The tax you didn't even know you were paying...

 We've all heard the old adage "There are only two things that are guaranteed in life; death and taxes". Hard to argue with that axiom. Taxes are endless; income, property, estate, sales, inheritance, capital gains, excise, luxury, tariffs, hotel/lodging, motor vehicle...  And more. But there is one tax not listed here that we all pay at some time, some of us more than others. Much more. It's an insidious tax for which there are no statues that codify it. But it's real, very real. That tax is time. 

Most discussions of inequality focus on wealth gaps and income. But there's an equally sinister version of inequality that doesn't pit the rich against the poor. It's the administrative state's pilfering a valuable resource from anyone trying to get ahead and improve their life. Time. 

Time inequality is less visible, harder to measure and more harmful than income inequality. Modern life and liberal market advocates have achieved a steady increase in individuals' leisure time. Work/life balance is a goal of any corporate environment these days. In the past those with fewer means labored from sunup to sundown to survive, they now enjoy more time for family, rest and improving their lives. Lassez-faire delivered this miracle; but government bureaucracies are surreptitiously taking it back. 

Navigating government systems is like a second job that doesn't pay the bills. Renewing your drivers license, that's a half day down the tubes. Applying for social security benefits? Lots of luck with that. Starting a side business? Expect to spend months navigating complex licensing requirements, completing paperwork, obtaining inane approvals, and making repeat visits. These are beyond mere annoyances, they're regressive, invisible taxes involving time, imposing the greatest burden on those with the least resources. A 2016 study by researchers at the consulting firm Management Lab revealed that bureaucratic waste - including delays and over regulation cost America 17 percent of its GDP. This number represents real hours lost, opportunities denied, and lives hindered. The well-to-do have ways around this. They can hire assistants, pay for expedited services, or simply take time off without financial strain. But for the poor, every government imposed delay comes with a tangible cost: lost wages, missed shifts, and less time with family. I didn't even mention frustration and stress.

A maze of occupational licensing laws govern over twenty percent of U.S. jobs. In many states to obtain a license for a job one must pay fees, pass tests and complete sometimes hundreds of hours of training. It's not just money being extracted, excessive amounts in many cases, but time. For example, in New Mexico to obtain a cosmetology license one must complete more than 1,600 hours of training. Requirements such as this are intended to protect incumbents who benefit from high hurdles to eliminate competition. 

To compound the problem, even after meeting the costly, time-consuming requirements, many find themselves blocked by arbitrary bureaucratic vetoes. Policies like 'certificates of need' allow government officials to decide, often without justification, that an individual's services aren't needed, regardless of that person's qualifications. Some people who are hindered by arbitrary hurdles seek help from the courts. Legal recourse can be a marathon as well, not to mention unaffordable by most. The Supreme Court case Sackett v EPA involved a family that wanted to build a modest home on their property in Idaho. The EPA claimed jurisdiction over their property and threatened absurd fines unless they obtained an expensive permit. The couple fought back, and won. But it took a full sixteen years to vindicate their rights. Is this government overreach or sheer stupidity? Both, I suppose, but a little heavy on the stupidity. 

What can be done about this? Actually, a lot. Lawmakers can repeal these ignorant, baseless licensure requirements. Government permission is not needed for jobs that pose no risk to the public. Streamlining government processes; if it takes more than 30 days, requires multiple in-person visits, or can't be completed on-line, then the process is broken. Implement response time caps, default approvals, and digital filing for everything. Regulatory audits shouldn't measure only monetary costs, they should also measure the time burden. Courts should treat bureaucratic time-wasting, particularly when it burdens or prevents people's right and ability to earn a living, as a matter of legal concern. Courts reflexively defer to regulators determination that a law is necessary, even when the law blocks a person from earning a living. If a law unnecessarily consumes people's time without a clear public benefit or need, the courts should strike it down. 

Every unnecessary delay, form and regulation is an insidious, hidden tax on our most precious, unrecoverable resource: time. And that tax is anything but equal. On an individual basis, time is a very limited resource. The time tax is real and it's time to treat it that way...

Getting the Job Done.

A couple of weeks ago a New York Appellate Court dismissed an unconstitutional and disgraceful $500million penalty on President Trump and his businesses. At the time, incidentally, New York Attorney General Letitia James was getting busted for mortgage fraud.  Rewind a little further and have a look at all the declassified documents released by Tulsi Gabbard, John Ratcliffe and Kash Patel that show the entire RussiaGate hoax was quarterbacked by then president Obama and Hillary Clinton. A scrutiny of the events reveals a collapse of the legal and deep-state forces against president Trump. One could arguably say such reveals explicit details of the ongoing collapse of the Democratic Party. 

Not only could the deep-state not defeat Mr. Trump and the forces of treachery and sedition break him, the prominent liars are themselves now facing criminal indictment. To ice the deception cake, Trump was re-elected. Quite a nightmare for Obama, Clinton, the deep-state, and the Democratic Party. It appears that all those who participated in the Russian hoax and various other phony trials, they're getting fired form their jobs and lawyering up. 

As if that's not enough, Trump is running a vastly successful administration in terms of economic policy, domestic policy, foreign policy, immigration policy et al. Oh, lest we forget, law and order. He closed the open border. Not only could they not put him in prison, or bust his businesses, or keep him off the ballot, or tie him to the Russia hoax, he is now succeeding in virtually every initiative he's put forward. In spite of numerous judicial hurdles (overreaching federal district judges) the judicial system appears to be working. As bad, inept and corrupt as some of these judges have been, with all of their political biases and weaponization of lawfare, Trump has prevailed. Hey, he may be a bit of pompous jerk at times, but he's getting the job done...

Our True Heroes...

 I like writing about politics and statesmanship, heaven knows there's plenty to write about that. I'm going to take a break today though from my predisposed political bent and talk about a different topic. This is one of my life topics, and a very important life at that. 

My precious granddaughter who is sixteen years old has been suffering from cancer for over ten years now. It's a very serious and life-threatening form of brain cancer called metastatic epitheloid glioneuronal. When she was initally diagnosed, the prognosis was grim. She was in the care of a team of doctors at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. They decided that surgery was the best initial approach. They operated and were able to remove 'most' of the tumor. As is often the case with cancer, especially in the brain, the tumor ensconced itself in the cranial cavity like hot lava oozing down a mountainside, embedding itself in every nook and crevice along the way. Their efforts to remove almost all the tumor was nothing short of miraculous. Years went by and she lived a normal childhood life. 

Then, it began to rear its ugly existence once again.   At the time there were some cutting-edge treatments available; radiation and proton therapy. I can't offer much of an explanation of these therapies as such is way above my pay grade. But empirical evidence convinces me that it is a life-saver, at least it was for my granddaughter. After the treatment program she was diagnosed as 'in remission'. Some of the tumor, which was now greatly reduced in size was still there but determined to be 'dormant'. One pitfall is the radiation procedures can and do have side-effects. Hers was Moya-moya. This is a rare progressive condition that affects blood vessels in the brain. Doctors were near certain it was caused by the massive doses of radiation she had received. Months later, she suffered a stroke. 

She survived the stroke and after extensive rehab was able to resume a near normal life once again. A few more 'more-or-less' uneventful years passed. One evening, recently, she began having severe headaches and vomiting and was rushed to the emergency room. Cat-scans and MRI's revealed the tumor had grown and was spreading again. Once again an oracular team of doctors convened to determine the best path forward. Because we humans can only endure so much radiation in our lives, radiation/proton therapy was not an option. Which only left one. Surgery. Surgery is by nature fraught with risk. Any type of surgery, some more or less than others. Brain surgery is likely the apex on the risk curve. And for the second time... The first time she had brain surgery she was a mere five years old. To a five year old, brain surgery, toe surgery, what's the difference. Everyone around her was telling her you're going to be fine. That was good enough. The second time though, she's sixteen years old with a significantly heightened sense of self awareness. She's a very bright young lady and knew the gravitas of the situation this time and she was scared to death. The moments I spent with her just before the surgery, seeing her fearfulness was heart-breaking and life-changing for me. 

She not only survived the surgery she came out like Rocky pumping his fists in the air on the steps of the museum in the movie "Rocky". The morning after the surgery she was awake and talking almost as if nothing had happened. I felt as if I had entered an alternate existence. How can this be happening? The sense of relief was probably akin to being rescued from a tsunami. We were prepared for whatever was to be, but ultimately were granted a God-given reprieve. 

This little girl in her short sixteen years of life has endured more pain and suffering than most people endure in a lifetime. And if you were to walk in her room at the moment you would see a smile brighter than the sun. She is my hero. If I can muster the courage I have seen in her for the rest of my days, I will be proud. The other heroes I have encountered in this ordeal are the gifted doctors that have so compassionately cared for her. And saved her life, more than once. There are a great deal of really smart, gifted people in the world. And then, there are doctors. Getting up in the morning (actually all hours of the day and night...) and going to work and saving someone's life. We are just so proud, glad and blessed that on one of those days, the life they saved was my precious granddaughter. Again. 

Godspeed to doctors the world over. 

Social Media, let's pull back the cover and have a look...

 In the late 90's and into the early 2000's social media began to take a foothold. Early sites like SixDegrees, Friendster, and MySpace introduced online social networking, but were still mostly the province of younger, internet-savvy groups. By the mid-2000's, MySpace had peaked, and for a time was the most visited site in the U.S. FaceBook launched in 2004 and expended beyond college campuses in 2006. Once it opened up to the general public and added features like News Feed (2006) it became the dominant social network. It was around this time that social media stopped being just for 'techies' or students and was used by families, businesses, and politicians. In the 2010's, with the rise of smartphones, especially after the iPhone appeared in 2007, platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and eventually TikTok, made social media a part of everyday life across nearly all age groups. 

I do not believe that anything in history has influenced such rapid changes in culture, customs, even language than has the advent of social media. It has undoubtedly influenced and changed the mores of younger generations. The social norms, customs and 'unwritten rules' of the younger generations are so many and so varied, older generations are unaware of most (uninterested probably, as well). In recent times it has undoubtedly played an influential role of the outcome of a presidential election. Morals, on the other hand should not change from one generation to the next, provided that parents are doing their due diligence. Which we know isn't always the case. There is little doubt that moral decay is being insidiously advocated on social media platforms for those young, vulnerable ones in search of their own moral platform.. There have been countless crimes committed via the internet; financial, moral, including reputational damage, vile hoaxes, criminal, including extortion, fraud, the list is endless. And these are difficult, tedious, resource-heavy crimes to solve. Yet the image they inflict seems to be practically instantaneous. 

And now we are experiencing the technological tsunami that is AI. Google was cool. AI is revolutionary. Scholars can do extensive research in a fraction of the time bringing new discoveries and developments and literary works to our lives. The misguided amongst us can incubate evil ideas with clarity and speed. To be fair, every new technological development spawns both good and evil. For example, in 1836, Samual Colt patented the Colt Revolver, the first commercially successful handgun made in the US. Colt Revolvers are still made today, one-hundred eighty nine years later. They still allow law enforcement officers to do their jobs. They still allow the armed forces to defend our country. Regrettably, they also abet bank robbers, thieves and burglars and murderers to ply their illicit trades. 

And so it shall be with social media, the internet and AI. At least until we can figure out an effective way to avert evil. Considering since the days when Jesus walked the earth, evil has been present and prevailed all too often, it would not be reasonable to expect a timely resolution. Unfortunately and regrettably it is a part of the human condition. There will always be misdeeds and miscreants, not to mention ordinary troublemakers. But the thinkers, the innovators, the inventors, the developers will always far outnumber them. As fast as these elite groups can come up with groundbreaking ideas, the troublemakers will always follow. For all the great wonderful things the internet and social media has brought, always keep in mind there are those lurking in the cyber shadows waiting for an opportunity to wreak havoc. It's what they do. Deny them their opportunity. 

California: Gorgeous coastline, fabulous climate, lots of nice people and the dumbest politicians on earth.

 California seems to be experiencing an 'energy crisis'. Gas prices are expected to exceed $8 per gallon in 2026. That's similar to Europe, who have been experiencing extremely high fuel prices for decades. But there's an entirely different 'cause and effect' in play causing California's gas price spike. Seems California has regulated itself into unaffordable energy. In spite of abundant energy resources and refining capacity, California has created a regulatory climate that has convinced  two major oil companies to close their refineries in the coming year. 

Valero's Benicia refinery near San Francisco and Phillips 66's Wilmington refinery near Los Angeles are both scheduled to close in 2026. Valero CEO Lane Riggs said on a recent earnings call that California's tough "regulatory enforcement environment" was the main factor driving the closing of the state's sixth largest refinery. The announcement came six months after state regulators fined the company $82 million for exceeding toxic emissions standards for more than 15 years. 

Phillips 66 announce the closure of its Los Angeles refinery, the seventh largest in the state, just 3 days after California passed ABX2-1, which requires refiners in the state to hold additional inventories of gasoline stock. The company attributed the closure to not any specific policy but to "long-term uncertainty' for the refining business in the state. This is the sixth and seventh largest refiners in the state. Would a reasonable person be inclined to think that conditions would be any better for the five larger refineries?...

Last year Chevron moved its headquarters out of San Ramon, California to Houston, Texas, because it was becoming increasingly difficult to do business in the Golden State. According to a professor at USC, California has legislated itself into a situation where costs are extraordinarily high and the political environment is extraordinarily harsh. The two refineries represent almost 20% of in-state gasoline production, about 6.2 million gallons of gas per day.  At present, California gas prices are about 40% higher than the US average, a difference attributable to 'supply issues', the CA 'special blend' of gasoline (sold only in CA), and a layer of taxes and fees paid by consumers. 

California Governor Newscum blames the oil companies for gouging consumers for decades. According to him, "There's no other way to put it." Well, Gav, if you told the truth, there would indeed be another way to put it...  California with the help of Obama and Biden have been pushing to make California (and the country for that matter) an all-EV affair. Newsome's objective was to eliminate internal combustion engine vehicle sales by 2035. That mandate set the stage for energy companies and refiners to set up an exit strategy. His timing is a little off, the refiners seem to be leaving about a decade too early. 

California at one time was fourth in the world in oil production. Today, it produces about 2.5% of all US crude production, and only about 24% of its own in-state needs. That has left CA highly dependent on foreign imports including Iraq, Brazil, Guayana, and Ecuador. In 2024, CA imported 61% of its oil from foreign sources. 

With the looming closure of the two refineries, the situation stands to get worse. California has no inbound pipelines for incoming gasoline or oil, leaving them completely dependent on foreign sources to make up the difference. All arriving gas and oil imports will be via maritime vessels, known for being some of the most egregious producers of greenhouse gas emissions. 

California doesn't only have a lack of competent leadership, they have a leadership vacuum. If the Richter scale could measure stupidity, this earthquake would be historic.

Democrats and Main Stream Media, Strange Bedfellows...

 If you've been paying attention to American politics, as most of my readers have, you undoubtedly know of the 'relationship' between the democrats and the mainstream media. We'll take a look at how that relationship came to be, and it's obvious that it has deep roots in our history. It's the result of decades of political, cultural, and institutional shifts that reinforced each other. It's not an official alliance, but there's a mix of historical patterns, shared social circles and professional incentives that brought the two in such close alignment. 

In the early 20th century, newspapers were openly partisan, there were Republican papers and there were Democratic papers. In the mid 20th century, major outlets (CBS, NBC, NYT, Washington Post...) adopted a "professional objectivity" model. In the 1960's - 70's, the Vietnam War, Watergate, and the civil rights movement created a generation of journalists who saw themselves as watchdogs (Woodward and Bernstein...) against government power - particularly against Republican administrations (Nixon, Reagan, Bush). This era also saw newsrooms recruit more college-educated reporters from urban, liberal-leaning backgrounds. There's also a cultural and demographic element involved. Major newsrooms are concentrated in large cities (New York, DC, LA) that vote heavily Democratic. That creates (by osmosis)  a liberal newsroom culture where liberal viewpoints seem 'normal' and conservative viewpoints seem alien, or extreme. Add to that the fact that journalism schools and elite universities lean left politically, which undoubtedly shapes the values of incoming reporters. And we must take into account the 'social overlap'. Politicians, journalists, and policy staffers often attend the same schools, live in the same neighborhoods, and socialize in the same circles. Marriages and friendships across politics and media make shared perspectives more likely. 

There's a structural component to this history as well. As cable news and later the internet fragmented the audience, outlets began to chase loyal demographic niches. For many of the legacy outlets, the core audience leans left, so content and framing follows suit. Politicians who grant exclusives, leaks or insider info tend to be treated more favorably. Democratic administrations, especially Clinton and Obama, cultivated relationships with reporters. Newsrooms often choose perspectives that resonate with their editorial culture. 

The emergence of talk radio (Rush Limbaugh) in the late 80's, and Fox News in the late 90's created a parallel conservative media arena. Republicans increasingly distrusted legacy outlets, further reinforcing the perception that 'mainstream' media was leftist leaning. Over time, journalists who leaned conservative often gravitated toward explicitly right-leaning outlets, leaving legacy institutions with an even more left-of-center makeup. 

The Obama administration deepened the affection between many journalists and Democratic leaders. The Trump era accelerated the trend, as many outlets positioned themselves as opposition forces, further blurring the line between adversarial journalism and partisan advocacy. 

