Questions from Pink Floyd…

…On behalf of Donald Trump. 

Mother do you think they'll drop the bomb?

Looking at you Russia, China, and Iran (with a side glance at Pakistan, India, and North Korea).  There can be little doubt that one of the most critical costs associated with the Resist Trump movement, hidden though it might be, is the marginalization of our nation’s power and prestige that has undoubtedly taken place in the eyes of our global antagonists.  This Trump/Russia Collusion nonsense has compromised our President beyond estimation.  How near the edge of challenging our global resolve is Putin and the like-minded leaders of other anti-USA world leaders?  How much encouragement would it take to embolden them just enough to push them over that edge?  There was a time, not that long ago, when the American partisan divide ended at our waters’ edge.  Thanks to the unbridled political ambitions of both national political parties, that concept is now dead.  If our enemies are sufficiently adventurous and strike us or our international interests as the result of a tragic miscalculation, are we strong enough in our fractured state to withstand the challenge?

Mother do you think they'll like this song?

There were enough U.S. citizen voters who liked Trump’s message to elect him President.  Some of those now may regret their choice and question their decision; but most understand the die is cast.  For a large number of Democrats and most of the mainstream media, they are still struggling to obtain that unobtainable do over.  I am not talking about the do over that is built into our democracy; the one that comes with the 2020 election.  I am talking about the illicit undermining of a duly elected President and the obscene efforts to remove him from office.  What a stench.

Mother do you think they'll try to break my balls?

Oh…they are trying.  They have tried from day one.  And they will continue to try as long as Trump is in office.  Hillary Clinton’s defeat at the hands of Donald Trump is the wound that will never heal for many Democrats.  Like the mainstream media, many have irrevocably sold their souls, their reason, and their credibility in the effort to undo what they perceive as a monumental miscarriage of reason.  We should all prepare ourselves for the final chapter of this entire sordid episode; which may very well be the House impeachment of President Trump.  When Mueller finally issues his report to the Attorney General and if the details of said report are made public, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats in the House will seize upon any semblance of opportunity to proceed with impeachment based on their interpretation of that report.  I believe that it is a very open question as to whether there will be a sufficient number of Democrats in the House to affirm a final impeachment vote.  I further submit there is no question whatsoever that if the House moves to impeach President Trump, there is absolutely zero chance that the Senate will move to remove him from office…and they will let that be known quickly.  If you think the sad episodes we have been witnessing between Trump and his Resist adversaries have been dark days for our nation; rest assured that these pathetic examples of playground games will pale in comparison to the debacle of House impeachment proceedings on President Trump.  It is quite possible that the ball breaking has not yet begun in earnest.  One point on the anti-Trump effort…karma is a devious devil. Just as the recent Stone indictment, when read carefully, actually exonerates Trump from any Russian collusion; so may any potential House impeachment proceedings.  The thing about any type of trial process is that both sides must lay their cards on the table…and they must share their cards with the opposing side.  It is entirely possible that if the sheet is fully removed from this entire Trump/Russia Collusion farce, the Obama DOJ/DNC/Mainstream Media cabal that hatched the entire escapade might have more to lose than anyone else involved.  Democrats…be careful what you wish for.

Mother should I build the wall?

There can little doubt in any reasonable mind that given all that has occurred over the last decade at our southern border with Mexico, the strategic installation of physical barriers to help control immigration into our country makes good sense.  Construction of a border wall in this fashion combined with a pragmatic, humane, and bipartisan reform of our overall immigration policy is long overdue and resides at the very top of this nation’s domestic and national security concerns.  The playground games currently transpiring between Trump and the Democrats are nothing more than political preludes to a practical inevitability.  Barriers will be built.

Mother should I run for President?

Shoulda, coulda, woulda…the bottom line is that Trump did.  And he won.  The question of shoulda is rather academic at this point.  It would seem that the rational approach to this Pink Floyd query is to table it for the time being and revisit it come the spring of 2020.

Mother should I trust the government?

Absolutely not.  We as Americans must support, defend, embrace, and even celebrate our government.  But not in our wildest dreams or our most delirious moments should we ever trust our government.  Trust is too broad a term and too generous a portion to apply to our elected officials and constitutional tenets.  We must constantly seek transparency of institutions and government officials.  We must demand honest, ethical, and responsible behavior in decision-making from our elected leaders.  And we must forever guard against the granting of absolute power, or anything approaching that level, to those that we place in positions of power and authority within our government.  Never forget…power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Don’t miss the next post!  Follow on Twitter

@centerlineright.  If you enjoy the blog, pass it on to your friends.

Mother will they put me in the firing mine?

Well President Trump…you have officially been placed in the firing mine.  No President in my lifetime has been subjected to more vitriol, venom, and negative attention.  Whether or not he is deserving of inordinate criticism is not the question.  The question is how much of a chance can any leader have to succeed when faced with a constant and overwhelming barrage of resistance to everything he proposes?  How can the wisdom and effectiveness of President Trump’s tenure be validly judged when it is viewed in the context of this oppressive counterweight to all that he attempts to accomplish?

Is it just a waste of time?

Some have said that the best government is the government that governs the least.  I don’t believe that they had our current political climate in mind when this phrase was first uttered…but it may be applicable.  My Libertarian instincts tell me that there is tremendous benefit from weaning the government bureaucratic intrusions from our lives.  But my Independent instincts also tell me that there are some things in this world that due to their scope and nature must be addressed by our government.  The bottom line is that many large problems currently affect our country and many of the solutions are uniquely governmental in nature.  When 40-45 percent of our population is aligned diametrically across from another 40-45 percent and both are being ruled by blind ideology and partisanship, the result is dysfunction and treading water.  This stalemate serves the lesser purpose of stemming government intrusiveness through paralysis; but also carries the heavy price of government inaction on solving the bigger problems that must be addressed.  I suppose the larger question might be: How much time can we afford to waste in this fashion without realizing some painful consequences?

Mother, did it need to be so high?

In response to this question, the term high is considered synonymous with confusion, non-responsiveness, and a general removal from reality.  Such is the state of our two national political parties.  Does it have to be this way?  Is there a candidate on either side of the partisan aisle that shows the promise of a solution to this ideological divide?  How do we get out of this political mess that we have created for ourselves?  From the words of Frey and Henley, the Eagles sang…So you can get on with your search, baby; And I can get on with mine.  And maybe someday we will find...That it wasn’t really wasted time.  The verdict is still out on how the future will judge this time in American history.  And now…to put it all in context: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73UMWoXRbjg

Added Bonus...In retrospect, I realized that anyone reading this post has at least a passing interest in Pink Floyd.  And in consideration of that fact, I cannot in all good conscience use their material in a post without linking to what is undoubtedly one of the greatest guitar solos in rock history.  Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_4uEaZQ2Kg

Why Now for the Green New Deal...

…and what is the motivation behind it?  Over the last few weeks, there has been a good deal of talk about the Green New Deal.  Most of the attention was spurred by the comments from the new diva of the House, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. But as the initiative has become more prominent, it has become adopted by more and more Democrats.  In fact, many of the aspiring 2020 Democratic Presidential Nominees have indicated varying degrees of support for the Green New Deal.  One wonders…What exactly is this Green New Deal?  Several liberal organizations penned a memo proposing the Green New Deal on January 10 of this year and delivered it to the House.  Here it is: http://foe.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Progressive-Climate-Leg-Sign-On-Letter-2.pdf.  Short on specifics and long on rainbows, the text of the letter sounds to me like what we have been hearing from the Left for many years now.  I find it extremely interesting to look at the sponsors of the memo listed at the bottom of the document.  I did a bit of research to try and find out who the ones from my state were and I suggest you do the same.  The message of saving the world from itself is neither new nor novel.  The larger question to me is why now?

