United Nations Resolution to Open Borders ?

     By Chuck Marshall

*The essence of the first paragraph below was published in the Orlando Sentinel today. 

     It was headlined in the media that the United Nations has established a compact encouraging more orderly movement of migrants.  Specifically, the Associated Press stated;   "US Not Among 164 Nations to Back Migration Proposal".    I don't pretend to know the details of what is being declared on this "nonbinding" compact.,  but I can certainly imagine it reduces any burden the United Nations might have to actually fix something.   No, they won't go after abusive and oppressive governments to build up Democracy and/or free markets to encourage prosperity, but they sure have no problem telling "rich"nations that they need to start taking in more people who are looking for more "economic opportunities".  After all,  the "rich"nations are "aging"and we need young people from third world countries if we have any hope to survive.

     I have a problem with this line of thinking.

1)  I thought the United Nations was established to keep the peace not re-organize the world's economic wealth.

2)  Shouldn't the "rich" nations be working on boosting their own populations and helping their own poor people rather than opening their borders in order to help incompetent governments go on governing ?  By exporting their more desperate citizens they not only fail their citizens but they also dilute and distract from endeavors to successfully eliminate poverty in the rich nations.   

3)  How is opening the doors for citizens from failed governments and allowing them to go to successful nations doing anything other than dragging down the success of the existing successful governments ?  Eventually, they too will be poor and the abject poverty and oppression of the failed country will move throughout the world like a cancer infecting all to the idea of poverty and want such that no corner of the world will be prosperous.

4)  The idea that the only way citizens of poverty stricken countries can possibly succeed is if they move into  wealthier "whiter" countries is highly bigoted in that it is implied that certain races are simply incapable of lifting themselves or their country out of poverty.

George HW Bush Brings the Country Together

At least for the time being.

By Chuck Marshall

     The sad news of President Bush senior passing away this past week has brought back memories to me.  I was in high school when George was running in the primaries against Reagan.  I supported Bush because I thought he had a better resume and seemed more moderate (of course - a moderate leaning American even in my days of youth !) .  Of course,  Reagan won because the country was anxious to get away from the near socialist government we lived under in the late 1970's and his folksy demeanor appealed more to middle America.   Then Reagan chose Bush as his VP and I was suddenly a Reagan fan.  Yes, at the start I liked Reagan because he chose Bush !

     I voted for George Bush in his first election.  It seemed appropriate given the success of Ronald Reagan that his VP should take over his successful Presidency.  That was my thinking even though at the time he lacked the excitement of a great leader.  George, at that time, had become familiar to all Americans and looking back he had become taken for granted.  Maybe a little boring.  But he won.    Much in the news has been elaborating on the end of the Cold War and the Persian Gulf war that Bush presided over.  This is all history and I think his handling of both episodes was exactly what we needed at the time.  Calm, professional, patriotic, intelligent  and understated diplomacy. 

     In his second election against Bill Clinton I found Bush to have evolved into a bit of an arrogant and detached windbag.   At this time the Republican party began its departure from a moderate approach regarding protection of  the environment towards an openly hostile attitude regarding all things green.  "Tree huggers" became their scorn towards citizens like myself that think we're obligated to take care of the planet.  George HW Bush was no exception,  So, I voted for Bill Clinton.  This is the only time I ever voted for a Democrat running for the Presidency.

     In the end, George Bush Sr. was a gift  to our country and mankind.  He was a brilliant diplomat who lead our country with great clarity and decency.   His accomplishment as a pilot in WWII is a remarkable story of  youthful courage.   His years after the presidency revealed a big heart for helping those who could not help themselves.  His friendship with ex- president Bill Clinton under the auspice of helping victims of natural disasters was a wonderful example of American exceptionalism.

     Well done George HW Bush you were sincerely a fine human being and our country was very fortunate to have you as a leader. 

The Age of Incompetence: Election Recounts

By Chuck Marshall

                                                          I'm so confused.......

     Here in Florida we have an official recount going on for three candidates from the midterms.  The Agriculture Secretary, the Governor and the Senator.  I'm not going to get into too much detail about who the players are or what the problems are at the moment because it's such a predictable bore.   Just keep in mind this is a consequence of our two party system where we have grown adults acting like 4 year old children and the incompetence of most anything the government does is glaringly obvious. 

     In reference to my last blog regarding the fact that some people should just NOT VOTE., I have to point out that one of the issues includes re-counting the ballots where the person who did the "filling out" didn't follow instructions.  For example, they mark an x instead of filling in the bubble so the machine cannot read the ballot.  If I filled out a standardized test in grammar school  or a final in college where I marked and X instead of bubbling in the proper answer then I would have missed the question because I didn't follow instructions.   If you can't follow instructions properly - given that there are all manner of volunteer "helpers" there to instruct you on the complications of bubbling in a ballot-  then you should not be voting.  That's the hard, cold reality of life  as an adult.  If you don't follow instructions then you "got it wrong" and consequently  you lose money, you lose the job, you don't get what you want.  We all must deal with this harsh reality--  try again next year !  Because of these "instruction challenged people" here we sit as our "so called" leaders squabble over how to recount people's wrong answers !   What a colossal waste of everyone's time and energy because people can't bubble in a ballot.  As always, incompetence thrives in our times. 

    Who benefits ?  The media conglomerates with their nauseating and hysterical breakdown of the current "controversy",  a feast of incompetence for the incompetent and their viewers..... In My Humble Opinion.

The Age of Incompetence - Election 2018

Election 2018 - Some Should Stay Home

By Chuck Marshall

     For the longest time I've marveled at how much people are encouraged to vote.  "Get out and vote" is the rally cry for both political parties because they know how important it is to their success.  I use to see these ads of encouragement as a fine thing getting people to exercise their right.  Everyone is entitled  to vote and should vote, no matter  what.  Right ?  Well, as I ponder our incompetent government- which has been  elected by the people for generations- I can't help but wonder if that's part of the problem.  Ignorant people are voting.  You see,  if you don't know what you're talking about or understand how the government works then you shouldn't vote.  All you're doing is muddying the waters and encouraging the outrageous lunacy we've witnessed this past few years.

     Political candidates know this and so they promise everything under the sun.  That goes especially for their base of "mouth breathing" extremists.  I marvel at how much presidential candidates blather on about "what they're going to do" but none of the media calls them out, ie, "how will you get that done if  Congress is controlled by the opposite party"?  Details, details.

     I watch as reporters ask "people on the street" questions as simple as "who was President during the American Civil War?" and they get it wrong.  These are the creatures voting for the morons that run our government and spend our money.   I don't mean to discourage voting for any specific group of people except the idiots.   You, idiot,  are the very reason nothing gets done by our leaders and our nation is $21 Trillion in debt !   Twenty one Trillion dollars and counting because we keep electing  political parties that have no intention of fixing anything.  When they're not in power they have the nerve to bring up the national deficit as if the issue is suddenly important to them !    If you don't know basic history, basic civics and the basics of the problems our country faces  then don't vote, stay home, and get high.   That is the first step to stepping past this "Age of Incompetence" we suffer through.  Do it for your country !

Everyone's Entitled to My Opinion - Climate Change Lectures

By Chuck Marshall

Dear Balanced readers,

     The Orlando Sentinel, once again published my rambling opinion last week.  This time in response to a self congratulatory essay from a Rollins College professor who wishes all us bumpkins would fall in line with his way of thinking what with us ruining the planet and all.

     This was published on October 17th, 2018 but I was headed to the North Carolina mountains with the family so I had no time to share my opinion last week.   I figure better late than never.  My thoughts are the same and you can gather what was said in this guy's column from my comments.  His column was  published on October 16th on the opinions page (Educated doesn't necessarily equal intelligent).   Compromise, compromise, compromise....  it's a dirty word in our "Age of Incompetence".

Here it is :

     If you want to understand the "climate change deniers", look no further than the article written by Bruce Stevenson in today's Orlando Sentinel.  The first paragraph eviscerates Governor Scott with an extremely nasty, personal attack so  he alienated at least half the readers right off the bat.  He goes on to elaborate that tax cuts,  deregulations, and "climate change deniers" are behind the woes of modern day Florida.   Okay, now they're the enemy.  The irony is I believe climate change is a problem, but I don't think it's helpful to write sanctimonious lectures that demonize people who don't agree with our opinion.  The vicious hurricanes recently are an indication of trouble with the planet.  Isn't it time to come together with solutions that are both business friendly and backed by academic findings ?  The lack of compromise in the minds of Americans has made all of us, even college professors, dumb in my humble opinion. 

Chuck Marshall 

Clermont

.......In My Humble Opinion.

Time for a Third Party

    Most of the government's time is spent fighting itself through both parties. They move heaven and earth to hurt each other, never mind the needs of our country. Compromise is rarely considered because they don't want to upset their "base". I think we need to consider some way to remove parties from the election and governing process OR perhaps mandate a third, moderate party that will end this stalemate ? You who are reading this has that power according to the constitution. It's just a matter of organizing and resisting the fear tactics of the "powers that be".

The Supreme Court Kavanaugh Debacle

Things they don't explain-

By Chuck Marshall

   The honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, United States Supreme Court Justice



    It is frustrating to me that we watch as members of our media, our entertainment,  our sports teams, and even members of our wonderful government start ringing alarms regarding a situation that is currently in the news and they reveal how much they don't understand their own government.   Put in another way;  The don't know what the fuc* they're talking about OR if they do they are misleading the public on purpose to stir the pot.  Most likely, it's both.  They know they're lying, they just don't know exactly in what way. 

     The best current example of this is the selection Judge Kavanaugh to replace Justice Kennedy as one of the sitting nine justices of the supreme court.  He was selected by President Trump for this life-long (unfortunately for all of us)  position early this summer.  This will give the conservatives a clear majority for rulings at the highest level of  our judiciary.  The left wing of our nation has gone apoplectic thinking Roe VS Wade will be overturned and so they have turned the entire occasion into a bizarre "blast to the past" of early 80's house parties with horny, drunken teenagers.  I am not commenting on what was done because I was not there and like the rest of the world,  I have no idea.  That's why we have courts and law enforcement to sort it all out.  Today it's all all a matter of  "he said- she said" absurdity drummed up by the Democrats and the media to block Republican  progress and to increase the ratings for their, flat, unintelligent analysis trotted out every evening by dimwitted, "talking heads".

    I can comment on something that the media rarely brings up.  The reality of the situation and why both parties, as usual, are a detriment to our country and they are useless bags of hot air intent on helping  nobody with the very big exception of themselves.     

A)  Overturning Roe VS Wade is highly unlikely, and Kavanaugh just like Gorsich before him  (also appointed by Trump last year)  has commented that he would not consider overturning Roe Vs Wade, (the Supreme court ruling from the early 70's that made abortion legal, or at least "not illegal").  The prevailing opinion, even in conservative circles, is that abortion is the "law of the land".  The exception could be limits on when the abortion occurs and that would be left up to the states.  So, for 99.9% of the population nothing is likely to change at all even if the entire court is conservative.

B)   The bigger problem is that we're in this situation at all where the supreme court justice is seen as so important to the course of our nation.  The courts should not and were never meant to have so much power that they can create law by simply declaring something one way or another.  Congress, aka the legislative branch of the US government WRITES the laws, The President ENFORCES the laws, the Courts INTERPRET the laws.  That's how it is supposed to be.  Nowhere is it said or written that the courts can also be used as a weapon to enhance any political philosophy.  But here we are.

C) Keeping justices for life is an unfortunate detail of our government that IMHO does harm to the Republic.  The idea of "lifetime" when this was written into law was that man was expected to live to be in his 50's.   Anything over 80 would have been laughable due to the unlikelihood and the humor of seeing such an old person with such power.  It would have been compared to the lunacy of various kings and queens that populated Europe at the time.  Today of course, it's more common than not to live into your 80's.  We see the consequences of one party holding onto power through the courts in the picture above.  This, as many aspects of our government, has become a joke.

       Mostly I blame  Congress for it's never ending partisan politics and shocking inability to get anything done with the glaring exception of spending our money.  If Congress did its job, it would be less likely either party would look to the courts to "get their way".  But this is how it has all evolved to today, 2018,  or should I say "has not evolved".

In My Humble Opinion.....

