Month: July 2018

Counting My Chickens Before They’re Hatched

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An enormous amount of digital ink has been spilled in the last week or so about the coming Supreme Court vacancy and who might fill it and how that will play out.  And these are truly momentous questions involving nuances of political strategy that could change the balance of the Senate political make-up.  In other words, really hot stuff and absolutely chock full of fat-soluble vitamins.

But let’s jump the gun and talk about some really exciting things.  Let’s assume for the sake of argument that the Senate manages to keep their act together and approve an actual conservative replacement for Anthony Kennedy.  And let’s further assume for the sake of argument that John Roberts isn’t the Manchurian Justice that he seemed to be during the Obamacare deliberation.  Then, what are the possible constitutional questions that could allow the new conservative majority to show its quality?  Let’s make a list.

  • I think the least likely early result of the new majority would be a test of Roe v. Wade. This is the thermonuclear case and I believe it will be a while before SCOTUS tackles something so controversial.  After all, energizing the female vote against Republicans during the beginning of a conservative court majority would threaten the ability of a very narrow Senate majority right before the mid-terms.  So I think this will wait at least a year or more.
  • I think the most likely early test of this new majority will be a revisiting of the gay marriage vs. religious freedom question. And here is where I think that the Court will score an easy victory.  I would be shocked if the Court does not hand a complete victory to religious tradespeople who object to being forced to participate in homosexual weddings.  In my estimation this will be a great morale booster for conservatives and a well-deserved rebuke for the brown shirts in the LGBTQ
  • Removing the Constitutional mandate for gay marriage would be a very bold move. Seeing that this would directly attack the precedent set by Anthony Kennedy just a few years ago it would represent a refutation of the narrative that has been developing in the Courts for the last twenty five years.  But I think it would be the smart thing to do.  Unlike Roe v. Wade, the shortness of time that has passed since the precedent was set limits the disruption caused by allowing the individual states to pass their own laws on either side of this issue.  The Federal government could even restore the Defense of Marriage Act if it was politically expedient.  And there is a real grass roots appeal to allow states that don’t favor the homosexual life style to have their say.
  • Questions about the Constitutionality of Affirmative Action should be front and center in this Court. Even past verdicts by the Supreme Court when more liberal justices were represented recognized the contradictory nature of a clearly discriminatory practice sanctioned by the United States Government.  It is long past the point where reverse discrimination makes even bad sense.  And the way the Left has used it to weaponize identity politics against the white population needs to be shut down before it does anymore harm to the unity of the country.
  • The constitutionality of the Patriot Act and other post 9-11 security over-reaches need to be reconsidered. The recent actions by the FBI and the other intelligence gathering agencies highlights the runaway nature of these intrusions on privacy and an originalist interpretation will go a long way toward re-evaluating the current imbalance favoring law enforcement over due process.
  • And a final major item that could be adjudicated is the Constitutional protection for homosexuality. That was another constitutional protection discovered by Justice Kennedy.  Here is another social question that used to be a state matter until the Supreme Court overstepped.

So, this merely my speculation.  What do you think?  What’s your logic?  Leave a vote.

 

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04JUL2018 – OCF Update – Photo Theme

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I’ve finally gotten around to post processing a good chunk of my Grand Canyon photos.  I’ll start out with the Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River and move forward geographically and chronologically.  Just to provide some variation I’ll mix in some local stuff (macro and other themes) along with the Grand Canyon trip.

 

Horseshoe Bend – Colorado River -Arizona
Voigtlader 10mm lens on Sony A7S

 

Horseshoe Bend – Colorado River -Arizona
Voigtlader 10mm lens on Sony A7S

 

 

 

What Do We Do After Trump?

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Right now, Donald Trump is the most active, disruptive force that the right has had working for it since Andrew Jackson.  It is almost impossible to overstate how important he has been and continues to be for the preservation of the American experiment.  Without his miraculous victory in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election we would be literally choosing between insurrection and slavery.  That is how bad permanent domination by the Left would be.

But now we have to remember that the U.S. Constitution does not include provision for a dictator for life.  Somehow, they decided to leave that clause out.  Something about Julius Caesar, blah, blah, Caligula, blah, blah, blah.  So, we have to face up to the fact that we won’t always have the Donald to speed bag the media, the swamp and the Dems for us.  We will be back to depending on the Republicans!  That is a discouraging thought.  Therefore, it behooves us (now that’s a word) to plan ahead and make provisions for that sad future day.

Let’s try to get to the essence of the problem.  How do we avoid ending up with the Bushes again?  My first thought is install Donald Trump in some position of power in the republican establishment when his term is over.  Maybe the head of the Republican National Committee.  Let him be the one to control the purse strings for the election funds and work on the talent selection and the party platform that should guide the executive and legislative agendas.  But, of course, this is still a temporary fix.  Donald Trump is over seventy years old.  Even he lives to be a vigorous centenarian the day will come when he’s gone.  We need a Plan B.

And Plan B is that we need to become radicalized and activist about the things we want and don’t want.  And the first thing we have to get straight is that this is a permanent state of affairs.  We will never reach a point where we can split the difference with the Left.   Now and forever it is a zero-sum game. Whenever they win we lose and vice versa.  We have no common ground and there is no compromise except as a tactic and even then, it’s probably a bad idea.  We are two separate populations inhabiting the same geographic space locked in a perpetual war of attrition.

We need to become serious about vetting our leaders and those that want to become leaders.  No more Bushes.  No more mavericks.  No more kindler, gentler anything.  No more reaching across the aisles and no more globalists.  If you’re not America first, last and all, you’re a globalist.

We need to become as unfair as we possibly can be toward the Left.  Do to them what they’ve done to us.  Remember they are doxxing, deplatforming, firing and discriminating against Right Wing folks on a wholesale basis already.  The least we can do is return the favor.  Make them live up to the lefty creed but ignore it for our side.  Allow and even egg on the witch hunts for the Al Frankens and Harvey Weinsteins of the Left and laugh at the Stormy Daniels episodes.  Let the Joe Crowleys and Phyllis Kahns experience the blessings of the identity politics and diversity they championed by losing their legislative seats to these new populations when they look around at the Old Democrats and say “What you mean We, kemosabe?”  Make them pay whatever price we can for policies like sanctuary cities.  Penalize progressive states wherever and whenever possible.  Use lawfare to go after their companies and institutions that discriminate against people and companies on the Right.  Use the courts to shield traditional and religious populations and institutions.  And cause trouble for companies that cater to the Left.  Send letters of complaint.  Boycott.  Give poor recommendations and reviews to them.  And by the same token lavish business, compliments and good word of mouth to companies that take our side or at least don’t go against us.  Sometimes it will seem like you’re going against your own interests to do that.  Maybe it’ll be worth it anyway.  Think about it.  Do you really need to drink Starbucks?  Isn’t there another company slightly less obnoxious to your views that still makes decent coffee?  Don’t patronize movies with imbeciles like Matt Damon in them.  Don’t buy their books, don’t read their news stories and don’t watch their television shows.  It’s that simple.

And the most important aspect of all this is don’t wait until Donald Trump isn’t around.  Start now!  If we can start chipping away at the awfulness of the Republican party before we’ll have to depend on them, it will go that much better for us.  If you have a Republican Representative who does not cooperate with President Trump then send an e-mail to his office stating your displeasure.  Let him know where you stand.  Remind him that there will be a primary at some point in his future and someone you like better may be running against him.  Get involved in your local politics and take the measure of the people who represent you.  You might be surprised what you learn.

So, enjoy the Trumpocalypse we are living through in all its sideshow splendor but start planning for the future.

04JUL2018 – Quote of the Day

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Happy Birthday My Fellow Americans!  This quote has something for us to remember.  Strength and Faith.  They come from a quiet place within.

“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. (actual author Harriet Beecher Stowe)

When you’re down to nothing, God is up to something. The faithful see the invisible, believe the incredible and then receive the impossible. (actual author Anonymous)

Where liberty dwells there is my country.”

