The Secret Plan To Destroy America

By Terry McGahey

I hope the readers of The American Cowboy Chronicles can forgive me for writing two political articles in a row. This article is one of the most important articles I could write. Why, because it lays out exactly what the far left is doing, and has been doing, by following the governor of Colorado, Dick Lamm, from the 1970s and '80s. Richard Lamm (August 3, 1935 – July 29, 2021) served three terms as the 38th Governor of Colorado as a Democrat (1975–1987). 

Lamn gave a speech in 2004 entitled "I Have a Plan to Destroy America." This was his plan to destroy America, which came out many years ago. Victor Davis Hanson published these facts, and for those who haven't read his book, this is the plan he uncovered. 

If you find this too unbelievable, then look it up for yourself under Governor Lamm's own writings on how to destroy America. According to Governor Lamm:

1. We first must make America a bilingual country. History shows, in my opinion, that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two competing languages and cultures.
2. I would then invent "multiculturism" and encourage immigrants to maintain their own culture. I would make it an article of belief that all cultures are equal: that there are no cultural differences that are important.
3. We can make the United States a "Hispanic Quebec" without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity. I would replace the melting-pot metaphor with a salad-bowl metaphor.
4. Having done all of this. I would make our fastest-growing demographic group the least educated. I would add a second underclass. Unassimilated, undereducated, and antagonistic to our population.
5. I would then get the big foundations and big businesses to give these efforts lots of money. I would invest in ethnic identity, and I would establish the cult of victimology.
6. I would establish dual citizenship and promote divided loyalties. I would celebrate diversity. "Diversity" is a wonderfully seductive word. It stresses differences rather than commonalities.
7. Then I would place all these subjects off-limits—make it taboo to talk about them. I would find a word similar to "Heretic" in the 16th century that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking.
8. Lastly, I would censor Victor Davis Hanson's book "Mexifornia" - this is dangerous: It exposed my plan to destroy America.

Now, let us talk about number one. Immigrants are no longer made to speak English anymore as the old immigration system required. This has affected our country immensely, causing conflict between language and culture.

Now on to number two. By encouraging immigrants to maintain their own culture, this situation has caused those of other countries to wave the flag of their past country above our own. And by stating all cultures are equal, they have no reason to assimilate.

 
Number three. Making this country a Hispanic Quebec to celebrate diversity rather than unity has caused total disruption of our laws and morals.

Number four. Making the fastest growing demographic group the least educated is exactly what is going on within our education system, especially college.

Number five. Getting the big foundations and businesses to give big money to these efforts and by establishing the cult of victimology, this is exactly what's going on today.

 
Number six. Establishing dual citizenship and celebrating diversity. Does the WOKE movement bring anything to mind?

Number seven. By placing subjects such as Diversity, Equity, and inclusion subjects' taboo to talk about is nothing more than a way to control free speech.

Number eight. He promotes censorship of any book that goes against these beliefs calling Victor Davis Hansons' book dangerous because exposes his plan to destroy America.

In closing, if anyone is paying attention to what's going on today within our county, you can see that the socialists, communists, and muslims are following this plan to the T.

Terry McGahey is a writer and Old West historian.

This once-working cowboy is best known for his epic battle against the City of Tombstone and its historic City Ordinance Number 9, America's most famous gun-control law.

Terry was instrumental in finally repealing Tombstone City Ordinance Number 9. He is directly responsible for compelling the City of Tombstone to adhere to Arizona's laws.

If you'd like to read about his epic battle against the City of Tombstone, click here: The Last Gun Fight -- The Death of Ordinance Number 9 (Chapter One)

Ashamed of My Generation

By Terry McGahey
Oct 23, 2025 

I am a baby boomer, and I am truly ashamed of many people within my generation. 

Watching many of the boomer generation protesting against President Trump, calling him a fascist, calling him Hitler, and stating that he is ruining democracy. First off, we are not a true democracy. We are a Constitutional Federal Republic that operates on democratic principles. 

A true democracy does not and will not work in our country because the East and West coast areas carry the most votes, which means that the middle of our country would, in essence, have no say. The situation in a true democracy would actually take away democracy for many folks who live in the center of the country, and what is referred to as flyover states.

Now don't get me wrong, there are many boomers who are American Patriots, but we are not the ones out hollering, screaming, dancing around carrying signs and making fools of ourselves. If you want to know who these people are, in my opinion, it's mostly the old dope smoking, cocaine sniffing, pill-popping hippies of the Sixties Era. These old hippies are the ones who marched against the Vietnam War. 

Now don't take me wrong, that war was a mess, and those people had the right to protest the government over that war, and I have no problem with people peacefully protesting. That is their right, and no matter how I feel about things, I will stand up for their right to do so.

 
These old burnt-out hippies are the same ones who took out their anger on the soldiers who were lucky enough to come home alive from Vietnam. Many of these soldiers were drafted, and as most of us realize, once you are in the military, you have no choice in your deployment. They had no choice. 

When many of our soldiers returned home, what did these old hippies and college students do? They spit at them and called them horrible names, such as "baby killers" and other terrible things. How is this any different than what's going on with these old hippie boomers today? Some of these old hippies are calling for violence against the average patriots who believe in saving our country against the Socialist/Communist movement. This is only my opinion, and if no one likes my opinion, that's too damn bad because I couldn't care less.

If you don't believe the far left is for Socialism and even Communism, Mamdani in New York proves that belief because he is a known Communist. All one has to do is look at who is at the top of the Democratic Party. AOC, who lied about her being from the Bronx, Crockett, who does nothing but race-bait, Schiff, who is a proven liar, Sanders, who is an admitted Socialist, Omar, who has even made the statement about how she is watching out for Somalia, and Tlaib, who is purely a radical, then old Schumer, who is no better. These are the people who now control the Democrat Party, or should I just call it what it is, "The Socialist Party of America."

 
These people like to call themselves Democratic Socialists. Yes, we have some socialist programs, but we are not a socialist run country. Once we allow any type of Socialism to become powerful within our government, including the so-called Democratic Socialists, we will have lost our country as we have known it. 

Socialism is like a malignant cancer. Once those views get power, it will only grow and grow until we become a third-world country, which is what they truly want, because they will then be able to keep control from then on, and this is what the movement is really about. 

Just look at California if you want to get a glimpse of Democratic Socialism. How do you control the people? You control people through regulation, heavy taxes, and phony green energy bills, or others who are making people like Al Gore and others very wealthy while they fly around the country in those expensive jets and drive vehicles like Hummers. But, don't you do it. Do as I say and not as I do. If they are not Socialists, then tell me, what the hell are they?

One more thing. The Democratic Socialist Party is all for the violence and disruption going on within our country, and I can prove this without doing miles of research, and it's really very simple to prove this. When have you ever heard one of the top Democrats speak out against the violence with ANTIFA or others? I've only heard one Democrat politician, and he is Sen. John Fetterman (PA), who condemns his fellow Democrats.

Democrats haven't condemned the violence because they support it. When you don't speak out against the violence and disruption, then you agree with it. That's simple proof without digging into it any further.

Terry McGahey is a writer and Old West historian.

This once-working cowboy is best known for his epic battle against the City of Tombstone and its historic City Ordinance Number 9, America's most famous gun-control law.

Terry was instrumental in finally repealing Tombstone City Ordinance Number 9. He is directly responsible for compelling the City of Tombstone to adhere to Arizona's laws.

If you'd like to read about his epic battle against the City of Tombstone, click here: The Last Gun Fight -- The Death of Ordinance Number 9 (Chapter One)

Conservative Talk Host Matt Walsh Asks a Million Dollar Question – What if the Parties Were Reversed Over the Last Two Weeks?

