Saturday, March 28, 2026

Quick Hits: Volume CDIV (more Minnesota stuff)

 - With "No Kings" rallies slated to occur across the country this weekend, Minnesota's own Nebraska Fats Gov. Tim Walz plans to be more present at the Twin Cities gathering.  


Earlier this week, Walz appeared on MSNBC MS NOW show All In to do what he loves best: slam President Donald Trump while acting like the disarray in Minnesota has absolutely nothing to do with looney leftist policy. 





A couple things stand out from that appearance. First Walz's contention that President Trump "breaks it and moves on." Huh. You mean like you, governor, turning a blind eye to warning signs of rampant fraud in Minnesota and then not seeking reelection once the heat gets turned up? Oh, and that whole bit about our state "provided the template here for pushing back" on the Trump administration? Well, let's get real. There were some solid cases of obstruction of justice that could have been brought given immigration enforcement is under the purview of the Feds. But also, the Customs Border Patrol, under the direction of then DHS head Kristi Noem completely, completely bungled many of their operations. So it wasn't so much "pushback" from Minnesotans that sent CBP packing as much as it was, sadly, incompetence on the Feds' part.

But hey, at least Walz can go back to a venue where he can puff out his chest without having to be reminded of the utter buffoonery that was his VP candidacy in 2024. 


- Believe it or not, the Minnesota Legislature can occasionally show strong bipartisanship. 

The Minnesota Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a measure to repeal César Chávez Day in the state after sexual abuse allegations against the late civil rights icon surfaced.

The 67-0 vote sends the bill to DFL Gov. Tim Walz after House approval on Monday. Walz is expected to quickly sign the bill.

The New York Times published a report on March 18 detailing several allegations of sexual abuse by Chávez, a Latino farm labor activist, including the sexual abuse of two minor girls and the assault and rape of Dolores Huerta, who led the farmworkers’ movement of the 1960s and ’70s alongside Chávez.

State and local leaders have quickly responded, leading to the push at the Capitol to repeal the quickly approaching “César Chávez Day” on March 31, Chávez’s birthday.

St. Paul also has a street named after Chávez on the West Side, as well as a charter school, Academia César Chávez.

St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her said this week that she’s assembling a group of stakeholders and residents to discuss the future of the street name.

Ramona Arreguín de Rosales, an activist who personally met Chávez and the co-founder of Academia César Chávez, said she has recommended that the Board of Academia César Chávez change the school’s name.


This is undoubtedly the morally correct stance. However, it's notable that Chávez's support for an ideology (Communism) which has caused death and destruction of millions of people across the world should have been more than enough to keep him from being "honored" in the first place. 



- Yeah, so this ain't good.  





Rep. Engen eventually posted a statement on Friday.  





I first met Elliott back in 2020, when, as a 22-year old, he sought election to the Minnesota House. He fell short that cycle but emerged victorious in a close race in 2022, becoming the youngest member of the MN Legislature at age 24. He then coasted to reelection in 2024. 


Sometime last year, Engen chose to seek the GOP nomination for MN State Auditor. Given a Minnesota Republican winning a statewide race is tough lift even with a spotless background, I contend Engen is now far too damaged to continue in the Auditor race. Heck, in this year's environment, reelection to his House seat would be unlikely. 


Elliot is only 27 with a wife and young son at home. While I have no doubt he will, in his words, "do better," the redemption story needs to begin away from the spotlight. 


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Friday, March 27, 2026

Three things that bear repeating

1) When I look at the glorified Star Wars cantina scene that is the Minneapolis City Council, I initially feel genuine sorrow on behalf of the residents of Minneapolis. 





However, it bears repeating: You get what you vote for. 



2) Outside of Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, Senate Democrats are a veritable insane asylum. 


The fact these are shocking takes shows you how far gone the party is. 


 



It bears repeating: The most rational member of the Senate Democrats is someone who suffered a debilitating stroke just a few years ago.  



