Baltimore has come to much, much less than it once was.
I have been in that city numerous times; each visit finds the city worse and worse. Baltimore, the home of our national anthem, Edgar Allan Poe, Babe Ruth, H.L. Mencken, Harriet Tubman, Nancy Pelosi, Frederick Douglas, Tom Clancy, the USS Constellation, and so many more; yes, that very Baltimore is a national disgrace: an embarrassment of epic proportions.
It has the nation's highest homicide rate (equal or superior to that in much of Central America), a poverty rate through the roof, consistently in the top ten ranking of rat-infested US cities, disastrous public schools, a collapsing police force, all, of course, as befits a beneficiary of decades of crooked Democratic Party rule--including by Nancy Pelosi's dad. The people of Baltimore have more claim to political asylum than do those from Guatemala.
So our politically incorrect President has the temerity to speak truth to power, and . . . wait for it, wait for it . . . "RACIST!" is the reply. No vow to check the facts; to do something about the politicians who have caused this calamity. No, attack the messenger. Protect the corruptocrats and the other con men who have produced this wreck. The message from the Socialists who now run the world's oldest political party, "Nothing to see here. Move along! Move along! Just an old racist ranting . . . pay no attention!" The Socialists don't give a damn about the people caught in that hell-hole any more than they do about the people in other Progressive sinking ships: Flint, STL, Chicago, LA, SF, and on and on. They want to do what they have done in those places to the whole country. We can't let them.
Evil bastards. There is no other label I can put on them.
I won't be watching the Dem Circus, aka "Debate." I have zero interest in their delusions and fantasies. They hate America; they hate Western Civilization; they are merchants of poverty, misery and death.
I am with Trump and that's that.
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.
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Mueller Mutters
I wasn't going to comment on the Mueller Show. It was just too embarrassing. You can like him or not (I don't) but Mueller has served our country in war and peace. He served bravely as a Marine in Vietnam and won the Bronze Star and the Purple heart, as well as other commendations. He went on to have a distinguished career in private law and government service, including as Director of the FBI. That said, as is now apparent, his sell-by date had long expired by the time he was named Special Counsel to investigate possible Trump campaign collusion with Russia.
As SC, he was clearly in over his head. As became apparent at the Congressional hearings yesterday, he had only a limited familiarity with "his" famous report or the process that produced it. I finally read the thing, and Mueller also should have before he testified.
Mueller reminded me of Mel Brooks' Governor Leptomane in Blazing Saddles, all we needed was for his aide to bring out the box of paddleballs.
The whole multi-hour testimony proved a calamity for the anti-Trump forces.
The report itself, despite being drafted by ardent haters of Trump, was bad enough for the cause of impeachment and getting rid of Trump--it found no collusion; no obstruction--and the Dems should have left bad enough alone. Their anti-Trump fever, however, pushed them into making another colossal mistake: Haling the now retired SC before their committees and forcing him to perform.
President Trump couldn't have asked for a better day.
The GOP reps, for once, were on top of their game. Clearly, they had coordinated among themselves and divided up the cross-examination into tight five-minute segments. They did a superb job of shredding the "Mueller" report and, unfortunately, shredding an "old" man's dignity in the process. Mueller seemed confused, disoriented, befuddled, and at any moment I expected him to scream out, "Nurse! What is going on?!?" In contrast to the Republicans, the Dems seemed unprepared and gave bombastic anti-Trump speeches devoid of facts.
The Mueller Show was, I repeat, a disaster for the Dems and another gift to Trump 2020. Will it derail impeachment? I don't know. Depends on how crazy the Dems insist on remaining; it will, however, make it even easier for the Senate to rule for Trump.
Trump 2020.
As SC, he was clearly in over his head. As became apparent at the Congressional hearings yesterday, he had only a limited familiarity with "his" famous report or the process that produced it. I finally read the thing, and Mueller also should have before he testified.
Mueller reminded me of Mel Brooks' Governor Leptomane in Blazing Saddles, all we needed was for his aide to bring out the box of paddleballs.
The whole multi-hour testimony proved a calamity for the anti-Trump forces.
The report itself, despite being drafted by ardent haters of Trump, was bad enough for the cause of impeachment and getting rid of Trump--it found no collusion; no obstruction--and the Dems should have left bad enough alone. Their anti-Trump fever, however, pushed them into making another colossal mistake: Haling the now retired SC before their committees and forcing him to perform.
President Trump couldn't have asked for a better day.
The GOP reps, for once, were on top of their game. Clearly, they had coordinated among themselves and divided up the cross-examination into tight five-minute segments. They did a superb job of shredding the "Mueller" report and, unfortunately, shredding an "old" man's dignity in the process. Mueller seemed confused, disoriented, befuddled, and at any moment I expected him to scream out, "Nurse! What is going on?!?" In contrast to the Republicans, the Dems seemed unprepared and gave bombastic anti-Trump speeches devoid of facts.
The Mueller Show was, I repeat, a disaster for the Dems and another gift to Trump 2020. Will it derail impeachment? I don't know. Depends on how crazy the Dems insist on remaining; it will, however, make it even easier for the Senate to rule for Trump.
Trump 2020.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
The Dude Takes 10
It's happened.
We have yet another New Yorker with a wild hair-do on the world scene to continue upsetting the comfortable elitist apple cart.
In case you haven't heard, Boris "The Dude" Johnson takes over as British PM from the hapless and hopeless Theresa May.
Those of us who wish well to the UK, and to the US-UK relationship, cannot help but be delighted by this turn of events. Boris Johnson has promised quite vociferously to get the UK out of the EU and to honor the results of the Brexit vote, with or without a "deal." That alone means he deserves our respect and support. He seems to realize what PM May either refused to or just wasn't bright enough to, that Britain holds the upper hand in its dealings with the EU. The bureaucrats in Brussels need London much more than vice-versa. I hope he plays that hand well.
The new PM comes in facing a formidable Deep State. Those British Deep Staters will do all in their power to sabotage PM Johnson and his effort to Make Britain Great Again. The media, including the execrable BBC, will be passionately anti-Johnson, especially when he and Trump begin to pal around on the world stage.
He has his work cut out for him.
Welcome aboard PM Johnson! The Donald's barber is very happy!
We have yet another New Yorker with a wild hair-do on the world scene to continue upsetting the comfortable elitist apple cart.
In case you haven't heard, Boris "The Dude" Johnson takes over as British PM from the hapless and hopeless Theresa May.
Those of us who wish well to the UK, and to the US-UK relationship, cannot help but be delighted by this turn of events. Boris Johnson has promised quite vociferously to get the UK out of the EU and to honor the results of the Brexit vote, with or without a "deal." That alone means he deserves our respect and support. He seems to realize what PM May either refused to or just wasn't bright enough to, that Britain holds the upper hand in its dealings with the EU. The bureaucrats in Brussels need London much more than vice-versa. I hope he plays that hand well.
The new PM comes in facing a formidable Deep State. Those British Deep Staters will do all in their power to sabotage PM Johnson and his effort to Make Britain Great Again. The media, including the execrable BBC, will be passionately anti-Johnson, especially when he and Trump begin to pal around on the world stage.
He has his work cut out for him.
Welcome aboard PM Johnson! The Donald's barber is very happy!
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
To the Moon
I can't believe it's fifty years since Apollo 11 blasted off for the moon. I was a total NASA-junkie back in those days. I would watch every astronaut launch, even getting up early on a school day to watch the doings at Cape Canaveral/Kennedy. Great era.
I had spent sleepless nights worrying about the impending July 16, 1969, launch of Apollo 11. Would the weather cooperate? Would technology fail? Would the Soviets launch something to the moon a day or two before? I sat by the phone waiting for NASA to call if they needed any advice. I was living, at the time, in Downey, California, home to North American Aviation (later Rockwell) where much of the Apollo and Gemini spacecraft were built. The whole city was space crazy. I loved the space program. I still do, well, sort of. Let me explain.
But first, the moon landing. I recall that July 20; it must have been around noon in California. I was drifting on a rubber mattress in our pool. My father had wheeled-out the black-and-white TV set to the backyard so we could watch the landing. I remember vividly, a few hours after the landing, watching the grainy pictures of Neil Armstrong stepping out of the lunar lander and onto the moon's surface and later planting the US flag. I also remember my father, not generally a very emotional or expressive man, with tears streaming down his face, standing up and applauding, yelling in his immigrant accent, "America! America! America can do anything!" I also remember cheers going up from the neighbors' houses on either side. It seemed every house on the street suddenly sprouted an American flag. A great day.
The space program was one of those (few) things that the government did well. Sort of. That landing on the moon, and the subsequent ones, as well, I found immensely inspirational. To watch American astronauts driving a car on the moon was insane! Nobody else could have done it. NASA really was using the most extreme form of technology available; a lot of it was untried, experimental to the nth degree. Yet, overall, it worked, and there were some amazingly brave men who willingly staked their lives on that equipment, and had faith in the hundreds-of-thousands of fellow Americans who had worked to develop it.
After the thrill of the moon landings, it became sadly clear there was no second act. Not really.
We had beat the Russians to the moon. And that was it. There was no exciting second chapter. In later years, we messed around with the Space Shuttle with no clear idea of what it was we intended to do in space, well, at least, not with man in space. The Shuttle program gradually petered out, it having no third chapter, and . . . the great void followed. The government and the public seemed to lose interest in manned space exploration.
I hope we get back into space in a bigly way. To Mars! It's needs an American flag . . . maybe a Betsy Ross flag?
I had spent sleepless nights worrying about the impending July 16, 1969, launch of Apollo 11. Would the weather cooperate? Would technology fail? Would the Soviets launch something to the moon a day or two before? I sat by the phone waiting for NASA to call if they needed any advice. I was living, at the time, in Downey, California, home to North American Aviation (later Rockwell) where much of the Apollo and Gemini spacecraft were built. The whole city was space crazy. I loved the space program. I still do, well, sort of. Let me explain.
But first, the moon landing. I recall that July 20; it must have been around noon in California. I was drifting on a rubber mattress in our pool. My father had wheeled-out the black-and-white TV set to the backyard so we could watch the landing. I remember vividly, a few hours after the landing, watching the grainy pictures of Neil Armstrong stepping out of the lunar lander and onto the moon's surface and later planting the US flag. I also remember my father, not generally a very emotional or expressive man, with tears streaming down his face, standing up and applauding, yelling in his immigrant accent, "America! America! America can do anything!" I also remember cheers going up from the neighbors' houses on either side. It seemed every house on the street suddenly sprouted an American flag. A great day.
The space program was one of those (few) things that the government did well. Sort of. That landing on the moon, and the subsequent ones, as well, I found immensely inspirational. To watch American astronauts driving a car on the moon was insane! Nobody else could have done it. NASA really was using the most extreme form of technology available; a lot of it was untried, experimental to the nth degree. Yet, overall, it worked, and there were some amazingly brave men who willingly staked their lives on that equipment, and had faith in the hundreds-of-thousands of fellow Americans who had worked to develop it.
After the thrill of the moon landings, it became sadly clear there was no second act. Not really.
We had beat the Russians to the moon. And that was it. There was no exciting second chapter. In later years, we messed around with the Space Shuttle with no clear idea of what it was we intended to do in space, well, at least, not with man in space. The Shuttle program gradually petered out, it having no third chapter, and . . . the great void followed. The government and the public seemed to lose interest in manned space exploration.
I hope we get back into space in a bigly way. To Mars! It's needs an American flag . . . maybe a Betsy Ross flag?
Friday, July 12, 2019
Summer Craziness
The heat is on.
At least, that is, where I am currently residing in the wonderful town of Wilmington, North Carolina. It is hot! Humid! Mosquitos out in force! But, the gun range is air conditioned so I have nothing to complain about much, unless I follow national and international news.
It's official: the Democrat Party is completely psychotic, consumed with a deep raging hatred of all things Trump, and even more troubling, all things USA. We, for example, are the only country on earth not allowed to ask whether people living in our country are citizens. The reasoning for this prohibition is utterly nuts. We have Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, no less, telling us that to ask that question on the census would disadvantage minorities, and forms part of an effort to "make America white again." This statement is absurd on so many levels it is breath-taking.
To follow, for a moment, the twisted reasoning of Ms. Pelosi and the "mainstream" media, only white people are citizens of the United States. Yep. All those black Americans will be terrified by being asked if they are citizens. Millions of hispanics will be triggered into a rug-biting frenzy if asked. Yes, per the Democrats, only white people are citizens, and only "people of color" are illegal aliens, or at least non-citizens--sorry Puerto Rico, the Dems have cut you loose. This is a continuation of the Prog argument that a voter id requirement disadvantages black voters . . . never explained why.
They are liars with a malevolent agenda, one which I have discussed at length before, to wit, to destroy the very concept of citizenship and of nation in a cynical bid to keep and gain more power. They, furthermore, are advising illegal aliens on how to foul up ICE attempts to deport those whom HAVE ALREADY BEEN ORDERED DEPORTED BY THE COURTS!!! Somebody will get hurt or killed, and the blood is on the hands of the Dems and their Prog friends.
When will the demand arise for there to be no passport requirement when landing at an airport in the US? That requirement surely disadvantages the poor of the world and prevents them from exercising their right to live in the US.
Mental illness is rampant.
On the UK Ambassador and his leaked cables. I read the material printed in the media: Not very sophisticated stuff. I would have made any junior officer writing something like that to go back to the drawing board and try again. The UK Embassy seemed to be just repeating garbage from the leftoid US media and the views of the oh-so sophisticated elite bubble in which the Embassy lives. Not very useful material to guide HMG in their relations with the USA. Go! Away! Now!
Stupidity is rampant.
Off to the dog park.
At least, that is, where I am currently residing in the wonderful town of Wilmington, North Carolina. It is hot! Humid! Mosquitos out in force! But, the gun range is air conditioned so I have nothing to complain about much, unless I follow national and international news.
It's official: the Democrat Party is completely psychotic, consumed with a deep raging hatred of all things Trump, and even more troubling, all things USA. We, for example, are the only country on earth not allowed to ask whether people living in our country are citizens. The reasoning for this prohibition is utterly nuts. We have Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, no less, telling us that to ask that question on the census would disadvantage minorities, and forms part of an effort to "make America white again." This statement is absurd on so many levels it is breath-taking.
To follow, for a moment, the twisted reasoning of Ms. Pelosi and the "mainstream" media, only white people are citizens of the United States. Yep. All those black Americans will be terrified by being asked if they are citizens. Millions of hispanics will be triggered into a rug-biting frenzy if asked. Yes, per the Democrats, only white people are citizens, and only "people of color" are illegal aliens, or at least non-citizens--sorry Puerto Rico, the Dems have cut you loose. This is a continuation of the Prog argument that a voter id requirement disadvantages black voters . . . never explained why.
They are liars with a malevolent agenda, one which I have discussed at length before, to wit, to destroy the very concept of citizenship and of nation in a cynical bid to keep and gain more power. They, furthermore, are advising illegal aliens on how to foul up ICE attempts to deport those whom HAVE ALREADY BEEN ORDERED DEPORTED BY THE COURTS!!! Somebody will get hurt or killed, and the blood is on the hands of the Dems and their Prog friends.
When will the demand arise for there to be no passport requirement when landing at an airport in the US? That requirement surely disadvantages the poor of the world and prevents them from exercising their right to live in the US.
Mental illness is rampant.
On the UK Ambassador and his leaked cables. I read the material printed in the media: Not very sophisticated stuff. I would have made any junior officer writing something like that to go back to the drawing board and try again. The UK Embassy seemed to be just repeating garbage from the leftoid US media and the views of the oh-so sophisticated elite bubble in which the Embassy lives. Not very useful material to guide HMG in their relations with the USA. Go! Away! Now!
Stupidity is rampant.
Off to the dog park.
Sunday, July 7, 2019
Making Weird be OK
I love the 4th of July. It's my favorite holiday. I loved it when I was overseas, and we had our 4th reception. In all the countries where I served, the US Embassy reception for the 4th was the hottest and most prestigious ticket in town. Those invited showed up. And, I must say, we had excellent receptions, ones which put to shame the national day parties of other embassies. In Indonesia, for example, we got all the US corporations in the country to contribute either money or products: we had stands from McDonalds, Starbucks, Jack Daniels, KFC, etc. It was quite something.
Not even the lefties can ruin completely the 4th for me. They've tried. The latest? The controversy over the Betsy Ross flag. What utter rubbish! I did what I always do in such cases: I went out and bought two Betsy Ross flags, one in a frame for inside the house, and another to hang out front--I also bought another handgun.
The Dem candidates and their media enablers, of course, formed a major portion of the effort to destroy the 4th. I loved how Trump trolled them! He orchestrated a great 4th of July party on the DC Mall. He summoned: Tanks! Fighters! Bombers! The lefties went nuts! One unhinged commentator even compared the presence of a couple of tanks near the Lincoln Memorial as akin to Tianaman Square! The tanks would crush the resistance! It was a coup! Trump was making the 4th about himself! He would glorify the military! He would give a campaign speech! He would call for a return to slavery! Oh the humanity! Oh, the horror!
He, instead, gave a very nice, patriotic, and uplifting address (text here). Glorifying the military? How did we get and keep our Independence if not for the military and those willing--mostly men--to take up arms? Seems to me that this holiday is very much about the military and guns and the people willing to bear them in defense of the nation. The bazillion accomplishments of America would not have been possible without them.
My complaint right now is not with our odious women's soccer team (yawn), or Antifa, or Hollywood's elimination of straight white men from the screen, or CNN and its fake news. No. It's how all of the "progressive" forces come together to normalize the weird, to make it so that the aberrant must be accepted and even heartily endorsed.
I doubt that the lunatic Dems will win 2020. All that open borders, open wallet to the world, y'all come over crap is not going to fly. Not this time. This time, no . . . but, the progs play the long con. As I noted a long time ago, they change the meanings of words, so that the most basic units of thought and expression no longer mean what we once thought they did. We can't even use good old-fashion pronouns. As per Orwell, they rewrite the dictionary, they make us hesitate when we think and speak, we must not give "offense" or reveal ourselves as "racist, homophobic, misogynistic" throw backs to a dark era. They use fake bought and paid for "science" to convince us to give up our standard of living, to question whether labels such as "male" and "female" have any meaning. They tear down flags, statues, and monuments; they want place names changed to erase our history. They deliberately blur the distinction between citizen and non-citizen, between legal and illegal residents in our country. They want open borders; they, in sum, want a destruction of this country, and of Western civilization.
As noted above, they will lose this time, but the lunatic left knows how to introduce the weirdest ideas and schemes, and gradually work them into the realm of acceptance. Look back just a few years and you will see what I mean. Just to take one issue, the progs will insist that soon, very soon we, for example, will all be forced not only to tolerate illegal aliens in our midsts, but to see them as a blessing, as something to be desired and happily funded. Much as we all now must accept and endorse the bizarre pseudoscience claims of fluid gender identity, we will accept and endorse the claims of "fluid" citizenship.
Not a cheery thought as we celebrate our independence.
Not even the lefties can ruin completely the 4th for me. They've tried. The latest? The controversy over the Betsy Ross flag. What utter rubbish! I did what I always do in such cases: I went out and bought two Betsy Ross flags, one in a frame for inside the house, and another to hang out front--I also bought another handgun.
The Dem candidates and their media enablers, of course, formed a major portion of the effort to destroy the 4th. I loved how Trump trolled them! He orchestrated a great 4th of July party on the DC Mall. He summoned: Tanks! Fighters! Bombers! The lefties went nuts! One unhinged commentator even compared the presence of a couple of tanks near the Lincoln Memorial as akin to Tianaman Square! The tanks would crush the resistance! It was a coup! Trump was making the 4th about himself! He would glorify the military! He would give a campaign speech! He would call for a return to slavery! Oh the humanity! Oh, the horror!
He, instead, gave a very nice, patriotic, and uplifting address (text here). Glorifying the military? How did we get and keep our Independence if not for the military and those willing--mostly men--to take up arms? Seems to me that this holiday is very much about the military and guns and the people willing to bear them in defense of the nation. The bazillion accomplishments of America would not have been possible without them.
My complaint right now is not with our odious women's soccer team (yawn), or Antifa, or Hollywood's elimination of straight white men from the screen, or CNN and its fake news. No. It's how all of the "progressive" forces come together to normalize the weird, to make it so that the aberrant must be accepted and even heartily endorsed.
I doubt that the lunatic Dems will win 2020. All that open borders, open wallet to the world, y'all come over crap is not going to fly. Not this time. This time, no . . . but, the progs play the long con. As I noted a long time ago, they change the meanings of words, so that the most basic units of thought and expression no longer mean what we once thought they did. We can't even use good old-fashion pronouns. As per Orwell, they rewrite the dictionary, they make us hesitate when we think and speak, we must not give "offense" or reveal ourselves as "racist, homophobic, misogynistic" throw backs to a dark era. They use fake bought and paid for "science" to convince us to give up our standard of living, to question whether labels such as "male" and "female" have any meaning. They tear down flags, statues, and monuments; they want place names changed to erase our history. They deliberately blur the distinction between citizen and non-citizen, between legal and illegal residents in our country. They want open borders; they, in sum, want a destruction of this country, and of Western civilization.
As noted above, they will lose this time, but the lunatic left knows how to introduce the weirdest ideas and schemes, and gradually work them into the realm of acceptance. Look back just a few years and you will see what I mean. Just to take one issue, the progs will insist that soon, very soon we, for example, will all be forced not only to tolerate illegal aliens in our midsts, but to see them as a blessing, as something to be desired and happily funded. Much as we all now must accept and endorse the bizarre pseudoscience claims of fluid gender identity, we will accept and endorse the claims of "fluid" citizenship.
Not a cheery thought as we celebrate our independence.