Life Imitating Science Fiction

William Shatner, the actor best known for his role 

as Captain James T. Kirk, skipper of the Enterprise

in the original Star Trek TV series and movies, has

ventured into outer space many times in this renown 

franchise. Now, at the age of 90 (!) no less, Shatner

has taken a trip into that boundless place of legends 

and unforgettable tales for real, becoming quite the

legend himself as among other things being the oldest

man in space.

Shatner made the trip in conjunction with Jeff Bezos,

founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, the latter a private 

space company that planned and arranged the trip.

A deeply moved and very grateful Shatner told the

multi-billionaire entrepreneur "What you have given 

me is the most profound experience ... I'm so filled 

with emotion about what just happened ... it's extra-

ordinary, extraordinary. I hope I never recover from this."

This adventure may never have happened for the veteran 

actor if all space exploration were still being run by the

government via NASA; now such efforts are being 

accomplished by private entrepreneurs such as Bezos

(who also happens to be one of the wealthiest people on 

the planet), along with Richard Branson and Elon Musk.

Less hurdles to clear this way. And get this, Bezos says

that he was partly inspired to found Blue Origin by 

"Star Trek", which he enthusiastically watched as a boy.

This monumental venture made two journeys: a private

sector originated flight from Earth into outer space,

and a flight from science fiction adventure into real life.

These people have proved beyond all doubt that dreams 

really can and do come true. Especially when one lives 

in a country where you can be whatever you want to be, 

do whatever you want to do, and accomplish whatever 

you want to accomplish provided that you have the dream,

the desire, the courage and the will. Congratulations to

William Shatner, his shipmates, and to Jeff Bezos.

MEM

Colin Powell, R.I.P.

This past weekend we lost a great soldier, statesman and 

diplomat; Gen. Colin Powell, leader of our military forces 

in the Gulf War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 

National Security Advisor, Secretary of State, 

as well as a member of three Republican presidential 

administrations, passed away after battling

Parkinson's disease, cancer and coronavirus. 

Eighty-four years of age at the time of his death, Powell

led a full life not merely in terms of longevity but of

accomplishment. He was the first black Secretary of State

as well as the first black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs 

of Staff, a double record. Respected by members of both

the Republicans and Democrats, Powell was also known 

for his modesty, optimism and sense of humor. He never

let his considerable career success go to his head. 

With the late Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf as his executive 

officer, the two field leaders created the battle plan which

helped the United States and her allies win the Gulf War 

in just six weeks. American forces captured and marched 

off the surviving members of Iraq's Elite Army forces,

right after Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein promised that 

his elite soldiers would bring about "The Mother of all

battles" and that his forces would produce a huge 

surrender by the U.S. and allied forces. Although Saddam 

was right about the battle and the surrender, he was wrong 

about which side would give up. 

In addition to his work regarding Iraq and Afghanistan, 

Powell involved himself in other aspects of U.S. foreign

policy, including improving bilateral relations with China 

and Russia. Powell also worked to withdraw the U.S. 

from the U.S.-Russian Ballistic Missile Treaty.

Furthermore, Powell also pushed for international cooperation

for North Korea and Iran to end their nuclear weapons program.

He successfully helped bring about Libya's nonproliferation

of nuclear weaponry in 2003, a feather in both his and President

George W. Bush's hats. While in the Second Bush cabinet, 

Powell also urged President Bush to increase his commitment

to the international fight against AIDS.

Born In Harlem, New York to Jamaican parents and joining 

his college's ROTC program, graduating at the top of his class 

at the City College of New York and achieving the top rank of

cadet colonel, Powell was a decorated soldier in the Vietnam 

War, earning a Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and the Soldier's 

Medal. From his military career he began a career as a diplomat

and an indispensable member of three administrations. His life

is a sterling example of how one can achieve success in the 

United States through hard work and relentless effort. In his

own way, Colin Powell achieved the American Dream. 

Sir, you have done your country proud. You have been a model

to be emulated by the current and coming generations of

Americans. Rest in Peace. 

MEM

Being Educated by the Uneducated

Here is a little news item which brilliantly illustrates
why celebrities, especially those who politically tack
left, are not very good moral arbiters, nor are they good
teachers of recognizing and exposing abuses of human
rights in the world. Although the story began two years ago, 

things have not improved, for the players in this 

morality play not only haven't grown wiser, they have 

gone off on other far-left tangents. 

First, the backstory: in recent years, the National Basketball
Association and China have formed sports and commercial
ties; some Chinese basketball stars were signed by NBA
teams, the most famous player from the Land of the Hidden
Empire being Yao Ming, the imposing center who played
several seasons for the Houston Rockets. Soon, some of
the Chinese stars playing in the U.S. were signed to endorse-
ment deals for athletic wear and other things. Chinese teams
came over to play exhibition games with American teams.
And both countries made loads and loads of money all
the while. 

On October 4, 2019, Daryl Morey --- general manager of the 
Houston Rockets --- tweeted an image with the caption
"Fight for Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong." The reference
was to the battles raging in the streets of Hong Kong between
the brave citizens of the former British territory and the
Communist government who have been tightening its
control over the once-autonomous city-state, whose
autonomy the Chinese communists promised to respect
and not interfere with (a "pie crust promise", if ever there
was one). When the Chi-Coms heard about the tweet they
pitched a royal one all the way from Beijing, retaliating
against the Houston Rockets and the NBA, both of which
have considerable commercial interests in China, and have
had such for quite a while. The Rockets, the other teams
 and their owners, and the league bigwigs themselves all
came down not on the side of Mr. Morey, but on top of him,
figuratively stomping him into the ground for his tweet,
which he soon afterward deleted. Then the Los Angeles
Lakers' LeBron James, one of the league's biggest stars,
put in his two cents (and your infuriated Peasant wouldn't
give two cents for James' two cents!) with these comments:
"We all do have freedom of speech, but at times there are
ramifications for the negative that can happen when you're
not thinking about others and you're only thinking about
yourself," and followed that up with "I don't want to get
into a word- or sentence-feud with Daryl Morey, but I
believe he wasn't educated on the situation at hand, and
he spoke."

So, if your inquisitive Peasant understands LeBron James'
missive, if Morey spoke out in favor of the Chinese
communist government, voicing support for the Chi-Coms'
crackdown on the Hong Kong protesters regardless of
their chosen tactics and their brutality, James would then
think Morey to be well-informed and truly "educated" on
the situation there. And, James has a problem with anyone
publicly uttering any statement of support for the brave
Hong Kong freedom activists being gassed, clubbed,
tased, maced, and arrested for standing up to one of the
world's most totalitarian governments. The totalitarians
in Beijing certainly have a problem with such statements
spoken about them, as they cannot abide the truth about
themselves. So, they put pressure on the whole of the NBA
to bring Morey to heel, to shut him up about the Chinese
and how they are conducting themselves in Hong Kong.

But it is LeBron James and the servile, money-chasing wimps
of the NBA that are the uneducated ones, they are the ones
who are thinking only of themselves here. Do they know,
and if so do they even care, that China is employing violence
to arrest and punish the Hong Kong protesters who only want
China to keep its promise of autonomy for 50 years through
2047, as stipulated in the transfer of governance of Hong Kong
from Great Britain to China. And for that the Chinese
communists behave as communists the world over behave,
all too typically and predictably.  But this is not something
for "woke" self-proclaimed avatars such as LeBron James
to trouble themselves with. And this isn't the first time that
James has spoken out regarding political matters, especially
when he sees an opportunity to castigate the United States
for its supposed social injustices. In 2018 James made a
tweet of his own in which he proclaimed "Injustice Anywhere
Is A Threat to Justice Everywhere --- Our Lives Begin To
End The Day We Become Silent About Things That Matter."
So, employing clear and simple logic, LeBron James and
friends don't think that the plight of the Hong Kongers
matters? Why would this be so? Is it because the Hong 
Kongers are fighting a communist regime, heaven forbid?

LeBron James and other lefties, both those who are serious
advocates for their poisonous politics and those like James
who are merely radical-chic dilettantes, fancy themselves
as being intellectually and morally superior to the people
who don't share their views. They think themselves to be
at the head of the class, because they think themselves
educated and aware, or in their silly parlance, "woke".
These people are only fooling themselves, with their
utter ignorance of the true threats to human rights and
the thugs which pose them, and are therefore flunking
out. Meanwhile, sports fans who are sick and tired of
the purveyors of leftism injecting their favorite sports
broadcasts with left-wing political propaganda will
rightfully rethink watching the NBA's games this
season, and maybe for many seasons yet to come.

And here, in 2021, the overall situation has not at

all improved, so as a result an increasing number of pro

sports fans are becoming ex-pro sports fans as they boycott

pro sports in general, not just pro basketball. And the lefty

millionaire professional athletes and the empty-headed billionaire 

team owners along with the league bigwigs haven't a clue as to

why. 


MEM

Welfare for the Wealthy (Courtesy of the Democrats)

Our president loves to play the class card when it comes

to economic matters. President Biden is trying mightily

to keep alive his record-breaking (and bank-breaking) 

budget, at the core of which is his $3.5 trillion tax and

spend plan which he swears will help "working people"

to pay their bills. The truth is that Biden's program 

is really a government subsidy gift-giving device which

will give subsidies to everyone, including the well-off.

Yes, you read that right my fantastic readers. Biden and

the Dems want to hook even the upper-middle class 

on the government teat. In the Bernie Sanders-Joe Biden-

Nancy Pelosi bill the goodies include:

*The expanded child tax credit which has become a 

monthly check from Uncle Sam that transfers lots of

money to financially secure middle-class families (!).

Currently, the allowance is now $3,600 per child 

under six years of age, and $3,000 for ages 6 through

17. A married couple earning $150,000 a year with four 

children (two under six years of age, two above) would

qualify for $13,200 annually.

*A new entitlement caps costs for child-care at 7% of 

income and was at first limited to parents making up to 

200% of their state's median income. But the hard-core

lefties that call themselves "progressives" got rid of the 

cap in committee so it would cover the upper-middle class

and the outright wealthy, making the entitlement universal.

*Democrats also want, and have long wanted paid 

family leave --- about two-thirds of average wages for up

to 12 weeks per year for any family care. This would apply

to full-time AND part-time employees, and in the case of 

newborn babies both parents would be entitled to have leave.

So a married couple with a newborn, each earning $200,000

could each collect more than $1,000 in weekly benefits,

extrapolating to $24,000 of paid leave in one year. A couple

with an income of $100,000 each would be eligible for 

approximately the same amount (!!).

*The legislation also includes a gigantic $12,500 electric 

vehicle tax credit. Since EVs cost considerably more than

similar gas-powered vehicles, this money will go largely

to fat-cat coastal residents. This means that a couple can

make as much as $800,000 annually and STILL qualify

for at least some of the credit (!!!). 

*And saving the best for last: the return of the state and local

tax deduction. Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised her bunch in

the House "meaningful" relief above the current $10,000 cap.

Most of those who would have anything to gain are --- you 

guessed it --- the well-to-do. 

The Dems figure that subsidizing the upper middle-class this

way would make President Biden's program safer. They reason 

that if they can't get Mohammad to come to the mountain, then

they'll make the mountain come to Mohammad. Thus, they'll 

entice the swells to bite the bait. One thing must be noted,

however: those that will get the benefits will also get the bill

(higher taxes). And the Dems will bill their recipients when the

entitlements are too entrenched to repeal. Uncle Sam giveth and

Uncle Sam taketh away, blessed be the name of Uncle Sam.

Say, boys and girls, can you say "screwed"?

MEM