Rip’s Newsletter
July 8, 2026
Rip’s Newsletter
July 8, 2026
Compiled and Edited
by
Jim Reynolds
Articles in This Issue
Victor Davis Hanson - Mamdani’s Embittered Fourth of July Rant to America › American Greatness
Ned Ryun; Ed McFadden - We Must Have a Rebirth of Instinctive Patriotism › American Greatness
Tim Graham - AP Warns Against Trump’s ‘Darkly Political’ Anti-Communist Remarks
Nate Jackson - Dems Shocked — Shocked! — That Graham Platner Is Bad
Owen Anderson - The Declaration’s God
Jim Reynolds - Henry Payne McIntosh IV
Overview
This set is a blunt fight over what America is and who gets to define it.
On one side, the left keeps turning the Fourth of July into a grievance ritual, sneering at the country that gave its loudest critics every advantage; on the other, conservatives are saying the obvious thing out loud: America’s founding rests on God, liberty, and a patriotism worth defending.
The press is doing what it always does, treating anti-communism as the real scandal while downplaying the murderous record of communism itself.
And the Platner mess is another reminder that Democrats will excuse almost anything until the story becomes impossible to spin.
Mamdani’s Embittered Fourth of July Rant to America
Site: Rcp Web
Author: Victor Davis Hanson
Date: 2026-07-07
Mamdani’s July 4 remarks attacked America as racist, exclusionary, and ungrateful toward immigrants.
Hanson argues Mamdani’s family benefited from elite privilege, wealth, and American opportunity.
The essay says Mamdani uses Marxist victim-oppressor rhetoric while embodying inherited privilege.
Hanson defends U.S. immigration and assimilation, citing millions of Indian immigrants and legal pathways.
He accuses Mamdani and allies of exploiting racial and antisemitic division for political power.
This story matters because it frames a rising political figure as a symbol of elite hypocrisy and anti-American grievance politics.
Reader Experience: ★★★☆☆ Moderate ads and interruptions.
Read the original article HERE
We Must Have a Rebirth of Instinctive Patriotism
Site: American Greatness
Author: Ned Ryun; Ed McFadden
Date: 2026-07-08
The article rebukes a mayoral speech attacking American exceptionalism on the nation’s 250th anniversary.
It argues exceptionalism means a constitutional system, not claims Americans are morally superior.
The authors credit liberty for American innovation, prosperity, and world-changing technologies.
They cite wartime sacrifice and the Marshall Plan as proof America rebuilds, not conquers.
The piece calls for instinctive patriotism: loving and defending a flawed but extraordinary republic.
This story matters because it defends America’s founding ideals as the basis for freedom, reform, and national pride.
Reader Experience: ★★★★☆ Minor clutter but easy reading.
Read the original article HERE
AP Warns Against Trump’s ‘Darkly Political’ Anti-Communist Remarks
Site: Townhall
Author: Tim Graham
Date: 2026-07-08
AP criticized Trump’s Mount Rushmore anti-communist remarks as “darkly political” and historically evocative.
Graham argues communism is objectively murderous, making AP’s framing seem ideologically selective.
He says AP’s Red Scare reference ignores documented communist spies and Hollywood infiltration.
The column contrasts AP’s skepticism toward anti-communism with its softer treatment of socialist Democrats.
Graham accuses journalists of tolerating communist sympathies while freely labeling conservatives “fascists.”
This story matters because it spotlights how media framing can shape public judgment of communism, conservatism, and political legitimacy.
Reader Experience: ★★★★☆ Minor clutter but easy reading.
Read the original article HERE
Dems Shocked — Shocked! — That Graham Platner Is Bad
Site: The Patriot Post
Author: Nate Jackson
Date: 2026-07-07
Democrats backed Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner despite Nazi tattoo and misconduct allegations.
New reporting says Jenny Racicot accused Platner of sexually assaulting her years ago.
Platner denies nonconsensual sex, but canceled events as the story was about to break.
Schumer, Gillibrand, Warren, Khanna, and Sanders urged Platner to step aside.
Maine party leaders may replace him soon, exposing Democrats’ hypocrisy and vetting failures.
This race matters because it tests whether Democrats will finally reject a deeply flawed candidate they once embraced.
Reader Experience: ★★★★☆ Minor clutter but easy reading.
Read the original article HERE
The Declaration’s God
Site: American Mind
Author: Owen Anderson
Date: 2026-07-08
The Declaration begins with theology, grounding rights in “Nature’s God,” not politics.
“All men are created equal” follows self-evident truth, creation, and moral rights.
Remove any step, and rights become opinion, equality becomes assertion, freedom weakens.
The Declaration uses natural theology for public legitimacy, not full Christian revelation.
Its political wisdom is clear boundaries: civil order and redemption belong to different realms.
This argument reframes the Declaration as America’s moral foundation and a warning against politicized religion.
Read the original article HERE
Henry Payne McIntosh IV
Site: www.reynolds.com
Author: Jim Reynolds
Date: 2026-07-08
Rip McIntosh, known as “Rip,” was remembered as curious, adventurous, and deeply loyal.
Born in 1936, he studied at Hawken, Culver, and Tulane before a varied career.
He worked in investments, real estate, construction, programming, and philanthropy, including early IBM systems.
Rip led major conservation efforts with Ducks Unlimited and the African Wildlife Foundation.
Jim Reynolds says Rip built people, gave him a platform, and inspired continuing the newsletter.
Rip’s story matters because it shows how one generous, principled patron can shape a community, a cause, and a writer’s life.
Reader Experience: ★★★★★ Clean Substack. No ads. Fast loading.
Read the original article HERE
Love the newsletter! Great work and I know Rip would be proud of you effort!!!!
What has happened to Rip?! Mary W