Posse Incitatus

Michigan State turns to veteran governors to clean up the mess

While I share he universal sense of horror at the crimes of the fiendish ex-Dr. Nasser, I fear that the current environment could preclude the rational, dispassionate investigation that is essential to ensure that one great injustice is not followed by another.

Thus, like many of my fellow Spartans, I greeted the unanimous, bipartisan appointment of noted political pitbull John Engler as Interim President of Michigan State with a sense of satisfaction and relief.

Adding to my peace of mind was Engler's stated intention of taking James Blanchard on board as a key advisor.

For those not aware of Michigan politics, Blanchard and Engler are old political rivals.  Blanchard served as governor of the Great Lakes State for two terms during the 1980s until defeated by Engler in a bitter and hard-fought campaign in 1990.  Engler went on to win two additional terms before leaving office at the end 2002.

Between them, the have two decades of executive experience at the highest level and command universal respect.  Both are Michigan State graduates and their cooperation seems to me a powerful signal that there are more important things than one's political affiliation.

There are reports that the faculty intend a no-confidence vote in Engler's appointment, which is unfortunate.  Engler was a ruthless operator, crushing his enemies without mercy in pursuit of his goals.  This made him a lot of enemies in his own party, and it was no wonder that he left the state when his term ended.

He was never loved, but he was respected - which explains why the Democrat trustees voted in favor of his appointment.  If he can build a solid relationship with his former rival, MSU may yet turn tragedy into triumph.

I cannot help but add that I'm more than a little annoyed that once again the NCAA has decided to insert itself where it doesn't belong.  This body's sole area of authority is academic compliance, not criminal law.  Just as with the Penn State situation, they have decided to grandstand rather than do their job.

Given that the NCAA declined to even put North Carolina on probation for a massive incidence of academic fraud, a problem so sweeping their accreditation as an institution of higher learning was called into question, I find their sudden jumping on the investigative bandwagon despicable.

 

Weinstein University?

Am I so hurt and disgusted by the colossal failures, arrogance, incompetence and delusion of my alma mater that I am looking for solace in the "misery loves company" category? I have to consider that possibility as I ponder the lack of accountability in the insular academic world juxtaposed with the "outing" of sexual transgressions involving myriad high profile people, from Hollywood entertainers to politicians to corporate executives. The Weinstein revelations opened up the floodgate that brought down many high profile public figures. Maybe something similar will happen in the fantasy land of ivory towers.

But let's get back to Michigan State University. Dr. Larry Nassar's heinous crimes, and the bungling, sweep-things-under-the-rug actions of the university's so-called "leaders" have resulted in more than 150 female athletes being violated, one of them committing suicide because she could not cope with the pain, another whose father committed suicide, dozens of them dealing with debilitating psychological and emotional scars with which they will grapple for the rest of their lives. Sadly, lives have been ruined, as has the reputation of MSU. The university will never, ever live this down.

Things keep getting worse for MSU. Now there are -- count 'em -- SIX separate investigations into the university and its handling of the Nassar case as well as sexual assault cases in general: The U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Congress, Michigan Attorney General, Michigan State Police, Michigan House of Representatives, and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Rubbing salt on the wounds of the victims and all of those affiliated with MSU, ex-president Lou Anna Simon resigned with a defiant, arrogant and shockingly tone-deaf letter. Her statement whined about this whole fiasco being "politicized," and she devoted an inordinate amount of verbiage to herself and how much she had dedicated years of hard work to the university. News flash to someone I used to respect but now regard with disdain: When a monstrous atrocity like this has taken place, it is totally inappropriate to go the "I-me-my" route in addressing it. THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU, LOU ANNA! Not once did Simon apologize. GOOD FRIGGIN' RIDDANCE ! ! ! I certainly hope her replacement has no previous ties with MSU.

Taking the broom to MSU's upper echelon, including the Board of Trustees, is like throwing out all linens and clothes, and even pitching the mattress, once bed bugs are discovered. Nothing less will do.

But with all of that being said, it can't be denied that in the media feeding frenzy, Larry Nassar's perversion and pedophilia has been conflated with adult complaints about sexual harassment and sexual assault. ESPN, being the sensationalistic, tabloid-like network it is, has run a major report rehashing many previous sexual assault complaints against MSU football and basketball players. Most of these incidents have been publicized; many of them did not result in charges being pressed. I am quite sure that if such an in-depth investigation were undertaken at other universities, there would be plenty to talk about as far as athletes getting the kid-gloves treatment.

