September 25 was the anniversary of my younger brother's birth in 1953. Tomorrow is the anniversary of his death in 1975. I still miss him, of course. This time of year and this time of my life my thoughts occasionally dwell upon him. He was everything I wasn't for his age. Tall, dark, too handsome for his own good. Smooth with the girls - many of them - and able to buy liquor easier than I could AFTER I was legal. (Back then beer was legal at 18, hard liquor at 21.) He was probably the most spontaneous individual I ever met. That is not always a good thing...
He was also one of the funniest people I have ever met. He got that honestly; our father was also a very funny man, though I didn't realize just how funny he was until he was in hospice. It is like a fish in water - he has little appreciation of it until it is removed.
Part of his spontaneity may have been due to his metal state. None of us - including our father - knew our grandfather very well. Apparently though our grandfather was prone to erratic behavior, including sudden fits of rage, addictive behavior, extreme mood swings and a very social individual, until he wasn't.
My brother fit that description, at least for a while. He was certainly troubled. He self medicated. In the late '60s and early '70s that was a simple thing to do. Alcohol, marijuana, MDA, LSD, later heroin. He wasn't actually addicted to any single drug, it was more that he was addicted to searching for something that would provide relief. No one could understand what he was needing relief from. In those days recreational drugs wasn't an unusual activity. So his participation didn't stand out. Over years his personality became more erratic, more extreme. He was straining -extremely hard - to be successful, to impress other people, especially our father, that he was able to be a man. Unfortunately he tried too many shortcuts to achieve that, and besides, it is really, really hard to impress people when you are stoned a lot. He became erratically violent, yet could be incredibly tender and gentle. He loved animals and acquired a Doberman puppy, one of the most beautiful Dobes I've ever seen. He was almost a canine equivalent - larger than life, smarter than a dog has any right to be, ferocious to strangers yet enjoyed babies crawling over top of him. He was the perfect image of Borong the Warlock. Look him up. They are identical.
He wasn't easy to understand. Long after his death, family issues revealed a familial trait for Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder. Either or both could be identified by his behavior today. Back then BP was known as manic-depressive and BDP hadn't been identified at all. They do have genetic tendencies. While both conditions can start at an early age, the manifestations are rarely caught unless the symptoms are extreme. For a very active male at that time, no one had a clue. Typically the symptoms rear up in the late teens to early twenties. Hormones seem to trigger the onset, though there is little definitive knowledge.
Combine early hormone onset, a predilection for BP/BPD, easy access to mind altering drugs and a great desire to find mental peace or distraction and you have a catastrophe searching for a location.
Recent information reveals that he died, syringe in his arm, and was moved to his place of discovery -in a van behind a popular bar. One I had frequented many, many times. Not that night, thankfully. It was only after his death that we discovered the tattoo of a bleeding rose on his shoulder.
It was his Sportster, a blue Ironhead, that ignited my desire for one. He totaled his, crashing it into a stone wall. Alcohol, at least, was involved. He survived that one, after several weeks in hospital. There are so many, many tales about him, some tragic, some hilarious.
Maybe I'll relate some. Someday.
The brightest stars burn out soonest.
RIP MSV.
ciao,
the Snark
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Old stuff
I went to my 50th high school reunion a few weeks ago (yes, I'm that old. My birth stone is coal...) It was interesting to see people I hadn't seen in 30 years (I went to the 20th,) some I hadn't seen in 50. I wasn't the fattest, nor the most bald. With all my health issues, some had some far worse than mine. A few looked astoundingly close to the same as they looked 50 years ago, albeit more mature. We all acted more mature.
They had a tour of the high school. It is more like a university now. It is the largest high school in the state (2951 students,) plus it draws from a very diverse group of public, magnet and private schools. Only two classroom buildings and the gym remain from the original construction. Those classroom buildings will be replaced next year. The gym will get a new floor and is newly air conditioned. Very few things to reminisce about - so much is new. Change is inevitable, I certainly wouldn't want improvements to stop for our education system. I don't consider the indoctrination being forced onto our students today to be an improvement. I don't begrudge change...but it doesn't help my mood to compare what I am now to what I was just a few years ago. They say getting old beats the alternative. I don't know since I haven't have the opportunity to make a comparison. I don't know anyone who has.
