Got 1,500 words done on the novel last night – now closing in on 32,000 words. My big problem, now, is that I’m liking the sidekick and his romantic interest best of all the characters.

Pakistan may extend naval facilities to China. Pakistan would do this because they don’t trust us (we don’t trust them, either – and why we’re still giving them foreign aid is really beyond me; but that’s for another time) and because both Pakistan and China wish to thwart Indian power. This is real world stuff, folks – and the Chinese navy having a base on the Indian ocean would complicate a lot of things for us and for India. And this is why I’ve never gone on the warpath against Putin’s Russia. First off, because it is absurd – Russia is no threat to the United States. Secondly, because we might find Russia a friend in time of need…like if we ever had to tangle with China. Right now, China is moving into the South China Sea; it is making friends with Russia, Pakistan and Iran; it is putting huge resources into eastern Africa; it is refusing to make any real effort to curb North Korea. In short, China is making the military, diplomatic and economic moves it would have to make to prepare for war with the United States. This doesn’t mean they’ll start one with us, but it does mean they are getting ready for one…and we’d better get ready, too. And that means strengthening our relations with India, Japan…and Russia.

Mueller needs to quit – and I agree. I just want an end to this whole Trump-Russia farce. There’s nothing there. Bring me some stand-up-in-court evidence, or let it go.

It is too late to save the day in Afghanistan? I might be. I’m not sure if I’m on board with a renewed US effort…but its either clear out right away, or go full blast. One or the other.

Turns out, even if there is such a thing as “hate speech” it is protected under the Constitution. This is a bit of amazingly good news – because, remember, to some on the left, merely not saying leftist things is “hate speech”.

Democrats are upset that the GOP isn’t letting them in on the ObamaCare replacement details. I’ll pause while all of you cry them a river.

Some bad news for the Global Warming alarmists. I think for most of us, this is getting to be a bore…and now that Trump doesn’t seem interested in providing massive government funding, it is becoming a bit of a non-issue. Warming or cooling or staying the same – we and the rest of life on Earth will adapt. If life can survive massive meteor strikes, it can survive SUVs.

Not too worried about those Russian threats about US planes in Syria – the Russian air force probably doesn’t want to tangle with the USAF.

On the grounds that Indy authors simply must help each other, I recommend New River (Images of America) by Marcy J. Miller – a great and kind lady who lives in Arizona. I’ve interacted with her on Twitter for quite some time and she’s just a wonderful person who lives out “back of beyond” in some beautiful Arizona countryside. I admit to being insanely jealous when she posts pictures of sunsets and desert thunderstorms…and of her horseback rides. Check it out – you won’t be disappointed.

As for my book, I’m past 30,000 words, now – I’ve got my characters in a bit of a jam, but a friend of mine suggested a way out, so I’m going to give it a shot. It’s really a rip-roaring story, or at least I think so. Hope people like it!

So, PM May’s gamble on a snap election came up snake eyes. I admit to not paying too much attention to the British election as it unfolded. Most polls, right up to the end, showed the Tories making substantial gains against Labour run by a completely out-there leftwing kook. But, didn’t work out that way – the Tories still gained the most votes and seats, but lost their majority and will now have to work with the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland for a working majority. And, man oh man, the DUP is quite the Conservative party! I can see why the Tories would prefer to stay a mile away from them. I’m naturally suspicious of the DUP given its anti-Catholic roots, but the anti-Catholicism seems to have moderated over the past couple decades. Main thing, they are very socially Conservative and Euro-skeptic. This means Brexit is still very much on track – but I suspect the Brits will have another election in a year or two to sort things out. A better Tory program more pitched to middle and working class people, I think, would do the trick…a great deal of UKIP votes slipped over to Labour (when everyone expected it all to go Tory) because Corbyn was at least smart enough to offer them some goodies. Tories will have to do that, as well, to bring them back.

That leaker who got arrested – main question: how in heck did she get a security clearance? Robert Stacy McCain boils down her background and it is pretty much a compendium of every lunatic position imaginable.

The House has passed a repeal of the misbegotten Dodd-Frank law, but it’s future in the Senate is murky. John Hindraker says that this is a good time to get rid of the Senate filibuster completely – it may be the only way we really get reform done. I realize that we Conservatives are naturally unwilling to tamper with something like the filibuster…but we don’t live in a world where political compromise is possible. Maybe some day in the future we shall, but for now we have to exercise every ounce of legal power we have to get our way.

Our little Progs were all eagerly watching the Comey hearings…and somebody caught their crestfallen looks on camera. Its not quite a fun as their election night meltdown, but its pretty good.

Bernie Sanders glided really close to demanding a religious test for public office – something banned by the Constitution. The man’s offense? He pointed out (in something entirely unrelated to the job he’s being appointed to) that in Christian dogma, you have to believe in Christ. Horror of horrors! Sanders seems to think that holding such a view is disqualifying…that it is bigotry against all non-Christians. But that would be as if I were to say that a Jewish guy can’t be my Senator because he doesn’t accept Christ as savior. Balderdash. I fully expect my Congresscritters to uphold the laws of our nation, regardless of their personal faith. I don’t expect them to tell me that their faith is false in order to make me feel good.

American oil exports continue to grow. This is the key to America’s industrial resurgence. In addition to that, it also cuts at the financial power of a great number of nations which wish us ill.

Legal Insurrection is taking note of the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War; covering it on a day-by-day basis, as it were.

The bottom line of that war was that the Israelis had the better troops and, even more importantly, the better commanders. Leadership in war is one of the most difficult things to do – to walk, open eyed, into peril without ever being able to know exactly how it will come out is the most difficult thing to do. Most military commanders never really master it – they become prey to their doubts and try to take out insurance against disaster. Normally, that just leads to disaster. The great commanders of history all have this in common: the willingness to commit 100% to the plan (the ability to rapidly adjust the plan to changing circumstances is where you differentiate between a great commander and a military genius). But just that ability to step off into the unknown – that, in itself, takes immense courage, and most people simply lack the ability. But those who have it go down in history – the difference, in American terms, between the way we remember McClellan and Grant.

It was an immense and glorious victory; it mostly recovered the disastrous outcome of the 1956 Suez Crisis (where we essentially ordered the French, British and Israelis to relinquish their already-defeated foe). Crucially, Israel regained control of their own capital city, Jerusalem – and for the first time in untold ages, Jews were able to rule themselves in their own home. All honor to those Israelis who fought hard and with skill against an enemy who wished them all dead – and who would have carried out the most horrendous massacre, had not the IDF been up to the task.

Long criminal history; refugee; terrorist connections – naturally, manages to get a gun and engage in a shoot out with the police and, of course, to murder an innocent man. We’re simply not taking the threat seriously, folks.

America’s oldest veteran turned 111 – still smoking and drinking. God bless him. Hope he lives many more years – and we’d better darn well do a State funeral for him when the time comes.

Kurt Schlichter has some words for those “Conservatives” who don’t seem to want to get into the fight:

These wimps whimper and wail about our cultural decline and then, when presented with a golden opportunity to make our conservative case and run up the score, they go AWOL because they don’t want to get their soft, girlish paws dirty by actually fighting for what they say they believe in. They are frauds and scammers. They were happy to sit in their donor-funded sinecures waving their fingers at liberalism’s relentless march through our culture, but all of a sudden it turned out that we normals expected them to actually fight. And when that ginger geriatric cryptkeeper of a comic gave us a blood-soaked opportunity on a platter, they turned tail and ran rather than jam it down our enemies’ collective throat. Losers.

The Conservative leaders have lead us to the point where we’re no longer arguing about the benefits of Conservative ideals, but just how fast we’ll allow Progressive dictates to be imposed on us. No, thanks. I’d rather fight for Conservatism.

Speaking of which, Don Surber lays into National Reviews recent request for money.

So, there’s been an arrest in the whole leaking mess. If this is the quality of our opposition, then we’ve really nothing to worry about, long term.

Strangest thing – over the course of about half an hour as I was driving the Mrs back home from dinner, started to feel an ache in my legs…by the time I got home, the ache was from head to foot. But, that was just the start! My sinuses plugged up in an awesome way so that not only was breathing a tricky thing, but I got one of those headaches which is at the top of your head any every time you cough – or even move suddenly – it feels like the top of your head is exploding. Then, it started to get bad – a stomach ache and associated gastro-unpleasantness. Hope all of you are having a better time of it!

Trump, keeping his promise, is making sure that the criminal aliens are rounded up. Our Progressives, I guess, consider this a bad thing.

Instapundit notes a Jerry Pournelle quote:

We have always known that eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. It’s worse now, because capture of government is so much more important than it once was. There was a time when there was enough freedom that it hardly mattered which brand of crooks ran government. That has not been true for a long time — not during most of your lifetimes, and for much of mine — and it will probably never be true again.

Our job, as Conservatives, is to find a way to reduce this dangerous concentration of power so that it won’t matter quite to much which pack of fools is elected…but it will be a difficult task, and as we do it we’ll have to ensure that the left has no easy means of restoring Big Government. We’ll probably have to massively amend, or completely re-write, the Constitution, at the end of the day.

Rich guys are getting vasectomies so that they can’t get “trapped” into paternity. Call me old-fashioned, but I suggest a simpler device – keep it in your pants until you get married.

Half of an 8th grade class refuses to pose with Speaker Ryan – this is what happens when the vials of wrath get filled, folks. This is not a good thing – it is, in fact, terrible. And the parents who went along with it did a great disservice to their kids.

Hillary is still rather upset over her defeat. Taking one thing with another, I’m ever more convinced she’ll try again in 2020. She consoles herself with her popular vote “win” and is actually accusing Donald Trump of being a “soulless manipulator”…supposing he is such, this would still very much be the pot calling the kettle black.

A man bought a ticket to an all-woman showing of the new Wonder Woman movie, and the left had a melt down over it. All in all, I see the point he was trying to make but, on the other hand, does he fully realize just what sort of crowd he’d be sitting among in that theater?

The Obama spying scandal is growing by leaps and bounds.

ACORN is back, this time with an $80 million grant from Soros.

Roger Moore passed away – I always liked him in every movie I saw him in. Seemed a man of great class. But I think my favorite movie of his was The Wild Geese. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. It is slightly dated as it’s set in Cold War Africa, but it holds up well, and that situation can easily be replicated in today’s world.

The DNC is having a hard time raising money. Part of this, I think, is just a general disgust with politics…but it also shows that for all the talk of the Resistance leading the way to victory, Democrats are actually in a very weak position.

Jane Sanders figures that the Iranian elections “show how it’s done”. Yep – you just have a body of unelected tyrants decide who can run, and then leave their minions in total control of the media and the voting process and, presto!, you’ll get the result you want.

Paul Ryan has some kind words for the victims of the Manchester massacre…and, naturally, the left just pours on the hatred.

Morrissey says what everyone with a brain is thinking in regards to Manchester – and a lot of people are upset about it because Reasons.

As regards that, last night I had some thoughts on the matter over on Twitter, I guess I could distill it down to this: we have a choice – we can fight, or surrender. Building more police barricades and having soldiers patrols our streets (ie, putting ourselves under military occupation), doesn’t actually do anything: it is just surrender on the installment plan. My view is that we should fight – but I caution all those who wish to fight to remember that it would be a long, nasty and bloody fight. On the other hand, I looked it up last night and found that between 2006 and 2015, about 190,000 people were killed around the world by terrorism. Not all of that is Islamist, terrorism, it should be noted – but I’ll bet the overwhelming majority of it was (and that the overwhelming majority of the dead were Muslims). 190,000 people is, well, the death toll you’d expect from a major war…so, as far as people dying, fighting isn’t going to alter the numbers. Nor, given how terrorists kill people, will the fighting be any more nasty than it is, now. It will, however, be our troops participating…and they may have to take some very stern measures. If your heart doesn’t allow you to contemplate that sort of thing, better to get on with surrender. On thing certain, if you do decide we should fight, don’t do this after the war is over:

The story about Trump giving highly classified information to the Russians is illustrative of all that is freakishly bizarre these days. Now, keep in mind, the story comes via an anonymously-sourced MSM story and has been denied by named witnesses who were in the room. But, still, those who oppose Trump are going with the MSM story. We expect this from our Democrat friends because they are highly partisan and the MSM is, after all, a mere stenographer of the DNC…but supposed Conservatives are going along with the MSM story, as well. This just astonishes me. The MSM lies all the time – by omission and commission – about Republicans of all stripes. Remember, Romney – likely the most morally decent man to seek the Presidency since Calvin Coolidge – was accused of giving people cancer. It isn’t like Trump is getting hit with things that other Republicans would be spared from. True, Trump has many more questionable aspects about his past that Romney…but the treatment of both men is the same. Given the relentless lies the MSM spreads about Republicans, why on Earth would any Republican lend credence to an MSM story absent stand-up-in-court proof that it is true? To be sure, maybe the MSM will, one day, find some proof of some genuine official wrongdoing on the part of Trump…that happens, and it will be our moral duty to condemn Trump. But until there is proof, why play their game? Why help them destroy Trump? I just don’t get it. It’s just stupid – and I can only figure that the Conservatives who are going along with this simply prefer to have ultra-liberal Democrats in power…some so they can make money writing books an articles about said Democrats, others because they are simply cowards who are afraid of our side exercising power.

Anyone thinking that we should do anything which might help the Democrats back into power – pay heed to a warning:

I’m not saying to view the Republicans uncritically. However, I daresay that the IRS harassment of the Tea Parties shall have seemed like hugs and cupcakes compared to the peevish, punitive, discriminatory crap that the Deep State would inflict on Trump voters in general, and red states in particular, given another chance.

So maybe we don’t want to let them have that chance.

White House still coy about whether Trump/Comey tapes exist.

A look at the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist networks.

That Dakota pipeline Trump has pushed through is going to cost Buffett about a billion dollars per year – and that’s a good thing. In case you wonder where the real opposition to Trump comes from, look no further than things like this. Trump is messing with the Ruling Class, and they don’t like it one bit.

We do need a Special Prosecutor.

Senator Toomey wants the police to be able to obtain surplus military equipment. I disagree with this idea. Of course, my whole thing about the police is that we’re doing it wrong…there is a need for some SWAT-like police units, but 99% of policing should be a cop on the beat, keeping the neighborhood safe.

Doc says it is allergies, but it sure feels like a flu…anyways, I’m plugged up, watery eyes, running nose, hacking cough…tired and blah. Loaded up with medication and not feeling like doing much. The novel is past 20,000 words and a friend just figured out a great, new twist for it, but I’m in no condition to write seriously. So, off we go with an open thread, here.

Thanks to Harry Reid, Trump has now started the process of packing the courts with Conservative judges. There’s nothing the Democrats can do to even slow it down, much…but, don’t worry liberals, you can still whine about Trump not being legitimate all you want.

Le Pen appears to have done pretty well with the French youth vote – and she got clobbered among the elderly. I’m telling ya, folks, the post-WWII settlement in Europe is breaking down right before our eyes.

The leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom collectively have zero children. Trump has five. Demographics is destiny folks – the future belongs to those who are there.

Obama’s proposed Presidential library is really ugly – I mean, seriously, it’s bad. We wonder if this book will be present?

Science is re-settled: we’re in for a mini-ice age, it seems.

A little peak at liberal racism.

Under Obama, the intel community was reading a lot of American mail.

Taxing the Blue States: it’s a thing…

Democrats have been saying for years that we need tax increases, and that paying taxes is one of the greatest forms of patriotism. Now it looks like President Trump is going to put their beliefs to the test.

Trump’s new tax plan would hit blue states hardest, by eliminating the federal deductibility of state income and property taxes. That’s going to make it harder for blue states to maintain the high tax rates they’ve traditionally levied…

As attentive readers will have noted, I’ve long dropped off the idea of cutting taxes merely to cut taxes. There are taxes which are bad, and taxes which ain’t so bad…and also taxes which are merely useful for various purposes. I’ve long advocated a “wealth tax” on super-rich individuals who own a great deal in stocks and bonds…part of this is so that the income tax on less wealthy people can be reduced, but the other part is to make these super-rich liberals feel the heat: they’re always calling for income tax hikes they never have to pay because they don’t make income, as such. But I also like this idea of putting pressure on Blue State tax rates…they jack up their rates sky high and offset it by allowing people to deduct it from their federal tax. No more, as far as I’m concerned…you want to soak your people, then pay the full political price for it.

Should we amend our libel laws?

On Sunday, a day after President Trump railed against the press at a rally marking his 100th day in office, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus said of amending the Constitution to expand libel law: “I think it’s something that we’ve looked at, and how that gets executed or whether that goes anywhere is a different story.”

It would take an amendment – case law on this is pretty set in stone: you can say what you want about people and unless the target can not only prove it a lie, but prove the person saying it knew it was a lie, then the accuser is off the hook. As for me, I don’t think that the 1st Amendment was intended to provide such iron-clad protection for dishonesty.

There is an argument to be made – and its a strong one – that when someone set out to critique especially a political person, the widest latitude must be given. It is a difficult thing to get into policing political comment. On the other hand, it is so hard to combat outright lies that mostly the are left out there, unchallenged in any meaningful way. And now in the age of social media, even regular folks are coming under the gun of crude fabrications for political purposes. I’ve said before what I’d want in this area: a mere protection of employment for things uttered outside the place of employment. I know this means that a person can run down their employer, but it also – and most crucially – means that a person’s job isn’t at risk if a Twitter mob decides to take exception to a statement. Losing a job is a huge risk for people…and to protect their jobs, people will do just about anything…even knuckle under to political correctness. We need to think on this and discuss it.

