A plea to Mr. Trump. Syria is a quagmire to avoid. Send no troops there. . Military adventurism abroad is a distraction and a waste of blood and treasure. It makes us weaker not stronger. Focus on making America great again.
WE ELECTED MR TRUMP TO STAY FOCUSED ON THE HOME FRONT
Recently (yesterday February 24, 2017) we have heard murmurs from the Joint Chiefs of Staff that they may be preparing a plan to present to President Trump to deploy more troops to Syria. Mr. Trump should reject that notion firmly.
The deep military state and GOP war hawks like Senator John Mc Cain and his "Sancho Panza" side kick Senator Linsey Graham, have recently completed a "secret" trip to Syria. While there, Senator McCain is reported to have bad-mouthed the President and his polices. A "no no" for any American abroad but a real nasty thing to do for a US Senator (and a Republican) to boot. Such actions weaken our nation. Perhaps the grumpy old war hawk has a bit of aortic stenosis and memory loss. Like the Democrats (he is channeling) he can not accept that he lost the election for the "big job" when he had his chance. In that election the people soundly rejected him and his polices. Mc/Cain, the deep military state, and GOP war hawks are attempting to "control" Mr. Tump by entangling him in senseless, costly, bloody and wasteful adventures abroad and in this instance in the quagmire of Syria. But as a nation we can no longer afford such stupidity. These forces for unending war were successful with Mr. Obama..who became an unknowing tool for their purposes. Let us hope that Mr. Trump, with a much stronger personality, can resist and foil their sinister stratagems.
DO NOT GET INVOLVED IN THE QUAGMIRE IN SYRIA.
The post WWII world left the USA as the world's sole hegemon and in that role we grew overconfident. With the collapse of the Soviet Union we faced no competitors on the world stage. With no restraints on our actions, we admittedly did "stupid stuff". We fought many small, unnecessary and senseless wars. We wasted enormous troves of wealth, and sacrificed the lives and limbs of thousands of our young men and women for questionable purposes. At no time were we seriously threatened. In the process of over extending ourselves militarily on the world's stage, we spent profligately on "wars of choice", on thousands upon thousands of outposts and bases in foreign lands, and on military hardware.
US TAXPAYERS BURDENED WITH EXPENSE OF BEING WORLD POLICEMAN
While focused on these foreign adventures we unwisely permitted our essential infrastructure at home to decline. For decades we permitted successive governments to spend more than we earned in revenue. We hollowed out our middle class. Our debts soared. We ignored the millions of illegal immigrants surging across our borders. We watched as former vibrant industrial zones turned into "rust belts". We looked the other way while well-paying jobs were shifted abroad to other nations. We permitted US based companies generating huge profits to sequester their wealth in off shore in tax free havens--helping to depress our tax revenues. We engaged in policies which permitted huge trade deficits with all of our trading partners. We have become a nation with a weak economy, and a national debt approximately equal to our annual gross domestic product (GDP)--like shabby third world nations we once criticized. Today our debt approaches the $20 trillion dollar mark...similar to other debtor nations.
EXCESSIVE "DEFENSE" SPENDING IS AN OFFENSE TO OUR ECONOMY AND WELL BEING
One of the primary causes of this sad decline is the cost of the military expenditures millstone we collectively wear around our necks. It is budgeted under "defense" but it is an OFFENSE to our own economy. The costs of our foreign policy adventurism abroad stifles our economy and weakens us . These misguided policies have sickened our nation as a whole by limiting our ability to sustain the welfare of our citizenry and maintain our essential infrastructure.
Being the world's policeman is an expensive enterprise...which has been lumbered solely onto the backs of the American taxpayers. We are today, burdened by massive debt. Our cities are shot through with millions of illegal immigrants who are poorly integrated into society. Our economy stutters in a slow growth phase. We are saddled with an infrastructure which dates to the last century. Our nation's parlous state can no longer support the burden of playing the role of world hegemon, a role which advantages only a tiny fraction of our citizenry. While the rest of us pay for it in high taxes and inadequate services and with our infrastructure crumbling about our necks. It is past time that we have attended to the desperate needs of our own nation.
ACTUAL EXISTENTIAL THREAT WILL REQUIRE FULL RESONSE FROM A WELL FUNCTIONING MODERN NATION
To be truly "prepared" for actual an existential threat from abroad--a real threat that would require a fully engaged population and military response---we must have a strong modern nation---modern roads, airports, marine facilities, electrical grids--nationwide broadband , a flourishing industrial base, a world class educational system and adequate health care. In short a modern, well functioning, affluent nation.