(Matt Walsh / YouTube screenshot)

Story by Mike LaChance 

The Gateway Pundit

Sep. 25, 2025 

Conservative talk host Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire has just performed a fascinating thought experiment. What would happen if the parties were reversed over the course of the last two weeks? Would things have played out differently?

You better believe they would have.

Walsh really puts it into perspective here. He broke it all down in a lengthy post on Twitter/X that has been viewed millions of times.

Here’s an excerpt:

Imagine that we have a Democrat administration. Now imagine that a right wing radical shot and killed one of the most influential liberals in the country on live TV. Now imagine that thousands of other conservatives shamelessly celebrated the assassination and called for more of them. Now imagine that in the same week another right winger shot up a country club while shouting “MAGA” and another one shot up a news station and left behind a manifesto complaining about liberal bias in the media.

Now imagine that a week after all of those attacks, a conservative sniper perched on a rooftop fired into a Planned Parenthood clinic, killing or injuring multiple people. And imagine that this Planned Parenthood attack was just the latest in a string of them stretching back several months.

Is there any doubt how the Democrats would respond? Is there any doubt that they would wage a full scale war on conservatives and have people like me frog marched in front of cameras in handcuffs and leg irons? Is there any doubt that they would declare martial law and label all right wing expression incitement? Is there any doubt that they would be rounding up conservatives by the bus load and shipping us to Gitmo?

Is there any doubt that they would have Fox News and every other conservative media company shut down and its executives arrested or sued into bankruptcy?

Walsh goes on to explain that he is not even advocating for the right to do what the left would do, but that he does want the Trump administration to act in order to save lives.

It’s also an important scenario to imagine, because Walsh is right, we all do know how Democrats and the media would react. They need to be reminded of that.

About the Author:

Mike LaChance has been covering higher education and politics for Legal Insurrection since 2012. Since 2008, he has contributed work to the Gateway Pundit, Daily Caller, Breitbart, the Center for Security Policy, the Washington Free Beacon, and Ricochet. He has also written for American Lookout, Townhall, and Twitchy.

You can email Mike LaChance here, and read more of Mike LaChance's articles here.

Let's Talk About My Mom On Hospice

 

Some of you have written me over the years to say how much you enjoy my stories. Some of you have also written to take me to task over this or that. Of course, many of you want to know what's going on when you don't see me posting anything new for a while.

First, let me say that I have been researching some intriguing, yet relatively unknown, tales of the Old West for my next book. As many of you are aware, one of my hobbies is researching 19th-century period newspapers. I've found a few stories that I think you will find pretty interesting. And since my second book is about three years overdue, I feel that now is as good a time as any to explain why that's the case.

Actually, for me to say I'm about three years overdue on Book Two is about right, because it was about three years ago that my Mom became ill and ended up in hospice. So, yes, that's the reason I didn't follow up Book One with a second, and it's why you haven't seen many stories on my blog for a while.

In 2022, a few days after my Mom attended a Marine Birthday Ball as a guest of my Marine Corps League detachment, Mom had to go to Kaiser Hospital emergency room for breathing problems. Mom has suffered from Congestive Heart Failure for many years. On the day that she had to go to the ER, her oxygen levels were extremely low. Two days later, she was admitted to another hospital and would be there for about a week. After that, she was taken to a skilled nursing facility for almost a month. She went home in mid-December of 2022 and has been in hospice care at her home ever since.

My Mom's name is Frances Jolenta Correa. She was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on November 6th, 1934. She grew up in Kalihi on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. She is the only child of Manuel and Cecelia Gouveia.

Her father, my grandfather, was Manuel R. Gouveia, who was born in Maui. During his life, he was a Merchant Seaman, a cattle rancher, and a businessman in Honolulu. It was while he was a Merchant Seaman that he met and soon after married Cecelia Lorena Coelho in 1932. My mom shared how her mother, my grandmother, graduated from McKinley High School in Honolulu. Mom said that was a big deal to her family since most of them back then didn't make it past grade school. Grandma began working for the federal government at Pearl Harbor in 1940, when my mom was six years old.

One of my Mom's most memorable stories to tell was about how she remembered watching the Japanese war planes fly over her home in Kalihi on December 7, 1941. She was 7 years old and was walking to church that morning with my grandmother when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. She said she remembered how my grandmother turned them around and tried to get home to safety as quickly as possible.

Mom said my grandfather was in Ewa Beach fishing that Sunday morning when the bombing took place. She said Grandma made her crawl under her bed to be safe. She said she remembered when Grandma waited for what seemed like forever until she told her to come out from hiding. Mom recalled crying so hard that all she wanted to do was go to sleep until the nightmare passed. She said she did just that. She went to bed, pulled the covers over her head, and waited for her dad to get home.

Like many of her generation, she had vivid memories of being raised during the Great Depression and living through World War II. My mom talked about how my grandfather took whatever work was available to try to make ends meet. She talked about how she and her parents lived with her grandparents in Kalihi as a way of surviving the hard times. They spoke little to no English, so they all spoke Portuguese at home. She also remembered having a dress made from flour sacks that her mom had made. And yes, she mentioned how they had a garden in the back of their Kalihi home and grew a lot of their own food.

My mom talked about how she remembered the food rationing during World War II. I remember how she said she hated how scary it was during the blackouts of the war years. She hated that they had to have black curtains and that no lights could be seen from any of the homes. She remembered standing in line with her grandfather for food during World War II. And yes, she mentioned how their vegetable garden, which they used to grow their own food, turned into a Victory Garden during the war years.

She went to St. Anthony School in Kalihi until she entered High School. It was then that her mom and dad, along with her grandparents, moved to the other side of Honolulu, to Kaimuki, so that she would attend and be in walking distance to Sacred Hearts Academy in Kaimuki. Sacred Hearts Academy is a historic Roman Catholic college preparatory school for girls. It was founded in 1909 to serve the needs of early Hawaii Catholics in the former Territory of Hawaii. Mom has always taken pride in the fact that she graduated from Sacred Hearts Academy. She was in the Class of 1952.

Soon after graduating, she met Herman Clifford Correa of Waihawa, Oahu, Hawaii. She married the man who would be my dad in November 1953. Together, my parents had six children. The first was my older brother Herman Ray, then I came along, and after me came my brother Vernon, my brother Howard, my sister Valerie, and then my sister Joanie.

I remember growing up with my great-grandfather, my grandfather and grandmother, my mom and dad, and five of us kids in a three-bedroom, one-bath house on Pahoa Avenue in Kaimuki, until 1964. That was the year that my great-grandfather passed away at the age of 88. I was 8 years old when he passed away. Since we didn't have enough beds in the house, I slept with my great-grandfather. Since my great-grandfather spoke little to no English, we spoke Portuguese at home. That changed after he passed away. His wish was that we only speak English because we are Americans. And yes, Mom made sure his wishes were carried out. We stopped speaking Portuguese at home after he died.

Of course, since Mom was expecting at the time, it was just a few months after my great-grandfather passed away that my sister Joanie was born. So yes, we were back up to ten of us in that house. We lived in that house for many years. And frankly, it was always the place that we loved the most. Our "Kaimuki House," as Mom called it, was always the place where we called "home" for as long as I can remember.

My dad was a welder and construction worker most of his life. And for those who understand how hard it is to raise a big Catholic family, Dad had to go where the work took him. And yes, with work being hard to find in Honolulu in the early 1970s, Mom and Dad moved us to California in 1972. That year, Mom and Dad bought a home in Hayward, California.

Mom started working for K Mart in those years. And yes, she worked at K Mart for quite a few years. Of course, that wasn't the first job that she ever had. In fact, there was a time when all of us kids were in school, and she worked at the Sheraton Hotel in Waikiki. She also worked at Sea Life Park in Waimanalo for a few years before moving to California.

