The (Daily) Vent 2

( "Friend's" Of Theirs ?) The Philadelphia/South Jersey has been one of the more notorious crime families. But it, like other "Families" have fallen on hard times. The days of an Angelo Bruno, or Phil Testa, or even a Little Nikki Scarfo are long gone. What is remaining are made guys who ostensibly would "hold" territory in various sections of Philadelphia, where local merchants pay "protection." The stores, the Apple, the Lululemon, that were ransacked the other night. If those merchants had an arrangement with a Wiseguy, what would be his reaction ? Or, if no arrangement exists, would it not be in everybody's interest to develop one ? Take that influencer, "Meatball," or whatever her name is. If something were to happen to her something "unfortunate" but very public, that would go some way to preventing that kind of behavior in the future. Make things clear to Meatball and all that ran with her that those establishme

(Passing Of A Legend  ?) Age makes suckers of everybody as death, along with taxes, are life's only constants, Long time California Senator Diane Feinstein just passed away at the age of ninety. The Senator had been ill for some time and hers came the other day. The death of Senator Feinstein has broader ramifications, however. With the Senate as divided as it is, removing New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez who could he facing actual expulsion from the Body. As he made clear. however, he intends to extort Majority Leader Schumer, who still needs his vote. The career of the late Senator was varied. She started in local California politics and rose to Mayor of San Francisco after the assassination of her predecessor. Ultimately, she was elected to the Senate in 1992 and has been there since then. Rest in Peace, Madam Senator. As Senator Feinstein has passed, one thing that probably won't is the stop-gap spending measure that had been crafted by Speaker McCarthy has been defeated by

(Elephant NOT In The Room) With his own post-GOP Debate analysis, California Governor Gavin Newsome declared that President Biden was the clear winner, The other clear winner would probably have to be former President Trump, one who was not there. Of the seven surviving candidates, the general consensus is that none of them, emerging the day after, is that Trump will not be seriously in-convenienced. The thing is that there was virtually nothing, policy wise at least, that Trump would dis-agree with.  He could have done without all the digs at him, Governor Christie calling Trump "Donald Duck." That was par for the course. But when it came to Bidenomics, crime, the border or even Ukraine, nothing was said that the former President would necessarily disagree with. That being said, there is the possibility that Trump's prospective running might have been on that stage. Probably with the exception of Trump's own Vice President, Mike Pence, who is polling at 5% and just q

( No Accident. . .) There was a curious sight seen the other day when President Biden was seen joining a UAW picket line. Yes, Biden purports to be the most pro-union President ever. What is not mentioned as often is that those workers are off the job for the precise reason of Biden's electric vehicle obsession. Did that come up when he was talking to those other workers ? It is no accident that tonight's Republican Debate, the second one to be aired on Fox Business is being held at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. President Reagan was the moat consequential Chief Executive of the latter part of the 20th Century. Between his economic policies and international success, ending the Cold War and all thar, the "Gipper" left a legacy that those Republicans on the stage this evening will attempt to channel the late President. Reaganomics was a real thing as opposed to Bidenomics. It was a combination of tax cuts and decreased regulation led to vigorous econom

( Capping Vesuvius) Anybody who has seen the Pompei exhibit, like when it makes an appearance at the New Work MET, knows that the display is several "preserved" bodies, so made because in A.D. 79, the volcano Vesuvius, located a few miles from the Roman town of Pompei. erupted and the resulting pyroclastic flow buried the town. preserving its inhabitants. Far from being a volcano, Joe Biden is currently listless. Not all the residents of Pompei perished, some escaped when it was becoming clear that the mountain was becoming active. Powers that be thought it best that Biden leave the city and thus miss the catastrophe. The "catastrophe" is that the unthinkable is happening. In the same vein of believing that Vesuvius would not erupt after all, at least nowhere near the disaster of A.D. 79. In other words, there is now a serious effort being played behind the scenes to replace the Biden-Harris ticket. Biden's decline has been obvious for some time bit the question

(Word Salad) Whenever there was something  extraordinary that takes place, on occasion, the response would be "Don't you believe it !" Okay. Say that Trump poll with the former President is up ten points on the current President, has to be an outlier and there is no way in Hell it could be accurate. Another poll had Trump up by a similar margin but people are taking solace in an NBC sampling that had Biden and Trump tied at 46%, That being said, however, in modern political contexts, things like polls or focus groups do not matter. The much-discussed Democrat machine can operate even without the President, or, for that matter, the Vice President. So, what is one to do when numbers, as questionable as they might be, show Biden behind and Harris even worse ? The objective has always been the defeat of Trump and the logic has always been that any Democrat could beat Trump. So, who do you think ? There is a time factor in that there is a closing window to removing Biden/Harri

(Paradigm Shaft ?) General Jack Keane is the former Deputy Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. He is also the current military analyst on Fox News. He has been a supporter of the Ukraine War and is seeing how Isarel and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are seeking closer ties. Motivated self-interest as a nuclear Iran is looming large. However, if Israeli/Saudi relations do get normalized, like the Abraham Accords that Israel concluded with the Gulf States and some in Africa at the behest of the last Administration. Near East Peace could become a the most geo-strategic reality since the Parting of the Red Sea. However, perhaps more significant as far as everything else is concerned is the new Washington POST/ABC Poll that has former President Trump, one of the progenitors of the Arab Israeli rapprochement is now beating President Joe Biden 52-42%. Beginning last spring and up until today, it had been the expressed opinion that Donald Trump could not be elected President again, that the Demo

( Just Being Honest) Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) is in a bad way. The five-count indictment released the other day has engendered calls from other Democrats to immediately call for the suspension of his Chairmanship from the Foreign Relations Committee but his resignation from the Senate. Like Barney Ross might say, Menendez has become "expendable." If Menendez does leave the Body, New Jersey's Democrat Governor, Murphy, will appoint another of the same Party to Menendez vacating his seat. But what would be the attitude be if the Garden State Governor was still Chris Christie ? Would these charges, as severe as they are, be brought in the first place if Menendez could not be replaced with a Democrat ? It would seem that enforcing the law can only take place as long as it remains politically expedient. Take the immigration crisis for another example. There is the law and there is what is politically expedient ? The law says that one must gain permission of some sort before

{( Pay-Offs, Rip-Offs (things nobody saw)} Remember, it is alright to cheat as long as one does not get caught. That being said, the list of politicians who believed they could skirt the law, take financial liberties, and profit beyond what one gets compensated by being in Office. One must recognize temptation, however. That apparently has been the case with President Biden who is under investigation for bribery and influence peddling and also Senator Bob Melendez who has actually been charged with some five counts of what amounts to the same thing. There seems to be an allowance for certain Democrat office-holders that permits certain Democrats to act "naughty." Former President Bill Clinton serves as the best example of this outlook. This would also be the attitude of President Biden and now Senator Melendez. There is the belief that the media can provide cover because they are on the same side, more or less. Of course, there is still Hunter Biden in the background. Unfortu

(Leopold's Trip To The Zoo) The lions, the tigers, the bears, oh my ! Today is being called the United Nations International Day of Peace. Peace of what ? One need just look at the world today and see that "peace" is the furthest thing on anybody's mind. Leopold, North Korea's Kim Jong Un, took A trip in his armored train, to Moscow to visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and adding his country to the growing list of a China-Russia-Iranian and the DPRK Axis as a foil to the traditional West. This new alignment, this New World Order, was, ironically, a creation of the very West that began to not act in its interests. It allowed its obsession with climate change to consume its leadership and engender policies that are clearly contrary to its public good. In the Unted States alone, virtually every economic condition experienced by people has been a direct result of choices made by the Biden Administration and, for a time, its friendly Congress. It was never a

( Limits Of Principle) Being  principled is a laudable quality. When some action is taken, it can be off a principled stance. However, there are limitations to how far a stand be held before it degenerates into the absurd. There are two obvious examples of people who are standing on principle but have now crossed the Rubicon into abject silliness. The obvious example is President Biden himself. His whole Administration had been a stand on principle and the whole Administration has been absurd. It was mentioned that the President was at the U.N. General Assembly the other day, however, Britain, China. France, India were not in attendance. In the realm of global politics, there are few things more irrelevant than the General Assembly, or President Biden. When the President was at the lectern, he made his usual speech on climate change and made the comment that he is "safeing the climate." Whatever that means. The delegates in the Chamber are probably aware of the "stands&q

( Evidence Of Wrongdoing) It is always a bad idea to give oneself away. To inadvertently admit guilt. That is apparently what Hunter Biden has done. Junior has brought suit against the two IRS so-called "whistleblowers" whose previous testimony indicated, for all intents and purposes, that Hunter played fast and loose with the tax system. Which is a crime. What the witnesses did was to say the younger Biden broke the law and. by virtue of these suits, Hunter himself is saying as much. In other words, "guilty as charged." As one might have heard, the President is traveling to New York for a visit to the U.N. General Assembly. More importantly however, Biden will be attending a "Broadway for Biden" at a $1500 "plate" gathering. The anti-Trump venom was palpable because it will be the people in that room, Lawyers for Biden are having their fundraiser tomorrow. It will be these people that are pledging their millions to see Biden,. or whomever, retur

( Schrödinger's Cat. . .) It can be dangerous when one investigates the fundamentals of Nature. Even with the most precise mathematics, research can arrive at conclusions that seem contradictory. How could both "A" and "B" be right when they are completely oppositional phenomena ? This is a technical term in quantum physics called quantum supposition. That means that some particle can exist in two opposite states simultaneously, but which state will only be determined when the particle is observed. German physicist Erwin  Schrödinger devised a "thought experiment." Say there is a closed box with a cat inside. Also inside is a piece of highly radioactive material. Logically speaking, the assumption would be that the cat would already be dead, or, perhaps not yet. One would not know unless he or she opens the box, meaning the observation has been made and see the cat is in fact dead. No more litter box. Donald Trump is the cat in the box. The included ma

{( ADLERTAG (Eagle Day)} Durning the Second World War, there are dates of specific events that stand out. December 7th is one, So might be June 6th. Pearl Harbor and the Normandy landings respectively. Perhaps lesser known but still important would-be September 17th. In 1940, at the height of the Battle of Britain, September 17th had been termed as adlertag . Eagle Day. Ax it turned out, Eagle Day was to prove the half-way point which saw British fortunes improve to the point where the planned German invasion was cancelled as air superiority had been unable to be attained by the German Luftwaffe . Then, in the strategic of the war, Hitler turned east to invade the Soviet Union. Then, on September 17th, 1944, there had been an attempted Allied operation called MARKET GARDEN . This had been the "brain-child" of British General Bernard Law Montgomery. His idea had been to lay a carpet of airborne troops across Holland in an attempt to secure bridges, at Eindhoven, Nimajian, and

( Which Way Is Up ?) What had been the raison d' etre of the Biden Administration ? For Biden, it had always been the Green New, Bidenomics, and massive taxing and spending regimes. While the President has hailed those policies as evidence of his genius, the rest of the country is less sanguine about things. The President is under an impeachment inquiry. Son Hunter is finally under federal indictment. The UAW is still on strike. Oil is now above $90 a barrel and the gas average gas will soon be back over four. Inflation has proven to be stubborn with new numbers for PPI and CPI. And of course the President's age and the need to replace him, in short order is being examined. Anything missed ? The President had the advantage early on of a very friendly Congress and was able to push through his green agenda but that was coupled with his j ' ihad  against fossil fuels, his  insistence on a green transition at all costs, the coercive demand that the Big Three automakers began

( From Bad To Worse ?) Presidents have not had a week this bad since that time in August, 1974 when President Nixon was compelled to resign. President Biden is not faring much better. His son has just been indicted on felony gun charges by lying and not being truthful in facts of possession. If convicted, Hunter Biden could face 25 years behind bars. There is also the Impeachment investigation.  In addition, Bidenomics is being revealed as the fraud that it is. The United Auto Workers are set to strike, and people have come to the belated realization that Biden is too old and in retrospect, perhaps should be replaced. One can remember the plea deal that fell apart in a Delaware court a few weeks ago. The three count charge current charges against Biden Jr. are that he lied about having a gun and also that said possession occurred during the period when he had been involved with narcotics. It is being noted that the counts facing Hunter and the prison term would be the same as any other

(Whose Revolution Will Be Televised ?) President Biden has been compared to Roman Emperors. He can also be compared to an Egyptian Pharaoh. A king from the Eighteenth Dynasty, Amenhotep IV, upon succeeding to the Throne adopted the name Akanaten or "One who worships the Aten ," symbolized by a disk shape, like the sun. The Aten was a monotheistic replacement to what had been the polytheistic pantheon of Egyptian deities that had been worshipped since the times of the Old Kingdom. Priests that had served in temples for generations suddenly found themselves out work. Akanatan plunged the New Kingdom into chaos. He moved the Capitol to a new city called Armana. The average Egyptian who had grown up with the original gods were hesitant to suddenly beginning to revere the "Aten." However, they were not given a choice. Like the American people under President Biden. Under his watch and as a direct result of his policies, oil is approaching $90 a barrel. He seems to be dis

(A Lament. . .) It has been remarked that in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, there was great unity in the country. President George W. Bush was a figure to rally the nation. He ordered a swift response and placed into action a plan that resulted in the swift defeat of the Afghan based Taliban. It could have ended there but Iraq was introduced as a side-show, one that expanded the so-called War on Terror. It turns out that that sense of unity that was witnessed in the wake of 9/11, was short lived. Tragedy might be immediate but politics never rests. By the end of his time in office, the country was again polarized with Democrats and Republicans back at each other's throats. The President was in Alaska, where he made the statement that he had been at what would become known as "Ground Zero," the day after. Which he patently was not. One figure that was not seen in New York is its former Mayor, Rudi Guiliani, "America's Mayor," the c

(A Requirement. Of The Office) They say that time heals all things. That might be true. However, even after 22 years since the events of September 11th, 2001, there remains the melancholy displays of remembrance in New York, at the Pentagon, and Shanksville, for those who perished. Name by name, the same roster read, year after year. These events are traditionally attended by various political figures but supreme among them should be the President of the United States, Joe Biden. Who is finding himself in Alaska, a state which he is costing hundreds of millions of dollars in lost oil revenue. Being the President on today of all days, is the only role he could fulfill, He needed to be in Arlington. Or New York. Or Pennsylvania. He needed to lay a wreath, make comments to up-lift a crowd. But that role he seems to be leaving to Vice President Harris. That being said, what is most troubling is the almost casual attitude, that this profound day of solemnity is almost seen as an inconvenien

(Speaking Honestly) Former House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi is like quarterback Tom Brady, who had trouble deciding if he were "retired" or not. Pelosi passed the Gavel to current Speaker McCarthy and went to Rome. But now, she has decided to run again, which would be curious to some. If re-elected, she would no longer be eligible for leadership. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is Democratic Leader and would not be likely to resign in favor of a Pelosi return. But the truth is that a townhouse in Georgetown, where a D.C. based Pelosi could reside, is much safer than her District back in San Francisco. As she said, she wants to return to the House because she needs money and her Congressional pension apparently does not seem adequate. What has been allowed to happen in San Francisco has been emblematic of the leaders that have run it, like Mrs. Pelosi. President Biden is now in Vietnam after finishing the G-20 in New Delhi. Biden has announced that the U.S. will "exceed" so-called

(That View Over The Mountain) India had been the Jewel in the Crown of the British Empire, replacing what had been the remnants of the Moghul Empire. Such a vast piece of real estate needed an accurate survey taken. The one placed in charge was one named George Everest. Using a series of triangulation techniques, Everest worked his way up the sub-continent. At one point, mountains, the tallest anyone had seen. These were the Himalayas and its tallest peak came to be known as Mount Everest. Now, technically, Mount Everest lies within the confines of the Nepal/Tibet region. And, if one makes it to the summit, one hears the view is tremendous. If one looks to the northeast, from almost thirty thousand feet up, one can gaze several hundred miles into the Peoples' Republic of China. One who would be quite familiar with that view would be India. The Sino-Indian relationship is one of the most important in all of Asia. India is now the nation with the largest population, surpassing even C

( Renegade. . .) It's good to pretend. It has been a good thing to be discussing Roman Emperors of late. One of the more notorious was the Emperor Nero who in the wake of the burning of Rome, if the Emperor himself did not cause it and he did "fiddle" while the city was being consumed. In the aftermath, where thousands of Romans had been displaced, Nero erected his so-called Golden Palace, the most ornate residence ever so constructed, surpassing even the palace of Augustus in sheer opulence. Nero's ostentatious display was made possible because he was a Roman Emperor and had unlimited power. Which President Biden whishes he had. Biden has become bored of the  Constitutional system of checks and balances, which now, for the sake of the climate, have proven in in-convenience. So, in three respects, the unilateral cancelling of all remaining oil leases from the ANWAR region Alaska. But his oil producing real estate had already been given the green light by Congress and

(Second Fiddle) It can be very common for a generation to be skipped when one follows one in a leadership position. Oftentimes, the one who succeeds is not of the same quality as the original. In an example from the Roman Empire, Emperor Marcus Aurilias deviated from practice and, instead of adopting an Heir, Marcus had a son, Commodus. He proved to be a megalomaniac and was himself assassinated. Or, what of the Great Captains of American industry and their offspring ? Did a Rockerfeller produce a family that matched the influence of the head of Standard Oil ? Or a Carnegie ? Or a Morgan ? A Vanderbilt ? More often than not, former Senator "John D. "Jay" Rockefeller IV (D-WV) might have been the exception. What about Vice President Harris ? Or, for that matter, Hunter Biden ? All evidence to the contrary, the Ms. Harris sounds confident that she could manage being Commander in Chief. And the scary thing is that she might have to at any moment. The phrase "one heartb

(Cringeworthy . . .) Otto von Bismarck, Prussia's "Iron Chancellor," the author of realpolitik , founder of the German Empire, known as the "Circus Rider of Europe," can be considered perhaps the most skilled diplomat that inhabited any Ministry, though a combination of diplomacy and force, was able to combine the Kingdom of Prussia and what was known as the North German Confederation into a single "Empire," under the rule of a Hohenzollern Monarch.  In the creation of the German Empire, however, Bismarck completed a circuit in Central Europe. In Prussia's annexation of Schleswig -Holstein, the defeat of Austria and then France, Wilhelm I declared German Emperor in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, the German Empire was an established reality, that the Empire had hostile neighbors to the east and west and to keep the situation stable, Chancellor Bismarck encouraged speres of influence or balances of power. That had been the reasoning behind Bismar

( Sequels (that should not have been made) Talk about a lack of originality. Any time a movie or TV show is moderately successful. there is always the tendency to replicate that success. Remember M*A*S*H ? How about After M*A*S*H ? Or, The Golden Palace after the Golden Girls ? The New WKRP ? How many Police Acadermies , ? Major League s ? Highlanders ? Or, how about The Exorcist II The Heretic ? Two more features are due to be released in he near future so it sill see how they fare In any event, a  lot of those movies and TV shows were failures and were either cancelled or failed at the  box office. So then, why is Barny Ross need an Expendables 4 ? Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump are releasing sequels. The President is looking for a second term, and so is former President Trump. The question is which sequel should not be made ? It is like a double release. Earlier in the year, Barbie had been debuted with Oppenheimer . The receipts have yet to be tabulated but neither fil