The deep military state which is attempting to lure Mr. Trump into the same old stupidity, waste and loss is barking up the wrong tree in the wrong forest at the wrong time. Their advice should be soundly rejected.
Keep your promises Mr. Trump! Stay out of the quagmire of Syria. Focus on "Making America Great Again."
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Friday, February 24, 2017
EXOPLANETS DANGEROUS DISTRACTIONS?
NASA has just revealed a treasure trove of new exoplanets (planets outside of our own solar system) located in orbit around a dwarf star designated "Trappist -1" located some 40 light years away (229 trillion miles away). Several of the (seven) new planets are described as being "earth like" and "habitable". The danger of contemplating these "other worlds" is that their mere existence threatens to act as a distraction from the desperate need of humanity to focus on HEALING OUR OWN PLANET----the only home for humanity and one which will remain "our only place" for the foreseeable future. Any hope of "colonizing" these distant places is absolutely and incontrovertibly impossible even with the most optimistic projections for breakthroughs in advanced technology. Even though NASA estimates that it would take 800,000 years (!) to reach Trappist-! using our most advanced rocket propulsion systems. The mere contemplation of space travel and colonization of other worlds is a dangerous mental exercise because it has the unintended tendency to encourage the disastrous "waste it and leave it" trait which, sadly, appears to be hard-wired into the mentality of human kind.
The Earth, our only home, is presently in a parlous state. Our atmosphere is polluted with human-generated gases that trap earth heat..and raise the over-all earth temperature. This rise in temperature will drastically alter the habitability of our planet. Our world oceans are polluted with human and industrial derived wastes. We have exterminated countless species to extinction and destroyed native flora and fauna over vast swaths of our beautiful blue planet. We know we are despoiling "our own back yard" and making it unlivable, but we seem incapable of making the necessary changes to our life styles and our economies to alter the inevitable outcome--no air fit to breath, no water fit to drink and no food fit to eat.
Our evolutionary past has produced not the species of primate physical anthropologists have designated: Homo sapiens ("man daring to be wise") but perhaps a better name would be: Homo adnihilo ( "man the destroyer"). An upright ape-species wonderfully able to manipulate its habitat with its hands, enabling it to make tools, to kill, to exploit, to destroy and to devastate. This now-dominant primate species also evolved a brain capable of understanding and contemplating itself and its surroundings, but even so it remains unable to control those manipulative and dangerous hands. The result of its mere 200,000 year dominance has taken our planet to the cusp of drastic ecological collapse. Only determined and intelligent human intervention can save our planet.
NASA has now provided us with knowledge of "new worlds" orbiting around Trappist-1 and a tantalizing new image. Will this image be simply seen by the dominant primate as more "novae terrae" to exploit, to conquer and destroy? Will that image distract our collective mechanistic human brains from the existential threat before us----to somehow HEAL THE EARTH we inhabit? For our days here on the "blue planet" are numbered and any imagined escape-passage to new worlds is and will remain impossible.
NOTES
LIGHT YEAR: The distance a beam of light would travel in one year at 186,000 miles per second.
DISTANCE TO TRAPPIST-1: 229 trillion miles.
COMMENT
A planet 40 light years away....is very far away indeed (229 trillion miles or 369 trillion km away). The Trappist -1 planets are just barely visible with the most powerful space telescopes, but impossible to get there even with the most optimistic view of advances in technology. Our fastest spacecraft ever launched--New Horizons-- that is the one which recently flew past Pluto in 2015 at more than 14 km /second or 32,000 miles per hour. New Horizons would take more than 800,000 years to make it to Trappist -1. Consider that humans (as Homo sapiens) have existed on Earth for a mere 200,000 years, thus the time it would take to go to Trappist-1 would be four times the length of time that humans have existed on earth. That is if we could overcome the problem of the crew's food supply (for 500,000 generations), micrometeorite impacts, and powerful cancer risks of cosmic radiation to the crew. But even with the vastly optimistic supposition of a breakthrough in technology which would permit spacecraft to approximate speeds approaching the speed of light there are vast technical problems which would inhibit any attempts. One of the most significant is the tiny concentrations of hydrogen atoms found in the near-void of space. There are only one or two per cubic meter. But during travel which approached the speed of light these seemingly insignificant gases would become a bombardment of intense radiation which would penetrate the space ship, and as it continued it would heat any conceivable material that it is made of to melting point with the heat of friction. According to Arthur and William Edelstein (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine) in a 2012 a paper exploring the effects of cosmic hydrogen radiation on hypersonic or hypolightspeed space travel. The Edelsteins estimated that at 95% of speed of light friction with gas molecules in space would heat a space ship (of any conceivable material) to melting point.. See: BBC "How fast could humans travel through space?", by Adam Hadhazy, 10 August 2015 (downloaded 2-23-17)
Thursday, February 23, 2017
SCOFFLAW CITIES--NOT "SANCTUARY"
Scofflaw Cities and Scofflaw Mayors---Not Sanctuaries.
I can't imagine any politician---let's not even mention--"city pols"- acting out off altruism alone. They support and encourage the population of illegal immigrants in their cities because illegals help their reelection prospects...the only subject these "realist politicians" are concerned with--their own political survival. Illegals in the millions work for lower wages in the sweatshops, restaurants and small businesses located in the metropolitan areas of our nation. Their presence in large numbers in so called "sanctuary" cities increases the labor pool and lower wages for all workers. That results in extra profits in the pockets of the city investors and small business owners who politically and financially support the scofflaw mayors and motivates the "federal law be damned" attitude of these city fathers. In addition, in scofflaw cities illegal immigrants find it easy (and in some places are encouraged ) to obtain documents that establish their "residency" in the city. As a consequence, in our loose system of identification for voting purposes, it is child's play to register to vote---and vote illegally. This is another motive for the scofflaw mayor...a dependable block of voters---illegal voters.
This latter motivation gives support to President Trump's much criticized contention that "millions" of people in the inner cities voted illegally and most likely voted for the Democrat mayor and as well, supported his opponent--Mrs. Clinton.
I can't imagine any politician---let's not even mention--"city pols"- acting out off altruism alone. They support and encourage the population of illegal immigrants in their cities because illegals help their reelection prospects...the only subject these "realist politicians" are concerned with--their own political survival. Illegals in the millions work for lower wages in the sweatshops, restaurants and small businesses located in the metropolitan areas of our nation. Their presence in large numbers in so called "sanctuary" cities increases the labor pool and lower wages for all workers. That results in extra profits in the pockets of the city investors and small business owners who politically and financially support the scofflaw mayors and motivates the "federal law be damned" attitude of these city fathers. In addition, in scofflaw cities illegal immigrants find it easy (and in some places are encouraged ) to obtain documents that establish their "residency" in the city. As a consequence, in our loose system of identification for voting purposes, it is child's play to register to vote---and vote illegally. This is another motive for the scofflaw mayor...a dependable block of voters---illegal voters.
This latter motivation gives support to President Trump's much criticized contention that "millions" of people in the inner cities voted illegally and most likely voted for the Democrat mayor and as well, supported his opponent--Mrs. Clinton.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
ALL DC APPLAUDS MCMASTER--RAISES CONCERN
President Trump picked Lt. General H.R. McMaster and everyone in the DC establishment seems to applaud his choice. It is a pleasant change for Trump supporters. But the happy talk makes me feel suspicious. Is McMaster too close to the "deep state" and the military industrial establishment to facilitate the necessary changes we elected Trump to implement?
Even anti Trump CNN seemed (mildly) supportive of the President's choice. Jeremy Diamond wrote a piece for "CNN Politics" yesterday February 21, 2017. The piece shocked only in its departure from the regular negative fare dished out by CNN. While Mr. Diamond did include the requisite CNN negative digs at Trump, focusing at first on the "void" left by the dismissal of General Flynn, and the "rudderless" state of affairs at the National Security Council (NSC) after Flynn was "forced to resign" after only "24" days. Also noting in an aside that McMaster wasn't Trump's "first choice" remarking that Vice Admiral Robert Harward "turned down the job amid concerns of how the White House was being run". That was just the introduction.
But the author finally got to the subject of the piece--Lt. General McMaster. Diamond finally recounts the praise heaped on the choice of this military man by Senator McCain. The Arizona Senator characterized McMaster as a man of "genuine intellect, character and ability" and called him "an outstanding choice."
Much praise was heaped upon Trump's choice of McMaster by all of the normally negative media, such as "Morning Joe", the NY Times and even GOP hawks and "establishment" types. We heard nothing from the Democrat chorus of whiners (leaving out Congresswoman Maxine Waters who called all of Trump's cabinet choices "scumbags"). In fact the praise (excludsing Waters) was so universal that those of us who supported Trump because we are aware of the need for DRASTIC CHANGE in Washington and for radical alteration in the direction in which our nation is headed, MUST BE CONCERNED. If all of Washington, the biased media, the GOP establishment and deep state players as well as the CNN crowd find this choice "outstanding" then perhaps the rest of us should have good cause to worry.
Saturday, February 18, 2017
US CREATING ENEMIES TO JUSTIFY DEFENSE SPENDING?
ISIS IS ON THE WAY OUT
THE NEW BOGEY MAN IS RUSSIA
PHONY ANTI RUSSIA AGENDA
COMPARING USA TO LOW-DEFENSE SPENDING GERMANY
The latest stories from the Middle East indicate that ISIS the "terrible threat" of the Obama Presidency is on the way out. The Russians and Assad's Shia forces have extirpated this rag tag "army" of religious fanatics from the western parts of Syria. The Iraqis with the help of the USA are slowly but surely pushing them out of Mosul and the rest of Iraq. No longer can anyone be made to think they are a "fearsome or creditable" threat to the USA. Their fate is sealed. They are now only in the class of generalized "terrorists". They are useless TO SERVE AS EXISTENTIAL ENEMIES for the military-industrial cabal which has so much power in the USA.
Thus we see the need for the rise of a REPLACEMENT ENEMY a new bogeyman. It appears from what we hear every day in Washington that the new -SPECTER TO GENERATE FEAR--and defense spending will be Mr. Putin and the Russians.
The Washington military-industrial establishment needs its enemies. How could they justify the expenditure of more than HALF A TRILLION dollars ($600 billion), or 54 % of our total federal discretionary spending for military and military-related expenditures each year? How could we explain that level of profligacy to the American taxpayers who are apparently no longer threatened from abroad by the latest acronym of terror--ISIS? US taxpayers pay through the nose in the richest nation in the world yet are consigned to live in a nation with third world infrastructure and a life style on the level a little better than Venezuela for all their tax sacrifices.
That vast amount ($600 billion "defense" spending ) is cut out of our $3.2 trillion Federal tax revenues each year. The result of that spending strictly limits what we can and should spend on the necessaries of maintaining a great nation: replacement and refitting of our collapsing infrastructure, providing our children with a world-class educational system, and our citizenry with a meaningful healthcare program. Why must we spend the huge sums each year on guns, bombs, a world wide military footprint, millions of military personnel, and high-tech military hardware--if NO SERIOUS ENEMIES to threaten us? So as a result of this dearth of enemies the military-industrial-media cabal must CREATE OR CULTIVATE ENEMIES to JUSTIFY THIS GREAT EXPENDITURE OF WEALTH
Mr. Putin's Russia is now in the "create an enemy stage". The scenario is one that has been repeated over and over again since WWII. The new enemies' actions are all "threatening", "sinister" and "dangerous". He is tyrant, a "murderer", and he attacks his own people. Even when our new enemy is pushed and prodded to only to respond to OUR threats to HIS nation's existence (as in the US push to gather in the Ukraine into NATO) this new enemy is vilified for coming to his nation's defense or its best interest. All this to satisfy our need to spend, spend, spend on our military-industrial deep state and ignore the needs of our nation's people, our failing infrastructure, our sad state of healthcare and education.
The USA is the largest economy in the world. It should be able to have an up-to-date, functioning and modern infrastructure, a thriving economy, a world class educational system so our children can compete with others, a healthcare system that serves the needs of all Americans, as well as secure borders and sensible immigration policies.
To get to that state of affairs we must control the wasteful spending piddled away to enrich a small class of entrepreneurs and investors and Washington-media and government facilitators all working diligently to "protect" us from manufactured enemies". Rather, we must deny these forces and focus on putting our hard won resources into building a truly well-maintained, economically strong and powerful nation with a well-fed, sufficiently-cared for population, a well-educated citizenry living in a modern well-maintained nation. Such a nation would truly be powerful symbol of hope and the "shining city on a hill" to aspire to. "It can be done".
WHAT ABOUT GERMANY?
Try to imagine an America doing as well for its people and its economy as does Germany--the richest most economically powerful state in Europe. With only a fraction of our population, our size, our natural resources, our inventiveness, our ability, the Germans outperform us in getting the best for their people and the most out of each dollar spent! Perhaps that is where we would be if we only spent 1% of our GDP on "defense" as does Deutschland rather than three times that amount!
Let's put that in another way. The German government with a population of 81 million in 2015 spends only @ $39 billion for defense in US dollars annually, or less than $500 dollars per year per person as "overhead" for "defense". They seem to be quite safe and happy over there. We on the other hand (population @ 320 million) spend about $600 billion annually (not counting our ME wars) or nearly $2000 dollars per head each year for our "defense". We spend 400 % more than every German does for our "defense". Germany=$500/person/year vs USA =$2000/person/year. Why?
The Germans can put so much more to their Deutschmarks into supporting their citizens' well being, the encouragement and expansion of their industries, the maintenance and regular upgrading their infrastructure, and the excellent education of their students than we can.
Burdened as we are with defense spending to protect us from fantasy enemies--we can not!
I PROPOSE WE CAN HAVE IT ALL. THAT WE CAN CUT OUR SO CALLED "DEFENSE" SPENDING IN HALF AND STILL BE THE MOST POWERFUL NATION IN THE WORLD. WE CAN BECOME THE TRUE "SHINING CITY ON A HILL" IF WE CAN GET CONTROL OF FOREIGN POLICY, DEFENSE SPENDING, AND STOP CREATING ENEMIES WHICH DO NOT EXIST.
THE NEW BOGEY MAN IS RUSSIA
PHONY ANTI RUSSIA AGENDA
COMPARING USA TO LOW-DEFENSE SPENDING GERMANY
The latest stories from the Middle East indicate that ISIS the "terrible threat" of the Obama Presidency is on the way out. The Russians and Assad's Shia forces have extirpated this rag tag "army" of religious fanatics from the western parts of Syria. The Iraqis with the help of the USA are slowly but surely pushing them out of Mosul and the rest of Iraq. No longer can anyone be made to think they are a "fearsome or creditable" threat to the USA. Their fate is sealed. They are now only in the class of generalized "terrorists". They are useless TO SERVE AS EXISTENTIAL ENEMIES for the military-industrial cabal which has so much power in the USA.
Thus we see the need for the rise of a REPLACEMENT ENEMY a new bogeyman. It appears from what we hear every day in Washington that the new -SPECTER TO GENERATE FEAR--and defense spending will be Mr. Putin and the Russians.
The Washington military-industrial establishment needs its enemies. How could they justify the expenditure of more than HALF A TRILLION dollars ($600 billion), or 54 % of our total federal discretionary spending for military and military-related expenditures each year? How could we explain that level of profligacy to the American taxpayers who are apparently no longer threatened from abroad by the latest acronym of terror--ISIS? US taxpayers pay through the nose in the richest nation in the world yet are consigned to live in a nation with third world infrastructure and a life style on the level a little better than Venezuela for all their tax sacrifices.
That vast amount ($600 billion "defense" spending ) is cut out of our $3.2 trillion Federal tax revenues each year. The result of that spending strictly limits what we can and should spend on the necessaries of maintaining a great nation: replacement and refitting of our collapsing infrastructure, providing our children with a world-class educational system, and our citizenry with a meaningful healthcare program. Why must we spend the huge sums each year on guns, bombs, a world wide military footprint, millions of military personnel, and high-tech military hardware--if NO SERIOUS ENEMIES to threaten us? So as a result of this dearth of enemies the military-industrial-media cabal must CREATE OR CULTIVATE ENEMIES to JUSTIFY THIS GREAT EXPENDITURE OF WEALTH
Mr. Putin's Russia is now in the "create an enemy stage". The scenario is one that has been repeated over and over again since WWII. The new enemies' actions are all "threatening", "sinister" and "dangerous". He is tyrant, a "murderer", and he attacks his own people. Even when our new enemy is pushed and prodded to only to respond to OUR threats to HIS nation's existence (as in the US push to gather in the Ukraine into NATO) this new enemy is vilified for coming to his nation's defense or its best interest. All this to satisfy our need to spend, spend, spend on our military-industrial deep state and ignore the needs of our nation's people, our failing infrastructure, our sad state of healthcare and education.
The USA is the largest economy in the world. It should be able to have an up-to-date, functioning and modern infrastructure, a thriving economy, a world class educational system so our children can compete with others, a healthcare system that serves the needs of all Americans, as well as secure borders and sensible immigration policies.
To get to that state of affairs we must control the wasteful spending piddled away to enrich a small class of entrepreneurs and investors and Washington-media and government facilitators all working diligently to "protect" us from manufactured enemies". Rather, we must deny these forces and focus on putting our hard won resources into building a truly well-maintained, economically strong and powerful nation with a well-fed, sufficiently-cared for population, a well-educated citizenry living in a modern well-maintained nation. Such a nation would truly be powerful symbol of hope and the "shining city on a hill" to aspire to. "It can be done".
WHAT ABOUT GERMANY?
Try to imagine an America doing as well for its people and its economy as does Germany--the richest most economically powerful state in Europe. With only a fraction of our population, our size, our natural resources, our inventiveness, our ability, the Germans outperform us in getting the best for their people and the most out of each dollar spent! Perhaps that is where we would be if we only spent 1% of our GDP on "defense" as does Deutschland rather than three times that amount!
Let's put that in another way. The German government with a population of 81 million in 2015 spends only @ $39 billion for defense in US dollars annually, or less than $500 dollars per year per person as "overhead" for "defense". They seem to be quite safe and happy over there. We on the other hand (population @ 320 million) spend about $600 billion annually (not counting our ME wars) or nearly $2000 dollars per head each year for our "defense". We spend 400 % more than every German does for our "defense". Germany=$500/person/year vs USA =$2000/person/year. Why?
The Germans can put so much more to their Deutschmarks into supporting their citizens' well being, the encouragement and expansion of their industries, the maintenance and regular upgrading their infrastructure, and the excellent education of their students than we can.
Burdened as we are with defense spending to protect us from fantasy enemies--we can not!
I PROPOSE WE CAN HAVE IT ALL. THAT WE CAN CUT OUR SO CALLED "DEFENSE" SPENDING IN HALF AND STILL BE THE MOST POWERFUL NATION IN THE WORLD. WE CAN BECOME THE TRUE "SHINING CITY ON A HILL" IF WE CAN GET CONTROL OF FOREIGN POLICY, DEFENSE SPENDING, AND STOP CREATING ENEMIES WHICH DO NOT EXIST.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
DEMOCRATS PLAYING WITH FIRE
TREASON: THE CRIME OF BETRAYING ONE'S COUNTRY....ESPECIALLY BY ATTEMPTING TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT.
Democrats attempting to sink the ship upon which we all sail rather than changing its course.
The view from the top of Stratton these days is beautiful. Okemo valley seems like a great bowl ringed by snow covered peaks. North lies Bromley, its ski trails cutting white across the dark green spruce and hemlock forests, bright in the sun under a clear blue sky. It all looks so placid. But the scene up here belies the dangers for our nation---bubbling in the poisonous cauldron in Washington far to the south. There hysterical Democrats, forgetting that they are (or should be) Americans first are playing with fire, determined it seems to incite violence, delegitimize our President, undermine the nation's 2016 elections, and nudge the country into a dangerous political insurgency.
In the less than a month since the new Trump Administration stepped into office, the Democrats, with the help of a politicized judiciary, hold-over Clinton-partisans in the Washington bureaucracy, and aided and abetted by a biased media, have foolishly tested the bright line that separates valid political opposition and near- treasonous actions to destabilize, weaken and ultimately overthrow a legitimately elected government.
What are they thinking? Can they not foresee the tragic end-game and ultimate consequences and dire impact of such actions? The effects on our nation, its wealth, its foreign policy, its reputation, its military preparedness, its domestic tranquility, even the stock market would be shattering. The Democrats forget they have foolishly maneuvered themselves into the status of a minority party--one populated by dical feminists (who march with red "vagina caps" on their heads), violent and irrational academia, the LGBT and transgender community, illegal immigrants, the urban poor, and the elite-left of isolated enclaves along the coasts. This is not the demographic of a popular uprising with the possibility of leading this weakened polity back into power over an entire nation. Their actions, were they even partly successful, can lead only to chaos. They are a rump radical fringe, but even as such, aroused and incited to violence they could destroy the fabric and democratic processes of a nation. I can only conclude the Democrats are not thinking. Their hysterical hyperbolic speech and vicious actions are those of the desperate and despairing who have little thought for the long term well-being of our nation. If they are unhappy with the present election---there is 2018 for them to regroup and refit for a new presentation to the voters. But today and so far they are only poised to sink the ship upon which they sail rather than work within the system to change its course.
Their attempts to delegitimize a hard-won (and yes surprising) election by engaging in "war mongering Russia" for domestic political purposes in a attempt to help explain away their failures and justify their massive loss in 2016. The "theory" of Russian intervention in our election so satisfying to the hardcore left that Mr. Putin had some hand in undermining their candidate's massive loss is so unbelievable and insane it is embarrassing--even as a political ploy. They have thrown every road block into the legitimate and necessary process of Trump government in its attempts to form its cabinet so it can get on with serving the needs of the people. The incessant campaign of leaked information, half-truths, innuendo, allegations against the new President, his staff, and his nominees, almost always with no proof has come to the point where its constant repetition has become a white background noise..ignored by all.
The case of General Flynn, who has been forced to resign from his post as national security advisor, is dripping with irony. Flynn lost his post--as a result of political assasination. In pursuit of due diligence and in preparation for his new post he was in legitimate contact with the Russian Ambassador..prior to January 20, 2017. In those conversations he allegedly spoke of the recently imposed sanctions on Russia and the dismissal of Russian embassy staff from Washington by then President Obama. He was pursing a course of foreign policy action, upon which Mr. Trump had been elected...the legitimate and desirable "resetting" of relations with Russia. There was noting sinister or "traitorous" in this behavior. Unknown to him, his private conversations were being spied on. The secret FBI transcripts were then --illegally--leaked to news media. This was the illegal element in this fiasco. Not General Flynn's actions. That is the irony. Mr. Snowden is now under threat of a thirty-year jail term for similar leaks of classified information to the news media. Yet is has been the honorable, General Flynn who was forced out of his position by an avalanche of news reports of his "contacts" with the Russian bogey man---an evil specter manufactured by the Dems to assuage their pain of an embarrassing election loss.
Democrats beware!
Democrats attempting to sink the ship upon which we all sail rather than changing its course.
The view from the top of Stratton these days is beautiful. Okemo valley seems like a great bowl ringed by snow covered peaks. North lies Bromley, its ski trails cutting white across the dark green spruce and hemlock forests, bright in the sun under a clear blue sky. It all looks so placid. But the scene up here belies the dangers for our nation---bubbling in the poisonous cauldron in Washington far to the south. There hysterical Democrats, forgetting that they are (or should be) Americans first are playing with fire, determined it seems to incite violence, delegitimize our President, undermine the nation's 2016 elections, and nudge the country into a dangerous political insurgency.
In the less than a month since the new Trump Administration stepped into office, the Democrats, with the help of a politicized judiciary, hold-over Clinton-partisans in the Washington bureaucracy, and aided and abetted by a biased media, have foolishly tested the bright line that separates valid political opposition and near- treasonous actions to destabilize, weaken and ultimately overthrow a legitimately elected government.
What are they thinking? Can they not foresee the tragic end-game and ultimate consequences and dire impact of such actions? The effects on our nation, its wealth, its foreign policy, its reputation, its military preparedness, its domestic tranquility, even the stock market would be shattering. The Democrats forget they have foolishly maneuvered themselves into the status of a minority party--one populated by dical feminists (who march with red "vagina caps" on their heads), violent and irrational academia, the LGBT and transgender community, illegal immigrants, the urban poor, and the elite-left of isolated enclaves along the coasts. This is not the demographic of a popular uprising with the possibility of leading this weakened polity back into power over an entire nation. Their actions, were they even partly successful, can lead only to chaos. They are a rump radical fringe, but even as such, aroused and incited to violence they could destroy the fabric and democratic processes of a nation. I can only conclude the Democrats are not thinking. Their hysterical hyperbolic speech and vicious actions are those of the desperate and despairing who have little thought for the long term well-being of our nation. If they are unhappy with the present election---there is 2018 for them to regroup and refit for a new presentation to the voters. But today and so far they are only poised to sink the ship upon which they sail rather than work within the system to change its course.
Their attempts to delegitimize a hard-won (and yes surprising) election by engaging in "war mongering Russia" for domestic political purposes in a attempt to help explain away their failures and justify their massive loss in 2016. The "theory" of Russian intervention in our election so satisfying to the hardcore left that Mr. Putin had some hand in undermining their candidate's massive loss is so unbelievable and insane it is embarrassing--even as a political ploy. They have thrown every road block into the legitimate and necessary process of Trump government in its attempts to form its cabinet so it can get on with serving the needs of the people. The incessant campaign of leaked information, half-truths, innuendo, allegations against the new President, his staff, and his nominees, almost always with no proof has come to the point where its constant repetition has become a white background noise..ignored by all.
The case of General Flynn, who has been forced to resign from his post as national security advisor, is dripping with irony. Flynn lost his post--as a result of political assasination. In pursuit of due diligence and in preparation for his new post he was in legitimate contact with the Russian Ambassador..prior to January 20, 2017. In those conversations he allegedly spoke of the recently imposed sanctions on Russia and the dismissal of Russian embassy staff from Washington by then President Obama. He was pursing a course of foreign policy action, upon which Mr. Trump had been elected...the legitimate and desirable "resetting" of relations with Russia. There was noting sinister or "traitorous" in this behavior. Unknown to him, his private conversations were being spied on. The secret FBI transcripts were then --illegally--leaked to news media. This was the illegal element in this fiasco. Not General Flynn's actions. That is the irony. Mr. Snowden is now under threat of a thirty-year jail term for similar leaks of classified information to the news media. Yet is has been the honorable, General Flynn who was forced out of his position by an avalanche of news reports of his "contacts" with the Russian bogey man---an evil specter manufactured by the Dems to assuage their pain of an embarrassing election loss.
Democrats beware!
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
FLYNN: JAW JAW, NOT WAR WAR
GEN FLYNN AN ICONOCLAST THE NATION NEEDED TO RIGHT ITS COURSE
"To jaw jaw is always better than to war war" Winston Churchill, 1954.
