#1,075: The Latest Example of Chutzpah

I was born in Hollywood (CA) on Sunday, August 21, 1949. 3 weeks and 4 days later (September 25, 1949) ABC became the first network to broadcast The Lone Ranger, starring Clayton Moore as the title character and Jay Silverheels (Harold Jay Smith) as his loyal companion Tonto (Spanish slang for “fooslish,” or “silly.”) The show, an absolute favorite for youngsters like me who were fornuate enough to live in a household with a TV set, ran for 221 episodes - until June 6, 1957. In those days, before he became a mutual funds maven, my father owned a TV store (“Flash Televisions"), which permitted us (my slightly older sister Erica and me) to become fans of one of the earliest of all shows. We became steadfast friends of the Masked Man and his loyal companion, Tonto. We loved their grit, their fearlessness, and their code of honor . . . not to mention that they always captured the bad guys and always preferred to let justice - rather than vengeance - take its course.

When viewed from a distance of some 7 decades, their lives, actions, and Weltanschauung are far more treacly and sincere than what we have become accustomed to - both on celluloid and in reality. And yet, even in 2026, the Lone Ranger, Tonto, and their “gang” of regulars (including Lane Bradford, John Doucette, Bill Ward, Harry Lauter, House Peters, Jr., and Gail Davis) are still solid entertainment. One of the things that gives me the greatest kick out of watching the shows today (it’s on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on Pluto TV and Roku TV) is where it was originally shot . . . just up what is now called “Valley Circle Blvd” in West Hills, previously “Canoga Park,” and before that “Owensmouth,” the immense tract of land owned by the late movie star Francis (Frantisek) Lederer. Even today, you can see some of the unique rock formations. And, at the very bottom of the hill is the town of Simi Valley, where the remains of the Corriganville Movie Ranch sit; it was, for many decades, a full Western set created by yet another cowboy star, Ray “Crash” Corrigan. All of these are within walking distance of my sister Erica’s home in what is now called "West Hills.”

My other favorite TV show from that era lasted a mere 39 stand-alone episodes: The Honeymooners, starring Jackie Gleason as New York City bus driver Ralph Cramden, Audrey Meadows as his wife Alice, Art Carney as Ralph’s eccentric best friend and neighbor, municipal sewer worker Ed Norton, and Joyce Randolph, Ed’s wife Trixie. It was a simple half-hour comedy with a simple plot-line: Ralph’s dreams of a better life; Ralph and Ed’s crazy schemes to strike it rich, and Ralph’s relationship with Alice. Although each episode ends with Ralph hugging Alice and proclaiming "BABY, YOU’RE THE GREATEST!”, they do have their share of spats. Despite their love, at least once each episode, Ralph waved a fist in Alice’s face and loudly asked, “YOU WANNA GO TO THE MOON, ALICE?” or proclaimed: “ONE OF THESE DAYS . . . POW! RIGHT IN THE KISSER!” The one line that had me rolling on the floor in hysterics each week was when, frustrated to the max, Ralph would bellow out, “I GOT A BIG MOUTH!!!”

Of course, what Ralph was portraying in those moments that got me into hysterics was a burst of what is known as chutzpah . . . Yiddish for “nerve,” “gall,” “brazenness,” or “extreme temerity.” (It never ceases to amaze me how a simple two-syllable word can have so many meanings.) The all-time most famous example of chutzpah is that of the child who murders his parents and then throws himself on the mercy of the court, begging for leniency because he is an orphan. . .

I have the feeling that the above, age-old example of chutzpah - outright nerve - is on the verge of being replaced by America’s “Trinity of delusion”: Trump, Hegseth, and Vance. For in less time than it takes to convince millions of people that they are men of devoutness and faith . . . people whose lives are guided and inspired by the word of G-d, they go to war with the Pope, accuse him of being “soft on crime,” and publicly mistake a verse from the Biblical Book of Ezekiel for a tense, film noir monologue from a Quentin Tarentino film. If that ain’t chutzpah, what in the world is?

