Rip's Newsletter
June 18, 2026
Rip’s Newsletter
June 18, 2026
Compiled and Edited
by
Jim Reynolds
Articles in This Issue
Victor Davis Hanson - Is California Reaching Critical Mass?
Derek Hunter - California’s Insane ‘Prove You’re Gay’ Law
Daniel Greenfield - The Pettiness of the Reflecting Pool Follies | Frontpage Mag
Jim Reynolds - THE MOST PREDICTABLE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD
I’m looking at a set that says a lot about where the fight is right now: California’s collapse under left-wing rule, a state bureaucracy so warped it’s asking businesses to prove their sexuality, and a media class obsessed with algae in a reflecting pool while the real country burns. The throughline is simple: elites keep building absurd systems, then act shocked when ordinary people call them out. Even abroad, the same reflex shows up—Trump makes a ceasefire and the usual crowd still can’t see the event because they’re too busy forcing their script onto it. What matters here is not the noise, but the pattern: power is getting more arrogant, and the backlash is getting harder to ignore.
Is California Reaching Critical Mass?
Site: Townhall
Author: Victor Davis Hanson
Date: 2026-06-18
Hanson calls California a failed state marked by high taxes, costs, and outmigration.
He argues left-wing dominance created a neo-feudal society with shrinking middle class.
He says voters’ referenda on water, race preferences, and redistricting were ignored.
He claims mail voting, ballot harvesting, and late counts entrench Democratic control.
He warns policy failures, crime, fires, and debt are pushing California toward collapse.
California’s trajectory matters because it is a test case for whether ideology can overwhelm governance in America’s largest state.
🅱️ California’s not a mystery. It’s a bill. And everybody keeps acting surprised when the tab comes due. Hanson knows how to stack the receipts. The problem is the story is so familiar now it almost feels like a rerun with better scenery.
Reader Experience: ★★★★☆ Minor clutter but easy reading.
Read the original article HERE
California’s Insane ‘Prove You’re Gay’ Law
Site: Townhall
Author: Derek Hunter
Date: 2026-06-18
California reportedly requires LGBT businesses to prove orientation for contract eligibility.
The state’s checklist includes marriage, partnership, medical, and reference documentation.
Critics say the policy invites absurdity and government intrusion into private identity.
Hunter argues such “set-asides” create fraud risks and discriminatory bureaucratic gatekeeping.
He warns other states may copy California’s approach unless stopped.
California’s policy could normalize identity verification for contracts, spreading bureaucratic discrimination nationwide.
🅱️ Now that’s a hook. The title does half the work, and the writer knows how to twist the knife without losing the reader. It’s funny, mean in the right places, and the absurdity is the argument. California keeps inventing new ways to make bureaucracy sound like a prank with a budget.
Reader Experience: ★★★★☆ Minor clutter but easy reading.
Read the original article HERE
The Pettiness of the Reflecting Pool Follies
Site: FrontPage Magazine
Author: Daniel Greenfield
Date: 2026-06-18
Media outlets fixated on algae turning Trump’s reflecting pool green.
Coverage framed the pool as a major political and cultural spectacle.
The article mocks this as petty, dumb, and social-media-driven journalism.
It argues serious issues were ignored for trivial, performative outrage.
The piece says such coverage deepens public distrust in mainstream media.
This story matters because it exposes how media triviality can crowd out serious reporting and erode trust.
🅱️ This one knows exactly what it’s mad about. The media took a green puddle and turned it into a national emergency because outrage is cheaper than reporting. That’s the whole racket: trivia in a necktie, sold as gravity.
Reader Experience: ★★★☆☆ Moderate ads and interruptions.
Read the original article HERE
THE MOST PREDICTABLE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD
Site: Substack
Author: Jim Reynolds
Date: 2026-06-18
The ceasefire is signed, the Strait of Hormuz reopened, and oil flows resumed.
Critics immediately framed the deal as Trump giving away too much or getting played.
Reynolds argues many commentators analyze Trump, not events, producing fixed conclusions.
He says claims that Iran is “stronger” ignore military damage, proxy losses, and negotiations.
The article contends the conflict shifted leverage, even if the map looks unchanged.
This story matters because it exposes how partisan narratives can obscure real strategic change.
🅱️ This one knows its target and doesn’t blink. The point is simple: some people don’t read events, they read their hatred and call it analysis. That’s not journalism. That’s a weather vane with a press pass.
Reader Experience: ★★★★★ Clean Substack. No ads. Fast loading.
Read the original article HERE
Many have said that they appreciate the bullet summary and OLW (one-line wrapup). You know me — I like concise evaluations. No fluff. I try to be the Joe Friday of Substack. “Just the facts ….and maybe a little attitude from Bob.”
Jim, thank you for taking the reins and continuing the Rip tradition....with added "Bob" features of an overview and brief analysis. Well done !