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By Reid Fitzsimons

Greta Thunberg achieved, at a young age, global celebrity as a professional protester and activist. She did not find activist fame in the usual way- first become a celebrity (eg actor or author) then exploit their status to preach about whatever they perceive as “injustice-” rather she ascended to the top by being perpetually and publicly aggrieved. She was born in Jan. 2003 in Stockholm, Sweden to parents of moderate fame: her mother is an opera singer and her father an actor and manager and seemingly are of at least moderate affluence. Thunberg apparently became depressed and anorexic when she was 11, perhaps over “climate change” (“I saw and heard these horrible stories about what humans had done to the environment, and what we were doing to the climate, that the climate was changing…”) and was soon thereafter “diagnosed” with Asperger’s syndrome, as compared to simply being a troubled child.

Left: Greta Thunberg at the UN 2019 Right: Blocking the entrance to the Swedish parliament 2024

Thunberg first appeared on the radar locally in 2018 when she was 15 via her Strike School for Climate campaign, where she skipped classes on Fridays to protest outside of the Swedish parliament. This led to invitations to speak at various rallies in Europe. A year later she was awarded global celebrity status by being a passenger on a hi-tech/ low carbon emissions yacht crossing the Atlantic Ocean and arriving at NY City to speak at a variety of climate protests and “strikes.” The culmination of this adventure was a speech she gave in Sept. 2019 at the UN, where she chastised the ostensibly climate concerned establishment with a speech that included “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!” It was noted by critics that sailing to NY rather than flying- making a statement, so to speak- was a bit silly because others had to fly across the Atlantic to deal with the logistics of the yacht. There was also cynicism in the fact that the vast majority of the world couldn’t reasonably sail across an ocean, let alone in an approx. $3 million yacht co-captained by a Prince of Monaco.

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by Reid Fitzsimons

There is a sense of personal liberation in being unburdened by thought and the pursuit of knowledge. If one can avoid uncomfortable experiences and banish from their sphere annoyances like different perceptions and opinions, they are freer to engage in self-gratification and pleasure, such as watching streaming TV, caressing an Iphone, sipping crafted coffees, getting tattoos, attending various protests, and all-in-all having a good time. If someone can dispel and render moot disagreement with their world view using a single word or mindless phrase, so much the better. After all, having to come up with a well-reasoned argument to support a position can be hurtful to the brain of certain people.

IRAN. August 27, 1979. After a short show-trial, 11 people charged as being "counterrevolutionary" were executed at Sanandaj Airport. Nine of the eleven men in this photo were Kurds. This photo won the Pulitzer Prize in 1980. The recipient was known as "anonymous" until 2006 when Jahangir RAZMI told the Wall Street Journal that he had taken it.
Left: Anti-red rally in the 1950s Right: One way to deal with people you disagree with in the newly created Islamic Iran, Aug. 1979

This approach goes back to ancient times and continues to the present. In the historic dark days of Christianity, for example, one merely had to make the accusation of heresy or witchcraft and the person who didn’t fit comfortably in your insulated world was gone, often literally. Or in the current dark days of Sharia Islam where calling someone an infidel can have a similar result. In the US, this isn’t necessarily a political right/left phenomenon, and there are recent examples of of it being used by putative conservatives: during the post-WW2 “red scare” it didn’t take much beyond accusing someone of being “red” or a “commie” to have a real negative impact on their lives. Presently, and for the past decade or so, this approach has been on the ascendancy with the progressive left, and is ubiquitous today.

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by Reid Fitzsimons (Note: This article is primarily about intraracial crime, especially black-on-black murder. It also discusses killings by police. I am far from the mindset of "police can do no wrong," but to concentrate only on the small fraction of black people killed by police - sometimes truly in cold blood- and ignore the 1,000s upon 1,000s of black people murdered by other black people demonstrates that, to the elite, black lives really don't matter)

LeBron James is a black basketball player of renown with a net worth in 2025 around $1.2 billion. In April 2021 he posted on Twitter, in part, “I’m so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police.” This was in response to a shooting of a 16-year-old black female by a white Columbus, OH cop. The associated headline on NPR (4/21/21) stated, “Columbus Police Shoot And Kill Black Teenage Girl,”and their URL for this story was, “16-year-old-black-girl-who-called-for-help-fatally-shot-by-police-ohio-family-said.” It wasn’t until the 8th paragraph that NPR mentioned something kind of pertinent, which will be discussed in a moment.

