Here are my observations and opinions from my select news of the day.

TRUMP GETS IT – true patriotism and those who hate America – and he brought it all home in his Fourth of July eve speech at the foot of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

“We gather tonight to herald the most important day in the history of nations, July 4, 1776,” the President Trump said, opening his address. “At those words, every American heart should swell with pride, every American family should cheer with delight, and every American patriot should be filled with joy because each of you lives in the most magnificent country in the history of the world and it will soon be greater than ever before.

“No nation,” he continued, “has done more to advance the human condition than the United States of America and no people have done more to promote human progress than the citizens of our great nation.

“And yet,” he added, “as we meet here tonight, there is a growing danger that threatens every blessing our ancestors fought so hard for, struggled, they bled to secure.  Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children.

“Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities.  Many of these people have no idea why they’re doing this, but some know what they are doing.”

President Trump devoted the majority of his speech to talk about our heritage and spoke eloquently about each of the American presidents carved out of the face of Mount Rushmore – Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln.

“Uplifted by the titans of Mount Rushmore,” Trump said, “we will find unity that no one expected.  We will make strides that no one thought possible.  This country will be everything that our citizens have hoped for for so many years, and that our enemies fear, because we will never forget that the American freedom exists for American greatness.  America’s future is in our hands.”

Prior to the president’s speech, the USAF Band of the Air Force Academy played patriotic music and march music normally associated with such occasions.

There was an uplifting speech by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and by the Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, and dramatic flyovers by the famous U.S. Navy Blue Angels and aircraft of the South Dakota Army and Air National Guards.

More than 100,000 Americans applied for the 7,500 tickets available for the limited-seating event.  Governor Noem welcomed out-of-staters to her state.

AS EXPECTED, however, the radicals on the left were quick to criticize the president’s speech. All designed, of course, to damage his reelection effort.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – As has been the practice of the leftist New York Times since President Trump took office, the paper permitted an opinion piece to be published as a news story. The headline, “Trump Uses Mount Rushmore Speech to Deliver Divisive Culture War Message,” over the piece written by the Times White House correspondent Annie Karni, was obviously opinion.

Not only did she open with her view of the speech content – “President Trump delivered a dark and divisive speech,” she felt the need to remark that it was delivered as he was “struggling to win a second term.”

CNN – “In a jaw-dropping speech that amounted to a culture war bonfire,” wrote Maeve Reston of CNN, “President Donald Trump used the backdrop of Mount Rushmore Friday night to frame protestors as a nefarious left-wing mob that intends to ‘end America.’ Those opponents, he argued, are engaged in a ‘merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children.’”

While the president was speaking about the threat to America’s heritage, Reston challenged his rhetoric at a time when “Americans are attempting to relearn the nation’s history with greater attentions to the wrongs inflicted on Black and Native American people.”  “Relearn,” must be her interpretation of rewriting history.

ALSO AT CNN, Brian Stelter’s comment that “only Hannity watchers would understand what the president was talking about,” as he referred to the president’s remark about the danger gong on our streets, served to be an admission that CNN has not properly covered the rioting, looting and vandalism.

CNN took another stab at the Mount Rushmore event, noting that musician Neil Young was upset with the use of his recordings during the event.

NOT TO BE LEFT OUT – “Donald Trump is seeking to aggrandize himself and divide our nation at yet another rally,“ said Andrew Bates, speaking for Joe Biden, who was sleeping.

THIS IS THE SAME MEDIA that turned to its role as activist and that recently sponsored a full-age ad in the Wall Street Journal under the name, Reporters Committee: for Freedom of the Press, demanding racial justice, an end to violence against Black Americans and greater police accountability, and claiming that the police have physically assaulted them, knowing they were journalists.

They would have you believe that their roles as journalists are in danger as they claim to support the First Amendment and freedom of the press.

Need I remind them of their fake news and continuing effort to ignore the practices of true journalism?

AND GET THIS, writing in the left-leaning USA Today, Nancy Armour, cites that despite all that the NFL is doing to confront racism, someone needs to sign Colin Kaepernick, saying “Gestures mean little if no one signs Kaepernick.”

Kramerontheright believes Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins, who has valiantly defended the name of his team, will no doubt fold to sponsors and finally agree to remove the “Redskins” designation from the team name.  How sad.  I can see it now, the “D” logo of the Democrat Party on their helmets.  I suggest that the swamp creature would be a perfect mascot.

May God continue to bless the United States of America.