Speaking of getting old, the NFL debacle is waaaay beyond that. Kaepernick started it with a false narrative about the BLM thugs. He wanted to go free agent, so they set him free. The catch was that he was toxic and no one wants him. Too bad. He also wasn't nearly as good at quarterback as he thought. This is NOT a first amendment discussion. All of these displays are being performed in a private venue. The government hasn't been involved. DJT has made a comment, but contrary to the uninformed liberals, he isn't the government, hasn't passed any legislation (he can't; neither can the republicans, apparently) and although some people don't like it, he doesn't care. Neither do I.
These demonstrations are a violation of NFL rules. Said rules specify that the players stand and face the flag, holding their helmet in their left hand while the anthem plays.
So are "exuberant displays in the end zone". Tim Tebow's kneeling to pray was considered an "exuberant display". Darryl Beckham's lifting his leg as if he was pissing on the goalpost was not. Hypocrisy much? The players (making millions) are employees of the team owners who could stop it in a minute. They have decided they would rather permit disgraceful displays than to say a word. I watch very little pro football. I've never been to an NFL game.) I watch very little college football. I do watch college basketball, but I'm not a true fanatic.) So the NFL won't miss the little bit of viewership that I will no longer contribute. I did watch the Superbowl; like many, more for the commercial spots than the game. The last one turned into an interesting game for a change. There a lot of true NFL fans who feel the same way I do. As far as I can tell most of the people who have come out in support for these poor, oppressed multimillionaires generally don't watch and are unlikely to watch any more now. Since the ratings have fallen into the basement, the next round of contract negotiations might be revealing. Some players are now proclaiming that these actions are not "demonstrations against the country or the flag". Really? So why do it during the anthem? Why not do it at the kickoff? Or at the coin flip? The anthem is played to demonstrate unity of fans and players and to honor the flag and musical symbol of our country. The anthem is not a symbol of the police; for that matter it is not a symbol of the government, but of freedom and the people of this country. They stick a middle finger into the air towards the people. They can do so in an empty stadium and to a blank TV screen.
I am a strong proponent of capitalism and the free market. The players have been able to extract what many (myself included) consider to be exorbitant salaries for tossing a ball around and doing what would be considered assault outside the stadium. Does their contribution to society exceed that of public school teachers? Hardly. However, public school teachers are supported by taxes extracted by government; players are private employees. This might be an opportunity for the public to wake up and see that those $300 Sunday ticket subscriptions might be better spent subsidizing the schools. Or donated to any number of needing agencies. Money talks. Tell the schools what you think with your dollars. School boards and administrators might also respond.
I started writing this blog as a cathartic release. Sometimes it is. Other times not so much. There are few viewers (thank you to those who do read it) so I don't know if it would be noticed - much less missed - if I were to stop. Jerry Pournelle stopped his the other day. Jerry was the inventor of the "blog" though he hated the term. His was the first daily journal on the internet. He was a true pioneer of computing, of science and libertarian thought, of many, many things. He only stopped because he passed away. I certainly miss him.
Maybe I'll return.
till then, I'll be hunting.
ciao
the Snark
They had a tour of the high school. It is more like a university now. It is the largest high school in the state (2951 students,) plus it draws from a very diverse group of public, magnet and private schools. Only two classroom buildings and the gym remain from the original construction. Those classroom buildings will be replaced next year. The gym will get a new floor and is newly air conditioned. Very few things to reminisce about - so much is new. Change is inevitable, I certainly wouldn't want improvements to stop for our education system. I don't consider the indoctrination being forced onto our students today to be an improvement. I don't begrudge change...but it doesn't help my mood to compare what I am now to what I was just a few years ago. They say getting old beats the alternative. I don't know since I haven't have the opportunity to make a comparison. I don't know anyone who has.
