"The Politics of Diplomacy" James Baker III. West. Civ. Series.

To rehash what I've been doing here lately,  I've presented 4 books of certain pedigree (meaning they belong to a list of books I have read)  in order to establish a framework of the political world, as I see it  through these books.

I wanted to establish the structures of the western dominated world, the world that the United States created and has done a fair amount of winning in, and I did that by suggesting "Present at the Creation" by Dean Acheson.  Truman's Secretary of State who shaped the world after World War II.

As a score card I submitted a highly detailed work by Steven Pinker, "The Better Angels of Our Nature."  Winning is what 70 years were all about.  A terrific source for all the good going on in the world that can be charted.   Generally speaking, this is a title I'm squeezing, like a square peg in a round hole, because it wasn't written for the purposes I'm using it for.  In fact, its takes on a much broader time period.  Like the whole of humanity time period.

My old interest, David Stockman appeared next to remind us all,  that there are some serious flaws in our country.  In our capitalism and winning.   An absolutely essential modern educational need to read.

Pat Buchanan's "Death of the West" has a high slot in the list because his arguments and maladaptive views have climaxed with Trump.  It one of the books in the cannon of Trump world.

If I could just step back a little bit with my next selection.   James Baker III wrote his memoir as Secretary of State under George H.W. Bush in the mid 1990's and it is important as a testament to what really happened at the end of the cold war (winning again) and what promises were made by us to them(Russia).

Everything that is wrong with our relationship with Putin's Russia has to do with what happened after Bush and Baker left office.   Understanding Putin's expressed motivation to restore to greatness, or rather undo the humiliation of Mother Russia, at the hands of the West after the cold war period starts with our side of the story.  Start it here.

This is one of the oldest memoirs I have read, and the my understanding of what is covered colors much of how I view international politics to this day --  Putin hasn't forgotten.  Look it, he's trying to win over on us,  we aren't his ally we are his adversary.   

This memoir is a terrific mile marker in the West's 70 year run on top of the world. 

Taken all together, my selections should be relating how I am much a pro Western world structures kinda guy.

More than believing, I know that the world had been a blank slate after the big War and that thanks to patriots like Acheson and Baker, and so many more forgotten names and faces, the world was designed in our liking, and our dominance.

The world that Truman envisioned, and that Acheson started working on was the side that won the cold war, won the 20th century, and won the world.    For seventy years a battle raged that we had been winning all along anyways,  but now it seems the structures that gave us our strength are being undermined.  I encourage the thought that before we go on destroying, that we might pause and appreciate where these structures came from.

That's what I'm trying to get across.

https://amzn.to/2DLoloi

"Panzer Leader" General Heinz Guderian

"Looking back, one can only deeply regret that ... Regardless of whether the Russians had signed the Hague Agreement or not....German soldiers must accept their international obligations and must behave according to the dictates of a Christian conscience...."

General Heinz Guderian

from the book, "Panzer Leader"

His memoir of WWII.

But what I went away wondering, could he possibly have more Christian concern for the welfare of people than Donald Trump?

Https://amzn.to/2MuvUTd

"Death of the West" Patrick. J. Buchanan. West. Civ. Series.

It is with reluctance that I present the next book on my list because it really should not be on any reputable list at all. Its a book that conspires not inspires, a book that itself was years too late when published, and as its even more invidious and influential now over a decade later I'm going to acknowledge it, and that I have already read it...17 years ago.

Patrick J. Buchanan, now 80, wrote the "Death of the West" in 2002, subtitled "How Dying Populations and Immigrant Invasions Imperil Our Country and Civilization" but its certainly reads like it has fully come home to roost in our present time.

I suppose it wasn't that long ago in the grand scheme of things, it was written after 9/11 after all, but 17 years is enough time though to gather dust, not adherents.

Look it, I read it because I thought the man had something to say about the direction of this country, and you will find a lot of, now dated facts, trends, policies and villains. However in the intervening 17 years I came to realize that its not so bad, as my earlier submission of readings prove.

But this is the book behind much of the anxieties and angst fueling the Trump Train. When I reflect on it all I challenge and rebuke the whole sentiment on grounds that a strong culture, a culture that is worth saving would persevere by its own strength and does not need to fear outsiders.

If the West is strong, we the people will expect them, the new people, to be strong like us. Its a little self defeating to expect that government you don't want to interfere to interfere where it may be least effective -- changing hearts and minds, or at least that's a thought I have.

I think that sometimes people have warnings that aren't necessarily as portent as they make them out to be, and that still being motivated, in the face of dissuasive arguments to the contrary, that the message of the book is a rallying cry still today is a disappointing use of one's life.

Its the false sense of insecurities of an 80 year old man, who is still rallying crowds, that underlies the false sense of insecurities of far too many young people.

Trump, himself, saw through it way back then. Think about that for a moment, Trump saw through it, He didn't buy it. Are you following me?

But if the sentiments of Trump today, and Buchanan today, and this 17 year old book today is what animates, what sells, what pays the bill for them, they will continue to push the old ways, while the world moves on without them.

Except Trump is President, and its why this book has grown in relevance, but ultimately the movement that Buchanan was pushing back against 20 years ago, even 30 years ago, won over in a real sense, and the only thing killing the west substantively is Trump.

Be careful of not only what you wish for, but who you trust.

Dean Acheson's "Present at the Creation" recounts the beginning of the West's dominance, but Pat Buchanan, despite the title, is inspiring the forces against the West with "Death of the West."

https://amzn.to/2WrtIR7

"The Great Deformation" David Stockman. West. Civ. Series.

The third book in this series of books that I have read, and that I can connect to one another in a interesting way is "The Great Deformation.  The Corruption of Capitalism in America" by David A. Stockman.

This book is the definitive modern polemic on corruption in capitalism in America.  A polemic is a category, a genre, that merely means the book is all about the writer's opinion on the subject.

When reading a polemic, the regard of the author of that screech is of great importance.  After all,  why read about someone's opinion who you don't think much of?

David Stockman brings an honesty that I have placed some trust in, he was the budget director of the Reagan Administration but wrote a very very brutal book, a memoir, of his time in the White House, and how the tragic run of deficits came about.  That was in the 1980's, this later book, on the corruption of capitalism in America came after the Great Recession of 2008.

In this book you will come to understand the workings of finance, financial markets, the way money attracts money, and how you might of been played if you bought a mortgage back then.

I like to think I wasn't, by the way.

I started with Dean Acheson's book "Present at the Creation" a memoir about the Secretary State's years shaping the world order as we still know it today, written 60 years ago.

My second book was Steven Pinker's "Better Angels of Our Nature" because it is our scorecard on the progress that mankind has accomplished not only over the passed 60 years, but over the past entirely.  Things are always getting better, and yes the world order is not that bad...

...except in the "Corruption of Capitalism in America" the subtitle of my third book.

Let's not be naive,  things aren't perfect, and if you think fixing America first is the right priority,  I'd recommend this book,  it's not about politics, but you can't escape it either.

You will be informed when your are done with it,  and may rest easier knowing some one wrote exactly how the way things are after all.

https://amzn.to/2FBXBYQ  --  The Great Deformation
https://amzn.to/2RIxG8a -- Better Angels of Our Nature
https://amzn.to/2RJO1cM -- Present at the Creation

"The Better Angels of Our Nature" Steven Pinker. West. Civ. Series.

Last time I wrote, I offered "Present at the Creation:  My Years in the State Department" by Dean Acheson as the starting point for a little narrative that I intend to continue with the help of the books of my life.

The next stop on this journey is Steven Pinker's "The Better Angels of Our Nature" from 2011.

At the risk of sounding cliche, or repeating myself,  what Pinker does in this history is altogether beyond imagination.

If the first book I shared is egotistically taking credit for the modern world order, this book is the unsolicited amalgamation of so many stats, information, history, and anecdotes across many human conditions that validate that world order as both remarkable and benevolent.

