by Barry Hastings
Dilemma time for the GOP — their leaders are already caving in to Trump, but the business world ain’t gonna’ like it, Wall Street ain’t gonna’ like it, most women don’t like it, people of color don’t like it, and our military leaders believe him to be a “loose cannon.”
Republicans are “reaping a whirlwind” created by pandering to the screwiest, worst-educated, angriest people in the land (outside of black people, Hispanics, foreigners generally), and doing nothing to help solve their many troubles. It’s brought forth the first American demagogue of the 21st century. He stole the mob in the style of Huey Long. He’s the kind of man who will read a report, assume he knows enough about the matter to advise experts long in the field.
One of the Koch brothers hinted he might back Hillary. Rats deserting the sinking ship? I doubt it, and I’d bet on a more subtle plan behind it. The Koch brothers are currently on a publicity campaign to present themselves as “nice guys.” Trump promises real trouble in the streets if he’s denied the nomination. Who can say we won’t see it on the news?
“Loose cannon” ain’t the term for Trump. Maybe “Loose With Nukes” and “Lost All Alliances,” should also be considered. He’s shown himself to be a very reckless man regarding responsibility to the nation. Well, at least his hair won’t turn white.
Republicans are fractured, maybe shattered. That’s what I think… and I’m stickin’ to it!
Enough of those fools in Transportation Security
Homeland Security Administration’s Transportation Security division seems to me a permanently flawed outfit. Much of it comes from the very beginning. These are the people who decided in 2004 to allow passengers with scissors or screw drivers up to four inches long aboard passenger planes. I reminded them at the time about the death of Elizabethan playright and poet Christopher (Kit) Marlowe. He was a spy for Robert Cecil’s English Secret Service spy network, and agent-provocateur extraordinary. An attacker killed him (in a London Tap Room) with a very small dagger (two inch blade). He rammed it into Marlowe’s eye, and gave it a twist. Witnesses said a largish chunk of brain flowed out with the blood.
At any rate, I’d hoped for a ‘better’ physical effort in response from the agency’s personnel, given what we’ve learned of the danger. But they’re just plain careless, miss many dangerous items. Most of the outfits culled from other agencies and jammed together at Homeland Security were not part of the cream in departments from which they originated, and helping to plan and start a new department did not move them to “rise to the occasion.”
Test after test has shown them to be inefficient and far from thorough in their work. As things have been, and are now, the only one of Homeland Security’s law enforcement divisions functioning as it should, is the Coast Guard. The rest are a much greater hazard to us, than to potential attackers. It wouldn’t surprise me if those unexpected long lines were caused by checkers, other employees, unhappy with attempts to make the work force more “professional” in performance of duty. At the present rate, their sloppy work habits are going to kill a whole bunch of us at once, and soon.
The Cold War is heating up again
The Cold War came back a couple of weeks ago with a sonic boom when two Russian military aircraft buzzed, and otherwise harassed a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Baltic Sea off, the coast of Poland. It’s a good indication of Putin’s attitude and intentions.
Secretary of State John Kerry later told the people of the U.S. the ship’s captain would have had international law on his side had he shot the two aircraft into the sea. Or, maybe, Putin’s trying to frighten Americans into electing a (papier mache) tough guy he can toy with; alternately soothing, then robbing him blind. Putin owns Trump; bought him by calling the fool a “genius.”
As I’ve noted (more and more regularly) Russia has been waging this type of psychological warfare around the entire Baltic Sea region, and down through Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, to Crimea. They’re re-exerting pressure in the Mediterranean by building-up naval and air power. Of course, they’ve always been aggressive, but buzzing an armed Navy vessel, and coming as close as the two Russian aircraft flew, is asking for a missile. Who’d blame the captain, except Putin?
Our gifts to the Russians during World War II would total many billions in today’s specie. Hundreds of thousands of trucks, tanks, aircraft, Jeeps, artillery pieces, naval minesweepers, other small warships, crossed the cold Northern seas for delivery in Murmansk. Many a Yankee sailor lies on the frigid ocean floor, entombed in the hulls of a thousand ships, military and civilian. The Bears were jerks all the time we were arming them, and but for a few brief years in the late ’80s and early ’90s, have ever been jerks. “War makes for strange bedfellows,” as does politics, according to The Bard.
How about comments about some sports?
Mohammad Ali was the best boxer ever. What a punch! And look at the list of champions he whipped (one of whom was convicted murderer, and had previously been shot in the guts with a .357 Magnum). Many white people hated Ali. I made money every time he fought (but once). Over time of his career, lots and lots of it. Sad to see the shape he’s in now, but no worse than what’s happened to players of our (new) favorite sport, football. It’s a game that’s going to change a great deal over the next few years. Might even fade away as the brain-injury thing grows and grows. Too bad, cause I love the game. It’s hard to name your favorite players over a long span, but Barry Sanders, Night Train Lane, Alex Karras, Earl Morrall, the whole Detroit defense of the early ’60s always comes to mind.
Around the NFL, there are many, many more. Tom Brady, for one ( who will, barring serious injury (and with good receivers), reach a peak in productiveness over the next couple of years). Sad to see him benched for a while. I expect him to far surpass everyone in the stats department. Can’t forget Megatron. What an athlete! Hunk Anderson has to be included for accomplishments. Though I never met him, I grew to admire him, and how he rose to every occasion. Jim Hart. I was watching the Rams play, and they were down by 33 points (or VCT), when they put this rookie kid in at quarterback. He lost a terrific come-back effort by just a couple/three points, and played in the NFL for many years.
Modern-era baseball players have to include Denny McLain, and Pete Rose. I have to say I feel sorrier for Rose than McClain. What a hell of a ballplayer. Derek Jeter offered the same quality performance, but with way less baggage.
Jeter never forgot his home town (Kalamazoo) or the folks who live there. Made spectacular defensive plays routinely, and wielded a good bat; a hard out. Not many players last 20 years with only one ball club (need I add), “especially with the Yankees?” I don’t think we’ll hear anything detrimental about Jeter, ever. So many greats — Zetterberg, Gordy Howe played forever, Kaline in the ‘bigs’ at 18, ‘Sweet’ Lou and Trammell… Wish I could see them all play again!