Category Archives: Environmentalism & Animal Rights

Elon Musk, Et Al.: The Corporate Arm Of The Deep State

Business, Donald Trump, Environmentalism & Animal Rights, Federalism, Government, Russia

Elon Musk, Et Al.: The Corporate Arm Of The Deep State” is the current column, now on Townhall.com.  An excerpt:

… “Deep State” is no conspiracy theory. There’s nothing mythical about the Republican and Democratic career government workers, embedded like parasites in the bowels of the bureaucracy, the intelligence community, the military, and a like-minded media, who’ve risen on their hind legs to protect their turf and protest an agenda that leaves them out in the cold.

The anatomy and workings of the Deep State are, in my opinion, reflexive, rather than a matter of collusion and conspiracy. Simple psychology—human nature at its worst—sees government jobs and programs, war and welfare alike, protected in perpetuity and at all costs by the administrators of government jobs and programs.

Hidden or in plain sight, The State is geared toward increasing or maintaining its sphere of influence, never reducing it. Voters are paid lip service, provided their wishes coincide with the aims of this unelected, entrenched apparatus.

But when the popular will defies Deep State, that monster breathes fire.

The “technocratic elite” has a corporate extension. Engorged government bureaucracies are complemented by colossal corporate entities, whose virtue-signaling managers have occupied “the commanding heights of the economy, politics, and culture.” As Burnham warned they would.

The corporate element of this government-within-government superstructure (yes, the conservative Burnham had a Trotskyite beginning) has special access by virtue of its obscene wealth. Think the liver-spotted George Soros, who moves to overthrow governments in “lesser” countries. Think Apple’s Tim Cook, Microsoft’s Brad Smith, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Uber’s Travis Kalanick, or Google’s Sundar Pichai. They all sprang into action against Trump’s secession from the Paris Climate Accord. …

READ THE REST. “Elon Musk, Et Al.: The Corporate Arm Of The Deep State” is the current column, now on Townhall.com.

UPDATED (6/1): ‘Sovereign Multilateralism: It’s DC Speak for Servitude Through International Treaties

Conservatism, Constitution, Donald Trump, Environmentalism & Animal Rights, EU, Europe, UN

“Sovereign multilateralism” is how a GOPer described the “benefits” to ordinary Americans from international agreements and treaties.

This MSNBC Republican (flogging a book) was incredulous that President Trump would dare to be so offish to NATO members. Did he miss last year’s election? We wanted out of NATO.

Candidate Trump got considerable support for his promises to violate this or the other agreement between the U.S. government and various supranational systems. Successive U.S. governments have ceded the rights of Americans to these supra-state systems. Deplorables wanted much less of it.

As I pointed out in “The Trump Revolution: The Donald’s Creative Destruction Deconstructed” (June 29, 2016), international treaties are not holy writ.

Granted, radical libertarians will contend that the Constitution itself is the thin edge of the wedge that has allowed successive U.S. governments to cede the rights of Americans to these supra-state systems. Specifically, the “Supremacy Clause” in Article VI states that all treaties made by the national government shall be “the supreme Law of the Land,” and shall usurp the laws of the states.

Either way, all libertarian-minded conservatives who yearn to breathe free should want the chains with which others have bound Americans dissolved. Johnson and Weld object to Trump renegotiating agreements or optimizing them for Americans, on the statist grounds that to so do would violate agreements that by their nature sideline the American people. Smashing or refashioning these agreements and reclaiming national, state and individual sovereignty, as Trump proposes, is certainly more libertarian than the Johnson-Weld worldview allows.

The Scarlet Letter E Establishmentarians keep overruling Trump voters.

As for Trump “Leaning Toward Withdrawing U.S. From Landmark Paris Climate Deal:” We have very strong environmental protections, including emission controls, in-house.

The Paris scheme is a wealth grab. Barack Obama and others before him were always selling out Americans for their own legacy.

UPDATE (6/1):
We’re out of the Paris Accord!


Pittsburgh before Paris:

Just War And The Confederate Soldier

Constitution, Environmentalism & Animal Rights, History, Ilana Mercer, Military, States' Rights, War

Was on The Schilling Show, which is radio out of Charlottesville, to talk about our hero, Robert E. Lee. He and John Randolph of Roanoke compete in my heart.

The charming host, Rob, sprung on me something for which I was unprepared: “What would you tell Mayor Mike Signer, if he were listening and we know he does.” I should have humbly/politely declined, but this came out:

“Go back to Berkeley and Princeton, you carpetbagger.”

A thought on Confederate soldiers as heroes in the mold of any American military hero:

The mantra that brooks no challenging is, “Our Military Men and Women” uber alles. But not all American veterans are created equal. Therefore, are confederate soldiers truly honored by being considered as good as any other American soldier, by being welcomed belatedly and grudgingly into the military pantheon? For the War Against Northern Aggression was a just war. The other wars fought by the US, except for the Revolutionary War, not so much. unjust.

In any event, many of the military veterans I hear or see on TV contradict the values for which Lee stood. Lee fought for the locality, they fight for the Empire.

On the other hand, Confederate soldiers by default are heroes and patriots. Whereas American military veterans currently have performed feats of heroism in saving their buddies; their cause is mostly unjust: unjust wars. For if a soldier is not conscripted yet volunteers to fight the Empire’s unjust wars; is that heroic? If he fights to defend his family, community, town, kin; a soldier or any man is my hero.

But that’s the reactionary libertarian, the reincarnated Southern agrarian, the Articles-of-Confederation devotee speaking.

Parrot For The POTUS

Donald Trump, Environmentalism & Animal Rights, Family

The POTUS and My parrot: Parrot Oscar-Wood would’ve flown to Florida to watch his Donald, but he wasn’t allowed. So he flew to his TV chair, instead. Here he is concentrating:

This personage, a sentient little being (African parrots are the smartest, way smarter than members of the Fake News cabal), hates TV. He generally shows his displeasure by turning his back to the TV. Here:

But not when Oscar-Wood realizes President Donald Trump is on. The he listens closely, even showing off his wing span, and making his angel pose: