Thursday, June 30, 2016

The Harbor House Restaurant, Cape Town, South Africa: Was it "A Taste of Apartheid."

Three of us went shopping and eating dinner last night at the fashionable Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town. We were a tall African American woman, a not as tall Puerto Rican Latina who was a Navy veteran, and myself, an olive skinned Caucasian. We were obviously casually but appropriately attired tourists with bags of swag. There was nothing grungy or mangy about us. The Harbor House Restaurant was recommended to us. It proclaims itself to be the oldest restaurant on the waterfront, which it literally adjoins. It features seafood. It has a main level and a smaller lower level closest to the water. We entered the Harbor House. Only one table was occupied. The hostess asked us first if we had reservations. Only one table was occupied at the time. We said no. She then asked if we wanted to sit on the lower level. Our response was: “Is it warm?” Cape Town gets very chilly during winter. The answer was “Yes,” so we assented. As we sat down, we realized it wasn’t so warm. We also noticed that the lower deck was out of sight of the main deck. Hmm! We started thinking. Then they sat a young African couple at a nearby table, followed by three young, casually dressed tourists on the other side, topped off by a group of six Asians at the far table. The main level was still mostly empty. It quickly became obvious what was happening. We were on the poop deck reserved for the less desirables. We interfered with the ambience of the main level. We noticed when we left that the main level was still ¼ empty, but the patrons were all in their 40’s and 50’s nicely dressed. It was clear that our money was desirable, but not our presence. The thought that came almost simultaneously was “A Touch of Apartheid.” What about the food? It was OK – nothing spectacular. It was Ok for the price. Almost everything is OK for the price in Cape Town with a 15:1 rate of exchange with the South African Rand to the American dollar. My bill was bout 260 Rand with the value added tax and tip, in other words about $17.50. I don’t do seafood, so I ordered the prime cut of beef. It tasted fine, but I have no idea what the goop was on the beef on the poop deck. The waiter impressed us with his memory of United States capitols, although he mixed up North and South Dakota – an easy mistake to make. That was the high point of the meal.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Trump, Clinton, Warren and Obama Need to Disclose

Trump, Clinton, Warren and Obama need to disclose Donald Trump is refusing to release his tax returns pending the resolution of a years’ long audit. No audit or law prevents him from disclosing. Clearly he doesn’t want to. The assumption is that something is in the thousands of pages that would be embarrassing to him. Secretary Clinton refuses to release the transcripts of her speeches to Goldman Sachs and others. She gave three speeches at $225,000 each to Goldman Sachs. The actual cost to Goldman Sachs was greater than $225,000. The speeches were each 20 minutes long. In addition to the fee, her contracts also call for a private jet, preferably a Gulf Stream 450 or larger, and $1,000 per day for a transcriber to transcribe the presentations. Thus copies of her speeches exist in her hands. Her staff are to receive first class or business class tickets to the events. In addition, two members of her staff are to be on the site within three days of the presentation to set up. All local meals and transportation are to be included in their charges. Finally, as unbefitting a self-proclaimed candidate of the people, she is to receive the Presidential suite at the hotel and up to three adjoining rooms. Never forget, Secretary Clinton, the self-proclaimed candidate of the people battling against inequality, has said she has not driven a car in two decades. What could be so valuable to Goldman Sachs to pay $675,000 to Secretary Clinton for 60 minutes? It come out to about 187.50/second, and an hourly rate of $11,250. Even Wall Street lawyers don’t charge that much. We know the speeches were transcribed, so make them available. Senator Elizabeth Warren is apparently a faux Indian, claiming to be American Indian to use affirmative action to receive privileged teaching positions, for which she was otherwise unqualified, first at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and then Harvard Law School. Senator Scott Brown said it best yesterday: “She can take a DNA test.” The fuller text is “She’s not Native American, She’s not 1/32, She has no Native American background except for what her family told her. “The easy answer, as you all know, is that Harvard and Penn can release the records. She can authorize the release of the release of these records, she can take a DNA test. She can release the records herself. The DNA test is available from both Ancestry.com and 23&me for $99-199. The millionaire candidate, again of the people, who made millions representing Dow Chemical, Travelers Insurance, LTV Steel, and other corporate clients. She is both a faux Native American and faux populist. Senator Brown calls her “a total fraud.” Donald Trump refers to Senator Warren as Pocahontas, but now says he owes Pocahontas an apology because his remark is an insult to the real Indian. The Democratic ticket has a compulsive liar at the top and perhaps a total fraud as VEEP. What does that say about the modern Democratic Party? As for President Obama, questions have arisen over what is in his academic files from Occidental, Columbia, and Penn. Is it his grades, his SAT and LSAT scores, or is it something he included about his place of origin? I was never a Birther. I’ve always believed that whether he was born in Hawaii, Kenya, Indonesia or the moon did not matter because he was born to a United States citizen, and hence was a U.S. citizen from the time of birth. However, he may have falsely something in those files that could have given him an edge in admissions or financial aid. Maybe he’s not as bright as many believe he is. Who knows? Secretary of State Kerry’s academic records at Yale showed that President Bush, the supposedly intellectually challenged George W. Bush, out-performed Secretary Kerry at Yale. Kerry is a faux intellectual. No law requires disclosure of any of this information. I say to all: Release the damn information!

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Brexit and the United States: Brexit and Donald Trump May be the Same

The British voted 51.1% to 48.9% to leave the European Union. They voted to exit when the poling trend said the British would stay in. They voted to exit against the parade of horrors that were threatened if they left. Even United States President Obama went to England and threatened Great Britain would be at the “back of the queue” on trade deals if the British passed Brexit. That threat did not help the cause of Britain remaining in the EU. They voted to exit against the recommendations of most of their political leaders. They voted to exit against the wishes of the global international community. They voted to exit even if it might cause economic injury to the British economy. They voted to exit against warnings that Brexit might cause Scotland and Northern Ireland to secede from Great Britain. (The British actually wanted to pull out of Northern Ireland decades ago, so that’s not much of a threat.) The Brits voted to leave because they could. We call it Democracy. The Brits voted to leave because they value their independence. The English nation has consistently acted independently from the European mainland, choosing issues and allies on an ad hoc basis to further England’s goals. They did not vote to exit because, as some have said, the British voters were dumb, ignorant, or stupid. They voted after a spirited debate. They knew why they were voting with the highest turnout in decades. History will tell if it was a wise move or not The British, who only reluctantly entered the EU and retained the Pound rather than the Euro as its currency, voted to leave because they do not like the developments of the past two decades. The British people had several issues with the EU, but most centered directly or indirectly on an unelected EU bureaucracy in Brussels dictating policy. The EU central planners dictated policies and uniformity on critical issues, such as the environment, taxation, trade, and immigration. England as an independent island nation has welcomed refugees for centuries. It has an increasing Muslim population, mostly from the former colonies even before the recent wave of refugees fleeing the chaos in the Mideast. However, the British have noticed a great lack of assimilation in the newer immigrants accompanied by increased crime, “homegrown terrorism, such as the London subway bombings in 2005, and British citizens, such as Jihadi John, joining ISIS. They see the attacks in France and Belgium and want no more. They see the San Bernardino and Orlando and don’t like what they see Yet, they are being told by their political leaders and the EU to accept more Syrian refugees. They say no. They benefit from many of the EU open borders trade policy, but too many workers, as in the United States, have lost their jobs through globalization. They see an increasing inequality between the people and the financial class. They see their political leaders ignoring their views, except at election time. The opposition to the EU was what Americans would call bi-partisan, from Conservative and Labor supporters and members, from the left and the right - not from the leaders of both parties, who ignored them. Older voters, as in the United States, turned out in droves to reject the EU and maintain the Great Britain they grew up in and remember. The young voters apparently stayed home and did not turn out to vote. The English had a real opportunity to cast a meaningful vote. They did so. The Brexit voters are the Trump supporters in the primaries. Immigration, global trade, taxes, bad leadership, the non-elites – those are his issues. Whether it will be enough to win in November remains to be seen, but the Americans and British have a special relationship.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

