The Nazis Are Coming, The Nazis Are Coming - No, Wait THE NAZIS ARE ALREADY HERE

Friday, May 12th, 2023

My Dear America:

Back in 2017 in response to American Intelligence Reports that turned out to be true, namely that Trump had nefarious dealings with Vladimir Putin and Russia, Donald Trump had the following response on Twitter.

"Are We Living in Nazi Germany?"

These days those of us who are living in America should be asking ourselves the same question that Trump asked.

"Are those of us living in the USA, indeed, Living in Nazi Germany, or some place very similar to Nazi Germany?

I think that Rachel Maddow's MSNBC Program on Monday Night, May 8th, 2023 showed us that when it comes to Nazis, who we thought we fought very successfully in World War II and eliminated, we need to wake up and smell the Treason and The Stench of the German Death Camps and realize that Hitler and company may be dead but Nazi ideas like killing Jews are still alive and well, not only in America but these days they can be found all over the world.

Rachel's May 8th Program was incredibly disturbing to anyone who recognizes the truly frightening history of just how close we came to losing World War II to a Nation led by Bloodthirsty Madmen who thought it was Okay to wipe out the entire Jewish Population of Europe including not only Jewish men but also Jewish Women and Children, as well.  Although a  limited number of Jews survived the Holocaust, Six Million Jews did not survive Hitler's Sick Extermination Plan.

Now we are living in an America in which countless Americans are posting "Hitler was right" on social media.  

What the hell is wrong with these people.  What the hell is wrong with our country.

No, my fellow Americans.  Hitler was not right.  Hitler was an Evil Monster whose hatred of the Jews was wrong on so many levels.

But lets get back to Rachel's program.  

Rachel pointed out that this weekend, following a night in which Donald Trump is getting normalized by being interviewed by Caitlin Collins on CNN in what is being billed as a Presidential Town Hall, Trump will then go back to Florida and participate in a Two day Trump Presentation featuring many of the former members of the Disgraced Trump Administration, as well as at least Two Straight Up Jew Hating Nazi's promoting their hate filled propaganda as featured speakers at the Trump Event at Trump's Doral Hotel in Miami.  Rachel made it a point to warn her audience that they may not like what these individuals had to say  before she played video footage of Scott Mckay and Charlie Ward spewing their Jew Hating Screeds. Rachel explained that both of these Nazi Propagandists were presently on tour with Eric Trump.

Some of what McKay and Ward apparently accuse Jews of include the following: They say that Jews were responsible for 911 and were also responsible for every American Presidential Assassination including not only Kennedy but also Mckinley and Lincoln, as well as many other reprehensible acts. And here we thought Lincoln was killed by John Wilkes Booth.

Unfortunately, because Freedom of Expression is guaranteed in America by our Constitution we are stuck having to tolerate a certain amount of this Nazi Bullshit.  But what we have seen and learned in recent years is that many of the individuals who are carrying out senseless mass murders all over America are Far Right Extremists who have followed Former President Trump down his dark path toward victimizing Jews, Blacks, Latinos, Migrants, LGTBQ and other targets of Trump's venom.

Indeed, the Recent Mass Murderer in Allen, Texas was shown in pictures to have Swastikas on his body and RWDS on his Tactical Gear.  What was learned from the Proud Boys Trial was that RWDS stands for Right Wing Death Squad.

What Rachel Maddow has pointed out on several of her shows is that Nazi Madness is clearly on the rise not only in America but in other countries, as well.  Victor Orbon, the Right Wing Leader of Hungary has proved to be a favorite of many individuals calling themselves Conservatives and has been a featured speaker at CPAC conferences in America and Hungary.  At a recent CPAC Conference in Hungary Orbon went on a rant about why he would not allow "Race Mixing" in his country.  His rant was so extreme that one of his Government leaders resigned in protest stating in his resignation that the speech that Orbon had delivered was a "purely Nazi Diatribe worthy of Joseph Goebbels."

Lets not forget that Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Tucker Carlson, Ron DeSantis and others on Fox News, OAN and Newsmax have all done their share to normalize Jew Hating.  Putin has had the gall to claim that the reason he sent Russian Troops into Ukraine  was to root out Nazis, who he claimed were creating atrocities.  The truth was that President Zelensky was Jewish and there was no evidence of Nazi horrors in Ukraine before the Russians invaded the country.  Indeed, it was Putin's army that has been shown to have been committing Nazi Style Atrocities in Ukraine.

To someone who grew up in an America in which Nazi's were shunned, arrested and deported when they were found hiding in our country after World War II, I find the acceptance of Nazis and Nazi Propaganda to be deplorable and hard to understand.  I will never understand or accept the premise that Jews can be or should be killed just for being Jews.  What happened during the Holocaust is difficult to understand but there is certainly enough evidence to show that what Hitler and Germany did to the Jews was one of the foulest episodes of Inhumanity to man that has ever happened.

Whenever I think of Jews I think of Sol Gelb, a Jewish Corner Store owner in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.  When I met Sol I had just been hired as a Counselor for one of the first Youth Opportunity Job Placement Centers opening in Pennsylvania.  I was newly married with a child on the way and when I explained my situation to Sol and the fact that I was broke and would not get paid for at least a month Sol and his wife took my wife and I under their wing and showed us nothing but kindness.  Sol kept us supplied with whatever we wanted from his store until I finally got my first check and paid him what he was owed.  Sol and his wife did not need to be as kind and considerate as they were but I was sure glad that they were willing to help us.  Because of Sol I have always had good feelings about Jewish people and I always will have good feelings toward Jewish people.

What the Nazis did to the Jews of Europe is something that should never be forgotten or forgiven and the fact that Nazi propaganda is on the rise is something that should concern all Americans

The fact is that Donald Trump is a convicted Sexual Abuser as of May 9th, 2023.  He is also clearly a Nazi Sympathizer and a Putin Ally.  As of May 8th polling shows that in a recent Presidential Poll Trump got 44 Percent and Biden only got 38 Percent.  Something is radically wrong here.   It is inconceivable to me that Donald Trump could actually be re elected to the Presidency.  I know that polling can be off by a lot sometimes.  I sure hope that this recent poll is way off the mark. The thought of another Trump Administration with Trump unleashed and Nazi Sympathizers by his side is too much to bear for me and should be too much to bear for all Decent Americans.

Nazis should never be normalized and neither should Donald Trump.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher  

 

What The Fox Happened - An Unauthorized Apology That Fox News Should Have Been Required To Issue To The Dominion Voting Machine Company

Wednesday, April 26th, 2023 

My Dear America:

The Following Apology is merely a suggested outline for a Legitimate Apology that I feel should have been issued by Fox News at the time of their Multi Million Dollar Settlement with the Dominion Voting Machine Corporation.  Fox came up with the Cash-Big Time (787 Million Dollars Worth).  People, That Ain't Chump Change.  But  Uh - An Apology, Not so much.  So I thought that I would try to help out Fox News by Issuing their Apology to Dominion and to the American People on their behalf.

So Here Goes:

A Fox News Apology To Dominion Voting Machines Corporation & America

      Prepared and Issued by G. Gordon Gadfly, Fox News Minister of Patriotism

Recent Circumstances surrounding our Legal Difficulties with Dominion Voting Machine Corporation have caused those of us at Fox News who truly are Genuine Patriots to reevaluate our Responsibilities to our viewers and also to those people who are not Fox News Viewers.  

We are beyond ourselves with regrets regarding mistakes that we have made in the past.  One of those mistakes included our On Air Lies about who won the 2020 Election for President of the United States.  We now realize that Those lies fueled the Patriotic Fervor of those individuals who wanted so badly for Donald Trump to remain President of the United States that they Cooperated in the Shameful and Anti Democratic events of January Sixth, 2021.  Those events included such things as  breaking into the Capitol Building, building a scaffold to "Hang Mike Pence" and perhaps some other Politicians as well.  We realize that those individuals who ransacked the Capitol, beat the hell out of Police Officers and pooped all over the place were simply exercising their Patriotic Duty that we have tried to ingrain into our Fox News Viewers for so many years but what we did in pushing the Election Lies of Donald J. Trump and his Republican Conspirators was a mistake and regrettable.

What is doubly shameful on our part is the fact that we were the first network to call the Presidential Election For Joe Biden.  When Donald Trump dumped his ridiculous claims about "Winning the Election in a Landslide" on us we should have insisted that he should tell the truth but we didn't.  clearly the Former president did not want to be called a "Loser."  That was the kiss of death for him.  But he was a loser.  That was clear to us then and is even clearer to us now.  And as a result of our unwillingness to tell our viewers the truth we have now joined Donald Trump in the Loser's Circle.

We at Fox also regret the fact that we not only supported Donald "Loser" Trump after the 2020 Election but we also supported his Lying Loser Circle of Weird and Wacky Friends like Mike "The Pillow Guy" Lindell, Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, among other Lying Losers who preferred to support Trump's unlawful attempt to become a Dictator over supporting Democracy and Joe Biden, the truly legitimate winner of the Presidency in November of 2020.

We at Fox News are at a loss as we realize by supporting Donald Trump for so long from the time of his First Campaign Announcement up until now just how many problems we have helped him to create not only in America but throughout the world.  Clearly we should have known from the time of his Announcement when he was disparaging Mexicans and stating that he would "Build a Wall And Mexico Would Pay for it" that Donald Trump was a liar of epic proportions.  But it was clear to us from the beginning of his run for President that this Liar had something special going for him.  Trump was capable of outrageous lies that no other Presidential Candidate in the history of the United States could ever have gotten away with and he still had people who loved him and supported him.  What the hell was it that this guy had.  We are still trying to figure that out.  But the Truth is that Fox Viewers loved Donald Trump and still do, many of them.  Certainly not all of them.  But there is no doubt that after Donald Trump (A dedicated Democrat for most of his life) decided to run for President as a Republican, clearly the Republican Party latched onto him and they have never to this day let him go.

Donald Trump was Twice impeached, took Russia's side in a dispute with America's Intelligence Agencies, Took Putin's side in the Invasion of Ukraine and led an Insurrection trying to get his followers to hang his Vice President and prevent Congress from Certifying Joe Biden's legitimate Election Victory.  He has recently been arrested and charged with criminal conduct in New York and may also be charged with even more serious crimes and he is still the leading Candidate on the Republican Ticket for President in 2024.  We at Fox would like to deep six Trump.  He has been nothing but trouble for us.  For God's sake, he and his lies have already cost us 787 Million Dollars.  But what can we do.  Are we going to refuse to cover the Leading Candidate for President in the Republican Party.  Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.  That's where we are at Fox News. We have no choice but to cover Former President Trump.

While we are mentioning our Mea Culpa's we also wish to apologize to other companies and Groups who are suing us for all manner of things.  Especially Smartmatic.  Please Smartmatic, go easy on us.  We have been through a lot and most of our money has gone to Dominion, not to mention the outrageous Legal Fees that we have already paid out. 

One additional Apology that we wish to make is to the women of Fox News who work in many types of employment positions at our company.  While we have paid off some of those women who have accused some Fox News Executives and Employees of Sexual Harassment and/or Sexual Abuse we at Fox are recognizing the error of our ways in not doing more to prevent cases of Sexual Misconduct by individuals in responsible positions at Fox News.  We now realize that our long time CEO at Fox News, Roger Ailes was guilty of Not Only Sexual Harassment but of Sexual Abuse, as well.  One Female Employee of Fox News who we paid off accused Roger of two decades of Sexual Abuse causing her to endure both Physical and Psychological repercussions.  We are sorry for that and we are also sorry for the problems caused by Bill O'Reilly and others, some of whom were forced out with significant payoffs.  The 2016 Suit brought against Fox by Gretchen Carlson with support from other Fox News Women caused us to significantly review our policies regarding Sexual Harassment and Sexual Abuse.  We regret that so many women of Fox News have had to endure Sexual Misconduct s the result of working for Fox News.  We pledge to do better going forward.   

