Once, late in the evening at my pad in New Hampshire, my old pal the novelist Sebastian Faulks advanced the theory that news that occurs while you're on holiday never seems quite to have happened. Which I think was true in the pre-Internet days, with only foreign-language telly in the hotel room. Nowadays, for yours truly, days lost to the sclerotic American legal system have the same effect: If you're holed up in court-ordered mediation or (as I was) deposition by cockwombles in a windowless room all day, the invisible world beyond shrinks to irrelevance, except insofar as it impinges on one's case. If you leave the room to find that North Korea has nuked Cleveland, one's first thought is whether opposing counsel will use this to move to continue the pre-scheduling hearing.
Which is by way of saying that, aside from a few mordant barristerial cracks around the water cooler as to whether Trump would be declaring martial law and, if so, which district court judge would order it stayed, in my particular claustrophobic corner of America yesterday the hours building up to the big speech instead built it down to barely detectable levels of consequence.
By the time I de-lawyered, Chuck and Nancy were on the air, demonstrating the point I made with Tucker on Monday: that, when your whole pitch rests (as Miss Ocasio-Cortez said) not on humdrum facts but on moral superiority - that we're better than the other guys, nicer than the other guys - it doesn't help to have Chuck Schumer up there with his fin glistening as it slices through the surf. Chuck and Nancy are the unlovely thuggish operators required to run a corrupt pseudo-legislature, but they're not the people to put up in public. At best, it's like Hollywood getting the Price Waterhouse vote tabulators to host the Oscars, and at worst it's like booking Harvey Weinstein's procurers and security muscle.
The Dems would have done better to bring on Alexandria to be nice and likeable and twitter on about how her story embodies the beautiful possibilities of a diverse multicultural society strengthened and enriched by vibrant dreamers, and how surrendering to dark paranoia and living in fear of the other just because he's got MS-13 tattoos all over his skull is not who we are.
Instead, Chuck and Nancy droned on about the government "shutdown", which nobody gives a hoot about, or even notices - unless you're one of the furloughed. And a temporary break in "non-essential" government that exists only to provide government benefits and government security for its bureaucrats is a parody of crisis: oh, gee, the poor bloated staggering Leviathan has a bandaged finger! Back in the real world, three-quarters of federal government cruises on, along with all the multiple alternative governments - state, county, municipal, school district. As I said on Rush the other day, one thing America does not want for is government: It's like Payless Shoe Source - there'll be another one two hundred yards down the road.
~The lack of a southern border in any meaningful sense does, however, have real-world consequences. Donald Trump is a businessman but his personality is, to put it mildly, not very business-like. That's one reason he's president, of course. Yet yesterday's speech was all business, crisp and brisk, blunt and sobering. This is just from the first paragraph:
All Americans are hurt by uncontrolled illegal migration. It strains public resources and drives down jobs and wages. Among those hardest hit are African-Americans and Hispanic Americans. Our southern border is a pipeline for vast quantities of illegal drugs, including meth, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl. Every week 300 of our citizens are killed by heroin alone, 90 percent of which floods across from our southern border. More Americans will die from drugs this year than were killed in the entire Vietnam War.
All true, and memorably put. Which one is the real "crisis"? That last wretched statistic? Or the undetectable absence of part of one level of the bureaucracy?
The President continued:
In the last two years, ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with criminal records including those charged or convicted of 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 violent killings. Over the years thousands of Americans have been brutally killed by those who illegally entered our country and thousands more lives will be lost if we don't act right now.
Also true. Every society has its share of muggers and rapists and murderers: That's one of the jobs Americans will do. No nation needs to import more criminals. Every citizen assaulted or killed by an illegal alien testifies to the most basic failure of the government Chuck and Nancy are so keen to "re-open".
Yet President Trump also pointed out that the left's incentivization of mass migration is basically a massive and cruel metastasization of all the most appalling and predictable aspects of human trafficking:
Last month, 20,000 migrant children were illegally brought into the united States, a dramatic increase. These children are used as human pawns by vicious coyotes and ruthless gangs. One in three women are sexually assaulted on the dangerous trek up through Mexico.
In a humane world where "liberals" were truly as nice as their self-proclaimed moral superiority, the delusional sentimentalization of human trafficking would be a high price to pay to import more dependents for government bureaucracy, more warm bodies for congressional apportionment and federal funding allocations, and ultimately more voters for Big Government. Their indifference to the use of women and children as human shields might even raise the suspicion that progressive moral exhibitionism is an ugly sham.
