Random thoughts #66
I just finished the last of my venison. My dog got her last bit of it as well. I give her, like I did all my others, raw venison mixed with her kibble. The last time I ran out I substituted very lean ground beef and she wouldn’t eat it. I had not bought beef in a couple of years and when I saw the grocery prices, I was stunned. $6.50 a pound! There was no avian flu in cattle so why are the prices this high? Is the US cattle herd shrinking. Shouldn’t we import more beef from Canada and Mexico and waive the tariffs? Surely this qualifies as a national emergency.
I was watching a Toronto Blue Jays versus Chicago Cubs game from Toronto and one of the advertisements said “Pizza Nova, 100% Canadian Owned and Operated.” Think that’s a result of Trump’s war on Canada?
I wonder what was the reception by the Canadian fans to the playing of the US National Anthem? I know that the anthem was booed earlier at hockey matches.
I know Canadians are boycotting American products so I was wondering what consumer products from Canada are imported into America besides Canadian bacon and Canada Dry? And what’s with Canadian “bacon” anyway?
I wish we would put a 1,000% tariff on Canadian geese.
Trump wants Intel to fire its CEO who he thinks is too cozy with China. Does Trump wants to be CEO of Intel too?
He also wants Goldman to fire its chief economist because he doesn’t like what the economist has said about Trump’s (illegal) tariffs. Trump as chief economist?
Trump’s family’s crypto empire has generated $1.5 billion since the election. Just imagine what the real number is if indeed Don Jr is getting kickbacks from the tariff shakedowns.
Trump has now got his guy to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics, E. J. Antoni from the Heritage Foundation who apparently doesn’t know very much about labor statistics. I bet you could sell tickets to his senate confirmation.
Trump held a press conference with charts produced by Stephen Moore (who should know better) showing how the BLS statistics made him look bad (or is it worse?). Moore’s statistics were immediately critically critiqued by other statisticians. Who to believe? Again it is a lesson in how to lie with statistics. I guarantee you that if Trump wanted Moore to produce charts showing just the opposite then he could have done that too. I have respect for Moore but that respect is wavering.
Are you going to believe the next set of numbers produced by Antoni’s BLS? Want to bet that they make Trump look good? What Antoni needs to do is to firm up the survey responses. Make those surveyed respond or get some new respondents. Hey, just make Trump threaten those who are not responding. He’s good at that.
Trump has taken over DC. Is he now Mayor Trump too? If crime is the issue I wish he could invent an excuse to take over the policing in Chicago.
Trump after waging war on the Kennedy Center – didn’t he anoint himself chairman (Chairman Trump) – has decided to take on the Smithsonian. Mind you, the African American museum although wonderful in many ways was hopelessly biased in others. When I visited there some years ago it did not even mention Clarence Thomas. It omitted all the conservative black thinkers throughout our history. It had a decidedly progressive bent and did not tell all our history. I agree that the Smithsonian’s museums present a biased view of our history from the left. It needs balancing but Trump’s ordering the Smithsonian to submit its exhibits for his approval is a bit much. (Chief curator Trump?). Why doesn’t Trump just appoint a panel to view the proposed exhibits? Victor Davis Hanson comes to mind. Does the First Amendment apply to government sponsored enterprises?
Somewhat under the radar is what’s happening at the US Commission on Civil Rights (I was a member of the Tennessee Commission on Civil Rights). The US Commission is a bipartisan board with eight members, four appointed by the president, two by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and two by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. No more than four Commissioners can be of the same political party. With the concurrence of a majority of the commission’s members, the President designates a chair and a Vice Chair. The staff director is also appointed by the President with the concurrence of a majority of the Commissioners. Well Trump has designated Commissioner Peter Kirsanow (term ends in December) to be the new chairman and Commissioner Stephen Gilchrist (term ends in November) from South Carolina to be the vice chair. They are already on the commission and both are black republicans. Trump has also designated Carissa Mulder to be the new staff director of the commission. But none of this has taken place because the commission itself must approve Mulder, Kirsanow and Gilchrist and the current chairman Rochelle Garza has refused to have a meeting where the approvals would have taken place. Will she schedule a meeting in September and if not what can Trump do about it? Her term as a commissioner doesn’t end until 2028. Stay tuned.
haroldblackphd.com 
US Commission on Civil Rights is archaic and worthless. I did a quick check on their actions on recent anti-semitic activities on university campuses. Other than pontificating meetings, nothing occurred. Congress and conservative media took action and exposed the Hamas inspired activities. The commission should be abolished.
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Depends. Like any politically appointed commission it would be interesting to see its actions under different chairmen of different parties. When I was on the Tennessee Commission we studied Tennessee’s civiil asset forfiture and found it was being applied unevenly and often was used to go into the county’s coffers in a clear conflict of interest.
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I would be interested in seeing State level vs Federal level commissions.
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Back to the Basics. It might be good to do an essay on food consumerism, how dependent we are on other countries for food, what will happen because we have a president that’s a developer- a man the Farm Bureau said had no will to endorse his own farm policies..
So- I know a guy who came here fm Canada. He bought a franchise and has grown it to 1,000 employees. He now preserves historic properties and combines them into museums and cafes.
His construction alone keeps American farms and American construction going.
Hes a better American and all- American, and he says Trump is not pro business but
a plantation owner..
No one knows the Civil Rights struggle than old people fm the South. I think of the hatred I’ve seen, my grandfather opposition to segregation, my mother doing voter registration as people threatened to burn her house down. All freedoms include producing all opinions, and my family would have to concede that Clarence Thomas has every right to be a white-gloved, mint julep serving servant to Donald Trump. For some reason I’ve been around Catholics more than ever, and was ready to convert- until I saw that Thomas was Catholic, a worst representation of any religion, a dead soul.
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I like Thomas. He has been consistent way before Trump. Let’s see how he votes on birthright and the tariffs. He voted against Trump on trying to fire NCUA and Fed appointees. His view of the Constitution has been consistent in my eyes but I am no constitutional lawyer.
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I will back down, because I listen to some of his points. And when I can get the SCOTUS site to work, hear him on recorded sessions. Yes, he has gone against Trump on occasion .
But if I was performing in Las Vegas, I’d slip out to make a bet that Trump gets what he wants..
If the same prediction could reveal the ‘liberal’ judges, then the Constitution isn’t solid. Eventually SCOTUS will not match govt to Constitution, but put the Constitution on trial. Is it appropriate to the right wing ideals. Does it interfere with what is essentially govt intrusion?
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