As for the social circles and familial connections, let's take a look at a few. At the time Susan Rice was Obama's National Security Advisor, she was married to Ian Cameron who was ABC News Executive producer. CBS President David Rhodes is the brother of Ben Rhodes, who was Obama's Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications. ABC News correspondent Claire Shipman is married to former Obama White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. One time ABC News reporter Matthew Jaffe is married to Kate Hogan, Obama's former Deputy Press Secretary. One time President of CNN, Virginia Moseley is married to Hillary Clinton's Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Tom Nides.  

The all-out veracity of mainstream media has been dubious and questionable on many occasions of late. And for good reason. The majority of Americans have little confidence and place little credibility in mainstream media. Though it's doubtful that the institution will shift any further to the right or even center in the foreseeable future. They have simply taken on a level of irrelevance that they seem to accept. But the history of these strange bedfellows is there for all to see. The vast majority of Americans see it, are aware of it, and are taking it into account when they choose new sources. The 2024 election is hard proof of it. 

Are You an Organ Donor?

 Being an organ donor is a noble commitment. To oblige oneself with donating one's organs after death requires a true sense of altruism and compassion for others. Not to mention that the survivors will be obligated to accepting one's wishes to do so. To give, so that others may live is ennobling. However, this exchange of living tissue is transactional. Not intending to sound cold and detached, but organ donation is a multibillion dollar industry. While there are rules and laws, when humans are involved there will be errors, both accidental and intentional. Combining human error with life and death situations is brimming with the possibility of tragedy. Yet it happens...

In most jurisdictions, vital organs are removed only after a formal declaration of death - usually brain death, defined by irreversible loss of brain and brainstem function. This is meant to uphold the "dead donor rule", which requires that organ harvesting must not cause the donor's death. Some ethicists argue that families and donors may not fully understand that brain-dead donors are still alive in some physiological sense, even if legally dead. Donation after 'brain death' is considered 'common medical practice'. 

Another definition of death is "donation after circulatory death". This method is growing in use. Life support is ceased and after the heart permanently stops, usually a 2 - 5 minute waiting period, the organs are harvested. Ethical concerns arise due to the very narrow timing, potential conflicts of interest, and the possibility of misclassifying death. By definition though, this process is 'post-mortem'. 

It's worth noting that China espouses state-sanctioned organ harvesting from prisoners. Credible sources have described execution methods structured to yield high-quality organs before actual death has occurred. Witness testimony has confirmed that doctors have participated in organ procurement before death, essentially making the act of removing the organ the cause of death. 

As I mentioned earlier, since organ donation is transactional, and human error is a possibility, there have been documented cases of tragic reports. A Kentucky man declared brain-dead later showed signs of life during organ retrieval surgery. The procedure was halted and is now under investigation. Investigators found over 70 such near-miss cases in Kentucky alone, and a national review revealed 103 cases of concern. 28 potentially involving organ recovery before death. 

These reports have sparked public outrage, as they well should. The US Department of Health and Human Services is now launching major reforms to ensure that organ procurement only happens after death is definitively and legally confirmed. Even one, singular instance of harvesting vital organs before confirmed death is beyond horrifying. There is actually a man alive today that awoke in a surgical facility and locked eyes with medical practitioners who were about to harvest his vital organs. Unthinkable... While human error in cases where highly trained technicians are involved is rare, it's still possible. Which means there will be cases where error happens. Another case where we have to try to protect ourselves from ourselves... 

Human Vulgarity...

In the news today was one of the most profoundly saddest stories I have ever read. And, as we say here in the US, it really 'hit home'. The Islamic State and affiliates are burning churches and beheading Christians in Africa's Mozambique and the Congo. It pains me to even write such a hideous thing. International observers are reporting these events, with some of the most brutal attacks occurring in the country of Mozambique. The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a counter- terrorism research nonprofit based in Washington DC, has descried this  as 'silent genocide' taking place against Christians. The Islamic State Mozambique Province recently released 20 photos boasting of four attacks on "Christian Villages" in the Chiure district, in Mozambique's northern Cabo Delgado province. 

MEMRI said the photos show ISIS operatives raiding villages and burning a church and homes. The images also allegedly depict the beheadings of a member of what the jihadists consider "infidel militias" and two Christian civilians. The rampaging jihadist groups celebrated the killings. There were also photos showing the corpses of several members of the so-called infidel militias according to the institute's report. 

This 'jihadism' taking place is actually Muslim activism gone awry. Islamic doctrine does not call for the annihilation of other religions. The Quran and classic Islamic law actually call for recognition of other monotheistic faiths. Judaism and Christianity are considered 'Ahl al-Kitab', "People of the Book". Historically, they were allowed to live under Muslim rule with certain rights and obligations. The Quran contains verses permitting religious diversity. "There is no compulsion in religion" -Quran 2:256, thought this is tied to other verses about religious conflict that are tied to specific historical events. However, there are verses that actually call for fighting, though they are typically connected to political or military conflicts of the 7th century, not an open-ended command to eradicate other religions. For centuries, non-Muslims often lived in Muslim lands paying a special tax but freely practicing their faith. 

The obvious explanation for what is happening in Africa, as well as in so many other places, is radical, extremist groups reinterpreting scripture to justify violence against all non-Muslims. Strangely, this is a modern militant ideology that doesn't reflect the historical position of Islamic jurisprudence. 

I chose the title of this article as I could not think of a more appropriate word to describe this atrocity than vulgarity. If you look up vulgar in the dictionary, you'll see such synonyms as crude, ribald, obscene, vile, depraved, and so on. This is beyond murder, this is savage slaughter. For me, this strikes at a personal level. Several years ago, I sent in a DNA sample to one of the labs that offered to give an elemental breakdown of one's heritage by country or region. From the stories of elders through the years, I had a pretty good idea of my cultural background, but I was sure there were some 'other details', so to speak. Indeed there was...Most of what I learned in the report was what I expected. One item was not. A small percentage of my bloodline is Congolese. I am, by most modern standards considered 'white'. Appearance-wise, I am as white as the clouds floating in a blue sky. My ancestral lineage includes the Congo. However small the proportion, it's there. The details of how it came to be I'll never know, only that it exists. 

Knowing that by bloodline, no matter how many generations ago, I am connected to the people of the Congo makes this even more impactful. That this is happening to Christians in Africa is beyond repulsive. It is base. It is a betrayal to humanity. It is an extreme of the savagery of nature. At this point we can only pray that some overpowering force, whether by man or God, will end this barbarism.  

It's a game of Inches...and so is life...

 Baseball is often referred to as a 'game of inches', owing to the fact that so many calls are so 'close'. That is, a runner and the throw arriving at a base at seemingly the same instant. Or a fielder leaping high against the outfield wall to make a catch and reaching over the top, nabbing a would-be home run. There's a lot of excitement in the game not to mention the tradition of more than two centuries of Americans watching and playing the game. It is also often intimated that many aspects of the game of baseball resemble life itself. I tend to agree with this philosophy and I'll give some examples. 

When my son was younger, we enrolled him in the local youth leagues when he was about six years old, give or take. He started out in T-ball, where the ball is placed on a "T", kind of like a very tall golf tee. The little sluggers would swing away. At six years of age, skills like dexterity, hand-eye coordination and strength are incipient, yet so endearing to watch. As the years began to roll by, our interest in watching him play never waned. In fact, when he was about ten, I took him to register for the season and was told the league was badly in need of coaches. He begged me to coach. I was, of course, reluctant as I had never coached any sport. In spite of loving the game of baseball, I just couldn't see myself as a coach. Five years later, I was an experienced baseball coach and had not only had learned a lot about baseball, but about life as well. It was to be some of the best years of my life. 

The rules of baseball are consistent for all ages. The only thing that changes are the dimensions of the field. Some of the traditions seen in the professional leagues find their way down to youngsters on a neighborhood field. Seeing a young boy, and his team jump in the air with excitement when a hit clears the outfield fence is unforgettable. His teammates rushing to the plate and slapping the hero's helmet is priceless. Teaching and coaching them to the point that they can accomplish such things is life-changing. 

