Elliot and I have a great relationship and he knows I am the dark cloud grandpa and I know he discounts most of what I have to say.
He also knows I purposely begin our more serious discussions from left field. Thus, when I asked him, knowing he had not, whether he had spent time observing the ears and lobes of old people I knew he would reply no. I also knew he wondered where I was going with this question. I told him observing old people's ears and lobes would give him an appreciation of the effect of gravity and it would also give him some insights into history. Why? Because I believe gravity is something we are constantly fighting and mostly lose to because when did you see anything fall up that was not propelled.
The point I wished to make is that history teaches most nations eventually fail because people tire of doing what makes things work. They lapse into lazy thinking, accept less than the best because the best is tough to maintain, much less achieve and eventually fall for simplicity because of exhaustion.
Politically speaking, I believe Obama's election was a tragedy and his re-election signified we were willing to embrace my conviction that" when all else fails, lower your standards."
The pull of gravity is a powerful force. Eventually most everything falls including ear lobes of the old. And so it is with nations and most everything given time.
I am not stating man has not made enormous progress in virtually every endeavor whether it be health, education, war, longevity etc. Eventually, however, man is tested and in virtually all cases fails to maintain the highest standards and eventually settles for something less than achievable because exhaustion takes over and the weightiness that comes with time triumphs.
I believe, in the case of America, our oppressive debt has reached a point where it restricts our choices and is no longer sustainable. The pigeons have come home. I believe we, as a people, are frustrated and exhausted by the challenges we assumed the failures of our political system and misplaced spin and incompetence of our leaders. Our economic system, in concert with our Constitutional concepts of freedom, adherence to laws and property rights etc., has produced untold riches but the burdens of government restrictions, bad policies, misguided and sinister leadership have become insurmountable and, above all, frustrating.
As I type this, I am listening to The Donald, the new political Svengali, feed another huge audience in Texas, infantile pap. He loves touting his wealth, his success and the audiences eat it up because he attacks his 'enemies' and everyone has enemies they would love to attack. He brags and those who support him take pleasure from psychological association with him. It is distressingly sad to see these Americans mesmerized by a billionaire "loser" but I submit it proves my point that over time we lower our standards and accept a supposed leader who, not only is a bloated, boastful, empty bore but, also, so out of his league, in a political sense, that it is frightening and dispiriting.
Trump wants to make America Great. I am sure he is sincere and believes he can but he has yet to actually tell us how. He is a political barker who wants to fill the tent but with what? Hot air!
On the other hand God Help America if Bernie or Hillarious are elected to govern. What a mess but there is time to get the Conservative train back on the track. The Progressive Train is beyond being re-tracked. (See 1 and 1a below.)
But then there is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xO2SG53bxg&feature=youtu.be
Ah,
But neither can we dismiss this: https://www.youtube.com/embed/4ISTbT-R9hs
===.
Israel prepares for war with Iran and Gideon is the name of the plan. (See 2 below.)
===
DUH!:U.S. Surprised By Russian Move In Syria
WASHINGTON [MENL] -- U.S. intelligence has been taken by surprise by
Russia's military intervention in Syria.
Officials said the United States and the rest of NATO did not expect the
Russian deployment of several thousand troops in Syria in September 2015.
They said NATO lacked intelligence that could forecast threats from Moscow
and other global powers.
"From an alliance perspective, what Russia is doing and the ability of
Russia to surprise us on a very consistent basis," NATO's intelligence
director, U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Brett Heimbigner, said.
http://www.menewsline.com/article-1173,35267-U-S-Surprised-By-Russian-Move-In.aspx
===
Dick
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1)Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum: I Am Trump and They Are Dumb
The summer of primary madness is about to be replaced by the autumn of primal anger. On one side of the political divide, Her Heinous Hillary's coronation has been put on hold. On the other, Jeb Bush – the presumed front-runner once feared most by Democrats – has been smeared most by one of his own party, and now languishes in a disappointing third place in the GOP race.
We're told it's early in the game and anything can happen. I'd say it already has. We never expected anti-establishment sentiment on such a formidable scale. For years, pollsters have registered a mood of discontent regarding the direction in which America is headed. And while being exercised is good for the body politic, who will best channel it? And in whose favor will the scales be tipped?