Censorship of Thought Blocks Effective Governing

 By Chuck Marshall
(This post takes under 3 minutes to read)

   
     As I have written this blog over the past several years I've always tried to see both sides of any  point of view.  Sometimes, I really don't, for example I never understood President Obama's reluctance to call Islamic terrorists, Islamic terrorists.  If they terrorize people and they are doing it in the name of Islam, then the term seems appropriate.   From the other side, I still get frustrated that "climate change" (previously referred to as Global Warming)  is considered a "scam" by the right.  I don't see why scientists would lie about it.   I am somewhat cynical towards the matter mainly because the media has picked up on "climate change" as a sure sign of the end of times and their vapid hysterics has caused me to reconsider the matter.  I never hear more evidence, only hyperventilating when we have hurricanes.  My experience has been that the Media will hide facts that question climate change if they should dare to arise from anyone.  There has been no open debate.  If you question it then you're an idiot.  Therein lies one of the most troublesome issues of our day;  the partisan media and their decision that they are to form the thoughts of the masses rather than inform us and let us make our own minds up.   I still believe climate change is an important matter to be researched and studied but I do understand the cynicism as well.

     The loss of trust in our news providers over the last several years is a great tragedy and one of the reasons I write this blog.  What drives me is the truth of matters and filling the gaps of truth in the news stories of the day.  That is why I've had over 50 letters published in the Orlando Sentinel because I catch the gaps of logic and/or honesty and they acknowledge the fact (kudos to the Orlando Sentinel, by the way,  for at least hearing me out !).  Most people are not inclined to exert effort regarding political issues because they have their own interests and passions and who has time to decipher the veracity of what's in the news ?   I love politics because I see the power that would come from a government that's well run,  so I'm  inclined to scrutinize their mutterings.   We will never have a well run government  if we continue to hear half truths and outright lies from those we've entrusted with our attention. 

     Today I think it's safe to say the media (with the big exception of Fox News) is very much tilted to the left and I am not going to elaborate on that because I've written about it several times in this blog.  Keep in mind I am not referring to cable news shows that are focused on opinions,  I am talking about news and concerns of the day.  I am also talking about social media like Facebook and Twitter where the opinions of conservatives are being muzzled as the news has indicated this past week.  One of the biggest disappointments this past few years has been how little the left considers that their counterparts on the right are not being allowed to express themselves fully and fairly.  If you believe in what you say then you should be open to the opinions of the other side.  Anything else is a form of tyranny and will only hinder our voyage to finally grasping the elusive "effective government" that I think we all crave. 




   

     . 

The Age Of Incompetence; Russian Policy

By Chuck Marshall

(This article takes under two minutes to read)

     Our "Age of Incompetence" has had some fascinating stories, however the hysteria over Russia and Trump's clumsy approach to working with our never-ending adversary was one for the books.   The core of the hysteria is that Trump commented that he believed Putin over our 19 secret service agencies regarding Russia tampering with our elections.  After all, the secret service has never been wrong about anything.  Except perhaps the Weapons of Mass Destruction which I guess all  19 of our secret service agencies were  "sure" were being hidden in Iraq.  This "assurance" from all 19 secret service agencies sent us into an invasion of Iraq that would end up costing  thousands of American  lives and costing our country several Trillion dollars.  Did Iraq have weapons of mass destruction ?  No.  How could that be, they're never wrong?   Anyway, Trump walked back his comments.  Probably because now there are 19 secret service agencies that have a bone to pick with him.  At the end of it all, much of the media is still trembling over the whole thing because they're so convinced Trump colludes with Russians and now, here we have evidence because he met with Putin and was nice to him !

     So ridiculous I just had to write a letter to the paper about all this, and once again the Orlando Sentinel indulged me by printing this rambling letter.   The ending ran into another letter so  I finish the last sentence by typing it in below.  I think more people should write,  people gotta speak up !   Thanks Orlando Sentinel !

........Putin to his face.  Chuck Marshall, Clermont-- 

Printed July 19, 2018 

You're Paying for the Defense of Europe

By Chuck Marshall

(This article takes approximately 3 minutes to read.)

          I, like many Americans was shocked to hear President Trump speak with such venom regarding the lack of money being submitted by our "allies" across the Atlantic for their own defense.  If you're not familiar, NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and is a consequence of the aggression of Russia (the Soviet Union) after WWII towards Western Europe.  Today the members include many countries of Eastern Europe that were once a part  the Soviet Empire, so it's a growing group that "rankles" the Russians.  The mission of NATO states that "an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us".   NATO was established in 1947.  There are now 29 nations that are a part of NATO.  These are our allies and all that is very good.  It is a good organization for maintaining the peace.

     After Trump used such heavy handed, and admittedly rough language I got to wondering what the details of the situation were.  In an unusual moment of naivete, I decided to google search the term NATO Trump and "surprise, surprise" the mainstream media was having a hysterical fit over Trump's language towards our European allies.   "He's lying" they kept saying and their hatred for the man was hardly containable so much so that they spent a lot of effort elaborating on how the other leaders body language revealed that Trump was "distancing" our country from Europe and he was left behind speaking to the leader of Turkey (?) while the group walked, "like an outcast high school student" (yes, they really used that term).    I wish I could go to the news media and get the information I need without having to google search the details and understand the story.  It's up to us to sort it all out because we're living in the "Age of Incompetence".   I finally googled "USA Financial Contributions NATO", and one of the first things to come up was an article by CNN MONEY from July 2016 listing out how out of balance the NATO contributions are.  Their own article supports what Trump is saying today !

       Anyway, we Middle class Americans are generally too busy making a living and taking care of our families to be obsessing with global politics enough to understand the nuance of how NATO works.  Trump said "They aren't paying their fair share" and "they owe us", which technically is NOT true but if you're explaining what's going on to most people in a 3 minute news clip, this is the only way to communicate the facts.  He isn't speaking to just the European leaders and the Anderson Cooper's of the world,  he's speaking to "Joe Blow".   I'm going to elaborate on this issue today because NATO funding is something I didn't understand either and I figure my loyal blog readers might gain something from it.  We're always seeking information and truth here at "Marshall in the Middle" ! 

