Tuesday, March 29, 2016

A Peek Over The Edge

Once again I am forced to crawl up to the edge of the abyss and peek over the edge. I refer, of course to the political abyss that lays before us. It is a task that I dislike, but one that I have forced upon myself since 1960, the first year that I voted.

I vote in every presidential election. I believe that it is every citizens duty. In all of that time, I have never voted for a candidate that I actually preferred. I am always required to vote for the one that I find least harmful to the country. A task that continues to get more difficult.

This year they are so far down in the abyss that, I swear, they can see the flames and smell the sulfur. So, once again, I peek over the edge with a brand new, extra high power telescope, and try to find the pick of a very sorry lot. 

My pick wont be a Democrat. No surprise there. The powers that be in the DNC planned on a coronation for the Lyin' Queen. Then a wild eyed socialist jumped in for comic relief and suddenly confusion reigns. Besides which, the FBI may have the last vote here.

I had picked a pair in the Republican party for the one and two slots. I wish I had waited. My VP pick just seemed to get a little smaller each day until he just melted away altogether. My pick for Prez has shown himself to be not as advertised. So I'm just going to hang in and see where the parties bring us.

Politics tends to be a down and dirty game to begin with, but the Trump phenomena has dug that hole layers deeper. If they ever give an award for rudeness, incivility, and braggadocio, Mr. Trump will get the lifetime achievement award.

The difficulty is that "The Donald" may end up being the candidate. It will be made worse if the RNC manipulates the rules and send up a candidate who has already been eliminated or who was never in the race at all. Those that the elites consider the great unwashed masses, will abandon the party forever. The only other legitimate contender is Ted Cruz. 

So, the abyss deepens. The choices get scarier. The world get crazier and more dangerous. So for the most critical election in my lifetime, I will say a prayer, hold my nose, and vote. God bless America. We need the help.

Monday, March 28, 2016

Better Dead Than Rude

It appears to me, that the liberal population of the world is willing to be part of a universal suicide pact. The rest of us call it, political correctness. It is the type of addle-pated thinking that George Orwell wrote of. 

Don't mention that most of the violent attacks taking place in the world today spring from fundamental Islam. Ignore the fact that ISIS is Islamic. Close your eyes to the physical abuse that the refugees are perpetrating on their hosts.

Keep repeating that Islam is a religion of peace. It may be to some. I saw a group of Muslims being interviewed on TV yesterday. These were good people who wish to bring a Reformation to their faith.

We will never know what portion of the Muslim population supports this movement. Many that want peace are afraid to speak out in fear of retribution. A Muslim store owner in Scotland tweeted a peaceful greeting to his Christian customers for Easter. He was assassinated within a day. Those that fear reprisals have a right to that fear.

But there are still thousands and thousands out there willing to pick up the sword. There are many more that offer support in money or goods. But there are even more that are among us, unnoticed, who quietly cheer over every perceived Islamic victory.

The Quran and the Hadith, the holy books of Islam, not only allow but ordain the violent behavior the we see in Europe and America. "Kill the infidel where you find him." To one that accepts Allah and recognizes the Quran as the immutable word of Allah, that is an order that must be followed. This has not changed since the eighth century.

We are in an existential war with fundamental Islam. We must deal with it honestly and leave political correctness behind. Most do not want to be part of a suicide pact signed, sealed, and delivered by those who would rather be dead than rude.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Comparative Egos

Obama's cool family vacation in Cuba got me thinking. Primarily, I was thinking about leadership styles. Not that there is any leadership style in Cuba. Down there it is all about intimidation and blunt force.

There are two world leaders, today. trying to project a particular style. And they are literally and figuratively worlds apart. Except in the size of their egos, they could not be more different. 

Vladimir Putin goes for the manly man image. Of course he is ex-KGB. He like pictures showing his virility. Putin dressed in a judo-gi practicing martial arts. Bare chested riding a horse at full gallop. Bare chested with a rifle. With various large dead animals. You get the idea. 

He orders his troops to invade small countries that used to be Soviet Republics and they do. No holds barred. He orders his air force to bomb in Syria and they do. Some bombs for ISIS and some for the insurgents. World opinion, he doesn't care. He orders Obama to stand down and suddenly American troops back away.

Barack Obama, on the other hand, projects himself as the metro-sexual man. He is cool. He is un-ruffled. He is disconnected from the reality that the rest of us have to live with. He is the Marie Antoinette of American Presidents.

His image is of a man walking around licking an ice cream cone. He comes out in the rain, with someone that I am sure he considers a lackey, holding an umbrella. In one case, that was a US Marine in dress blues.

He rides a girly bike wearing a plastic helmet. When Americans were slaughtered in California, he was off to the golf course. When Americans were blown up in a Brussels bombing, he went to a ball game with his new pal, who just happens to be a murderous tyrant.

Obama loves appeasing tyrants. He makes one sided deals with them hoping to seem like a peace maker. He is even willing to accept these deals at the expense of our friends.

He claims that the jihadist threat, especially the one posed by ISIS, is not an existential threat. OK, so ISIS is incapable of attacking and destroying the United States. That does not mean that they cannot make small suicide attacks and kill many Americans. It is the style of attack that has happened in Paris and Brussels and Boston that worries us. But apparently, they don't cause our President much concern. 

So our Presidents "stands down", "leads from behind", and only worries about existential threats. But does he even really worry about them or does he just say the words.

Monday, March 21, 2016

Oh, My!

I am very cranky right now, because I have a nasty case of bronchitis. I'll be back with new stuff as soon as I can.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Not Political, Really?

The esteemed Janet Yellen, (she is mostly esteemed by liberals) claims that the Fed's decision not to raise interest rates is not political. In this case, she is right and she is wrong, both at the same time. Only in politics is this possible.

Back when Barack Obama took office in the White House, he promised to restore the economy. If he had done nothing, the economy would have restored itself. But that is not Mr. Obama's style. He had to tamper. And as often happens, he did the wrong things.

So the Fed, in order to protect Mr. Obama, started quantitative easing (printing tons of new money), and lowering interest rates in hopes that it would stimulate the economy. It didn't. What it did do is stimulate the stock market and make the richest two percent even richer.

The watchword from the left side of the media was, "The economy is doing great. Just look at the stock market". Most knew better, but they protected their idol.

As interest rates moved lower and the economy didn't recover, the Fed found themselves in uncharted territory. It hurt the middle class and the elderly because bank interest rates sank below sea level. But that was OK as the two percenters were doing great.

Now Ms. Yellen allows as to how they can't raise interest rates because they must protect the economy, but it is not political. The have a large vicious animal by the tail and they dare not let go. In that sense, it is non-political.

But it also keeps the legs under the two percenters who contribute heavily to left wing causes and candidates. Now that is political.

The administration and the Fed are locked into a "Danse Macabre". If either one misses a step the results could be cataclysmic. The government, including the Fed, has been foolishly adventuresome with economic policy. I suspect a very bumpy road ahead.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Crisis

The country is faced with a number of crises. Some are wrought by others like the ISIS crisis. (Sorry, I like alliteration.) Others are created right here at home by people who should know better. The most immediate is brought about by the actions of Hillary Clinton, a woman who seems to have a dark cloud of crisis constantly hanging over her head.

From her early days when she worked on the Nixon investigation and got caught cheating, through Whitewater, through her actions during Bubba's bimbo eruptions, through Benghazi, Hillary's attitude has been, "no rules for me, just rules for thee". She has operated this way for a long time. It may be over.

But her latest crisis may shake the country right to the roots of it's founding. The premise has always been that the United States of America is a country of laws and that those laws apply equally to all. No one gets a free ride.

Hillary Clinton has apparently committed crimes, whether by sloppiness or by brazenness, that have endangered the safety and security of the country. She can act the fool and pass it off with a silly grin and a snide comment if she wishes, but it is deathly serious. 

The FBI takes it seriously. They have between one hundred and one hundred and fifty agents investigating. The Director, himself, is involved. They are issuing subpoenas and working their way up the ladder of responsibility. It has been said that they are days, or at the most, weeks, away from asking for a Grand Jury to be convened,

And therein lies the crisis. If they go to the Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, and request a Grand Jury and she does convene one, the leading Democrat presidential candidate will be brought down. If AG Lynch refuses, she puts Ms. Clinton above the law and creates another scandal.

I am sure that the President finds both alternatives distasteful. But we do create our own monster, don't we? To protect the nation, if the FBI seeks an indictment, it must go forward. We must remain a nation under law or we will not remain a nation.  

Friday, March 11, 2016

Random Thoughts - Seventy-Nine

I did not think that any living human being could get more time in front of TV cameras than Barack Obama. But Donald Trump has done that and then some. TV news has become all Trump, all the time.

If Trump comes into the convention with a substantial lead, is the Republican "power elite" stupid enough to try to stop him? They just may well be.

If Hillary is not indicted for her crimes, it will put her above the law. That is something that no one should be in America. That will only happen if the Department of Justice is a corrupt part of Democrat political power.

In the past day, I have seen three different articles where Obama either denies blame or blames others for problems in the world. He blames Cameron and Sarkozy for Libya. He blames Republicans for division in the country. And he denies blame for the turmoil in the Republican party. Almost eight years in office and he has never been in error. If you don't believe me, just ask him.

The weather is warming and I am waiting rather impatiently for opening day. Go Sox!

Deals have been made and jobs have been promised. I see three obvious positions filled in a 
Trump administration. Frankly, I cannot disagree with any of them. If Trump is elected and he pulls in good people, we are ahead of the game.

Anybody but Hillary! OK, except Bernie.

Supposedly Young people are supporting Hillary for President. So they are willing to support a shrill old women, who is an inveterate liar,  and cares for no one but herself. If these young people believe that she is a candidate that they should support, I fear for the future of this country.

God bless America! We need to step back from the precipice and rethink where we are going as a nation.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

A Generation To Recover

This country is at a low ebb. It will take a generation, but at least we can recover in that three decade period. Some parts of the European Union will take much longer if they can even recover at all.

But first, what must we recover from? Most of it stems from the policies of the Obama administration. Although there is not room here for long explanations, a listing will, at least, provide a starting point. 

We have a huge influx of undocumented (illegal) aliens coming across our southern border. We have no idea who they are. Where they are coming from. What diseases they carry. And in many cases, what their end game is. The administration has unlawfully ordered ICE to "stand down" and allow them entry.

This and previous administrations have eagerly signed and passed foreign trade agreements, arguing that they would be good for American business. They have been just the opposite. The TPP, the most current one, is probably the most harmful yet. But the administration hides the terms of this proposed agreement to the American people.

In spite of claims, the economy is in a shambles. Economic growth is on it's heels. Families have smaller incomes. Fewer people are working. They play with statistics to hide the truth. Manufacturing jobs are bleeding out to foreign lands.

Obamacare is getting more expensive and less functional, but they still extol it as a great advance in medicine. All it is is a great governmental intrusion into our most private lives. Turning this around will take years but it must be done.

Between Obamacare and over regulation the only place American business can turn is to other countries.

Barack Obama wants desperately to close Guantanamo Bay. He gives a reason, but a false reason. If I were a betting man, and I'm not, I would bet a considerable amount of money, maybe as much as ten bucks, that he intends to give, yes give, the base back to Cuba as an appeasement to Fidel Castro. It would not surprise me one bit.

Then we have the disastrous deal with Iran, the saber rattling of North Korea, and the new assertiveness of the Chinese while our military has been weakened in both equipment, discipline, and leadership. It will take two decades alone to rebuild and modernize our military and re-man our officer corps with real talent.

Meanwhile we have lost much of our relationship with our great allies such as Great Britain and Israel while allowing Vladimir Putin to rise as a world leader.

We have all seen how quickly a building can be destroyed and how long it takes to clear out the rubble and build anew. So, also, it is with great countries.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

The Weasel Is Loose

I am not referring to the critter that looks like a ferret on steroids. I am talking about the critters who teaches lawyerly types how to avoid the truth without actually lying. Without question, Hillary Clinton is a lawyer, both by education and mindset. No answer is ever given without some degree of equivocation.

Time after time she has been asked about classified emails on her private server. Her answer always is, and I paraphrase, "I have never had any emails marked classified on my server". I thought she was outright lying. But no, she was using weasel words. No documents, as I have recently learned, are ever marked classified. They are marked confidential, secret, or top secret. Never classified. Lying, no. Misleading, very.

Hillary brags about transparency, but she is even less transparent than our present President. And that is no easy feat. With the FBI breathing down her neck for illegal activity, she seems unencumbered by the prospect of being indicted for her mishandling of her responsibilities as Secretary of State. She has openly said that as President, she would nominate Barack Obama to the Supreme Court. Could this mean that there is a deal in the works to shield her from criminal charges?

Just imagine, if Barack Obama sat on the Supreme Court. The first, second, and fourth amendments would be in mortal danger. It has, lately, been a penchant of courts to make law rather than rule purely on constitutionality. With Obama's desire to reconfigure the United States it could be a disaster.

Hillary also claims that as President, she would reign in all those big powerful bankers. Even Bernie Sanders thinks that is funny. She's going to come down hard on the same people that pay her a quarter of a million dollars for a one hour speech? I think not. Just think, she makes more for a one hour speech than the average American earns in five years.  Five years! Yet she claims to be a person of the people.

This is going to be a difficult election. We have a candidate that would turn us into Castro's Cuba. Another that would turn us into a subset of the European community. And another that would turn us into the King Kong of nations. But there are still a couple in the race that have an informed and intelligent view of America's place in the world without being beholden to the Republican elites who have so badly failed us.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Is It Time?

Is it time for a real third party? Not the delusional third party of one man, ala Ross Perot. Not a limited interest third party like the Tea Party. A real national movement third party of people who love America and support the Constitution.

The Republican party has failed. The Democrat party has gone so far left as to be unrecognizable by HST or JFK. American citizens have been left behind by the foolish avarice of power mad politicians who have made Washington their career.

Democrats are far better at the game of politics than Republicans. The Republicans in power recognize this. They give in to the Democrats just to get their slice of the pie. And for this, the rest of us suffer. I left the Republican party years ago because I recognized this on a local level. In my state there is almost no Republican party remaining, and the condition of the state finances and infrastructure show the results of single party rule.

We have a great need in this country for a party that actually represents the best interests of the electorate. Term limits must be a priority, as politicians are like underwear, they should be changed frequently or they start to smell. 

Government has grown too big and unwieldy. It has expanded far beyond the bounds set in the Constitution. Government intrusiveness is harming quality of life. Cut government down to size and taxes can be cut correspondingly.

We need to codify a balanced budget. Those in Washington today, of both parties can do nothing but spend, spend, spend. We must eliminate the National Debt. The Fed must be curbed. Their monetary policies in the past two decades have been more political in nature than should have been. Once again power over country.

As the Republican party is destroying the best chance it has had in years and in doing so, destroying it's own structure, it has brought about a mini-rebellion. This may be the time to create a Constitutional Populist party that would support a new old time government.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Of Chickens And Roosts

Ah, the Republican elite, those powerful elected officials, money men, think tankers, and ward heelers in general, they think that they are in charge. They make the big decisions. They have the positions and the cash. They are the kings and the king makers. They have proven themselves to be very foolish people and their chickens have come home to roost.

They played the Washington game of "go along to get along". Everybody got to dip their beak as they said in the Godfather. Play the game and they all get their share. Don't worry about the little people. They are just peons. Not smart enough to catch on.

You were warned. The real conservatives sent you a message. You didn't even hear it. The Evangelicals joined in. You ignored it. The tea party rose up. You disdained it. You may control the jobs and the money, but they control the votes as you have just learned. Now you are all running around in a state of panic. You created Donald Trump. Now you'd best come to terms and live with it.

The American people are angry. They are fed up with politics as usual. Over the past years those that could have made Republican promises actually happen ceded power to the Democrats rather than stand up for what the electorate believes in and fight. After eight years of Barack Obama tearing this country down for his own purposes with the total aid and assistance of his party Republican candidates should have been screaming for change. The RNC should have supported wide open primaries. But instead they poured huge amounts of money into another Bush and tried to starve out the field.

Is it any wonder that Trump came out of the woodwork and stomped all over the business as usual crowd. It looks, now, like he is unstoppable. This gives the Republican party two choices. They can team up against him and try to force him out. The odds are extreme that that would fail and might destroy the party. Or, they could unite with Trump with support and advice on the political side of things and defeat the true enemy, Hillary Clinton.

A Clinton presidency would be even worse than the Obama years. She would have appointments to the Supreme Court that would severely damage both the first and second amendments. America's place in the world would be diminished further. And the National Debt would soar.

This may be the Republican Party's last chance.