The Oasis for
Rational Conservatives
Friday, February 20, 2026
It’s tempting to call this the O Joy! HFR. The entire Woketard World is suddenly on Four Alarm Hair-on-Fire Alert this week over a fellow named DeJoy.
Never heard of him? You will. The saga begins last May 6, when the United States Postal Service (USPS) issued this announcement: USPS Board of Governors Announces Unanimous Selection of Louis DeJoy to Serve as Nation’s 75th Postmaster General.
The decision was bipartisan and nonpartisan – so why the uproar? First, DeJoy is a GOP and Trump campaign “mega-donor” – so he’s being attacked just for that alone, such as the charge he has up to $75 million invested in “USPS competitors” like UPS. But the real freakout came yesterday (8/13). You’re going to love this. And this whole HFR!
[This is the concluding Part Three of my Festscrifft to the memory of Professor John Hospers (1918-2011), my mentor under whom I gained my doctorate in philosophy, and the first presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party in 1972. Part One was in TTP two Mondays ago (7/27), while Part Two was last Monday (8/10). It will appear entire as a chapter in the forthcoming book, "Libertarianism and the Libertarian Party at 50 and Beyond," edited by Stan Oliver and C. Ron Kimberling.]
PART THREE
Once again, I was gone all that summer – swimming the Hellespont for the second time, then overland through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. When I got back that Fall of ’73, John had a question for me: “Have you ever heard of a fellow named Mike Oliver?”
“It rings some kind of bell,” I answered, playing for time. Finally the bell rang. “Oh, yeah – wasn’t he the guy with that Minerva Reef thing – tried to create a new country in the South Pacific on some unclaimed reef underwater at high tide called the Republic of Minerva until that huge fat king of Tonga put a stop to it?”
It was one of those rare times when I made John laugh out loud. “Well, you might describe it that way. In any regard, I’ve gotten to know him. He’s starting his New Country Project again, and wants to meet you.”
“Me? How come?”
Democrats rushed headlong to a Morton’s Fork when they, and the Lying Swine, attacked President Trump for calling attention to Slow Joe Biden’s cognitive decline.
What Trump and right wing radio talk show hosts say about Biden’s mental state is “offensive” and “unworldly,” said CNN’s Brian “Donuts” Stelter. Biden is as sharp as a tack. Why just last weekend, he went for a bike ride! What more proof of his mental fitness could you need??
So they’re stuck with Dementia Joe – then it’s on to second fork.
July, 1984. The KPNLF – Khmer People’s National Liberation Front – was the Anti-Communist guerrilla movement fighting the Soviet-backed Vietnamese Communists in Cambodia. When I was first there in 1961, Cambodia was then a land of serenity, with a gentle and tranquil people who were at peace with themselves and the world. Now it was a land of indescribable Communist horror.
It was such a privilege to be with these brave men willing to wage war against that horror and bring freedom to their country. I told their tale in Turning Back the Terror, the February 1985 cover story for Reason magazine. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #20 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
According to media accounts, a “power outage” delayed the debut of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris yesterday (8/13) — a foreshadowing of what we can expect from an anti-energy Biden–Harris administration.
Both are committed to an extreme environmentalism that will cripple America’s oil and gas industry. Harris is opposed to all fracking. Biden has made as his vice-presidential running mate a San Francisco radical, whose voting record puts her to the left of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
But the media, seeking to con independents, is casting Harris as a “pragmatic moderate.” Right. She is no more moderate than Biden, who has promised to be the most liberal president ever. His administration would combine the worst of the Obama years with all the extreme Left radicalism of today’s Democrat Party.
On ample display Wednesday was the ticket’s relentless demagoguery. Both Biden and Harris are audacious and monumental liars. It is a toss-up as to who lied more in their speeches.
Americans have long been proud of the fact that, unlike European countries, America never went the route of totalitarianism as embodied in Communism , Fascism, and Nazism.
This achievement may be coming to an end.
In order to understand why, it is first necessary to understand why European countries embraced—or fell victim to—totalitarian doctrines. For we are about to do the same.
Mulafassur 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)
Confronted with anarchic violence in the wake of Martin Luther King’s assassination in April, 1968, Daley issued the above directive to all Chicago police officers: they were to “shoot to kill” those perpetrators. The violence ended in less than 48 hours.
In 1968, it was the Black Panthers conducting the violence. Today it is BLM/Antifa. Imagine how our current fascist thugs would fare under Richard Daley.
The most fabulously exotic country on earth is the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. The Bhutanese religion of Tantric Buddhism is here exemplified by a prayer hall wall painting of Yab-Yum – the physical union of Compassion and Wisdom. Male compassion is personified as the deity Samvara with a blue body, multiple faces and arms. He embraces his consort of female wisdom Vajra-varahi.
It is important to understand that Yab-Yum is considered a sacred act as a path to Enlightenment. It is just one example of how Bhutan may stretch our comfort zone to learn ancient ways and practices, giving us a broader perspective on our humanity. For an in-depth understanding of Bhutan’s extraordinary culture, consider joining our Wheeler Expedition to the Land of the Thunder Dragon this November. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #16 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
To understand the extraordinary events in America today, it is helpful to look at the ancient wisdom of Greece and Rome. As the wise historian Thucydides said, “If we forget the errors of the past, we are doomed to repeat them.”
The ancient Greco-Roman historian Polybius (200-118 B.C.) developed a theory of the “lifecycle” of a republic. Like a human being, a republic is born, is young, matures, grows old, and dies.
Ironically, the virtues of an early republic—hard work, honesty, courage, frugality, morality—lead to the great wealth and power which then contribute to its decline.
Imperial regimes become proud and arrogant, depraved, foolish, self-indulgent, and unethical. Sound familiar?
We could be discussing headline-grabbing issues, such as the Black Lives Matter riots in Chicago (where looting now equals reparations), schoolteachers refusing to teach while demanding pay, or any other Leftist retreat from reality. But frankly, I'm bored.
I have had it up to here and beyond with the Leftists' dystopian flights from reality. I want normal life back again, and I think a lot of other people do, too. Therefore, I'd like to propose a new Trump/Pence campaign slogan, or mantra if you will:
MANA! Make America Normal Again
In a hidden corner of Europe, the Radovna River pours off the Julian Alps to carve out the Vintgar Gorge with crystal clear water. A mile-long walkway with towering limestone cliffs on either side is your access.
Nearby is the gorgeous Lake Bled, with Bled Castle suspended atop a shoreline cliff. The medieval village of Piran, built on a spit of land projecting into the Adriatic Sea and encircled by a white sand beach is a short drive away. Ljubljana is one of Europe’s most utterly charming capital cities.
Most people have only heard of Slovenia as the birthplace of First Lady Melania Trump, but those who have been here understand it is one of the most entrancing countries on the European continent – pristine beauty, spotless environment, friendly and hospitable people, safe and very well-run. Whenever your next visit to Europe may be, try to include a few days or week or so here. You’ll never run out of fascinating things to do. A stroll through the Vintgar Gorge is an example out of so many. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #19 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
New Normal: From "Corona-Totalitarianism" To The Invasion Of The "New Normals"
Fed promises to steal our US dollar savings: Fed Commitment To Let Inflation Run Isn't A Promise; It's A Threat
More on the HCQ narrative: Big Pharma's 'Narrative' Is Failing
Paying for infections - what could possibly go wrong? California Will Soon Be Paying $1,250 To People Who Test Positive For Coronavirus
And lots more!
In the remotest center of the Sahara Desert lies an unknown, unexcavated mysterious lost city known as Djado. No one knows who built it or when. Lying on the ancient Roman trade route from the Saharan salt mines of Fachi and Bilma to the Mediterranean, the Djado oasis flourished for a thousand years (the 1st Millennium AD), but has been forgotten and abandoned for many centuries.
The only people who live near Djado in the vast desert wasteland where Algeria, Libya, Chad, and Niger come together, are the wandering Toubu nomads with no permanent settlements. It is an indescribable experience to explore such a wondrous lost city right out of an Indiana Jones movie that you have all to yourself. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #17, photo ©Jack Wheeler)