Just a week ago, IT, in a lengthy Truth Social post, condemned Pope Leo XIV, calling him “WEAK on Crime,” and “terrible for foreign Policy.” He also claimed that the Pope feared the administration, and that the first U.S.-born pope in history was only selected because “they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.” POTUS continued his attacks on Pope LEO, subsequently telling reporters that he believes the Pope “likes crime.” During a prayer service this past Saturday in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pope did not mention POTUS by name, but rather spoke about the “delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us” and how it has destabilized the “balance within the human family.” To say that FELON47’s attacks on the Holy Father for “liking crime” and accusing him of being “soft on crime” are not only bizarre, they also show a clear misunderstanding of precisely what his holy mission truly is. And then, to add insult to injury - and piss off millions of Christians of all stripes - POTUS posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social that depicted him in a white robe, appearing as a Jesus-like figure healing a man. After fending off much criticism, he deleted the post, claiming he viewed the image as representing him as a doctor or Red Cross worker. As they say in Latin, falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus: “False in one thing, false in everything.”

Next in line in the chutzpah parade is the regime’s highest-ranking Catholic: V.P. J.D. Vance, who converted to the religion in 2019, and has a new memoir about that event coming out in June. Recently, the V.P. told a conservative audience at the University of Georgia that the pope was wrong to say that disciples of Christ are “never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.” Asked about the debate between his boss and the pope at the Athens, Ga., event hosted by the conservative group Turning Point USA, the Veep admonished Leo, saying that if he was “going to opine on matters of theology,” his comments needed to be “anchored in the truth.” You tell me, J.D.: precisely what should a Pope who earned his doctorate in Canon Law (JCD) from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome more than 40 years ago be speaking about in public? The St. Thomas soccer team? You, sir, have more chutzpah than the entire cast of Fiddler on the Roof.

Lastly, we have the case of our ultra-chutzpadik Secretary of War, the Hon. Pete Hegseth, who is a member in good standing of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches. CREC is a White, archconservative, Calvinist denomination that emphasizes White nationalist views. The secretary sees the will of G-d in everything we do, in every war we fight, and in every political breath we take. He firmly believes that there should only be one vote per family (the husband); that women should stay home and take care of the family, and that the Bible should be the absolute basis of our every thought, motive, and decision. He has instituted a prayer service at the Pentagon, fired officers who happen to be female or people of color, and declared that Jesus ordained the War in Iran (Operation Epic Fury). How then is it that this man, so very, very steeped in the Bible, does not know the difference between a verse from the Biblical book of Ezekiel (25:17), which deals with G-d’s vengeance against the Philistines, and a blood-curdling monologue delivered by Samuel L. Jackson in Quetin Tarrentino’s savage 1994 crime film Pulp Fiction? Take a look . . .

Chutzpah is not necessarily a bad thing to possess. According to actor Alan Alda (who, although not Jewish, has been happily married to Arlene Weiss for nearly 70 years), “Nothing important was ever accomplished without chutzpah. Columbus had chutzpah. The signers of the Declaration of Independence had chutzpah. Don’t ever aim doubt at yourself. Laugh at yourself, but don’t doubt yourself.” When put this way, I am in total agreement; no actor who ever succeeded was lacking in gall. However, audacity (another way to define chutzpah), when combined with terminal insincerity, malignant narcissism, “know-it-allism,” and raging self-doubt, can and does make for the very last thing you want in your leaders. And that’s precisely what we’ve got in IT, THE GRIM VEEPER, and the TRIPLE SEC OF DEFENSE, not to mention our soon-to-be-shown-the-door FBI director, KEYSTONE KASH Patel. What is most telling are their recent polling numbers:

As of today (April 21, 2026), the Fondling Father’s approval rating hit a new second-term low of 35%. Various polls in mid-April showed his approval ranging from 33% to 41% with disapproval consistently over 55%.
The “Grim Veeper” has seen a steep decline in popularity, described as “historically the worst” for a V.P. at this stage, falling from a net +3 in January 2025 to roughly an -18 in April 2026.
The nation’s “Triple Sec of Defense” is currently facing criticism over the war in Iran, and House Democrats have filed articles of impeachment against him earlier this month, alleging unauthorized military action. More than one poll has shown his disapproval rating at a -30 point net unpopularity.
“Keystone Kash’s” numbers have plummeted, especially after the release of a well-researched Atlantic article entitled The FBI Director is MIA. In this rather lengthy piece, staff writer Sarah Fitzpatrick alleges that the director engaged in “excessive drinking” and “unexplained absences” while leading the FBI. Within 72 hours, Patel sued both Fitzpaatrick and The Atlantic for $250,000,000 in damages plus any proceeds from the article, claiming defamation of character and malice.

With the way things are going within the regime, I prefer the heroism of the Lone Ranger and Tonto, and the antics of Ralph, Alice, Norton, and Trixie to the lethal level of chutzpah emanating from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

195 days, 16 hours until the midterms . . .