Speaking of getting old, the NFL debacle is waaaay beyond that. Kaepernick started it with a false narrative about the BLM thugs. He wanted to go free agent, so they set him free. The catch was that he was toxic and no one wants him. Too bad. He also wasn't nearly as good at quarterback as he thought. This is NOT a first amendment discussion. All of these displays are being performed in a private venue. The government hasn't been involved. DJT has made a comment, but contrary to the uninformed liberals, he isn't the government, hasn't passed any legislation (he can't; neither can the republicans, apparently) and although some people don't like it, he doesn't care. Neither do I.
These demonstrations are a violation of NFL rules. Said rules specify that the players stand and face the flag, holding their helmet in their left hand while the anthem plays.
So are "exuberant displays in the end zone". Tim Tebow's kneeling to pray was considered an "exuberant display". Darryl Beckham's lifting his leg as if he was pissing on the goalpost was not. Hypocrisy much? The players (making millions) are employees of the team owners who could stop it in a minute. They have decided they would rather permit disgraceful displays than to say a word. I watch very little pro football. I've never been to an NFL game.) I watch very little college football. I do watch college basketball, but I'm not a true fanatic.) So the NFL won't miss the little bit of viewership that I will no longer contribute. I did watch the Superbowl; like many, more for the commercial spots than the game. The last one turned into an interesting game for a change. There a lot of true NFL fans who feel the same way I do. As far as I can tell most of the people who have come out in support for these poor, oppressed multimillionaires generally don't watch and are unlikely to watch any more now. Since the ratings have fallen into the basement, the next round of contract negotiations might be revealing. Some players are now proclaiming that these actions are not "demonstrations against the country or the flag". Really? So why do it during the anthem? Why not do it at the kickoff? Or at the coin flip? The anthem is played to demonstrate unity of fans and players and to honor the flag and musical symbol of our country. The anthem is not a symbol of the police; for that matter it is not a symbol of the government, but of freedom and the people of this country. They stick a middle finger into the air towards the people. They can do so in an empty stadium and to a blank TV screen.
I am a strong proponent of capitalism and the free market. The players have been able to extract what many (myself included) consider to be exorbitant salaries for tossing a ball around and doing what would be considered assault outside the stadium. Does their contribution to society exceed that of public school teachers? Hardly. However, public school teachers are supported by taxes extracted by government; players are private employees. This might be an opportunity for the public to wake up and see that those $300 Sunday ticket subscriptions might be better spent subsidizing the schools. Or donated to any number of needing agencies. Money talks. Tell the schools what you think with your dollars. School boards and administrators might also respond.
I started writing this blog as a cathartic release. Sometimes it is. Other times not so much. There are few viewers (thank you to those who do read it) so I don't know if it would be noticed - much less missed - if I were to stop. Jerry Pournelle stopped his the other day. Jerry was the inventor of the "blog" though he hated the term. His was the first daily journal on the internet. He was a true pioneer of computing, of science and libertarian thought, of many, many things. He only stopped because he passed away. I certainly miss him.
Maybe I'll return.
till then, I'll be hunting.
ciao
the Snark
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Leftist...or liberal?
Dennis Prager's September 12 column elucidates the difference between Leftists and liberals. You can read it here: https://townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/2017/09/12/leftism-is-not-liberalism-n2380044.
I'll wait.
It is an interesting and revealing column. Prager, you remember, is the California conservative (there actually are conservatives in the People's Republic of Kommiefornia, once you leave the big cities) who was castigated for an unbelievably heinous act, one that threatened to disrupt both the state and the society sufficiently to cleave the coastal section along the San Andreas fault and heave it into the Pacific (which resulted in conservatives everywhere grabbing bowls of popcorn and beverages in anticipation.) That inconceivable dastardly act was to conduct a symphony orchestra - The Los Angeles Philharmonic - in the WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL! OH, the humanity! As if someone's political philosophy would cause miscarriages and disruption by waving a small stick in front of a few musicians.
Thus is the mental and emotional frailty of leftist coasters.