The book doesn't set out to validate anyone,  this is my rationalization.   In fact the book  begins centuries before the 20th century, its starts with prehistory in fact, through the bible era, and so on.   But why its the second book in my narrative is that this book will shake you of any false insecurities you may be holding,  insecurities that are often agitated by malevolent actors who pedal in anger and misconceptions.

Yet mankind is historically a violent animal.  Very violent,  horrifically violent, and if you are into that sort of thing this is also the right book for you, the tales of torture were not my thing, but they are prevalent .

But the culmination of this book is the evidence that despite what we were, we are not that bad anymore.

The state of the nature between ourselves is almost angelic, relatively speaking,  and if I had my druthers this book,  "The Better Angels of Our Nature" would be the first book every single person ought to read.

Read this book,  and most of the politics that passes for common sense behind certain sectors falls right away.  Its a read that the smart policy makers have read because it dispels the notion that things are only getting worse.  They focus on real problems therefore, armed with the understanding of the trends and realities you'd want a smart policy maker to understand.

Chances are, if you can quantify a particular brooding topic someone claims, this book will have the evidence that the numbers are going in a good direction, not the wrong direction.  Relax and move on.

But there is so much more here too.  Plain advice, insightful wisdom,  clinical study findings.  It probably is the most influential book of the 21st century, and if it isn't, its right near the top.   I won't get too far elsewhere before Steven Pinker is quoted about something.
   
Oh, and he has a sequel out. 

Do yourself a favor, and appreciate the world around you a little more,  the facts are it hasn't ever been better and the U.S. world order is not only a worthy progeny of what came before, but has undoubtedly been a major impetus of declining violence and an improved nature between states.

https://amzn.to/2RIxG8a  --  Better Angels of Our Nature
https://amzn.to/2RJO1cM --  Present at the Creation

"Present at the Creation" Dean Acheson. West. Civ. Series.

I'm going to go down a different path this year on this blog,  but its something I've been thinking of doing for a while...if I weren't such a shy guy.

The book below would be a appropriate start on this new path because it's title is appropriate,   Dean's  last name begins with an 'A",  its his 'creation' that is being scrutinized in the world as I write this, and it genre is basically the genre of my intellectually curiosity that's gotten the most time and efforts out of me -- foreign policy.

What I wish to accomplish is a sort of thread of my readings that has gotten me to my thinking today.  By no means will it be a linear journey from WWII to present, and I can't promise to be coherent in my logic, but I'll give it a try.   What I can promise is, it won't be constrained by any time period, it won't be limited to politics, and it won't be comprehensive of why I think the way I do.

But I hope to make it worthwhile for reading.

So, what do we have here?

"Present at the Creation, My Years in the State Department."

Dean Acheson was Secretary of State under Harry Truman back in the day.   Right after WWII.

This is large memoir, about 780 pages,  and it covers Mr. Acheson's entire career, and most importantly to note, they are his own words.

There are 76 chapters in this book, covering the beginning of the modern U.S.-dominated world order since WWII.  Up til the early 1950's when Eisenhower won the Presidency and brought in his own man.

You will read about the origins of organizations like NATO, the E.U., and the World Bank.

Its full of candid comments with his contemporaries --  his opponents both foreign and domestic.  Its full of decisions that shaped the world as we know it still today.

If you ever thought about the structure of the world, or how it all began,  and I'm sure its not a common curiosity, but if it were a curiosity this is the place to start.

When talk is mentioned about making America great again, and its from a crowd that wants to honor Confederate Generals more than some of our most recent patriots, I think Acheson and a slew of others from his era should have statues to protect, but most of us don't even know who they were.

Next time I'll have another book that I read that I can connect to this book.

https://amzn.to/2WrtIR7

What Animates a Kid

In lieu of a polemic, my opinion, on "It' Cold Outside" and this yearly fiasco of a "War on Christmas"  I accepted this story as worthy alternative.

First of all,  I just shake my head.  Why should I care?

One of the most profound realizations of my political life is that stoicism is applicable in every case.  If I can't control it, why worry about it.

Second,  this is adolescent behavior.  Its has always been and will always be.  Young people protest.   That doesn't mean we give in, or rewrite the institutions and hierarchies of power on THEIR whims.   Give them a couple months and they will be on to another issue.

Third, and most practical is that getting angry or disgusted at these kids is not worth your time or energy because that emotional response trains and leads the mind for want of more.   More angry responses.  More absurdities.   It's the carbohydrates of the political world.  The demand for more is a powerful urge.

There are highly trained professionals on the task I'm sure.   People talk about this over sensitivity on those same university settings all the time.   Let them handle it, and if they can't,  get back to me in 30 days.  If this is still an issue in 30 days,  it just may rise to my level of caring.

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/veggietales-is-racist-and-dangerous-for-children-california-students-claim

R.I.P. George H.W. Bush

Earlier today I put on my list to say something about the passing of G.H.W. Bush, but before I did that I was reminded of his pardon of Casper Weinberger and the whole Iran - Contra Affair.

But after some thought, and not to speak ill of the dead, I'm back to making a personal note about Mr. Bush.

In 1991 I was a student at one of America's finer Universities, the University of Pittsburgh and if I give the impression that I am embroiled in politics now, you should of avoided me in 1991.

At that time I was coming to terms with the fact that my teenage hero, Donald Trump was nothing more than a con man, and I was also campaigning locally and in other states for the GOP primary opponent of Bush, one Patrick J. Buchanan.

While then I did not have too elevated an impression of Bush, today I consider him the most underrated President of my life, if not in our history of a nation.

His steady hand at the end of the cold war, and his determination to expel Iraq from Kuwait are remarkable historical accomplishments.

I've come to learn since those early 1990's that Mr. Bush and his wife were exceptionally decent people of power.

I can't attest that personally, but it rings true from all my readings.

I had the ironic pleasure of shaking his hand, his wife's, and his chief of staff John Sununu in Nashua New Hampshire as they made their way through a sportmen convention prior to that state's Primary which ended with Mr. Buchanan stunningly polling in the 30%s.

It was a heady time for me, but also a reminder to never set your opinions of famous people in stone. During that same weekend visit to New Hampshire I was part of a group of students who spoke with Pat Buchanan on a street corner for a short time, but as fate would have it, by the early 2000's I had come to realize what a con Buchanan was too.

Now Trump and Buchanan are in the same camp, and Bush is dead. Rest in peace Mr. Bush, although I contributed in some small measure to your defeat, I must admit you were better than I gave you credit for.

Inside My Head cont.

A meme I shared sums up my inner dialog and disposition very nicely.

It's a quiet morning, and I don't write very often, so I thought I'd share some thoughts.

I don't write very often because I determined a very long time ago that the opportunity cost of writing more often is less non political thoughts coursing though my brain. Or in other words, I have enough politics in my life, and to write more often would crowd out what is non political in the pursuit of more content to share an opinion on.

We all look for signs in life to validate, reward, or indicate that the path we have chosen is the correct path to be on, for me the reality of Donald Trump posing as a conservative Republican is the clearest sign I've ever received in politics that I am on the right side.

I don't think of myself as a prophet crying out in the wilderness, nor do I fancy myself an original thinker, but I do know I put the time in, the hard work, and the willingness to expose myself to all points of view on the political spectrum.

In real life my disposition toward this era, beyond what the simple meme conveys is that elections have consequences, but also peoples choices have consequences.

Through common courtesy, and acceptance of random influences, I've made much effort to follow through on suggestions to better inform my world view. More often have I invested this time and effort with opinions and views that I initially don't agree with -- that's how to learn, in my opinion.

In the process I learned and understood friends and strangers better.

At the same time, I've suggested many, many times sources of information to people, for the same reason -- to better inform.

Let me be frank. While I come to understand that most people don't think like me, I do however weigh future investments of my time against the past performance of the effort I know that my conversationalist puts in to being informed.

Or in other words, I judge the use of my time debating or conversing with someone who doesn't share my value of education on political matters as sub optimal.

One clear indicator of that disposition toward education is whether or not they read what I offer.

Its not that hard to read an article, and it doesn't take hours. Conversely, T.V. programs and radio shows consume a lot of time.

When I bond with people over politics anymore, its more to do with acknowledging a shared commitment to ascertaining the truth of matters, than it is tribal.

If the loyalty to a tribe is evidently placed above a commitment to better understanding, that's where I'm walking away.

Kavanaugh again and again.

Impeach Kavanaugh

I intentionally wrote that headline so that anyone who only reads headlines will think I'm for impeaching Kavanaugh.

Anyways, I'm riding this wave of creativity, writing because I don't buy either side of this continuing story, and I think I have something to point out.

Tidying up my previous comments, let me quickly speak of how I've approached this confirmation process. For me it was all about Kavanaugh. How did he respond and how did professionals view him.

Ford, the accuser, had no bearing on my opinion what so ever.

Why should she? She could of accused the judge of murder, and it still lays with Brett to show his mettle.

He failed, IMO, and I was joined by a number of groups with whom I'm satisfied with.

However, just a note on the methods, but not the accuser, of the Democrats.

Sen. Feinstein pulled this ancient play out of a book so old, it must of been handed down on stone tablets.

Let's remember Ford, or correct me, did not want this made an issue. That's my understanding and so I defaulted to not chastising the accuser. Again, it was all about Kavanaugh anyways.

But Feinstein created this debacle even more so than Trump. Trump went off script, his judgement is horrible, and his pick turned out to be embarrassing, but he can't control everything.

Certainly the play was more contrived than it merited from both sides, but Kavanaugh still handled it poorly.

So the method failed in the end, and there is a large impression that it was a dirty trick by the democrats, and the Trumpers are outraged!

Spare me.

How anyone can take serious this recent discovery of ethical and good faith conduct from the Trump cult is a position that doesn't need explaining to me, it needs to be practiced to be believed and then I can take it serious.

I've been preaching about how important certain characteristics are for years now, and I don't think I've had one Trumper recognize the need for good and decent conduct from him, instead I got silly memes sent my way. Many expressing a devotion that I simply can't comprehend.

Oh, we all know the dirty trick business and the turning away from good faith with lies and false allegations but no one executes the genre better than Donald Trump.

I'm afraid I'm being redundant, but its what's making this a fun past time for me, though.

Tomorrow will be a new outrage, will the devotion to those old terms like honesty, ethics, and modesty persist in the Trump crowd, or will it fade like the bank accounts of all the marks before them?

Kavanaugh again.

No Loyalty Badge This Time Either

I think I did job of staying out of the Kavanaugh debacle. One opinion and three shares through it all, a couple real life conversations and a few hours of podcast time.

That's not bad. I was about to write loyalty has consequences, when I mean to write elections have consequences. But in either event it is what it is to a man in my station in life.

I can't see getting worked up about this either way.

To me it's just another example of Trump screwing things up. (Books have been written about this, "Everything Trump Touches Dies" by a Republican no less!)

Trump has such poor judgement that that is the constant glaring dummy light on the dashboard through all these fiascoes.

This supports my contention for this issue, Kavanaugh was not on the initial list Trump, as a candidate, offered to the country. Regardless of any other lists, for me Trump went off script...and in the process people live's have been turn inside out.

As for Kavanaugh himself, for me again, he failed. The act he pulled on that Friday was sufficient for me then, and since then my thinking has been validated by a quite a number of professionals from the law community, law community organizations, one retired Supreme Court Justice, and even *gasp* the largest christian organization of churches.

That's a company I'm happy to keep with on this issue.

Frankly, its hard to not laugh out loud to hear righteousness out of the same corners when Trump has done so much worse than testifying before a senate committee about an act decades ago.

He's done a lot worse in terms of dirty tricks. So lets not try to pass that whole dirty democrats scheme on me. Get your own house in order before you try to clean mine.