     "So what's going on?" you ask.  There are two separate things.  The funding of NATO itself is not a lot of money as it's simply to maintain the "bricks and mortar" of the HQ in Brussels, Belgium.  It  does run into a few Billion $$ per year.  The USA pays 22% of that.  That's for the organization that defends Europe.  We're not in Europe.

     The second thing is the actual armies. The defense of Europe through soldiers and guns falls on all NATO members.  Each member is  supposed to spend 2% of their nation's GDP (Gross Domestic Product, in other word's their economy's $$ volume of output) towards their OWN defense as a way of "doing their part", so to speak.  The graph above shows just how that's playing out.  The bottom line is that they aren't paying for their own defense.  They are leaving much of it up to the USA.  In addition, they haven't been paying their fair share for a long time.  The total is easily in the hundreds of billions of dollars, probably even Trillions if you go back to 1947 and include all countries involved.  So, when Trump says they "aren't paying their fair share" and that "they owe us" it is essentially true, but you see it's not technically true - the fact of the matter is there's no way to explain it without writing a paragraph like I'm doing here.  But, he's right !  The USA pays 67% of the total defense of  NATO in a sense because we're  paying for the military that is most likely to protect NATO;  the American military.  Last year, 2017 that figure was $664,000,000.   It can be said, that indirectly, the USA spent more for the defense of itself and Europe than all other NATO members combined.  Europe has 1 Billion people  USA has 320 Million, and once again, we're  not in Europe.  Finally, keep in mind the generous social programs of our socialist European friends.  I'm sure they can afford a lot of goodies since their military defense is not an obligation they need to concern themselves with.

     So, I'm all about defending the world's Democracies against tyranny and invasion and working to right all the wrongs of the world,  but that there is some "major bullshit, ya'll"......In My Humble Opinion. 


*MSM- Mainstream Media

American Borders - Declarations of an Independent

 By Chuck Marshall

       

                                                              

     This past week there was a massive protest all over the USA regarding immigration to the USA.    In a nutshell- the protests were aimed at the Federal government's policy of enforcing laws that dictate when an illegal family comes into the USA that the parents be separated from their children as the parents are processed for a court hearing.  Our immigration laws are very screwed up and these children are the unfortunate victims of the lunacy.

     Here are some facts regarding Immigration all Americans should probably know.

     1)   Over 75% of immigrants in the USA came here LEGALLY.  They waited their turn, that includes my wife.  Do you know the anger you feel when someone cuts in line in front of you and gets away with it ?  That's how my wife sees illegal immigrants.  They're cutting in line in front of people who are going through the legal process to immigrate to the USA.

     2)   The law being protested by all these Democratic leaning protesters was written by a Democratic congress and signed by a Democratic President. They're literally protesting their own law.  The protesters are really angry at Trump because he's enforcing their law !  Oh My God !

    3)  Why write a law if you have no intention of enforcing it ?  The answer is either incompetence or mischief and with today's Congress it's almost always both.

     4)  Legislation making our immigration laws more sensible, fair, understandable, and responsive while still protecting our country's sovereignty is the goal.  Congress legislates.  It's Congress we should be shouting at, not the President.

     5)  There is NO country in the world with "open" borders.  The reason for borders is to maintain the safety, spirit, unity and ambitions of a country's citizens.  If you don't have borders you don't have a country.   We should have open borders like we should leave the doors of our homes and businesses unlocked at night and then expect to wake up with everything being just "fine and dandy" in the morning.

     6)  The United States has the largest immigrant population in the world at 45 Million.  Of that,  there are 11 million that are NOT legal.   So, the USA is not against immigrants.  It's actually very welcoming to immigrants, unless they're illegal.  The rule of law matters here.  Read number 7.

    7)  The United States is a Republic, not a Democracy.  The idea behind a republic is that if everything blows from public opinion as in a true Democracy,  you essentially have "mob rule".  Mobs do not rule.  They dictate, threaten, and often get violent with spittle flying out of their "mouth- breathing" faces.  If you don't like a law then elect leaders that you think will change the law.  That's  how a Republic works.   Screeching at the President and "racist America" is futile to the ends you pursue.  In fact, it would be easy to argue that it actually hurts your cause.

        What's the solution ?  Compromise between the parties and  a new logical law written by Congress.  It's really not complicated but in today's hyper-partisan environment, there is no such thing as logic.  The Idiot parties, as in most problems of our country today,  are totally ineffective at governing.  So, really the solution is to neuter the parties and remove them from power.  We deserve better than this.

Charles Krauthammer - A Voice of Reason

                       Charles Krauthammer- A Voice of Reason in our Age of Incompetence

By Chuck Marshall


     A voice of reason has passed away and gone to the ages.  Most political pundits of the day I have only a passing respect for, but Charles was a giant among midgets.  His comments were always slow, quiet and calm but with a great foundation of wisdom, wit, humility and intellect.  If you were not familiar with Dr. Krauthammer  you missed one of the greats.   The nation lost one of the few voices of reason in our "Age of Incompetence". 

      Overcoming a tragic diving accident  that left him permanently paralyzed while in medical school, he still got his medical degree without missing a beat- remarkably still finishing that semester of study !  Starting adulthood as a moderate liberal, Charles gravitated to a more conservative slant as he moved into his 30's.  In the 1980's he was the writer who penned the title "The Reagan Doctrine" on President Reagan.  So effective and impressive was Charles' commentary and writing that he was frequently mentioned by Presidents in comments to the press, as if to validate what they were saying.
   
     Always a classic conservative, Charles never really embraced the populism of the Trump candidacy and election.  I can totally relate to the puzzled alarm at the rise of Donald Trump.  It was  comforting to hear his protests expressed so eloquently because he was expressing exactly what was going on in my own head.  His well thought out spring of opinions was crystal clear water that quenched a thirst for meaning in our ever changing world.  It's amazing how one persons opinion, how one person's words can affect us all.   It can calm nerves, clarify a subject, and even propel a new way of thinking for humanity itself.  Charles was one of those wordsmiths, those shining examples of kindness and decency that seems to have taken a vacation in our bewildering world.  Hopefully that decency has not vacated us for good, and we can look forward to more Krauthammers than not in the near future.

RIP Charles, you will be greatly missed and forever admired.

