Last week, the Joan of Arc of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, took to the podium in the wake of Donald Trump's election as president to declare that Chicago, infamous for having 656 deaths so far this year, would be safe for illegal aliens seeking to flee the federal government's attempts to deport them. Putting aside for the moment the irony of the mayor declaring that anyone could be safe in his city, the gall of announcing, merely a week removed from a bitter election, this obvious slap in the face of the President-elect is the functional equivalent of waving a red cape at a bull.
(Yes, I know the color of the cape is irrelevant...).
If anyone took the time to analyze the cities that harbor illegals, she would find that the vast majority of them are governed by Democrats. This is the same party that will cook an election to get its preferred candidate elected, will coopt the press to skew poll results to persuade the electorate to accept false facts and is now doing nothing to quell violent unrest at the prospect of being governed by a different party. What's more, Democrats don't seem to understand the Constitution very well.
There are, as we know, a separation of powers between the three branches of government. There is also, people forget, the supremacy of the federal government over state government in certain matters. State laws, insofar as they involve certain issues, may not be abridged by the federal government unless they're deemed to violate the Constitution in some way. For example, contracts regarding sales of real property are state law issues, unless redlining to keep minorities out of certain neighborhoods occurs, in which case it's unconstitutional because it violates the Equal Protection clause.
Federal law determines immigration status. For individual cities to obstruct the federal government in its attempts to oversee immigration, they're essentially guilty of a crime -- obstruction of justice. Because putting a city in jail is impossible, other ways of penalizing the cities is needed. This, in turn, is where the cities have made their biggest mistake.
Most cities in the United States, because they're governed by Democrats, are in financial straits. No one likes to dole out money (for votes) like a Democrat. No one likes to spend money frivolously like a Democrat (although, to be fair, there have been a few Republicans who'd like to vie for that title). But in so doing, Democrats are butting up against an ugly fact: The electorate will allow itself to be taxed only so much. It's the political equivalent of getting blood out of a turnip. Somewhere, somehow, additional funds must be found. Welcome the federal government.
The federal government, in turn, when it's run by Democrats, has no trouble turning a blind eye to the cities' insouciance on immigration because it shares the same goals of getting more voters sucking from the public teat. But when Republicans take over the federal government, the situation turns ugly for cities, because Republicans won't tolerate the cities' defiance on immigration control. Rahm Emanuel is playing to the crowd, because he knows darned well that Mr. Trump won't stand for his defiance and will slash federal funds to the city -- his only leverage -- which will in turn give the Rahmer stump material when things get tighter financially in Chicago. What Rahm is underestimating, however, just like the national Democratic party, is the amount of agreement it will find within the electorate against the federal government.
People are fed up. So far, Mr. Trump hasn't even been sworn in yet, and angry liberals are marching and protesting and lecturing as if they are the ones about to rule. Yet there were millions of Americans who not only elected Mr. Trump but also a few hundred Republican lawmakers to give the conservatives control of both houses of Congress. Not only that, Mr. Trump may very well get to nominate four justices to the Supreme Court that would very likely view sanctuary cities unfavorably. So the federal government will turn off the spigot to cities that refuse to cooperate with ICE and DHS, resulting in untold misery for the citizens of those cities.
And so it should be. If the citizens agree with what their governors decide, they should share in the misery that budge-tightening will bring. If they don't, they can vote their governors out of office. The Rahmer is betting the former will happen. Heaven knows, Chicago is as corrupt a political operation as the Stalinist machine ever was. The people are beholden to the Machine and scared to defy it. Services will be withheld. Problems will escalate. Fear is a great motivating tool.
But the courts ultimately will have to settle this issue. At its root, it's a political issue, but one that lies in judicial soil. The courts will have to determine how the City of Chicago and other like-minded cities have to respond, and the SCOTUS will decide if the lower courts made the right decision.
And thanks to Harry Reid, President Trump will be able to appoint judges that agree with his vision of America. Those nominations will be filibuster-proof thanks to Harry Reid and his Merry Band of Idiots, and the SCOTUS appointments will be somewhere in the range of three or four over the next four years. Good luck on keeping sanctuary cities.
