Cool Pic

School is in Session

As things have spun out of control on the world stage, the focus seems to always come back to the Middle East.  Lots of American blood and treasure has been left in the deserts across the Levant.  It frequently seems like a quagmire in which there is no way out.  If you've read this blog at all you've heard me harp on the lack of a strategy by the current crop of National Security geniuses.  I won't go into all the retreats, the stumbles, the wrong turns, the capitulations, etc, etc, etc but suffice to say we've dug ourselves into quite a deep pit.  Of course it's not all our doing and many times over the last several years circumstances forced us to act and react in a way that put us at a disadvantage.    However, it is what it is.  Someone is going to have to deal with it.

I came across a great little summary of what is happening and what our position could be in one of my favorite blogs, CDR Salamander.  He really hits the nail on the head with this one.  You can read it here.    Read it all.  And if you've a mind, read the article he describes in the link in his first paragraph from The Spectator.  Both are very good.  So here's the deal.  Whether you like it or not.  Whether you agree or not.  We are in the long war.  It started in ernest around 1993.  It will not end for decades.  We are now at the point where we must start to execute smart strategies to survive.  Make no mistake.  This is an existential threat to you, me, our kids, our grandkids, and their kids.  It's not going away.  So you need to at least understand how we got here, who the players are, and what course of action we should take.  This article, in my view, is a very overview of those things and might help you in some measure to understand the threat and some possible responses.

Motivation Monday

The first MM of 2016.  It's a good one!

Hillary

I know it's pretty soon after the last one, but this is just too good.  Couldn't resist!

Why Trump?

Ever wonder why the Gas Bag is doing so well?  Saw the little rant below over on FB.  I don't know if it's totally true, but I suspect that there are a ton of regular American's who can relate to this diatribe.  You know...the folks in fly over country.  There are a lot of people who really resonate with the tag line, "Make America Great Again".  And they see the threat coming from all the people, theories and manifestos described below.  Now don't get me wrong, I also resonate with some of this lament.  I think there are an awful lot of people who are either wittingly or unwittingly having a detrimental impact on our country and our way of life.  However, I part company with him when he characterizes people in such a general and stereotypical way.  From my perspective, attack the theory, not the person.  Change the system, not the people.  Get people to see the error of their ways, don't get rid of the people.  There is a very strong truth, maybe the strongest truth, that we are a country of immigrants who have come here seeking a better life.  If someone wants to come here, abide by the rules, work toward making themselves and the country better, then I will welcome them with open arms.  Race, country, religion, sex, etc, makes no difference.  But where I do agree is that the theories and practices of those on the left and those with radical tendencies will not move us forward.  And I will fight those all day, every day.

Here's where the Gas Bag comes in.  He is clearly an inch deep and a mile wide.  He generalizes and stereotypes every issue.  The country is too big with too many people facing too many problems to put the reins of leadership in a guy who can't get past the second sentence in a history book.  A good example is the Muslim thing.  He wants to stop all Muslim immigration.  That is nothing short of idiotic.  If he would have suggested a pause in immigration for those coming from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen and a few others and explained his thinking, I would have been all over it.  But this clear political posturing and playing to people's emotions has no business in a President.  We've had enough of that!

In a post last week in mentioning Trump I said the number to remember is 25.  Here's my thinking.  Today he has about 40% (generously) popularity rating and those folks are assumed to be Republicans.  The country is split 40% Republican, 40% Democrat, and 20% Independent.  Let's assume his popularity raises to 50%.  That means in the general he'll get 20% of the vote.  I think many, many Republicans will stay home.  Let's be generous and say he'll get 10% of Democrats.  So from that population he'll get 4% of the total vote.  From independents?  Well, it's a wild card but I don't see him getting more than 5% of them.  That means he'll get 1% of that total vote.  20+4+1=25. I may be a pessimistic here and he could go as high as 30%.  Who cares?  He still loses.  And that's not even considering the Electoral College.  That would be a dog's breakfast!