So: a fine business-like speech, of a kind we could use more of - although how many takers there are for brisk business on this issue in an Ocasio-Cortez world we shall soon discover. But the nub of the issue is clear: what's been shut down, for many years, is the essential core responsibility of national government - the integrity of its borders.
~To be sure, there were things the President did not say, or do - like announcing, say, a tax on so-called "remittances" to Mexico. Almost every itsy-bitsy thing is taxed in this country, or at least subject to the scrutiny of the tax regime, including any "remittances" by lawful US citizens to overseas banks. Which is why, thanks to the FATCA Act and other intrusions, foreign financial institutions increasingly forego American customers. And yet illegal aliens sluicing money out of the country on a scale that has made "remittances" the second-biggest contributor (after tourism) to the GDP of much of Latin America is entirely ignored by the US government.
"Re-opening" that cobwebbed corner of the revenue agency might be worth doing, don't you think? As it is, we continue to bifurcate into a society divided between the "undocumented" and the hyper-micro-documented.
~I regret that almost the entirety of this week is being loss to legal harassment by Cockwomble Katz and the now deceased CRTV, but we do our best to keep a flickering candle in the window, and we did have a busy weekend before the deposition/briefing/telephone-conference crunch commenced on Monday. I began by noting that both the Chinese politburo and the world media are belatedly catching up to the demographic thesis I advanced a decade-and-a-half ago. Our Saturday movie date celebrated the Hilton sisters and their memorable performance in Todd Browning's unforgettable film Freaks. And our Twelfth Night edition of On the Town presented a cavalcade of live-music performances from Steyn shows over the years, with guests including Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Paul Sorvino, Everything But The Girl and the Klezmer Conservatory Band. If litigation distractions cause content drought in the days ahead, I hope you'll want to check out one or two of those.
For that brave band who prefer me in vision, tomorrow evening, Thursday, I'll be with Tucker Carlson live across America at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific.
For both American and Canadian readers, we hope to see a few of you at my forthcoming stage appearances with the great Dennis Miller, which commence next month in Pennsylvania and New York. We know at least one Montrealer coming to the Rochester show, but, if you're anywhere along the QEW, it's a lot closer. And Kingston (or even Ottawa) isn't that inconvenient for the Miller/Steyn Syracuse gig. And with VIP tickets you not only enjoy the best seats but get to meet me and Dennis after the show. On the way home, it might be more prudent to tell the border guys you were at the Ocasio Cortez rally, or some such...
In grim weeks like this, I am very grateful to all the members of The Mark Steyn Club from London, Ontario to London, England to London, Kiribati who have stuck with us this last year-and-a-half. We hope to welcome many more of you in the years ahead.
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Mark
When 10 countries in Europe including France are building walls to stop migrants from pouring across their borders I wonder if speaker Pelosi has declared them immoral as well. Perhaps they are only immoral in the USA.
The "Big Dig" in Boston has cost enormous sums (est. $15 billion) without comment from Chuck and Nancy. $15 billion for Border Security is chump change.
I recommend a recently released book that had been banned for decades: "The Camp of the Saints" by Jean Raspail.
As currently constituted, the home page has a great juxtaposition. At top left we have a picture of that great comedy duo, Steyn and Miller. A little lower and to the right, there's a picture of that other great comedy team, Schumer and Pelosi. It's the adorable deplorables vs. the horrible incorrigibles!
Their argument that illegals commit less crime than American citizens. If that were the case, how is leaving their nation claiming to be fleeing the gangs and crime that exist there only to go to a nation that whose citizens commit more crime than they do? Out of the frying pan into the fire in other words.
It's as if the Left regrets the illegals didn't finish us off sooner, Brian. No, I never understood how they could be so stupid and continue to use that argument that illegals commit fewer crimes than Americans, so right, it's as if the next sentence should be: "so they're right where they need to be"!
A bit off topic Mark but I think the USA and Canada are just now starting to reap the the results of unfettered university left wing terrorists professors that have corrupted the minds of our most vulnerable. We can only expect more Alexandria Cortez no nothings, loud mouths to spout off a doctrine that promises utopia but delivers chaos. Time for us to get our heads out of the sand and stop funding university nonsensical courses that ferment such thoughts. I hate to admit that my grand daughter took a 3 credit course in protesting at her university. That's just one example of what is going on in the taxpayer funded universities in Canada.