I must confess that I too conflated the acts of the Leftists with those of liberals. I have long been aware of the difference between classical liberals and the more modern variety, but relegated the difference to the evolution (mutation?) of liberals. It does, however, make more sense to regard the difference as a deliberate confiscation of the concept of "liberalism" by anarchists/communists who will appropriate any vehicle to further the destruction of the USA and any other developed society. By using emotional issues - usually fabricated - associating with other anti-societal groups and utilizing the Alinksy/Goebbels methods of propaganda, many liberals have become "useful idiots" for the Leftists.
Certainly there are former liberals who actively support the Leftists and believe that they are still holding on to their liberal philosophies. They have also been subverted, as is the intent of the Leftists. Some will deny their positions by claiming that some of the Leftists' activities have gone "too far". Or perhaps support the violent actions but would never think of participating in such themselves. Just like "moderate" moslems who will donate to their mosque that funds terrorists but would never strap on a bomb vest themselves.
The critical issue is that they never bothered to learn actual history. Too much history is "learned" from inaccurate sources. Even history texts used by both grade and college teachers are frequently twisted to support a political viewpoint.
Trump was condemned for daring to state that there were "good people" on both sides at Charlottesville. The fact that among the original marchers were members of a group that simply wanted to protest the destruction of the statue AND NOTHING ELSE, and that there were some peaceful marchers being lead and deceived by AntiFa in order to violently attack the other side was both ignored and denied. Again, Alinksy/Goebbels tactics, both by the AntiFa and their apologists in the media.
The Leftists deliberately try to conflate conservatives with white supremacists, neo Nazis and the KKK. Granted the neo-Nazis contributed to this themselves. They were too stupid to realize that Nazis were National Socialists. They are also ignorant of history, not knowing that Lincoln was a Republican, that the first black members of congress were Republican and that all of the relevant civil rights legislation had greater Republican support than Democrat. It's that "failure to learn from history" gotcha. Apparently the Leftists are using the liberal's lack of historical knowledge to purport an association of conservatives with the KKK. As someone who grew up in the South during the 1950's and '60's, I saw for myself the Democrat Party's reliance on the KKK to subdue both black and Republican efforts to wrest political control from the Donkey Party. Don't believe it? Read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmington_insurrection_of_1898. This is far from an isolated event.
And apparently a "white supremacist" is to them, anyone who thinks "equality for all people" means what it says. And certainly white lives (especially white male lives) don't matter.
The intentions of the Leftists are as simple as they are clear: divide society through demagoguery, destroy as much as possible and enjoy the carnage.
Liberals should be educated.
Leftists should be annihilated.
ciao,
the Snark
I'll wait.
It is an interesting and revealing column. Prager, you remember, is the California conservative (there actually are conservatives in the People's Republic of Kommiefornia, once you leave the big cities) who was castigated for an unbelievably heinous act, one that threatened to disrupt both the state and the society sufficiently to cleave the coastal section along the San Andreas fault and heave it into the Pacific (which resulted in conservatives everywhere grabbing bowls of popcorn and beverages in anticipation.) That inconceivable dastardly act was to conduct a symphony orchestra - The Los Angeles Philharmonic - in the WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL! OH, the humanity! As if someone's political philosophy would cause miscarriages and disruption by waving a small stick in front of a few musicians.
Thus is the mental and emotional frailty of leftist coasters.
I must confess that I too conflated the acts of the Leftists with those of liberals. I have long been aware of the difference between classical liberals and the more modern variety, but relegated the difference to the evolution (mutation?) of liberals. It does, however, make more sense to regard the difference as a deliberate confiscation of the concept of "liberalism" by anarchists/communists who will appropriate any vehicle to further the destruction of the USA and any other developed society. By using emotional issues - usually fabricated - associating with other anti-societal groups and utilizing the Alinksy/Goebbels methods of propaganda, many liberals have become "useful idiots" for the Leftists.
