Rebane's Ruminations

Sandbox – 19may19

[AG Barr has hired experienced and highly reputed special investigator John Durham to unscramble the shady doings of and subsequent BS spewing from former FBI director James Comey, and former CIA head John Brennan (you can throw in Clapper for good measure).  The Dems are scared and furious, and desperately looking for ways to sink Durham.  Meanwhile, we’re told that surreptitious gathering of information by our government about our citizens is not ‘spying’, but is merely ‘surveillance’.  It was all those other commie and fascist governments that had and still have extensive networks and institutions that spy on their citizens.  We should all be relieved now that’s cleared up, capice?  OK, here’s your Lucky Strike extra, wanna know who the double dummies are?  Just ask someone whether Comey spied or surveilled.  gjr]

Sandbox – 9may19

[Trump thumping has now reached a fever pitch in Democrat, socialist, and alt-Left circles.  When was the last time you heard a US president accused by political opponents of working to do away with our Constitution, democracy, free speech, and other liberties that have defined America since its founding?  In our daily dose from the Democratic leadership, the media are full of emotional videos accusing President Trump of exactly that – he’s a treasonous and treacherous criminal with no morals who must be removed from office by any and all means possible in order to save our nation.  Any memories of such a state of affairs?  gjr]

Sandbox - 1may19

[The $2T infrastructure bill is going to be a problem that the Dems hope will choke Team Trump.  What about letting the several states plan and do the infrastructure work in their states under a coordinated plan from the feds.  The states can come up with novel public/private funding schemes which may involve the feds only to the extent of guaranteeing loans and bond issues of those they approve.  Thoughts?  gjr]

Sandbox - 23apr19

[To impeach or not to impeach - that is the question.  BTW, it appears that the number of leftwing readers regularly contributing to comment streams now outnumbers those leaning to starboard.  We've always known that the Left are assiduous RR readers, but usually they don't want to debate their politics.  How did such an outrageous fortune afflict us?  gjr]

Sandbox - 18apr19

[Well boys and girls, let's all talk about the released Mueller report (here).  After explaining a year or two that collusion by itself is neither nefarious nor illegal, and conspiracy is surreptitious collusion with intent to harm, I smiled this morning as the NPR mavens awakened to that important distinction in their aspirations about AG Barr's talk and press conference this morning.  Your task, should you be so inclined, is to find in this entertaining aftermath even a smidgen of common ground for healing the land.  gjr]

Sandbox - 14apr19

[Well, it looks like we may be able to settle the embarrassment of riches that the county should suffer from if we really do have 700K annual visitors to the South Yuba.  gjr]

Sandbox - 7apr19

[Back from travel.  I hope that some of our readers have been following the trail and travail of foreign correspondent and journalist Lara Logan, recently of '60 Minutes' fame.  She is causing quite a consternation in the lamestream media who have targeted her for destruction since she has blown the whistle on the whole progressives' propaganda machine.  Her interview on tonight's Mark Levin show was superb.  gjr]

Sandbox - 3apr19

[Anybody know what the Dems are celebrating in Chicago?  In that latrine excavated city, the liberals have been in charge forever, and all their numbers are already in the mud.  As arguably the nation's most corrupt and criminalized city, they have a history of electing bad guys and double dummies into public office; what do they expect this new batch to accomplish besides more of the same?  gjr]

Sandbox - 29mar19

[Well, the Dems are looking to an approach to 'Medicare for All' designed by a couple of Univ of Mass economists that promises "You'd be able to keep your doctor with no premiums or copays, and overall spending would decline."  Now where have we heard all that before?  The many holes in this plan (here) also recommend its alternative use as a sieve.  gjr]

Sandbox – 25mar19

[OK boys and girls, now it’s time to talk about the massive mega-lies the Democrats and their lamestream media lackeys have been telling us for the last two years.  To begin, I have to confess to a large error, before Russiagate I thought that the journalistic profession was the demonstrated refuge of mostly ass-kissing ignorameouses, my opinion of the commentariat and the news media was pretty low.  I was totally off base, because it wasn’t anywhere near low enough.  They have demonstrated and continue to demonstrate themselves as a herd of evil snipes who have no regard for their lightly read audiences as they continue their crusade of lies and innuendo to bring down a legitimately elected administration, diverting the electorate’s attention from its achievements and urgent national needs – e.g. education, immigration, debt, … .   gjr]

Sandbox - 20mar19

[The Dems want to bump up SCOTUS membership so that they can also have a majority in that branch of government, and do away with the Electoral College to "make every vote count", and give the Hormonal Hordes with WIP brains the vote.  And if that's not enough, then do away with the 1A and 2A, and, aw hell, just do away with the Constitution while we're at it.  The fundamental transformation of America as promised.  gjr]

Sandbox - 14mar19

[“USC, Yale University among colleges sued by Stanford students amid college admissions scandal” (more here and here)  Boys and girls, this is going to get big, real big.  gjr]

Sandbox - 8mar19

Sandbox - 3mar19

[No more swallows on RR.  gjr]

Sandbox - 26feb19

[The NCAA now allows transgender females to compete in women's track events, and soon other sports.  The big concern that needs to be addressed is not that the transgenders are setting new records for women, but that this makes no never mind to the officials now fashioning this new sports world, “Focusing on performance advantage is largely irrelevant because this is a rights issue. We shouldn’t be worried about trans people taking over the Olympics. We should be worried about their fairness and human rights instead.” (more here)  gjr] 

Sandbox - 13feb19

[Would El Chapo's billions paying for border infrastructure satisfy Trump's "... and Mexico will pay for it."??

... and by their fruits shall they be known.  gjr]

Sandbox - 6feb19

[Our leftwing commenters keep reporting that all of our border problems are nothing but rightwing propaganda, so why have the national news been reporting illegal entry numbers surging, caravans at the border trying to get in, and more caravans on the way from central America?  And how come Dems keep saying that walls don't work, and the border security authorities keep testifying and presenting data that they do?  gjr]

Sandbox - 2feb19

[Our favorite cartoonist RL 'Bob' Crabb and I share thoughts on the US benefitting from a multi-party (four or more) political smorgasbord.  Bob offered this good rendition, filched from the 2feb19 Union, of Howard Schultz's presidential ambitions.  There should be a lot more to say about that.  gjr]

Sandbox - 28jan19

[... and I would also draw your kind attention to the 28jan19 update of the last Ruminations.  gjr]

Sandbox - 21jan19

[Does anyone know what leverage would Trump have to get Dems to agree to border security funding were he to agree on first giving them all they want on illegal aliens in a bill that would also terminate the shutdown?  gjr]

Sandbox - 14jan19

[Why would the president's AG nominee William Barr telegraph the preposterous statement that he will tell the Senate judiciary committee that he would unconditionally allow Mueller to finish whatever he's been doing in the attempt to bring down the administration?  gjr]

Sandbox - 8jan19

[Get ready for President Trump's speech from the Oval Office tonight in which he'll try to convince us that there is national security crisis on our southern border, and that spending money to reduce border porosity is now a national priority which the Constitution allows, nay, requires him to exercise executive powers to defend America against an unending influx of poor, ignorant, and destitute foreigners who are told they have the right to illegally enter the country and establish a new life in America.  gjr]

Sandbox - 3jan19

[A little while back I asked for feedback on the notion of moderating RR comments in the effort to cut out a lot of the naked ad hominem interpersonal crappola comments that contribute nothing to the discussion of ideas, issues, or events.  The plan would be to quit moderating again as soon as the ad hominems were promoted to at least high school, if not churchillian, levels.  The response from all you worthies was a massive yawn.  Silence is also feedback, so I take that as apparently no one cares.  Thank you. gjr]

Sandbox - 28dec18

[So, does a president's responsibility to keep the nation secure, in this case via increasing border security (aka reducing border porosity), constitute a sufficiently important issue to warrant standing firm on his request for a minimal amount of funding ($5B or less) to increase that security and plug our very porous border, which the assaulting migrants are now pouring through at historically high rates?  gjr]

Sandbox - 23dec18

[Another hectic week has passed in the Trump administration.  Even FN is aping MSNBC and CNN with gotcha questions to their talking heads, questions like, ‘Now that no person experienced in military affairs would consider serving under a nationalist president like Trump, how is he going get someone qualified to fill the SecDef position?’  To those afflicted with TDS, this question is raw meat, and they will make the most of it describing a hopeless situation that will now compromise US national security.  On the other hand, none of those not so afflicted have brains to say, ‘Whoa!  To begin, I don’t accept your preamble to that question.  You need to make that case before you ask anyone to accept your question.'  Instead, the best these innocent snuffies are able to gurgle up is something like, ‘Well yes, it is a difficult situation and we hope that someone qualified will step up to the job.’  gjr]