Tea at Trianon: Codifying America's Defense

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, December 21, 2025

Codifying America's Defense

From Tierney's Real News:

The Senate passed a $900 BILLION defense policy bill by a 77–20 vote, codifying much of President Trump’s security agenda and implementing the largest military acquisition overhaul in decades. The bill funds new submarines, fighter jets, munitions and drones and codifies 15 Trump EOs on military reform, border security, and DEI elimination.
It provides a 3.8% pay raise for military personnel—the largest in years—along with quality-of-life improvements such as better housing and expanded family support, directly benefiting active-duty troops and their families.
President Trump also announced a one-time $1,776 "warrior dividend" payment to eligible U.S. military personnel (E-1 to O-6 and certain reserves) as a holiday bonus which was already funded. The payment honors 1776 and targets about 1.45 million service members on active duty as of November 30, 2025, and will be disbursed by late December.
The defense bill streamlines weapons procurement to deliver submarines, fighter jets, drones, and munitions faster and more cost-effectively, enhancing readiness against threats like China while saving taxpayer dollars by cutting “red tape.”
“The bill sets us on a path to modernize our defense capabilities and expand our drone manufacturing, shipbuilding efforts, and the development of innovative low-cost weapons,” to compete with Russia and Communist China. (Read more.)