Posse Incitatus

My Dirtbag's Better than Your Dirtbag!

When I was contemplating the Democrats' strategy of trotting out Michael Cohen to air dirty laundry against his former boss, President Trump, a funny memory came to mind. It involves a couple of now deceased pornographic publishers, so maybe I'm going too far; but then again, maybe not.

I do not recall what show I was watching -- this must have been 25 years ago. Nor do I recall who the host was (perhaps Larry King?). But what's most important is that the late Playboy founder and publisher Hugh Hefner was a guest, along with an evangelical minister, and the topic was the damaging effects of pornography on women, families, society and spirituality.

Somehow, the conversation got around to other, more hardcore porn magazines, including Penthouse, Oui, Screw, and Hustler. Hustler was headed up by another upstanding citizen, Larry Flynt, while the late Bob Guccione, another sleazeball, was in charge of Penthouse.

The line that stands out in my mind was the minister's description of depravity when he answered a question about the content of Playboy and Penthouse, as well as the ancillary endeavors of their publishers: "Mr. Hefner's in the basement," he said. "Bob Guccione is in the sub-basement."

Basement and sub-basement; plain liars and damned liars; penny-ante thieves and armed bank robbers... Pick your perversion. I know the Democrats do, on a regular basis. The shameful Michael Cohen testimony before the House Oversight Committee was another example of the left using a tainted, tattered vessel -- Stormy Daniels, James Comey, Andrew McCabe, the social media celebrity du jour (Nathan Smith, Jussie Smollett, or the latest Muslim woman who claims a MAGA goon yanked her hijab off her head and cursed her with anti-Islamic venom) --  to cast aspersions upon Trump and his supporters.

Now, before I go any further, let me emphasize as I have on numerous occasions that Trump is no angel. He's often a narcissistic blowhard; he lies regularly as do all politicians; and he's been a philanderer for too many years. But imperfect vessels can and do bring about positive results, and so far, Trump has delivered -- on jobs, tax cuts, reduced regulations, a healthy economy and a trade policy that's no longer submissive to the likes of China and other nations that give their manufacturers unfair advantages over American companies. That's why so many millions of people support Orange Julius.

But getting back to the porn peddlers and levels of depravity..... Well, it gets complicated when one attempts to pin down what a person's long-term motives may be, what's in his heart or how morally outrageous his actions are on a spectrum. We all agree that politicians tend to be egotists, narcissists, manipulators, two-faced, and often greedy and hypocritical. The people with whom they surround themselves also are pretty sketchy, in most cases. And it goes without saying, lying is to politicians what gasoline is to the internal combustion engine. Maybe we shouldn't bring it up so much.

So with all of that out of the way, let's ponder actions and consequences. Trump has used women for sexual pleasure, often paying huge dollars to silence them. He has cheated on spouses. Maybe he has cheated on some of his taxes or business dealings. (It's hard to be in his position and not have cut some corners.) Some claim he's a racist or treats his employees poorly, but there are many thousands of them who are non-Caucasian who would adamantly disagree.

One reason Trump's supporters are so loyal to him is they realize he understands the founding principles of this country, including freedom of speech, religion and press. He knows, just as the Founding Fathers did, that our government is set up with checks and balances to avoid having too much power fall into one person's hands. He recognizes that a massive, unaccountable bureaucracy treads on individual liberty and the dignity of the individual. (And make no mistake, the thoroughly corrupt Deep State has done that to Trump three years now.)

In that vein, Trump opposes abortion, but in particular the odious practice of partial birth abortion as well as procedures performed in the third trimester. Millions who oppose abortion realize that a government that can wantonly destroy life for broad and vague reasons like "the health of the mother" or poorly defined genetic defects, also could resort to euthanasia or even pogroms.

Trump also is not naive about the hatred so many people throughout the world feel for our nation, and the harm they wish to inflict upon it. He takes seriously his duty to protect this nation from dangerous, unhealthy and destructive people who wish to enter.

It's not that most immigrants are criminals or carry disease; its' that a significant share are and do; therefore, background checks and proper screening are necessary. It's not that most Muslim immigrants or visitors want to perpetrate acts of terrorism; it's just that there are more from that particular religion who do than there are from any other religion. We must be cautious when allowing them into our country. Opening up the floodgates, as Hillary would have done had she been elected, is tantamount to someone living in a dangerous neighborhood who goes to bed each night without locking the doors.