Update:  I read over the post from FB a couple times and the more I read it the more it seemed to not make sense.  Franklin Graham talking about RINOs?  And the rhetoric just didn't sound like a man of God.  So I went to Snopes.  Turns out it's not really definitive, but there is evidence that this rant was authored someplace else and falsely attributed in this instance.  But the message remains the same.  Some of the things in the rant I can relate to.  But the part about stereotyping groups is not something I will sign on to supporting.  

Franklin Graham was speaking at the First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida in January, 2015, when he said America will not come back. He wrote:

The American dream ended on November 6th, 2012 in Ohio. The
second term of Barack Obama has been the final nail in the coffin for
the legacy of the white Christian males who discovered, explored,
pioneered, settled and developed the greatest republic in the history
of mankind. A coalition of blacks, Latinos, feminists, gays,
government workers, union members, environmental extremists, the
media, Hollywood, uninformed young people, the "forever needy," the
chronically unemployed, illegal aliens and other "fellow travelers"
have ended Norman Rockwell's America.

You will never again out-vote these people. It will take individual
acts of defiance and massive displays of civil disobedience to get
back the rights we have allowed them to take away. It will take
zealots, not moderates and shy, not reach-across-the-aisle RINOs to
right this ship and restore our beloved country to its former status.
People like me are completely politically irrelevant, and I will
probably never again be able to legally comment on or concern myself
with the aforementioned coalition which has surrendered our culture,
our heritage and our traditions without a shot being fired.

The cocker spaniel is off the front porch, the pit bull is in the back
yard. The American Constitution has been replaced with Saul Alinsky's
"Rules for Radicals" and the likes of Chicago shyster David Axelrod
along with international socialist George Soros have been pulling the
strings on their beige puppet have brought us Act 2 of the New World
Order. The curtain will come down but the damage has been done, the
story has been told.

Those who come after us will once again have to risk their lives,
their fortunes and their sacred honor to bring back the Republic that
this generation has timidly frittered away due to white guilt and
political correctness...

Hillary

I know that all the true blue Hillary supporters think that things are being made up about her.  That she is the victim.  And they are really, really tired of hearing about Benghazi.  Almost as tired as they are of hearing about her email idiocy.  Well...too bad.  Because there is so much there!  Powerline has a piece about her lies to the families of the victims of Benghazi.  You can read it here.  Unless you're totally in the bag for her, this is almost beyond belief.  Oh wait...I forgot...it's Hillary.  So I guess it's not beyond belief.  Actually it's business as usual.  Bottom line is she lied to grieving families about the so called video that was supposedly responsible for the attack.  Only it was a total and complete lie.  And she has continued to lie.  Here's the best quote:

Hillary Clinton has a long record of dishonesty. Twenty years ago, as Jonah Goldberg reminds us, William Safire wrote: “Americans of all political persuasions are coming to the sad realization that our first lady — a woman of undoubted talents who was a role model for many in her generation – is a congenital liar.”

At some point, she's going to have to come clean.  Oh wait...I forgot...it's Hillary.  So let's just give her a pass.  After all, that's what the current media is doing.  And you wonder why the Gas Bag is doing so well.  Here's why...people are pissed off!

Poignant

Love this photo.  A lot of symbolism.  We're all on a journey!

Cool Pic

Venice?  Probably.  And really cool!  Venice is a close second to Paris!

Dogs Are Cool

This is classic.  Read the print on the cup.  "I Do What I Want".  If that isn't the epitome of a cat, I don't know what is.

Bold Talk

But I guess it's not bragging if it's true.  I love high school football!  If a spaceship were to land in my front yard and the aliens were to ask me to take them to the most iconic American event, I'd be hard pressed to think of something better than a high school football game on Friday night.  And if it's in Texas...so much the better!

News You Can Use

I've never tried this myself.  But it makes sense.  Of course, it's sorta gross.  Remember this next summer!

Blog Rules

I've been thinking about rules for this blog.  I think this one works pretty well.  Not sure I need any others!

Cool Pics

I love Paris!  For my money it's the best city in the world.  Here are a couple of great photos of the iconic Eiffel Tower.  Beautiful.  If you've never been, trust me on this, you need to go.  Just go.

