It would be nice if I could say this report surprised me at all but it does not because of what the left has become.
Reynolds finishes thus:
The people running things seem either oblivious to, or hopeful for, the prospect of a civil war.
Given that they are bought and paid for by China that isn’t a surprise but I think there is a better question to be asked namely:
If an enemy was trying to foment civil war in the United States what would they be doing differently than what the Biden Administration and the left are doing now?
Only idiots who have never studied history or never lived though a civil would consider this a positive thing.
With the Biden administration proposing another $24 billion to support Ukraine’s military, I think it may be time to reassess my enthusiastic backing of the fight against Russia.
The United States is by far the largest donor to Ukraine. Congress has already approved $113 billion in military, economic, humanitarian, and other aid for Ukraine, including around $70 billion for security, intelligence, and additional war-fighting costs. An estimated 90 percent of that total has already been spent or designated to be spent.
In the past year, overall support for Ukraine has waned. According to a poll released by CNN last week, fifty-five percent of Americans now oppose more aid to Ukraine. The party breakdown is stark—71 percent of Republicans oppose additional assistance, while 62 percent of Democrats favor it.
Vladimir Putin is a bad guy. His invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2014 with the seizure of Crimea and the subsequent attacks a year ago, is anathema to world peace and security.
But is the wholesale support of Ukraine worth the cost and the potential downside of exhausting the ability of the United States to keep its military ready to fight against other threats, such as China?
The Heritage Foundation has put together a rather convincing case against continuing aid to Ukraine at its current levels.
In a recent opinion piece, Kevin Roberts, the president of the foundation, wrote the following:
–“It is simply untenable for Americans to bear the vast majority of the burden among our allies in standing up to threatening states.”
–“Our concentration on Ukraine has undermined our ability to address the worsening military situation in Asia, especially around Taiwan.”
–“However just and noble Ukraine’s cause is, continuing to focus on it at the expense of confronting and deterring China is not wise, moral, or conservative.”
Roberts makes a variety of good points. I take away three important ones. First, U.S. foreign policy must focus mainly on China’s economic and military threat rather than Russia’s. Second, the United States must take a strategic approach toward Ukraine rather than depleting American military stockpiles. Third, Russia poses a more significant threat to Europe than the United States, so NATO countries should assume a substantial burden of the cost. See https://www.heritage.org/asia/commentary/the-correct-conservative-approach-ukraine-shifts-the-focus-china#
I’m not arguing that we should cut off Ukraine. We just need to figure out a better strategy there and an even better one in dealing with China.
Sheldon:What is that you’re eating? Tonight is pizza night.
Leonard:I’d like to refer that to my attorney.
Priya:According to what I see here, Thursday nights are Franconi’s pizza night.
Sheldon:Yes, and when Franconi’s went out of business, we switched to Graziano’s.
Howard:That’s interesting. Can you just switch restaurants like that, Priya?
Priya: A good question, Howard. Turns out you can’t. According to the document you drew up, Sheldon, the selection of a new takeout restaurant requires public hearings and a 60-day comment period. Were those criteria met?
Sheldon:No.
All: Opa!
Sheldon: This is Greek food? Leonard, you hate Greek food.
Leonard: Not as much as you.
The Big Bang Theory: The Agreement Dissection 2011
Following up to my DeSantis endorsement There is one key advantage of Ron DeSantis over Donald Trump that everyone seems to be missing.
I’ve been a political junkie for 47 years and based on what I’ve seen the GOP do since Reagan left the room, Ron DeSantis is the type of candidate that the deep state and the GOP establishment historically hates.
Think for a second about his record: Ron DeSantis has
Openly taken on big business grooming squad (the same Disney & Budlight that Trump defended)
Openly taken on the Democrat machines in Broward county (the ones that the deep state has let operate)
Openly taken on blue states on illegal immigration (that the deep state deferred to) and
Openly taken on big pharma on COVID (the ones that have grown rich off of COVID)
Openly taking on big education
In short he is everything the get along go along GOP despises. Any other year the GOP deep state establishment would do all they could to marginalize, and even destroy presidential asperations he might have. Oh they might allow him a guy like him a seat but when it comes to the White House they would strive to sabotage him in the primaries as they have done to every strong conservative willing to fight the culture wars since the day I left the Democrat party last century.
Yet this year as many of the #OnlytrumpTM types have noted both here and at Instapundit in comments there are quite a few of these folks openly for DeSantis.
Why? Two words: Donald Trump
Donald Trump has changed the equation he is so despised by the GOP establishment (although some not as openly as others) that suddenly a guy like DeSantis who any other year they would be fighting tooth and nail is suddenly a viable and even desirable alternative for the GOP nomination.
Make no mistake, in any other year with no Trump on the ballot that same establishment would be pushing one of the squishes and calling DeSantis an extremist and doing all they could to destroy him.
That’s how much the establishment hates President Trump, they hate Trump so much that they’ll support an actual strong conservative to stop him and help him win in November just to spite the Donald.
I know it’s a silly thought on my part but I think actually increasing the potential vote pool, particularly in non-deep red states that aren’t already in the bank for us just might be a good idea even if those votes come from those icky folks not sufficiently Maga.
Finally I think the prospect of these jerks helping us to eight years of winning the culture wars and standing up to those who would soak the taxpayer to enrich their friends and being willing to openly fight the Democrats seems not only a good idea but a better revenge on those guys than anything else actually achievable.
Last week one of music’s giants, Robbie Robertson, the lead guitarist and the principle songwriter for The Band, died at the age of 80.
In this post I’ll rank their studio albums.
Much like Fleetwood Mac, The Band, when you reach back to their beginnings in Toronto, is one of the few musical acts that, like a nation, have a historical narrative.
Arkansas rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins found success with his backup band, the Hawks, in Canada in the lat 1950s. But one by one, each Hawk, except for drummer Levon Helm, got homesick and returned to America. The first Canadian to join the Hawks was Robertson, who was quickly supplemented by bassist Rick Danko, pianist Richard Manuel, and organist Garth Hudson, but all of the members of the band were multi-instrumentalists, particularly Hudson. The Band had three vocalists, Helm, Danko, and Manuel. Often, particularly on their first two albums, they would interchange leads—and beautifully harmonize.
The Hawks split from Hawkins in 1963, and under different names, performed as a first-rate bar band until becoming Bob Dylan’s concert backing band. Helm left during that tour.
After Dylan was injured in a motorcycle accident in 1966, with the Hawks, he recorded new material that was released in 1975 as The Basement Tapes. Helm rejoined in 1967, after the newly-dubbed The Band was signed Capitol Records.
After many ups and a few downs, The Band split after their final concert–with many guest performers–which was lovingly documented in the Martin Scorsese-directed movie, The Last Waltz. The soundtrack album is also an essential work of art.
In the 1980s, without Robertson, The Band reformed, went on tour, with the intention of returning to the recording studio. But Manuel committed suicide in 1986. The remaining Band members eventually recorded three albums in the 1990s, consisting mostly of covers, but the rump Band broke up for good after Danko’s death in 1999. Helm, who had been feuding with Robertson for years over songwriting credits and money in general, died in 2012. Hawkins passed away last year.
Hudson is the only surviving member of The Band.
And now let’s start the rundown of The Band’s albums. Yes, the ones with the original lineup.
Islands (1977): There are some great outtakes albums, The Who’s Odds and Sods and Elvis Costello’s Taking Liberties come to mind. Islands is like most of the others, where listeners can say to themselves, “I can see why these songs were left off of previous albums.” Because The Last Waltz soundtrack was promised to another label, Islands was compiled to satisfy The Band’s contractual obligation to Capitol Records. It contains a curiosity, “Knockin’ Lost John,” the only Band song where Roberston sings lead. Next…
Cahoots (1971): Drugs had taken their toll on The Band by this time, and Robertson’s songs weren’t very good here. Cahoots starts off well enough, with “Life Is a Carnival,” but immediately sinks into them mud. Not even one of my favorites, Van Morrison, who co-wrote with Robertson “4% Pantomime,” which is about two drunk musicians in a bar complaining about life on the road, could save Cahoots. Listening to this album is about as enjoyable as sitting next to two drunk musicians in a bar as they…well, you get it. On the upside, the album artwork is gorgeous, and one of Morrison’s nicknames, the Belfast Cowboy, comes from “4% Pantomime.”
Moondog Matinee (1973): Two paragraphs ago Costello, who counts The Band as one of his major influences, received a compliment, now I’m evening the score. In 1995, Costello recorded an album of mostly obscure R&B covers, Kojak Variety. It’s a terrible record. Moondog Matinee, which also contains many lesser-known R&B tunes, is better than that. Predictably, it’s the better-known songs that The Band chose, including “I’m Ready,” “Mystery Train,” and “Promised Land,” which click.
Yes, I do love The Band. Really, I do.
Now comes the good stuff.
Stage Fright (1970): While Cahoots understandably opens with its best song, on Stage Fright, the collection’s worst two songs, “Strawberry Wine” and “Sleeping” are the opening tracks. The first song was co-written by Helm with Robertson, and Manuel co-wrote the second one with Robbie. With the exception of one other tune, all of the rest of the songs were written solely by Robertson, including these Band standards, the title track, as well as “The Shape I’m In,” and “The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show.” More rock and R&B oriented than The Band’s first two albums, Stage Fright is also remembered for Todd Rundgren’s role as engineer.
Northern Lights-Southern Cross (1975): The Band, with their first studio album in four years, came back in a big way here. “Acadian Driftwood,” a musical cousin of sorts of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” recounts the ethnic cleansing of French speakers in the 1750s from Nova Scotia by the British. At the time, Robertson was married to a French-Canadian, tensions between Anglophone and Francophone Canada were at a peak then. Like the early days of The Band, Helm, Manuel, and Danko harmonize and swap lead verses. “Ophelia,” “Jupiter Hollow,” and “It Makes No Difference” are the other great tracks on this collection. Every song on Northern Lights-Southern Cross is a Robertson composition.
Music from Big Pink (1968): One of the best debut albums ever, and not just because of the great songs, such as “Chest Fever,” “The Weight,” and the Dylan-penned “I Shall Be Released.” No one knew it at the time, but Music from Big Pink was the first album of the Americana genre, or if you prefer, roots music. The album artwork featured a Dylan painting. “The Weight” is the ultimate Band song, Helm and Danko share lead vocals and Manuel adds perfect harmonies. Dylan cowrote, with Manuel and Danko respectively, “Tears of Rage” and “This Wheel’s on Fire.”
The Band (1969): Most bands with a great debut album effort suffer from a sophomore jinx. Not The Band, with their self-titled follow-up, also known as the Brown Album. There are no Dylan songs this time, but Robertson filled that vacuum with works that are now Americana classics, such as aforementioned “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” as well as “Rag Mama Rag,” and “Up on Cripple Creek.” Sometimes it’s hard to ascertain why The Band was so great and so unique. “Jawbone,” a Robertson and Manuel collaboration, offers a clue. It was written in a 6/4 time signature, a rarity in popular music.
And so was Robbie Robertson, a rarity. Rest in peace.
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