Friday, October 21, 2016

The United States of Russia


The Main Stream Media (MSM) is in a twitter as to why Donald Trump, Republican candidate for President, will not pledge that he will accept the results of the upcoming United States (US) presidential election on November 8th.[1]

This is only the latest talking point that has bedeviled the MSM in the past months leading up to the election. Accusations against Mr. Trump include: sexual indiscretions, of which none were alleged at the time and some go back 25 years; not releasing his income tax returns; he’s a racist; he’s a fascist; he is unfit to be president. Well you get the picture. It’s all about “Trump’s character.” What about the skeletons in Mrs. Clinton’s closet?[2] That doesn’t seem to be of interest to the MSM.

Elections do have consequences; there should be no debate of that.  I would posit, that in the almost eight years of the Obama Administration, the United States has become Russia. And, under a H.R. Clinton Administration, we are “promised” at least four more years of this radical transformation.

Here is a description of Russia from Dr. Karen Dawisha’s book, Putin’s Kleptocracy, published September 30, 2014:

Russia today as a “mafia state” ruled by “an interlocking network of associations and clan-based politics centered on Putin, which serves the purpose of “strengthening Putin’s hold on power, silencing critics, and maximizing . . . economic benefits. This network is hierarchical and far- reaching, consisting of politicians at all levels (including high-level ministers), intelligence and security officials, businessmen, prominent companies, state-owned enterprises, and organized criminal elements.”

Professor Dawisha further posits, “Corruption lubricates the activity of this system as it is the basis for upward mobility in Russia, and the reward of access to illicit wealth in exchange for loyalty is what allows this network to expand and grow.

Now insert Obama or Clinton’s name for Putin; and United States for Russia; and tell me this is not a description of what is going on in the United States today.

There is a sophisticated network of corruption in the United States, which is an essential part of the Liberal / Progressive playbook. Corruption of our educational institutions from Head Start to Colleges and Universities, Federal, State, and Local government employees, Election Commissions, Judiciary; all made possible by a bias, complacent, and corrupt Main Stream Media.[3]

It has been suggested that democracies must attack these corrupt practices and make their governing institutions inhospitable to corruption by making transparency and openness key elements of government. This is naïve.

There is a strongly held and valid perception today that institutions such as the Justice Departments; the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); the US Judiciary in the guise of liberal / progressive justices who ignore the law to further a politically correct / social justice agenda;[4] that are to protect democracies have been compromised and no longer conduct themselves under the rule of law.

In the United States, under the Obama Administration, political considerations obstruct corruption investigations because the implicated culprits extended to the highest levels of government. Mr. Obama’s Justice Department has obstructed and refused to investigate cases involving the IRS, Benghazi, Clinton’s private email servers, Clinton Foundation scandals, and systematic voter fraud, et al. Moreover, as media ownership becomes more concentrated and political; and media environments become greatly restricted; investigative journalism—an essential element of openness and transparency—disappears.

In the last analysis, it is not Putin and Russia that the United States should be worried about – it is our self![5]



[1] The fact that both Hillary Clinton and Al Gore do not accept the results of the 2000 election seems not to matter to the MSM.
[2] Mrs. Clinton email improprieties; conflict of interest that enriches her and her family i.e., Clinton Foundation scandals; Mrs. Clinton's record of failures, e.g., Libya, Muslim Brotherhood, Iraq, ISIS, Russian Reset, Iran Deal, Crimea and Eastern Ukraine; violations of federal protocols; serially lied about Benghazi; Wall Street speaking fees and her refusal to release her speeches; approving as Secretary of State the sale to “Russia” of one-half of the US uranium supplies.
[3] In reality, is there any appreciable difference between reporting in the New York Times and Pravda?
[4] Undeniably, judges and prosecutors are also susceptible to corruption, degrading the ability of Congress to conduct investigations and prosecute offenses, and thus insulating corrupt government officials from prosecution. The US Department of Justice has refused to enforce Congressional contempt charges, allowing officials to often go unpunished, and their corrupt practices to continue unabated. 
[5]Reference to Walt Kelly, political cartoonist, Pogo: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

Friday, October 14, 2016

The NFL Boycott: It’s Real!

Sure, were told that the historically low National Football League (NFL) TV ratings for the first five (5) weeks of the 2016 Regular Season has nothing to do with a boycott.* It's the election, stupid!

The fact that a Rasmussen Poll found one-third (33%) of the country is boycotting the NFL is not important, according to NFL executives, Messrs. Brian Rolapp and Howard Katz, in a letter to NFL team owners recently.  The purpose of the letter was to inform owners that the low ratings were likely due to an “unprecedented interest in the Presidential election.”

The NFL executives also posited that there are multiple factors for the low ratings, but see no evidence that it is a result of some players not standing for the national anthem and other disrespectful gestures to our nation and its’ institutions.

If I'm a billionaire owner of an NFL team and Goodell’s underlings tell me that disgracing Flag and Country, has nothing to do with the atrocious ratings for the first 5 weeks of the season, I would be extremely insulted.

In other words Mr. Goodell, "don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining.”

What is left unsaid is that today there is a fracture between the NFL and society, as it pertains to social issues. Any social issue will by definition have both supporters and opposition. Accordingly, if you take up a cause, especially one that is in opposition to strongly held beliefs in society; you risk offending a large number people.

It is only incredible arrogance that can explain the NFL's Commissioner Roger Goodell refusal to understand what is happening here. America wants to be entertained. Sport, is in part, a value to release the pressure of everyday annoyances in society. And today we have more than we need.


It is important to understand, there is no free speech all the time – everywhere. There is no free speech in your house; ask your mother. And there is no legal right to free speech or expression at work. Employers such as the NFL, are generally free to restrict employee speech, at least while they are at work.

The NFL must cease and desist their shameful politically correct / social justice agenda. A simple apology is not sufficient. There is a place for social protest, but a sporting event is not that place. The NFL may delude themselves and refuse to acknowledge the boycott, and refuse to connect the dots. But the boycott is real, and the low ratings will persist.

Are you listening Jerry?

And one other thing, Mr. Goodell, your fired!

* The only NFL broadcast I watch is my home team, period. And, I’m not coming back until this is put right.

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

CLINTON / OBAMA SYRIAN FIASCO


The consequences of limiting your circle of advisers to a small, relatively inexperienced coterie, with no creditable foreign policy experience, and a dubious record for wisdom, can prove disastrous.

The world should be very concerned what Mr. Obama may do in Syria. Mr. Obama had 5 years to deal with the Syrian Civil War. The "Syrian Revolution" (Civil War) began on March 15, 2011, and continues to this day. 

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on March 27, 2011, that ‘the U.S. would not intervene militarily in Syria as it did in Libya,’ and drew a distinction between Libya's Muammar Qaddafi and Syria's Bashar Assad. The latter, she explained, is seen as “a reformer.” Yet, today, she says she wants his head. This is not foreign policy – this is schizophrenia. 

The significance of this for the United States and the free world is the failure of Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton, to understand what the hell is going on out there.

Tumult and upheaval are sweeping the world. The world is on fire! Yet, on July 20, 2016, Mr. Obama said at the White House Summit on Global Development that “we are living in the most peaceful” era in human history and that “the world has never been less violent.” Incongruity doesn't begin to describe the intellectual bankruptcy and insult of such delusional drivel. 


Mr Obama's and Mrs. Clinton's record of failures, e.g., Libya, Muslim Brotherhood, Iraq, ISIS, Russian Reset, Iran Deal, Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, are not individual acts of misjudgments, but repeated acts of institutional incompetence that manifest itself in indefensible ignorance.