national security

Defending the ‘homeland’

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The term “homeland” emerged from the rubble after the 9/11 terror attack that sent the United States hurtling into what amounted to a new world war … against international terrorism.

I want to discuss a couple aspects about the term briefly here and I might piss some folks off with what I am about to assert.

First of all, I dislike the term “homeland” to label the United States of America and our territories scattered around the world. Why does it bother me? I cannot explain it fully, but I will start by asserting that the very term sounds antiquated. It’s as if it belongs in the 19th-century glossary of terms.

The 9/11 attacks prompted President Bush soon afterward to create a Homeland Security department in the Cabinet. The first DHS secretary was Tom Ridge, the governor of Pennsylvania. He took office in 2003. The current DHS head is Kristi Noem, former governor of South Dakota. More on her in a moment.

I have believed almost since the beginning of our war against terror that the national security adviser could assume the role of protector of our nation. Think for a moment about the term “national security.” I know it encompasses worldwide threats, but they all have a common denominator: Do they affect the security of our home country?

Furthermore, I also have believed — since the 9/11 attacks — that President Bush’s national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, has escaped any serious responsibility for her office’s failure to act on known threats to our security. I heard little commentary from the pundit class wondering: Why didn’t Rice’s team pick up on the clues that reportedly had been spread like bread crumbs along the trail?

Homeland Security has become the subject of recrimination these days, as DHS Secretary Noem has presided over the immigration cops’ handling of the task of ridding the country of criminals who are here illegally. She has lied her way through hours of testimony before Congress and has laid blame on the victims of two fatal shootings who died at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement goons in Minneapolis.

Is it at all possible to roll Homeland Security issues into the national security adviser’s team, kick in a few billion bucks that are now being squandered at DHS and then charge the NSA with protecting the nation against the criminals hiding as undocumented immigrants.

crime news

It’s the masks, man … the masks

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Of all the issues surrounding the deployment of federal goons disguised as immigration agents, one issue stands out as particularly troubling to this American patriot.

It’s the use of masks to hide the identity of these brutes as they arrest folks on suspicion that they might be here illegally or worse, up to no good at all.

I heard a Donald Trump administration official explain the reason for the masks, which generally are pullover cloths meant to cover all but the eyes. You’ve seen ’em, right? They cover the faces of heavily armed men who are packing guns, stun devices, cuffs and/or zip ties and are wearing flak jackets under their camo shirts. They wear the masks to protect officers against angry protesters,  the explanation goes.

They present a frightening profile of individuals on orders from the top of the federal chain of command to round up crooks, killers and assorted bad guys. Except too many of them have been law-abiding U.S. citizens. And, yes, a couple of them have died after being shot by these goons.

I am trying to square this method of policing by intimidation with what I see every day in the North Texas community where I live and in neighboring cities and towns throughout the area. I see officers engaging in what they call “community policing,” where police interact one-on-one with residents, building trust between taxpayers and The Man. Princeton police engage in a regular session that includes walks through neighborhoods with residents, giving them a chance to ask questions of the cops.

I want to draw that parallel because we are told that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are being deployed to “enforce the law.” Their tactics, though, run totally counter to the type of police work I see almost daily in the city where I live. We’re on a first-name basis with many of the police who patrol our streets. In places at this moment like Minneapolis, ICE agents are hiding behind masks … and presenting an image of intimidation and fear.

The ICE presence is, to say the least, an astonishingly bad look for the agency and the officers who now are feeling the rage of a community under siege.

national news, political news

Vote to avoid impeachment?

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Donald J. Trump reportedly now is telling supporters he needs their vote to dodge what many have said from the get-go, which is that Democrats are sure to impeach Trump a third time if they regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the midterm election later this year.

I will continue to insist that impeachment isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sure, it seemingly could stop legislation from moving forward if lawmakers get caught up in the drama of a presidential impeachment. Then again, legislation has all but sputtered and died as legislators have battled openly with the administration over matters that have little to do with policy.

So … what’s the diff?

What astounds me is that a sitting POTUS would appeal to his supporters on such a shallow level. Never mind the idiocy that keeps flowing from the administration. He wants to seize Greenland from Denmark; he believes Canada should become an American state; he has taken a sovereign leader captive and vowed to take over Venezuela. He put his name on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; he cheers the notion of Americans losing their jobs; he says not a damn thing about millions of Americans being stripped of their health insurance.

Impeachable offense, anyone? Anyone at all? There are a few of them in the list of misdeeds I have just mentioned.

And, of course, he continues to lie. Bald-faced lies. He says he won the 2024 election in a landslide. He says inflation was the worst in U.S. history when he took office. Holy crap! Dude cannot tell the truth on any issue. Nothing is beyond the liar in chief’s reach!

I think Trump is correct that Democrats will seek to impeach him in 2027. Their failure to do all they can to get this guy out of office will stigmatize them for the rest of time.

local news

Life with puppies …

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Today I want to regale you with a brief tale I am living as I sit at home in North Texas trapped indoors by the bitter cold that has swept in as announced.

I’ve turned the TV off because I am sickened by the news created by the monsters disguised as immigration cops.

So, I will talk briefly about my life with two dogs. They are — to put it mildly — a serious hoot and a scream.

Sabol is the older of them. She is a Chihuaha mix. She’s about 7 years old. She joined my family about 18 months ago. She loves attention. She cannot lick you enough. She’s a little pudgy but she gets around just fine. She runs around in the back yard and she likes the sound of her own voice … if you get my drift.

Then there’s Endo. She joined me almost a year ago. Endo is a 4-year-old black-mouth cur mix. She and Sabol are BFFs. They established their lasting friendship the moment Endo walked into the house. Sabol had to sniff up and down. She gave Endo the once over and conveyed the message I understood completely, which is that “this one is good, Dad.”

I had been a bit fearful that Sabol might not like another fur baby joining the family, as this is her house. She’s the boss.

Hey, no worries.

Well, we’re all kinda trapped inside for next little bit of time. We’re all waiting for the deep freeze to lift.

Normally, I keep the back door open to the back yard. Our doggie door allows them to move in and out at will. With the temperature hovering at around 20 degrees, I am keeping the door closed. The puppies let me know when they want to go outside.

Endo usually sends the message by jumping up and down in front of me. I ask her, “Do you want to go outside?” She responds by bolting for the door. Sabol joins her there and they sort of “play growl” at each other. I open the door and they blast through the doggie door.

Then Endo launches into a three- or four-lap sprint around the back yard. Full tilt! Flaps up!

Only this morning, when she went out she couldn’t keep her footing when she wanted to reverse direction. The ice covered the lawn and made it treacherous for her. She made less than two laps today before bolting back inside. Endo is a short-hair pooch, as is Sabol. Neither of them is comfortable with the cold weather.

I am happy to report that life around my house is a bit quieter than normal. I am even happier to report that I hit home runs when I acquired these two pups. I’ll be clear on this final point, which is that I don’t do cold weather well. I am ready to let Sabol and Endo enjoy the great outdoors.

environmental news, local news

Reporting the weather takes on new urgency

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My fellow North Texas residents I am sure have noticed the extra urgency in the tone of voice used by the broadcast TV weather forecasters as they tell us about the winter storm that is bearing down on much of the country.

I get why they sound so, um, excited.

The last one of these “major” winter weather events turned into a catstrophe. It was February 2021. Snow and ice blanketed the entire state. Hundreds of Texans died in the blast of cold. One U.S. senator, Republican Ted Cruz, infamously jetted off to Cancun while the state was freezing to death. He hurried back when the media exposed his getaway.

ERCOT, the agency that overseas energy production and distribution, acknowledged system failure. Legislators pledge to fix it. Now we’re on the verge of getting another big-time blast.

ERCOT is telling us the system will hold up. The media are reporting ERCOT’s assurances dutifully, as they should.

This kind of reporting has become a regular staple now when we hear about winter storms. Will the system hold up? Has ERCOT winterized the natural gas heating pumps sufficiently? Are local governments setting up enough warming shelters to give residents a place to go in case of power failure?

The 2021 storm did not affect my wife and me as it did many other families. We lost power for a couple of days, water for a couple of hours.We powered through it. To be honest, we did not expect to be without either power or water.

This time I am prepared for the worst. Got flashlights standing by. I even have a lithium battery-powered lantern I can deploy if I need extra light. Plenty of water on hand. Food in the cupboards.

I have been advised by the weather hounds of what to do.

Experience has taught us a bitter lesson to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

crime news

How can they deny the obvious?

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I don’t why I am surprised, but the notion that Repuiblicans in Congress who fled for their safety on Jan. 6, 2021 are now denying what happened on the day of the insurrection does astound me beyond measure.

I cannot believe any of them when they say the attack on the Electoral College that day was no big deal, that Donald Trump did nothing wrong by refusing to call for the end of the traitors’ assault on the electoral process. Yet they did so again when special counsel Jack Smith offered testimony explaining the process that led his team to conclude beyond any doubt that Trump broke the law on that horrible day.

I will go to my grave without ever forgiving them for their betrayal of their oath to protect the Constitution and for allowing Trump to get away with the crimes he clearly committed.

 

John Edwards, national news, Rielle Hunter

Don’t brag about fidelity, dudes

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The next time I hear a male political candidate boast on the campaign trail about how he has kept his vow of fidelity to his wife will be the first time I likely will throw a heavy object at whatever device I heard this idiotic statement.

I am seeing pictures of men posing with their wife and children. I have heard statements from them proclaiming they are devoted husbands, fathers and grandfathers who have family members who adore them beyond measure.

It’s the kind of crap that makes me feel like puking in my lap.

I never have considered marital fidelity to be something about which one should boast. It is a part of a holy relationship one assumes when he marries the person of his dreams. I am directing these remarks, I hope you understand, to the male politicians out there who are beginning to ask for our votes, our money to help them campaign and our trust that they are who they say they are.

We’ve been burned by these clowns before. I shall reintroduce you to John Edwards, the former Democratic senator from North Carolina who campaigned for vice president in 2004 on a ticket led by John Kerry of Massachusetts.

Edwards was married to Elizabeth. He appeared on the campaign trail with his wife, who was suffering from cancer. He proclaimed his love for her. He acted for all the world like a faithful husband.

Except he was leading a secret life as a Romeo involved in an affair with another woman … with whom he would produce a child. Edwards sought to persuade the voting public that he was a faithful husband when he was nothing more than a marital cheater.

John Edwards makes me sick to this day. His wife died of the disease from which she suffered. Edwards has disappeared from public life. His legacy as a cheat, a liar and a philanderer is etched in stone. He is one of many men who have been caught betraying that sacred oath they took.

So I remain suspicious of any man who makes marital faithfulness a bragging point in a campaign for public office.

economic news

Shut the f*** up about tariffs, Donald

If Donald J. Trump gave a rat’s righteous red-ass damn about ordinary folks — such as, oh, me for example — he would stop yammering about threatening to impose tariffs on countries to get what he wants.

He did so again overnight, threatening yet again to launch a worldwide trade war over EU and NATO opposition to his desire to annex Greenland. I am watching my retirement income fly out the window today as the markets react to Trump’s bellowing, bluster and bloviating over tariffs.

You see, Trump doesn’t give a sh** about those of us who have worked hard, played by the rules, invested money in markets and hope to have it available to enjoy in our retirement years.

Just shut the hell up about tariffs, you delusional piece of mule dookey.

Donald Trump, national news, political news

Wackiness keeps building

Our fragile world is getting wackier by the day, week, month or whatever measurement of time you choose to identify.

For instance, I saw a poll this weekend — and I believe it’s a reputable one — that said 41% of Americans approve of the job Donald J. Trump is doing as he pretends to run the country. OK, you’ll know by that previous statement that I am not one of the 41 percenters. Those who oppose Trump number in the mid-50s.

Yes, 41% of Americans would still vote for Trump, I presume, even as his retribution tour in his second term as POTUS picks up steam. You’ll recall that he telegraphed that punch during the 2024 campaign when he said he would be the “revenge” and “your retribution” were he elected president.

He has delivered … and then some.

It absolutely astounds me that the dipshit in chief continues to reap the support of 41% of those surveyed. I have been a “never Trumper” since before he entered the political arena in the summer of 2015. He and Melania rode down the escalator and the candidate then announced his intention to ban travelers from Muslim countries from entering the United States and said Mexico is sending rapists, murderers, thieves, drug dealers and sex traffickers to this country.

He’s out of control. He is off his well-coiffed rocker. He is as unfit — maybe more so — to be POTUS as he ever has been. That is just my view. He apparently appeals to other Americans who have swallowed the swill he offers promising them things he cannot possibly do … you know, things like lowering the price of food, ending a savage war in Ukraine and producing a health insurance plan that actually works.

Dude is a con artist.

International news

Delusion is getting dangerous

Donald the Delusional continues to sound and act like someone intent on taking over an 800,000-square mile island that is an exclusive piece of property belonging to an ally of the United States.

Allow me to clear the air. There is no way, not a chance in hell, that Donald Trump will succeed in his effort to annex Greenland. He dare not try to take it by force, for doing so will spell the end of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Yeah, yeah. I know that Trump has expressed little regard for NATO. His lack of regard is based on stupid ignorance. He seems to have little understanding of NATO’s importance as a hedge against aggression from — hmm, let’s see — oh yes, Russia!

Denmark owns Greenland. It also is a valuable member of NATO. For the president of the U.S.A. to say out loud that he might put boots on Greenland’s icy ground to secure the island’s annexation raises the temperature to intolerable levels.

None of this is silencing the blowhard in chief. He keeps talking in a voice loud enough for the whole world to hear that he well might send in troops to annex another sovereign nation’s legally owned territory.

It makes me wonder … what the hell is driving this clown?

He declares the United States is revered around the world. It isn’t. He keeps saying the economy was the worst shape in U.S. history when he took office a year ago. Uhh, no … it wasn’t.

Trump also says Russia and China have their eyes on Greenland and he wants to annex the island to keep Russia away from the United States. Earth to Donald: Look at a map and take a gander at Alaska’s proximity to Russia, which is my way of reminding the numbskull in chief that Russia already is in the neigbhorhood!

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