A Clash Of Rights

“To the man with a hammer, every problem is a nail” is the way Abraham Maslow put it and he was right.

The “Hands Up, Don’t shoot” narrative was a narrative chosen by Black activists — despite the fact that the narrative was wrong. Activists need an accelerant for their message, lest the fire die down.

The Gay activists have found an accelerant in the Indiana law…the accuracy of their narrative is less important to them that the passion it might engender.

This nation has solved most of its major problems, so what is left is to debate upon clashing rights…in this case religious freedom vs. Gay Rights.

I am an Atheist, and I support Gay Rights — but MY Constitution favors freedom and that lets shop owners decide what they will sell and to whom. The shop owner is stationary, the customer has the freedom to chose another shop owner.

It’s called “Freedom” — a long lost term in the lexicon of some activists.

Cluster (“Somethingorother”)

The Bergdhal fiasco is a “Cluster ‘somethorother'” — the Obama administration, surrounded by a staff on which not a single person is a Veteran — made a mistake at every turn! Susan Rice KNEW that Bergdhal had left his post, and Intel was saying he cooperated with the enemy when she famously said he “served with honor and distinction.” The president KNEW that as well when he hosted the mother and father in the Rose Garden.

News reports immediately after the Rose Garden said the White House was surprised by the negative reaction, particularly military people — because the president though that getting Bergdhal’s  return would trump any future charge of desertion. (Once again the price of not having a few Veterans on the inner staff)

Then the military that had finished the investigation last October, did not release the findings until last week. It is predictable that we will eventually find White House fingerprints on the timing. It just happened too coincidently in a hot news cycle of the mass murder of 150 people, a Hugh kerfuffle over the Nuclear Treaty with Iran, and the fall of Yemen which the president had called a “success.

The public now joins the military in questioning the trade, and now imminent release of five Taliban leaders. The military lost many men in capturing the bearded five, and apparently still more men were lost or wounded searching for Berghdal.

The White House, loathe to ever admit a mistake, and unable to blame this fiasco on Bush, doubled down.

But the controversy will not die down — even if the specifics are forgotten, the stain remains to remind us of this mistake-ridden administration.

All For (Uninformed) Public Consumption

Our president is angry that Israel is spying on the Nuclear negotiations with Iran!

Shocked! Shocked, do you hear!

Spying on one another, who would have thunk it!

Of course it is just one more effort to deny Bibi’s popularity in America, particularly among the right, a popularity that annoys the left. This one won’t work because everyone with any ear for politics knows that we were recently caught listening in on Angela Merkel’s cellphone, and of course the Germans became irate, but Angela — having lived in East Germany under the STASI knew darn well she was being listened to. She expressed “outrage.”

Right! Only for public consumption, of course.

Bibi knew he had access to the most secret negotiations. Putin had access. Probably Maduro of Venezuela was listening in, along with, oh, say, perhaps 5 other countries with college level computer science graduates and supercomputers.

What really torques Obama, is that Bibi leaked the details of the negotiations to Republicans in the Congress, generating the open letter to Iran (it was not actually SENT to Iran, it was addressed to Iran but it was just posted on-line).

It seems that every government with a telephone system knew what was in the negotiation, but the people in those countries knew nothing — so the Republicans informed the Iranians, quite correctly, that the president was negotiating a presidential understanding with a known “Use by” date — if the president was representing what he was doing was a “Treaty” then the Iranians should know that the president could not do that without 66% of the U.S. Senate.

The Iranians might not understand the U.S. Constitution. Hell, most Attorneys don’t…I am not an Attorney but Bernie Seigan, late Professor of Law at USD and one of only 10 Members of the US Constitution’s 200 Birthday Committee, said I understood the Constitution better than most of the Law Professors on the staff of his university. He was a reader of my newspaper columns.

That is not a sign of my brilliance; it was a comment on his professors!

And I can’t even begin to comment upon the understanding of the Constitution held by Iranian Mullahs, American college students, or President Obama!

Quick Hits

Ted Cruz announced for president.

Brilliance in the law — which he certainly has — (or medicine, for example, as Ben Carson certainly has) does not presidential timbre make! He is not for smaller government, just government that enforces Christian doctrine.

As someone who was marched to church in Boot Camp, and again at Annapolis, I understand forced religion…and I vote “No!!”

Cruz selected Liberty University for his announcement. He was sending a message to the Evangelicals. They got it.

So did I.

(Question: Would the nation vote for a man with no visible upper teeth? This is not a spurious question. We are a society absolutely obsessed with good looks. Yes, this is a sad commentary on voters.)

One wag on Fox (March 22) said of Cruz, “He has the same experience and twice the arrogance of Barack Obama.”

That’s good copy if nothing else.

Basically, Cruz is Donald Trump x 1.5

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Some ISIS group has posted the names and addresses of 100 military families, asking their acolytes to attack them.

The very first military person or family member who is attacked, and the president will not be able to quench the firestorm!
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I have not commented on the Apple Watch, because, quite frankly, it doesn’t interest me. The “watch” does nothing my Rolex or someone’s Timex(each keeps the same time), or that my iPhone doesn’t do. Now, when it can REPLACE my iPhone, give me a call!

The Hillary “Presser,” Encapsulated

Hillary: There has been no security breach!

Questioner: Who says so?

Hillary: I say so!

Questioner: You admit that e-mails were deleted.  We’re any governmental e-mails deleted?

Hillary: No.

Questioner: Who says so?

Hillary: I say so.

Questioner: Will you permit anyone access to the the Server, to check your assertions?

Hillary: No. Thank you for coming.

Symmetry

My take on the Israeli Prime Minister speech to Congress, is that where he stands is because of where he sits. My take on why Obama opposed the speech is that he really believes he can nuance the Iranians behavior — much as FDR really believed he could control Stalin once the War was over.

The Democrats — now that there is no longer a conservative wing of the party — believe in Symmetry. There is a deep streak within the Democratic Party that believes the US has been an international bully, too interventionist, too big, too strong — and that only by empowering other nations can the US be brought under control. There has been a movement in the Democratic Party even for US Unilateral Disarmament in a move to bring the US under control.

That has always been a non-starter, but the alternative — bringing other nations up in economics and military — has been much more gradual and much more successful.

Symmetry. Think Symmetry. Israel has nuclear weapons, and they do tend to throw their weight around. (Israel does not take threats lightly.) Israel needs to be countered by Symmetry.

Democrats have some historical precedent for this Symmetry belief — the MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION  pact between the U.S. and the old Soviet Union. Opponents of the Democrat theory point to the Apocalyptic nature of Islam. 

No one can predict how any individual, or nation will act in the future. The question always is, what are the odds and what can be done to best assure the success of your side’s odds.

Idealism vs. Realism

The problem with the betting is that in many cases, the president is betting with someone else’s money — he gambled on the rapid withdrawal of troops from Iraq, and ISIL came at 45 MPH in Toyota convoys, unopposed. Obama gambled, Iraq lost. Ooops!

The president gambled with the release of GITMO prisoners, and that has bitten our troops ad the troops off our friends in the ass, but has not bothered the Obama golf game.

He is gambling again in Cuba, but we do not yet know the results of that gamble

How about this? If Iran gets the bomb, Obama agrees to give up his retirement, his security guard, his paid speeches, his travels, and becomes an uncompensated private citizen? Obama needs to have some skin in this game!

May I rant?

 

If I could (without attracting unwanted police attention) I would have a neon sign at the top of my windshield that says: “pu peek esaelP” that would read “please keep up” to a motorist in front of me who is dawdling in the fast lane of California freeways.

Recently, the average speed in the “Fast Lane” of I-15 in San Diego has increased to a nice 82.5 MPH, and the second lane is between 78 and 80.

Some drivers do not get the word, and I am not just talking about Prius drivers for whom I hold special contempt. California freeways are FAST, not Autobahn fast, but pretty quick. There used to be freeway signs in California that read, “If passed on the right, you are wrong!”

The dawdlers in the two faster lanes, force me and a lot of drivers to weave, unnecessarily. I would love to just maintain 82.5 — or even 80 — but that is not possible because Left Lane Louie (or Louise) believe that they pay for each lane and can use whatever lane has the better scenery!

Even worse, are those who drive along at proper freeway speed, but whose cars (or trucks) lose speed on hills…usually they can’t get over even if they wish because traffic to the right is just too heavy, and everyone chugs — slowly up the hill.

Now I admit I drive too fast, but courtesy is courtesy. I am a (semi) retired racing driver, and held an SCCA racing license for a decade.

If a slow walker hears a jogger approaching from behind, almost everyone would yield, but in the anonymity of an automobile, surrounded by 4,000 pounds of metal, people feel an invincibility and lose common courtesy.

Now, about Prius drivers…not cars, drivers. They are of a breed that believes they were placed on earth to control the universe. Their superiority permits, nay requires them to save the earth by driving slowly. Their cars are not inherently slow, but they, in their cars cop an attitude.

Personally, I am trying to slow down as I approach the age of 82. I generally try the second lane, but there are many drivers there being passed on the left and the right. It is getting so bad that in many cases the far right lane, he so called “Slow Lane” is actually the fastest lane.

The whole situation defies logic.