Do you have a suggestion how can be the funding stopped? Do you think that Justin know nothing that allocated if I recall about $500 million of taxpayer's money to bribe journalists to tow the official line will stop the funding to the professors that promote the ideology that he espouses? For Mark club members that don't know it Canada does not have second amendment but it has "human rights" kangaroo courts. Mark himself went through one of those. If Mark would have been residing in Canada Mark Steyn club would not have existed
That's outrageous that an institution of higher learning would charge for a course in protesting. I thought protesting was a skill one learned while on the job.
Well Fran there are a lot of outrageous things happening in the halls of higher learning. I would suggest that the taxpayers have abdicated their duty to vet exactly what they are paying universities to teach. Just like the taxpayers elect politicians on name recognition rather than accomplishments. It really is time to put a price on our vote.The price is accomplishment for the taxpayer not the politician. Term limits really should be in place.
I lived in Nashville for 12 years. In the suburbs there, houses tend to be on large lots --- around 1 acre --- and so there is a significant demand for yard maintenance services, because a lot of the residents are quite well off. There has been a huge influx of Hispanic immigrants to the Nashville area. I don't know what percentage of them are illegal, but the numbers are overwhelming the local school system, in which about one third of the students are ESL. My hunch is that Tennessee could raise tens of millions of dollars a year by taxing remittances. Incidentally, the going rate for mowing a 1 acre lot was around $65 three years ago. I cut my own, and it took me 40 minutes from start to finish. There is a fairly long cutting season, and so my $4000 John Deere paid for itself in about a year. The resulting economic equation clearly favors aggressive and ambitious young people who present themselves well and do quality yard work. You can definitely make a decent living at it. Strangely, although Nashville has significant African American population, I never once saw an African American doing yard work in Brentwood, although there were countless white and Hispanic workers.
Is there any indication that the recent merger between The Blaze TV and CRTV will lessen your troubles, Mark?
I've subscribed to The Blaze for awhile, but cancelled when I heard about the merger. I just naively hoped it might result in a re-thinking of the legal shenanigans by the higher ups.
As for Chuck and Nancy, in what world would anyone want them as their spokespersons?
Mark, keep the faith.
When it comes to the aid we give the nations in South and Central America for where the caravans are being created, I ask this question and I hope I get a reply. Why is it that these nations who are in such dire need of our financial support only get around a few million yet in the Middle-East or North Korea we give them billions?
We have this naive notion that money will fix the problems in these nations yet it doesn't seem to matter how much we give them they waste it all and they have the same problems as they did before we gave them it. Ironic, considering we have the same issue as they do and here we are thinking that they'll spend it wiser than we would.
Reading the latest update on your Katz v Steyn Cut-Out 'n' Keep Guide reminds me of Robin Williams old joke about unarmed police in England: "Stop, or I'll say stop again!" What part of "case closed" is unclear? To Katz, to his litter of lawyers, to the court itself? Welshing on one's debts (with apologies to Dylan Thomas, Richard Burton, Anthony Hopkins, Tom, Davy, Terry Jones, et al) does not make one popular in Katz's poker-playing circle. (HBO is currently rerunning episodes of The Sopranos if he needs reminding.) The justice system has been wholly remade in the progressive mold: reject every unfavorable outcome until you get your way, then shout "settled law!"
Josh, Unless I've missed a bit of subtle irony, I don't think there is a need to apologise to those Welsh paragons nor to our Welsh brethren generally. I believe the verb is 'welch' as defined in the Cambridge Dictionary: "To avoid something you have promised to do, especially not to pay a debt". As in 'welching'. A salient post though.
Thank you for the pass, Ian. I love Wales--LOVE IT. My wife and I spent many a weekend touring the land on weekends and longer getaways from our temporary London home. I even persuaded a magazine I wrote for occasionally to publish a tour of Wales following the itinerary of Gerald of Wales, Giraldus Cambrensis, in the late 12th century (still available in a Penguin Classic reprint). One of my favorite trips ever.
The more and more I think about illegal immigration it reminds me of how we deal with shoplifting. We punish those who we know can afford to buy but chose not to. Yet when the shoplifter is homeless, we do nothing because it's immoral to deny someone in need. I thought that we were taught that if you do well in school, get an education, get a job that you will be rewarded in life and here we are seeing the opposite. You are punished for being successful. That your success is holding someone down. That our happiness is causing pain and suffering for someone else. The American Dream has changed hands as for being what we Americans can achieve to something that is given to those who aren't American. We aren't allowed to live the American Dream fought for by our four fathers. We are expected to live in the great American Nightmare highlighted by the progressives and the left.
I'm just glad no one on the left has suggested an EU type solution to our crisis. Having North, Central, and South America being governed by one body. I'd predict the decisions would come from somewhere in Canada if it were to happen. I worry it may happen though.
