The Artful Dodger

The Artful Dodger was a character in Oliver Twist noted for his cunning. Unfortunately, our modern day artful dodger, also noted for his cunning, is not a character in a novel. He is the President of our country.

He may be called the artful dodger because it impossible to fathom whether he is making a mess of everything that he is involved with or scoring perfect bulls eyes in an agenda that is beyond our understanding.

Take, for instance, our relationships with our two greatest international friends, Great Britain and Israel. Mr. Obama has turned them into a shambles. They no longer trust us. We have, in fact, even threatened Israel that we would shoot their bombers out of the sky should they attack Iran. So, does he just not play well with friends or is he being a bully to them as a tool to gain Iran's trust?

While Iran is screaming "death to America" and destroying a replica of an American aircraft carrier, our President is cutting them slack by the mile. While freeing Iranian money sanctioned in the United States, he has acceded to every demand within the nuclear agreement negotiations. Even to considering letting them keep the refined uranium that they had agreed to ship to Russia. Is this inept bargaining to get an agreement accepting that any agreement will do and will enhance his legacy or does he think that a nuclear armed Iran is a good thing?

Why does Mr. Obama pull a such a quick trigger on racial issues publicly, before all of the information is known. It does nothing but stir up anger and unrest. Is it because he is an angry man and not near so contemplative as we were led to believe? Or is he purposefully exploiting the race issue to divide Americans?

With Barack Obama as our President, the stress level in the world in general and here in the United States has increased immeasurably. This is, in large part, either due to his direct actions or due to his lack of action. Is he as inept as he appears or is he truly an artful dodger with an agenda that is not completely clear?

A Nation Of Laws

Americans are a free people. Most likely, we are still the freest people in the world. We are blessed with the God given freedom that is owed to all of mankind and promised to us in our Constitution. But we are also a nation of laws. We are, every one of us, of what ever station, constrained by those laws.

But, we the people write our own laws. Not directly, of course, there are just too many of us for a direct democracy. Our founders gave us a republic, whereby we elect our representatives and put the burden of writing fair and honest laws upon them. They take an oath and swear to act honorably and justly in our behalf.

To our detriment, some of our elected official have an terribly weak sense of honor. They see elected office as a potential for personal financial gain, a gain in personal power, or both. Examine the finances of any politician who stays in office more than two or three terms. Somehow they all seem to leave office far far better off than how they arrived.

The press, in their own inimitable style seem to find that faults of some politicians more egregious than others. To put it bluntly, in today's press, liberals get a free ride. Presently, Hillary Clinton is their superstar. Wow, she's a woman and wants to be President. Their eyes widen and their breath quickens and real qualifications no longer matter. Faults no longer matter. High crimes and misdemeanors no longer matter. 

So what that she lied about good men getting killed at Benghazi. So what that she shrieked during a congressional investigation, "at this time, what does it matter?" So what that she used her position as Secretary of State to solicit funding for the Clinton Foundation from foreign countries who want favors from the United States. So what that she ran an illegal e-mail system to hide her activities. So what that she destroyed much of that e-mail system when she was under fire. So what that she likely ran a personal off-the-books intelligence operation. Hey, she's Hillary. The darling of the liberal media.

We have a President that shreds the Constitution and is ruling rather than governing. Then we have a woman who wishes to be his replacement, who thinks that she is a law unto herself. Both situations are just wrong. We need better. And if we don't have better very soon, we will be destroyed. We are already sliding down the scale of personal freedom and financial freedom. Let us not hit bottom.

Censored

This will be a very brief blog today. I am being censored. I am not sure by who, but I think Facebook. I have had this blog for three years and written over 650 articles. While my blogs are rough on politicians, they are not rude, crude, or socially unacceptable. My grandkids read them on occasion and I would never write anything that I would not want them to be exposed to.

I put my blogs online in the morning. Then I view it myself to double check it is as I want it. Next I "share" with Google. Then I do the same on Facebook. For the past three days, when I try to share with Facebook, it comes up "service unavailable". 

If there is a way to get help on Facebook, I have yet to figure it out. So, if someone reads this, please try to share a link on Facebook and leave a comment sharing your results with me.

Thank you, Cranky


It seems I pulled the trigger too fast on that one. I just tried again and the link got posted. That is just weird. So all I can say is that I apologize to Facebook and anyone I have inconvenienced. 

CryptoNews

I was watching the science channel one day. It was an explanation of why no one has actually found a bigfoot. Not live nor dead nor even old bones. He had it all figured out. The man was billed as a crypto-biologist. Now that gave me pause for thought. 

Then I realized, a crypto-biologist studies animals that don't exist. I'm sure this man had a crypto-doctorate in biology from an Ivy League crypto-university. I wonder, how does one dissect a crypto-critter for crypto-anatomy classes. Very confusing.

I thought some more and realized that this crypto thing must be catching on. We now live in an age of crypto-journalism. We are being presented with non-existent news. The press, not people to pass up on a good thing, seem to have decided rumor and innuendo are as good as solid investigation and multiple corroborative sources. 

Of course, we have Brian Williams. He seems to be the king of crypto-journalists with his own exciting stories from his own exciting life that never happened. I'm glad he recovered from those non-injuries sustained in that non-existent crash.

Then we have the famous "hands up, don't shoot" crypto-stories that caused real riots, looting, and violence.  That was a truly proud moment in crypto journalism. They so convinced the public that they even had members of Congress acting it out for the TV cameras. Just another silly moment for the boys and girls that we pay to be serious.

Then we had that startling crypto-story by Rolling Stone Magazine. They were able to pretty much destroy all of the fraternities at the University of Virginia. The power of crypto-journalism is astounding.

There was a day when the news profession had standards. In those days, the New York Times could claim "all the news that is fit to print", and they would be believed. Today they print all the news that fits their agenda. In the past, MSNBC would be laughed off the air. Not in these glorious times.

So, as long as crypto-journalists go to crypto-schools and get crypto-degrees, then grow up to become crypto-editors, we can expect no better.

Take Two Aspirin

Anyone who thinks that ISIS is not an existential threat should tell that to Christians in Syria or Kurds in Iraq. They are a growing threat as they connect with Boko Haram and al Qaeda all over the Middle East and into Africa. They threaten vile and evil retribution against all they consider infidel. Anyone who isn't them.

But they go far beyond guns, swords, and blood in the field. They have brains and training. ISIS plans for the future. They understand the digital world. It started with using social media to recruit. They go to the impressionable young people where they live, right into their bedrooms. They give them e-messages about the glory of living a life fighting for Allah and the greater glory of martyrdom. It works. Young men and women are flocking to them.

They understand the value of intelligence and of having a fifth column out in our world. Not all of their recruits are used as cannon fodder. Many are sent out to infiltrate the enemy. Us. Either to glean information, become a lone wolf threat, or to group up and form a cadre behind enemy lines.

They understand the use of psychology. Combined with computer technology, they have a new and modern method to spread fear. The names and addresses of one hundred American military families have been posted on their website including pictures. These were not random selections. The people they named were specifically involved in air attacks against ISIS. They asked those that believe in Allah and ISIS to attack these fine service people and their families, including innocent children.

To get the information on these families, ISIS had to have someone on the inside or had very capable hackers that could break into our military sites. Either situation is intolerable. ISIS must be destroyed. They get stronger and more vicious by the day.

Our country and American people need the protection that this administration seems incapable of giving. They cannot commit. ISIS is not the Junior Varsity. They need to be stopped before they do more serious damage. But we have people running the country that can't even refer to them as Islamic even though that is the term they use to describe   themselves. Our Presidents approach is the equivalent of "take two aspirin and relax. You'll feel better in the morning." I don't think so.

Yell at Yellen

Ms. Yellen made a speech last week. It was a speech that she had given before justifying the Fed's monetary policy. She omitted one word. That word was "patient". She had previously stated that the Fed would remain patient with regard to policy changes.

Those that read, rectally examine, and speedily react to any verbiage from the Fed, panicked and started selling. They realize the Bernanke bubble is real and that we are still in it. 

Thereupon, Ms. Yellen got mildly provoked, having been caught leaning the wrong way, and explained. Explaining is what political types do when caught with their foot off the base. She explained that omitting patient did not mean impatient. The one percenters and their lackeys that handle their trading all breathed a sigh of relief. Once again things were good in One Percent Land.

Things are really always good in One Percent Land. Those that reside there have more than any sane person needs. But somehow it is never enough. But when you have the likes of the Bernankes and Yellens of the world looking out for you, you are on the side of the fiscal angels.

It is sort of a circle of power. The one percenters support a President who loves them. The President keeps the right people running fiscal policy. The market inflates but never bursts and the one percenters get richer.

Then there is the rest of us. Remember the good old days? The days when you could have a savings account and earn 3%. Or a long term account that gave you 5%. The Fed has taken that away from you. Now you may get a maximum of 1%. More likely, less. The Fed policy of cheap money makes money for the rich and keeps the poor down.

Our President pretends that this is to bring the economy back. Seven years and still waiting. The GDP is almost as low as bank interest rates. We are importing illegal labor when people that had good jobs are flipping burgers part time.

