Fences Don't Stop Tunnels

The title is simplistic but sometimes the truth is very simple. A tunnel was recently discovered near the Otay Mesa point of entry in California that was being used to smuggle people. That part of the US-Mexico border already has a "wall," actually a double fence. If Trump's wall ever gets built, it will do nothing to stop other kinds of smuggling. It's so obvious but Trump's supporters really are that stupid.

The Scatterbrained Administration

Keeping up with the Trump administration yields only bits and pieces of information that do not yield any kind of pattern.

* Steve Bannon is out apparently after running afoul of Ivanka and Jared Kushner.

* The Secret Service is running out of money. Protecting the Trump Clan and their properties is an unbearable drain on the Secret Services budget.

* Trump announced a new "strategy" on Afghanistan, except that it isn't really a strategy. Trump's plan is to send in more American troops and escalate the conflict.
Basically a repeat of the GWB era. Anyone with any knowledge of history, knows that when a country starts a war without a strategy it usually loses.

The Trump administration has collapsed into chaos. Will it bring down the rest of us with it?

The Social Contract Revisited

This is an addendum to yesterday's entry. It is shocking that the ACLU took the side of the White Supremacists in allowing the march to take place. I think that the ACLU was in error. To the question "Aren't we supposed to tolerate other people's opinions?" The brings out the problem of people and groups who not only don't recognize the democratic process but who use violence to attain their ends.

I think that the test for acceptable conduct should be

1. Obeying the law

2. Respecting the rights of others.

What the Fascists in Charlottesville were doing wasn't demonstrating but committing acts of violence. There is no such thing as a "right" to deprive other people of their rights and there is no way that acts of violence can be defended as "free expression."

Terror in Charlottesville

Last weekend the Alt Right--Ku Kluxers, Neo Nazis, and other right wing vermin--gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia. When people tried to counterprotest the Fascists, call them for what they are, attacked. One of those morons drove a car into the crowd, killing 32 year old Heather Heyer, and injuring 19 people. Reports are that they Fascists were heavily armed, more so than the police. The Fascists also carried lit torches in imitation of Nazi rallies from Hitler's time.

Donald Trump is ultimately responsible for this. Maybe he thought he could stir up racism and then turn it back off. Instead, it has produced the worst racist violence since the 1960's.

The Curse of Interesting Times

The following week has not lacked for events. The Trump/Session administration has announced a new attack on affirmative action. Then Trump got into a long distance shouting match with Kim Jong-un which has heightened fears of another Korean War. Now comes news that the FBI has raided one of the houses belonging to Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman. If any doubted that the Trump scandals had substance, nobody can doubt it now. The problem is that things are happening so fast it's hard to focus on anyone thing. These may "interesting times" but I'm less than enthusiastic.

The Court of the Idiot KIng

The one week rise and fall of Anthony Scaramucci is only the latest bizarre event from the Trump White House. The "Mooch" forced out Sean Spicer and Reince Priebus but has been himself forced out by John Kelly, the new Chief of Staff. Kelly himself is not exactly good news; he's been one of the loudest cheerleaders for Trump's "border wall." It remains to be seen if Kelly is able to control the chronic backstabbing that characterizes the Trump administration.