The (Daily) Vent 2

(End Of An Era. . .) Sometime in the Mid-60's Boeing President Bill Allen and CEO of Pan American World Airways, Juan Trippe, took a fishing trip in Washington State. Boeing had building airplanes for Pan Am for decades, with the Boeing 707 being the main-stay of Pan Am's. and other airlines', fleet. But the 707 was too small and passenger traffic was expected to explode in coming years. What Allen and Trippe talked about on that trip was a new airplane that could seat 500 passengers. That was the beginning of the Boeing 747. The first 25 production models were to be purchased by Pan American who was to be the launch customer. The Boeing 747 is a marvel of engineering and was everything Trippe and Pan Am was looking for. Four high by-pass turbo fan engines powered this "Queen of the Skies" that could carry its load in comfort to most global destinations. Over its long and storied carrier, a Boeing 747 flew millions of passengers millions of miles.  Its capacity wa

( Who's Afraid Of Virginia Wolfe ?) The aforementioned had been a play and then a 1966 motion picture that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton and a few others. Basically, it was about two couples that shared a night of drama. It was one of those movies that forced these married people to examine their respective honesty and any open secrets. Like one had an abortion. One can say that "honesty" is the best policy. Until it can't be. Speaking of couples who are not entirely honest, and "who is afraid of Virginia Wolfe," one need look no further than Treasury Secretary Janet Yellin who is making her own catastrophic predictions the consequences if House Republicans default on the debt ceiling. And, if one listens closely. Chicken Little would have less a "sky is falling" moment. Yellin, not to mention the likes of Senator Schumer or President Biden, have not been telling the truth when it comes to these debt-ceiling discussions. It is being said that

( Daddys & Taken T--Birds) Fun, fun, fun, right ? Is that what the Senate, Democrats, and some Republicans alike, had when they, like the Beach Boys , spent that $1.7 trillion omnibus ? Who might "daddy" be ? Might it be Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy ? In recent comments, it was McCarthy's contention that there is no instinct for fiscal responsibility because the bill was bi-partisan and its two sponsoring legislators, Leahy (D) of Vermont and Shelby (R) of Alabama are no longer with the Body. Like delinquent tenants who destroy a House when they are finally forced to vacate. Technically, Speaker McCarthy should perhaps be gratified that the margin to the House GOP Conference is narrow. It can be said that 222 Members are more controllable than, say, 255 or a number like that. Herding cats would be an easier job than corralling all those what are in the end individuals who have to represent a District and not every locale has the exact same intertest. But there

( Another Word. . .) To begin, these pages was not un-aware that yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day, so named because it was January 27th, 1945, when the Red Army advancing into Poland liberated the Auschwitz death camp. In the time it was in operation, tens if not hundreds of thousands of people, not just Jews, were exterminated in Auschwitz's industrial capacity extermination and disposal. And Auschwitz, while probably the most infamous, was only one of dozens of faculties that were committed in the execution of Hitler's "Final Solution to the Jewish Question." Current figures place the death toll at over 6 million Jews and various numbers of other prisoners. The Western World shares a certain guilt for this atrocity. The general public was perhaps not aware of the details but it had been considered policy to not make an issue of the problems of European Jewry. Indeed, a passenger ship filled with Jewish refugees was turned back after seeking asylum in the Unit

( Tank Country. . .) It was recently announced that President Biden has authorized the re-deployment of some 31 M1 Abrams ' tanks to the Ukraine. To what end ? This new armor contingent is being sent into an active theater and might at some point be in combat, against Russian T-72's, or whatever the Russians might be fielding these days (in the 1991 Gulf War, over a thousand Iraqi T-72's were destroyed by M1A1's against no combat losses). So, now in 2023, these tanks with its 120mm main gun with depleted uranium rounds that has a tendency to open any other tank like a piece of Swiss cheese. President Biden has no strategy for how these Abrams ' will be used with no clear objective, The addition of these armored vehicles are too few to alter the situation on the ground and beyond that, is another escalation which President Putin has noted. How many times must it be emphasized that Moscow has all the staying power and can continue its operations indefinitely. That rea