Benjamin Franklin

03JUL2018 – American Greatness Post of the Day

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Michael Anton (aka Publius Decius Mus) performs a fisking of Bret Stephens’ paean to untrammeled immigration.  It goes without saying Bret doesn’t come off very well.  Can you imagine Stephens used to be considered conservative?   It’s a long article and I doubt Bret even deserves the honor of this much attention but Mr. Anton does cover the bases very thoroughly.  I would say this article  is preaching to the choir but if you are interested in just how crazy the house conservatives at the New York Times have become check out Anton’s dissection of exhibit A.

 

America Is Not the Common Property of All Mankind

03JUL2018 – OCF Update – July, The Greatest Month of the Year

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The earth revolves around the sun. Well actually they both move around the common center of gravity of the whole solar system. But since the sun is monstrously heavier than the rest of the solar system combined, this center of gravity is within the spheroid of the sun so I won’t quibble about it (starting now!). So, the year is based on the Earth’s orbit around the sun which takes 365 days and a fraction. A month is supposed to correspond to the revolution of Luna around Earth. This is about 28 days. If you try and divide 365 and a fraction by 28 and a fraction you are not going to get a whole number. And this makes perfect sense. The revolutional periods are completely unrelated. And so, we end up with months with lengths varying from 28 days to 31 days and even one that varies every four years to try and make up for the fractions. What a silly system. Days, weeks, months (if we even need them at all) and years should be decoupled and allowed to do their own thing. And don’t even get me started about daylight savings time. So, you can see I have no particular respect for the calendar and its divisions.

But there is one exception. Every year I wax poetic about my quasi-religious devotion to one particular example of the imperfect lunar division to the solar year, namely the month of July. July is the greatest human invention that I know of. In the northern hemisphere, which is the only hemisphere that I probably will ever encounter, July represents the quintessence of earthly delight. The days are long, the weather is hot and sunny, and the human spirit cries out for leisure and fun. And every year I answer that call. I make sure to take time off and commune with nature and with my friends and family, read books and watch movies, engage in various silly recreational activities, eat all kinds of delicious poisons and commit all manner of misdemeanors against the work ethic. It’s as close to heaven on earth as I know of. Now here in New England, where the inhabitants take irrational pride in their ability to withstand horrific climatic extremes of cold and sunless gloom there are many who find July too “hot.” I don’t understand it myself, but I guess we all just have different tolerances to the weather. The only thing that I can say is that I hope they have had any repairs or maintenance done to their AC system, as it will be a very long month for them if they haven’t. My friend has said that these emergency repair services from a company like Buric Heating and Air Conditioning, (burichvac.com/emergency-ac-service/) were really good for him when his system suddenly broke, as well as it happening at the worst possible time. But it’s sorted now, and he no longer finds July to be too “hot”, but lots of others still do. I guess to each his own. Maybe my Mediterranean blood is irrational in preferring extreme heat and light to more hyperborean conditions. But based on my observation of the rest of the New England persona I think humanity would confirm my bias over theirs. So I’ll take it as a given that July rules.

And the beauty of this month is that everyone else is more or less doing the same thing. Business productivity goes to hell, television is taken over by boring reruns and truly unwatchable replacement series that no one bothers with and the only people really working are amusement park and hotel employees. Even website traffic hits its low point in July. And that is good. Bloggers need time to recharge their batteries and readers need a break from blather.

Now, don’t panic. I do not intend to abandon the faithful readers of Orion’s Cold Fire. After all, writing this blog is one of the high points of my week (and we’ll talk about the origin of the week another time) and not something to be abandoned just because fun is to be had. I will be providing quotes and photos on my usual daily basis and I will comment on the unfolding Trumpocalypse on a fairly regular basis and I will provide Trump parodies and movie and book reviews as I produce them. But I might not be as punctual as I usually am and I may have a short hiatus here and there. After all, July is also my birth month and I like to be lazy right around that blessed date. So, bear with me and we’ll get through this together.

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