House Democrats Are Staging a Sit-In: Why??????

Most House Democrats, accompanied by several Democratic Senators, are engaged in a new exercise in futility. They are demanding that the House vote on gun control measures that have zero chance of enactment, already having been rejected by the Senate. The Democrats couldn't enact gun control when they controlled the House, Senate, and Presidency during President Obama's first two years in office. They certainly cannot do it now. They are demanding passage of a bill that will prohibit forbid persons on the Do Not Fly List or watch list from purchasing guns. That’s a very superficially appealing objective. The Do Not Fly List has a presumption of guilt before innocence and is notoriously inaccurate. For example, Steve Hayes of the Weekly Standard, a commentator for Fox News, was on the list. Senator Ted Kennedy had TSA problems, as did Congressman John Lewis, the civil rights icon, who ironically is leading the House sit-in. If passed, this measure would not have prevented the following shooting tragedies: Orlando San Bernardino Aurora, Colorado Sandy Hook Virginia Tech Columbine Chattanooga Charleston Isla Vista Santa Monica Seal Beach Brookfield Oakland Tucson Minneapolis Oak Creek Fort Hood Umpqua Community College Colorado Springs And the list goes on The hundreds of killings, often gang related, in Chicago, Baltimore, South Central LA, and the rest of our inner cities Nor would it have saved the lives of any law enforcement officers who have been murdered in recent years. It would not have stopped any of the shooting tragedies - none of them! The Democrats are employing the Rahm Emmanuel philosophy of never letting a good emergency go to waste. They are hoping to gin up public support for some version of gun control, whether or not it will solve in whole or part the problem. The House Democrats have resorted to the sit-in as a publicity stunt. These are not college students protesting the Vietnam War, CIA recruiters, or demanding freedom of speech. One irony of the sit-in is that the Democrats were filmed bringing food into the House- food from Chick-fil A, which I thought they were boycotting as anti-gay. These are our elected representatives who presumably have no better use of their time. House Speaker Ryan says it is just a publicity stunt. Yes, but it does serve one crazed, deceptive goal of the Democratic leadership: Deflect publicity and attention from Radical Islam Terrorism If so, how cynical, perverted, sad and tragic!

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Hillary Clinton's Economic Program

Based on Hillary’s speeches on Tuesday and today, and previous statements, after cutting through the rhetoric, these are her actual economic proposals: Raise the minimum wage Increase social security Expand ObamaCare Invest in clean energy, Infrastructure, and medical and scientific research Free college Give benefits to coal miners losing their jobs to the War on Coal Expanded benefits to working families Paid family leave Stop fracking and the Keystone Pipeline Tax the rich Tax the banks Tax the hedge funds These are the continuation of the past 7 ½ years of the stagnant recovery of the Obama Administration It's the free lunch agenda Note to readers: A government which exists to redistribute income will end up with no income to redistribute.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Can Donald Trump Win the Presidency In Spite of Himself?

Campaigns have highs and lows, peaks and valleys, ebbs and flows. Donald Trump’s campaign is in the dumps right now. The media, which provided him hundreds of millions of free publicity during the primary campaign for the entertainment value, has reverted to its true liberal self. The media led by the New York Times have assumed a Dump Trump posture. Donald Trump had an opportunity to attack Hillary Clinton for a month after clinching the Republican nomination. Instead, he went off on his by now standard harangues, including a personal attack on a judge in a legal dispute. Derogatorily calling Judge Curiel a “Mexican” was just plain stupid. It reeks of racism. Attention was negatively focused on Trump instead of Clinton. It’s called an unforced error in tennis. We would call it a case of the “Galloping Dumbs.” He continues to attack Republican leaders instead of trying to unify the party. It’s “his way all the way’ or a torrent of vituperation. His remarks feed into the Obama focus group vetted talking point that he lacks the temperament to be President, even though she is notorious for her explosive temper. He has depended upon the cult of personality while the Clinton machine is organizing a formidable ground campaign; i.e. getting out the vote. Twitter feeds are no substitute for ads and a disciplined ground game. Governors can use their political organizations to help get the vote out for Presidential campaign. The good news is that the battleground states of Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin have Republican governors, as do Illinois, Maryland, and Massachusetts The bad news is that these governors are not supporting him. Their organizations are not available to Donald Trump. Governors who have either said they will not support him, or are remaining quiet. They include Kasich of Ohio, Snyder of Michigan, Walker of Wisconsin, Hogan of Wisconsin, Rauner of Illinois, and Scott of Florida. . You can’t viciously attack elected officials, such as Senator McCain or Governor Martinez, and then expect support from them. His list of castigated enemies is large and growing. His campaign has little money in the bank and currently spending zero on advertising, whereas the Clinton Campaign is running ads in the battleground states. 2/3 of the ads feature the softer side of Hillary Clinton. He has minimal support among non-whites. He probably can’t win on white votes alone. He’s giving the otherwise unpopular Hillary Clinton a reason for Americans to vote for her: she’s not Trump. Here’s why Donald Trump still has a chance in spite himself. He’s not Hillary Clinton. She may be less disliked than Donald Trump, but her unfavorables still exceed her favorables. To quote the Bill Clinton campaign: “It’s the economy, stupid.” It’s still a moribund economy under President Obama. Hillary wants to be Obama’s successor. Donald Trump has created jobs. The only jobs Hillary Clinton has created are chauffers. Even with the past weeks of negatives even with the media’s Dump Trump blitz, Hillary Clinton is not blowing Donald Trump out of the race. She cannot put him away early in the general campaign. Donald Trump can run by repeatedly emphasizing a few themes: It’s the economy It’s immigration It’s global trade It’s terrorism. And, for good measure, It’s all about gun control. Leave the personal crap behind. Cut the vicious remarks. Don’t continue to behave as if he must respond, often viciously, to every slight, insult, or criticism. Leave the skin thin behind with Corey Levandowski. Take advantage of bad news, such as poor economic data. There will probably be more terrorist attacks before November. Attack the Obama-Clinton Administration as clueless and incompetent in fighting terrorism. Hammer Radical Islamic Terrorism! Make peace, not war with Republicans. At some point during the long campaign, Hillary Clinton will say something incredibly stupid, especially when she gets off her focus group programmed talking points. Even the media won’t be able to ignore. Hammer it home. Remind Americans why they don’t like Hillary Clinton. Why Donald Trump can still win? The American people are looking for a leader. Hillary Clinton is not a leader.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Walt Disney World is Down an Alligator Hole in Orlando