But the Fed stands with their President and the country suffers. You see, they are both scared to death to make a change. They suspect, with pretty good reason, that the Bernanke bubble will burst and the bottom totally fall out of the economy. They will wait. Patiently. Probably after the new President is sworn in, they will raise interest rates. Then the tiger will be loose.

Spring

We are beyond the first day of Spring. The first of April is approaching. Opening day of the trout season is in less than three weeks. Those that wish to fish on opening day, may need tip-ups and ice augers. I even heard where they are seeing icebergs crashing on the beaches of Cape Cod. I do not remember that happening in my lifetime.

Usually at this time of year I would be taking out shorts and tees. This year I am still wearing my heaviest jacket. I am not a cold weather guy. Damp cold, dry cold, it is all the same to me. Damn cold! I hate it and it is making me depressed.

I have even started watching some Spring training baseball. I never watch Spring training baseball. It bears little or no resemblance to the real baseball season. OK, I'm desperate. At least today it is a Red Sox game. They're ahead five zip in the third. See, no resemblance.

I've lived in New England all my life, so I've seen tough Winters before. This one is in the top three for ugly. But the thing is, I'm older, heavier, and am far less graceful than I used to be. Thank God for Amazon, Peapod, and my blog. They allow me to be a recluse in bad weather.

Warm weather will get here. It always has. So I do have hope for the future. At least this weather inspired me to write about something other than the mess our politicians are making, or the danger that they have put the country in. That gets tiresome and is also depressing. 

OK, I'm being a little bit whiny. But I really hate the cold. And, no, I won't move. Spring and Fall are so spectacular in New England it is usually worth tolerating Winter. But this year......... . .  .  . .

Random Thoughts - Fifty-Seven

Why is Barack Obama's Presidency a failure. Because, in his selection of leadership personnel, he put gender, race, and personal loyalty to him, his philosophy, and his private agenda ahead of loyalty to the American people.

I do not see how Hillary can become our next President. Just too much baggage to fit into the White House. 

How about if the Democrats put up a Gore/Warren ticket. Every time they make a joint appearance, they would fall off the stage with each one trying to be farther to the left than the other. 

I still say that Kasich/Rubio would be a winner and would do well for the country. We really need a good eight years to even start to heal. I think that both are honest and smart and love the United States.

Harry Reid killed every decent piece of legislation for the past two years and Obama will veto anything good for the next two. So how can the call the Republicans the party of no?

The President is throwing Israel under the bus for Iran. That's just crazy. Iran is actively working on ICBMs and nuclear warheads. They just put a new anti-ship missile on line that they brag will take out any American ship. Now they are talking, publicly, about attacking us with a nuclear electro-magnetic pulse weapon to kill our power grid. I suspect they are not our friends and will not keep any promises they make. Just crazy.

Hide your barbecue grills folks. The EPA is out there looking to regulate them, and they have drones. Since they have downsized the army to about the size of two Boy Scout troops maybe you can pick up some surplus camouflage netting to put over that grill. There is a rumor that they are going after birthday candles next.  

Errors Of Commission

Sometimes I feel like I am writing a blog devoted to denigrating either our President or our ex Secretary of State. That is not my intention. It is just that their policies and behavior have been so outrageous that they create the need. So I plead not guilty to Obama-Clinton Derangement Syndrome.

I do not care for the leadership of the Republican party either. But their errors are mostly errors of omission rather than commission. They just seem to be asleep at the switch or don't care to make waves or maybe just snoozing.They are pawns who have taken themselves off the board.

The situation between the United States and Israel has me troubled. The have been a true and loyal democratic friend in the Middle East. And they are truly democratic. In Israel, Arab citizens have a vote just like Israelis. In how many Muslim countries is the reverse true?

Obama and Netanyahu do not see eye to eye, to put it mildly. Actually, they despise each other. It should not be about them, it should be about the two countries. But Obama's ego makes everything about him. His way or no way. 

Obama has a fondness for things Islamic. If one starts from that point of view, Israel becomes the offender. Therefore, take down the offender and the Islamic world becomes your friend. No. That will never happen. We are the kaffir, the infidel, the Great Satan. The most fundamental of Islamic states will never be our friend.

So to accomplish the impossible, Obama has done great damage to our partnership with Israel. A partnership that we need. Obama has tried to dictate Israeli behavior. He has tried to interfere in their election to rid himself of Netanyahu. Now, apparently, he intends to sell out Israel in the UN. There is nothing so vile as a faithless friend.