Executive Overreach and Dithering

2016 is starting off with a bang.  First we hear that Obama is going to issue some executive orders to make an impact on gun control.  In other words, restrict gun access for law-abiding citizens.   The story says that his White House has been looking at the issue for weeks while trying to determine if there are legal and constitutional ways for the President to issue executive orders to substantially restrict guns.  The same has been happening over at the Department of Justice.  So when he returns from his vacation in Hawaii (BTW, there is another story out there about how, despite best efforts, not one thing has been named after him out there.  Hmmmmm) he will meet with the Attorney General, put some things on the table, and determine what he can do.   What this really means is that she'll come to the Oval Office, he'll tell her what he's going to do, and she'll nod.  And his sycophants around the room will nod.  It is emerging that the main impact of the order or orders will be to beef up background checks and restrict what can be bought at private sellers.  That's it.  Big whup!  

This tells me he clearly doesn't care about this issue.  Like everything else, it's entirely political.  He has issued executive orders and bypassed Congress on many, many issues that he determines need his action.  Immigration is only one example.  Now don't get me wrong, executive orders have been used by every President and many are pretty routine and benign.  He has issued around 225 executive orders during the last 7 years which is a bit below average.  The difference with this guy, is that he uses them for major issues in which he doesn't get his way with Congress.  He gets frustrated, blames Congress for doing nothing, and marches off on his own.  The thing is, we are paying him to not only be the CinC but also to execute the laws of the land.  Congress makes those laws.  So if he wants something done or a law enacted, he needs to use all of the considerable powers of the Presidency to influence Congress to take action.  But he doesn't do that.  He seems to me to be like a petulant kid.  If he doesn't get his way, he takes action as much as he can.  He is the President for goodness sakes.  He does have considerable influence and could get things done.  He'd have to compromise in some instances.  He'd have to show some respect to people who have views different than his.  He'd have to meet them halfway.  But think back to when he was first elected.  He had a Democratic Congress.  Theoretically, he could have rammed anything he wanted through.  Just look at Obamacare.  That is impacting a huge segment of the economy and was passed with not one one Republican vote.  But it could have been different.  If he would have reached out, if he would have compromised, if he would recognize the value of differing opinions, he could get things done.  But no.  He'd rather blame Congress for doing nothing and issue a fake executive order that will accomplish almost nothing but gain him some perceived political benefit.  And he's doing this in the last year of his Presidency.  It's just unbelievable.  Check that...it's not.  Nothing is with this guy.  So you're going to see an executive order on gun control.  And it will accomplish nothing of substance.  It will only gain Obama some political points with the folks that already love him anyway.  And the fawning media will proclaim that he is at least doing something in the face of a recalcitrant Congress.  Meanwhile, mental health funding will languish and proven, effective policing tactics will be dismantled.  

So stand by for 2016.  You're going to see more of this.  You're going to see blaming, pouting, looking for lame solutions that mean nothing, and you're going to be more frustrated than you have been even during the last 7 years.  It's just maddening!

The other big story that came out today is the Saudis executing over 40 people convicted of terrorism.  And they didn't just excuse them, they did it by beheading them.  Nice, huh?  Among them was a prominent Shite leader.  So this just really pisses off Iran.  But the Saudis don't care.  They hate each other and that isn't going to change.  So we're in the situation of shrugging our shoulders.  We used to be able to say "the enemy of my enemy is my friend".  But no more.  Because now the Iranians are our friends...even though they just shot a rocket at the USS Harry S Truman as she transited the Straights of Hormuz entering the Arabian Gulf.  Nice, huh?  Watch to see what our reaction is to the Saudi action.  In a rationale world, we would at least issue a condemnation of this action.  I mean, it's barbaric.  And in a normal world, our Ambassador would be marching into the palace in Riyadh and delivering a rebuke from the President of the United States.  But now...meh!  Crickets.  If we do anything besides look up from our putt I'd be shocked.  

As for the rocket aimed at our warship in international waters that missed by 1500 yards, silence.  Hey, it missed didn't it?  No harm, no foul!  We have sunk so low in the eyes of the world that nothing we do makes a difference.  These are two examples of feckless response to a serious international incidents.  It now seems like they happen every week.  If you think that leading from behind and retreating from our position as world leaders will have no impact, you're living in a dream.  This is going to continue.  This is going to get worse.  And as 2016 unfolds, Obama is not going to extend himself in the National Security arena to do anything that will endanger his legacy of retreat.  Ain't going to happen.  So stand by.  It's going to get worse folks.

Update:  So he's had his political rally...er...press conference.  Used the East Room of the WH.  Classy!  Had all the victims lined up.  Dumped on Congress and the NRA.  All their fault.  Outlined his executive actions that will make an impact on gun control.  Only they won't.  I could link any number of articles here so you could see the fawning media falling all over themselves to laud his actions but if you're interested you can do it yourself.  Saw this pretty good summation over on VOX:

Here's what the Obama administration plans to do:

• The federal government will issue guidance that will narrow who can sell guns without a federal license, based on an evaluation of the circumstances surrounding individual gun sales. The idea is to reduce the number of for-profit dealers — as opposed to collectors or people who only give or sell guns to family members or friends — who avoid background checks, whether they're at a store, at a gun show, on the internet, or anywhere else.

• The FBI will hire more than 230 more people to help run background checks — an increase of more than 50 percent to the current staff. Lynch said this was in part needed to keep up with rising demand. "We're looking to improve the efficiency and response time of the system," she said.

• The government will also require background checks for people who try to buy restricted firearms through a legal entity, such as a corporation or trust. People were able to avoid background checks in the past through these entities.

• The Department of Health and Human Services will finalize a rule regarding health record privacy laws to remove barriers to states providing mental health records to the background check system.

• The administration will enforce tighter rules for reporting guns that are lost or stolen on their way to the buyer to make it easier for law enforcement to track down missing firearms.

• Federal agencies will encourage and fund more research into technologies that can make guns safer, largely to reduce the risk of accidents.

So this is all about expanding the bureaucracy and targeting sellers.   There are a couple of things in there that are worthwhile, like loosening up the privacy restrictions on mental health records and researching technologies for gun safety, but overall it's pablum.  It's designed to get folks who already like him to like him more.  And to demonize those bastards in Congress who believe the 2nd Amendment is actually worth defending.  There is nothing, nada, about policing initiatives, about going after criminals, about targeting gun violence in places where it's a horrendous problem, and so many other initiatives that could make a difference.  And there was nothing in there about how he's going to launch a Presidential initiative on this.  That he is going to pull out all the stops to reach out to Congress and figure out how they can come up with reasonable compromises that can be enacted into law.  Because it could be done.  But not by him.  Not by someone who holds people who simply disagree with him in contempt.  So these feel good, hollow words will gain him some further admiration from the folks who like him and will be swiftly rescinded by the next President, assuming HiLIARy isn't in the Oval Office with Bubba next door entertaining the interns.  

And here's another thing.  I know this won't be popular with all the fawning sycophants, but it is bad, really bad, when the President of the United States cries on national television.  It doesn't make him look compassionate, it makes him look weak.  It doesn't show he cares, it shows he is powerless.  And although this is a domestic issue, it carries over to how he is viewed by our enemies.  They will remember.  He has already shown his weakness in so many ways...this will just add fuel to the fire.

Grandpas

I can relate to this.  I am continually getting into hot water for all kinds of things with my grandkids.  I fully admit to being a softy.  If they want something, they usually get it.  Sorry...but that's the way it is.  Let someone else be the one to say no.  I'm the Grandpa!

Dogs Are Cool!

Cool Pic!

Don't know where this is, but lounging in this tub wouldn't suck!

The Good News

Given the state of media today (all of it) this might just be the rare sighting of good news.  It's not very specific but at least it's a reminder that there are some pretty cool things happening out there.  Think of the advances in medicine, transportation, sanitation, human rights, etc.  It ain't all great, but it ain't all bad.  So stop every once in a while and reflect that maybe things are as bad as the talking heads on the boob tube tell you.  Hyperbole rules the day.  Don't let it rule your life!

Hold On To Your Horses

Because it's going to be an interesting year!

2015

I'm a looking forward kind of guy.  But I gaze in wonder at some of the crazy shenanigans going on around us.  Saw this end of the year column by George Will (one of my favorites by the way) and had to share.  We really do put up with some crazy stuff.  And unfortunately a lot of the stuff emanates from government.  Remember that "government of the people" thing?  Why do we put up with this crap?  Ever wonder why the Gas Bag is getting traction?  Read this...

