Rip’s Newsletter
August 17, 2026
Compiled and Edited
by
Jim Reynolds
Editor’s Note
The survey sent out last week was a complete success if success is measured by participation and by the clear guidance you, the reader, provided. More than a thousand responses came in, which suggests that the polling system does in fact work on Substack. I also received 50 comments, about 100 replies, and an inordinate number of likes.
Some readers mentioned that the poll responses sometimes did not appear on their screen. The same thing happened to me at times. That was the only bug I am aware of.
Truthfully, here is the raw result:
So, by the conservative logic of our conservative readers, the answer is: four articles per edition. Understood. That said, nearly 150 of you prefer six, and almost 20 percent think I should decide each time. About 20 readers would prefer more links and less talk. I may have found a solution for them.
I still have the problem of staring at 100 strong, well-written stories every day, knowing that many of you would love the chance to read them.
So I snuck something new in. At the end of the newsletter, you will find simple, unadorned links to six more great stories. They will not clutter your screen, but they will be there for the adventurous and curious. In the most recent newsletter, I included these bashful links, and you would be surprised how many readers have already found them.
Thanks for participating. We have now proved one more important concept: Rip’s Newsletter is a vehicle for two-way communication. I think Rip McIntosh would be delighted by that meaningful transformation.
Jim Reynolds
Articles in This Issue
Jordan Sekulow - California Admits It Doesn’t Track Noncitizens On Voter Rolls
Aaron Shuster - Have We Forgotten How to Live?
Scott Mechkowski - The Fed’s Huge Paperwork Backlog Is A Mass Migration Loophole
Jim Reynolds - Does Having a Different President Result In Less Crime?
California Admits It Doesn’t Track Noncitizens On Voter Rolls
By: Jordan Sekulow The Federalist
Date: 2026-08-17 · Words: 1,052
California says its voter system lacks any cancellation reason for noncitizenship.
The state tracks deaths, felony convictions, and address changes, but not citizenship.
California DOJ says it has no policy for illegal-voting investigative referrals.
Federal law requires states to retain and disclose voter-roll maintenance records.
ACLJ may pursue further demands or litigation over recordkeeping noncompliance.
California’s admissions raise serious questions about election integrity, transparency, and compliance with federal law.
Reader Experience: ★★★★☆ Minor clutter but easy reading.
Read the original article HERE
Have We Forgotten How to Live?
By: Aaron Shuster FrontPage Magazine
Date: 2026-08-17 · Words: 1,644
The essay contrasts 1940s nightlife’s vitality with today’s hyper-managed, self-surveilled existence.
Modern health culture turns ordinary pleasures into risks, fostering apprehension over enjoyment.
Steiner’s view of culture links civilization to mortality, meaning, and how death is understood.
Medicine extends life impressively, but longevity is not identical to flourishing or happiness.
The author argues civilization must protect life without making people afraid to live.
This story challenges a health-obsessed culture to recover courage, pleasure, and flourishing.
Reader Experience: ★★★☆☆ Moderate ads and interruptions.
Read the original article HERE
The Fed’s Huge Paperwork Backlog Is A Mass Migration Loophole
By: Scott Mechkowski The Federalist
Date: 2026-08-17 · Words: 870
USCIS receipts can pause unlawful-presence clocks, even for weak applications.
Congress assumed four-month decisions, but USCIS now faces multi-year backlogs.
More than 11 million cases are pending, with over 6 million agency-controlled.
Filing early can bank years of protected presence before a denial arrives.
The article urges Congress to end automatic tolling and tighten screening.
The backlog isn’t just inefficiency; it’s a built-in incentive that rewards delay and weak filings.
Reader Experience: ★★★★☆ Minor clutter but easy reading.
Read the original article HERE
Does Having a Different President Result In Less Crime?
By: Jim Reynolds www.reynolds.com
Date: 2026-08-16 · Words: 1,375
U.S. violent crime is falling sharply, including murders, robberies, carjackings, and auto theft.
Reynolds argues Trump’s crime agenda coincides with the decline, though causation remains disputed.
He cites tougher federal enforcement, border closure, and revived prosecution as likely contributors.
Progressive prosecutors and lenient policies are portrayed as having weakened consequences for offenders.
The article says crime’s drop is real, and Trump-era enforcement may be restoring deterrence.
America’s crime decline could reshape debates over borders, prosecution, and public safety policy.
Reader Experience: ★★★★★ Clean Substack. No ads. Fast loading.
Read the original article HERE
You may also be interested in the following selected stories:
America and the Europoor — John Hinderaker, Power Line
The Unmaking of Jason Arday — Roger Kimball, American Greatness
The Astonishing Windfall of Tariffs — Gregory Lyakhov, The Patriot Post
Is Your Home Really ‘Stolen Land’? The Case for Property Rights — Peter E. Ricciardi, The American Spectator
Blue-On-Blue Fight Over First Amendment — M Walter, American Thinker
Woke 1 Gives Way to Woke 2 — Douglas Andrews, The Patriot Post
Zircon, I agree that Rip was open to replies in the old format. But that was a closed conversation between two people. Comments here are available to everyone. They can join in if they like.
Rip was good about getting back to his readers. That’s how the conversation started between him and me. Eventually, he gave me his email address so I could send him my docs more easily.
Thanks for the remembrance.
On Zircons view. He is correct about Rip. His time taking to reply one on one struck a note with me from day one. No matter how busy he was on Sunday Morning he helped with keeping me sane with all the Left Lunatics who chose to erase are Heritage. Further iilustrating how a President like Trump guarantees that! I miss Rip and those special uplifting moments. I will always revere his selflishness. I am tearing reflecting on those winter mornings in Ohio sharing a laptop. After his wife passed, his ability to keep ir together confirmed his dedication to family and FANS! I will never stop praying for him. He also was my councilor. Kevin