Why pursue this rescue the planet recipe now…while the U.S. economy is running like a well-oiled machine?  While unemployment is at historical lows for most demographics?  While paychecks are actually growing and employers are bidding against each other for quality employees?  While we are actually withdrawing U.S. military assets from the Middle East morass?  While the manufacturing sector of our nation is once again investing in long-term production efforts and employment?  While we can see firsthand in our own communities how business and industry is shaking off the dust and decay of the Obama years and beginning to rise from recession’s ashes? 

One might also wonder…Why now, when the Democrats had a super majority in Congress for the first two years of Obama and could have passed any…ANY…piece of legislation their little ole liberal hearts desired?  Why now, when they know there is absolutely no prospect of ultimately approving these initiatives with Trump in the White House and the Republicans controlling the Senate?  There can be only one logical explanation for this curious combination of timing and activism.  It is purely political.

The Good Lord knows that the Republican Party is far from perfect.  At times, they are downright disgusting, incompetent, hypocritical, and scared to death of appearing to be something other than that which the polls tell them they should be.  They preach and preen when in the minority and then cower and surrender when they achieve the majority.  But for all of their many and obvious flaws, they have not sunk to the ethical depths which the Democratic Party now inhabits.  

From a policy standpoint, the Democratic Party is bankrupt; and they show no interest whatsoever in reconsidering that position.  At some point in the Obama Administration, perhaps during the outrageous and abnormal legislative adventures of Obamacare, the Democrats decided two things would drive their Party for the foreseeable future.  They willingly gave over the fundamental control and leadership of the Party to the extreme Left members of their movement.  This was achieved by both the political proactivism of the liberal segments and the cowardly inactivism of the moderate segments.  What the leadership of the Republican Party did when confronted with a radical agenda from its right was to recognize them, battle them, debate them, and placate them; but never to surrender effective control of the Party to them.   Across the aisle, the Democrat Party laid down in full surrender to the onslaught of liberal thought and policy.  They fully embraced the beast of liberal self-righteousness and all-knowing arrogance at the expense of any common sense and civilly open-minded moderate members. 

This laissez faire approach from a policy-driven agenda in favor of an ideological agenda has dire consequences.  Every day brings with it a new and wider view of the absolute corruption that occurred in the wicked matrix of the Obama DOJ, the mainstream media, and the Democratic Party.  Whether or not the entire sordid story comes out depends on whether or not Trump is elected to a second term.  The Democrats and the guilty parties involved have effectively strung out the exposure of their efforts and can likely manage to stay beneath the covers for another two years...but six will be a reach.  If history has any shred of credibility, it will clearly show that the so-called Trump-Russia Collusion fairy tale was the result of the most despicable and irresponsible abuse of power  by government officials in the history of our country.  What they did under the guise of government power infected with arrogant ideology is nothing short of Kremlinesque.  And on top of that abhorrent behavior, they have the arrogance to accuse the Trump Administration of trying to do exactly what they actually did.  Incredibly, this farce is treated as somehow normal by the media.  

The Democratic Party must be better than this.  If they aspire to ever stand again as the legitimate national political entity that they have traditionally been; one that espouses a particular philosophy of government, law, and regulation…then they must rise above this in a public way.  I still wait for some Democrat somewhere, somehow, and someday soon, to stand up and condemn this entire, reeking episode for what it is.  Lynch, Comey, Clapper, Brennan, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Rice, and their entire little cabal need to be exposed and branded for the rascals that they are.  People have to understand that calling them out on what they did does NOT promote Trump to some kind of saint status.  He is and remains the flawed President that he is.  But even considering his failings as President and whatever the weaknesses with his policies might be, there is absolutely no justification nor authority in our constitution or law for what the Deep State Democrats did.   Quite simply, they subverted our government through their appointed positions of trust in an attempt to implement their own, personal political philosophies.   They placed their own private concerns over those of the nation and our laws and regulations.  They were a rot and decay in our culture and the fact that they are still basically unexposed and unapologetic is an insult to every single citizen of America. 