Of Course, looking back on it We probably should have paid the Dominion Company up front, and avoided looking like fools when our Fox News On Air Talent like Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity's E Mail's and texts were released to Dominion and to the world.  Clearly their Texts and E Mails and the Texts and E Mails of other Fox News On Air Personalities have shown very clearly that Donald Trump was despised by these people despite the fact that they kissed his ass on air frequently even though they knew he was lying to them constantly.  We also apologize for the fact that Tucker Carlson is not only one of America's favorite On Air TV Personalities but we also regret that he is also one of Russia's favorite On Air Personalities and a genuine favorite Russian Asset for Vladimir Putin.  We now realize that he is a traitor but his Ratings on Fox News were so high that he thought we can't fire him.  As of now we are proud to say that Tucker Carlson was wrong.  He has cost our network too much money and credibility and is now permanently gone from Fox News.    

Finally, we think that it is time for us to apologize for our continuing Coverage of gun violence in America.  We think that it is about time for us to show the NRA the door and begin to discourage people like the 84 year old guy who shot a black kid because the kid came to his door and scared him.  The old guy's grandson told News people that his Grandfather watched our channels constantly.  We applaud his support for us but we wish he didn't shoot anybody.

From this day forward, we at Fox News are requesting that all of our viewers put your guns down and hand them over to the police in your area.  We especially wish our viewers stop buying AR 15 rifles and stop buying ammunition for them.

We also wish to promise our viewers that we have learned our lesson and will be more responsible in the future.  That is when and if our vast array of uninformed MAGA Republicans, Traitors and Old People continue to watch our Programs and buy our advertised products.  Unfortunately, if our viewers turn away from Fox and go to other Right Wing Propaganda Stations like One America News and Newsmax all bets are off and we are back on the Trump Train heading for 2024.

Thank you all for Reading or Listening to our Unauthorized Fox Apology.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

No Shame In Nashville - At least Not For Republican Legislators

Saturday, April 8th, 2023

My Dear America:

I know that there are no Republicans looking for any Political Advice from me at this point in time, or at any point in time, for that matter.

But, regardless of that I am still going to give Republicans some free and I believe worthwhile advice that I hope they might freely use to improve their Political Future.

First of all, Dump Donald Trump and scrub every trace of his miserable Corrupt ass from your Party.  Trump has turned your Republican Party into  something that is unrecognizable compared to the Old and Highly Respected Republican Party of Yesteryear.  Maybe Republicans cannot see it as clearly as Democrats can but what is clear after over Six Years of Trump's massive corrupting influence over the Republican Party is that he and his MAGA Cohorts have commandeered your party and turned it into something akin to the Nazi Party that corrupted Germany and caused the Second World War and the Holocaust.

Secondly, Dump Ron Desantis, who is simply a Trump Clone who has tried and in some cases succeeded to be more extreme and destructive than his Mara Lago Mentor and 2024 Presidential Rival and since he still has some power in the State of Florida he continues to pull your party down a shameful path.

Thirdly,  Dump Maga Morons like Kevin McCarthy, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar and others who believe that the best things that they can do is follow Donald Trump to the Gates Of Hell and back.  These dumbasses, some of whom follow stupid Qanon  conspiracy Theories, need to be exorcised from your party like the demons thtat they are.

Fourthly,  Turn off your Fox News, Newsmax and OAN and start listening to Truthful News like MSNBC and CNN rather than LNN, Liars Network News.

In my opinion Republicans taking these simple steps that I just outlined could and would improve the future of the Republican Party significantly.

Now why would I really want to improve the prospects of the Republican Party.

Well, the truth is that I don't really want to see the Republican Party improve too significantly.  

Quite frankly, I am fairly certain that a Party that supports Fascists like Donald Trump, Ron Desantis and Tucker Carlson is too far gone down the rabbit hole to return to Reality and Democratic Values any time soon.

But the truth also is that America is a country that has developed and has been sustained by a Two Party System and to survive as a Democracy both of those two parties need to be both Strong and  Sane.  And right now only one of the major parties is Strong and Sane.  That party is the Democratic Party.

Republicans have clearly lost their minds over Donald Trump.  That was obvious long before this week's indictment of him for 34 Counts of Fraud by the New York City District Attorney, Alvin Bragg.  But now, everyone can see that Trump's disrespect and denigration of DA Bragg and the Judge in his case and the Judges family as well as Trump's constant threatening of Death and Destruction on Trump's Truth Social is way over the line of respectability and sanity.

What is truly disturbing to me is the fact that instead of Republicans recognizing how awful and disgusting Trump's attitude and behavior continues to be it seems as though many high profile Republicans don't seem to be angry at Trump.  They are instead angry and threatening toward the New York DA and Judge in the case.

The Republican madness is almost understandable when we see the attention paid by the news media to Trump's indictment.  Some news organizations followed Trump's procession from Mara Lago to the Airport, filming his takeoff in Florida and his landing in New York and the vehicle caravan from LaGuardia to Trump Tower.  In the few times and few minutes I was been able to stand the Indictment and Aftermath coverage on Fox, OAN and Newsmax I realized quickly what a different world those viewers were living in.  There was no discussion of Trump's Lies and deceptions.  He was a Genuine Hero on the Liars Networks. Incredible, absolutely incredible.

One of the worst things that Donald Trump has done to the Republican Party, I believe is his convincing the party members that they should be like him.  Never apologize.  Never admit weakness and, of course, never admit defeat. Never admit to being a "Loser."  Certainly in Trump's estimation Republicans should be like him and never be ashamed, or at least never admit to being ashamed of anything that they have done.

Certainly Trump's indictment coverage dominated the news this week even though there were major stories around the world that were far more consequential to the world than Trump's indictment.  

The war between Ukraine and their Russian Invaders continued.

There were Crowds of Jewish protestors fighting to keep their Prime Minister, Trump's Buddy Benjamin Netanyahu from destroying their Democracy by taking power away from their Supreme Court, who just happen to be investigating charges against Netanyahu.

There were crowds of Frenchmen protesting an increase in the retirement age in France.  

China was angry that Kevin McCarthy was meeting with the President of Taiwan at the Reagan Library in California.

There was plenty to be concerned about in the world and then there was the situation in Nashville that exploded out of the blue and suddenly focused attention on some of the nasty things happening in American Legislatures, much of which has been under the radar for some time now.

Back in the late Fifties and Sixties when Rockabilly Artist, Johnny Cash started out recording in Memphis, Tennessee his incredible backup band was called "The Tennessee Three."

After this week, however, we have a new "Tennessee Three."  They are Two Black Justin's, Justin Jones-27 representing Nashville and Justin Pearson-28 representing Memphis, as well as a White Gloria, Gloria Johnson-60-A retired Teacher and a survivor of a Knoxville School shooting in which one person was killed.

When a well attended group of mainly young students showed up at the Tennessee State House to demand the passage of Gun reform laws after a school shooting in Nashville that killed three children and three adults "The Tennessee Three" showed support for the young protestors and demanded that they might be heard by their colleagues in the Tennessee House of Representatives.  The House, which was dominated by Republicans, reacted quickly and viciously by voting to expel the two Black Justin's although they didn't expel White Gloria.  

Both Justin's have shown in their reactions to being thrown out of the Tennessee Legislature an incredible amount of restraint, courage, optimism and clearly some incredible oratorical skills that reminded me of Barack Obama.  Former President Obama and President Biden have already weighed in on the situation and Biden sent Vice President Harris to Nashville to meet with the now former legislators and their supporters.

Clearly this situation smacks of Racism, Republican unwillingness to do anything about gun violence and possibly some collusion between State Gun Manufacturers and Republican Legislators.

One thing is for sure.  This situation is not over.  Tennessee has had a lot to answer for previous to this. It was the state where the Ku Klux Klan was born.  It was a state where Civil Rights Struggles have been difficult and important.  It is also a state where a Republican State Legislator can make a statement about how it might be a good thing to bring back Lynching in the state.  That Legislator, however, continues to keep his seat while the Two Justin's are expelled for insisting that the Legislature needs to consider doing something about gun reform.

What I have seen in watching film of the Two Justin's speaking to the Legislature on their own behalf is that these two individuals are committed to gun reform and are two of the most articulate individuals that I have seen involved in Politics for a long time.  Whether or not they return to their elected posts in the Tennessee Legislature they are shining examples of why Republican Legislators are and should be panicked.

The Racists and the Fascists who are now running the show in Nashville, Washington and elsewhere can see the writing on the wall.  They refuse to pay attention to the lessons that they should have learned during recent elections.

The Democrats are on their way to the Future.  The Young, The Women, The Blacks and those people who have sincere compassion for other people are on their way.

So I say to Republicans.  Enjoy your power while you have it because a new day is dawning and you and your insane, ruthless and lying candidates are headed for the dustheap of history.

The Tennessee Three are only some of those New Democratic challengers who you will regret trying to shaft.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher      

 

A Year Of Living Bravely In Ukraine

 Friday, March 17th, 2023

My Dear America:

Recently we Celebrated (If You Can Call it that) the First Anniversary of The War In Ukraine.  Well, it wasn't really a war.  It was an Illegal, an Immoral and a Reckless and Ruthless Invasion of Ukraine by it's Neighboring Country and a Country which many Ukrainians thought of as a Brotherly Country where many Neighbors, friends and Relatives lived.  That Formerly Brotherly Country was Russia.  

There were and probably still are many Ukrainians who speak Russian and always felt connected to Russia.  Not so much anymore.  Most of those Russian oriented Ukrainians have either gone to Russia or have been killed or entered the war on one side or another.

Remembering back to before the war started I recall thinking that Joe Biden was not thinking clearly when he was constantly sounding the alarm bell about the impending invasion of Ukraine by Russia.  Even though Russia was massing troops on the Ukraine border regions Vladimir Putin kept claiming that Russia was simply practicing War Games.  

At the time I was dumb enough to think that Putin's flimsy excuse was true.  Why in the hell would Russia be foolish enough to start an all out war with Ukraine.  It didn't make any sense to me and from what I recall it didn't make any sense to Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky. I clearly remember Zelensky requesting President Biden to tone down the Rhetoric about Putin's impending invasion.  That request stopped, however, when the Russian Forces crossed the border into Ukraine and the War Games were no longer games anymore.

As we now know, however, Joe Biden was right to be extremely concerned about Russian Forces massed on the border of Ukraine invading Ukraine.  Putin's reckless border crossing was certainly meant to be a Blitzkrieg Invasion utilizing Russian forces to quickly dominate and subdue any meager armed forces that Ukraine could put together.  Putin's cruel plan was certainly also meant to kill Zelensky, The Ukrainian President and defeat Ukrainian Forces on the battlefield quickly and completely before The United States or other European or NATO Forces could interfere with Putin's deadly plan.

Putin's Invasion of Ukraine didn't quite work out the way he planned, however.

Donald Trump's toying around with Ukrainian Politics and Security through trying to jerk Ukrainian President Zelensky around had also not turned out quite like Trump and Putin planned.  What Trump tried to pull off in Ukraine came back to bite Trump and his Puppet Lawyer, Rudy Giuliani in the ass and resulted in Trump's First Impeachment and in the end his loss in the 2020 Election.

It is my strong belief that Vladimir Putin had counted on Trump being Re Elected in 2020 and It is also my strong belief that if Trump had been elected in 2020 that Donald Trump would not have supported Zelensky and the Ukrainians when the Russian's invaded Ukraine but would instead have supported Putin and Russia.

Be that as it may, Donald Trump was not Re Elected.  Joe Biden was elected and unlike Trump who had tried hard to weaken NATO when he was in office Joe Biden tried hard to shore up NATO as a whole before the Russian Invasion of Ukraine and as a result NATO was united in the Condemnation of the Russian Invasion and in the continuing assistance of all kinds to bolster Ukraine's Democratic Government and Armed Forces.

Now, here we are a year later and Putin's planned quick takeover of Ukraine never happened.  President Zelensky of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine have shown Vladimir Putin and the world just what Bravery and Determination look like as they have resisted Russian efforts to defeat their country and in so doing have resisted their Democracy from being taken from them by Vladimir Putin and the Russians.

It is doubtful that all Russians support the War in Ukraine, which Vladimir Putin insists needs to be called "A Special Military Operation".  You can go to jail in Russia by calling it a "War".

But regardless of what you call the Invasion of Ukraine it is a Tragedy of Epic Proportions.

Although Republicans these days seem to be quick to denigrate things as "Woke" It seems to me as though what has happened in the Democracy of Ukraine is something that genuinely "Woke" up the world and especially Countries in Europe to what Vladimir Putin and Russia was capable of.

Although Putin's forces had some initial successes in the Invasion of Ukraine and are still  incredibly dangerous and threatening to Ukraine, once the Ukrainians realized that they had no choice but to fight back against the Russian Forces they have done so and done so bravely throughout their fight for Freedom and Democracy.

Certainly Putin who undoubtedly figured Ukrainian President Zelensky to be a lightweight who would either run away in fear from Ukraine or could be killed quickly when the Russians took Kyiv now knows better.  Zelensky made it clear from the beginning of the Invasion that he was not going anywhere.  He was staying in Kyiv where he has become a Brave Wartime President who has become an inspiration to not only his country but to all the world.

Despite the continuing destruction of the country of Ukraine by Russian bombing The people of Ukraine and the Citizen Army of Ukraine have shown outstanding courage and determination to hold onto their country and their Freedom and Democracy.

As we in America and elsewhere in the world where there is no daily bombing to frighten us look at the daily destruction of the buildings and the lives of Ukrainian Citizens it should shock us to see that people like Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Green and other MAGA Republicans are trying to stop President Biden from continuing to assist Ukraine to continue to fight for it's right to be free.

What is clear to me is that those MAGA morons who are not supporting Ukraine and like Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are OK with Putin are either not caring or not recognizing that those Freedom Fighters in Ukraine are not only fighting for themselves on the Front lines of Freedom in Ukraine.  They are also fighting for us against the kind of Brutal Fascism that Putin represents.  These are the same stupid fools who constantly rail about the evils of Communism while they seem to be alright with Russian Communists taking over the Democracy of Ukraine.

The Republican Party used to be the party of Anti Communists.  Clearly that party is gone now but should not be forgotten.  President Biden knows full well that we need to help Ukraine to defend it's Democracy.  We should keep in mind that as Republicans back in the day used to say "We need to fight them over there so we don't have to to fight them over here."

Clearly, investing in Ukraine is certainly an investment in Democracy and in the future of the United States Of America.  So far, Ukrainians are, for the most part, those who are doing the fighting and dying in Ukraine.

It is time to recognize that Ukraine deserves to belong not only to the European Union but also to NATO.  

It is unfair and unnecessary that Ukraine bears the full brunt of Russia's Cruel and unfair war against it's Democratic Neighbor.  We need to continue to support Ukraine's efforts to protect its Borders and its Democracy.  It is Certainly in our interest to do so.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher       

 

Why Shouldn't Joe Biden Run For A Second Term

March 2nd, 2023 

My Dear America:

Jill Biden in recent interviews has let the cat out of the bag.  

She has revealed that her husband, Joe Biden feels that he has a lot more to do and she is fully backing his decision to run for another term.  She said that it is only a matter of when and where Joe will make his formal announcement.

Well, actually the cat has been out of the bag for a fairly long time now.  

Joe Biden has been asked over and over whether he was going to run again for a second term and he has never answered that he was not going to run.  

In fact, President Biden has almost always answered in the affirmative stating that he was seriously thinking about running but was not willing to state that he was certain to run.  He usually stated that he would reveal whether he is running when he feels the time is right.  

There is certainly a lot of time left for President Biden to make his decision known regarding whether or not he is going to run again for the Presidency.  

While Donald Trump and Nikki Haley have already announced their intentions to enter the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary they have nothing to lose by doing so.  Trump is trying to stay one step ahead of the Jailhouse by throwing his dirty hat in the ring and Nikki Haley may be trying to position herself as Trump's Vice Presidential Nominee since there is not a snowballs chance in Hell that Trump's former VP, Mike Pence will get the nod again.

The truth is that if Joe Biden decides to run again there is not much of a chance that he will face any serious Democratic Challengers. 

As we have seen in the 2020 Primary Election the Democratic Party is loaded with talented Democrats who could certainly be serious Presidential Prospects if Biden chooses not to run.  Those Democrats like Pete Buttigieg and Kamala Harris are now closely aligned  members of  Biden's "Team of Rivals".   Bernie Sanders has already indicated that he expects Biden to run again and that if Biden does run for a second term Bernie will not run.  I think that it is unlikely for any of the Democrats who ran against Biden in the 2020 Primary will challenge him in 2024 if Biden does choose to run in 2024

Unlike the Democratic Party, The Republican Party is loaded with Losers and Lunatics, many of whom lost not only their Primary Elections to Trump but lost their souls, as well, during the past several years.  That is not to say that these damaged goods candidates can't win a primary or a general election.  The American Electorate is so skewed and screwed up at this point that in 2024 anything can happen and if the last decade is any barometer, who knows what in the hell is going to happen in the Republican Party in 2024.

But the Republican Back Bench is a bunch of desperate Wackos who seem to be more aligned with Vladimir Putin and his Toady, Tucker Carlson than they are with any Democrats.  Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Kevin McCarthy are all sad excuses for Politicians.  They are gutless individuals who, after Trump had mopped the floor with them, sat back and watched their party deteriorate as they became cheerleaders for Donald Trump's insane and reckless lies.

Why the hell shouldn't Joe Biden run for a Second term?

Oh MY God He is Eighty Years Old.

Yes he is Eighty Years Old but as we have learned over the years he has been our President he is a Spry, Talented and Accomplished President at 80.  

Would he have done any better job as President if he was 40 years old.

Maybe.

Maybe not.  Who knows.

But President Biden's age has not hampered him from turning the Republicans into cheerleaders for Social Security and Medicare during the recent State of the Union Speech.

It has not kept him from riding a train (Something he loves doing and is very practiced at) from Poland to Kyiv, Ukraine and dashing around the city with a much younger Volodymyr Zelensky and keeping the NATO Coalition together in order to assist Ukraine to defend itself from the Russian Killers who have illegally invaded their country.

It has not kept him from signing astonishingly progressive and far reaching legislation that will be improving matters in every way in every state in the union for many decades to come.

I ask you Who the hell could do a better job than this 80 year old man?

If he stays healthy, which I am convinced he will, Nobody else can do a better job at this time than the man who has been doing a Great Job since the day he became President of the United States. 

Yes, Indeed, Joe Biden will be running for President in 2024, If We Are Lucky Enough to have him.  

And if we are really lucky he will be leading our country for another Four Years.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Thank You And God Bless You President Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter was 100 years old when he passed away on December 29th, 2024. He had lived a full life up until these last few years.  He was being cared for in hospice when he passed.  Much like President Joe Biden Jimmy Carter accomplished a great deal during his Presidency but was not given much credit for what he had done.  I wrote the following Post back in 2023 and although I could have written something new about President Carter, after reviewing this post I didn't think that I really could have written anything better about my Hero, President Jimmy Carter.

He was one of a kind and as we countdown to God Knows what in January of this year we will certainly miss his Decency, among the many other fine Qualities that President Jimmy Carter possessed.

 Thursday, February 23rd, 2023

My Dear America:

There was recently a sad announcement from the Carter Center and the Jimmy Carter Family.

The announcement said that Former President of The United States, Jimmy Carter, had chosen to leave his hospital care and return home with Hospice Care.  This was a strong signal that life for Jimmy Carter is close to the end of his days on earth.  This news has left most of us who remember and admire Jimmy Carter with a sadness not only for Jimmy Carter but also a sadness for the Decency, Love and Respect for Others that he represented throughout his life and has been so lacking in Politics following the years when Jimmy Carter was President.

I am sure that there are a of of young people who don't remember much, if anything at all, about Jimmy Carter.  The younger they are the chances are that they don't remember a time in their lives when extremely decent and truthful people were elected all the time to high office in America.  Certainly in 1976 when Jimmy Carter was elected to the Presidency there was still a distinct trace of foul odor in the White House left over from the lack of decency that characterized the Watergate Scandal which had brought down the Administration of Richard Nixon prior to Jimmy Carter's arrival in Washington.

We are very lucky in America that, for the most part, we have had relatively decent people both Republicans and Democrats running for the Presidency over the course of so many years.

Presidents have not always been the most moral individuals but Jimmy Carter brought a sense of morality and decency which the country needed after the fall of Richard Nixon and Watergate.  

When Jimmy Carter began his quest for the Presidency almost nobody gave him a ghost of a chance to be President. 

The favorite expression of many people including late night comedians back in the day was the following:

"Jimmy Who?"

James Earl Carter Jr, who always preferred to be called Jimmy, actually had a pretty impressive Resume long before he ran for the American Presidency.  In his introduction of himself to the American People he always referred to himself as "A Peanut Farmer from Georgia."  

He certainly was that. 

But Jimmy Carter was always a great deal more than just a Peanut Farmer before, during and after his Residency at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for four years from 1977 to 1980.  

Jimmy's Peanut Farm was located in Plains, Georgia where I believe he still resides today with his wife, Roslyn.  He had four children ( Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy) who he brought to the White House with him back in 1977.  Prior to his days of successfully running his father's farm Jimmy Carter had a successful career in the United States Navy following his Graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1946.  Jimmy was mainly assigned to work on Nuclear Submarines since he had an expertise in Nuclear Capabilities.  When a near Nuclear Meltdown occurred in Canada while Carter was still in the Navy he was called upon to lead a U.S. Navy crew to help deal with the situation, which included exposing himself to toxic levels of nuclear radiation.  Carter was also assigned to work on several Nuclear Submarines during his naval career.  In 1953 Jimmy left the Navy and returned to Plains, Georgia following the death of his father in order to take care of the family business.

In addition to taking on the responsibility of running the family peanut farm Jimmy also took on the responsibility of Teaching Sunday School at his local Baptist church, a responsibility that he has continued in his church until recently, when at 98 years old he finally felt as though he could no longer physically fulfill that responsibility.

In 1963 Jimmy Carter was elected to serve in the Georgia State Senate.  He remained a State Senator until 1967.

In 1971 after an unsuccessful earlier try for the Georgia Governorship, Jimmy Carter became the Governor of Georgia.  At the time of his election Jimmy Carter was walking a somewhat difficult political tightrope in Georgia trying to appeal not only to black Civil Rights Leaders but also to clearly racist voters, as well.

As time went on Jimmy Carter seemed to be showing his true colors and he became more outspoken about opposing racial segregation and supporting civil Rights Groups and leaders in his state.

As Luck would have it on May 4th, 1974 Jimmy Carter gave a Law Day Speech to a group of Georgia Lawyers at the University of Georgia Law School.  In addition to many lawyers at the speech including Ted Kennedy, also in attendance was Outlaw Journalist from Rolling Stone Magazine, Hunter S. Thompson who was in the process of writing an article about Ted Kennedy.  Gonzo Journalist Thompson was genuinely impressed with Carter's speech that outlined in specific detail what was wrong with the American Justice System. Mainly that it favored the rich and it screwed the poor Carter felt.  

Hunter Thompson was really impressed with Carter's speech.  Thompson called it "A King hell bastard of a speech" and he wrote an article for Rolling Stone Magazine called "Jimmy Carter And The Great Leap Of Faith."  I still have my copy of Rolling Stone featuring that article.  It was indeed a king hell bastard of an article and I know it introduced me and many other Americans to a previously unknown Georgia Politician named Jimmy Carter.

Although I had an interest in and an awareness of Politics during the Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford Years, when Vietnam and Watergate were topics of immense importance, I had never really been genuinely personally involved with Politics until Jimmy Carter ran for President.  I remember the night Jimmy won the Presidency when my good friend and fellow musician, John and I played and sang at a Jimmy Carter Victory Celebration.  We were overjoyed to be celebrating the Georgia Governor's election to the Presidency.   

John and I weren't the only musicians backing Carter's bid for the Presidency.  The Allman Brother's Band, Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Willie Nelson, Emmy Lou Harris, Johnny Cash and many others were also musical members of the Jimmy Carter Bandwagon.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of Jimmy Carter's Campaign for the Presidency was the fact that while Carter had many disagreements with other Democrats in the Democratic Primary and with President Gerald Ford in the General Election he was a proponent of disagreeing with his opponents without being disagreeable. That may have been one of the secrets of his success in the crowded field of Democrats who were also vying for the right to run for President in 1976.  The crowded Democratic field included: California Governor Jerry Brown, Alabama Governor George Wallace,  Morris Udall, Henry Jackson and Frank Church.

Many Republicans, most especially Ronald Reagan, have gone out of their way to denigrate the accomplishments of the Carter Administration over the years since Jimmy Carter left the office of the Presidency.  

The truth is that Jimmy Carter had quite a few important accomplishments while in the office of the President of the United States.  Some of those accomplishments were the following:

Probably Jimmy Carter's most important accomplishment during his Administration was negotiating With the leaders of Israel and Egypt in what were known as The Camp David Accords establishing peace between those two countries.  Indeed Israel's Begin and Egypt's Sadat kept the peace for many years and all three of the negotiators received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts

His Administration continued Carter's opposition to Racial Segregation and his support of the Civil Rights Movement.

On his second day in the office of the Presidency Jimmy Carter pardoned all Vietnam Draft Evaders and invited those young men who had fled to Canada and elsewhere to avoid the draft during the Vietnam era to return to their home country of America.  Many of them did return to the United States.

Jimmy Carter established The Department of Energy. He also established a National Energy Policy including support for Conservation, Price Controls and New Technology.

He also established The Department of Education.

He pushed for and accomplished progress on establishing a Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty with the Soviet Union.

Issues that the Carter Administration had to deal with included the following:

The Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident.

The Nicaraguan Revolutiton.

The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.

The decision to boycott the Summer Olympics in Moscow.

The decision not to proceed with the Neutron Bomb that would kill people but leave buildings standing.

Although Carter was a proud Christian he fully supported the separation of church and state.

The Carter Administration also provided support for the integration of women into the Military.

One of the most important issues that President Carter dealt with was The Iran Hostage Crisis which I will discuss in more detail.

The Iran Hostage Crisis

The Iran Hostage crisis occurred as a result of the United States and the Carter Administration allowing the Shah of Iran to be treated for cancer in the United States.  Despite the Shah running an Autocratic and hated regime in Iran he had been an ally to the United States and Jimmy Carter approved of the Shah seeking cancer treatment in the U.S. resulting in a Coup by Muslim religious leaders and radical students in Iran.  The students, angered by the U.S. taking in the Shah took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held the Embassy Staff and other Americans unlucky enough to be in the Embassy Hostage.

During the 1980 Presidential Campaign While President Jimmy Carter was working night and day to figure out how to free the Iranian hostages Carter's Republican Challenger for the Presidency, Ronald Reagan had his Campaign Manager, William Casey colluding with the Iranians to work out a deal whereby the Iranians would not release the hostages until after Ronald Reagan was elected and was inaugurated.  The deal involved Reagan secretly and unlawfully agreeing to munitions being sold to Iran through Israel.  While the American public was not aware of this deal prior to the Presidential Election in November of 1980 oddly enough the hostages were released minutes after Reagan's January 1981 Inaugural speech.  Reagan and Casey's dirty deal with the Iranians most certainly was an important factor in Jimmy Carter's landslide loss to Reagan in the 1980 Election.  

While Jimmy Carter had to be aware in retrospect of what Reagan and Casey had done with regard to the hostages as far as I know Carter never complained about Reagan's dirty dealing.  Carter has over the years seemed to be merely pleased that the hostages had finally been released.

Jimmy Carter's Post White House Accomplishments

Although Jimmy Carter accomplished a great deal during his Presidency unlike many other retired President's who did not accomplish much after their Presidential days were over, Jimmy Carter's accomplishments continued long after he left the White House.

Carter was well known for supervising democratic elections all over the world in order to  prevent elections from being stolen.

Carter was also very much involved with not only supporting the efforts of Habitat For Humanity but also participated in building homes for that group for many years.

Jimmy Carter was also involved with many other worldwide projects through the Carter Center in Georgia for many years.

Jimmy Carter was also the author of several best selling books 

At the end of the Jimmy Carter Story stands a man who lived his life in a manner in which he could be proud of what he accomplished in his life.  Jimmy Carter at all times during his life stood for something.  

He was a Good Husband.

He was a Good Father.

He was a Good Grandfather.

He Was a Good Sunday School Teacher.

He was a Good State Senator.

He was a Good Governor.

He was a Good President.

He was a Good American

And probably most important to him was the fact that he was a Good Man and when he gets to heaven there is no doubt that God will be waiting there for him at the Pearly Gates saying to him:

"Come on in, Jimmy Carter.  We've been waiting a long time for you to get here"

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Tuesday Night Live In The Senate Chamber - State Of The Union - 2023

Saturday February 11th, 2023 

My Dear America:

It was Tuesday Night in Washington and Joe Biden was back in the building where he had already spent more than half of his life working as a United States Senator.

It was State Of The Union Night and President Joe Biden was on fire.  This was his night and he knew it.  He was ready.  He had spent a good deal of time preparing for this speech tonight.  He knew just how important this speech could be to his agenda and to his pending Presidential Campaign.  And he also knew just how much he had accomplished over the past two years he had spent as President of the United States.  Tonight he was not going to let anyone in that room or in any of the living rooms in America watching Television forget what he and the Democrats had accomplished in the past two years after Four Years of Donald Trump and his Republican Cohorts running Roughshod over America.

The Senate Chamber was loaded with Political Heavyweights and so was the gallery that surrounded the Chamber.

There Were Supreme Court Justices there.  Not all of them.

Samuel Alito, who had authored the decision striking down Roe V Wade didn't show.  I wonder why.

Most Democratic Senators and House Members showed up.  So did most of Biden's Cabinet members.

So did quite a few Republican members of the House and Senate.

Most Networks carried the State Of The Union Live, as well as cable outlets like CNN and MSNBC.

I watched it on MSNBC.  They  had pretty much all of their Heavy Hitter Hosts on the Panel during their Pre Speech Show and commenting afterward.  Those Heavy Hitters included Rachel Maddow as the Main Host, Joy Reid, Nicole Wallace, Alex Wagner, Chris Hayes, Lawrence O'Donnell, Ari Melber and various other MSNBC News Personalities.  

President Biden took his time entering the Chamber and spoke and shook hands with quite a few people on the way to the lectern where he would give the State of the Union Speech.  

He began his speech by congratulating the recently elected Republican Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy and he also congratulated the first black Democratic House Leader, Hakeem Jeffries.

He also gave Special Recognition to Outgoing Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who he described as "The Greatest Speaker" in the History of the United States.

It didn't take the President very long to mention that during his two years in office a record 12 Million more new jobs had been created than any other Previous President had ever experienced in their Complete Four Year Terms.

Biden also mentioned the once in a generation Infrastructure Law building bridges as well as other American infrastructure.  He cited the fact that he signed over 300 Bipartisan laws since becoming President including the following:

Reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. 

The Electoral Count Reform Act

The Respect for Marriage Act that protects the right to marry the person you love.

Biden stated that it was his intention to build an economy from the bottom up and the middle out, not from the top down. "Because when the middle class does well, the poor have a ladder up and the wealthy still do very well." He didn't forget to mention that he expected the wealthy and corporations to begin to pay their fair share of taxes.

The President stated that the Unemployment rate is at 3.6 %, a fifty year low and that means of course near record low unemployment for Black and Hispanic workers.

The President bragged that we've already created 800,000 good paying manufacturing jobs and that with the implementation of the Infrastructure plan and other government legislation many good paying Union jobs will be available to Americans.  Some of those will be six figure paychecks available to many individuals without a College Education.  

The President mentioned that Inflation which has been a serious problem seems to be coming down.  He mentioned that Inflation has fallen every month for the last six months while take home pay has gone up.  

Joe Biden also stated  that over the last two years a record 10 million Americans applied to start a new small business.

He mentioned that America used to make nearly 40% of the world's Semiconductor Chips and now we only make 10%.  This situation along with problems with importing Chips has caused serious problems with American Automakers who were unable to build cars due to Chip shortages. Low Chip availability has also caused production problems with the manufacturing of other items, as well.

"That's why we came together to pass the bipartisan Chips and Science Act," the President said.  

Companies have announced that they are investing 300 billion dollars in investments in American Manufacturing.

President Biden also cited the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as the largest investment in Infrastructure since President Eisenhower's Interstate Highway system was funded.  

"Already," he said "We've funded over 20,000 projects, including at major airports from Boston to Atlanta to Portland.

These projects will put hundreds of thousands of people to work rebuilding our highways, bridges, railroads, tunnels ports and airports, improving clean water and high speed internet across America."

Biden couldn't resist taking a jab at Republican Lawmakers who refused to vote for the Infrastructure Bill but ran back to their districts to take credit for the improvements that would take place in their districts as a result of the bill.

He said: "I sincerely thank my Republican Friends who voted for the law.  And to my Republican friends who voted against it but still ask to fund projects in their districts, don't worry.  I promised to be the President for all Americans.  We'll fund your projects. And I'll see you at the groundbreaking." 

Biden also promised replacement of "poisonous lead pipes throughout America that go into 10 million homes and 400,000 schools and childcare centers so every child  in America can drink clean water."

Biden also announced "New Standards to require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America."

Biden also promised to assist Americans in making Healthcare more affordable and promised Seniors that he would protect and defend Social Security and Medicare from plans by some Republicans to seriously jeopardize these programs.

When Biden talked about Republican Plans to jeopardize Social Security and Medicare Georgia Representative, Marjorie Taylor Greene, dressed in white and looking like a cross between Cruella DeVille and a Howler Monkey, rudely shouted out 

"Liar"

Biden responded by getting legislators to appear to respond that they were almost all committed to the Preservation of Social Security and Medicare.

In the end Marjorie Taylor Greene looked like an out of touch rich bitch in a white fur coat who foolishly annoyed even members of her own party.

Biden also made a point of taking on what he called "Junk Fees". Which he identified as hidden surcharges that many businesses use to make you pay more.  Biden made a good point when he stated that Junk fees may not matter to the very wealthy but they matter to most folks in homes like the ones that Biden grew up in.  

Biden had a lot of good ideas and he showed himself to be a capable, honest and empathetic speaker.

He made mention of some very important people who were sitting in the Gallery including the following:

His wife, Jill Biden.

His Vice President's Husband, Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff.

Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, who was recovering from an attack by a right wing nut with a hammer and noticeably did not remove his hat during the night's proceedings.

Brandon Tsay - a 26 year old Californian who fought an intruder at his grandparents dance studio taking away the intruder's gun and preventing people from being killed.

The Parents of Tyre Nichols - A young black man who was beaten to death by several black Memphis Police Officers after a traffic stop.

Joe Biden asked the Congress to pass a ban on Assault Weapons.

He also pleaded for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and providing The Border Patrol with the equipment and officers to maintain the border.

The President also pledged to sign legislation that would codify Roe V Wade to protect every women's right to choose.  He also made it clear to Republicans that if they pass a national abortion ban that he will veto it.  

Biden also recommended passage of the Bipartisan Equality Act to ensure LGBTQ Americans, especially Transgender Americans that they can live with safety and dignity

Biden also made clear that America would continue to stand with Ukraine as that country attempts to defend itself from the terror of its unlawful murderous invasion by it's powerful neighboring country, Russia. 

Support for mental health legislation, burn pit legislation and legislation to drive breakthroughs in the fight against Cancer, Alzheimer's Disease, Diabetes and so much more was recommended by our President in the State of The Union message.

In the end Joe Biden not only told us but also showed us that on Tuesday Night, February 7th The State of the Union in America was Strong and so was America's President.

During the rest of this past week President Biden has been on the road letting Voters know just what his Administration stands for and how much he and his Democratic Legislative Partners and those Brave Republicans who have had the Courage to vote their conscience have accomplished thus far during the Biden Administration. 

Recent Polls indicate that Americans do not seem to recognize just how much legislative progress has happened thus far in the Two years that Joe Biden and his Democratic Allies have been in charge of the Federal Government.  Unfortunately Republicans have gained control of the House of Representatives and threatened to refuse to approve increasing the Debt Ceiling and have also threatened the continuation of Social Security and Medicare.

What has been the ending tagline for most of President Biden's speeches this week as he traveled around the country is something close to the following:

If You are a Republican Legislator and your dream is to get rid of Social Security and Medicare I (Joe Biden) am your worst nightmare.

Hold onto your hats, people, it looks to me as if during this week the Biden Campaign for a Second Term as President of the United States of America has already begun.

And God Bless Our Troops. 

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher