Ukraine: You Crane for the Truth

Does anybody in the public square know and will reveal what is happening in Ukraine? 

I have never seen, heard, or read about any major war with as little verifiable information out for the public, a public which is expected to support Kyiv, condemn Russia, and put up with a devastated global economy that benefits China, and greatly weakens the West's military posture. We see and hear little debate about major events, such as the demolition of the Nord stream pipeline, the blowing up of the Kakhovka dam, and the much ballyhooed and well-advertised Ukrainian offensive undertaken with, supposedly, a bazillion dollars worth of Western military equipment.  

Reading between the lines of the scant reports coming out on that offensive, it, no surprise, does not seem going too well, appearing to consist of a massive waste of lives and treasure with little to show in the positive column. Even amateur military historians such as my son and this humble blogger wondered about an offensive of this type given Russian air and artillery superiority, and the amount of time the Russians have had to prepare their defenses--e.g., minefields. As I noted, what little information--a bit in the Wall Street Journal--does emerge reveals that the Ukrainians have run into precisely those Russian strengths.  

Meanwhile, the West piles on more and more sanctions on Russia with undetermined effect on Russia, but a negative effect on Western firms and economies. We continue to strip our military forces, all to the benefit of China.

You want a sanction on Russia? One that will actually bite? Easy. Resume US oil production, and make the US energy independent again. So many problems will vanish . . . 

The truth remains elusive, and our lying leadership and bureaucracy will not let us get more than a glimpse of it. They are too busy quashing political dissent, flying Pride flags, and pushing ahead with destructive DEI and ESG policies. 

The Indictment

I debated whether to chime in with my paltry two cents on the Trump indictment. Don't know if my comments provide any value, and doubt the chirps coming from this little blog will break through the roar we hear re that indictment. That said, and with all humility, this, after all, is why I blog. 

Here goes . . . 

While at State, I spent some 34 years handling classified info all the way to the top of the classification chain. Ninety percent of it rubbish of no real consequence when written and classified, and certainly not after two or three years have passed. 

The prosecutors in Biden's DOJ have leaked photos of bankers' boxes piled up in various rooms of Trump's residence, implying that those boxes brim with classified material. We have no idea if that's true. I suspect most of that stuff consists of newspaper clippings, inconsequential memos, and, oh, newspaper clippings, and letters to and from Trump, and--did I mention?--newspaper clippings. The sort of stuff former government officials keep to write barely readable memoirs.

Actually, friends, and this point bears repeating and repeating, the content of those boxes is irrelevant. 

We might not like it, and our allies might and should get nervous about it, but under our system the President has absolute authority to declassify material AND to take it home as personal records. Beaten into us at the State Department was the knowledge that our ability to classify material, and I shamefully admit that I classified a lot, comes FROM and ONLY from the President. He can override any classification. The President can grab a binder of the most "sensitive" material, and read it out at a press conference; perhaps politically not wise, but legal. The famous Bill Clinton "sock drawer" case emphasized that: an Obama-appointed judge ruled that Clinton had the authority to declassify AND take home as his personal records ANY material produced by the Executive branch. No exceptions. Full stop. The President, in our structure, DOES NOT COME UNDER the authority of some faceless bureaucrat in a government archives office.

I find tiring to hear that the Trump case differs from those of Pence and Biden because they "immediately" returned to the archives the classified material once that material was found in their possession. First, we don't know if that's true in the Pence case, and it's certainly not true in the Biden case; second, most important, neither man had the authority to take classified to his home or his office. The cases, in other words, are different because neither Biden nor Pence was President at the time they took the classified material! Biden had been taking material for decades. Neither had the authority to declassify and remove classified documents. In Biden's case, it seems about 100 percent certain that he shared still-classified material with his crack-addled son who used it to "write" papers about Ukraine and European politics for clients. 

Has Trump handled this in the best way possible? You decide. I think, maybe, he could have handled the request from the archives office to return documents in a better, less confrontational way, while still saying, "Sorry. No. Those are my papers." Maybe. Maybe.

Now, you will rightly note, that what I just wrote naively assumes the request as well-intentioned; it, of course, was not. It was a trap to persecute Biden's main political rival, and along with the bogus charges filed by local Democrat DAs, to tie up Trump in an endless legal siege, cripple him politically and financially, and--very important--distract from the growing evidence of the criminality of the Biden family. 

The attack on Trump also has sucked the air out of the Republican primary process. How can, say, DeSantis get a word in when all we talk about is Trump, Trump, Trump? How can we get anybody to focus on the blatant criminality of the Bidens, when we all focus on the irrelevant debate over what is or is not classified?  

We have become a banana republic with nuclear weapons. My apology to banana republics; they, at least, provide bananas.

NC GOP Convention, Part II: Odds & Ends

Just a minor add to my earlier post on the 2023 NC GOP Convention.

While at the convention, we attended an excellent interview of John Solomon, who along with Miranda Devine, Lara Logan, Mollie Hemingway and maybe a couple of others, comprises one of a handful of true journalists working in America. He runs a very good website Just the News (https://justthenews.com).

He was savage in his critique of the Biden regime's weaponization of the justice system. He, very troubling, said that we are maybe only two or three years away from a full-blown "political police state," where dissent will not be tolerated. He saw the 2024 elections as crucial but seemed pessimistic that the Biden regime could be forced out. He was critical of President Trump's failure to deal with the FBI and the DOJ deep state. His comments criticizing Trump, however, brought forth (undeserved in my view) boos, and shouts of "Come on!" from the staunchly pro-Trump audience. 

Not a good look.

Those of us who are pro-Trump have to acknowledge Trump's failure to realize that the Deep State was as deep as it was, and even more hostile than he imagined. The Deep State actively worked against him while he was President.

Just a cheery thought.

Back from the NC GOP Convention

As I mentioned before, the Diplowife and I got "elected"--fourteen candidates for fourteen openings--to help represent New Hanover county at the North Carolina GOP convention held in Greensboro, June 8-11. Very nice hotel in a very good convention center. The food, however, was crappy. 

At the convention we got to attend a dinner--rubber chicken, semi-frozen salad--for Florida Governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis. He addressed the 1000 or so people at the sold-out dinner event for nearly an hour. He was excellent. He's become quite a polished speaker, although he had a tendency to step on his applause lines (pause, Governor, pause, when people are clapping and cheering). He gave a very tight, well-written speech packed with information. He laid out his considerable accomplishments in Florida, especially in his battle for economic freedom against the Woke corporations and mandates from Washington DC. He came out strongly for the second amendment, parental rights, and low taxes. He was a bit light on foreign policy, other than noting that his state has banned the purchase by the CCP of property in Florida, and arguing for a closed southern border. Nothing on Ukraine or relations with Europe, et al. He never mentioned Trump except by referring to a weaponized double-tier of justice which goes after a former Republican President, but ignores the Bidens. He got a standing ovation from what clearly was an overwhelmingly pro-Trump crowd.

Did he move the needle? I don't know, but don't think so. From my totally unscientific polling of fellow delegates, the vast majority remains for Trump. A couple or more even acknowledged that they liked DeSantis, but would vote for Trump in the primary, even if he were going to lose the general election. Is that healthy? You tell me. I found a few who said they had been wavering on Trump until the federal indictment. Now, they would be for Trump, hell or high water.

We couldn't get into the Trump dinner the following day--sold-out almost instantly--and had to watch him on a screen. I don't know. Long-time readers of this inconsequential blog know that I am pro-Trump. He was the best president of my lifetime, and could have been even better if he hadn't been handicapped by a four-year long coup attempt carried out by the DNC, the permanent bureaucratic government, key GOP officials, and aided by big tech and the media. He spoke to the dinner crowd and got his usual applause and ovations. I, however, found his message and him a bit tired, and not very inspiring. He has been persecuted of that there is no doubt. The outrageous use of the DOJ and the FBI, again, aided by big tech, loopy local DAs, and the media, to try to cripple Trump politically and personally is one the greatest travesties in American political history. Will that story, however, resonate with the average voter? I don't know. 

Aside from that, of course, we must ask, what has the GOP done to prevent another stolen election? Except in a few states, such as Florida and a bit here in North Carolina, not much. Who, for example, doubts that huge numbers of the illegal aliens pouring across our borders will vote in 2024? In addition, the Democrats are undermining the electoral college by getting several states to pledge their electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote, thereby nullifying their own voters and letting the crooked electoral systems in California and New York decide for them.

On a more upbeat note, the current Lt. Governor of NC, Mark Robinson, spoke to the convention and absolutely rocked it. He is running for Governor, and I think (hope) he will win. He is the Democrats' nightmare: a black man from an impoverished background who is unabashedly a patriot, against wokeness, is pro-second amendment, and for school choice. He ticks all the policy boxes and has an appealing personality, with a compelling personal story, and is a terrific orator. Keep on eye on this guy. We are going to a dinner for him next month, and I have--full disclosure--donated a few hundred bucks to his campaign, and will donate more as the Diplowife allows.

OK. Heading off from Raleigh to Wilmington for a few days, to let the dogs run wild and for me to go to doctor appointments (sigh).

Let's Try this Again

 Back from two more trips to Spain, and heading off in July for another.

I, however, haven't neglected the home front.

The Diplowife and I decided that just whining about the state of affairs was insufficient. We have become involved in the local GOP, and got ourselves elected as delegates to the North Carolina GOP Convention next month. It was a hard fought election for the fourteen slots allocated to our part of the county: we had fourteen candidates for fourteen slots. Stalin and Castro would have been proud. We also got made GOP poll watchers for the upcoming autumn municipal elections and the 2024 national elections. We snagged, in addition, a couple of tickets to hear the GOP candidate for Governor, our current Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, at the Lincoln Douglass Reagan Gala, and tickets for a dinner for Governor Ron Desantis, who will speak at the convention. Trump will also speak, but tickets for that were gone in minutes. Mike Pence will be there, too; there are lots of tickets to hear him still available. 

We'll see if any of this can make a difference.

I have been writing quite a bit on Twitter, trying to recoup my old followers.You can join in following and/or attacking me at Lewis Amselem@TheDiplomad.

In a couple of days, I want to reflect on the Durham Report.

See ya soon!

The Apocalypse: No More One Dollar Diet Coke at McDonald's

The world has ended officially and thoroughly. 

This week I went to my local McDonald's to partake in one of my few guilty pleasures, a large Diet Coke. I have enjoyed this beverage for years, paying one dollar plus tax. No more. I got hit in one McDonalds with $1.20, and when I went to another in a different town, assuming there was a mistake at the first, I got hit for $1.30. I am not a genius with math, but that, my friends, is a 20-30% jump in price. Thank God, Biden's inflation reduction bill got passed by the Congress. 

Oh, my other guilty pleasure? Dirty Harry--the original, the sequels, well, meh. I suppose the cancel wokesters will eventually ban that film or re-edit it to remove "offensive stereotypes."

Can things get worse? Yes, they can. Biden's ill-thought-out adventure in Ukraine brings us ever closer either to nuclear war or, at "best," to a rebalancing of global power much to the detriment of the West. To point this out, as I have on Twitter, gets one accused of being a "Putin clown." 

Our woke/prog masters want no dissent, no reflexion on the wisdom of the path taken. We get almost no independent news out of Ukraine--no intrepid journalists reporting from the front lines, for example--and must do with the "news" as approved by Kyiv, Washington, and London, e.g., staged photo ops, and billions of dollars, pounds, euros on the way to Kyiv--well, we think, to Kyiv. We have few real journalists willing to ask real questions of the powerful.

Meanwhile, of course, the US and the West continue under assault from a ceaseless wave of "refugees" fleeing from . . . well, we are not allowed to ask. They arrive, with assistance from so-called NGOs--many of them getting public funds--and powerful Mexican drug cartels, full of demands which our struggling cities struggle to meet. Our own infrastructure goes to ruin, e.g., disaster in E. Palestine, Ohio, and our own citizens get taxed and "inflated" out of their earnings, and their jobs go overseas or to the newcomers. We continue to refuse to adopt successful policies of the recent past to control these "migrants," criminal aliens, really. 

We also refuse to adopt recent policies which produced US energy independence, and had freed us from the Middle East, Venezuela, and the kleptocrats of Russia. None of this makes sense except that we are governed by people who hate us, want us poor, subservient, hungry, or dead. 

Tomorrow, I go on another of my periodic visits to Spain for a couple of weeks. I will try to disconnect, but that is not really possible. I will see if I have the mood to write. I do write a lot on Twitter, whenever I want to get insulted. 

"Normal or Crazy" The New Battle Cry?

Despite vows not to watch it, I did. 

I am too much of a political junkie to avoid a free dose of Biden dope via his second State of the Union (SOTU) address. And? Horrible. Absolutely horrible. I hope never to go through a similar experience again. Must get myself to rehab. Maybe Hunter can pay for it?

This was the worst SOTU address, and the worst Joe Biden speech I have ever heard. I don't know where to begin. 

The lies and half-truths spilled out non-stop from start to agonizing disjointed finish. He lied about Social Security, Medicare, and then had to retract it right in front of us. He rambled on and on about airline baggage fees and hidden resort charges. What? This is a priority with the challenges we face? 

His comments about some McDonald's cashier being forced to sign a "non-compete agreement" was pure fantasy. Delusional.

He also used the line, again, about poor mothers having to park in the McDonald's parking lot so their children could use the free WiFi to do their homework. Obsession with McDonald's! So these poor people have cars and computers but don't have access to WiFi except in the McDonald's parking lot? Right. Why not Starbucks? You know, where the cool people go.

He glossed over the threat from the China, ignored Iran, ignored the disaster at the border, mumbled about some inconsequential program to fight the ravages of fentanyl, and lied and lied and lied. 

He stole whole chunks of his address--he, after all, is a known plagiarist--from Trump: his "Made in America" spiel was pure Trump but without any conviction. His description of the "booming" economy was absurd. He lied about his tax program, which will affect every American negatively. His claims about inflation and the energy industry were bald-faced lies. He virtually ignored the disaster in Ukraine except to state briefly we will continue to support Ukraine, "we will finish the job!" He bought the anti-police line of the left, and basically threw the cops under the bus. Shameful. 

I could go on, but won't. 

Governor Sanders' reply was pretty good. I thought the first one-half to two-thirds excellent, the end, however, fell into platitude territory--I can forgive that, I guess. 

She was clearly presenting herself as a serious candidate for President, never mentioned Trump by name but noted her youth and called for a new generation of leaders. Her line that the choices we now face are not between right or left, but between "normal or crazy" was brilliant. She said the quiet part aloud. That is the real division in the US and the West. To have a major politician state this so clearly is liberating and should embolden the normal people of the West to take up the fight against the crazies. I note that much of the MSM/DNC echo chamber is attacking her stark description and warning the GOP not to make it a slogan. That, of course, means that is exactly what should be done.  

Well, gotta go. Preparing for another lightning visit to Spain and the work on my Taj Mahal apartment. Got doctors to see before I go, and taxes to pay. Zelensky and the illegals in NY hotels need my money.