Orlando has witnessed three inexplicable, horrific tragedies over the past two weeks. First was the killing of Christina Grammie while signing autographs after a performance. Second was the Jihadist massacre in the Pulse Nightclub, killing 49 innocent victims and wounding 53. Third was the alligator snatching a 2 year old boy out of the arms of his father by the Grand Floridian at Disney World. The first two probably could not have been prevented except through onerous security that Americans will not yet accept. The Disney tragedy was a death that Disney could easily have prevented. Disney is going to have to settle this case quickly. They do not want a public trial, not just for the adverse publicity, but it will show how arrogant and reckless they were in managing the resort. More and more disclosures are coming out about how careless Disney was in handling the alligator problem. A video surfaced today of a Disney employee shooing an alligator away from Splash Mountain. Alligators are amazing animals. They survived the Age of the Dinosaurs with little evolutionary change. They are near perfect killing machines. They have a brain the size of the pea, but genetics makes up for the lack of brainpower. They’re cold blooded so they don’t need a high calorie diet. Indeed, they can go months without eating. They are quick in snatching an opportunity. Baby alligators have to worry about large, cannibalistic alligators and some predatory birds and fishes. Grown alligators though only have one enemy; i.e. humans with a gun. Alligators were hunted almost to extinction decades ago, but now that they were listed on the Endangered Species List in 1967. They’ve rebounded with a vengeance, back to an estimated 1.25 to 1.4 million in Florida alone. Alligators can show up in freshwater anywhere in Florida, including backyard swimming pools. Salt water crocodiles have made a similar comeback in Australia. Alligators respond to vibrations in the water. It tells them prey has entered their territory. They are stealth hunters, often approaching under water, followed by a sudden jump, accompanied by no warning. The two year old wading and splashing in the water, as young kids do, was helpless. The alligator, presumably a teen by its estimated size, seemingly jumped out of nowhere the grab the child. The father rushed and grabbed his son, but could not wrestle it back from the gator. Disney was cavalier in its attitude towards the risk of alligators. They claim there were no incidents in 45 years of Disney World. They claim the number of alligator attacks on humans is very low in Florida. One statistic is 383 attacks on humans between 1948 and 2015 with 23 fatalities. This was a tragedy waiting to happen. Floridians not only understand the risks of alligators, but they exult in them: The University of Florida Gators, the Gator Bowl, Alligator Alley, alligator farms, alligator wrestling, alligator feedings, and gator food, such as gator ribs, gator burgers, and gator chowder. Floridians are not stupid. They do not go swimming with alligators in their swimming pools. They tell their children to stay away from the water, especially at night. Gators may have pea size brains, but they remember who feeds them. Florida has rules against feeding the gators, but Disney employees are reported to have looked the other way at guests feeding the gators. Alligators quite often attack at night. The family from Nebraska was at the resort’s outdoor night time movie besides on the side of the lagoon. The tragedy was going to happen, sooner or later. Disney World created the risk and has tolerated it. The lagoon by the Grand Floridian is non-natural, created by Disney to add ambience to the resort. It is also attached the lagoon to existing, natural bodies of waters, thereby providing easy access for wandering gators. Disney World provided no warning to guests. The posted warning said “Deep water No swimming.” The warning was clearly inadequate. It said nothing about wading and provided no warning of the dangers of alligators. Other facilities in Florida provide detailed warnings about alligators. Disney claims to remove nuisance alligators, but t’s unclear when that most recently occurred. A San Diego layer visited Disney World in 2013 with his family. They were at Disney’s Coronado Springs resort when he noticed a gator eyeballing his 5 year old son. He grabbed his son and pulled him away. He then told the hotel manager of the close encounter. He says the response was:” These are resident pets., and we’ve known about them for years. And they’re harmless That Disney employee has a pea brain. They’re not going to attack anyone.” Cha-ching, Cha-ching, Cha-ching! Punitive damages! Alligators are not pets. They are not domesticated. They are wild killing machines. If only I were a trial lawyer, representing the family in this case.

Friday, June 17, 2016

Philadelphia's Soda Tax Is Not What It Appears to Be, But Will Be Sugar for Bootleggers

As usual, when it comes to major legislation, it’s not always what it seems. Philadelphia’s City Council voted 13-4 to impose a sugar “soda” tax of 1½ cent/ounce, joining Berzerkley as the only other city with a sugar tax. The first caveat is that it is not a sugar tax. It also applies to diet soda. Still not exactly a soda tax, The tax also applies to fruit juices, unless they are at least 50% natural juice. The exemption applies even if the juice contains added sugar. The purported purpose of the soda tax is to attack Philadelphia’s obesity problem. Studies show 68% of adults and 41% of children are overweight or obese in Philadelphia. That’s the purpose. It’s purely and simply a tax increase. It’s a highly regressive tax increase that, like other “sin” taxes, will hit the poorest the hardest. Philadelphia has a high poverty rate. The Mayor’s spokeswoman said “It was always about the revenue.” The Philadelphia soda tax is just yet another tax by government to fund an uncontrollable burgeoning public budget camouflaged by a deserving public good, in this case, universal pre-kindergarten, presumably to be taught by public sector union workers. Council Member Jim Kelley ran for Mayor of Philadelphia on the promise of universal pre-kindergarten. He won, but realized no funds existed in the City’s budget. He proposed a tax of three cents per ounce on sugared soda, which would add 60 cents to the price of a 20 ounce Coke. Past attempts to enact a soda tax in Philly on public health grounds failed. He thus changed the selling of the tax from public health to public welfare. The public was told the tax would pay for universal prekindergarten. It also included funds for community schools and recreational centers. Mayor Kelley said it was “an investment in our neighborhoods and in our education system today.” These activities would normally be funded out of the general budget, but Philadelphia is broke for the usual reasons: unfunded pensions, health benefits, combined with an oversized, over compensated public workforce. 20% of the tax revenues will go for other purposes. The new tax will also for city employee benefits, pet projects of council members, which can be a slush fund, and to fill the budget cavity. Shades of President Obama’s Stimulus bill with claims of “shovel ready jobs,” universal health care under ObamaCare, the universal pre-kindergarten is only 50%, 13 council members positively salivated at the prospect of a new revenue stream, not to mention their political slush fund. The legislation was debated in the council. The Mayor’s proposed three cents/ounce was reduced to 11/2 cents/ounce. It was broadened to include diet sodas and fruit juices. The City’s Finance Office estimates the tax will raise $91 million annually for five years. It won’t. The tax amounts to $2.16 per standard case of 12 twelve ounce sodas. Soda sales will drop in Philadelphia, but jump in the surrounding communities. A look at New York City’s cigarette tax will illustrate this point. Federal, state, and local taxes, amount to $5.85/pack in New York City. About half the cigarettes in New York State are smuggled into the state and an estimated 60% in New York City are illegal. Eric Garner died on Statan Island for selling “loosies” on the street – single, smuggled cigarettes. It will be a short term sugar high to the council members, but the underlying budget problem will persist. If the purpose of the “Soda Tax” is to promote public health and reduce obesity rates in Philadelphia, then it’s a poor way to do so. Philadelphia is not taxing candy, fast food, donuts, and the infinite other sources of sugar and calories. Philadelphia is famous for its fat, calorie laden Philly Cheesesteaks. Those deligious delights are untouched by the tax. Let us look at another failed experiment in reducing childhood obesity: Los Angeles’ ban on new fast food restaurants in poor South Central Los Angeles. Studies have shown the ban has failed. The children are getting their sugar and calories from too many other sources to be affected by the poorly drafted, but highly lauded LA ordinance. But then again, the purpose of the Philadelphia tax is not to reduce adult or childhood obesity. It is simply to raise revenues.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

