The 13 Percent Solution

The U.S. Census Bureau says that Black or African American citizens constitute 13.4 percent of the American population.  This figure makes them the second largest minority population in our country following the 18.5 percent figure representative of Hispanic or Latino citizens.  White citizens make up 76.3 percent of the population.  What do these numbers tell us and how should they be considered when we contemplate the laws, regulations, and cultural habits that make up our society?  Should they have any relevance regarding the Black Lives Matter protests taking place all across America today? 

There is an often-used phrase that I have always considered a good rule of thumb for businesses that serve or cater to the public.  That phrase goes: We should look like the people we serve.  If this approach is actually applied, it means that the racial makeup of an entity would not necessarily reflect a national reality, but rather a local reality.  In fact, a strong case can be made that in many instances, the approach might even reflect a global reality.  Which reality should dictate the racial mix of an entity’s staff that delivers the product?  That would be the reality of the area or region served by the entity. 

Would it be surprising to find an all-hispanic staff in a convenience store that was located in a community that was largely-inhabited by hispanics?  Is it shocking to find that a men’s store or barber shop in a predominantly-black community is staffed by black personnel?  In a basically all-white suburb of an American city, is it uncommon to find a fast food business staffed by white personnel?  I believe the general answer to these questions is “no”.

On the other hand, should a black citizen walk into a government office that administers government programs to all eligible citizens and find no one in the place that looks like they do?  If they walk in the office, they are clearly a part of the client base served by the entity.  Is it reasonable for a hispanic citizen to attend a city government open meeting and see not a single hispanic face in the governing body?  In a society that is 76.3 percent white, what do we think about a National Basketball Association (NBA) league that features 74.4 percent black players?  FWIW…the average annual salary of an NBA player is 7.7 million dollars; a pretty good job if you can get it.  When a parent attends an event at the school where their children attend, should they see that their racial profile is represented in the staff at that institution?  In a city that represents tens of thousands of residents, should we not expect the police force to look like the population it serves and protects?  These are questions that need to be considered when decisions are made about equality in our nation.

When the first settlers arrived in America, they were a mix of European adventurers.  They arrived in a land that was occupied by Native Americans.  Over the decades of history, Canadians have immigrated southward to our country; Hispanics and South Americans have immigrated north to the United States.  Our country has absorbed people from all across the globe into a society that is a virtual kaleidoscope of race and ethnicity.   Together, this diverse mix of customs and heritage comprise the America we all know today; they make up one country that represents them all.  While cherishing and honoring their individual pasts and histories, they are now a part of a larger whole and have chosen to be citizens of these United States.  Even though they rightfully cling to the experiences that have uniquely made them what they are, they have subjugated those events to the ideal of a community that can accept them respectfully and yet demand their allegiance to a larger and broader set of customs and laws. 

The old saying “America, love it or leave it” has become politically incorrect and is often used in a harsh and alienating fashion.  But at the heart of these words, there is an implicit message.  By choosing to live in our country and taking part in the privileges that American citizenry offers, a person has entered into a contract with others.  Those others are the ones that make up this nation from top to bottom and side to side.  They are white, brown, black and many other shades of skin color.  They represent many different attitudes, customs, histories, and beliefs about how they should live and celebrate life.  All citizens expect and demand equality; but to embrace equality is to embrace tolerance.  Tolerance demands that we respect the rights and dignity of others who might look and behave differently than we do.  Tolerance requires that we cannot dictate to others our own customs and beliefs that might exist at the expense of their customs and beliefs.  Tolerance is a trait that we cannot rightfully demand receipt of without genuinely giving it away. 

If a person wants to live in an America that fashions itself according to a pattern of their personal beliefs, they can likely find that place somewhere in this country; that is freedom.  That place might be a community that consists of similar races and ethnic customs.  That place might be a city or town that is largely composed of similar races and ethic customs.  That place might even be a state that predominantly represents certain races and ethnic customs.  But the essential element that must be maintained in this migratory pattern is the fact that while you and your neighbors might enjoy your individual lifestyles and customs, there are other Americans out there who think and behave differently.  Tolerance demands that you understand and participate in the concept of a broad and diverse country.  While celebrating your personal self, you respect the rights of others to celebrate theirs. 

