The Oasis for
Rational Conservatives

Thursday, February 12, 2026

Member Menu

The Amazon's Pantanal

Serengeti Birthing Safari

Wheeler Expeditions

Member Discussions

Article Archives

Archives

L i k e U s ! ! !

AFFORDABILITY?

The recent Democrat cry of “affordability” is ironic in many ways.

The left-wing narrative of Trump hyperinflation was one of desperation and came only after previous memes had failed to resonate.

The 2025 generic “dictator,” “fascist,” and “Nazi” smear points never helped the left much.

Nor did the nihilist government shutdown over the “Obamacare crisis” work other than perhaps to depress fourth-quarter GDP.

Nor did the earlier spring 2025 melodramatic predictions of an impending “Trade War,” “Recession,” and stock-market “Meltdown” resonate.

Nor did the “Gestapo,” “SS,” and “Nazi” ICE smears become effective talking points.

The “illegal orders” and “unconstitutional use of force” in destroying narcotraffickers’ shipments in transit of lethal drugs were mostly empty rhetoric.

Then the Democrats got smart and remembered how Trump had won in 2024.

Read more...

CRITICAL THINKING HAS BEEN HIJACKED

“I don’t know what you mean by ‘glory,’” Alice said.

Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. “Of course you don’t—till I tell you. I meant ‘there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!’”

“But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean ‘a nice knock-down argument,’” Alice objected.

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”

“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”

“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.”

~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

In the past, I’ve talked about the left's deliberate shift of language, but I’ve never mentioned the foundational shift I’m going to talk about now. This one is different. It doesn’t just twist one word or one idea — it changes the ground we stand on.

This shift attacks logic itself. It strikes at the roots of reasoning, the process by which we decide what is true. It happened quietly and almost no one saw it occur.

The term critical thinking has been redefined.

Read more...

THE ISLANDS OF SERENITY

mulafassur-waterfallMulafassur waterfall below the village of Gasadalur is only one example of the serenity of the Faroe Islands. They’re a self-governing Danish possession in the North Atlantic halfway between Norway and Iceland. You won’t find a place of more captivating serene and peaceful charm.

Warmed by the Gulf Stream, in the summer it’s so strewn with wildflowers the roads are known as “buttercup highways.” At every turn along them you’re stunned by the incredible scenery. The capital of Torshavn is so laid back the Prime Minister’s Office – the Løgmansskristovan – is a wood cabin with a green grass sod roof. Great beer from the Faroes’ two breweries is always flowing in the pubs, where the Faroese islanders welcome you like an old friend.

You can easily fly here from Edinburgh, London, Copenhagen, or Reykjavik, Iceland . A few days here will do wonders for your soul. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #18 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

Read more...

WHAT WAS SUSIE WILES THINKING???

It was the political equivalent of Bill Belichick’s teenybopper girlfriend — a moment so utterly incomprehensible, all you could do was shake your head in disbelief when you heard the news. “Wait… WHAT happened?!”

Only this time, it wasn’t an old man in his 70s lusting after a babe in her 20s (which, if we’re being honest, is at least straightforwardly explainable).

It was a woman in her late 60s with a well-earned reputation as a shrewd, disciplined taskmaster getting bamboozled by the mainstream media. Susie Wiles, the White House Chief of Staff, was supposed to be every bit the super-genius strategist, game-manager, and cat-herder as Bill Belichick was a football savant.

Well, you can kiss that reputation goodbye.

That after her selfish unforced error with Vanity Fair, of all publicationsin which she roped in every single top White House official, including Donald Trump! — I’m wondering if her similarities to Belichick should be expanded.

Read more...

THE EROSION OF SELF-RELIANCE

In the shadow of every government shutdown, a deeper crisis emerges, one not of policy, but of identity.

The headlines may focus on delayed paychecks, frozen programs, and political gridlock, but beneath the surface lies a more troubling revelation: millions of Americans, including the middle class and federal employees, have become so conditioned to government assistance that they no longer know how to navigate hardship without it.

This is not merely an economic issue; it is a cultural and spiritual unraveling.

The American ethos of personal responsibility, once the bedrock of national pride and familial strength, is being quietly replaced by a subconscious belief that survival itself depends on the state.

 

A Nation Built on Self-Reliance

Fifty years ago, the average American understood that life was unpredictable and often unforgiving. Families saved for emergencies, churches and communities formed safety nets, and personal pride was tied to one’s ability to provide and persevere.

