Bedlam on Tap!

When one is a blogger covering political news,

one never runs out of subject material. Not for 

a week, not for a day, not for even a minute.

Over a mere 1 1/2 weeks so much has happened 

that your dazed Peasant almost couldn't keep up with 

it all! An attempt on the life of a former U.S. pres-

ident-turned candidate for the same office, at a 

rally for the again candidate for the office, two 

days before his political party's national convention 

right here in Milwaukee, at which the ex-president

(and hopefully president again) gave a most rousing

acceptance speech to cap off the event; the current 

president stepping aside from the top of the

ticket of the opposite party in favor of another

candidate, at this particular time most likely 

the vice president --- but the Democrats' ticket

will be established at their national convention

in Chicago next month, so be on the lookout for

a possible surprise; then an investigation into the 

assassination attempt on the ex-president and the 

Secret Service detail assigned to protect the one-time 

POTUS as some carelessness on their part made it  

possible for the gunman to get off some shots --- 

one grazing the ear of the former president, 

two, each wounding two bystanders, and most tragically

killing a former fire chief defending his family

who was with him at the rally by throwing himself 

over them to protect them; finally, the head of the 

Secret Service, after stating that she would not resign

from her position resigned from her position in disgrace.

Bear in mind that all this happened in the space of 

ten days!

A twenty-year-old gunman tried to shoot former 

President Trump and was finally shot dead by the Secret 

Service only after the harm was inflicted to the aforementioned

people. Kimberley Cheatle, the freshly-resigned Director of

the Secret Service, e-mailed her resignation to her staff.

Her resignation followed a hearing on Capitol Hill on Monday,

July 22 in which Cheatle testified before the House Oversight

Committee. Numerous lawmakers from both sides of the aisle

had called for Cheatle to resign. All during the hearing, Cheatle

refused to divulge information, citing the ongoing investigation

into the assassination attempt on former President Trump,

angering the lawmakers. Meanwhile, Trump commented on the 

news in a post on Truth Social, the social media platform he 

had founded: "The Biden/Harris administration did not properly

protect me, and I was forced to take a bullet for democracy ...

IT WAS MY GREAT HONOR TO DO SO! (emphasis Trump's)"

In written testimony, Cheatle stated that the tragedy was "the most 

significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades."

She continued "I am keeping him and his family in my thoughts,"

and that "I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to the 

family of Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief and a hero,

who was killed in this senseless shooting. I would also like to 

also acknowledge those who were injured in Butler, Pennsylvania,

David Dutch and James Copenhaven, and I wish them a speedy

recovery." Cheatle, however, also had to do some explaining 

in regards to the terrible incident, as eyewitnesses reported that they 

tried to warn authorities about the shooter minutes before the attack,

but the Secret Service agents failed to stop the gunman, let alone 

capture him, before he could get off any shots. A tidbit about Cheatle:

in 2003 she said in a CBS News interview that as Director of the 

Secret Service diversity would be a major priority. In other words,

Cheatle would be more concerned with having certain percentages

of agents from certain categories such as race, skin color, gender

and gender preference, and so forth rather than hiring the best 

qualified candidates for openings on the Secret Service team. 

There is so much of this occurring in government these days, and 

to the detriment instead of the benefit of all concerned. Could this

also be applied to the squad assigned to protect Trump that fateful

day in Butler, Pennsylvania? And what of the fatal consequences 

to Corey Comperatore? And the wounding of the two bystanders?

Furthermore, the former president has dangerous enemies in certain

areas of the federal government that would love to remove, or see 

him removed, from the presidential election and were certainly happy 

to see him lose the presidency in a re-election bid marred by accu-

sations and possible electoral fraud committed from within the 

government. Could this be a factor in the almost successful 

assassination attempt on former President Trump? 