To put the frosting on a very bad cake, domestically, Obama is now talking about making voting mandatory. Back when we were a free country, if you had a right to vote, you had a right not to vote. What will be the penalty? Fines, imprisonment? Also Obama's minions are looking to monitor your showers and take control of your backyard grill. We are having a real "Big Brother" moment.

Also we must give an honorable mention to Hillary for extravagantly royal behavior. It appears that besides running her own private off-the-books e-mail server, she may also have been running her own private intelligence operation secretly. 

We are seeing new meaning to out-of-control government. Do they not realize that not every idea is a good idea? Do they have no discriminatory thought process? Do they not realize the damage they do?

Lose, Lose

Talk about having no coat tails. Talk about being a buzz killer. Help? Thanks but no thanks. So our happy-go-lucky, it's all about me President, has just lost his second election. This one by remote control. But he lost it, none the less.

In a blaze of soaring oration and ambiguous promises, Barack Obama won his first Presidential election. In honesty, the press had so maligned W that fluffy the cat could have won. But the adoring public also gave Obama the House and Senate. Full power. What he could have done with that? 

But he had an agenda. Make government bigger and more powerful and make America smaller and less powerful. And I am sure as I am sitting here that this plan was not just Obama's. There had to be power, planning, and money behind Obama's rise and success.

But he immediately started to take over one-sixth of the economy, down-size the military, and down-size America's place in the world. In these two ventures he has been all too successful.

Americans didn't completely take to his suddenly discovered goals or his tactics. To regain some control, in his second run, they took away the House. So Obama just issued Presidential orders and did what he wanted to anyway. With the full support of his power hungry minions. 

So America took away his lawful support in both the House and Senate. He became a loser. His reckless behavior took down many that devoted themselves to him. But he still revels in his unconstitutional management style with his veto pen and Presidential orders.

But once again, not appreciating reasonable limits, he went after a foreign head of state who is also a good friend of the United States. A man that is dedicated to the survival of his country. Barack Obama detests Bibi Netanyahu. I believe it is because Obama has a fondness for all things Muslim, while Netanyahu sees Islam as an existential threat.

So Obama sent a well financed crew of surrogates to get the opposition candidate elected. They say that some of that financing came from American taxpayers. That would be a crime. Figuratively if not literally. They did this by getting out the Arab vote. Yes, Arabs have full rights in Israel. It did not go well for our President.

So now we have a lose lose situation that we can chalk up to Barack. And just as we are starting into the thick of the next election cycle, with the leading Democrat candidate burdened with tons of well earned baggage, this election could get long, loud, and nasty.

Define Ally

It was, a short time ago, that America had allies. It had enemies. And there were a few neutral parties around and about. Our President promised to "fundamentally transform" a country that needed no transformation, so now we have a very different situation.

We now have America's allies. Obama's allies (I can't really think of any real ones). Those that Obama think or hopes will prove to be his allies. And Switzerland.

For some inexplicable reason our long time and faithful allies such as Great Britain, Israel, and Canada seem to be held in some level of disdain by our President. These countries have been great and good friends through the years. They have always had our back as we have had theirs. They deserve better respect.

The scary ones are the ones that our President wants to be his allies. The ones he kow-tows to in the hope that humble behavior will earn their friendship and trust. He tried it with Russia and they walked all over him right into the Crimea. 

He has promised the Ayatollahs in Iran everything but a night in the Lincoln bedroom and it appears that within ten years they will have ICBMs with nuclear warheads. Plus huge oil profits to continue funding terror. Well that went well. 

Well there is always the Castro brothers. The ones in Cuba, not the ones in Texas. We have yet to see where that goes, but it seems Cuba is very active in South America assisting Iran in turning old neglected friends there, against us. Soon, Cuba, Russia, and China will wield more influence from the Panama Canal south than we do.

So who is the Obama team making overtures to now? Bashir Assad, that's who. Yes, the man that ignored Barack's red lines, one after the other, is now a candidate for new best friend. 

So once again I say, thank God for March Madness. All Presidential activity will stop until the brackets are filled and the tourney is over. Then off to the golf course. And there must be a vacation coming up. This may be the only hope we have for the immediate future.

It Must Be Nice To Be The King

Separate planes to go to California. It must be wonderful to be King and Queen. It must be grand to go through life with that blase' "let them eat cake" attitude. A whole plane for each of them. Amazing! My wife and I wouldn't have even taken separate cars to the mall. 

And it is not like these were trips of great importance. The Queen traveled all that way, at our expense, to dance on a TV show of little or no importance. While the King traveled to make a guest appearance on an equally unimportant late night show.