Enter self-proclaimed Energizer Bunny and wheeler-dealer Donald Trump, the timeless, rhyme-less Muhammad Ali of the presidential boxing ring. He appears to be at the top of his game, if only we knew what his game is! Since he cannot resort to shouting "You're fired" at the rest of the Republican bench, he minimizes them through verbal abuse, recently badmouthing Carly Fiorina as an unattractive woman.
Trump continues to ride high while dealing low blows. Governor Bobby Jindal was another recent victim, though the two have never met and Jindal's candidacy represents no serious threat. But when shredding one's opposition causes no immediate consequences, why resist the urge?
Initially, I found Trump's outspokenness refreshing. He kicked aside the hypocrisy of political correctness and touched a nerve in America's psyche. He courageously tackled the third-rail issues. I even forgave him his outrageous celebrity, figuring it might take a larger-than-life presence to beat Hillary. I admired the way he waded into the crowds of well-wishers. I liked how he boldly proclaimed that he would make America great again.
But after a while, bold got old. It started with Trump's dismissing John McCain as a non-hero. Then he went after perky Fox News debate moderator Megyn Kelly. Being outlandish accorded him outsized press coverage. Now clearly the front-runner, he strides around like the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk, roaring, "Fee-fi-fo-fum, I am Trump and they are dumb."
Charles Krauthammer is no fan, so Trump declared him highly overrated. Ditto for Marco Rubio, who was dismissed as not being all that great and a traitor to his mentor, Jeb Bush. Trump went so far as to question Dr. Carson's surgical skills! Even when he describes someone as a "nice person," that can quickly become the kiss of death.
By all rights, I should by now have written off The Donald , except for some strange, intangible quality about him that nurtures in others the gift that keeps on forgiving. It's the way Joe Biden supporters shrug off his gaffes and grabs as nothing more than innocent misbehaving. Such guys are basically good, the rationalization goes; they just crave attention. It's always been Joe just being Joe. Is it now The Donald just being The Donald?
Despite his impressive showing in recent polls, Trump is by no means the inevitable Republican choice. At some point, his personal currency could plummet in value from refreshing candor to resentful incivility, the more so for having been squandered on savaging other Republicans.
Dr. Carson is the healer to Trump's wheeler-dealer. Both exceptionally bright men are running to restore America's greatness. Each stirs the emotions in his own way. Together they are to be credited with quickening the interest of Americans in the political process.
The next Republican debate will likely draw as many millions of viewers as the last. And regardless of the personal feelings among those on stage, these debates could be a boon for Republicans in general. Eventually the numbers of wannabes will be whittled down. But right now I am proud of the healthy lineup of outstanding men (and woman) coming from different beginnings and ending up in a battle to represent the GOP in next year's crucial run for the White House.
By contrast, Debbie Wasserman Schultz of the DNC has decreed that the Democratic Party debates will be strictly limited to six. It's quite astounding, really, when a party consciously eschews the kind of free national coverage a debate makes possible. Her decision is driven by fear of overexposing the mediocrity and failed agenda of her party's Stone Age candidates.
They're all beatable. All that Republicans have to do is figure out how best to do it. If Trump turns out to be the party's pick, will we rise to the challenge, cleanse our political palates of any lingering bad taste, and try him again for the first time?
1a)
In a country with more than 300 million people, it is remarkable how obsessed the media have become with just one -- Donald Trump. What is even more remarkable is that, after six years of repeated disasters, both domestically and internationally, under a glib egomaniac in the White House, so many potential voters are turning to another glib egomaniac to be his successor.
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No doubt much of the stampede of Republican voters toward Mr. Trump is based on their disgust with the Republican establishment. The fact that the next two biggest vote-getters in the polls are also complete outsiders -- Dr. Ben Carson and Ms. Carly Fiorina -- reinforces the idea that this is a protest.
It is easy to understand why there would be pent-up resentments among Republican voters. But are elections held for the purpose of venting emotions?
No national leader ever aroused more fervent emotions than Adolf Hitler did in the 1930s. Watch some old newsreels of German crowds delirious with joy at the sight of him. The only things at all comparable in more recent times were the ecstatic crowds that greeted Barack Obama when he burst upon the political scene in 2008.
Elections, however, have far more lasting, and far more serious -- or even grim -- consequences than emotional venting. The actual track record of crowd-pleasers, whether Juan Peron in Argentina, Obama in America or Hitler in Germany, is very sobering, if not painfully depressing.
