Jimmy Swaggart was a spy

 Some things that caught my attention the week of June 28-July 5.

The New York Times could do better.

I have free online access to the New York Times via my local library. Last Sunday, a story caught my eye: a University of Florida Law School student won an award for a paper stating that the Constitution doesn't apply to non-whites. This wasn't a cleverly argued "devil's advocate" position, which may be a valuable exercise for law schools. No, this was the devil himself - an avowed white supremacist - writing it. And, it included policy prescriptions.. As one professor at the university said, it was a "manifesto."

The story addressed the fairly predictable reactions to a racist winning an award, but I had two questions left unanswered: 

1. What was the assignment? That is, what kind of paper were the students supposed to submit? Scholarly legal treatises? Manifestos?

2. If manifestos, how does that fit into the purpose of a law school?

Perhaps the student, however abhorrent his views may be, did deserve to win the award. But what was he awarded for? I felt like how I would feel if I read a story with the headline "She won a gold medal, but many claim she didn't deserve it" that never mentions what the competition was. 

I haven't trusted the NYT's news as it reads like Establishment propaganda, especially on U.S. foreign policy. However, I did have higher expectations for its feature reporting.

Michael Phelps turned 40 on June 30

I would say, "Wow, he's already 40," but 2008 and 2012 feel like a long time ago. Also, 40 isn't as old as it used to be, not even as old as when people started saying "40 is the new 30." 

At the end of 2024, I listed the 25 greatest athletes of the century at the MVP Chase. Check whether Phelps is on it, and comment there if you have people you would like added or removed from the list. 

The Big Beautiful National Debt

I have not followed the passage of Trump's so-called "Big Beautiful Bill." I'll just say that if overall spending is to be increased and deficits are to be reduced, then I wouldn't make cuts in medical and economic assistance for those who, for one reason or another, are dependent on them. 

It would be one thing if there were cuts across the board to reduce or eliminate the deficit, and if these were accompanied by reforms to liberate healthcare and all other industries from bureaucratic regulations. That is, if the opening of markets and price competition accompany budget cuts. But that's not happening.

Harry Browne used to say that the government breaks your legs and then gives you crutches. I'm not a fan of the government now sawing off part of your crutch while it increases your share of the national debt.  

Is Diddy a criminal?

Another thing I haven't followed is the Diddy trial. Based on what he's convicted of, I don't see why they should even be considered crimes:

1. It's legal for consenting adults to have sex. Nobody is injured.

2. It's legal for one adult to give money to another. Nobody is injured.

Therefore, prostitution should be legal. Nobody is injured.

Independence Day

I rewatched the movie 1776 on the Fourth of July. If you've seen it but it's been decades, I recommend a rewatch. Some deleted or shortened scenes were restored, including the number "Cool Considerate Men," which the Nixon White House insisted be removed.

While "based on a true story," I don't take any particular scene as history. Nevertheless, it expresses many ideals that I have felt since my youth.

July 4th was also the 49th anniversary of the bicentennial. The first half of those years went pretty well in the grand historical scheme of things. At least, there was a "normalcy" to it that is long gone. At the midway point, almost to the day, the 107th Congress convened on January 3, 2001. This Congress gave us the Patriot Act, the Department of Homeland Security, the TSA,  the never-ending AUMF ("War on Terror"), and authorization for the Iraq War. At the same time, President George W. Bush's men legitimized torture, which was glorified on network television (24).

There were no slippery slopes. There were no "dangerous precedents." The 107th Congress, along with President George W. Bush, drove the country off a moral cliff. All the subsequent stuff - ICE, Assange, Snowden, the Too Big to Fail bailouts, the Covid nonsense- are just further expressions of Statism run amok. I haven't felt uniquely fortunate to live and be a citizen of the United States since 2003, when I saw how much was lost and wondered if I had ever truly lived in the same country I thought I did.

Donald Trump's second-term policies have been especially dark, but they're just more children of the "new nation" birthed by that 107th Congress. 

Jimmy Swaggart 1935-2025. PHOTO: Jntracy75

Jimmy Swaggart was a spy

When I learned that Jimmy Swaggart passed on July 1, I decided to look at his Wikipedia bio. I found something interesting about him, which I posted:

Today, I learned that Swaggart's ministries sent money to the "anti-communists" (proxies for Rhodesia and apartheid South Africa) in Mozambique during the 1970s-80s civil war.

I surmise, without any evidence or further research, that Swaggart was approached by the CIA in the early 1970s with a deal: "We'll make you big nationally, and then when the time comes, we'll launder money through you."

The next day, I added "Or, Swaggard was making it big on his own, and the CIA honey-trapped him." That is, the CIA set him up with a prostitute to blackmail him. (By CIA, I might not mean the CIA specifically, but the federal government's spying apparatus as a whole.)

I posted this because it seems odd that Swaggart would be involved in this war. Maybe he had personal reasons. However, I have an unproven and perhaps unprovable "conspiracy theory"  that there are more CIA assets among us than we can guess.

The reason I say so is that I have doubts that genuine religious movements can take root without outside help, and if they do, they don't sustain themselves without it. Personality clashes are inevitable when small churches or organizations grow; a walkout always follows a surge. Stable finances turn movements into institutions. People with money are often those who are well-connected. Connected to what?. A variety of legitimate and shady activities, running in the same circles as CIA agents. 

It's the same with grassroots political movements. The "help" is from donors or infiltrators whose purpose is to manage and control the movement. CIA-connected media facilitated movements that altered the course of politics. Other movements and parties remain neglected because the CIA would rather they be left obscure.

One critique of government intervention in the economy is that it picks winners and losers. The CIA similarly selects "winners" by supporting those who will play ball. Unless proven otherwise, I'll assume Jimmy Swaggart was one such winner at one point in his life. Whatever he subsequently lost was his own doing.

Subscription prices to JL Cells are the lowest that Substack allows: $5 per month or $30 per year (a 50% discount). If you enjoy the content, please consider a paid subscription, support me using PayPal with an amount of your choice, or contact me if you prefer an alternative method. At this point, I cannot promise that a paid subscription will provide bonus material, but it will help keep this going. Thank you.

James Leroy Wilson writes The MVP Chase (subscribe) and JL Cells (subscribe). Thank you for your subscriptions and support! You can contact James for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.

Year 237

 Some notes and anniversaries over the past weeks (June 21-28, 2025):

1. "Humble foreign policy" (2000), "No dumb wars" (2008), "America First" (2016, 2024). If I ran for President in 2028, my campaign pledge would be, "War with everyone." Because if history's any indication, I'll accomplish the opposite of what I promised, and we'll have peace with everyone.

2. I visit my library at least once a week. Recently, the librarian was removing books to throw out. Not donate, throw out. She said that when 70 people donate their copies of Angels and Demons, almost all of those copies will never be recirculated or bought at a thrift store; people who had any interest in reading it have done so, and the books just take up space. I think she exaggerated the copies of Angels and Demons she had received as donations, but the point was made.

It's noble to believe that every book copy is precious, and I'd recommend donating books you no longer want to keep; don't throw them out yourself, as someone else might want to read them. But let the librarian or booksellers assume that responsibility. They ought to know the market better than you.

I was reminded of this when I noticed that June 22 is the birthday of Dan Brown, author of Angels & Demons. I wrote "The Da Vince Code Phenomenon," about Brown's most famous work, 18 months ago.

3. June 23 marked the birthdays of sexologist Alfred Kinsey and World War II code-breaking computer scientist Alan Turing. Four years ago, I used the occasion to write about sex laws.

4. Elon Musk turns 54 today. A couple of months ago, I wrote about the curious political journey of Musk's grandfather, who may or may not have influenced Musk and Donald Trump's territorial expansion goals. 

5. Year 237

On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, thereby putting it into effect. 237 years later to the day, President Trump bombed Iran (DC time, not local Iran time). The number 237 holds meaning for some people (including myself, if only for entertainment purposes), although it appears the X/Twitter site obsessed with "Kubrick" numbers didn't notice this anniversary. 237 years may be symbolic of the birth and death of the Constitution. However, it's not the first time a President started a war without congressional authorization, so singling out this attack may seem arbitrary. 

Presidents who start wars commit even greater crimes than those who ignore due process of law in jailing and deporting people, in the same sense that murder is an even greater crime than kidnapping. I hope those who attended the No Kings rallies a couple of weeks ago understand this. Bombing countries without so much as asking Congress for authorization was bad when Clinton did it in Serbia and Obama did it in Libya. Hopefully, Trump has stopped with just the one night.

However, this recent anniversary prompts something I've wanted to discuss. I've perceived the history of the Constitutional Republic as three 80-year periods, with the current one ending in 2028. The first was the Slave Era, spanning from 1788 to 1868. Of course, slavery itself suffered a permanent death in 1865, but there was chaos and disagreement in handling the aftermath, leading to President Andrew Johnson's impeachment. The election of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant to the Presidency was the definitive closure of the first phase of American history.

The second was the Empire Era, where the territorial gains of the Slave Era were consolidated with further displacement of American Indians by new settlers, along with territorial acquisitions beyond the shores. America became an empire and a colonial power, one among several.

After the Empire Era came the Superpower Era, with 1945-48 serving as a transition phase that saw the atomic bomb dropped, the end of World War II, the Nuremberg Trials, and the creation of the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Department of Defense, including a new Air Force branch.  

By 1948, America had established the institutions necessary for its project of global domination. The agenda wasn't about, or only about, stopping the spread of communism. That is clear by American behavior after the Cold War. Not long after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, President Bush invaded Panama to further domestic policy drug-control goals (supposedly). It has been non-stop invasions, bombings, embargoes, and coups around the world ever since, much like the Cold War. Any country that refuses to kow-tow to America's demands is presented to the American people as a "threat" to "national security" and "our freedom.".

Speaking of the Superpower Era, it's important to note that Bill Moyers passed away on June 26 at the age of 91.

Moyers was a White House staffer under Kennedy and White House Press Secretary for two years under Johnson. He later worked for CBS News and then PBS, where he brought Joseph Campbell to fame with The Power of Myth series of interviews. I've seen very little of it, but I may get into it someday.

It was the late 2000s when I watched Moyers's 1987 PBS documentary  "The Secret Government: A Special Report by Bill Moyers." I just watched it again upon hearing of Moyers's passing. If I taught American politics classes, I would make it required viewing.

The program brought up the "anything goes" or "the ends justify the means" culture of the National Security State, established in 1947. I believe this was extended to domestic policy, especially following 9/11, with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and agencies like ICE. The Secret Government has only gotten bigger and is filled with agents who were apparently raised on ideological hate or were programmed to be cruel.

At this moment, I suspect that "The purpose [of the Trump Administration] is to set the stage for imposing martial law by November 2028 in an attempt to circumvent the Presidential election and keep Trump in power." That may be stopped, or it may succeed. In any case, that year will mark the beginning of a new era.

I'm not predicting what it will be like. I don't know if the U.S. will disintegrate through foreign and civil wars and bankruptcy, or make significant institutional changes while keeping the shell of the Constitution intact. However, we are currently experiencing drastic changes. We're currently in the transition phase.

Over the past 80 years, the overall expansion of rights and tolerance in America is something to be thankful for, as are the technological developments and, in my opinion, the advancements in pop culture. These years could be looked upon with fondness. At the same time, the federal government acted like a mafia boss over the entire planet and placed increasing controls over individuals at home. 

May those who are personally inclined to view their neighbors, whoever they are, as friends rather than enemies be the founders of a new era of freedom and peace.

Subscription prices to JL Cells are the lowest that Substack allows: $5 per month or $30 per year (a 50% discount). If you enjoy the content, please consider a paid subscription, support me using PayPal with an amount of your choice, or contact me if you prefer an alternative method. At this point, I cannot promise that a paid subscription will provide bonus material, but it will help keep this going. Thank you.

James Leroy Wilson writes The MVP Chase (subscribe) and JL Cells (subscribe). Thank you for your subscriptions and support! You can contact James for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.

Finals and Stanley Cup MVPs

Photo credit: Santeri Viinamäki

Hockey and basketball are done for the season. Today, we'll see if the MVP Chase was in agreement with the NHL playoffs MVP and the NBA Finals MVP selections. Plus, we'll see how the NHL and NBA playoffs affect the Century's Greatest Coaches rankings.

Conn Smythe Trophy (most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs)

The NHL's Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded to the player most valuable to his team throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs, not just the Finals. It is possible, then, for a player not on the Cup-winning team to win the award. That's happened six times, most recently last year. I, however, did not follow the proceedings that season.

I determined who (probably) ought to win the Smythe based on these criteria:

• The number of games a skater's points plus +/- is equal to or greater than 2 in a victory.

• The number of games a goalie allows two or fewer goals in a victory.

This is what I determined:

1. Sam Bennett (C), Panthers 12 

2. Sergei Bobrovsky (G), Panthers 12

3. Leon Draisaitl (C), Oilers 11

4. Connor McDavid (C), Oilers 10

5. Carter Verhaeghe (C), Panthers 9 

6. Brad Marchand (LW), Panthers 9 

7. Matthew Tkachuck (W), Panthers 8

8. Anton Lundell (C), Panthers 8

9. Evan Bouchard (C), Oilers 7

10. Eetu Laurostarinen (C), Panthers 6

Sergei Bobrovsky did a great job in the net, allowing two or fewer goals in three-quarters of the sixteen games a team needs to win the Cup. HOWEVER, the Panthers scored FIVE goals or more in THIRTEEN of those victories, and ten games were won by three-goal margins or more. In the Finals, Bobrovsky allowed four goals or more three times, and the Panthers were 1-2 in those games.

Sam Bennett would have gotten my vote for the Smythe (and he did indeed win it). He had a substantially greater number of MVP-worthy games (12) than the next Panther skaters (9).

NBA Finals MVP

The NBA Finals MVP is determined by a point system in which the top eight players are ranked: the best player receives 8 points, and the eighth player receives 1 point. The ranking is based on the player's Game Score plus +/-. As it takes four games to win the Finals, the most MVP points a player can earn is 32, and only if he was the best player in all four victories.

There's a theoretical chance a player on the losing team can win the Finals MVP if it's a 7-game series. He would have to be the best player in all three wins for his team (24 points), and the Finals-winning team alternates who their best players were in their four victories.

That did not happen this year, as the Thunder beat the Pacers four games to two. Here are the final NBA Finals MVP Chase standings. 

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder 28

2. Jalen Williams, Thunder, 25

3. Alex Caruso, Thunder, 21

4. Chet Holmgren, Thunder, 19

5. Luguerntz Dort, Thunder, 14

6. Andres Wiggins, Thunder, 13

7. Obi Toppin, Pacers, 13

8. Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers 11

9. Bennedict Mathurin, Pacers 10

10. Pascal Siakam, Pacers, 10

Shai did win the official award, capping off one of the greatest individual seasons in NBA history.

Greatest Coaches Update

My Greatest Coaches of the 21st Century (across NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB) featured coaches who won at least one championship. They were ranked by number of championships and then by the number of semifinal appearances.

I made one exception. Pete DeBoer, who was still the coach of the Dallas Stars when the list was published, has not won a title. However, he had made seven semifinals, which only four other coaches had done, and that warranted his elevation over the 53 coaches with one title and not nearly so many semifinals. Since publication, DeBoer achieved his eighth semifinal, a feat only three have accomplished, but he lost in the Conference Finals and was fired. When I update the list next year, I will keep him in the same spot: behind all the 2x title winners and ahead of all the 1x winners.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice got his 6th semifinal and 2nd title. This moves him up from the 16th to the 9-12 range, among coaches of identical achievement.

Rod Brind'Amour, in his seventh season as a head coach (all with the Hurricanes), made his third semifinal appearance in 2025 and has no titles; he won't be on the list when it's updated next year (after the World Series and Super Bowl). Neither will Edmonton's Kris Knoblauch,  who made and lost the Finals in both of his seasons as head coach.

The Thunder's Mark Daigneault won his first championship last night and has two semifinals under his belt. He will need another title or two more semifinals to join the club. Indiana's Rick Carlisle, the Finals loser, now has his 5th semifinal appearance to go along with one previous championship, and will move up four or so spots (depending on what happens in football and baseball). Tom Thibodeau, recently fired by the Knicks, reached his second semifinal in 2025. So did Minnesota's Chris Finch. 

In next year's list, we'll see Maurice and Carlisle ranked higher and DeBoer staying where he is. 

Subscription rates to the MVP Chase are the lowest that Substack allows: $5 per month or $30 per year (a 50% discount). You can also support me through PayPal or contact me using an alternative method. The more support I have, the more content you'll see. Contact me for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.

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