A major race crisis bubbling in this country, fueled by the Kings rhetoric, and the King and Queen are yukking it up with their Hollywood buds. The non-Islam Islamist army called ISIS is slaughtering people with chlorine gas, and our great and beloved leaders are prancing across the stage. But soon the King will be dedicated to the important work of filling in the March Madness brackets.

The country goes deeper in the hole, every minute of every day. They know this. They caused most of this. But would they economize in any way. Simply, NO. As I remember on one of their many vacations, they even allotted a whole plane to transport their beloved pooch. Who, if you will recall, the King named after himself. That may be why the pooch is beloved.

I see where they are bandying it about again, that the Queen should run in 2016 to replace the existing King. I know that the Queen feels like a prisoner in the White House. But if the Queen were elected then she would get the big plane and the big office. I'll bet she would like that better.

But if the Queen became the top dog, would the King become Prince Consort? I don't think it works that way, but who knows. The main thing would be to shoot down the Secretary of E-mails, who is actually the acclaimed Queen in Waiting, and not well loved by the present King and Queen.

In truth, the King, the Queen, and all of their tribe have made such a hash of running the realm, broad changes must be made, and made soon or the realm will be a realm no longer.

Paleface Speaks

OK the title was a little rude. But I want to go back to an area where people of my skin tone are not acceptable speakers to some. I hate racism. I grew up around the casual invasive racism that was common in the forties. Back then just about every race or religion had a derogatory nickname that no one seemed to be embarrassed to use in casual conversation.

For some unknown reason these words grated on me even as a child. I will guarantee that the reason wasn't good training by my family. I grew up in lily white areas. I never knew a person of color to speak to until high school. I was a prime candidate to be a bigot. I never was.

Before Dr. King's speech, I learned to judge people as I found them. Ethnicity or religion made no difference to me. When I got to college, my horizons expanded greatly. I got along with everyone. I learned to judge people by their character, not their color.

Racism, in my opinion, is neither institutionalized nor endemic in the United States. Does it exist? Certainly. But it exists within the individual bigot. Barring some life changing event, that will not change. No speech by those in high places, no diatribe by the professional race baiters, is going to change that.

What the diatribes, riots, looting, and violence does, is convince the bigots that they are right. The only thing the confrontations do is hand a weapon over to the race baiters. The Al Sharptons of the world want all of this. It makes money for them. They use it as a hammer to threaten businesses with mobs pounding on their doors if they don't support the race baiter's personal foundations with large sums of money. 

If Al Sharpton, and those like him, really cared they would encourage education, family, and hard work. He would encourage those that listen to him to not act like thugs. To not be teen age moms with multiple babies and no husband. To run the drug dealers off the block. To shun the gangs. But that won't happen. There's no money in it.

U Turn

I think we have had enough. Our country is just too dysfunctional to continue. The financial hole continues to get deeper and deeper. Positions have become polar. Discussions have been aborted but the screaming has never been more shrill. The country is in need of a major proctological examination. There are just too many rectal orifi out there.

There are regulations regarding the flying of the American flag. They have been in place for generations. Everyone who has been in the Boy Scouts or the military is aware of them. They are appropriate and necessary. Any flag flying within the scope of those regulations should never be questioned. No one should ever be forbidden the honor of flying our flag.

As to the young jackasses and jennyasses of college age, that seem to dislike the American Flag, I suggest they find a country that they think would improve their lives and go live there. They are not an asset to their country and bring shame on their family.

When they find that country, try the same garbage there. See how much tolerance you find for disrespectful behavior in other fun places. Over the years many good people died protecting the rights that that flag represents. To use those rights to disrespect the flag and those who gave their lives is disgraceful.

Grow up people. Stop taking umbrage at every little perceived slight or insult. Not everyone sees things through your eyes. Not everyone means their words the way you take them. The world does not revolve to insult you. And almost no one cares what you think. If you feel insulted, walk away. Don't tweet. Keep your comments off face book. Be a grownup.

Another thing. It is never appropriate to denigrate a persons faith. The military just told a Catholic chaplain that he couldn't talk about Jesus. That is just over the top on stupid. That is what chaplains are there for. There are people of faith in the military. They need and want the services of the chaplains. It is not the job of some fool in  a brass hat to tell a chaplain what he may and may not do in regards to his religious duties. 

There is no such thing as moral equivalency. There are things that are just plain bad. The idea that some may think a bad thing to be good, does not excuse it. Sneaking up on people and hitting them in the head seems to be popular among some. Even though those doing the hitting think it is fun, it is evil. As is stoning and genital mutilation and beheading. Intrinsic evil is never right no matter where the approval comes from. 