The Republican National Convention held in Milwaukee last week  

came off without any such incidents, and was a success in terms of, 

among many other things, the security of Donald Trump, his family, 

and the attendees. I had an opportunity to chat with a few of the  

delegates to the convention and found them quite galvanized in their 

mission to nominate and come November re-elect Trump. The attempt 

on Trump's life made these folks all the more bold and determined.

On the other side, President Biden announced that he was going to 

resign as the nominated candidate for the presidency, necessitating the 

Democrats having to choose a new nominee. The buzz from 

Washington has it that Biden was pressured by some within his party, 

including some big-money donors, to step aside due to concerns about 

his health, especially his cognitive powers. This has long been 

troublesome for the Dems, and the matter became more serious in the

wake of the disastrous showing by Biden in the one and only debate 

with Donald Trump, punctuated by ever-declining poll ratings which

were dropping like a stone in the Potomac well before the fateful 

debate and its bitter fruits.

The favorite choice of the moment for the Dems is Vice President 

Kamala Harris, but she's no sweetheart among the nation's electorate

either; as a matter of fact she is not terribly popular among the Demo-

crats themselves! Not much personality, not much of a grasp on the 

issues of the day, and an irritating cackle which she makes when asked

a question to which she has no clue as to how to intelligently answer.

Also, she has been a put-off to many Democrats in part because of 

these aforementioned drawbacks. Besides, let us not forget how short 

her last campaign for the White House went; she bowed out of the 

Dems' race for the party's nomination before the Iowa caucus --- 

Iowa is the first stop along the presidential campaign trail for both 

Democrats and Republicans. Not a positive harbinger for Harris.

So there's going to be a tussle over who's to head the Democrats' ticket

in Chicago, and we'll have to wait and see who the Dems will pick

as their new presidential hopeful. 

In closing, The Peasant is going to conclude with this bit of advice 

to you, my wonderful readers: buckle up good and tight, because the 

next four months are going to be a wild ride!

MEM

Making the Good the Enemy of the Perfect

Your intrigued Peasant read a rather interesting letter 

in the June 14 edition of the Wall Street Journal which

cries out for commentary. In the letter titled "Every 

Generation Has Faults", the author of the letter was

responding to a previous letter to the WSJ (June 10)

titled "Who Can Fill the Greatest Generation's Shoes?"

In the response letter the author, a professor at Brown 

University (a lefty from an Ivy League university,

of course) said that first letter "typifies the adulation 

often lavished on America's so-called greatest generation

(ah, you can sense the contempt that the respondent has

for this generation of Americans!). But the generation 

that did 'Storm the beaches to protect freedom' also

practiced segregation, which deprived that generation's

black citizens of freedom, as well as accepting the 

internment that deprived that generation's Japanese-

American fellow citizens of theirs." The professor's

letter finished "Let's face it: Every generation is a 

mixed bag."

Well of course every generation is a mixed bag! 

We are talking about people --- human beings ---

and humans are capable of doing great good and 

committing great wrongs; that is a large part of 

human nature. But do we castigate an entire generation 

because it is guilty of the latter while also being credited 

with the former? Our Greatest Generation had a huge role 

in saving the world from fascistic tyranny through a most

incredible effort and frightening sacrifice. And this 

professor from Brown might be interested to know 

that many of this same Greatest Generation would go on

to right the wrongs of racial discrimination in our society 

along with the obscenely unjust incarceration of Japanese-

Americans during that world war in which our Greatest 

Generation distinguished itself, with more than a few 

Japanese-Americans fighting side by side with the white, 

Anglo-Saxon Americans and the African-Americans

against the totalitarian foes from Europe and Japan.

They, too, were part of this, our Greatest Generation,

and left an indelible mark on our country's history

with their service and sacrifice. But this prof considers 

the good to be the enemy of the perfect, and wants 

only the perfect --- nothing else will do.

Yes, the Greatest Generation was a "mixed bag". 

But the blend's ratio was many parts positive to

few parts negative, and this made all the difference.

MEM 

James Inhofe, R.I.P.

Former U.S. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) was a stalwart

conservative in his political career; uncompromising on

principles, a loyal public servant to his constituents, and

a well-rounded gentleman. 

Inhofe, who died on July 9 after suffering a stroke over the

holiday weekend, served in the Oklahoma legislature and 

as mayor of Tulsa as well as a member of the U.S. House 

of Representatives for seven years, then nearly 30 years 

in the U.S. Senate. A military veteran, Inhofe was the ranking

Republican on the Senate Armed Service Committee when he

retired, and had previously been the chairman of the committee

succeeding the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). He has been 

praised for being a driving force for growing and modernizing 

the U.S. military, as well as for being a strong proponent of 

The U.S. energy industry and an opponent of the present 

climate science pronouncements. As chairman of the Senate

Committee on Environment and Public Works he once brought  

a snowball onto the Senate floor in an attempt to disprove global

warming, earning many headlines in the process. Speaking on 

the Senate floor at the time Inhofe said "Climate is changing and

climate has always changed ... The hoax is that there are some 

people who are so arrogant to think that they are so powerful they 

can change climate. Man can't change climate." Sen. Inhofe wasn't 

one to mince words.

In addition, the late senator had long advocated for making English 

the national language of the United States, pushing for its inclusion 

in an amendment to immigration legislation.  A military-trained pilot,

Inhofe once helped a plane fly around the world. In Congress he was 

instrumental in passing the pilot's bill of rights, which he championed

when the Federal Aviation Administration cited the senator in 2010 

for landing on a closed runway. 

When campaigning for what would be his final term in the Senate

at the age of 85, he faced openly stated concerns about his age and 

its effect on his ability to perform his senate duties. His response was 

to fly a plane upside down to announce his candidacy for a fifth term.

"When I can no longer fly a plane upside down, then I'm too old to be

in the United States Senate," he declared in a campaign ad. 

A most remarkable man, a fine public servant, and a solid patriot. 

We were lucky to have him with us for these past 89 years. 

God rest you, Senator, and thank you for your many services.

MEM

Our Nation's Birthday is Nigh

Independence Day, a/k/a the Fourth of July, is close at hand.

The Peasant wishes all of you, my wonderful readers, a most

magnificent Independence Day, and let us not forget our 

Founding Fathers who gave us this great nation and the 

special day that is our nation's birthday. 

And, of course, let us not let anyone, from outside or inside of

our borders, take away that which these remarkable men have

bequeathed to us, having sacrificed much in order to do so.

This is why we keep informed on the state of our nation. 

This is why we take an active position on the governance 

of our nation, on both who governs us and how we are to be 

governed. 

And this is why we are, and pray God shall always be, a strong,

independent, sovereign, and exceptional nation among all 

the nations of the Earth; a shining beacon of hope and freedom

for humanity. 

MEM

One Lone Hero

From a report by Sharon Otterman in the New York Times:

A story headed "An Inside Look at the Student Takeover 

of Columbia's Hamilton Hall" with the subheading 

"Maintenance workers had a firsthand view of how 

protesters seized the building, and wondered why the 

university failed to stop it." Mariano Torres, a janitor

at the university, greeted masked protesters who entered 

Hamilton Hall by asking "What the hell is going on?"

Their response was "This is bigger than you!" One of 

the protesters said that he, Torres, was not paid enough

to handle the situation, while another protester offered 

Torres "a fistful of cash", according to Torres, to which

he replied "I don't want your money, dude. Just get out 

of the building!"

One lone, lowly janitor did what none of Columbia's 

bigwigs would do; he took a stand against members of 

a disorderly mob that barged into a place on campus where 

they had no permission to be, trying to protect the premises. 

It looks like the wrong person or persons are running the 

school. Applause for Mr. Torres! And applause for all people

on college campuses and elsewhere who stand up to these 

extremist bullies to preserve our right to freedom of expression

as provided for in the First Amendment of the Constitution!

MEM