The Labour Party and its leader Jeremy Corbyn seem to be trying to do everything they can to lose next month's UK general election.
At a Labour Party rally in York yesterday, a British war veteran named Rob Gray was heckled by supporters when he attempted to ask Corbyn a question about the prosecution of British soldiers in Northern Ireland. Corbyn initially agreed to answer Gray's question, but then inexplicably walked away from him. Meanwhile, the crowd got unruly with Gray. When a woman interjected that Gray had served his country, a man responded, "It doesn't matter."
Gray later said, "Sorry but that's just lost him four million votes."
At the rate the Labour Party is going they'll be lucky to get four million votes.
Oh well. At least Corbyn got the much coveted Noam Chomsky endorsement.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Some Questions For Those Students Who Booed Betsy DeVos
As you know by now, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was booed and heckled by the graduating class of Bethune-Cookman University, a historically black college in Daytona Beach, Florida. Many also turned their backs on her.
I'm sure these students feel pretty good about themselves right now. So let me ask a few questions of these newly minted college graduates.
What if former Attorney Generals Eric Holder or Loretta Lynch or for that matter President Obama had spoken at Liberty University and the predominantly white student body had treated them in this manner how you would react?
Would you call them racists?
Would you say the student body of Liberty University was exercising its right of free speech?
I think we know the answer to these questions.
Dislike the Trump Administration all you want, but stunts like this will only serve to entrench his support thus increasing his chances for re-election in 2020.
Unfortunately, some people learn the hard way.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
If The Trump WH Thought Sally Yates Was a Partisan Hack Then Why Was She Named Acting Attorney General?
I find it absolutely fascinating that Sean Spicer acknowledges that Sally Yates warned the Trump White House about former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, but dismissed her advice because, in his words, she was "appointed by the Obama administration and a strong supporter of Clinton."
Yet it was President Trump who chose to appoint her Acting Attorney General. If her appointment by the Obama Administration and strong support for Hillary Clinton were disqualifying factors then why wasn't she shown the door beforehand? Yes, the Trump Administration was within their rights to fire her for not enforcing the Muslim ban before the courts overturned it. But if the Trump Administration held her legal advice in such low regard then why elevate her to the top post in the DOJ even on a temporary basis?
There's a simple explanation really. Sally Yates gave the Trump Administration prudent advice. They chose to ignore it and now they have egg on their face and must resort to saying they never trusted Yates even as they appointed her Acting Attorney General.
Andy McCarthy can dismiss Sally Yates all he wants, but she has the Trump Administration on the defensive, a posture in which they would remain as long as she is on the front pages. So, when in doubt, fire the FBI Director.
Yet it was President Trump who chose to appoint her Acting Attorney General. If her appointment by the Obama Administration and strong support for Hillary Clinton were disqualifying factors then why wasn't she shown the door beforehand? Yes, the Trump Administration was within their rights to fire her for not enforcing the Muslim ban before the courts overturned it. But if the Trump Administration held her legal advice in such low regard then why elevate her to the top post in the DOJ even on a temporary basis?
There's a simple explanation really. Sally Yates gave the Trump Administration prudent advice. They chose to ignore it and now they have egg on their face and must resort to saying they never trusted Yates even as they appointed her Acting Attorney General.
Andy McCarthy can dismiss Sally Yates all he wants, but she has the Trump Administration on the defensive, a posture in which they would remain as long as she is on the front pages. So, when in doubt, fire the FBI Director.
Trump to Comey: Thanks For Not Investigating Me, You're Fired
Perhaps President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey because it was Tuesday afternoon.
Perhaps President Trump fired James Comey to divert attention away from Sally Yates testimony to Congress.
Perhaps President Trump fired James Comey because he could.
But most likely President Trump fired James Comey because he feared being put under investigation.
How else does one explain a sentence like this one?
While I appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgement of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau.
In other words, thanks for not investigating me, but you're fired. Couldn't Trump merely have said he had accepted the DOJ's recommendation? Why mention Comey thrice assuring him he wasn't being investigated much less once?
Charles Cooke is right. It all depends on who Trump picks to succeed Comey. If it's David Petraeus then fine. But if it's Chris Christie then we've got problems.
