From Helsinki, Finland to Mason City, Iowa September 6, 2023September 5, 2023 WHO’S THE TOUGH GUY? WHO’S THE PUPPET? Conservative columnist Max Boot: “If you want to know the differences on national security between Democrats and MAGA Republicans, it all boils down to one word: Helsinki.” Trump came to Helsinki to kowtow to Putin. Biden came to stand up to him. . . . “I’ve been doing this a long time. I don’t think NATO’s ever been stronger,” Biden said during a meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. He’s right, and he deserves a world of credit for that achievement. Biden has shown more skill at marshaling an international coalition than any U.S. president since George H.W. Bush during the 1991 Gulf War. . . . . . . The very real possibility that Trump could win back the presidency in 2024 fills U.S. allies with dread — and offers hope to U.S. enemies. John Bolton, who was Trump’s national security adviser, has said Trump came close to pulling out of NATO in 2018 and would do so if elected to another term. . . . Indeed, the very prospect that Trump could return to office encourages Putin to prolong the conflict. Dmitry Medvedev, former president of Russia and vice chairman of Putin’s security council, said in May that Trump “is a good guy but cowardly” and that “historically, it has always been easier to work with Republicans.” Medvedev acknowledged that, from the Kremlin’s perspective, “the main thing” is that Biden not win reelection. So, if you believe in making America, rather than Russia, “great again,” it’s imperative for Biden to win in 2024 . . . BOOK BANNING “Banning all books with depictions of sex acts is important because surely we don’t want our children to know about sex. But books about murder? They’re OK. Liars? No problem. Stealing? OK. Nuclear war. Not a problem. So just sex. That’s what we need to ban? Effed up.” — Thomas J. Moore, MD Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Endocrinology Boston University School of Medicine, reacting to a guest essay from a Mason City, Iowa, educator that concludes: I have a million better things to do with my time than keep kids from books. Teachers have real work to do. We already have a process in place that allows parents to ask us to reconsider books and instructional materials we make available. Our district has not had a formal challenge to a book in our libraries in over two decades, indicating that parents are not worried about what is on the shelves. I believe in parents’ rights. I want all the parents in our country to be actively making the decisions they believe are best for their children. At the same time, let’s not overlook our collective responsibility to achieve the goal of the American public education system — to ensure that every child has access to the highest quality teaching and opportunities for learning. Much of that opportunity can be found in the discoveries that await on library shelves. That’s why we must protect our public schools from the political agendas that are hobbling them. Worth reading in full. 30-Second BONUS He got to work.