Tomorrow is election day in Mexico.
For what they're worth, in a nation famous for making Chicago elections look like saintly affairs, the polls show Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) as the front-runner. We'll see if the powers that be allow an end to the PRI-PAN duopoly that has governed Mexico during the 21st century, and permit AMLO's coalition, led by his "Morena" party, to win. AMLO, a former moderately successful mayor of Mexico City, is running on a "Mexico First" platform, and promises to do all sorts of things about corruption, the drug war, local wages, protection of farmers, and vague promises about standing up to the USA. AMLO, of course, has run for President twice before, and, probably, got cheated out of the office, at least one of those times.
AMLO has said some extraordinarily stupid things during the campaign as he tries to look lefty and tough, including his call for the Mexican government to defend Mexican and Central American migrants to the USA, calling migration to the USA a basic human right (Note: No, no, it's not). To the extent that the notoriously provincial US media pay attention to Mexico's elections, those sort of comments seem to provoke that media into seeing AMLO's predicted victory as some sort of reaction to Donald Trump--you know, RESIST! Let me be the first to let our media overlords in on a little secret: Not everything that happens in the world is a negative reaction to Donald Trump. Beyond that, while AMLO seems running a leftist campaign, his track record in office is not really all that leftist for Latin America. He did, after all, hire Rudy Giuliani to help him devise an anti-crime program for Mexico City. He has a record of working with the private sector on infrastructure and has mixed views on NAFTA.
AMLO, for the information of our anti-Trump media, is one of the few Mexican politicians critical of Obama-Holder's outrageous "gun-walking" "Operation Fast and Furious" (about which I have written a great deal, here and here, for example) that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Mexicans and, at least, two US federal agents. Obama and Holder, as readers know, conducted this criminal gun smuggling operation in an effort to blame US gun stores and gun laws for the violence in Mexico. While the US media ignored or lied about the scandal, AMLO actually focussed on it, and his outrage might, if he wins, lead to a severe curtailment of DEA and other US counter-drug operations in Mexico. So Obama leaves us another legacy. Main stream media, focus on that one.
I have spent a lot of time in Mexico both on vacation and in connection with my previous work for the State Department. I love Mexico City and its world-class museums, theaters, and restaurants. I love Mexico's history and encourage everybody to read up on it, especially the Mexican Revolution. The country right now, however, is not one in which I would spend any amount of time. It's a violent mess, perhaps at an almost historic level (pace the Revolution). It's also a country covertly at war with the US. I have written about that before.
If an AMLO administration goes openly lefty and anti-USA, I, for one, would welcome that. I am tired of seeing Mexico referred to as a friend. It's not; it's a country with a very great animus toward and resentment for the US. Might as well have an honest opponent than the long line of past "friends" in the Presidential Palace.
Time to build the wall, end chain migration, close a dozen or more Mexican consulates, and get out of NAFTA. A President AMLO would help us attain those goals.
Wracked with angst over the fate of our beloved and horribly misgoverned Republic, the DiploMad returns to do battle on the world wide web, swearing death to political correctness, and pulling no punches.
Saturday, June 30, 2018
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Progs: Out of Red Pills, Blame the Victim, and Weaponize Children
The fantasy, red-pill-free world of today's prog is a truly amazing and frightening one of contradictory conclusions and emotions based on delusions and illusions. Let's have some scary fun and look at a bit of this world. Not too much, just a bit. All we can stand, in other words.
"Immigration" Invasion, Blame the Victim:
Ah, yes, so-called "immigration" is a perennial favorite in prog world. "Immigration" has lots of useful aspects to it: a prog can label anybody opposed to unfettered "immigration" as a racist, this at the same time that progs, e.g., Nancy Pelosi, hail the coming "browning" of America and accuse anybody who hails the current "whiteness"of America as a racist. Progs, please remember, are allowed to think in terms of race, the rest of us, well, not so much.
The immigration topic is one in which the prog craziness and inability to think logically is very visible. We start with those coming to the USA. The vast majority are from what we once called Third World countries, and are what the progs call "persons of color." Why do they come? Well, the progs tells us that they come because they flee oppression, injustice, lack of rule of law, inequality, and well, just because, well, they want to. They come from great cultures that we must respect, accommodate, and emulate, well, emulate only up to the point that we don't appropriate them, while they, of course, have the right to appropriate our culture, but . . . don't go further down that line of RACIST thought! We cannot label their countries sh*tholes, and while they have great cultures and are from wonderful places, it is an injustice of huge proportions to ask them to live in their own countries and to send back the ones who violate our laws. We cannot separate families nor can we send back whole family units because . . . RACIST!
The progs do not want us to differentiate between lawful immigrants and criminal aliens. They are all in one big bucket of voters and constituents for prog government programs.
Our nation, it seems, is just a jumble of rapacious capitalism, fascism, racism, white supremacy, and Judeo-Christian intolerance and we are often rightfully compared to the NAZIS! Because as we all know, the Gestapo and the SS arrested and jailed Jews because millions of Jews were trying to get into Nazi Germany to live, and sent them to death camps or firing squads. We are doing exactly the same with the tide of "asylum" seekers, "refugees," and undocumented "immigrants." It is exactly like the NAZIS! Right?
We are not allowed to question why "persons of color" would want to give up their fabulous cultures to live in the evil, patriarchal, white supremacist USA . . . DON'T ASK THAT QUESTION, YOU DEPLORABLE RAAAAAAACIST!