Of course, Democrats are being their usual hypocritical selves. 12 hours ago most Democrats wanted Comey hung, drawn and quartered for costing Hillary Clinton the election. In less than a year, Democrats when from lionizing Comey to wanting to feed him to the lions and are now back to lionizing him. I'm tired of Democrats' lion eyes. Which is a shame because with a President Trump you need an effective and loyal opposition and Democrats aren't providing it.
The question now is what happens to the next FBI Director who tells Trump he isn't under investigation.
Perhaps President Trump fired James Comey to divert attention away from Sally Yates testimony to Congress.
Perhaps President Trump fired James Comey because he could.
But most likely President Trump fired James Comey because he feared being put under investigation.
How else does one explain a sentence like this one?
While I appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgement of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau.
In other words, thanks for not investigating me, but you're fired. Couldn't Trump merely have said he had accepted the DOJ's recommendation? Why mention Comey thrice assuring him he wasn't being investigated much less once?
Charles Cooke is right. It all depends on who Trump picks to succeed Comey. If it's David Petraeus then fine. But if it's Chris Christie then we've got problems.
Of course, Democrats are being their usual hypocritical selves. 12 hours ago most Democrats wanted Comey hung, drawn and quartered for costing Hillary Clinton the election. In less than a year, Democrats when from lionizing Comey to wanting to feed him to the lions and are now back to lionizing him. I'm tired of Democrats' lion eyes. Which is a shame because with a President Trump you need an effective and loyal opposition and Democrats aren't providing it.
The question now is what happens to the next FBI Director who tells Trump he isn't under investigation.
The Zombies Were Well Worth The Wait
Tonight, I finally got to see The Zombies in concert at the Wilbur Theater here in Boston. I was supposed to see them six weeks ago, but only hours before the show lead singer Colin Blunstone fell ill with a stomach virus and had to be hospitalized resulting in the show being cancelled as well as two others in Western Massachusetts and Connecticut. Fortunately, I was reassured that the show would go on by The Zombies themselves when they responded to my tweet.
Blunstone's voice was strong when he sang the first bars of "I Love You." At song's end, he received a standing ovation. Blunstone apologized for being a bit late. He was in good humor and so was the audience.
The first set was a mixture of 1960's singles and cuts from their 2015 album Still Got That Hunger. It is a shame that a band of The Zombies' stature had to rely on crowdfunding to get the album made. Then again, in so doing, they had the freedom to do what they wanted with no record company breathing down their neck. They re-recorded "I Want You Back Again" because Tom Petty had recorded it. As Rod Argent put it, "We're going to do a cover of a Tom Petty covering a Zombies' song."
Speaking of Argent, the most enthusiastic response of the night with the playing of "Hold Your Head Up". He noted that audiences loved to sing along with it but got the lyrics wrong. Argent said the chorus is "Hold Your Head Up Woman" adding, "For God's sake, get it right." Argent then demonstrated why he is arguably the greatest keyboard player in the history of rock 'n roll. Don't get me wrong. You've got the late Keith Emerson, the late Ray Manzarek as well as Alan Price. But while most bands are defined through guitar, The Zombies were defined through the keyboard.
The second half of the show was devoted to playing the Odessey & Oracle album in its entirety note for note. It was recorded 50 years ago at Abbey Road Studios, but not released until 1968 by which time the band had already broken up. Odessey & Oracle bore their biggest hit, the Argent penned "Time of The Season".
I must confess that until tonight I perceived The Zombies as essentially a two man band - Argent and Blunstone. During the Odessey & Oracle set, Argent and Blunstone were joined by drummer Hal Grundy and bass player Chris White. Odessey & Oracle would not have been possible without Chris White who wrote 7 of the 12 songs including the anti-war "The Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)" and "Brief Candles" both of which feature vocals from White. Odessey & Oracle has held up remarkably well as evidenced by the 20 and 30-something's singing along with it. My personal favorites are "Maybe After He's Gone" and "Hung Up On a Dream".
Following Odessey & Oracle, Argent spoke at length about the challenges recording the album on a 1,000 pound budget from CBS and "borrowing" John Lennon's Mellotron. Argent then gave a lengthy introduction to each member of the band. I've seen many shows where band members are barely acknowledged or recognized at all. Rod Argent could lecture at the Berklee School of Music on the history of rock 'n roll.
But why lecture when you can play. The show ended with "She's Not There". The Zombies had played it during the first set, but this time they did an extended jam with Argent seguing into a couple of Spencer Davis songs ("Gimme Some Lovin'" and "I'm a Man") which briefly took me back to the Steve Winwood concert scarcely a fortnight ago.
Good things come to those who wait and The Zombies were well worth the wait.
Blunstone's voice was strong when he sang the first bars of "I Love You." At song's end, he received a standing ovation. Blunstone apologized for being a bit late. He was in good humor and so was the audience.
The first set was a mixture of 1960's singles and cuts from their 2015 album Still Got That Hunger. It is a shame that a band of The Zombies' stature had to rely on crowdfunding to get the album made. Then again, in so doing, they had the freedom to do what they wanted with no record company breathing down their neck. They re-recorded "I Want You Back Again" because Tom Petty had recorded it. As Rod Argent put it, "We're going to do a cover of a Tom Petty covering a Zombies' song."
Speaking of Argent, the most enthusiastic response of the night with the playing of "Hold Your Head Up". He noted that audiences loved to sing along with it but got the lyrics wrong. Argent said the chorus is "Hold Your Head Up Woman" adding, "For God's sake, get it right." Argent then demonstrated why he is arguably the greatest keyboard player in the history of rock 'n roll. Don't get me wrong. You've got the late Keith Emerson, the late Ray Manzarek as well as Alan Price. But while most bands are defined through guitar, The Zombies were defined through the keyboard.
The second half of the show was devoted to playing the Odessey & Oracle album in its entirety note for note. It was recorded 50 years ago at Abbey Road Studios, but not released until 1968 by which time the band had already broken up. Odessey & Oracle bore their biggest hit, the Argent penned "Time of The Season".
I must confess that until tonight I perceived The Zombies as essentially a two man band - Argent and Blunstone. During the Odessey & Oracle set, Argent and Blunstone were joined by drummer Hal Grundy and bass player Chris White. Odessey & Oracle would not have been possible without Chris White who wrote 7 of the 12 songs including the anti-war "The Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)" and "Brief Candles" both of which feature vocals from White. Odessey & Oracle has held up remarkably well as evidenced by the 20 and 30-something's singing along with it. My personal favorites are "Maybe After He's Gone" and "Hung Up On a Dream".
Following Odessey & Oracle, Argent spoke at length about the challenges recording the album on a 1,000 pound budget from CBS and "borrowing" John Lennon's Mellotron. Argent then gave a lengthy introduction to each member of the band. I've seen many shows where band members are barely acknowledged or recognized at all. Rod Argent could lecture at the Berklee School of Music on the history of rock 'n roll.
But why lecture when you can play. The show ended with "She's Not There". The Zombies had played it during the first set, but this time they did an extended jam with Argent seguing into a couple of Spencer Davis songs ("Gimme Some Lovin'" and "I'm a Man") which briefly took me back to the Steve Winwood concert scarcely a fortnight ago.
Good things come to those who wait and The Zombies were well worth the wait.
Monday, May 8, 2017
Nicholas Burns Reminds Me Why Trump Was Elected
This evening I attended a presentation by former Ambassador and State Department official R. Nicholas Burns at Congregation Kehilath Israel in Brookline. The subject of Burns' discussion was President Trump's first 100 days in office (it's now been 109 days in office).
Burns was a career diplomat who served in every administration from Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush (and briefly serving John Kerry in an advisory capacity when President Obama appointed him Secretary of State). Now a professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, Burns argues that Trump represents a dangerous break from American foreign policy set from FDR onward especially because Trump inherits such a complicated global situation stating that Trump takes "crude, narrow view of America's responsibilities and interests." Burns cited Trump's disdain for our allies, particularly NATO characterizing it as "an ultra real estate view of the world." He also was critical of Trump's views on immigration and refugees as well as trade. Burns also expressed concern about the state of the State Department noting that during a recent visit to Foggy Bottom, the only person around was Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Trump has not seen fit to appoint any Undersecretaries apparently by design.