The Obama Primer On How Not To Respond to Global Radical Islamic Terrorism

Shift the discussion to gun control away from terrorism Blame terrorist acts on the NRA rather than Radical Islam Pretend Radical Islam does not exist, but is simply a perversion of Islam Don't use terms, such as "radical Islamic terrorism," "Jihad," or "Sharia." Call the Fort Hood shootings workplace violence rather than Islamic terrorism Have the FBI focus on Hate Crimes directed at groups, such as Muslims, rather than terrorism directed from Radical Islam Push out the leaders of Egypt and Libya, and then create a vacuum to be filled by radicals Draw a line in the sand in Syria, and then ignore it Don’t provide arms to the Kurds Open the borders Ignore the obvious Ignore the lessons of history Ignore the warnings of the CIA, FBI, and NSA Directors, and their testimony to Congress Release unrepentent Gitmo detainees Don't learn from your failures Repeatedly dump on our one true ally in the Mideast, Israel, and Prime Minister Netanyahu Continue to shrink and degrade our military Appoint politicos as your national security advisors Get rid of strong military and intelligence leaders Be feckless Practice the politics of appeasement Pretend Benghazi was about a video nobody saw rather than a planned terrorist attack Snatch defeat from the Jaws of Victory in Iraq, and not quite yet in Afghanistan Throw a temper tantrum on national TV when your actions, non-actions, or mis-actions are called into question Do your best imitation of Nero who fiddled while Rome burned Believe “clever” linguistics and word play will deceive the American people, and perhaps yourself Call it “homegrown” terrorism rather than global radical Islam Pretend we don’t know the reasons for the terrorist attacks And then don't try to discover or understand the causes Accuse Trump of dangerous remarks for promising to exclude Muslims when you shut the door to Iraqi refugees for almost a year for security reasons, but increase the Syrian influx, which includes terrorists

Monday, June 13, 2016

Brock Turner, The Stanford Assaulter, and Ethan Anthony Couch, the Affluenza Teen, Are Two Peas in a Pod

Brock Turner, and Ethan Couch, Two peas in a pod. Both are self-centered, spoiled brats with a sense of entitlement. Both are amoral or immoral Both have a lack of remorse, although Brock says he has remorse. His statement with its lies indicate otherwise. Both had a history of alcohol and drug problems, if not addiction, going back to high school. Both committed horrific crimes under the influence. Brock tested at .17 after the assault and Ethan was at .24 after the accident. Ethan also tested positive for marijuana and valium. Both had sympathetic judges who seemed to show compassion for the defendant but not the victims. Both had parents who could afford a high quality defense. An inebriated Turner followed a woman outside a party and then sexually assaulted her while she was semi-unconscious. DNA tests showed no genital to genital penetration, so the rape charges were lowered. The jury convicted on three felony charges. Couch stole two cases of beer from a WalMart on June 15, 2013 and then proceeded at 70mph in a 40mph zone along a two lane road with 7 passengers in the back of his dad’s F-350 pickup. His pickup veered off the road, crashing into a stranded SUV and then into a parked car assisting the SUV. Four persons were killed by the intoxicated driver. Sergio Molina, a passenger in the pickup, suffered traumatic brain damage, necessitating constant medical care. Dick Miller, a psychologist, testified that Crouch suffered from “affluenza,” such that he was so spoiled by wealth that he lacked responsibility. Thus, he needed rehab rather than jail time. Judge Jean Boyd sentenced him to 10 years probation and therapy at a care facility. Judge Aaron Persky sentenced Turner to six months, with a probable release after 3 months. Both cases set of a national uproar. Judge Boyd retired on December 31, 2014, after 20 years on the bench. Judge Persky is facing a recall election. Two brats spoiled first by parents and then by judges. Two peas in a pod. Turner and Couch aren’t the only spoiled kids out there. They just happened to have been responsible for horrific crimes.

The Orlando Massacre and Another Gun Control Diatribe by President Obama

Another horrific terrorist attack in the name of Allah – this time on the , a gay nightclub in Orlando. 49 victims died and 53 were wounded. The President made statements yesterday and today on the tragedy. He acknowledged it was a terrorist act, an act of “homegrown terrorism” He stressed that while the assailant might have been inspired by extremist information on the internet, but that there was “no evidence so far that he was in fact directed by ISIL. And there is no direct evidence that he was part of a larger plot.” The Orlando attack, the homegrown attack, is part of the ISIS plan to attack the West by inspiring local militants through the internet. It’s been working. The President continued by going off on his usual anti-gun diatribe, albeit he did not mention the NRA by name. He asked a rhetorical question: “This massacre is a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school, or in a house of worship, or a movie theater, or a nightclub. And we have to decide if that is the kind of country we want to be.” He’s asking America to change on gun control, but he will not change on Radical Islamic Terrorism. Here’s what we need to know about the NRA. The NRA did not fly the planes into the Twin Towers on 9/11 The NRA did not mount the Benghazi attack, killing the American Ambassador to Libya on 9/11 The NRA did not bomb the World Trade center in 1993 The Underwear Bomber was not acting on behalf of the NRA The Times Square Bomber was not acting on behalf of the NRA The Tsarnaev Brothers, the Boston Marathon Bombers, were not NRA The NRA did not shoot up two Chattanooga military facilities, killing 4 Maines and a sailor Nor did the NRA do a drive-by shooting of a Little Rock Recruiting Station, killing one soldier and wounding a second Rizwan Farook and and Tashfeen Malik, husband and wife, were not acting on behalf of the NRA in San Bernardino in killing 14 and severely injuring 22. The NRA was not the Charlie Hebdo shooters, who killed 11 and wounded 11 in Paris The NRA did not orchestrate the November Paris attacks on the theatre and stadium, killing 130 and injuring 368 The NRA did not bomb the Brussels Airport or Metro, leaving 9 dead and over 300 injured The NRA did not set off bombs in Ankara, leaving 102 deaths and over 400 injured These are all Islamic terrorist attacks, undertaken in the name of Radical Islam. President Obama refuses to say Radical Islam or Islamic Terrorism, claiming at most the perpetrators are engaged in a perversion of Islam. Hundreds of these attacks have occurred globally in recent years in the name of Islam, but the President stubbornly refuses to admit the existence of radical Islam. Instead, he goes back to gun control and the NRA. Civilization's war for survival is with militant Islam - not the NRA.

