The (Daily) Vent 2

(Chill Pills) When the Titanic sank, one of the recommendations in the aftermath was to have the U.S. Coast Guard to monitor the ice conditions in the North Atlantic and warn any traffic sailing into the affected regions. It also was not uncommon, assuming the berg was big enough, to step on and cut a piece to cool off a beverage, The same thing could be done in Greenland or the Antarctic, cleaving pieces of ice to put into a drink. Home Economics personality Martha  Stewert was seen enjoying a cocktail, chilled with piece of glacial ice. And, for some reason, some people freaked.  Ice is ice and whether it comes from a Greenland glacier or an ice machine in a freezer. The goal is a cold drink. Another one who take a chill pill is perhaps Tucker Carlson. The former Fox News personality has gone on to Twitter/X and gave an interview to former President Trump the same night as the Republican Debate, but the sit-down garnered perhaps as many as 100 million views.  A qu...

(Re-tirement Home) It can be a mark of leadership when a leader in advanced age has the wisdom to step aside. the Roman Emperor Nerva had been a consensus choice in the aftermath of the death of Emperor Nero and the political chaos that followed. Nerva was aged himself and was content to serve only two years as Emperor. He did nominate a successor and made him his heir, the one who would become known as the Emperor Trajan.  There are today many politicians that are old like Nerva and like the Roman Emperor, should perhaps step aside. President Biden has been a clear example for some time. Also, Senate Republican Leader, Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is having cognitive issues of his own, seemingly freezing while speaking. The Senator did have a fall some time ago so that be a contributing factor. Senator Diane Feinstein is also in advanced years and is having difficulty. That being said, removing any of these individuals from Office would have profound political c...

(Case BLUE) In the German Ostheer (Eastern Army) in 1942, its southern formations, Army Group South, was further divided into two Army Groups, A and B which was further divided into four army level headquarters. Army Group A included the Seventeenth Army that was an infantry formation that had tanks and the First Panzer Army that was an armored formation that marched infantry. Army Group B included the German Sixth and Fourth Panzer Armies. On this date in 1942, as a part of the second year of the German of the Sovirt Union. The German plan had been to send Army Group A into the Caucuses Mountains but Army Group B was ordered to the Volga and the seizure of Stalingrad.  Now, one generally is aware of the ultimate outcome. In November, the Soviets counter-attacked and eviscerated Axis forces in the bend of the Don River and encircled the Sixth Army till it was destroyed by early 1943. The efforts to relieve Sixth Army were complicated as available...

( Getting Rolled. . .) In an ignominious display, several climate protesters who were blocking a highway to the Burning Man festival of all things, backing up cars for miles. In any event, they were removed with some force by Nevada Rangers. Big white pick-up trucks crashed the demonstration and place several members in cuffs. The  activists complained loudly. They were protesting on behalf of the environment. They were non-violent. But, they had been something else. They were blocking the way. One can ask those on that Silver State highway what happened at Maui and was it climate change ? In reality, it was a bad live line that arced in high wind and sparked the blaze and bad subsequent executive  decisions made things worse. President Biden had declared the pandemic over but is now "concerned" over some new covid variant so one needs to get another booster and put those masks back on.  And social distance. of course. The absurdity of the idea is appa...

(Making One Drink. . .) One can look at "suggestions" from the Biden Administration with a sense of dread. Of all the useless positions, like the Vice President, there is something called the Alcohol Tsar by the name of George Koob (the Boob ?) says Americans need to follow Canada's example and limit alcohol consumption to two beers, a week. That is insane. The Boob is right in that there has been an increase in drinking but Koob has to know that two beers won't do anything. People will have trouble with only two beers an hour much less limit to a whole week. And, if one is only drinking beer, they are not doing it right. One will readily need a bourbon, at least 80 ° but the money shot would still be a Kentucky Straight, 101 °. That is one to take the edge off and when done right, feel no pain. But why is there pain ? The consensus has been the effect of Bidenomics and how it has been a failure and has placed stress in peoples' lives. Hence the coping mechanisms....

( Bit Players ?) What a cast of characters. Of the eight Republican contenders, former South Carolina Governor and U.N. Ambassador, Nikki Haley. She was one of the candidates that pundit opinion suggested excelled the other night. Aside from schooling Vivek Ramashawi in foreign policy. Haley also made the admonition that Mr. Biden might not make it to term and in that eventuality, Vice President Kamala Harris would be elevated. While there may be waning confidence in the President, there is none in the VEEP. Ms. Harris has been a fish out of water since day one and is only in Office because she checked all boxes. That being said, the Vice President has been the least visible executive in the Biden Administration. She was named Tsar over the border, the one that has been in a stare of collapse. What has the Vice  President done for the American manned space program. The Vice President has a known communication problem. with constant preparations of word salads. Having a Pr...

( Decision Point) When things get tallied, former President Donald Trump will have had millions of dollars in legal fees. It is a good thing that his "mugshot" is selling so well that he could convert the merchandising rights to his likeness to assume the whole obligation. That being said, a second Trump non-consecutive term, if it were to happen, could prove the most significant political event in history. Indeed, there seems to be some anticipation of that very fact. Canada is "planning" for the U.S. to make a far-right turn. should Trump win again and the GOP is returned to Congress with Majority numbers. In any event, fast forward to what was just recently un-thinkable, Donald Trump gets elected the 47th President of the United States. One of the things Trump has promised is to end the Ukraine War. That eventuality is still months away and the formality of winning in 2024 still needs to be done. Til then, the war will continue and recent analysis would seem ...

( Should He Have Smiled ?) Here is the shot of the former President when he was processed at that Georgia jail. Trump here is looking defiant and determined. In his mind, he still did nothing wrong, save for questioning the results of an election he had to lose. Donald Trump probably did not break the law, but he has proven impolitic when facing his opposition. The four jurisdictions that are charging the former President is speaking volumes in that these various trials are seen as what is required to compromise the GOP frontrunner. But from the beginning, the deck had to be stacked and Trump will be facing the same Democrat infrastructure that had been successful in installing President Biden. It has been remarked in corners that for Trump to prevail next year, the millions of voters that left him last time would have to come back, a problematic proposition. That is missing the broader issue. Trump has been complaining of election interference and that is exactly what it is because it...

(Wimmers & Losers) Was there a debate last night ? That's right. Seven Republican candidates for President stood on stage in a Fox News event in Milwaukee. Despite of his absence, former President Donald Trump has emerged the winner as none of the debate participants were able to deliver any comment that would persuade Trump to alter his trajectory (Trump gave an interview to Tucker Carlson that apparently garnered two-hundred million views) That being said, however, the people who were there were substantive in their remarks. There has been post-event analysis all day. The obvious theme was President Biden and how Bidenomics has been a failure, the President's appreciation notwithstanding. The whole spectrum of Biden and his term and what each candidate would do in response. If one were to decide who did best, Govenor DeSantis probably had the best performance, followed by Haley, and maybe Ramaswamy, though Haley took him to task over his lack of foreign af...

( Tiberius Back At Capri. . .) The one quality of Rome's transition from Republic to Empire was the tendency for individuals, military and political, to gain power. Rome's expansion from Italy occurred in stages. After the defeat of Carthage in three Punic Wars, Rome absorbed her territories in Africa and Hispania (Spain), To the east were the successor Hellenistic kingdoms, remnants of the empire of Alexander the Great, that put Rome in possession of Greece, Anatolia. the Levant, and even Egypt. Any look at a map of the Mediterranean and one can see what the Roman domain encompassed, As a practical matter, what was the Roman Empire could not be governed by popular consent. The Senate could be kept in office, consuls would be elected, but what was required, what Julius Caesar aspired to before his assassination, was Dictator for Life. Caesar's adopted son, Octavian, after his triumph over Mark Antony and Cleopatra, adopted the title imperator and the name, Augustus. August...

( Cost-Benefit Analysis) One must remember that, of all things, Donald Trump has always been a businessman. He had been a real estate mogul with his name on casinos, hotels, golf courses, and residential towers. Because of name recognition, NBC put the developer with his own reality TV show called The Apprentice that ran for 15 seasons. It had been a highly successful program. Then Donald Trump ran for President, which no one took seriously, but he won. Then came the pandemic, the 2020 Election, and with the various rule changes and voting gimmicks, Big Media, Big Money, and Big Tech were able to elevate Vice President Biden, who apparently was clueless at Maui when he visited briefly, to the White House. But Donald Trump wants another shot. Millions of his supporters would give it to him. His immediate question, however, is whether he should participate in tomorrow's Republican Debate ? In other words, what is the cost-benefit for Trump to actually make an appearanc...

(Insurance Scams) President Biden is set to finally visit what is left of fire-ravaged Maui. It should be mentioned that Biden is interrupting his vacation, but he has one more  destination when he jets to Reno. Here today and gone tomorrow, leaving a ruined Paradice. The rebuilding of Maui will be generations in the process. And, at this time, the possibility is emerging that some water was not utilized because of "equity" concerns, part of Hawaii's own green policies and encouraged by Biden's green agenda. In any event, the insurance costs for restoring the entire west of the island will be astronomical. President Biden bares some responsibility for Maui. He is like the owner of a mansion that got over-extended and could no longer make payments. But, before the "bank" takes position of the property, he sells pieces pre-emptively, or, in this case, the remaining materials left in the sun that would otherwise have been part of the border wall. The Senate pas...

(Target Fixation) It can be a common occurrence when one gets focused on something so intently that the outside world ceases to exist. Before the advent of social media, or for that matter, cable, people would occupy themselves what used to be called soap operas. Bold & the Beautiful , General Hospital , and The Young & the Restless , still air, Days of Our Lives went to Peacock. In any event, fans of these daytime dramas could get so "fixated" with this or that relationship or who killed whom to the point that no one heats the phone ring. The Republican candidates convening in Milwaukee in a few days can be seen as rabid fans of one of these old soap operas, but whom will they be focusing their attention, former President Donald Trump or current President Joe Biden ? If the discussions get geared to the former, the first Republican Debate will devolve into a circular firing squad that would do nothing to convince voters to vote GOP this time. From t...

(Cauldron Battles) This time in August, 1914, the Battle of Tannenberg was fought in East Prussia between the German 8th Army and two invading Russian armies, the 1st and the 2nd, advancing from Russian Poland. It was at this point that two German generals, Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff were sent to command the 8th. In the subsequent action, the Russian 2nd Army was encircled and largely destroyed, a cauldron battle, its commander committing suicide. However, 8th Army's plan to hold 1st Army in place and then maneuver its divisions south to envelop the Russian 2nd Army had already been conceptualized by excellent staff officer, Colonel Max Hoffman. Hindenburg had been recalled to service and Ludendorff was named his deputy. When Tannenberg was fought with devastating results for the Russians, it had been the two commanders of 8th Army who received the renown. It is being discussed that the 2024 Presidential Election could prove to be another batt...

( Melting Snowflakes) Green used to be a favorite color. Naturally, it was because it is the color of money. But the shade has been perverted. An alternative for a favorite color could be purple, at least that is still the hue of royalty. But going green can be costly. It can become an obsession that is causing mental harm in the lives of some. The saying "go green and go broke" is no accident. In Montana, a federal judge sided with young plaintiffs won a decision that concerns about climate change are causing harm. The fires that ravaged Maui could have been contained earlier but the focus of the indigenous electric company was to make adjustments to climate concerns instead of updating its transmission infrastructure, whose arcing began most of the blaze in the first place. How much of a life does one need to bring a suit over climate change ? What came first, the chicken or the egg ? What came first, the activist or the activist judge ? It has been this "partnersh...

 (To Protect & Serve ?) Ancient Rome was more than Emperors, Senators, and famous Roman military leaders. Rome was the millions of Citizens that actually made the system work. In the acronym SPQR, "Senate and People of Rome," it had been the people, though ignored by Roman elites, just like today, were the reason for the Empire's being. Until it wasn't. Those so-called Roman elites could not prevent the Fall of the Roman Empire, so, what became of the people when there was no longer an Emperor at Rome ? Take a town that had been established in the Province of Gaul that would eventually become known as Paris. When it was under Roman control, "Parisii," functioned as a normal collection of people who were engaged in commerce, civil activity, and more mundane operations like sanitation and so on. And, to a point, these local jurisdictions also had law enforcement. When Rome fell, all these functions went away. There was a loss in commerce, civil activity, a...

( Made In China ?) Baby it's hot outside. At an expected high of 103 ° today. one has several ways to keep cool. One can keep the central air cranked down to 70 ° but that could blow out the system and this not the time to lose air conditioning. Ceiling fans are an option but unless they are tuned to the right level, one might have to constantly be up to adjust for comfort. However, if one were to be old fashioned, get a hand fan. One was acquired a few weeks ago and. while it initially did its job, it then broke. It had been a rendition of Van Goh's Starry Night when the stem snaped off. It had been in-expensive but it also was made in China. According to reports, the over-all Chinese economy is not doing well, at least is not growing like it needs to. At well over a billion people, the Peoples' Republic requires a vibrant growth but as a command economy, the Chinese Communist Party's grip on power might not seem so absolute. August 16th is a double anniversary, both c...

( Down As Maybe. . .) Copernicus  was wrong. The center of the Universe is not the Sun but Donald Trump. After the latest indictment out of Georgia, on what amounts to racketeering charges, making the total  four altogether. Trump has been indicted now with eighteen other defendants including former New York City Mayor, Rudi Giuliani. Are the bases now all covered and with this charge from the Peach State be sufficient to end Donald Trump once and for all ? As was said the other day, the collective effect will be to keep the leading GOP candidate off the trail. Keeping the former President otherwise occupied and overwhelmed with legal fees, this has been an all points effort to force Trump to leave the race altogether, That is not going to happen, The leading Republican, by a lot, will resist, regardless of cost. Has anybody heard about detiorating economic conditions in China ? That Ohio voters could vote to remove qualified immunity from la...

( That Last Week. . .) The last seven days of the Pacific war in August, 1945, were some of the most remarkable of the whole War. His Majesty, Emperor Hirohito had determined that the conflict must be brought to an end and broadcast Japan's acceptance of the terms set at Potsdam. The Emperor's action, however, was seen as a repudiation of bushido, the Way of the Warrior. The islands across the Pacific, from Guadalcanal to Okinawa had been littered with Japanese corpses who chose death before surrender. Then, to have the Sovereign himself commit such an unpardonable sin, one can imagine how some Japanese officers in their zeal to persist in fighting, would act against the Emperor and prevent the broadcast of Hirohito's capitulation. These conspirators had planned to seize the Imperial Palace and had been prepared to the take the Emperor in custody. At that moment, however, the last B-29 raid of the war caused Tokyo to go dark. When the lights went out on the Pala...

  ( This Time Of Year, , ,) One can readily say that talk of Trump or Biden or impeachment or investigations or politics in general has reached saturation. There is still a war on. And over almost the same battlefields. If one is remembering History, it can be said that Soviet operations in August, 1943 began its irrestable march to Berlin. First, some context. While the German offensive at Kursk failed, the Ostheer (Eastern Army) had made penetrations into what had been the salient (bulge in the line), the more serious was the German attack in the south and the Soviet priority would be to reduce those penetrations. A Soviet formation that would play a significant role was the 1st Guards Tank Army. This armor heavy formation with over six hundred tanks, committed in Soviet offensive named RUMIANTSEV , 1st Guards Tank and the balance of forces advanced towards Belgorod. The Germans were forced to withdraw and eventually the army had its part in taking Berlin. When World War II end...

(Fox At The Hen House ?) Who the Hell is David Weiss ? Technically, he is a U.S. Attorney from Delaware that has been investigating Hunter Biden. It had been his plea deal that collapsed the other week. But now, Attorney Genral Merrit Garland has just made Weiss a Special Counsel to investigate the Hunter matter. That raises a question. If the Justice Department had any intention of conducting an impartial investigation, then Garland would have appointed external to the Department, with complete independence. Weiss' maintenance suggests that the envisaged outcome has already been determined. Weiss' selection as Special Counsel affords certain immunity from concurrent investigations being held in Congress. In other words, the fix is in and that is by design. There is a line from President Biden to Merrit Garland, David Weiss and whatever remains of the Hunter Biden query. This will do nothing, however, to persuade anybody. Weiss' product will have been tainted. Things are in...

(The Game Plan. . .) It had been stated that there was campaign interference in 2020 because there had to be. There will also be interference next year for the same reason; Donald Trump. Far from being able to relegate the former President to obscurity, the endless indictments and up coming trials have only increased the Republican's potency. The showman that Trump is, the key for Democrats would be to limit Trump's visibility. One way to do that would be to keep him in court. Ensure the proceedings are not expedited and keep there, with a sullen look. Trump is his own worst enemy and when he is facing these legal challenges, he is not saying what he would do for the economy, how he would restore American energy dominance. He would try to cut taxes, or he would make his own permanent. At least, that is what he would be saying if he were out campaigning. There is the media narrative over Mr. Trump, one that is subscribed to by the Justice Department. Recently , Trump had a...

(Un-Due Hubris ?) Politicians  have by definition some of the biggest swelled heads possible. A lot of the time, it is not necessarily justified. These have been people who have an ego that pursues personal glory at the expense of a more collectivist aim. Jim Jeffords had been a so-called "Republican" from the Peoples' Republic, of Vermont. In 2000, Jeffords switched Parties to become a Democrat. As the Senate had a one seat GOP Majority, Jeffords' defection flipped the Senate. Senators  are a different animal. There are Democrats and Republicans, and they usually vote together. That does not mean these are team players and can be more than willing to oppose legislation that could be favored by the larger Party. That gives each Member a certain autonomy. That being said, certain Senators remain non-committal. Instead of putting a "D" or an "R" next to one's name, coping out and saying an "Independent." There have been several Senate I...

(Now, Joe With The Weather) On July 9th 1945, a second atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. On the same day, however, the Soviet Union began an attack on depleted Japanese forces in Manchuria. While a Japanese collapse was  inevitable, there was a brief but sharp coup attempt to prevent the Emperor from broadcasting Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam terms. There are those who have been critical of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. the latter gratuitous, and point to the Soviet intervention as the mechanism that prompted the Japanese surrender In that August, 1945, the Japanese heard their Emperor's voice for the first time. By that point, Japanese troops had been in combat since 1931. In 1937, the Kwangtung Army began operations in China and then, in 1941, Pearl Harbor. The Pacific War that followed saw Japan and its Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere was gradually compressed. Japanese cities were systemically fire-bombed culminating ...

(The Greatest Show On Earth !) As a kid, one might remember a trip to the circus. That is why so many today have a deathly fear of clowns, The most extravagant exhibition had been the Ringling Brothers, Barnam & Baily shows. These travelling wonders went from town to town with acrobats, with and without nets, the aforementioned clown horror and elephants. Then, a few years ago, some animal activists sued the Circus claiming it was cruel to the elephants. The big attractions were retired and that ended the draw for most Americans. Fortunately, these elephants were able to be put back to work in short order, becoming spokes placoderms for the Republican Party. So, if there is no more circus to attend. what now could become the newest Greatest Show on Earth ? Televising the trial of former President Trump. To be sure, such a proceeding would be chaotic and that is generally why most court operations are not televised. Trump's trial will have to be. If the Depar...

  ( WATCHTOWER. . .) On August 7th, 1942, an operation called WATCHTOWER , the 1st Marine Division was put ashore on the jungle choked Solomon of Guadalcanal. Guadalcanal was to be initiating point for a campaign that would conquer the rest of the Solomons with a concurrent operation to seize New Guinea. Over the next months, as the various islands were being secured, there were also a series of naval engagements that had the effect of atriting Japanese naval power. By the time the Solomons were secure, Japan had lost numerous cruisers, destroyers, even two battleships. There were severe losses sustained by the U.S. navy as well, the difference being that U.S. losses could be made up. Japan, not so much. In the news, a combined Sino-Russian flotilla was seen off the coast of Alaska. Some eleven vessels flying both Ensigns. The fleet never penetrated territorial waters and was shadowed by three destroyers and a cruiser. A P-8 Poseidon offered aerial surveillance, but...

(Better Models ?) On August 6th, 1945, at about a quarter after eight local time, B-29 Enola Gay released an atomic device code named Little Boy over Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb detonated some 1,500 feet over the ground with a yield of some 15 kilotons. The city was devastated and tens of thousands were killed, either from prompt or delayed effects. But Little Boy 's weapons' grade material was U-235. Acquiring that material in quantity was a long and labor-intensive process and there was a practical limit to its yield. Plutonium, on the other hand, is easier to produce and its detonation method was altered. Little Boy was set off when two pieces of material were violently forced together, making a critical mass. Plutonium, on the other hand, gets compressed to a series of explosive lenses to a state of super-criticality. This had been the design used at Trinity that went off at 21-25 kilotons and then, as the Mark 4 nuclear weapon, was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9th....

  ( Is Silence Golden ?) There are times when, like in a jury trial on an explosive case, those in the box are ordered by the judge to not discuss the case outside of the courtroom. That makes sense because exposure to outside influences could affect the outcome. A similar request is being made by the Justice Department to, in effect, keep former President Trump from speaking about his trial. The Department's claim is that there is more evidence and witnesses that remain to be deposed and any comment Trump might make on social media, namely, his Truth-Social. It is the opinion of the Department that an un-fettered Trump commentary where he would endlessly complain about his persecution. Which is his right. Trump's whole argument is that he has a right to complain. He has the right to say that he actually won in 2020 and, even if he does not believe that, he can still say as much. With Trump in the public eye as much as he is, he is creating his own narrative. He is not being qu...

(Terrible If's Accumulate. . .) On August 4th, 1914, just before the "Guns of August" opened up on what would become the Western Front, there was an odd episode. The Ottoman Empire, by that point the Sick man of Europe, made purchase of a pair of German cruisers, the  Goeben  and the Breslau. The two ships sortied from Taranto and over the next week, sailed to the coast of French North Africa, shelled positions there before returning to Sicily. After coaling, Goeben and Breslau , made their way into the Adriatic on the way to the Dardanelles and then on to Constantinople, the Ottoman Capitol. In any event, the Royal Navy gave chase but the ships were never engaged with result. The failure to prevent this technology transfer would have consequences in subsequent actions at Gallipoli, The then First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill who was to author the Gallipoli disaster. But it was beyond that. The two cruisers did not reach Constantinople till October, 1914...