The Very Public Indignities that were the Kavanaugh/Ford Hearings

A few short thoughts on yesterday's Kavanaugh hearings...

That shame and discredit this brought on the Senate chamber is undeniable. If there was any truth to Ford's charges they should have been brought up far earlier in the process. And they would have required *some* level of corroboration beyond a women's rather confused and contradictory statements.

The political aspect, however, was consistent and obvious beyond words. Thus the amazing power of Lindsey Graham's cold and righteous anger.

It now appears that Judge Kavanaugh will be approved, first, tomorrow morning, in committee. Then later by the entire Senate.

Assuming that proves true was all of this just another quick-to-pass-from-the-collective-memory senate happening?

I think not.

The hurt done to the people involved will last. The Kavanagh family. The reputation of Professor Ford -- a sad thing to the extent that whatever her personal experience she was used for political gain and abused by Sen. Feinstein and others. But more important than even those personal stories is the damage done to the Senate as an institution, and the loss of stature of the government as a whole.

Connected to the later is this question: What honest and conscientious person who saw this horror will consider putting themselves forward for high public office? And that means the nation will be limited to at best 2nd tier candidates, and at worst to the type of bloviating charlatans we repeatedly saw on display over the last several days .

Could any good come from all this? I think yes. For it put on display what in fact the Democratic Party has become. Shallow. Power hungry. And ineffective to the point of incompetence.

That the nation is so closely divided politically makes even a small shift in public thinking here -- how each party is viewed -- important. And in that respect the Democrats truly blew it for themselves.

If even one percent of the voting public saw with understanding what was on public display these last few days the nation will benefit. And frankly I expect the percentage who "saw," and who will be influenced by what they saw, quite a bit higher.

As for those who did not see because they could not see -- well their craziness is likely to be on even greater display in the weeks and months to come. And that will swing yet more people towards the president and his party.

That these affairs have been ugly goes without saying. But, sad to say, that is the way democracy sometimes works. One group of people work against even their own selfish interests. And from that 'negative' comes a positive that moves things ahead for the greater number and the greater good.

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Hillary's 'Magic Mirror'

In the centuries-old Brothers Grimm fairy tale, "Snow White," we are introduced to an evil witch who expects the world to see her as fair and beautiful no matter what the mirror shows.  So fixated is she on her own self-seen beauty that she even expects her mirror to lie for her. Yes, lie to her, to hide her haggish appearance and make her look radiant, beautiful and bright.

Fairy tales catch hold on the human imagination because they often, in a truly magical way, reflect back truths with a disarming honesty. All this in the form of a story. And thus the idea of a mirror lying -- presenting a total falsehood as "truth" -- makes for an especially powerful tale.  It's a tale being told once again in the latest web edition of The Atlantic, penned by Hillary Clinton,  where many people's favorite witch reveals her own lying mirror.

The cover piece, titled "American Democracy Is in Crisis," was initially written by Mrs. Clinton as an afterward for the paperback edition to her post election fantasy novelette  (as at least some of its readers saw it), "What Happened," and then edited a bit for the The Atlantic's short story/essay format.

In her story, Hillary's "magic mirror" obeys her command -- at least to her own eyes.  But its lies are not seen by anyone who is not themselves bewitched. Anyone with clear and honest eyes will quickly see the truth.

Let us then look into her magic mirror, at the tale she tells, together, first through Hillary's eyes as revealed in her Atlantic piece. Then again, with eyes like that of youth -- eyes that are honest and of innocent intent.

Hillary's first "vision," as does any good fairy tale, has an evil monster at the heart of its story. And here that monster is -- surprise! -- President Trump. And her story is truly a tale. One that presents a picture of "unspeakable cruelty" that the Trump monster has, first, "inflicted on undocumented families arriving at the border."  Oh, that evil, evil Trump!

But of course, in Hillary's magic mirror, there is no vision of families in the pre-Trump era -- that of the Obama administration -- being separated from their parents on a regular basis. Or of children who have no understanding of American society -- not even of the language commonly spoken here -- being shipped out to locations throughout the land. No, nor of those of their number who brought with them the plague of MS-13 gang violence.

In Hillary's magic mirror there is no reflection of the pained faces of American parents who had seen their children brutally macheted to death by their new "classmates."  Hillary's mirror is required to skip such things. In its vision she, and the administration she served, are seen as innocent. But the vision of Donald Trump reflected in her magic mirror is distorted, crude and ugly.

Vision two in Hillary's magic mirror reflects an "ideal" that is "enshrined in two powerful principles." It is a vision of a world where "not even the most powerful leader is above the law." It's a world where "all citizens are due equal protection under the law."  What a lovely picture!

But as we'd expect from a witch queen's mirror, even that lovely image is completely distorted. For in it, we see Robert Mueller as a crusading saint. And in its story there is a mean, ugly and tyrannical 'orange haired' monster who interferes with his honest investigation.

Well, such is to be expected in a fairy tale. Is it not?

The third vision the witch queen conjures from her magic mirror is that of evil Russian hordes corrupting an otherwise fair and honest election, and of monster "Trump’s complete unwillingness to stop it or protect us."   Scary, scary stuff!  (But too old a story to any longer frighten the children.)

The Magic Mirror's forth vision calls forth a new fighter against the same dastardly villain: The Washington Post -- on a bright white steed -- going after that same dastardly Donald and all his evil lies.

Trump, her mirror friend tells her (and us), "has made 5,000 false or misleading claims while in office and recently has averaged 32 a day."  Imagine that! What a story it tells!

The wicked "lies," though, as in the best fairy tales, are left almost entirely to the reader's imagination.

But reader's imaginations are up to it! We all, for instance, know that Trump promised lower taxes. -That he promised less dangerous illegals crossing our border. Less "red tape" and fewer paperwork blockades to the creation of American businesses. Fairer trade deals. Less of America's monies going to nations that oppose us. And Hillary's mirror, of course, expects us to know that none of that has happened. (Yes?)

Such, I suppose, is a magic mirror's ability to fool the eyes. Well, they seem to fool Hillary's anyhow.  And, one might suppose, those of The Atlantic's readers.

Vision five from Hillary's magic mirror is particularly scary. It reveals "unprecedented conflicts of interest" and includes in its vision "Republican organizations (that) do business with Trump’s companies or hold lucrative events at his hotels, golf courses, and other properties."  Oh the horrors!

But being that hers is a "magic mirror," there are no scenes that show migrating uranium. Nor are there visions of funds passing into the Clinton Foundation's bursting bank accounts. Nor are there visions of the Haitians who are still waiting for promised housing for which the donated funds have somehow disappeared.

In any good fairy tale -- especially one told by a magic mirror -- the coming of the fears and horrors towards the story's end escalate, coming faster and faster and faster. And here Hillary's magic mirror, with its rapidly passing scenes, does her will.

We in quick succession see visions of  "Immigration and Customs Enforcement ... running wild across the country." Of federal agents "confronting citizens just for speaking Spanish," while "dragging parents away from children." And after tales such as this, and some more of the same, the tale reaches its conclusion.

Every good fairy tale needs a happy ending. And Hillary's magic mirror conjures one that surely must delight her and all her Atlantic readers. One where "fantastic candidates" are "running all over the country, making their compelling cases every day about how they’ll raise wages, bring down health-care costs, and fight for justice."  And that exciting end, her mirror tells her and us, is coming soon. "If they"  -- her dream minions -- "win." "They’ll do great things for America."

What a fairy tale! What a vision!

The only thing missing from Hillary's fairy tale is perhaps the most essential ingredient -- one that was in the old Brothers Grimm tale: A mirror that won't lie.

Alas, Hillary would never allow for such a thing from her mirror.

But readers need not feel too bad.  For while Hillary may not be willing to include a truth telling mirror, she seems very happy to give us another part of this tale...

The poisoned apple.

"Hillary's 'Magic Mirror'" as posted here was first 
published by American Thinker on Sept 19th, 2018

Some Thoughts on Choosing Facebook "Friends"

To me one of the very best things about Facebook is that it has allowed me to get to know interesting people from all around the globe. And some of these "friends" have actually come to be friends -- with no scare quotes needed.

FB itself endlessly recommends people, based on shared acquaintances ("Friend of a friend's 2nd cousin, once removed") , but frankly I almost never respond to those. No, my new FB Friends most commonly come when either they, or I, take note of an interesting thought* and then search out the person, find that there are several such, become intrigued, and then put in a "friend request."

That process has given me "friends" in far away places I will never likely visit. England, Wales, Australia, Israel, Nigeria. Even Cape Cod!

Because I contribute to quite a few web sources as a writer and commenter, and quite often use my Facebook moniker as my 'sign in,' my thinking -- apparently found intriguing by not a few -- quite often brings me FB "Friend" requests. And of these a few are accepted. (Very few. My total FB "Friends" list presently numbers just 144.)

How do I determine who to accept, who to just say "hi!" to and whose request to simply ignore/delete?

Sometimes, I am a bit ashamed to admit the later happens because I just do not have the time the requester's request fairly deserves. (Just yesterday I got 17 such requests) But when I do have the time I use certain rather subjective filters.

How active is the person? If a requester's FB Timeline is largely blank there is no way for me to make a judgement -- and thus the judgement has to be to reject.

If there is a solid Timeline what does it contain? Family news and photos are for many a key part of the FB experience, and these are meaningful, but only, really, to their friends and family. It's like hearing "Happy Birthday" sung at a restaurant. Such is not meaningless to be sure. But who is it meaningful to? Usually only those at or in the party. Others just smile at the joy being expressed, and then basically tune it out. And so it is with family stuff seen on a "Friend" requestor's timeline.

If I see nastiness as a common theme -- even when it targets people to whom I myself harbor some dislike, those requests too are deleted. Wit I like. Even some gentle sarcasm. But nastiness is just not something I want more of in my life. These I delete.

What does attract me -- and makes me consider hitting the "Accept" button -- are people who have interesting, positive, thoughts that will both inform me and brighten my day. And if there are shared interests -- the person is a musician, for instance, or an artist -- well those things in combination make me take note, and some of the time, say "yes."

These filters are real and thought through, but they are not infallible. I am sure that there have been some wonderful people, with much to offer, whose friendship I have missed.

But isn't that true throughout life in this big, beautiful and highly varied world?

Life is short. Too bad we seem to get only one.

(Hmm.... Maybe I need some thoughtful and convincing Hindu friends.)

*Good word that -- "Thought." Google it and see!

"Oh, Chicago!"

The death count from the insanity that is Chicago's gang-filled inner-city continues to rise. (74 shot, 11 dead -- just this past weekend -- including victims aged 11,  12 and 13). The Mayor's response it to try to push through a Black Lives Matter/ACLU drafted change in how the city is policed that follows those organization's favored principles.

Meanwhile the pattern of mayhem continues to spread.

New York City, still relatively safe (as it has be since the Giuliani/Bratton team raised the cost of even minor crime in the city back in the `90s), is now seeing an increase in the type of crime that is destroying the quality of life in large parts of Chicago.

Baltimore now has an even higher rate of blood letting than does Chicago -- brought on largely by the same anti-policing strategies pushed by the BLM movement and the ACLU.

Stronger policing, not weaker policing, is what is needed.  But in truth even that is at best a stop-gap measure -- one that can only hope to slow the spread of the ever increasing death and destruction.

Is a real, lasting, solution possible? What would such require?

Manhattan Institute Fellow Heather Mac Donald cuts to the chase when she writes in today's City Journal...

"Policing is only a second-best solution to the anarchy in inner-city communities. The best solution is a culture of marriage that expects boys to take responsibility for the children they conceive."

She continues... "As long as more than three-quarters of Chicago’s inner-city children are raised without their fathers, black-on-black violence will continue."

But years of closely following this story tell her that politicos and media will pay little attention.  Or not at least until "the numbers are too egregious to ignore."

Aren't seventy plus shootings over one weekend in one city "egregious" enough?

Apparently not.

Just think of who politically controls these cities -- and has largely done so for several generations.  Then none of the above, as terrible as it is, is reason for surprise. For it is they, more than anyone else, that have created the inner city culture that is making life in key parts of America increasingly hellish.

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The Great Ruskie Bust

What are we to make of the headline-busting "bust" of twelve Russians for hacking Dem Party computers, releasing the supposedly confidential info there, and thus messing around with an American election or three?

Notice my question... "What are we to MAKE of" the above.
For to me that is the real question. One that is in and of itself its own answer.

This act by the Department of Justice has no meaning in a legal sense. The Russians ain't done nothing (yes, double negative -- perfect for here) that they (and the US government) have not been doing since at least 1918. And in this case it had absolutely no effect on any outcomes apart from raising the decibel level.

And that is exactly what this supposed 'bust' is to do as well.

Think of how much there is right now that the "Department of Justice" (sorry, but those scare quotes are needed) needs to drown out. -The Mueller idiocy. The success of the Trump Administration's policies. The slow reveal of the DoJ's own malfeasance in trying to upset the last election.

How better to do this than by a phony 'bust' of some ugly Ruskies?

Do they really expect the Russian government to extradite these people for trial here? (Would they 'bust' 'em if that was even a possibility? With the Russians thus able, via American criminal law practices, to demand access to all the information the DoJ won't even allow congressional committees to see? Really?)

And what about the timing? This occurring just as 1) a key FBI official is telling congress between smirks that 'no. I will not answer your questions -- the FBI lawyers tell me I cannot' and 2), President Trump about to meet with Russian President Putin -- and pull off who knows what State Department mortifying surprise?

No, the Russians here are not the target. We are. You, me and our elected president. -Our growing self-confidence and demand for taking control of what is ours -- control that threatens everything the so-called "DoJ" and the rest of "State" looks upon as its own.

Will this gambit work?

I think not.

Yes, NY Times readers will nod their heads in agreement, just as they are inclined and have been trained to do.

Those who live in the social media/tabloid world (increasingly the same thing) will ignore it as far less interesting then, say, four woman beating up a waitress at an Applebees.

But the bulk of thinking Americans will see it as just what it is -- another attempt at gaming us through the old and now largely ignored media circus.

No, they -- those perpetrating this farce -- won't go away. But their hold is day by day, and act by act, weakening.

This entire gambit is equally an example of that -- and an accelerator of their demise.

An Overdue Apology

It struck me while reading the unreported parts of the "news" how really unbalanced my own thinking and writing has been. I mean it's fine to be glad about low unemployment across the board and such, but aren't business owners, factory managers, shipping directors -- aren't those people Americans as well? Shouldn't I really be considering their plight too? After all its not just workers that are having to deal with the changes since the Trump economy exploded. These peoples' problems also are real!

Think of group one, above. Those business owners. With demands on them growing what is going to happen to their summer vacation plans? Its easy to say we don't care -- but these are often family people. "Sorry honey -- gotta tell the kids -- there is no way I can join you like we planned on that vacation. The phone -- it's now ringing twenty-four/seven. Three of my top managers have left for higher paying jobs. Even my admin assistant has left me. Someone has to answer those calls. And someone has too figure out how to get all those orders filled. Its all falling on me. Day after day after day!. Vacation? I can't even think of taking timer off!"

The fact is that those business owners' plight is real and its simply not fair to ignore them or pretend it doesn't matter just because they are rich and getting richer.

Then there are those factory managers I mentioned above. Do we realize the stress these changes in the economy is putting on them?

"More and more and more! They keep demanding more! Bigger orders that they need now, always now!. I mean what do they expect me to do with the warehouse filled one day and emptied out by the next? It takes time to find skilled workers. Such don't just get in line any more -- begging for work."

"I put up ads and the few who answer them look at our wage and benefit packages and say 'are you kidding me? I can get 40% more just up the street.'"

"And then there is the enlargement of the factory floor. We rented that space out to the welfare office and signed a ten year contract with them. They may no longer need it, but they've got it and we're stuck with no place to expand. -And even if we can find the space that doesn't immediately solve the problem. Manufacturing equipment orders now have to go in months in advance. It like the fifties again and I'm no longer a young man."

"God I miss those golf afternoons!"

And then there are the shipping directors. "We need trucks! We need truck drivers! There are none anyplace! What am I supposed to do -- drive the rigs myself?"

"Oh, and the overtime we are paying. Two or three times what we used to pay during the Christmas rush -- and its Summer -- the supposedly slow time of the year."

So to all you business owners, plant managers, shipping directors -- please accept my apology for ignoring your plight. And anyone else, too, who is being run ragged by what is happening in our nation.

But hang on -- Trump only has, likely, six more years. With any luck at all you get some typical political schmo into the White House then and we'll all finally be able to get some rest.

_

Making Sense of President Trump's Numbers

A headline based on a Gallup poll tells us that "Donald Trump is more popular with Republicans than almost any president since WWII with an approval rating of 87 per cent." That, we are informed in that same piece, is even higher than the numbers among Democrats for JFK.

How can this be when the President's overall approval rating among voters is below 50%?

In fact those numbers make perfect sense. They fit what we could expect in a politically (and otherwise) divided nation for a president who is, some say, like none before him when it comes to doing what he promised voters he would do.

President Trump's theme, both as he campaigned for the office, and daily since he won the position, is to "Make America Great Again." Now one would think that such a goal would itself be universally popular, with, perhaps, just some question about how that was to be accomplished, or specifically on what basis that "greatness" was to be evaluated

But is restoring the nations economic footing a partisan thing -- or something we'd expect all to see as great? Is greatly rising employment being experienced by every group -- educated, and less educated, skilled and less skilled, black, white, Hispanic and Asian, male and female -- is that of only partisan interest?

The answer seems to be, rather shockingly, yes.

This past week a once popular TV personality, Bill Maher, said that he was hoping for a major recession -- this despite knowing the pain and suffering it would cause many, many people. To him -- a man of significant wealth -- such loss of what one would think everyone judged as "greatness" would be desirable if it hurts the president's popularity and support.

That is how divided out nation is. Some see improved life and security for all as "great." Others do not.

And for that reason President Trump, who has done even more than he promised in more than a few areas -- things that are benefiting almost all Americans -- is loved and supported by some, and loathed and unsupported by others.

The distinction seems to simply be how one feels about America and the daily joy and satisfaction, plus the future hopes and dreams, of the American people.

Bottom line: Are you for them, or against them?

That 87% of Republicans have come to support President Trump -- even those to whom his 'NY ways' are foreign and, perhaps even off-putting -- says a lot about both the man, the party and about America as a whole.

That so many Democrats do not -- well that speaks just as loudly.

The good President Trump is doing goes beyond numbers, or even people's hopes and dreams. For along with all that it is opening eyes to the truth of where the various political entities stand regarding the welfare of the American people. That some are for us, and other simply don't seem to care.  And for that eye opening all of our Republic should be glad.

As seen on American Thinker