I have been remiss in my blogging duties as a series of events called "life" continues to interfere. I am right now in Wilmington getting ready to head back to Durham. Spent yesterday installing window blinds: never ask me to install window blinds. It ain't pretty. I never quite get the things in straight.
Oh well, I did manage to get in some time at a very nice local range. My S&W M&P 15 performed flawlessly. Beautiful rifle. I ran four 30-round mags loaded with 5.56mm ammo, and one other with .223 in rapid succession. Fired 150 rounds without a single jam or misfire. The mags popped out and in easily and quickly; no fumbling around as I find myself doing with my AK. Accurate bugger, too. Even with my tired old eyes, iron sights, and standing, the thing was punching very nice groupings at 25 yards--the max at this gun range.
OK, back to other not-so-fun stuff.
The summit with NORK dictator Kim:
President Trump handled it beautifully. He has established a relationship with the NORKs that they they will not jeopardize easily. The chances of renewed war in the Korean peninsula have gone down dramatically since Trump took the helm in DC from the Obama/Kerry/Rice/Clinton crowd.
I liked very much that this President, and his very able SecState Pompeo and NSC Advisor Bolton, did not take a bad deal just to take a deal. We saw none of that cringe-inducing Kerry tactic of begging the Iranians for a deal, any deal, and turning over billions in dollars, euros, and gold to the Ayatollas in the dead of night to show the Iranians our sincere eagerness for a deal. We wanted a deal in the worst way, and we got one in the worst way, one which, thankfully, this president has rescinded.
Trump, on the other hand, was willing to walk away without a deal but leaving the process open for future talks. President Trump was quite open about what the NORKs wanted--an end to all sanctions for only a partial dismantling of their nuke program--and how we could not and would not do that. Good for Trump. He has defied the prog media narrative again in which it was claimed that he would do anything to reach a deal with Kim in order to distract from the Cohen testimony and the rest of the Dem narrative on RUSSIA! RUSSIA!
Cohen:
Talk about cringe-inducing! Cohen is a weasel who has been disbarred and is going to prison for a variety of crimes, including, BTW, lying to Congress under oath. This is the Dems' star witness! Wow! Cohen, of course, knew nothing about Russian collusion no matter how many times Debbie Wasserman-Schultz asked the same question--yes, that very same Wasserman-Schultz who allowed Pakistani agents access to the Congressional email server. The Cohen stunt was a dud, a damp petard only kept hissing by the relentless prog media coverage proclaiming it a "BOMBSHELL!" How many "BOMBSHELLS!" are we going to have? The Dems need a new armorer.
One serious issue did come up re Cohen, one which does not reflect well on President Trump. How is it that he had such an incompetent buffoon as his lawyer? That is the issue.
Off to Durham.
Any thoughts on the recent Elliott Abrams controversy?
ReplyDeleteOn Trump's having Cohen as a lawyer:
ReplyDeleteConsider how the legal area has been split into so many segments. One has Criminal Law, Corporate, Tax, et al., and Real Estate. It is clear that Cohen operated only in that last, and knows almost nothing about the other areas.
Hence, his buffoonish claims on, for example, election law.
Green Bear
"never ask me to install window blinds"
ReplyDeleteA home owner who does this should have at his disposal an expansive inventory of four letter words!
Now, unless China shapes up, Trump can throw them the 25% tariff curve ball sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteMan you are living the life. Hope NC treating you well.
ReplyDeleteI HEART NC!
DeleteWe settled here when my husband retired from the Army in 2010 (Pinehurst area). Great minds and all that...
Deleteyou don't have to install blinds well in order to install them "better than professional installers"
ReplyDeletethat said, it's possible to truly mangle a blinds installation... have seen it...
- reader #1482
"never ask me to install window blinds"
ReplyDeleteNever hang wallpaper with your wife or girlfriend. You will hear about it for the rest of your life.
iowaan
this whole investigation thing is a poop-show... Mueller had enough mandate in Manafort (and the reasonable question of whether he made his way into campaign leadership by foreign corrupt practices) to perform an investigation, but it went *way* beyond anything reasonably related to that. He got a big win in that trial, which justified a bit of investigation. Now I would assume that would pacify those concerned with the Manafort situation, as Mueller had access to whatever he wanted and he found nothing. But it doesn't, because the goal isn't justice, the goal is impeachment for monetary purposes. The last thing the Democrats or Republicans want, is someone in the white house who hasn't been vetted... (by the largest contemporary government contractors)
ReplyDeleteI'm not even sure it's the MSM's fault for doing the bidding of the owners of the companies they work for.... for what other purpose would they be getting paid?
- reader #1482
Your point about why Trump had him as a lawyer is very apt. I have been asking myself the same question from the beginning. Look at his face and ask yourself "would I hire this man?".
ReplyDelete"would I hire this man?". (says some 'unknown' schlep)
DeleteHowever, the follow-up question must be...
"What is he good at?"
Given a gift of NY hutzpuh,
or mean streets savvy, to actually
gauge the mettle of such busy men,
particularly practiced shysters n'fixers.
You will see 'in that face', and hear
in that voice a consummate performer,
one who can make you believe
what you >>need<< to believe, all the
while passing out bubble-gum wrappers as promises, which you perceive, nay swear, are indictable offences! But missunderestimate such a man, as he lifts your wallet, and slips a chive between your ribs, and then heads downtown to glad~hand a bonafide political star receiving a Lincoln Center community service award. Welcome to the 'Big Rotten Apple' - We didn't make it, we just must be able to survive in it! Or get out!
On Watch~~~
On Duty. . .
The chances of renewed war in the Korean peninsula have gone down dramatically since Trump took the helm in DC from the Obama/Kerry/Rice/Clinton crowd.
ReplyDeleteThey have basically halved, going from effectively zero to effectively zero.
We saw none of that cringe-inducing Kerry tactic of begging the Iranians for a deal, any deal,
So, Kerry would have gone for any deal at all with NK, but that would have led to war? Hmmmmm...
How is it that he had such an incompetent buffoon as his lawyer? That is the issue.
Birds of a feather.
Wow! You continue to suffer from your inability to make sense. Tragic.
DeleteHow many billions (food oil, maybe cash) was given to NoKo in order to prevent their Nuclear Ambitions, as those deals failed, and NoKo kept testing and firing, things could have gone south quickly. Or someone not offering those deals could have worsened the situation, as they claimed Trump would ignite. How many breathless "nuclear war" stories were there!!!
DeleteDiploMad,
DeleteWow! You continue to suffer from your inability to make sense. Tragic.
I take the insult from a person, who just contradicted themself in their own own post, with all seriousness and respect such person deserves.
I think groveling for 'a deal' with North Korea was reserved for Hillary's first term. Everybody was expecting it, including Jong Un. Didn't happen.
DeleteMr. Dip was making it clear that Kerry/Obama gave a blank check to Iran. It's very difficult to deny that, and even Kerry/Obama typically don't really deny it. Instead, their claim is basically that the situation with Iran was untenable (asserted, impossible to prove either way) and that something must 'change'. And if the Iranians won't change, then it's on America to 'change' in 'hope' of things being better. It was a central Obama campaign theme.
IMO, that's the logic that blank check writers come up with to justify accepting getting screwed over.
The Deal may have been nixed by Trump, but that doesn't mitigate the damage it's already caused.
"Ok.. I've got the guy in a choke, and he's *almost* passed out... why don't I let up a little bit, get him some blood flow to his brain, maybe that'll help? Whups! He's got the choke on *me* now!" <- (Obama's response to Iran flouting and flaunting its responsibilities under 'the deal' and its power in the region.)
- reader #1482
One Brow, another nonsensical word salad comment from you replete with grammatical errors.
DeleteDiploMad,
DeleteAs you are the resident expert in the production of nonsensical world salads, how could I possibly choose to dispute your opinion?
I fully acknowledge the grammatical errors. You have yet again owned a prog; I'm sure it made your day.
Mr. Dip was making it clear that Kerry/Obama gave a blank check to Iran.
DeleteAn opinion often stated here, but not accurate in reality. The only money Iran got was Iran's money.
I think groveling for 'a deal' with North Korea was reserved for Hillary's first term.
It had been years or so since the last deal NK ignored.
I dunno One Brow, "World Salad" sounds pretty tasty, and if that's what Dip's selling, I'll be looking for the dressing. :)
DeleteIran received money they didn't currently have. Money that was, by reasonable due process, tied up in sanctions, which were dropped.
On the other side of that, the US did not receive the *only* point which both sides of the aisle had previously insisted upon, namely, *no* domestic enrichment as a result of Iran's well documented abrogations of their responsibilities under clearly stated agreements.
How could *anybody* expect them to live up to new obligations under any *new* agreement?
Probably can't rent a bulldozer in Iran without decontaminating it from some clandestine centrifuge operation in pretty much all of Iran.
Obama sold out decades of international work on Iran by both republicans and democrats, just like he sold out our troops' sacrifices in Iraq.
What did Obama *gain* from this? The opportunity to lecture America on how military force *never* works (and if it seems to, just wait until the next American Power Hater gets into office to make us rue the day).
That's what people mean when they say Obama is anti-American.
As for Trump? Trump sold out Obama's 'red line' in Syria, which wasn't worth the sand in which it was spray painted.
- reader #1482
How could *anybody* expect them to live up to new obligations under any *new* agreement?
DeleteYet, by all indications, they are living up to it, even after we pulled out.
The opportunity to lecture America on how military force *never* works
Someone who ordered the death of as many people as Obama isn't likely to go about lecturing how military force never works (could you provide a quote like that, please?). I'm sure you'd agree that military force is not always the answer, as well. So, the disagreement is most likely about when and where force should be used.
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteand NoKo kept testing and firing, things could have gone south quickly.
Nothing Trump has done has or will stop NK from testing and firing as it pleases.
will see... hasn't been a test in a while... personally I suspect that's because NK was testing a clone of the US W-88 on behalf of China and lost most of its test crew in the process.... would explain China having to lay the whip to Jong Un in personal summons on multiple occasions... but who knows for sure.
Delete*could* also be because Trump's kinda crazy, and if the media gangs up to make him out as a coward in the face of Jong Un saber rattling, NK expects there would be an actual attack.
- reader #1482