A Way Forward?

For John, BLUF:  While many are ooutraged at President Trump's words and actions with regard to Ukraine and the Middle East, some see that perhaps there is a path to peple in both locations.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Thanks to Trump, Saudi Arabia Gets a Big Week in International Diplomacy

Here is the sub-headline:

Riyadh is hosting U.S., Russian and Arab officials for high-stakes talks on Ukraine and Gaza, more proof of its regional clout and warm relations with President Trump.

From The Old Gray Lady, by Reporters Vivian Yee and Ismaeel Naar, Feb. 20, 2025.

Here is the lede plus four:

Only a few years ago, Washington was calling Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over its headline-making human rights violations. Western business leaders canceled investments in the kingdom. Celebrities and sports stars took flack for doing events there.

With its oil and its regional clout, however, Saudi Arabia proved too useful for the Biden administration to push the kingdom away for too long. And just a few weeks into the second term of President Trump, who nurtured a cozy relationship with the kingdom when he was last in office, Saudi Arabia’s stock is once again on the rise — even if Mr. Trump’s approach to the region is not always to the Saudis’ liking.

This week, all of the diplomacy is in Riyadh, the kingdom’s capital. On Friday, Arab leaders are expected to gather to hammer out a counterproposal meant to persuade Mr. Trump not to deport all of the some two million people in Gaza to Arab countries, mainly Egypt and Jordan, and transform the strip into a “Riviera of the Middle East.”

On Tuesday, senior American and Russian officials met in Riyadh for opening talks over ending the war in Ukraine and re-establishing normal relations, another major foreign policy priority of Mr. Trump’s. The Russian delegation was based at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, where Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, once locked up hundreds of powerful businessmen and royal family members in an early quest to consolidate power. (Saudi Arabia said it was a crackdown on corruption.) This time, Saudi Arabia was presenting a very different image, facilitating the talks on Tuesday with a lunch menu of Arab and Western specialties that included a “symphony of scallop, shrimps and salmon” and knafeh cheesecake, according to Russian state television.

> “Country of peace,” read the hashtag accompanying some social media posts about the Tuesday talks from government and state media accounts. Others had a hashtag calling the kingdom “capital of world decisions.”

I note this because there is a chance that President Trump is trying to tie Saudi Arabia into the Ukraine peace effort as a way of tying that Kingdon into peace efforts in the Middle East.  There should be little double that peace is needed in both places.  And no doubt that peace is difficult in both places.

In the Ukraine Russia is fighting a war to ensure that Ukraine does not become part of a NATO threat to themselves.  While NATO may not think of itself as a threat, a long look at history suggests that some small spark can ignite a big blaze.  An assassination in Serejavo ignited World War One.  It didn't happen in a flash, but from the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, on 28 June 1914 it was only a month until Austria-Hungary declared waron Serbia on 28 July, and then things unraveled from there.  In the case of Ukraine and Russia it is not just the secure border, but also actions that Russian President Putin has found disrespectful, such as breaking away the Ukraine Orthodox Church from the Russian Orthodox Church.

As for Gaza, the Nakba. as seen from the Palestine side, is a never ending tragedy.&nbp; The election of Hamas to power in Gaza in 2006 led to an even more militant approach to Israel.  The current crisis jumped into open warfare with the 7 October 2023 Al Aqsa Flood operation by Hamas against Israel, where 1,180 Israelis were killed and 251 taken as hostages.

The Hamas led Palestinans of Gaza are not prepared to accept Gaza as their permaent home, but rather are intent on returning to their 1947 homes in what is now Israel, except it is now 2,1 million Palistinians, vice the 710,000 displaced in 1947.  No one has come forward to suggest a workable method for squaring this circle.  It would appear that President Trump believes that the involvement of Saudi Arabia in this probglem might provide a solution; an Arab solution.