Certainly there are former liberals who actively support the Leftists and believe that they are still holding on to their liberal philosophies. They have also been subverted, as is the intent of the Leftists. Some will deny their positions by claiming that some of the Leftists' activities have gone "too far". Or perhaps support the violent actions but would never think of participating in such themselves. Just like "moderate" moslems who will donate to their mosque that funds terrorists but would never strap on a bomb vest themselves.
The critical issue is that they never bothered to learn actual history. Too much history is "learned" from inaccurate sources. Even history texts used by both grade and college teachers are frequently twisted to support a political viewpoint.
Trump was condemned for daring to state that there were "good people" on both sides at Charlottesville. The fact that among the original marchers were members of a group that simply wanted to protest the destruction of the statue AND NOTHING ELSE, and that there were some peaceful marchers being lead and deceived by AntiFa in order to violently attack the other side was both ignored and denied. Again, Alinksy/Goebbels tactics, both by the AntiFa and their apologists in the media.
The Leftists deliberately try to conflate conservatives with white supremacists, neo Nazis and the KKK. Granted the neo-Nazis contributed to this themselves. They were too stupid to realize that Nazis were National Socialists. They are also ignorant of history, not knowing that Lincoln was a Republican, that the first black members of congress were Republican and that all of the relevant civil rights legislation had greater Republican support than Democrat. It's that "failure to learn from history" gotcha. Apparently the Leftists are using the liberal's lack of historical knowledge to purport an association of conservatives with the KKK. As someone who grew up in the South during the 1950's and '60's, I saw for myself the Democrat Party's reliance on the KKK to subdue both black and Republican efforts to wrest political control from the Donkey Party. Don't believe it? Read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmington_insurrection_of_1898. This is far from an isolated event.
And apparently a "white supremacist" is to them, anyone who thinks "equality for all people" means what it says. And certainly white lives (especially white male lives) don't matter.
The intentions of the Leftists are as simple as they are clear: divide society through demagoguery, destroy as much as possible and enjoy the carnage.
Liberals should be educated.
Leftists should be annihilated.
ciao,
the Snark
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
The Deep State....Power corrupts.
Power corrupts. Absolute power isn't required. There really aren't that many people who have aspired to absolute power. Most have been Leftists. Note, that isn't the same as Liberals. But most liberals support the concept of a singular tyrant. Granted, perhaps many wish for a benevolent tyrant, or at least a benevolent controlling government, but that is a fatuitous wish. With power comes corruption.
Currently we see the evidence of a "Deep State", that is a shadow government within the elected government. As long as the elected president was accepted by both the major parties AND the entrenched bureaucracy, the DS stayed hidden. However, when Donald Trump was elected he was declared an enemy by all of the aforementioned parties. The DS doesn't have a spokesperson to make such a declaration but that wasn't necessary. The resistance to his office began on November 9, 2016. The ground work began over a year prior to that, but it wasn't fully consolidated until the election was over.
DJT campaigned on "draining the swamp". The problem with that is that the swamp is inhabited by entrenched denizens who have accumulated power and perks over decades. They prefer to hide within the departments, running their fiefdoms, maintaining relationships with other department heads and congresscritters from both houses and both parties. Furthermore, the congresscritters also benefit from these relationships. Add to that the money from K street fertilizing the mix and the resistance is fierce indeed.
Telephone calls from the Trump Tower campaign office were disseminated. Whether the calls were recorded through a classic "wiretap" or by other means, the effect was the same. Private conversations were illegally revealed. This continued through the inauguration, perhaps still being done to this day. Phone calls to foreign heads of state were released. Leaks of confidential conversations were published. Individuals who disagreed with the results of the election acted either on their own in or concert to diminish the effectiveness of the president.
Employees of the White House, as well as employees of the rest of the Executive Branch are SUPPOSED to support the efforts of the President. But when they perceive that their security might be threatened, loyalty is tossed aside. Trump asked Comey for his loyalty. Comey refused to give it. Why? Because he was one of the swamp creatures. He was contributing to the leaks. Trump wanted Comey to do what he had actually already sworn to do - defend the Constitution. To be loyal to the President and support him. Trump wasn't trying to build a personal power base to subvert the constitution, he was trying to defend it!
The late Jerry Pournelle pronounced his "Iron Law of Bureaucracy" - 'In every organization there are two groups: those who work to advance the purpose of the organization, and those who work to advance the power of the organization itself. The second group will always prevail'.
This is The Swamp in it's essence. The EPA made great strides early in it's existence. But once those problems were solved the EPA went looking for greater opportunities to gather power and control the country and the economy. The IRS decided to select whom could be tax exempt based upon political affiliation. The DOJ decided to run guns to Mexican drug gangs to subvert the 2nd Amendment. The State Department took down governments and ran arms to alternative players. The list is long and disgusting. This is not restricted to only Democrat administrations, but it certainly has stronger roots there.
This contrast is due to a simple difference of philosophy: Conservatives (Bush 41 and 43 were NOT conservatives) tend toward smaller governments and more personal freedom and responsibility. Liberals support a greater control of the populace by government. (After all, they are smarter than everyone else and are supposed to tell everyone else what to do.) Republicans are supposed to be conservatives. Unfortunately, most of the ones in Congress aren't conservative. So the size and scope of the government grows unchecked, the Dems professing their "help" for the people by increasing the bureaucracy and the RINO's giving lip service to stopping it while in actuality doing nothing.
Then comes Trump. An Outsider. He has tons of money and can't be bought. He has no further aspirations in politics - what could they be? He wasn't elected with the help of the Party - far from it. He detests the size and scope of the government and is elected to reverse the course. He doesn't roll over and whine when he is attacked, he hits back harder. The only way he could be more dangerous would be for him to be black. I wish he were. He is a master at keeping the opposition (which is everyone) off balance. An opponent can't be effective if he is off balance. So Trump keeps them all guessing, screaming and off balance. They all hate him; what does he have to lose?
Government employment laws - Civil Service regulations (Simple Servants working for the Simple Circus) prevent mass firings based upon a change of administration. A few can be fired, certainly. Department heads submit their resignations expecting replacement. But the bulk of the employees have to be shuffled for other reasons. Guess who established a method of preserving a bulky, growing bureaucracy put into place by typically Dimocrat administrations? Trump's transition team began early, determining what agencies and positions were established by law and purpose and those that were added by fiat. The ones that do not have statute basis can be defunded. "Gee, sorry about that. We can't fire you...but there isn't any money to pay you. If you want to work for free...." Or if the department has a responsibility to perform and that performance hasn't been reported or supported, then that department is in violation of their charter. Ooops....
Trump's single mistake so far is in not being aggressive enough in trimming or at least isolating the permanent White House staff and making clear to his cabinet that their priority is working themselves out of a job by reducing their departments. Perhaps the foundation for that is being done quietly. Two simple things can (and should) be done to disrupt the balance of his enemies: Cut off the Oblamacare subsidies for Congresscritters and staff (they hardly fit the description of being a "small business" that was used to subvert the law) and to disband the public employee unions. Public employee unions were permitted under an executive order signed by JFK. Maybe he is waiting for the day after his re-inauguration.
The screaming would still be deafening after Pence's inauguration in 2024!
Until later....I'm still hunting.
ciao
Currently we see the evidence of a "Deep State", that is a shadow government within the elected government. As long as the elected president was accepted by both the major parties AND the entrenched bureaucracy, the DS stayed hidden. However, when Donald Trump was elected he was declared an enemy by all of the aforementioned parties. The DS doesn't have a spokesperson to make such a declaration but that wasn't necessary. The resistance to his office began on November 9, 2016. The ground work began over a year prior to that, but it wasn't fully consolidated until the election was over.
DJT campaigned on "draining the swamp". The problem with that is that the swamp is inhabited by entrenched denizens who have accumulated power and perks over decades. They prefer to hide within the departments, running their fiefdoms, maintaining relationships with other department heads and congresscritters from both houses and both parties. Furthermore, the congresscritters also benefit from these relationships. Add to that the money from K street fertilizing the mix and the resistance is fierce indeed.
