I’m much improved this week. I’m still full of powerful narcotics, but I’m getting around a lot better, and my “little grey cells” are starting to come back to life.
It’s hard to know where to pick up the thread of current and recent events; an awful lot has been going on.
There’s the Iran deal, which appears to be foundering (just as well, as every day seemed to bring new revelations of how bad the thing is).
There’s the Hillary Clinton email mess. It now appears that Ms. Clinton has completely wiped her server — and that she did so after having her emails requested by the State Department. Can you imagine the consequences, dear reader, if you or I tried such a thing?
As someone with actual professional expertise in what is known as “electronic discovery“, I’ll add that the way in which Ms. Clinton produced those emails she actually did hand over — she printed them out on paper — is utterly unheard of in this day and age, and was an act of brazen defiance. Some of the most important data to be gleaned from emails are the attachments, transport headers, and electronic metadata, and all of this is completely inaccessible in a text-body printout. Being a Clinton, she may be able to avoid criminal prosecution for such audacious evidence-tampering, but if she does run for president this will likely be yet another millstone around her neck. (I’ve already said I don’t expect her to be the next Democratic nominee: too old, too sick, too unprincipled, too incompetent, too dishonest, too nasty, too much baggage.)
There’s the Germanwings mass-murder. I don’t know what I’d have had to add to what everyone else has already said about it, but what an awful story.
There’s the resignation of Harry Reid, and his appointment of Chuck Schumer as heir presumptive. A look at Mr. Reid’s colossal, family-based influence-peddling industry would make for a very entertaining post or two. Or better yet, I recommend to you all this book, which examines Mr. Reid’s vast and spectacularly profitable shakedown machine (as well as John Boehner’s) in sickening detail.
There’s the Great Big Fuss about Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the fundamental right — upon which the very survival of the Republic clearly depends — to force other people to bake you a gay-wedding cake. More about that one later, perhaps.
There’s President Obama’s declassification of a 1987 DOD report on Israel’s nuclear capabilities. (In the same report, other sections, having to do with France and Germany, were kept secret; only the part containing information about Israel was declassified.) Petulant, much?
There’s the ongoing conflagration in the Middle East, and the incoherence of a foreign policy that has us fighting alongside Iran in Tikrit, while fighting against Iran in Yemen (never mind the spectacle of our sending Iran flowers and kisses for Nowruz, while Iran’s supreme leader joins approvingly in calls for Death To America!! on the same occasion).
Then there were things like this.
… and much more, of course. I’ll just try to rejoin the flow over the next few days.
Meanwhile, I got this in the mail today:
Savor that line in the middle:
Just think of all the “likes” you’ll get when you post that selfie with President Obama.
This is what we have become. America, this is the future you chose.
I think I’ll have another Dilaudid.
12 Comments
Nick?
While Dad’s whacked out why don’t you (blame me of course, when the screw turns) ‘PhotoShop’ Dad enjoying a Dilaudid or three with; and when he asks, “Son? How is it I looked I was enjoying myself so?”
Keep it simple: “Dad. How’s the knee?”
“And in the first place, how’d you get on that mailing list?”
There’s the Great Big Fuss about Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the fundamental right – upon which the very survival of the Republic clearly depends – to force other people to bake you a gay-wedding cake. More about that one later, perhaps.
I’m perhaps not the best person, not qualified I’m thinking to ask why – with all the fuss others are asking, observing … why the name of that Mozilla guy (I may get the name wrong) Brandon, Brenden Eich hasn’t come up …
Malcolm, you’re feeling better. Very good news, even though if you’d have posted whilst under the influence, it would still have been better than most of us could have come up with on a good day. You should have allowed you opponents a day in the sun.
No matter. Hillary is finished, before she’s started, because the knives are out.
An evil man decides to take 149 people with him. Totally unforeseeable but blame will be dished out to those who don’t deserve it, no doubt.
Everyone already knows that Israel is armed to the teeth and can annihilate it’s neighbours.
You should go and get your photo taken with Barack. (You’re nice looking too:)
Oh, and one you failed to mention. The lovely Amanda Knox, who is not only innocent of all charges but will now be suing for wrongful imprisonment. What a surprise.
There is some advantage to being able to butt in while you guys are asleep.
Even JK has succumbed, and we now have cause to believe that even Henry, always on duty, sleeps. Occasionally.
Good Morning, lovely people. Sorry, but I am asleep.
“I think I’ll have another Dilaudid”. Do you have some to spare?
Make mine a double.
Shameless self-promotion:
“We Have Become an Increasingly Trivial Country“
A perennial favorite of the low-information and/or wilfully ignorant (or worse) crowd.
The so-called “mutual assured destruction” (MAD) strategy, between the United States and the Soviet Union, worked because, despite their mutual antagonism during the Cold War, their nations’ leaders valued the survival of their people. Neither America nor Russia nor Israel, nor any other nation that has adopted Western civilization would choose to risk total annihilation of their people.
The same can not be said about Iran. That theocracy values death over coexistence.
Reiterating Henry’s “Trivial” Theme.
(In mind “Nanny Bloomberg” & soda pop.)
http://reason.com/blog/2015/03/27/meet-chuck-schumer-one-of-the-most-trivi
Who would have thunk it?
Wednesday’s not good for me. Next Tuesday’s not good for me either …
How about never? Does never work for you?
Henry, I wasn’t saying that Israel would annihilate it’s neighbours, simply that it has the capacity to do so. That is what most people believe, but I admit that my lack of information and ignorance makes it impossible to exchange ideas with you. You wilfully misinterpret what others say, and assume a hostility that was never intended.
Israel needs to have the capacity to defend itself. That’s my opinion.
I won’t comment further here. It’s a shame, because it’s Malcolm’s blog but your aggression has just finished me off.
Also, I won’t be able to talk to JK anymore. JK, carry on writing because you’re lots of fun and I’ll still be reading.
Musey! You can’t be serious. Steady on, lass!
Israel’s ability to annihilate its neighbors is what I took your remark to mean, Musey.
What you don’t seem to understand is that Iran’s ability to annihilate Israel (if they acquire nuclear weapons) would not guarantee a stand off between them, because Iran does not value the lives of its people as much as they value “wiping Israel off the map”.
Your facile remark about an existential issue would be challenged by anyone who cares about potential annihilation of entire national populations.
There is no defense against a full blown nuclear exchange between nations. That is why there hasn’t been one, to date, between sane nations. Yes, Israel has the means to defend itself in the event of conventional war. But they have no defense against a nuclear attack; nor does any other country. There is only the means for vengeance.