George Rebane
The Khashoggi murder continues to aspirate the pundits on both sides after Biden’s fistbump with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. To me the whole affair is politically ridiculous and a diplomatic farce. Khashoggi was not a US citizen, but a foreign national with a permit to live and work in America (among other countries). While within US borders, our governments’ responsibility toward Khashoggi’s security is the same as it is for any US citizen and legal resident. But our federal government has no responsibility for the security of ANY alien permitted to live and work in our country when they travel outside our boundaries, especially when they frequent one of their own legations in a third country. To think otherwise would be a ludicrous contemplation. So why then are we putting our important foreign relations on the line when this foreign national gets butchered by his own countrymen in a foreign land? If some soft-headed pundit or politician thinks otherwise, why are we then so sanguine with the governments of Russia, China, North Korea, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, … who regularly murder their own citizens? Why are all of them not also ‘pariah states’ denied handshakes when making diplomatic contacts? And why is this consideration not brought up by all those sharp-witted journalists, pundits, and politicos?
Nevada County’s currently registered voters were made available to me by my bride who concerns herself with such things. The CA SecState collects and publishes this data for all the state’s counties as of 23 May 2022 shown below. (more here).
What interested me was the prominent inclusion of the American Independent Party in the political party headings. I’m ashamed to admit that I know next to nothing about the AIP, and had to do a quick read-up on the organization (here). What I found was both surprising and refreshing. With my longtime and growing frustration with the Republican Party, I discovered that the AIP’s tenets and platform were totally acceptable to me save, perhaps, their stance on marriage. I share it with readers in hopes of soliciting a broader critique of that party’s statement of purpose and principles. My only regret is that they seem to have gone dormant after the 2016 election as witnessed by their website. But then, how do they maintain a self-declared, currently registered membership of 3,335 in the county? My bride’s answer is that most of these people are really political independents who, when registering, were confused by that word appearing in the party’s name.
[21jul22 update] Corrupt corporatism is ubiquitous in the land, and runs rampant in our automotive industry. Reader Efox (@ 858am below) beat me to the report about Ford getting ready to cut thousands of white-collar jobs currently at work in its combustion engine division (here). The reason? Ford along with the other car makers are investing over $500B before 2026 to develop new e-vehicles. Now why would all these capitalists go out on a limb and spend so much of their retained earnings to get ready for volume production of products for which there is no evidence of open-market demand? Simple answer, they’re not going out on any limb. Instead, they are colluding with federal central planner/controllers who have informed them of future federal mandates for us to purchase all the e-vehicles they can roll off the assembly lines. You and I will soon be told to either buy an e-car, or walk. Unabashed corporatist corruption on parade.
[22jul22 update] Biden’s foreign policy debacles began long before he was elected president. They have been documented lavishly elsewhere – bottom line, he’s been batting 000 on foreign policy over his entire career in public life. Since president, a bevy of additional blunders have joined the record, including, of course, the Afghanistan exit debacle. But the biggest one to date is his publicized belief that a renewed agreement with Iran will do anything other than speed up their development of deployable nuclear weapons. He intends to ink a new deal that will make this atrocity possible by also including funds to support Iran’s ongoing development. Unleashing this new level of danger and terror on the world, and intentionally compromising US national security to boot, adds to the list of treasonable actions by this president. Ramirez summarizes it nicely.
[23jul22 update] In this blog’s continuing criticism of the Republicans as the party of wusses, we add to their long list of shortcomings their current support of the Democrats’ new spending bamboozle, which attracted 16 Republican senators to help them get a hokey $76B chip industry support bill to the floor so that sleazebag Schumer can bump it up to over $250B with pork for all, before bringing it to a vote. This kind of BS from Republicans comes with a significant cost. WSJ’s Kim Strassel points out (here) that “the political risks of this GOP spending habit are huge, both in the short and the long run. Republicans correctly blame the Democrats’ 2021 spending for today’s inflation, and public fury over high prices makes for their best shot at retaking the House and Senate this fall. But the potency of the inflation argument will dissipate if the GOP joins yet another spending frenzy. The next time a Republican runs an ad hammering a Democrat for inflation, the target will simply remind voters that it was a bipartisan effort that produced the vast majority of Covid-and-beyond spending.”
George
Your link affirms that Nevada County is solid Blue with Dems holding a 39.62% to 32.18% edge over the Repubs.
Posted by: Paul Emery | 18 July 2022 at 06:53 PM
Dr Rebane.
