Ideas, Opinions, Genealogy, and Book Reviews
On January 7, 2017 a declassified intelligence report on Russian efforts to influence the 2016 US presidential election was released by the U.S top intelligence officials. The report is a declassified version of a highly classified assessment. The declassified report’s conclusions are identical to the highly classified assessment. They were confident then. Here is part of the declassified intelligence report:
Continue reading “Secure our elections”
Those who say “yes, abolish the Electoral College” will remind us that in 2 of the last 5 Presidential elections the winner was not the candidate with the most votes. Those who want to keep the Electoral College will say it was put in the Constitution by the founders and we should not question their wisdom.
I come down on the side of those who would abolish the Electoral College. I think it would be unconstitutional if it wasn’t in the Constitution. All votes should count the same in my opinion. The candidate with the most votes wins.
Continue reading “Should we abolish the Electoral College?”
The full title is “Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America“. The author is Nancy MacLean, a professor of history and public policy at Duke University. So you can be certain that the author knows her history. In addition, there are extensive notes and a bibliography.
Continue reading “Democracy in Chains – why and how”
Now is the time to put country before party. Congress has blocked President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency on the southern border that is clearly not an emergency. Just an abuse of the power of his office.
In declaring the “emergency” President Trump said: “I didn’t need to do this, but I’d rather do it much faster, I just want to get it done faster, that’s all.”
Continue reading “Put country before party”
The Democrats have introduced the Save the Internet Act. Maybe net neutrality will be back.
But maybe not. The bill could pass the Democrat controlled House but it might not make it through the Republican controlled Senate. And then President Trump might not sign it. So there is quite a way to go on this.
Keep watching the situation and express your opinion as you think best.
President Trump today gave the GOP members of Congress a second chance to oppose his power grab disguised as a national emergency.
His veto of congressional resolution to rescinded his national emergency declaration at the Mexican border gives those GOP members who did not vote for this resolution (and only a minority did) a chance to vote to override President Trump’s veto and show they have some respect for the Constitution and sepatation of powers.
It is not often that you get a second chance. Make the most of it.
I thinking about the Bad Boy Greers of New York city, such an interesting bunch.
The older one, Horace Greer is having a birthday this week. Happy Birthday Horace. Horace A. Greer is best known for Hollywood scandal in the 1920s involving a leading actress of the time, Mabel Normand.
I noticed that the birthday of my grandmother Isabel MacKenzie is coming up soon. The name is spelled McKenzie in many records. And there are actually a number of other spellings but none are seen as consistently as Mac and McKenzie.
My second great grandfather Alexander McKenzie came from Gairloch, Scotland and settled in Middle River, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada and married Isabella McGregor. Their son Malcolm move from Cape Breton and settled in New York City.
Continue reading “McKenzie MacKenzie Cape Breton to New York City genealogy”
These two McBrien – Allingham families have led to some confusion in evaluation of family relationships. I have written about odd coincidences in genealogy before but this one is much more confusing.
I first encountered the family of John McBrien and Elizabeth Allingham when I expanded my study of the genealogy of the Allingham family of the Glencar area of Killasnet parish in County Leitrim Ireland. The first record we have of my great great grandmother Ruth Allingham is her 1854 marriage in the small Church of Ireland near Glencar Lake . In 1856 Elizabeth Allingham (who is probably her sister) married John McBrien in the same church.
Continue reading “Two McBrien – Allingham families of Leitrim and Donegal”
This is not a coup, Mr. President. You may not like it President Trump but the 25th amendment is part of our constitution.
So former Deputy Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe says he and the Assistant Attorney General discussed using the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to legally remove a President from office and President Trump considers it an attempted coup. For the benefit those of his followers who do not understand the word “coup” which after-all is foreign in origin, he added “(overthrow government)”. Here is the tweet, a favorite means of Presidential communication in the last 2 years.
Continue reading “Not a coup, President Trump”
During his presidential campaign and during many rallies during his presidency, Donald Trump promised to build a wall on our southern border that Mexico would pay for. Just to be clear, the US would build it and Mexico would pay for it.
The check from Mexico is not in the mail. Mexico is not paying.
Now that he has broken that promise, President Trump wants money for the Wall from the US taxpayer and the House is not caving to his demands, and President Trump is refusing to re-open the parts of the government that have been showdown.
Continue reading “Wall: an ineffective and stupid idea”
Will the Wall protect us from invading armies of Mexicans and Central Americans? I don’t think so.
At both ends of the Wall will be open ocean. We might build it from sea to shining sea but those who are motivated will just go around it.
If President Trump was on better terms with French leaders he might ask for a history lesson on the Maginot Line. Or he could read a book or consult his advisers.
Continue reading “Will the Wall protect us? No, stupid idea.”
Is this a half-promise kept and half promise broken? Candidate Donald Trump and President Trump have repeatedly promised to build a big, beautiful wall on our southern border that Mexico will pay for. Much to his apparent surprise the Mexican government does not agree. But he continued to promise that both part of his promise would be kept.
Continue reading “Trying for less than a half-promise kept but the Wall will cost”
President Trump has declared victory over ISIS and said our troops are leaving. We won according to President Trump. What else can our troops do? This is the type of thing that is usually a punchline in a joke but it seems to be real. The Secretary of Defense and the US special presidential envoy for the defeat of ISIS resigned shortly after the announcement.
Are more resignations to follow our victory over ISIS ? Are our allies in this fight and more refuges to be slaughtered when our troops leave? We’ll just have to see what happens. Do we have a choice?
Continue reading “Declare victory over ISIS and go home”
Is it worse than Watergate ? Those of us as old as the Retired Guy, give or take a decade or so, think of Watergate and Richard Nixon when we think of political scandals that have the potential to severely damage our democracy.
About a month into the Donald Trump presidency, I wondered if the investigations of the Presidential campaign could lead us to something as big or bigger than Watergate.
Continue reading “Maybe even worse than Watergate”