In Encore

Encore of Revival: America, May 22, 2017

Author SymphonyPosted on

The news of news: Roger Ailes, pioneer of the number one ranked news network, died this week at 77. He had his share of scandals, considered by many to be large among his demographic, yet small by the working standards of his industry. He was held to a higher standard as did he hold his organization. He oversaw the original Rush Limbaugh TV show before making Fox News into a household name. In both success and failure, Roger Ailes proved that Conservative opinion hadn’t gone out of style, that agenda-driven news reporting had, and that no establishment is too big to fail, including his own. Those who worked with him have much more to say. He will remain among history’s more remembered.

Now, the entire news industry has it’s eyes on Donald Trump. The vultures and sharks are circling, thinking to get lucky for the first time. In former FBI director Comey’s long list of problems, even after all the opposition from the political Left, the news narrative is that Trump’s only important reason for firing the FBI chief was Trump himself.

Good luck with that.

While the birds and fish swarm around abandoned driftwood, hoping to find something to feast on, the Republicans on Capital Hill do what they always do: nothing. Talk of impeachment, then markets tumble. Lay off on the word “impeachment” and the markets rebound. So, it’s clear what the money wants and why the economy improved. Notoriety for Trump from the markets is the most this vulture cluster will accomplish, second-most being that the political class will have something to keep them distracted. Third-most is the entertainment the Russians are getting out of this. And, hiding somewhere in the back of the room, someone made money last week and someone else lost money last week. But, the money made on market dip days isn’t newsworthy, right?

Speaking of Russian entertainment, Putin may respect Trump more for this whole “investi- gate” jazz, which could lead to peace in other regions, perhaps.

America is divided, but this isn’t news. A political class was evicted. Young, entitled, socialist “Hippies” were denied: They were told to work and give to themselves rather than receive. This Sunday, angry students, who lacked the maturity to accept election results—something Obama dissidents were able to do for eight years—walked out on Pence’s speech at their own graduation ceremony at Notre Dame.

Complaints continue and will continue. The current cloud mounting against Donald Trump can’t be taken seriously because the rage behind it is old and waning. The cat who walked by himself has returned, sits outside the the back door, and cries in the rain. But, this is not a hotel. Once you’re gone, you’re gone, no matter how much of a fuss you make of it.

That’s all this is.

From this storm of headlines, not one vote will swing against Trump. If anything, his support will increase with every “surely this is the end this time” attack against him that fails.

This is a great danger to the remaining political establishment. And, Trump isn’t in political danger, he’s out-smarting the bull once again. Allowing Robert Mueller to return as special prosecutor is outright “Rooseveltian”—keep them distracted while continuing right on schedule. Mueller won’t indite Trump anymore than Snowden couldn’t not defend Comey.

Flynn’s situation is becoming suspicious, but not from digging into his ties with Trump, his problems beg questions of the Obama years. Trump fired Flynn on principle: He gave a dodgy answer to Pence’s direct question. Anything we discover bad about Flynn at this point applauds Trump’s firing principles and smears Obama. But, that won’t stop the angry bull from thinking he’s gonna’ finally kill the blanket this time!

What’s all the confusion about? What’s the real story? The real story is that Washington scrambles to discover the real story while Trump travels overseas to coordinate with Israel, the Vatican, the Saudis, NATO, and G7. There won’t be any coordinated scheme against the president while he is gone.

It seems crazy. It is. The line between brilliance and insanity is too fine for the media’s eye to see. The smokescreen of chaos in the nations’ capital, just in time for the president to travel and create new headlines, is as masterful and understandable as abstract art. It may be good, it may be evil, but it is neither unintended nor unskilled.

So, another bullfighter triumphed against another angry bull this week. So what?

