Deep State or Dire Straits?
If your lawyer or doctor took your most personal files home and then had a dinner party leaving them open in the party room or bathroom for any guest to read at their leisure, would you be irate? Would you sue? Naturally you would, and you would likely win. So how is it that Trump can get away with taking the most sensitive documents in the White House home in a similar manner? If you subsequently discovered that many of your papers were missing would you be fit to be tied? Should the lawyer be disbarred? Again the answer is yes. Ditto Trump.
January 6th showed one of the worst cracks in the Liberty Bell I have witnessed but this Mar-A-Lago debacle Trumps even that. One of the elements that Trump claimed he would fix was the "Deep State" of things in Washington. He failed - we all know that. He lost - we all know that. But one of the things that this entire mess with its completely biased judge and its "Special Master" show is just how dysfunctional the U.S. government can be. It really does need a shake-up but not violent and total destruction.
It is ironic that DJT and the boys by their gross conduct have dramatically demonstrated what he claimed he would fix! There have been many more examples. Think "lock her up!"
This case should be a slam dunk along with the 2 impeachments. Trump should never get into the White House again. Many prominent Republicans publicly sided with The Donald and swore the election was rigged. It WAS - by the GOP and Trump. Thankfully they failed. Now they are all standing on their heads to get re-elected. From "It was rigged and Trump is still President" to "Joe Biden is the legitimate President. There was no fix." Go figure. They too should never hold office again. They ARE the biggest problem with the system. They are the Deep State because they are in Dire Straits. Yes - people like this exist on both sides of the aisle.
We always need leaders who have the interests of the majority of the population at heart and who can get things done. In a democracy, they are politicians by definition. I often think that is a dirty word but it isn't. It is politics itself that has earned the dirty title and it has reached an all time high in America.
Trump's judge appointments have been working in a biased manner in his favour. They should not. There is something wrong with the system when this guy was caught red handed with his hand in the nation's security cookie jar in a personal space far away from where it belongs. Either you or I would be locked up. He should be also. He has no justification. Period.
Electing Donald J. Trump back into the White House would be like appointing Vito Corleone to replace The Pope.
If you are scoffing at this let me finish with one fact you can check for yourselves. Donald J. Trump is not invited to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. She was not amused with him and probably knew he would try to steal the show by pushing King Charles III out of his way.
Elizabeth II. None Like Her Before, None After
I am not a big fan of royalty but it is as close as I get to watching celebrities and all the garbage they often represent. Taking in something educational about this remarkable lady is not a waste of time. Watching anything to do with other Hollywood types and the talk shows and gossip columnists who make their living from them - is.
I can't imagine filling the Queen's shoes for a day let alone some 75 years. If you have watched any of the excellent documentaries or movies about her life you will understand why. Following a close second for unfilled shoes would be the monarch's spouse - Phillip in this case - who has even less power. For a man of his pride and background he could not escape the image as the most famous henpecked husband in the world. Even his children could not take his name. America will experience this some day if there is ever a First Gentleman.
The Queen had no real "power" but her affect on peoples' lives is probably up there with the Pope. She was pulled in a dozen directions every day by "duty"; the Prime Minister; tradition; her relatives; her own natural wisdom with relatively little formal education; and the mysterious "courtiers" to mention a few .
Do a little research on a courtier. I Googled it and am still not clear who they really are or where they come from. It seems to include almost everyone in authority at the palace - all of the palaces - and you can apply for a job to work for the famous Windsor family any time you wish. If you spend your life devoted to them and are VERY organized and clever at manipulating people, you could some day influence the King or Queen yourself. Since all her residences are ancient, you'd better be able to deal with four legged vermin as well as the two lagged variety.
In no way can I justify the untold wealth the family possesses. Most of it comes from taxpayers and looting back in the colonial days. You can't really have a royal family living in a duplex across from a variety store which they frequent in their pre-owned Land Rover but their wealth is obscene.
Personally I admire the level of decorum, morality, and self-discipline she set. At the commoner level there are precious few of these left among us. The "F" bomb is dropped everywhere except perhaps in her presence. Kids' dress codes don't really exist anymore nor the parental ones from which they should have derived. Adults' dress codes are no better. What used to be considered "Blue" movies or porn are now commonplace. It appears that self discipline has gone the way of the dial phone. Violent behaviour has become a daily occurrence.
The Queen and family have shown us all that civility is still possible. I try to model some degree of all this for two reasons: 1) that is how I was brought up and 2) to prove to myself and others that I still can. The crass behaviour I see today still makes me shake my head.
Great empires and civilizations throughout history have fallen as these practices collapsed. Today many of our societies are headed in that direction. America in particular could use a model family like hers. As we have recently seen, the one in the White House is seldom a shining example.
Let her standards long reign over us even if her daily examples no longer can.
#thebrewsterblock
Lock, Stock and Barrel
Once again today I had the pleasure of watching Fareed Zakaria's GPS on CNN. The man is intelligence personified. It was all about America's love for guns and compared this passion in the USA to the same in other countries. The point of it all was to show what other countries have managed to do successfully to either minimize the violence when citizens are permitted gun ownership or to severely limit their numbers. As always it was very well done.
The biggest surprise was Switzerland where people also love their weapons. There is one similarity. To complement the Swiss Army citizens proudly form militias and are trained just like regular armed forces in weapons use. They become expert shots and are allowed to take their weapons home but any ammunition must be stored and locked separately. I have suggested this for the USA since the 2nd Amendment says nothing about the right to bear ammunition. People scoff at this but it has merit if the production, distribution, and sale of ammo. is strictly regulated.
Swiss gun uses such as hunting are very limited However citizens of all ages including young kids are encouraged to participate in shooting contests at ranges all over the country where ammunition is available and subsidized by the government. It has become a passion like skiing and most participants are expert marksmen. Automatic and semi-automatic weapons are banned.
The big difference with the USA is one of culture. Citizens of Switzerland see guns solely as a means to defend the country, not themselves.
In another country - Australia - after their first horrible mass shooting the Prime Minister enacted severely restrictive laws and included a buy back of private weapons. Many thousands were collected and destroyed. He faced violent backlashed but the policies cut down on murders and suicides by gunfire tremendously.
New Zealand took very harsh measures as well after shocking events there.
Japan was also featured. It has some of the most strict laws on the planet. Apparently as pointed out on GPS, even their underworld - and they have a powerful one, avoids use of guns because they know how strongly the authorities will come after them if they are used. This was astonishing to me. Even the "Godfathers" come down heavily on their minions if the policy is violated.
The same old question comes up. If other countries can do it, why not America? People will give the militia argument but for a small country Switzerland is well respected for its ability to defend itself. The biggest problem in America is mentality and gun lobbies. Guns are huge business in America. The Dodge City Gunsmoke attitude is alive and well. Even major politicians love their guns.
Lastly the question of kids developing a love of shooting and killing through addiction to gaming in their formative years. I have always believed this to be a huge issue. Tech companies who make fortunes from this just like the gun companies disagree. Surprise, surprise! The almighty American dollar trumps all.
I never heard whether Trump owned guns. I doubt it only because by now he would surely have shot himself in somewhere other than the foot.
Fully automatic weapons have no place in the homes and hands of private citizens anywhere.
#thebrewsterblock