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Payback Time: Hugh Hewitt Dumps on Donald Trump

Hugh Hewitt multi-tasks in America: practicing lawyer, law professor, radio show host, and political commentator on CNN and MSNBC. Most can do one successfully. Hugh accomplishes four. By way of full disclosure, Professor Hewitt is a colleague and friend on the faculty of the Dale E. Fowler School of Law of Chapman University. Professor Hewitt teaches Constitutional Law, probably a vastly different Constitutional Law than Professor Barack Obama taught at the University of Chicago. Hugh graduated cum laude from Harvard and Order of the Coif from the University of Michigan Law School. He worked as an editorial assistant for Richard Nixon and as the first and founding executive director of the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California. He held several positions in the Reagan Administration, including Assistant White House Counsel and Special Assistant to the Attorney General. He hosts a talk radio show on Salem Radio. I was his guest last year, not on politics, but on the problems facing legal education. His reputation is of a fair host. He treats liberals and conservatives with equal fairness on the show. His shows are based on reasoned discourse rather than histrionics and bombastics. He does not play “Gotcha” on his show. Hugh Hewitt is a staunch conservative. He is by no means a Rhino. He seemingly knows every Republican leader and conservative commentator. His radio show may not have the highest audience among the conservative announcers, but his is one of the “most Listened to.” The Republican candidates flock to his show for interviews. Donald Trump was there four times. Hugh asked Trump about the leaders of the various terrorist groups. He asked Donald Trump on the air on September 3, 2015 a question on foreign policy: to wit, who were the leaders of the Islamic terrorist networks. Donald Trump fumbled the answer, appearing unprepared. He lashed out the next day by calling Hugh Hewitt “a third rate radio broadcaster.” Trump further tweeted on September 5, 2015: “Why would a very low ratings talk show host be doing the next debate @CNN? He is just a third rate ‘gotcha’ guy.” I met with Hugh some time later. If he was seething, he kept it well hidden. Hugh is an eternal optimist, always on the cheery side. He is clued into the leadership of the Party. He has the forum and will to say on the air what others can only at best talk off the record. Donald Trump promised last year to release his tax returns if he ran for President, Hugh asked Donald Trump during the February 25, 2016 debate about releasing the tax returns. Trump’s crabbed response was a personal insult: “First of all, very few people listen to your radio show. That’s the good news. Let me just tell you – which happens to be true. Check the ratings.” Hugh Hewitt said he would support the GOP nominee, including Donald Trump. Hugh changed his mind last Tuesday in light of Trump’s remarks and resulting controversy over Judge Curiel. Hugh Hewitt last Wednesday called for the Republican National Committee to ask Donald Trump to withdraw his candidacy. If not, then the Republican National Convention should adopt rules to Dump Trump. He called the preceding days “The worst 72 hours for the Republicans since 2000 when the George W. Bush DWI was dropped.” He added: “Right now the Republican Party is facing – the plane is headed towards the mountain after the last 72 hours.” The commentator foresees a Democratic landslide election in November if Donald Trump is the nominee. With memories of McGovern 1964 in his mind, Hugh warned “There’s going to be scores of Republican office holders around the United States, in Washington, D.C. and around the states who don’t have jobs.” He added: “We’re going to get killed. We’re going to get killed.” (Senator Goldwater had solid, committed supporters, just as with Trump, but it was a LBJ landslide, giving the Democrats overwhelming control of Congress for 16 more years. He feared the Republicans will lose not only the presidency, but also both the House and Senate. He suggested either a rule requiring a supermajority for the first two ballots, or make the first ballot advisory. He said: “Make the delegates own it. If you are gonna commit suicide and someone is giving you a gun, don’t blame the guy or gal who gave you the gun – blame yourself.” Hugh Hewitt wanted to support Donald Trump. He said “I gave it as long as I could.” Hugh Hewitt openly speaks what others are thinking, but cannot say. Dan Scavino, a senior Trump advisor, responded to Hugh’s commentary, by tweeting: “Assume hater Hugh Hewitt will not be attending @GOP Convention. If he is – the RNC should BAN him from attending.” What goes around, comes around. Donald Trump is still going around hurling insults. It comes around. Hugh Hewitt will be broadcasting from Cleveland at the Convention.

The Stanford Rape Case and Hillary Clinton

The Stanford Rape Case and Hillary Clinton What do Hillary Clinton and the Stanford Rape case have in common? Not much on the surface, but we will see. The Stanford case blew up this past week. Two graduate students saw a man raping a semi-conscious woman by a dumpster. They stopped the assault and restrained the assailant, Brock Turner, who turned out to be a star swimmer on the Stanford Swim Team. Rapes are horrific crimes. I find the word “rape” to be more graphic than “sexual assault.” Yet, accused rapists have a constitutional right to a trial. The defense’s traditional strategy: Put the victim on trial. Blame the victim; attack the victim; enter into evidence her prior sexual history to inflame the jury with her immorality. That’s why states have enacted rape shield laws to at least forestall that line of defense. Some judges still blame the victim. The most notorious recent case was Montana Judge G. Todd Baugh in 2014. A teacher committed statutory rape in 2007 on a 14 year old student. The judge sentenced the defendant to 30 days, saying the victim “was in as much control of the situation as the rapist.” She committed suicide in 2010, and hence could not present her statement to the court. Judge Baugh was sanctioned by the Supreme Court of Montana and retired. A British judge in February 2015 said an 18 year old victim was “extremely foolish” in drinking too much before the rape. At least this judge sentenced the two defendants to nine years imprisonment. Another horrific ruling was in Orange County in on February 3, 2015. Judge M. Marc Kelley sentenced the sodomist of a 3 year old girl to 10 years in jail, 15 years below the state mandated minimum 25 – to - life sentence. The judge said the case was not that of a normal pedophile. Defendant “did not seek out or stalk” the victim, but rather was “inexplicably sexually aroused. but did not appear to consciously intend to harm” the young girl. The defendant was playing video games in the garage when she walked in on him. Judge Kelly survived a recall campaign due to the petitioners’ failure to obtain the requisite signatures. Let us not forget the infamous Italy Supreme Court of Appeals which reversed a rape conviction in 1998 by approving “The Denim Defense.” The opinion, issued in 2009. held a rape victim wearing jeans had consented to the assault. The opinion stated: “It is a fact of common experience that it is nearly impossible to slip off tight jeans, even partly without the active collaboration of the person who is wearing them.” The conclusion was therefore that the victim must have consented since she helped her attacker remove them. The Italian Court of Cessation reversed the Denim Defense in 2008. Judge Aaron Persky issued a stunning sentence in the Stanford case. The semi-comatose woman was tested hours later with a .12 blood alcohol level. The estimate is that she was probably .22 at the time of the attack. She could neither factually nor legally give consent. Alcohol nullifies consent. It is not an aphrodisiac. Voluntary intoxication on the part of the attacker does not nullify intent. Yet, defendant argued that not only did she consent, but that she also experienced an orgasm. He also said he did not notice that she was unresponsive. The jury found him guilty on three felony counts of sexual assault. The Defense asked for a sentence of no jail time; the prosecution requested 6 years while the probation office suggested 6 months. Judge Persky agreed to the six months, which with good behavior in California’s crowded prison system would effectively be three months. The victim read a highly impassioned, resonating letter to the judge in the sentencing hearing. Apparently the judge was more swayed by defendant’s statement which said he was in essence naïve, had come from a small Ohio town, and didn’t know about drugs and alcohol before Stanford. Having taught from 1972-1975 in the very, very small Ohio town of Ada, I can attest that the high school students in rural Ohio four decades ago were quite familiar with drugs and alcohol. In addition, defendant attended high school in Dayton, a major city. Defendant’s father wrote his son’s 20 minute mistake should not destroy his son’s life. The victim’s life is destroyed. She will never be the same. The prosecution presented evidence that defendant used drugs and alcohol in high school, that he repeatedly been engaged in substance abuse at Stanford, and was often highly aggressive towards women. In short, defendant was a rapist and a liar. Judge Persky ignored the prosecution’s evidence. Ironically, Judge Persky was unopposed for reelection, and thus was confirmed for a new term. A recall effort has been mounted to remove him from the Bench. He should simply resign. He has brought great dishonor onto the court and the judicial system. That brings us to Hillary Clinton, presumptive Democratic nominee for the President of the United States. Defense attorneys have a duty is to fully and faithfully represent their client. The 27 year old Hillary Clinton defended an Arkansas rapist in 1975. The victim was 12 years old in the sixth grade. Hillary Clinton did her job, all too well and gleefully. She attacked the 12 year old victim. The case was long forgotten until some recordings surfaced two years ago. An Arkansas reporter interviewed her for over 5 hours in the 1980’s to put together an article on the case. The story never ran and the tapes were sent to archives, from which they were discovered two years ago. Hillary Clinton spoke in her fake Southern accent and recognized her client was guilty. However, she was able to keep the key piece of direct physical evidence out of the trial because of mistakes by the investigators. She got her client to cop a plea for unlawful fondling of a minor. He was sentenced to a year imprisonment, with two months suspended. That’s just doing her job. She bragged about excluding the evidence from the trial. She laughed about it. She laughed. Her memory was a little false. She proudly said: “Oh, he plea bargained. Got him off with time served in the county jail, he’d had been in the county jail for about two months.” She said she had her client take a lie detector test: “He took a lie detector test. I had him take a polygraph, which he passed, which forever destroyed my faith in polygraphs.,” chuckling. Chuckling! This was a forcible rape of a 12 year old, who the defendant had given a combination of whiskey and Coca-Cola to drink. Laughing, chuckling, but the real outrage came in her 1975 court affidavit. She wrote: “I have been informed that the complaint is emotionally unstable with a tendency to seek out older men and engage in fantasizing.” She added: “I have also been informed that she has in the past made false accusations about persons, claiming they had attacked her physical body.” No evidence exists to support these craftily worded statements. The victim simply says “Hillary Clinton put me through Hell.” The victim has faced a life of drugs, addiction, and arrests. The doctors told her after the rape that she probably couldn’t have children. She spent 10 years in therapy and basically subsists on disability assistance. Hillary did her job, all too well. To successfully represent a rapist is to fulfill one’s legal duty. But to laugh about it, chuckle, and fabricate personal lies, is repugnant. To craft false accusations against a 12 year old rape victim is unconscionable! Always remember, Hillary Clinton is for the victims??? What do the Stanford rape case and Hillary Clinton have in common? Abject contempt for the victim!

Friday, June 10, 2016

Donald Trump is the Poor Don Rickles of Politics

Is Donald Trump a racist? He certainly appears to be, but I don’t think so. House Speaker Paul Ryan called Trump’s statement on Judge Gustavo Curiel the “textbook definition of a racist comment.” A great test of discrimination is in the workplace. Donald Trump, unlike Secretary Clinton or Senator Elizabeth Warren, has created thousands of jobs in the private sector. He is leaving a legacy in New York, one of the hardest places to do business. No evidence of racial, sexual, gender, ethnic, or religious discrimination has appeared in his workplace. Is Donald Trump a sexist? He certainly appears to be, but I don’t think so. Is Donald Trump a misogynist? He certainly appears to be, but I doubt it. Donald Trump is a case of arrested development. These insults seem so funny in high school. They quickly wear out their welcome as adults; they’re just insulting. Donald Trump is an equal opportunity trash talker. He indiscriminately lashes out with his crude insults. He is the Don Rickles of politics. He will insult anyone and everyone anytime and anyplace for a reason or no reason. Don Rickles was funny. Insults were his shtick as a comedian. You enjoyed tRickles' humor. Donald Trump is not funny. He is not charming. There is no humor in his vituperative remarks. His shtick is disgusting, and out of place in running for the Presidency of the United States of America. Donald Trump is not playing a gig in the Comedy Club, Laugh Factory, or on the Vegas Strip. He is playing for the White House, the biggest gig in the United States. It is an insult to the American people. Donald Trump may not be racist or sexist, but that’s not how it appears.

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Fight On, Bernie, Fight On! Run as an Independent

Senator Bernie Sanders lost by 13% to Secretary Clinton yesterday in California. 13% is a blowout in politics. The polls showed him closely rapidly on her in California, perhaps even pulling out an upset. Yet, once again the pollsters were wrong this election cycle. He would have had greater leverage at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia had he won. Some of the super delegates might even have changed their commitments. He had hope until yesterday. Senator Sanders never fully understood the Clintons. They have a simple rule, that of the late Al Davis: “Just win Baby!” Dirty tricks, illegal campaign contributions, lies, defamation, hypocrisy, obstruction of justice, it’s all part of the Clinton motif. They will say anything; they will do anything to win. Senator Sanders was right. This Democratic Party election was not fair, but politics is not fair. The fix was in this year. 2016 was to be a coronation of Hillary Clinton. The deck was cleared for her – no major opponents. Former Governor O’Malley of Maryland has been running for years and never got traction. Senator Sanders of Vermont isn’t even a registered Democrat. He’s an independent in the Senate. No one took serious the socialist who honeymooned in the Soviet Union. The Democratic National Committee and its Chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, were allied with Secretary Clinton. Of course, she was national co-chair of Hillary’s 2008 campaign. First, she limited the Democratic debates to six, often at low viewership times, such as during an NFL game. Second, she refused the Senator access to his own list he had provided the DNC. The primary system was rigged by the super delegates, almost all of whom were pledged to Clinton. They were also pledged to her 8 years ago, but then Senator Obama came on the scene. They switched. The ultimate outrage was AP calling the nomination locked for Clinton the day before the California. Many Sanders voters did not vote. Senator Sanders did not enter the race with the expectation of winning the nomination. He wanted to get his socialist message of inequality out, his message of the corruption of money in politics, his message about the evil banks, and his message of free college tuition. Thus in the first Democratic debate he went out of his way to toss Clinton’s email scandal off the table. He finally raised it last week, but it was too late. His campaign caught fire, just as Donald Trump’s on the Republican side. Both are outsiders attempting to shake up the system. The Senator had a great shot of winning the nomination, except for the super delegates. The process was rigged. He’s home in Vermont. He has a choice to make. Is it to support Secretary Clinton? Senator Sanders meets with President Obama tomorrow. The Senator will learn firsthand the meaning of Chicago Rules. They’re akin to Clinton Rules. Then he meets with Senate Majority Leader for a discussion of the facts of political life. The corrupt Reid will probably explain to him that he will no longer be welcome to caucus with the democrats and will see no legislation favoring Vermont. Rumors are that Senator Sanders will agree to endorse Secretary Clinton if Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz is terminated as Chair of the DNC. Don’t do it. Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz is political toast. Many Democrats want her out. She’s easy for the Obama and Clinton forces to throw overboard. That’s a no-brainer to them. It’s slightly possible she will lose reelection in the upcoming Florida non-Presidential primaries. Tim Canova, a Sanders acolyte, is running a strong primary campaign against her. He has the endorsement of several unions and raised substantial sums of money, including $250,000 in the hours after Senator Sanders endorsed him. The Senator knows, as we know, the public does not like either nominee. He knows people are looking for an independent. Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson is running for President on the Libertarian Party with former Massachusetts Governor William Weld as the VEEP. They’re polling about 10% right now – so strong is the yearning for an alternative. Several prominent Republicans want Trump out. The party leaders fear he will be another Sharron Angle, Christine O’Donnell, Ken Buck, Todd Akin, or Richard Murdock, costing them Senate seats. The primaries show the support for Secretary Clinton is a mile wide and an inch deep. Senator Sanders will draw a lot of disaffected voters to his side if he ran as an independent. He has a vast band of zealots attached to his Robin Hood campaign. It would be too late to run as an independent in Texas, but that solidly red state will probably give Donald Trump a majority of the vote in November. The Senator should run as a Last Hurrah. His political career is otherwise coming to an end. His whole campaign was a hoot, and he knew it. It will be even more of a hoot if he continued running. He would have a nationwide audience to espouse his views - that’s all he wanted in entering the race in the first place. It will be a supreme political irony if he ran as an independent. Governor Clinton won in 1992 because H. Ross Perot running as an independent won 18.9% of the vote. While surveys sowed the raw was evenly between erstwhile Bush and Clinton voters, the reality is his candidacy doomed President Bush’s reelection. President Clinton won both of his elections by a plurality – not a majority. Go for it Bernie. Let America feel the Berm. Fight on.

25 Guidelines for Building Legos

After roughly a quarter century of building Legos, first with my sons, and now for myself, I have discovered the secret for successfully building Lego sets: 1) Ignore any suggested building times 2) It somewhat helps to presort the pieces before starting construction 3) The brick separator usually provided by Lego is the most critical piece in the kit 4) Long finger nails when the brick separator won’t get the job done 5) A flashlight to search for Legos 6) Have great eyesight to distinguish subtle Lego hues 7) Legos yearn for freedom. Small, near microscopic Legos, take flight on their own 8) You cannot duplicate, program, or reverse engineer the flight path of the fleeing Legos 9) A new spectator sport is "Watching the Flying Legos" 10) Legos, especially near microscopic Legos, are expertly, almost Chameleon like, camouflaged in their hiding spaces 11) Build on an enclosed solid white table 12) You will discover your mistakes 10 pages later 13) If it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t fit 14) Those who like to glue the kits together should not do so until the end 15) Save the leftover Legos from previous builds for spare parts 16) Legos come in seemingly infinite sizes, shapes, and colors 17) Your spare parts supply will not contain replacements for the near microscopic Legos of distinctive shapes and colors 18) Do not contact Lego for missing pieces until the end 19) Do not be under the influence 20) The 99.99% completed kit will come apart in your hands as you apply the final pieces. See number 7 above 21) Have an understanding spouse 22) You will encounter the Kit from Hell 23) Lego is/is not a 4 letter word 24) You can do it 25) Patience