The media seem to think that participation in elections is a big deal. But turnout often approaches 100 percent in countries so torn by bitter polarization that everyone is scared to death of what will happen if the other side wins. But times and places with low voter turnout are often times and places when there are no such fears aroused by having an opposing party win.
Despite many people who urge us all to vote, as a civic duty, the purpose of elections is not participation. The purpose is to select individuals for offices, including President of the United States. Whoever has that office has our lives, the lives of our loved ones and the fate of the entire nation in his or her hands.
An election is not a popularity contest, or an award for showmanship. If you want to fulfill your duty as a citizen, then you need to become an informed voter. And if you are not informed, then the most patriotic thing you can do on election day is stay home. Otherwise your vote, based on whims or emotions, is playing Russian roulette with the fate of this nation.
All the hoopla over Donald Trump is distracting attention from a large field of other candidates, some of whom have outstanding track records as governors, where they demonstrated courage, character and intelligence. Others have rhetorical skills like Trump or a serious mastery of issues, unlike Trump.
Even if Trump himself does not end up as the Republican nominee for the presidency, he will have done a major disservice to both his party and the country if his grandstanding has cost us a chance to explore in depth others who may include someone far better prepared for the complex challenges of this juncture in history.
After the disastrous nuclear deal with Iran, we are entering an era when people alive at this moment may live to see a day when American cities are left in radioactive ruins. We need all the wisdom, courage and dedication in the next president -- and his or her successors -- to save us and our children from such a catastrophe.
Rhetoric and showmanship will certainly not save us.
Donald Trump is not the only obstacle to finding leaders of such character. The ultimate danger lies in the voting public themselves. All too many signs point to an electorate including many people who are grossly uninformed or, worse yet, misinformed.
The very fact that the voting age was lowered to 18 shows the triumph of the vision of elections as participatory rituals, rather than times for fateful choices. If anything, the age might have been raised to 30, since today millions of people in their 20s have never even had the responsibility of being self-supporting, to give them some sense of reality.
We can only hope that the months still remaining before the first primary elections next year will allow voters to get over their emotional responses and concentrate on the life and death implications of choosing the next President of the United States.
2)IDF Creates 5-Year Plan to Prepare for War with Iran
Preparing for the inevitable nuclear showdown in the Middle East.
By Susan L.M Goldberg
Analysis of IDF operations reveals a 5-year plan designed to ensure Israeli survival against a nuclear Iran:
Pursuant to the agreement: the “nuclear” agreement signed between the P5+1 and Iran in July 2015 is an event of historic proportions that will affect the Middle East for decades. The top-priority assignment of the Israeli intelligence services after the signing of the agreement is to deliver proof that the Iranians are fooling the entire world.
…The Iranians are no fools, however. They will not risk anything during the 60-day interval until the agreement is endorsed by the US Congress, with or without a veto by President Barack Obama, remaining very cautious until the sanctions currently imposed on them have been lifted.
Once the sanctions have been lifted, all hell will break loose. Not only is Russia seeking to provide weapons to Iran, the entire Middle East will go nuclear to combat the terror regime. Why? Because “the Israeli-Arab conflict is currently marginal compared to the Sunni-Shi’ite conflict and the confrontations within the Sunni community between ISIS and everyone they regard as ‘infidels.’”
Known as the “Gideon” plan, this five-year plan needs funding in order to come to fruition. An outline of the plan details:
The “Gideon” plan should implement quite a few of the lessons derived from Operation Protective Edge and transfer the IDF, within five years, into an era where Iran is already regarded as a nuclear state and the enemies surrounding us are organizations with no uniforms or permanent bases, but with hundreds of thousands of high-precision rockets aimed at Israeli population centers and strategic objectives. The primary scenario for which the IDF is preparing is a multiple-theater confrontation, and the working assumption is that it would be required to pass another power test in the form of a war within the next few years.Iran will not only become a nuclear state sooner or later, but will evolve into a regional empire that pumps massive funding into the organizations it supports, including Hezbollah. On the bright side – Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf States will improve their relations with Israel as the threats imposed by Iran and ISIS intensify.
The IDF’s plan is named after the Biblical hero from the book of Judges who led Israel into battle against their Midianite oppressors. Gideon viewed himself as “the least” of a “weak” clan. God, however, viewed him as a warrior and used his small force to win victory over Israel’s enemies, regaining territory in the process.
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