3) In their 2026 season opener on Thursday, the Minnesota Twins lost to the Baltimore Orioles 2-1. While ace starting pitcher Joe Ryan was solid allowing 0 runs and 1 hit in 5-1/3 innings while striking out 7, a patchwork bullpen gave up two runs late. Add to that a lineup (which inexplicably had Royce Lewis batting eighth before being pinch hit for in the ninth inning) going 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position while grounding into three double plays. 


It bears repeating: The 2026 Twins will be fortunate to win 70 games. 


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Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Quick Hits: Volume CDIII

 - Imagine reading this headline: 


Quadruple amputee, professional cornhole player faces murder charges. 


When I learned it was not from The Babylon Bee or The Onion, I thought "Wow, that's quite the dynamic duo crime spree." But then to learn those description were applicable to......one person?!?!?!


Dayton James Webber, 27, of La Plata, Md., was arraigned in the District Court of Maryland for Charles County after being located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and arrested following the fatal shooting of 27‑year‑old Bradrick Michael Wells, according to court documents.

According to charging documents signed by a detective from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, Webber is formally charged with:

  • First‑Degree Murder — accused of intentionally and with premeditated malice killing Bradrick Wells on or about March 22, 2026, at 1015 Newport Church Road in Charlotte Hall, Charles County, Maryland.
  • Second‑Degree Murder — also charged in the same incident.
  • Assault in the First Degree (two counts) — one relating to an alleged assault on someone identified as Bradwick Webber and another relating to Bradrick Wells.
  • Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony — alleged firearm use during the felony offense.


Is it wrong that I'm downright impressed that someone with such a handicap is able to become a professional at tossing beanbags into a small hole from a significant distance and is also proficient in firearms? The former is pretty amazing. The latter is definitely a cautionary tale. 



- Oof. This is shattering a lotta prog narratives. 





Congressional Dems were shamed into voting to end the Federal government shutdown last year with virtually no concessions from Republicans. Now they may be in a similar position here. Essentially, Dems must decide to a) fund DHS without their desired reforms of ICE and Customs Border Patrol or b) have their anti-ICE sentiments rendered obsolete due to agents stepping up for traveling Americans.  


How is the Democrat party this bad at politics? 



- I was crestfallen when I heard this news. 


Longtime KQRS Minneapolis morning show personality and Radio Hall of Famer Tom Barnard announced he has Alzheimer’s disease on his family’s podcast on Friday.

Speaking from his home in West Palm Beach, the 74-year-old said he has undergone seven treatments so far and that he’s seen some improvement.

“Mine is getting better, little by little,” he said. “I can tell by a little tick that each one of them did something good. (But) it’s not overwhelming and it’s not gone.”

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, a Chicago-based nonprofit, it’s the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for between 60 and 80 percent of dementia cases. There is no cure.

On the podcast, Barnard’s family said they had been telling him to get checked for the past three years. His wife, Kathryn Brandt, said the idea of the treatments is to slow down or stop the disease from worsening.

Barnard also said he’s going to start speaking publicly about the disease, including an upcoming engagement at Donald Trump’s Florida club Mar-a-Lago.

Born in Long Prairie and raised in North Minneapolis, Barnard worked at several Twin Cities stations before landing at KQRS in 1986. He quickly established himself as an outspoken, politically charged voice and turned KQ’s “Morning Show” into the highest-rated radio morning show in the market. In 1997, Howard Stern’s show began airing locally, going after Barnard’s audience. But Stern was unsuccessful at dethroning Barnard and left the market a couple of years later.


Tommy B. has been part of my life's soundtrack for 40+ years. Even though he left KQ in the early '80s after co-hosting the morning show Cat & Kincaid (which my 8th grade school bus driver listened to every morning), Tom returned in 1986 to lead a new iteration of that station's morning show. The kind of ratings that show pulled in over 3 decades was the envy of all morning radio shows across America. To imagine such a titanic figure like Tom potentially being silenced by such an insidious disease is impossible for me to comprehend. 


Prayers up on behalf of Tommy's loved ones. 


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Sunday, March 22, 2026

The NARN Closer's playlist - 3/22/2026



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I'm an old man that's so forlorn, I wanna see the city where I was born.....