Mom and Dad upgraded to buy a home in a much nicer neighborhood in Hayward in 1976. After retiring, Mom and Dad enjoyed driving across the country and taking cruises. But, more than anything else, throughout Mom’s life, she always looked forward to doing things with our family. From attending birthday celebrations to our family’s huge Christmas party, Mom loved her large family and being surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

They lived in their house for 25 years until they bought their last home in the Castle Oaks Golf Course community of Ione, California, in 2001.

Sadly, Dad passed away in 2005. And as for Mom, well, she's kept busy ever since then by being involved with friends and family. From joining up with other ladies who enjoyed playing cards and a dice game called "Bunco," to joining a "Red Hat" Club, and attending lunches and dinners with friends, she has certainly kept herself busy. Of course, one of the things you learn in life is that even though Mom beat my great-grandfather's record for longevity, even entering her 90s, we kids know we are never too old to visit Mom.

A few things I like to remember about doing things with Mom involve taking her to Yosemite National Park back in 2020. I recall discovering that year that she had never been there. I couldn't believe that she had been in California since 1972 and never made it to Yosemite National Park. To remedy that, my wife, Deanna, and I took her to Yosemite with us one day when she thought we were just going out for an early lunch. She loved it.

And yes, there was that time back in 2014, when my wife, Deanna, and I, along with my older brother, Herman Ray, took our Mom to Los Angeles to appear on the television show, The Price Is Right. When my older brother and my Mom came up with the idea, I had to confess that I had never watched the show. Of course, that didn't matter.

I remember how much fun it actually was driving the 6 hours South to Los Angeles. Arriving the day before we're supposed to be at the television studio, we stayed the night at a hotel on the same day that the Hollywood Christmas Parade took place. So with my Mom in a wheelchair, we went to watch that. Mom loved it. And the next day, we were second in line to get into the studio door. Yes, in a line that must have had over a hundred people in it. All in all, we all had a great time. It was quite a show. In fact, I discovered that the production of the show is significantly better than what we see on television.

As most who know me know well, I'm not one for big cities. As soon as it was over, we got out of Los Angeles as quickly as the traffic allowed. I drove home that night just to get out of there.

Mom had just turned 88 years old on November 6th, 2022. I kidded her about tying the record for longevity in our immediate family. No one on my Dad's side of the family, nor my Mom's, had lived as long as my great-grandfather. It was a record that I had hoped she would extend a lot farther.

As I mentioned earlier, on November 10th of that year, Mom joined my wife, Deanna, and me to attend the Marine Corps Birthday Ball, hosted by the Marine Corps League detachment to which I belong. In actuality, I'm the Commandant for the Marine Corps League Motherlode Detachment 1080 in Ione. Mom was my guest. I bring it up because it was the first time she had ever attended a Marine Corps Ball in all the years I've been associated with the Marine Corps. I cannot tell you how wonderful it feels to know she finally had the chance to attend.

By November 16th of that year, she was having breathing troubles, and her Congestive Heart Failure troubles had started up. That was 2022, and yes, she's been in hospice ever since. Over the last three years, she's had her ups and downs. In April of this year, unable to walk or use a walker, she found herself confined to bed. Other than getting her out of bed on July 26, when I got her into a wheelchair for a little more than an hour, she has been in bed.

My older brother passed away about nine years ago. And yes, my younger brother has commitments in another state. So it's been up to my sisters, my youngest brother Howard, and me to provide Mom with 24/7 coverage since April.

It hasn't been easy, but frankly, Bristol Hospice has provided superior service to Mom and our family. Bristol Hospice is an outstanding company, and the Certified Nursing Assistants who work for them have an incredibly hard job. Frankly, I really don't know how they do it, day in and day out. Bristol Hospice is an incredible company, and I cannot give enough praise. Besides being extremely professional and committed to providing excellent hospice care over this entire time, every one of their employees is as caring and personable as can be.

Bristol Social Worker Stefanie McCann has been a blessing. And yes, so have Bristol's RNs Alex and Dawn, LVNs Corrine and Lupe, HCA Kim, Chaplain Eric, and others over this long period when Mom was hanging on. All of Bristol's personnel have shown incredible caring and compassion. All have treated my Mom like family, and I will forever be indebted to them for all that they have done to make her remaining time with us as good as can be expected.

For my sisters, my brother, and me, during this time, our job hasn't changed. Other than the time involved and the emotional toll of watching Mom as she declines, our reward is being here for Mom to make sure she's comfortable. My sister, Val, who recently moved from Idaho to Indiana, has been a blessing. She has chipped in by flying out to help. In fact, though Val was out here in August for a few weeks, she returned a couple of weeks ago to take over for a while. Val's going to be here for the next few weeks. She is a Godsend.

So now, since many of you have written to ask what's been going on because you haven't seen me posting anything new for a while, I wanted to share what's been happening with me lately. I said before, it hasn't been easy. But, there have been those moments that I wouldn't trade for all the tea in China. Those small moments of her calling out for water, or to hear her say she's ready for lunch, or when she wakes to simply ask how we are doing, or to simply say she loves us, are all worth more than gold. I cannot tell you how good it is not to have missed out on any of that.

And here's something else. In retrospect, one thing I've been thinking about a lot lately is how, over the years, I've made it a point to spend at least one day a week visiting my parents. I started doing that after my grandfather passed away in 1988. I figured that as long as I wasn't on the road out of town for work, I would make sure that I gave my folks some of my time. And yes, after Dad passed away, I found it increasingly important to visit Mom more often than regularly.

Most of the time, when my wife and I would visit Mom, we would "talk story" about the old days. Most of the time, we would play cards or board games, joke, and laugh about some of the silliest things. And yes, every once in a while, usually after Mom mistakenly took an extra turn during a board game or while playing cards, she'd get embarrassed and say, laughing, "You'll miss me when I'm gone."

What I know about Mom is that she wanted a big family because she was an only child. I know for a fact that she loves her family and friends. And though, as of today, October 16th, 2025, she appears tired and nearing the end of her time with us, I thank God for giving me her as a Mom. I know in my heart that I'll be forever grateful that she shared her life with us. And no, I don't think she'll ever know how right she was -- I'll miss her when she's gone. Yes, I will.

I love my Mom very much, and it was tough watching her decline, especially over the last few days when it seemed like she would pass at any moment. Our waiting came to an end this morning, October 21, 2025, when my sister Val, my brother Howard, and I found that Mom passed away in her sleep last night. She's now in Heaven.

She's survived by her son Tom and his wife, Deanna; her son Vernon and his wife, Kimberly; her son Howard and his wife, Sharon; her daughter Valerie and her husband, Travis; and her daughter Joan. She has been a grandmother to 24 grandchildren and "G.G." (great-grandma) to 25 great-grandchildren.

As for us, her family, we promised to keep her at home until the end, to care for her, to keep her comfortable, and to love her. We kept our promise because we’ve been blessed to have such a wonderful Mom. And yes, I know we will see her again one day. Until then, we'll miss her. Yes, we will all truly miss her.

Tom Correa

The Loss of Life for Americans Trying to Fulfill Manifest Destiny Was High

So, let's talk about how the loss of life for Americans trying to fulfill Manifest Destiny was high. But first, let's recognize that the California Gold Rush dramatically accelerated the "American Westward Expansion" by drawing hundreds of thousands of people to the West. That influx of settlers fueled the idea of Manifest Destiny.

The phrase "Manifest Destiny" was first used by newspaper editor John O'Sullivan in 1845. He created the term to advocate for the United States to annex Texas. Coined by John O'Sullivan, his idea was that America was "divinely ordained" to expand and settle across the entire North American continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Let's remember that it was his opinion that God wanted the United States to settle all of the territory from the Atlantic to the Pacific.  