For Chicago, however, it'll be more of the same. Rahm, who almost lost to someone named Chuy in the last mayoral election, is clearly pandering to a particular electorate, because he's pissed off African-American voters. He'll probably get reelected in the next mayoral election, and now that his benefactress, Cankles, is out of a job, that's a good thing for him. But he can ride off into the sunset after his next term, become a political strategist and retire with that smirk on his face.
And the citizens of Chicago will be poorer because of him.
(c) 2016 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Monday, November 21, 2016
Monday, November 14, 2016
Earn This
Lest anyone think that I'm infatuated with Mr. Trump, realize that I'm not so proud of having voted for him -- which I did -- as I'm proud I voted against Cankles. I've been consistent about my opposition to Cankles, and just about anyone with a pulse would have sufficed over that harridan. So I'm glad that she's lost, but I have to admit, I've come around a little on Mr. Trump.
So far, Mr. Trump has behaved presidential. No moronic outbursts, no outlandish statements, he's being very somber and sober. How long this continues is anyone's guess.
He sat down with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes last night and couldn't be baited into anything that would make the front page of the Leftist media rags. He answered questions soberly, thoughtfully, and even disavowed any violence perpetrated by his followers against Muslims and other minorities (contrary to both Cankles and the POTUS, who have been unremarkably silent toward all those protesters who see apocalyptic visions of a Trump presidency).
Even so, Mr. Trump didn't get a mandate in the election. There's still debate about the outcome of the popular vote, although there's little reason to believe that the Electoral College vote will turn out in favor of Cankles. So Mr. Trump, as evidenced by the ongoing protests as well as by the narrow margin in the popular vote, has work to do.
Some of his platform is very, very disagreeable to people. Some of it is scary. And some of it seems to be unattainable. There are people who will do whatever they can to stop him from carrying out his agenda. Yet he has stuck to his platform pledges, by and large, and with a Republican Congress behind him, should be able to accomplish what he wants to do.
But that's not all he has to do. That will satisfy those who voted for him. But for those turned off by him, he has to reach out to them and show them that he's not the anti-Christ. There are several things he can do to this end.
First, the composition of his cabinet is crucial. He must involve minorities -- conservative minorities, but minorities -- and not just tokens. They have to have important positions and be left to do what it is they were appointed to do. The same with the SCOTUS. There are plenty of qualified minority judges who could be elevated to the SCOTUS.
Next, he has to reach out to minority communities. He can't compromise his beliefs, but he has to show them that his positions aren't based on race. For example, get rid of all the gangbanging illegals, but go to the Latino areas and start initiatives to aid them in their transition to becoming Americans. Lead the way on things like education, learning English and other ways of becoming fully integrated into this society.
Likewise, so similar things with law-abiding Muslims. I'd shut off the refugee pipeline as well until such time as Congress figures out a way to properly vet refugees for terrorist ties.
With the black community, work with it to show that police violence won't be tolerated, but that black youths have to cooperate with cops. Work on educational opportunities for lower-income people. Make people qualify for welfare, but don't just strip it away from them. Given them incentives that will allow them to get off welfare. Don't just preach to them.
I'm not the one to make cogent suggestions. I have no interest in politics and can't come up with good ideas. Hire people who can, though, and the road will be much easier to travel.
I'm reminded of the final scenes of Saving Private Ryan, where the dying Captain Miller pulls the rescued Private Ryan to him and whispers Earn this with his dying breath. That's what Mr. Trump has to do now: Earn this. It's an awesome privilege and a terrifying burden that he's assumed, but he asked for it. Now he has to earn it.
Earn this, Mr. Trump.
(c) 2016 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
So far, Mr. Trump has behaved presidential. No moronic outbursts, no outlandish statements, he's being very somber and sober. How long this continues is anyone's guess.
He sat down with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes last night and couldn't be baited into anything that would make the front page of the Leftist media rags. He answered questions soberly, thoughtfully, and even disavowed any violence perpetrated by his followers against Muslims and other minorities (contrary to both Cankles and the POTUS, who have been unremarkably silent toward all those protesters who see apocalyptic visions of a Trump presidency).
Even so, Mr. Trump didn't get a mandate in the election. There's still debate about the outcome of the popular vote, although there's little reason to believe that the Electoral College vote will turn out in favor of Cankles. So Mr. Trump, as evidenced by the ongoing protests as well as by the narrow margin in the popular vote, has work to do.
Some of his platform is very, very disagreeable to people. Some of it is scary. And some of it seems to be unattainable. There are people who will do whatever they can to stop him from carrying out his agenda. Yet he has stuck to his platform pledges, by and large, and with a Republican Congress behind him, should be able to accomplish what he wants to do.
But that's not all he has to do. That will satisfy those who voted for him. But for those turned off by him, he has to reach out to them and show them that he's not the anti-Christ. There are several things he can do to this end.
First, the composition of his cabinet is crucial. He must involve minorities -- conservative minorities, but minorities -- and not just tokens. They have to have important positions and be left to do what it is they were appointed to do. The same with the SCOTUS. There are plenty of qualified minority judges who could be elevated to the SCOTUS.
Next, he has to reach out to minority communities. He can't compromise his beliefs, but he has to show them that his positions aren't based on race. For example, get rid of all the gangbanging illegals, but go to the Latino areas and start initiatives to aid them in their transition to becoming Americans. Lead the way on things like education, learning English and other ways of becoming fully integrated into this society.
Likewise, so similar things with law-abiding Muslims. I'd shut off the refugee pipeline as well until such time as Congress figures out a way to properly vet refugees for terrorist ties.
With the black community, work with it to show that police violence won't be tolerated, but that black youths have to cooperate with cops. Work on educational opportunities for lower-income people. Make people qualify for welfare, but don't just strip it away from them. Given them incentives that will allow them to get off welfare. Don't just preach to them.
I'm not the one to make cogent suggestions. I have no interest in politics and can't come up with good ideas. Hire people who can, though, and the road will be much easier to travel.
I'm reminded of the final scenes of Saving Private Ryan, where the dying Captain Miller pulls the rescued Private Ryan to him and whispers Earn this with his dying breath. That's what Mr. Trump has to do now: Earn this. It's an awesome privilege and a terrifying burden that he's assumed, but he asked for it. Now he has to earn it.
Earn this, Mr. Trump.
(c) 2016 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Total Repudiation
They were wrong.
The MSM, the Republican elite and Hollywood elite were all wrong about the presidential election. Despite the fact that they acted as if they possessed all the knowledge about what was right for the country, what would happen with the vote and how they could guarantee a better union, not one of them was proven right. In fact, each of them in turn was proven horribly wrong.
The MSM is the most hypocritical of all. Thanks to Wikileaks revelations, we learned that the MSM was actively operating behind the scenes to assist Cankles in the debates. At least thirty so-called journalists emailed Cankles' campaign with offers of assistance. Donna Brazile, who reminded the world that as a Christian she knows persecution (I don't recall her having been in the Colosseum...), was shown to have sent Cankles questions ahead of debates. Independent organizations have rated the coverage by the MSM outlets as 91% hostile toward Mr. Trump. The moderators of the first two debates were pilloried for their offensive conduct. Yet, implicit in its criticism was the notion that it, above all, knew what was best for America and even rigged polls to show the unaware public that Cankles was supposedly leading, when in fact she was trailing horribly and pictures of overflowing Trump rallies mocked the silent and mostly unattended Cankles rallies. People claiming to be journalists even outed themselves and claimed a moral responsibility to actively campaign against Trump in their attempt at journalism.
