Howdy All, a few Interesting Items for your information. Enjoy –
In this issue:
- Kim
- G-7
- Trudeau
- ANWR
- Raid
- Trans
- Rapone
- Lemonade
- Archives
- Kim. President Trump had his meeting with Nork Chairman Kim Jong Un last week. Out of the meeting came an agreement for Kim to shut down both his ICBM and nuclear weapons program. In return, the US would halt joint exercises with South Korea for the time being. This meeting was the first between any Nork leader and an American president. Democrats and the media did their level best to paint the meeting as one which Trump was either bamboozled or simply bent over and kissed Kim’s back side. They quickly went on to point out that he was meeting with a brutal dictator and what a horrible thing that was. The meeting gave Trump the ability to personally meet with Kim and size him up. Limbaugh thinks he looks at Kim as a naïf, someone who is young (33) and is only in his position by virtue of who his father was, all of which is true, by the way. Trump went into his best real estate entrepreneur mode, pointing out how a Nork beach is better than some US beaches and should have condos rather than military installations. Kim appeared to be listening. Do not discount the possibility that the Norks may be better off as entrepreneurs than as bullies. Think of is as a different economic model, one that the ROKs figured out decades ago. As this continues, Kim’s biggest problem may be people in his regime who want to return to the Old Ways of belligerence, threats, and the decades-long international protection racket they ran with their military. That racket is now over. How many in their leadership understand that basic fact remains to be seen. To me, the two most important things out of this meeting will be the shutdown of the Nork nuke and ICBM programs, and perhaps more important, severing their working arrangement with the Iranians on those systems. Scott Adams predicted at least a year ago that Trump would pursue a win-win with the Norks, essentially turning the nation into Switzerland, eventually reuniting with South Korea as a ChiCom protectorate. Switzerland is a significantly lower threat than the Norks are today. This may be where Trump is going with this. Perhaps it is time. https://amgreatness.com/2018/06/12/thank-god-trump-isnt-a-foreign-policy-expert/
- G-7. President Trump attended his first G-7 summit in Quebec over the weekend and introduced the other six world leaders to his notion of fair trade, America First, and paying your own way. The meetings were nothing like the other world leaders had ever experienced, upsetting them a bit. He pushed the notion that fair trade means that there are no tariffs on either side, and as long as the European Union (EU) has trade restrictions on American products, there will be similar tariffs on EU products coming into the US. This significantly irritated EU members. This includes but is not limited to subsidies for Airbus sales. He also pointed out that the US has been paying for EU defense since the late 1940s, and it is time for the other nations to pick up their fair share, their agreed upon share, of defense spending. He even yanked a couple chains and suggested that Russian President Putin be included back into the group as a voting member. There was a photo released with Trump seated at a table with German Chancellor Merkel leaning across talking with him. Trump was in typical arms crossed pose. Question from the photo is who is actually in charge. Media tried to paint Merkel. Sure didn’t look like it to me. http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/06/09/g7-summit-trump-gives-masterclass-in-america-first-to-globalists/
- Trudeau. Part of the fallout from the G-7 Summit last week was a round of brown stuff thrown back and forth between President Trump and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, aka the Canadian O’Bama. President Trump has been adamant about free trade and is not a bit bashful using tariffs against nations that are using tariffs against US imports into those nations. One such example is a Canadian 270% tariff on US dairy products. This is not the only one. Trudeau held a press conference after President Trump departed the G-7 summit for his meeting with Nork Chairman Kim. Trudeau ran his mouth in front of the press, calling the US tariffs on Canadian goods insulting among other things. One of the things we know about President Trump is that he always, always fires back, and the predictable war of words took place. Interestingly, Trudeau was insufficiently incensed with Trump at the meeting that he kept his mouth shut rather than talking with Trump face to face. http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2018/06/trump-nails-trade-hypocrisy.php
- ANWR. Looks like congress is on the verge of giving away 3% of anticipated revenues from ANWR to Alaska native corporations. ANWR was opened based on a 50 – 50% revenue sharing between the feds and the State of Alaska. One of Representative Don Young’s buds, a congresscritter from Oklahoma offered an amendment in the House Committee on Appropriations that cut revenues to Alaska to 47%. The other 3% goes directly to Alaska Native corporations, with the total expected to be about a billion dollars over the lifetime of ANWR oil production. The excuse given is “trust and treaty obligations are met related to Alaska Native oil and gas revenue sharing.” Problem with this is that there are no treaty or trust obligations to Alaska Native corporations with opening ANWR. Craig Medred initially reported the story. To date, the entire delegation has been quiet about this. So have most of the Alaska gubernatorial candidates. Republican Mead Treadwell, democrat Mark Begich, and so-called independent Bill Walker are doing their level best to pander to Bush residents, so they will not say anything while this cruises through congress. Alaska Native corporations were the core of Lisa Murkowski’s write-in victory in 2010 against Republican senatorial candidate Joe Miller. This will take a while to sort out, but so far looks to be pretty shady. https://craigmedred.news/2018/06/10/ak-losing-anwr/
- Raid. Every time someone passes a new “common sense” gun control law, we are told that all the government is interested in is compliance and safety. No so fast, camel breath. What the government is really interested in is passing legislation that will turn us all into criminals after the fact for doing something completely legal before the law was passed. Latest example comes out of California where a farmer who tried to register a firearm online (due to a new California gun control law) had his home raided. A dozen guns, 230 rounds of ammunition (these firearms weren’t regularly used, btw), and two silences seized. The farmer was arraigned on 12 charges and released with a $150,000 bond. California law enforcement also claimed that one of the firearms were illegally modified (under the new law). The only reason California democrats are passing gun control laws is to turn previously law-abiding citizens into felons. And when they reward someone trying to comply with the new laws with a raid and 12 felonies, perhaps it is time to no longer choose to comply. http://www.breitbart.com/california/2018/06/12/farmers-home-raided-guns-confiscated-after-trying-to-comply-with-ca-gun-control/
- Trans. In the ugly old days of the Cold War, the Eastern Bloc / Warsaw Pact countries were generally accused of using drugs to chemically modify the bodies and in turn sexuality of their athletes so as to be more competitive on the world stage (Olympics and various international games). East Germany was particularly suspected, as was Czechoslovakia. Today, we would suggest that whoever was competing back then were simply Warsaw Pact transgenders / tranies. Today, with the education establishment working furiously to manufacture as many sexually confused kids (transgender people) as humanly possible, we are seeing a lot more of them, all on the taxpayer dime. Now here’s the funny part: These sadly non-competitive kids are systematically destroying women’s sports at the High School level, now working their way into the college world. Men and boys are competing, particularly in track and field, as girls and starting to win track meets. While as the father of a couple girls, this really, really bothers me, the other part of me sees it as a great in your face to the feminists, who have been shoving women’s sports down the throats of unwilling male sports fans for decades. I despise what the feminists and their enablers in the democrat party and media have done to college sports via Title IX, shutting down minor men’s sports so the total participation numbers equal up. While this is not payback, it is an example that the laws of physics operate in the political world. While there was most certainly an action (harsh feminist Title IX enforcement), the reaction is most certainly unequal in magnitude and direction (the political world is a non-linear system). Who would have thought that the latest pet cat victim group of the left (transgender) would be the vehicle used to destroy women’s sports and Title IX? https://hotair.com/archives/2018/06/10/latest-boys-beat-girls-track-event-story/
- Rapone. Commie US Military Academy at West Point Cadet and commissioned 2Lt Spenser Rapone, aka the Commie Cadet, got his wish last week and was separated from the Army active duty. He did not get a free ride, though as his release was other than honorable discharge. Rapone ended up being an Army Ranger and served briefly in Afghanistan. Unexpectedly (/sarc), he was unable to keep his mouth shut while deployed, as he was insolent as a cadet. He spoke out against actions of the military in September 2017, just a few months after graduating. He was separated this month. Various public affairs offices have been very close-lipped about why Rapone was finally drummed out, citing privacy concerns. The other than honorable discharge is likely the worst that can be done to him without dragging him through a General Courts martial. It will damage his future employment, though given that he chose to become a darling of the left, my guess is that he will not have any problem getting a job in that world. They love people in uniform, especially when those people believe what they believe. And the Commie Cadet (Lieutenant) most certainly does believe the worst of what the left believes. https://pjmedia.com/trending/commie-cadet-spenser-rapone-leaving-army-with-less-than-honorable-discharge/
- Lemonade. The Land of Trump is creating a new, agile, feisty, persuasive group of entrepreneurs. Latest example comes out of Country Time, which announced last week that its lawyers will pick up the tab for any child fined for setting up a lemonade stand and selling its product. This is in direct response to local Nanny State law enforcement, Planning and Zoning demands that kids shut down lemonade stands usually with the excuse that they don’t have either a license to sell product or operate a business on their front lawn. There have been enough recent stories about this sort of heavy-handed idiocy that Country Time decided to get involved in the festivities. On one level, this is marketing genius. On another, it is trolling at an epic, Trumpian level. There is a limit to assistance, though. They will pay fees and fines up to $300 / kid and have offered to help jump start legal defense funds to the tune of $500,000. Current budget for the campaign is only $60,000. It depends entirely on how big jerks local law and code enforcement want to be. Public blowback and embarrassment will lead to a large legal defense fund via GoFundMe or equivalent fundraising site. I like this. I like this a lot. Should see more of it. https://hotair.com/archives/2018/06/07/country-time-kid-gets-fined-opening-lemonade-stand-well-cover/
- Archives. In one of the least surprising stories of the week, comes a Western Journal story about the transfer of presidential records of Barack O’Bama into the National Archives. The problem is that a bunch of them are missing. Looks like the outbound O’Bama regime engaged in wholesale destruction of tens of thousands of government records covered by the 1950 Federal Records Act. Chief offenders are O’Bama’s WH, Hillary’s ATM machine (State Department), Holder – Lynch (In)Justice Department, and several EPA officials. Unsurprisingly, the IRS also suffered record losses as well. The O’Bama regime evaded the Federal Records Act by setting up a private communications system for the purpose of defeating federal records and disclosure laws. It was widespread, and they used it for all they were worth. Additionally, the O’Bama Presidential Library is opting out of any relationship with the National Archives. Worst offenders appear to be Clinton, Lynch, IRS and EPA. The first three are obvious. The EPA is hiding its revolving door relationship with the NRDC. There will be no penalties for breaking this law. Like all laws, document destruction is only a problem when Republicans participate in it. https://www.westernjournal.com/ct/nat-archives-stumble-onto-new-obama-scandal-wholesale-destruction-of-govt-records/
More later –
– AG