If you're wondering why I put "divinely ordained" in quotes, it's because it seems to me that many people throughout human history have felt that God, or their Gods, have ordained certain things. For example, various Native American tribes, long before Europeans ever set foot on American soil, felt that their Gods meant for them to have certain lands at the expense of war with other tribes. And yes, in many cases, genocidal war took place between tribes. The same situation was with Hawaiian King Kamehameha, who believed that conquering the other islands was ordained by his Gods. Of course, he probably wouldn't have been able to do that without European warfighting arms and technology, but that's an inconvenient point of fact that Hawaiian history revisionists prefer not to discuss. Remember, to Hawaiians, the Europeans were perceived as bad people for 'colonizing' Hawaii. And sadly, some of that hate for Whites still exists in Hawaii today. 

So, no, I don't see Americans in the 19th Century believing that America was guided by God to go West as being something that was that much different from what many people around the world have thought at different points in human history. Of course, while America's belief in "Manifest Destiny" is often portrayed as American arrogance at the time, I don't see it as being much different from other people who believed that their God or Gods ordained something or other. 

The core idea that Americans had a "manifest destiny" to expand from one ocean to the other influenced a great many people and provided a powerful rationale for Westward migration, despite the high cost in American lives. And yes, besides the thousands of lives lost during the Mexican-American War, the cost in American lives, those pioneers who died trying to go West, was extremely high.

 
That's the part of "Manifest Destiny" that no one talks about. People do talk about how Manifest Destiny played a significant role in the displacement of some Native American tribes, for the role Americans played in the annexation of Texas, and for the impact that concept had on the acquisition of territories from Mexico after the Mexican-American War. And yes, people talk about how the addition of new territories fueled debates over slavery and increased tensions between the North and South, which contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War.

But, for some strange reason, I never hear people talk about the cost of American lives, or how much blood, treasure, and hard work it took to fulfill the idea of Americans having to go West because
God intended for that to take place. There is never a mention of the thousands of American pioneers who died expanding and spreading the American culture or attempting to spread America's democratic ideals across the continent.

 
So how bad was it in the case of lives lost? 

Well, there are factors that complicate getting an accurate toll of how many Americans died attempting to fulfill the dream of "manifest destiny." A dream for many that turned into a nightmare. 

For example, because of the lack of accurate records, it is almost impossible to know the exact number of settler deaths along the trail. One reason is the unrecorded burials. It's true. Graves were often unmarked to protect them from vandals or were intentionally placed in the wagon trail to be trampled over, making them undetectable to animals that might dig them up. 

And frankly, between 1841 and 1869, anywhere from 350,000 to 400,000 Americans embarked on the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails. Estimates suggest that anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 or more American settlers died on the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails during the 20-year span between 1840 and 1860. 

That means that about one in ten, or one in eight, settlers who attempted the journey died along the way. And really, those figures don't capture the overall death toll for settlers during the entire era of Westward expansion, which also includes the countless lives lost in other conflicts, accidents, and diseases. To be realistic, about one in five people during that period died from all sorts of things, including disease, accidents, the weather, starvation, violence, and dumb decisions.

 
The leading cause of death for American settlers was disease. That was the greatest killer on the trails, in mining camps, towns, on homesteads, farms, ranches, and other settlements. Cholera was the most feared and deadly disease. It is caused by bacteria that thrive in unsanitary water and can kill a healthy person within hours. Typhoid, dysentery, smallpox, measles, and influenza were also common due to poor hygiene and the close quarters of most temporary camps. 

As for the weather and other natural disasters, they could be lethal. Extreme heat, thunderstorms, lightning, and deadly hailstones all posed risks to traveling settlers. Severe storms and early snowfalls trapped some parties, leading to starvation, as in the case of the Donner Party, where 35 people died. Of course, the Donner Party is a prime example of the consequences of a poor decision. And yes, their decision to proceed over the Sierra Mountains when they did was dumb.

As for bison stampedes? Yes, they could also cause injuries and wreak havoc on wagon trains. As for bear attacks, there are documented instances of attacks occurring when settlers set out from their wagon trains in search of game. 

Of course, just because people made it to where they were going, it didn't mean they would survive. The death toll statistics of those making the journey don't include the deaths of settlers who died in less-documented land acquisition, skirmishes, new homesteads, on farms, ranches, in towns, mining camps and mines, in mills, and in forests falling trees, on ships, during the building of the railroad. And yes, while in reality relatively uncommon compared to dying from disease, starvation, and accidents, deaths from Native American conflicts did take place. Of course, it is impossible to determine exactly how many lives of settlers were lost in various battles and skirmishes throughout the decades of Westward expansion. 

While many accounts with Native Americans were exaggerated and sensationalized, and some were overreported in contemporary accounts, the events did happen. And really, while people talk about Manifest Destiny, they focus on the expansion of the United States; the expansion itself led to violent conflicts and wars with Native Americans. Those conflicts, big and small, and while not always noted, resulted in numerous settler deaths. One example is during the 1862 Dakota War, when over 1,000 white settlers were killed or captured by rebelling Dakota Sioux. 

As for deaths by criminals, those outlaws who stole and murdered? Widespread lawlessness and the resulting vigilantism did take place for a reason. It's a fact that, along with the good, comes the bad, even during the Western expansion. What took place during the rapid, often chaotic, expansion into new territories was the creation of conditions that led to lawlessness. This resulted in a high incidence of crime, particularly in newly settled mining and cattle towns. 

The rise of vigilante justice? Yes, as you've heard me talk about before, from mining camps to new towns springing up, there was no organized law enforcement. So yes, the people had to create what they already knew as "Citizens Committees," also known as "Vigilance Committees." And with official law enforcement often sparse and ineffective, settler communities formed vigilante groups to enforce their own versions of justice, often with brutality. This led to lynchings and summary executions. Was it effective in deterring crime? In most cases, it was. Of course, as is in life, some outlaws were too stupid to understand that the outlaw life was not a really healthy way of life until they were dancing on the end of a rope under some lone tree. 

The romanticized image of the American outlaw arose from this era of lawlessness. Figures like Jesse James and Butch Cassidy, who committed acts of violence and theft, became iconic figures in the frontier mythology. As life in the West became more settled, the crime rate in the West did come down. This was mainly because most residents were armed, and outlaws were dealt with accordingly.  

As for accidents that took lives in the pursuit of Manifest Destiny? Well, accidents along the way West were a constant danger. During the journey West, wagon accidents occurred frequently, with children and adults falling under the wheels and being crushed. River crossings were particularly perilous, and drowning was a common cause of death. Actually, drownings were a significant risk, especially during perilous river crossings where swift currents could capsize wagons. Gunshot wounds, often self-inflicted by inexperienced gun owners, were also common.

If memory serves me right, long before the outlaw Johnny Ringo became famous and his family journeyed to San Jose, California, in a wagon train, he lost his father as a result of a gun accident. It's said that he was pulling a shotgun out of a wagon from the muzzle when it went off. It killed him instantly. And yes, he was buried in an unmarked grave along the trail. 

During the 1800s, accidents, especially those we would today term "occupational accidents," were often caused by hazardous industrial work, primitive and dangerous machinery, inadequate ventilation, and a lack of safety regulations, resulting in injuries such as lost limbs, burns, and fatalities from explosions and collapses. In the West, common industries such as mining, logging, and fishing were especially perilous, with workers facing risks on a daily basis. For example, in the case of fishing, it wasn't unusual for capsize-prone fishing vessels and severe storms to result in high mortality rates among fishermen. And yes, buildings, especially mines, could collapse due to structural flaws or explosions, trapping and killing workers. Miners faced risks from explosions, toxic gases, and mine collapses on a daily basis.

In mills, exposed gears, moving belts, and unguarded blades on machines led to amputations and other severe injuries. Lack of safety regulations, poor ventilation, and crowded environments increased the risk of accidents and illness. Of course, fires and explosions were frequent. For example, from flour dust in mills to methane gas in mines, faulty steam boilers in factories and on trains, fires, and explosions were frequent causes of death and injury. 

So yes, besides the large number of Americans who died heading West, Manifest Destiny created harsh conditions and devastating consequences for Native Americans and American settlers alike. 

The perilous journey, traveling westward on trails like the Oregon Trail, was a long, difficult, and dangerous ordeal that lasted for months. American pioneers faced brutal weather, starvation, and diseases like cholera, which in many cases wiped out entire wagon trains. Of course, after arriving, they found frontier life brutal. 

In most instances, settlers, especially those who moved to the Great Plains, found it difficult to cultivate the dry, tough soil with limited rainfall. Many homes were poorly constructed from mud, and the lack of supplies made for an extremely tough existence. And, in reality, many faced financial failure since the cost of starting a farm was high, and many who took advantage of acts like the Homestead Act were unable to make their farms profitable. Many failed and ended up working as migrant laborers for larger commercial farms. 

So, please, when discussing Manifest Destiny, let's not make the mistake of portraying it as though it was a cake walk for American settlers heading West. Let's remember that, driven by a belief that justified America's Westward expansion, American settlers faced many hardships. And yes, the loss of life for Americans trying to fulfill Manifest Destiny was high. Let's refrain from criticizing or belittling, especially in an unfair manner, or disparaging and downplaying what those American pioneers accomplished. 

Those American pioneers, those who followed the promise of Manifest Destiny, faced extreme difficulties, a high rate of failure, at a huge loss of life. And for that, they should be admired for their tenacity. 

Tom Correa

Charles Marion Russell, The True Cowboy Artist

Story By Terry McGahey

Charles Marion Russell, also known as C.M. Russell, was born on March 19, 1864, in Missouri. He left his home around eighteen years of age and headed out to experience the wild west firsthand. This landed him in Montana, working for a short period of time on a sheep ranch. Russell then went to work for a fellow by the name of Jake Hoover, who was a hunter, tracker, and trapper who became a rancher in central Montana within the Judith Basin.

 
Russell was working as a cowhand during the winter of 1886-7, which became known as "The Big Die Up". The winter that year was deathly cold, reaching forty-six to even seventy below zero with sixteen inches or more of snow, the snow is one thing but with those below average temperatures life outside becomes impossible to deal with for any more than about ten to fifteen minutes. 

Myself, I have dealt with thirty-five below, being out in it for short periods of time, but I can't even imagine seventy below zero. 

When spring finally came in 1887, that's when the horrible realization set in. The loss of cattle was so terrible it would change the ranching business forever, the carcasses were scattered all across the fields and many more even washed down several streams and the cattle that survived were nothing but skin and bone. The "Big Die Up" and overgrazing brought an end to open range ranching for the most part.

During that time, Russell was working for the O.H. Outfit when the owner of the ranch contacted the ranch foreman to ask how his cows made it through the winter. The foreman sent the owner a watercolor made by Russell, about the size of a postcard of a very gaunt steer being watched closely by a pack of wolves. The caption of this watercolor is called "Waiting For A Chinook". 

A chinook is a warm, dry wind that blows down the Eastern side of the Rocky Mountains at the end of winter. Later, Russell re-painted that scene larger, and it became one of his best-known works of art.

After this time period, Russell began receiving commissions for his work and became a full-time artist. Unlike Remington and other Western artists, not to take anything from them, Russell was a true cowboy, and Remington's work was done by observation rather than first-hand experience. 

Russell's art covered not only cowboys, but also landscapes and Native Americans, as well as bronze sculptures. Russell's works are displayed in several places today, including the C.M. Russell Museum Complex in Great Falls, Montana, the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, Wyoming, the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, the Montana Historical Society in Helena, Montana, and the Sid Richardson Museum also in Fort Worth.

In 1896, Russell married his wife, Nancy, and in 1897, they moved to Great Falls, Montana, where he spent most of his time until his death on October 24, 1926. By the end of his life, Russell had been a local celebrity but had also become a celebrity through art critics around the world. 

By the time of his passing, he had created approximately four thousand works of art. Upon the day of his funeral, the school children were let out of school to watch the funeral procession in which his coffin was carried in a glass-sided coach pulled by four black horses.

Terry McGahey is a writer and Old West historian.

This once-working cowboy is best known for his epic battle against the City of Tombstone and its historic City Ordinance Number 9, America's most famous gun-control law.


Terry was instrumental in finally repealing Tombstone City Ordinance Number 9. He is directly responsible for compelling the City of Tombstone to adhere to Arizona's laws.

If you'd like to read about his epic battle against the City of Tombstone, click here: The Last Gun Fight -- The Death of Ordinance Number 9 (Chapter One)

They Have No Souls

By Terry McGahey

With the horrible assassination of Charlie Kirk, this terrible act has been promoted mostly by the far-left radicals who, in my opinion, lack any sense of honesty, decency, or, may I dare say, a lack of soul by many of these anti-American socialists and or communists. These people are truly insane!

I ask, where do we lay the blame for all of the lawlessness, violence, and anti-American rhetoric? Like it or not, it's all coming from the Left. 

As I have stated before, just look at our education system, especially within our colleges and even down to our public schools and school boards, where in many cases parents are shunned and even thrown out of meetings for voicing their concern about the education of their children.

Yes, I do blame our educational system for the indoctrination of our young minds; even more, I blame the so-called Democratic socialist movement, which has taken place within the Democratic Party for quite some time now. Personally, I believe these socialists within our government should be tried for treason because all they do is disrupt our government and laws. 

If you are a voting Democrat, you need to take a long, hard look at yourself in the mirror and finally come to realize that a vote for any Democrat right now is a vote for tyranny, lawlessness, and the ruination of our country's values -- and possibly our way of life. 

It makes no difference to me if you are a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent; it's time to vote for our American values and our Constitution, not for the radical values that have divided our nation so vividly. This is no longer about Democrats and Republicans; it's about saving our freedoms, our nation, and our independence.

What many people do not seem to grasp is that when Socialism, any kind of Socialism, invades our government, we lose. Sure, we have social programs such as Social Security and others, but we are not a socialist run government! Socialism is like a malignant cancer; once it takes control, it only grows larger and larger until such point you are only one small step away from Communism. 

Wake the hell up people before it's too late because our government has been invaded by Socialists such as Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, Greg Casar of Texas, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Cori Bush of Missouri, Jamaal Bowman of New York, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, llhan Omar of Minnesota but born in Somalia, and Danny Davis of Illinois. 

 
Every person I have mentioned above belongs to the DSA, which is the organization of Democratic Socialists of America. They need to go! 

Not only that, but now we have another socialist running for mayor in New York by the name of Zohran Mamdani. This socialist, born in Uganda, wants free city buses, public childcare, city-owned grocery stores, rent-free on rent-stabilized units, and a thirty-dollar-per-hour minimum wage. My question is simple: Who is going to pay for these outrageous ideals? 

I'll tell you who! Every taxpayer within the state of New York. If you people in New York vote for this person, you are voting to have your taxes raised by a large percentage. Good luck with that.

Now with these radicalized leftists, and make no mistake, that's what they are, they are promoting the killing of people on the right, as well as white people, or MAGA supporters, even though many promoting this are also white people. They have become so radicalized that they have lost their humanity and, in my opinion, their souls as well. 

Advocating murder and other violence within our cities is shameful, and such people should be treated as wild dogs.

If you are being paid to protest and create violence against ICE, then you need to rethink who you are. You are being paid to disrupt this country, and in my opinion, that makes you a traitor.

Terry McGahey is a writer and Old West historian.

This once-working cowboy is best known for his epic battle against the City of Tombstone and its historic City Ordinance Number 9, America's most famous gun-control law. 

Terry was instrumental in finally repealing Tombstone City Ordinance Number 9. He is directly responsible for compelling the City of Tombstone to adhere to Arizona's laws.

As a Constitutional Conservative, his common-sense approach to politics is something that many of us appreciate. As many of you have written to tell me, Terry's brave and honest commentaries are refreshing in a world full of people too afraid to address today's issues head-on. 

The Double Hanging of William Lipsey and James Logan 1854

William Lipsey and James Logan were the first men officially hanged in El Dorado County on November 3rd, 1854, at Coloma. This marked the county's first official executions, which were held as a response to the many lynchings that had been taking place in that area.  

On November 6, 1854, the Daily Alta California newspaper, in its Volume 5, Number 308, edition, reported what took place:

Particulars of the Execution: James Logan and William Lipsey.

The execution of James Logan, for the murder of Fennel, at Coon Hollow, and William Lipsey, for the murder of Powelson, at Cold Springs, took place at Columa, on Friday, 3rd instant. They were the first criminals ever executed by the officers of the law in El Dorado County, and the assemblage of people was larger than was ever before known in the county, or probably ever will be again. 

Long before the hour of execution arrived, the streets of Columa were thronged with a dense mass of human beings, while thousands were congregated on the hills around. At 12 o'clock, the Sheriff proceeded to take the prisoners from the jail to the scaffold, which had been erected on the hillside. 

Logan walked out of the jail with as much apparent indifference as a man could well manifest under such circumstances; and although his head was "silvered o'er with age," — notwithstanding the fate that awaited him--he stepped into the wagon that contained his coffin; with the buoyancy of youth and the vigor of manhood, scorning the assistance that was proffered him. 

With Lipsey, it was entirely different. For a week, he had taken scarcely any food; he was debilitated in body and broken in spirit. He was assisted into the wagon and remained as if dead or chained to his seat until he reached the place of execution. 

Logan ascended the scaffold with a firm step, bible in hand, and for all the world with the air of a preacher of the gospel, about to address a sinful people whom he was anxious to exhort to repentance. 

Lipsey was almost carried up — his eyes were fixed, and presenting a vacant, death-like stare. Sheriff Buel, in a loud, clear voice, read the death warrant to William Lipsey. He was informed by the Sheriff that if he had anything to say, an opportunity would now be afforded him. In reply, when directly asked if he desired to speak, he merely shook his head by way of a negative response. 

The warrant was then read to James Logan, who, the while, was apparently calling on his Maker for strength, to support himself in his hour of trial, though not in audible voice. The Bible was still in his hand, and opened where there was a plate representing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. 

The night previous, in the jail, he had opened the Bible at the same place, and pointed out the plate to one of the Deputy Sheriffs, remarking, "There! Mine is a similar case. I have been persecuted even unto death, and am going to die tomorrow, the victim of false testimony." 

When the Sheriff asked him if he had anything to say, he laid down the Bible and turned to address the vast sea of human heads that surrounded the scaffold. Having listened attentively and taken notes at the time, we are enabled to present to our readers the substance of his remarks, as follows:

He felt that he was growing feeble and would not be able to address at any great length those who had come to witness the execution. He stood before them a condemned man, the victim of false testimony. It was true that he had taken the life of a fellow creature, but he had committed the deed in self-defence. He went to the claim where the tragedy took place, not as had been said, to kill Fennel, but because the claim was his own and he went to get possession of it. His own rash threats had brought him to the scaffold. 

In answer to propositions to settle the difficulty either by law or arbitration, he had rashly replied that there was a shorter and better way -- but he did not mean it. He went to the claim to get possession of it, but did not snap or present his pistol — he merely showed it. It was merely a single-barreled pistol. 

Fennel went and got a revolver and came back and presented it at him, cocked. Fennel was advancing upon him with a cocked revolver when he presented his single-barreled pistol. Any other testimony than this was false. He only snapped his pistol a moment before Fennel did his. The man who swore that he snapped his first swore a lie. They both snapped together. He had warned Fennel not to advance. He got behind Swift, and if he (Swift) had stood his ground, nobody would have been killed. But Swift flinched and stepped aside. He then had to be killed himself, kill Fennel, or run away. 

He fired, and Fennel fell. He repeated that it was false that he snapped his pistol first; it was that snap that brought him to the gallows, and the testimony about it was false. In view of the halter (to which he pointed his finger) and in the presence of that God before whom he was so shortly to appear, he was now speaking the truth. He would never have been hung if he had not had a principle of courage in his composition that prevented him from running away. 

He had said that he was not afraid of a pistol, and that he would not run from one. He could not run. He exclaimed, would to God that he had run away! He did not go to the claim to kill Fennel. He was not a murderer. He had sinned against God's laws in not running away from Fennel, but not against the laws of his country. Belhinks had sworn false when he testified that he (Logan) had gone to the claim to kill Fennel. I have lived forty-seven years, fellow citizens -- no, I am not a fellow citizen -- forty-seven years without committing murder; and if I did kill a man who otherwise would have killed me, I die innocent of murder. 

The Court, Jury, and District Attorney had treated him as a murderer for defending his own life. Everything had been against him — nothing in his favor. He had been persecuted. He upbraided one of the witnesses who had sworn against him, but at the same time acknowledged the truth of what he had sworn. Gentlemen, you are all on the broad road to Hell. I was once, but now I am going to Heaven as sure as you are on the way to Hell. 

The prisoner had spoken at considerable length, though he had stated he would not be able to do so. He went on repeating in an unconnected manner what he had said before -- stating some things in a manner quite inconsistent with the foregoing portion of his speech. 

Sheriff Buel informed him that the hour appointed for the execution was at hand. Logan stopped speaking and, turning to Rev Mr. Taylor, remarked, "We had better spend the remainder of the time in prayer." 

The prisoners were then placed on the drop, the ropes put about their necks, the long white shrouds put on, and the black caps drawn over their faces. Meanwhile, Logan uttered an inaudible prayer; Lipsey remained silent and motionless. 

Rev Mr. Taylor addressed the Throne of Grace in an eloquent, appropriate, and solemnly impressive manner. Then the drop fell! 

By an accident as unaccountable as it was impossible to prevent, both knots slipped, notwithstanding that they had previously sustained a weight of four hundred and fifty pounds each, dropped six and a half feet for the prisoners to fall. 

Immediately after striking the ground beneath the scaffold, Logan pulled the cap from his eyes to see if Lipsey had come down with him, then rose to his feet, and with little assistance (his feet having been untied) re-ascended the scaffold. 

Lipsey had to be carried up, though he had not been seriously injured by the fall. No disturbance had been created by the fall, except that nearly the entire crowd seated on the hillside involuntarily rose to their feet. The ropes were speedily re-adjusted. After the cap had been drawn over his eyes, and just before the rope was to be cut, Logan asked the time of day and demanded to see a watch. 

The cap was raised, and a watch was presented. He remarked. "Ah, you have twenty minutes yet — if it was two o'clock, I would demand my liberty under the law," and turned away with a muttered laugh that we could not have expected to witness coming from a dying man.

Lipsey required support to stand up. After being placed on the drop the second time, he said in a suppressed tone as if to himself, "I don't think I'm a murderer at heart. " Just before the rope was cut, he said, "Be as quick as you can — I am fainting — I am just gone." These were his last words. Logan's last words were, " Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

 A brief prayer from Mr. Tavlor, and James Logan and William Lipsey passed into eternity, at the fall of the drop, with scarcely a struggle. Lipsey has left a written confession. He said in prison that he belonged to a good family, that he once conducted himself properly, but that liquor had brought him to a terrible end. He was a young man, about twenty-five. We think Logan has also left a written confession. We are informed that Logan's wife and children visited the scaffold after the bodies had been placed in the coffins. They were buried at the foot of a knoll nearby, on the top of which is the graveyard.