When are we as a people going to realize that we can't save them all? We can welcome the world but the situation in those countries will never change. We give more opportunity for a happy life to illegals than we do our own citizens. If thousands of migrants are coming to the US, why hasn't anyone confronted these nations to have them clean up their acts? Is that immoral too? Is it immoral to tell a nation to take care of it's own people? Is it immoral to ask their government for their nation to be safe? Apparently it is, there and here. I'm sick of hearing that these illegals are like defenseless little puppies in a pet store window who need us to take them home and take care of them. They're human beings. They could fight for their rights in their own nation but chose not to. They say they're escaping crime, poverty, disease. We have crime. We have poverty. We have diseases. The only difference is that they'd rather run here than to fight for their own homeland. We can't have a nation whose people are willing to run away when their nation goes down the toilet. And after America falls who do they think that Canada will let them in the same way as we did? Canada will say hell now after seeing America fall and a wall will be built faster there than we will see here.
Brian, What makes you to think that Canada will say Hell No? I live in Canada and I beleive that Canada will say Hell yes, it looks wonderful bring it on.
If that's the case, may the declaration of the American Union commence.
It really is unbelievable that we don't tax remittances. The government has their hand, often times more than once, on every other money transfer and income stream that every legal American pursues.
I really don't understand why more people don't see that calling a wall "immoral" but not being able to explain why simply means that their argument is so weak they have to resort to name calling and character assassinatin. They do this on just about every issue, not just the wall. If you are a liberal, aren't you sick of that? Especially when liberals think they're so smart...yet they can't defend their ideas in open debate. They really can't.
Because with facts, logic and data, it only makes sense to of course, build the wall. So when you can't win on the soundness if your argument- then, like Saul Alynsky says, publicly denigrate and attack the character of your opponent.
One of the strong parts of Trump's address last night was citing US government border employees' expertise. They're not political. They're just trying to do their job protecting the country and not getting harmed, so their recommendations are trustworthy.
The case for a border that actually functions could also be made convincingly by experts in a classroom (or courtroom) fashion. They could juxtapose the primitive acts of sneaking in and scaling fences with the most modern and civilized methods of sophisticated security available so we know who comes into our country. This is the one area Democrat politicians don't want to regulate. Pre-cases should be begun, setting expectations to hold them accountable when future crimes are committed by border crossers they insist on letting through.
Fear not, Mark. Your club members are here for you. Using my vast knowledge of our legal system, I have come up with some totally original lines you can use if you get in trouble. For example, if they ask you a question which could hurt your case, say this:
"You want the truth? YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" Really emphasize that second part and, if it gets you in trouble, say this:
"I'm out of order?! YOU'RE OUT OF ORDER! YOU'RE ALL OUT OF ORDER! THIS WHOLE TRIAL IS OUT OF ORDER!"
Note that the all caps indicate you should be quite vehement when using my totally original lines. However, if for some reason this doesn't work for you, here's what you do: have a hushed consultation with your lawyer and then meekly use this line:
"Uh, I don't recall."
There, now you are armed for any legal confrontation.
Steven, the precedent has been established for the best defense plea EVER: it's the Hillary Clinton-James Comey explanation. When accused of any crime at all, felony or not, just plead 'Extremely Careless'. Having been in the health care delivery profession, although never in legal trouble, I recommend it especially in negligence cases. If you are extremely careless and injure or kill someone (maybe you were just enjoying too many adult beverages at lunch?), or abused your security clearance and used private email for classified government communication, there should be no problem. Or even with libel or slander, you clearly didn't mean it, you were just extremely careless. There's no end to its use.
On 9/11 Governments around the world urged the immediate release of any bad news they had been agonizing over revealing - the UK was particularly found out. This mesmerising ongoing show in the Excited States is one continuous "Squirrel!" distraction, and politicians, picking one at random, say Justin Trudeau, are getting a 'bye' on scrutiny. Hopefully the Praetorians will be put back in their barracks box. I am curious if the GOP/Trump team has analyzed the +/- of "No I will not automatically sign off of on a retroactive payment bill-they didn't do any work !".
Has civilizational collapse ever before been via invitation? The M-CAEF (Mexican-Central American Expeditionary Force) to the US, and the MEEF (Middle Eastern Expeditionary Force) to Europe, both seem to have been offered de-facto ones, by politicians on both continents; no other conclusion, on this side of the Atlantic, from the (visually scary) Chuck and Nancy show last night. As a perceptive someone said, it really makes the death of Europe, at least, seem strange. And to be fair and open-minded, I would DEFINITELY vote for Alexandria O-C, if she ever ran for middle school student body president. Using her logic, however, if Mexicans really are entitled to freely move to the southern border states, since they once belonged to Mexico, why can't Spaniards as well, since they were there first, and why can't Brits freely move to the original 13 states, since England was robbed of those? Alas, I keep looking for the Spanish flag in the caravans. And speaking of the caravan south of California, it might be cheaper to simply escort it through the border, keeping it intact, using national guard, providing transportation, food, medical support, and protection, all the way up Interstate 5 to British Columbia. Upon arrival, someone would announce 'we're here!', and someone else would say, 'here you go!'. I hear Canada's a vast and empty and welcoming country, with few of the outdated hang ups we have in the US.
America - the President tries to deliver his promises, obstructed by Congress and Judiciary and Media.
UK - The Prime Minister tries to sabotage her promises, aided by Parliament and Judiciary and Media.
It can surely only end in bloodshed.
Puleez. Not surely. There are many options. Ask the former PM of Belgium how is it he's suddenly out of work.
With the Dems in control of the House taxing remittances at the federal level is impossible now, even if Trump is for it. But at the state level it could still work. Oklahoma, I think, already taxes remittances. Actually it is a fee, I think, which is a 100% credit on your Oklahoma state income taxes. So law abiding and legal immigrants who send money to another country do not pay the "tax" ultimately. But illegals and drug traffickers do, since they won't be filing state income tax returns anyway. All "red" states should do this, and at a high %, as that would nudge those scofflaws to locate only in those states whose elected officials are responsible for the problem anyway, and overwhelm their public services, not those of people with sense.
There was a bill (HB-66) in the Georgia House but it never cam to the floor. I am contacting the sponsor to see if he will be trying again this session. CIS estimates it would raise around $100 million per year in Georgia.
Who else but Mark Steyn would come up with a line like - "That's one of the jobs Americans will do". If we cannot win the argument at least humorous ridicule is an appropriate weapon and Mark has few equals in this regard. We do indeed have a plentiful supply of violent criminals in this country without importing more from the third world. Another issue virtually no one ever talks about is how convicted 'undocumented' aliens are treated in court compared to american citizens, I'm talking about violent offences including rape, violent assault and even murder. Many are simply deported as a matter of routine. I'm pretty sure that if one of us commits such a crime a bus ticket back home won't be among the options offered. Forget the fact that many of these creeps simply walk back across the border at first chance. Some of these criminals have been apprehended a half dozen times and still are offered a plane ticket back home. Seems like a sweet deal to me. The land of opportunity indeed.
Are Chuck and Nancy aware that six flags is an amusement park organization?
If so, could we at least have a shot of Alexandra (standing with arms akimbo) flying past in the front of the roller coaster.
Sam - that is a fabulous visual.
Any talent in the Mark Steyn Club that can create that?
It would make a great cover for the next Limbaugh letter. I wonder if Rush would ever consider interviewing a Lefty just once.
Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps it's time to label escapees of the Hollywood Wax Museum (pictured above) to be actors convincing audiences fiction is true. I doubt if Republicans will get anywhere if they don't. On one side is the truth Trump laid out last night. On the other side is deception. If the side of the truth doesn't label the deceptive side what it is, that is effectively a lie. The battle has to be shifted slightly, so that it's a battle over the truth. Otherwise Republicans have a double-burden of being the only ones held accountable regarding truth, whereas audiences recognize the other side is true to character and not hypocritical. Audiences know full well Democrat politicians cherish lying as a virtue. It's not pointing it out in the argument that by default transforms them into honest negotiatiors of good faith.
I don't have any more answers than Mark, but a, say, 35% tax on remittances sounds good to me. I'd prefer 100% but that's not going to happen, either.
Our local grocery store recently shut down the Western Union service that they had offered at their Customer Service counter. Once a month, the line of people using that service to transfer money was out the door and to the end of the parking lot. In my naivete, I thought they were buying lottery tickets.
Payless Shoe Source as a metaphor for government. Perfect. Both contain a million loafers.
Carl,
Someone should post a comment congratulating you on your humo(u)r, but not me. You should be ashamed of yourself!
Not to mention all the heels!
As hypocritical as Nasty P and "Cryin' Chuck", the American Gothic cretins are, they realize that the more illegal immigrants and criminals that can enter the country, the better the chance that they will have a permanent hold on the House of Representatives. This is why their socialist minions are in favor of doing away with the Electoral College and ICE.