The US is at fault because people want to live here. I wrote nearly three years ago about the phenomenon of the world wanting to live in the countries created by White Dudes. That phenomenon continues.
We are aggressors because we want to control, just a bit, who lives among us. The USA, please note, takes more migrants of all types than any other country on earth, but it is the US that the Jordanian head of the UN human rights organization singles out for harsh criticism for allegedly "separating" families at the border--maybe Jordan should do something about the so-called Palestinian "refugees"? The UN says nothing about the draconian immigration laws in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America. No human rights violation charges, furthermore, are leveled against the governments of Mexico, Cuba, any of the Central American countries, China, Syria, Nigeria, etc., for failing to promote societies in which people wish to live with their children. Nothing is said about the prog organizations, allied with human traffickers, corrupt officials, lying and scandal-mongering journalists, and demogogic politicians, such as Mexican Presidential candidate Manuel Lopez Obrador, who called for Mexicans and Central Americans to "flood" the USA in the name of "North American open borders." Lopez Obrador, of course, borrowed that call for an invasion and occupation from Turkey's Erdogan.
As noted below, this insanity exploits and kills children, including the children of Americans killed by MS-13. But, of course, the OUTRAGE! and the focus of the virtue-signalers and their friends, well, that will remain on bogus stories of mistreatment at the hands of beleaguered Border Patrol agents.
Weaponize the Kids:
To generate big messy crises, the progs resort to a time-tested weapon, to wit, children. Remember the pictures of the drowned Syrian boy in the Mediterranean? How that would shame Europe into accepting a tidal wave of fake "refugees"? It worked. Nobody put the shame where it belonged, i.e., on the Arab producers of "refugees." It was white Christian Europe's fault. The Arabs, of course, are old experts at using kids to fake up OUTRAGE! Hamas, the PLO/PLA, and others are quite good at putting out fake stories of Arab children murdered at the hands of Israelis and at pushing kids into situations where they will get killed by soldiers defending themselves. Saddam, too, was a master at placing anti-aircraft guns next to schools and hospitals. The progs, given perhaps their Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Islam, are quite adept at using that tactic, too. Children for gun control; children for abortion; children for transgender rights; and, of course, children at the border for open borders.
"Immigration" Invasion, Blame the Victim:
Ah, yes, so-called "immigration" is a perennial favorite in prog world. "Immigration" has lots of useful aspects to it: a prog can label anybody opposed to unfettered "immigration" as a racist, this at the same time that progs, e.g., Nancy Pelosi, hail the coming "browning" of America and accuse anybody who hails the current "whiteness"of America as a racist. Progs, please remember, are allowed to think in terms of race, the rest of us, well, not so much.
The immigration topic is one in which the prog craziness and inability to think logically is very visible. We start with those coming to the USA. The vast majority are from what we once called Third World countries, and are what the progs call "persons of color." Why do they come? Well, the progs tells us that they come because they flee oppression, injustice, lack of rule of law, inequality, and well, just because, well, they want to. They come from great cultures that we must respect, accommodate, and emulate, well, emulate only up to the point that we don't appropriate them, while they, of course, have the right to appropriate our culture, but . . . don't go further down that line of RACIST thought! We cannot label their countries sh*tholes, and while they have great cultures and are from wonderful places, it is an injustice of huge proportions to ask them to live in their own countries and to send back the ones who violate our laws. We cannot separate families nor can we send back whole family units because . . . RACIST!
The progs do not want us to differentiate between lawful immigrants and criminal aliens. They are all in one big bucket of voters and constituents for prog government programs.
Our nation, it seems, is just a jumble of rapacious capitalism, fascism, racism, white supremacy, and Judeo-Christian intolerance and we are often rightfully compared to the NAZIS! Because as we all know, the Gestapo and the SS arrested and jailed Jews because millions of Jews were trying to get into Nazi Germany to live, and sent them to death camps or firing squads. We are doing exactly the same with the tide of "asylum" seekers, "refugees," and undocumented "immigrants." It is exactly like the NAZIS! Right?
We are not allowed to question why "persons of color" would want to give up their fabulous cultures to live in the evil, patriarchal, white supremacist USA . . . DON'T ASK THAT QUESTION, YOU DEPLORABLE RAAAAAAACIST!
The US is at fault because people want to live here. I wrote nearly three years ago about the phenomenon of the world wanting to live in the countries created by White Dudes. That phenomenon continues.
We are aggressors because we want to control, just a bit, who lives among us. The USA, please note, takes more migrants of all types than any other country on earth, but it is the US that the Jordanian head of the UN human rights organization singles out for harsh criticism for allegedly "separating" families at the border--maybe Jordan should do something about the so-called Palestinian "refugees"? The UN says nothing about the draconian immigration laws in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America. No human rights violation charges, furthermore, are leveled against the governments of Mexico, Cuba, any of the Central American countries, China, Syria, Nigeria, etc., for failing to promote societies in which people wish to live with their children. Nothing is said about the prog organizations, allied with human traffickers, corrupt officials, lying and scandal-mongering journalists, and demogogic politicians, such as Mexican Presidential candidate Manuel Lopez Obrador, who called for Mexicans and Central Americans to "flood" the USA in the name of "North American open borders." Lopez Obrador, of course, borrowed that call for an invasion and occupation from Turkey's Erdogan.
As noted below, this insanity exploits and kills children, including the children of Americans killed by MS-13. But, of course, the OUTRAGE! and the focus of the virtue-signalers and their friends, well, that will remain on bogus stories of mistreatment at the hands of beleaguered Border Patrol agents.
Weaponize the Kids:
To generate big messy crises, the progs resort to a time-tested weapon, to wit, children. Remember the pictures of the drowned Syrian boy in the Mediterranean? How that would shame Europe into accepting a tidal wave of fake "refugees"? It worked. Nobody put the shame where it belonged, i.e., on the Arab producers of "refugees." It was white Christian Europe's fault. The Arabs, of course, are old experts at using kids to fake up OUTRAGE! Hamas, the PLO/PLA, and others are quite good at putting out fake stories of Arab children murdered at the hands of Israelis and at pushing kids into situations where they will get killed by soldiers defending themselves. Saddam, too, was a master at placing anti-aircraft guns next to schools and hospitals. The progs, given perhaps their Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Islam, are quite adept at using that tactic, too. Children for gun control; children for abortion; children for transgender rights; and, of course, children at the border for open borders.
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Trump Deals with the Prog Border Madness
Couple of days ago, I wrote a little piece which dealt with the progressives' latest calculated dramatic OUTRAGE! meltdown over children at the border being separated from "their" parents.
It's nonsense, of course, and the OUTRAGE! by people who suddenly LOVE CHILDREN and FAMILIES (Planned Parenthood, please stay in the shadows for a bit) is really about collapsing what's left of our immigration system, importing hundreds-of-thousands of new voters and enrollees for government-funded programs, including public schools and hospitals. In essence, the progs declare our borders open to any and all, thereby, irrevocably changing the nature of our culture and social structure--see what's happening in the UK, the Netherlands, and California for a glimpse of our potential national future.
In addition, of course, this burst of OUTRAGE! was timed to bury the genuinely outrageous scandal being revealed about how Obama's misadministration put the FBI and other intelligence services to work for the political benefit of the DNC and Hillary Clinton.
The policy of separating children from adults illegally entering the country has been a long-standing one and for good reason, e.g., pedophiles, child sex trafficking, child workers, etc. You know the reasons. It was done under Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump. The press and Hollywood only get excited by these things when the DNC decides it's time to get excited about them. As soon as that decision has been made, well, we all know that, "Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia," and "Stalin always fought Hitler." The previous statements by Feinstein, the two Clintons, Schumer, etc., condemning illegal immigration and telling us that just because an alien has a child here doesn't mean he or she gets in, are all now inoperative, consigned to the dustbin, never existed . . . because, because . . . you're a racist if you bring that up!
Congress has proven itself unable and unwilling to deal with the mess created by it and progressive court rulings. President Trump has stepped in to kinda, sorta fix the problem with an executive order of his own--one that won't work, I am sorry to say.
Do not rely on the press reports or the spin doctors of either side. Please read it; here it is in its entirety,
This EO has some clever wording which the progs will never accept, to wit, "A legal parent-child relation." How's that going to be proven? That's the last thing the traffickers and their prog enablers want. They can't, in the vast majority of cases, prove that relationship short of expensive and time consuming DNA tests. That ain't going to happen. This is a child trafficking scheme in which the kids are the pawns of criminals, progressive activists in the US, and complicit Mexican and Central American officials. In effect, nothing changes after this order because the progs, the traffickers, the Mexican and Central American officials will make sure it is impossible to prove any such relationship and thereby keep the current crisis going as kids are "separated from their parents."
Time to build the wall, and build it now. That will stop much of this sort of criminal trafficking and fake crisis manufacturing.
It's nonsense, of course, and the OUTRAGE! by people who suddenly LOVE CHILDREN and FAMILIES (Planned Parenthood, please stay in the shadows for a bit) is really about collapsing what's left of our immigration system, importing hundreds-of-thousands of new voters and enrollees for government-funded programs, including public schools and hospitals. In essence, the progs declare our borders open to any and all, thereby, irrevocably changing the nature of our culture and social structure--see what's happening in the UK, the Netherlands, and California for a glimpse of our potential national future.
In addition, of course, this burst of OUTRAGE! was timed to bury the genuinely outrageous scandal being revealed about how Obama's misadministration put the FBI and other intelligence services to work for the political benefit of the DNC and Hillary Clinton.
The policy of separating children from adults illegally entering the country has been a long-standing one and for good reason, e.g., pedophiles, child sex trafficking, child workers, etc. You know the reasons. It was done under Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump. The press and Hollywood only get excited by these things when the DNC decides it's time to get excited about them. As soon as that decision has been made, well, we all know that, "Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia," and "Stalin always fought Hitler." The previous statements by Feinstein, the two Clintons, Schumer, etc., condemning illegal immigration and telling us that just because an alien has a child here doesn't mean he or she gets in, are all now inoperative, consigned to the dustbin, never existed . . . because, because . . . you're a racist if you bring that up!
Congress has proven itself unable and unwilling to deal with the mess created by it and progressive court rulings. President Trump has stepped in to kinda, sorta fix the problem with an executive order of his own--one that won't work, I am sorry to say.
Do not rely on the press reports or the spin doctors of either side. Please read it; here it is in its entirety,
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq., it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy. It is the policy of this Administration to rigorously enforce our immigration laws. Under our laws, the only legal way for an alien to enter this country is at a designated port of entry at an appropriate time. When an alien enters or attempts to enter the country anywhere else, that alien has committed at least the crime of improper entry and is subject to a fine or imprisonment under section 1325(a) of title 8, United States Code. This Administration will initiate proceedings to enforce this and other criminal provisions of the INA until and unless Congress directs otherwise. It is also the policy of this Administration to maintain family unity, including by detaining alien families together where appropriate and consistent with law and available resources. It is unfortunate that Congress’s failure to act and court orders have put the Administration in the position of separating alien families to effectively enforce the law.
Sec. 2. Definitions. For purposes of this order, the following definitions apply:
(a) “Alien family” means
(i) any person not a citizen or national of the United States who has not been admitted into, or is not authorized to enter or remain in, the United States, who entered this country with an alien child or alien children at or between designated ports of entry and who was detained; and
(ii) that person’s alien child or alien children.
(b) “Alien child” means any person not a citizen or national of the United States who
(i) has not been admitted into, or is not authorized to enter or remain in, the United States;
(ii) is under the age of 18; and
(iii) has a legal parent-child relationship to an alien who entered the United States with the alien child at or between designated ports of entry and who was detained.
Sec. 3. Temporary Detention Policy for Families Entering this Country Illegally.
(a) The Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary), shall, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of appropriations, maintain custody of alien families during the pendency of any criminal improper entry or immigration proceedings involving their members.
(b) The Secretary shall not, however, detain an alien family together when there is a concern that detention of an alien child with the child’s alien parent would pose a risk to the child’s welfare.
(c) The Secretary of Defense shall take all legally available measures to provide to the Secretary, upon request, any existing facilities available for the housing and care of alien families, and shall construct such facilities if necessary and consistent with law. The Secretary, to the extent permitted by law, shall be responsible for reimbursement for the use of these facilities.
(d) Heads of executive departments and agencies shall, to the extent consistent with law, make available to the Secretary, for the housing and care of alien families pending court proceedings for improper entry, any facilities that are appropriate for such purposes. The Secretary, to the extent permitted by law, shall be responsible for reimbursement for the use of these facilities.
(e) The Attorney General shall promptly file a request with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to modify the Settlement Agreement in Flores v. Sessions, CV 85-4544 (“Flores settlement”), in a manner that would permit the Secretary, under present resource constraints, to detain alien families together throughout the pendency of criminal proceedings for improper entry or any removal or other immigration proceedings
Sec. 4. Prioritization of Immigration Proceedings Involving Alien Families. The Attorney General shall, to the extent practicable, prioritize the adjudication of cases involving detained families.
Sec. 5. General Provisions.
(a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented in a manner consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
DONALD J. TRUMP
THE WHITE HOUSE,
June 20, 2018
This EO has some clever wording which the progs will never accept, to wit, "A legal parent-child relation." How's that going to be proven? That's the last thing the traffickers and their prog enablers want. They can't, in the vast majority of cases, prove that relationship short of expensive and time consuming DNA tests. That ain't going to happen. This is a child trafficking scheme in which the kids are the pawns of criminals, progressive activists in the US, and complicit Mexican and Central American officials. In effect, nothing changes after this order because the progs, the traffickers, the Mexican and Central American officials will make sure it is impossible to prove any such relationship and thereby keep the current crisis going as kids are "separated from their parents."
Time to build the wall, and build it now. That will stop much of this sort of criminal trafficking and fake crisis manufacturing.
Monday, June 18, 2018
At the Border of Progressive Madness
On numerous occasions over the past few years, I have posted on this little blog some pieces on how when progressives announce that they are suddenly concerned, feeling "OUTRAGE!" over something, they are really talking about something else. I have discussed progressive "OUTRAGE!" over Confederate flags and statues; the very use of words; the evils of voter id; the pressing need for gay marriage; and, of course, the urgent requirement to fight against all forms of racial inequality. In all those little postings, I note that the ostensible target of progressive wrath is never whatever "OUTRAGE!" the well-coordinated talking points of the moment are highlighting in the legacy and social media, the universities, the halls of political power, and on the streets.
So what is the latest manifestation of progressive "OUTRAGE!" to fall upon us? What "OUTRAGE!" are the progs pushing today to get us not to think about the FBI scandal, Hillary's corruption, and the failed Russia hoax?
Why it's children at the border! Of course! Children! "Refugee" children! Who doesn't like children--except, of course, for Planned Parenthood? The current children theme is a variation of an earlier children at the border "OUTRAGE!" I wrote about that here, here and here, among many others, and most recently here. In one of those pieces, I noted that,
Oops! Did I just write C-R-I-M-I-N-A-L-S? Yes. There, I wrote it again.
So what is the latest manifestation of progressive "OUTRAGE!" to fall upon us? What "OUTRAGE!" are the progs pushing today to get us not to think about the FBI scandal, Hillary's corruption, and the failed Russia hoax?
Why it's children at the border! Of course! Children! "Refugee" children! Who doesn't like children--except, of course, for Planned Parenthood? The current children theme is a variation of an earlier children at the border "OUTRAGE!" I wrote about that here, here and here, among many others, and most recently here. In one of those pieces, I noted that,
[W]e do not see the "children" go from, say, violent Honduras to nearby peaceful Nicaragua or Costa Rica. No, the "children" take a 1200 mile trek across dangerous Mexico to come to the USA, where they are welcomed by Progressive policies of free stuff.Now we are treated to the spectacle of US border officials ripping children away from their loving "parents"--and we don't know if they're the parents. "Separated," yes, "separated" is now the new evil word! Curse you, Trump! This never happened under previous Presidents! Hollywood types are all abuzz; the word "NAZI" makes a frequent appearance. Hillary Clinton, her very self, is now up-in-arms over taking children from their "parents." The woman who told us that it takes a village to rear our kids doesn't like that village when it's run by Trump. The same progs who have set forward and funded billions upon billions of dollars worth of programs that take children from American parents--"Child Services," anybody?--object to children being separated temporarily from foreign criminals.