Tyranny of the Democratic Party

     I got into a bit of a debate with a Facebook friend today.  He essentially was diminishing the actions of Trump and Kim Jong Un's Summit with this post: 

"The North Korea "summit" doesn't seem to be about denuclearization but about a megalomaniacal dictator who wants the illusion of legitimacy by having this meeting."  

Of course all his liberal friends jumped in with agreement and answered him with the very predictable "which dictator are your referring to?".   Ha Ha.  Well, all that didn't set too well with me so I had to reply... ...you know me !   "If there's a dictatorship today it's the Democratic party refusing to accept a duly elected President & that is actively working to remove him from power for Trumped up reasons. Excuse the pun..."

The liberals  went into full "apoplectic" mode and they expressed great confusion at my comment. (not surprising for many reasons)   So, I decided I needed to draw a picture for them since they've been "dimwitted" by the idiocy of CNN, et al.  I stated: 

      "Let me walk you through it 
1) Dems have control of government through the massive DC establishment.  Massive government is a Democratic ideal, so it stands to reason they are very involved in the workings of the FBI, CIA, DOJ, etc... They hate Trump, just like you- especially those at the top.     
 2) Prez Obama decided he had to guarantee Clinton won the election because Trump was unacceptable - that should be very easy to imagine for all of you cause you'd probably do the same thing. 
3) Obama instructs his "besties" at the FBI to "spy" (or whatever you want to call it) on the Trump campaign and even gets help from establishment Republicans to set up a fake dossier that speaks of Trump doing obscene things with a Russian prostitute. 
4) The media - always essentially towing the Democratic philosophy-- are only too happy to help by spreading the "fake news" regarding Trump's Russian prostitute to their buddies in the other networks. Additionally, CNN even fed debate questions to Hillary. 
5) Once Trump won, VERY unexpectedly, the Obama administration and the FBI knew they could be exposed- so they decide to essentially "frame" Trump for "collusion" with the Russians (which actually isn't even a crime). Their hope is to stall and badger Trump along with their "besties" in the media with full throttle, daily attacks on him to the point he can't even do ice cream right. Maybe break him ? Then, hopefully get a Democratic congress in the midterms and somehow impeach him. 

6) In conclusion- the Democratic party under Pres Obama and with help from his administration, the FBI and the DOJ conspired to remove the decision of the American people to elect Donald Trump by conspiring against said President. You know this is true because all of you would have done the exact same thing--- your hate for Trump is so blinding to you that you're missing the fact that you are endorsing the Democrats efforts to rule America without having legally been elected. Dictatorship."

The Democratic party, much like the Republican party before Trump, is focused on only what's best for IT.  What's good for the country is of very minor importance.  They are treasonous and they are fully capable of tyranny if allowed to control our government ever again.  We must never let that happen.  Vote in your elections, vote for ANYONE- Independents, Libertarians, Green Party, Republican... but DO NOT VOTE DEMOCRATIC !  Their behavior and actions this past year have removed their right to rule any office in our country ever again........

In My Humble Opinion.  

Liking Donald Trump

     If you read my blogs during the election of 2016, you'll know I was not a fan of Donald Trump., in fact, I hated him.  I thought he was disgusting, greedy, shifty, slime ball.   In fact, here is a line I extracted from a date during the primaries;   "He is an egomaniac, he's crude, he's inexperienced, he's not eloquent, he holds a grudge, he mocks disabled people, he disrespects women, he feeds off anger, he argues with the pope, he provokes the Muslims, he alienates our allies, he's a poor winner, he's a poor loser, and in some ways he's just plain weird."  That from Feb. 26, 2016 -- http://chuckmarshall.blogspot.com/2016/02/in-trumps-mind-youre-loser.html

     So, clearly I use to be on the "anti-Trump" bandwagon.  But, the biggest thing on my mind back then, and now and always will be is;  "What's best for our country?"  At that time I was convinced that was Marco Rubio who speaks so well, is of Hispanic heritage and could conceivably bring the country together and move forward to tackling the challenges of the 21st Century through free enterprise and what I now call  "individualism" (not conservatism, a term I've really grown to dislike).  If Rubio didn't win, I considered Hillary Clinton the better choice than Trump what with her experience and knowledge of world politics, "How could you choose Trump over her?"  I thought to myself.

     If you've read my blogs you also know that my opinion started to evolve.  As the months went by I grew to appreciate some things about Trump.  (I ended up voting for Gary Johnson, but that was a total  protest vote against the parties.)  Donald Trump was also becoming an obvious enemy to BOTH political parties and that was what I first really liked about him.  Then he started heralding that he wanted to "drain the swamp".  The "swamp", in my mind, features political lobbyists and the so called mainstream media both of whom I vehemently despise.  I think I have written my most vicious blogs against those two vipers with the slime-bag political parties a close third. 

     So, I settled down on election night with my wife ready to watch Hillary Clinton win the presidency.  I watched with detached interest.  After  starting out the night with ambivalence  I then watched with concern.  Could Trump really win this thing ?  What will happen to us ?  The stock market futures were dropping !   Then I started thinking about his "Drain the Swamp"slogan, and I started to calm down.  I started to enjoy it all.   What an upset !  We were watching CNN, and I watched with growing glee as it became obvious that the announcers were NOT happy with the outcome.   They were so unprofessional, so biased, so disgusting that within a two hour period I started liking Donald Trump more out of pure spite against the talking heads.   As time rolled by  I was astounded and shocked at how biased the media had become.  Trump could do nothing right., and upon his swearing in, they nearly lost their minds with bias.  At his first press conference as President,   I listened  as Donald Trump put the media in their place.  All those years of Bush being walked all over and Obama being idolized just melted away.   Trump told them to their face what they are.  I was listening on the radio and I literally felt dizzy with happiness at how he spoke to them.  I realized at that moment, that I was becoming a full fledged Trumpkin.

     After watching the way ALL of DC has mobilized against this man I realize "the swamp" isn't just the media, the lobbyists, and the incompetent- slime bag parties, it's also the entire government.  They are rotten to the core and NOBODY could have brought this out but Donald Trump.  I still think he's an ogre, he's rude, blunt,  he's a terrible speaker, but he is exposing Washington, DC for the cesspool it has become.  Through his actions and determination he is doing a lot of good things.  He is revving up the economy in a significant way.  He is making progress with our enemies and allies.  He's challenging the pharmaceuticals !   I sincerely believe he cares about the common man and loves the USA.  Russian collusion ?  That's an obvious invention of the Dems, the  Mainstream media and apparently the FBI and CIA leadership.   Donald Trump "sneaking" around with the Russians ?  Trump is the most blunt, open book I've ever seen on the national stage.  Why and how could he be so very sly about the Russians ?  Give me a break.

     So there you have it, after  much thought and consideration I have fully evolved to appreciating the hard work, determination, diligence, and surprising intelligence of this man and I feel he is exactly what our country needs right now.  Maybe later we can go back to "eloquence" and flourishing speeches, and hyperbole, but right now we need "bigly" action, in a big way.   I fully support President Donald Trump.  He is what is best for our country right now.

Happy Mother's Day To My Wife

By Chuck Marshall 


     On the eve of Mother's Day, I dedicate this blog to my wife and mother of my two children. She endured communism for 12 years in Cuba and carries the livid disgust for that system of government with her every day. It is the prism through which she sees the world.   

    Today's kids don't remember the "eastern block" as we referred to the Soviet Empire when I was young, but the poverty, misery, suffering, lifeless and miserable existence of communism and the consequences of "group thought" and "government control" should be taught to our children as a requirement in school. We cannot be lazy with this, Americans, we are the living example of the happiness, wealth and joy that is so much more prevalent when it springs from the individual. We can't ever let that slip away. 

**Growing up Communist - Memories of the Soviet Block

**This article encapsulates much of the danger of socialist ideas that are allowed to morph into some sort of answer for all problems and blanket laws that will defeat all "the bad things" that happen in life.  The only ones such a system benefits are those at the top.  The ruling class.  



Happy Mother's Day Janet !  Te Amo Mucho ! 

US Citizenship Question on Census - Dems go Crazy !

The Lowdown on US Census and Citizenship Controversy 

By Chuck Marshall

What's all the fuss ?

      Each state is represented according to the population of its citizenry.  US citizenship is required by law to vote in Federal elections.  The census is proposing the question of how many actual citizens - that can vote -  are there in each dwelling ?  The left goes apoplectic.  Why ?  Because the Dems know they will lose representation in Congress due to the enormous numbers of foreign immigrants in Democratic states such as New York and California.  The more people you have, the more representation you get in Congress and that could tip the power from one party to the other.

How does this affect the individual ?

      The individual American citizen should consider that their power as an individual diminishes if non-citizens are allowed to be counted.  This goes for anyone who votes, whether it be R's, D's, Libertarians or Independents.

Historically Similar Circumstance ?

      This argument was made back before the civil war when the south and north compromised and made slaves 3/5 of a person in regards to representation.   The south wanted them to be counted totally, the north "not at all" for obvious reasons.  There's power in numbers, even if some of those numbers are humans treated as cattle. 

Chuck Marshall's Humble Opinion ?

    Absolutely the question should be asked.  Representation is to reflect voting citizens and nothing else so it stands to reason that non-citizens, who cannot vote legally, would not be counted for the purpose of representation.  In addition, this goes down as one issue for the Convention of the States to add as a voting rights act for any new amendments to the constitution.







 

Letter Published in Orlando Sentinel - Gun Control

By Chuck Marshall

The Orlando Sentinel once again flatters me by publishing one of my letters, this one rather stinging towards them so I'm a bit surprised they published it.  This is in regards to a feature they have every week where they herald one person and criticize another with a brief outline of what was said.  It's called Bravo VS Boos.  They held up a US Representative from Florida who, I guess, "came to his senses" on gun control.  That didn't set too well with me, so I wrote the following.

Thanks Orlando Sentinel !!

The Right to Vote not the Right to Guess

By Chuck Marshall

Some groups want everyone to be able to vote because they know the more people that vote then the broader selection of idiots you'll have who don't understand anything about how our government works. Illegals, high school students, let them vote and watch their ignorance carry us to tyranny. I say all who vote must demonstrate a clear understanding of the constitution, the bill of rights, and a working knowledge of how our government works. We owe this to our posterity.

Hillary: I Lost Because Most Americans are Rednecks

By Chuck Marshall

Among other things.

       Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an overseas  audience in India this week that her 2016 election loss came at the hands of “backwards”-looking voters who “didn’t like black people getting rights” or women in the workplace.   Mrs. Clinton blamed racists and sexists with an acute hatred for black people. She also cited racism against Indians in her explanation to an Indian audience.  So that's what did it !   It could be said she should be left alone or she should be ignored., but she  should never be allowed to rest when it was her who emphasized that the loser of the election MUST accept the results and if they didn't it was a danger to our Democracy. Remember that ? I've lost all patience with Clinton and really most Democrats. Their cozy relationship with the media and the federal bureaucracy mixed with the contempt for many of us as mentioned above leads me to conclude that the Democrats are under the control of forces hostile to our country.

Leadership Not Eloquence

   

By Chuck Marshall


     Donald Trump is not eloquent but that's alright.

     I remember watching G.H.W Bush and cringing at his speeches and comments.   The man was not eloquent 'nor did he seem especially smart.  He inherited his father's place in American leadership because of his name.  Barack Obama was a "breath of fresh air" after 8 years of Mr. "nucular" he spoke well and his speeches where beautifully strung together.  I had hopes that he would rise to the occasion and bring the country together as a moderate African-American Democrat.  Perhaps he, with his words, could help bind our country to a new beginning and fix Washington.

     Fast forward 8 years and I have to say I was highly disillusioned with him by the time he left  office.  His inability to deal with Congress and his hard left tactics did harm to our country.  The executive branch of government has been polluted with hard left bureaucrats that don't want to leave.  Obama and his staff along with all the agencies and paper pushers that they love so much orchestrated a government beholden to the ruling elite of Washington and corporate America.   Today we are finding out that even the FBI may have been used to tip the balance in the last elections in favor of the Democrats.  That's not fixing Washington !   So all that eloquence that came out of his mouth proved itself to be nothing but bloviance. 