Your loving bride is correct. Boy, did AIP have their voter registrations skyrocket to new heights in 2016 after being dormant for years. Bernie folks, college students, Peace out Bro throng, Bernie Bros, Dennis Kucinich overpass supporters, and assorted misfits and those who could never go My former Gal Hillary. They were not with her.
ROFLMAO. Excuse me, it gets better. I have been laughing about this since the CA Dem State Party Government changed the rules. Gotta be registered with a CA party to vote in the primary or something. Well the AIP is a currently registered and valid CA Political Party.
The AIP has been basically dormant for years, but somehow kept paying the fees and filing all the paperwork to be a party in good standing with the Elections Board. Been that way for decades. Since 1967. Peace and Freedom, Independence Party came and went, many others evaporated like morning dew, but not the AIP.
The ROFLMAO chuckle that always amuses is the American Independence Party was former by former DEMOCRAT Gov George Wallace. He carried 5 states in running against
Richard Nixon and HHH in ‘68.
BTW, your link is broken, 404, 401! 420 stuff. Tis, tis. Al least fish has learned to turn off the italics now. Shame, shame. Or maybe your link got disappeared by we know who. ‘They’.
Memory Lane
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Independent_Party#Wallace_campaign_and_early_history
Posted by: Bill Tozer | 18 July 2022 at 08:37 PM
PS: your link is back up. Guess it was getting too many hits right about now,. Odd.
Posted by: Bill Tozer | 18 July 2022 at 08:42 PM
Punch 653p
If 40% are registered Dem, 60% are registered not Dem?
Posted by: Gregory | 18 July 2022 at 11:30 PM
Biden 58% Trump 39% Nevada County Presidential election. Solid Blue County Gregory. You are delusional
Posted by: Paul Emery | 19 July 2022 at 06:43 AM
The missing voters must be perennially confused independents who are just too stupid to know what's good for them.
Posted by: rlcrabb | 19 July 2022 at 06:48 AM
re Crabb 6:48 - Yeah, the smart voters know how much better Biden is than Trump! Ask anyone looking at the stock market, (except the Pelosis) their tab at the grocery store, or at the gas station.
Biden is such a loser, his own party is trying to figure out how to get rid of him and their disaster of a Veep!
The Rs might run DeSantis - gov of a successful state Americans are flocking to. Gavin for POTUS?
He's gonna clean up America like he cleaned up SF?
And Crabb claims he's 'middle of the road' - what a deluded fool.
Posted by: Scott O | 19 July 2022 at 07:13 AM
Posted by: rlcrabb | 19 July 2022 at 06:48 AM
The missing voters must be perennially confused independents who are just too stupid to know what's good for them.
Yes, a progressive lament since, ”What’s the Matter With Kansas?”
Wow …..who knew Don Rogers departure would have you so spun up?
Posted by: fish | 19 July 2022 at 07:16 AM
Earl Crabb, an long time beloved community asset, got up at the crack of Dawn, gulped down is coffee and soft boiled egg on toast, and belatedly penned this @ 6:48 am.
“The missing voters must be perennially confused independents who are just too stupid to know what's good for them.” Ouch. That one hit a wee bit close to home, eh independent dude?
Well, first of all, I would personally say ‘Good Morning Crabbman and Welcome Back.”
Yep, that one got under RL’s thick skin. Pushed a bottom. Triggering button. Sounds like somebody in our neck of the woods is registered with the American IndependenT Party, lol. That really showed those two major parties, right? Cheer up. You are in good company. 3,335 fellow Nevada County community assets are AIPs. “The missing voters must be perennially confused independents who are just too stupid to know what's good for them.”
The former mayor of Full Moon City got 28,000 votes in her recent bid for Governor. Is this a great County or what!
Posted by: Bill Tozer | 19 July 2022 at 09:39 AM
Folks who voted for Biden are getting what they asked for... good and hard.
Yes, trump lost in this county, and i didn't vote for him either... but you can't have a solid blue county when only 40% want to even vote in the Double Penetration primary.
Let's see what the results are in November, if the lube lasts that long.
Posted by: Gregory | 19 July 2022 at 10:40 AM
re: Fist Bumping the Royal Prince Sawbones
‘WaPo’s Max Boot tells readers to cut Joe Biden some slack despite him fist-bumping with the guy who bone-sawed his colleague’
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/07/18/wapos-max-boot-tells-readers-to-cut-joe-biden-some-slack-despite-him-fist-bumping-with-the-guy-who-bone-sawed-his-colleague/
Posted by: Bill Tozer | 19 July 2022 at 01:06 PM
Mitt Romney & Keith Olbermann have both accused Tulsi Gabbard of treason, for her comments about pursuing a hot war against Russia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HlsAfWFkUE.
She sent a cease and desist order to both of them. Awaiting an apology, or a bringing of a formal treason charge against her.
Seems to me if it's treason, then they should bring charges. Otherwise, they just need to shut up. Who is Romney anyway? I thought he passed away in 2012.
Posted by: The Estonian Fox | 19 July 2022 at 06:12 PM
Sorry, that treason claim was from April.
Posted by: The Estonian Fox | 19 July 2022 at 06:22 PM
From The Detroit Free Press:
"Ford Motor Co. is getting ready to eliminate up to 8,000 jobs in the coming weeks to help fund its push into electric vehicles, according to a news report.
The majority of the cuts are expected to be in the U.S. where Ford employs about 31,000 salaried and 56,000 hourly workers.
The news comes on the heels of Michigan giving the automaker a $100 million tax-funded incentive package in June as part of a plan to create new jobs in the state.
Farley has said workforce reduction is a key to boosting profits, which have eroded on its Mustang Mach-E and other plug-in models because of the automaker's increased costs for commodities and warranties. “We have too many people..."
Why do we never hear the federal govt say "we have too many people working for us?"
Posted by: The Estonian Fox | 21 July 2022 at 08:58 AM
George,
You are probably accurate on the hidden agenda for the car-guys to invest a small amount of money ($500B is peanuts compared to the govt's printing presses). Why haven't the MSM done any analysis of this? I would think that CNBC would at least have Carl or David or Rick Santelli do a few minutes on this. At least the car-guys have to answer to stockholders about real money shenanigans.
And there seems to be nobody who is publishing truth about the illegals coming into the U.S. None of this (lack of) information is reaching liberal voters. The country has gotten into a large hole with no ladder or digging tool for us to escape. Maybe Ford will design us an electric steam shovel?
Posted by: The Estonian Fox | 21 July 2022 at 02:25 PM
Biden’s shithole brain. Boy, is she ever a piece of work.
Biden judicial nominee on board of prison 'abolitionist' group‘
Biden nominated Roopali Desai to the 9th Circuit Appeals Court
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-judicial-nominee-board-prison-abolitionist-group
Posted by: Bill Tozer | 22 July 2022 at 10:55 AM
PaulE 653pm - That is included as a helping of red meat for you.
Posted by: George Rebane | 23 July 2022 at 01:27 PM
re: [22jul22 update] Biden’s foreign policy debacles began…… Pugnacious.
What Makes Biden So Pugnacious?
https://buchanan.org/blog/what-makes-biden-so-pugnacious-159528
Posted by: Bill Tozer | 24 July 2022 at 08:14 AM
“PaulE 653pm - That is included as a helping of red meat for you.”
Posted by the Good Doc, two comments above.
Boy, I’ll say. You are truly a humanitarian, Dr. Rebane….in addition to being blessed (or cursed) with the gift of longsuffering. Amazing. Throw the dude some red meat and no gratitude. I suppose you can comfort yourself with it is better to give than receive. You have a big heart sir.
Scab pickin’ time.
Change the name from Trump to DeSantis and you still have the Lefties’ old playbook. Charlottesville! Everybody, DeSantis is the face of Tiki Torches and Larry Elder is the black face of White Supremacy (LA Times on The Elder Statesman). That is the Republicans are.
The View Falsely Claims DeSantis Thinks Neo-Nazis Are 'Good People'
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/nicholas-fondacaro/2022/07/25/view-falsely-claims-desantis-thinks-neo-nazis-are-good
Deja Vu all over again. Forget DeSantis, that dude Youngkin is really shaking the tree and watching all the rotten fruit fall to the ground. Something to do with gravitational forces. Imagine for one moment if Youngkin was our Governor. Ok, back to reality.
Virginia GOP Gov Youngkin: $2 billion surplus sign state taxes too high
The final budget passed for the next fiscal year in Virginia includes about $4 billion in tax relief
https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/youngkin-2-billion-surplus-sign-virginia-taxes-too-high
Oh my. The Dems have never seen a idle dollars that they could not resist spending it as their own.
Posted by: Bill Tozer | 25 July 2022 at 10:38 PM