Look to the seas. Venezuela has real trouble, so does North Korea. China and Russia are on the move. China’s execution of CIA spies during the Obama years is just now making headlines. Europe faces a “Muslim” reformation it invited. All the while, the US military just got a $15B injection, thoroughly-opposed by pro-military members of Congress, and is undergoing fat-trimming scrutiny so severe that the over-eaters are whining as tax vultures have found a less crowded sky to circle above the Pentagon. While Capital Hill’s buzzards circle an empty coffin, work continues.

And, whoever bought all that discount stock that sold off on Wednesday stood to make a lot of money selling it back on the Thursday and Friday rebound, just as they will at the next opportunity, and the one after that… especially the dip days that are reported as market “panic”, rather than the “opportunities” they often prove to be.

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In Cadence

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, May 15, 2017

Author SymphonyPosted on

Make no mistake; when the Chinese advocate “globalism”, they don’t envision a world with multiple governments nor do they envision a world government run by the West. They don’t talk about their end game, nor does anyone else. When China talks regional alliances, they envision choreographed unison along the path. Regional alliances would be a great end game and it is unlikely that any nation would be able to push past regional alliances any more than any nation could live without them.

Whether a nation’s goal is protectionism or a one-world government, regional alliances between individual sovereign nations are the only future that awaits us—at least before Christ descends from a wormhole in the clouds.

China has roads and bridges to build. Russia has a nation to rebuild. Militaries have hackers to train and break in. Anonymous hackers have kudos to earn, coup to count, and chests to thump. And, nations have computers to defend, even island nations across China’s east coast. Alliances are certainly in season—and for good reason.

But, right now all those plans halt at an impasse over a bridge with a brittle keystone. The Kim Dynasty can see it’s own defeat on the horizon; we all can. Japan will rise to action. The US will rally the world. China will endorse. Russia will sit quietly. Then, China will seize its opportunity for the shift in the balance as Russia finds its excuse for “retaliation”. Once Korea snaps, the first shot gets fired and no battle plan will survive.

And then, we’ll see.

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In Encore

Encore of Revival: America, May 15, 2017

Author SymphonyPosted on

Of course Snowden objects to his persecutor being fired. James Comey was likely dismissed for incompetence—not only in failing to prosecute “crooked Hillary” after publicly building the case against her at election time, not only because of his “see no evil” attitude toward all Islamic factions, which arguably allowed the shooting in San Bernardino, nor for ignoring Apple’s instructions on how to not lock the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone, not only for talking about software security on national TV as if he doesn’t know how to use a mouse, not only for dragging the FBI’s feet while investigating the Orlando night club shooter for 10 months while he killed another 102 people, and not only for working for the previous president under whose “Iraqexit” ISIS became a household name. Trump is also growing tired of leaks to the media—something he won’t tolerate. Counterintelligence and leak-finding are games of trial and permutation, much like Clue—games which Comey is not exempted from. If leaks to the media decrease since his firing, there will be no doubt about Trump’s motives.

But, then there is his career effectiveness. Was Comey a kind of “fifth horseman” working as a media spy in the FBI? Comey, in all of his investigations in Russia, still failed to retrieve Snowden. Yet, were it not for Comey and his valiant-yet-failing efforts, not as many people would read Snowden’s Tweets. Personally sympathetic or otherwise, Snowden can’t not oppose Comey’s firing. But, it’s unclear what Russia thinks about Snowden’s support for the man investigating them.

Remember, Snowden became famous as a 29 year old tech geek for having information that dropped from the bumblings of Baby Boomers who ran the NSA, but apparently learned to use a mouse late in life. Snowden did not become famous for his political commentary.

On the other end of the Peanut Gallery, Julian “Espionage” Assange can’t not comment on who is more effective at finding the truth about a government. Perhaps Comey might have not locked the San Bernardino bomber’s iPhone if he had hired Assange or Snowden. Now, “Espionage” Assange offers “Unemployed” Comey a job while “Wanted” Snowden comes to “Unemployed” Comey’s defense. It’s almost worth a comedy story.