The spending bill to carry us through to October 1st is not getting a lot of Conservative approval. Rightly so – it is a bad bill. I only moderately excuse it by noting it is, really, Obama’s last budget. Had their been regular order in 2016, this (or something even worse) is what we would have gotten this year. I’ll forgive this dog of a bill if the FY 2018 budget has at least an ounce of Conservatism in it.

Trump continues to fight the MSM – and keeps beating them. This, among other things, is why I think Trump will be re-elected: his opponents keep reminding his supporters why they supported him.

There is a bit of an arms build up going on in the Korean theater. This is dangerous stuff. But, we can’t simply let North Korea continue to hold the world up for ransom. If a battle does break out, just remember that the ultimate responsibility will lie with the men who decided not to pursue victory in Korea in the 1950’s.

Donald Surber notes how Trump is starting to re-negotiate NAFTA. I had a short discussion over free trade on Twitter with a guy I believe to be a smart, well-informed man of good will…he’s just shocked that anyone can be opposed to “free trade”. My view is that there really is no such thing. All of these trade deals are miles and miles of arcane words which no one reads before they are ratified and which are then left up to un-elected and unaccountable people to decide what they mean. To me, they work to special treatment deals for well-connected players. If we want free trade, then a free trade agreement really need be no more than a couple pages long, and be written in clear language. If its free trade, then it just should say that – trade between the parties is free of tariffs. Beyond that, I note, with great care, that each nation which has risen to economic dominance did so under a Protectionist regime…and only lost such economic dominance after going for free trade. It is just silly, in my view, to allow your own industries to go elsewhere and count the increased stock value of the corporations involved as an increase in national wealth. Wealth is what we make, mine and grow – period; the end. If we don’t make, mine and grow enough then we’re losing. Badly.

Some people are talking very positive of the new replacement for ObamaCare…but plenty of purple State Republicans are wary of it. I think this is yet another stalking horse…perhaps a way to prove to solid Conservatives that there had to be a little “give” in the final deal. We’ll see.

$425 for pre-stained jeans.

Aside: I’ve noticed since Trump won, things have never stopped happening. There is an acceleration of politics, as if we’ve got a guy who wants to do things, rather than just legacy hunt and pose. We’ll see how it works out.

I’m past 15,000 words on the novel. The story is getting rip-roaring.

The new novel is up to 11,000+ words. It is really just flowing out of me. I’m very happy with it. I hope it doesn’t suck! I’ve got lots to do…I suspect it’ll be in the neighborhood of 150,000 words before I’m done, given that I can already see a whole series of adventures for the brave hero and his loyal side-kick to engage in. I also have to do some research for authenticity…a few scenes already forecast are outside my areas of expertise. I’ve only tried my hand at fiction fitfully in the past…this is going to the finish. Hope to have it out in a year.

Lots of post-mortems coming out now about the Hillary Campaign. I’m not sure what to believe about all of them…the Clintons are so relentlessly dishonest and they’ve got so many shills working for them secretly and openly that it is hard to separate fact from fiction…and even something critical of the Clintons might be created just as part of a larger effort in their long-term favor. But a couple things I’ve read stick out: Hillary essentially created a sort of “loyalty checklist” for fellow Democrats, rating them on their loyalty to her, and it is also claimed that she spied on her own troops to see who might have been speaking out of turn. These two things I lend credence to because they are in keeping with the overall Clinton character. And the more I think about it, the more grateful I am for my vote last November.

Rachel Maddow – and I’m not kidding here – linked the anti-government protests in Venezuela to the fact that the Venezuelan government (through a government-run entity) donated money to Trump’s inaugural celebration. Seriously – with there being no food on the table in Venezuela; with Communist hit squads being armed by the government; with political opposition being beaten and sent to jail…Maddow’s take is that a donation to Trump is what set everyone off. Remember this every time a liberal tries to claim they are the smart guys.

TrumpCare II is apparently for real – and there might be a chance it passes, this time.

Trump is the very worst Russian stooge in history – Exxon denied right to drill for oil in Russia.

Governor Dean is unclear on what the 1st Amendment is about. To be fair, he’s pretty unclear about a lot of things.

V the K notes that Democrats suddenly seem totes cool with legislating morality. I’d like to point out, however, that all legislation is an imposition of morality. Its all about just which morality is to be imposed.