Friends, the WaddyIsRight empire is once again pulsating with life, now that I'm back from a brief hiatus in southern California. I plan to reflect on the current social/political state of that region -- my ancestral homeland -- in the coming days, but in the meantime I notched another Newsmaker interview with Brian O'Neil, and you won't want to miss it. This week we naturally discussed President Trump's selection of Brett Kavanaugh as the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. I give my analysis of Kavanaugh, and more importantly I rate his chances of confirmation as, well, very high. America, therefore, is about to get Trumpier (like it or not)! We also discussed the bombshell developments in Britain, where Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, a dynamic oddball, has resigned in protest of what he perceives as Prime Minister Theresa May's lukewarm pursuit of Brexit: British exit from the E.U. For those who believe in national sovereignty (and if you follow this blog you probably do), the fate of Brexit is critical. Could Theresa May be on the way out? Could the Conservative Party redefine itself along nationalist lines? Stay tuned, and enjoy the broadcast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BtyjEDJq_o&feature=youtu.be
Dr. Waddy: Who's that surfer dude whose pic you posted? Liked your comment that Kavanaugh is likely to be more conservative than Kennedy. Judge Napolitano's concerns in that regard troubled me. I hope your relative confidence in confirmation is borne out. I could see Schumer freeing up those three Dem Senators to vote for confirmation if it were already a certainty, in order to enhance their chances for reelection. But in a process as critical as this one is, would they do it on their own? Maybe.
ReplyDeleteI can just imagine the response were a leftist Shannon Bream to be denied her 1st Amendment rights by a howling mob.
I agree with you that this time compares with the Vietnam era for partisan hostility. The difference is that the "anti-war" (they weren't anti Ho Chi Minh's war of conquest) crowd was out of the political mainstream. Now one of them has been President and a younger avatar of the draft dodgers has been our own Ho Chi Minh, though sans his dictatorial power.
I love Great Britain and rejoice that they are Brexiting. I think the concern that Farage and Johnson have for a "soft Brexit" is well founded and would be glad to see Farage reengaged. The British must get completely shut of the EU bureaucracy. What British small business owner would want an Italian or French official writing administrative law which could put them out of business by disregarding British realities? Should they succeed, those who seek to somehow derail Brexit would have to answer to the British electorate the inevitable question: "how can we now have confidence in our enfranchisement? Perhaps we must consider other methods for making our will respected and followed".
Jack, that ape-like creature gracing the blog is Boris Johnson himself, or so the internet tells me...
ReplyDeleteThe germane question re: those red state Democratic Senators is: would Schumer punish them for straying off the reservation? I seriously doubt it. He'll view Kavanaugh as water under the bridge, and he'll want to protect their chances for re-election, above all. Democrats can't get to a Senate majority without firing on ALL cylinders, and even then it's unlikely.
I agree: the Vietnam War protestors weren't anti-war so much as they were anti-American. They still are!
I tend to agree that a complete break with the EU is desirable. A customs union means continuing the overlordship of the EU bureaucracy. If the British were savvy, they'd be looking to cozy up to the US and some of their other former colonies as an alternative to EU membership. Unfortunately, I think it's very likely that what they'll get is "Brexit Lite". Will that confirm that "democracy" ain't what it used to be? Yes, but luckily no one seems to mind these days about subverting democracy, if the "good guys" benefit.
Dr. Waddy: A good point about those Red State Senators; I hope you are right.
ReplyDeleteYeah, some of those protestors yet survive ;we Vietnam vets in this area have confronted them when they have popped up and we can still do it.
I think a alliance of the English speaking peoples would be an inspired thing, as long as national sovereignty was respected. We are heirs to a blessed and fortuitous historical tradition. To a historian "from" five hundred years in the future, this time may well be seen as a critical test of democracy's resilience and survivability. I'm glad I'll be ignorant of the results.
Jack, incidentally Blogger is once again notifying me when the blog receives comments. It's a beautiful thing!
ReplyDeleteI really would be shocked if some Democrats didn't vote for Kavanaugh. The fact that some conservatives don't like him probably increases his chances!
Yes, the "peace" movement lives on. It still irks me that a man who was a fellow traveler of those kooks, Bill Clinton, was elected President. Shameful.
I agree about an English-speaking league. I would love to see it. Personally, I think we should join the Commonwealth -- not that it does much these days. Unfortunately I doubt the English would have us as blood brothers at the moment. The international media has whipped up so much anti-Trump hysteria... We may find ourselves in splendid isolation by default.
Dr. Waddy: I didn't know the Commonwealth still existed. But we still have strong ties to the mother country. I watched the initial meeting of our potentially great President and that noble monarch, Elizabeth II, today. There was ancient Albion, steeped in beneficial tradition, paired with the brash President of our upstart republic. When I visit Britain in January I hope to find some occasion to stand for "God Save the Queen". She's our Queen too, I think. I'll be crossing on a British ship and then spending close to a couple weeks in the "sceptered Isle", so I may have that privilege. Recently I viewed an online film of her coronation. What a redeeming experience. There was Churchill, in all the regalia he had earned, marching in proper deference to this young but right royal woman. In the years since, she has done no less than preserve the monarchy, against harrowing criticism. England has rejected that institution only once and to its sorrow. God save the Queen!
