeing. She comes from a religious family and Screwtape fears the influence she will have on the young man through her faith:

The Iago Moment! Betrayal, Manipulation and Murder Second Hand

Iago lives in the radical lefties who foment violence against conservatives and celebrate their assassination. Who is the real threat to democracy in the United States of America?

In my opinion, the most evil and diabolical villain in Shakespeare's plays isn't Macbeth who murders King Duncan in his sleep as he plots to take over the kingdom. It isn't King Claudius who poisons Hamlet's father, marries his mother, and engages in multiple plots to kill Hamlet. It isn't Shakespeare's evil women like Lady Macbeth; Regan, King Lear's unnatural daughter; or Tamora, the cold-hearted villain of Titus Andronicus who all show the diabolical lengths to which evil women can go.

Sunday Meditation: The Frustration of Lost Items

Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. My plan was to spend the day re-reading Louis de Wohl's wonderful historical novel, St. Helena and the True Cross. Only one problem. I can't find it. The shelf with Mary Windeatt's saint novels is where it should be, but it isn't. I remember reading it a few years ago so I know I own the book, but where did I put it?

I looked through my alphabetically arranged lives of the saints and it isn't there. Then I went upstairs where I have two shelves of biographies and it wasn't there either. So instead of spending the day following my intended pursuit, I will read the entry on St. Helena in Butler's Lives of the Saints and offer up my frustration for the poor souls in Purgatory. 

Good and Evil Face Off in Woodstock

A small portion of the Patriots in Woodstock
rallying for Charlie Kirk.

Larry and I returned today from a two day stay in Staunton. It was not a planned vacation. We had tickets for a conference on regenerative farming being hosted by the Brownstone Institute. When they sent an email saying they had a long waiting list for the event, we decided younger folks would benefit more than we would. So we gave up our tickets. But I had booked a hotel reservation already paid for that couldn't be canceled. So instead of the conference we decided to take a mini vacation in Staunton. We planned a late lunch in Salem on Thursday with our five grandkids who attend Virginia Tech followed by two nights in Staunton doing a little exploring of the area. 

At the hotel, we watched a lot of the coverage on Charlie Kirk and marveled at the statement from his wife, Erika. What a testimony of faith and love! No hate, no unbridled anger, just determination to carry on Charlie's goal of "making heaven crowded."

Learned Lunatics

The icon for a learned lunatic!

I ran across the expression "learned lunatics" on the Orthosphere blog. They define their title as a sphere of influence that expresses right, correct, and straight teaching. The authors are all Christians: Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox who share their thoughts about the disordered societies of the West. I was intrigued by the article A Shifted Attitude: What Gender Ideology is All About describing a summer English class at Texas A&M where the gender unicorn did gyre and gimble in the wabe. The author described the learned lunatics among his colleagues.

The description of "learned lunatics" is apt today, especially on college and university campuses; in psychiatrist and counselor offices; in courtrooms where lawfare is the order of the day, the blindfold ripped off Lady Justice; and, of course, in media and corporate offices where editors and CEOs skewer the truth with lies, bias, and exaggeration. 

The Gun Control Faction Uses Charlie Kirk Murder to Push Their Agenda!

I fully expected it. 

The House Democrats hardly waited for a moment of silence to end honoring murder victim Turning Point USA president Charlie Kirk before they started hollering for gun control. That was after they shouted, "NO!" when Rep. Lauren Boebert called for a spoken prayer. How many leftists ridiculed prayer just days ago after the children were murdered in Minnesota? Remember when they nixed mentioning God in their party platform? Like columnist Joe Sobran always said, Democrats are the "evil party." They own that distinction more today than ever!

"The Abomination of Desolation...has sullied the holiness of the Jubilee Year."

Bishop Athanasius Schneider minced no words in calling out the scandal of the LGBTQ "pilgrimage" to Rome to celebrate lust in the holiest of places. Read Diane Montagna's article and make reparation through prayer and sacrifice.

“Spiritual Criminals and Murderers of Souls”: Bishop Athanasius Schneider responds to Vatican-sanctioned “LGBTQ+” Jubilee Pilgrimage

From the article:

Flee the Cities and Experience Authentic Culture

Main and Court St. Woodstock, VA

What do I mean when I use the term "authentic culture?" It's pretty easy to explain. It means friendship, community, and shared life. Many times we experience that kind of community in our churches, although even there, some are so large you know only a fraction of the members who attend. But what about the secular community?

When I lived in Alexandria, I knew my neighbors. We lived on Lisbon Lane for almost thirty years and we had a number of neighborhood picnics and other events that helped us get to know one another. So we can all experience community on a small scale even in highly populated areas.