George Will: A list of 2015's ludicrousness

By GEORGE WILL

E.B. White reportedly said “the most beautiful sound in America” is “the tinkle of ice at twilight.” In 2015’s twilight, fortify yourself with something 90 proof as you remember this year in which:

We learned that a dismal threshold has been passed. The value of property that police departments seized through civil-asset forfeiture — usually without accusing, let alone convicting, the property owners of a crime — exceeded the value of property stolen by nongovernment burglars. The attorney general of New York, which reaps billions from gambling — casinos, off-track betting, the state lottery — moved to extinguish (competition from) fantasy football because it is gambling. Florida police raided a mahjong game played by four women aged between 87 and 95 because their game’s stakes allegedly exceeded the $10 limit set by state law. A Michigan woman was fingerprinted, had her mug shot taken and was jailed until released on bond because she was late in renewing the $10 license for her dog. New Jersey police arrested a 72-year-old retired teacher, chained his hands and feet to a bench and charged him with illegally carrying a firearm — a 300-year-old flintlock pistol (with no powder, flint or ball) he purchased from an antique dealer.

The University of Georgia said sexual consent must be “voluntary, sober, imaginative, enthusiastic, creative, wanted, informed, mutual, honest.” Imaginative consent? Connecting climate change to sex, the National Bureau of Economic Research warned that hot weather leads to diminished sexual activity. Elsewhere in “settled science,” the government’s dietary rules were revised, somewhat rehabilitating red meat, sodium, eggs and other good stuff. Undaunted, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee produced a 571-page report calling for “bold actions” and “dramatic paradigm shifts” until mother-hen government yet again says, “Well, never mind.” Since federal food police dictated changes in school lunch programs, food tossed in the trash is up 56 percent, salt shakers are being smuggled into schools, and there are black markets in potato chips.

The IRS persecutes conservative advocacy groups but does not prosecute IRS employees who are tax cheats: An audit revealed that over the last decade, the IRS fired only 400 of the 1,580 employees who deliberately violated tax laws, rather than the 100 percent required by law.

New York’s City Council honored the “bravery” of Ethel Rosenberg, the executed traitor who spied for Stalin. Declaring her candidacy, Hillary Clinton said she will fight for, among many others, “truckers who drive for hours.” Yes, hours. Elsewhere, she rejected the presumption of innocence, aka due process: Those alleging sexual assault have “the right to be believed,” which she did not believe when her husband was the accused.

A 9-year-old Florida fourth-grader was threatened with sexual harassment charges if he continued to write love notes telling the apple of his eye that her eyes sparkle “like diamonds.” A Texas 9-year-old was suspended for saying his magic ring could make people disappear. A young girl was sent home with a censorious note from her school because her Wonder Woman lunchbox violated the school ban on depictions of “violent characters.” An Oregon eighth-grader, whose brother served in Iraq, was suspended for wearing a T-shirt that depicted an empty pair of boots representing soldiers killed in action. The school said the shirt was “not appropriate.” A Tennessee boy was threatened with suspension from elementary school because he came to school with a military-style haircut like that of his stepbrother, a soldier. A government arbitrator prevented the firing of a New Jersey elementary school teacher who was late to school 111 times in two years.

A suburban Washington high school promoted self-esteem by naming 117 valedictorians out of a class of 457. Two Edina, Minn., elementary schools hired “recess consultants” to minimize “conflict” — children saying “Hey, you’re out!” rather than “Nice try!” The principal of a San Francisco middle school withheld the results of student elections that did not produce properly “diverse” results. When some deep thinkers in academia decided that yoga, like ethnic food, constitutes “cultural appropriation,” a clear thinker wondered whether offended cultures would send back our polio vaccines. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni reported that 48 of the top 52 liberal arts colleges and universities do not require English majors to take a Shakespeare course.

This list of 2015 ludicrousness could be lengthened indefinitely, but enough already. The common thread is the collapse of judgment in, and the infantilization of society by, government. Happier New Year.

George Will is a columnist for The Washington Post.