My (almost) daily quote of Kevin Williamson of “The Dispatch“:
“Washington effectively cedes much of the field to Moscow and Beijing—while demonstrating a persistent American inability to achieve American ends when confronting a third-rate power such as Iran. The American disability demonstrated in Iran began as a political fact rather than a military fact, but as the Trump administration wages relatively effective war against the American military—chasing out the most experienced and talented senior officers, depleting material resources, abandoning multinational training work, etc.—the American lack of resolve is becoming an American lack of capability. When we’ve run through all the missile interceptors without providing for their replacement, it will be of little comfort to know that our secretary of defense does a pretty impressive bench press for a middle-aged man. “
The lack of competence of this administration is really stunning. At least the first Trump administration had some competence and guardrails. This administration has no competence, except for competence in corruption and building up their own bank accounts. Best characterization I have read: “Donald Trump and his clown car of an administration” So true.
I am still not seeing a clear way out. Moscow, and particularly Beijing, currently have the upper hand and expect they will exercise that advantage soon (Taiwan, beware. Baltics, beware) Meanwhile our president occupies his time renaming bodies of water, micro-managing building projects and fighting to put his name where it doesn’t belong while “Rome burns…” Not exactly a great post to end the week. Is there any good news?
The problem with ICE
I am not talking about the immanent ice storm bearing down on this “great” state of Texas. It’s the enforcement of immigration laws where the problem lies. Stay with me here….
There are really two sets of immigrants that are in the US: Those that came unlawfully and those that didn’t. Yet, ICE is sweeping up both sets of immigrants without distinguishing between them, or even wanting to make the distinction. Before you think I am soft on illegal immigration, I am not. I understand that there are folks that are in a world where their daily existence is threatened by thugs and criminals. They are anxious to find a way out. Given the direction the US is headed, I wonder if I would like to find a more accommodating and more democratic place to live (Canada would be an alternative), but if I did decide to flee to Canada, it would be through whatever legal means that Canada provides. I have no interest in breaking the law in Canada to live there. But imagine that I did choose to go the legal route to permanently enter Canada. Did the paperwork, got scheduled for a hearing, was given temporary permission to enter while I waited for the process to grind through. I gave Canadian Immigration officials info on where I would temporarily live and I minded my P’s and Q’s while there. And then, Mark Carney goes off the rails and says “All immigrants OUT!” and I get dragged out of my temporary home and put into a detention center while waiting for deportation. I don’t know about you but if Canada had offered me refuge, processed my paperwork, given me permission to stay and then sent immigration thugs to throw me out, I would have felt betrayal and wondered just what kind of country goes back on it’s word. Why choose injustice when promised justice? I would label that as a lack of integrity and certainly an abrogation of established law. Mostly I’d be asking “What the …..?”
That is my objection to the current ICE raids on immigrants in this country. Whether you agreed with it or not, the Biden administration didn’t just “open the border” to immigrants. They put together a process, framed in due process, that allowed immigrants to come into the country and then await their day in court to sort out their status. They weren’t “illegal”. They had filled out the “paperwork” in an app, awaited their time to cross, came to the US sharing their information and where they were going e.g. “documented” and then waited as directed. Again, they followed a process lawfully that, behind the process was a promise: That they would be given a chance to make their case and stay. This was a promise by the US, not the Biden administration, not the Trump administration, but by the United States.
The breaking of that promise just shows how low this current administration will go to get it’s way. Having no regard for justice, or promises, and completely lacking integrity, this administration doesn’t care at all for past commitments. And THAT is what I object to most of all. We need secure borders. We need ways to determine who has come here without permission and send them back. But when WE invite and process folks so they can find some peace and possibility of staying here legally, we are obligated to carry through.
Breaking promises is simply something that an authoritarian country like Russia does, not the United States of America.
When a leader is not a leader
I read the The Dispatch on a daily basis. If you are a Republican who is not MAGA, or a person who is interested in unbiased (my opinion) political reporting, then you should subscribe to The Dispatch. There is a wide variety of content that challenges my thinking daily.
In an article published today entitled “It’s not too late for Trump to squeeze Putin” Eric Edelman makes this observation:
“The official Kremlin readout of the phone call the day before Zelensky’s visit to Washington reveals Putin’s praise for Trump’s Middle East efforts and indicates that Trump should have won the Nobel Peace Prize. He also emphasized that Russia was winning in all phases of the war in Ukraine and suggested that providing Tomahawks to Ukraine would have no military effect, while at the same time arguing that taking this step would be highly escalatory. Finally, Putin bemoaned the fact that ongoing U.S.-Russian differences over Ukraine were impeding the many benefits that would flow from an end to sanctions and the resumption of mutually beneficial economic and trade relations. “
You are not a leader if flattery is the reason you change policies, you are a weather vane: You turn wherever the winds of flattery blow you. Our President is just that. After a September 23 meeting with Zelensky, Trump posted, “I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form. With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe, and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option.” On October 17th, after the phone call, Trump said “They should stop where they are. Let both claim victory, let history decide! No more shooting, no more death, no more vast and unsustainable sums of money spent,”. Basically, Trump wants to reward Putin’s aggression with acquiescence. My guess is that there was more than flattery in the conversation that made Trump reluctant to send Tomahawk missiles. Probably some threat to Trump’s bank account or investment pullback in Russia. Who knows? The TACO man comes calling.
Irrationality in the Republican ranks
I rarely hang out on Facebook and I think I have been to TikTok maybe twice. But I friend of mine posted a link to a TikTok video that I loved. You’ll find that link here: Keep America Ignorant I don’t know what this person’s political beliefs are but there is SO much in the current cultural war that has been made political when it isn’t. Why don’t more Republicans who love this country and who actual have rational thought processes get engaged in the battle for our democracy? Instead we have right-wing sycophants who follow a single leader and thought thread to the exclusion of all others.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s voter rights, CRT, or health mandates to improve the health of the commonwealth, Republicans are against it. Why is that? Because there is a single off-kilter person whom they follow slavishly. No, I am not talking about Vladimir Putin, I am talking about Donald Trump. Why do they follow this guy? Because of fear. Fear to think independently. Fear to lean into what is right. Most of these folks are Christian. How do they reconcile their terrible behavior with the Truth?
I am not the smartest guy in the room. I am just grumpy. Because of what I DON’T see: moving this country forward takes BOTH parties. It takes collaboration. It takes compromise. We see the current outcome of single party imposing its will on the people when we look at Russia. Shouldn’t that cause us to row *together* and save this democratic ship before it completely runs aground?
Freedom in 2019
I doubt my resolution to keep up this blog will succeed but it is worth a shot: I resolve to be more regular in my blogging. Job and subject matter not withstanding, I hope I can make good on my resolve…
We think that freedom is lost when we are denied some prior right to access. Perhaps loss of freedom is when we could speak freely and no longer are granted that right. Or cross borders whenever and wherever we would like. But the current administration is stripping freedoms from us daily and we hardly notice. We used to freely discuss inconsistencies and challenge bad or misleading data. We are no longer allowed to do that as it is labeled “fake news”. In fact, normal discussion is no longer allowed. The discussion can only be about the President Himself. Discussing facts or engaging in dialog is no longer tolerated if it doesn’t center on the President. There is no freedom to make America Great in any way but the President’s way. All other avenues are “liberal conspiracies” or “deep state” activities.
There are gross exaggerations and outright lies coming from this administration every day. Without truth, there can be no freedom. Freedom is the living out of the truth of our Design every day. Freedom is acting on the truths that drive us onward daily. Lies derail freedom in every way. An administration that does not operate on the basis of truth is is as free as a dictatorship.
I marvel that our President can lie so openly and still receive support from his base. Most recently he insulted our Military by promising, in a lie, that they will finally receive, after a 10 year wait, their first raise. A raise of 10 percent! No doubt the families of the military would appreciate and even deserve a 10 percent raise. But it was a lie. But then again, lying is a natural as breathing in this administration.
My hope in 2019 is that somehow this damaged and broken and perhaps sinking ship of state with right itself in truth. We need the freedom that truth can only bring.
A slight change of plan
Yeah, still grumpy but I’ll tell ya, there is just TOO much to complain about as a conservative these days. Our “Tweeter in Chief” continues disappoint and enrage, so who needs another voice adding that cacophony? So, I am going to take a broader approach to blogging. Rather than try to maintain my three blogs, I am going to stick to two. One tech, one non-tech (mostly), this one…
Stand by…
Embrace it
Indeed. One of my favorite comics, Non Sequitur had this yesterday:
http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2017/03/18
I love it! Embrace the Inanity ! As I oscillate between hope and despair, the solution may well be to just embrace the weirdness of this time in US politics and roll with it. I have noticed that tactic now from a few of my “POTUS Supporter” friends on Facebook. Even if I post a refutation of some Twitter rant that clearly is based on dementia, perfidious postulating, or paranoia, the response is a “smiley” emoticon or some other oblique response. I think that is so folks who are not enamored of the current POTUS, look like “haters” or some other malcontents. TWO can play at that game and Wiley Miller nails it. Embrace the Inanity!
I’ll need to lower my IQ a bit, easily done by listening to country music, so my intellect won’t be too overtaxed by trying to reconcile the completely inane statements that emanate from the White House with reality. Just embrace it!
I’ll TRY…
Where to begin?
I haven’t been able to keep up with all the inane Executive orders rolling in from Pennsylvania avenue. But, let’s start with the ban on refugees from the 7 Muslim countries our “Fearless Leader” recently signed. Apparently, he isn’t too fearless because the reason given for the EO was to ensure our safety (his too, presumably). So, that set me to wondering….of the 85,000 refugees and the subset of 38,000 that were Muslim that came to the US in 2016, how many actually committed a terrorist act? How many are we aware of that actually planned a terrorist act and were caught? And, of course, the condemning statistic that makes this such a joke is how many US citizens committed terrorist acts here without having to worry about an entry visa? This is all “straw man” politics! Raising the specter of nations of Muslims just waiting for a visa so that they can commit terrorist acts here. That dog don’t hunt, as they say here in Texas.
This delivered to us by a self proclaimed genius of a businessman! Well, any businessman worth his salt makes decisions based on hard facts and there aren’t any facts to back him up. Just “alternative facts” can can be neither retrieved or refuted.
The goal is pretty clear: POTUS will sign executive orders that will confirm and support his campaign promises and when they eventually get overturned by congress, the courts or the will of the people, he will blame the Democrats, judges of Mexican heritage, and Liberals in thwarting his efforts. If the White House even dug down a fingernail’s depth, they would find plenty of conservatives like me, grumpy and not so grumpy, that think his approach is all wrong. A little rationality and compassion might even turn the tide. But, as it is, compassion has no place in the White House and rationality, well, let’s just say it appears to have taken a vacation….
In the trenches
I didn’t *want* to revive this blog but things are going steadily downhill when it comes to the POTUS elect. I am sure I’ll be busy. Yes, I am still Christian AND Conservative. I am now trying to figure out just who “Republicans” are since their train left the station about 5 years ago. Tea Party was bad enough. Now they moved to “Alt right”…we can only assume the next move is….over the edge.