Other headlines included (CNN) “ Ma’Khia Bryant was shot 4 times by officer, autopsy shows,” and the Columbus Dispatch newspaper “Ma'Khia Bryant was helpful and kind, her friends and family say.” Lebron James preceded his “I’m so damn tired...” post by one that included a photo of the cop involved and stated "YOU'RE NEXT:"

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by Reid Fitzsimons (note that an edited version of this article was, I'm happy to say, published at The American Thinker: (www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/08 the_sin_of_calling_something_a_sin.html )

There is a Christian guy in Denver, CO, Jamie Sanchez, who felt “called” to open a charity project for homeless people in 2012. It was named Recycle God’s Love (www.recyclegodslove.com/) and gradually expanded, but remains small in financial terms. The “non-profit” charity world can be, and often is, a cutthroat place of greed, deceit, and essentially money-laundering: putting millions in the pockets of wealthy people while pretending to do something meaningful, but Recycle God’s Love seems legit, operating in the $100,000 range and the people who run it do so without pay. Besides the usual meals, they provide homeless people (in the 300-400 range) clothing, wound care, hygienic supplies, help with obtaining official ID, even haircuts (and, of course, the Gospel). In 2023 they opened a cafe as a way to provide employment and job skill opportunities. Of note is they receive no government funding.

Jamie Sanchez, founder of Recycle God's Love, with family. I believe the woman pictured is his wife who died of cancer in 2018

They have an 800 word statement of “what we hold to be true,” and 18 of those words are “We believe that a homosexual lifestyle is contrary to God’s Word and purpose for humanity and is sin.” They list a number of other sins, including thievery, murder, extra-marital sex, adultery, and hating your neighbor. Their statement adds, “Moreover, this organization is instructed to Love those living such lifestyles. We Believe that showing hate towards people in these communities is not the way Jesus would respond. Therefore, although disagreeing with the lifestyles we believe to be sinful, we must show love.” All in all, this is pretty standard true Christian doctrine.

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by Reid Fitzsimons

In regards to violence

In April 2024 eleven people were shot, one fatally, at a family celebration Chicago; a 39-year-old suspect- Octaviano Romero- was arrested. The mayor stated, “Today, we mourn the loss of an 8-year-old girl whose life was tragically taken from her by gang violence. This heinous and cowardly act of wanton violence that leaves our city mourning children is beyond reprehensible and has no place in our communities.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson marches in the 52nd annual Chicago Pride Parade on June 25, 2023.
Left: Brandon Johnson, Mayor of Chicago, Right, mugshots of Octaviano Romero from 2022 (felon in possession of a firearm, et al), then from 2024 after his arrest for murder, etc

In Dec. 2024 eight people were shot, three of them fatally, at a “social gathering” in Chicago; all of them Hispanic. As of May 2025 two suspects were in custody, both young males from Venezuela, and both in the US either illegally or as “asylum seekers,” depending on one’s point of view. At the time of the shooting the activist mayor of Chicago, who combines the qualities of both haplessness and fecklessness, stated, "On behalf of the entire city, I want to extend my condolences to everyone impacted by the mass shooting that took place in Gage Park. We as a city are praying and grieving for all the victims, survivors, and their families. There is no place in our city for senseless acts of violence.”

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by Reid Fitzsimons

My first semester of college: Jan. 1977, Univ. of Wyoming, English 101, required reading included The Brothers Karamazov by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881). I have to confess my reading practices were limited to newspapers, Reader’s Digest, and the bare minimum for school, and a 100 year-old, 800 page novel was just too much. In my juvenile mind refusing to read it was an act of resistance and the subsequent F was somehow noble, but I knew I was really just lazy. My reading habits changed significantly over the following decades, so I can say, for example, if you feel you need to read War and Peace by fellow Russian author Tolstoy, it’s really awful- a feudal soap opera, with lame dialogue such as Princess whatever saying “He (Prince something or another) loves me, he REALLY LOVES ME!” Admittedly I don’t think of Dostoevsky often but ran across his name recently in a modern cultural/political context (next paragraph) and this prompted me to begin his other great work, Crime and Punishment; so far it’s not too bad.

