Barack Obama… Once More Into The Breach*…in Brussels, Belgium

 

With this morning’s attacks in Brussels, Obama was quick off the mark in condemning these cowardly acts:

“We will do whatever is necessary to support our friends in Belgium," he said.

“We stand in solidarity with them in condemning these outrageous attacks against innocent people… And more,

“This is yet another reminder that the world must unite, we must be together.”

All this was said by Obama on the third day of his visit to Cuba which began with the Cuban Castro Brotherhood Dictatorship clearing Havana streets of debris – that is to say, the mothers, wives and girl friends of political prisoners who have lingered for years in Cuban jails.

But I digress.

Back to the issue at hand…today’s carnage in Belgium.

Let’s tune back to the President’s press conference which is just ending and to our correspondent on the scene .. Les Nessman-

Les – over to you, anything that particularly surprised you by today’s comments by Obama?

Yes Galagher there was one thing – when the President promised to stand in solidarity with our friends in Belgium a member of the audience yelled out – just like you did for the innocents in Iraq, Iran and Syria, Mr. President?’

And why did that surprise you Les?

Well Galagher, you just don’t hear that sort of criticism here in Cuba… at least against their President.

Well that may be true Les – but overall, what does Obama’s comments tell us about the perpetrators of today’s events?

In fact Galagher, we now know quite a bit – we know for instance that these were “outrageous attacks” and not only that – they occurred against “innocent people”.

Could you be more specific Les?  For instance, from His Statement, who do you think might have been responsible for these evil deeds?

Well that’s the problem Galagher – the President did not say – in fact, he never does say in such circumstances, so we are left to speculate.

My money is on a rogue group of madmen, gone off their meds.

But Galagher that does not mean it could not have been a disgruntled element of the local Red Cross or even an outcast troop of disaffected Boy Scouts. 

The list is just too long to name all of the possible subjects.

Good Job Les – Keep up the Good Work.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

*KING HENRY V:
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;

 

Civilization's Thin Veneer

Please bear with me for some rambling thoughts.

The 20th century is oft mentioned as one of the most horrifying centuries in all of history, with two devastating world wars, numerous lesser wars e.g. Vietnam, the Jewish holocaust, the Chinese cultural revolution, the millions of Ukrainians starved to death by Russia in the 1930s, and numerous massacres such as in Cambodian and Rwanda.  In total, over 100 Million died horrible deaths over the course of the last century.

Daily we see in this new century, media reports of more atrocities committed around  the world, most notably by Islamic Extremists.  We also see a strong surge in China's militarism and the reawakening of Russia's coupled with the fact that the world appears to be on the brink of another round of  nuclear proliferation. This last item is really the elephant in the room led by Theocratic Iran.

Neville Chamberlain's quest for 'peace in our time' is likely to continue to elude us too.

And this does not even include the millions lost to abortion and the growing trend to euthanize the sick, the old and the infirmed.

The value of life is getting cheaper while the forces of evil are getting more and more ruthless in their attempt to foist their thoughts and way of life upon others.  Witness the Christians who are being slaughtered across the Middle East and in many parts of Africa and the vicious split between the various Muslim sects.  

The World's defender since the World Wars - the United States of America is in economic and moral decline.  Who then over this new century is going to protect the innocent and the hard-won freedoms many of us profess to enjoy? 

This subject recently hit home with me with my reading of Ken Follett's Trilogy covering the tumultuous times of the last century.   

Follet personalizes his epoch by following 4 different families, one each living in 4 major countries involved in the conflict - namely Germany, Russia, England and the USA; (the other major country - Japan, is not included).  For the families living in Germany and Russia the upheaval in their individual lives is simply beyond apprehension since, in addition to the War Years both of those countries had to endure life under Totalitarian Dictatorships - Nazism and Communism. 

I was born shortly after that War and thought I had a good idea of what had transpired then through the history courses I had taken in both High School and University - but those courses had not prepared me for the deft handling of this period by Follett. The smothering of democracy and the rule of law, the starvation, the random and relentless killing I found to be simply beyond comprehension.