Background checks, travel bans and the like are entirely reasonable. But to emotional, naive idealists who let feelings and idealism rule their thinking (e.g., many of the youngsters in the  Washington press corps), these amount to bigoted, narrow-minded obstinate behavior. This segues into one of the most disturbing things I noticed about former President Obama: He seemed so nonchalant and matter-of-fact when it came to true evil such as Islamic terrorism. He was robotic in his demeanor. Oh, but when it came to the perceived evil of the NRA, Republicans and conservative Christians who opposed abortion/contraceptive mandates of Obamacare, Obama's dander would rise.

Same thing for the heinous practices of partial birth abortion and Planned Parenthood's harvesting / selling baby parts. It's as if there was a calculating logic module injecting this into the O-man's head: "Let me be clear: This is progressive. This is right. It's enlightened. Only the rubes and bigots oppose these steps toward progress. To go beyond this is above my pay grade."

So, to round things up, the sleaze in the House is just so much sensationalist window dressing. Even with Cohen's testimony, Democrats never found the smoking gun they were looking for with regard to supposed Trump / Russian collusion. But beyond the surface issues, there's no doubt in my mind that American voters have looked at the whole tawdry mess and decided which moral outrages we can live with and which -- like infanticide, kissing the Iranians butts, trading Taliban war criminals for a military deserter, demonizing police, or forcing Christians to go against their religious beliefs -- we cannot.

Put simply, Trump is the scruffy, chunky schoolyard bully in the faded flannel shirt, torn jeans and with the ugly scowl on his face. He threatens only with his fists. The progressive left, whether represented by Obama, one of the motley crew of presidential candidates, or a beautiful CNN info-babe, is the dapper Don mafioso in the $2,000 suit. He may look suave and make  you feel good as he puts his arm around you, offers you a drink and begins with the sweet talk. Just beware, a Sicilian necktie is on the menu.

 

 

If India and Pakistan nuke each other, the lead story will still be RUSSIA

If there was any lingering doubt as to the pathetic, miserable, myopic and dim-witted nature of American media, today dispelled it.

Given a story with profound global implications - a military confrontation between to long-time enemies armed with nuclear weapons - you'd think that would be main news event.  For the first time since 1971, India and Pakistan indulged in air-to-air combat.  This is important.

But no, the useless Democrat media was instead focused on the additional lies spread by an admitted perjurer coached by Hillary Clinton's legal time.

Because Trump.

India and Pakistan's leaders aren't gossiping on Twitter, so no one from Washington knows or cares what's going on, but it far more consequential than the latest eternal installment of "Walls are closing in on Trump" story that has now been running for two f*cking years.

In the event of a global conflagration, I imagine the last signals to flicker across social media from these morons will be questions on how it affects Mueller's investigation

BONUS QUISLING NEVER TRUMP STUPIDITY:  Combat Lawyer David French felt compelled to let everyone on Twitter know that he would never, ever, ever vote for Trump. 

So I guess Mr. Painfully Evangelical Christian will be fine voting for a Democrat who favors murdering babies at birth and persecuting Christians, because that's pretty much what we're going to get.

What a useless tool.

Musings on a Tuesday Night...

I've been a bit scarce with my blogging lately, in large part because I was visiting my brother and his wife in Orlando for a few days.

Sunday in Michigan, it was 30 degrees, with 30- to 60-mph wind gusts. But in central Florida, it was a higher-than-normal 87 degrees and sunny. Monday and Tuesday, the Orlando high was a more normal winter temperature of 73 degrees. It was a rude awakening to return to East Lansing tonight, with 20 degree temperatures and snow falling. Yet it's still great to be back home.

A few notes on news (and sports) developments since my last post:

• I am pleased as can be that the Michigan State Spartans, missing two starting players, went to Ann Arbor and defeated the Michigan Wolverines on their home court, 77-70. Coach Tom Izzo did a masterful job using his role players in the ways in which they could best contribute. He also changed up his defense, having players switch off to different assignments in response to ball screens. They clogged up the lanes and befuddled the Michigan offense. It was almost as effective as coming out and playing a zone defense when the opponent never would have dreamed that could happen. Point guard Cassius Wilson scored 27 points, had eight assists, and made 13 of 14 free throws. Forward Xavier Tillman, who has replaced injured forward Nick Ward, scored 14 points, snagged five rebounds, and played excellent defense. It was a tremendous showing. The two teams have a rematch on March 9 in East Lansing.
• The airhead Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is at it again, saying stupid things and embarrassing the Democrats. Her latest: While discussing climate change, she questioned whether it was right to have children, given the potential damage to the environment. “There’s scientific consensus that the lives of children are going to be very difficult," she said. "And it does lead, I think, young people to have a legitimate question, you know, is it okay to still have children?”  It seems climate change has become the tail that wags the Democrat dog.
• As President Trump prepares to hold another summit with Kim Jong Un, the networks and newspapers are cynical, negative and downright ignorant. They are predicting Kim will take Trump to the cleaners, gaining generous concessions. They're calling it a glorified photo op. They will undoubtedly be wrong again.
• The nihilistic Democrats continue to outdo themselves. They voted unanimously against Sen. Ben Sass's "Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act." The bill defines infant survivors of abortion as "human beings" entitled to all the rights in the U.S. Constitution. In other words, it would require doctors to treat babies who survive abortions. The heartless Democrats voted against it. I would lump them in the same demonic category as Roman Catholic prelates who sexually abuse children. They're all garbage.
• Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen promises to trash Trump during House hearings Wednesday. The same news commentators and politicians who last summer said Cohen was a pathological liar who could not be trusted will no doubt quote him thoroughly and breathlessly in the next couple days. They will kiss his butt like there's no tomorrow. The media hacks are so unprincipled. (Understaement of the year!)
• That's it for tonight. I came down with a cold and sore throat -- possibly on the plane, or possibly at the sports bar where I watched the Spartans victory. My cold medicine is kicking in. Time to crash, and hope I feel better in the morning.

Trump's second North Korea summit

Well, this isn't going to make the Endless Unwinnable War lobby happy.

Just to review: since the previous summit - which all the NeverTrump losers denounced as a sell-out, North Korea has not conducted a single missile or nuclear weapons test.

The amount of money/fuel/food provided for this concession?

Zero.  Zip.  Nada.

Ending a previously intractable conflict takes a little time, and it's funny to see how many people who conspicuously failed during their time in power are now demanding that Trump provide instant results.

That being said, I think Trump wants to see some concrete progress on de-nuclearization.  Perhaps a "nukes for food" deal with an American mission in Pyongyang would be mutually acceptable.  Anyhow, the media will as usual be utterly useless in both analysis and relating the actual events, so stay tuned.

As a side note, every time Trump leaves the country, something happens on the FBI/DOJ conspiracy front.  Interesting to see what happens there as well.

Another entry into the "go big or go home" debate on concealed carry

One of the lessons I've learned over the year is that when it comes to firearms, bigger isn't always better.

The most important quality of a firearm is that the shooter has the physical ability to use it.  For smaller individuals, that may compel them to use what the big bore shooters like to deride as "mouse guns."

Guess what?  Getting shot with a .380 still sucks and the threat of being shot with one is usually enough to stop most evildoers in their tracks.

In a way, this article is like a throwback to an earlier age. It contains lots of doom and gloom language and twists the numbers and the scenarios to make it seem like the US is on the brink of anarchy.  It isn't.

Going to the grocery store does not require one to arm up as if going on a foot patrol of Fallujah.

I found the story via the Hated Instapundit and the comments there largey echo my sentiments.

As many there have pointed out, multiple-victim public shootings are extremely rare.  Moreover, they almost always happen in "gun-free" victim preserves, where one can't lawfully carry anyway.  Should one decide to trespass while carrying a full-sized combat pistol and bunch of spare mags, I imagine the legal consequences would be severe.  Indeed, one might even be mistaken for a shooter, which could be fatal.

We also know that the vast majority of shooters crumple at the first resistance.  The author derides pocket handguns as being insufficient for a "gunfight," but this isn't the O.K. Corral.  A single shot is often sufficient to disrupt the shooter's plans.  These people are living a revenge fantasy where they can kill with impunity.  As soon as that fantasy is broken - by armed opposition - they often kill themselves or surrender immediately.

Contrary to the stereotype, there's a lot of vigorous discussion within the firearms community.  It's very diverse.  This guy is a former cop, they're all about worst-case scenarios, which is a good thing.

But average citizens aren't trained or equipped for that sort of duty.  What they guy fails to appreciate is that sometimes in preparing for one threat, one becomes blind to others.  Risk is a continuum, and often the most optimal overall strategy has severe shortcomings vs specific circumstances.

The fact of the matter is, concealed carry isn't a guarantee, it just provides better options.  In just about every mass shooting event, a single individual with what the author derides as "pappy's wheel gun" would have stopped the incident and saved lives.  At the very least it would have broken up the shooter's plan, giving time for people to escape and law enforcement to arrive.

Without a gun, the options are few.  With one, they are greatly increased.  That's all one can realistic hope for.

Liberal Cacophony Over Amazon's New York Fiasco

It's always entertaining to see smug liberals (oops, sorry for the redundancy) taking potshots at each other.

This scenario has unfolded in the days since Amazon announced it was pulling out of New York City as the site for one of its two HQ2 facilities. In 2018, the company played various cities against each other to finagle the best tax breaks and incentives it could get, and chose Arlington, Virginia and Long Island City, Queens as the winning locations.

The Queens location was supposed to result in at least 25,000 new full-time jobs and $2.5 billion in investment. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo estimated the company would provide about $27.5 billion of tax revenues over 25 years, and the company would have qualified for $3 billion of tax breaks during that time period.

Well, here's where things get dicey. Amazon has a track record for being anti-union, and this puts it at odds with many on the left. But the founder and CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, is a died-in-the-wool progressive who gives generously to liberal politicians and causes. He underwrites the shrill left-wing Washington Post, which has thrown in the towel on objectivity and turned into a 24/7 Trump-bashing machine.

Many liberals are upset that Cuomo and New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio support tax breaks to the most valuable public company in the world. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, despite having an economics degree, displayed her ignorance when she made a public proclamation about how the $3 billion could be invested in New York.

"We could hire out more teachers. We can fix our subways. We can put a lot of people to work for that money, if we wanted to," she said. There's only one problem: The city doesn't have the $3 billion. That figure represents reduced tax liability over a quarter century, which Amazon would gain only after investing in new facilities and providing jobs, which in turn generate greater income tax revenue and stimulate the economy.

Quite a few liberals in New York City and state were disgusted with their governor for what they regard as crony capitalism and corporate welfare. The pushback from labor unions and progressive grass roots organizations turned out to be too much for Cuomo, DeBlasio and Amazon. Amazon figured the pressure to unionize and kiss butt with liberal New York legislators and activists would be too high a price to pay, so the company did an about-face and pulled up stakes.

Let's face it, the liberals raised some valid points. One pertains to the negative effects on people who already live in Queens. The section of the city in which Amazon would have provided up to 25,000 jobs already is doing fairly well. Housing prices have been rising steadily. Add thousands of new workers competing for limited housing, and that means mortgages and rental rates would spiral further upward.

And don't look now, but activists in Virginia, inspired by what happened in New York, are organizing to raise holy hell about the Arlington tax incentives for Amazon. Wouldn't that be something if the company also had to abandon its Virginia plans. Liberals love to boycott and demonize; Jeff Bezos is in effect getting a taste of his own medicine.

Liberals who whine about corporate welfare and tax giveaways ought to realize two things:

1) More reasonable income and property taxes, less burdensome regulations and a generally business-friendly climate would make such incentives unnecessary. But you simply won't get these polices if you continuously elect left-wing legislators, governors and mayors.

2) Liberals love big government and government programs. But the state must fund its programs and bureaucracy with money generated in the private sector. And by scaring off Amazon with pressure to unionize and other left-wing demands, the leftists have turned down billions of dollars of tax revenues that would have helped fund their utopian dreams.

Leftists can bash greedy capitalists -- even those who share their progressive views on many issues. But don't they realize they're just shooting themselves in the foot?

 

Kudos to the Spartans!

There's lots going on that I could comment on with regard to politics... Corrupt liar Andrew McCabe's big "60 Minutes" interview, the Jussie Smollett hoax, the border wall and "National Emergency," the latest developments in Robert Mueller's Russia collusion investigation. But, as Steve Martin used to say, "NOO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O!"

On Sunday I was  in bread-n-circuses mode. It was a typical cold, dreary winter day in Michigan, with pesky snow flurries blowing about and covering up deadly patches of ice on sidewalks and driveways. Hidden or unexpected ice poses a real threat to middle-aged Baby Boomers who venture out to get cardiovascular exercise! Nevertheless, I did manage to get in 21 minutes of walking, with a couple of slippery moments on hidden ice that sent temporary terror through my brain lobes.

Early Sunday afternoon, I made it a point to watch my beloved Michigan State Spartans hoopsters at home against the Ohio State Buckeyes. MSU is currently tied for first place in the Big Ten with  the arch-rival Michigan Wolverines. Ohio State is a solid team, albeit not in the Top 25.

MSU was trailing, 31-25 at the half, but ultimately won, 62-44. For a while there, it didn't look good. Making matters worse, Spartans power forward Nick Ward injured his left hand during the first half and was benched. He only played about 3 minutes during the second half. We have since learned that he suffered a hairline fracture and underwent surgery Sunday night. It is unknown how long he'll be out.

Ward averages 15.4 points per game, and plays solid defense. MSU is also missing second leading scorer Jeremy Langford, a shooting guard who was injured in late December. Langford, who averaged 15 points per game, had surgery for a stress injury to his right foot and is out for the season.

But just as they've done so often this season, MSU rose to the occasion on Sunday. The defense stepped up its game, and several players made the difference in the comeback victory. Incredibly, the Spartans held OSU to only 13 points in the entire second half.

Since Langford's injury, freshmen such as Aaron Henry and Thomas Kithier have been stepping up, playing more minutes than they ever expected to, and doing a damned good job of it. Senior Matt McQuaid, formerly known as an excellent 3-point shooter, has turned into a lockdown defensive player. Another senior, Kenny Goins, was a walk-on a few years ago, but has turned into another solid defender, a great rebounder, and even a pretty good 3-point marksman.

It is remarkable that the Spartans have managed to stay tied for first place with the University of Michigan (both are 12-3 in the conference) and in the national top 15 with Langford out of commission and several other starters missing a few games with various injuries. And now Ward goes down. As Coach Tom Izzo said in today's press conference, you don't replace Ward with one person. It will have to be a team effort, with several freshmen stepping up and each playing key roles, whether it's being defensive stoppers, rebounding, setting screens, or maybe sinking a few buckets in crunch time.

For months, fans of MSU and U-M have been eagerly anticipating their two showdowns, this Sunday in Ann Arbor and on March 9 in East Lansing. If MSU were at full strength, I believe our chances would have been excellent to sweep the season series. But with the injuries, a split is probably the best we can do. And U-M, which in recent years has become much better defensively, will be a handful even at the Breslin Center.

This Spartans team does not have as much raw talent as last year's squad, which featured two first round NBA draft picks, Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson. But I like the team chemistry, the can-do attitude and the way different role players keep stepping up at crucial moments. Last year, despite the talent, something was missing. Michigan beat MSU both times they played. That was a bitter pill, and I don't want to experience it again.

College hoops is heating up, and the kooky charades of Democrat presidential candidates are also providing some real entertainment. Gotta make sure I don't run out of popcorn!

 

If it wasn't for fake hate crimes, we would have any hate crimes at all

Wow, seems like just a few weeks ago the media was in a lather condeming Catholic kids for taunting an American Indian activist who was also a proud Vietnam veteran.

Of course, that was fake.

But not to worry, we have a new fake hate crime involving an obscure Fox TV actor who once again checked all the boxes to continue the media narrative that Trump's America is a Hateful Place.

The alleged attackers were of course white, anti-gay and boldly sported their MAGA hats.

Turns out, they weren't any of those things, but who cares?  We'll have another outrage "proving" America is full of hate in a few days.

The truth is, this country has never been more tolerant - unless you're conservative.   

Another truth is that the left has to keep pushing these hoaxes to justify their miserable performance in office.  Black people have to vote Democrat because REPUBLICANS ARE NAZIS!!11!

That is why Kanye West got beaten up so badly.  Just 15 percent of black voters shifting away from the Dems will destroy them as a national party.

Fake news is not exactly a new thing, but it's become more blatant of late.  I am now completely jaded regarding the outrage du jour.  And once again, I've been vindicated.

Our border wall hair-on-fire moment fades away

One of the interesting things about modern crises is how they are almost entirely fake.

last week's drama is a perfect example of this.  Donald Trump engineered the whole thing by refusing to sign a budget bill, then signed a short-term bill restoring funding, before refusing to sign another one unless certain conditions were met.

This resulting in hand-wringing, howls of protests and warnings of dire things to come (all of which depended on which side you were on).

In the end, a bill was signed, the government was funding, some of the border wall will get built, and life goes on.  Trump also followed through with something he's been telegraphing for a long time: an emergency declaration on border security.

Naturally, this is a dire Threat to the Republic, and the Democrats are (as is their wont) suing to get  judge to overturn it.  The fact that there are 31 other "states of emergency" is beside the point.

Indeed, if the administration's lawyers are smart, they should require the judge to either strike them all down, or none of them.  This business of the judiciary demanding a jump-seat in the Oval Office has got to stop.

There's still some smouldering debate about what exactly is in the funding bill (I mean besides payoffs for people of both parties), but this ignores the big picture, which is simply this:

Trump demanded money for a border barrier.  Nancy Pelosi said he would get none.  Instead, he got some.  Nobody's happy, but that's how compromise works.

Caveat Emptor, Part II

Nearly eight years ago, I used the Latin term for "Let the buyer beware" to warn of how computer technology and electronic financial transactions are making it difficult to invest with confidence, often leading to bad and uninformed investments that lose money.

Today's commentary has something in common with that April 2010 post, i.e., the role of technology in misleading and confusing us. Beware: There's a lot of BS out there, and it's often difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. Just as we must be leery of the investment world, we must maintain a healthy skepticism when it comes to absorbing news, analysis and trends. The IT world and cyberspace, with its pernicious, ubiquitous social media, are definitely culpable.

We learned during the 2016 election of the extent to which the Russians and others influence news and social media with automated bots -- software applications that push out phony stories, tweets, posts and survey responses. Young, gullible reporters in the corrupt media, of which there are many, can get duped into reporting on "trends" or activist groups that are, in fact, manufactured and phony.

This seems to be how a lot of the fake news is generated, and it only promises to get worse as computer technology advances. Ignorance and a lack of critical thinking among the public are the gasoline stoking this fire of misinformation.

But let's be clear: Oftentimes, the fakery does not stem from computers or social media. It may well come from concocted stories that fit the leftist narrative -- stories that the corrupt media breathlessly reports without using any critical thinking or investigation. We've seen it time and time again, as false narratives are perpetuated by fictitious stories that crumble upon analysis.

Prime examples include:

• Covington high school kids and Native American activist Nathan Phillips;
• The "hands up / don't shoot" B.S. about Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri (even the Eric Holder Justice Department debunked this false narrative);
• Jussie Smollett's hoax about white Trump supporters wearing MAGA hats and using homophobic slurs while attacking him in Chicago (turns out it was a couple of Nigerian men, one of whom was, along with Smollett, part of cast of the "Empire" drama series);
• And going back more than a decade, the overblown Valerie Plame case in which media parrots reported for months that George W. Bush aide Scooter Libby "outed" the former CIA officer. Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald knew early on that it was Richard Armitage of the State Department, but the charade continued ad nauseam for what seemed like an eternity.
• Also going back into the archives, the Duke lacrosse case perpetuated a false meme and ruined reputations. As is typical, there were no apologies from the scum who publicly accused the innocent team members once it became clear the story was false.

So now, it seems, we have sophisticated computer technology run amok on social media, a gullible and naive public, and determined liars in the ranks of the Democrat Party and their media stooges. Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels famously observed that "If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself."

And that was before social media. Goebbels didn't know the tip of the iceberg.