Random thoughts #81

Random thoughts #81

The Obama Tomb

Apparently, President Obama is a Raiders of the Lost Ark fan. How else to explain the obelisk tomblike structure passing for his presidential library? I wonder if it has crypts in it for him and Michelle? A friend sent me a picture of the Obama tomb alongside Trump Tower saying both cost $850 million. That’s not fair since Trump tower was built in 2009 which would be $1.3 billion in today’s dollars. But seriously the architect must have been inspired by Stonehenge or a trip to a local cemetery or some ancient tomb. I would say it looks spooky but don’t want to be accused of making a racist slur.

Paraguay 1 Türkiye 0

In the World Cup, the US won its qualifying round when Paraguay beat Türkiye despite having a player given a red card for talking while covering his mouth. Two things here. First, Türkiye is how the Turks want their country to be called. Tired of being mistaken for a Thanksgiving bird, Turkey’s er Türkiye’s strongman Reccep Tayyip Erdogan dictated in 2021that the world now call his country Türkiye. The UN recognized the change and apparently so has FIFA. Türkiye translates to “land of the Turks” and has been used since the founding of the country in 1923 out of the Ottoman Empire. Second, why the red card for covering one’s mouth? Turns out that that is an automatic red card put in place when players started using racial epithets to opponents but covering their mouths not to be understood by onlookers. I wonder if the player from Paraguay called the Türkiye a “jive Türkiye”?

Drones over Moscow

Remember that embarrassing meeting where Trump sic-ed Vance on Zelenskyy trying to force him to sign over territory to the Russians saying “Either you make a deal, or we are out?” That was the confrontation where Trump said “You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel … You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position … You don’t have the cards right now with us.” Well Ukraine apparently does have the cards with its drones. It has kept the far greater Russian army at bay, has recovered 600 kilometers of lost ground and is now attacking the Russian infrastructure as far away as Moscow. Russia has increased its attacks on Kiev and other cities but Ukraine is repaying the favor attacking Moscow shutting down the city’s four airports.  Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries and processing facilities have threatened a fuel shortage with rationing being implemented at gas stations. You have to admire the Ukrainians for their ingenuity in advancing the technology and production of drones which have saved that country. Now the Ukrainians are advising the Americans and Gulf allies who are being hit by Iranian drones. I guess Zelenskyy can tell Trump “No cards? I guess you didn’t notice that ace up my sleeve.”

DC joins the socialist column

The new mayor-elect of Washington, DC Janeese Lewis George is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Well at least the press can’t blame her election on college educated white women. Like her socialist brethren or sisteren (?) she makes all the required socialist clucking noises. In a town that is 92 percent democrat and with a city council with nothing but libs her election is no surprise. That she is a socialist is good street cred in a town where a fifth of the city is on food stamps and forty percent are on Medicaid. They are living in a socialist world so why not elect a real live socialist as mayor?

Naturally she is antisemitic saying she will not attend “events focused on obfuscating the realities ofoccupation or promoting Zionism and apartheid.” Mamdani would be proud. She pledges to end all cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I really don’t know what she can do because although DC has city rule, it is still the stepchild of the federal government. Trump threatens to take it over. Hey, but Trump threatens to take over everything. In response Lewis George said “We are not going to get ICE off our streets by fearing this president. We are not going to protect our rights or Home Rule by obeying in advance. Threatening Home Rule because you do not like how residents vote is an attack on democracy itself. The people of DC elect the mayor of DC. And they want someone who will stand up to Donald Trump.” Trump knows that he would need congressional approval to take over the city. He is legally barred from unilaterally trying to take it over. But hey, where has the formality of legality stopped him before?

7 thoughts on “Random thoughts #81”

  1. Teddy Roosevelt’s Presidential Museum:
    I enjoyed CBS coverage this past Sunday. The museum appears to be somewhat underground, emphasizing nature , with a board walk thru grasses..
    ..”To honor the conservation legacy of Theodore Roosevelt and uphold the three pillars of leadership, citizenship, and conservation, the building is striving for LEED Platinum, SITES certification, and Living Building Challenge full certification. The building aims to create a special connection with the site to inspire visitors, and encourage everyone’s engagement with nature..”. JE DunnConstruction..

    Soccer; An entire block of Lonesdale was torn down to put in a soccer field. I should pay more attention to the rise of soccer- but I don’t. Never liked hockey either. Professional hockey players were just people I saw at Fenway Park…

    Wash DC takeover:
    …”As the Supreme Court itself once observed, the “core principle of republican government” is “that the voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around…”
    SCOTUSblog..
    BUT—When I think about the TN ‘s socialist legislation in our lives—how we dress, promotion of the Ten Commandments while opening liquor stores in Sunday for the tax money, vouchers to support Christian nationalism, Bill Lee’s ties to Communism (perTrump45), anti- gay but pro Klan — I would say the socialist engineering of TN would work better if we just got a socialist governor..

    God Bless Ukraine:
    And don’t forget the initial support of a Communist takeover of Ukraine, as promoted by Knoxville’s WOKI , and its listeners- unusual & irrational hometown support for Communism.

    Like

    Reply

      1. Yes! And there was some of this walking back/ making nice about his opinions on Native Americans, on the CBS story..
        BTW: speaking of & in exploring more about Ayn Rand, there some genocidal issues.
        Plenty of institutional racism to go around.

        Like

      2. Yes some of her comments have been interpreted as racist and genocide by those on the left. I am not going to interpret them. However the left can’t defend Woodrow Wilson either.

        Like

      3. Absolutely..

        I’m someone who likes to see a person actually speaking, see their character.
        Rand has appeared on Phil Donahue . But the most amazing interview was with Johnny Carson- who did a great job of saying in his way, what you just said.

        Like

  2. You really are covering alot of ground of late…..just saw Greenspan’s death at 100 announced. Would love to see a future post from you regarding his tenure…

    The Obama temple is en eyesore…I can’t imagine living in Chicago and seeing that mess of self aggrandizement facing me everyday. And to think – in the shadow of the Chicago School…how ironic….full of massive cost overruns and attempts to stick the public with the bill. Why do we do these things? I can only imagine that Trump’s library will be some facsimile of the (Trump) Taj Mahal…or maybe the (Trump) Tower of London????

    Someone needs to punch Erdogan in the gut – he’s been acting as if Turkey is some kind of global power and we must all bow at his altar. He and his country have no business in, affinity for, or loyalty to NATO – it’s a joke that they get a vote. I don’t know the data, but can only imagine that they have been a sucker country rather than coming anywhere close to their covenant commitments to defense spending – and if they did, whose side would they take? Erogan is definitely a jive turkey…maybe their team name should just say “OTTO” to make it easy.

    I am convinced that if he could do it without massive blowback, Trump would dump any support of Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine. Three stalwarts of liberty in the midst of much larger enemies who would love to destroy them. Literal Davids against Goliaths.

    People of good will can argue against the methods employed by Israel – are they overly disproportionate in some of their responses? Maybe? Would/should we be any different if Canada were Hezbollah and we were Israel? Maybe? Maybe not?

    But we seem to have lost our taste for being the protectors of democracy and liberty. Trump’s first concern is “what can I get from the deal” rather than “does this support the long term strategic interests of the United States and all freedom loving countries?” We seize Maduro yet leave his progeny and remnant to act like they’re playing by the rules as the continue to imprison and torture political allies. But as long as the oil is flowing, Trump is good.

    Whither Cuba? Those people deserve a chance to take back their country, just 90 miles off our shoreline. I’m weary of hearing how weak they are and how they’re going to fall any minute. Would anyone like to push them over so we can spread democracy in our own hemisphere? Moscow deserves every painful drone strike that Ukraine can give them. The Russians have been duped, and if Putin is exposed, things may not end well for him.

    Which brings us to Ms. Lewis George and her ilk. Rahter than having socialist brethren and sisteren, I’d say they should be called “cistern.” Capitalism is still the reigning and undefeated champion of raising people out of poverty. These ignorant idiots truly believe that money grows on trees, and behavioral economics isn’t real. And notice that these folks are getting younger and younger. The long stream of liberal investment through out school systems is coming home to roost…in spades….

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thanks for the point by point analysis. I don’t know about “cistern” opposed to my “sisteren” since a cistern collects fresh water and the democrats are collecting stale water. Generally socialism fades once youth get a job and have a family canceling out the socialism preached in our schools. I will post on Greenspan – some of it personal, some of it professional – but all somewhat biased.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment