Schummer-Shutdown ...

"The Schummer-Shutdown" ... Kind of sounds like some line dance, doesn't it???

 Image Source

Timing is everything, I always say. With this in mind, I strongly suspect the Schummer-Shutdown has less to do with core budget issues or even the non-budget issue of DACA, than it does with creating a much needed public diversion from "The FISA memo", which was finally released to select members of the U.S. Congress (those on intelligence and judiciary committees, I believe).  From what I'm hearing this memo makes the Nixon "Watergate" scandal pale by comparison.  This memo needs to be declassified and then released for "we the people" to see.  The American people deserve to see the lengths corrupt government officials, acting on behalf of their political party/ideology, will go to in order to retain their vice-grip on power.

At least the Trump Administration has chosen not to weaponize this current government shutdown, unlike his predecessor had.  That being said, our military men and women need to be paid!  Also thought it was brilliant for the Republicans to counter-pose the DACA conversation--for illegal immigrant children-- with extended funding for CHIPs which provides health insurance coverage for citizen children.  Glad Republicans have not caved and given the Democrats a "clean DACA bill."  If Democrats get their clean bill, Republicans will lose any and all bargaining power needed to address a long overdue sweeping immigration reform.  One last thought, Mitch McConnell is absolutely correct.  This era of continuing budget resolutions has got to come to an end!  Congress needs to get busy doing their constitutional duty and finally pass a long-term budget, covering the next two years.  Only then will the U.S. Congress be in position to truly address the business they were elected by "we the people" to do.  In absence of a long-term budget agreement, the U.S. Congress will remain in this endless loop  of shutdown football every few months, with varying factions holding the government hostage in order to advance their pet-projects at the expense of the nation's security.

President Trump is a Master at Making the Media Dance ....

I seriously have to wonder sometimes if President Trump doesn't wake-up each and every morning and say to himself:  "Gee, I wonder how I can make the media dance today?"  Because Trump does indeed make the media dance with his unconventional verbiage from the highest office in our noble land.  President Trump, the intentional Pied Piper???

Image Source: Trip Advisor

I really have to laugh watching the latest looped-reel of countless news analysts and political commentators, practically beside themselves, being bleeped while uttering the earth-shattering phrase "Shit-hole."  I mean seriously, it's a word .. a word most of us --if we are being totally honest-- have used at some point in our own lives.  Is it a wholly presidential word? Probably not, by conventional standards, but then again who exactly is operating under the illusion that Donald J. Trump --President or not-- is actually in anyway conventional??? Certainly not the people who elected Trump into office.  Those people wanted a hard-headed hitter who would break down the barriers of the politically correct status-quot in order to get meaningful things done.  Furthermore, I suspect as long as President Trump continues to get meaningful things done  (e.g., unleashing true energy independence, lowering energy costs, revamping an outdated and over-burdensome  tax code, making the cost of doing business in U.S.A. competitive with rest of the world, creating millions of new jobs, renegotiating bad trade and other deals, standing up to terrorists, unleashing the military and decimating ISIS, helping to facilitate a resumption of talks between North and South Korea, reinvigorating the NASA and U.S. Space Program) for "we the people", most of us realists --antithesis of idealists--out here will be willing to give Trump a pass for the less-than conventional things he may say and tweet from time to time ... even if the off-rails media fails to ever cover Trump's accomplishments.  The wordsmiths among us may refuse to recognize the President's meaningful accomplishments to date, but those of us who have the ability to see behind the smoke and mirrors of a purely rhetoric-based  coverage of the Trump Administration do, in point of fact, actually see the progress President Trump has made thus far, on our behalf, nonetheless.

As for the predictable claim that President Trump's alleged "shit-hole" remark was "unequivocally racist", I have three things to say:

1) "He probably should have said "third-world" country, but if you look third-world up in the Urban Dictionary it actually says "s***hole." ~Tyrus

2) Referring to the factual living conditions within a given country, where the majority of the population has little if any ability to control said conditions, is not racist.  Trump's alleged choice of words, while vulgar, were merely an accurate reflection of the facts with respect to less than ideal, real-world living conditions in certain parts of the world.  Although succinct, I think we can all agree that if the word "shit-hole" was used in any Presidential meeting it was indeed a poor word choice.  That being said, President Trump's remark was pertaining to specific countries with less than ideal living conditions; his remark was not in any way intended to be denigrating of the people living therein. To claim otherwise, by hurling the term "racist" at the President is misleading, not mention dishonest.  Such tactics are merely a convenient tool used to subvert actual facts to the contrary, by playing to pure emotions in order to effectively bring the conversation to an abrupt close (i.e., "Trump said a bad word which we have interpreted to be racist, so the deal's off.")  "Racist" seems to have become the great-silencer these days, often being employed by liberals who don't have any meaningful facts to support their own side of a given argument.  By employing the silencing charge of "racism" liberals hope to circumvent any meaningful conversation, where a meaningful conversation might actually wind-up making real progress toward the end of addressing real-world issues, such as a long-overdue, sensible (balanced with merit-based) and comprehensive immigration reform.  In this light don't you have to ask yourself, which truly 'speaks' louder: mere words (rhetoric) or concrete, substantive solutions (action)?

3) I also find it striking that despite the left's repeated claims that 'President Trump is a confirmed racist', African-Americans are actually doing way better under a President Trump administration than they did under President Obama's administration.  Wages for African-Americans went DOWN $900.00, annually, under President Obama's tenure, while unemployment for African-Americans hit a record 16.8%.  Under President Trump, in just under a year, wages for African-Americans have gone UP $1,000 annually, while unemployment for African- Americans has hit an all-time low of just 6.8%.  Seems to me the numbers alone just don't support the left's ongoing claims of racism.  Something African-Americans can actually take to the BANK.

I have to admit, I didn't actually vote for President Trump, but his ability to cut through the crap in order to actually get things done, in a Washington D.C. that has been plagued by stagnation in years past, is slowly winning me over.  The fact that the left doesn't seem to have many (any?) coherent counter-arguments to Trump's positions and subsequent actions --aside from obstruct and resist-- doesn't do much to currently persuade me to support the ideas being put forward by the left.  I'm simply not buying into the unhinged emotion-driven rhetoric in their arguments to date.  Until the arguments on the left begin to show a bit more substance and reason*,  I'm going to have to continue to give President Trump the benefit of the doubt.  But who knows, the left could actually come around to embracing the notion of using logical facts and reason in order to make their case.  Stranger things have happened .... Here's hoping?

*[(e.g., DACA is not binding law, it was put into place in the absence of Congressional vote, by way of Executive Order --"the President's pen"-- at the end of President Obama's first term in office, never to be successfully revisited by President Obama or the U.S. Congress until Trump pushed the rescind-button.  President Trump wants to make DACA-like protection into actual binding law, by way of Congressional legislation which is really the only binding way to do so.  This was President Trump's reason for rescinding President Obama's non-binding Executive Order, in order to prompt binding Congressional action.  In this light, Democrats should be willing to meet the President halfway in coming to the table, in good-faith, in order to finally address long-overdue comprehensive immigration reform.  To my way of thinking, Republicans would be fools to give Democrats a "clean" DACA bill, given the Democrats obstructionist congressional voting record during the current legislative sessions thus far.  DACA is the ONE bargaining chip the Democrats have, and as such they should play it wisely lest they be made to look the fool to the American people.  I don't actually think the Democrats have enough support from the American people to actually shutdown the government over DACA, but we shall see how the chips play out.  Sometimes the Republicans aren't very bright where chip-playing is concerned.  Also think the circuit court's ruling to the effect that Trump cannot rescind a previous President's Executive Order --keep in mind, the U.S. Constitution does not in any way provide for the use of  Executive Orders-- actually does a disservice to the Democrats cause because they are no longer operating under an impending deadline which would have bolstered their position and argument for immediate action. Not to mention the fact that the courts are supposed to interpret and rule on the actual laws of the land, where Executive Orders kind of operate in a nebulous grey-area, are inherently vulnerable and subject to the whims of subsequent Presidents.  Remind me again, what is the check-and-balance on rogue justices who repeatedly make activist rulings, purely along party lines, in support partisan ends?]

Net Neutrality Needs to be Revisited By U.S. Congress

Have been talking with many millennials lately and they are extremely upset with the revocation of "net neutrality" in favor of Big Business.  Most millennials use the internet as an integral part of the their everyday lives.  In fact, the internet is where most millennials seem to get their primary news and information from, in favor of alternative sources such as magazines, newspapers and television/cable.  To most millennials the thought that some company can now limit their access to information or charge more for certain types of information literally scares the hell out of them.  Furthermore, millennials blame President Trump and his administration for failing to adequately address their concerns on the matter and rightly so.  I've heard time and again from the FCC and other Big Business advocates that "net neutrality is complicated", while these same individuals fail to offer any tangible facts or evidence in support of this claim.  Furthermore, the fact the the FCC Director used to be a Big Business, high-powered lawyer for Verizon doesn't do much to give confidence to millennials or "we the people" that a revocation of net neutrality is in their/our best interests.