Dostoevsky experienced a mock execution when he was 27, then was banished to Siberia for 10 years

A few weeks ago I noticed a posting from a “Facebook friend” of a quote attributed to Dostoevsky: “The more intelligent the man the more he begins to notice suffering.” If you think about this, there is more than subtle arrogance associated with the implied sentiment. I tried to “fact check” it and reviewed dozens of quotes by Dostoevsky and could not find it, so maybe yes, maybe no (an 18th century German philosopher- Arthur Schopenhauer- seems more likely). Nevertheless, invoking a quote, correct or not, by Dostoevsky hints at a high degree of education and sophistication, which perhaps is the goal.

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by Reid Fitzsimons

June is an enchanting month, with the longest day of the year on the summer solstice and memories of the beginning of school summer vacation that still seem fresh over 50 years later. Unfortunately, for the past 20 years or so, June has been tainted with the concurrence of “pride month” and the self-involved in-your-face activism associated with it. Somehow pride is demonstrated by marching down streets wearing skimpy leather bondage apparel, overweight white guys riding bicycles naked in front of children, and revelers chanting “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it,” or the more recent incarnation of “We’re here, we’re queer, and we’re coming for your children.”

How curious some people find "pride" by riding bicycles naked in public; the reality is people who engage in such displays are lamentably selfish, attention seeking, and lack personal dignity

I find myself nostalgic for the long-gone time when the homosexual community simply wanted to be left alone, to live their lives without being hassled. They had the moral high ground and it was easy for any decent and compassionate person to stand up with them and for them. Regrettably, mutual respect and tolerance morphed into acceptance, then “embracing” and celebration, and finally into a cultural morass of almost indecipherable letters and symbols, LGBTQQIAP+ or perhaps 2SLGBTQQIPAA. Any pretext of civility disappeared, to be replaced by a demand for absolute obedience and submission to the powers behind the bizarre alphanumeric totems: the only option permitted became to smile and nod one’s head in agreement..or else.

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by Reid Fitzsimons

Recently I've been seeing a TV ad that involves a goodly number of overweight and black people, all women, dancing about to rap music while joyfully applying a 72-hour full body deodorant (“pits, package, feet, and beyond!”); apparently overweight and black ladies and females in general are highly susceptible to malodor, along with commercial exploitation. I fear I am far removed from what our society has become. Does a 72 hour deodorant especially targeted for overweight women, black women, and women overall reflect a new cultural paradigm, or are the marketing people trying to create one? Is it simply more convenient to smear and spray redolent chemicals on our bodies than go through the hassle of bathing?

Still shots from the Dove 72-hour whole body deodorant
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by Reid Fitzsimons (Note: this article is about what used to be the premier insurance and financial services company, USAA. Formed over 100 years ago, it was designed primarily to serve the military community. Sadly, like so many formerly venerable institutions, it succumbed to the whims of elite and massively wealthy CEOs, who put "social justice" above their customers and original business purpose, for no reason other than to feel good about themselves and assuage their guilt over their greed and privilege. The CEO that oversaw most of the degradation of USAA was Wayne Peacock, who recently retired. The new CEO is another really, really rich guy named Juan Andrade. Who knows if he's a serious person or just another DEI aficionado.)

On the left, the now former CEO of USAA, Wayne Peacock; on the right his replacement, Juan Andrade
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By Reid Fitzsimons. Note: The weekend of April 5th and 6th brought widespread and at times large protests under the banner of “Hands Off!” These were mostly directed at Donald Trump and Elon Musk, expressing opposition to reducing or eliminating a large variety of government expenditures. Though I could find no demographic data regarding the protesters, a review of the many photos available on the internet suggests a very significant portion we’re socioeconomically advantaged white people. In fact, to find a non-white person is almost a Where’s Waldo exercise: there doesn't even seem to be many token non-white people, as is evident in the photos that accompany this article.

Around 20 years ago, as my spouse and I were laying the foundation for our rural children's charity project in Honduras (which opened in May, 2007), we did a few R&R overnights on Utila Island. As we were strolling along the water’s edge we came across a rustic touristy beach bar that had a sign stating something like, “Funded by a grant from USAID.” I wondered aloud why in the world USAID would be involved with a tourist bar on a Caribbean island, but put the memory aside. It recently emerged, however, with the Trump administration shutting down USAID because of spending tax dollars on questionable, and even pernicious, things.

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