  (All Forgiven ?) In the Godfather  franchise, Alfredo "Fredo" Corleone had been a middle child with not much to speak for him. He, unlike Santino "Sonny," or for that matter, Michael, Fredo was the one sent to Las Vegas to "learn the casino business." But Fredo was weak and was manipulated over several times. Moe Green ? Johnny Ola, Frankie Pentangle, and Hyman Roth. Fredo had sought their support as a foil to an overbearing and younger brother Michael. But what the elder Corleone did not anticipate the assassination attempt on Michael as his compound was riddled with gun fire. Eventually, and these was the plot-line to Godfather II, Michael Corleone, "settled the Family debts" as Ola, Pentangle and Roth all met ends. For his part, Fredo thought he could reconcile with Michael, but Michael had Al Meri take Fredo fishing. So, is Donald Trump and Facebook the same as Michael and Fredo Corleone ? The comparison might not be that relevant but the

( These People Get Paid ?) There is a general understanding between employer and employee that one provides a service and such services are compensated. Would that be the case every instance ? Congressman Adam Schiff has been expelled off the House Intelligence Committee. President Biden has decided to send some 30 MIA1 Abrams to the Ukraine. Now, these might be the ebb and flow of politics and international relations but are being based in objective reality. Shiff's removal from Intelligence and Biden's escalating the Ukraine War are judgement calls but there is first a facts on the ground that are considered. first. Objective truths, in other words. One can realize that sometimes, "truth" can be in the eyes of the beholder. That generally holds for everything except when one gets to the applied science. Like math. Two plus two will always equal four. That would be unless heard about an associate " math " professor from Vanderbilt University, who is claimi

( Lee Majors: Less A FALL GUY) One can remember Lee Majors, Big Valley , The 6 Million Dollar Man , Fall Guy , and Ash vs The Evil Dead , all TV shows Majors has starred at various times. In any event, Majors' role in The Fall Guy was as a stunt man who moonlit as a Federal Marshal. The reason he is referenced today is that the failures of the Biden Administration have reached  critical mass and a first casualty has been has been identified, as White House Chief of Staff, Ron Klain. Everything that has gone wrong in the Biden Presidency can probably be attributed to someone other than the President. What influence might have Klain have had on the decisions concerning the Afghan withdrawal ? Why the U.S. is no longer energy independent ? How much of Klain promotes the open border ? The President has noticeable cognitive issues so might an over-zealous Chief of Staff "fill in the banks" for Biden's benefit ? There needed to be a power behind the throne. When Presiden

(No No Limit VISAs) There had been an episode of South Park as few years ago that had put its own take on the Easter Story. The show had been titled "Margaritaville" and it involved the purchase of a margarita maker machine. At the same time, the economy takes a tail-spin and the characters begin dressing in traditional First Century garb, the kind Jesus once wore. There was a Last Supper, a betrayal and the acquisition of a no limit Visa, assigned to one of the boys, Kyle Broflovski, who is Jewish, used the card to "pay the debts of the world," like Jesus but a different context. The debt ceiling fight is not a South Park program and there is no no limit Visa that can be used to, legislatively, in a bill being proposed by House Democrats, to do away with any debt ceiling going forward. Government spending, such as it is, would be increased automatically and there would therefore be no need for any negotiation with Republicans. And, had there not been an emphatic

(By Invitation Only. . .) A couple of months ago, and with all the intensity of taking a stash house, the FBI raided Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Estate in search of misplaced classified documents that appeared to be improperly handled. As one remembers, there was a pile on the floor, and, as the former President has attested, these files had been in the process of transfer to the National Archives, for proper storage. Now, President Biden seems to be in a similar situation as his predecessor, discoveries of his own set of mis-handled documents discovered at various locations in Biden proximity, his residence in Delaware the latest haul. Here, the FBI also made a visit to this location but it was not a raid in the Mar-a-Lago sense but a polite examination of the contents so discovered. This time, there was no examining Jill Biden's closet the same as had been with Melania Trump. All that being said, there is still a Special Counsel investigating the incidents and, for proprieties&

( Legion Depletion. . .) When it had been in its prime, the Roman Army, in both Republican and Imperial periods, conquered the Mediterranean World. Over time, as the Roman Empire began to fade. there was a marked loss of quality among the Legionnaires. Gradually, the ranks began to be continually filled with non-Romans, Germanic tribes' people that took service in the employ of the Empire and that usually meant joining the Roman Army. By the beginning of the Fifth Century, very few serving Legionnaires were actually Italian. When the Western portion collapsed to Gothic invasions by A.D. 476, the various tribes that over-ran Italy had combatants that had previously been in the service of Rome. The situation in 5th Century Italy is a lot like 21st Century U.S. southern border. Millions have crossed, be it over the Po or the Rio Grande. It had been the depleted Roman Army that offered what resistance it could in the inexorable march towards September 4th (the date in 476 where the Wes

(Inferior Personnel. . .) There are leaders and then there are fellow travelers. Men, and women, who might be in positions of leadership but who do not lead in fact. The current Administration in Washington comes to mind. The globalist bureaucrats at Davos are another example. People who think they are in charge of things but act contrary to the interests of people. These people have committed to ideological concepts that have proven inimical and damaging. One can start with the onset of the next recession. Bad policy decisions are being made. The reason that inflation is where it is, the reason why gas prices are where they are. The Fed is raising interest rates to combat inflation but at the same time, destroying the economy in  the process. Demand destruction is the term used. So, people have to pay more for everything and at the same time have fewer means to. There seems to be a demand for sacrifice from the likes of Davos and company but is not a sacrifice these elites seem willin

( Shadows Of Mukden. . .) The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 was fought between Imperial Russa and Japan in the Chinese province of Manchuria, specifically on the Laodong Peninsula and its anchorage at Port Arthur at Laodong's southern tip. The War at the outset went badly for the Russians, its Far Eastern naval assets largely annihilated and the corresponding land campaign also went badly for the Tsar's armies who were largely led by incompetent hangers-on whose only qualification was loyalty to Nicholas II. In the end, Port Arthur fell, and the Russians incurred defeat after defeat. Finally, after a series of battles, the Japanese forced the Russians to retreat all the way, eventually reaching Mukden, Manchuria's Capitol at the time. The Russians lost again, but, by this point, the Japanese were also exhausted. So, while the Russians lost virtually every land and sea battle in the Russo-Japanese War, with the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, Moscow could still

( The Contagion Returns) One probably cannot think of a more useless organization than The World Economic Forum, convening, again, in Davos. Like rats carry plague infected fleas, so the WEF are carriers of the Davos Syndrome, that group of self=obsessed and self-absorbed global economists and industry leaders that sit at that ski resort every January and bathe in their own sense of self importance. Because the current obsession of these global elites is climate change, and while examining that reality could be problematic, the end result is that all these Davos consultations amounted to one large virtue signal. It has been these attitudes, however, that partially explains the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. They have also conditioned for Chinese aggression against Taiwan. It has been an argued that these self-described globalists and their so-called rules based order seems to fall apart when the rest of the world doesn't follow said rules. Davos is a bubble and its annual partici

( There Can Be Only One. . .) It was on this day, January 16th, 27 BCE, that Octavian, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, was declared imperator , "first among equals," and took the name Augustus, Rome's first Emperor. Augustus' ascension to the Purple ended the Roman Republic and continued the next few centuries as the Roman Empire. Emperor Augustus, and those that followed ruled with absolute power over roughly one-fifth of the earth's surface. However, beneath what had been referred to as the Glory of Rome, for all its power, a flaw lay in its leadership. Augustus was a strong Emperor. Marcus Aurelius had been a strong Emperor. Honorius, for his part, was not a strong Emperor. Roman history was ultimately consumed by this and that claimant to the Throne and that had the effect of pitting Legion against Legion, fighting several civil wars, sapping the Empire's strength, draining the treasury. Say the Republican House and the Democrat Senate along with Preside

(The Boys & The Girls Are Doing It !) There is a program called Stranger Things that airs on Netflix.  It has yet to be viewed by the Author. Apparently, it is some mix of the supernatural paired with the mundane. Perhaps not compared to what has just transpired in Minneapolis. There, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), as his first administrative action signed a bill that basically simplifies the tax code in the Land of A Thousand Lakes, which, in essence, gives Minnesotans a tax cut. A tax cut ? For Minnesota ? The state that just elected all Democrats in the State House and both Houses in the Legislature ? Democrats are supposed to oppose such reductions but by simplifying the state revenue code, hundreds of thousands of individuals and business could be saved annually. In the wake of inflation and other costs, a tax cut would be appropriate. Who else is cutting taxes ? Joni Ernst (R) of Iowa and Glenn Youngkin (R) of Virginia are also seeking tax relief. Texas and Florida have no

(Bench Warrants. . .) Could somebody explain the constant need to re-hash or re-boot something ? In the entertainment industry especially, one vehicle proves profitable or is otherwise a hit so there is an immediate urge to replicate that magic. At times, that has resulted in success. In others, one could get a sequel that should not have been made. That is apparently what the new Night Court is attempting and what has been revealed so far seems that the new show will fall short. The original ran from 1984 to 1992 and starred Harry Anderson (deceased) as Judge Harry Stone. John Larroquette played Prosecutor and over-sexed weasel with a heart of gold, Dan Fielding. Eventually, after various cast changes, Public Defender Christine Sullivan was played by Markie Post (also deceased). Add Charlie Robinson as Mac Robinson, Stone's clerk, and bailiffs Bull Shannon, played by Richard Moll and eventually Marsha Warfield. Now, here is where the new outing goes wrong, Larroquette is the only

(Allowances ?) Appearances need to be maintained. All things being equal, President Biden has been caught with his own collection of mis-placed classified documents, much akin to the situation faced at former President's Mar-A-Lago estate that required a full FBI tactical raid. Now Biden's material, located at his affiliated "think tank" at the University of  Pennsylvania, as well as some additional documentation held at the residence in Delaware and a newly discovered location. Will these Biden locations be subject to the same treatment ? Not likely. Current President's carry more deference than predecessors. And of course, it was Donald Trump that had been the subject of the Palm Beach episode so the material would be more suspect than whatever is in the President's possession, But, appearances need to be maintained and, to avoid looking like a complete hypocrite, Attorney General Meritt Garland is appointing a Special Counsel to investigate these three Bide

( Like Clockwork. . .) One cannot be sure that Nostradamus was this predictable, but one can see patterns of events that, it were any other person, then it would all be a matter of extremely bad luck. However, this is President Biden and his Administration and events here follow almost a straight line from Point A to Point B. Take the outage of the FAA systems this morning, forcing a "ground stop," the first since September 11th, caused Now, the Administration is saying this was not a cyber penetration and that might be the case. The FAA is a bureaucracy like everything else in the government and as such has a certain inertia. Upgrades to equipment are always necessary but such tape is colored red for a reason. Flight operations have generally resumed but the point here is that it happened now, while Biden is President. Like it's some kind of karma. However, so much of Biden's "karma" has been self-inflicted. Case in point the plan to "ban" gas sto

( Two Fried Fabergé Eggs) With bacon, hash browns and white toast. Anybody who saw the Roger Moore 007 outing in Octopussy , can probably say what a " Fabergé Egg" is. It is a jeweled ornament shaped like an egg and crafted by Karl  Fabergé as gifts for the Russian royal family, starting in the Reign of  Tsar Alexander III. Such eggs were plot devices in the Roger Moore 007 outing, Octopussy . A mad Soviet general wanted to smuggle a nuclear device onto a NATO air base using a circus and a jewelry smuggling operation. Of course, the plot was discovered and foiled by James Bond. Today is the anniversary of the Vistula-Oder operation, January 10th, 1945. It was the penultimate strategic offensive operation carried out by the Red Army before the final assault on Berlin. This was a leviathan of over three million men with thousands of tanks and combat aircraft and tens of thousands of artillery pieces. That had been the great-grandfather's Red Army. That is not the force bei

(Cheap Hawks) There has been something of a tacit understanding between Democrats and Republicans on the matter of government spending. Republicans want to protect defense spending and allows Democrats a certain level of social engineering. For each Party, these are the sacred cows and any amount of outlay justifies whatever expenditure determined. But now, after the drunken sailor spending over the last two years and the national debt has ballooned to over $30 trillion, such devil may care loose cash might be coming to an end. Out of necessity. One of the first things that happens in a new Congress is the determination of the Rules package and included were proposals to limit defense spending. If the Majority House Republicans in the 118th Congress are truly committed to curbing spending, then all line-items, including the Pentagon, must come under review. Now, Republicans, with their donors from the big contractors, the Boeing's, the Lockheed Martin's and so on, that employ t

( A Roster Fills ?) A start today mentioning President Biden's visit to El Paso and if that is a sincere gesture, and a previous entry cast that in doubt, then Potemkin had nothing on his "village." If one remembers, during the Reign of "Russia's" Catherine the Great, the lives of the average peasant had been Hobbesian nasty, brutish and short. To mitigate those appearances, one of her Majesty's ministers, also one of her many lovers, Gregori Potemkin, had constructed certain fa çades, fake store fronts that mis-represented the conditions that most Russians lived under. So, when the Royal entourage were making a tour, it were these fa çades that were presented to the Empress. Now, Catherine the Great was not one to be na ïve enough to accept these Potemkin Villages as the true representation of conditions within the Empire but she was entirely willing to accept the illusion, the best face on things. President Biden in El Paso to see this version of a Pot

( Pyrrhic's Was Less A Victory !) The Speakership of Kevin McCarthy is now established fact. Clear with the hostages. That being said, what the Speaker had to do was throw everything to bribe his colleagues and would include the kitchen sink. Technically, McCarthy only received 216 votes out of the required 218 but he was no longer opposed. Those who were still not in his camp voted "present." It was now House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jefferies (D-NY) who had his own address to deliver a farewell to Democrat Majority rule, what newly installed conservative Members panned. However, and this had been detailed yesterday, there might be a "honeymoon" between McCarthy and the conservative Freedom Caucus but McCarthy has to know he has a hard money loan with them where the Vig alone could compromise McCarthy's broader ambitions. There is general agreement on major issues but how fast would anybody insist that the Biden Administration and the President be investigat

(A Bridge Too Far ?) CLEAR WITH THE HOSTAGES ? Cornelius Ryan penned two books about the Second World War, both of which were made into major motion pictures.   The Longest Day , which told the story of the Normandy landings and A Bridge Too Far , about Operation MARKET GARDEN , the attempted airborne and armor thrust developed by British General Montgomery that ultimately failed. It was the effort to seize the Rhine Bridge at Arnhem, Holland, the so-called "bridge too far." The British division lost 8,000 men its attempted capture and the armored corps relief force was stalled some miles away. Now, after a series of concessions on House Rules for the 118th Congress, mostly to the conservative "Freedom Caucus." This portion of the House GOP Conference is considered the most right of center and Congressman McCarthy needs their support to secure the Gaval and, as of today, such a path to election could be revealed. Now, of all the concessions Mr. McCarthy is making, h

( "I WILL GO TO KOREA !") AMERICA HELD HOSTAGE DAY 3 Dwight D. Eisenhower did not want to necessarily be President. He had been Supreme Allied Commander for the European Theater in the Second World War. He was named the Supreme Commander of NATO. He was then made President of Columbia University. After years of uniformed service, attaining the Rank of General of the Army (5 stars which technically cannot be retired), one would think such a contribution to his Country would be sufficient. But, Eisenhower became aware of the Draft Ike for President and seeing the public reaction, the former General decided he could become Supreme Commander for the Nation. A requirement of his campaign would be a visit to Korea, still gripped by hostilities in the on-going Korean War. So, President Eisenhower went to Korea. President Biden is now planning a trip to the border, the first of his Administration. But now he is showing an interest ? Now he is suddenly aware of the millions of illegal

  ( Plot Lines) AMERICA HELD HOSTAGE, DAY 2 NBC airs its three "Chicago" series, Chicago Fire , Chicago Med , and Chicago P.D. For its part, on Tuesdays, CBS airs what are called the FBI's. FBI. FBI International , and FBI Most Wanted . The new episodes aired yesterday were, in show order, about an about a kidnapping, an art theft, and a loose cannon child psychologist. Mundane plots that hold audiences to the tune of getting ranked in weekly Nielsons. However, this ready for Prime-Time image of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is the public persona of the agency. As has recently been revealed, however, the true function of the FBI has been its influence in politics. Namely its influence in the 2020 Election. It had been Bureau intervention that promoted the Trump-Russia collusion story. The firing of then Director Comey by President Trump was used to trigger the Mueller Investigations. Subsequently it was the continued contributions of his successors, their involveme

(America Held Hostage, Day One) These days, there are countless sources of "news." Beyond traditional print and aired media, there are additional countless sources off the Internet. That is today. Back in my day, however, there were the three broadcast networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC as well as mainstay print media of the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal to name the main papers. In any event, in 1979, the Iranian Revolution overthrew the Shah and then Iranian students seized the American Embassy and held its occupants for 444 days. As this would be the most significant news story, it was the leading item: " America Held Hostage, Day whatever," for ABC's World News Tonight , CBS' Evening News and NBC's Nightly News . That was for every night of the crisis and it persisted for the entire time until the hostages were released. Pope Benedict XVI just passed. His election as the Bishop of Rome was an involved process that require

(Constituents. . .) Public service should be exactly how it sounds, serving the public. Nominally, it is an honorable profession. These days, however, too many who have gone into such service, or more specifically politics, present themselves with their own agenda. Specifically, neglecting the public good for selfish aims. Two cases are coming to mind. One of those is Illinois Governor J.D. Pritzker who is promoting his version of criminal justice reform called the Illinois' "Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity Today (SAFE-T) Act" that went into effect yesterday. As Chicago is violent crime central, and SAFE-T can be seen as a further restriction on law enforcement, at the obvious expense of public safety. The other possible diversion from what some might consider the public good are those House Republican holdouts from supporting Congressman McCarthy for Speaker of the House. They, like Governor Pritsker, have their own aims and that does not include "Speak