Posse Incitatus

Nineteen years later

I don't think anyone who remembers Sept. 11, 2001 would have imagined that nearly two decades later, we'd not only still have troops in Afghanistan, but it would be a Republican trying to extract them against fierce Democrat opposition.

Indeed, the last few weeks have demonstrated that the Military-Industrial complex has bought out the Democrats and now calls the shots.  The party that rode anti-war sentiment to victory in 2006 and 2008 is now all about creating new and exciting conflicts that will claim the lives of people who come from social classes the elite openly despise.

Terrorism was once an affront to America's security and pride, but then it became a problem that could be handled with optics and spin.

The official observance has been banned in New York, but block parties and demonstrations go on, demonstrating yet again that COVID is nothing more than a convenient way for Democrats to punish groups they don't like, such as Orthodox Jews and religious people.

Looking back at Edwardian English, Winston Churchill remarked that "the Old World in its sunset was fair to see."

So it was on a sunny morning in 2001.  Every year it becomes harder to imagine a world like it.

Media tries out the fakest story to date

The last couple of days have been fascinating to watch.

As someone who grew up around journalists, it's a surreal experience watching reporters and commentators all weigh in on a story with zero actual evidence.

I am of course referring to the allegation that Donald Trump disparaged America's World War I dead while in France more than two years ago.

Yes, breaking news from two years ago!

The curious thing is that no one will go on the record about it.  Not only are the allegations from "anonymous sources" so are the supposed confirmations.

Meanwhile, the documentary evidence says it never happened.  Even Trump's arch-enemy John Bolton called the allegation absurd.  He rightly notes that if it had happened, he'd have done a whole chapter about it in his tell-all book.

This is supposed to damage Trump's standing with veterans, but the actual effect is to further wreck the press' credibility.  Trump's veneration of the military and especially wounded veterans is beyond question.  Yet the press (and their handlers in the Biden campaign) seem to think this will crater that support.

This is of course nonsense because in order to make the case that Trump disrespects the military, the press must itself disrespect the military.

The pilots, aircrew, command elements - all of these people who can attest to the truth must necessarily be denounced as corrupt liars with no sense of honor in defense of sources who may not even exist.

I've seen some stupid moves, but this is a strong contender for Dumbest Line of Attack Ever.

Indeed, Biden is leading with his jaw on this, because Trump can rightly counterattack by asking where Slow Joe was as American troops were being slaughtered in Benghazi, or why did the Obama administration fix the VA?

Thousands of veterans died due to the Obama administration's ineptitude and their response was to simply cover it up.  Add into it the number of military members killed on Biden's watch without achieving a single strategic gain and you have an excellent issue for the Trump campaign.

Finally, if the press must go all-in on a coordinated lie, to do so this early - so that the outrage is fresh in the public mind well before October - is a colossal blunder.

I'm sure there will be more where this came from, though.  These people learn nothing.

The Clinesmith plea deal

I've not bothered to post much about Spygate because we've reached the point where there are more dud bombshells than a live-fire range.

What's important now is whether the perps do time.

This is why Kevin Clinesmith's plea deal is significant.  His crime was undeniable: one cannot falsify an official document during an investigation.  No need to establish intent, the crime is apparent for all to see.

Clinesmith was deeply involved in Spygate witch hunt, and while the Dem media is trying to portray his guilty plea as merely a 'paper crime,' it in fact cuts to the core of the whole corrupt enterprise because absent his falsified document, the FISA warrants likely would have ceased, which would in turn have called them into question before the Mueller team had completed its smear job.

The cooperation element as well as the timing - Clinesmith approached DoJ rather than being bullied into a deal - indicate that more actions will be taken.

It's always hazardous to predict, buy my sense is that Durham is basing his investigation on similar indisputable types of crimes to minimize the political debate surrounding his charges.  This also makes a conviction far easier to obtain.

The big question is who will go down next - and what kind of deal they will try to get.

Trump brings peace to the Middle East: Democrats hardest hit

Today's announcement that the United Arab Emirates will formally recognize Israel and begin full diplomatic and commercial relations would normally be and earth-shaking event.

The UAE are highly influential and already there are rumors that other Gulf Arab states will follow their lead.

Saudi Participation now becomes a question of "when" rather than "if."

This was unthinkable even a few short years ago - that is to say, before Trump became president.

It's fashionable for leftists to insist that Trump is a rampaging clown, breaking our alliances and trashing American influence on the world scene.

On the contrary, he is the most consequential president since Ronald Reagan and seems destined to eclipse him if given a second term.

Naturally, Obama's minions are beside themselves with rage.  How could such an ill-mannered klutz achieve such remarkable results?   The best minds from Berkeley and Cambridge had come up with Obama's policies, backed by the best think tanks at the most credentialed establishment diplomats.

Yet their finely-tuned "strategic patience" brought only renewed war, widespread chaos and diminished American influence.  It took eight painful years to undermine America's position in the world; how has Trump reversed the decline in little more than three?

It is a mystery that the Left cannot unravel, blinded as they are by Trump hatred.  The Quisling Never Trumpers are likewise convinced The Donald has some sorcery at work. 

The Cuckshed was all set to claim that Biden's wise statecraft is preferable to Trump's oafish behavior, but that phantom has been dispelled almost before it could take shape.

Articles about Trump diminishing America's stature have proved to have a shorter shelf life than Recovery Summer. 

There is no 'reasonable dialogue' because the Democrats killed it

Our new (and perhaps old?) comments troll has made an appeal to reasonable discussion as a means to bridging disagreement.  All very reasonable and 1990s in outlook.

Yet for all the fair words, it's impossible at this late date to take them seriously.

In the first case, anyone wishing to learn more about 'the right' would likely choose a far more consequential blog than this fading relic, where a good weeks sees maybe three posts.

However, there is a truly massive archive, where such a person could - through careful reading - learn much about the evolution of non-establishment conservative thought.  Certainly we have better things to do that repeat arguments that are readily available.

But in the larger sense, dialogue is pointless because the Democrats have unmistakably signaled that they are done talking and ready to impose their will by any means necessary.

This became clear under Obama, when Democrats nakedly used their power in the teeth of public opposition and in violation of long-standing tradition to obtain what they assumed would be permanent gains.  Thus, in the quest to dominate the judiciary, the Senate filibuster was cast aside.  Similarly, the long-standing tradition of bipartisan support of major legislation was trashed in order to put Obamacare into effect - even going so far as to jam the bills through on Christmas Eve.

The Democrats knew they were flirting with electoral suicide, but such considerations were secondary to the belief that they would fundamentally alter the American political landscape.  Winning was all they cared about.

So it is today.  The Dems will trash anything that gets in their way.  How quaint is it to recall the Democrat opposition to the PATRIOT Act in light of how they used it to spy on - and undermine - the Trump administration!  The FBI and CIA - once deeply distrusted by the civil libertarian left - now are given full license to lie about warrants and use thug tactics to jail political enemies on specious charges.

Which is a weird posture to take for a party that claims to oppose "over-incarceration."

Perhaps the clearest signal that debate is pointless is the Democrats' reversion to using moral arguments instead of logical ones.

This not only frees them from having to explain the practical effect of implementation, it also absolves them from responsibility for any unfavorable results.

For example: de-policing in Democrat cities has produced a surge of crime, shootings and death.

By any objective measure - improving safety, protecting the lives of black people - the policy has failed.

But since it is a moral imperative, these injuries or deaths are but collateral damage on the path to Utopia.

The last time this happened was regarding slavery - when the Democrats of the 1840s shifted from defending slavery as regrettable but necessary into a positive moral good. 

It is eerily similar to the move from Bill Clinton's claim that abortion should be 'safe, legal and rare,' to 'shout your abortion!' campaigns, and concurrent lawsuits to force Catholic hospitals to perform the murderous act.

A true dialogue takes place where both sides are open to new ideas and new opinions.  For Democrats, this is an impossibility.  When they speak of 'national dialogues,' they mean that everyone else has to listen to them until they are tired of talking and then do what they say.

Not long ago, one could expect nominal Catholics like Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden to denounce the attacks on Catholic churches and monuments, but their silence (and even outright denial) speaks volumes.

Indeed, a previous concern troll tried to argue that Antifa didn't exist, ignoring the prominent displays of their symbols, banners, and social media accounts claiming to speak for them.

The first place for such a dialogue to begin is therefore the admission of reality: Antifa is a violent, leftist domestic terrorist organization.  If such agreement is impossible, there is nothing left to discuss.

The Biden Paradox: We'll get a Return to Normal *and* Revolution

For some reason this blog is like a honeypot for left-wing talking point bots.  Not sure why that is, since our traffic is but a shadow of its greatness during the Golden Age of Blogs.

Anyhow, it's interesting to see the latest example of Leftist Doublethink:  Joe Biden will bring a return to peaceful normalcy and usher in the Revolution the left has been longing for.

It's a fascinating argument to make, but the Dems are world-class experts at arguing contradictory things.  "Freedom is Slavery," "War is Peace" and now "Green New Deal is Return to Normal."

Obviously, one of these things is not true, and it's obvious that the claim of returning to normal is the lie.

The Left hates this country - it hates its history, its traditions and its greatness.  Joe Biden's ghost-written Independence Day speech was all about how disappointing the United States has always been to him.

If we simply blow up the energy industry, repeal half the Constitution and create Green Workers' Soviets, then we will get what we truly deserve.

I suppose at this late date arguing specifics is pointless because it's painfully obvious that the Dems don't mean anything they say.  Once they get power, they'll do whatever they want with it.

As they always have.

 

Minnesota burning

Late yesterday the Flynn-Kislyak transcript was finally released.

And no one cared.

A number of Democrat-run satrapies are catching fire in response to alleged police brutality.  Oddly, Trump is on the side of the protestors and demanding a federal investigation, but the rioting continues.

I see chatter that maybe this is part of the Antifa network flexing its muscles in the run-up to the election.  If so, it's spectacularly self-defeating.  Hillary's already come out in favor of the rioters and Biden has to oppose Trump, whatever he does.

Which means the Silent Majority will have to vote for Nixon.

I mean, Trump.

What I find truly disconcerting is the number of affluent liberals who are cheering the rioters on - naturally from a safe distance.

Civic disorder isn't a form of performance art, and actual livelihoods are at stake.  The wealth being put to the torch is real.  It's clear that Trump hatred has gone beyond pathological into the realm of suicidal. 

Better the void than Trump.  We'll see shortly how many people are that committed to the kind of victory that leaves them masters of a barren, blasted land.

Obama and his lying liars will continue to lie about his crimes

The ongoing revelations about the depth and scope of criminality within the FBI, Dept. of Justice, intelligence services and the Obama White House has unleashed a predictable set of excuses based on outright lies.

Oddly, some people are bothered by this.  I assume they expect Obama's minions to hang their heads and mutter that they could have gotten away with it too, if was wasn't for those meddling kids.

In fact, the lies are all the left has left.  All their policies are based on lies, and they have to lie about their predictable failures as well.

Should any go to prison, they will be declared political prisoners, complete with candlelight vigils - even if they plead guilty.

Remember, these people have been screaming "Free Mumia!" for decades.  They have zero shame.

Of course, if a Howard Dean figure emerges (and doesn't commit suicide), things will get more difficult.

This is why Mexico's demand for information on Eric Holder's "Fast and Furious" criminal enterprise is so intriguing.  It will be a treat watching the Democrats pivot from praising Mexico to trashing it.  I don't expect much to come of it, but it would be interesting if it actually happens.

In the meantime, the real game will play out in the courts, and if we see indictments handed down, maybe something tangible will come of it.

Is Spygate reaching its culimation?

The collapse of the case against Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn seems to be the pebble that starts the avalanche.

This week a number of hitherto classified documents have been released exposing the corrupt nature of the entire RUSSIA probe.

Included in the trove is the assessment of the FBI itself that Flynn had done nothing wrong.  We also know that the original interview notes that were the core of the case against him have been lost.  The Dept. of Justice was charging him based on a copy heavily edited by lying love birds Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.

There's a lot more, too much for me to list here.  The central question is: what now?

For the past few months I've been hitting the snooze button on this issue because those who have been following closely knew the score and those that didn't would only be roused by vigorous prosecutions.  Perhaps those are now underway.

What is no longer in dispute is that virtually everyone involved, from St. Comey all the way to President Obama knew what they were doing.  Many of these personalities played a double game, admitting under oath that they had zero evidence and then keeping that evidence under seal while they went out and lied to the microphones.

Since no one is being frog-marched, I'm going to doze off again.  Perhaps something tangible will finally come of it.

In the mean time, congrats to Gen. Flynn on his long-overdue vindication.

The Wuhan Plague

We've gotten used to a level of safety and security that is without precedent.

Two generations have grown to mature middle age without lasting privation or the experience of widespread disaster.

Perhaps this is why there have been so imaginary panics over the intervening decades.  Humans are hard-wired to detect danger and when non materializes, they invent it.

But now there is something very real to fear.  Pestilence rides the land once again.

Naturally, the remnant main stream media is worse than useless.  Their pathetic partisan plays are self-refuting and whatever political capital they hoped to make for the Democrats from large-scale loss of life was destroyed by their premature gloating about it.

PRO-TIP:  You can pretend to mourn thousands of dead if you're openly talking about how you'll profit from their demise before they even die.

They've also decided to go all-in on parroting Chi-Com propaganda regarding the spread of the Wuhan virus, which is never a good look.

Given the current dilapidated state of the US administrative state, the Trump administration's actions have been timely and appropriate.  I will also give a nod to Michigan's Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whose decision to close schools statewide was also correct.

The only way to get ahead of this thing is to shut things down early.  A single infected individual in a school building could immediately generate hundreds of additional cases.

Our ancestors understood this.  When travel was difficult, diseases could be contained with less disruption.  Closing the city gates and patrolling the countryside would often stop the outbreak.

The advent of steamships and railroads rendered this approach inadequate, hence the massive public measures taken in 1918.  Put simply, we cannot test or isolate individual cases to stop this thing.

This is why the Democrat howling about cutting travel routes is not only stupid but dangerous.  The only sure way to stop infection is to stop infected people from moving about, and to hell with the economic consequences.

Economies exist to serve people, not vice-versa.  This short-sighted and callous fixation on the bottom line is what hollowed out American industry, destroyed its working families and left us crippled and unable to meet our own pharmaceutical and medical needs.

The Quisling Never Trumpers have much to answer for in this regard.  Is it a "blessing of liberty" that Communist China can hold us hostage by refusing to provide the vital medications our own scientists developed? 

What dystopian author of years gone by could imagine that people we be so feckless, so stupid to allow the crowning glory of science to be sold off to a hostile and ambitious foreign power for stacks of paper - no, not even paper - electronic money?

In a just society, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush would be driven from public life, forced into overseas exile while a People's Tribunal would even now by rounding up the Obama administration officials who allowed this weakening to take place.

A nation that can't even provide medical masks for its own doctors is not even an independent state, let alone a superpower.