Government programs existed, but they were limited in scope and seen as temporary bridges, not permanent lifelines.

The middle class, in particular, took pride in its independence. To rely on government aid was not a badge of shame, but it was certainly not a default expectation.

In those days, when hardship struck, a job loss, a medical emergency, a cold winter without heating oil, people turned first to family, then to community, and finally to their own ingenuity.

They bartered, budgeted, and leaned on one another. Churches organized food drives, neighbors shared firewood, and civic organizations offered support.

The government was a last resort, not a first response.

Read more...

YOUR NEIGHBORS IN BORNEO

orang-utansLive on a private houseboat exploring the jungles of Borneo by river and families of Orang Utans will be your neighbors.

To get here, you fly from Indonesia’s capital Jakarta to a small town in southern Borneo, Pangkalan Bun, on the Sekonyer River. You hire your own houseboat called a klotok (shower, nice bed, good warm food and cold beer) and English-speaking guide to take you up river through the jungles of the Tanjung Putting Orang Utan reserve. You’ll see proboscis monkeys, hornbills – and more wild orang utans than any other place on earth.

Spend time among them and you’ll understand how smart and human-like these gentle giants are. It’s an endearing experience never to be forgotten. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #72 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)

Read more...

THE SOMALIZATION OF NORTH DAKOTA

In 2016, Dahir Adan, part of a Somali refugee family that had been resettled in Fargo, stabbed 10 people in the Crossroads mall in Minnesota while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ and demanded to know if his victims were Muslims or non-Muslims and therefore ‘fair game’.

The FBI claimed that the Muslim terrorist’s motive may never be known. ISIS or the ‘Islamic State’ took credit for the attack and its ‘unknown motive’ in the name of Islam.

Fargo, North Dakota’s largest city, likes to brag about its diversity and the fact that nearly 1 in 10 in the city are ‘foreign born’.  Somalis flooded Fargo, as did Iraqis, Bosnians and Bangladeshis. Amid the winter snows rose mosques, ethnic welfare nonprofits, Halal markets and other outposts of the new population.

After President Trump’s outrage at the $1.5 billion in Somali fraud, Rep. Hamida Dakane, the first Somali Muslim to hold office in the North Dakota legislature, dismissed Trump and bragged about a Somali Muslim population encompassing Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Washington, Virginia, Maine, and North Dakota. “We are history,” she declared. “And we will always rise.”

Read more...

WHAT EVERYONE MISSES ABOUT NICK FUENTES

The racialist influencer Nick Fuentes has caused an uproar with his appearance on Tucker Carlson’s podcast.

Fuentes, a 27-year-old live-streamer, has built a reputation as the most controversial voice on the right. He’s embraced seemingly every taboo: praising Hitler, disputing the Holocaust’s death toll, calling himself a “white nationalist,” musing about domestic violence, and opposing interracial marriage.

Carlson’s invitation has divided conservatives. Some suggest that Fuentes’s appearance on the podcast represented an unacceptable mainstreaming of his views. Others, most notably Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts, argue that Fuentes must be debated instead of “canceled.”

Both sides fail to understand the Nick Fuentes phenomenon.

They take his statements seriously and engage with them in good faith. But Fuentes’s stated beliefs, while abhorrent, are not best parried by taking them at face value.

Instead, the Right should consider him an actor in what postmodern theorist Jean Baudrillard called “hyperreality” – a system in which the simulation of reality comes to replace reality itself.

Read more...

AGIOS LAZAROS

agios-lazarosWe’re all familiar with the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead four days after his entombment in John 11:1-44. But what happened to Lazarus afterwards – what did he do with the rest of his (second) life?

He left Judea to live on the island of Cyprus. There he met Paul the Apostle and his evangelizing partner Barnabas who was a Cypriot. They appointed him the first Bishop of Kition (present day Lanarca), where he lived for another 30 years, then upon his second death was buried for the last time.

A church was built over his marble sarcophagus which has undergone many resurrections itself over the last two millennia. But here it stands today after all those ravages of time, Agios Lazaros, the Church of St. Lazarus, over his still-preserved sarcophagus. On every Lazarus Saturday (eight says before Easter), an icon of St. Lazarus is taken in procession through the streets of Lanarca. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #165 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

Read more...

THE MASSACRE AT BONDI BEACH WAS INEVITABLE

Do words have any meaning? Most people think so, which is why there is an endless debate about which words should be permitted by law, which should be a matter for the law, and which words should be debated in the realm of manners.

Where does “Gas the Jews” fit into that?

How about using them immediately after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust? How about if the words are used on the streets by a mob—not in a spirit of jest, but of intent?

That’s what happened outside the Sydney Opera House on October 9, 2023—two days after Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists invaded Israel, slaughtered 1,200 people, and took another 250 hostage.

Of course, the Australian authorities did not take any meaningful action regarding that protest.  They never do if the protestors are Muslim.  They only do if the protestors are anti-Muslim Australians.  Why is that?

Read more...

BRITAIN IN THE BALANCE

For centuries, Britain — and England in particular — has represented a civilizational ideal for much of the modern world.

The birthplace of parliamentary democracy, the common law system, and global standards of governance, Britain has exported its political and cultural values far beyond its shores. At home, it once epitomized social cohesion, stability, and civic pride.

Yet, in the 21st century, many Britons — particularly in working-class communities — report a growing sense of cultural alienation. Towns like Bradford, Luton, and Rotherham now evoke, for some, a sense of displacement rather than belonging.

This perception of a “de-Anglification” of England, whereby traditional English culture appears to be losing ground in its own homeland, reflects a deeper civilizational unease.

There is a need to explore the causes and consequences of this transformation, including the policies of the New Labour government, the fragmentation of national identity, the failure of integration, and the erosion of trust in public institutions.

Read more...

DOME OF THE ROCK

dome-of-the-rockOn top of Temple Mount in Jerusalem stands one of the world holiest building on earth revered by millions – and as such is one of the world’s greatest examples of cultural appropriation.

The Rock around which it is built is the Foundation Stone, limestone bedrock which the ancient Israelites worshipped as the origin point of creation, the location of Abraham's binding of Isaac per Genesis 22:2-14, and the base for the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies of Solomon's Temple and its Second Temple successor, which the Romans destroyed in 70 AD.

All of this tradition was appropriated in 691 AD by Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, who built the octagonal structure you see enshrining the Jewish Foundation Stone as Islam’s, claiming it to be the site where Mohammed ascended to Heaven during his Night Journey. Which is why no infidel non-Muslim is allowed entrance to see The Rock. You can, however, see a photo of the Foundation Stone here. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #312 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

Read more...

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN BRINGING OUT YOUR BEST…

Joel
Joel

[Note from Jack – As you may know, Joel Wade has been a life-time friend ever since he saved my life resuing me off a cliff in Tibet in 1987.  Every person in our family – and many of our close friends in TTP have done coaching sessions with Joel --- which is really just a conversation.  I can recommend him with complete confidence and certainty.

Joel is one of the easiest people to talk with because he is relaxed, friendly, warm, and naturally sees the best in people.  He knows that  everyone sometimes wishes they had someone to just listen to them and that is one of his super powers.

He can give feedback or suggestions on how to be happier, more confident, and communicate better with those around them. He’ll have insights on how you can feel less stressed and more relaxed.  He is consistently kind and wise.

You can have a one-time conversation with him to connect and then later reach out when there’s an issue, goal, problem or any matter you want to discuss.  He is happily married for many decades, a father of two wonderful grown children, and multiple World Champion water polo goalie .

Joel has been writing his Virtue of Happiness column since TTP’s inception back in 2003. This is one of his very best.]

We each have to master ourselves, our own emotions, impulses, willpower, and consciousness. This doesn’t just happen for us, and cannot be done for us by somebody else; it’s an active, deliberate activity. This need doesn’t represent psychological trouble; it’s part of the normal challenge of being human.

Think about it: if we don’t eat right, or exercise, our health will suffer; if we don’t read, or study, or challenge our minds, our intellect will suffer.

Why would it be different for our psychological and emotional health? If we don’t strive to understand and master our emotions and impulses, our emotional and psychological life will suffer.

It’s normal and healthy to have to work at and master our emotions and thoughts; to bring conscious awareness and effort to what’s true about our unique internal experience, and to channel that mastery to strive toward meaningful goals.

Read more...

THIS JUST IN – BLUE STATES VOTE DEMOCRAT

Blue States Vote DemocratOn the one hand, last night was a terrible night for the GOP. There’s no sugarcoating double-digit election losses when there was anticipation of real competition.

There’s little silver lining when the party was wiped out in numerous state elections.

On the other hand, Democrats won in very blue states and cities. Who didn’t expect that, and what will it really change?

Democrats certainly hope that winning governorships in Virginia and New Jersey is a harbinger of success in next year’s midterm elections….HOWEVER, there could be a “bright side.”

Read more...