Owen | Boots & Sabers

Netanyahu Meets With Biden and Harris Separately

by Owen | 0656, 26 Jul 2424 | Foreign Affairs, Politics | 3 Comments

Vice President Kamala Harris — who is seeking to succeed Biden — met with Netanyahu later in the day and took the lead in addressing the public about their discussions.

She has been more outspoken than Biden about killed Palestinian civilians and called on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid in, and later stressed the importance for Israel to avoid more civilian casualties in Gaza.

I ask the question sincerely. Now, Netanyahu is an old hand and knows the nuances of American politics very well. He’ll be fine. But it is extremely weird and unsettling for the President and the Vice President to meet separately for foreign heads of state and give different messages. How is a foreign leader to interpret that? Who is speaking for America? Who’s policy is in force?

It may seem obvious that it is the president’s, but is it? His brain is mush and he can’t effectively communicate. Biden clearly allowed his VP to meet separately. Is the foreign leader to interpret that as the meeting with the president was for show and the meeting with the VP was the real one? If Biden is already acting as the president in setting and leading America’s foreign policy, then was that power delegated from the president?

This is not normal. This is not right. We should not pretend that it is.

Republicans Get Out Early Defining Harris

by Owen | 0649, 26 Jul 2424 | Politics | 2 Comments

This is good to see. Republicans are out early to define Harris. What this doesn’t account for is the billions of dollars of free media that Harris is getting from a media that is covering for her as a fellow traveler in the struggle. But it’s still good to see the Republicans being active and smart. That’s rare.

Overall, Trump and his allies are outspending Harris’ team 25-to-1 on television and radio advertising — more than $68 million for Republicans compared to just $2.6 million for Democrats — in the period that began on Monday, the day after Biden stepped aside, through the end of August, according to an AP analysis of data compiled by the media tracking firm AdImpact.

The stunning disparity reflects actual spending for this week and reservations for subsequent weeks, which will almost certainly change in the coming days. But for now, the numbers highlight a dangerous imbalance for Democrats at the very moment that millions of voters are re-shaping their opinions of the vice president, who has spent much of the last four years in Biden’s shadow.

Alleged Sabotage Disrupts Rail Traffic Before Olympics

by Owen | 0640, 26 Jul 2424 | Crime, Foreign Affairs | 0 Comments

Olympics are going to be entertaining in many ways.

French rail company SNCF says 800,000 passengers have been affected by what the country’s Prime Minister Gabriel Attal described as “acts of sabotage”.

A series of fires caused the disruptions early on Friday morning, hours before the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

Several high-speed TGV lines have been hit to the west, north and east of the capital and SNCF has warned the disruption could last for days. Eurostar has also warned customers of longer journey times and cancellations.

Airlines Look for Profit

by Owen | 0704, 25 Jul 2424 | Economy | 5 Comments

Airlines continue to feel the pressure of rising costs and a fickle consumer. There are two interesting moves in the news. The first is Southwest:

Earlier Thursday, Southwest announced that it will do away with its open seating plan and offer some seats on its Boeing aircraft that have extra legroom and add overnight flights, the biggest changes to its business model in its more than five decades of flying. The changes, which start next year, would make Southwest more like its network carrier rivals.

Open seating is a key differentiator and facilitates their boarding methodology too. They are abandoning this differentiator so that they can upsell better seating like other airlines do. Personally, I dislike open seating, but I know a lot of loyal Southwest fliers who swear by it. Will it work for Southwest or will they be just another airline? Time will tell.

Then there is American Airlines:

“We’ve used a lot of sticks. We’ve got to put some more carrots in place and make sure that our product is available wherever customers want to buy it,” Isom said at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions conference on Wednesday.

American in February said it would limit some travel agency bookings from being eligible to earn AAdvantage frequent flyer miles. Isom said Wednesday that the airline would reverse that decision.

“That’s off,” Isom said. “We’re not doing that because it would create confusion and disruption for our end customer.”

After terrible earnings, American is backing off on a sales strategy to cut out travel agents and aggregator booking sites. The strategy pushed a lot of potential customers away who buy through those channels.

Personally, I am a Delta flier and most familiar with them. I’ve been a perennial platinum, occasionally diamond, flier for 20 years. The changes that Delta has made in recent years is making me fly with them less. The benefits for being a frequent flier are less attractive and harder to get. Meanwhile, their ticket prices are often higher. This has me shopping flights instead of just going with Delta. I know a number of other Delta fliers who are doing the same. If the experience is the same as any other airline, then why bother being loyal?

I don’t know what the answer is for airlines. They seem to have figured out the capacity/demand issue. I rarely see an empty plane anymore. The availability and quality of remote meeting technology has raised the bar for when business travel is necessary. Leisure travelers are very cost conscious. I expect that the only solution is further consolidation of the airline market and further erosion of routes until they reach reliable profitability. The result will be fewer flight options for consumers and an even worse travel experience.

FBI Director Spins Conspiracy Theories

by Owen | 0641, 25 Jul 2424 | Crime, Politics | 1 Comment

The FBI is utterly corrupt and needs to be stripped down to the lab and records and left as nothing more than a support agency for state and local law enforcement.

The FBI‘s director has cast doubt on whether Donald Trump was struck by a bullet during the attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania political rally.

Christopher Wray was updating Congress about the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler on Wednesday when he made the explosive statement.

‘With respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,’ Wray said.

Biden Passes the Torch

by Owen | 1712, 24 Jul 2424 | Politics | 4 Comments

I’m not even going to comment on the story. The mixed metaphor in this headline from the AP made my eye twitch.

Biden passed that torch slowly, hanging on until the wheels finally came off

Hartford School Board Protects Girls

by Owen | 0652, 24 Jul 2424 | Crime, Education, Law, Politics - Wisconsin | 0 Comments

Good for them. We win back this country at the local level with work like this.

HARTFORD — The Hartford Union High School (HUHS) Board voted not to accept a revised definition of the term “sex” under Title IX on Monday night.

[…]

The current HUHS process regarding students wanting to use different pronouns or a different name would not change. The school would still contact the parents and set up a meeting or have conversations with the parents, and only the parents’ written permission would allow HUHS to address the student by that name or pronouns.

Chicago Politicians Brace for Wave of Illegals Ahead of DNC Convention

by Owen | 2057, 23 Jul 2424 | Politics | 0 Comments

Cry harder.

CHICAGO — Chicago is bracing for as many as 25,000 migrants to arrive by bus ahead of the Democratic National Convention, city leaders said Tuesday.

The high-end estimate from Deputy Mayor of Immigration Beatriz Ponce de León came as Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration defended its policy of evicting migrants who stay in city shelters longer than 60 days. That removal policy could be much needed if Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott holds true on promises to send Chicago many more migrants in the next few weeks in order to try to make the migrant crisis a Democratic problem, she argued.

[…]

The “fully expected” surge would be in sharp contrast with the current migrant count. The number of people living in city migrant shelters has steadily declined for months — down from around 15,000 in December to 5,667 Monday — and costs have fallen too.

But leaders have long feared the possibility of a pre-DNC spike in buses and planes like the ones that have carried over 45,000 migrants to Chicago over the past two years. Those worries only grew last week when Abbott touted the effort at the Republican National Convention.

“Those buses will continue to roll until we finally secure our border,” Abbott said.

Notice how proud they are of how the number of people in the shelters has decreased. Those people are not going home. They are going into the neighborhoods. They are taking jobs. They are putting their kids in schools. They are collecting welfare. They are increasing the demands for housing and services. They aren’t disappearing.

Wisconsin’s Government Schools Are Flush With Cash

by Owen | 2039, 23 Jul 2424 | Education, Politics - Wisconsin | 0 Comments

We keep spending and spending and the performance is stagnant to declining. After a minimum floor of spending is met, there is no positive correlation between school spending and educational outcomes.

(The Center Square) – Public schools in Wisconsin are spending nearly $1,000 more per-student than a decade ago, despite falling enrollment and flat test scores.

The latest spending information from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction shows public schools in the state spent $17,697 per-student in 2022. That’s down from the $18,088 in 2020, but about $1,000 more than what schools were spending in 2011.

Will Flanders with the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty say those are inflation-adjusted number and show most schools in Wisconsin have plenty of money to spend.

9 of 10 Fastest Growing Cities are in Texas

by Owen | 1710, 23 Jul 2424 | Culture | 1 Comment

Evil Republicans creating an environment that people want to live in.

And between 2020 and 2023, that seems to have been true of population growth.

Nine of the 10 U.S. cities and towns where populations grew at the fastest clip during that period are found in the Lone Star State, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data on places with populations of 20,000 or more at any point between April 2020 and July 2023.

Democrats Support Felon Foreign Agent in Senate

by Owen | 1703, 23 Jul 2424 | Crime, Politics | 0 Comments

The fact that this corrupt POS is allowed to keep his seat in the Senate and leave in a manner of his own choosing speaks volumes. However, I don’t think anyone is listening anymore.

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez will resign his office on Aug. 20 following the conviction in his federal corruption trial, according to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

Murphy, who will select an interim replacement, said Tuesday afternoon he has received Menendez’s resignation letter.

In the resignation letter to Murphy, obtained by ABC News, Menendez said he intends to appeal the verdict but does not want the “Senate to be involved in a lengthy process that will detract from its important work.”

This is what Democrats support:

Sen. Bob Menendez was found guilty on all counts Tuesday in his federal corruption trial.

Federal prosecutors in New York alleged the New Jersey Democrat accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in the form of cash, gold bars, mortgage payments and more in exchange for the senator’s political clout. Three New Jersey businessmen who were also charged, along with the governments of Egypt and Qatar, were the alleged recipients. Two of those co-defendants, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, were also convicted of all counts they faced.

I’m Not Into Conspiracy Theories, But…

by Owen | 1635, 23 Jul 2424 | Crime, Politics | 1 Comment

Meh. It’s not an act of honor or worthy of respect if it is only done after being forced into it.

US Secret Service director Kim Cheatle has resigned after security failures surrounding an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

“As your director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” Ms Cheatle said in a resignation letter to agency staff on Tuesday.

She had faced calls from both Democrats and Republicans to step down after a contentious House committee hearing on Monday about the incident.

Lawmakers became increasingly frustrated when she refused to answer questions about the shooting at Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania earlier this month.

For a few days after the assassination attempt on Trump, I took it for what it looked like. It was a loony, disaffected, young man – probably radicalized by toxic anti-Trump rhetoric – who acted out his hate trying to enter immortality. I don’t usually go for conspiracy theories – Occam’s Razor and whatnot.

But after the infuriating testimony of Cheatle, the missing recordings, the refusal to beef up Trump’s protection after repeated requests, the deliberately ignored perfect shooting platform, the encrypted comms, and more and more and more. I’m beginning to think there’s more to this.

Harris Doubles Down on Biden Legacy

by Owen | 1954, 22 Jul 2424 | Politics | 5 Comments

Welp, at least she’s taking ownership of the crap sandwich that is the Biden presidency.

“I wanted to say a few words about our president. Joe Biden’s legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history,” Harris said. “In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who have served two terms in office.”

[…]

“I first came to know President Biden through his son Beau. We worked together as attorneys general in our states,” Harris said at the White House event, referring to his late son.

“And back then, Beau would often tell me stories about his dad. He would talk about the kind of father and the kind of man that Joe Biden is. The qualities that Beau revered in his father are the same qualities that I have seen every day in our president. His honesty, his integrity, his commitment to his faith and his family, his big heart and his love, deep love of our country,” she said.

And it looks like we’re not going to escape the insufferable Biden family stories.