At its essence, this is not a Democrat or Republican chapter of government abuse.  It is a sad story of personal character failings, an abandonment of ethics and morals by individuals in positions of power, and the surrender to the ideal of personal opinion over the rule of reason and law.  To me, Lois Lerner, the renegade ex-head of the IRS, will always be the poster child for this bunch.  As a retired federal employee, it still galls me beyond description that she was allowed to arrogantly plead the fifth before a Congressional Oversight Committee and today she draws a government pension.  If Donald Trump accomplishes nothing else as President, he must somehow flush the sewage that still exists in the Department of Justice.  I hope and pray that once confirmed, Attorney General Nominee William Barr will be the man that can do that.  You want more substance about the so-called Mueller Investigation; the one where, amazingly, the people doing the investigating are the ones who actually committed the actions being investigated?…then check out these two posts…

https://saraacarter.com/ohr-testimony-shocks-lawmakers-top-doj-officials-new-about-steele-in-2016/

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/425739-fisa-shocker-doj-official-warned-steele-dossier-was-connected-to-clinton

THIS is why we must not give absolute power to the government to spy on US citizens.  Our government, specifically the people who administer our government and the rogue Federal Judges who adjudicate that law, cannot be trusted with authority to look into the private lives of Americans based on their whims, ideals, and political philosophies.  The FISA system is not capable of effectively screening out the potential abuses as we have seen in this specific case.  It is a weapon far too powerful for our government to possess.

Don’t miss the next post!  Follow on Twitter

@centerlineright.  If you enjoy the blog, pass it on to your friends.

This is where we are today.  The Democratic Party will have one of two different responses to any current policy question.  One will be to automatically reject any Republican (read that “Trump”) position out of hand with no alternative proposal.  The other will be to simply turn the question over to the Liberal mob that controls the Party these days for a Looney Tunes reply that has little credibility and less chance of reality.  The result of this approach to governing is the Democratic Party that we see daily in our government, our media, our society, and most of all of in our culture.   That result being partisan acrimony, venom, obstruction, and extreme policy proposals with no prospect of consensus. 

The Democrats, like the Republicans before them in the Obama days, have rather enjoyed their minority position in government and how the promises made from that vantage point carry little expense because of their infinitesimal likelihood.  When graced with the opportunity to fully implement their political agendas, Republicans and Democrats alike betray their rhetoric and high-minded goals.  Instead, they feast upon the carcasses of their defeated opponents, gloat from their high positions of power and authority, and bark incessantly about how serious they are about solving the ingrained problems of America…while actually doing nothing about it. 

Oh they have their moments.  The Democrats passed their Obamacare and the Republicans passed their Tax Reform.   But they both choked on the big ideas.  The Democrats could have passed any type of Immigration Reform they wanted…but they didn’t.  Instead of passing a health care initiative that they hoped would eventually lead to a single-payer system, they could have simply passed a single-payer system…but they didn’t.  The Republicans could have repealed Obamacare and replaced it with their own glorious concept of a health care system…but they didn’t.  The Republicans could have passed appropriations bills that would have foreclosed any opportunity, or necessity, for a government shutdown…but they didn’t.  The point is this: Talking about governing and actually governing are two entirely different things.  What a Party says when it is in minority status cannot be relied upon to be an indicator of what they will actually do when they reach majority status.  Politicians are liars.  Some lie with malice and intent.  Some lie as a result of willful naiveté.  Some lie because they are stupid.  But they all lie.  They lie most deceptively when they are in the minority.  They lie most obviously when they are in the majority. 

The Green New Deal is a version of Liberal nirvana that has a better home in comic books than in reality.  The Liberal fanatics in the House and Democratic Party may propose it, preach it, anoint it, support it, and may even pass a piece or two of it in legislative form.  They know that whatever they do about it will never be fruitful as long as Trump is in the White House and Majority Leader McConnell is in the Senate.  But if in 2020, a Democrat is elected to succeed Trump in the White House, and perhaps the Democrats even manage to regain control of the Senate…does anyone believe for one moment this Green New Deal will magically come together as the panacea for civilization?  Not…too…damn…likely.

Clarification Footnote…I am certain that certain portions of this post will be interpreted as partisan in a Republican sense.  That is not my intention and I am frankly uncomfortable with that position.  I have been and remain an Independent and try my best to tread a path between the philosophies and actions of the two major political parties.  Both have some good ideas and both have some idiotic ideas.  Both are populated by sinners as well as saints.  But the plain and simple truth is that the specific episode addressed in this post occurred under a Democratic President and was perpetrated by Democrats.  It is also a fact that the Democratic Party remains unwillingly to label these pathetic individuals the villains that they truly are.  As long as the Democratic Party continues to remain either silent or supportive of these actions and these people; they are part and parcel with them.  If you lie down with the dogs, you are a canine.  Democrats…put away your pettiness and bring out your policy swords.  Battle Trump with ideals; not carnival pranks.

Stuck In the Middle With Trump

There was a Presidential Election held in November of 2016.  Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton.  Now for many, this fact is difficult to grasp.  To say it was surprising is a monumental understatement.  Several people are still in the primary stage of recovery, dealing with the acknowledgement of denial.  But obliviousness will never be an effective solution in politics and it typically leads to an unceremonious collapse.  Anyway…Trump is President and most likely will be for at least another two years. 

One other quick and salient point: Donald Trump won a NATIONAL election for President held in every voting precinct across our country.  Nancy Pelosi was elected to the House of Representatives from District 12 in California; a District that is contained entirely within the city and county of San Francisco.  There is absolutely no equivalency between President Trump and Speaker Pelosi.  A handful of liberals elected Pelosi.  A nation of citizens elected Trump.  The Constitution provides three co-equal branches of government: Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary.  Contrary to what she may believe, Pelosi is not the sole and primary representative of the Legislative branch.  She represents one House of Congress, a portion of one county and city in California, and was elected Speaker by similar Democratic Representatives in the House.  She is not Madame President, an equal to the Chief Executive, or the ruling authority of Congress.  Take a reality check, Nancy.  Now…back to the subject at hand.  A bit of musical analogy…

Well I don't know why I came here tonight

I got the feeling that something ain't right

I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair

And I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs

Clowns to the left of me

Jokers to the right, here I am

Stuck in the middle with you

People who were adamantly opposed to Trump being President sounded multiple alarms about the dangers he might pose to this nation if elected.  They proclaimed he was grossly unprepared for the political and diplomatic challenges that face a President.  They questioned the application of his corporate experience in the machinations of government.  Some that were more fervently distressed about Trump’s ascension to Chief Executive publicly aired chapters of his past that portrayed his character as something less than ideal.  Following his election, many accepted the verdict of the Electoral College as an example of choosing the least of two evils; but a choice nonetheless.  There are many who have never accepted that fait accompli and continue today in an effort to invalidate, undermine, and even overturn that legitimate election result.  I think that any of us who are paying attention, any small degree of attention, to national politics realize that something ain’t right.  This is NOT the way our government should operate.  Loyal opposition in our political system is an important staple in its recipe for success.  Ruthless and partisan sabotage that places political aims above those of good government policy has no place in our country.  Some may be scared.  I think most are simply dismayed at the current state of national political affairs.  One thing is for certain in the current climate…there are clowns on Left and jokers on the Right.

Yes I'm stuck in the middle with you

And I'm wondering what it is I should do

It's so hard to keep this smile from my face

Losing control, yeah, I'm all over the place

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right

Here I am, stuck in the middle with you

How many of us, at one time or another over the last couple of years, have not had a smile on our face?  Hey…sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying.  And as our government spirals ever closer to being out of control; we as citizens are tossed about all over the place.  It is so very difficult to find a center of gravity in the vortex of this bureaucratic carnival (try being a federal employee during a government shutdown).  We have seen political upheaval before; Watergate with Nixon and Impeachment with Clinton.  But have we ever seen the level of animus and venom directed towards a sitting President as we are witnessing today with President Trump? At some point, the humorous aspects of the political theater dissipate and we are left only with the tragedy.

Well you started out with nothing

And you're proud that you're a self made man

And your friends, they all come crawlin'

Slap you on the back and say

Please, please

Self made man?  Donald Trump?  I don’t think so.  But there is certainly no shortage of Republicans standing in line to slap him on the back…regardless of his occasional outrageousness…because HE is the one keeping them in a position of power and influence.  After all, politicians are prone to becoming enthralled with winning.   I, myself, am completely guilty of buying into support of his policies while subjugating his many fallacies to lesser levels of concern.  I continue to hope and pray that he will mature and grow into the job…but time is running out.  The Republicans are certainly guilty of swallowing Trump whole in spite of his failings.  The Democrats are certainly guilty of opposing Trump simply because he defeated their chosen candidate in a monumental upset and reminds them of that fact at every opportunity…in word, deed, and presence.

Trying to make some sense of it all

But I can see that it makes no sense at all

Is it cool to go to sleep on the floor

'Cause I don't think that I can take anymore

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right

Here I am, stuck in the middle with you

After two years of trying to make some sense out of our government with Trumpmania versus the Resist Movement and how it dysfunctions, how many of us have basically surrendered?  Is it OK to simply give up caring and start to mentally sleep on the floor?  Is a pacifist approach to democracy acceptable when things get this crazy?  At what point can we as individual voters legitimately throw up our hands in disgust and shout to the world…What is the point?

Well I don't know why I came here tonight

I got the feeling that something ain't right

I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair

And I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs

Clowns to the left of me

Jokers to the right, here I am

Stuck in the middle with you

Yes I'm stuck in the middle with you

Stuck in the middle with you, here I am stuck in the middle with you

In spite of this refrain, it is NOT cool to give up on our government and allow the weariness to make observers out of us.  We MUST do our research, become informed voters, and remove the clowns and the jokers from the halls of Congress, the Judiciary, and the Executive Branch.  In spite of partisan differences, we MUST acknowledge the hard shifts of power that regularly occur in our form of government and accept that change graciously when our party moves between the positions of power and subservience.  We MUST come to grips with the art of tolerating differences of opinion (looking at you, AOC) and engaging in civil discussion; yet not allow ourselves to be cowered into the blind acceptance of radical ideals when they are patently stupid and baseless.  We MUST understand that the human creature is a fallible being; that it is perhaps true that a saint might not make the best President, and we must accept a certain reasonable degree of imperfection from our politicians. 

I hope and pray that there are a lot…a LOT…of people out there like me who feel like they are stuck in the middle between the far left and the far right…with Trump in the White House.  And as the classic lyrics of the Stealers Wheel song go, it can be extremely disorienting and depressing.  We must all cling to the truth that our allegiance to America is much larger than that we may owe to any elected official or Party.  All things pass…and this political madness too shall pass. 

Don’t miss the next post!  Follow on Twitter

@centerlineright.  If you enjoy the blog, pass it on to your friends.

BTW…the Scottish and Irish flavor of songs such as the Stealers Wheel subject material, are a refreshing change from much of today’s pablumatic mush that passes for music.  If you are interested in some lyrical exploration, I recommend starting with Crossing the River by the Devlins.  And just to clarify my poke at Ms. Ocasio-Cortez…I frankly find her refreshing and interesting.  Yes, she is shallow and bubble-headed on many occasions; but she is speaking her mind with conviction without running it through some hypocritical-how will this make me look-is it politically correct-how will this sit with my Party leaders filter before talking.  In spite of her ill-conceived policy proposals (New Green Deal….Really??), her enthusiasm for democracy is dynamic and her willingness to speak from the heart is a novelty in today’s political climate.  Also…I find nothing whatsoever wrong with her dancing and for those who do…get a life.