I called out the MSM several times for its Nazi-like attempt to side with one party to the detriment not only of the other party but also of the country. I was proven to be correct. Lest anyone think I'm out on a limb all by myself, check out this article:
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/11/10/liberal-journalists-are-biggest-losers-in-trump-victory.html
The RNC also shares in the repudiation. The Bush family, notably, withdrew its support from Mr. Trump. John Kasich also walked away from him, as did other high-ranking Republicans. George Will, one of my favorite columnists, withdrew from the Republican party when Mr. Trump became its nominee. The underlying message from the RNC is that it knew better than the electorate did what the country needed, and the country certainly didn't need Donald Trump. Unbelievably, despite this selfless assistance from both the MSM and the RNC, the country rejected the free advice. Now the RNC is scrambling to catch up, trying to burnish its image and do away with the bad publicity garnered from not supporting a successful candidate that ran under its banner and pulled off the biggest upset in political history without much help from the party.
At least with the MSM and the RNC, there is an attempt at sounding and being intelligent, no matter how Machiavellian the machinations. Hollywood, on the other hand, was pure motion masquerading as, well, I'm not sure what. The unremitting anger, wailing and gnashing of teeth, calling for revolution is just so...infantile. It's as if they think they're manning the barricades in Les Miserables. The man hasn't even been sworn in yet and yet American is headed down a racist, sexist, xenophobic path. Taran Killam, that noted sociologist who doubled as a mildly talented ensemble player on Saturday Night Live, suggested rather inartfully that anyone living in a rural area was stupid, because most of the rural parts of the country voted for Mr. Trump. Katy Perry is beside herself, Amy Schumer is, thankfully, quiet for once, Jessica Chastain has lost her mind, Gabrielle Union is trying for an Oscar, Jamie Lee Curtis is trying to network with her niece and Sophia Bush is working on her sociology degree with bad English. Lady Gaga wants people to fight, although it's unclear whom they are to fight, and Mark Ruffalo is trying to cast himself as Vladimir Lenin by referring to his brothers and sisters and encouraging them to lift their heads up.
In other words, hyperbole never had it so good.
What the idiots in Hollywood did, on a vastly different level, was the same thing as the MSM and the RNC did, albeit on a different level: It treated the great silent majority of Americans as stupid and uninformed, unable to formulate an opinion without their assistance. The fact of the matter is, many of us had formed an opinion over the last eight years of elitist social engineering and decided we were tired of it. The revolution, now called for by Hollywood's vanguard of political activism, took place over the course of eight years, and the elites were clueless about it. For the only revolutions that can happen are ones that they approve, they begin, they champion. If a revolution counters their beliefs, it's completely ignored.
They were repudiated, loudly, by the silent majority.
Let that be a lesson.
(c) 2016 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
The MSM, the Republican elite and Hollywood elite were all wrong about the presidential election. Despite the fact that they acted as if they possessed all the knowledge about what was right for the country, what would happen with the vote and how they could guarantee a better union, not one of them was proven right. In fact, each of them in turn was proven horribly wrong.
The MSM is the most hypocritical of all. Thanks to Wikileaks revelations, we learned that the MSM was actively operating behind the scenes to assist Cankles in the debates. At least thirty so-called journalists emailed Cankles' campaign with offers of assistance. Donna Brazile, who reminded the world that as a Christian she knows persecution (I don't recall her having been in the Colosseum...), was shown to have sent Cankles questions ahead of debates. Independent organizations have rated the coverage by the MSM outlets as 91% hostile toward Mr. Trump. The moderators of the first two debates were pilloried for their offensive conduct. Yet, implicit in its criticism was the notion that it, above all, knew what was best for America and even rigged polls to show the unaware public that Cankles was supposedly leading, when in fact she was trailing horribly and pictures of overflowing Trump rallies mocked the silent and mostly unattended Cankles rallies. People claiming to be journalists even outed themselves and claimed a moral responsibility to actively campaign against Trump in their attempt at journalism.