Regards  —  Cliff

Trust in God

For John, BLUF:  I am late in this, but I wanted to comment on last Sunday's First Reading.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readubg I (Jeremiah 17:5-8):

Thus says the LORD:
      Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings,
          who seeks his strength in flesh,
          whose heart turns away from the LORD.
      He is like a barren bush in the desert
          that enjoys no change of season,
      but stands in a lava waste,
          a salt and empty earth.
      Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
        whose hope is the LORD.
      He is like a tree   planted beside the waters
          that stretches out its roots to the stream:
      it fears not the heat when it comes;
          its leaves stay green;
      in the year of drought it shows no distress,
          but still bears fruit.

I wanted to focus on the early admonition:.

Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings

Putting our trust in others often produces sad results.  You make a comment and someone just dismisses it and denogrates a third party in the process  I had this happen on City Life Show this morning.  I said how my son, a Federal Civil Servant, said that he ges more work done working from home than he does in the office.  Given his area of effort, I can understand that.  The Producer dimissed my comment with "That is what he says."  I felt my son was denegraded, and I was also.  Such is life in the real world. ; People do and say disapponting things, even friends.

But, sometimes the disappointment is especially strongn when someone you have admired for integrity goes off and does something that calls it all into question  My example would be Michael Hayden, one of the 51 signatories to Mr Antony Blinken's letter on the Hunter Biden Laptop.  While the letteer was technically correct, the laptop from hell story did appear to be like Rusian disinformation, it was, nevertheless, true.  The letter was an effort to protect a Presidential Candidate from adverse publicity, and it worked, helping to propel Joseph R Biden into being our 46th resident of the White House.

My disappoijnntment with General Hayden is based upon my admiration for him when I was assigned to Headquarters, United States Air Forces in Europe.  He was then a young Major and someone I saw as incorporating all the best qualities of an Air Force Officer.  I was so impressed that when my Wife and I took a short story writing course at UMass Lowell I based my hero in a couple of such stories on then Major Hayden.  It was very disappoiinted to me when he signed on with Mr Blinken.

I am back to my sense that Jeremiah has it right.

Regards  —  Cliff

Rating the US Presidents

For John, BLUF:  This is a good sorting of our Presidents in terms of how well they performed in Office.  It is different to some degree from what I leanred in Elementary School, back in the 1950s.  But, our understanding evolves.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Rating the Presidents on Presidents' Day

From Vodka Pundit, by Blogger Stephen Green, 17 February 2025, 12:31 PM.

Here is the lede:

Presidents' Day is a stupid holiday.  We used to have two presidential holidays.  One for Washington, who showed noteworthy restraint in setting the precedents that his successors ought to live up to — and that's on top of successfully commanding the armies that won the Revolutionary War.  The other was for Lincoln, who saved the Union from rupture and was murdered for his efforts

Then Mr Green racked and stacked our Presidents.

As one might expect, the top two were Presidents Washington and Lincoln.

Then there are 15 described as worth remembering, including:

• John Adams
• Thomas Jefferson
• James Madison
• James Monroe
• James Polk
• U S Grant
• William McKinley
• T Roosevelt
• Calvin Coolidge
• Harry Truman
• D D Eisenhower
• Gerald Ford
• Ronald Reagan
• GHW Bush
• John F Kennedy

Then there is the list of the ten worst:

• James Buchanan
• Andrew Johnson
• Woodrow Wilson
• Herburt Hoover
• Franklin D Roosevelt
• Lyndon B Johnson
• Jimmy Carter
• Barack Obama
• Joseph R Biden

He does bring the receipts.

Regards  —  Cliff

Presidents; Day

For John, BLUF:  There are Presidents to celebrate and Presidents for whom we shouold have distain.  But, overall, oour Constitution has allowed us an Executive who can lift us up, but not drag us down too far.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Happy Presidents Day!

I am so old I can remember when we had both a Washington's Borthday and a Lincoln's Birthday, both in February.  Then we got a consolidated holiday.  Which is not a bad thing.  And now someone comes along and tries to make it better.

Congresswoman Tenney Moves to Make President Trump’s Birthday a Federal Holiday

A Congresswoman Claudia Tenney Press Release 14 February 2025.

