We can reasonably debate many issues, but kowtowing to Russia is NOT one of them!

I wish this was funny....

....but it isn't.  It's scarily accurate.

President Trump meets with Russian President Putin in just a few days.  Putin is right now most likely huddled with his personality profile psychologists determining exactly what he can say to get Donald Trump to fetch, roll over, and sit up and beg.  Trump is right now most likely propped up in bed skypeing with his BFF Sean Hannity.

Trump is in no way intellectually or cunningly Putin's equal.  Putin has been laser focused on returning Russia to its former glory ever since the USSR was officially dissolved on December 26, 1991.  Trump was completely unprepared for his office, and was as shocked as anyone when he was elected on November 8, 2016.  Putin was trained as an intelligence officer in the KGB, eventually becoming a Lt. Colonel, and later heading the KGB's successor, the FSB.  Trump kept his dad's slick lawyer on retainer to keep him out of trouble.  Bone spurs *wink* kept him out of the military.  Putin has a honed, long-term strategy.  Trump just says and does whatever pops into his head.  Trump slanders and belittles his opponents.  Putin kills his.

Vladimir Putin will destroy Donald Trump, and we'll all be collateral damage.  No, this is not funny at all.

S

Kickin' a$$ and takin' names

Democrats and Republicans conducting the People's business in Washington.

I recently saw a news clip of a Republican congressman giving the acting Attorney General hell because the Mueller investigation is taking so long.  "If Mueller has something, take it to the damn Grand Jury.  This is tearing the country apart."  He was upset because the investigation has so far taken one year.  For the record, the Nixon/Watergate investigation took TWO+ years, as did the Clinton/Lewinsky investigation and the House Benghazi investigation.  Why can't Mueller have the time he needs, too?

Here's what Congress should, but won't, do:  Both parties should ban all talk about Mueller's investigation.  They should zip their pie holes.  Don't respond to the latest tweet or leak.  Wave the press off.  Just go to work.  Let Mueller do his job, AND MAKE CONGRESS DO THEIRS.  

On a good day, many reports say, the typical congressman and Senator spends half his time fund raising so as to build up his campaign chest for his next election bid.  Then they spend most of their remaining day strategizing how, when, and at who they will poke another sharp stick in the eye of, and of course primping for their next TV appearance so they can lie to us about how hard they work blah blah blah.  That leaves them just a few precious minutes a day to actually DO anything.  If anything actually gets done in Washington, it's purely by accident.  You and I would get fired on our second day of work if we were that unproductive!

No foreign overseas frolicking at the taxpayers expense. No spring/summer/fall/winter recesses.  They need to go to their offices and WORK.  Figure out what to do about North Korea, trade with China/Mexico/Canada/Europe, immigration, how to cyber smack Russia, fix our decrepit roads and bridges and air traffic control system, etc.  No one can go home, no one can get paid, no one is eligible for re-election UNLESS they work out something with the other party.  There is no shortage of projects that needs urgent attention.

Kickin' ass and takin' names.  Who's with me?

S

FAKE NEWS!

Webster defines "fake" as:  Not true, real, or genuine.

I'm sure over time many politicians, celebrities, and others have called unflattering stories written about them "fake".  Occasionally they were right, and they sued for defamation, and were awarded millions of dollars in damages.  National Enquirer-type grocery store tabloids are notorious for this.  Occasionally articles are published that are simply satirical.  Stories in The Onion fall into this category.  (Tom Cruise did not have a love child with a three-headed alien.)  The editorial page is by definition not news, but opinion.  The two should not be confused.  And occasionally photos are mislabeled....John D. Smith might be referred to as John B. Smith, and an apology and a correction are later published.  Mistakes happen....meh.
 
Today President Donald Trump has made "FAKE NEWS" his battle cry, and his supporters buy it, no questions asked. I contend there is virtually no fake news these days, but only slanted news.  If a media outlet such as FOX News on the right or MSNBC on the left uncovers 10 facts about someone, but only reports on the 5 that support their view, that doesn't make those 5 facts "fake".  You can't label what they report as not true, real, or genuine.  They just aren't reporting those facts that give credit to something that doesn't further their bias.  Their coverage is simply "slanted".

If the media makes up a story with no basis in fact, they can be sued and they'll lose their shirt.  That's why they corroborate everything they publish.  The next time you hear President Trump say a report about him is fake news, ask him why he doesn't file suit and make them prove what they say is true?  Put up or shut up.

I have great admiration in general for American journalism.  Without them and their investigative talents, evil-doers would run roughshod over us.  I might disagree with them sometime, but I respect them.

I guess you could say, ironically, that a blanket claim of "fake news" is itself fake news.  That's the "virtual" caveat I mentioned.  That's kinda funny, huh?

S

The streets are a dangerous place

Today the East Pittsburgh, PA officer who shot and killed Antwon Rose as he jumped out of a car and ran AWAY from police has been indicted for criminal manslaughter. This seems like a slam-dunk case to me since the unarmed teenager was shot in the back by the officer (on his very first day on the job), and it was all caught on cell phone video.  Mr Rose clearly never turned and confronted, or charged toward, the officer.  The officer was NOT threatened.  I can't imagine a remotely believable defense. 

But lets look deeper:  The next time you hear a politician say if elected he'll put another 50,000 or 100,000 police on the street to combat crime, call BS.  Truth is, it's hard to find people who want to be police officers these days. Your large cities especially have to cast a wide net, likely over several states, to find new recruits.  It takes a very special person to be a good police officer.  Just throwing more money at them won't make them any smarter.  I think the above officer is proof that not everyone can do it.  Few have the intelligence/judgement AND the physical attributes AND can pass an in-depth background check AND the psychological tests necessary to be a good cop.  It's a tough job, and it's getting tougher every day.

It also appears to me training standards are often being relaxed, too, maybe to accommodate the questionable quality of many of the recruits available these days.  I can't imagine how this officer, on his first day on the job, could exhibit such horribly bad judgement.  IMO it's a serious indictment of the training he received.  *shaking head*

And finally, why would a teenager jump out of a car and run away from the police?  Did he REALLY think he would be able to outrun them?  Did he REALLY think he could outrun a police radio, or a police helicopter?  Did he REALLY think his friends wouldn't rat him out and that he could escape?  I know that some will say an old white guy like me can't imagine the fear this black teenager must have felt, and they'd be right.  But I also don't think you have to be white to see that this young man checked every wrong box there is when he ran from the police.  Young people, of every color, need to learn to THINK!

While Mr Rose might or might not have deserved to be punished for some crime, he did NOT deserve to be shot in the back.  Nobody does.  Ever.  May he rest in peace.

S

Watch where you step....there are mines EVERYWHERE!

With immigration front and center again these days, we'd better be careful what we wish for.  There's a huge "unintended consequences" minefield out there.

I don't believe those who are saying we need to slam our borders shut and deport all illegals here now are thinking it through all the way.  If they get their wish, any nasty, dirty job that needs to be done, especially outdoors, might not get done.  Need to pour any concrete or spread any asphalt, put on a new roof, or have any landscape work done?  Haha....good luck!  Do you think your favorite restaurant can keep its doors open without them?  Farmers everywhere are already reporting they're having trouble finding seasonal help to get their crops harvested....much of it is now just being plowed back under.  (Wouldn't THIS be the ultimate "national security" crisis?)

What we need is an expedited method of vetting those who want to immigrate here, say within 2 or 3 months, vs the current 2+ years.  This long wait time is what drives many to just wade the river.  Let them apply at US embassies and consulates in their home countries and GET THEM AN ANSWER WITHIN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME.  We need to bring illegals out of their thriving underground economy and make them full taxpayers.  Right now they pay little more than the sales taxes on their daily purchases.  Lets vet them, and if they're good people, welcome them and put them to work.  And if they aren't, turn them back / send them packing. 

Now, about those kids separated from their families....it's still wrong.  Why are we punishing the kids for the sins of their parents?  And I don't want to hear about what Obama or Dubya did.  Wrong was, is, and always will be WRONG!

S

"Thank you for your order. You should expect delivery in about 2 years."

I remember a number of years ago talking to a guy who worked at a local hardware store.  He was Hispanic, worked all day, and then went to evening classes at the local community college.  I was pretty impressed with him.  I asked him if he was here legally, and he said, yes, he was, and so were his parents, but his uncle was not.  I asked him why his uncle wasn't, and he said after waiting two years on his paperwork to be processed, he finally just gave up and waded the river to get here for a job.  

I've heard since that a 2+ year wait is not unusual.  My understanding is that both the Democrats and Republicans say they would welcome legal immigrants, but they had to go through the proper channels and jump through the proper hoops first.  Fair enough.  

So here's my question:  I googled "Samsung TV's" and it found 1,410,000,000 responses in .53 seconds. I can buy a gun and it takes the FBI about 15 minutes to do a background check on me to see if I qualify.  I can go through a fairly exhaustive Texas Dept of Public Safety background check in order to legally carry a firearm in about two months.  In this age of the internet, massively powerful computers, and nano-fast search engines, why should it take TWO YEARS to get a background check on some guy from Mexico?  And I checked....yes, they have computerized record keeping in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and elsewhere in Central America, too.

I also want strong borders.  I want to know who we're letting in.  I want to know they aren't felons, aren't currently wanted for a crime, etc.  But if we drag our feet for a ridiculous TWO YEARS and still can't complete a background check, why should we be shocked if they just sneak in?   It seems to me we could control our borders much better if we had the cooperation of a proud, secure, legal immigrant population.  

Or is there some other more sinister ulterior motive that explains why we throw up all these roadblocks?

S