Healthcare, Ilana Mercer, Intelligence, Internet, Media, Politics, Technology
“Dying For Obama’s Deadly Dogma” must be rather good, if a total of four twitter twits saw fit to “un-follow” me, subsequent to its posting.
I’m used to the Idiocracy! To paraphrase Mark Twain, I can live for two months on a good compliment from worthy, literate people like my editor at Quarterly Review. He wrote:
“Intellectuals are fated to be outcasts.”
And this from the gifted, successful, mystery novelist Sibella Giorello:
“In a word: BRILLIANT.”
Thanks to both. You made my day.
“All The President’s Women (Well, Almost)” is the current column, now on WND:
The pols and the pundits are cut up about a breach or two in the White House’s formidably protected perimeter. The People should not be. Working for government ought to be one of the most dangerous jobs ever. Thomas Jefferson, a real prince among men, traveled on horseback and wore plain clothes. Not only was he unguarded, his house in Washington was open to all-comers. Anyone who wrote to Jefferson received a reply in the great man’s hand. He paid for postage out of pocket. Never again will a Jefferson occupy the People’s House. But occupational hazard might just get us a better class of parasite.
In any event, the latest security breach at the White House—there have been many under departing Secret Service Director Julia Pierson—saw 42-year-old Omar J. Gonzalez rush across the lawn and into the first family’s residence, where the trespasser was “confronted by a female Secret Service agent, whom he [naturally] overpowered.” No wonder Pierson and the press have circled the wagons. The same lady officer, or another with a similar skillset, had also failed to lock the front door. Disarmed too was an alarm meant to alert officers to intruders.
All in all, officers on-duty stood down and an off-duty officer manned up. (The canine unit, sick of eating Michelle Obama’s carrots, was busy digging for bones.) Gonzales could have bounded up the stairs to the first family’s living quarters had the off-duty officer not tackled him. He must be male. Were he a woman, or something in-between, he’d be up for a medal of honor.
It’s always good to see gender set-asides and affirmative action—in particular, the delusion that women are just as qualified as men to be soldiers, security guards, firefighters and cops—hurt those who inflict it on non-believers.
A for Pierson, like other ciphers in skirts (or pantsuits) promoted by this administration, she is something else—but nothing like stumblebum Marie Harf, the sibilant spokeswoman at the State Department. …
… Read on. The complete column is “All The President’s Women (Well, Almost),” now on WND.
If you don’t already know—I certainly didn’t—LPAC is short for Liberty Political Action Conference. It features a lineup of libertarian politicians, operatives and assorted establishmentarians. LPAC is sponsored by the governmentalized likes of Charles Koch, Reason, RandPac, Campaign for Liberty, etc.
To the extent that libertarianism becomes more mainstream; the “lucky” few to make it into the political inner sanctum always make sure to bar contrarians and competitors from their positions of influence.
Very rarely will outsiders be invited to join. At most, a daring game of musical chairs may take place, and equilibrium in opinion sought and maintained. Rehashed over-and-over again are the old, agreed-upon, safe topics: “having fun,” “Millennials,” freedom to eat, freedom to speak, civil liberties, telling the good presidents from the bad, why statism is bad.
And lots of product is flogged. You may also get to schmooze with the Pauls.
Some revolution.
UPDATE (9/23): Rand’s ‘Gold Rush. As if to confirm the grubby reality of politics, Rand Paul announces the opening of an office in Silicon Valley:
… While techies are considered a liberal bunch, some tech executives are joining the Republican cause. Paul counts Peter Thiel, the billionaire cofounder of PayPal, among his friends. And the tech sector donated more than $1.4 million to Paul’s father Ron during his unsuccessful presidential bids in 2008 and 2012.
Sure, the optics may look bad to some—a Kentucky senator opening an office seems like an almost extravagant show of political ambition. But opening a Silicon Valley office also offers Paul a distinct advantage: It makes him look young, hip, and serious about working with job creators. In that way, Paul is hardly the only conservative force trying to forge relationships in Silicon Valley. …
The Republicans are something. Barack Obama wags the dog; suddenly deciding to “capture” Benghazi terror suspect Ahmed Abu Khattala, after reporters have been sharing strawberry frappes and gulping mango juice with him for ages. And all Republicans can cavil about, in the wake of the capture, is whether Khattala belongs in Guantanamo Bay or the federal court system.
Barack Obama’s administration is, for once, being publicly affected by scandals that previously went unreported: The incriminating IRS emails have vanished. Started by Bush, Iraq’s unraveling continues apace under Obama. Central America is rushing the southern border. Veterans are waiting to die on the government’s watch.
Obama “purposely diverts attention” from all these, and Republicans take the bait.