The Blunderbuss
By Bob Rayner and Robin Beres
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Blunderbuss: Northam — End of an Error
It's a relief to learn that the FBI finally admitted late Sunday evening what the rest of the world realized early on — that Saturday's attack on a Texas synagogue was indeed terror-related and antisemitic. On Saturday, an FBI official had claimed that the ho…
Blunderbuss: Imprisoned Past
Joe Biden’s divisive dishonesty has sunk to unprecedented presidential depths — quite an accomplishment in the wake of his predecessor’s turbulent term. — Bob Rayner, editor
Blunderbuss: Northam Exits Stage Left
Bare Shelves and Biden(apologies to Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Benet) There was a time before this time, we fear that’s in decline,When grocers’ shelves were laden with foodstuffs and good wine.From Arlington to Newport News, the mighty truckers plied,To st…
Blunderbuss: Build Better Media
It’s terribly sad that conventional journalism has everywhere, including Virginia, devolved into an untrustworthy, mean-spirited, self-absorbed industry staffed primarily by narrow-vision advocates. It’s not surprising that the people turn elsewhere in their …
Blunderbuss: Oh my Omicron!
Last week, President Biden admitted that there is no federal government solution to ending the pandemic and he has tossed the crisis to the states. That may be the best solution. Of late, the messaging on masks and other disease protocols from the White House…
Blunderbuss: Ralph’s Frozen Wasteland
This week demonstrates why Virginia’s ban on re-electing governors is such a wise and prudent policy.— Bob Rayner, editor
The Blunderbuss - Issue #121
In an editorial published on Jan. 1, The New York Times worries that one year later, the nation has moved on from the Jan. 6, 2021 riot. But, according The Times, we cannot do that because “[T]he Capitol Riot continues in state houses across the country, in a…
Blunderbuss: Air warfare
As we wind down these final days, let's not waste too much time reminiscing over 2021. The year started with so much promise but quickly fizzled into a series of rising food and fuel prices, diplomatic missteps, and presidential faux pax. For most of us, last…
The Blunderbuss: Merry Christmas, Virginia!
Charles Dickens, famed English author of "Oliver Twist," and "The Pickwick Papers," visited the United States twice in his life. According to a BBC News story, on his first trip across the pond in 1842, the novelist was offended by the overbearing, vulgar hab…
The Blunderbuss - Correction
A post today about Charlottesville included this paragraph: “A lawsuit filed earlier this week by the Ratcliffe Foundation and the Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation against Charlottesville City Council represents more than a bid to block the melting do…
Blunderbuss: Hope and Women
Less than 10 days left in 2021. Not many of us will be sorry to see it go. It was a year of bad news, virus variants, rampant crime, high prices, and poor leadership both in Virginia and the nation. But there is hope for a brighter, better 2022.In less than a…
Blunderbuss: Lame Ducks
Joseph McCarthy is alive and kicking, but he’s switched parties and taken a job in academia.— Bob Rayner, editor
Blunderbuss: Re-education at UVa
Shelby Houston, 18, gave powerful testimony about faith, courage, and grace when she spoke at the funeral of her father, Richard Houston, a Texas police officer killed in the line of duty earlier this month. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch. It migh…
Blunderbuss: Lines are drawn!
When former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole died on Dec. 5, the nation lost a great and kind statesman — and one of the last few politicians who understood how much better America was when Americans worked together.In early 2021, former Sen. Bob Dole drafted …
Blunderbuss: Paying the Prices
The woke remain largely indifferent to the welfare of low-income Americans, hostile to plain facts, and divorced from everyday reality. The cracks begin to show. — Bob Rayner, editor
Northam's parting shots
As Gov.-elect Glen Youngkin’s Jan. 15 inauguration approaches, it’s becoming clear that 74th governor of Virginia would be naïve to hope for any sort of a honeymoon period with the media.In a news story published yesterday, the Associated Press seems aghast a…
Blunderbuss: CRT Denial Syndrome
The last remaining section of a once towering statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee is being removed from Richmond's Monument Avenue today. No word yet on what will replace the graffiti-covered pedestal in the grassy circle. The state is transferring that land back to…
Blunderbuss: Overlords and more
The genius of our digital overlords was confirmed the other day when I commented on a post about the coming labor strife in Major League Baseball. I suggested that the highly publicized squabble between billionaire owners and millionaire players might be a su…
The Blunderbuss - How much is enough?
What a strange, eerie place the world of social media has become. Meta, the online networking platform formerly known as Facebook, is busily working to grow the metaverse — an immersive, virtual world where its creators want us to spend our time socializing, …
Blunderbuss: Our innumerate media
It is surely no accident that, in His infinite wisdom, God gave so many similar meanings to the word “right”: accurate, moral, truthful, just, genuine, appropriate and, of course, conservative.— Bob Rayner, editor