ReplyDeleteJack, you'll be pleased to hear that I have the Queen's coronation portrait displayed in my living room. I'm a great admirer of the monarchy too, although I'm not blind to the fact that it's been corrupted to some degree by modern (leftist) values. So are you going over to England on the Queen Mary 2? I did that once. What a great experience!
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy: My wife and I are doing so. I've always wanted to see the North Atlantic in winter, because my father was on 11 North Atlantic convoys during the war. He recalled chipping ice from mastheads with a hammer. Our accomodations will be somewhat more favorable (he was on a cork like escort)but that raging ocean will still be all around us and I have a hint of what that's like from four years at sea in the Pacific. I'll be reading books on the Vikings and on the Battle of the Atlantic as we cross.The Brits(including the Vikings) are history's greatest sailors and it will be a thrill to go to Britain in their care. Rule Britannia!
ReplyDeleteHow neat! We have a lot in common, Jack. Someday we must catch up in person.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Queen Mary 2, she's an amazing ship. Built for the toughest sea conditions, I doubt you'll be even slightly discomforted. The thing I most liked about the voyage is that Cunard takes maritime history very seriously. You'll find placards everywhere about the history of "the crossing," and there will be lectures too. It's by far the most educational and stimulating cruising experience I've ever had. You'll be like a kid in a candy store, trust me! Afternoon tea will warm your cockles too.
Dr. Waddy: Certainly! Lets get together sometime soon. The ship itself will be fascinating to explore. Its 50% bigger than the carrier I was on. I didn't get seasick back then but I used to ride roller coasters then too. Not now. I'm looking forward to seeing the passage out of NY harbor and the entry into Southampton because of all the other ships which may be visible. I almost stayed in Britain my first time there.
ReplyDeleteSplendid, Jack! I'll be in your neck of the woods once the semester starts up, but in the meantime if you're ever in Rochester drop me a line and we can have lunch or some such.
ReplyDeleteThe ship is a marvel. Very elegant. I believe it's been refitted since I rode on her too. She's about as stable as anything afloat.
As for fair Albion, I have mixed feelings. I honor her history and her achievements, but she ain't what she used to be, and occasionally she holds us Yankees in frosty contempt. Don't expect to meet many Trumpers!
One thing's for sure, once we are out there there will be no alternative. I was about 2500 miles from land in the Navy, doing abandon ship drill no less. They did us the courtesy of giving us the distance and bearing. Its been 45 years since I was in Britain; I wonder if it has changed alot. Most of the WWII people are gone - I would guess most, not all, of them would be favorable to the U.S. I try to pick the hills I fight on and since everyone I'll be traveling with is liberal, I'll keep my own counsel. I tend to defer to foreigners when I'm in their country anyway. Nonetheless, it wouldn't surprise me to encounter some disdain. Cunard Lines gives American veterans $100 worth of free drinks though. That's a nice gesture. With me too, its their glorious history, which we share and from which we benefit so much, which moves me most. Their language is pretty cool too.
ReplyDeleteJack -- don't be so sure that there's no way off the QM2. When I was on it, we watched a helicopter arrive and take off with a passenger in medical distress. When you get a gander at your fellow passengers, you'll realize that that's probably a regular occurrence...
ReplyDeleteI hope I didn't blacken the name of old England unduly. You're right -- many in the older generation appreciate what America has done for the cause of freedom. Some, mostly in the working class, will actually support Trump. Most, though, will be bemused at best by your political attitudes. In the domain of history, though, there's so much to amuse and amaze visitors like you and me. I love the stately homes, of which there are thousands. You'll find some top-grade military museums too.
Dr. Waddy: Those Brits! They took the technically formidable but nonetheless pusillanimous Italian Mediterranean fleet out of the war in 1940 using biplane crates of very close to WWI vintage (130 mph, now really!) and battleships which had been blooded at Jutland in 1916. Those same clothbound contraptions disabled the Bismarck and left it drifting helplessly under the 15 and 16 inch guns of the Royal Navy. If that thing had broken out into the Atlantic it could have closed it, while Britain still stood alone. They still had open bridges on their ships, ala Trafalgar!. They always come through and a military museum in Britain has to be a record of the defense of the world's highest civilization.
ReplyDeleteJack, you're right that the British didn't lack for pluck! Of course, as you point out, their hegemony was also fragile, and it's in many ways sad to see how chaotic the world has become without a steady (British) hand on the tiller. I regret that the U.S. abetted the decline of the British Empire. That was shortsighted. Well, we wanted to run the "free world", and we got our wish -- but it's always wise to be careful what you wish for!
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy: I may well be overly sanguine in this view but I think Britannia yet rules through its unruly child - us!
ReplyDeleteHa! You are not without a point there, Jack. We are more English than we care to admit. Possibly more English than the English, at this stage...
ReplyDelete