Of course I have about a chapter more to write, I'll save it. It's just not worth the aggravation.

Kavanaugh

The following commentary is to make the time I spent on the still on-going Brett Kavanaugh confirmation process worth the while.

If you already know what I'm going to write,  and don't want to hear any more,  I know the feeling.  Maybe my cathartic moment can help in some measure, but it will probably be a little judgmental, but based on some of the meme's and comments I've seen, I think we'll live.

I got a few fragmentary thoughts, maybe I'll get to voice them all, or just a few, but I begin with the introduction of the very real aspect of government called law making.

I can get into the kooky conspiratorial theories later, but yes,  there are parts of the government that can actually make a law, and if the other part of the government, the courts, rule a current law is wrong, then a new law can be written.

Over and over and over again.

Makes all the fuss about one judge a little bit dramatic, in my opinion anyways.

By the way, this understanding of government attracts me to the idea of sticking with judges who only feel compelled to do that one little thing...decide if a law is wrong.   Not that a law is wrong, and it should be {left blank;  to be filled in by judges}.

That's conservatism in jurisprudence.  Which is not synonymous with big corporation or oligarchy, yet. I naively hope.

But that doesn't condone a Christian cause(r), like the pro-life movement is,  to mutely stand by when a woman is threatened out of her home and otherwise slandered beyond reason.

For her cathartic moment?

Seems sinful to me, on these Christians,   but I'm not moralizing here.  Just reading their law,  the bible, and doing a little deciding myself.  And if I missed the memes full of christian charity, I apologize up front.  I can't see everything.

Don't get me wrong,  I don't think a Supreme Court nominee should be shielded from this moment, or tactic. Though I do expect the  FBI to investigate.    Look it,  you can have the FBI do it, or you can only have the news' journalists do it.

So yes,  lets get the FBI to do it.

(Just realizing that I got a slew of opinions I could note, but for the time and sake of brevity.)

Wouldn't the smart play, all around, be to just chill out and let this play out?

If the blue wave is coming,  law and politics will sway back before too long,  wouldn't prudence suggest be the wiser and cooler head,  win over with your patience and understanding.

Conversely, it doesn't look good to run a lady from her home either.

But its not always the means that are given thought to.  Playing within the structure of good faith and ethics is sorely lacking from both sides.  I don't understand why certain voices who have been giving pass to historic unethical and bad faith behaviors, would now have their moment.  But they are.

What would be more destabilizing than what is going on in this forum right now?

Oh I know,  civil war!   I get the idea from some of the memes being shared around that use those words in various agitations  -- "civil war."

Do me a favor and don't count me in, in this war between tribes.

Someone who is not an ancestors of mine, because mine came over in a boat about 125 years ago, secured me rights and freedoms and established a government over 200 years ago that is better than its citizens of today grasp, and I don't want to mess that up because Democrats and Republicans, opposing tribes, can't be civil to each other.

https://www.google.com/search?q=brett+kavanaugh&rlz=1CAHPZQ_enUS793US793&oq=brett&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0j69i60j69i59j69i60j0.2581j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

"Fear" Bob Woodward

This would be the space where I write my review of "Fear" by legendary Washington Post investigative journalist Bob Woodward.  If there was only one thing I could look forward to after the swearing in, it would be what Woodward would write.  He's been at this longer than I've been alive, he's covered every era since Nixon.

But the value of this book to me maybe different than another reader's, because  this book went beyond an expose of the President's managerial skill,  it also aligned the players within the administration in ways that would be unremarkable, if it were not for the non-conformist in charge.

What this book revealed, beyond the dysfunction and dishonesty, which everyone should know by now, is how Trump's cabinet and administration barely resembled a team of advisers who were believers akin to the believers who voted for Trump in the first place.

For a man revered due to the perception that his competence and judgement  allow him to recognize our nations flaws like no other has, therefore a singular hope to fix them,   one could argue his first round of selections to join his team were anything but confirmation of this skill set.

His cabinet would look like my cabinet if I were making selections based on the greatness I already knew this country was basking in, and I wanted to continue that tract.

SPOILER ALERT:  Most of those cabinet members are gone now.  Which actually is a condemnation in and of itself...what kind of genius would select so many at odds with himself in the first place anyways? 

Perversely,  and why not perversely, the revelation that many members of Trump's administration and Cabinet were so proactively against their boss, it has forced me to temper a certain criticism I have had with Trump!

I just haven't decided if I'm happy with that or not.

The criticism that I have to amend is over the timing of the tariffs.   I admit,  I used the timing of the tariffs as evidence that trump was not that great negotiator that he would have me believe he is.  I argued that he promised these tariffs during the campaign, but it took him well over a year to enact them.  Long enough a delay to allow China, for example, to pin point reciprocal tariffs where they would hurt the most  --  the American farmer.   As well as make other arrangements for their agriculture goods, to our long term detriment.

Turns out that Trump wanted to slap tariffs on from the get go, but the newly revealed 'Steady State' kept him from doing so.  But like I said,  many of those actors are gone, with the ultimate affect that Trump is now getting his own way.

Is that good or bad?   It's a deeper question than that,  ask yourself is it good or bad that Trump had this sabotage, is that treasonous?

Again, what kind of genius would hire these type of people in the first place?

Aside from that personal revelation, this book was a tremendous and quick read.   A real page turner,  a look inside the Trump White House, and the perceptions that the closest people to him, have of him.

Those perceptions too are closer to what I had in mind, than say your average Trump supporter.  I'll let the words of his cabinet speak for themselves.  But I won't put them in print here,  too much vulgarity and besides,  most of those descriptions  were revealed already in the press.

Evidently Rex Tillerson did call Trump a,  'f*&^%$# moron' but he wasn't alone.

https://amzn.to/2MJyq6y

A Point about the Details

I have a point to make about the Mueller investigation that as obvious as it is, I think needs explaining. The point is simply that for so much of what Mueller will ultimately report, it will already of been known to the public, and the world.

Well, in fact a lot of disparate facts come from all over the world, and all we are waiting for is the finishing touches on the compilation of facts. Facts that again, are mostly well known.

The facts that are known can be had for the price of a book, or on the web for free! What we are waiting for is the disclosure of the facts not readily available, information that only can be had by authorities. When all that is needed to know is known, then Mr. Mueller should release his report.

Why argue against that? To whose benefit?

I'm not really conjecturing here, I don't know what the ultimate narrative will hold, but I have a pretty strong impression. Never the less, suggestions that a lack of leaks equates to a lack of facts is wrong. There are a lot of facts, and no leaks mean only that there are no leaks.

Yet no leaks shouldn't be a surprise either. The expectations of leaks, which I grant is a rational expectation in most instances, but not during this investigation headed up by Robert Mueller. That expectation suggest only that another failure to investigate people has been made, Mueller doesn't leak.

A big failure to vet was on Trump's part, that is without a doubt. How far it was intentional is something we may find out.

By the way, if I failed to mention it, all the facts that are publicly known have come predominately via a diligent and free press here in the States, and around the world.

Adopting the position Trump trumpets in that the Press is the enemy is perhaps one of the biggest failure of anyone's judgement. Never has it been considered wise counsel for a leader to advocate that the people support him in suppressing the free press.

It is something that I could not of conceived prior to its voicing and tweeting.

Let that soak in, I don't need a free press to hear the President, he has a platform to get straight to the people -- social media. What we wouldn't have if Trump had his way, is a way to ascertain the truth. Prior to the release of the Mueller investigation and in so much more.

It's certainly not in my best interest for the press to be attacked the way it is by Trump, why would it be in anyone's but Trump, in this particular instance at least?

How do Patriots rank HIM higher than the First Amendment?

My parting thought is imagining a constituency that protects the rights we have is an accomplishment; taking pride in what Thomas Jefferson or James Madison wrote is nothing. You and I didn't do that, they did. We however elected a President our founders meant to protect us from.