Happy spring!

While outdoor weather may beckon, I'll be in the Patriot bunker for today's edition of my radio show The Closer. The 2-hour bonanza gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time. 

In the first hour, I'll discuss some Minnesota news, including U.S. Senate candidate Marisa Simonetti being found guilty of assault with a......tarantula???? 

Then at 2:00, our geopolitical wonk Amanda Peterson will weigh in on the latest regarding the war in Iran. I will also get her perspective on other world events, including the situation in Cuba. 


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.
 
You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page, where we also conduct a "Live Stream" of the broadcast.

Until then.....


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Friday, March 20, 2026

Dennis Prager is a national treasure

As most of you likely know, the inimitable Dennis Prager suffered a fall at his home 16 months ago, an accident which rendered him a quadriplegic. While updates were sporadic the first several months of his recovery, his ardent fans (of which I am one) were pleased to ultimately learn that his ability to think and speak did not elude him. In fact, doctors considered it a miracle that he was able to regain his voice. 

On Friday, Salem Media Group radio personality Larry Elder provided the latest update on his friend and SMG colleague. 

 



For years on his radio show, Dennis would devote one hour per week to what he dubbed "The Happiness Hour." The concept was how life is made better through the simple choice of gratitude. Despite his beloved livelihood grinding to a halt due to unfortunate circumstances, it's clear the hundreds of hours he touted happiness being a choice wasn't lip service. He's truly living it.

Thank you, Dennis Prager. For everything.

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Thursday, March 19, 2026

Quick Hits: Volume CDII

 - I wrote about a certain former candidate for Hennepin County Commissioner 21 months ago, specifically an incident where she allegedly assaulted a tenant in her home via a tarantula. In fact, her life in general seemed to be a raging garbage fire.  


Unfortunately for her, a jury of her peers just added more fuel. 


Marisa Simonetti, a political candidate who gained international recognition when she dumped a tarantula from a container at the top of her Edina staircase during a fight with her basement tenant, lost her criminal case Friday, March 13, in Hennepin County District Court.

A six-member jury found the 32-year-old guilty of misdemeanor assault, harassment and disorderly conduct after a three-day trial. Judge Jennifer Olson ordered Simonetti to maintain no contact with the victim. Her sentencing hearing is May 1.

The odd criminal case stemmed from an argument between Simonetti and a woman who rented out her basement through Airbnb in 2024. A feud between them escalated over the course of a day, bringing police officers to the home three times.


Even her renting out space in the home was done under false pretenses since a) the city of Edina doesn't allow Airbnb and b) the owner of the home said Simonetti had no authority to engage in any kind of commerce in the first place. 


As if the whole situation couldn't have been more bizarre, Simonetti ended up representing herself due to her lawyer backing out of the case. Attorney John T. Daly cited "an irretrievable breakdown in the attorney-client relationship."  Yikes!


In the end, I hope Simonetti can somehow change her life for the better, if for no other reason then to provide stability for her 8-year old son. 



- Congressional Democrats' continued refusal to fund the Dept. of Homeland Security is starting to cause real pain for Americans, just as the Federal government shutdown did last year. This latest saga resulted in one House member becoming a little too forthright. 


"It's not forcing any change," said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.). "In the meantime, we're making people hurt. The long lines, that can't make us more popular."


That's for dang sure. 





Ouch, babe.  



- I unequivocally love this idea. 


A St. Paul restaurant is offering a free meal for any pair of Minnesota lawmakers who are willing to dine with colleagues from the opposing party.

Sweeney's Saloon owner, Will Rolf, said he made the offer a personal to all Minnesota lawmakers through a personal email invitation.

"I think people are sick of the fighting," Rolf said. "They'd like to see people get along and get things done."


I've been saying for years that political opposites have spent way too much time talking past each other rather than to one another. Discourse among elected officials is often played out on social media rather than in person. Quite simply, the negativity spouted to someone on Twitter, Facebook, etc. would unlikely be conveyed over a meal. 


I hope more legislators seriously consider Mr. Rolf's offer. 