Back to my point of baseball resembling life, allow me to give an example of that. Like practically every endeavor in life, some are going to excel and some aren't. Athletics and baseball are no exception. Even at an early age, some of the kids start showing signs of athletic talent. As they grew older, the more it obvious it becomes, even being able to play certain positions, and batting. They began to see for themselves where their strengths and abilities lie. As in life itself, we're all good at something, we just have to find where our niche is. And then go to it like the last monkey getting on Noah's Arc when it's beginning to rain. A big hurdle (and heartbreak) for kids, and adults as well, is when there is the desire is to do something that you don't quite have the ability to do. A lot of kids want to be a pitcher, the crowds focus on the pitcher. Everyone wants to be a star, and successful pitchers are indeed stars. Cy Young, Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, I doubt anyone reading this won't recognize any of those names. Honus Wagner, Cal Ripken Jr., Ozzie Smith, Ernie Banks, recognize any of those names? They're pretty famous, but shortstops.  If you're a die-hard baseball fan you probably do, otherwise you might not. What twelve year old boy wouldn't want to be like Nolan Ryan? But the unfortunate truth is very few athletes have what it takes to be a good pitcher, at any age. As it turned out, my son was one of those who did have the athletic talent to pitch. When he was fourteen years old, I wasn't coaching at the time, I witnessed him pitch a nine inning no-hitter. It was an experience I could never forget in my lifetime. We spent countless afternoons on the field practicing, him pitching and me catching. I actually became a decent catcher in my forties. Pretty remarkable considering I was not a good baseball player when I was his age. Catching his pitches that were in the 80mph range, I was OK. When they started to reach into the 90mph range I knew I was near retiring. But I wouldn't trade those days for anything. As I coached him through the years in developing his pitching skills, I recall telling him that to be a good pitcher, I mean a really good pitcher, you have to want it. You have to want it in your heart and your soul. Then, then, you work at it until it happens, and giving up is not an option. That perspective, I believe would apply to just about any endeavor in life. 

There are other ways to point out the resemblance of baseball to life. My favorites are some of Yogi Berra's quotes. "It's not over until it's over." Who hasn't heard that, or even said it at times? "It's like deja vu, all over again. When you come to a fork in the road, take it. You can observe a lot by just watching. Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded. Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical." 

Baseball remarkably resembles life. Or is it the other way around? 

Let the Truth Be Known...

The recent declassification of documents related to the "Russia-gate"  scandal is getting a lot of press. And, as would be expected, the liberals are down-playing it, Obama called it absurd, and the mainstream media outlets are calling it all into question or claiming this is old news, let's move on. But, let's back the truck up here for a moment and take a closer look. 

A lot of what is known about the Hillary/Obama smear campaign has been known for years. Call it 'old news' if you like. But that won't lessen the gravitas of the offense. There is new information seeing the light of day after all these years. Details, you know, where the devil himself lives. This information is coming from documents that were stashed away in 'burn bags' in some discrete location in a DC edifice by persons unknown. I'm talking about the actual perps who stashed the burn bags. The perps who generated the contents of the burn bags are not anonymous. Not by any stretch. These missives, notes, emails, briefs have been made available to the public. They are voluminous, most of us have neither the time nor the desire to look them up and read them. We dont have to. There are some resourceful people whose livelihoods are to do this very thing. Some are doing an excellent job. Their findings, comments, analyses can be found on the internet. You won't find such on TikTok, Facebook, or Instagram or any of the mainstream media outlets. But it's there, trust me. If you care to know the truth, it will be worth your while to find one of these sources and read it. I mean, isn't that what the internet is for?...

What is being revealed is corruption, deceit and lies that rival the depths of depravity of the Tammany Hall scandal. If you're not familiar with that, google it, you'll find it very interesting, and very relevant. The president himself (at the time) conspired with a contending presidential candidate to smear a rival in an attempt to tilt the election in her favor. A number of high-ranking officials in several government agencies were involved and willingly participated. Only it didn't work. These corrupt maneuvers have been known about for years, but the recently declassified documents make the dirty details known. Like, who said what, who authorized what, who requested what, and who actually did what. It's the next best thing to video. If it's in writing and 'you' wrote it, it's nigh impossible to deny it. Of course, that doesn't mean they won't... Nor does it by any means suggest any of the perps will be held accountable, I mean to the point of being indicted. The best we can hope for is for the absolute, undeniable truth to be told and their reputations to suffer accordingly. And for history to tell the truth. 

<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6796942009221473"

     crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

The View From Thirty-thousand Feet...

 Most of us at one time or another, some, many times, have flown in an airliner at thirty-thousand feet, give or take a few thousand feet. Most have also, probably had a window seat at times and gazed at the wondrous sight of the earth from high above the clouds. That view, for those moments, can be relaxing, humbling, and inspiring. Cityscapes, high plains, mountain ranges, woodlands, coastal swamps, like a beautiful NatGeo video playing in that small window beside you. It gives one a perspective they rarely see. One that is difficult to not appreciate. 

If we apply that same concept to global politics, no video or small window here, we'll have to rely on our imagination and ability to visualize. Set aside the small things, like the Epstein files, a communist running for mayor of New York City, Putin refusing to back off in Ukraine, Trump tariffs, set all that aside for a moment. Think of all the affairs of state going on in the world as if you were seeing it through that little window from high above. Presidents come and go, thanks to the sentient brilliance of our founding fathers. If you get a bad one, just wait four years (maybe eight...) and they're gone. Dictators and despots, the wait is usually much longer, but they have always been around and no sign of extinction anytime soon. But even they expire, though there is often some sociopath sycophant waiting to step in. Time goes on and things constantly change. No matter what may happen, time goes on, and at some point, without us personally, to bear witness. 

Fifty, a hundred years from now there will be a dictator, a tyrant, a prime minister and a president, perhaps a democrat, perhaps a republican, perhaps neither. There may be the tenuous brink of war somewhere in the world. There will be those prospering and those suffering. In spite of all the technological and cultural brilliance the world has to offer, it's not likely we'll be able to eradicate conflict and suffering. History says as much. Oh, things will change, dramatically. Compare today with fifty years ago, technologically, no comparison. Computers, the World Wide Web, space travel, communications, it's a brave new world. And in 2075, it will be another brave new world. Far be it from me to predict any details, your imagination is as good as mine. About the only thing I can guarantee is, if you are around in 2075 (I won't be), you will be awestruck. But as you look through that little window on the world, I believe along with all the marvels of the times, you'll still see some of the same things we see today. International tensions, geopolitical conflict, distrust, and heaven forbid, war, at some level. Centuries of history tell us that the human condition is incapable of escaping these vagaries. That by no means suggests we should give up and stop trying. Much of the world today lives in freedom and prosperity. We owe much of that to those before us who never stopped trying. And we owe it to those who will follow us the same. 

<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6796942009221473"

     crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

<ins class="adsbygoogle"

     style="display:block; text-align:center;"

     data-ad-layout="in-article"

     data-ad-format="fluid"

     data-ad-client="ca-pub-6796942009221473"

     data-ad-slot="2212624937"></ins>

<script>

     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

</script>

"No One is Above the Law..."

 That has become an oft-repeated phrase in politics of late. In fact, it is absolutely true. Our Constitution says, "All Men Are Created Equal." There exists no premises under which anyone is above the law. But make no mistake, there are those among us that believe they are above the law. And their actions and behavior demonstrate such. Quite unfortunately, sometimes they get away with it. The real world isn't quite that simple. For average "Joes", like you and I, it is that simple. You do the crime, you do the time. For those with political might, shenanigans, capers and legerdemain often go unpunished. The world of politics is indeed a 'very tangled web'. I can't help but think of the  line from Sir Walter Scott's poem, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." I think the theme of what he was saying was that your sins will inevitably catch up to you. In the world of politics, not always so. Some of them weave webs so tangled they begin to resemble the Milky Way. It's politics, that's the way it is...

Sometimes, sometimes, one will push the limits of their deceitful unscrupulousness to depths of depravity never before seen. Take Barry Obama, for example. Documents were recently declassified, much to his chagrin, I'm sure, that reveal Barry and some of his top officials manufacturing and politicizing intelligence to create the false narrative that led to the Trump-Russia collusion probe. This probe lasted years, until Robert Mueller's report finally concluded there was no evidence of any collusion with Russia. This is not hearsay, the perpetrator's claim to it being rumor has evaporated like dewdrops in the Mojave. Emails, messages, meeting records, Presidential Daily Briefs involving Obama, James Clapper, John Brennan, Susan Rice, Loretta Lynch, Andrew McCabe and James Comey have now become red-hot smoking guns. Like most criminals, they will undoubtedly deny any wrong-doing until their last breath. After their last breath, actually. Unlike bank robbers and common scammers, these crooks are much more difficult to prosecute. Nigh impossible. Does such corrupt, perverted depravity keep them awake at night. Do polar bears have table manners? 

It's politics, it's just the way it is. 

<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6796942009221473"
     crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

You Can't Handle the Truth!

 Some movies are so good, one need not be a movie buff to know about iconic scenes or statements made in them. Some phrases from a movie become more famous the movie itself.  A couple of great examples are "Go ahead, punk, make my day," Clint Eastwood from Dirty Harry. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," Clark Gable from Gone With the Wind. "May the force be with you," Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars. "You're going to need a bigger boat," police chief Martin Brody in Jaws. "Show me the money," Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry McGuire. "Houston, we have a problem," Kevin Bacon in Apollo 13. Very few people are actually aware that the phrase said by astronaut Jim Lovell was slightly different than the one stated in the movie. The movie version became more widely known. 

One of my favorites was the feisty, emphatically shouted phrase "You can't handle the truth," said by Col. Nathan Jessup played by Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men." I believe that courtroom scene was one of the most iconic in movie history. In the exchange, Col. Jessup shouts to Lt. Kaffee, "You want answers?" "I think I'm entitled to answers!" quipped Lt. Kaffee. "You want answers?" repeated Col. Jessup. "I want the truth!" retorted Lt. Kaffee. "You can't handle the truth!" scolded Col. Jessup. 

The reason I detailed this scene is because I believe it to be so apropos to modern day politics. This is not an article delving into the faults and shortcomings of any political party. It applies to both of them, all of them. It's about lying, lack, or absence of veracity. Disingenuousness, deception, duplicity, fraud, artifice, chicanery, improbity, legerdemain., unscrupulousness, corruption. However one chooses to say it, the underpinning theme is the same. Before continuing, a qualification is necessary. Identifying a lie is not black and white. There are 'knowing lies' and 'unknowing lies'. The knowing lies really don't require any explanation. The perp states a falsehood and is aware and intentional of such. Those are what I like to refer to as 'bald-faced' lies. The 'unknowing lies' are falsehoods told when the perpetrator believes they are true, or has convinced themselves that it is true. This belief to be true can be genuine, perhaps as a result of ignorance or unpreparedness, neither of which is excusable. Lying is the art of deception. Liars have been known to admit to such, but that is by far the exception to the rule. Politicians, almost never...

Let's first delve into the 'bald-faced' lies told by politicians. These are the lies that are so obvious, even the most casual observer doesn't need to think about it. These lies are difficult to trace back to a politician who first stated them. They show up in social media and go viral, while the actual author remains anonymous. An example is Congresswoman La Monica MacGyver was charged with assaulting a federal officer in Newark, New Jersey while visiting an ICE detention center, unannounced. Her response was that the charges were 'purely political' and meant to deter legislative oversight. The assault was recorded on video and replayed on national television. Everyone knows, video doesn't lie. In June 2025, Senator Alex Padilla was slammed to the ground and handcuffed during a protest outside a press conference held by Kristi Noem regarding a crackdown involving ICE. Senator Padilla attempted to enter the press briefing when he was detained by ICE officers. Senator Padilla stated he was present for a meeting with military officials in the building. The press briefing did not involve any military officials, yet he forcefully attempted to enter the briefing room. Apparently, he believed that as a US Senator he could do 'whatever he pleased, whenever he pleased.  Legislative oversight? Come on, Alex, you know that's not how it works. You too, LaMonica, you know that's not how it works. 

The 'unknowing lies', well, let's just say pinning those down is like like herding cats, or nailing jello to a wall. Civilians are not afforded the defense of "ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law..." I suppose that means we commoners are expected to know and understand every law on the books. Apparently, politicians are given much more latitude. How often do we hear "my statement was taken out of context", or "what I said was misrepresented, misinterpreted." 'Dodgy', I believe is the word the British use. The point is best summed up in the quote from George Orwell; "In a time of widespread deceit and manipulation, speaking the truth is an act of rebellion." If you look at American politics throughout the years, decades, even centuries, what could possibly be said that would be more 'apropos'?... 

Do politicians really believe that we, the people can't handle the truth? Probably, but we want the truth, we expect it. It's not us that can't handle the truth, it's you...

The Texas Flood

 It is inarguable that the recent Texas Food was a disaster of epic proportions. Not only did many Texans lose their lives, many of them were innocent children attending an exuberant, traditional, summer event. Many were families celebrating the Fourth of July weekend by recreating in a placid RV park located along the Guadalupe River. As they may have done for many years prior. It was in the dead of night, most were asleep. Did the sirens, radio announcements, cell phone alerts awaken them of the impending disaster? Obviously, for most, no, they did not. Did the necessary alerts actually happen? Some did. Some did not. It depends on where exactly they were along the river. Through Kendall County, where the majority of the disaster occurred, the Guadalupe stretches for 39 miles. Outdoor warning sirens are designed to be heard for one mile. One. Mile. Does any river prone to flooding have sirens located at one mile intervals anywhere in the world? No. 

The Guadalupe River experienced major floods in 1036, 1952, 1972, 1973, 1978, 1987, 1991, and 1997. Floods are not predictable. They do not follow measured cycles. As the Austin Chronicle wrote in 2015, "Unlike Houston, which experiences 'bathtub flooding' (in flat terrain, floods flatten out and become more predictable). Central Texas experiences flash flooding which makes that more impractical. When rains fall over the 'Hill Country', water runs downhill and collects in low-water crossings, streams, and rivers. Anything in its path is fair game for destruction. 

When looking at the death toll for such a horrible disaster, many ask, "Why weren't they prepared for something like this?" The river gauge closest to Camp Mystic is about five miles downstream of the camp, where the south and north forks of the Guadalupe River merge. It recorded a rise of more than 25 feet in two hours, before going silent fore the rest of the day. There are very few, if any, locations on earth that can handle a rive rising more than 25 feet in two hours without catastrophic damage and serious risk to human life. It's important to consider that this rapid rise occurred at 3 am, when most people are sound asleep. 

As horrible as the death toll is, this is likely to be the fourth-deadliest flood in Texas history, after the 1900 hurricane that hit Galveston with casualties of about 10,000. 

As the flood waters surged, media outlets rushed to blame Donald Trump and Elon Musk's DOGE Commission for budget cuts that left the National Weather Service helpless. The meteorological community soon took umbrage with the media. The local NWS was fully staffed, in fact, overstaffed, per protocol, during the storm. Warnings were sent out about twelve hours in advance, and a flash flood warning for the affected counties was issued three hours before it hit. DOGE's marginal cuts to executive branch spending - cuts not even yet ratified by the Senate, were not to blame for this catastrophe. 

Victims are never to blame. But when warnings are issued, and those in the affected areas dont act upon them, the authorities are not scapegoats. Questions remain about whether people along the river had cell service to get the 'push alerts', had alerts enabled on their phones, or were even awake to hear them. I'm loathe to say this was a  'perfect storm' so let's say 'imperfect storm'. 

There's always going to be the argument that bad things happen because of government decisions. Undoubtedly, government policy can generate different outcomes, and mitigate or exacerbate the effects of natural disasters. It's hard to envision a government policy that can mitigate the loss of life when river levels rise more than 25 feet in two hours in the middle of the night in an area that has been prone to flooding for more than a century. When most are sleeping. Do you find it in your heart to blame families that were sleeping and not listening to the radios or cell phones at 3 am? 

I dont... However regrettable... 

I'm back, and I'm here to stay.

 About a month ago, I posted that I was moving from blogspot to Substack. After a fair amount of research, I had convinced myself that I would get more exposure and traction on Substack. While substack is a good platform, turns out it might not be the best for me. It certainly doesn't appear so when I compare the number of readers in so many countries. Substack appears to only reach readers in the US. On Blogspot I have increasing numbers of readers in not only the US, but Mexico, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Romania, Spain, Austria, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, and others. If you're enjoying reading my blog, please recommend it to others. I am humbled that so many people the world over are interested in my writing. I write not only about political events but human interest stories as well. 

A heartfelt thank you for reading my blog. I will continue my blog, thanks to all of you. I truly enjoy doing this and I am honored that all of you are reading what I have to say. I am nearing the completion of my second novel and will publishing it soon. I'll be providing some free copies to some of my blog readers, so stay tuned. If you like reading action thrillers, then I guarantee you'll like my book.

Arrivederci,

C. Clayton Lewis 

TikTok. Why are you still here?...

 In 2024 large bipartisan majorities in both the House and Senate passed a law requiring that TikTok be banned or sold. Biden signed it into law, well, autopen signed it, whether Biden actually knew about it we'll never know, and the Supreme Court upheld it as constitutional. TikTok was scheduled to be banned in the U.S. on January 19, 2025 unless its parent company, ByteDance divested its U.S. operations. The deadline was set by a provision in that law. It didn't happen, and it still hasn't. TikTok is still owned by ByteDance. It's no secret that ByteDance is key player in the Chinese Communists Party's military-industrialist-surveillance system. ByteDance is subject to the defacto control that the CCP has over all PRC technology companies. 

None of these circumstances are debatable, it's not a gray area, and nothing about it is dubious. Under U.S. law, TikTok is officially banned in the US. Except, it isn't. TikTok isn't banned because Trump doesn't feel like banning it. Three times he has claimed presidential privilege to delay implementation of the law. Of all the privileges the president has, that isn't one of them. He made it up. He consistently claims that TikTok has a potential buyer and that a deal is imminent. Last week Trump claimed he would reveal the new buyer "in about two weeks." I think in Trump's world, everything is going to happen in about two weeks. 