I called out the MSM several times for its Nazi-like attempt to side with one party to the detriment not only of the other party but also of the country. I was proven to be correct. Lest anyone think I'm out on a limb all by myself, check out this article:
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/11/10/liberal-journalists-are-biggest-losers-in-trump-victory.html
The RNC also shares in the repudiation. The Bush family, notably, withdrew its support from Mr. Trump. John Kasich also walked away from him, as did other high-ranking Republicans. George Will, one of my favorite columnists, withdrew from the Republican party when Mr. Trump became its nominee. The underlying message from the RNC is that it knew better than the electorate did what the country needed, and the country certainly didn't need Donald Trump. Unbelievably, despite this selfless assistance from both the MSM and the RNC, the country rejected the free advice. Now the RNC is scrambling to catch up, trying to burnish its image and do away with the bad publicity garnered from not supporting a successful candidate that ran under its banner and pulled off the biggest upset in political history without much help from the party.
At least with the MSM and the RNC, there is an attempt at sounding and being intelligent, no matter how Machiavellian the machinations. Hollywood, on the other hand, was pure motion masquerading as, well, I'm not sure what. The unremitting anger, wailing and gnashing of teeth, calling for revolution is just so...infantile. It's as if they think they're manning the barricades in Les Miserables. The man hasn't even been sworn in yet and yet American is headed down a racist, sexist, xenophobic path. Taran Killam, that noted sociologist who doubled as a mildly talented ensemble player on Saturday Night Live, suggested rather inartfully that anyone living in a rural area was stupid, because most of the rural parts of the country voted for Mr. Trump. Katy Perry is beside herself, Amy Schumer is, thankfully, quiet for once, Jessica Chastain has lost her mind, Gabrielle Union is trying for an Oscar, Jamie Lee Curtis is trying to network with her niece and Sophia Bush is working on her sociology degree with bad English. Lady Gaga wants people to fight, although it's unclear whom they are to fight, and Mark Ruffalo is trying to cast himself as Vladimir Lenin by referring to his brothers and sisters and encouraging them to lift their heads up.
In other words, hyperbole never had it so good.
What the idiots in Hollywood did, on a vastly different level, was the same thing as the MSM and the RNC did, albeit on a different level: It treated the great silent majority of Americans as stupid and uninformed, unable to formulate an opinion without their assistance. The fact of the matter is, many of us had formed an opinion over the last eight years of elitist social engineering and decided we were tired of it. The revolution, now called for by Hollywood's vanguard of political activism, took place over the course of eight years, and the elites were clueless about it. For the only revolutions that can happen are ones that they approve, they begin, they champion. If a revolution counters their beliefs, it's completely ignored.
They were repudiated, loudly, by the silent majority.
Let that be a lesson.
(c) 2016 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Friday, November 4, 2016
MSM Bias Confirmed
I posed the question awhile back: Can the MSM steal the presidential election? Whether it can remains to be seen, but from all indications, it's trying its darnedest.
Donald Trump, as is his wont, was found to have made some rather intemperate and, well, rude comments about women back in 2007. The MSM, of course, jumped all over it and made him apologize, publicly, for his indiscretion. To be sure, the comments were lewd. They were less than comments any guy who's ever been in a locker room has heard, but still, they don't reflect well on a man who wants to be the leader of the free world. He's not the first presidential candidate to be a cad and he won't be the last, sadly. His crime in all of this is to have done it in the era of the ever-present technology that can record any- and everything. That doesn't exonerate him; he's wrong. It just puts his misfeasance in perspective.
At the same time, Cankles' adoring husband, Slick Willy, has long been rumored to have bedded several different women, voluntarily and involuntarily on their part, while he's been married to Cankles. Some of these women have alleged abuse at his hand. Infamously, Monica Lewinsky suffered publicly for her indiscretion with the former president. Recently, reports have surfaced that Slick Willy vacationed with Jeffrey Epstein at his island retreat that is stocked with women willing to service rich and powerful men and there may be video of it. This latest bit comes from the FBI investigation into Anthony Wiener; the veracity of that statement is still in question.
The media, however, is in a feeding frenzy when it comes to Trump's indiscretions which, if anyone is paying attention, only amounts to him being a boor. Unlike Slick Willy's indiscretions, which involve far more than boorishness, Trump isn't accused -- credibly -- of abusing women. Some women have surfaced claiming that Trump abused them, but those reports are being debunked as quickly as they come out.
Yet, it's become more insidious than mere favoritism abrogating journalistic ethics. Recent released emails purloined by Wikileaks show that about thirty members of the MSM met privately with the Cankles campaign to ask how it could assist it. Donna Brazile, the temporary head of the Democratic National Party and a contributor at the Clinton News Network, tipped off Cankles' campaign about questions that were going to be asked in debates. And she's not the only one who did that.
What's happened is that the Fourth Estate has become a Fifth Column. The MSM is undermining our democracy by openly siding with one candidate over another. And it's doing so not with someone virtuous and clean. It's doing so with someone about whom there is more scandalous smoke than there is about the candidate about whom they're lining up to defeat. Cankles is under criminal investigation by the FBI, for crying out loud, yet the MSM acts as if she has a sniffle. Trump, on the other hand, is the devil incarnate. Whatever allegations against him exist, they pale in comparison to the wrongs committed by Cankles and her gang.
For the MSM, however, it's time for everyone to resist the Visitor.
The sad part is that there's absolutely no way to hold the MSM accountable. For me, my trust in the MSM no longer exists. If I have to find out news on social media because the MSM won't report it lest it conflict with its choice for elected office, there is no such thing as journalism anymore.
(c) 2016 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Donald Trump, as is his wont, was found to have made some rather intemperate and, well, rude comments about women back in 2007. The MSM, of course, jumped all over it and made him apologize, publicly, for his indiscretion. To be sure, the comments were lewd. They were less than comments any guy who's ever been in a locker room has heard, but still, they don't reflect well on a man who wants to be the leader of the free world. He's not the first presidential candidate to be a cad and he won't be the last, sadly. His crime in all of this is to have done it in the era of the ever-present technology that can record any- and everything. That doesn't exonerate him; he's wrong. It just puts his misfeasance in perspective.
At the same time, Cankles' adoring husband, Slick Willy, has long been rumored to have bedded several different women, voluntarily and involuntarily on their part, while he's been married to Cankles. Some of these women have alleged abuse at his hand. Infamously, Monica Lewinsky suffered publicly for her indiscretion with the former president. Recently, reports have surfaced that Slick Willy vacationed with Jeffrey Epstein at his island retreat that is stocked with women willing to service rich and powerful men and there may be video of it. This latest bit comes from the FBI investigation into Anthony Wiener; the veracity of that statement is still in question.
The media, however, is in a feeding frenzy when it comes to Trump's indiscretions which, if anyone is paying attention, only amounts to him being a boor. Unlike Slick Willy's indiscretions, which involve far more than boorishness, Trump isn't accused -- credibly -- of abusing women. Some women have surfaced claiming that Trump abused them, but those reports are being debunked as quickly as they come out.
Yet, it's become more insidious than mere favoritism abrogating journalistic ethics. Recent released emails purloined by Wikileaks show that about thirty members of the MSM met privately with the Cankles campaign to ask how it could assist it. Donna Brazile, the temporary head of the Democratic National Party and a contributor at the Clinton News Network, tipped off Cankles' campaign about questions that were going to be asked in debates. And she's not the only one who did that.
What's happened is that the Fourth Estate has become a Fifth Column. The MSM is undermining our democracy by openly siding with one candidate over another. And it's doing so not with someone virtuous and clean. It's doing so with someone about whom there is more scandalous smoke than there is about the candidate about whom they're lining up to defeat. Cankles is under criminal investigation by the FBI, for crying out loud, yet the MSM acts as if she has a sniffle. Trump, on the other hand, is the devil incarnate. Whatever allegations against him exist, they pale in comparison to the wrongs committed by Cankles and her gang.
For the MSM, however, it's time for everyone to resist the Visitor.
The sad part is that there's absolutely no way to hold the MSM accountable. For me, my trust in the MSM no longer exists. If I have to find out news on social media because the MSM won't report it lest it conflict with its choice for elected office, there is no such thing as journalism anymore.
(c) 2016 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
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