The view from the Anglosphere
November 1, 2020 9 Comments
Rest in Peace, Mr. Bond.
A message for the election,and for life
Wow. The group that installed that 405 freeway TRUMP sign has come forward with a pro-Trump campaign video and IT IS 🔥. Could @realDonaldTrump flip California? pic.twitter.com/qrTEN3z0jX
— Kira (@RealKiraDavis) October 30, 2020
October 28, 2020 5 Comments
The first thing I want to do today is to welcome back my former (and future?) cooblogger Jessica Hoff back to her first current affairs post in a bit more than four years. I have missed her sense, her humor (or is that humour), her British take on American affairs, and her ability to read my mind. Welcome back, dearest friend 🙂 xxx
With her remarks last night after taking the oath as an Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett gave us a master class on what a US judge is supposed to be, here it is:
This, like the entire speech, is both remarkable and heartening.
I have spent a good amount of time over the last month at the Senate; both in meetings with individual senators and in days of hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The confirmation process has made ever-clearer to me one of the fundamental differences between the federal judiciary and the United States Senate, and perhaps the most acute is the role of policy preferences. It is the job of a senator to pursue her policy preferences; in fact, it would be a dereliction of duty to put policy goals aside.
By contrast, it is the job of a judge to resist her policy preferences. It would be a dereliction of duty for her to give in to them. Federal judges don’t stand for election, thus they have no basis for claiming that their preferences reflect those of the people. This separation of duty from political preference is what makes the judiciary distinct among the three branches of government. A judge declares independence not only from Congress and the president, but also from the private beliefs that might otherwise move her. The judicial oath captures the essence of the judicial duty; the rule of law must always control.
That is exactly like the founder’s intended. As for her personally, I like the way Jessica put it this morning.
Amy Coney Barrett did it without sacrificing her womanhood. She did not do what so many career women have had to do, which is to choose a predominantly male way (job first) over her kids. Not only did she adopt two black orphans, she has a Downes syndrome child whom she chose not to abort. What’s not to like? You’d have thought that feminists everywhere would be throwing their bras over the windmill (no, don’t go there, a lady never tells), so why the hoo-hah? It’s that last bit. She didn’t have an abortion. Not only that, she is an actual practising Catholic, not a Pelsoian/Biden Catholic (that is one who wants the vote but not the faith).
Well, except that I doubt Justice Barrett, or Jess for that matter, is any sort of feminist that we see in the 21st Century. Neither of them either needed or wanted anything other than a chance to let their light shine. I’m quite sure that either of them is quite content to be rewarded for what they do, not because they are women, but because they are the best at what they do. And that is at it should be
It was fascinating that Justice Thomas swore her in, for at least two reasons
First, he is the very man that Joe Biden when he was Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee attempted to, in Justice Thomas’sown words, to lynch in the hearings. To see him sweary in Ms. Coney oh Hillary’s birthday had to hurt.
When President Bush nominated Justice Thomas, he called him the most qualified for the job, The left loudly dissented. But as The Daily Signal says:
Bush was right. Thomas was the best qualified, because he was a fiercely independent thinker with an unwavering commitment to decide cases based on what the Constitution said, not what he or the public wanted in the moment. Bush knew that Thomas had these qualities because he had watched Thomas go through fire during the Reagan administration.
As a black conservative intellectual, Thomas has been an existential threat to the liberal ruling class since he joined the Reagan administration in May 1981. As chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Thomas earned the very public enmity of the civil rights establishment for opposing quotas and racial preferences.
On the court, Thomas is an originalist, a justice who believes that the Constitution’s provisions must be interpreted consistent with the original meaning when they were ratified. Liberals do not believe a black man can legitimately hold these views.
In his 29 years on the court, Thomas, even more than Justice Scalia, has written the originalist canon. Some 700 opinions, combined with a willingness to revisit precedent when necessary. This makes a generational change in the court, at least as long as we hold the Presidency and/or the Senate.
Imagine that, judges who rule based on the law, not politics or whatever they think might work. It’s not a new day exactly though. This is exactly what the Federal courts were from the beginning until they lost their nerve at Franklin Roosevelt’s threat to pack the court.
If they do little but force Congress to again legislate, we will start to improve.
October 7, 2020 4 Comments
So the President is back in the White House, and I’m laughing my burr off at the left. On my post Monday, Patriot USA commented,
Trump acting like the POTUS should. Leading by example.I love watching the doc talk about Trump.
He’s spot on. Leaders lead, and Trump is a leader. His Tweet as he got ready to leave Walter Reed was classic
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2020
“One thing that’s for certain, don’t let it dominate you. Don’t be afraid of it. You’re going to beat it. We have the best medical equipment. We have the best medicines all developed recently, and you’re going to beat it. “
Reminds me of something another American President said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He was in many senses right then as well. Much of the problem in the 30s was people sitting on their mattresses lumpy with their cash, while people starved looking for something to do, and that is likely what is happening again while far too many people hide in their basement from a freaking virus. Leaders, lead, alright, but the second half of that aphorism is Cowards cower.
Here are the Wuhan Flu survival rates:
0-19 years old: 99.997%
20-49: 99.98%
50-69: 99.5
70 and over: 94.6%
And for this, we’re going to shut down the greatest economy in the world and play duck and cover in our basements? Give me a break. There’s something else going on here. A couple of somethings, I suspect.
You know why as well as I do. When you are quaking in fear, justified or not, your higher brain function shuts down and you’re willing to do whatever you’re told, or you simply freeze in place. And that’s what the left is counting on, Americans for once doing what they tell us to, and knuckling under to them, particularly in the person of Biden at least till Harris replaces him (remember everybody is expendable to the left). Then our centuries long experiment in freedom is over.
And make no mistake, the old press is a full partner in this whole thing, witness their anger that Trump not only survived but is back in the White House leading.
You can really see it happening in Danistan, formerly known as Victoria, Australia, and Great Britain is not far behind. In both cases, the people love freedom as much as we do (although they are neither as rowdy nor as well-armed) but they have no leadership. We do. Make it work.
But you know something folks. I am an American by birth, and I’m an American by choice, and I’ll die as I was born, a free man in a free country.
And you know something else, we here in America, we are the first Revolutionaries, we got it right, and so we became the keepers of that flame, from the bonfire we kindled in the City on the Hill, long ago. We have kept it flaring bright ever since, and its flames have lighted the world. I see so many articles from people who have joined us, from Russia, from Cuba, from Vietnam, and from Africa and the Middle East, who have caught the dream from us. Why? Because all people have always dreamed of being free, and America has made it a real possibility.
And now, once again, it is up to us.
General John Starke’s toast on July 31, 1809, really says it all
And an afterword: In the picture above, look at the president’s salute to Marine One. It’s textbook perfect, isn’t it? Long ago the Air Force taught me almost word for word what Military.com has on their website.
The salute is widely misunderstood outside the military. Some consider it to be a gesture of servility since the junior extends a salute to the senior, but this interpretation isn’t true at all. The salute is an expression that recognizes each other as a member of the profession of arms — that they have made a personal commitment of self-sacrifice to preserve the American way of life. The fact that the junior extends the greeting first is merely a point of etiquette — a salute extended or returned makes the same statement.
The self-respect, the respect for the military, and the respect for America as conceived are all contained in that gesture not ever required of a civilian Commander in Chief freely offered to us all.
October 5, 2020 8 Comments
So as we watched last week, the President got himself a case of Wuhan Flu. Well, so what, by all accounts its a mild case, yeah he’s over at Walter Reed Army Hospital, which is pretty standard if you’re POTUS, can you imagine the uproar if something went wrong, and he was seriously ill at the White House. That’s one reason he gets the best care America can provide, and that means the absolute best in the world.
Of course, the despicable left immediately started wishing/hoping he’d die. Well did anybody expect them to do differently? Why? One of the things that are driving support to the Republicans, especially President Trump is the sheer ugliness bordering on mental illness of the left and the press (BIRM).
In any case, it tells you all you need to know when the Democrats and the media could usefully take lessons in class from North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, who, according to Reuters says he “sincerely hopes” Trump recovers soon.
The execrable Juan Williams on Fox said that Trump must be in at least as bad a shape as Boris Johnson was. Greg Gutfield cleared a few things up here.
And I read somewhere yesterday that he will today or tomorrow likely be released to recover at the White House. That pretty well covers that.
But Gutfield touched on another matter. This blog has devoted quite a few posts over the years to leadership, primarily when Obama was ‘leading from behind’. I’m sure that in one of them I referred to the old aphorism that an army is like cooked spaghetti. You can lead it anywhere but you cannot push it anywhere at all.
And that’s what we’ve seen this year. We’ve seen the Democratic candidates hiding from the people partly because they haven’t a clue about any policy that might be a winner, but mostly because they’re too afraid of a virus to go campaign.
In contrast, Trump has been out there, showing that there is little danger from the virus and that it is time for the country to go back to work, showing the Dem governors as the tyrannic charlatans that they are and encouraging us all to move ahead, as because of his leadership, the ‘V’ shaped recovery is happening. The economy is nearly back to above where it was when he was inaugurated, even with about five states stalled (big ones too, NY, CA, IL, MI, and MN). Think about where we’d be if they were doing even average instead of being amongst the worst performers, because of their governors.
And so we have here an example of what leadership can do, and conversely what hiding in the basement (or governor’s mansion for that matter) always does.
Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,
Have in these parts from morn till even fought
And sheathed their swords for lack of argument:
Dishonour not your mothers; now attest
That those whom you call’d fathers did beget you.
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
And teach them how to war.
October 4, 2020 3 Comments
An Update. Outside Walter Reed Army Hospital last night.
Scene outside Walter Reed. pic.twitter.com/JMuMq1MY0g
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) October 3, 2020
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
And so, Debate (sort of).
So that’s my problem, I thought I was supposed to tell her how pretty she is. Heavens, how stupid of me!
September 5, 2020 16 Comments
Over the last couple of weeks, as I give a quick scan of the offerings on YouTube, I’ve noticed several new channels by young (and not so young) people of color about President Trump not being racist. Refreshing news; and heartening.
I was watching a live taping of the last Hurricane Laura update given by the powers that be in Louisiana the night of expected landfall. There was an open live chat that ran along the right side of what would become a video. There were more pro-Trump comments than about anything having to do with the hurricane! As a matter of fact, several people in the chat complained that it was a chat for sharing info on the hurricane and not a political site. It really was amazing.
But, oh – the faces. Just a short thought on the non-famous speakers especially but also applies to the political speakers as well. Did you notice their faces? There seemed, to me, at least, that there was a happy conviction in their faces, a look of shining hope that was difficult for me to miss. I hope you noticed it, too, because I believe it’s that look, and that conviction, that will get us Four More Years.
Rand Paul, his wife, and guests had an unpleasant surprise waiting for them when they left the last night of the Republican Convention. Antifa, BLM, and paid thugs simply won’t be happy until the Guard goes in and settles them down at the point of a fast-repeating weapon of some kind
The holier than thou press did not miss a beat in reporting that four people at the Convention tested positive for the you-know-what. I find myself yawning because it has become so hopelessly obvious what mainstream media is trying to accomplish. I’m not the brightest bulb in the shop, if I see it, everyone sees it. It has ceased to serve its purpose. We jumped when they shouted ‘boo!’ the first time. The scare doesn’t work anymore.