It is an interesting strategy by Harris. Realistically, she’s been a deep throated supporter of Biden’s policies throughout his term and during his failed reelection bid. With 106 days until election day, she doesn’t have time to reinvent herself or carve our a differentiated platform. It’s really her only play.

So I expect Harris to talk about abortion, Trump is evil, and abortion until election day. That’s it. And any pushback against anything she says or does will be called “racist” and/or “misogynist.” That’s the playbook.

Illegals Upset that Joe Dropped Out

by Owen | 0722, 22 Jul 2424 | Politics | 1 Comment

The AP actually did something useful and interviewed some of the illegals who are staging in Mexico before illegally entering the U.S. They are bigly upset that Biden dropped out because they liked his open border.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/migrants-mexico-react-joe-bidens-013631650.html

Biden (Joe/Jill/Hunter) Drops Out of Race

by Owen | 1357, 21 Jul 2424 | Politics | 9 Comments

I woke up from a delightful Sunday afternoon nap to this news. Imagine Biden’s surprise when he gets up from his!

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a letter posted to his X account.

A couple of quick comments that I’m sure will be made better elsewhere:

– It is telling that he did not share this news with the American people in person through a press conference or public address. Doing it in a letter is unmanly and cowardly.

– He had no choice but to support Harris. Internal Democratic dynamics would allow nothing else. She will have to defend Biden’s terrible record. She is a uniquely unlikeable person, so expect every retort to her to be characterized as racist and sexist. It’s the only arrow they have in the quiver.

– Speaking of Harris, it is telling that the other Democratic contenders have not yet challenged her. That seems to say that they know it is a lost cause and are willing to wait for 2028.

– President Biden should step down immediately. His presidency is no longer tenable. If he is too feeble to be a candidate for president, then he is too feeble to BE president. If he refuses, then the Republicans should move to remove him from office through impeachment – the only tool available to them. Is it politically smart? Probably not, but our nation deserves a president with a fully functioning brain and to have Hunter as far away from the nuclear codes as possible.

– Speaking of Hunter, he will be pardoned.

– Biden’s political career is dying as it lived – in lies and failure. May our nation be able to recover from the damage he has wrought.

Hunter Deploys Trump Defense

by Owen | 0634, 19 Jul 2424 | Crime, Law, Politics | 0 Comments

I’m not a lawyer, but this seems to hold some merit. Some.

Attorneys for President Joe Biden‘s son Hunter Biden, citing the recent decision by a federal judge in Florida to dismiss the classified documents case against Donald Trump, filed a pair of motions in California and Delaware Thursday seeking to dismiss both federal criminal cases against him.

“The Attorney General relied upon the exact same authority to appoint the Special Counsel in both the Trump and Biden matters, and both appointments are invalid for the same reason,” attorneys for Biden argued in the filings.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ruled this week that special counsel Jack Smith‘s appointment in Trump’s classified documents case was unconstitutional, prompting several legal observers to argue that the same logic should apply to Hunter Biden.

Cannon’s order, however, draws a distinction between Smith and other special counsels.

Attorney General Merrick Garland pulled Smith from The Hague, where he was prosecuting war criminals — not the Justice Department. By contrast, the special counsel in Hunter Biden’s cases, David Weiss, previously served as U.S. Attorney in Delaware, where he had been appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Cannon characterized Smith as a “private citizen exercising the full power of a United States Attorney,” saying that his appointment was unconstitutional because it “effectively usurps” the authority of Congress.

Biden’s Gaza Pier Works as Well as Everything Else in His Administration

by Owen | 0712, 18 Jul 2424 | Military, Politics | 10 Comments

What an utter waste and embarrassment.

The US military has ended its mission to operate a temporary floating pier to deliver more aid to the Gaza Strip, after it was beset by weather, technical and security problems.

Supplies from Cyprus would now by shipped by US vessels to the Israeli port of Ashdod and then transported by lorry to northern Gaza via an Israeli-controlled crossing, the deputy head of Central Command said.

Vice-Adm Brad Cooper insisted the pier had enabled a “surge” in aid deliveries, noting that more than 9,000 tonnes had been delivered over two months.

However, it was operational for only about 20 days and had been out of action since 28 June because of bad weather.

What Admiral Cooper does not say is that most, or all, of that 9,000 tons was immediately stolen and used by Hamas. This entire story was an utter failure and a fiasco.

ATF Used Firearms Records to Identify Killer

by Owen | 1711, 17 Jul 2424 | Crime, Firearms | 0 Comments

It’s almost as if the fears of gun rights folks are valid.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives analysts at a facility in West Virginia search through millions of documents by hand every day to try to identify the provenance of guns used in crimes. Typically, the bureau takes around eight days to track a weapon, though for urgent traces that average falls to 24 hours.

[…]

In an era of high-tech evidence gathering, including location data and a trove of evidence from cell phones and other electronic devices used by shooting suspects, ATF agents have to search through paper records to find a gun’s history.

In some cases, those records have even been kept on microfiche or were held in shipping containers, sources told CNN, especially for some of the closed business records like in this case.

The outdated records-keeping system stems from congressional laws that prohibit the ATF from creating searchable digital records, in part because gun rights groups for years have fanned fears that the ATF could create a database of firearm owners and that it could eventually lead to confiscation.

Democrats Worried About Biden’s Ability to Win

by Owen | 1703, 17 Jul 2424 | Politics | 0 Comments

Yep

Put aside the alarming debate performance, the concerning polls and the god-awful vibes: The reason Democrats are still in disarray over the viability of President Joe Biden’s candidacy is because President Joe Biden keeps demonstrating, in each and every public appearance, that the concerns about his fitness and ability to campaign vigorously for the next four months — to say nothing of governing for another four years — are devastatingly valid.

[…]

Biden’s calls with skeptical Democrats are reportedly much worse. Speaking to Puck’s Julia Ioffe, an anonymous Democratic lawmaker said the president only validated criticism in a Saturday call with moderate members of the House caucus.

“The president was rambling, dismissive of concerns, [and] unable or unprepared to present a campaign strategy,” the lawmaker said.

“The call was even worse than the debate,” said another participant. “He was rambling; he’d start an answer then lose his train of thought, then would just say ‘whatever.’ I lost a ton of respect for him.”

So far 20 Democratic members of Congress have explicitly called on Biden to drop out. The number all but calling on him to drop out is much higher.

“I think if he is our nominee, I think we lose,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., recently told donors, according to The New York Times. That’s a sentiment reportedly shared by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who has been “working the phones” to organize opposition to Biden’s candidacy, fearing he won’t just lose the White House but cost Democrats the House and Senate.

Biden Proposes Stacking the Supreme Court

by Owen | 2031, 16 Jul 2424 | Law, Politics | 11 Comments

Who is a threat to the Republic? It’s quite rich that Biden – a man who has been in government so long that he is going senile in office – would propose term limits.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is seriously considering proposals to establish term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices, and an ethics code that would be enforceable under law amid growing concerns that the justices are not held accountable, according to three people briefed on the plans.

It would mark a major shift for Biden, the former head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who has long resisted calls to reform the high court, though since taking office he has been increasingly vocal about his belief that the court is abandoning mainstream constitutional interpretation. The details were first reported by The Washington Post.

Any changes would require congressional approval, which would be unlikely in a divided Congress. But with Republican nominee Donald Trump bragging about putting the three justices on the high court who are now part of the conservative majority, Biden’s call for major changes could help animate his voters.

The Supreme Court leaned to the Left for my entire life until it swung to the Right under Trump. Republicans worked the entire time to win elections and try to make good selections (only about 50/50 successful) to change the philosophical makeup of the court. The Democrats just can’t stand it and don’t want to put in the work to swing it back. Instead, they just want to change the rules to make it easier for them.

This will never make it into law. If it did, this court would likely strike it down anyway. But the fact that Biden is willing to go there to appease his rabid Marxist base speaks to how much our Republic is on the knife’s edge.

Boots & Sabers