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Wednesday, March 18, 2026

War on men

Actor Jerry O'Connell (a political leftist) shared a harrowing account of the reactions of his wife and teen daughters (also lefties) over his blunt (but appropriate) assessment of Kamala Harris's loss in the 2024 presidential election.





First off, if parents have a conflict, such grievances should never EVER be aired in front of their children. Also, kids need to have a healthy fear of (and respect for) their parents to the point where they don't dare look at them cross-eyed, much less get physical. The fact that the wife *and* kids physically accosted Jerry is so screwed up that it's no wonder Hollywood-based relationships are rarely exemplary. 

But there is a deeper issue rearing its ugly head, specifically how America has tried to "fix" men. Bridget Phetasy spelled it out in a terrific guest column in the Daily Wire.  

In 2000, Christina Hoff Sommers published “The War Against Boys,” documenting how American schools had begun treating normal male behavior as something to be diagnosed and medicated. A seven-year-old was suspended for pointing a pencil like a gun at his friend. A boy in California was punished for running during recess and nearly suspended for jumping over a bench. Schools banned tag and dodgeball. Boys were five times more likely to be expelled from preschool than girls and accounted for 70% of suspensions — not for anything dangerous, but for roughhousing, defiance, and being loud. Instead of addressing the gap, institutions doubled down, remaking classrooms around female learning styles. They criminalized the “bad guy” play that men have channeled into building civilizations since the dawn of time. Almost nobody listened to Sommers, or they mocked her. For over a decade, the project to dismantle masculinity stayed contained in academia, slowly working its way through education policy like a parasite.

Then it broke containment. By 2015, the national psychedelic trip we now refer to as “wokeism” was reaching its crescendo, and men — specifically straight, traditional men — were its favorite target. “Toxic masculinity” migrated from academic journals to Thanksgiving dinner. “Men are trash” became something people said at brunch without flinching. “Mansplaining” entered the lexicon. Gillette released an ad lecturing its own customers about the sins of manhood. No razors, just shame. Hollywood gender-swapped “Ghostbusters” and sidelined Luke Skywalker for a new female lead. In 2019, the American Psychological Association issued guidelines pathologizing “traditional masculinity” as harmful. The message from every direction was the same: Manhood was broken, and women would fix it.


Look at the vast majority of sitcoms over the past few decades. The one thing they have in common is the dad character often comes across as utterly inept, the butt of jokes that his wife and kids throw out in any given episode. 


I'll concede there have been a number of high profile, powerful men (i.e. Harvey Weinstein and Roger Ailes) who have used their positions to exploit, harass and even abuse women. But to use such extreme examples as a rationale to tamp down traditional masculinity has been a woefully misguided notion. 


Thankfully, there has been a resurgence. Back to Phetasy. 


Saving this country is going to require things that make some people uncomfortable. It is going to require men who are willing to be strong without apology, to serve without being asked, and to lead without waiting for permission. For 20 years, we told men to sit down. The men who are standing back up — not the talkers, not the grifters, but the ones who actually build and serve and sacrifice — are the ones who will matter.

But I’m not going to speak for men. Instead, I’ll let Sergeant Dan Hollaway, 82nd Airborne Infantry, share his thoughts on the resurgence of American masculinity.

“Masculinity is not a social accessory,” he told me. “It is the backbone of every civilization that has ever endured. Masculinity began as an unspoken contract with reality: I will go where it is dangerous so others don’t have to. If certain burdens are not carried, then people die. This is the natural law of masculinity, and it has never changed. For a generation, America’s masculinity was mocked, undermined, and treated as something dangerous or obsolete — and many men simply withdrew. But that retreat is ending, and as men return to strength, discipline, and responsibility, the benefits are already becoming visible. American pride is on the rise, and we have the unique opportunity to save the greatest country in the history of the world by simply being men.”


It's also no coincidence that the transgender obsession has been beaten back (though it's not dead) over this same time frame. And it's not due to bigotry, transphobia, etc. It is, in fact, science based. I mean, aren't progs always lecturing is to "follow the science?" Perhaps they oughta be taking their own advice. 


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