The military and foreign policy malfeasant "clowns" that dragged us into the Iraq War, the Afghanistan imbroglio, the disaster of intervention in Libya, "regime change" in Syria on the part of vicious minority Sunni radical groups, those in government who caused the rise of ISIS in Iraq and eastern Syria, and those who advanced the stupidity and humanitarian disaster of undermining the moderate pro-Russian president in the Ukraine, all desperately wanted to continue on their course of stupidity which was soundly rejected by the people in the last election. Those who questioned these failed policies, like General Flynn and President Trump, were the obvious targets of personal attacks, smear tactics, leaks of private conversations, and attempts at delegitimization.
By means of secret and possibly illegal telephone taps on private telephone calls, and leaks of that information to the press they have succeeded in undermining General Flynn---a patriotic American who opposed them. Too bad! General Flynn was following Winston Churchill's advice to "jaw jaw" rather than encourage "war war". The American people elected Mr. Trump to change the failed foreign policy course of this nation. General Flynn represented well those needed changes. He favored mending the fractured relationship with Russia, an admirable and wise policy. Jaw jaw is always better than war war.
General Flynn wisely supported a working relationship with Russia. Those in Washington who gain financially, and make a career of generating enemies rather than seeking ways to cooperate and compromise with other nations for the greater good were opposed to General Flynn and his policies. These forces of American policy apparently need enemies to prosper and advance their own--self emolument and aggrandizing agendas--. Their policies demonstrably have not advanced the well-being of the nation as a whole.
Flynn did nothing illegal. He was in his rights to seek out the Russian Ambassador as he prepared to take up his role as the nation's national security advisor to the President. His discussions with the Russian Ambassador were secret and rightly should have remained so.
However, the anti-Trump forces in the monstrously bloated Byzantine Washington bureaucracy did not permit that to happen. Secret telephone conversations were leaked to the press to undermine and weaken the President and control his policies.
The nation's foreign policy over the last decades has been a failure, and calls desperately for a radical change of course. Mr. Trump was elected to make those changes. General Flynn was well positioned to help the President in those goals. Sadly both men have met with the harsh reality of the entrenched, self- serving bureaucracy of Washington. In preparing to fill the position vacated by General Flynn, President Trump must remember why he was elected. The people want change. General Flynn's replacement must not be a Washington insider.
The military and foreign policy malfeasant "clowns" that dragged us into the Iraq War, the Afghanistan imbroglio, the disaster of intervention in Libya, "regime change" in Syria on the part of vicious minority Sunni radical groups, those in government who caused the rise of ISIS in Iraq and eastern Syria, and those who advanced the stupidity and humanitarian disaster of undermining the moderate pro-Russian president in the Ukraine, all desperately wanted to continue on their course of stupidity which was soundly rejected by the people in the last election. Those who questioned these failed policies, like General Flynn and President Trump, were the obvious targets of personal attacks, smear tactics, leaks of private conversations, and attempts at delegitimization.
By means of secret and possibly illegal telephone taps on private telephone calls, and leaks of that information to the press they have succeeded in undermining General Flynn---a patriotic American who opposed them. Too bad! General Flynn was following Winston Churchill's advice to "jaw jaw" rather than encourage "war war". The American people elected Mr. Trump to change the failed foreign policy course of this nation. General Flynn represented well those needed changes. He favored mending the fractured relationship with Russia, an admirable and wise policy. Jaw jaw is always better than war war.
General Flynn wisely supported a working relationship with Russia. Those in Washington who gain financially, and make a career of generating enemies rather than seeking ways to cooperate and compromise with other nations for the greater good were opposed to General Flynn and his policies. These forces of American policy apparently need enemies to prosper and advance their own--self emolument and aggrandizing agendas--. Their policies demonstrably have not advanced the well-being of the nation as a whole.
Flynn did nothing illegal. He was in his rights to seek out the Russian Ambassador as he prepared to take up his role as the nation's national security advisor to the President. His discussions with the Russian Ambassador were secret and rightly should have remained so.
However, the anti-Trump forces in the monstrously bloated Byzantine Washington bureaucracy did not permit that to happen. Secret telephone conversations were leaked to the press to undermine and weaken the President and control his policies.
The nation's foreign policy over the last decades has been a failure, and calls desperately for a radical change of course. Mr. Trump was elected to make those changes. General Flynn was well positioned to help the President in those goals. Sadly both men have met with the harsh reality of the entrenched, self- serving bureaucracy of Washington. In preparing to fill the position vacated by General Flynn, President Trump must remember why he was elected. The people want change. General Flynn's replacement must not be a Washington insider.
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