On Memorial Day ...

Every Memorial Day your patriotic Peasant goes a bit beyond

the boundary and pays tribute to our veterans retired but still

living as well as those now departed, in particular those who

died in battle. I mean no disrespect, I just give my gratitude 

and pay tribute to all of our veterans each and every day, even

if it's simply by saying a brief prayer.

That being said, I shall not color outside the lines; I simply want

to give thanks for the service and sacrifice of the courageous 

Americans down through our country's history, as they secured

our freedom as a nation and a people. Some of my ancestors are

among their ranks, having sacrificed everything themselves.

Please give these brave souls a thought and a prayer while you,

my grand readers, enjoy your Memorial Day holiday. They are 

the reason that we enjoy our cookouts and gatherings of family

and friends, as well as our many freedoms. 

God bless them. God bless you. And God bless America.

MEM

Unusual Allies

U.S. Attorney General under President Trump, Bill Barr,

has been fighting a battle to keep an internal Department

of Justice memo from being made public --- and he has

gained the support of President Biden's AG Merrick

Garland. Recently the Justice Department announced that 

it would appeal federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson's order

to make available to the public an internal DOJ memo

from the Trump era dealing with the Robert Mueller report.

Most of the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee

are against the appeal and have openly said so.

A March 2019 Office of Legal Counsel memo advising then-

AG Barr on how to handle the Mueller findings. Barr and his 

department refused to make the memo public because it is 

part of protected internal deliberations. In her May 3 order, 

Judge Jackson claimed that the OLC memo isn't protected 

because AG Barr had made up his mind. The DOJ already

released the first 1 1/2 pages of the memo, but have kept

the rest out of the public eye. To fail to do so would have 

meant 

During the process the DOJ has laid bare Judge Jackson's 

order for being a tool for judicial overreach and all the 

attendant mischief it was meant to do. Current AG Garland

has come out in support of keeping the internal deliberations 

private, thereby siding with his predecessor former AG Barr.

Although this will get the Democrats' knickers in a twist,

what has occurred here is just what a nonpartisan and fair-

minded Justice Department and its policy, in fact, is. 

Well done, AGs Barr and Garland. The Trump and 

Biden administrations now have some serious common 

ground.

MEM

Pipeline Political Punch-up

Since Joe Biden ascended to the presidency, Democrats and

fellow travelers alike clamored more than ever before for 

a halt to construction and operation of pipelines made to 

move crude oil and natural gas from the United States to 

Canada. Under President Trump our country had at last 

become energy independent, ceasing to be reliant on oil 

from other nations, especially those in the Middle East

(they tend not to be neither terribly friendly nor helpful

to us); since Biden became president he had become a big,

sharp thorn in the side of the oil industry, and wants to 

take measures which could threaten our energy 

independence, going from major importers to major 

exporters of oil. President Biden, you see, wants to keep 

the far-left wing of his party happy, as they were instrumental 

in his electoral victory last November. This, therefore, is a

quid pro quo (perhaps a quid pro Joe?). 

Speaking of Democrats and fellow travelers, Michigan Gov.

Gretchen Whitmer has ordered the shutdown of the Line 5

pipeline, which carries over half a million barrels of crude

oil and natural gas daily, crossing the Great Lakes for a 

5-mile trip at the Straits of Mackinac. The crossing is 

dependent upon a 1953 easement, which Gov. Whitmer

is threatening to cancel, claiming to have environmental

concerns (wink, wink). 

This is what the consequences of this shutdown would look

like; studying the Eastern Seaboard and what they suffered

when hackers halted operations on the Colonial Pipeline.

This particular pipeline serves 45% of the region's fuel needs,

and the hackers' malicious mischief caused skyrocketing 

gas prices, gas stations going dry, and many blocks-long lines

of vehicles whose drivers would pay just about anything for

a full tank of gas out of desperation. Federal and state 

governments waived safety and environmental rules to 

aid fuel delivery by truck, rail and ship. 

Line 5 has operated across these straits for nearly seven 

decades without incident. But this means nothing to 

President Biden and his fellow Dems, let alone the 

fellow travelers. Canada wants to preserve Line 5 and

all means of moving crude oil and natural gas. 

President Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

and Michigan's Governor Whitmer need to sit down and

find a solution that soothes environmental concerns on

both sides of the border. So many Americans and 

Canadians depend heavily on the pipelines for their 

homes, businesses, and jobs. Without Line 5, the 

suffering would be epic, and there would not necessarily

be a cleaner energy future for anyone on the North 

American continent.

MEM

Rush Limbaugh, R.I.P.

On the very day I was rushed to the hospital, heart attack

and all, the man who transformed AM radio, creating a

new industry within an existing industry, while making 

not just fans but friends among millions of people who 

never met him face-to-face but rather over the airwaves,

drawn to him by his distinctive voice and magnetizing

persona --- passed away, losing his battle with lung cancer.

Rush Limbaugh, aged 70, was, and is, the Father of 

Conservative talk radio as we have come to know it,

bringing it up from a handful of local and regional

markets to a single national market with a vast audience 

to match.

El Rushbo, as he was referred to by his legion of fans,

leaves a legacy of sharp, crisp news analysis from a 

conservative point of view along with friendship, 

warmth, and fine humor. Rush, a humble man at 

his core, had a huge role in conservative politics

and conservatism itself, and could instantly strengthen

a cause and give heft to an argument. Rush even captured 

the attention of the man referred to as the Godfather

of American Conservatism and the founder of National

Review, William F. Buckley Jr. They also formed a 

friendship which lasted right up to Buckley's passing 

in 2008. 

He was also a generous man; many of Rush's acts of 

generosity he kept quiet so as to shun the publicity

he would have received, taking his secret benevolence

with him upon leaving this world. And he fought the 

Big C with tenacity, toughness, and courage.

Your mournful Peasant never had the opportunity to

meet Rush in person, but had listened frequently to 

his radio show and watched his television show in

the '90s, coming to know him as a source of not

only information of importance to conservatives but

a bringer of good cheer, especially when times

were tough for those of us on the right. His show

is still on, hosted by past guest hosts and interspersed

with taped segments of Rush's commentary; a grand 

and unique tribute to a great radio show host.

It eases the pain of the loss. 

Rush, you used to say on your show that we your

friends and fans meant more to you than you ever

will to us; but you have always meant much more,

so much more to me than I ever will to you. 

You gave me hope, positivity, and inspiration.

These things (especially the third one) led me to

publish this blog, which I have been so doing 

for the nearly twelve years. If I could reach and 

influence one tenth of the people whom you did

with my PWAP, I will go to my final reward 

happy and proud! Thanks Rush for everything!

Requiescat in Pace. 

MEM

The GOP's Golden Opportunity

The House Republicans have wonderful prospects for 

winning five net seats needed to regain the majority in

2022 --- provided that they don't collapse into intramural

brawling over last year's election. However, that is just

what they seem to be engaging in. 

There are two factions butting heads in the House of 

Representatives; one is pro-Trump, the other very much

anti-. Rep. Liz Cheney, who is with the latter, is a member

of the Republicans' House Leadership, and has survived an

attempt to boot her off after she was one of ten Republicans

who voted to impeach President Trump after the ruckus 

which took place at the capitol on January 6. Furthermore,

 Rep. Cheney openly disagrees with those in the GOP who 

have stated that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

She responded to the 45th president's statement:

"The Fraudulent Presidential Election of 2020 will be, 

from this day forth, known as THE BIG LIE!"

with "The 2020 presidential election was not stolen. 

Anyone who claims it was is spreading THE BIG LIE,

turning their back on the rule of law, and poisoning 

our democratic system." I suppose it didn't, and still 

doesn't, mean anything to Rep. Cheney that several states

had instances where lo and behold (!) some bags of uncounted

votes were "found", and some other interesting occurrences

happened as well, i.e. changing election rules via lawsuits

to take advantage of the COVID pandemic, to name but a few 

examples.

Your thoughtful Peasant has an answer for this growing threat 

to GOP party unity at a time when unity is exactly what the

party needs: Don't toss Cheney from the GOP Leadership, but

find a way to diminish her influence so she won't cause any more

trouble for the former president or his supporters on Capitol Hill.

This will be helpful in building an agenda for the future which

will prevent current president Biden from making any more 

Big Government-enhancing mischief. A fight over whether or 

not to keep Liz Cheney in her position will divide the party at a 

time when it can least afford to be divided. 

And a close eye should be kept on Cheney and like-minded 

Republicans going forward.

MEM