The (Daily) Vent 2

(COME AND TAKE IT !) Defending the State of Texas is unlike the defense of any other part of the Border. The Lone Star State was itself once a Republic and spilled "Texian" blood against Mexico with battles such the Alamo, Goliad, and finally San Jacinto. At an early skirmish near the town of Gonzalez 1835, when a Mexican contingent advanced on the small Texas town seeking to acquire a six-pounder cannon but after a brief engagement, in which the Texians prevailed, a flag was crafted COME AND TAKE IT ! In 1835-36, Texas was under siege from Mexico and its Dictator for Life, Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana, who led his armies against the Alamo and then the massacre at Goliad before Sam Houston cornered him on the plains of San Jacinto and all but annihilated his force and, as the Mexican leader was forced to capitulate, Texas was granted its independence and was eventually made a State in 1845. Today, the State of Texas faces a war on two fronts. The legions of illegal migrants com

(Tough Crowd. . .) Writing this clear on the wall is called Graffiti. Iowa held its Lincoln Dinner event the other night, an opportunity for GOP candidates for President to make an appetence. Donald Trump was there. So was Mike Pense. Nikki Haley. And Will Hurd. Hurd, a former Texas Congressman and Central Intelligence officer, has emerged as a Trump critic and is the camp that is convinced that dominating the Republican Primary perhaps a straight line to the Nomination, but he still cannot win the General. Hurd attempted to present these facts to the Lincoln attendees but he was booed off the stage. Hurd's experience is emblematic of those within the GOP who are seeking to de-rail the former President because it is their shared conclusion that Trump will not ultimately prevail. That has been consensus of these Pages for some time now, but, and speaking of now, the President Biden who is slated to defeat Donald Trump, again, is not as formidable as one might have originally believe

( By The Numbers. . .) Everything has a quantity these days, There have been GDP numbers, inflation numbers, temperature numbers, instances where the Biden Administration "coerced" Facebook to censor certain American expressions and only a small percentage of Biden's renewal energy sources have been connected to the Grid, The Gross Domestic Product for the last quarter was at 2.1% annualized growth. That is a number that has been an improvement over recent reading but still significantly below the total domestic potential. Inflation was moderated some but that broader point is that these conditions have absolutely nothing to do with Bidenomics. These numbers, as anemic as they are, were achieved in spite of the President's program. Anyone who has seen a thermometer recently could tell that things are hot. Temperatures have either breached 100° or have come close. Heat advisories have been posted nationwide. And, as if on cue, leftist hysteria immediately blames climat

( Is The Truth Out There ?) Remember, the X- Files was cancelled. Twice. Since the so-called "Roswell Incident," where something "strange" crashed on a farm near the Roswall Army Airbase and when whatever it had been made an article in the local newspaper but, when the Base Public Affairs Officer, Captain Jesse Marchel presented the "wreckage," it was only a weather balloon. Since then, there has been a great mythology that has arisen over the whole UFO phenomenon, There has been an endless litany of government control, secret organizations like Majestic 12 and how all witnesses are silenced somehow. The old Fox science fiction show, X- Files . Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigate the "X-Files" for the FBI and Muder, an Oxford trained psychologist who saw his sister kidnapped by aliens. He and Scully uncovered a conspiracy led by the Cigarette Smoking Man, part of a global Cabel that meant to manage an alien

(Loose Juice ?) There was supposed to be an understanding. In Washington, certain people are to be protected and any and all malfeasance would be processed beyond what is normal jurisprudence. There are two tiers of Justice, there has to be. The record of Hunter Biden's activities over recent years when viewed objectively demonstrates an illegality in taxes and weapons that would mandate incarceration for most others. Biden Jr, by virtue of who his father is, however, is the special case and in that context, the Biden Justice Department crafted a plea deal, the wrist slap that had been described earlier. In a Delaware Courthouse yesterday, Hunter Biden presented himself in what he believed was to be a simple matter to plead guilty to two mis-demeanor charges. At least that had been the plan. The Judge in the case, Ms. Noreika, invalidated the agreement. The primary reason was that Hunter Biden was still under investigation. It is still a question as to whether Biden Jr. had acted a

( In Defense Of The United States ?) In 1981, just as Ronald Reagan was beginning his term as President, CBS' Dan Rather narrated a series called "The Defense of the United States" where the newsman profiled the state of the American armed services going into a new Administration and coming off the trauma of Vietnam and also in anticipation of Reagan's expected arms build up. Rather profiled the Soviet threat both at the strategic level and at the more tactical with the NATO/Warsaw Pact relationship. The question "In Defense of the United States" now is more problematic to answer. With the global situation as it is, the possibility of an escalation increasing. If American troops are deployed to theater, will this force be combat capable ? The answer here would not be obvious and there are several factors into the reasons for that. Why would recruitment be down for all Branches ? It would seem that the Pentagon, along with the rest of the government, has been

(Base Nature. . .) How many times will Democrats trick Republicans into the Briar Patch, like Brer Rabbit ? The GOP has been out-maneuvered on abortion and now are about to be conned into impeaching the President. Again, the question needs to be asked, The position of "Life" is central to a conservative ideology that most Republicans ascribe to. So, when abortion bans were made law in several states, as they were predicted to do, there was an electoral cost in the Mid-Terms.  Now, the Republican House is gearing up for impeaching President Biden. If one has the philosophy of Life where is one to go in the wake of damning testimony over the Biden Family racket. Remember, President Trump was impeached over a phone call to the Ukrainian President but what should the reaction be when it is becoming increasingly evident that the President was an active participant in various bribery allegations. Is this rising to so-called "high crimes and mis-demeanors" as listed in the

( Exposure Such As This. . .) It is an open question. Should Donald Trump participate in the upcoming GOP Debate set for August 23rd ? The polls all have him way ahead of the next Republican challenger so there is some thought that he should steer clear of the competition. Why risk exposure and some political damage if Trump interacts with the likes of Senator Scott. Governor Haley and all the other candidates that qualified to be on that stage. On the other hand, what would happen if Trump does appear ? Assuming he does not fall on his face like what happened at that 2020 debate with now President Biden, he could solidify his support among Republican faithful but is not the audience Trump would need to attract. Independents, women, and college educated people, would also be viewing the former President and how the other candidates fare. Trump needs to stop believing his will be a coronation to the Nomination. He to stop looking for endorsements from other GOP hitters and should keep h

(Just Being Honest ?) Who the Hell is Jason Aldean ? He is reputed to be a country music artist that just released a controversial and has been obscenely successful. Why ? Because the concept is something some people find objectionable. The hit in question and the video it came with, "Try That in a Small Town," showed news clips of recent violent events in Americas Big Cities, Aldean's point that the chaos in the likes from Chicago or New York and etc do not get replicated in a more rural setting. An inference can also be made and this is the source of the left's complaint is that large cities are run by Democrats whereas Republicans reside in those less urbanized precincts. This would be where one would find a Trump voter. As in other cases of this nature, the effect to cancel this Aldean single, by Country Music Television and others, all but guaranteed its rise to Number 1. The same thing happened to Married , With Children , back in the day which kept the show ai

(Re-Treat ? Hell !) After the U.S. declared war on the Central Powers in March, 1917, it the balance of that year and well into 1918 before the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) under John J. "Blackjack" Pershing, first saw combat on the Western Front. In the Battle of Belleau Wood, fought by U.S. Marines in early June, 1918, as the "Leathernecks" were being compressed, a French officer recommended a retreat. In response, a Marine  reportedly remarked, " Retreat hell , we just got here ." As one can guess, there is the budget battle between House Republicans and Senate Democrats, and of course, President Biden. The Senate wants to add another $13.4 billion in additional spending but the House position and those of its Members is set in concrete. If the previously agreed debt ceiling passed recently was the top, the House Republican Conference will be seeking to reduce outlays further, not any expansion. Now the way the story plays, there will be an impa

(Devouring Ones' Own. . . ) Aside from Neil Armstrong's triumphal landing on the Moon, July 20th is a date with a more sinister connotation. On that date in 1944, Adolf Hitler narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. At his East Prussian headquarters at the "Wolf's Lair," a German officer placed a bomb under the conference table. At the last moment, the bomb was moved behind an oak leg, shielding der Füehrer from most of the blast. His were probably ringing for the rest of the war. In the wake of this attempt, several officers committed suicide, like Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. Others were put on trial. These had been show trials in the best traditions of Stalinist Terror. The accused had no right to counsel or even the ability self defense. Those in the dock were harangued to the point of being exasperated. Like Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He was a witness on Capitol Hill before a sub-committee on the "Weaponization of the Federal Government." If one d

(Next Steps. . .) July 20th is generally known as the date when Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin landed on the Moon for Apollo  XI. Armstrong, as the first human on the lunar surface, had something to say and, after stepping off the LEM (Lunar Excursion Module) ladder, quoting, " that was small step for (a) Man, one giant leap for Mankind ." Now, some fifty four years later, there is a renewed American/European effort to return Humanity to Moon with the Artimis Program which would allow for considerably longer durations than the Apollo Missions. A next step after Armstrong took his first step in July 1969, so now Artimis seeks to write chapter two. Artimis is so much more advanced than Apollo had been. People got enamored with the Saturn V heavy lift vehicle but what is being termed the Space Launch System, more powerful than the venerable Saturn . These two Luner exploration programs have depended on the advancement of technology. Perhaps the most significa

(Learning Curves) Never thought it had been the end of the business. On the day when former President Trump could be indicted over the January 6th inquiries, two IRS whistle blowers came before the House Judiciary Committee, explaining how the activities of Hunter Biden is a much more serious affair, The President's son earned millions in income from various sources but the assessed liability is much less than would normally be true. That is why the cocaine investigation has its un-confirmed source, but it is not like that is any real mystery. Under the mandate of the Biden Administration, the Department of Justice has been to run interference for the Bidens. There were these two testimonials today and there are possibly more that have yet to be identified. So, what was said today on Capitol Hill is not necessarily new, but it is maintaining a trend as House Republican continue to unwrap Biden dealings with China and others. The Biden Administration has vertical integration. Instit

(More Players ?) To begin, the Administration can stop dis-avowing whose cocaine was found in the White House the other day. The Secret Service conducted a preformatory investigation and concluded ten days later t was stated the results were "in-conclusive." Nonsense. The owner of the substance in question is one of the protected in the White House so, naturally. the culprit could not be revealed. In any mathematics problem, the addition of a new variable can be problematic. Translating things into politics, every few Presidential cycles, with the main candidates so un-palatable to most people, a so-called third party candidate rises to prominence. Senator Joe Manchin is being discussed as one such contender, heading a group called "No Labels." Spoiler alert. Third party candidates have made the difference in the past. How many people think Vice President Al Gore could have won Florida over Texas Governor George W. Bush in 2000, except for Green Ralph Nader ? Or, ho

( In The Money. . .) The so-called Climate Tsar John "the sky is falling" Kerry, who does operate his own private jet, was before Congress the other day where he refused to call Chinese Premier Xi Jinping a "dictator." because he needs Beijing to engage in climate talks. Kerry is the latest Biden Administration official to travel to China and be embarrassed by the Chinese Communist Party. The Chinese have about as much interest in combating climate change as one would have an interest getting a painful medical procedure. Exactly what is John Kerry's Department ? How many people does he have ? What are they getting paid ? Whatever that answer. Kerry is doing God's work as evidenced by the large donations from the mega- contributors to Democrat candidates and causes. Over seventy million has been offered to Biden campaign coffers. By contrast, Republican front-runner, Donald Trump has only raised just twenty million, mostly from grass roots small amount donat

(Destroyer Of Worlds ?) The man who brought a second dawn. On July 16th, 1945, the first atomic bomb, code named Trinity , detonated with a yield of 21-25 kilotons. A spherical device, nicknamed the "Gadget," contained a plutonium core surrounded by a series of shaped charges, compressed the core inward to a point of super-criticality. Fission was initiated and there was a big explosion, the largest seen on earth to date. There were many who contributed to the success of Trinity but the one most perhaps most responsible is Dr. J Robert Oppenheimer who was made director of the Los Alanis Lab and who is the subject of an eponymously named picture, to be released this Friday. The road to Trinity was years in the making and it involved some of the most famous scientists of the age, including Albert Einstein and his E-mc ² that indicated that a little mass could be transformed to a lot of energy, which was the initial suggestion for an atomic bomb.  The impetus  had been the thre

(Alternative Energy. . .) No one can dispute the green focus of the Biden Administration. Just as many will say the effort has been excessive with the so-called "war on fossil fuels." The Administration is insisting on an energy transition regardless of whether it is required, or even desirable. Wind and solar have become the only acceptable source of energy generation but such measures barely create energy in the first place. That being said and speaking of energy, one should question the energy of the President. The condition of President Biden is becoming more apparent daily, both his cognitive and physical condition. There is concern among high ranking Democrats that of the President is not compromised now, by Election Day arrives a year next November, he surely would be. Maintaining the assumption that Biden would be fine if the GOP Nominee is Trump, and that continuers to appear likely, But what happens when Biden is removed for health, or for any other reason ? The fir

( Letting Grandpa Wander ?) There have been instances where an older gentleman, in advanced age exhibiting a non-awareness. Like showing up in public waring nothing but a bath-robe, or, perhaps more humorously, nothing at all Unfortunately, President made his appearance at the NATO Summit in the condition of an elderly gentlemen wearing either only a bathrobe, or, more humorously, nothing at all. It was a painful exercise to observe as Biden, supposed to be the most important leader in the group was barely aware of his surroundings. In fact, one can say that the President committed several errors in protocol, confusing the Ukrainian President for the Russian one. Knowing Biden and his cognitive issues, this last trip to the Alliance, while perhaps embarrassing, while this was an instance where Biden could have stayed home. But, since Secretary of State Blinken has not much to recommend either, the President's presence was required. And this could have gone down without incident had

(Seats At The Table) There he been a question for the past years. Why did Hunter Biden have a seat on the board of gas company Burisma and how did his father, then Vice President to President Obama, got the juice to all but demand how a Ukrainian Prosecutor gets dismissed "or no billion dollars" or words to that effect. The corruption was already evident and Burisma and the now President was there to provide cover from prosecution. Ukraine has always been corrupt but it is now eliciting sympathy because if the Russian invasion. Ukraine wants to join NATO. For President Bidem that would be a bridge too far. He is still sending weapons and over time the deadlier but he seems loath to provoke Vladimir Putin which Ukrainian membership in the Atlantic Alliance would perhaps instigate. That decision is curious with Russian, Putin's, troops on the ground. If Ukraine is not joining NATO, why is Sweden ? With sponsorship from Turkey, Sweden would be joining Norway as the countries

(Questions Of Biology) There was a time when a man could be a man and a woman a woman and that was called a good arrangement. On occasion, gender reversal procedures have been sought by individuals and there are various steps to said procedures.   Where one has to demur, however, is when one takes his own sex and attempts to interact in the activity of the other. That is the whole men, and they are men with all the physical attributes of men, which means they are able to outperform their female competition. In other words, they win. And at the collegiate level winning is everything. But, as final word, men should not run in women's sports. Tere is more biology that can be considered. As there are defined differences  between a man a woman, there also defined Presidential grandchildren. However, whenever sex becomes inconvenient biology, so blood can become inconvient politically. President Biden has seven grandchildren but because Hunter's daughter has become a liability for hi

( People Who Still Are. . .) In previous years on this day, July 10th, the so-called "Man who never was" had been the topic. This day is when the Allies went ashore on Sicily but to ensure that the operation, codenamed HUSKY , was no bloodbath, it had been preceded by Operation MINCEMEAT , among the most successful strategic deceptions of the whole war. The Germans were fooled into re-deploying some of their forces off Sicily into other parts of the Mediterranean Theater because a drowned British officer, "Major William Martin," was set put to sea with a briefcase of sensitive documents, placed by submarine off the Spanish town of Huelva. The body was recovered and the documents found their way to German intelligence, where they were  examined, and believed Allied intentions had been confirmed. Major Martin was interred in a Huelva crypt and buried with full military honors. Since the need for security has dissipated since the war, Major Martin has now been given hi

( Showing Respect ?) The term "kowtow" is Chinese in origin. In Imperial times, one would need to kowtow before the Emperor, generally a bow, to reflect the superiority of the Sovereign. However, the Peoples' Republic in 1903, doing away with any further need for the practice. Perhaps one should have briefed Treasury Secretary Yellin before, she kowtowed to a Chinese official, like she was acknowledging the superiority of the Sovereign. This was a violation of protocol but it is possible that the Secretary did not know better. She was in Beijing to discuss trade issues and climate change but she did seem to be acting from a position of strength, conferring her submission to the Chinese counterpart. Like the President, Mrs. Yellin is contributing to appeasing the Chinese Communist Party. When is anybody going to realize that the President, Secretaries Blanken and Yellin are doing nothing to advance the interests of this country, and doing the collective "kowtowing&quo

(Participation Trophies ) Nobody can ever have hurt feelings. In any human interaction, there are winners and losers. In any game of dodgeball, there are those that ejected early and those remaining fight it out to "last man standing." However, there is sympathy for those that get thrown out because the feelings might be hurt. So, to remedy that, the losers get trophies too. The objective truth is that some really suck at sports and these are the ones that perhaps should pursue a more cerebral interest. Like Chess. Chess always has a defined winner. It would be interesting to see how one who might be good at dodgeball would manage playing chess ? Participation by itself is sufficient and is worthy of some regard. Usually some token of esteem. But happens when one doesn't participate ? President Biden, who could have known there was cocaine in the White House, is selling Bidenomics (why the jobs report was so anemic last Friday). The White House is under federal injunctio

( Flying High Again ?) " Momma ' s gonna worry . ! He 's been a bad , bad , boy ." It has been confirmed that the white powder found in the White House West Wing was cocaine. Now, this would be no rounding of the usual suspects but if there is a likely candidate, these things best be left to the imagination. That being said, it would seem that the President could be on something himself as his recent behavior can be called into question. One can begin by defining "Bidenomics." Again. One would think that this would be a term of derision but the President is embracing the program as part is his re-election "strategy." Biden is apparently under the assumption that his policies are popular. And, honestly speaking, he in all likelihood believes it. Like he probably believes he actually did slash the deficit some $1.7 trillion, that he was able to whisper the other day. No such event took place. The re-curing theme of Bidenomics is the absence of any

(Mass Movements) It can be remarkable how history can re-peat itself. Today is July 5th and, aside of being the birthday of Huey Lewis, it is only slightly less known as the start date for the Battle of Kursk. In 1943, this climatic class of German and Soviet arms, the largest tank battle in history where thousand of machines lost, took place just east of the current Ukrainian theater. In fact, Kursk itself and the town of Belgorod to the south have been coming under artillery fire, though no casualties have been reported. If the war is being spread to the Kursk Oblast (district), what is that stating about facts on the ground ? While there has been no grand re-occupation of territory, Ukrainian actions is continuing to attrit the still larger Russian army, and, taking experience from 1943, where the Soviet position was organized as a defense in depth. Layers of mine fields, kill zones, and air superiority, the German panzers were channeled against these strong points and were worn dow

(Melting The Melting Pot ?) Happy Independence Day ! On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, in essence that the Thirteen Colonies had a right to become independent states from Great Britain. And that has been the case for the last 247 years. What followed the Declaration and as a governing document was the Articles of Confederation which proved ineffective as a central authority. In 1787, the Constitution was crafted and has been in place ever since. At least until now. It has become evident in recent years that elements in American society have determined that their goals cannot be met under the Constitutional frame-work and prefer instead an "administrative state," where un-elected bureaucrats are in charge of agencies that work to control aspects of life, like the EPA and so on. It had the administrative state that lost at the Supreme Court last week. Affirmative action and loan forgiveness, religious freedom were all

(Please, Cry For Me Argentina !) How vexing it must be to find out that a gender-studies degree from an elite Ivy League has proven not as markable as one might have been originally believed. But, the cost of such an education is pricy and if one is unable to work in the field, how would one be able to address the various loans and grants, amounting to thousands of dollars. However, if one could come and discharge said obligations, the financial heath of said individuals would be markedly improved. That is what the Biden Administration attempted with the Student Loan Foreverness, that was just struck down by the Supreme Court.             What is the re-course to all those who will have to re-start paying interest of the loan come October ?  But the President is anticipating some kind of end run. No longer is the Supreme Court the ultimate arbiter of American jurisprudence. If a ruling is not popular, one can ignore it. Biden, who has been saying that SCOTUS is not normal and had mis-i

( Sunshine & Rainbows) One can start today with a possible "Clash of the Titans," a cage match between Meta/Facebook's Mark Zuckerburg, and Tesla/Twitter's Elon Musk. If it gets held inside the Flavian Amphitheater, or the Colosseum in Rome, at would surely be a pay-per-view event. It would be a media spectacle and could raise millions for charity. So, while there may be blood on the Colosseum floor for the first-time since gladiators faced each other in combat, odds being taken on who will prevail, and the world will be made whole. The whole thing is a gimmick. Gimmicks are that around today. The Biden Administration has been a collection of gimmicks. The latest  one is what is being called "Sunlight Modification Program." The theory is that blocking sunlight would assist in combating climate change. A series of aerosols would be introduced into the atmosphere that would cool the planet. If the story sounds familiar, it is the plot to Snowpiercer . Faci

(Dissention In The Ranks ?) In the wake of recent Supreme Court decisions that reflected the High Court's conservative Majority, President Biden made the claim that the Court was "not normal." How would he know ? He knows how the system works and the other guy was able to put his people in there first. Trump's time in Office allowed him to seat three picked jurists to sit on the Bench. But the President had his choice and the sitting Associate Jackson is proof of that. However and this was mentioned yesterday, Ms. Jackson, all due respect, is a "checked box." People get nominated to the Supreme Court because there is some judicial quality that would serve the county well in collective jurisprudence but Jackson, despite having a legal background and was a judge herself, her career has been less about the law and more about her social activism. Now, the nine Justices at SCOTUS are supposed to be an elite gathering as the most pre-eminent lawyers in the nation,