Oops! Did I just write C-R-I-M-I-N-A-L-S? Yes. There, I wrote it again.
Folks, as you we'll know, these "asylum" seekers are, in fact, criminals. If nothing else, they are child trafficking coyotes.
First of all, we must question their love for the kids if they are putting them through a brutal and illegal trip; this is child trafficking at its worst. Second, if they were legitimate asylum seekers, they would go to a legal border crossing, and claim asylum. They would get a respectful hearing, and "their" kids would not be ripped away. Instead, of course, these "asylum" seekers have allowed themselves to become pawns in a cynical and ILLEGAL process that exploits children. This stunt is pushed by well-funded progressive activists, abetted by Mexican officials, with the intention of collapsing our immigration system and creating a fake but very loud and visible political and humanitarian "crisis."
I repeat, people crossing our border illegally, that pesky word, are, by definition, breaking the law and engaging in criminal behavior. If a bank robber were to show up at the bank with his kids and get arrested, would the kids stay with him? No. Child Services, anybody? We don't keep minor children incarcerated with adult criminals; imagine the "OUTRAGE!" were we to do that.
First of all, we must question their love for the kids if they are putting them through a brutal and illegal trip; this is child trafficking at its worst. Second, if they were legitimate asylum seekers, they would go to a legal border crossing, and claim asylum. They would get a respectful hearing, and "their" kids would not be ripped away. Instead, of course, these "asylum" seekers have allowed themselves to become pawns in a cynical and ILLEGAL process that exploits children. This stunt is pushed by well-funded progressive activists, abetted by Mexican officials, with the intention of collapsing our immigration system and creating a fake but very loud and visible political and humanitarian "crisis."
I repeat, people crossing our border illegally, that pesky word, are, by definition, breaking the law and engaging in criminal behavior. If a bank robber were to show up at the bank with his kids and get arrested, would the kids stay with him? No. Child Services, anybody? We don't keep minor children incarcerated with adult criminals; imagine the "OUTRAGE!" were we to do that.
Another fake crisis.
And as a post script I would note, that if it isn't a fake crisis, why do these people, these supposed parents, keep coming? You'd think they would want to avoid having their children ripped away, and forced to live in a racist and fascist country. The Jews, after all, did not run TOWARDS the concentration camps. Just a thought.
And as a post script I would note, that if it isn't a fake crisis, why do these people, these supposed parents, keep coming? You'd think they would want to avoid having their children ripped away, and forced to live in a racist and fascist country. The Jews, after all, did not run TOWARDS the concentration camps. Just a thought.
Friday, June 15, 2018
The IG Report and Comey
Not going to pretend I read the whole thing. No way. I will get around to it, but 560 or so pages of a government document is just a little too much given all the other stuff I am doing right now. From what I have read, however, and from the analyses that have been shooting out all over media world, it seems the report is quite damning for Comey, his immediate circle, the FBI, in general, and former AG Lynch--who gets nailed (sorta) for her outrageous tarmac meeting with Bill Clinton. It also does Hillary Clinton no favors, finding that it seems almost certain foreign intel services got into her private server and gained access to the illegally stored classified information there.
Look, there's a lot in the report, I am uncomfortable going into too much detail about something I have not read in its entirety. I don't like relying on media accounts of these sorts of things. I don't like spin whether it's from Fox, CNN, or MSNBC. One area of particular concern for me, which I don't think the report deals with, is Comey's motivations for how he behaved, although the report says he was "insubordinate," and, btw, used a private email account for government business.
I have written before about Comey (here, here, and here) and noted back in July 2016 that the Democrats had a legitimate complaint against Comey and his public comments about the Clinton investigation. The Republicans, of course, had a valid point, too, noting that despite the detailed listing of all the misdeeds committed by Hillary Clinton, Comey had decided not to pursue criminal charges against her. His was a bizarre performance made even weirder when a few weeks later, he announced he had reopened the investigation into her emails because a big clump of them had been found on Anthony Weiner's laptop. All of this, the IG notes was not in keeping with FBI protocol, and clearly implies that Comey thought himself a power onto himself ("insubordinate"), and that Lynch proved an absolutely horrendous manager and leader of the DOJ.
Democrats, including Hillary, herself, have taken to various media platforms arguing that Comey's press conference shows that Comey favored Trump in the election by his actions if not his words. They note that he did not reveal, for example, that the FBI was investigating Trump-Russia, but did reveal the FBI was investigating Hillary-email. Well, friends, the Dems are not completely accurate on this and are hiding some aspects of what I think was happening inside the FBI. Note, of course, that the NYT and other outlets, in fact, were reporting on an FBI investigation of Trump-Russia before the election, and doing so on the basis of leaks coming from DOJ/FBI. More important, however, I understand from friends close to the FBI, there was a brewing revolt in the ranks over how the FBI leadership was handling Hillary Clinton with kid gloves. I think Comey sought to get ahead of that revolt by holding his infamous July 5, 2016 presser, and tried to split the baby--not very successfully. In addition, of course, Comey probably did not want a lot of attention on the FBI's Trump-Russia collusion investigation because he knew it was based on the fraudulent Steele Dossier and other questionable shenanigans, including dubious, to say the least, "unmasking" and FISA processes. As revealed by the IG report, the FBI/DOJ leadership assumed that HRC would win the November election, and, therefore, all of this illegal and unethical behavior would remain secret--commentary on it merely coming from those of us in the "POS" crowd.
Anyhow, just some thoughts. I hope to give the report a more detailed look in the next few days.
Look, there's a lot in the report, I am uncomfortable going into too much detail about something I have not read in its entirety. I don't like relying on media accounts of these sorts of things. I don't like spin whether it's from Fox, CNN, or MSNBC. One area of particular concern for me, which I don't think the report deals with, is Comey's motivations for how he behaved, although the report says he was "insubordinate," and, btw, used a private email account for government business.
I have written before about Comey (here, here, and here) and noted back in July 2016 that the Democrats had a legitimate complaint against Comey and his public comments about the Clinton investigation. The Republicans, of course, had a valid point, too, noting that despite the detailed listing of all the misdeeds committed by Hillary Clinton, Comey had decided not to pursue criminal charges against her. His was a bizarre performance made even weirder when a few weeks later, he announced he had reopened the investigation into her emails because a big clump of them had been found on Anthony Weiner's laptop. All of this, the IG notes was not in keeping with FBI protocol, and clearly implies that Comey thought himself a power onto himself ("insubordinate"), and that Lynch proved an absolutely horrendous manager and leader of the DOJ.
Democrats, including Hillary, herself, have taken to various media platforms arguing that Comey's press conference shows that Comey favored Trump in the election by his actions if not his words. They note that he did not reveal, for example, that the FBI was investigating Trump-Russia, but did reveal the FBI was investigating Hillary-email. Well, friends, the Dems are not completely accurate on this and are hiding some aspects of what I think was happening inside the FBI. Note, of course, that the NYT and other outlets, in fact, were reporting on an FBI investigation of Trump-Russia before the election, and doing so on the basis of leaks coming from DOJ/FBI. More important, however, I understand from friends close to the FBI, there was a brewing revolt in the ranks over how the FBI leadership was handling Hillary Clinton with kid gloves. I think Comey sought to get ahead of that revolt by holding his infamous July 5, 2016 presser, and tried to split the baby--not very successfully. In addition, of course, Comey probably did not want a lot of attention on the FBI's Trump-Russia collusion investigation because he knew it was based on the fraudulent Steele Dossier and other questionable shenanigans, including dubious, to say the least, "unmasking" and FISA processes. As revealed by the IG report, the FBI/DOJ leadership assumed that HRC would win the November election, and, therefore, all of this illegal and unethical behavior would remain secret--commentary on it merely coming from those of us in the "POS" crowd.
Anyhow, just some thoughts. I hope to give the report a more detailed look in the next few days.
Thursday, June 14, 2018
And Quiet Flows the Don . . . nah
First, apologies to Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov, and I hope I don't owe him royalties for stealing the title of his novel about the Cossacks.
Second, what more can be said about Donald Trump on the international scene and the over-the-top, hysterical reaction to his undoubted successes by the proponents of the current World Order? I think I have said it all. No, not really, give me a keyboard and I can always blurt something more.
Let's do a wrap up to the G-7 meeting, which I discussed before.
OK, Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): President Trump left that gabfest early so he could save the world from nuclear war, but his opponents couldn't stand it.
PM Justin Bieber Trudeau put on his/her/zhe big boy/girl/nonbinary pants, hid the floral socks, and made oh-so-brave comments about Trump while the President was in the air. Trump, of course, couldn't and wouldn't let it pass, and noted his surprise at Trudeau's new-found boldness when, in fact, during the meetings he had been quite meek and mild; Trump restated how American workers and industries are getting the shaft from tariffs and other restrictions imposed by our "allies." Trump told our negotiators not to sign the G-7 communique. The MSM press, of course, had a field day going on about how Trump has blown up the alliance system, maligned our allies, and divorced America from Europe. A note in passing to MSM: the divorce papers were signed in 1776, and unlike the prog-establishment created mess in Britain today on Brexit, there is no redo, no matter how much prog world would like one.
When I was at State, unity with our allies meant giving in to them. We would sign absurd declarations just to preserve "unity." The G-7 is like that. We go along with the nonsense about climate, gender equality, go lukewarm on ISIS ("Daesh"), yada, yada, yada, and get nothing in return for our people. This latest one (here) was just another mostly no-calorie, word salad but which had some sneaky stuff about synchronizing tax schemes (read it, you'll see; it's an obvious shot at our efforts to lower tax rates). To steal a phrase from Honest Abe, "The world will little note nor long remember what we say here today . . . ." Trump ain't buying it. Good. An alliance is a two-way street. An alliance with the current crop of globalist nonsense peddlers (Japan excepted) is real tough. I would note, for example, that one of those allies Angela Merkel, by name, has done more damage to Europe and Western security and values that anybody else in my lifetime. That is not an ally.
The MSM/Democrat Party reaction to the Singapore summit is also nonsensical. One gets the impression that these bien pensants would prefer the status quo, including the threat of a possible nuclear war on the Korean peninsula, than support President Trump's gutsy effort to change matters for the better--and there should be no doubt, Trump dominated that summit meeting. All of a sudden we hear strident patriotism from the likes of Rachel Maddow and others of that ilk bemoaning the "sell-out" to Kim by just meeting him, demanding all sorts of things that they never insisted Obama ask from the Mullahs and Castro when he engaged in his disastrous foreign policy forays. I don't see Trump giving Kim billions in cash and dropping sanctions in exchange for vague promises. He has launched a process which might just work, and if it doesn't, well, we are no worse off than we are now. Give the man some credit.
I hope the Don continues to refuse to flow quietly . . .
Second, what more can be said about Donald Trump on the international scene and the over-the-top, hysterical reaction to his undoubted successes by the proponents of the current World Order? I think I have said it all. No, not really, give me a keyboard and I can always blurt something more.
Let's do a wrap up to the G-7 meeting, which I discussed before.
OK, Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): President Trump left that gabfest early so he could save the world from nuclear war, but his opponents couldn't stand it.
PM Justin Bieber Trudeau put on his/her/zhe big boy/girl/nonbinary pants, hid the floral socks, and made oh-so-brave comments about Trump while the President was in the air. Trump, of course, couldn't and wouldn't let it pass, and noted his surprise at Trudeau's new-found boldness when, in fact, during the meetings he had been quite meek and mild; Trump restated how American workers and industries are getting the shaft from tariffs and other restrictions imposed by our "allies." Trump told our negotiators not to sign the G-7 communique. The MSM press, of course, had a field day going on about how Trump has blown up the alliance system, maligned our allies, and divorced America from Europe. A note in passing to MSM: the divorce papers were signed in 1776, and unlike the prog-establishment created mess in Britain today on Brexit, there is no redo, no matter how much prog world would like one.
When I was at State, unity with our allies meant giving in to them. We would sign absurd declarations just to preserve "unity." The G-7 is like that. We go along with the nonsense about climate, gender equality, go lukewarm on ISIS ("Daesh"), yada, yada, yada, and get nothing in return for our people. This latest one (here) was just another mostly no-calorie, word salad but which had some sneaky stuff about synchronizing tax schemes (read it, you'll see; it's an obvious shot at our efforts to lower tax rates). To steal a phrase from Honest Abe, "The world will little note nor long remember what we say here today . . . ." Trump ain't buying it. Good. An alliance is a two-way street. An alliance with the current crop of globalist nonsense peddlers (Japan excepted) is real tough. I would note, for example, that one of those allies Angela Merkel, by name, has done more damage to Europe and Western security and values that anybody else in my lifetime. That is not an ally.
The MSM/Democrat Party reaction to the Singapore summit is also nonsensical. One gets the impression that these bien pensants would prefer the status quo, including the threat of a possible nuclear war on the Korean peninsula, than support President Trump's gutsy effort to change matters for the better--and there should be no doubt, Trump dominated that summit meeting. All of a sudden we hear strident patriotism from the likes of Rachel Maddow and others of that ilk bemoaning the "sell-out" to Kim by just meeting him, demanding all sorts of things that they never insisted Obama ask from the Mullahs and Castro when he engaged in his disastrous foreign policy forays. I don't see Trump giving Kim billions in cash and dropping sanctions in exchange for vague promises. He has launched a process which might just work, and if it doesn't, well, we are no worse off than we are now. Give the man some credit.
I hope the Don continues to refuse to flow quietly . . .
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Just call it the Gee 1 and be done with it . . . .
After another multinational gab fest last January, I noted that
Trump sets the agenda, determines the pace, and sucks the oxygen out of the room at these meetings. And--surprise!--the others have no choice but to go along and serve as his foils; they highlight that Trump alone among them seems the nationalist concerned about his people first, and not at all about the international bureaucrats, their bureaucracy, and communiques.
Trump was correct to call for having Russia back into the G-7-8 process. What have we gained by excluding Russia? It was an act of virtue signaling by Obama and the other "leaders" of the West in the wake of Putin's take-over of Crimea. Is Crimea any more free now than it was when Russia was kicked out? Over four years ago, I wrote about dealing with Russia and Putin which,
Finally, please watch the press conference he held just before leaving Canada (skipping the climate meeting) and heading off to Singapore to meet Kim Jung-un. Can this man handle the press or what? Notice the loaded CNN question at about minute 17; Trump takes no prisoners.
Anyhow, this old Foreign Service Officer stands in awe of Trump's dominance of the international scene.
President Trump is THE rockstar of the global political world. I don't even know why other leaders bother showing up when this POTUS is in town . . . was anybody else at the meeting? Who knows? Who cares?We can make the same observation and ask the same questions after the just-concluded G-7 meeting in Canada. Was there anybody else there who matters? Look at the photos. All the other leaders seem to be crowding around Trump, all eyes on him. As in the GOP primary debates, one would be hard-pressed to recall anything said by any another participant. I don't think we have seen anybody dominate international meetings in this manner since . . . since, uh, well, maybe since Jackie Kennedy accompanied her husband to Paris . . ?
Trump sets the agenda, determines the pace, and sucks the oxygen out of the room at these meetings. And--surprise!--the others have no choice but to go along and serve as his foils; they highlight that Trump alone among them seems the nationalist concerned about his people first, and not at all about the international bureaucrats, their bureaucracy, and communiques.
Trump was correct to call for having Russia back into the G-7-8 process. What have we gained by excluding Russia? It was an act of virtue signaling by Obama and the other "leaders" of the West in the wake of Putin's take-over of Crimea. Is Crimea any more free now than it was when Russia was kicked out? Over four years ago, I wrote about dealing with Russia and Putin which,
will require resolve and determination. With the right policies, however, it should prove considerably less difficult than dealing with the once more powerful USSR. Russia is a much smaller nation, and one in serious demographic decline. It has not resolved its economic problems and has a shaky political system that is not certain to survive the departure--whenever that is--of Putin. What Putin has is Putin. He understands the multiplier effect of determined leadership and how that can make up for many orders of military inferiority.Before that, I wrote a piece on sanctions on Russia which basically said forget about sanctions and just go for energy independence as a way to cripple untoward Russian ambitions. We seem to be doing that, unlike the hapless Obama misadministration. It is now time for serious discussions with Russia, and to bring them into the international game. Russia will always be a problem, but we should be able to handle it better if they're inside the tent rather than out. There is no need to have Russia as an enemy.
Finally, please watch the press conference he held just before leaving Canada (skipping the climate meeting) and heading off to Singapore to meet Kim Jung-un. Can this man handle the press or what? Notice the loaded CNN question at about minute 17; Trump takes no prisoners.
Anyhow, this old Foreign Service Officer stands in awe of Trump's dominance of the international scene.
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
On the EU from the Left
Sorry for the delayed posting. I have been wrapped up in issues of my father's estate, and have ignored my blogging.
A good friend sent me a very interesting article looking at Trump, Merkel, and the EU from a leftist perspective.
I found the piece well worth reading, even if I don't agree with all of its conclusions. The author, as you will see, is none other than Yanis Varoufakis, once Greece's "far left" economic minister, and a prominent member of what I, at the time, called Greece's honest crooks (also here).
He tried to negotiate a better deal for Greece with the EU, and was stymied by mostly Germany, and left office. As I have written many times (here and here, for example) the EU tried to force its members to "swim with an anchor," aka, the euro--some successfully resisted. Varoufakis seems to agree, somewhat, but doesn't reach the same ultimate conclusion that I did, to wit, the EU, itself, is the problem not just the euro and its current crop of leaders. The EU, after all, was overwhelmingly a political project which sought to balance the political, military, and economic power of the United States, and do so with "magic totems" such as the euro and a massive and overpaid bureaucracy. It, of course, failed to do that, as President Trump has amply demonstrated repeatedly, e.g., his easy destruction of the Paris Climate Accord, and of the odious Iran "deal." The EU, in other words, could "balance" the US only as long as the US allowed itself to be checked, in other words, President Obama. Well, Trump ain't Obama; he won't help the Lilliputians tie down the US.
Varoufakis bemoans the EU leadership's obstinate refusal to make reforms, and blames it for the rise of populist movements in Europe that now threaten the whole EU "project." He particularly blames Merkel, as I have, for the EU's current predicament, but seems unable to grasp the monumental error she made by opening Europe to a rapid Muslim invasion. He makes a good case that the EU is heading for the dust bin, e.g., recent Italian elections, but ignores perhaps the single greatest indicator of this, Brexit--something which this humble blog did not. He also attacks Trump and his policies, although understanding their origins, as a threat to the EU project, a project which Varoufakis, it seems, would like to preserve--hey, I said I didn't agree with everything he wrote, right?
Varoufakis sees as negative the rise of movements to defend national sovereignty (I don't and wrote about that here, for example) and lashes out at the Trump administration several times. I, obviously, don't agree with his criticism of President Trump, but it is an interesting and well-written argument. That alone is something to be welcomed in these highly divisive times in which insults and craziness substitute for rational discussion and debate.
Anyhow, hope to have more thoughtful commentary soon. Back to the lawyers.
A good friend sent me a very interesting article looking at Trump, Merkel, and the EU from a leftist perspective.
I found the piece well worth reading, even if I don't agree with all of its conclusions. The author, as you will see, is none other than Yanis Varoufakis, once Greece's "far left" economic minister, and a prominent member of what I, at the time, called Greece's honest crooks (also here).
He tried to negotiate a better deal for Greece with the EU, and was stymied by mostly Germany, and left office. As I have written many times (here and here, for example) the EU tried to force its members to "swim with an anchor," aka, the euro--some successfully resisted. Varoufakis seems to agree, somewhat, but doesn't reach the same ultimate conclusion that I did, to wit, the EU, itself, is the problem not just the euro and its current crop of leaders. The EU, after all, was overwhelmingly a political project which sought to balance the political, military, and economic power of the United States, and do so with "magic totems" such as the euro and a massive and overpaid bureaucracy. It, of course, failed to do that, as President Trump has amply demonstrated repeatedly, e.g., his easy destruction of the Paris Climate Accord, and of the odious Iran "deal." The EU, in other words, could "balance" the US only as long as the US allowed itself to be checked, in other words, President Obama. Well, Trump ain't Obama; he won't help the Lilliputians tie down the US.
Varoufakis bemoans the EU leadership's obstinate refusal to make reforms, and blames it for the rise of populist movements in Europe that now threaten the whole EU "project." He particularly blames Merkel, as I have, for the EU's current predicament, but seems unable to grasp the monumental error she made by opening Europe to a rapid Muslim invasion. He makes a good case that the EU is heading for the dust bin, e.g., recent Italian elections, but ignores perhaps the single greatest indicator of this, Brexit--something which this humble blog did not. He also attacks Trump and his policies, although understanding their origins, as a threat to the EU project, a project which Varoufakis, it seems, would like to preserve--hey, I said I didn't agree with everything he wrote, right?
Varoufakis sees as negative the rise of movements to defend national sovereignty (I don't and wrote about that here, for example) and lashes out at the Trump administration several times. I, obviously, don't agree with his criticism of President Trump, but it is an interesting and well-written argument. That alone is something to be welcomed in these highly divisive times in which insults and craziness substitute for rational discussion and debate.
Anyhow, hope to have more thoughtful commentary soon. Back to the lawyers.