A Quick Note on our 2023 Listener Trip:
I'm finally able to officially announce our 2023 listener trip to Paris, a River Seine cruise, and the Normandy D-Day beaches and American Military Cemetery. Space is very limited on this trip so please sign up soon if you'd like to join me and my family on this fantastic vacation full of history, culture, food and wine, and good friends.
Just One Thing
Among the greatest monarchs in England’s history, actually in world history, were two women named Elizabeth. Upon the passing yesterday of Queen Elizabeth II, you heard commentators talk about the “second Elizabethan Era.” Very VERY few people in history, and exceedingly few in modern history, are ever spoken of in that way. Think about this: Calvin Coolidge was president when she was born. The first of Elizabeth’s 15 prime ministers was Winston Churchill. When the current PM, Liz Truss, was born in 1975, Elizabeth had been queen for 23 years. Elizabeth became queen when Harry Truman was president of the United States and she met every American president from Truman to Biden with the exception of LBJ who never traveled to the UK. You get the idea. As my friend Dan Flynn from the American Spectator noted, "Her reign came into existence because her uncle married an American divorcee. Her reign concluded with her grandson marrying an American divorcee. Both events generated enormous controversy."
A truly historic figure of grace, strength, and humility, Queen Elizabeth had come to feel almost permanent. Today we realize that she was indeed human.
At 11 AM MT today, we will have live coverage of public remarks by King Charles III who, at 73, is the oldest person ever to become the British monarch. (I mean age at the time of taking the throne.)
p.s. Interesting to think that given the current members of the royal family, England will likely only have kings, and not another queen, for the rest of my lifetime and maybe the rest of most Americans' and Britons' lifetimes.
p.p.s. How about this for a data point? Nine in 10 living humans were born after Elizabeth became queen - The Washington Post
p.p.p.s. A rainbow appeared over Buckingham Palace after the announcement of the queen's death.
p.p.p.p.s. The queen had a famously good sense of humor...see the excellent short video just below and see more videos of the queen's coronation and wedding at the end of this note.
Photo: Getty Images
Today's Guests
Steve Stratton is a former Green Beret who spent many years as a civilian contractor doing things that I think he's not allowed to talk about, although I will ask. His first novel is called "Shadow Tier" and it's one of the best first-novel thrillers I've read. I think you'll enjoy it partly because it's so much fun and partly because Steve is a local author from here in the Denver area. More about Steve and "Shadow Tier" here:
Shadow Tier — Steve Stratton | Thriller Author (stevenstrattonusa.com)
Learn More About Steve Stratton — Steve Stratton | Thriller Author (stevenstrattonusa.com)
--------
Dame Jane Newell is a long-time family friend whom I met through my mother when my mother was stationed in Europe for the US Navy. Jane is a remarkably accomplished person (with very little information available online to link to.) For her work for the nation of the United Kingdom, she was given the title "Dame", which is the female version of "Sir", essentially a knighthood, an honor for which she met Queen Elizabeth II.
Jane will join us to talk about what the passing of Elizabeth means to her and to a grieving nation.
-
Other Stuff
Maybe some good news for the US at the US Open (tennis, not golf)...a fun story: US Open: Frances Tiafoe-Carlos Alcaraz match will be historic (nypost.com)
--------
Gosh we have some stoopid people in our government, especially the "smart" ones who have never had a private sector job.
Yellen will vow to ‘rid’ US from ‘dependence on fossil fuels’ in Detroit speech | The Hill
--------
Even Donald Trump was never this mean to a reporter. Robert Telles: Slain Las Vegas journalist had his alleged killer's DNA underneath his fingernails, prosecutor tells judge - CNN
--------
Parents, don't even think of letting your children attend Oberlin College:
I think this attention from Bari Weiss' substack helped get Oberlin to finally do the right thing:
Will I Ever See the $36 Million Oberlin College Owes Me? (commonsense.news)
--------
In case you missed it, re the energy idiocy of Europeans and Janet Yellen: Europe on Tilt - Doomberg (substack.com)
-
Please watch Today's Videos
Princess Elizabeth on her 21st birthday, speaking in Capetown: https://www.royal.uk/21st-birthday-speech-21-april-1947
The first short video is the most famous short section of her comments; the second are the full remarks.
-
Queen Elizabeth II's "Crowning Ceremony" during her coronation on June 2, 1953.
A black-and-white newsreel of Princess Elizabeth's to Philip wedding in November, 1947. This is really worth watching.
OK, I'm impressed