Telephone calls from the Trump Tower campaign office were disseminated. Whether the calls were recorded through a classic "wiretap" or by other means, the effect was the same. Private conversations were illegally revealed. This continued through the inauguration, perhaps still being done to this day. Phone calls to foreign heads of state were released. Leaks of confidential conversations were published. Individuals who disagreed with the results of the election acted either on their own in or concert to diminish the effectiveness of the president.
Employees of the White House, as well as employees of the rest of the Executive Branch are SUPPOSED to support the efforts of the President. But when they perceive that their security might be threatened, loyalty is tossed aside. Trump asked Comey for his loyalty. Comey refused to give it. Why? Because he was one of the swamp creatures. He was contributing to the leaks. Trump wanted Comey to do what he had actually already sworn to do - defend the Constitution. To be loyal to the President and support him. Trump wasn't trying to build a personal power base to subvert the constitution, he was trying to defend it!
The late Jerry Pournelle pronounced his "Iron Law of Bureaucracy" - 'In every organization there are two groups: those who work to advance the purpose of the organization, and those who work to advance the power of the organization itself. The second group will always prevail'.
This is The Swamp in it's essence. The EPA made great strides early in it's existence. But once those problems were solved the EPA went looking for greater opportunities to gather power and control the country and the economy. The IRS decided to select whom could be tax exempt based upon political affiliation. The DOJ decided to run guns to Mexican drug gangs to subvert the 2nd Amendment. The State Department took down governments and ran arms to alternative players. The list is long and disgusting. This is not restricted to only Democrat administrations, but it certainly has stronger roots there.
This contrast is due to a simple difference of philosophy: Conservatives (Bush 41 and 43 were NOT conservatives) tend toward smaller governments and more personal freedom and responsibility. Liberals support a greater control of the populace by government. (After all, they are smarter than everyone else and are supposed to tell everyone else what to do.) Republicans are supposed to be conservatives. Unfortunately, most of the ones in Congress aren't conservative. So the size and scope of the government grows unchecked, the Dems professing their "help" for the people by increasing the bureaucracy and the RINO's giving lip service to stopping it while in actuality doing nothing.
Then comes Trump. An Outsider. He has tons of money and can't be bought. He has no further aspirations in politics - what could they be? He wasn't elected with the help of the Party - far from it. He detests the size and scope of the government and is elected to reverse the course. He doesn't roll over and whine when he is attacked, he hits back harder. The only way he could be more dangerous would be for him to be black. I wish he were. He is a master at keeping the opposition (which is everyone) off balance. An opponent can't be effective if he is off balance. So Trump keeps them all guessing, screaming and off balance. They all hate him; what does he have to lose?
Government employment laws - Civil Service regulations (Simple Servants working for the Simple Circus) prevent mass firings based upon a change of administration. A few can be fired, certainly. Department heads submit their resignations expecting replacement. But the bulk of the employees have to be shuffled for other reasons. Guess who established a method of preserving a bulky, growing bureaucracy put into place by typically Dimocrat administrations? Trump's transition team began early, determining what agencies and positions were established by law and purpose and those that were added by fiat. The ones that do not have statute basis can be defunded. "Gee, sorry about that. We can't fire you...but there isn't any money to pay you. If you want to work for free...." Or if the department has a responsibility to perform and that performance hasn't been reported or supported, then that department is in violation of their charter. Ooops....
Trump's single mistake so far is in not being aggressive enough in trimming or at least isolating the permanent White House staff and making clear to his cabinet that their priority is working themselves out of a job by reducing their departments. Perhaps the foundation for that is being done quietly. Two simple things can (and should) be done to disrupt the balance of his enemies: Cut off the Oblamacare subsidies for Congresscritters and staff (they hardly fit the description of being a "small business" that was used to subvert the law) and to disband the public employee unions. Public employee unions were permitted under an executive order signed by JFK. Maybe he is waiting for the day after his re-inauguration.
The screaming would still be deafening after Pence's inauguration in 2024!
Until later....I'm still hunting.
ciao
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