To my way of thinking, President Trump, if you truly want to show that you can be a President for ALL of "we the people", and not just the president for those who put you into office, then you should take seriously the concerns of those of us who fear only the worst from a repeal of net neutrality.  You should immediately call for Congressional hearings on all matters relating to the internet (e.g., consumer privacy protections, as well as net neutrality).  Let the experts speak before the U.S. Congress, sharing facts and data in a transparent fashion for all of "we the people" to see.  Then, if at the end of testimony actual legislation is found to be warranted --in order to protect all citizens while using the internet and to provide equal access to internet content for all-- then Congress can move to enact the needed legislation that would provide for a permanent framework for regulation of the internet on behalf of "we the people."

I think an on-line petition to this end should be started, along with letters written to the President and members of Congress.  What say you???  Surely, if the U.S. Congress of the 1990's can visit music lyrics and the need for labeling music albums for rating "content violations", then surely the U.S. Congress of 2018 can visit consumer protection issues related to accessing the internet and content therein.

And on another matter close to millennials hearts, Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, of the U.S.  Justice Department might want to think through a bit more thoroughly his decision to revoke the Cole memorandum which had directed --under President Obama-- Feds not to interfere with state laws concerning marijuana legalization and use thereof.  Seems to me the Justice Department has more pressing matters to attend to these days (e.g., Russia probe wrap-up, Clinton investigation follow-up, unseating Deep State actors, immigration, heroin and opioid epidemics), especially when the majority of Americans, per on-going polling, seem to be in favor of marijuana legalization.  From a cost-benefit perspective the Justice Department and the Trump Administration stand to lose a whole lot more than they could ever possibly gain by moving forward with federal prosecutions for marijuana use in states that have legalized the product.  Timing is everything???  See Attorney General, Jeff Session's memo here.  And yes, Congress could eventually legislate on the matter, removing Federal laws from the books, but for the time being, I think the U.S. Congress already has a pretty full plate.  


2/14/2018 The recent abuses by senior level individuals at FBI, DoJ and State Department (by Obama Administration holdovers) that have been brought into the light --abuses which weaponized the intelligence apparatus and which threaten our very democratic republic and the constitutional democracy upon which the latter is founded-- coupled with the unprecedented number of Congress men and women renouncing their committee chair positions and not seeking re-election (34++ by my last count) makes me think that not only "net neutrality" but also consumer privacy protections --which were rescinded over the summer-- all need to revisited in order to minimize opportunities for nefarious individuals to gather dirt with which to influence our duly elected officials.  Perhaps legislation needs to be passed that would require all ISP's to provide VPN bundled with their internet access?  We live in a world much in need of good and women to run for public office, but with the potential for abuse of what should be private information --given the above gaping holes-- we may not wind up with those individuals most highly capable being willing to run for office or if they do run and are elected they may be compromised by blackmail for less than criminal offenses.  If information is truly power, then we must respect the potential for abuse of information, at all levels, in today's highly technological and globally connected world. 

Old Lang Syne???

Up late again, migraine and my mind won't shut down.  Did not get to celebrate the 'New Year' this year.  Things went south for us, here.  We did, however, thoroughly enjoy a totally pristine -- just 3 to 4 inches-- white fluffy snow on Christmas Eve and day.  I got my Christmas wish: A White Christmas, despite the statistical odds pointing to the contrary.  Sledding and snowball fights on Christmas Eve was kind of magical.  It was a welcome opportunity to shift gears and recharge. You really can't beat that, so you have to look on the upside, right?  No artist's Birthday celebration either, but then I did not celebrate my actual birthday this year either.  Maybe sometime in the weeks ahead?  Time seems to be a rather fluid concept where my life is concerned.  So anyway, it still feels like I'm stuck back in 2017.  2017 was a LONG year, not an entirely bad year, just a long year.  Leaves me wondering: is a long year better than a short year?  Perhaps a long year gives you more time to get meaningful stuff (or feel free to insert a more colorful expletive here) done? What say you???

One of these days, I'm actually going figure out the meaning of the song "Old Lang Syne".  The lyrics in that song have always bothered me, on some level, for some reason.  Maybe, I'm just reading them wrong or reading too much into them? Anyway, how many of you actually took the time to take stock of 2017.. Reflected back on the good as well as the bad?  If you did you probably wound up searching for answers at the bottom of a bottle or glass --be it punch or otherwise.  2017 was one tumultuous year to say the least, but that being said it wasn't all bad.  Seems to me we have had accountability restored in the White House and that surely goes a long way to returning power to "we the people", in my humble opinion. President Trump is not your typical politician, but in many ways that's a good thing because he doesn't waste time tip-toeing through the politically correct tulips.  Trump just tells it like it is and then proceeds to get meaningful stuff done.  With President Donald Trump WSWYG (what you see is what you get).  I have to respect that on some level, even if I'm not always fond of the Presidential Tweets.  That being said, the biased mainstream media has absolutely LOST ALL perspective where President Trump is concerned, because a Twitter account and colorful, fluffy language --what the media would desire to see as per the previous President ... But don't forget President Obama's calm, collective and repeated assurances that wound up being flat-out lies (e.g., "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor" and "If you like your health insurance, you can keep your health insurance)-- does not a meaningful Presidency make.  Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather have brutal honesty over colorful and deceptive lies any day of the week.  Contrary to what the liberal mainstream media and elites --on both sides of the aisle-- believe, "we the people" are not stupid and many of us are no longer willing to be blindly led, while being told what to think and say (i.e., politics of belonging).  The time has come for true rebels, rebels of independent thought, reason and action to speak boldly and to begin coloring outside of the feel-good 'belonging lines', while firmly rejecting the narrative of absolutes.

With the media's off-the-rails coverage of the Trump Presidency it seems to me 2017 has ushered in the final death-blow to objective journalism.  How SAD is that?  Objective journalism used to play a vital role in support of our representative democracy.  These days, however, many journalistic voices do little more than stir and feed frenzy toward overt political ends.  So very sad!  Our founding fathers would be greatly disappointed in the America of today, in this respect, I think.  At the end of the day rhetoric may serve set the tone, but in the end it is actions --and not words-- that speak volumes to what is being done on behalf of "we the people" (e.g., record-breaking stock market highs, millions of new jobs, unemployment at all time decades low, energy independence becoming a reality --thereby lowering energy costs for everyday hard-working citizens, while stimulating the growth of new businesses-- and how about that historic revamping of the tax-code to the benefit of over 80% of Americans, which along with trade deal re-negotiations will likely bring back hundreds of thousands jobs back from overseas).  Granted we still have a long road ahead, but from where I'm standing we're off to a great start.

My biggest hope for 2018 is that the mainstream media will finally screw their heads back on straight and begin to give the Office of the President of United States the respect it is due.  That the media will finally begin covering the substantive actions of the President and his administration, instead of endlessly obsessing over the President's rhetoric, while "we the people" must continually suffer through the media's inane attempts at varying degrees of interpretation of the 'true meaning' behind Trump's words with the non-bonus of their quasi psycho-analysis of the  man behind the words.  Trump is his own man and he's redefining what it means to be Presidential in terms that work for him and the way he does business.  You don't have to like President Trump, but the Office he holds demands a certain level of respect, which heretofore has been sorely lacking, and that in and of itself portrays the entire United States of America in a really bad light to the rest of the world.  To my way of thinking true patriots want whoever is in office to do well, because that winds up benefiting the country as whole.  We seem to have lost sight of this important fact somewhere along way?  Something is terribly wrong when you want your political opponents to fail miserably, at the expense of the country, just so your party looks to be a better alternative in upcoming elections.  I think the American people are beginning to see through this smoke and mirrors and tactic.  Now that "we the people" have had a long over-due taste of actual accountability, I suspect we are not likely to relinquish it anytime soon.

On that note, I'm off to hopefully find a few hours of sleep --hopefully in the absence of dreams and visions.  Can't quite bring myself to utter the predictable phrase "Happy New Year."  Maybe tomorrow. For now, let me just wish that you find satisfaction --and maybe even joy-- in the singular moment presently unfolding right at hand.

1/6/2017(8) Well, what do you know ... Most people don't get the song "Old Lang Syne" either according to CNN polling data/article.  CNN was kind enough to provide us with the full lyrics for this 'time-honored' song --considering it was written in 1788 by Scotsman Robert Burnes.  Reading the lyrics for this song does little to ease my own confusion or dislike of this poem-song.  How about you?  If I were to modernize this song a bit, I suppose you do wind up with the 70's Dan Folgelberg song "Same Old Lang Syne", which starts off with the lyrics "Met my old lover in the grocery store. The snow was falling on Christmas Eve. I stood behind her in the frozen foods and I touched her on the sleeve." Maybe it's just me, but isn't it healthy to review and questions our "time-honored" traditions now again?  If less than 3% of the general population knows the lyrics and almost no one really understands them, maybe it's time for some new lyrics??? I'd like to challenge some of our many talented contemporary lyricists or musicians to come up with some more modern, more readily understandable (not to mention easier to remember) lyrics for this ballad.  Hey, it could happen .... My wish for 2018???  My starting pass for new lyrics is here.
1/11/2018   I finally find myself in actual 2018.  Yeah?  Another one of my tangible wishes for 2018 is that some artful communicator will give a TED talk on how to have a meaningful political discussion with someone who might not agree with your own positions, on key issues, 100% right out of the gate.  Think this insight would be extremely useful in the divided America we find ourselves in today.  Given the right skills and an open mind-set, I remain ever-hopeful that meaningful political dialogue can be restored in our nation once again.