Encore of Revival: America, December 27, 2021

The press is attacking Biden over COVID more than they did Trump. It’s so funny, how much they lauded the savior who honored mask and social distancing rules, but now they toss him under the bus. Even funnier is how CDC big wigs survived two attacked presidencies while they were the supposed professionals actually making the decisions.

Trump supporters will easily blame Fauci since he was the man in charge all this time. Trump fans do that, especially since The Apprentice and Trump’s famous line, “You’re fired.” Trump supporters know who and how to fire. At least, they think they do.

Anti-Trumpists, however, now have an inescapable contradiction to face. Biden was the savior because he followed the mask rules, and the media heads even said so—until he wasn’t and they didn’t. Anti-Trump sentiment was based largely on the notion that COVID proved who was right and wrong as a president. That idea can’t hold water anymore, for either purpose or any other purpose.

Whether right or wrong, Trumpists can maintain their story; Anti-Trumpists can’t because to oppose Biden is to support Trump. Trumpists who prophesied Trump’s continued presidency in the name of God already faced that contradiction. Now it’s time for Anti-Trumpists. Sometimes we need our own contradictions to get bad enough before we see the light. But, that’s going for all, regardless of which political candidate they support.

Read More

Encore of Revival: America, July 27, 2020

It takes two to fight. There are two Americas and half of each are choosing to fight.

As early as 2015, more than a few Obama supporters claimed that Trump spoke as did Hitler. He did not, neither in 2015 nor through 2019. But now, Trump does speak so—with the gentle, understanding, compassionate appeal to sense and patience before the bold and courageous grab. That was Hitler and FDR. And, that doesn’t prove anything. Perhaps we should say Hitler spoke as Trump, or both as FDR, because this way of speaking is necessary in troubled times, whether a leader be bad or good. Just because Hitler did a good thing to look good does not mean the good thing is not good.

But, if there were any alarm, it is ignored because of the fake alarms set off by loud radicals on the far Left, possibly about half.

Those radicals do not consider consequence. “Solving” a problem the wrong way will only make the problem worse, then deter others from attempting to solve that problem in the future. They don’t know. Ignoring laws to get a kind of so-called lawless “justice” will only breed more injustices. They don’t notice. Voting ourselves money from the taxpayer treasury bankrupts government, and government bankruptcy always leads to tyranny. They forget. Congressman Louie Gohmert cites history and notes that banning all overt racist monuments and institutions would mean banning the Democratic Party itself. They were never told. A false alarm will cause people to ignore real alarms. They never cared. If there ever were a time for alarm, it is now every bit as much as abuse has drowned out the alarms.

Qualified immunity of the police has been abused and must be reformed—it will be, there is no question of whether, only how. Either it will be abandoned, reformed, or riots will excuse martial law. But, police will not enjoy the protections they abused—and so-called “good” police will not enjoy the protections they  allowed other police to abuse. Even the good cops let the corruption linger and fester. Change in police is inevitable, one way or another. The preferred solution to our police problem is the State-trained militia, but that requires people to think on their own.

Still, many defend police qualified immunity. If federal, state, and county governments were to increase accountability for police to qualify for immunity, there would be fewer riots and most police wouldn’t want to quit their jobs. But, if there is no qualified immunity reform through the legislative process, we will go down the road of riots and martial law.

As bad as martial law is, and as much as Trump made the final decision, no one supported martial law as much as those who justified it by creating the need—lawless, policeless idealists on the Left, possibly about half. As much as dissent against police threatens the peace, no one supported anti-police movements as much as good police who didn’t rise up to confront corruption among their coworkers. Each side of America’s divide creates excuses for the other. It seems like conspiracy, but we can’t be sure yet.

We will know whether there is a Trump conspiracy by whether Trump loses the general election. If he does, he can dispute it, thus enraging the lawless on the far Left to rationalize even more martial law. A simple, straight election victory would not be so inflammatory and would indicate Trump has no takeover conspiracy. Having kept campaign promises and being the incumbent, Trump must win; it is historical gravity. If he lost, it would have been on purpose.

No one helped Trump get elected as much as Obama. No one helped Obama get elected much as Bush Jr.—and Bush Jr., Clinton—and Clinton, Bush Sr. On it goes as America divides and fights with itself. Both sides are responsible, fars on Right and Left—those who don’t think for themselves, possibly about half each. Some are learning to think, whether Left or Right; they are not the problem, possibly about half each.

Read More

Encore of Revival: America, October 21, 2019

Trump is set to redefine historical trends. Every thumbscrew play from the political playbook has been tried on him and every single one has failed except the impeachment in progress, which hasn’t failed or succeeded yet. The very impeachment process will only boost his support as already seen in Texas. It’s all based on results.

Trump supporters and Conservatives—not necessarily one in the same—respond to and respond with results.

Divisions are solidifying along every line—religion, politics, social justice wars. Two people with opposing views can’t reason with each other. Those on the Conservative side tend to be quiet and work and vote. Those on the Liberal side are loud and make anyone who dissents regret it.

The more these divisions and assaults build, the more we see rhetoric face off against results. Loud Liberals in America think they identify with the protesters in Hong Kong. But, it’s not being outspoken that makes a protest work, it’s the resolve to be left alone.

Many Conservatives would be glad to lift laws that make life difficult for the LGBTQ community. But, the social justice war now seeks to punish people for pronouns. That social justice war will likely lead to a backlash from the Conservatives who could eventually place more restrictions on the LGBTQ community than ever before. Overplaying is a danger for everyone. But, no one can be reasoned with these days.

With Senator Romney pushing against the president in his own party, a president popular among Conservatives and many Democrats, he could be paving the way for a third party two presidents after Trump.

Read More

Encore of Revival: America, April 1, 2019

The message from the EU is clear: “Join us so if you leave we can make you suffer for it.” Now, Italy cozies up to China?

Boeing tried to mount too big an engine on too small a plane because the engine used less fuel. This changed the plane’s aerodynamic personality; software was their solution. But, with software come bugs. So, Boeing had a warning light option if the software got too buggy. Ethiopian and Lion Air chose not to spend the $80k extra for the warning light. That cost Boeing about $40B in stock value. Now, we see that the FAA had turned a half-blind eye.

But, many other warnings have been ignored. America is polarizing. The only things deeper than the deep pockets of the US Treasury are the Left’s demands for spending. Senate Democrats silently watched the “Green New Deal” go down in flames. Cities may follow. When the going gets tough, the Right gets working while the Left gets burning hot mad.

Immigration is broken, not just in America, but everywhere. We need a proper on-ramp for good foreigners to enter any country. But, vitriol doesn’t make reforms. There is a difference between vitriol and a “tantrump”. Trump has achieved far more in two years than Obama did in eight. Still the Left stays vitriolic. That’s their only strategy, it seems.

The Left doesn’t want the Right to survive. The Right wants everyone to have the room to work and thrive. Neither will back down.

Peggy Noonan wrote in the Wall Street Journal:

It’s not enough that contraceptives be covered in the government-mandated plan; the nuns must conform. It’s not enough you be sensitive to the effect of your words and language; you must be punished for saying or thinking the wrong thing. It’s not enough that gay marriage is legal; you must be forced to bake the cake. It won’t do that attention be paid to scientific arguments on the environment; America must upend itself with green new deals or be judged not to care about children.

Yes, America is polarizing more than ever before. Who wins? We’ll see.

Read More

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, January 21, 2019

The US government shutdown is stalling Beijing’s action against Taiwan. With the US slightly less-able to respond and prepare, Beijing has an opportunity to bide time and grow its military. No doubt, Beijing will see advantage and seize opportunity.

At the same time, the US has zero intent of appeasing Beijing’s hopes for Taiwan. Whatever signals the US sends elsewhere and otherwise, the US government shows no respect for China and China shows a slow learning curve on understanding just how little respect it has thus.

The evermore desperate fight inside Taiwan continues. Taiwanese rally around their defiant president. Taiwan’s government is reaching for any friends it can find anywhere in the world, while policing dissidents and sources of pro-Chinese opinion within its borders. No doubt, Taiwan is headed for what Winston Churchill said of Great Britain, “this was their finest hour.” Though history has not written the end of that hour, the time is fast approaching.

Read More

Encore of Revival: America, May 28, 2018

Charlie Cook now says what Symphony has said for weeks: Republicans look more and more like they are headed for an unusual midterm upswing. The part you won’t read is how much it looks like a Democrat conspiracy to get Republicans elected—because, if reverse psychology were the plan, Democrats played every note on cue and in key. There’s no evidence of this at all, other than how incredibly flawless the execution seems to be. Either it is a conspiracy for some crazy cause or the current Democrats in office are just as stupid as the Republicans during Bush’s second term.

The general political trend over the weekend was the correlation between society and meteorology. The day after a civil protest occurs, the weather goes nutso. If the government “zaps” publication of the courts, lightning strikes sixty thousand times. If a mob floods the streets one day, a flood floods the streets the next. Now, a hurricane is on its way to Florida. Make sure, if you plan to go golfing in the afternoon, don’t express any objections outside any government buildings in the morning. Your T-time might get rained on.

Read More