Posse Incitatus

The Day of Infamy -- 80 Years Later

Today is the 80th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing. We pause to remember the 2,403 Americans killed in the attack, the hundreds who suffered horrible injuries, and the grieving families and communities who dealt with this calamity.

Dec. 7, 1941, “A date which will live in infamy” in the words of President Franklin Roosevelt, was the impetus to get a reluctant and sleepy United States engaged in World War II. And although the U.S. did not intend to get involved in the European theater (Congress would have voted against it even if President Roosevelt had sought that course of action), Japan’s Axis allies, Germany and Italy, declared war on the U.S. on Dec. 11, effectively forcing America’s hand.

World War II, a hideous conflagration of death, destruction and devastation that killed an estimated 60 million people, was spread out on four continents. And even though Americans’ thoughts, memories and impressions often focus on Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, Japan served as the bookends of the United States’ involvement in this colossal clash.

The dropping of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in August 1945, served as an unequivocal sledgehammer that drove home the point to the Japanese: If you a**holes don’t surrender, we’ll turn your nation into a radioactive parking lot!

Harsh? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely. Ditto for the ruthless and brutal firebombing of Dresden, Germany. Many innocents died there, too. Sadly, that is often the only way wars can be won. By sparing the innocents proximate to the enemy, you are essentially endangering your own innocents. This is a lesson Bill Clinton and Barack Obama did not learn, as both passed up numerous opportunities to snuff out Islamic radicals in the Middle East for fear of killing innocent women and children.

Clinton even said publicly that he could have ordered a hit on Osama bin Laden that would have killed him in 1998, but declined to do so because innocent women and children would have been killed. So look what happened: 3,000 died, and scores were seriously injured, on 9/11. 

These days, it is fashionable for progressives to demonize the United States for its decision to drop the atom bombs on Japan. But the Japanese were relentless and stubborn, doggedly fighting to the bitter end. They trained their women and children to fight in the event of an invasion of their island. And make no mistake, they would have fought to the last human had the United States and/or its allies invaded Japan.

Military experts believe the United States would have lost between 500,000 and 1 million soldiers if we had invaded Japan, the Philippines and other territories controlled and occupied by the Japanese.

Pearl Harbor was and is a wakeup call. Millions of Americans take for granted freedom, prosperity, stability and an ordered society in which the rule of law and civility prevail. Since the riotous, violent summer of 2020 and the tainted 2020 presidential election, we're beginning to realize that smooth sailing may be gone for good. But we haven't begun to experience the horrors many others have suffered through the ages. Evil, violent and vicious people can and do savage that fragile state of calm, as on 9/11. Don't think ominous plans are not in the works right at this very moment. Let us move forward with wariness and a willingness to confront the sober truth.

Technology is far advanced from 1941, and the world geopolitical order has shifted considerably. While the former Soviet Union posed the biggest threat for several decades, today China is the behemoth we must fear and against which we must be ever vigilant. China not only has the potential to harm us through economic and other means -- e.g., suppressing production of pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, implanting viruses in electronics equipment, and hacking into our computer networks -- it also poses a grave threat militarily.

Since 2009, China has been using dredging equipment to construct artificial islands on reefs and islets in the South China Sea, then constructing airfields and installing weapons as well as other military-related infrastructure on the islands. Recently, we learned that China has been testing a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile, and has also negotiated a deal to establish a military base in the Atlantic Ocean. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the tiny nation of Equatorial Guinea has agreed to host the base, according to classified American intelligence reports.

The world is a dangerous place. Let us hope that Americans are not content to stick our heads in the sand and delude ourselves into thinking what goes on across the globe doesn't much matter to us. Pearl Harbor taught us a lesson that we must not let our guard down.

Now is the worst possible time for the military to obsess over leftist garbage like transgendered policies and diversity, equity and inclusion when our national defense faces severe threats. Sadly, they're doing just that. To butcher a metaphor about the Titantic, this is like hanging new artwork on the walls, putting out beautiful flower arrangements and sipping Moet & Chandon as your ship begins to sink just after smashing into an iceberg.

Will our woke generals come to their senses? Time is running out. For those of you who believe in a higher power, PRAY!

A Disturbing Followup

Since my most recent post on Friday, a lot has come to light about the 15-year-old boy charged with killing four students and wounding seven others at Oxford High School on Nov. 30. 

What we have learned about Ethan Crumbley and his parents, James and Jennifer, is deeply disturbing. And teachers and counselors at the high school also need to be held accountable for what appears to be malfeasance on their part.

The teen is charged with first-degree murder, assault with intent to murder, possession of a firearm while committing a felony, and terrorism. His parents have been charged with involuntary manslaughter, in large part for failing to intervene when there were many signs their son's mental state was deteriorating and that he posed a danger to himself and others.

We now know that James and Jennifer intended to give the Sig Sauer 9mm semi-automatic pistol to Ethan for Christmas! Can you imagine something so horrendously irresponsible and stupid? For the most part, Michigan law prohibits minors from possessing guns. Common sense and normal prudence should dictate you don't give a gun to a deeply troubled kid.

Compounding matters, James Crumbley simply stored the gun in a drawer rather than locking it up. But the telltale warning signs were all around Mr. and Mrs. Crumbley as well as teachers, counselors and other school authorities. Where to begin...

Ethan had posted a picture of the pistol on social media, and unconfirmed reports state he had a countdown on his Instagram account (since deleted) that ended on Nov. 30 and contained the words "Return of the devil."

One teacher reported that she caught Ethan searching for ammunition on his smartphone; another teacher discovered a drawing he made containing a gun, a bullet, and a person lying down with what looked like a bleeding gunshot wound. He had also written messages of distress about hearing voices and feeling his life was worthless. The teacher took a photo of the drawing and sent it to school officials.

Despite the school emailing Ethan's parents and leaving them a voice mail on Nov. 29, they reportedly did not respond. Somehow, officials persuaded the parents to attend a meeting the morning of Nov. 30 to discuss Ethan's troubling behavior in the classroom and on social media.

Incredibly, Ethan was allowed to return to the classroom following the meeting. School officials urged his parents to get him into counseling within 48 hours, and wanted them to take him home but they refused, leaving him at the school. Also unbelievably, no one thought to search Ethan's backpack or locker, one of which (probably the backpack) contained the gun and ammunition.

The Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney, Karen McDonald, announced charges would be filed against the parents, after which they went on the lam for a couple days until they were apprehended in Detroit. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard blasted the prosecutor for announcing the charges before the two were in custody, and for the lack of communication between the prosecutor's office and sheriff's department.

"I’ve been sheriff for 21 years," he said, "and I’ve never had anyone have a press conference announcing charges before we had the opportunity to have somebody in custody."

I see multiple failures and widespread culpability. Can a flood of lawsuits be far behind?

 

For starters, Mr. & Mrs. Crumbley must be horrible parents to purchase their son a gun when it was obvious he was having serious mental and emotional problems. That's on a level with supplying heroin or opioids to someone who has struggled with addition to alcohol and/or drugs.

 

Were they in denial about his problems? Was he bullied? Was the parents' relationship with their son so poor that he didn't have confidence he could talk to them earnestly and express how much pain he was in? It's difficult to figure out what goes on in certain relationships.

 

And what of the school officials who didn't take more aggressive action to kick Crumbley off school grounds, search his locker and backpack, and seek to beef up security for at least a few days? (Yeah, I know, hindsight is always 20-20, and it's possible school officials across the nation deal with a lot of false alarms and threats that never come to fruition.)

 

Ethan Crumbley didn't just disintegrate within a few days; his emotional state must have been cratering for many months before last week's horrible shootings. I wonder how many young people who saw his social media posts reported him to their parents or school officials?

 

We live in troubled times, and plenty of people of all ages are struggling. Although it can be annoying to others, sometimes we need to be our brother's keeper. In so doing, we can save lives and a lot of heartache.

The Preventable Oxford High School Shootings

We've seen this movie before: Troubled teen who feels alienated and isolated grabs a gun and shoots up his school.

It happened again on Tuesday at Oxford High School in Oakland County, Michigan, just north of Detroit. A 15-year-old boy killed four and wounded eight others (seven students, one teacher). Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and their families, but sadness and prayer must be supplemented by a harsh analysis of the circumstances leading up to this horrible event.

As usual, Democrats are racing to the microphones and cameras to declare they have new gun control legislation that will prevent such horrible acts in the future. Once again, the liberals blame an inanimate object -- in this case a 9mm Sig Sauer SP 2022 semi automatic pistol -- for criminal actions caused by a human being.

In fact, the bloodshed is the fault of more than just the minor being charged. His parents also bear culpability. The suspect's father had just purchased the pistol on Black Friday. Not only did he fail to keep it and the ammunition locked up, enabling his son to access it; he and his wife seemed to lack a sense of urgency about their son's behavior and disturbing social media posts in the days leading up to the shooting.

School authorities have divulged that the boy and his parents were called into a meeting the very morning of the shooting to discuss his classroom behavior. (Reports are the boy had the gun and bullets in his backpack during the meeting.) Less than three hours later, his rampage began.

Telltale signs had been around for a while. The boy reportedly posted on Instagram a photo of the pistol, and also posted a “countdown to return of devil," writing, "Now I become death — destroyer of worlds — see you tomorrow Oxford.”

There's no doubt both parents realized their son was troubled and not doing well in school. As a gun owner myself, I realize that locking up firearms is vitally important. My son is grown and gone, and we do not ever have young children in our home. But still, one never knows who may be in the home in the future, and preventing unauthorized access to weapons is essential.

In Lansing, Democrat politicians are about as bad as the ones in Washington, D.C. -- i.e., grossly misguided and attention-seeking to boot.

For her part, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer described gun violence as a “public health crisis,” adding: “No one should be afraid to go to school, work, a house of worship, or even their own home. This is a time for us to come together and help children feel safe at school.”

Nothing wrong with speaking out against violence in schools and advocating for safety on school grounds, but where is the Democrat concern when innocent people are much more likely to be victimized by criminals who were coddled with low bails and fewer arrests by demoralized police officers? Most of us would feel much more in jeopardy walking through a neighborhood in South Chicago or the East Side of Detroit than we would in any school. But school shootings offer a convenient opportunity to grandstand.

Democrats in the Michigan Legislature were quick to introduce a number of gun control bills, and to denounce Republicans, who hold the majority in both chambers, for refusing to take up the bills.

Here are some comments of two Michigan lawmakers, taken from the political newsletter Gongwer. Democrat Sen. Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak said Democrats have introduced dozens of bills to address existing gun laws.

"If we continue to do nothing, then it will keep happening again and again and again," she said. "This is the only country is the world where this happens regularly. We live in a country where there are more guns than people and any time anyone brings up any ideas to help stop gun violence and put safety measures in place, we hear outcries of 'freedom.'"

Apparently the good senator doesn't realize that the thousands of gun control laws already on the books have not stopped criminals from stealing and illegally obtaining firearms and using them to commit felonies. News flash: Lawbreakers break laws. They don't care whether there are 10 laws or 10,000 laws. This is just plain common sense, and passing more laws won't change the reality.

But back to the legislators...

Republican Ed McBroom, from a small Upper Peninsula town called Vulcan, did what Republicans should do far more often: Call out the callousness Democrats and liberals have toward the barbarity and genocide of abortion, juxtaposing that with Democrats' outrage over gun mortalities.

He first stated he was incensed that McMorrow said some people value guns more than children, calling that "ridiculous," and then hammered McMorrow and her left-wing colleagues:

"How dare anybody imply that, especially people who at the same time are celebrating the millions of lives snuffed out annually that's condoned by our current laws in this country," he said, referring to legal abortion. "Those are lives too. What about their right to life? What about their freedoms? These are real people. Why is the life of these children who were killed a few days ago not comparable to the lives that are being killed in a clinic somewhere, where we watch them sucked out and mashed into pieces without batting an eye?"

Bravo! Way to show some spine, senator.

Some of our readers may recall Sen. McBroom, who chaired the Senate Oversight Committee that investigated the 2020 presidential election in Michigan and released a report concluding that election fraud was not a factor in Joe Biden's victory. The Atlantic, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other left wing organs heaped praise on McBroom, turning him into a Mitt Romney/John McCain type Republican -- i.e., their favorite kind: the ones who bash other Republicans.

Somehow, I don't think Sen. McBroom's accurate and powerful comments about the depravity and cruelty of abortion will earn such beaucoup kudos.

Wednesday Night at the Bres... Coming Right Up

It's been probably 12 to 15 years since I've been to a Michigan State basketball game in person. Tonight I am going to see my beloved Spartans take on Louisville in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge at the Breslin Center, just a few miles from my home.

This was a spur-of-the-moment decision when I learned that tickets are unbelievably cheap. Listening to sports talk radio while working this afternoon, I heard a local caller say he was going to the game (which starts at 7 p.m. EST) and that tickets were going for as low as $6 on StubHub. He added he's been to several MSU home games this young season, and found the arena to be only a little more than half full on several occasions.

So I went onto StubHub and sure enough, saw many tickets going for $6 to $10. I quickly purchased one that ended up costing $11.41 including the service fees and taxes. My wife will drop me about a half mile from the arena around 6:45 p.m., and I will walk the rest of the way to avoid having her get into the congestion. (I also need the exercise and fresh air.)

I checked the MSU website, and just as I suspected, masks are required at Breslin Center (and inside all other campus buildings). So that may explain why attendance is way down, plus the fact many people are paranoid about gathering with crowds due to the threat of contracting Coronavirus. I will just have to deal with it, but will probably buy some popcorn, which will give me an excuse to pull the mask down for a while at least. (Hey, I'm vaxxed AND have a great immune system!)

One thing that might cause me to leave the game early (other than MSU getting blown out, which I don't see happening), is too much loud, obnoxious music being played over the P.A. system. It's been about seven years since I've been to a football game, and I recall being appalled at the wretched, raunchy, loud rap music the stadium plays during commercial breaks.

Whether one is attending a basketball or football game, there are a shitload of timeouts for TV commercials. Invariably, ear-splitting music is blared for all to hear. I'll have a report on this in the next day or two (or maybe even later tonight).

The Spartans are ranked No. 22 after starting the season unranked, and managed to beat a couple of good teams (Loyola and UConn) in the Battle for Atlantis Tournament Thanksgiving weekend before bowing to defending national champion Baylor.

This early in the season the Spartans often are not sharp, but they're usually a well-oiled machine come February and March. Coach Tom Izzo likes to experiment with different lineups to determine who plays best together and how the chemistry works out with different lineups. Turnovers can be a big problem, along with inconsistent shooting and defensive breakdowns. Still, MSU is a 4.5-point favorite, the oddsmakers are saying.

This ought to be interesting, and we'll see what happens. GO GREEN!

Silence is Violence? Or is it Embarrassment?

The leftist virtue signalers, Democrat hacks and their media stooges on MSNBC and CNN are fond of parroting the clichéd meme "Silence is Violence" with regard to blacks being shot by police. From the leftist perspective, the police are racists who are always and forever on the hunt for new black victims to shoot. They absolutely do not acknowledge that in most cases, the black victim would not have been shot had he been unarmed and cooperated with police during a traffic stop or arrest.

Well, after many months of everyone from Sleepy Joe Biden to your local liberal blowhard in the coffee shop spouting nonsense about the white supremacist bogeyman, systemic racism and how bigoted Donald Trump supporters are, it's time for a reality check.

The same left-wing blowhards who have attempted to hammer home a false narrative about the supposed racism of Kyle Rittenhouse, Donald Trump (and his 75 million supporters), Nick Sandmann, the Duke lacrosse players, George Zimmerman and untold other people, are now suddenly silent about a true racist who happens to be black and is charged with killing and injuring white people.

No, the race baiters, demagogues and haters of MSNBC and CNN, as well as their print media peers at the Washington Post and New York Times, have no desire to speak out against defendant Darrell Brooks and the hate group he supports, Black Lives Matter. Maybe they're just downright embarrassed about their duplicity.

Brooks tweeted out threats encouraging violence against white people. Witnesses at the Nov. 21 Christmas parade in Waukesha said that Brooks drove his Ford SUV in such a manner that demonstrated he was intentionally trying to mow down people. He was zig-zagging to hit as many people as possible.

This is a fact: Although white racism against blacks is a blot upon America going back centuries, black racism against whites is still a very real evil in today's society. Newsflash to the obstinate ideologues and dunderheads of America's garbage media: There ARE black racists, and it is simple-minded and asinine to imply that racism is only a white-on-black phenomenon.

The corrupt, pathetic media won't acknowledge the truth. But that's entirely understandable when you consider that CNN, which is a veritable parody of itself, used to feature creepy porn lawyer Michael Avenatti (a convicted felon) and stripper Stormy Daniels as "reliable sources" to bash the left's eternal bogeyman, Donald Trump. Were it not for deep pockets supporters (i.e., AT&T & Comcast), CNN and MSNBC would have been out of business years ago, as both have abysmal ratings.

Despite his many flaws, ol' Orange Julius is looking better and better in comparison to the media scum. As for CNN and their fellow leftist riff-raff, well, it's pretty damned tough to feel shame or remorse when you are utterly shameless.

Time to 'Reimagine' Coddling Criminals

Just thought I would use one of those hackneyed leftist terms to throw stupidity right back at the progressives.

We've been hearing for years about how hardened criminals have assaulted, raped or murdered innocent victims just days after these perps were freed from incarceration on low bail despite already having been charged with a serious crime. Or being released from jail because of the threat of contracting COVID-19. Or being paroled many years short of completing their prison term.

It's hard to keep track of how many people have been needlessly victimized because of wrongheaded, destructive policies that coddle criminals while demonizing police and delegitimatizing the correctional system. Remember, protecting the public is the number one purpose of incarceration when it comes to violent criminals, followed by punishment and possible rehabilitation.

Sunday's horrible slaughter of innocent people and wounding of dozens more during a Waukesha, Wisconsin Christmas parade may have been the last straw.

The New York Post published a piece about "The Life and Crimes" of Darrell Brooks. This dirtbag has a long track record of felonies, drug abuse, incarceration and violent behavior. He had just been released on $1,000 bail after being charged with a violent crime a few days before his parade rampage.

Sadly, Brooks is another in a long line of black people who didn't have a father growing up. He is an example of how the breakdown in the family structure has been a toxic wrecking ball among black Americans. The frequently celebrated Black Lives Matter is against the traditional nuclear family, as well as being Marxist, anti-Christian and anti-semitic. 

No one in their right mind who cares about black lives would posit that preventing black children from having both parents involved in their upbringing is a positive thing. This underscores how warped and debased BLM is.

And to emphasize how delusional and tone-deaf is the leftist politician AOC (aka the Valley Girl), consider the fact that just hours after the Waukesha atrocity, she tweeted out a plea for lower bails. She definitely ain't the sharpest tool in the shed.

I sense that the pendulum may be swinging back to the reasonable, rational side.

SPEAKING OF WAUKESHA...

I looked up Waukesha in Wikipedia to learn its population and read a little about the city. In so doing, I stumbled across an interesting piece of football trivia. Many people may not be aware that in the early days of American football, there were no forward passes. It was nothing but run, run, run.

On Sept. 5, 1906, Carroll College (now Carroll University, located in Waukesha) hosted St. Louis University. During that game, SLU halfback Bradbury Robinson threw the first legal forward pass in football history. The visitors went on to win 22–0.