     Today we have Donald Trump.  He is not eloquent and a huge percent of Democrats thing he is quite literally an "idiot".  The "legacy" media certainly agrees.  What they don't seem to understand is that eloquence and intelligence do not necessarily go together.  If they're referring to "book smart" -  then they're correct,  he is not.   I see Trump as a very intelligent man but  I'm referring to his "street smarts" not his education 'nor his tact.  The fact of the matter is  "Book Smart" will never clean up Washington, DC and neither will tact.  It's too late for eloquence and tact.  The days of calm reflection are over when our borders are left wide open, dictators bully us and our allies, and our ruling elite see no problem spending us and our children into $20 Trillion worth of debt.  We need action, and I think we're seeing that in Donald Trump.   Perhaps eventually we can bring back an eloquent President and enjoy the gestures and ringing oratory of a Lincoln or a Kennedy or a Reagan, but for now, we need Trump with all his brashness, unpleasantness, tactlessness, and tweets.  Today in 2018, we need Trump.    

Parade of Empty Headed Peacocks - Tonight !

By Chuck Marshall

     Here in Orlando there use to be a luxury Hotel that had a tradition of parading ducks through the lobby of the Hotel every day at 5PM, or something like that.  It was a big deal, and tourists would take their photos and get a good chuckle out of the whole thing.

     There is another parade of birds going on in Beverly Hills, CA tonight but it's not ducks, it's peacocks and America isn't really laughing it's either gagging or -if your as empty headed as the peacocks- you're "ogling" at their perfumery.  They all make me sick, and they have for a long time. Long before the Trump phenom. I'm glad that much of the rest of the country now sees them for the pontificating, self-congratulating, hypocritical, empty-headed twits they truly are. What animal eats peacocks ? I know- Harvey Weinstein also known as Meryl Streep's God.

Have a great one !

Three Sensible Bullet Points to Stopping Mass Slayings

By Chuck Marshall



     I've  avoided writing this blog as I knew it would require I dig into the thoughts I have regarding the mass shooting (yet again) in Parkland, Fl.  I'm familiar with that area, it's by Coral Springs, Fla in west Broward county.  I  lived on the east side of Broward in Ft. Lauderdale for 5 years.  It's where I met my wife.  When the place is a little more familiar it's harder to deal with tragedy.  I probably passed by some of those parents, maybe even spoke to some of them at one point or other.  They would have been my age when I lived there as a young bachelor.  They probably would have lived closer to the beach at that time of their lives like most 20 somethings in Ft. Lauderdale.  I may actually recognize some of the faces of the parents of kids at that school.

     I have avoided the news.  I don't want to know about it.  It's not that I don't care, but I feel that the way these things are handled just set us all up for another mass shooting.  It's just a matter of time.  Nothing is done, and so it goes on.   The only people that really benefit are those in the media who love giving us all the gruesome details.  They also profit nicely from the increased attention.  They  trumpet (most of them) the need for more gun control as if there is no other answer.  The right does not think or accept that that is the problem.  I tend to agree with their logic, but that doesn't mean they can just ignore the whole thing.  So-- The media goes  into hyper coverage to maximize their revenues.   The left screeches for gun control.  The government does nothing.  The NRA refuses to budge.  Nothing is done and so it goes on.

     My thoughts on possible solutions that probably nobody will listen to;

1)  Mental Health.  We must invest, at the local level, state level and federal level in a heartier and more severe reaction to mentally ill people.  If someone says they want to "shoot up a school" and they make other comments like this  (as the kid did - his name shall be nameless in this blog) then they need to be interned into a Mental Asylum.  I don't know if we have those anymore because I don't hear about it.  If they aren't around, then build them.

2)  Media-  What motivates these people to kill ? It's the attention !  These sick people feel a need for acknowledgment.  They crave attention.  They need  notoriety and attention in an otherwise meaningless existence. It's what fuels their fire, and the media feeds their flames with what they crave. The first step to stopping these mass killings is we must stop any and all attention regarding the actual killer.  I know it's hard to do, but it serves no use but to amuse us and entertain us to see the monster that committed the crime.  CNN, et al know this.  It's what the sharks feast on.  It's what makes their eyes roll to the back of their heads when they sink their greedy teeth into the meat of the latest mass killing.  "19 year old white male" is all they need to tell us, unless of course he's still on the loose.  Focus on solutions, not "what happened".  We all know what happened.  We've seen it enough times.  

3)  Sensible gun control-  I think the NRA and gun control advocates need to give in a little and agree to restrictions that might close loopholes and keep guns away from maniacs and felons as best can be done.  They should be smart and hire a public relations company and explain their intentions.  Will it make a big difference ?   I doubt it,  but it will keep the left happy and relieve the tension.  You can't just cross your arms and refuse to give up anything - otherwise other ideas are minimized and even ignored.  I don't think it's the NRA's fault, but they aren't being smart about all this and their refusal to react is what's preventing any progress on the other fronts.   Give in a little and demonstrate a very sincere interest in fixing this issue.  Show some flexibility in the name of stopping all this carnage.  

 In my humble opinion.....

Malevolence Against the American People: Justice Will Be Served

By Chuck Marshall

 
     The infamous "memo" was released yesterday and the reaction from our classic media sources was predictable.  The mainstream media, which I think would be more appropriately called "Missing in Action Media" saw nothing of importance in the details of the released memo.  I don't know what motivates them, but I see A LOT that was revealed.


1)  Donald Trump was spied on by the FBI.  There is no longer any doubt, but if you remember last year when he tweeted about "being spied on" the Media went nuts !  "How dare you accuse the FBI and Obama administration of doing such a thing" they screeched.  It is now known to be true.  I missed their analysis of this fact !

2)  True journalists do not work for the mainstream media. The classic media have failed the public for their glaring lack of action in the face of obvious malevolence towards Americans and their choice for President.  Their job is to seek the truth not fix a perceived problem with the results of an election.  They do not have the power to decide FOR US the direction of our nation.       

3) The FBI believes it has power that it does not.  What was done by the FBI looks to have been a serious overreach of power and was motivated to conjure up a reason to remove Donald Trump from the White House no matter what.  Are we to understand that from now on if the FBI is unhappy with an election then they can, by all means, scrutinize and work to undo the mistakes of the people ?  Where did that power come from ?

4)  The media may have been complicit in this treason. Some of what went on with the FBI involved the interaction and assistance of the classic Media.   They were not only failing or choosing not to cover an abuse of power, it seems they also participated in that abuse of power.  This aspect of the story is still unclear, but it is obvious if there's leaking going on and it's the media that benefits and uses said leaks, then they are as guilty as the perpetrators of this treason. 

5)  The reason they were and are so nervous.  The FBI, the Democrats and the classic media sources were all in full panic mode to halt the memo that they now say shows nothing. Some of them had the nerve to imply the American public is not intelligent enough to absorb such information.  Why so nervous over this memo since it doesn't reveal much ?  The reason is that now we know crimes were committed and they're at the mercy of congress and public scrutiny, a public that they obviously have no respect for 'nor confidence in.  It's only a matter of time, but I believe justice will be served.

 

Government Shutdown Should Cause "Formidable Outcry"

By Chuck Marshall
   

                                                                         Thomas Paine
                                                       


    I love this quote from Thomas Paine;  "A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right".  He was referring to the King of England, however I think today it applies to the two- party system that we suffer for today. This government shutdown (the most current one, there have now been several) is because of their "never-ending" story of childish and greedy posturing.   The  Democrats and Republicans refuse to "cut a deal" with the other.  This refusal to compromise holds all of us hostage.   It is a childish and obstructionist tactic used by each party to try and stall the current party in power.  Why do we allow our government to be run by these two groups of incompetents ?  The Independents are nearly 40% of all voters!  Libertarians also hold a significant share of voter registrations.  How can these two old fashioned groups of malcontents be allowed to rule unchecked when so many of us are not even a part of their show ?!

     The full quote from Thomas Paine is actually the very first paragraph of the Introduction in his historic book "Common Sense" which changed the tide of history in favor of American Independence.  The full quote goes as follows;

  "Perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages, are not yet sufficiently fashionable to procure them general  favor;  a long habit of thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in deference of custom.  But the tumult soon subsides.  Time makes more converts than reason.  

        Perhaps there needs to be a proposal, an effort to move us away from this insanity regardless of the "formidable outcry in deference of custom".  We need to get past the stagnation of the two party system with an alternative that removes their monopoly on power and allows for a more effective government for the good of the people.  That is, after all, the reason they exist in the first place.  It won't be easy, but the "tumult will soon subside" and we can move forward with progress to all people not just the ruling parties.  

Donald Trump Stripped the Mask off the Mainstream Media

By Chuck Marshall

     I know to many Americans Donald Trump is an agonizing nightmare of unequaled proportions and his very existence is a fact that jolts them awake at night from gentle slumber.  I understand.   I was there back in the fall of 2016.  I was a huge Marco Rubio supporter.  When Marco lost to Trump here in Florida I sincerely went into a pretty deep depression.   Marco was everything Donald is not.  He's classy.  He's extremely intelligent in the classical sense.  He's beautifully well spoken in both English and in Spanish.   In addition,  Marco is a relatively moderate Republican who understands compromise.  I wanted Marco Rubio to be the next President of the United States and I sincerely thought he was the bright light for the future of the American middle class.  Maybe he still is,  but in retrospect I don't think he would have been right for us today.  The press would have torn him to shreds and his personality is not strong enough to shrug off their full throttle assaults.  He's too nice.  A lot of his policies to improve our country would have been watered down to ineffective "band aids" in order to earn the blessings of the mainstream media.  Alms must be made to the captains of American political correctness;  NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN the New York Times, etc...  Marco would have been minimized and subjugated to being an ineffective and weak President as the MSM busied themselves looking for the next Barack Obama.

       What we have learned today about our little corner of the world regarding our "so called" free press is thanks to Donald Trump.  Look what has been revealed since Trump won.  The press has shown themselves to be politically leftist and openly hostile to any moderate to conservative philosophy.    I don't even know if what they are has a name, but this fact is very important  to anyone who aspires to a wise government that enables the American middle class.  We cannot have wise government when any conservative or moderate that fairly wins an election is then shredded by the press.  Before Trump,  it could have been argued that the press is "left leaning" but they are "generally as fair as they can be".  That is no longer the case.   Even those who lean far to the left cannot deny the press is manipulating the conversation in favor of the left.  Our success, the success of the middle class, is of NO INTEREST OR IMPORTANCE to these people.  We all know what they are today,  and we have Donald Trump to thank for that.  His policies are stripping the "establishment" of their power and it is most evident watching the  mainstream media and their hysterics.  This is so important because the success  of any future candidates may no longer require the approval of the MSM.   They believe they know what's best for us but WE know what's best for us.  From now on the press cannot hide behind this mask of feigned "neutrality".   Now we know.  Donald Trump is  a necessary medicine who has freed all  future candidates to a reasonable scrutiny.  This last year will not be forgotten for a generation, and perhaps forever.  I do hope they will  change their ways, but the mainstream press (as we know it today) is the enemy of the American middle class and Donald Trump is the sheriff that neutered them .....In my Humble Opinion

Trump's Nuclear Button

 By Chuck Marshall

     Donald Trump is at it again, upsetting the left with his tweets poking at his enemies and in this case, our country's enemies.  The latest is the following towards Kim Jong Un,  the dictator of N. Korea; 

"North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"

DT January 2 2017

  The left went bonkers over this one, shaking in their boots and ridiculing Trump for his lack of judgment and candor. I have to contradict that idea. Trump is not communicating to an elected and respected leader he's talking to a spoiled, oppressive, murdering butcher who starves his own people so he can have big missiles and taunt the world with his very dangerous toys. He has ABSOLUTELY no consideration for his people and is willing to risk their safety for his own ego. If you read your history and review how Hitler was treated at the beginning of his reign of terror by "decent" leaders of the world at that time you'll understand how such an approach is truly "futile". I would suffice it to say that Trump's approach may be unusual and immature, but the risk of placating Kim Jong Un with more "talks" is much greater than someone finally telling the spoiled maniac that his own skin may be in danger at this point. He is far too selfish and self -absorbed to truly risk his own hide and now his options are narrowing. That is what Trump has communicated to the little creep.

In My Humble Opinion.