This doesn't mean all of these Spartan athletes were exemplary young men, innocent and being falsely accused like the Duke lacrosse players of a decade ago. No, far from it. Many of them probably have behaved boorishly around women. But again, when young people get together, poor judgment (i.e., immaturity) combines with testosterone, hormones, alcohol and getting caught up in the moment, and there often is a fog enveloping what really happened. It takes two to tango, and there is almost always gray area in these he-said/she-said cases. The truth frequently falls in between the two sides of the story.

But I still believe that MSU is guilty of dragging its feet in addressing complaints of sexual assault, of withholding information from the news media, of failing to encourage openness and communication among its employees, and of failing to send the message that sexual assault will not be tolerated.

Like many other universities, MSU worships the almighty dollar. Anything that jeopardizes big-revenue sports or the contributions of deep-pocket donors is a MAJOR problem. So, although the progressives who permeate higher ed talk a good game about diversity, tolerance and women's rights, the Benjamins always trump those values.

So my headline does not mean I am implying that people at the university behaved like the disgusting slob Harvey Weinstein, pressuring beautiful co-eds to put out in exchange for a better term paper grade, a job promotion or whatever. What I hope for is that a similar domino effect will occur. I hope it becomes obvious to our frequently dense news media that the transgressions being publicized involving the MSU athletic department are pretty much widespread in the money-making world of big-time universities and their athletic programs.

Furthermore, the insular, "We know what's best" mentality of circle the wagons and cover up that was  exposed here in East Lansing, Michigan, is pretty much commonplace in academia. We know that Baylor, Penn State and Louisville have had major scandals in the past few years, and going back a few years, so have many other major universities, including Miami University, Nebraska, Florida State, Oklahoma, Georgia and many more.

Believe me, there are plenty of untapped gold mines of hypocrisy, cover-ups and horrible crimes that go unpunished -- all offering the media ample opportunity to shine the harsh light onto the cockroaches of academia. And by cockroaches, I don't mean only the sexual predators and other bad actors who play for the teams; I also mean the nihilistic bureaucrats and pompous-ass administrators who cover up and look the other way, all because protecting their precious institution's image and keeping the money spigot open is more important than protecting students from criminals, offering assistance and support to victims, and punishing offenders.

Let the dominoes fall. If the misery at Michigan State leads to a reformation of academia, maybe in the long run, some good can come from this. But that silver lining, if it ever arrives, is going to come after many years of cold, ugly, slate gray clouds.

Some optimism on a Sunny Sunday Morning

For a long time, it seems as though we've gone from one awful event to another.  The culture has been remorselessly coarsened and our politics is utterly dysfunctional.

But outside the narrow confines of the increasingly out-of-touch media bubble, there are a number of encouraging signs for our society.

The fact is that left's endless war on everything is finally wearing people out.  It's like the old joke:

Q:  How many feminists does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A:  That's not funny!

That joke is older than I am and it's still funny because it's still true.  Happily, a lot of people are checking out of the culture wars and getting on with their lives. 

The other day I heard a song on the radio - some alternative station, I forget which - but it was a happy little tune sung by a honey-voiced woman with sparse accompaniment.  It's central theme was the once universal dream of young women to settle down with a good man and live happily ever after.

The imagery stuck with me because unlike contemporary popular music, it was so normal.

There was no call for hedonistic sex, the female vocalist didn't proclaim herself an emotional wreck or party animal out on the prowl.  Thinking it over, the basic sentiment was really just a throwback to the Beach Boys' "Wouldn't it be Nice?"

Actually, the sentiment goes back much farther because it is a universal one - an idea rooting in culture, tradition and evolution.

As I listened to the song, I was reminded of the fact that my college-town parish has put out yet another urgent call for volunteers to help manage the growing flood of converts.  This has been going on for a while, but apparently the tide is still rising.

Now if one surrendered to the defeatist views of Quisling Never Trumpers like Rod Dreher, these happy events would be dismissed as impossible or at best a local phenomenon, but in fact there is a ground swell taking place.

Far from the sexual harassment hot spots located in legacy media newsrooms, young people are deciding that maybe grandma and grandpa were on to something.  Finding a mate, raising children and having a meaningful life are hard enough without the added difficulty of trying to create an entirely new culture on the fly with nothing else to guide you than resentment at the world.

The angry left is angry because it is so miserable, and its only satisfaction is spreading that misery to others.  As the MeToo movement is showing, they are now to the point where they don't care who they destroy, so long as they destroy someone.

It is hard to imaging going through life perpetually enraged about something, waking up each day wondering whose life needs to be ruined for an innocuous remark, a clumsy attempt at a come-on, or something they did that was socially acceptable 20 years ago but now must be called out as an unforgivable sin.

A much more attractive option is to hang out with people who are comfortable with who they are and live by time-tested truths.  No wonder people are lining up to get in.

Another week of hallucinatory Trump betrayals

Most of the news last week was about things that haven't happened.

It was strange.  There was plenty of information out there about things that are happening, or recently happened, but instead the media focus was entirely on imaginary possible future events.

There was the infamous intelligence memo that hardly anyone has seen but everyone wants to talk about.  It may get released, or it may get leaked.  Or maybe it won't.

But when it comes out, that would be the time to talk about what's in it.

Another hot topic was immigration legislation and funding for Trump's border security.

Again, the only actual event was the Democrat cave-in on the partial government shutdown.  The rest was speculation.

It is true that President Trump offered a very generous compromise offering long-term residence for "Dreamers" in exchange for enhanced border security and new requirements that employees be confirmed American citizens or lawful resident aliens.

Naturally, the Dems would have none of it, thereby proving that they are entirely irrational and out of step with American public opinion on the matter.

You know who else is entirely irrational and out of step with American opinion?  Quisling Never Trumpers.

I was amazed to see them claiming Trumps (rejected) offer was a betrayal of some sort.  Well, actually, not that amazed, since these people seem to be on a quest to come up with the stupidest arguments ever expressed in the English language.

I guess what amazed me was that otherwise right-thinking folk actually took them seriously.

The conservative base is of course traumatized by repeated betrayal and I suppose it is normal for them to see sell-outs everywhere, like some Hollywood stereotypical Vietnam vet who thinks "gooks" are constantly coming at him from the shadows.

The thing is, Donald Trump is not a normal GOP establishment squish.  He's been in office for a year now and the overriding thing we have learned is to watch what he does rather than what he says.

Trump's proposal was arguably overly generous, which made its immediate refusal demonstrate that the Dems aren't at all reasonable.  The open-borders fanatics are now demanding immediate amnesty and unlimited immigration with zero enforcement as their only acceptable solution.

This is marvelous terrain for the GOP to fight out the fall election.

Not only that, but the clock is ticking on Obama's illicit DACA program.  The case is moving before the Supreme Court and it is hard to imagine them finding that it is beyond Trump's Constitutional authority to revoke a predecessor's executive order - particularly one that was blatantly illegal.

When that happens, the "Dreamers" will start getting deported - and the Dems will have zero leverage to stop it.

Their proposed solution is overt lawlessness, which is sure to go over well with people in Missouri, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Ohio and Michigan - states where vulnerable Democrat Senators are up for re-election.

I get that the Vichy Wing of the GOP is all about spreading despair among conservatives, but I fail to see why anyone should pay attention to them.

It is worth pointing out that these are the same people who endorsed Hillary, and whose conservative principles have lately been totally in line with progressive ideology.

Bill Kristol - who apparently inherited none of his father's IQ - even went to far as to condemn corporate tax cuts, arguing that if $1,000 bonuses are good things, the government should just hand them out.

The mind reels from such economic ignorance.

In any event, it's ultimately a debate about a betrayal that hasn't happened pushed by people with a history of actual betrayal. 

What was it Tolkien wrote?  "The treacherous are ever distrustful."  Perfect description of the Quisling Never Trumpers.

Let the Healing Begin

These are dark days for Michigan State University. President Lou Anna Simon submitted her resignation Wednesday night, amid mounting pressure, having presided over one of the worst sex abuse scandals in U.S. history.

But before I speak to the dysfunction and outrageous nature of what's gone on there for far too long, let me say my thoughts and prayers are with the many girls and young women who have been victimized by serial abuser Dr. Larry Nassar, 54. Many of them were gymnasts; some played other sports; several were involved with U.S.A. Gymnastics in Olympics competition.

On Wednesday, following a week of wrenching victims' statements that garnered international headlines, Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 75 years in prison. "I just signed your death warrant," said Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina. It doesn't take much imagination to realize she didn't have in mind an octogenarian Nassar passing away in 2048. His days may be severely numbered. The sentence is on top of 60 years in federal prison he received in December on child pornography charges, with other charges still pending.

Simon, like so many of her fellow employees and the tone-deaf Board of Trustees at the insular university, has been rather cold and detached throughout the revelations about Nassar. Although his abuse goes back to the late 1990s, it really only came to light in the past 4-5 years, as various investigators looked into charges leveled by victims and press accounts began appearing. The Meridian Township Police Department, MSU Department of Public Safety, Ingham County Prosecutor's Office, FBI, and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) have all looked into the allegations. The university also hired a law firm to conduct an investigation, but was anything but transparent about the whole process.

 The NCAA announced earlier this week that it is opening a new investigation of MSU. Additionally, dozens of civil suits are pending. Meanwhile, the university's utter incompetence with regard to public relations and image messaging allowed the village idiot, Trustee Joel Ferguson, to go on a radio talk show Tuesday and dismissively state that there was so much more going on at MSU than "just this Nassar thing." He arrogantly said of the prospect of Simon resigning, "That will not happen, period." He also lowered the bar further, proclaiming, "This is not Penn State." For years, Ferguson has been known to stir the pot and make intemperate statements. He really outdid himself this time.

Basketball Coach Tom Izzo also put his foot in his mouth, speaking with the press a few days ago, with a profoundly stupid statement that included the words, "I hope the right person was convicted." He and football coach Mark Dantonio should have had the common sense to decline comment, but both spoke to the press.

It will take a long, long time to sort out this sordid mess, but based on accounts from multiple women, MSU trainers, coaches and other officials were told of Nassar's transgressions early on, and did nothing. One women's gymnastics coach, Kathie Klages, even threatened several of her female gymnasts with "serious consequences" if they made public their allegations against Nassar. And this was more than 15 years ago. She was suspended, and later allowed to retire with a pension.

Simply put: Accountability and transparency have been severely lacking. The arrogance and insular M.O. are unacceptable. Over the years, I have harshly criticized academia in general for all of these traits and more. And I certainly won't spare my alma mater, because, frankly, it deserve all of the criticism and disdain it has coming its way. Heads need to roll, big time. I don't care if the investigation drags on for a decade.

Finally, given the human toll of this revolting spectacle, I hate to conclude with a statement about the almighty dollar. But sadly, that's what this comes down to. MSU's alumni and deep pockets donors would have severely pulled back on their donations if Simon had not stepped down. Many of them may well have decided that even with Simon's resignation, and regardless of what happens from here on out, their days of contributing are over.

I'll have more to say about this in the future, but felt I needed to get a few things off my chest. The clever "Spartans Will" slogan ("will" serving as both a verb and a noun -- like determination to achieve something), has been turned on its head. Sadly, we have witnessed ugly things that Spartans WILL do. Things like obfuscate, deflect, cover up, circle the wagons, be arrogant and dismissive, and dig their own graves, deeper and deeper. Sad, but sometimes the only way to improve is to first hit rock bottom.

 

 

Big Don's First Year

One year ago today, Donald Trump was sworn in as America's 45th president. As expected, it's been a tumultuous year, with Democrats, their progressive legions and the corrupt media dumping on Trump and his administration 24/7. But looking back, Trump's record of achievement is far more substantial and impressive than even his supporters hoped for or expected.

The massive corporate and individual tax cut and tax reform bill Trump signed into law in late 2017 is already paying dividends. Dozens of companies have given bonuses to their employees; many have raised wages; and some have lowered customers' fees. Apple Computer announced it will invest heavily in the United States over the next five years -- $350 billion, much of it being repatriated from overseas. An estimated 20,000 jobs will be created.

The stock market keeps roaring, and has increased 31 percent in the past year. Unemployment is at a 45-year low, and black unemployment is the lowest on record.

The corporate and small business exuberance is also due to the administration's decision to radically cut back job-killing and growth-stifling regulations, which exploded under statist President Barack Obama.

Aside from economic triumphs, Trump has pulled the United States out of pie-in-the-sky internationalist schemes that invariably cost us a lot of money, hamper our interests and fail to deliver on their promises. Chief among them: The Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Paris Climate Accord. Trump is threatening to withdraw from NAFTA unless terms are made more favorable to the United States.

Militarily, Trump took an aggressive, confrontational stance with ISIS. New strategies such as arming the Syrian Kurds and granting more autonomy to generals on the grounds (i.e., eliminating the Obama administration's micromanaging and strict rules of engagement). The Islamofascist scum formerly controlled large swaths of Iraq and Syria. But now, after untold numbers of them have been killed and much of their weaponry destroyed, ISIS controls only a little bit of desert wasteland. (How's THAT for "overseas contingency operations"?)

There is no more pussy-footing around with Kim Jong Il and North Korea, and Trump's national security strategy, unveiled in December, puts America first and assesses enemies and danger in a clear-eyed, direct manner. Iran has been put on notice that it needs to change its ways, or the United States will put the kibosh on the Obama administration's naive nuclear agreement with the pariah nation.

For the first time in years, Israel knows it has an ally in the White House, not an anti-semitic backstabber who sucks up to Arabs and Muslims all day, every day. Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital was a master stroke.

Trump has also attempted to crack down on illegal and dangerous immigration -- vigorously opposing sanctuary cities, imposing a temporary travel ban from seven countries known to be associated with terrorism, and at least getting the ball rolling on a wall for the Mexican border. Although he's attempted to rescind the unconstitutional DACA program implemented by Obama, obstructionist judges continue to stand in his way on this and other issues including cutting off federal funds to sanctuary cities.

Appointing Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court was one of Trump's most important achievements, and Trump has also appointed numerous conservative judges to sit on various federal courts. His cabinet consists of some hard-charging, think-ouside-the-box executives who refuse to succumb to that lame M.O. of "Well, that's the way we've ALWAYS done things around here -- why change?" Indeed, they embrace change and new approaches, relish upsetting the apple cart and goring sacred cows, and refuse to be cowed by the frequently wrong, albeit supremely arrogant, establishment and its media cheerleaders.

Trump has failed on some initiatives, such as totally repealing Obamacare, but at least eliminating the individual mandate is a start in dismantling this disgraceful albatross. The Donald also was clumsy in initially rolling out his travel ban, and his inner circle was a revolving door of people coming and going during the first few months (Anthony Scaramucci -- are YOU KIDDING?), but things have calmed down quite a bit under the able leadership of Gen. John Kelly as chief of staff.

Not sure what my co-blogger thinks of Mr. Trump's bombastic and thin-skinned nature and his sometimes ill-informed and ill-advised tweets, but I think he could stand to tone it down a bit. Often, he hurts his own initiatives and credibility. He can't get out of his own way, as the expression goes. But then, that's just Donald being Donald.

As I have stated many times, in this blog, on forums, and to people I know who are like-minded: I would much rather have a guy who can be buffoonish, rude, abrasive, thin-skinned and a blowhard, but whose heart is in the right place and whose policies are excellent, than a debonair, erudite Harvard scholar who is articulate, charming and has a beautiful family, but whose priorities are warped (rage at the NRA and conservatives; robot-like behavior toward bloodthirsty terrorists) and whose policies have caused harm (cop killing, worse race relations, a trampling on religious freedom, the Middle East on fire, an anemic economy with lots of low-wage, part-time and temp jobs)....all the while with clueless, dim bulb reporters ignoring corruption and a runaway surveillance state while waving their pom-poms about superficial imagery. Examples would include Obama's so-called "soaring rhetoric," Hollywood and NBA stars hanging with the O-man, late night talk show appearances, and NCAA Tournament picks. Maybe Barry ought to be the reality TV star, no?

Congratulations, Donald John Trump, for getting us on the right track again. Thanks for all of your hard work, for constantly slamming the media vermin (they DESERVE IT), and for your love of America. Keep up the good work. And I'll be sure not to run out of popcorn.

 

Google proves Dr. King's dream is dying

A few days ago I remarked that the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been completely abandoned by progressives.  In its place they have created identity politics focused on demonizing and punishing groups their leadership deems undesirable.  Basically Jim Crow has been removed from one race and attached to another.

Our resident troll then challenged me to find examples of a position he claimed was totally not mainstream, all the while refusing to defend the obvious proposition that the "mainstream" itself has abandoned racial reconciliation as a goal.

The class-action lawsuit against Google offers another example of progressives spitting on Dr. King's dream.

I particularly like this quote by a Google employee:  “If there is any harm to the interests of Jews from that work, it is more than made up for by the benefits to everyone as a whole.”

Oh wait, sorry - I got that wrong.  For "Jews" read "white men."

Funny how simply changing the target group changes the meaning, isn't it?  I mean that sentence above could have come from an issue of Der Sturmer, but as long as the targeted group is officially sanctioned, it's okay.  Let's take one more look at it:

“If there is any harm to the interests of black men from that work, it is more than made up for by the benefits to everyone as a whole.”

Oh no!  Someone call the ACLU!

These are not the words of people who desire peaceful coexistence and full integration - they are the words of bigots who want to persecute a specific group and are quite open about the benefits they will get by seizing their jobs and wealth.

The civil rights movement was based on a simple proposition - that racial reconciliation and coexistence was both possible and desirable.

Its implementation came down to a simple bargain: in exchange for whites removing economic and political barriers to blacks, blacks would forgive whites for their past transgressions.

There is no question that blacks held the more high ground in this exchange, but that high ground was conditional on actually offering forgiveness.

For along time, there was amazing progress.  The KKK is nothing but a bugbear used to justify shrill fundraising efforts by the SPLC - which is now nothing more than an offshore piggy-bank for its founder.  America has elected a black president and just about every milestone one can imagine has been achieved in terms of integration.  Vast sums of wealth - eclipsing the costs of all wars we have ever fought - have been spent to eradicate black poverty.

In our fallen, imperfect world, white America has done the best it can to remedy past ills.

And yet all this good will is for nought as far as progressives are concerned, particularly black progressives.

Their new line is that there can be no forgiveness, ever.  White men are irredeemable and their eradication from public life is both desirable and necessary.  This is a considerable escalation from Jim Crow, which only desired separation of the races.  The new "civil rights" movement views extermination of the new Untermenschen as its goal.

I don't believe this is the majority position.  I live in a diverse community and interact with people daily.  No one seems to have a problem with each other.  The elites seem to be the ones driving this project, and that I why I remain optimistic that perhaps Dr. King's dream will prevail.

But I cannot pretend that this movement doesn't exist and that it doesn't pose a threat to society.

To put it another way - there are legitimate concerns about the state abusing its power, and this includes police.  The way to address this is not to make it a racial issue, but to make it a societal one.

If all police, everywhere are using body cameras and stripped of their judicial-imposed immunity from prosecution for misconduct, society as a whole will benefit from greater accountability.

California House of Horrors

A few days ago, news reports out of Riverside, California informed us of a twisted couple who kept their 13 children imprisoned inside their modest home. The children, ranging in age from 2 to 29, were reportedly emaciated and sometimes handcuffed to beds or tied up with chains or ropes.

According to the girl who escaped the home to report the conditions to authorities, their parents forced them to stay up all night and sleep during the day. Because many of them were not allowed to use the bathroom, feces and urine were all around. Supposedly, the children were only allowed to shower once a year, if press accounts are to be believed.

All of this is unspeakably hideous, and I have much pity for the children if what they endured was anywhere near as bad as what's been reported. But the enormity of the crime, the number of children involved, and the length of time during which these horrors played out -- all of this defies belief.

I am not an expert; nor have I been involved in this case. But some immediate questions come to mind.

For example: How could this have gone on for years without relatives suspecting something was seriously wrong? Would not siblings, parents and friends of the mother and father have inquired about the couple's children? What about doctors and dentists? Was there no contact whatsoever with them? And wouldn't it seem odd if you had a neighbor whose family was large, yet you rarely saw the kids outside of the home? (And even if you did, it was only a few of them, not all of them at different times.)

We have seen family photos taken at amusement parks and other locations. If the children were emaciated (the 29-year-old was thought to be only 14 or 15 due to severe malnourishment and stunted growth), would not people notice, and report the family to authorities?

And why wouldn't the children, on the rare occasions when they were outside of the home for family trips, report to relatives, neighbors or even strangers what was going on? Heck, why didn't they all agree to scream and shout in unison all night, every night, so neighbors would hear them and call police? Perhaps they were so emotionally traumatized, they were incapable of coordinating a response.

What about a child welfare agency? Were there no red flags? Normally, local and/or state child welfare authorities are diligent about looking into areas of concern.

And how about the public schools? It seems somebody must keep tabs on whether children are being educated, if not in a school, then at home. California law requires parents of home school children to register with the state, but it's quite possible the parents in this case failed to do so.

The whole case doesn't pass the smell test. "Incredible" is an overused word -- perhaps "implausible" is a better term. But then, sometimes truth is stranger -- and more horrible -- than fiction. I hope and pray these poor souls can still find health, sanity and some joy in life.

The Dems' flawed shutdown strategy

As I write, Washington and the media establishment is counting down the hours until the federal government shuts down.

Of course there is a kabuki atmosphere to the whole exercise, but what intrigues me the most is why the Democrats are doing something so obviously stupid.

They are, after all, the party of government.  Government is the thing they love above all else and during the previous shutdowns, the current leadership held forth at great length on how irresponsible it is to "hold the nation hostage."

And yet they are doing just that.  At midnight, 49 Democrat Senators will decide if the lights stay on.

Compounding this error is the ground upon which they have chosen to fight.  Does anyone seriously think that the voters in places like Michigan, Missouri and Ohio are going to agree that legalizing illegal aliens is the hill upon which the Democrats need to die?

Remember, the Democrats fancy themselves the party of maturity.  Trump is supposed to be the erratic one, yet here they are, threatening to shut down the country if they don't get their way.

The tactic totally undermines decades of messaging.

It also uniquely hurts their constituents.  Come Monday morning, the overwhelmingly Democrat workforce will be wondering when they will get paid again.  Similarly, people dependent on government benefits - the core Democrat base - will wonder when their benefits will resume.

Chuck Schumer is basically threatening to smash his own rice bowl unless the GOP does as he demands.  Talk about a weak hand.

Objectively speaking, the DACA amnesty is dying quickly.  Trump's withdrawal of Obama's executive order is both constitutional and proper.  It is Congress, not the president, who gets to make laws. 

On a certain level, the Dems know this, and they understand that once it goes away, it isn't come back.  Indeed, let us recall that the Dems had the votes do make all this go away as late as 2010, but feared to do so because of its widespread unpopularity.  It says something that they felt that Obamacare - with all of its obvious flaws - was the easier sell.

And so here we are.  Donald Trump - who the press would have us believe has no interest in the office, a ten-second attention span and is mentally incapable of making a rational decision - has somehow managed to maneuver the Democrats into a disastrous position, forcing their most vulnerable lawmakers to chose between voting for a shutdown that disproportionately harms their base or shattering party unity by caving in to Trump.

I don't know how things will end, but I do know that I need more popcorn.

 

Calling the Demagogues' Bluff

Although the U.S. House has passed a spending bill to keep the government open, the prospects look dim in the U.S. Senate. So chances are, our first government shutdown since fall 2013 may begin as of midnight Friday night.

But remember: "Shutdown" is a misnomer, as it is only nonessential government employees who won't go to work. So a large chunk of the government will continue operating as normal.

As is typical, the news media is blaming Republicans, and predicting gloom and doom for them come the November elections, but they are wrong (and clueless) again. Keep in mind that after the 2013 shutdown, Republicans trounced Democrats in the House and Senate elections of November 2014. Secondly, with Orange Julius in charge, the Republicans are doing a better job of hanging the shutdown around the Democrats' neck.

The American public knows that the Democrats are willing to let the shutdown occur for the sake of the children of people who entered the country illegally. It has become the Democrats' standard M.O. that illegal immigrants and non-citizens are more important and a higher priority than legal Americans and those who seek citizenship in a lawful manner -- frequently a drawn-out process.

Although the media refers to the DACA population as "children," most of them are adults. And the talking point from the left is many of them are seeking a college education; in reality, about 5 percent of them are in college. And although there are plenty of good, productive people who are not legal citizens, there's also an alarmingly large number of lawbreakers who have committed crimes against American citizens. But this doesn't fit the narrative of MSNBC or CNN.

Meanwhile, as this drama plays out, lunatic police chiefs, mayors and other politicians in many California cities are in open revolt against the federal government. They are directing their law enforcement officers not to adhere to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies, and not to cooperate with federal officials on arresting, detaining and deporting illegals.

It is because of the Democrats' pig-headed opposition to law and order with regard to illegals, and because their priorities are so skewed, that a government shutdown will not hurt the GOP in the 2018 elections.

And as for the politicians in California who flout immigration law, perhaps we ought to just let them keep doing what they're doing and live with the consequences. When crime rates rise, the social safety net is stretched to the breaking point, poverty and homelessness worsen, taxes keep going up, and longtime residents flee in droves, the Jerry Browns of the world will finally realize what they've wrought.