But after we moved to Woodstock, community and culture took on a much more personal aspect. We got to know more people in the community whom we see on many occasions: at the polls, at the grocery store, at the post office, at the ice cream parlor and restaurants. That rarely happened in Alexandria.

The Prayerful Posse is Always Worth a Listen! On James Martin, the LGBTQ Pilgrimage, etc.

 

Sunday Meditation: Don't Let the Priest Pirates Steal the Treasures of the Church!

Pirate in priest's clothing.

Today at our SSPX chapel in Linden, VA we celebrated the Feast of St. Pius X from September 3rd in the traditional calendar. As patron saint of the Society, that was appropriate. St. Pius X certainly represents a man for our season in the Church when modernism has perverted so many Catholics and is bringing many to the brink of hell.

In his encyclical Pascendi, Pius X called modernism the "synthesis of all heresies." Compared to the numerous documents by Francis he was concise, describing modernism and its errors in only 57 paragraphs. Compare that to the long-winded documents by Francis filled with ambiguity, confusion, and error: Amoris Laetitia -- 325, Laudato si -- 246, Fratelli Tutti -- 287, Querida Amazonia -- 111,  Christus Vivit -- 299, etc. 

Hey Virginia, If you live in Congressional District 11, Vote in the Special Election September 25th!

9/9/25 Special Election - 11^th Congressional District Vacancy

Conservative Republican Stewart Whitson has a good chance to win an open Congressional seat against liberal Democrat James Walkinshaw.  

Please pass this map to your Fairfax friends. Who is my legislator will show if an address is in the 11^th Congressional District.  To find your polling place for 9/9/25  go to Where do I vote .

Vote between 6am–7pm on 9/9/25 Election Day.  Anyone in line at 7pm may vote.

Is a Red Hat in the Future for Sodomy-Promoting Fr. James Martin?

Seems likely these days. Pope Leo seems to have enthusiastically embraced the Francis legacy of LGBTQ promotion. Not a good sign that's for sure.

Pope Leo, Fr. James Martin, and Transgenderism

Is it time to take the "black pill" as Crisis Magazine is asking. Is Pope Leo just Francis 2?  The answer is -- Maybe! 

We need to face reality about the possibility that the Vatican is pursuing the same evil agenda as Francis. Is the worst case scenario likely?  Seems so The early signs aren't encouraging. Was the meeting with Martin "unbelievably scandalous?" Absolutely! Especially immediately following the shooting in Minnesota. The meeting certainly wasn't a response to the killing. It was likely planned for months. But...The Vatican provided a photographer for the meeting and allowed the publication of the photos. The visual is disastrous! If the Vatican does nothing to correct Martin, we can reasonably assume that the pope approves of the spin Martin is putting on the meeting. The focus became the transgender shooter rather than the two children tragically murdered by the disturbed, probably possessed shooter.

Are We Training AI or Is AI Training Us?

Artificial Intelligence, the stuff of science fiction only a few decades ago, will likely be an increasing element in the lives of our children and grandchildren. Things only dreamed of in cartoons like the Jetsons fill the news. I recently read an article about a traveler in Phoenix riding around in a taxi with no human driver. The thought of sitting in the back seat behind the invisible "man" at the wheel makes me dizzy. 

Feeling Disoriented? Embrace the Fullness of the Faith!

Most readers probably recognize the aviation event called spatial disorientation. It occurs when the pilot's senses don't agree with the physical reality of the plane's motion and its relation to the ground. The pilot can't tell up from down or whether the plane is flying level or in a turn. A number of airline fatalities are directly related to spatial disorientation. Certain things exacerbate the problem, for example alcohol and some drugs including anti-depressants, anti-histamines, and some pain relievers (not to mention illegal drugs). 

Why do I bring this up? Because I think this elucidates the term diabolical disorientation. Many people today are living in an upside down world that they insist is right side up. They are often flying blind like the pilate who enters a cloud losing all contact with visual cues. That's when instrument flying becomes crucial. And if you don't have and use the instruments, you're headed for a crash.

The Ten Commandments covers it all!

I was fascinated to come across Carl Sanburg's comparison to life as an onion. It's interesting from the perspective of self examination to continually ask the questions, "Who am I?" and "How does God see me?" The nearer I draw to Him, the more I will know myself.

I'm reading the section in the Catechism of the Council of Trent on the Ten Commandments. It pretty much encompasses and summarizes the entire law of God which Jesus further expounded on in His sermons. The fifth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," rendered more accurately as "Thou shalt not murder." also forbids hatred and acts that injure others or oneself. As Jesus says: