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| From reddit Pics |
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Headlines
U.S. intelligence chief breaks with Trump on North Korea, Iran, ISIS
Crime still plagues cryptocurrencies as $1.7 billion was stolen from investors last year
Apple opens new chapter as Iphones fall, stock sinks ...
EXCLUSIVE -- Roseanne Barr: 'We have Hamas in Congress'
Diplomats to hammer out details of Trump-Kim summit at DMZ meeting
Severe winter weather grounds more than 1,000 flights as U.S. airlines wave change fees
Consumer confidence falls again ...
Limbaugh: What's the difference between Stormy Daniels and Kamala Harris?
Stacey Abrams to give Democrat response to State of the Union
Trump is slammed by his biggest media supporting ters after reopening government without wall
Howard [Schultz] slams Kamala's plan to abolish health insurance ...
Harris: 'False choice' to say 2nd Amendment covers 'assault weapons'
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Fractured Definition
Caterwaul -- an older legislative feline in a pussy hat harshly screeching that border barriers are "immoral."
Headlines
Democrats trash Howard Schultz's 2020 float
Most Americans don't want Trump to declare national emergency to get his border wall
Chicago coldest ever? Frostbite in minutes!
Kamala Harris pushes Medicare for All bid for presidency
The case for Schultz: He could save Democrats from far-left nominee
Special counsel investigation is close to completion, says acting-FBI director Whitaker
USA reveals charges against Huawei days before China talks resume ...
GOP Rep. demands probe into how CNN was alerted to [Roger] Stone arrest
Exclusive: Trump EPA won't limit 2 toxic chemicals in drinking water
Pelosi invites Trump to hold State of the Union on Feb 5
Israeli scientists think they found cancer cure ...
Ilhan Omar opposes sanctions on Venezuela -- but want them on Israel
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Stubborn Mule
Donald J. Trump is a very stubborn man. It was likely this mulishness as a child that caused his parents to ship him off to military school for discipline. Yes, at military school, he acquired discipline but he was still obstinate ... because it served hm well there. He left the New York Military Acadamy as its top officer.
Then, against his father's advice, he went into the construction business in Manhattan, the toughest venue for builders. I suspect that again his bullheadedness also served him well ... along with his deal making and attention to detail. I also suspect most of his opponents eventually gave in to his stubbornness and let him have his way. This led to fame, wealth, two divorces and, eventually, the presidency.
Now, as president, Trump is exhibiting much more spine than most of his predecessors. He has run into other mules who imagine that they are his parents ... John McCain, Jim Comey, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Bob Mueller, Bernie Sanders, etc., Jim Acosta and much of the rest of the national media. And, on the international front, there are other rockheads ... Putin, Xi, Erdogan, Merkel, Kim, etc. So, Trump's metal is being severely and constantly tested at all levels. And those who support him in these contests are a sparse legion. He is being tested as never before.
But he has already won a few shrirmishes ... tax cuts, new NAFTA, regulatory reform, NATO reform, economic growth, monetary policy, global warming policy, economic growth, etc. Yet his detractors are still on the offensive. Their silliness over border security is a perfect example. His opposition on this issue is purely political and unAmerican ... and cannot help his opponents long term (after the shutdown is forgotten).
Most of Trump's critics want him to relent on many of his policies. However, his policies are patriotic and against the myriad special interests in America. He is clearly a populist and a nationalist -- winning strategies as witnessed by how some of his 2020 opponents are beginning to shade their platforms in his direction.
All we can hope is that he keeps his spine for the next two years. If he does, despite being a mule, he will continue winning with the majority of his countrymen.
Headlines
Harris picks hotbed of anti-Trump movement for campaign launch
Americans blame Trump for shutdown chaos, as more believe US is 'on the wrong track' -- NBC/WSJ poll
Kamala kickoff draws 20,000, 'Bigger than Obama'
Ranchers invite Pelosi to border: Come see why your fence is trash
Marine Le Pen backs Britain's membership in 'reformed' EU
Trump White House reportedly pushes allies to back China's Huawei in race for 5G network
Treasury to borrow $1 trillion for second year to finance deficit ...
Brokaw: 'Hispanics should work harder at assimilation'
Jerome Corsi says he is 'happy' to testify against Stone
The Fed needs yo get 'out of the business of monetary policy': Ron Paul
Hillary not ruling out 2020 ...
At least 30,000 border crossings expected while government reopens
Monday, January 28, 2019
Western Naiveté
First Nixon, then all the West opened China to modernity. Their naive notion was that, if China embraced capitalism, it would create a wealthy middle class of hundreds of millions ... which would provide an enormously juicy market for our products and service. This was all under the rubric of "free trade."
Didn't happen. Instead, the U.S. and the rest of the world became customers for Chinese products while being shutout, with tariffs and autocratic restrictions, from freely entering Chinese markets ... or, even worse, being forced to cede trade secrets and technologies to their Chinese "partners."
It was not like this mercantilism was a secret. Ever since Bill Clinton opened the door to the World Trade Organization to China, American presidents and candidates have averted their eyes from this potentially fatal flaw in world trade ... except for Donald Trump ... who is willing to try to fix things while they still might be fixable.
A simple conclusion: capitalism under a democratic government is powerful ... but is quite dangerous when tightly managed by a totalitarian regime.
If Ptesident Trump will succeed in his trade war is any one's guess. But, for me, I give him great credit for trying. And, if he does win, somehow I doubt if China's Xi is going to embark on an apology tour ...
Headlines
All for nothing': Trump's wall retreat baffles allies
Millennials claim another victim: Harley Davidson and the classic American motorcycle
Roger Stone charged on 7 counts in Mueller probe ...
[Bill] Mahler: Stone's arrest was 'over the top'
Trump White House stonewalls as Puerto Rico aid runs dry
Global market liquidity could 'freeze like the water at Davos,' UBS CEO says
[Next] Migrant caravan swells to 12,000 ...
Roger Stone: 'Rogue prosecutor' Mueller turning U.S. into Soviet Union
Indignation hits the Senate floor: The [NFL] Saints got robbed
U.S. economy could lose at least $6 billion to the shutdown: S&P
Trump climbs down in wall row; Congress passes bill ending shutdown
Chuck Schumer: 'Hopefully now the the President has leaned his lesson'
Sunday, January 27, 2019
Headlines
'We're talking': McConnell and Schumer attempt to defuse shutdown
The Fed may be close to ending it's rally-killing balance sheet reduction
'Dreamers' for $25 billion in border security ... Trump's shutdown strategy paying off?
Romney: We need 'a barrier' on the border, I'll vote to open government
Roger Stone arrested following Mueller indictment
George Soros: The U.S. and China are engaged in a Cold War that 'threatens to turn into a hot one'
50% Facebook accounts false?
Ohio steel mill idled during free trade, set to open it under Trump tariffs
Warren readies plan to tax 'ultra-wealthy'
Steve Bannon is the 'high ranking' Trump official mentioned in the Roger Stone indictment ..
Ebola death toll surges ...
Turkey's Erdogan: Maduro brother stand tall in Venezuela
G
Saturday, January 26, 2019
New New World Order
Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency under the banner that championed Nationalism over Globalism. This theme is now spreading around the world .. to the chagrin of the Davos billionaire elites. However, Trump's message carries much more ideology than just the supremacy of nation states over (an unelected) world government. Here are a number of the battles that also define Trump's message ... you decide what side Trump favors:
Open Borders vs. Sovereignty
Global Warming vs.Self-modulating Climate
Capitalism vs. Socialism
Economic growth vs. Stagnation ("New Normal")
Diversity vs. Homogeneity (a tough one)
Populism vs. Authoritarianism
AI vs. Human Cognition (another toughie)
Freedom vs. Enslavement
Privacy vs. Personal data capture (evolving)
Free trade vs. Fair trade
Headlines
Trump's border wall obsession frustrates conservative activists
Wilbur Ross says unpaid federal workers shouldn't need food banks, they can just get a loan
Jobless claims lowest since 1969 ...
President Donald Trump: SOTU won't happen until shutdown ends
Senate set to reject funding plan it once embraced
Chart suggests Tesla [stock] could have trouble breaking higher
Syria threatens to bomb Tel Aviv ...
Report: [NBC's] BuzzFeed to cut 15% of its staff
'Ruthless': How Kamala Harris won her first race
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross: The U.S. is still 'miles and mi,es' from a China trade deal
Tehran arrests 7,000 dissidents in 'year of shame' ...
Britain supports USA, backs [Venezuela] opposition ...
Friday, January 25, 2019
Promises, Promises
Comfort
Be wary of getting too comfortable for too long. Fate has its own way of upsetting your idyll. -- Anon.
Headlines
Trump exasperated by gaffe-prone Giuliani
Government debt tab hits $66 trillion, 80% of global GDP
Centrist Dems urge Pelosi to break stalemate ...
Pelosi refuses to grant Trump access for state of the Union message
Poll: Shutdown, Russia drive Trump disapproval to all-time high
White House chief economist: We could see 'zero' growth in first quarter ...
USA recognizes Guado as [Venezuela] president
Report: Musk's charitable foundation benefits family and friends
White House going ahead with State of the Union plans
More homes for sale, but fewer are affordable
Michael Cohen delays Congressional testimony ... safety fears ...
Kushner: GOP Senators to offer green cards to illegal aliens
Thursday, January 24, 2019
Sea Levels
Sea levels are likely rising ... like they have been for thousands of years. Greens have only one reason for this -- melting ice due to global warming. (Not a discussion I will take up here.) This is clearly part of this "problem" as our world is in a slow secular warming trend since our Little Ice Age in the 1600s. However, there are other reasons for rising sea levels: every year millions of metric tons of extraterrestrial water enter our planet from outer space ... in some specific areas land masses are sinking ... and finally, our atmosphere may be retaining less moisture.
So, if sea levels are indeed rising, there seems only three solutions: 1) Moving populations away from our shorelines, 2) Spending trillions of dollars to try to "stop" global warming, or 3) Like the Netherlands, building dikes and immoral sea walls to hold back the oceans.
It seems to this blogger that the order of these solutions go dramatically from most to least expensive in the above list. So, dear readers, if Obama has not stopped the seas from rising, I know what solution I think is the most sensible.
Headlines
Centrist Dems urge Peloai to break shutdown logjam
US cancels trade planning meeting with China, sources say
McConnell schedules dueling shutdown votes ...
President Trump: Covington Catholic students.'smeared by media'
Supreme Court seems to rebuff Trump's push for a quick DACA hearing
The unusually large drop in home sales has real estate agents baffled
Maduro on brink?
Taliban resumes peace talks with U.S. 'Hours' after killing at least 45
Republicans load spending bill with hardline measures targeting asylum
Trump moves forward with State of the Union plans despite Pelosi's request to postpone it
'Rapid military escalation' between Israel and Iran ...
Democrat to Pelosu: 'Get in the damn room' with Tr,p over border wall
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
If True ...
... BuzzFeed says Trump told Michael Cohen to lie to Congress
... Hillary Clinton's missing 33,000 emails were all about yoga and Chelsea's wedding
... John Kerry has been seen courting Jeff Bezos' soon-to-be ex-wife
... Kamala Harris, while a DA, never put an innocent black behind bars
... "Walls are immoral ," says Nancy Pelosi ... except the one around her house
... Bill DeBlasio has guaranteed free health care fore everyone except those who voted against him
... Ruth Bader Ginsburg is still alive and voting from home on Supreme Court decisions
... In DC, the Covington High School boys mocked and jeered a Native American Vietnam vet and a group of meek Hebrew Black Israelites
... "The world is coming to an end in 12 years," says Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
... Elizabeth Warren is more than 1/1024th Native American
... Colin Kaepernick is a great quarterback and knelt because of his patriotism
... Bill Clinton "I never had sex with that woman, Monica Lewinsky, not a single time"
... Al Gore: "The world has a fever"
... "Mexico is going to pay for the wall": Donald Trump
Headlines
How Bloomberg plans to create his own lane in 2020
IMF says the world economic expansion is loosing moment as it cuts its growth forecasts
Beijing confirms birth of gene-edited babies ...
Pence: Trump's immigration proposal is not amnesty
A temporary DACA fix for a permanent wall? Trump's proposal gathers more Dem resistance
Democrat Sen. Kamala Harris jumps into 2020 White House race
Second suicide bomb hit US convoy in Iraq ..
Gillette commercial becomes 28th most disliked YouTube ever
Trump tweets 40 times on day 30 of shutdown
Davos opens with the US vs. China contest emerging as 'the key problem of our time'
Freshmen Dems balk at impeachment ...
Democrat leader: Ban teens from wearing MAGA hats
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Headlines
'Only with Nancy': How Schumer and Pelosi stuck together on the shutdown
Trump offers limited 'Dreamer' deal in exchange for wall -- and Democrats quickly say no
Facing populist assault, global elites regroup in Davos ...
Report: Donald Trump ready to offer DACA amnesty for wall funding
Trump visits air base to meet families of Americans killed in Syria
China set to post slowest growth for 28 years in 2018, more stimulus seen
Report: Vatican knew bishop close to pope took naked selfies ...
Pence: Trump's immigration proposal 'is not amnesty'
White House issues formal nix on congressional trips after grounding Pelosi flight
Sandburg admits to Facebook stumbles, says 'we need to do better' after rough year
Suspicious deposits made to Brazil president's son: report
Australia signs deal securing trade with post-Brexit Britain
Monday, January 21, 2019
Inflection Point
Martin Luther King Jr. was a bit of a bounder. There are numerous salacious stories of his behavior off the pulpit. So why do we celebrate this man today? Simple ... his "I have a dream" speech was an inflection point between when this country was majority racist against blacks and when we weren't. Yes I agree that racism did not and will not totally disappear from America ... just that the tide had changed against this societal poison -- prejudice against blacks. The proof being that we have since elected an African-American twice to our highest office.
This forgiveness of past bad behavior by Americans is not unique to MLK Jr. We have often looked past dalliances by other of our heroes -- JFK, LBJ, FDR, Thomas Jefferson, DDE and many, if not most, of our past leaders ... except lusting onl in his mind ... Jimmy Carter. The reason for such myopia is that the sum total of the good that these men did far outweighed their misconduct.
There, of course is one major exception. Much of America refuses to recognize any of the positive results from our current president's short tenure. Instead there is a fixation in the media about his negatives -- two scoops of ice cream, Stormy Daniels, his exaggerations, long neckties, etc. Will Trump ever be given the same latitude as many of our past less-than-perfect leaders, like the man whose birthday we celebrate today? He clearly is striving mightily to create an inflection point between the decline of America and a return to our historic greatness ... with large portions of this country undermining these efforts at every step.
History will tell ... but it will be a serious number of years hence.
Headlines
Mueller team disputes aspects of BuzzFeed report on Trump, Cohen
This Indiana town is selling a single-family house for $1
Consumer sentiment plunges to lowest level since 2016 election
Women's March co-chair refuses to acknowledge Israel's right to exist
Trump exempts many tribes from Medicaid work rules
Workers going unpaid during shutdown owe $438 million in rent and mortgage payments this month
Report: Gavin Newsom running ads in swing states ...
France: Yellow Vests protest for tenth straight weekend
DNC says it was target of Russian cyberattacks after 2018 midterms
Winter storm grounds hundreds of Midwest flights at start of holiday weekend
At least 66 killed, 85 missing in Mexico pipeline blast ...
U.S. missile defense assent says North Korea remains 'extraordinary threat'
Sunday, January 20, 2019
Bada-bing
A commenter on a recent Diplomad blog disagreed with Trump. This wag said that our president should not have canceled Nancy Pelosi's military plane trip to Kabul, Afghanistan. He should have nixed her trip back.
Bada-bing ...
Headlines
Democratic governors seek unemployment benefits for shutdown workers
China offers 6-year import boost in trade talks with US: Sources
Michael Cohen black eye, arm in sling ...
Hundreds of caravan migrants break through Mexican border gate
Democrats sieze on report that Trump told Cohen to lie to
Congress
Tesla has $20 million in debt coming due -- and it could wipe out a large chunk of its cash
Total lunar eclipse meets supermoon Sunday night ...
Steny Hoyer reversal: State of the Union 'not officially off'
Next shutdown victim: School lunches
Facebook is making another attempt to win back teens
Russia warns US missile defense plans will fuel arms race ...
Trump, Notrth Korean envoy agree to Kim summit at end of February
Saturday, January 19, 2019
Auto-immune Disease
Auto-immune diseases -- arthritis, lupus, celiac, etc. -- are quite insidious and difficult to cure. When our body's defense mechanisms turn against our own tissue, there is a double whammy ... powerful agents inside our body that we need and want become malicious and thus confound the notion of what is good and what is bad. These fighters attack our normal bodily tissues and seriously jeopardize what they might do for our benefit?
There is an analogy to the current political turmoil in America. It seems obvious to this observer that the Russian collusion setup and Mueller follow through might be analogous to an auto-immune reaction on the national level. Back in 2016 some in the FBI, the CIA, the DOJ and maybe even the NSA went rogue. Obama agencies turned inward to fight different enemies in our own government ... represented by Donald Trump ... both before and after he was elected president.
In order to justify this anti-immune attack, these weaponized agencies likely colluded in concert with Hilliary's campaign and each other to construct a fabric of leaked lies and fake news ...all to take down Trump.
Just as an auto-immune disease is a threat to life and limb, Peter Strzok's "insurance policy," effectively a slow-motion coupe with Mueller in the vanguard, is a very serious threat to what we understand to be our democracy. When our powerful intelligence and justice agencies are turned against a legitimately-elected government, everyone should be afraid ... very afraid.
Headlines
Trump strikes back at Pelosi as shutdown fight hits new low
Trump cancels US delegation to Davos World Economic Forum due to shutdown
California storm moving out after battering state for 3 days ... 100 inches of snow ...
Hoyer: Canceling Pelosi trip 'petty, mean-spirited'
'We're not going to sit idly by': Freshmen Dems look to seize shutdown optics
Asia stocks trade higher, boosted by optimism on US-China trade talks
Report: Trump directed his attorney to lie to Congress about Moscow tower project ...
YouTube admits it meddled with abortion search results
DOJ hiring attorneys to handle property seizures for border wall
Investors pulled a record $143 billion out of active funds during December plunge
Media turning against 'babbling' Beto ...
21 dead in car bomb attack on Colombian police academy
Friday, January 18, 2019
Headlines
Pelosi asks Trump to reschedule SOTU because of shutdown
Theresa May's government survives no-confidence vote after its crushing Brexit defeat
Feds foil 'jihad' plot on White House ...
White House cheers bipartisan meeting with 'Prolem Solvers' caucus
GOP blocks the Senate's rebuke of Trump over Russia sanctions
Amazon is on a hiring spree in India, even as new restrictions on foreign sellers loom
Border ranchers warn: We're finding prayer rugs out here ...
Victims of illegal immigration storm Nancy Pelosi's office
Greek prime minister wins vote of confidence
US pursuing criminal charges against Huawei for alleged theft of trade secrets: WSJ
ISIS claims suicide attack in Syria ... 4 American soldiers killed ...
Report: Pakistan releases senior Taliban jihadi days after his arrest
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Headlines
Pelosi gets revenge on one of the Dem rebels
CEO of world's largest money manager: There would be a bullish surge on a US-China trade deal
Pelosi asks president to reschedule State of Union address ...
Historian: Queen should suspend Parliament to stop anti-Brexit plots
Gilliibrand's 2020 path: 'Women are pissed off and they're fired up'
Mortgage applications surge 13.5% as borrows rush to take advantage of lower rates
ISIS claims deadly suicide attack on US-led coelition parole in Syria ...
Judge orders removal of citizenship question on 2020 census
Brexit: Britain goes over a cliff
The government shutdown is starting to make the IPO market nervous
WITNESS: El Chapo paid $100M bribe to ex-Mexican president ...
New York law to make abortion 'fundamental right'
Barking Dogs [Updated]
Like Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Dog that Didn't Bark," Sherlock Holmes solved a mystery because witnesses did not hear a dog bark ... on Monday a similar event occurred in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on confirming William Barr as our next attorney general.
So what happened or didn't happen there?
Well, there were NO raucous demonstrators during this controversial appointment. The dog didn't didn't bark. We have become accustomed to such demonstrations from Act Up, Code Pink, etc. whenever the left wants to make civil discourse impossible during attempts to move Trump's agenda forward. For some reason, the Democrats must have thought that sliming Barr was not a good idea.
But the shouters and sign wavers were not there. How come?
It is now clear to me that Democrats control the on-off switch to such barking chaos. They can organize, distribute entrance passes ... and even tell these curs what to shout and chant ... they might even pay them.
So, kind readers, next time you view such obnoxious displays against rationality, you can assume that the Democrat poobahs have given the go-ahead to such nonsense. No sh.t Sherlock ...
Frightening afterthought: Maybe the Dems didn't call out the dogs on Barr because he too is a Deep Stater?
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Bumper Stickers
Now that we are into the 2020 campaign season, I have started seeing partisan bumper stickers. Here are a few:
Veto Beto!
I am Spartacus -- Booker
Warren Peace!
Am I With Her Again?
Burn With Bernie
Biden My Time ...
Kamala My House
Gillibrrand-new
Vote for Cuomo, not the homo*
Keeping America Great
I'm Not Fidel -- Vote For Castro
* Actual Mario Cuomo slogan when he ran against Ed Koch
Headlines
Trump backs off national emergency with no end to shutdown in sight
Investors are hiding out in cash. Assets in money market accounts surge past $3 trillion
USA secretly takes nuclear material out of Africa -- with Beijing's help
Donald Trump mocks Democrats for Puerto Rico trip
Barr pledges to allow Mueller to complete investigation
Cramer says the bear market in stocks ended on Christmas Eve
Poll: Trump approval lowest in year
ABC's Karl: Mueller report 'almost certain''to be anticlimactic'
Trump urges Turkey president not to 'mistreat' Kurdish fighters
GOP's John Kasich is looking to work for CNN or MSNBC as he considers running for president in 2020
Gilette ad challenges men to shave their toxic masculinity ...
Evidence of operations at NKorea nuke facilities
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Immigration Thoughts
"Everything in moderation" -- Julia Child
Open-border liberals are a lot like gourmands who never seem to realize that too much of anything, even good things, can be dangerous. A few good honest hard-working (even illegal) immigrants seeking a better life could be digestible ... but not multiple thousands or even millions of them all at once. That is why rational immigration laws, policies and border barriers should be constructed and enforced. -- Anon.
Fast Food
White House fast-food buffet honoring the Clemson Tigers, national college football champs
Headlines
Forget Mexico, Democrats turn focus to porous Canadian border
Saudi oil minister: Russia moving 'slower than I'd like' on oil cuts
White House sought options for striking Iran ...
Netanyahu confirms latest Syrian strike
Democrat governors steer party to left for universal health care
Julian Castro announces bid for 2020 Democrat presidential bid
Dems party in Puerto Rico during shutdown, fun and sun!
Tehran warns Poland: Don't side with U.S. against Iran
Theresa May: Brexit deal rejection may lead to democratic 'catastropy'
Huawei reportedly fires employee in Poland after charges of espionage
Poll: President, Republicans blamed for shutdown ...
Michael Avenati: Stormy Daniels to attend Cohen hearing
Monday, January 14, 2019
Debt
Fed Chairman Powell is justifiably concerned by the growing level of debt in the United States ... and this is because, at about 2.70%, for a 10-year government bond, interest rates throughout the economy are at very low levels. This, of course, encourages borrowing instead of equity financing. Powell sees a debt crisis in the U.S. looming and he is likely right.
However, the rib is ... interest rates in other developed countries are quite a bit lower ... except for the U.K. They are well below 1%. So, if America is n danger, the rest of the developed world is in extremis. This suggests that an almost-certain debt crisis will start elsewhere and then spread to our shores.
Of course there are problems compounding this threat:
- The U.S. national debt, at close to $22 trillion, means that interest payments on this debt can easily consume our annual budget as rates go up. This puts pressure on the Fed to keep rates low ... and also let inflation run to monetize this debt.
- The large differential between American interest rates and the rest of the developed world means that the "carry trade" drives up the dollar and hurts our balance of payments. This should do nothing but encourage the Fed to keep rates from going up further until others start tightening ... with a nudge from Trump.
Bottom line: Powell is right to be concerned, but this is not just an American problem ... it is worldwide. And Trump should take up this cause too ... not that he doesn't have enough on his plate already.