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And while some might voluntarily choose to live among those who look and behave as they do; there will be others who can find enjoyment and comfort in a society that features a spectrum of different attitudes and cultures.  Those cities and towns and communities somehow find a way to blend together a multitude of heritages that ultimately result in a collective environment of mutual appreciation for the qualities of each.  These groups represent the original concept of an America that our founders envisioned as a melting pot of the human experience. 

Ultimately, the point is that our nation was created in such a fashion that its inhabitants might live a life with freedom and dignity in a range of different environments.  They have the inherent right to move around in this country and find a place that suits their personal inclinations.  They even have the right to leave these United States if they are unable to find a spot where they can live with contentment and satisfaction.  These opportunities and rights are the principles that make our country unique and precious.  They are the bedrock foundation upon which our governments, both national and local, should build and operate upon.  Equality driven by tolerance is a concept that must be rediscovered by our citizens if we are to achieve the true ideals of our founders.

Equality is a product of equal opportunity that demands accountability and ambition.  Its premise requires that a participant is willing to contribute as well as receive.  If a person accepts this premise and lives accordingly, equality can become a reality that exists without fanfare and bluster.  It becomes a normality that need not be demanded because it is a natural part of being.  It fosters a culture of mutual respect and dignity that obsoletes the need to distinguish between races and ethnicity.  We shouldn’t need to write Hispanic American…or Black American…or White American.  We should simply write hispanic American…or black American…or white American; or even better, let’s just write American.

Tolerance must be practiced in a broad sense in order to be authentic.  Tolerance of those who only agree with the one tolerating is not tolerance at all.  It is a narrow-minded type of bigotry that illustrates the highest form of hypocrisy.  This practice leads to a false standard of behavior that is actually anathema to the fundamental concept of tolerance.  The history of man is rife with the horrific consequences of institutional group-think and indoctrination that require allegiance to a specific set of attitudes and beliefs.  Tolerance can be inconvenient, messy, and inefficient; but true tolerance demands that the substance of differing opinions be heard, considered, and represented to some degree when determining how society exists.  Authentic representation is a critical element of equality and tolerance. 

And even more importantly, once those differing opinions are entertained; the possessors of those differing opinions should respect and appreciate their opportunity to have been heard and then willingly defer to the majority disposition.  They understand that having enjoyed the liberty to express their opinions and agendas, they have failed to convince a sufficient number of others to embrace those ideals.  While they may continue to hold those ideals personally, they nonetheless should accept the will of the majority and tolerate the reality of the whole.  It is irresponsible, counterproductive, and childish to advocate “burn it all down” if you don’t get your way.  Tolerance freely given should result in tolerance being received.  A minority does not dictate to the majority.  A minority may demand respect, dignity, and opportunity; but not the privilege of authority over the whole.

Karens With Blinders

Karen: A term used for a woman perceived to be entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is considered appropriate or necessary.  A common stereotype is that of a woman who uses her privilege to demand her own way at the expense of others; a busybody nitpicker who is constantly sticking her nose in other people’s business. 

Blinders: A pair of leather flaps attached to a horse’s bridle to curtail side vision; also called blinkers.  It is something that serves to obscure clear perception and discernment.  It enhances what is commonly called tunnel vision, as is evident in those that zero in on one objective and irresponsibly ignore the collateral effects of their actions.

U.S. Census Demographics: Percentages of US Population…White Alone/76.3; Hispanic or Latino/18.5; Black or African American Alone/13.4; American Indian and Alaska Native Alone/1.3; Asian Alone/5.9; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Alone/0.2; Two or More Races/2.8.

Equality: The state or quality of being equal; a statement, usually an equation, that one thing equals another.

Declaration of Independence:  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.”

Reality Check: An assessment to determine if one’s circumstances or expectations conform to reality; an event that forces one to reassess one’s expectations or one’s understanding of their situation.