And for me it begs the question - What If?   What If those Axis of Evil Countries had been successful and we'd all be living under Totalitarianism today.

And believe me - the years between 1939 and 1943 looked doubtful for the Allies.

We - you and me get complacent and too often turn a blind eye to what is going on around us and throughout the world. 

Some worry themselves sick about Global Warming while paying scant attention to the beheading of Christians at the hands of Muslim Extremists.

We stand idly by as Russia imposes its will on former members of the USSR and throughout the Middle East.     

We watch China poor Trillions of Dollars into its military - money it received from the West for cheap goods and services; it builds artificial islands to extend its boundaries while the World collectively turns a blind eye.

The World paid a great price the last time it turned away and claim close to total collapse.

Will we be so lucky if there is a next time?

The way things are going now I would not want to place a bet on it.

As I see it....

'K.D. Galagher'  

Is Donald Trump A Real Conservative?

Good Question ... and not just because it is happens to be the name of my Blog site.

It's a good question because many of the so-called Republican Hierarchy are bailing or threatening to bail from the Party if, as it appears, Trump wins their Party's Nomination.

And this traitorous talk is getting much louder following his many victories and delegate gains in Super Tuesday.

As an aside, and for those of you keeping score, my preferred candidate Marco Rubio is now history though he will certainly hold on for the Florida Primary on the 15th of this month.  His chances of winning there are slim to none.

Politics is a rough, dirty business.

Yesterday it was announced that outsider Dr. Ben Carson had decided to pack it in - in the face of Tuesday's results.  He should have pulled the plug sooner but hopefully a nice spot can be found for him should a Republican Administration come into being following November's Election.

As a further aside, is it not ironic that this has happened to the Party that so desperately needs support from both Blacks and Hispanics?

But back to Trump.

And speaking of Ironic - is it not outright bizarre that the same Republican Hierarchy, which now is turning on Trump, demanded at the beginning of the race that Trump sign a declaration promising to support the eventual winner if he himself was not successful?

And now they are doing exactly what they had initially feared Trump might do?

'Hypocrites' anyone?

Some of you may rightly point out at this point that I myself came to the conclusion in my most recent Blog that I could not support Trump...since I do not like negative politics, but neither would I vote for 'Sails Close To The Wind' Hillary.

But then again, I am not a top Republican Official nor even an American Citizen entitled to vote.

And unlike the Republican Pubahs I believe Trump has made a great contribution to the political process and do not for a minute believe the Republican Party will be worse off with a Trump candidacy.

He has given a voice to millions of Americans - Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike who have felt themselves ignored or taken for granted by the Political Establishment of all stripes.

More real issues are being discussed today and more people are getting involved in politics than ever before and it is all because of Donald John Trump.

If the Republicans play their cards right - their Party could well become the new, innovative and enlightened Party to lead the US into this relatively new Century.

So it makes me wonder what is really going on?  Could it be Politics in the United States has become all about Power - especially when it comes to Money?  Do you think the Super Pacs and the Billionaires are pumping large sums into the fray for the goodness of their health?

A populist Prime Minister of the late 50s and early 60s coined the phrase:  "everyone is against me except the people".

The Elites that try to take Trump down had better start realizing what they are truly up against or they will all be looking from the outside in.

So to answer my initial question:  Is Trump A Real Conservative?

Frankly, I don't know but perhaps it does not matter all that much when so many in authority who call themselves that - are anything but.

And for those of you who may be tiring about my writing so much about The Donald, you will be glad to hear that this is the last Blog I will do in regard to The Donald for the next while ... I promise.

As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'

Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton... Who is the Bigger Liar?

The World's Biggest Liar competition is held annually in Cumbria, England.

I have little doubt that if both Hillary and the Donald entered this year's competition the result would end in a draw.

But that's not all; they are both egotistical and narcissistic though I might be inclined to give Trump and slight edge over Ms. Clinton.

So why the interest?

It is beginning to look like this year's Presidential Race is going to come down to these two flawed individuals.  When I initially wrote about the two I always said that I would never vote for Hillary but if it came down to just the two of them - I would vote for Trump.

Mea Culpa.

I have since come to my senses realizing that even if I could, neither would get my vote.

Let's deal with Hillary first.  She has now bested her only Democratic opponent - Bernie Sanders.  Left-wing Bernie's challenge ended with his poor showing in Nevada and the deal with sealed with his even worse performance in South Carolina.

The Bernster is toast.

Unless dear Hillary heads off for the Big House .... before attaining the White House, she will be crowned the Democratic Nominee for President.

Boy does a run by VP Joe Biden start to look good.

It is not just her lying that turns the voter off; it is also that with Hillary, it is so evident it is all about her to the exclusion of everyone else.

Her administration would be 'more steady as she goes' than Trump's but for the US that means 4 more years of Obama like Government.

Now the Donald.

Simply stated, the guy is a bully of the first order. As they say, he has constipation of the brain and diarrhea of the mouth.  He has single-handedly disqualified himself from being elected to the highest office but the trouble is, his supporters sadly have not come to that obvious conclusion.

And it is not all the fault of his supporters.  They have been ignored and taken for granted by both the major parties for so long they are in no mood for rational thought - hence his continued popularity.

And similar to the fading Bernie, Trump's major rivals Cruz and Rubio are in big trouble. Nothing seems to adversely affect Trump's poll numbers and if those numbers hold for the upcoming Super Tuesday - as they likely will, they too will join Sanders on the trash bin of history.

The only real difference between Trump and Clinton is the fact that the Republican Establishment is frighten to death that he will get the nod to be their Presidential Candidate whereas the Democratic Boys are delighted to have Hillary win and not the Socialist.

The bottom-line here is that it is looking more and more like Clinton - Trump face-off come November and whichever one wins - the American Public loses ...Big Time.

As I see it...

'K.D. Galager'

Could You Not Do Something About My C - Mark?

Apropos yesterday's Blog, I went on-line today to check the Sarasota newspaper for anymore gun-play articles and was not to be disappointed.

Two in particular:

The First deals with the State of Texas law that permits its university students to bring guns into the class room.

How Bizarre.   Bullet Proof Vests Anyone?

The Second is less cut and dry.

It reports that yesterday "four to seven, including the gunman, are dead and 20 to 30 people are injured after a series of shootings in south-central Kansas."

Police report that the killer had been served earlier in the day with a court order demanding him to stay away from his former girl friend.  This action apparently triggered a melt-down on the gunman's part which led him on a shooting spree ending with his arrival at his employer's place of business where he shot - killed and wounded more - this time his fellow colleagues before police were able to bring him down.

Now I would say this is a mixture of domestic / work place violence that the Second Amendment giving US citizens the right to bear arms never envisaged.

The NRA would likely say it is a classic case of ordinary citizens needing to be armed in order to protect themselves.

So dear Reader - you decide.  Who is correct here?

But one thing is very clear - whether you side with me or the NRA - the United States of America is plagued with a gun culture.

As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'

Compared to Florida ,,,, The Wild West Was Tame

The Olde West is generally defined as the period after the American Civil War - 1865 to 1885 - some twenty years.  Estimates indicate that during that time less than 20,000 men, women and children were killed by guns... 1,000 per year.

Contrast that today with the 30,000 plus Americans killed annually by guns.

But first a reminiscence:

Several years ago, my wife and I visited Tombstone Arizona - the site of the West's most famous gunfight.... The Gunfight At The OK Corral. The fight took place in 1881 between the Earps / Doc Holliday and the Clanton / McLaury Gang.

While there, we visited the town's Boot Hill - similarly named to other olde west cemeteries. Two headstones in particular stand out in my memory - (not exactly word for word):

Here lies John Stead;
We hung him for horse thief;
He said he was innocent;
Turned out he was right;
But he is stoned cold dead nonetheless.

Here lies Billy John;
Thought himself the fastest draw in the West;
Turned out he was second best.

But those heady days have nothing on present day America as the above statistics confirm.

And yet in the face of these bleak numbers, the National Rifle Association (NRA) is giddy at the thought that the Second Amendment to their Constitution protects the rights of its citizens bear arms.

Countless ads by the NRA proudly ?? that this right enables Americans to protect themselves from the bad guys.

They conveniently ignore the fact though that it is the 'good guys' who are being killed by their own guns.

I spent some time in Florida recently and in the small city in which I stayed - the local paper recounted daily numerous local gun killings.  Indeed of the 50 or so which I read about, only - 1 fell within the definition of self-defence.  The rest involved domestic disputes, children gaining access to their parents weapons, family members being mistaken for invaders, suicides and so on.

Hardly anyone mentions the fact that when the second amendment was passed into law - in 1791, weaponry consisted of single shot flintlocks.

So today we see automatic assault weaponry protected by this amendment.  Why not include tanks and CF 18s?

In respect to the love of guns, it is a different world in America and is one that is most definitely not the envy of the world.

So I will close in the famous words of the late Charlton Heston - "I'll give you my gun when you pry it out of my cold dead hands".

And more likely caused because he accidentally tripped.


As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'

Prime Minister David Cameron ...

Arguably today's Best Leader of a Western World Nation.

That said, he does not have much competition; in fact he is competing against only two others - Obama the a sad excuse for a US President and Angela Merkel - Chancellor of Germany.

But even Angela is flawed - perhaps fatally so - having led by her heart and not her head when she backed a plan to offer refuge in Germany to a million poor souls fleeing the war-torn Middle East.

Cameron though has gone from success to success but his major challenge may now be just before him:

First the successes.

In the 2010 General Election, Cameron failed to win a majority but successfully finessed a coalition with Nick Clegg - Leader of the Liberal Democrats.  The coalition held until May's 2015 Election when Cameron once again regained majority party status.

Next, on September 18, 2014 he faced down the Scottish Separation Vote winning by over 55%.

The big challenge now for Cameron is the upcoming Referendum on whether Britain will stay in the family of EU Nations. This vote is scheduled to take place this coming June 23rd which polling shows the outcome to be tight.

Cameron has deftly handled this issue demanding that Brussels grant concessions to Britain leading up the vote. In so doing, he has appeared as a tough negotiator for his Islanders but in reality, I believe he has always been an unabashed EU backer and is merely posturing to ensure the vote goes his way.

So the question is whether or not Cameron is right to support Britain's continued involvement with the EU?

Britain has had some critical advantages right from the beginning:  it did not adopt the EURO and thus retained governance over its own domestic economy and it did not adopt the Schengen Agreement which has allowed it to control its own borders which has become so important with the massive refugee resettlement from the Middle East currently rocking the rest of the E.U..

So of the 28 countries which make up the E.U., Great Britain already retains significant powers unto itself.

Moreover, the world is forming itself into large trading blocks from the Free Trade Agreement between the USA, Canada and Mexico to the recently negotiated Pacific Rim Agreement, it would be foolhardy for the UK to think it could strike out on its own.

And of equal importance is the issue of defence.  With Russia on the path of aggression and China flexing its new eco might - militarily - in the Far East, the EU is needed to offset these two belligerents.  This is especially true, more than ever, with the USA retreating into isolation.

So will Cameron be successful in this most recent test of his leadership?

My belief is that he will, but nothing is guaranteed.  I say this because the EU has been floundering on a number of fronts - some mentioned above - and indeed there is no guarantee this experiment will ultimately win out.  But the stakes are high and if Britain was to bail, it would add a nail to the EU Coffin and would go against their own interests..

So I am glad this very important issue is being led by Cameron and if he is ultimately successful it will go along to cement his reputation as one of Britain's Great Leaders.

Long Rule Britannia and the European Union.

As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'