So lets turn a Uey here and start showing respect, honor, discipline, ambition. All the things that made Americans great people. We are losing that. Sometimes the old ways are better.

Just Ramblin'

I couldn't think of what to write today. It is not that the world is calm and peaceful, so nothing is happening. Just the opposite. But on most worthwhile subjects, I have all ready made my thoughts known. So I thought I might just ramble on and update a few things.

The first has got to be the train wreck that is Hillary. Dear God, don't ever let that woman become President. She is bitter. She is angry. She, like our present President, thinks that she is above the law. Another trait she shares with our present leader is that, in any room, she knows that she is the smartest one there. She has neither the skills nor the experience to lead our Republic. She may be the only person in the world that hates the United States military, more than Barack Obama.

Then there is the happy little group of letter writers in Congress. Really? A letter to the Ayotollah Khamanie explaining your Constitutional prerogatives. Do you think he cares? I sort of sympathize but that was a silly thing to do. The Republican party needs some adult leadership. Boehner and McConnell are not getting the job done. Given free rein, they will give us President Hillary unless the Obama clique is successful in shooting her out of the saddle.

Next we have the Greek Chorus of crying and moaning Democrats complaining that Republicans are interfering with the President's right to negotiate. "This is unheard of", they say. Well, how about Nancy Pelosi's visit to Bashar Assad when George Bush was trying to get Syria under control? Or the time David Bonier and two other Democrats went to Iraq to meet with Saddam Hussein and undermine Bush' efforts there? Or when Jimmy Carter went to the UN to try to block Bush the elder's efforts in Kuwait? As usual, it is OK when the Democrats do it but not Republicans.

Finally, we have an opportunity to make a good and powerful friend with el Sisi of Egypt. He wants to be our friend and would counterbalance the attempt at hegemony in Iran. Iran will never be our friend but Obama is bound and determined to put all his eggs in that basket. He is dangerously wrong.

Keep Your Back To The Wall

And so it starts. Clinton weariness is settling over the party faithful. The constant missteps. Scandals of both the His and Hers variety. The videos of Hill being shrill. The videos of Slick Willy oozing the lubricant that prevents anything from sticking. The Kennedys at Camelot they are not.

I can remember a day when a younger, less shop worn, Hillary was the shoo-in  candidate for the Democrat Presidential nomination. She was, as they say, already measuring for new drapes in the White House. But she had history. Some would say, she had baggage.

Then came the Democrat National Convention. A young, black, one term Senator from Illinois made a speech. A soaring exhibition of oratory. A game changer. Suddenly Hillary was out and Barack Obama was in.

Then Hillary made, what I consider, the political mistake of a lifetime. She sacrificed her position as a Senator, possibly the best job in the world, to be Secretary of State. This was like James Bond going to work for Dr. No. 

She was put on a plane and shipped around the world to every dark hole that could be imagined. She was stifled by a lack of freedom and control. Her term ended with a record of zero achievement and Benghazi.

So, dawn the morning of a new election cycle. An older, frailer Hillary stands at the top of the nominee ladder. After all, it's her turn, is it not. She has name recognition, money, and a support base. She's a natural.

But she also has enemies. So the trickle starts. Benghazi, of course. Her reticence to speak to the press. Questions about her health. Claims of poverty. Then the gusher. An illegal  e-mail system outside of proper governmental control. Hillary-mail with her own private server.

When these sorts of things happen in a party that is famous for it's ability to run a cover-up, there is a reason. Hillary, somebody doesn't like you and they have brought the long knives out. There are those with power that want someone younger. Possibly less white. Certainly, someone with less baggage. Someone who will not have Bubba back in our house.

So, Hillary, get your back to the wall. As much as you want to be the first woman President, the odds appear to be shifting against you. But just think of all the money you can make selling your memoir.

Uninformed? Really?

The United States has the greatest technology in the world. What we don't invent and manufacture ourselves, we have access to. Sitting all alone here at my desk with my Chromebook, my Kindle, and my Iphone, I have faster and better communications ability than a naval carrier group had during the Korean war.

The United States has hundreds of thousands of highly paid people spread around the globe who's primary task is the collection of information. From the embassies themselves, to State Department Intelligence, to the CIA, the FBI, the NSA, the DIA, and who knows how many other agencies are out there, gathering information. Far more than I have just mentioned.

There is no single communications system in the world that is even close to the communications system that serves the President of the United States. No matter where he is, from the golf course to the beach at Waikiki to Martha's Vineyard to soaring through the skies on Air Force One, he can reach out to any one in the world.

The President is offered, I understand he doesn't always accept, daily security briefings to make him aware of any trouble that may appear on the horizon. He has a staff who has fingers on the pulse of world events, politics, public perceptions, what is happening with Beyonce and Jay Z, and anything else of critical interest to the President.

So, please explain to me, why, whenever the shinola intersects with the rotor, does the President drawl, "I never knew a thing about it until I saw it on the news". Really. If that is true, which I doubt, all of the millions of dollars that we spend on White House Support is just wasted. 

So the big question is, does his immediate staff shield him from critical information if it may not be to his liking, or does he sit alone in the Oval Office with his eyes closed and his fingers in his ears. So, how many things that he demands action on is he really uninformed about. Really!

A Political Denouement

Hillary was deprived in life. While she more than equaled her husband in ambition, she never had his political skill or acumen. But even worse, while Bubba is slick and charming, she is acerbic. 

But still, she is a highly placed woman with huge name recognition and an equally huge support base. There are two things that are important to Hillary. Money and to be the first woman President of the United States. Well, she certainly has the money. And she continues to get more regardless of the sources.

As far as the President thing, I don't see that happening. For oh so many reasons. Her qualifications are: she's a woman and she has lived in the Whitehouse playing second fiddle to Bubba. If Bubba was having a good day, Hillary was actually third fiddle. That's about it, gender and exposure.

But she has so much working against her that as a candidate she would be a slowly moving target. Like the bear in a nineteen fifties arcade game. And her control hungry comrades know that. While some would drop her like a hot rock, others see some value in her but not as President.

Then there are some that feel having Bubba back trolling the White House corridors would be like something from Gilbert and Sullivan. A huge comic operetta staged for the entertainment of the "little people".

But with a history of ineptitude ala Hillarycare, multiple scandals through the years, from futures trading through Benghazi, her shrill scream of "What, at this time, does it matter?", and now Hillary mail, even her dear friends at the New York Times are turning on her. When a liberal woman loses the Times, she has lost it all.

The fabulists in the Democrat party see the advantages of a younger, more attractive, better spoken candidate with less baggage. They realize that, as much as Hillary thinks that it is her turn, she is very vulnerable. It is unlikely that she could win in 2016. 

So the long knives are drawn. Favors are called in. Telephone calls are made. The questions get more penetrating. That lovely free ride becomes the roller coaster from hell. The political denouement begins.

Random Thoughts - Fifty-Six

If Hillary keeps shooting herself in the foot, she won't have a leg to stand on.

Barack Obama likes to compare himself to Abraham Lincoln or George Washington. After Bibi Netanyahu's speech, most Americans were comparing our President to a petulant kindergartner.

I'm not sure that I understand, if Hillary's campaign sinks into Dismal Swamp, as seems to be happening, the Democrats second choice is a far left liberal Harvard educated college professor who has lied about their background and has no experience. Have I got that right?
Do I hear a loud dissonant echo here?

The President wants to nationalize all police forces. Is there anyone but him and his inner circle that thinks that is a good idea for America?

One more question. If Mr. Kerry should get some kind of agreement with Iran, does the President intend to just sign it and be done? Treaties are required by the Constitution to get the approval of two thirds of the Senate. Will the Constitution take another hit?

I'm just saying, by comparison, Jimmy Carter looks competent and Richard Nixon looks like Mother Theresa.

OK, I'm old. I remember going to the circus when I was a kid. It was in a huge tent on a vacant tract of land. It was loud and smelly and tawdry and wonderful. Without the elephants it is no longer a circus. Today, in air conditioned arenas far away from the action, sterile, expensive, and controlled, it's just not the same.

So Iran is fighting ISIS and our confused President thinks they are doing it to be our ally. He is the only one that believes that except for those terminally uninformed.

So in ten years or less, Iran will have ICBMs and nuclear payloads to put on them. We are supposed to think that is a good thing. Let me put it this way, a child born today will be no more than ten years old when that child will be facing annihilation by nuclear armed mad mullahs. Some treaty we're considering.

Barack Obama will be remembered with the same affection as Neville Chamberlain.

Bibi Revisited

I watched and listened to each and every word yesterday. It was time well spent. While Mr. Netanyahu is not a soaring orator who treats public speaking as a show biz opportunity, he is a sincere and powerful speaker. Plain spoken and truthful. I doubt that anyone was asking. "what did he mean by that?", when he finished speaking. 

Mr. Netanyahu looked his audience directly in the eye, not down his nose, and spoke from the life experience of having the Mediterranean Sea at your back and an onslaught of enemies staring you down from the front. Enemies that are thousands of times bigger and richer. Enemies that are dedicated to wiping your country from the face of the Earth and killing every Jew that draws a breath.

But, President Obama said, "he brought nothing new to the table". Of course he didn't. He is not party to the negotiation. If he had brought new ideas about the process, I guarantee, he would have been accused of interfering in the negotiations and possibly jeopardizing them.

The Prime Minister was painting a picture for America of the situation with Iran as seen through the eyes of those most threatened. I think he did that beautifully. No shouting. No flights of fancy. Just plain simple facts. Very frightening facts. Not just for the Middle East but for the world.

The reasons that this treaty is so important to Obama and Kerry are multiple, but not always well founded. The simplest is that by promising a treaty that the Ayatollahs will like is to get them to be an ally in the fight against ISIS. Iran is Persian and Shia. ISIS is Arab and Sunni. They are as natural enemies as a mongoose and a cobra. Both want to lead the new Caliphate. Persians look down on Arabs. This war was inevitable.

Obama and Kerry seem to think that a stopgap treaty will lead to permanent peace as Iran sees the benefits of the calm and peaceful life. Will not happen. The Shia of Iran are twelvers. They believe in the twelfth Imam, the Mahdi. They believe that the world as we know it will end soon in chaos. The Mahdi will appear and lead the Shia to world dominance under Iran. They thrive on this.

Our intrepid negotiators seem to think they can trust Iran's negotiators. They are being manipulated like little children. They are in a game that gives them no winning path. Their arrogance blinds them of that fact.

One last thing. Mr. Netanyahu was a guest in our house. He is the Prime Minister of one of our greatest allies. Our President and his weak minded minions treated him rudely. They disgraced themselves, their party, and America.

Welcome Bibi!

I, along with many Americans, welcome Bibi Netanyahu. As the primary representative of our greatest Middle Eastern ally, he should always be welcome in this country. America and it's leaders should hear what he has to say with gratitude, because what he has to say is important to both countries.

I fear that I must apologize for the small minded politicians who have acted in such an ungracious manner to a great and good friend. We are allies in a war that neither country wants but which has been thrust upon us by evil and small minded people whose credo is stalled in seventh century brutality and violence.

Unfortunately, we are afflicted with politicians that think they understand everything and have all of the answers. But for the most part, they are lazy people who do not study history or economics, the two subjects that are at the core of the ability to govern. 

Our leaders tend to decide on the answer before they look at the evidence. Then they select the evidence that fits their preconceptions. This is the obvious reason that whatever hole we find ourselves in, our leadership is ever willing to dig it even deeper.

This is why our President and our Secretary of State insist that they will get a treaty with one of the most divisive regimes on Earth today. The Ayotollahs of Iran are not stupid. They have power backed by their own beliefs (what ever they may really be) and the support of the true believers that the rule with an iron hand.

They have played our negotiators like a yo-yo for years. But, in spite of the evidence, our negotiators continue to believe them because they want to believe them. The treaty is to be their great legacy. If there ever is a treaty at all, it will be broken at the first opportunity. That first opportunity could be an existential threat to Israel.

So, it is good that Mr. Netanyahu is here to speak to our leadership about the Middle East muddle from Israel's point of view. This is an important speech. He will be serving his country, not himself. Something that Americans have not seen much of recently.

Who Do You Trust?

Yesterday afternoon I started seeing references on line about President Obama threatening to have American planes shoot down Israeli planes if Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities. People and organizations put a lot of things on line that are a far reach from the truth. But this did give me pause and caused me to lose some sleep thinking about it.

One reason not to believe it, is that the President seems very much fixated on his legacy. A legacy of waging war on your greatest ally in the Middle East to protect a country that is one of the greatest supporters of terrorism would not enhance his historical image.

One reason to believe it, is that the President may have thought he could bully Israel out of such an attack and keep it under the radar. It appears that he feels that a treaty with Iran would crown his term in office with a glorious success.

While Secretary of State, John Kerry, is always in the middle of foreign relations muddles, another name has also been tossed into the mix. It is that of Zbigniew Brzezinski, Secretary of State under Jimmy Carter. Neither he nor Carter were great friends of Israel. I can imagine him making such a suggestion and having it go public. 

Of course, the White House is denying that it ever happened. When this White House issues a denial it is about fifty-fifty if it is true or not. Transparent and forthcoming they are not. They are also a bit ham handed at times in their international policies.

The ultimate point being that Iran keeps playing them for time. The administration keeps giving in to the Ayotollahs. Iran keeps moving forward to nuclear weapons. We keep closing our eyes to their progress.

A national policy of being hard on your friends and as dainty and naive as a nineteenth century bride with your enemies will not stand us well in the long run. Nor will it do anything to enhance President Obama's beloved legacy.