-- end of report.

The county's illegal lynchings had prompted its leaders to change the name of "Hangtown" to the more respectable Placerville, and the official executions of Logan and Lipsey were a result of this new formalization of justice.

As for the event, the hangings were attended by a large crowd of thousands, all gathered to watch the executions. At first, the hanging was botched with both men falling through the nooses. The flawed execution was blamed on the inexperience of El Dorado County Sheriff Buel. 

William Lipsey was a 25-year-old gambler who murdered a fellow cardsharp in a drunken brawl over a game of cards. Yes, that was not something that was unusual in the Old West. As for William Lipsey's demeanor, he was that of a man debilitated and broken in spirit. He had to be half-dragged to the scaffold and carried up to the platform. His demeanor was a complete contrast to James Logan's.

Since he reportedly faced his execution with surprising calm and what many there saw as bravery, James Logan's demeanor was one of bravado and a man declaring his innocence. As for him almost becoming an instant legend among those who witnessed the hanging? 

It's said the crowd was impressed watching Logan step into the wagon with the "buoyancy of youth," despite being "silvered o'er with age". And yes, supposedly, some there questioned his guilt after hearing his side of the story. Of course, Logan's composure after the first attempt to hang the two was botched is said to have had a few tip their hats to him. 

And really, I don't find that too strange when we consider that the crowd watched Logan get up from the ground and collect himself before he walked back to the gallows. Again, unlike Lipsey, Logan didn't need help to meet his maker. To add to the talk of Logan was the fact that many there took note of how Logan actually requested a look at a watch before the successful second attempt to hang him.

For those witnessing such a thing, it's said that Logan's actions gave them pause. And frankly, I can understand how that may have been the case since, even back in the day, it wasn't every day that a convicted murderer remained so steadfast in declaring his innocence while meeting their death. 

But really, that's what he did. James Logan was a 47-year-old miner who was convicted of murder and condemned to hang for killing a fellow miner over a mining claim dispute. And remarkably, all the way to the gallows, even after an initial botched hanging, before a gathering of what some say were at least 10,000 souls, all there to watch him die, Logan insisted to the last that he had killed only in self-defense.

Tom Correa

While Republicans Have Most Of The Guns, Democrats Are The Crazies Pulling The Triggers

My friends, even though I'm a Republican who has a couple of guns, I want to make it clear that at no time during the Clinton, Obama, and Biden administrations did I ever want to climb on a rooftop somewhere and shoot anyone for political reasons. No, I leave that sort of lunacy to Democrat crazies who drink the Kool-Aide and have accepted every lie that comes out of the Democrat Party.

In fact, like most Republicans who have most of the guns in America, I've never wanted physical harm to come to Clinton, Obama, Biden, any of their staff, or the talking heads who constantly spewed their lies and demonstrated their loyalty in the form of spreading Leftist propaganda. Yes, like fertilizer, Democrats spread their crap just to see what will grow out of it. If nothing grows, they just keep spreading it. 

Over the years, I've disagreed with them in post after post on my blog. But, because I had always had faith in our system, I've never ever wanted them harmed. Instead, I've wanted them brought to justice. And I'll grant you that I did want their anti-American, corrupt policies exposed for the deceitful dealings that were taking place, and yes, I wanted the payoffs, the bribes, the rampant corruption in Washington exposed for the theft that it is. I also wanted the people responsible for the theft of our money, including those who were purposely giving American taxpayer dollars to people here illegally, to be exposed. The fact is that I still want that.

Though I wanted the inept, incompetent political hacks that they are to be exposed, I never once thought of shooting someone over something that I didn't agree politically. Civilized people don't do that. Democrats do, but let's not make the mistake of thinking that anyone who would climb atop a roof and shoot someone over a political debate, or someone who would shoot children because he's mad at himself for allowing someone to cut off his penis, is civilized.  

Instead, I wanted the names of Clinton, Obama, Biden, and their followers to be associated with their neglect and disdain for the American people. I wanted people to know and remember the crimes that were covered up by the Democrat-controlled Mainstream News Media, and how they were above the law because of their wealth and political connections. Unlike Democrats, I don't see political violence as being productive. 

Think about it, the political violence that we saw take place with the burning of American cities in 2020 didn't accomplish a thing for anyone. All it did was show what happens when Democrat-controlled cities refuse to apply law and order to their cities. They lived with the results, and they seem happy living in the ash heap afterwards. Of course, they showed the entire world how dumb they are -- but even that hasn't mattered to them. 

For me, I didn't want to see any harm come to the people responsible for the corruption, the Climate Change scam, and the payola going out by the Billions of dollars. And yes, I still want the system to catch up with them, even though they think they are above the law. I didn't want anyone to shoot any of them because I still want many of them in those Democrat administrations to be criminally investigated, arrested, and tried in a court of law. No, not just in the court of public opinion, which, as most know, can be swayed by a manipulating Democrat-controlled Mainstream News Media, but in a court of law. 

I wanted those presidents to stop their anti-American policies. And yes, I was tired of those administrations doing things that benefited other nations at the cost of intentionally inflicting pain and hardship on our people. But frankly, as with most Republicans, I know that bullets are the last resort. They are surely not the answer when trying to fix a corrupt authoritarian government bent on making our lives miserable. That's the job of an honest election and a ballot box, not an ammo box. 

And yes, I think it's too bad Democrat crazies with guns can't abide by the results of an honest election and simply get past their hate. Instead, they are such a vile and murderous people that they regularly turn to riots, arson, and murder when it suits them.  

As for me, I didn't want political violence to turn some of the worst people in the United States, people like Hillary Clinton, into instant heroes of the Democratic Party. No, I wanted those presidents and members of their staffs, including their followers, to be held legally and financially responsible for their criminal conduct. 

Besides, I wanted to pull back the curtain so all the world would see who was pulling the strings of the incompetent Biden administration. And yes, even more so, I wanted the world to see who was responsible for that attempted Russian Collusion Hoax that was nothing less than a Coup against a sitting elected American President, Donald Trump, during his first term. 

For me, I'm getting everything that I've wanted in the way of exposing Obama and Biden, and the Clintons. Yes, the Trump administration is also exposing all of their Deep State operatives, and the corruption in the FBI, the CIA, as well as other agencies. No, I don't need to climb onto a rooftop to shoot an innocent man. I can see that many things are coming to a head these days thanks to the Trump administration. 

So, no, not once have I ever thought about taking a rifle to a rooftop with the intent and desire to kill anyone because I disagreed with their political opinions or because I "hated" their political stance on an issue. Not once have any of my Republican gun-owning friends ever come to me and said so-and-so should be shot because of something that they may have said. Not once have any of my very passionate anti-Liberal friends ever said we need to start shooting Democrat politicians and their supporters as a solution. No, not once have any of my Republican gun-owning friends ever acted like a Democrat crazy wanting to shoot someone from ambush. 

Whether People Want To Admit It Or Not,  Democrats Actively Promote Vile And Murderous Political Violence As A Solution.

And before you write to tell me that I've restrained myself from acting out some sort of urge to shoot a Democrat because of my Christian faith, please don't make the mistake of thinking that I'm some sort of holier-than-thou Christian. I'm not and never have been that sort of Christian. I'm a sinner and I know it. 

Besides, I've never been the sort of Christian who believes in turning the other cheek or letting God deal with bad people. No, I'm the sort of Christian who believes in punching an aggressor in the face as hard as I can, and as many times as possible. And make no mistake about it, I'm the sort of Christian who has a Conceal Carry Permit for a reason. When times get really bad, I'm the kind of Christian who won't put up with dangerous Democrat crazies who want to hurt me or my family. 

And yes, that brings me to that mass shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis. So how did the Democrat-controlled media and Democrat politicians react to what took place? First, they tried to bury the story by not talking about the shooter. Second, they took their usual tact by trying to pin the blame on guns instead of the monster who took the lives of two school children and wounded 17 others, including 14 kids, as they attended a Mass on the first day of classes. 

For Democrats, it's easier to blame guns than it is to talk about personal responsibility. And really, I sort of understand why they would rather focus on an inanimate mechanical object, something that's not alive, something void of a soul or a conscience or morals, something not an animal or a human, rather than have to address how a crazy person of their creation became a mass murderer. 

Republicans like me have most of the guns in America. So to Democrats, it just makes sense to their sick way of thinking that all gun-related political violence, like school shootings, must be our fault. Of course, if we look at the sort of political violence, especially gun-related political violence, Democrats are the crazies pulling the triggers. And that's the problem that Democrats have when reporting gun-related political violence. 

For example, Democrats make a conscience effort to bypass reports where the killer has mental health problems dealing with their sexual identity. In the case of the Catholic school in Minneapolis, the Democrat-controlled media and Democrat politicians didn't want to report that the killer had "trans" identity psycho problems, or that he was angry at the world, or that he had some sort of modern-day strange "furry" girlfriend weird relationship thing going on, or that he had a need to be called a "she" when he was in fact a he. Of course, Democrats hate mentioning when one of their crazy followers is an antisemite who worships Adolf Hitler and admires Timothy McVeigh. 

That sort of crazy Democrat follower gives the Democrat-controlled news media fits. And no, they didn’t want to report that the killing of those innocent children could have had something to do with the killer reportedly regretting his gender "transition" surgery at age 17 from a male to a woman in 2019. 

Frankly, it shouldn't surprise anyone with half a brain that some nutcase who had allowed doctors to cut off his penis would go off the deep end sooner or later. I mean, imagine for a moment the shock this guy had when he realized that the weird "furry" girl that he wanted a relationship with was breaking up with him because she wanted an intact male and not some neutered critter. It must have come as a surprise to him when he realized that having his penis cut off just to be a wannabe girl was not exactly an attraction to girls.  

But then again, that's what Democrat crazies are all about. They are confused, not very bright, uneducated, gullible, easily influenced, angry, deeply depressed, and hate-filled. Most of the political violence we've seen over the last 20 years has been from Democrats is from their crazies. 

Lastly, here's something to think about. While the usual way for Democrats to address any sort of shooting is to want more gun laws, Democrat politicians don't want to talk about more gun laws in response to the Catholic school shooting in Minneapolis. So why is that? 

Well, the reason is this: it was a maniac of their creation who killed those children. Yes, just as it was a crazy of their creation who climbed on a roof to shoot someone who he had been indoctrinated to hate, Charlie Kirk. So no, Democrats don't want to talk about restricting gun ownership this time around because we're talking about restricting gun sales to mentally ill transgender people who live in a made-up, delusional world where they can't even identify what a woman is. 

Such a move would limit the Democratic Party's crazies from having guns. That would mean a part of their voter base would be unable to carry out political violence. And really, while you may disagree with me, I believe political violence, whether it's in the form of the KKK in the 1860s, the White Shirts in the 1870s, or the Occupy Wall Street groups of the 1990s, and BLM or ANTIFA, and other political violent groups today, are something that Democrats have historically used as a militant arm of their party. 

With that, and the fact that large Democratic Party donors support such politically violent groups, I don't see any reason for Democrat politicians to stop supporting political violence. So yes, I truly believe that while Republicans own most of the guns in America, it's Democrats who are the crazies pulling the triggers.    

Tom Correa

Shooting Affray At Panamint City 1875

From what I've been told, the Panamint City silver mine claim took place in late 1872. But for some reason, the town of Panamint City didn't get going for another year. As most of us know, reading about the way such things worked back in the day, once the word leaked out that gold or silver, or even copper, was discovered, a rush took place to get in on the early findings. And no, I can't find out exactly why, once silver was discovered that a boom didn't take place in this instance. 

Of course, there are a couple of stories about how silver was discovered by three prospectors, William L. Kennedy, Robert P. Stewart, and Richard C. Jacobs, and how an outlaw gang kept them from filing their claims for months. One story goes, the outlaw gang followed the three men for months whenever any of the outlaws saw any of the three return to work their claim. The men were so busy evading being followed that they didn't work their claim. Another story says that the outlaws overheard the three miners talking about their big strike and followed them to their claim. Once there, the outlaws demanded to be partners, and they all became rich. 

I don't know if I believe either tale. But the latter of the three miners being forced into a partnership with the outlaws sounds a little too tall a tale to believe. After all, claim-jumpers didn't share their victims' wealth once they had it. They normally showed them the door or buried them in some shallow grave.

As for the area taking off and the town being founded between 1873 and 1874, most sources note how a prominent mining investor, although some say he was a "sidewalk barker," by the name of E.P. Raines convinced Los Angeles businessmen to build a wagon road to a suitable staging site for supplies. Soon afterwards, Nevada Senators John P. Jones and William M. Stewart created the Panamint Mining Company with $2,000,000 of capital. Jones and Stewart then arranged for the importation of hundreds Chinese laborers. It was their interest in Panamint that started the boom. From their efforts, the town of Panamint City grew to a population of about 3,000 people of the usual sorts that flocked to boom towns. 

The town is located in the Panamint Range, near Death Valley, in Inyo County, California, about three miles northwest of Sentinel Peak. The town included stamp mills, saloons, stores, a very unhealthy red light district, and a cemetery. 

On April 20, 1875, the Daily Alta California newspaper reported the following story: 

Shooting Affray At Panamint City

On Friday evening last, at Panamint City, two men, named James Bruce and Robert McKinley, got into a dispute about the ownership of a gun, and finally hard words passed between them. Both men attacked each other, and the latter, drawing a pistol, fired at his opponent. The ball took effect in the left arm above the wrist, shattering the bone. 

Bruce on being shot fell to the ground, and McKinley fired three or four times more, hitting the prostrate man with one of the bullets in the back. Bruce succeeded in getting on his feet, and drawing a revolver, he fired six shots at his opponent in rapid succession, nearly all of which took effect. 

McKinley ran a short distance, when he fell, and is undoubtedly mortally wounded. Bruce walked to his house, but soon became unable to move and complained a great deal of the wound in his back. 

The stage left before any further facts could be obtained.

-- end of the newspaper report. 

While fistfights were the common way of settling problems in saloons and in gambling halls in the Old West, and someone pulling a knife on someone came in second, shootouts did take place. And as for shootouts, when we look at records, one of the things that may surprise folks is that shootouts taking place in saloons and gambling halls accounted for where most shootouts typically took place in the Old West. Not in the street with two men facing each other like in the movies, but in the places where booze and tempers came into play on a regular basis.

As for Panamint City, it's said to have had its share of bushwhackers and killers who would jump a miner and kill him on the trail, then roll their victim's body into a ravine. That, and knowing what was going on in the saloons, gambling, and the red light district, Panamint City was regarded as a "Bad and Wicked Town" because of its lawless reputation. Yes indeed, the town was like a lot of other mining boomtowns. 

As for the town, luck ran out for Panamint City when, on July 24, 1876, a flash flood washed out most of the town. After that, the big money pulled out to save themselves. When their bosses pulled out, the Chinese laborers who were brought in by Jones and Stewart were abandoned to fend for themselves. They, like the miners, started leaving, and once that happened, it was just a matter of time before the town closed up shop.

Some say some of the Chinese laborers headed to Los Angeles, while most of the miners headed East over the Panamint Range into Death Valley, where Borax claims were discovered. Others say the miners did what miners did back in the day and simply drifted away, still searching for that elusive strike that would make them rich. 

As for Panamint City, the town died out completely by the 1890s. And today, well, Panamint City is just a ghost town that sits on BLM land. 

Tom Correa