China's 2017 National Intelligence Law requires Chinese companies to assist in intelligence gathering if requested by the government. TikTok reportedly collects a wide range of information, including location data, browse and search histories, and other network activity. There have been actual reports of CCP-controlled ByteDance using TikTok to spy on the physical locations of American journalists. A former TikTok executive stated that the CCP "maintained supreme access" to TikTok data. Five months into Trump's term and the ban is still not being enforced. 

However, TikTok has initiated an initiative called "Project Texas" to address US national security concerns. The project involves storing US user data and the systems that power TikTok in the US are being monitored and tightly controlled by US-based employees of TikTok USDS. TikTok states that Project Texas includes government and independent oversight to prevent backdoors into the platform that could be used for information. If you trust China and Xi Jinping then I suppose Project Texas is great. Anyone out there trust China? Didn't think so...

The concerns and allegations regarding TikTok potentially spying on Americans for the CCP are well-documented and valid. For the past several months, TikTok has continued to feed Anti-American crap like "Osama bin-Laden made a lot of reasonable points" and "Hamas was justified" onto the ever-present screens of America's teens and young people. Why does our president, who consistently claims he is "tough with China" keep doing what Xi Jinping wants him to do, in defiance of federal law?

If one cares to delve into the nitty-gritty, it can be more than reasonably argued that TikTok paved the way for the rise of Zhoran Mamdani. You know, the leading candidate for mayor of New York who rants about "seizing the means of production." If that phrase doesn't strike a nerve with you, you are either very young or have not studied world history. For those of us that it does, it's a show-stopper. Full stop. 

So, tell us, Donald, why are you allowing this? Even more to the point, to both houses of Congress, why are you allowing him to continue to do this?... You were indeed elected by a considerable margin with voter mandates. Let me be clear, this was not one of them. 

The Great Legacy of Fmr Justice Anthony Kennedy

 I have long been a student of the United States Supreme Court. For nigh five decades I have followed court rulings, Supreme Court Justices and the effect rulings have had on politics and the citizenry. I've been most interested in the Supreme Court because I believe it is the branch of government that has the most prevailing and significant impact on the everyday lives of the American people. Of course, it also serves a monumental role as an arbiter who maintains the checks and balances on the other branches of government. The U.S. has an extensive hierarchical court system allowing for appeals and reviews. Cases in the lower courts are often overturned, dismissed, retried, and appealed all in attempt to ensure true justice is carried out. Cases that are unable to get resolved in the lower courts often are presented to the Supreme Court, which is the court of last resort. 

Former Justice Anthony Kennedy was appointed by President Reagan in 1987. After serving 31 years on the bench he retired in 2018. Justice Kennedy was known for writing some of the court's landmark opinions and wielded significant influence across various legal domains, including LGBTQ+ rights. To give some insight into Justice Kennedy's personal composition, in the case of Griswold vs Connecticut, a privacy case about the use of contraceptives, Kennedy discussed "a zone of liberty, a zone of protection, a line that's drawn where the individual can tell the Government, 'beyond this line you may not go.'" Kennedy became known as an independent thinker, though he voted with the conservative justices the majority of the time, but not always. 

Recently, Kennedy spoke during "Speak Up for Justice"' a virtual forum about threats to the rule of law, defending the role of judges in a democracy. He advocated the need to protect them and their families from threats. "Many in the rest of the world look to the United States to see what democracy is, to see what democracy ought to be," stated Kennedy. "If they see a hostile, fractious discourse that uses identity politics rather than to talk about issues, democracy is at risk. Freedom is at risk." Kennedy did not mention Trump by name during his speech. He did say, "We should be concerned in this country about, as I've already indicated, the tone of our political discourse. Identity politics are used so that a person is characterized by his or her partisan affiliation. That is not what democracy and civil discourse is about." 

Other participants at the forum, which included judges from the US and other countries warned about how attacks on courts can threaten democracies, denouncing statements by Trump deriding the courts. US District court Judge Esther Salas, whose son was killed by a disgruntled lawyer who went to her New Jersey home in 2020, said, "disinformation about judges was spreading 'from the top down' with jurists attacked as 'rogue and corrupt'". Salas warned that the number of threats recorded against judges this year was reaching unprecedented heights in the U.S., noting that the U.S. Marshals Service has tracked more than 400 threats since January, when Trump took office. 

Though retired, and no longer a sitting jurist, Justice Kennedy's resounding opinion on this issue should strike a strident chord with everyone, from the President himself down to ordinary people discussing politics in a coffee shop. There is indeed a threat to democracy, finally someone has spoken up and told us exactly what it is. 

PTSD is a curse...And LA is bringing it home...

I watch and read the news about the riots going on in LA. Bricks, rocks and bottles being hurled at police, cars burning and being vandalized. Ingrates standing on vandalized cars waving the flags of foreign countries. Most of them draped in a keffiyah. Protesting the “oppression of Palestine and the slaughter of innocent Palestinians.” Perhaps the protesters should attend the same training Great Thunberg is getting in Israel about now; videos of the October 7 attack that killed over 1,200 innocent Israelis and 250 civilians taken hostage. Unprovoked attack, I might add. Many of the hostages have died in captivity. Some have yet to be released. 

And here we are, watching Los Angeles burn. The governor himself can’t bring himself to call in the resources to calm the situation. Nor can the mayor of Los Angeles. Trump calls the National Guard and greaseball Newscum starts squawking like a goose. Why? Your city is on fire, out of control and you dont want help to quell the riots? What’s the plan, let them have their fun and we’ll clean up after them? Is that what being a sanctuary city is all about? Do you want Trump to call Hamas and tell them “We’re so sorry, you guys carry on, we’ll get those pesky Israelis out of your hair.” Seriously, what is it that you want?

Whatever it is, you’re not going to get it. If you’re lucky, maybe a couple of weeks in jail and a hefty fine. If you’re an illegal alien, a one way ticket home. That’s if you’re lucky. As far as cleaning up the mess, that’s Newscum’s problem. Forget about federal help.

So, why did I mention that PTSD is a curse? Some years ago when I was a young man starting my career, I was given an assignment in Iran. Short term, no big deal. This was back in the late 70’s when Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was the ruler of Iran. He was not a good character, nevertheless, for political reasons he was a political ally of the US. In February 1979, at the height of some serious political and civil unrest in Iran, the Shah was overthrown and left Iran going into permanent exile. Before he left, the streets of Tehran looked a lot like the streets of LA today. Rioting, burning cars, trucks and buildings, protesting and chaos. Just like LA today. How do I know this, I was there. Leading up to the shah’s departure, the unrest was gradually, yet steadily growing. The company I worked for had an office in downtown Tehran, we walked to and from the hotel daily to work. Now and then we would see some troublemakers throw a rock or two, but we didn’t think things were out of hand. Until it was. The last couple of times I made the walk to and from work, was like being on a movie set, but it was no movie. It was real life, and it was terrifying. The morning I went in to the office and saw bullet holes in the windows, I told the boss I’m done. Apparently, at that time I was the only one who was throwing in the towel. I later learned that it wasn’t long before the rest did the same. 

I was booked on a flight out of Tehran the next day that departed at 8am. I had to be at the airport at 5am. Martial law was in effect, so anyone on the streets between 5am and 8pm was subject to being shot. Evidently, due process wasn’t a thing in Iran. Still isn’t…The taxi driver spent the night in the hotel lobby since he couldn’t make the trip from his home to the hotel during curfew. At 5 am sharp, we loaded my bag in the taxi and took off on the dark, quiet streets of Tehran. As we were leaving we noticed the hotel staff were taking down portraits of the Shah. I asked one of them why they were doing that. The reply was “It’s for the guest’s safety.” The taxi driver took off driving hurriedly through the deserted streets, making lots of turns. I wondered why he seemed to be meandering, it was adding to my growing anxiety. My mind was conjuring up more ‘what-ifs’ than you can imagine. But he kept driving and that gave me hope. After forty-five minutes or so of scurrying down dark streets, we turned onto what seemed to be a straightaway. I prayed it was the ‘homestretch’ to the airport. But as soon as we turned onto the open road, hope quickly faded into fear. For as far as I could see were troops, armed troops milling about armored tanks carrying automatic rifles. The first thought that came to mind was Jesus, please don’t stop. I had no idea, no clue, what the next few minutes would bring to my life. Is he going to stop the car, the door to be yanked open and I would be drug onto the sand and who knows what next… Who’s side is he on? Is he getting bakshish for delivering an American? The Iranians were as unhappy with us as much as they were with the Shah. Just.Keep.Driving. was all I could think. As we sped down the road through hell I occasioned a look out the window and actually made eye contact with a couple of armed soldiers. At least, I thought they were soldiers. In the Middle East it’s often difficult to tell who is a soldier and whose side they are on. Making eye contact was a big mistake when your anxiety is hitting a zenith. They appeared to be as unhappy as I was which was not a good sign. I slid a little lower in the seat and continued to pray. We were probably on the straightaway for about fifteen minutes. It felt like a week. I suppose it wasn’t my time to go as the driver kept driving and we soon pulled up in front of the airport. A few minutes after 8 o’clock the 737 took off for London. As it turns out, it was to be the last commercial flight to leave Iran for several years. Once we were ‘wheels up’ everyone on the plane, I suppose over 200 passengers, applauded. Myself included. 

Several years after the Shah was exiled, a movie was made about the brief period of time around the Shah’s departure until the Iranian dissidents took the American hostages at the American Embassy. The movie was about employees of a company owned by Ross Perot, titled “On Wings of Eagles.” Many of his employees didnt leave before the last flight that I had the privilege of being on. With no aviation transport, they were forced to make their way to the coast and pay for passage on boats. Any kind of boat, tugboats, merchant ships, money talked and it saved lives. One day later and I would have been doing the same. If you haven’t seen the movie, dig through the archives and check it out. It’s historically accurate, and gripping. 

What I see happening in Los Angeles today brings back memories of my time in Tehran. The streets of LA look eerily like the streets of Tehran did back then. Iran’s history was etched in stone during those days. The not-at-all peaceful transfer of power, and the emergence of a radical Muslim regime. I’ll never be able to forget what I saw in Tehran. Countless lives were forever changed during those days. Mine included. Now, watching the same happen in LA? Are the National Guard and the Marines needed? Did Trump make the right decision? From my perspective, yes…

Highly Creative People...And the malady many of them often carry...

There are a lot of ‘things’ in our lives that have contributed to making life better in some way. I use the word ‘things’ simply because I can’t think of a word inclusive enough to cover everything. Art, music, culture, technology, products, markets… and more. What I want to talk about is the people behind some of these monumental, life-changing developments and some common, yet unique characteristics so many of them seem to possess. Many of these people are famous, at least to some extent and their fame generally comes from their remarkable contributions. But when we take a closer look at the person, the character behind the watershed creations they left us with, often we find traits, attributes, facets, mannerisms, habits, and quirks that we weren’t expecting to learn. In some cases, they can be shocking. Things we learn about as them as a person doesn’t seem to align with their persona and their remarkable contributions to society. So many of these creative geniuses left legacies that in many ways define the world live in, yet the personal impressions they left with those who knew them, lived with them, collaborated with them was repugnant, even abhorrent. Perhaps they did leave us with a cultural or technological treasure, but they also left an acidic reputation. It’s an intriguing topic, let’s look at some examples. 

A contemporary with whom practically everyone alive is familiar with and who left us with a plethora of technological marvels is none other than Steve Jobs. Probably half the population of the world is using an iPhone, or an iPad, or an iMac or something else made by Apple. There are quite a number of people who possess considerable wealth due to the rocketing rise in value of the Apple brand through the years. But if you set aside all these technological miracles and take a closer look at the person who brought it all to life, you might be surprised. Steve Jobs was brash, arrogant, contemptuous, intense, and driven. While he did lead a company known for quality products, he was exceptionally difficult to work with. 

Some of these creative geniuses who drove hard to impress the world with their altruistic efforts weren’t quite able to ‘keep it between the legal lines’. Perhaps what they lacked in genuine creative genius they made up for it with corruption and deceit. Take the case of Elizabeth Holmes. At the age of 19, Holmes dropped out of Stanford University and founded Theranos, a healthcare technology company. The company claimed to have developed revolutionary blood testing technology that could perform hundreds of tests with a single drop of blood. This promised to make blood testing cheaper, more convenient, and more accessible. Theranos reached a valuation of $9 billion. The company’s proprietary technology was soon found to be unreliable, and it was discovered they were using commercially available machines for their testing while falsely claiming breakthroughs. As the trail of fraud and conspiracy began to unravel, her and her co-conspirator Ramesh Balwani were convicted on multiple fraud charges and are both currently in prison. 

One would be hard-pressed to find a living person who has not listened to music by the Beatles. Everyone has pleasant memories they associate with a Beatles song. Millions recognize their songs anytime they hear them. They were all very talented artists but Lennon and McCartney formed one of the most successful songwriting partnerships in music history. Several of the songs they wrote became cultural icons and defined a generation. Lennon’s songwriting often explored themes of love, peace, and social commentary. One might expect that such beautiful music heralding such compassion would be the reflections of a calm and tranquil soul. Not so much. Lennon had a reputation for being sarcastic and cynical. His impulsive nature lead to numerous controversies. He was egotistical and highly opinionated, arrogant. 

We have come to expect a level of eccentricity from musicians, not often seen in others. Often an underpinning of their brand is uniqueness. Standing out, so to speak. Contemporaries are often known for their affinity for mind-altering drug use, probably a lot of great songs came from musicians on a high. And of course there’s the aberrant and reckless behavior that accompanies the drug use. And we all know fame often builds colossal egos. This isn’t only contemporary musicians though. Let’s go back a few centuries and have a look at Ludwig von Beethoven. Talent and greatness only begin to describe Beethoven. He revolutionized almost every genre of music he touched. He introduced greater emotional range and intensity, using innovative harmonies and rhythms. His symphonies transformed the genre from entertaining works into grand, dramatic statements. His music had a profound influence on later generations of composers. Beethoven became deaf in his later years yet still continued to compose some of his greatest works. Beethoven was a fiery and irascible person. His irritability was likely exacerbated by his deafness and the isolation it caused. In spite of his disability, he had an enormous ego and was arrogant. Like Lennon, he was often sarcastic and dismissive of the opinions of others. He could be blunt, tactless and incredibly rude. 

A particularly interesting case of a bright, idealistic visionary who went terribly ‘off the rails’ was Martin Shkreli. Shkreli dropped out of high school but later earned a business degree from Baruch College. He started a career in finance and founded two hedge funds. Neither venture made much money, which led him to the pharmaceutical industry as a potentially lucrative area. He co-founded the biotech firm Retrophin. In 2015, Shkreli’s company, Turing Pharmaceuticals acquired Daraprim, a 62 year-old drug used to treat toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can be life-threatening, especially for people with HIV/AIDS and pregnant women. Shortly after acquiring it, Turing raised the price of a single pill from $13.50 to $750, an increase in excess of 5,000%. Shkreli defended the price hike by claiming that profits would be used for research and development of new and better drugs. He also claimed that Daraprim made up only a small percentage of overall health costs and offered to provide the drug at a lower costs to patients without insurance. His claims were widely rejected and faced immense public outrage. Prior to the Daraprim controversy, Shkreli was under investigation for his activities at Retrophin. In December 2015, he was arrested by the FBI and charged with securities fraud. It was alleged that he defrauded investors in his hedge funds and used money from Retrophin to pay them back. In 2018 he was sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to forfeit $7.4 million in assets. Shkreli became known not only for the Daraprim price hike, but also for his provocative and offensive online presence. He frequently engaged in controversial behavior on social media, including taunting his critics. Since his release from prison, he has been banned from serving as an officer of any publicly traded company. 

While Shkreli obviously crossed the line into criminal activity, most savants don’t. But character traits that seem to pervade the class of the overly talented is brash, caustic, narcissistic personalities. Some appear to be motivated by self-adulation, with a sharp contempt for others. There are a host of well-known personalities who exhibit exceptional talent and creativity who also posses some or all of the characteristics described in the above cases. Such as Gordon Ramsey, Kanye West, Bobby Fischer, Frank Lloyd Wright, Howard Hughes, Thomas Edison, Andrew Fastow, Sam Bankman-Fried, Larry Ellison, Jeff Bezos, Mark Cuban, Travis Kalanick, John Kapoor… All highly capable, intelligent, over-achievers who were comtemptuous, solipsistic jack-asses. Most overlooked these fatal character flaws in light of their astounding achievements and contributions. One cant help but wonder, why? Why do super-savants need to be caustic personalities? The axiom, we are a product of our environment doesn’t really hold in these cases. Most probably came from decent, respectable families. Even if that weren't the case, at some point in everyone’s life we become individually responsible for who and what we are. Granted, everyone is not a ‘nice guy.’ Everyone is not socially adept and easy to get along with. We dont expect everyone to be. But typically in the real world, in everyday life, the stubborn, recalcitrant, jerks usually pay a price for the inability to get along. If you happen to be a super-creative innovator, then I suppose you’ll just have to live alone in your little universe that you believe yourself to be the center of. And we’re only too happy to let you…

We're moving

 I will no longer be posting to my blog here on blogspot.com. I have started an account on substack where my posts will appear going forward. I believe substack is more suited to how I want to go forward with my blog and will give the added benefit of providing more visibility and thus traffic to my blog. 

I'll still be posting topics on political analysis but I'l be expanding my new blog on substack to include aerial drone videos and discussions concerning drone photography. This is a hobby, so far, but may become an avocation at some point. It's really fun and I think you'll enjoy the videos and photos. And, of course, the political takes will continue as usual. 

Hope to see you over there on substack. 

cclaytonlewis.substack.com

Let's beat this dead horse just a little bit more...

 In a perfect world, only the truth is spoken. Of course, we don't live in a perfect world. There never has been a perfect world and there never will be. Some untruths are without much consequence, others not so much. The 'dead horse' I mentioned, is of course the Biden scandal which has been the headline topic of late. Two liberal 'journalists' authored a book about what is undoubtedly the biggest presidential scandal in history. The scandal of hiding the physical and mental decline of a United States President from the public. And during his period of incapacity, his presidential power and execution of duties being assumed by 'others'. We will probably never know the names of the group of 'others'. The only safe assumption, in my opinion, of at least one of the names is Jill Biden. If his wife didn't know of his cognitive and physical decline, then she's either much worse off than him or the world's greatest liar. Could be both for all we know. As far as who the others were, that secret will probably go to the grave. I'm quite sure that is what 'they' intend. 

The extent of the lies, untruths and deception to pull this off is unfathomable. Abe Lincoln is turning in his grave. There is no 'of the people, by the people and for the people' here. Whomever perpetrated this was 'the people shall never know...' Their thinking, and that's using the term in an immensely liberal sense, was allowing the public to know the truth is not in the best interest of the Democratic Party. And now that it's obvious to even the most casual observer what happened, the best interest of the Democratic Party resembles the Titanic sitting at the bottom of the North Atlantic. They're still making noise, but it's akin to a a baby crying in a crowded theater. Very annoying, but inconsequential. 

The American voting public still values veracity. We still abhor lying and deceit. Proof of that lies in the current state of the Democratic Party. As the venerable Mr Lincoln once said, "You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." No one knows this better than the current Democratic Party. Or at least what's left of it...

#original sin #presidential scandal #deep state 

Suasion and the Supreme Court...

 Politics are an integral part of American politics. It's 'the nature of the beast' so to speak. It's a, one could reasonably argue, a natural part of civil discourse and debate. For the legislative and executive branches of government, that is. The judicial branch was intended to interpret the constitution and to apply the rule of law equitably, so that everyone was treated equally under the law. With the doctrine of separation of powers, political ideologies and priorities were meant to be exclusive of the workings of the judicial branch. For the most part, a couple of centuries passed and things went as planned. I emphasize, for the most part...

Politics can be like a contagious disease, it tends to spread to places where it wasn't supposed to be. Like the Supreme Court. Thomas Jefferson and his Secretary of State, James Madison refused to even send a lawyer to argue Marbury vs Madison. M vs M was one of the most important and foundational cases in U.S. legal history. Chief Justice John Marshall and the court in this case established the principle of judicial review; the power of the court to declare laws unconstitutional. The is ruling gave the Supreme Court the power to the court to rule a law enacted by congress as unconstitutional. The Supreme Court has done so on numerous occasions; Brown vs Board of Education, Roe vs Wade...

Of course, today we are not dealing with a law enacted by Congress. We are dealing with Executive Orders, while being legal instruments of the executive branch are subject to judicial review. Were Congress to quit sitting on its hands and do what it should be doing, this might not be happening. The monkey wrench comes in deciding does the ruling of a federal district court constitute proper and appropriate  judicial review? In effect, a federal district judge is issuing a ruling binding on the entire nation when the entire nation is not the jurisdiction of that judge. 

Difficult as it may be to believe, there was a time when the Supreme Court decided it was not necessary to decide a case dealing with federal authority to ban slavery. The greatest irony of history? Perhaps... 19th century lawyers tended to regard precedent as a series of decisions affirming a principle, as opposed to modern day lawyers viewing a single decision as a binding precedent. 

History considers our most authoritarian president to be Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt devised a 'court-packing' plan to de-legitimize the court to disable the opinions of its four conservatives at the time. They had a record of striking down his 'New Deal' programs. He denounced the court in his famous 'fireside chat' radio programs and his court-packing proposal was so baleful that his own Democratic Party rejected it resoundingly. But the suasion of his campaign was so effective the court bent its jurisprudence to allow Roosevelt to do what he wanted. 

In 2010, deja vu revisits, all over again. In his state of the union address, Obama openly derided the justices for siding with "special interests" in the Citizens United decision. In 2012, Obama upped the pressure in advance of the court's decision on the constitutionality of Obamacare, waring against the extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected congress. He claimed this was a good example of illegitimate judicial activism, a group of unelected people overturning a duly constituted and passed law. Sound familiar? Obamacare was passed unilaterally. Not one single Republican vote. Not. One. 

These were not arguments on the proper role of the court, they were efforts to intimidate the court against going against the will of the people. And it worked. Chief Justice John Roberts changed his vote to rule Obamacare as constitutional. Such had never happened in the history of Supreme Court rulings. 

The court has been unduly influenced on the topic of gun control. In March 2020, Chuck Schumer stood on the steps of the Supreme Court building to bellow, "I want to tell you Gorsuch, I want to tell you Kavanaugh, you have unleashed the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You won't know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions." Waves of protests followed targeting the justices at their homes. The Biden admin responded by conspicuously resisting providing law enforcement protection to the justices. The 2020 presidential candidates including Buttigieg and Harris endorsed court-packing. Biden attacked the court when it struck down his unconstitutional student loan plan to spend a half trillion dollars to forgive student loans without congressional approval. On the campaign trail he bragged, "The Supreme Court blocked it, but that didn't stop me." Lest we forget...

Trump's defiance of court orders are not unprecedented, not by any means. In fact, the threats to the judiciary have typically come from the democrats throughout the past century. The democrats are simply playing on the ignorance of the voters to history. 

#supremecourt #courtshopping #politicalhipocrasy

The sins of the past...

 Radical idealism and ideology has no place in the handling of foreign affairs and foreign relations. Global politics is best left to skilled statesmen and negotiators who meticulously plan and set goals and who consistently rely on risk analysis to obtain optimal outcomes. Their methods and manners don't allow for their own idealism or ideology, or that of their superiors to direct, or even influence their work. They must visualize what success looks like from the start. 

The US has had some rock stars in matters of foreign diplomacy. A few examples: George Marshall, the Secretary of State during the Truman presidency. Marshall played a key role in shaping Truman's postwar foreign policy through the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan helped stabilize the European continent and prevent the spread of communism. Marshall won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. 

Henry Kissinger was secretary of state in the Nixon and Ford administrations. Kissinger accomplished the impossible task of detente with the USSR, establishing relations with China, conducting the Vietnam war negotiations, and of course the 'shuttle diplomacy' in the Middle East. Kissinger's efforts reworked the dynamics of the Cold War. 

James Baker III was Secretary of State for George H.W. Bush who managed diplomacy during the fall of the Soviet Union. He was also responsible for the unification of Germany and the Gulf War unification. 

Madeleine Albright was Secretary of State for Bill Clinton, the first woman to ever hold the office. She was active in the expansion of NATO, the Balkans and provided valuable leadership in post-Cold War  efforts. 

The world is a different, and much better place thanks to the work of these masters of diplomacy. The legacy of the presidents they served benefitted from their contributions. For other presidents, their legacies will be forever stained  in history because of the lack of efficacy on the part of those they appointed to this office. During the Obama administration Hillary Clinton and John Kerry served in the role. Clinton advocated for the "Reset" with Russia, which ultimately resulted in political disaster. Obama sought to instill fear in American allies with the Russian Reset. He believed that Bush 41 was responsible for worsening relations with Moscow, completely blind to Putin's lust for his interests in Eastern Europe. Obama scrapped a plan to provide radar installations and interceptor missiles for Poland and the Czech Republic. He withdrew brigade-sized combat teams from Europe and set the stage for the first time the US had no combat tanks on the European continent. The Kremlin responded with aggression, culminating with the first invasion of Ukraine. 

Following suit, Obama thought it prudent to cut strategic ties with the Middle East. By December 2011, he had withdrawn every American soldier from Iraq, and empowered the Shiite militias backed by Iran hoping the mullahs would see to America's interests. They did not. Once again, blinded by his ideals, Obama was focused on the nuclear deal with Iran, which today has become a nuclear train wreck. The Arab Spring uprising complicated matters at the time. The Syrian regime began to implode opening the door for the rise of ISIS, stoked by the Russian regime who now felt free rein since America had 'left the building'. Obama now felt compelled to bring American troops into Iraq in 2014, as well as into eastern Syria. 

Obama's misplaced vision for America to no longer be a hegemonic world leader was actually beginning to work. If America wasn't going to be the pre-eminent power of the Pacific Rim, then who would. The answer was right in front of his eyes, yet he still played blind. This brings us to the 2016 election. Can you imagine inheriting the fubar Trump did in his first term? Obama didn't only leave a country divided, on the world stage he literally let the dogs out. We can only hope that Trump, in his second term learns from the sins of the past. Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer...