The (Daily) Vent 2

( Baking Bread. . .) Under certain circumstances, the phrase is "breaking" bread to indicate an accommodation of some sort. That is what Speaker McCarthy and President Biden secured with the recent debt ceiling talks. The real test, however, was going to be whether the Legislation would pass Congress. And, as one thought they would, the more "conservative" members of the GOP Conference, Freedom Caucus and so on, Republican members of the Rules' Committee, have stated opposition to the Bill's passage out of the House. There is the saying how half a loaf of bread is better than no bread at all. That would depend on the bread. The question that Republicans need to ask themselves is what they are willing to assent in order to secure the only debt negotiation in play, Does the deal attain the entire ambition of the Conference ? Obviously not but some would say it can be a positive step. Or, it could be a disaster. It is easy to back something if it at least gives

( But To God. . .) Could the "real" Memorial Day please stand ? A few weeks ago, there was some confusion on the dates and such was indicated at the time. In any event, today is recognized as Memorial Day and while it is appropriate to get beer and BBQ, the occasional swim. But it is no accident that the day is called "Memorial." How easy it is for some to just see this as a three day weekend ? The beer, the BBQ, the swim and that is the extent of their participation. How easy it is to forget the sacrifice. That that beer, BBQ, and swim has actually been bought and paid for by the blood of others, the real reason for Memorial Day. Which begs the question, why would there be a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ? The Tomb lies as a part of Arlington National Cemetary across the Potomac in Virginia. The internment contains the remains of Fallen "Known But to God." Normally a Headstone is available but the "unknown" cannot receive that acclaim, the individ

('72 Pinto For Sale) The Ford Pinto was an economy car that had been designed in wake of the 1973 OPEC embargo. The Pinto was compact and did not have a very big fuel tank so the shock at the pump was not as severe. That being said, the Pinto tank as placed to the real of the vehicle so it was possible and did actually happen on certain occasions where any rear impact to the car could set off the fuel tank. Contrary  to what had been predicted yesterday, House Republicans and the White House, namely Speaker McCarthy and President Biden. The actual increase in the ceiling will not occur till 2025, after the next election. In the meantime there will be no tax increases, non-defense discretionary will be held to 1% annually while Defense itself would get a 3% bump. Now either what has been proposed this is an accord that can restore fiscal sanity, or, has he just hit the rear of a '72 Pinto ? Acclaim of the "deal" is far from universal and the conservative Freedom Ca

( Expecting The Expected) Coming as no surprise. One can have all the optimism there is but when two sides are in-tractable, only the illusion of progress can be attained. A Jewish-Palestinian problem can be seen as a minor territorial dispute compared to the open warfare now being waged by Democrats and Republicans over the debt ceiling. Republicans want a work requirement added and did want permitting reform. That stipulation has been withdrawn but Democrats seem staunchly opposed to adding so-called "work fare" as a condition for government aid. Opposing work fare, however, is only the excuse. Democrats cannot accept stricter employment rules any more than Republicans could accept tax hikes but that is the fundamental dis-parity and why any such accommodation between the two sides. That being said, both sides, Democrat and Republican, have to be willing to accept default, at least on paper. The question is who will get blamed ? The House GOP passed the initiating legislat

(Global Box Office) The "Fast & Furious" franchise latest release, Fast X is about to be released, if it is not in theaters already. After its run, domestic and international, and what will be coming from streaming services, the end total could be in excess of several hundred million dollars. That is unless the movie bombs. People have been watching Vin Diesel take a 10 second car a quarter mile at a time since 2001. Is there still enough gas in this tank for another blockbuster ? Time will tell. The other "attraction" is how the newly emerged Trump-DeSantis dynamic. Like Fast X, there will be a domestic haul. But what will be the global tally ? How will Beijing. Moscow, or Tehran view what are in essence the two top Republican contenders to be the GOP Nominee, and then, perhaps, President. Now, the possibility exists that President Biden will prove less viable as time goes on, these foreign competitors, will need to decide who will be their preference to man

(Sticking The Kick-Off ?) When one makes an announcement that he or she is running for President, it is preferred the event be without controversy, That being said, in retrospect it was probably a bad idea for Governor DeSantis to attempt his debut  on Twitter. The Governor would invariably be a draw and the traffic would be extensive. Too extensive in fact that the Network crashed. It is understandable because all forum participants tried to see the Musk-DeSantis exchange off of small screen smart phones. Fortunately, there was an appearance on Fox News with Trey Gowdy, where the Governor was able to do on basic cable what he could not really do on Twitter. The DeSantis formal declaration of his candidacy removes months of speculation as to whether he would take the plunge. Almost immediately, the Governor has acquired support from formerly Trump allies. While Trump is still maintaining a commanding lead, in the back-ground a realization is materializing that current numbers notwithst

( Back In The Day,. . .) It has previously been the argument all world events in the 20th Century can be traced to the two bullets that Serb radical, Gavrilo Princip discharged into Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Heir of the Austro-Hungarian Throne, the event that precipitated the onset of the First World War. That sentiment has since been amended to look at an earlier event that had as much an effect in fostering the initiation of hostilities in 1914 as Princip's bullets. The reason that an assassination in Sarajevo expanded into the "war to end all wars" was the mobilization of Russia, to come to Serbia's age and then the dominos fell. What was Moscow's motivation to intervene in such a manner ?  In the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, Russia was embarrassed by the Japanese. They lost the outpost of Port Arthur and Russian armies were progressively driven north till they were expelled from the Lao-dong Peninsula. The War was ended when both sides were exhausted t

 (Who Pays Who ?) Traditionally, law enforcement has been portrayed in entertainment media in a positive light, Adam 12, Barney Miller , Dragnet , Law & Order and so on. Unfortunately, there have been several incidents between law enforcement and the minority community. These interactions, which resulted in the deaths of some African-American individuals, created a mythology between police and minority communities that engendered a "defund the police movement." There has been riots and loss of life and destruction of private property and a series of crime spikes in Democrat-run cities as it became politically desirable to constrain local police departments. Such initiatives have been promoted by urban Democrats who have their own agenda. But what about Republicans ? In dealing with the corruption in the FBI, national GOP can blame the agency for exceeding its mandate. The J. Edgar Hoover Building has become a rogues' gallery, In years, however, it was thought neces

Originally  composed 5-22 ( No Points For 2nd Place) Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) just announced his Candacy to be President of the United States. He will be joining former President Donald Trump, former U.N. Ambassador and former  Governor of the Palmetto State, and Vivek Ramaswami. While Scott begins his race with significant funding, his polling position is little better than the other "also runs" that have yet to escape single digits. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is set to formally declare next week. of course, the Elephant in the room, pun intended, continues to be Donald Trump who, if one is to believe a Real Clear Politics Average, is up by 31%+. In recent weeks, there have been a series of events that have fostered the former President. From the indictment in New York to the release of the Durham Report, where Trump's intimations about the FBI and the Justice Department have been confirmed. However, what is developing is all Republican contenders that will not be Tru

(Avoiding Responsibility ?) Pontios Pilate washed his hands over something. But President Biden cannot wash his hands of the Debt Ceiling. Nor, can he pretend that the House, filled with MAGA Republicans as is Biden's constant complaint, did not fulfill its legislative function and produced a Bill. As mentioned before, once the legislation was drafted, all movement would have to come from Biden. A "refusal to move," as the President has indicated, is not an option, if avoiding a debt default is still the goal. So, if the first of June passes without some accord, and the technical definition for default is met, there will consequences, at least in the short term. But to concede at this point would prove as political suicide but that being said, the one who will receive the blame will be the President. House Republicans, MAGA or not, have set forth a blue-print for restoring fiscal sanity with the government and now, because the President finds some of the House terms onero

(Gee Whiz ?) Happy Memorial Day ! This is one of the rare moments where homage is paid to the U.S. Armed Services, and what collective contribution they have made in the protection of this country. The ones who answered that call to the Colors and those who gave that Last Full Measure are memorialized today and appropriately so. In any event, the G-7 Economic Conference has been convened in Hiroshima of all places. Like a Phoenix rising from ashes, the Japanese metropolis has risen to where now it has become a location where the seven largest global economies, minus China and Russia naturally, to discuss trade and other matters regarding their unique set of international relations. But the G-7 is an arbitrary number because China's economy is second only to that of the U.S. Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan comprise the balance of this Bloc and, truth be told, and collectively, their own economic output is twice the size of the Peoples' Republic. The difference

( Mandatory Retirement Age ? It is a well-known fact that those serving in the Armed Services must retire by a certain age. Depending on the individual, such discharges might seem arbitrary and in other cases, the release in question could be justified. What about politicians who either by age or some other medical condition, are not able to fulfill terms of Office ? Two Senators, both Democrats whose recent performance on Capitol Hill has proven problematic. Senator Dinan Feinstein  (D-CA) and Senator Jon Fetterman (D-PA) both have been "absent" from what has been the central role as legislators, their floor vote. Now, Senator Feinstein has been an institution. She has served with distinction and has been a voice for California since the beginning. That being said, however, Feinstein's' long tenure has had the effect of being placed behind the times. While she has always been a reliable Democrat vote, she has also been known to reach across the Aisle. Feinstein has b

(Must See TV ?) When events occur, more often than not, a "commission" gets convened. The so-called 9/11 Commission was less of an investigation into how some 19 Muslim terrorists hijacked the planes thy did, what happened with their use, and more how former officials from the Clinton Administration, in office as the al Queda plot was developed, supplied, training of the principals and finally the execution. So, when these former officials sat on that panel, their main motivation was to keep their Administration from too much embarrassment because it had been the accumulation of failure of the Clinton tenure. In any event, Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) chaired a Judiciary Committee hearing today to hear testimony from several FBI "whistle blowers." These individuals could re-count first hand what has been called "politicized rot." Democrats on the Committee seem to object because what today's Hearing did in the end was to confirm that the political Bu

(The Big Picture. . .) The History of political tricks in Washington is as old as the Republic itself. Perhaps the most infamous, at least for the moment, is the Watergate scandal. A burglary of Democrat Headquarters, housed at the time in the Watergate Hotel, and the subsequent investigation revealed Nixon White House involvement with aids and attorney's contributing to the break-in itself and its attempted concealment. The affair eventually forced President Nixon to resign. Now, a generation or so later, these same elements within Deep State Washington, the FBI, he CIA, the Justice Department, all acting on the impetus of the Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign, colluded in the effort to recon the Trump Campaign by insisting that the GOP Nominee at the time had links to Russia and, after Trump was elected President, re-doubled the efforts to keep him a one term. All of this is in the Durham Report that basically chronicled a mythology that President Trump was all but a stooge f

( No Static At All. . .) A quick word about the Durham Report. In a word, the report, while scathing to the FBI and the Justice Department, what is lost is the reason for the indicted behavior. Durham revealed that, going all the way back to the Clinton Campaign, measures were introduced to tie the Trump Campaign and then his Administration with the intention of hobbling it by exposing Trump ties to Russia. The infamous Steele dossier was composed for just such a purpose. The participants named this group of activities "Crossfire Hurricane," a lyric from the Rolling Stones  classic "Jumpin' Jack Flash." That being said, there was no truth in the Trump collusion story and no one really believed it to begin with. But a narrative had to be crafted that could damage the man who would be President. That man is no longer President in no short contribution from the FBI, who had their orders, from the Clinton Campaign. Anyhow and speaking of Rolling Stones . the Magazin

(Priorities . . .) Killing people and breaking things. That would be the job description for anybody who goes into the Armed Forces. At least, that is the description when troops are deployed to combat. Before committing to such an engagement, however, extensive training is required. There are sites across the country, so called "forts" that specialize in that training. For the infantry. the ordinary foot soldier, his and her instruction takes place at Fort Benning, Georgia.. If one wants more protection and enlists in the Armor, he and she would train in Fort Hood, Texas. Some supplemental armor war games are played out at Fort Irwin, California. The training organization in the Army Department is the Training and Doctrine Command. It is this echelon that makes infantry from Benning. armor from Hood and Irwin, combat proficient. So. when the National Command Authority orders American forces into harms' way, one can hope the appropriate level of training has been instille

( Shadow Players) Millions of people enjoyed Tom Clancy novels, and his main protagonist, Jack Ryan. Ryan, while working with the CIA and eventually rising to Deputy Director of Intelligence (DDI) had a storied career at Langley, among the more significant was the securing of Soviet ballistic missile submarine Red October , with its unique and virtually silent propulsion  system. Later, Ryan arranged foe the defection of no less than the Chairman of the KGB at the time. Finally, when special forces teams were inserted into Columbia and were left there by higher authorities, it was Ryan that arranged for their extraction. Then, by odd political fortune, Ryan was named National Security Adviser and was able be calming voice when, after a terrorist detonated a nuclear weapon in Denver, and he was made President himself when his predecessor was killed when a vengeful Japanese pilot flew his 747 into the Capitol building and killing most inside. In any event, the Jack Ryan CIA was a noble o

(Not One Red Cent !) Usually, this phrase indicates an absolute refusal to broker nonsense, or, more colloquially put, does not stand for (expletive deleted). There has been a lot of (expletive deleted) going on. Be it reparations in California, or President Biden's new rules for power plants, but no rules for the border. And, as his idiocy abounds, so-called Climate Tsar. John Kerry, is seeing fit to wage war on American agriculture. Collectively, these ideas are absurd. Perhaps not more so than reparations in California. One can object to the concept out of principle. It has been reveled that my family is from the South. One ancestor was a Creek Indian chief and another was a Colonel with Alabama during the Civil War. And, a few of these ancestors owned slaves. Now, their actions then are not the responsibility now. And, so much of the Golden State proposal does not make sense. California was not a slave state. But, on the encouragement of Governor Gavin Newsome, ever present rac

(Selling Sanctuary. . .) To begin, one can say a word about the CNN town hall with former President Donald Trump. The gathering was meant to be "trap" of sorts where Trump was to be goaded into hysteria with accusations about that January 6th, or his persistence with the so-called "Big Lie." None of that happened and, because it apparently did not, consternation has arisen in certain media circles that the Trump appearance was a mistake to air in the first place. Showing Biden's predecessor in such a measured manner, a feat the current President would be unable to master. That being said, however, it must be remembered that the election of Joe Biden was the explicit repudiation of Trump and, while the border crisis is only escalating and Biden finances are coming under increasing scrutiny, Donald Trump will not be returning to the White House, regardless of how many times he goes on CNN. As that audience is limited to begin with, while the Town Hall was a rating

(Word Salad Bar) Noah would have better luck stopping the Flood. Come Midnight, Title 42 officially expires and all the pent up demand south will move north in the tens of thousands. What border patrol there is will be overwhelmed in short order. As a consequence, the President has authorized the mass release into the interior. The process is called "parole" and is utilized when there is an overwhelming number of people to process and the expedient thing to do would be catch and release on a massive scale. The President has promised chaos and that is apparently what is being delivered. People are to be re-assured by the fact that Biden has said that the border will be chaotic. It would have been better had the surge had not happened in the first place. But, "in the fullness of time," Biden and Democrats will have their motivations clear. The phrase "fullness of time" had been used by the Vice President in one of her so-called word salad speeches. But it wi

( Assault On The Low Countries) People are generally familiar with the fact that Hitler wrote a book, Mein Kampf , or "My Struggle." In what some have said was a rambling piece of low literature, the one who would name himself der F ührer ,  had been able to manipulate conditions in Post WWI Germany to first become German Chancellor before adopting the title of "Leader." With precepts from his book like lebensraum , or living space, Hitler took Germany to war in 1939 with the invasion of Poland. It was on May 10th, 1940, however, that Hitler turned West. In a campaign that lasted mere weeks, Holland, Belgium, and ultimately Frace itself fell in succession to the German blitzkrieg . President Joe Biden has never crystalized his thoughts in a book but, like Hitler, has a set of beliefs and when one speaks of assaulting the "low countries," in stead of Holland, Belgium, or France, it has been the American people who have had to deal So much more could have be

(Drafted As A Pastry Chef. . .) There was an episode of M*A*S*H called "The Lidocaine Mutiny." Basically, with an active day in the O.R. the staff, surgeons included, were overwhelmed. The one in "charge" was Major Frank Burns and if anyone is familiar with the show, Burns was the empty gown. In any event, Hawkeye Pierce had to take charge and dosed Burns with lidocaine. Burns brought charges if  mutiny but in the hearing, Pierce was exonerated, When Burns queried of his own medical qualifications, he was told that, had he not been drafted as a surgeon, he would have as a pastry chef. The same can be said for Joe Biden. Had he not been elected Senator, and then made President, he would have been in a bakery making donuts. So, the pastry has two problems today, raising the debt ceiling and making the border less chaotic. The President is failing on both counts. The U.S. is set to reach its debt "limit: the first of next month. That is not to say that the governm

(Reflections. . .) One can say, days after the Coronation of King Charles III (God Save His Majesty) that the United Kingdom could have combined ceremonies had His Majesty waited till today, May 8thm V-E (Victory in Europe) Day, A Coronation and a Commemoration on the same day ? In any event, however, King Charles went first and is today in the light of his grandfather, George VI, who had been on Buckingham's balcony with Prime  Minister Churchill. That being said, this not V-E Day for the Biden Administration. The President's approval rating is at 36%. New polls have him actually trailing Donald Trump. The floodgates at then border are about to open. But what seems to be important to Biden is a new ban on dishwashers. In concert with New York Governor Hochul, who has proven just as much of a believer as the President. In addition to the introduction of dishwashers, that don't really wash dishes, a new commuting  "tax" is about to levied against New Yorkers, or,

( A Gift For Under-Stating Things) One can say that the Eisenhower Administration was composed of white bread and mayonnaise. As President, he did not need all the excitement because he had enough of that when he was Supreme Allied Commander for the European Theater of Operations during the Second World War. On May 7th, 1945, 78 years ago, his command, Supreme Headquarters, Allies Expeditionary Force, concluded the un-conditional surrender of the German High Command in Reims. Now, one would think that the end of the War in Europe would call for some great declarative statements as to the significance of the event. Members of Eisenhower's staff struggled to find something profound but the Supreme Commander opted for this simple press release: " The mission of this Allied force was completed at 0247 Hours local time ." That's it ? The most destructive conflict of all time and Eisenhower was content with Mission Accomplished. Whatever. But the Genral's actions are in

(Compelling Television) Eventful day. Today is the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby. Today also happens to be the Coronation of his, now Royal Highness, King Charles III. Both events are similar in the fact that the events themselves are preceded by hours of lead time. The actual running of the horses is set for early evening but before that there endless equine punditry, laying the odds for the various horses until the jockeys mount and maneuver into the gate, And then, they're off. When he had retired for last evening, that was the last 24 hours where King Charles was still "Prince" Charles. Like the Kentucky Derby, Charles' actual Coronation, placing the Crown on his head, a procedure that takes a couple of minutes at best. The Kentucky Derby is a social event, Men don their southern best and women are in those huge hats. The race in the Kentucy Derby is only the excuse to main-line mint julips for a day. Or a Kentucky bourbon. This is the heart of the Bluegrass

( Tequila !) Welcome to Cinco de Mayo, or, for all the Gringos out there, May Fifth, A common theme in this most important of holidays is sometimes the acquisition and excessive use of Tequila. Literally, "shots heard around the world !"  Mrs. Biden could refer to all those "breakfast tacos" she talked about in San Antonio no less, to get an idea as to how people can live. And that is what people are doing it independent of what Biden wants with EVs, or gas stoves, air conditionings, and everything else that Biden thinks he needs to restrict. If were only him, things might be that bad but Biden is point in ideologically driven environmental cult that is colliding with practicality. Case in point is the new gas stove restriction. Not wanting to not virtue signal with the President, New York Governor, Cathy Hochul, has said that new buildings would need an electric only, no gas, and retrofitting structures already in place. In time, Sparks Steak House will be known f

( "Big Indian By Freeway") People buy cars in San Antonio like everywhere else. San Antonio dealerships have become known as municipal institutions with owners being some of the most prominent city residents. One of these had been Red McComb. McComb has been in the car business for decades and, at one time, owned the San Antonio Spurs . Back in the day, Red McComb sold Pontiacs at his ship Superior Pontiacs. As a marketing tool, McComb had a huge statue of a "Pontiac," an Indian. Unfortunately, General Motors dis-continued the Pontiac. It also did away with Oldsmobile for that matter. One can say all one wants about market  research but to bring to an end, cars that had been mainstays for generations speaks volumes as to the value one places on institutions. Red McComb passed some time ago but his dealership remains, only now, instead of Superior Pontiacs, the dealership sells Hyundais. Is a Korean model the only option to sell at a San Antonio dealership ? Red McCo

( NOTICE: NON-OPPOSED INVASION) Level 42 had been a British pop band that had been active in the '80's and charted a couple of hits. Title 42 , on the other hand had been a Trump-era program that allow the government to deport individuals based in a prospective health risk during the pandemic. Now that covid has been dissipating and Trump is no longer in Office, the decision was made by the Biden Administration to remove the last impediment to what would become a frontier with virtually no resistance to transit. When the order finally expires later this month, a flood of humanity, perhaps many thousands in active sectors of the border. Was this result not predicted ? An open border could have only had this outcome. That being said, as the final day approaches, the Administration is realizing that it is getting what it had asked for, though possibly not to this extent. In any event, the government is deploying some 1,500 troops to assist in the Customs and Border Patrol and wha

( Sucker Play) Sometimes, people get rolled like a cigarette. Or a Tootsie. Or, if one is a Republican. The GOP can never seem to avoid obvious pitfalls that are placed in its way. The simple reason is that Republicans are gullible. Theirs is the remarkable gift to transform what would be a victory under normal circumstances only to see the fortune reversed. The leaker of the Dobbs Abortion decision is finally known, at least to the Supreme Court with Justice Alito running point. However, this was no random release of classified information. There was to be a predictable Republican reaction after Dobbs was made Law of the Land. Across the country, Republican state legislatures fell over themselves, crafting abortion bans of this or that nature, of this or that duration. But when the state voted on these measures, there was hardly a groundswell of support. In fact, one can point to the GOP reaction to Dobbs that tended to temper its prospective its Mid-Term fortunes. By the same token,

(Demon Love Child) Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel,)  has said he lives life a "quarter mile at a time." The same thing could be of Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), ex-cop, ex-Fed and Toretto nemesis until he married his sister Mia and had a family with her. Over ten feature films of the Fast & Furious universe, Toretto went from an illegal street racer in L.A. to being made an international trouble-shooter. And he had cars, Lots and lots of cars, American muscle for the most part. Also, over the years, Toretto had accumulated a crew of similarly hot drivers as well as other skills. Once such expert is "Teg (Chris Ludacris" Bridges)," who was the techno-guy and an engineer. Custom cars are the mainstay of the franchise and a Dodge Challenger (more of this classic have probably been wrecked in these ten movies than had been produced to begin with.)  In any event, one such Dodge had to go off a mountain but the car had been  equipped with a "Demon Love C