Here it is:

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today introduced the Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day Holiday Establishment Act to officially designate June 14 as a federal holiday to commemorate President Donald J. Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day.

Born on June 14, 1946, President Donald J. Trump’s birthday coincided with Flag Day, which is observed annually and recognizes the anniversary of the adoption of the Stars and Stripes as the official US flag in 1777. This legislation would permanently codify a new federal holiday called “Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day” on June 14 to honor this historic day.

“No modern president has been more pivotal for our country than Donald J. Trump. As both our 45th and 47th President, he is the most consequential President in modern American history, leading our country at a time of great international and domestic turmoil. From brokering the historic Abraham Accords to championing the largest tax relief package in American history, his impact on the nation is undeniable. Just as George Washington’s Birthday is codified as a federal holiday, this bill will add Trump’s Birthday to this list, recognizing him as the founder of America’s Golden Age. Additionally, as our nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, we should create a new federal holiday honoring the American Flag and all that it represents. By designating Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day as a federal holiday, we can ensure President Trump’s contributions to American greatness and the importance of the American Flag are forever enshrined into law,” said Congresswoman Tenney.

I thought it was clever of the Congresswoman to tie the two items together, Flag Day and President Trump's Birthday.  I don't think it will make it out of committee, or if it does, if it will pass through Congress.  But, a clever idea.

I do think it is possible that President Trump will have a major impact on the nation.  His DOGE is one big opportunity.  For sure, to clean up the swamp of Federal Appropriations would be a big deal, especially if he was able to add to that getting the budget under control.  Then there is hihs efforts to bring peace to the Ukriane and in the Holy Land.

Hat tip to my Wife, who noted this to me.

Regards  —  Cliff

Is Elon After Granny's Social Security Check?

For John, BLUF:  Cynicism about Democratic Party cynical efforts to fight President Trump.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

The Babylon Bee on Elon Musk

From The Babylon Bee, by The Bee, 10 Februry 2025, 2:22 PM.

Here is the post:

Democrats Uncover Devious Billionaire Plot To Spend Billions Buying Social Media Company To Get President Trump Elected In Order To Access The Treasury Database And Steal Grandma's $695 Social Security Check

It is The Bee.

I think the concerns of Democrats about Mr Elon Musk using his position to steal from taxpayers is a little over the top.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

A billion dollars of fraud every week

For John, BLUF:  The Bureaucrats at Treasury, and perhaps elsewhere, slowly slipped into a routine of no checking on the Peoples' money.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

The Machine Fights Back

Here is the sub-headline:

Inside Treasury's War Against Its Own Reformers

From EKO Loves You, by Blogger EKO, 9 February 2025.

Here is the lede plus one:

When DOGE found empty fields in Treasury's payment system, they uncovered more than missing data.

They found a mechanism.

Simple things were left blank:

• Payment categories
• Payment rationales
• Basic audit controls

The kind of fields any small business would require.  The kind that let you track where money goes.  The kind that stop a billion dollars of fraud.  Every week.

Here's what Treasury didn't want exposed:

Over $100 billion flowing annually to accounts without Social Security numbers.  No temporary ID numbers. No verification. Nothing.

When Musk asked Treasury officials how much was "unequivocal and obvious fraud," the answer revealed decades of corruption: HALF

Let that sink in.

$50 billion per YEAR.

A billion dollars every SINGLE week disappearing into accounts that shouldn't exist.

It is like the Federal Bureaucracy had become an ever growing, self serving mechanism, immune from oversight.

And, it appears the Federal Courts are in sympathy with this jaugernaut, and willing to shield it from scrutiny.

Hat tip to the Citizen Free Press.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Courts Begin to Awaken

For John, BLUF:  The Democrats are battling President Trump by employing law suits.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Judge leaves intact a ban on DOGE access to Treasury records pending a hearing Friday

From the Associated Press, by Reporter Larry Neumeister, 11 February 2025 at 1:50 PM EST.

Here is the lede plus four:

A federal judge on Tuesday made some clarifications but left intact a ban for now that prevents Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury Department records containing sensitive personal data for millions of Americans.

Judge Jeannette A. Vargas in Manhattan issued an order to continue a ban prior to a hearing Friday. The ban was put in place last week by another federal New York jurist in response to a lawsuit that 19 Democratic attorneys general brought against President Donald Trump.

Justice Department attorneys told Vargas in a filing on Sunday that the ban was unconstitutional and needed to be immediately reversed.

They made additional arguments in a written submission on Tuesday, saying the ban limits Trump's “ability to give direction to his subordinates” to ensure that annual outlays of $5 trillion by Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service are being handled with efficiency.

Vargas made changes to the ban to clarify its reach. For instance, she said Treasury Department officers nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate can access the records, making it clear that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is not subject to the ban.

This is a step in the proper direction by Judge Jeannette A. Vargas, allowing the Secretry of Treasury Scott Bessent to actually manage his department, a job for which he was confirmed by the US Senate.  The idea that a Cabinet Secretary was not allowed ot manage the civil Servants within his or her department, or manage the systems therein makes a sham of the job of management and responsibility.

While Friday may bring further clarity and common sense, I fear it will require the involvement of the US Supreme Court.

Hat tip to the Citizen Free Press.

Regards  —  Cliff

Letitia James Strikes Again

For John, BLUF:  One cannot deny that New York Attorney General Letitia James is out there slugging away at Donald Trump and his attempt to be a President for all Americans.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

US judge temporarily blocks Musk's DOGE from accessing payment systems

From Reuters, by Reporter Nate Raymond, 8 February 2025, 7:50 AM EST.

Here is the lede plus four:

A federal judge early Saturday temporarily blocked billionaire Elon Musk's government efficiency team and Trump administration political appointees from accessing government systems used to process trillions of dollars in payments, citing a risk that sensitive information could be improperly disclosed.

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan issued the order after a coalition of 19 mostly Democratic-led U.S. states filed a lawsuit late Friday arguing Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has no legal power to access the U.S. Department of Treasury systems.

The lawsuit said Musk and his team could disrupt federal funding for health clinics, preschools, climate initiatives, and other programs, and that Republican President Donald Trump could use the information to further his political agenda.

DOGE's access to the system also "poses huge cybersecurity risks that put vast amounts of funding for the States and their residents in peril," the state attorneys general said. They sought a temporary restraining order blocking DOGE's access.

. . .

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat whose office is leading the case, welcomed the ruling, saying nobody was above the law and that Americans across the country had been horrified by the DOGE team's unfettered access to their data.

I am of two minds about this.

On the one hand, she might be dilusional about what is happening in these United States.  Her assertion that "Americans across the country had been horrified by the DOGE team's unfettered access to their data", may represent some small portion of the popultion, but I am doubtful it is a widespread feeling.  A lot of folks voted for Donald J Trump and JD Vance (and Elon Musk and Big Balls).  And a lot of us are dubious that our data on Federal Computers is safe from hacking by China, North Korea or other computer hackers.  Or from leaking by Civil Servants.

On the other hand, it could be that New York Attorney General Letitia James is getting money on the side from graft that could be exposed by the actions of DOGE.  I would like to think that such is not the case.  I would like to think that my tax money is not being spread amonst a corrupt group of politicians and non-governmental agency members.  Early reports suggest I will be disappointed.

To reference Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman and his statement that the Democratic Party is a "'toxic' brand built on years of 'shaming and scolding' voters," this is what General James sounds like.  Frankly, it is not a good look.

Hat tip to the Citizen Free Press.

Regards  —  Cliff

LGH

For John, BLUF:  A nice EMail about our Community here in Lowell.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Here is an EMail I received late this week:

As the champion of a greater Lowell, I just wanted to mention a big plus.  Today I had an MRI under a general anesthetic at LGH.  What a pleasant experience.  Very caring folks there right down to one of the volunteers, a lady who spent 48 years working at LGH.  Now THAT is community.

To appreciate this EMail, it helps to know that the author, Neal, started his 30+ year Air Force career as a Medical Technician at the Regional Medical Center at Clark Air Base, in the Philippines.  His is an informed opinion.

And Kudos to the people at LGH.

Regards  —  Cliff

Holding a Grudge

For John, BLUF:  My "edition" of The Boston Globe was short of what I considered important an interesting news this morning.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

? ? ? ? ?

From The Boston Globe.

At 0502 this morning The Boston Globe sent out their daily EMail of the articles in the paper.  Missing, however, was anything on the airplane crash in North Philly last evening, which took at least six lives.

Is this an indicatino that their Lordships at The Boston Globe have not yet forgiven Dr Benjamin Franklin for decamping from Boston at a young age and estblishing himself in Phalidelphia.  And thank God he did, so he could be available to help guide the Founding Fathers during the American Revolution..

Regards  —  Cliff

A Disruptive Eight Years

For John, BLUF:  Columnist Kimberly Strassel lays out how the Democrats perverted our system of Government in order to keep President Trump out of office.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

The Left’s Mangled Guardrails

Here is the sub-headline:

They’ve spent eight years trying to kill democracy in the name of saving it.

From The Wall Street Journal, by Columnist Kimberley A. Strassel, 16 January 2025, 5:17 pm ET.

Here is the lede plus four:

The modern Democratic Party specializes in projection, and Joe Biden offered a model of the method in his Wednesday night farewell address.  His warnings that a “dangerous” “abuse of power” is coming can only be read as the left’s latest excuse and argument for its own misbehavior.

That model proved gold for Democrats during Donald Trump’s first term as president.  The constant refrain that the “tyrant” was unraveling democracy provided their justification for tearing through standards and norms.  In the name of saving the country from Trump excesses, we were told, holdover acting Attorney General Sally Yates had to defy presidential orders, the Federal Bureau of Investigation needed to lie to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, a special counsel was required to dog a sitting president, the bureaucracy had a duty to “resist” Trump policy, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had to undergo a circus inquisition, and Congress had no choice but to hold Trump officials in contempt, issue unprecedented subpoenas and impeach the president.

None of this was good for norms, though it did serve Democratic partisan interests.  The proof is that these accusations didn’t end with Mr. Trump’s exit.  Mr. Biden was elected on a vow to respect norms, yet of all the many promises he has broken, his and the left’s continued ramming of guardrails may prove the most damaging in the long term.  They deserve a roll call, especially as Mr. Biden continues to bathe in the illusion that his party spent four years “respecting the institutions that govern a free society: the presidency, the Congress, the courts . . . the separation of powers, checks and balances.”

In the name of justice, Mr. Biden’s attorney general, Merrick Garland, became the first in history to train his department on a former president—who also happened to be the biggest political threat to his boss.  This provoked any number of “unprecedented” moments in our country—the first-ever FBI raid on a former president, novel legal theories spun into new definitions of “conspiracy,” legal briefs filed to influence an election.

The left’s broader lawfare campaign—waged in the name of stopping a return of the “criminal” Trump—opened a Pandora’s box of complex cases, forcing courts to break new ground on issues that would have been better left unplumbed:  the contours of a post-Civil War insurrection law, the edges of executive privilege, the boundaries of presidential immunity.  Mr. Biden in his farewell lambasted yet again the high court’s immunity decision in Trump v. U.S. as dangerous.  But which side dragged us into this uncharted territory in the first place?

And on she goes, listing steps that were out of synch with our accepted political practices.  And as to President Biden whinging over the US Supreme Court's decision regarding Presiddential Immunity, I am not sure it should be any other way.  Without that Immunity the President would be handicapped in the execution of his office.

Ms Strassel is correct in her Column and the Democrats and the Biden Team Administration was out of order.

The good news is that it didn't work.

Hat tip to my Friend, Steve Broussard.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Bureaucrats vs the Elected Officials

For John, BLUF:  Some believe that the Federal Bureaucracy has aa block of officials who aree dedicated to resisting the Administration of President Donald Trump, Version 2.0.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Leftist Ideologues Dominating the Federal Civil Service Have Created a New Version of the Spoils System

From PJ Media, by Mark Tapscott, 17 January 2025, 7:07 PM.

Here is the lede plus two:

This won't shock anybody who served time working in the government bureaucracy, but the biggest obstacle facing President-elect Donald Trump likely isn't the Elite Media or the Deep State, but rather the management ranks of the career federal civil service.

"Wait a minute, Tapscott," you may be muttering. "Are you telling us that nameless, faceless bureaucrats are going to be more powerful and influential in blocking Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) agenda than the 'journalists' at ABC/CBS/NBC/New York Times/Washington Post and the political plumbers of the Intelligence Community?"

Why yes, that is exactly what I am saying, and Exhibit A here is a recent survey conducted for the Napolitan Institute by RMG Research of 500 federal civil service managers being paid at least $75,000 and living in the Washington, D.C., region.

Like myself, the author comes from a family of Federal Bureaucrats, he more in depth and my more in breadth.  But, like me, he wonders if the gains from the Pendleton Act of 1883 are beeing sustaijned or perverted.  As we recall, a merit based Civil Service was introduced because of the assassination of President James A. Garfield in 1881, by a disappointed office seeker.

Today we have an entrenched Civil Service which seems, in part, to see itself as the fourth branch of government (the Fourth Estate, pushing aside the Press), responsible for protecting the Government from the actions of Congress and the President, and the Supreme Court.  They are the Technocrats running the Administrative State.

A survey of 500 federal civil service managers being paid at least $75,000 and living in the Washington, DC, region, by RMG Research for the Napolitan Institute, found "42% of those federal managers surveyed declared their intent to either strongly oppose or oppose Trump once he is sworn in and back in the Oval Office".  That does not strike me as show a Democracy should work.  That is surrendering control of our lives to self-prepetuating Administrators.

But, on the bright side:

44%, said they would either strongly support or support Trump's agenda.  But then we read that among the federal managers who identified themselves as Democrats, two-thirds said they would actively oppose orders advancing Trump policies.

But, most revolutions are brought about by a small group with the belief that they are correct and the vast majority is either wrong or clueless.  Revolutions are brought about by groups less that 40% of the population.

If you are an anti-Trumper and you are counting on the Bureaucracy to control President Trump you are showing Fascist tendencies.  What you should have done was work harder to see Candidate Kamala Harris elected.  What you did was not sufficient.  You failed.

The negative attitude toward Bureaucrats and a Bureaucratic State were expressed Friday by Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT).  He noted "This Country Was Not Founded by 65-Year-Old Bureaucrats".  Granted, Ben Franklin was 70 years old when the Declaration of Independence was drawn up, but the writer was Thomas Jefferson, at 33.

There is an importance place in our system for a meritocratic professional Civil Service.  But, they are there to implement the laws as passed by Congress and administered by the Elected President.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Election Interference

For John, BLUF:  The Democrats, in 2024, got election help from overseas, including from the British Labour Party.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

CONSCIOUSNESS OF GUILT

From 𝕏, by Mr Jim Ferguson, 14 January 2025, 6:21 AM.

Here is the Tweet:

BREAKING: Labour’s Head of Operations, Sophia Patel, has deleted her LinkedIn profile and locked her Twitter after explosive allegations surfaced that she organized 100 Labour staffers to meddle in the 2024 US election—allegedly to prevent Donald Trump’s reelection.

Here’s where it gets serious: thanks to extradition laws signed by former Labour PM Tony Blair, it’s now easier for UK citizens to be sent to the US to face charges.

Patel could potentially be charged with:
1️⃣ Election Interference
2️⃣ Failure to Register as a Foreign Agent (FARA)
3️⃣ Conspiracy to Commit an Offense Against the US
4️⃣ Cybercrime or Unauthorized Access
5️⃣ Transporting Funds for Unlawful Purposes
6️⃣ Interstate Travel to Aid Unlawful Activities

If convicted, these charges carry severe penalties, including significant fines and prison time.  Is Patel now terrified she’ll be extradited and prosecuted under US law?  This could explode into a major international scandal with far-reaching implications.

I don't see this as a big deal.  Considering the number of elections our Government has meddled in, that someone outside our nation should play in ours is not a susrprise.  That is not to say that we shouldn't take steps to limit outside intererence.

On the other hand, this move was a little tone deaf on the part of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour Party.  Maybe they thought Candidate Kamala Harris would win, but it was a bet with a big down side.

I say grant Ms Patel a pardon and use it to heckle Mr Starmer.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Pay Without Work

For John, BLUF:  In Minnesota the democrats in the Lower House of the State Legislature are not willing to meet, as a way of frustrating the Republican majority.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS IN MINNESOTA [UPDATED]

From Power Line, by Blogger John Hinderaker, 12 January 2025.

Here is the lede plus two:

Minnesota is a purple state, balanced on a knife’s edge, as the 2024 election showed.  There are 134 Minnesota House districts, and when the returns were in, it looked like Republicans had gained enough seats so that the House would be tied, 67-67.  But then it came to light that one of the Democrats’ candidates had cheated: in House District 40B, Democrat Curtis Johnson falsely claimed to reside in the district, a constitutional requirement.

His Republican opponent filed an election contest, which was successful, as the evidence against the Democrat was overwhelming.  A district court issued an injunction barring Johnson from taking that seat.  A special election will be held to fill the seat at some time in the future; the exact schedule is now the subject of litigation.  So currently there are 133 elected representatives holding election certificates:  67 Republicans and 66 Democrats.  Republicans hold a majority, brought about by the fact that Democrats cheated and got caught.

Democrats are panicked over the prospect that they will lose control over one house of Minnesota’s legislature, and they have determined on a desperate strategy.  The 2024 legislative session begins on Tuesday, and all 66 Democrats are going to refuse to show up for work.  Their theory is that by hiding out, they will prevent the establishment of a quorum, and thereby disable Minnesota’s House (effectively, the entire legislature) from doing any business.  They hope that at some point in the future, they will win a special election in 40B, at which time they say they will go back to work.  Meanwhile, they intend to continue drawing their pay as legislators.

Yes, Minnesota is the State with Governor Tim Walz, Ms Kamla Harris' running mate in 2024.

Heaven forfend that the business of the People of Minnesota gets done.

And letting Author John Hinderaker have the last word:

However cynical you may be about Democrats, you are not cynical enough.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Hegseth to be Grilled

For John, BLUF:  A question for the US Senate is if Nominee Pete Hegseth is the person to lead the Department of Defense into a new future.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

The U.S. is unprepared for a major war.  Can Pete Hegseth fix that?

Here is the sub-headline:

Trump's defense secretary pick would face a staggering challenge in readying America for war.

From The Wash Post, by Reporter Max Boot, 13 January 2025.

Here is the lede plus three:

Tuesday's confirmation hearings for defense secretary are sure to focus on all the troubling allegations of misconduct swirling around intended nominee Pete Hegseth (which he has denied).  But let's not lose sight of the big picture.  The essential question that senators must ask is whether Hegseth, a Fox News host and former National Guardsman, has the capacity and experience to prepare the armed forces to fight a major war — and, if so, how he would go about it.  Because right now, the U.S. military simply is not ready to defeat an adversary such as China or Russia in a protracted conflict.

Don't take my word for it:  That's the judgment of the congressionally chartered, bipartisan Commission on the National Defense Strategy, which issued its final report in July.  The commission, chaired by former California congresswoman Jane Harman, came to a sobering conclusion that did not get the attention it deserved:  "The threats the United States faces are the most serious and most challenging the nation has encountered since 1945 and include the potential for near-term major war. ...  The nation was last prepared for such a fight during the Cold War, which ended 35 years ago. It is not prepared today."

The commission went on to warn that "China is outpacing the United States and has largely negated the U.S. military advantage in the Western Pacific" and that "the U.S. military lacks both the capabilities and the capacity required to be confident it can deter and prevail in combat."

The problem isn't that the U.S. military has gone "woke," as MAGA partisans such as Hegseth allege.  The problem is that America became complacent after the Cold War when it downsized its armed forces and its defense-industrial base.  Since then, the United States has prepared a military suitable for fighting insurgents in Afghanistan or Iraq — but utterly inadequate for an extended fight against a major power.

Yes, the question is how to navigate the Department of Defense toward a new readiness goal, while garnering support in Congress for the needed funding. : As Author Boot points out, to meet President Trump's demand that NATO nations spend 5% on Defense, it would be an increase of $600 billion a year, to more than $1.4 trillion a year.

People can say that Mr Hegseth lacks the managem3ent experience to guide the Defense behemouth.  On the other hand, we have had a number of successful managers from industry who have not been up to the task of turning out a winning military force  Secretasry of Defense Robert S McNamara comes to mind.

But, success at the Pentagon is more than efficient spending of money.  It is also about building a cohesive fighting force, united and innovative.  I would think that Nominee Hegseth could be that person.

Regards  —  Cliff

Four Years of Ignorance

For John, BLUF:  What are Democrats talking about when they talk about an insurrection on 6 January 2020.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Just a rant:

From , by Blogged Charles Glasser, 7 Januaary 2025, 10:02 am.

Here is the lede plus two:

LOOKING BACK (A bit long): I’ve studied an awful lot of history in getting a degree in political philosphy, and that through the very left-leaning CUNY school system.  On reflection, it has become clear to me that anyone who uses the word “insurrection” descibing the idiocy of Jan. 6 has no idea what they are talking about.

Was it a riot?  Yep.  Were many of the particpants dopes?  Yep.  But read how John Adams, Robespierre, Lenin, Mao and Castro pulled off genuine “revolutions” and you’ll see that mobbing a capitol building isn’t even close.  You need to control central information and transportation hubs, get the army to back you, and bring weapons.

None of that happened on J6.  If you use the word “insurrection” to describe J6:  You have zero credibility.

Sums up my view on the issue.  For example, who went to the studios of NPR to take control of that source of information to the Citizens?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

6 January 2021

For John, BLUF:  Democrats seem to have long memories, but an inability to understand that some are less locked in on the events of 6 January and its long term impact on our Democracy.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Wow, Democrats Lost the Capitol Riot Narrative Big Time

From PJ Media, by Writer Matt Margo,is, 6 January 2025, 6:14 PM.

Here is the lede plus one:

In the four years since the Capitol riot, Democrats have tried incessently to turn it into a national tragedy akin to 9/11 and/or the Pearl Harbor attack. With the goal of preventing Trump from being able to seek the presidency again, they even called it an insurrection (it wasn’t) and accused Trump of inciting it (he didn’t).

There efforts failed, and Trump was reelected on November 5, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to win the national popular vote since George W. Bush. Oh what a sweet victory it was. On Monday, Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris was certified, and once again, Democrats proved they just can’t let their phony baloney narrative go.

The article comtains numbers showing how attitudes have shifted on the events of 6 January 2021.  One paragraph that stood out was this.

A deeper dive reveals an even more striking reality.  In January 2021, 48 percent of voters blamed Trump for the Capitol riot.  By December 2023, that number had fallen to just 37 percent.  Fewer Americans blamed Trump, fewer thought it made him ineligible to lead, and, perhaps most tellingly, far fewer cared enough to remember it.  When asked about their biggest memory of Trump’s first term, only 5 percent of Americans pointed to January 6.  Among Republicans, it was a meager 2 percent.

Politico reported that today the US Department of Justice announced it is considering more prosecutions with regard to the events of 6 January 2021.

Federal prosecutors are weighing charging as many as 200 more people for their involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol — including 60 suspected of assaulting or impeding police officers during the riot that nearly derailed the transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden.

I expect it is to the advantage of Republicans that leading Democrats, such as Senator Chuck Schumer, remain fixated on the events of four years ago.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff