Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Who Watches the Watcher?

That famous quote of the Roman poet Juvenal has been the central question of politics ever since he wrote it

Today we have Republican and Democratic competing memos about the problems in the FBI, each memo likely cherry picked and each worthless even if true, because the Inspector General is going to issue a report, and that is the definitive answer.

These memos are just posturing.

Giving Away the Store

One hopes that the president’s immigration plan is not the opening ploy of a negotiation, because he is offering to give away the store.

1.8 million, indeed. That is the Dreamers plus chain immigration for them.

That will not do for the anti-immigration lobby, for certain. His opening gambit should be jumped upon by the Democrats with whoops!

But immigration is the current third rail of politics. Something must be done to take this issue out of the common discussion.

We Deserve Some TRUTH!

What to believe? FBI conspiracy, or not? Russian collusion or not?

Apparently, where you stand depends upon where you sit, and to which channel you listen to for your news. As a former columnist hose Editors, six as I recall, permitted me any opinion, but mot “facts” that were not verifiable, and as to the “collusion vs conspiracy” we have no facts.

The Special Counsel should wrap up the Russian Collusion portion of his investigation immediately, and if he has now morphed into an Obstruction of Justice investigation, say so! If the DOJ believes that there was an FBI conspiracy beyond what we know, tell us.

We fly blind, and we pay the bills. We not only can handle the truth, we deserve the truth!

Sham!

Enough of the god damn theatrics — pass a budget…and not a Continuing Resolution!

Deal with DACA, and immigration if and when you can. We have a nation so closely divided that the nation can’t get anything controversial done. DACA can get done, just out of humanitarian grounds, but the presidential veto creates a power base that dictates what can be done.

But shutting down the government is just stupid over less than a momentous affair, which DACA is not, because we all know that when all the chest beating is over, it is going to pass, the Wall is going to get built in most places

I Liked The Egyptian ISIS Better

I am so glad that ISIS is seldom in the news, because they have the same name as an Egyptian God, Isis, whom was much worshiped for over 3,000 years first by the Egyptians, then the Greeks, and finally by the Romans. Isis was important because she promised life after death, and as late as 79 AD, her initiates were baptized in water brought from the Nile to a Baptismal in Pompeii.

The Romans welcomed those from foreign lands throughout the Empire, and everyone was free to worship whatever “God” they wished, so long as they also worships the Emperor who was also a “God” and some of whom claimed to heal the sick.)

We know of the Baptism by water because the Roman inscription and the Sanctuary were excavated from the ruins caused by the eruption of Vesuvius, and the excavation of Pompeii gives us a snapshot of life in the Roman world.

Baptism in water, healing the sick and life after death. It seems I have heard of that somewhere…

25th Amendment Now Not Viable

Some TV shows are so predictable!

I love Madam Secretary! Yes, I know that it was designed several years ago to boost the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, but the pace is great, the acting is excellent, and the plots first class.

Last Sunday’s show was right on schedule — the 25th Amendment…removal of a president for reasons of mental incapacity. If it had been done at any other time, the plot would have been educational, but in this point of the Trump (or at least before today’s Doctor evaluation), it was designed to skewer the president.

Alas, had the show aired just a week from now, the plot would not even have political benefit even for the small percentage of a single day, not that liberals care since they would ignore the Doctor’s professional opinion anyway. I am not certain that talk of the 25th Amendment will be stifled, anyway.

Preconceived political notions are immune to Fact.

Entitled

I am torn between two ideas of the DACA 800,000. First, there is a general justice concept that no one should benefit from illegal behavior. If the parents had robbed a bank and bought the children cars, the cars would be confiscated when the parents were arrested.

Secondly, however, is the fact that many of these are people who have no knowledge of the language or culture of anywhere but this country. They would be strangers in a Strange land — certainly as educated people they would be elites and able to compete.

What bothers me is that instead of throwing themselves on the mercy of the world’s most merciful and generous people, they demand something they otherwise would not be eligible for. I think that is what sticks in my craw

Enough!

The TPS (Temporary Protected Status) of some 195,000 Salvadorians will be taken away in September, and the whining has already begun.

The operative word is “Temporary” but of course the Open Borders Whiners can no more understand that word than can they get “Illegal” in the context of some 11 million Border crashers.

I love immigration, but I hate line breakers in every environment, and there are millions who want to cut in line. And millions more who support cutting in line. I admit I don’t understand the line cutter supporters more than I do the line cutters themselves.

So we have hundreds of Salvadorians about to be slowly deported from a “Temporary” status they received in the year 2000 because of a pair of earthquakes in 2001. The US sent millions of dollars to repair the infrastructure that was the reason for their seeking Sanctuary, and the US has granted them several extensions…but their time is up.

As it should be!

The Good With the Bad

The American public accepted the negative personal attributes of Donald Trump, because they wanted to send a middle finger to Washington, and everyone else running in the Republican Primary was far too establishment. Fully buttoned down, Republican.

It was Faustian bargain, and it turns out to be a high cost. At least some people thought, or hoped that the history of the White House would take some of the sharp edges off Trump’s personality, but history appears to be one of his academic failings.

But Trump is, as advertised, the Anti-Obama, and his appointments and policies are first rate.

His Twitter feeds, not so much!

A Stirring Battle, A Great listen

If you are looking for a great audio book listen, may I recommend “Agincourt” by Bernard Cornwell.

In the annals of impossible victories against all odds, the British victory of 6,000 men against perhaps 30,000 French at Agincourt ranks high, and although this is a highly personal novel it is historically accurate when measured against BBC and other available YouTube videos.

Not only were the British vastly outnumbered, they were also starving, and suffering from deadly dysentery. All the British wanted was to get to Calais, 30 miles away, for food and to sail home.

But the British Forces were almost all Longbowman, and although short of arrows — they had not expected to be intercepted while trying to leave France, their shortage of arrows did not stop them from creating a sky black with arrows for a short time.

As the first line of the French advanced, they were met by 60,000 arrows a minute, from what were the finest bowmen in Britain, and by law, all sports except archery had been, banned in Britain for decades. These Archers were the professional athletes of Britain, the local tournament champions, able to send from 12 to 20 arrows a minute each, and as far as 300 yards!

This novel accurately depicts the horrors of war in graphic detail, but at least in those days as in this battle, the King of England, Henry V, stood at the front of his men and personally took the blows from the enemy. (His helmet was dented, and his tunic slashed!)

It was not just in this battle. Kings were expected to lead, not just send the youth of the country to war. In this battle, alone, the French lost 98 members of their nobility, and 1,500 Knights, plus is thousands of infantry. (The British lost only 100 or so, total, and only one Archer!)