The (Daily) Vent 2

(Lenin Was Right) Hands off this ! A new series of anti-Trump and anti-Musk in a campaign being called "Hands Off," like off Greenland. Off Panama. Off the Courts, and so on. Vladmir Lenin had called these types of people "useful idiots." One could go father and describe them as useless idiots. Whatever the term, these people are as irrelevant now as ever. Where were these people during the Biden Administration ? It was not like President Biden himself was "there" for any length of time. If one is discussing leadership, however, when a vacuum is created ? When a leader no longer functions, what happens ? If Biden was no longer in charge, who managed nuclear release authority ? President Biden is as irrelevant as the Hands-Off movement. There are players like President Trump and Chinese Premier Xi. The former imposed a 54% tariff on the Peoples' Republic and Beijing is retaliating. That is the story on the surface at least. Internal Chinese affairs are ...

(Mr. Smith Stays Home) Most people can recall the Frank Capra classic Mr . Smith Goes to Washington . A Senator Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) is appointed to the U.S. Senate on the death of a predecessor. The Smith selection is not met with universal acclaim and the reality was that certain colleagues were corrupt and a political machine was a true arbiter of affairs. Senator Smith in opposing this graft. Smith is forced into a Senate filibuster that lasts 25 hours. In the end, Smith faints but a sudden constituent response becomes overwhelming and the Senator behind the corruption scheme admits his deeds and he is the legislator that should be expelled. Like Senator Smith, Senator Corey Booker (D-NJ) took to the Senate Floor in his own 25-hour marathon. Like Jefferson, Corey is protesting a corrupt regime, namely the Trump Administration and the DOGE. Unlike Senator Smith, who found himself vindicated at the end, Senator Booker took a trip to the restroom. Booker's stab a windmi...

(Pogo Oscillations. . .) April 4th, 1968. is known for two events. The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in Memphis and the test launch of Apollo 6, the second un-crewed test flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle. Unlike the first Saturn test, Apollo 4 flown the previous November, was an almost flawless mission. Apollo 6, om the other hand, experience "pogo oscillation." On the rocket's ascent, as fuel was being fed into the combustion chambers to the massive engines, certain instabilities arose reducing thrust. There had been moments in right after lift-off when the oscillation threatened to break apart the rocket but when the third stage ignited, the vehicle achieved orbit and Apollo 6 was considered a success in the end, The data from the two un-manned missions allowed for Apollo 8 to circumnavigate the Moon itself that December. Pogo oscillations, in a sense, are what is being experienced now. It has been revealed that President Biden was more infirm than w...

(Contagion. . .) It is the day after President Trump announced the Day of Liberation where he labeled a series of tariffs that have gone into effect. Globally, in affected nations, their indigenous markets are responding. On Wall Street, the Dow is down 1200+, the Nasdaq about a thousand, and Stanard and Poor is more poor by some two hundred. In Germany, the DAX index is down almost six hundred. In Japan, its Nikkei is negative by a thousand, the London Financial Times is off 150 and the CAC Exchange in Paris is down 250. While all these declines are spectacular, worst performers in months, these transactions were all but predicted. Trump only made his Liberation Day comments only yesterday but there had been widespread expectation that some Trump tariff policy change was imminent. High economics might be involved in tariff policy but in the end, it is all simple math. Any trade imbalance between the U.S. and other nations, in the chart the President precented yesterday, levies from Ch...

(Half Moon Rising) The Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear weapon on August 29th, 1949. In a flash, literally, the American nuclear monopoly was ended. The year before, in 1948, a plan called Operation HALF MOON anticipated the use of nuclear weapons in any major conflict with the USSR. When the Soviets conducted their test in 1949, Western planners were faced with first "assured destruction" and, once the Soviet arsenal reached a certain level, all weapons all deliverable to American targets, assured destruction evolved into Mutual Assured Destruction. Operation HALF MOON anticipated these events. Today, April 2nd, that President Trump has been saying is "Liberation Day." On this day, the United States will impose tariffs on various countries with varying products and varying rates. In the President's mind, this new trade reciprocity will go into effect to equalize what has seen as an imbalance. Trump is always complaining how the U.S. is being mis-treat...

(Bell Whether ?) Happy April Fools' Day ! As some could re-call, in years past, The (Daily) Vent is declared closed and, some convoluted reason and make it sound serious. Then "April Fools" and a laugh is had by all. Not today. These elections today are being called a bellwether as to the President's popularity and if Republicans do well, if the House Seats are held and if the Conservative prevails in Wisconsin, then the night-mare scenario for Republican does not materialize. Conversely, if Trump tariffs and the liberal judge wins in Wisconsin, Democrats demonstrate strength in Florida and flip at least one Seat, Democrats will have had their first "good" week since November. These events could indeed be bellwether. Or, would it be a "Bell Whether ?" Whether or not Republicans or Democrats will wake up tomorrow after a good night's sleep, and who will be waking up with heartburn. As has been mentioned, these races have been scheduled but are a...