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There are many, many Karens running around these days.  They are not all white and they are not all women.  They come in every gender, race, and demographic you may want to choose.  They all exhibit a common trait inasmuch as they believe they know better what is best for you than you know yourself.  Far too many of these Karens are in elected office or positions of high authority in our government and in our society.  They are propped up by the mainstream and social media; who are dominated in ownership and operation by Karens.  Therefore it is not surprising that the product of these entities reflects a Karen attitude and affection; casting that type of behavior in the most favorable way possible.  The media love their Karens; as long as their Karen’s language supports their employers’agendas.  FOX has their Karens; CNN has their Karens; and each of us has our own Karens that we prefer above others.

At the end of the day, the tangible influence and power that Karens possess is determined by how much the common man or woman chooses to give them.  Without blind allegiance or substantial followings, Karens tend to dry up, fade away, and become a past flavor du jour.  By and large, Karens tend to rely mainly on loose rhetoric and a thin veil of factual knowledge that they selectively use to promote their agenda.  Karens dearly love spending time with each other.  They tend to be universally broad and transparently thin.  Karens love being Karens; the ones we should really be listening to are the ones who are uncomfortable with their celebrity.

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Our government is a marvelous design envisioned by our founders in the Constitution of the United States.  We have perverted their ideals and deviated from their design to the point where the very foundations of our nation are in peril.  A main component of that perversion is the fact that many of our government and judicial representatives are operating with blinders on.  They become inflamed advocates for a particular cause (sometimes good and sometimes bad) and are so intent on the thing they are promoting that they fail to consider the collateral effects of their desire.  Not only are they oblivious to those impacts; they reach a point of unbridled enthusiasm for their cause where they simply disregard the cost of those impacts.  They reach a point where the ends justify the means.

A good example of this phenomenon is the way our nation has dealt with the coronavirus pandemic.  There are many ways to look at this issue and there are certainly irresponsible positions being occupied at either end of the “coping with the pandemic” spectrum.  These extremists are the people with blinders.  Some would have us crawl in a hole and not come out until a bulletproof vaccine is discovered, tested, and broadly available.  Others would have us ignore the consequences of the virus and continue our lifestyles as if nothing had happened.  The common sense approach lies somewhere in the middle where we recognize that many people will die from a terrible illness that attacked our society unexpectedly.  And although the casualties of that epidemic are tragic and emotional, the fact is that our world cannot stop turning in an attempt to save every…single…life threatened by this monster.  An attempt that is doomed to failure.

As we have done in the past with influenza, SARS, AIDS, and other broad spectrum illnesses; we must learn to cope with the ill effects while continuing to live our lives.  We cannot achieve perfect safety from any illness and we cannot ignore the abilities we have to try and keep our citizens as safe as possible.  We have already paid a terrible price for our reaction to this pandemic.  How long will we continue to follow a pursuit of impossible prevention at a high cost to our current lives and the future of our children?  Should we continue to sacrifice living our lives to the fullest on the basis of something that might happen?

After missing half a year of schooling, do we really want to proceed down a path that will yield an education for our children that is only 25-35 percent of normal effectiveness when it is abundantly clear that our youth are not overtly threatened by this pandemic?  The solution to questions like this one requires the removal of blinders.  Perhaps we have over-reacted in our prevention efforts; perhaps we have under-reacted in our prevention methods.  Only time will reveal the true testing of our actions.

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When we seek to uphold the words of our Declaration of Independence by insuring Equality for all of our citizens, it is essential that we focus on the facts.  A good example of those pertinent facts lies in the data banks of the U.S. Census Bureau.  There is no doubt that slavery and subsequent discrimination in America was a despicable episode.  The price it incurred in human misery and national turmoil cannot be quantified.  Its occurrence in our history was one of many regrettable chapters that nonetheless led us to where we stand today.  The early and ugly chapters regarding the American West are equally shameful.  We cannot relive or remake the past.  We can only attempt to draw wisdom from the mistakes we made then and try our best to prevent their re-occurrence. The plight of many Hispanics in America is also tragic and must be recognized and dealt with.  The fact is that Hispanics and Latinos constitute the largest racial minority in America today.  Yet the attention given to their plight in our country does not reflect that reality.  Asian Americans deal with their position as minorities in a humble and quiet fashion; silently going about making a life for themselves and their families in spite of any hurdles placed in their paths.  They have a unique and admirable quality of stoicism that we could all benefit from attaining.

Those who loudly, arrogantly, and irresponsibly run around advocating equality for some need to come to grips with the fact that they are nothing more than a part of the whole.  They may belong to a small part or they may belong to a large part; but either way, they have no right to dictate to the other parts how everyone should live.  If we want to totally and fully embrace mathematical equality, we had better take off the blinders and consider the collateral effects that a broad and full implementation of that formula would entail.  A blind and unfettered application of mathematical equality throughout our society would result in many, many unanticipated changes that would not all be welcomed.

Equality is not a number; equality is a concept.  Equality is an ideal.  Equality is a goal to be pursued and supported by behavior that reflects the premise originally espoused in our Declaration of Independence.  This nation was founded as a haven for those seeking freedom to worship and the opportunity to live independently and achieve.  It has been a melting pot for many souls from across this planet and its diversity is a critical part of its very fiber.  This nation was founded, through blood and sacrifice, for the benefit of all.  Not just the majority and not just the minority; but for the benefit of ALL.  Acceptance of the Equality concept requires responsibility, accountability, and respect.  Our culture has lost its perspective on mutual respect.  A lot of the folks running the streets these days with cardboard Equality signs have no clue about those ideals.

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We should not allow our government, and our lives, to be run by a bunch of Karens with blinders who are nothing more than controlling and arrogant egotists.  Instead of forming opinions based on multi-second media sound bites, we need to look beyond the talking heads or the printed words to the facts that are readily available to everyone.  We need to throw off the blinders that lead us to obsess with one issue or another; totally disregarding not only the opposing opinions of others, but the collateral impact that implementation of our favored position might entail.   We have devolved in both a societal and governmental sense to a point where the tail is wagging the dog.

We have racial segments of our nation demanding influence that exceeds their proportional representation of society.  We have elected officials who seize their few minutes of fame to advocate for causes that they would obsessively dictate to all; regardless of other’s rights or opinions.  We have federal judges who abuse their power and lifetime appointments to circumvent our Constitution in an attempt to form a culture that fits their personal ideals.  And we have all blindly formed opinions about these people that oftentimes belie the facts and realities that surround them.  We have become a lazy nation that has given up on the requirements of good citizenry and have gotten used to permitting other people to make decisions for us and tell us how to think.  Our nation needs a reality check. 

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If we continue down this road, we will become nothing more than sheep being led by the herders.  We will wake up some day and understand that even though our nation was never perfect and that many mistakes were made in our long history; the original concept and blueprint conceived by our founders was sound, fair, and durable.  Unfortunately, if we do not soon correct our detachment from the reality that currently exists across our country; we might very well wake that morning and face a harsh realization.  We will sit at the breakfast table and look across at our spouse and our children; we will head off to a job that drives us crazy with frustration and bureaucracy, yet is essential to our economic survival and must therefore be tolerated; and we will live a lifestyle constricted by regulations and ordinances that seem arbitrary and excessive, but nonetheless make us compliant with a certain type of behavior and philosophy.  We might find that our opinions matter only if they conform to the opinions of those in charge.  We might find that our ambition is not relevant unless it can be used in the quest for our leaders’ agendas.  We might find that our freedoms of choice are severely limited by the choices that are actually made available to us.

Consider this quote: “We don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone.  Freedom is like that.  It’s like air.  When you have it, you don’t notice it.”  That was not Thomas Jefferson or Alexander Hamilton; it was Boris Yeltsin.  I suspect he knew something about the concept he was addressing.  Joni Mitchell wrote: “…you don’t know what you got till it’s gone”.  I have to say…if you can find a line that both Boris Yeltsin and Joni Mitchell can agree on, perhaps you had better pay some attention to it.

Wake up, America…our nation is slipping away.  Use your power as an individual to support the things you believe in.  Use your vote to elect sensible people who respect this country and its ideals.  Use your consumer dollars to support companies that reside in America and practice business rather than politics.  Use your benevolent donations to support causes that illustrate the heart and compassion that is so much a part of our country.  Use your time to develop your town or your community in way that makes you feel good about yourself and your family’s future.

And above all else…use your head to make these decisions.  Hold dear the freedom and independence that so many who have gone before us earned through sacrifice and deed.  Think for yourself and do not follow blindly those that might covet the power held by you and your neighbors.  The Karens are out there to tell you how to live; look inside yourself for that direction.

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The Residents are Taking Control of the Asylum

As frustrated as I get with President Trump, I always pull back from outright mutiny for one very good reason: the man has to deal with a bunch of idiots on a daily basis.  This is not a good reason for he, himself, to act like an idiot; but it is certainly relevant as to why he sometimes acts as he does.  From Donald Trump’s perspective, his job must be like playing chess with a pigeon.  The pigeon jumps on the board, knocks all the pieces over, shits all over the board, and then struts around like it won the game.  This is what Trump contends with every…single…day.

When you consider the people he must contend with, one wonders how he seems as sane as he does.  Consider some of the these combinations: Governor Inslee and Mayor Durkan in Seattle, Governor Walz and Mayor Frey in Minneapolis, Governor Cuomo and Mayor De Blasio in New York, Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader Schumer in Congress, the New York Times and the Washington Post in WDC, CNN and MSNBC on cable television, and finally the Democratic Party and Hideaway Joe in the upcoming election.  Also consider some of the rogue District Attorneys on his national radar: (Attorney General) Keith Ellison in Minnesota, Kimberly Gardner in St. Louis, and Paul Howard in Atlanta.  Please don’t get me wrong; I am not saying that all Democrats are idiots.  I know better than that from experience.  It just seems that lately, all of the biggest idiots in the news are DEMOCRATS!   Is there a pattern here?

And then, of course, there are the liberal federal Judges scattered all across the nation that view the world through their own private lens; such as Emmet Sullivan in the Michael Flynn case.  We haven’t even scraped the surface on the assorted nuts we can find in the celebrity troves of Hollywood and New York; not to mention the various world leaders who envision themselves the modern version of Alexander the Great.  As if that pot were not sufficiently full, we must add a sprinkle of spice on top in the form of RINO characters such as Romney and a strange collection of Bush acolytes. 

As bizarre and disconnected as today’s world may seem to me, a common man in a common community; I cannot imagine how truly byzantine our nation must seem to the President every day he wakes up and swings his feet out of bed.  I have seen things in the last decade that I never dreamed I would see in my lifetime.  I am blessed beyond reason; I can get up, hop on my ATV, ride out on the farm, check the cattle, admire the Good Lord’s handiwork in the glorious nature that abounds, and pretty much disregard the madness that has swept this nation.  Our President does not have that luxury. 

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Unless and until our two national political parties can arrive at some form of détente; it is hard to envision a pathway that can lead to a properly functioning federal government.  The job of the President is massive, complex beyond belief, and literally debilitating in its demands on a person.  All we need to do is look at the before and after photographs of our past Presidents.  We have to get back to a place where even though we have robust debates about policy and challenging journalists who play devil’s advocate with Presidential decisions; we nonetheless maintain a civil level of discourse, an abiding respect for the office of the President, and we realize that the person in the White House was elected to office by the voters of America.  Unless we can allow our Presidents to focus on their duties and obligations without having to deal with the petty and partisan ankle-biting that has become so prevalent over the last two decades; it is difficult to envision any President, of either Party, being very successful at fulfilling their appointed duties.

Another disconcerting aspect of our poisonous political discord in America is its impact on our foreign policy and international relationships.  I realize that it is pointless to pine for the days when national security debates stopped at the water’s edge.  But if some type of bipartisan middle ground is not rediscovered in U.S. foreign policy, I fear that our country’s future existence on this uncertain planet is going to become increasingly perilous.  Here is a good glimpse at one of the hotspots that our mainstream media should be covering in a responsible and objective way: https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/07/something-happening-in-iran.php . 

Going back up the blog to some of the infamous pairings that are dealing with the law and order issues across America today…it goes without saying that the dreams and ambitions of some liberal leaders simply do not respond well when they come face to face with reality.  I have often referenced journalist Heather Mac Donald on her articles regarding law and order.  Here is another piece from her impressive body of work: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/07/03/police-black-killings-homicide-rates-race-injustice-column/3235072001/ .  It has been said many times before, but bears repeating; these truly naïve liberal leaders have every right to their own ideals and political philosophies.  What they do not have a right to is their own set of facts.

The devolution of American journalism has proven that if a lie is told often enough, it becomes the truth.  Equally apparent is the fact that our collective ignorance of history has created opportunities for agenda-driven entities from all walks of life to literally and manipulatively rewrite history with no fear of recrimination.  We used to say believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.  In today’s world of fake news, shameless journalistic deception, and photo shopping techniques that are beyond belief…I believe I can safely say that we should all be extremely careful about who and what we rely upon.  

Buffet at the CenterlineRight Cafe

Coronavirus Mayhem: I wrote a few weeks ago about how the coronavirus statistics stack up against non-pandemic statistics in regards to national mortality numbers; an effort to put the issue in some perspective.  Here is that post: http://centerlineright.blogspot.com/2020/05/though-uncertainty-remains-it-is-time.html .  As a companion piece to that item, please consider this bit of news reporting: https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/06/how-many-covid-deaths-are-there-really.php .  There has been a good deal of rank opportunism taking place in the last few weeks regarding the approach of elected officials  and the media to this global virus.  Pay close attention to the mortality rate (the real mortality rate) that is remaining flat and the asymptomatic nature of the new cases being reported daily.  We now know who is vulnerable; our hospital capacities are in good shape; and common sense can allow us to deliberately return to a normal routine in our lives. 

Who exactly is driving this effort to continue or increase the lock-down and what exactly is motivating them?  Here is some food for thought: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-lefts-coronavirus-narrative-is-a-myth/ .  We can only hope that history is not allowed to be rewritten in such a fashion as to cover a lot of rear ends for the irresponsible costs those particular rear ends have foisted upon our nation’s public in the course of this pandemic.  Because make no mistake about it, the rewriting has already begun.  And it is sad to say that one of our weaknesses as a nation is that we Americans do have short memories. 

So as we move into what may be the second wave, or a continuation of the first wave, or who knows what wave; we might just refer to a line from Mr. Hendrix in that famous tune “If 6 Was 9”.  The line is: wave on, wave on.  In fact, the lyrics from that song might somewhat capture the spirit of our national attitude towards this viral misadventure: https://genius.com/Jimi-hendrix-if-6-was-9-lyrics .  I think that perhaps this country could use a few more leaders like South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem who have the wisdom and courage to not only think independently, but to then take action based on those thoughts: https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/06/the-courage-to-say-no.php .  That kind of intestinal fortitude is in very short supply these days.

One aspect of the pandemic that gets little or no attention is the long-term cost to our society of shielding our population, especially the children and young adults, from any exposure to the virus.  Will this not come back to  haunt us when we once again are faced with a new wave of this viral strain and have large numbers of people who have never built up any semblance of natural immunity?  “Herd immunity” needs to receive some discussion.  For college football fans, you might check into this in regards to SEC football.

Biden’s Bunker Mentality.  Whatever your politics might be, any sane person must admit that the Democratic political strategy to hide Joe Biden away in his basement as their best approach to winning the November Presidential election is rather alarming.  One has to wonder….Just how bad off is Joe?  Here is a good article from what would appear to be a credible source about that very subject: https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/06/joe-biden-the-american-people-are-stupid.php .   Here is another perspective on the subject from a very thoughtful journalist: https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/a-socially-cocooned-nepotistic-aristocracy/ .  Joe Biden is without a doubt the modern, domestic version of John Frankenheimer’s Manchurian Candidate. 

This Hide-A-Joe strategy is frightening on two fronts.  The Democratic Party has some very intelligent and clever people in their campaign department.  Do they really think so little of the American voter that they feel this type of subterfuge campaign can be successful?  And secondly…what if the idea works out and Biden wins?  Does that then validate the low opinion that the Democratic Party has of the American voter?  Either premise is alarming on its own; but the possibility of both being valid is nothing short of…depressing.

Obama’s Damage Continues to Unfold.  As we continue to see the drip, drip, drip of dirty little secrets exposed from the corrupted Obama administrations, we await Assistant U.S. Attorney John Durham’s report and can only hope that someone, somewhere will be held accountable for this historic travesty.  Just a brief refresher on the Obama approach to good governance: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/05/27/what_the_obamagate_scandals_mean_and_why_they_matter.html .  This week’s release of Mr. Strzok’s notes relating to the infamous January 5, 2017 Obama White House meeting only confirms what many people already suspected: President Obama was in this Flynn Foolishness up to his chin all along and Joe Biden was right there with him carrying his water. 

And I would be remiss if I did not give ample credit to Obama’s chief enabler, the Mainstream Media…the so-called Fourth Estate that has sold its credibility and ethical soul to the Democratic Party and liberal elements in our nation today.  Let us consider their role in Obama’s eight-year Hall of Shame performance: https://justthenews.com/accountability/media/making-myth-timeline-media-role-selling-trump-russia-collusion-narrative .

We now see the infamous Trio of Idiocy writers from the New York Times repeating their shameful Russian hoax exercise.  Their latest bombshell (dud) is the Russian bounty story-line.  They quote anonymous sources while irresponsibly leaking national security information.  They are then backed up by others in the mainstream media quoting their own anonymous sources that…shock, amazement…back up the NYT’s anonymous sources.  They cite not one single name, not one single title, and not one independent source for their phony story.  Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.  After over three years of shame, disgrace, and a total desertion of anything resembling journalistic ethics or credibility, why would anyone believe a single word printed in the New York Times? 

If you wonder what America would be like with Joe Biden as President, don’t listen to what he says.  Don’t pay attention to his campaign commercials.  Ignore the mainstream media and their hilarious hype about how much better it will be.  Pay no mind to the anarchy and liberal madness that is in our streets and society these days; they are not the ones who will be in control.  They are the ones being used to try and gain control.  A Joe Biden Presidency will bring the Obama Administration back into the White House and the Executive Branch.  With the potential detonation of the nuclear option in a newly-Democratic Senate and the retention of a Democratic House, there would literally be no limits to how the Democrats might reshape this nation. 

And if they had no hesitation about spying on the press, on the Congress, on international leaders both allied and antagonist, on political opponents, and yes…even on a duly-elected President; do you really think for one moment that they would hesitate even one moment to spy on you or me?  A Joe Biden victory in November will likely usher in a decade or more of Democratic rule for America.  Because if Obama’s crew gets back in control of the Executive Branch, they will burrow into every single federal agency, politicize every federal department, and dictate to all of us a country that fits their vision and ideals. That vision and those ideals came out of the socialist roots of Saul Alinsky in Chicago; a man who despised our nation as it was founded and whose radical teachings nourished Obama into what he is today. He called it community organizing.  It is, in fact, nothing less than European socialism. 

It is a very simple proposition to understand.  If you want the government to control your life, you vote Democrat.  If you want to maintain some semblance of liberty and capitalism in our country, you vote Republican.  Lord knows, this does not mean that the Republicans have all the answers and the correct policies.  They do not.  They are as much a part of the deep state WDC environment as the Democrats (see the next item on the menu).  They are all members of the same fraternity.  But the truth is that given the binary choice we currently face in this political arena, the Republicans offer a path that is closer to the true identity of our nation.  Do you want your entire life…your job, your family, your benefits, your retirement, your children’s education, your recreation, your future, your neighborhood, your community…graded on the curve?  That will be the Democratic way.

Don’t miss the next post….          Just Google centerlineright.

Sounding the National Debt Alarm One…More…Time.  The Republicans and the Democrats have shamefully refused to acknowledge, much less address, the cancerous national debt rot that this nation is experiencing.  Someday, our children and grandchildren will sit and wonder how we all could have been so stupid as to have allowed this to happen.  Of all the adverse effects that may flow from both national parties’ policy misadventures over the last two decades, their knowing ignorance in dealing with our national debt holds the potential to wreak the most devastation on future American generations.  Here is the current, and sad, status: https://jonathanturley.org/2020/06/12/debt-26003751512344-91-in-case-you-are-counting/ .

Police Reform.   There are plenty of notions about how to deal with the police crisis that currently exists in our nation.  The House has passed their typical rainbows and unicorns legislation addressing police reform and the Democrats in the Senate apparently don’t even want to discuss it; as evidenced by the their refusal to even bring Senator Tim Scott’s bill to the Senate floor for discussion and debate.  Governors and Mayors all across the country are coming up with innovative and bizarre approaches to defunding, reforming, reinventing, replacing, strengthening, and analyzing police departments at all levels of society. 

Unfortunately, just as we see in the House and the Senate, hyperbole and rank emotion have dictated these discussions and debates.  Everyone seems to realize there is a problem that needs to be addressed.  But no one can seem to agree on how to even begin a civil discussion about how to start the process.  Here is a refreshingly intelligent, analytical, and objective approach to this issue that would serve as an outstanding platform from which to launch this debate: https://www.city-journal.org/repudiate-the-anti-police-narrative .  And here is some additional professional journalism from Ms. Mac Donald: https://www.city-journal.org/ferguson-effect-inner-cities .  My goodness…a journalist who actually does research and deals with facts!!

Virtue-Signaling Madness.  I don’t know about you, but I have had about all of this virtue-signaling I can take.  This flavor du jour or phase that our society is going through lately is about as reprehensible as anything I have ever seen.  Political leaders, celebrities, Karen-mom activists, and even long-established national corporations are cravenly yielding to the least amount of public pressure these days if threatened with the despicable stain of being politically incorrect. It attacks with a sudden ferocity, turns a normal spine to jelly within days, destroys any presence of logic or independence, and is overtaking everyone from NASCAR to Coca-Cola. 

With a modicum of bad press, they can be persuaded to abandon worthy charitable causes.  With the least amount of high profile criticism, they can be forced to toss aside slogans and images that have been associated with their brands for ages.  With just a subtle shift in the political winds, they will pull their advertising from here and shift it to there.  If this turns out not to be a phase or some type of temporary behavior, we run the risk of becoming perhaps the most shallow civilization in the history of the planet.  Surely at some point, sooner rather than later, we will return to a position of principled, deliberate, and objective examination as to how we conduct ourselves and our business in America. 

This rush by corporations and sports entities (looking at you NBA) to promote feel good slogans and blind endorsements of activist organizations and groups is going off the rails.  A perfect example is the Black Lives Matter organization.  It is no mystery what this organization stands for...officially.  It is in plain language on their website.  Read it here:  https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/ .

I am one of the intolerables, the redneck throwaways, that the Democrats love to ridicule.  I am no racist and this is what "I"believe: I support a colorblind society where the color of skin has nothing to do with respect, dignity, and opportunity.  I support equal justice for all, regardless of race.  I do not support the language on the BLM website.  I have serious doubts if many of the virtue-signalling entities that are jumping on board the politically correct trains these days have read this language either.  

The Monument(al) Solution: Put It to a Vote.  This statue and monument destruction is rapidly getting out of hand.  I personally believe that part of the problem is that we have too many statues and monuments to begin with.  It’s like handing out too many “A’s” in class or everyone receiving a “participation trophy”; excesses inevitably lead to a dilution of the initial honor and uniqueness.  Here is my solution to the problem.  If it is a federal piece on federal property, then it is the jurisdiction of Congress to leave it, alter it, replace it, or remove it.  As for lower government entities such as state, county, and community pieces; put it on the ballot.  If a majority of those who care enough to vote about it like it, then leave it alone.  If a majority wants it removed, then get rid of it.  I think the true injustice that is occurring in many of these situations is when a handful of people, who many times don’t even reside in these neighborhoods, unilaterally decide what is best for those that do.  People…tend your own gardens.