Other opinionated young bloods have their conflicting opinions—mostly Bernie Sanders supporters who didn’t foresee that he had no political chance. They favored Obama having his way with any and every department. They weren’t paying attention during their childhoods in the Bush years. They weren’t alive to see the Clinton years. But, now, all of a sudden, they are conscientious about “abuse of power”. This Hippies’ change of heart is yet another example of how Trump is good for the country.

But, the Hippies still don’t get the picture.

Heads of departments in the Federal Government work at the pleasure of the president. It is customary to dismiss old department heads when new presidents take office. Comey lasted longer than he had any right to expect.

The same would be true if a Democrat had just taken the White House and an FBI director who had served under a Republican were being fired—well, except for the Bush dynasty who wouldn’t oppose a burglar holding a knife to their own family.

The kids complaining about Comey didn’t discover politics until they saw a viral video of street musicians singing about Sanders. Then, they acted like the vicious cycles of history are happening for the first time, even though history isn’t cycling for the first time—not even in their lifetimes. This time, when a new president fired an old department head, they happened to be finally be paying attention. Once today’s Hippies finish growing their chest hair and the now junior high schoolers take up the “Hippie torch” when Trump leaves office, the same “concerns” will recapitulate like a recurring theme in a bad movie score.

The real question is about the gray heads running the news industry: This isn’t the first time a new president fired and old department head. This isn’t the first time political classroom goof-offs acted like “normal” was a surprise. Nothing new or newsworthy happened this week. Headlines should have read, “New President fires Old FBI Chief: Proof the World Still Spins”.

The news industry failed to report what really happened this week: History simply repeated. That’s why news is a dying industry.

But, why feed the Hippies? Why is the news industry quickening its own death on the altar of demagoguery? The best explanation so far is that the news industry is like the Pied Piper—hoping to rally an unwitting populist army of children into a war that they would know they would lose if they were 20 years older. But, the best kept secret about Bernie Sanders, Clinton, Obama, the dying news establishment, and the rest of the political Left is that their goal isn’t to win. Their goal is to lose while making as big of a mess as possible. Once the kids figure that out, it will all backfire and the Left won’t have even one leg to stand on.

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In Cadence

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, May 8, 2017

Author SymphonyPosted on

The US media is pulling out a trump card that has been hiding in the deck since 2016. Otto, a traveling student, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor by the Kim dynasty for touching a government propaganda poster. Now, his parents are near tears on national television as released film of the large assembly sitting in approval of his sentencing replay in homes across America and the world.

Otto is only one person. His parents know this. Americans know this. But, Otto is one person whom Americans can identify with to understand all the others. Americans can understand why China is preparing for Korean refugees.

The story is beyond bad press. Skinny people seen collecting grass in parks, skinny soldiers working on farms to get enough food to eat, people pushing their own buses when they run out of gasoline, and no reports of what is happening in Korean hard labor camps—and now pretty-handsome college boy is put in a labor camp for touching a poster? What’s next, hating pink ponies, baby kittens, and Santa Clause?

There’s no defense for keeping North Korea. Not even Russia can object if the US peppers Pyongyang with BLU-82 “Daisy Cutters”.

On Friday China’s Finance Minister Xiao Jie left an annual conference in Japan for an “emergency domestic meeting” in China. No one knows why, not even Forbes or their friends in Hong Kong.

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In Encore

Encore of Revival: America, May 8, 2017

Author SymphonyPosted on

Police departments are ceasing patrol due to unpopularity with the people, according to an FBI report. France, like Canada and the US 12 years ago, also has new, young president. The new president, Emanuel Macron, who won by more than 65%, ran on a campaign of cutting spending, loosening France’s ever-so-strict labor laws, and protecting the self-employed. Regardless of what you think you know of Le Pen, who lost, French politics aren’t what they seem. The same can be said of the new politics on Capital Hill.

Trump’s budget deal is complex. It angered people, he knew it would, he wanted it to. But, the backlash will also be complex. His two-part Tweet tells it all.

Trump could have used the budget reconciliation rule to pass a budget bill or to repeal Obamacare, which suspends the 60-vote rule over matters of Constitution and budget. Democrats used it to pass Obamacare, which seemed to be misuse of the rule; Republicans didn’t use it to repeal Obamacare. He could have suspended the 60 vote rule, but he didn’t and he hasn’t. He won’t because he wants the 60 vote rule removed—a rule which, more or less, allows “auto filibuster”, so opponents can keep needless discussion going to stop a law from being voted on, without actually having to attend any meetings. It’s a silly rule in the Senate. It’s a relatively new rule in the Senate. The House has no such rule. Thankfully, families and business also don’t have such rules. Trump is playing smart. The best solution to bad rules and laws: rigorous enforcement. He wants his supporters to support efforts to eliminate the 60-vote rule so that, as in the House, a law only needs a simple majority to be passed.

There is still no wall. Obamacare isn’t gone. Some Trump supporters are angry—though, keep watching: They’ll cool off around election time when they see what pops over the horizon.

One very important thing happened: military. China, Korea, and the Middle East are heating up. China is making huge strides with constructing its first aircraft carrier. We needed that military cleanup from eight years of rust. Otherwise it would be the North Koreans vs ISIS jihadists fighting over who gets to keep your women, brainwash your children, and kill the rest of your family—no matter what country you live in. Like it or not, evil or good or somewhere in the vast in-between, the decaying US military is all that keeps people who don’t apologize away from the shores of the people who do. This budget kept that military going.

Yes, it did make other milestones. It was a first: A new president actually influenced the current year’s budget—because we were over-budget from eight years before. Yes, the bill boosted military spending without having to boost non-related programs. And, yes, Trump will be in a better position to threaten with a shutdown later, since the military is finally operational again.

But, the people won’t have it. Trump was supposed to drain the swamp. Where’s the wall? Why is the US spending over $1B on non-citizens in our prisons? Why not fix Obamacare with the same rout that it was created? The people want results now. They will come back to support Trump in 2018 and 2020, but only briefly; and in between, they will get thirsty for a third party. Perhaps that was also part of Trump’s plan in the first place. Let’s be frank; the Republican party likes Trump and his base about as much as Britain liked General George Washington and the American colonies.

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In Cadence

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, May 1, 2017

Author SymphonyPosted on

The news would have us think that China’s reverse-engineered copy of a Soviet-made diesel aircraft carrier is nuclear-powered and in full commission. It’s not. It’s simply being towed from one construction site to another. But, it is another milestone step in progress and the West needs to pay close attention. With all the excitement over Korean nukes, China obtaining its own aircraft carriers is a bigger step and a bigger threat to China’s neighbors. Heads are turning in Japan and India.

Trump’s “bromance” with China’s President Xi isn’t without precedent. The two are smart. Trump is less-controlled by the big political class. No matter how much Xi may want to resolve peace, any deal he makes with Trump must be pleasing to the Communist Party of China. Perhaps some success with Trump on the Kim dynasty in Korea will help Xi persuade the old boys club in China. But, that would be a first. Old school Chinese don’t like to learn new tricks.

Eventually, Korea will make major steps toward becoming one nation. Then, the US and China will change colors in the South Sea. Both sides will have gotten what they wanted: a stable Korean Peninsula. But, when the conflict in the West Pacific erupts, all bets will be off. It won’t be America who betrays first, the Chinese will make their move after they have their excuse. The ongoing US relationship with Taiwan may be that excuse. And, in the minds of the Chinese, the US will have been wrong.

Xi and Trump will become like old generals who know each other from battle field just as well as from the tea time table. No matter how much conflict they have, they will always be grateful for their cooperation in Korea. That’s what mature generals do. And, that is the current leadership at both ends of the Pacific.

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