Supposing after being trapped in a shark tank for a day that fins slicing the water came to mind rather easily. Happy to see M. Mark climbed out with all limbs and digits still accounted for.
Thoughts about a tax on remittances, which actually has long been a surprise wasn't already being done. Must point all to President Trump's executive order he signed in Nov or Dec 20, 2017 (have to look up the number - the full document can be found on the White House page listing Executive actions) ordering the seizure of any assets of anyone/any organization/entity engaged in crimes against humanity i.e. human trafficking, drugs... Readers need to be aware that it wasn't coincidental that suddenly there was a wave of top resignations in of all sorts of organizations, including 'humanitarian' and including a few high-profile arrests - between Nov 2017 and March 2018. Therefore, the nice people's remittances get to the ancestral home to help with grandmama's new roof, a new gas stove and a flush toilet to replace the outhouse, but the rest have been already 'taxed' at 100%, more as more bad guys are uncovered in this effort. President Trump didn't mention human trafficking for nothing. It's scary how bad it is and its prey are babies, children and teens - that would be the nation's up-coming generation being predated upon.
So, those two make-up-plastered tip-toppiest of Democrats by using their positions to undermine border security efforts are enabling the vilest of international cross-border human exploitation. Their own prior speeches prove they for years have been and are fully cognizant of what's going on, yet they're blocking efforts to stop it. If it defies logic, common sense and the overwhelming public demand, what unspoken factor/s are influencing their choice to fight it tooth and nail?
Found it - EO 13818 regarding authorizing seizing the assets of anyone engaged in serious human rights violations.
P GAO,
American's don't have to suppose being trapped in a shark tank, the story of the USS INDIANAPOLIS happened. What the sailors of the Greatest Generation lived through is being repeated on a grand scale. The PBY's are piloted by (DEMS, PROGS, LIBS, MSM) has seen the Deplorable's floating in the water, the sharks (Undocumented) are taking out the Deplorable's at their leisure, "nothing to see down there". One PBY is piloted by call tag "45", he's trying to save his fellow Deplorable's, pray he succeeds.
That is truly a chilling story, remember reading about the event years ago. But, today, thinking by the high-level resignations and revelations coming out about how so many 'institutions' and 'charities' scammed and abused the public, with now arrests going on that maybe the rescue ships have been mobilized and are converging. The media is unwatchable, just a marathon spectacle of yelling and making up whatever, while President Trump strides ahead. In his book - published over twenty years ago he describes being taught in his teens by contractors how to knock on doors to collect rent payments in New York -- stand aside at the wall and reach over with the fist to knock. If they shoot through the door, one only risks a non-fatal wound on the hand or arm, not through the body. That's quite the practical education for a teenager, in self-protection AND in being made fully aware of the reality of what some humans can do when cornered, so how much more over the decades did he learn about how to efficiently handle recalcitrant scofflaws? The Dem leaders are flailing like bugs on a fly strip.
That America is torn in two about *whether it should have the rule of law*, or *continue existing as a nation* - which is exactly what this immigration debate boils down to - is way, way beyond merely ridiculous (although it is that, too).
I'm not sure what adjective to use, but what this all really reminds me of is whatever symptom of imminent expiry might precede a final death rattle. How does a nation endure when half its citizens and politicians are actively trying to destroy it?
The disease appears endemic to the Occident.
The short answer is that it doesn't. Civilisations rise and fall. Their ascent is slow, tragic and pregnant with meaning. Their collapse sudden and ludicrous. And always destined from inward failure, not external factors. The trick is to fully understand the times we live in, and to celebrate the good things that accompany the inevitable decline. This requires an Olympian distance and godlike laughter. There will always be short-lived attempts to stem the tide, which in the case of America is personified in characters like Trump. But the huge sway of history will sweep them aside. Our good friend Mark Steyn has his finger on the pulse, he is the almost perfect chronicler of our demise (the West), but as I have stated before, he has no answers and nor does he pretend to. Once the moral and artistic life (which includes science, but not mere technology) is hollowed out, then what is the point of resisting ? An old man cannot become young again only by wanting to, and those who insist that life is worth living at any cost do nothing but display to their eternal shame their decrepitude. We must become hard, intellectual and cynical men, in order to keep step with our times, and face our destruction with a manly attitude, just as did the Romans. Avanti !
Yes, you have one system for the law-abiding future citizen which presumably wants people who will be law abiding and have something to offer their new country. And then there is this parallel system for those who want to just walk in to the country. A as the President says, some will do harm to the nation. One of them should be scrapped, yet many citizens and their representatives seem keen to disregard the former and favour the latter. That's nuts. Or at the very least it's a recipe for many unnecessary problems. Yet Chuck and Nancy stand in front of all those flags, with all-too straight faces, crying fear mongering.
So, prepare for a battle but don't fight back?
How about "useful idiots"?
It sounds like you may have read Jean Raspail's The Camp of the Saints which I finished today. That's the attitude some adopt at the end -- the only thing really left to them.
There's one line in that novel that I think sums up the sickness of the West: " . . . cowardice toward the weak is cowardice at its most subtle, and, indeed, its most deadly".
Not that it's all cowardice -- plenty of economic self-interest involved in our current immigration debacle.
For those that have to feel and not think, I did find Trump's line about not hating those outside a wall a nice flourish.
Ave Caesar! Those who about to die salute you!
I think you are giving the 5th century Romans too much credit for a "manly attitude." The short list of reasons why the Empire of the West fell: over expansion financially and militarily, reliance on slave labor and trying to bribe the barbarians sounds awfully similar to the state of our civilization today. Ironically, one of the reasons cited for collapse is a loss of traditional values as Christianity supplanted the old ways.
Otherwise I just find your analysis too cheery.
Sadly Tal, I believe it is a symptom of what Mark has called the Present Tense Culture. To be a patriotic citizen is to revere the past and be mindful of the future. It is to know that you are the beneficiary of an inheritance that you are responsible for passing to your posterity. Such a person recognizes that there are many difficult and uncomfortable choices that need to be made to preserve that inheritance.
But if all you care about is the "now" and your position in it you are happy to trash the past and mortgage the future to maximize your wealth, power, fame or whatever in the moment. That is the kind of people that are sadly inhabiting much of our Government at every level. Chuck and Nancy are prime examples of this mindset. Even more tragically, it defines an increasing number of our fellow citizens. It has been the trajectory of our culture for at least fifty years now and is also part of the wages of mass immigration.
Yep. Wasn't it Lincoln who said, "if America is to be destroyed, it will be from the inside out." Pretty sad. Beyond ridiculous.
One small observation Mark. It was only the Western Empire that fell in 476, as I'm sure you are aware. Roman culture continued more or less in the Eastern Empire for quite some time afterward. Of course it changed, some would say improved in some ways over time before it finally succumbed to forces from both the East and the West. Ultimately however, the failure was internal, just as in the Western Empire.
For those that have to feel and not think, I did find Trump's line about not hating those outside a wall a nice flourish.
Yes, indeed. Best line of the whole (brief) speech, IMO.
I haven't checked, of course, but I'd bet anything that Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer both live behind walls. So does Trump, of course -- and you try to scale that wall, you're almost certain to end up dead. But no one proposes tearing down the walls/fences/"barriers" round the White House, any more than Pelosi wants all the "immoral" wall already existing removed. IIRC, what Trump wants is 238 miles of "barrier," not "sea to shining sea," which is today's meme apparently.
Many if not most Democrats currently in Congress have already voted for fence/wall/"barrier" projects. This one is different because it's Trump, and literally for no other reason at all. He wants it, and therefore he mustn't get it. Exactly who is "holding hostage" the jobs of furloughed workers again?
Thank you for your courage to share your thoughts. I thought that I am the only one pessimist. People don't like to hear or read gloomy forecasts they prefer the rosy outlook. Human nature has not changed, if you look at history the biblical prophets were prosecuted denounced as madmen.
It is not ironic as you state, that Christianity contributed to collapse of the Roman empire, since slave labor and Christianity could not coexist. Christianity is a proselytizing religion and once the Slaves became Christians they were not slaves anymore. There is analogy in the US when Illegal immigrant becomes de facto a citizen combined with proselytizing to vote Democrat he is eligible for welfare and not accepting to be exploited at low wages there is constant need bring in more illegal immigrants to do the work that citizens dont want to do, and constant need provides more funds to pay for the welfare of the newly minted citizens. It is a vicious circle try to figure out how will it end
There have been several visual internet parodies of Chuck and Nancy already, but here's mine: Ladies and gentlemen, Chuck, I mean, Tex and Edna Boil!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS5zNX2zVbk
Are you the Prince Edward Islander that has apparently slipped through our northern border and is staying one step ahead of ICE by pretending you are a snow bird?
If he is, I ran into him in PEI during the cruise. Very cool. Maybe he's a snowbird migrating for the winter.
Alexandra Occasional Cortex is the prettier, female iteration of Bernie Sanders the decrepit Jewish socialist kook. The Dems who are serious about power (and so few of them are not) will eventually be able to finally put Bernie, Nancy, Chuck and Joe Biden out to pasture and sell their crackpot socialist snake oil to America in the nicer packaging. If Republicans don't understand that, they are in big trouble. It doesn't matter what she says, or even what she believes, she has the support of the entire media establishment and she will be protected from here on end.
As for the speech, and the fabulous memes that came out of it, I thought the most revealing remark of the night was made by Seth Myers in a Tweet suggesting the address was "Oval Office SVU". Utterly reprehensible. That attitude towards regular Americans who have been murdered by illegal criminal aliens is what got Trump elected. It was absolutely disgusting and perfectly representative of the contempt that the political left has for its fellow citizens.
Each appearance of AOC has been so bizarre I never noticed she was pretty until people started mentioning it.
"Payless Shoe Source - there'll be another one two hundred yards down the road" coupled with: "The lack of a southern border...". Then it suddenly hit me: Instead of a wall, why not a string of Payless Shoe Sources along the southern border??!! I haven't worked out the details yet, but it sounds like it could be a big win-win for capitalism and border security!
AOC & all of her less telegenic comrades have to claim moral superiority; the facts, painfully gathered at heart-breaking cost over the past century are against her perky totalitarianism.
Very on point Laura - As far as media screen time is measured pretty Alex is already the most prominent democrat in the nation. Media consultants are already working on sanding off the rough edges - so to speak - meaning the fact that she knows virtually nothing about economics or governance but this is not a problem that can't be easily fixed. By orders of magnitude she's the most sought after guest and this includes Fox News. Republicans do understand this but have no answers and are already under fire for criticizing this sweet beautiful young lady. Alexandria is the real deal and she'll become - or at least sound - much smarter down the line.
That's not a good look for Chuck. He needs his half-glasses that sit on the end of his nose, so he can look above the lenses at us while using his trademark "I'm smarter than you so don't say anything back" tone. A little smirk wouldn't have hurt either. He kind of resembles Al Gore after a 6 week stint at a fat farm.
Mark, I hope we both are still alive by the time this court BS ends. I would beg you for a behind the scenes book about both (Mann & Katz), but once published, the nightmare would probably start all over again.
Best regards.
Mark replies:
Well, as I said yesterday, the legality of calling Katz a "cockwomble" is what jurists call "law of first impression", so it probably needs to go all the way and have Justices Ginsburg, Thomas, Sotomayor et al weigh in on it. Cockwomble on, Katz!
I wonder is not Katz financially supported by the dems to continue this legal war of attrition to waste Mark Steyn finances and time thus reduce his anti-fake news effectiveness. It is clear that Michael Mann does not pay his war of attrition against Steyn out of his pockets so why not have another one.
I had to add if two Cockwombies are not enough to get Mark out of the business Cockwomble number 3 may show up There are powerful people and organizations with deep pockets that will be delighted to stop him for good. One way is the way they dealt with Seth Rich but Mark is too famous to be dealt with like that, the other method is the way they dealt with other conservative TV personalities. Safer method is war of attrition Mark stated that the process is the punishment, How many lawyers can he sustain and how many depositions can Mark give before he throws in the towel?
I've always thought of Schumer as viperous but the shark analogy is hilarious, but somehow doesn't connote his evil nature. But the "response" didn't actually respond at all, and was just the same old Border Crisis Denialism. If you know all the cliches you didn't need to watch the two animatronic ghouls.
..........animatronic ghouls, well stated!
Have you no sympathy for real ghouls? Why slander them by making this comparison?
I would rather the country be run by Sid and Nancy than Chuck and Nancy.
With Sid and Nancy in charge at least we would all enjoy the smack of firm government.
I think Brit Hume got it right when he tweeted that the image of Chuck and Nancy together alone allowed Trump to win the night. For a good belly laugh, it's work checking out the huge number of memes that the "rebuttal" generated. I think my fave is the one that morphed Chuck and Nancy into aliens from the cult classic movie "They Live". Honorable mention to the Mars Attacks meme.
"I'm Ms. Nancy Pelosi, and this here is Mr. Chuck Schumer. We rob banks."
PS: Was anyone, anywhere more beautiful than Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde? Rhetorical question.
PPS: May Carry Cats have to suffer an eternity of toting troublesome toms for his petty torments. Hiss!
American Gothic indeed.
Grant Wood (his estate, actually) should sue.
Oh my gosh! After I read your post I scrolled back up to look at the pic. I laughed until I almost cried. My mind's eye imposed an upright pitchfork between them. Great stuff!