Although I agreed with some of Burns' critiques, his language was also a reminder of why Trump was elected in the first place. When Burns spoke of global issues he put climate change at the top of the list and proclaimed he was "a climate change accepter" adding that he believed in science. Sorry, but science is not and never been a religious belief system nor should it be. Perhaps not surprisingly he made no mention of terrorism as a global threat. Last I checked ISIS controls territory the size of the United Kingdom. Burns also went out of his way to praise the EU, particularly German Chancellor Angela Merkel whom he repeatedly praised as "the leader of the free world." No doubt Trump supporters would cast Burns as a globalist.
While I share Burns' disdain of Trump's "America first" view of the world, the foreign policy establishment of which Burns has long been a part has exercised plenty of poor judgment. He repeatedly spoke of the need to contain Iran's nuclear power. Well, such a policy would have been unnecessary if the Obama Administration hadn't insisted on a nuclear agreement with Iran. Not surprisingly, Burns supports the Iran nuclear deal. The fact Burns views Iranian President Rouhani as a "reformist" should tell one a great deal.
Although Burns is skeptical of Hamas' exercise in moderation, he said he has "trust and faith" in Mahmoud Abbas despite acknowledging the Palestinians haven't had an election in a decade. More troubling is Burns' moral equivalence of conservatives in Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet with Hamas terrorists. He characterized them as "equally insidious, equally wrong." Last I checked, Hamas throws LGBT people off roofs. No such thing happens in Israel. While Trump's foreign policy outlook and actions might not inspire confidence, the Nicholas Burns' of the world don't have much to brag about either.
Burns left the door open for Trump to be "adaptive". He praised Trump's decision to strike Syria following the chemical weapons attack last month and his willingness to stand up to North Korea. Burns also expressed confidence in Jared Kushner as a potential broker for peace between Israel and the Palestinians as well as figure of influence on other foreign policy matters. While I share Burns' assessment on Kushner, I think Burns is trying to have his cake and eat it.
Even if President Trump's Muslim immigration and travel policy is foolish and misguided, I don't think anyone who is supported Trump in November will abandon him because of that shortcoming or any other foreign policy matter unless we get ourselves into another unpopular war which results in American casualties.
The more I hear the likes of Nicholas Burns speak against Trump, the more I think Trump will be elected to a second term in 2020.
Burns was a career diplomat who served in every administration from Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush (and briefly serving John Kerry in an advisory capacity when President Obama appointed him Secretary of State). Now a professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, Burns argues that Trump represents a dangerous break from American foreign policy set from FDR onward especially because Trump inherits such a complicated global situation stating that Trump takes "crude, narrow view of America's responsibilities and interests." Burns cited Trump's disdain for our allies, particularly NATO characterizing it as "an ultra real estate view of the world." He also was critical of Trump's views on immigration and refugees as well as trade. Burns also expressed concern about the state of the State Department noting that during a recent visit to Foggy Bottom, the only person around was Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Trump has not seen fit to appoint any Undersecretaries apparently by design.
Although I agreed with some of Burns' critiques, his language was also a reminder of why Trump was elected in the first place. When Burns spoke of global issues he put climate change at the top of the list and proclaimed he was "a climate change accepter" adding that he believed in science. Sorry, but science is not and never been a religious belief system nor should it be. Perhaps not surprisingly he made no mention of terrorism as a global threat. Last I checked ISIS controls territory the size of the United Kingdom. Burns also went out of his way to praise the EU, particularly German Chancellor Angela Merkel whom he repeatedly praised as "the leader of the free world." No doubt Trump supporters would cast Burns as a globalist.
While I share Burns' disdain of Trump's "America first" view of the world, the foreign policy establishment of which Burns has long been a part has exercised plenty of poor judgment. He repeatedly spoke of the need to contain Iran's nuclear power. Well, such a policy would have been unnecessary if the Obama Administration hadn't insisted on a nuclear agreement with Iran. Not surprisingly, Burns supports the Iran nuclear deal. The fact Burns views Iranian President Rouhani as a "reformist" should tell one a great deal.
Although Burns is skeptical of Hamas' exercise in moderation, he said he has "trust and faith" in Mahmoud Abbas despite acknowledging the Palestinians haven't had an election in a decade. More troubling is Burns' moral equivalence of conservatives in Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet with Hamas terrorists. He characterized them as "equally insidious, equally wrong." Last I checked, Hamas throws LGBT people off roofs. No such thing happens in Israel. While Trump's foreign policy outlook and actions might not inspire confidence, the Nicholas Burns' of the world don't have much to brag about either.
Burns left the door open for Trump to be "adaptive". He praised Trump's decision to strike Syria following the chemical weapons attack last month and his willingness to stand up to North Korea. Burns also expressed confidence in Jared Kushner as a potential broker for peace between Israel and the Palestinians as well as figure of influence on other foreign policy matters. While I share Burns' assessment on Kushner, I think Burns is trying to have his cake and eat it.
Even if President Trump's Muslim immigration and travel policy is foolish and misguided, I don't think anyone who is supported Trump in November will abandon him because of that shortcoming or any other foreign policy matter unless we get ourselves into another unpopular war which results in American casualties.
The more I hear the likes of Nicholas Burns speak against Trump, the more I think Trump will be elected to a second term in 2020.
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Obama Deserves a Profile in Courage Award As Much As He Deserves His Nobel Prize
Tonight former President Barack Obama was bestowed with the Profile in Courage Award at the JFK Presidential Library & Museum.
He deserves a Profile in Courage Award about as much as he deserved his Nobel Peace Prize.
According to the JFK Library:
The award recognizes a public official (or officials) at the federal, state or local level whose actions demonstrate the qualities of politically courageous leadership in the spirit of Profiles in Courage, President Kennedy’s 1957 Pulitzer prize-winning book, which recounts the stories of eight U.S. Senators who risked their careers by embracing unpopular positions for the greater good.
When did Barack Obama ever risk his career by embracing an unpopular position?
Obama isn't the only former President to receive the Award. Gerald Ford received it in 2001 while George H.W. Bush received it in 2014. In the case of Ford there was his pardoning of Richard Nixon.
Of course, the Kennedys are the first family of American liberalism and as such this is more at dig at President Trump than it is about anything Obama actually achieved. His prepared remarks focused on Trump's efforts to reverse Obamacare.
It very much remains to be seen whether Trumpcare will be an improvement over Obamacare and those who gained health insurance are understandably anxious. But the fact that Obama's minions bragged in their lies about "if you like your health insurance, you can keep your health insurance".
In the past, the Kennedy family has honored deserving recipients such as John Lewis in 2001 or in 2002 when they honored the FDNY, NYPD and the U.S. military following the 9/11 attacks or former Ukraine President Victor Yushchenko in 2005 following the Orange Revolution. I don't think Barack Obama possesses an ounce of their courage.
He deserves a Profile in Courage Award about as much as he deserved his Nobel Peace Prize.
According to the JFK Library:
The award recognizes a public official (or officials) at the federal, state or local level whose actions demonstrate the qualities of politically courageous leadership in the spirit of Profiles in Courage, President Kennedy’s 1957 Pulitzer prize-winning book, which recounts the stories of eight U.S. Senators who risked their careers by embracing unpopular positions for the greater good.
When did Barack Obama ever risk his career by embracing an unpopular position?
Obama isn't the only former President to receive the Award. Gerald Ford received it in 2001 while George H.W. Bush received it in 2014. In the case of Ford there was his pardoning of Richard Nixon.
Of course, the Kennedys are the first family of American liberalism and as such this is more at dig at President Trump than it is about anything Obama actually achieved. His prepared remarks focused on Trump's efforts to reverse Obamacare.
It very much remains to be seen whether Trumpcare will be an improvement over Obamacare and those who gained health insurance are understandably anxious. But the fact that Obama's minions bragged in their lies about "if you like your health insurance, you can keep your health insurance".
In the past, the Kennedy family has honored deserving recipients such as John Lewis in 2001 or in 2002 when they honored the FDNY, NYPD and the U.S. military following the 9/11 attacks or former Ukraine President Victor Yushchenko in 2005 following the Orange Revolution. I don't think Barack Obama possesses an ounce of their courage.
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