I am reading: "Inside The Five Sided Box" by Ash Carter who was Obama's Sec.of Defense.

If there ever was a qualified person to be Sec.of Defense, Ash Carter fits the definition. Not only was he well educated and experienced in matters nuclear but he had already served in some of the most senior /key DOD positions prior to becoming The Secretary.

I am a little more than half way through and it is an interesting read because Carter takes you through the day to day life of the demands on the Sec. of Defense and how he saw his responsibility to the President, to the nation and to those who serve and defend America, including their families.

Where I find him a bit biased and revealing is his criticism of Trump whom he said he would never serve because of all the same reasons Trump detractors cite but he never has anything negative to say, so far, about Obama. Carter seems to wash over Obama's failed efforts to eliminate ISIS and how he finessed Syria.

I also have several friends who are dedicated liberals and find absolutely nothing favorable to say about Trump as well. They believe he is a dictator but offer nothing concrete and seldom respond to my questions for evidence to support their banality other than to repeat the nonsense one hears were they to buy into the trash talk on CNN and MSNBC etc. They castigate him for the 4th of July event and they mock his "mispeak" regarding the Revolutionary "airport" when I suspect he meant to say seaport.

They duck comments about the field of Democrat candidates and would be comfortable with any one of them as long as they no longer have to deal with Trump in The White House. They accuse Trump of a tax cut for the rich and give credit to Obama for the economic recovery we are enjoying and attack Trump for the increased deficit he has created and ignore the one Obama created

A discussion with them reminds me as if I am on stage of "The Theater of The Absurb." They are civil and for that I am grateful.

I have always acknowledged the unorthodox way in which Trump has conducted himself in the Oval Office and often have serious doubts about some of his decisions and the way in which he makes decisions. However, I also separate out the errors of his ways and look at the accomplishments of which there are many and achieved against the most concerted efforts to tear him down. They see no connection with the way their party leaders fail to respond to the anti-Semitism by their members, to the sheer orchestrated lunacy and lies coming out of AOC and the consequences of sanctuary cities, the denied chaos at our southern borders and the total criminal behaviour by leftist mayors who fail to respond to anarchy. Yet, they castigate Trump for Charlotesville. They also believe his attacks on the mass media for bias is dictatorial yet ignore Obama's surveillance and jailing of reporters and you know the rest.

I believe a second term for Trump could bring about a confrontation with Iran and possibly N Korea because he cannot tolerate their obstinate behaviour forever but I also know were any of the Democrats to win the economy and stock market would collapse as the spirit we currently feel about America would fizz/whoosh out like air from a pierced balloon. I also believe the effort to turn our nation into Venezuela would gather momentum and the fight over "free everything" would lead to deficits beyond imagination.

Most importantly of all, I believe we would set ourselves on a path from which America could never return and within a short period our republic would become unrecognizable as the rule of law would vanish and constitutional government would become an historical blur.

Finally, stop and think about the action taken by Nike because an overpaid, radical football player hates everything about the symbolism of Betsy's flag and the Democrat Party has concurred.

Stay tuned and think hard about what I have written and decide for yourself while you still have the freedom to do so and ability to vote.

Yes, the left (read Democrat Party) is at war against America. Their hatred of Trump is critical because he is the punching bag, the Pinata ,around whom the radicals can rally the troops. Without Trump their inane and vapid dialogue would fall flat.

Jeff Crouere is a fellow memo reader. (See 1 below.)
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1)

The Left's War Against America

By Jeff Crouere

On this Independence Day weekend, all Americans should thank God we live in this country. We are indeed fortunate to be Americans and reside in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.”

This is the country that liberated the world from the horror of Nazism and Imperial Japan. We brought down the “evil empire” and freed millions of people from the grips of a communist dictatorship. In every major international organization, from the NATO alliance to the United Nations, our country plays a leadership role in financial diplomatic and military support. When a disaster hits anywhere in the world, the most generous nation stepping forward to assist is always the United States of America. Truly, we are the world’s only superpower.

Unfortunately, as we celebrate this great holiday weekend, Americans need to realize that our institutions, history, traditions, and symbols are being attacked on a regular basis by destructive progressive forces in our country. These are people who hate America and what we have stood for the past 243 years. They hate American exceptionalism and want our country to emulate dozens of other failed nations around the world.

The most recent example occurred this week when the shoe manufacturer and retailer Nike decided to remove one of their new items from their stores. The banned shoe featured a Revolutionary War-era United States flag with the thirteen stars of the original colonies. The flag was designed by Betsy Ross and has been used in a multitude of patriotic events over the history of the country. One such event was the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama.

It seems that Nike spokesperson, professional agitator, and multi-millionaire former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick complained that the flag represented the country when there were slaves in America. Reportedly, Kaepernick also linked the Betsy Ross flag to white supremacist groups in the country who have supposedly appropriated it.

Of course, Nike listened to Kaepernick, who became famous for kneeling during the National Anthem before NFL games, and not historians who could have educated them on the real history of the flag. Obviously, Kaepernick, who was featured in their recent advertising campaign, plays a major role at Nike and can cancel products he does not like.

He has been a lightning rod for controversy ever since he decided to forgo his NFL career and become a professional protester. His decision to disrespect the American flag by choosing NFL games to protest police treatment of African Americans was divisive, to say the least. While millions of Americans did not support Kaepernick’s actions, Nike chose to affiliate with those Americans who agree with a spoiled former NFL player denigrating our national symbols.

His supporters tend to be young people, African Americans, and progressives. Kaepernick also has plenty of admirers in the media who are also disgruntled with our country. In a July 1stNew York Times video editorial, the authors claim that the United States of America is not the greatest country on earth, but “just okay.” They cited misleading statistics on poverty, healthcare costs, life expectancy, and other issues to assert that the United States is an average country.

This same attitude is reflected in a new Gallup poll, which showed only 22% of Democrats are “extremely proud” of their country, marking an all-time low in the survey.

This poll is no surprise since there are many Democrats who constantly criticize America. Their progressive leaders include politicians such as U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who regularly complain that minorities and illegal immigrants are being treated unfairly

Her most recent target has been brave men and women who are serving their country in our border patrol. The congresswoman led a delegation to the border and left after claiming inhumane conditions in which migrants were forced to drink out of toilets. Even though border patrol officials deny the accusations, the damage to the agency had already been inflicted.

On a regular basis, Ocasio-Cortez displays anger at those trying to uphold the law in our country. It seems most Democratic politicians share her view. The two-night Democratic Party presidential debates featured similar themes from 20 candidates grousing about the country and urging more benefits for illegal aliens. Ironically, if the United States of America was such a racist and average country, millions of illegal immigrants would not be risking their lives to cross dangerous terrain and enter this country.

Certainly, our country faces problems, but, overall, we are clearly the most prosperous, generous and advanced country on earth. We should be proud of our history and our traditions and what we have accomplished on the world stage in the past 243 years.

No other country can come close to matching our record. If the Democrats and their progressive supporters hate this country so much, they can always leave, no one is stopping them. In fact, that would be one thing that would make our great country even greater.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs locally at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and at 10:00 p.m. Sundays on PBS affiliate WLAE-TV, Channel 32, and from 7-11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990-AM & www.Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America's Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on www.JeffCrouere.com. For more information, email him at jeff@jeffcrouere.com