The Debate . . . Meh . . .

I violated the rules. I watched last night's GOP debate AND I watched the Tucker Carlson interview of President Trump. I never understood why some were making it into an either/or proposition. 

Let me start with the Trump interview. It was fine. No new developments. It would have been better if the interview had been recorded after the debate, so Trump could react to the debate, but, that's what we have. Trump was mellow, funny, and perceptive, but didn't say anything we haven't heard before. I think his explanation for not participating in the debate was good enough, i.e., why give those other guys too much publicity? I am sure Biden will use the same excuse for not debating Kennedy, or whomever else emerges from the DNC swamp to "challenge" him.  

The debate. Well, before I start, let me pass along the Diplowife's words of wisdom: it's the first debate, give the participants time to develop their debating tactics and messaging. OK. Fine. Now let me state that it was kind of a bore. I am not sure there was a "winner," but Ron DeSantis did not hurt himself, which was probably his main goal. He did come off as stiff, and clearly free-wheeling debate is not his forte. He does fine on the stump and in one-on-one interviews. I'll come back to RDS. 

I thought Vivek Ramaswamy came off as just too clever: he's obviously smart and would have been a terror on a college or high school debate team. He, however, was too cute, too much of "I am the smartest guy here," for my taste. He needs to calm down a bit, show more gravitas, and not jump around so much. I don't think he hurt himself, but it's just not clear if his is a serious candidacy. Nikki Haley? I don't know. She reminds me of Mitt Romney. She's got the establishment foreign policy talking points down pat, but I couldn't discern any particular vision for how to get us out of our current mess. Her words on abortion I found vapid, just empty. Tim Scott, was a nice guy who had memorized a lot of economic data, but didn't give me a feel that he has a plan. The big loser, I think, was Chris Christie who at times seemed to forget that he is running for the GOP, not the DNC nomination. His attack on Trump did not go over well, and will gain him nothing. I think he burned himself. Mike Pence? Nothing to say about him. People weren't buying his explanation for his actions on January 6. The other two were basically nothing-burgers who couldn't explain what it was they were doing on the stage. 

Back to RDS. He did well when explaining what he's done as Florida governor and in laying out a tough approach to illegal aliens and drug smuggling. He, however, let himself get overrun by Ramaswamy and Christie and needs to get into the fight a bit more. I like RDS, but not sure this is his time. Who knows?

OK. What did it all mean? Not much right now. I doubt these debaters ate into Trump's lead for the nomination. I would be surprised if Trump picked any of them as VP.

OK. About to head back to Raleigh from Wilmington. I'll write a word or two about falling planes in Russia.

The Republic Dies in Plain Sight

I have proven reluctant to weigh in with commentary on the avalanche of indictments against President Trump: I am not a lawyer, certainly not a Constitutional expert, I don't play either on the internet, and so many others already have commented to the point of nausea. 

But, of course, weigh in, I will.

I have read the indictments, and, as I said, am not a lawyer. That said, the indictments don't pass the smell test, and seem clearly driven by an overwhelming political animus not only against Trump, but against any questioning of the "liberal orthodoxy." Even more troubling is the "burn the witch" caterwauling coming from so many in the media, precisely the industry which should serve as the most jealous guardian of the freedom of expression and political activity. The bottom line comes down to they don't like what Trump says, especially about them, so, put him in prison. They are aided by a "weaponized" FBI that from even BEFORE the first day of Trump's presidency conspired against him and his inner circle. Other federal agencies protect the Biden crime family and persecute any whistle-blower brave enough to sound the alarm.

This little post is a request for help from those who know the laws better than I. The Georgia indictments have me particularly outraged. They seem to be nothing burgers of the most empty kind, but then the punishment is the process, the process is the punishment. Just wondering does a County DA have the authority to indict a person who was President at the time he committed the alleged offenses? Shouldn't he have been impeached and convicted by Congress first? If not, this opens a whole can of worms for hundreds of DAs, all across the land, to start seeking indictments at a state, county, or city level. Chaos.

Let me know.

Whatever Happened to Ukraine?

I know I've written before about the mystery stealth war in Ukraine, but I must return to this 21st century version of Big Foot.

What happened to the war into which we and our European friends have poured billions of dollars and euros in cash and fancy equipment? Where are the results? Where are the intrepid embedded journos ready, willing, and able to risk life and limb to tell us all about Russian perfidy in the wild East? 

What happened to the much ballyhooed Zelensky offensive that would retake the eastern provinces of Ukraine, and recapture Crimea? We sent a bazillion dollars (minus the ten percent for the Big Guy?) and our latest awe inspiring artillery and tanks . . . so?

This sounds more and more like Orwell called it. The endless war in some far off place, with occasional reports of great victories which mean our chocolate ration must be increased from 50 grams to 35 grams! "Inflation is down to three percent from its previous one percent! Gasoline has dropped in price from $1.50/gallon to $4.00/gallon! We are winning!"

Does Ukraine join the ever-lengthening list of modern hoaxes?

Just asking for a friend . . . and my grand kids.

Biden Special Counsel: The Joke Grows More Elaborate & is Joe Heading for the Door?

OK, folks. 

We all know it's a joke, a joke worthy of that all-time jokester and comedian, Lavrenti Beria.

Beria would have appreciated AG Garland's "sudden" naming of a Special Counsel (SC) to look into Hunter Biden, this after years of saying none was needed. He also would have appreciated that the SC named is none other than US Attorney David Weiss (another miserable Trump appointment), who "investigated" Hunter for the past three-plus years: remember the laptop? On top of it all, Beria would have appreciated how Garland has violated the law by picking Weiss; the law requires that the SC come from outside of the government, certainly not be a DOJ Attorney, and the one who has protected the Biden Crime Family (BCF) for all these years. Let us not forget that Weiss masterminded that other joke: the "plea deal" for Hunter which would have allowed the crackhead to skate on serious tax fraud and gun charges that would have put any of us in the slammer for years.

Well, of course, it turned out some honest judge threw out the plea deal as it contained promises of, in essence, permanent immunity for Hunter from any other prosecutions. 

The Republican-controlled Congress, in its stumbling at times inchoate manner, in the meanwhile, has put together an impressive portfolio of Hunter's crimes, all of which implicate the "Big Guy," your "President." It is now beyond clear that the BCF runs a giant influence peddling and money laundering operation to benefit the Big Guy and his clan. The BCF sold foreign governments and oligarchs access to then Vice President and now President Biden. It's an outrageous scandal which the press seeks to minimize and ignore, much as they did with the Clinton money-laundering and influence peddling scandals.

Now, Garland has stepped in to complicate, and try to stifle further investigations by the Congress; you know, "Sorry, Congressman, but I can't answer that question because we have an open investigation." I hope the Congress doesn't fall for it.

There might be another aspect of this SC stunt which I haven't heard commented upon. I think we MIGHT be seeing the opening move to get rid of Joe Biden. I am pretty sure we will see some indictment of Hunter and perhaps a conviction in an effort to steer the investigation away from Joe. That, however, doesn't mean Joe has not become a liability. His crookedness, manifest incompetence, and cognitive decline have become just too obvious. 

Don't be surprised if Joe "suddenly" decides not to run in 2024 so he can "take care of his family." Just a thought. I might be wrong, and it wouldn't be the first time or the last.

Got to go feed my dogs. They are being exceptionally rowdy this morning.

Back in NC: Cars, Guns and Politics

Got back from sweltering Madrid a couple days ago to sweltering North Carolina. That damn climate change! You know, the change from Spring to Summer: it gets me every time.

First order of business was, of course, ensuring that my cars would start. Only one failed to launch, and I now have it on the ol' trickle charge. 

Just before I had left for Spain, my 2013 427 Corvette began flashing the "check engine" light and the "Service Traction System" warning. I could also hear a "tick" coming from the engine. Sigh. I slowly drove over to a nearby mechanic who gave me a double dose of bad news: It would be about $3000 to fix, and he didn't have the right equipment to work on a Corvette. So I took it back home, cursing all the computerization of cars. Back in my day (snap of suspenders), a clever lad and his friends could fix most cars with the use of a wrench, hammer, screwdriver, and duct tape. Nowadays, I open the hood, and have to call Bill Gates. I have little idea of what I am seeing. Anyhow, got back and, with trepidation, slowly drove the beast over to the Chevy dealer. Turned out to be a very nice and honest fellow. He put his trained ear to the engine, and said, "Wait a minute." Took the Vette into the back and returned a few minutes later. "Fixed it. Loose wire on cylinder number 6." I gave him $100 and he was happy. My faith in humanity restored. My Vette now, again, prowls the boring streets of my boring suburban existence.

Another order of business, but of course, was picking up my gun from the dealer in Wilmington. I had won the thing last month in a raffle at a GOP dinner. Glock 19, Gen 5. Got it, and--meh--don't know what the big fuss is with Glocks. It seems fine, a bit light and small for my taste, but OK. Nothing special. Put it in the safe with the Glock 17; they can discuss the old days in Austria. Still prefer my Arkansas-built Wilsons, my Texas-built Staccato 2011, or my Czech-built CZ-75. To each his own.

Politics. The state of US politics has become nothing less than disgusting. 

The endless filing of charges against Trump smacks of Soviet Russia. Read the charges and they are ridiculous. I have no doubt that some anti-Trump jury, presided over by some anti-Trump judge will find Trump guilty of some absurd charge. I also have no doubt that it will be all thrown out by the Supreme Court as violations of Trump's First Amendment rights. The punishment is the process; the process is the punishment. Tie him up in court; subject him to an endless barrage of leaks from the prosecution; countless court appearances to interfere with his campaigning; drain him of millions of dollars; grind him down in the press; make it a danger to work for him. 

It's horrible what's being done to him and his family. Beria would be so proud.

In the meanwhile, naturally, we see an effort to bury, ignore, or minimize the real criminal activities by the Biden Crime Family, and to hide Joe's increasingly obvious mental incapacity. I am sure the DNC/Obama are preparing to substitute Joe so that he can "take care of his family." Kamala Harris will get pushed aside, maybe given some lucrative job (SCOTUS?), and replaced by some slick-haired clown such as Gov. Newsom--the man who has destroyed California. The full election-rigging machinery will kick into high gear.

I despair.