Monday, June 6, 2016

Donald Trump Needs to be More Boring, Less Boorish

Donald Trump has clinched the Republican nomination for President. Donald Trump won the nomination by being outspoken. He differentiated himself from the other 16 candidates for the Republican nomination. He stood out. He uttered statements that no other candidate dared to say, statements that were not just outspoken, but verged on racism, sexism, and misogynist. He took positions on immigration and trade the American people wanted to hear, but in which the two political parties had distanced themselves from the people. The American people do not want to elect Hillary Clinton as President. They do not trust her, like her, or respect her. She is overly programmed, sounds like she’s regurgitating focus group points, which she is. She is arrogant and avaricious. She cares little about the ordinary American, from whom she is detached. The American people know it. They feel it. They see it. They don’t want to elect Hillary President. Even Democrats are voting for Senator Sanders, often in opposition to her. Back in 1980 large numbers of Democratic voters in the primaries voted for Senator Ted Kennedy to display their opposition to President Jimmy Carter, not that they necessarily wanted Senator Kennedy to be President. It was "ABC" Then; "ABC" now. Anyone but Carter; Anyone but Clinton! So too today with Senator Sanders’ voters. They’re voting against Secretary Clinton today and want a reason to vote for Donald Trump in November. Governor Reagan gave the American people a reason to vote for him. He offered a warm vision of America in opposition to the failed economic policies of President Carter. Donald Trump has been advised to act more Presidential to secure the independent vote and disaffected Democrats in the general election. Donald Trump is not doing that. Donald Trump said on April 4 that he could be more Presidential as a Presidential candidate, but that “would be boring as Hell.” He continued on April 23 by saying “I can tell you that if I go Presidential, people are going to be very bored.” Donald Trump is accomplishing something Secretary Clinton wants to do, but can’t achieve on her own – reuniting the Obama Coalition: minorities, single women, and young voters. Donald Trump’s statements are politically stupid in addition to the overt racism. Hillary Clinton had a bad week. The State Department’s Inspector General issued a scathing report detailing her violations with the private email and server. Her defense was essentially “Well, I haven’t been indicted.” The Inspector General’s report placed a magnifying class on her duplicity and lies. Instead, Trump’s statements against the Judge changed the national focus from her misconduct to his racist remarks. Long political campaigns have peaks and valleys. Hillary was deep in the valley, perhaps down in the dump. Why take the focus off her? One can be in favor of “Building the Wall” without being anti-Hispanic. One can be outspoken about President Obama allowing illegal immigrants, often but not solely Mexicans, to remain in the United States and committing more violent crimes in the U.S., without being anti-Mexican. His attacks on Governor Susanna Martinez of New Mexico, but especially federal Judge Gustavo Curiel, have crossed the line. They are purely racist in tone and appearance. Governor Martinez is the popular governor of New Mexico, once a solidly red state, now at most purple, but generally a solid blue state today because of its Hispanic population. She is also the Chair of the National Republican Governors Association. Her problem in his eyes” she hadn’t sufficiently supported him. She failed to appear at a New Mexico rally with him. A large number of Republican elected officials. Including other governors, such as Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Snyder of Michigan, and of Florida, are similarly staying away. They view him as being radioactive or toxic with the voters in their states. Judge Curiel’s problem in Trump’s eyes was that he ruled against him in a law suit. Donald Trump called him out publicly as biased because the judge is “Mexican” and Donald supports a wall being built on the Mexican border. Trump’s problem with Judge Curiel is of a business and personal matter. The developer is an entrepreneur. He has started several businesses, including the Trump Shuttle and Trump University. Most succeed; a few fail. That’s the risk with entrepreneurs. Trump University failed. He’s being sued for fraud. Judge Curiel is hearing the case in Federal District Court in San Diego. The Judge has decided some preliminary motions against the defendants; i.e. Trump. Judge Curiel, pursuant to judicial protocol, cannot publicly respond to Donald Trump’s comments. The judge was born in Indiana to Mexican immigrants. He attended Indiana University as an undergrad and for law school. He has achieved the American Dream. Judge Curiel is an American, just as my Mexican American, Salvadoran American, Persian American, Palestinian American, Jewish American, Vietnamese American, Japanese American. Chinese American, Korean American, Philippine American, Armenian American, Irish American, Italian American, Greek American, Russian American, African American, and any I have inadvertently omitted in this list, students are American. By the same token, as an American of German ancestry, you can be accused not of being a German-America, but as a German who favored fascism and Hitler. Of course, that’s absurd. So too is attacking Judge Curiel because he is of Hispanic descent. Immigrants are Americans. Second generation of immigrant ancestry are clearly American. Being American is not being of one race, ethnicity, or religion. We are all the sons and daughters of immigrants. Even the ancestors of the Native Americans immigrated to America. They just didn’t go through the equivalent of Ellis Island. One can easily be of any of these cultures, such as Mexican American, but still be American. Maria Sanchez, my secretary, was born in Mexico. Her parents still live in Mexico. She is Mexican. Maria is also an American with United States citizenship. Maria is an American. Her son is German-Mexican American, just as Donald Trump is German-Scottish American. To be American is to assimilate into the values and cultures of this diverse American melting pot. There are times when we start to say things, and say to ourselves “Am I really saying that? “I’m not really saying that, am I?” Sometimes I wonder if that’s what occurring with the Donald. Does he really mean to say that, or is it just diarrhea of the mouth? Then when he says it, he sometimes feels compelled to double down. Thus, he now says ant Muslin American should be disqualified in cases affecting Trump. Of course, it did, and of course he did. The Times doesn’t need an excuse to attack trump, but why give them one? The New York Times attacked Donald Trump for his attack on the independence of the judiciary. Of course it did, and Trump did. The New York Ties does not need an excuse to attack Donald Trump, but why would Trump gratuitously give it one? The New York Times was silent on President Obama’s attack on the Supreme Court in his January 27, 2010 State of the Union Address. The Court a week earlier had issued the Citizens United decision, recognizing the Constitutional Right of Free Speech for Corporations in political elections. Democrats hate it ostensibly for bringing more corrupting money into politics, but really because it provides a counter source of funds to offset the large union and trail lawyer contributions to the Democrats. They are quite eager to accept hundreds of millions from unions, especially the public sector unions, trial lawyers, Goldman Sachs, George Soros, and Tom Steyer, both hedge fund multi-millionaires. Democrats just don’t want Republicans accepting large sums from the Koch Brothers and others. Justices of the Supreme Court, like many dignitaries, attend the state of the Union Address. They, like the other attendees, sit and listen. President Obama excoriated the Supreme Court on the Citizens United decision. He even misconstrued the opinion to proclaim against the evils of foreign companies contributing to United States political campaigns. The illegality of political contributions remains illegal after Citizens United. President Obama was either ignorant of the decision or just being a demagogue. His record indicates it could have been a combination of both. The Justices had to sit and listen as President Obama bullied them. Justice Alito was seen shaking his head and whispering “not true.” Chief Justice Roberts later commented at the University of Alabama: “The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollowing while the Court – according to the requirements of protocol – has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling.” Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina at one point screamed out “You Liar” in the President’s 2009 Address to the Joint Session of Congress. That outburst was viewed by commentators as ‘poor form.” The then Democratic majority in the House of representatives voted to censor the Congressman, who has since handily won reelection to the House.. The Obama Administration and the mainstream media further bullied the Supreme Court prior to the 2012 Obamacare decision. The President said “I am confident that the Supreme Court will not take what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress.” The media proclaimed an overturning of the statute would create a constitutional crisis and call into question the integrity of the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Roberts is believed to have caved and changed his deciding vote to uphold ObamaCare. President Obama taught Constitutional Law, or his version of Constitutional Law, at the University of Chicago Law School. He had to know his statement was at best disingenuous. The proper procedure if a party believes a judge is biased against the party is to file a legal motion for recusal. Trump’s attorneys have not done so. Donald Trump understands the legal process. He has a reputation of being quick to file lawsuits; indeed. USA Today says he’s been involved in over 3,000. Donald Trump can be negative about Hillary, Barack or whomever are your Democratic opponents. He should save his venom for them. He needs to give the majority of voters a reason to vote for him. The Presidential Election is a real reality show. Trump will not win the November Election on “The Cult of Personality.” He crossed the line with Judge Curiel and Governor Martinez. Does Donald Trump shoot from the hip and wing it? Definitely Is Donald Trump thin-skinned? Apparently Is Donald Trump a racist? I don’t think so. Is Donald trump sexist? I don’t think so. But what I think is irrelevant. What America thinks, especially a majority of the voters on November 7, 2016, is what counts. Trump is a self-proclaimed master of the deal. Cavalierly attacking those you disagree with is not always the way to seal the deal. This deal is with the American people.