Douglas Wilson's Letter From Moscow, Idaho

Impeaches & Cream

Douglas Wilson
Blog & Mablog

Introduction

The House Democrats are discovering, and may have already discovered, that undying animus is not the same thing as a plan. The Wile E. Coyote memes appear to be writing themselves. Our deep state denizens are coming to grips with the fact that their unceasing attempts to take our normal kind of dirty politics up three corruption levels was perhaps not—as they so wanted to believe—all impeaches and cream.

The Rant of a Simple Man

The various faults and foibles of our president may be said to have passed into the category of received wisdom. No serious person disputes them, and it is not my purpose to go over all of that in any depth here. His rally speeches are inarticulate. He muscles through gaffes. He keeps absolutely everybody, from the North Koreans to the Washington Post, completely off balance. Some say this is the technique of a master negotiator and 3D chess master, meaning that these faults and foibles are intentional and purposive, while others say that his survival thus far has simply been a series of mind-bending flukes, and the next time will be his downfall. All we have to do, the House Dems are saying to themselves, is light the fuse on this Acme rocket, and the rest of it will just take care of itself.

So the faults and foibles are obvious. Let us grant them. This being the case, our respectable establishment does not comprehend how the president got elected in the first place. They do not grasp why he continues to fill up stadiums with cheering throngs. They do not understand how it is even conceivable that the American electorate might well return him to the White House for a second term. And yet it is conceivable, and so these firm believers in democracy want to remove any possibility of the world’s greatest democracy disgracing itself for a second time.

Why does the respectable establishment not understand the continued viability of Donald Trump as a candidate? Why do they not get it? What the respectable establishment does not understand is this—that they are not respectable at all.

A Secret Revolution

US Intelligence Corruption Exposed

It now appears that the US Intelligence services are riddled with partisan corruption.  In a nutshell, here is what has gone down. 

US Intelligence personnel decided that it was time to get rid of Donald Trump--thereby defiling their constitutional and lawful obligations. 

They secretly changed a fundamental requirement of "whistleblower" evidence.  Previously, if a whistleblower were making a complaint about his/her employer (that is, the US Government and/or the political establishment, or the President of the US) they had to have first hand knowledge of the breach or illicit practice being alleged.  But way back in August, this requirement was secretly removed.  It then became acceptable for any government apparatchik to complain to Congress about any alleged breach of law or regulation--without any personal knowledge of the alleged breaches whatsoever.

This "move" has all the signs of corruption and attendant cover-up. 

Intel Community Secretly Gutted Requirement Of First-Hand Whistleblower Knowledge

Federal records show that the intelligence community secretly revised the formal whistleblower complaint form in August 2019 to eliminate the requirement of direct, first-hand knowledge of wrongdoing.

Sean Davis
The Federalist

Between May 2018 and August 2019, the intelligence community secretly eliminated a requirement that whistleblowers provide direct, first-hand knowledge of alleged wrongdoings.

"Truly, You Have a Dizzying Intellect"

US Intelligence Officials

What would have caused it?  Hubris?  Ignorance? Myopia?  Deep state conspiracies?  Gross incompetence?  It beggars belief that highly classified intelligence originating out of the UK covering the Manchester terrorist attack would end up in media briefings in the United States within twenty-four hours.

Oliver J J Lane from BreitbartLondon filed the following report:

The United Kingdom has now stopped passing intelligence gathered as part of the investigation into the Manchester bombing to the United States according to claims made by the British state broadcaster BBC.

We need to exercise some degree of caution when a news report is being sourced from the BBC--hardly an organ of independent news probity these days--but the story has not been contradicted on either side of the Atlantic.

The Tyranny of Man

Assimilating to the Borg

On this blog we frequently decry both the beliefs and the practices of statism.  The threat of the creeping, growing power of the state is not idle.  It is real.  There are many reasons why the power of the state will always tend towards emergent tyranny.  To prevent this happening takes particular actions and structures: the separation of powers, an independent judiciary, a constitution limiting the powers of the state and preserving the liberties of citizens, and so forth.  Above all it takes a deep, abiding belief in liberty throughout society.

The Christian faith provides a strong, principled framework to keep the state and its powers under control.  Firstly, Christ alone is ultimate; therefore the state is a servant--a mere servant, one might say--and its serves its Master, the Lord, to whom it and its agents will answer.  Secondly, our Lord has many other appointed servants beside the state, whose authority and responsibilities are also devolved from the Lord of glory.  These subordinate authorities are spread throughout human society.  His law is the fundamental law for all such authorities.  Limits are set on what is lawful, and what is not.  For example, the dominion and authority of parents over children is comprehensive, but not absolute.  No man or government is permitted to disregard the lawful, Christ appointed authority of parents.

Secular humanism provides no such principled framework to limit the ever-creeping powers of the state.  Rather, secular humanism ends up worshipping power and the state.  Because it does not recognise nor fear God, there is no higher authority than the humanist state which can, therefore, expropriate all property, cast into prison, and even take life. Who or what (in the end) can say to the humanist state, "What doest thou?"

As the West turns away from the Lord and His Christ, the illicit powers and oppression of the state grow by the day.  Below, blogger Patterico illustrates this relentless rapacity with just one prosaic example.

The Wretched of the Earth

A US Politician Speaks Against Domestic Tyranny

Rand Paul is one of the more interesting politicians in the US Senate today.  He is not a group think pollie.  He is not tribal Republican.  He is certainly not a RINO (Republican In Name Only).  In matters judicial he is speaking out about systemic inequities and injustices regnant in that country which make many Christians burn with anger.  In matters economic he is taking the message of how free markets benefit the poor to audiences which are traditionally tribal Left.

Here is a report on a speech he delivered recently to a predominantly secular liberal black university audience, which was substantially welcomed and acclaimed. Firstly, how the Bill of Rights is set to defend the poor and the fringes and the disinherited.  His focus began by addressing grave inequities in the US criminal justice system.

The Last President

Lassitude and Emptiness

Normally the term "lame duck" in government refers to an elected official whose term has expired or who has lost an election, and he is awaiting the time when he is required to relinquish office.  Basically, nothing is done.  Everything goes on auto-pilot.  Folk twiddle their thumbs.  

The following article appeared in National Review Online, but it draws upon a piece published in Politico.  It documents, or argues, that President Obama, with over two years of his administration to go, has become the lamest of lame ducks.  It appears that Obama has simply lost interest in the job.  He came, he saw, and it wasn't what he expected.  Now he just wants to go home.

Maybe that's not such a bad thing.  An absentee President may allow folk to experience that less government is better government, as in "the government that governs least, governs best".  We suspect, however, that historians will eventually write up Obama as a tyro attempting to do an adult's job.  If nothing else, it's downright shameful.

Cringeworthy Remarks

Dumb

The New Zealand Prime Minister has been asked to chair the negotiations over a Pacific free-trade agreement which will be a side-bar to the upcoming APEC meeting.  President Obama has sent his apologies, due to the "government shutdown" in the United States.  APEC will have to do without him. 

This is quite a public honour for Prime Minister Key.  However, he let himself down when he was asked for his opinion on the present US political imbroglio.

Firstly, he compared Obama's presence at such international meetings to fizz.  We kid you not.  This from Audrey Young, at the NZ Herald:

The Blessings of Messy Government

Zealots and Revolutionaries

The separation of powers is central to limited government, and limited government is axiomatic for freedom.  The separation of powers divides the key functions of government, effectively balancing one off against the other.  A free press is often regarded as an informal, separate branch of  government (the "fourth estate") in that it freely investigates and scrutinises all branches and powers of government, and informs the people of what those institutions of power, authority, and control are conspiring to do.

The separation of powers makes for messy government at times--well, actually, most of the time.  It means that things can't get done--which is to say that the wills of the separated powers of government are often thwarted.  Either one branch of government is set against another, bringing stalemate, or the end outcome can be quite different from what some governmental powers intended.  Messiness is the price of freedom. 

But to the modern mind, government ineffectualness is an indicator of weakness.

Letter From America (About Felonies)

Commit any felonies lately?

A. Barton Hinkle bhinkle@timesdispatch.com

Posted: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 12:00 am
Updated: 12:13 am, Wed Jul 3, 2013.

Elizabeth Daly went to jail over a case of bottled water.

According to the Charlottesville Daily Progress, shortly after 10 p.m. April 11, the University of Virginia student bought ice cream, cookie dough and a carton of LaCroix sparkling water from the Harris Teeter grocery store at the popular Barracks Road Shopping Center. In the parking lot, a half-dozen men and a woman approached her car, flashing some kind of badges. One jumped on the hood. Another drew a gun. Others started trying to break the windows.

Daly understandably panicked. With her roommate in the passenger seat yelling “Go, go, go!” Daly drove off, hoping to reach the nearest police station. The women dialed 911. Then a vehicle with lights and sirens pulled them over, and the situation clarified: The people who had swarmed Daly’s vehicle were plainclothes agents of the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. The agents had thought the sparkling water was a 12-pack of beer.

Did the ABC’s enforcers apologize? Not in the slightest.

Letter From America (About a Paper Constitution)

The Simulacrum of Self-Government

We might as well put the Constitution out of its misery.

By  Mark Steyn 

June 28, 2013 4:30 PM

NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE

Wednesday, June 26, 2013 — just another day in a constitutional republic of limited government by citizen representatives:

First thing in the morning, Gregory Roseman, Deputy Director of Acquisitions (whatever that means), became the second IRS official to take the Fifth Amendment, after he was questioned about awarding the largest contract in IRS history, totaling some half a billion dollars, to his close friend Braulio Castillo, who qualified under a federal “set aside” program favoring disadvantaged groups — in this case, disabled veterans. For the purposes of federal contracting, Mr. Castillo is a “disabled veteran” because he twisted his ankle during a football game at the U.S. Military Academy prep school 27 years ago. How he overcame this crippling disability to win a half-billion-dollar IRS contract is the heartwarming stuff of an inspiring Lifetime TV movie.

Later in the day, Senator John Hoeven, Republican of North Dakota and alleged author of the Corker-Hoeven amendment to the immigration bill, went on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show and, in a remarkable interview, revealed to the world that he had absolutely no idea what was in the legislation he “wrote.”

Big Problems

Leaking Sieves

One of the interesting components of the current scandal in the US about government eavesdropping on private citizens is how the story changes.  When the scandal first broke out we were told about metadata: Big Ears was hoovering up the circumstantial data concerning private phone calls and e-mails (when, where, to whom, how long, etc.) but not the actual content itself. 

People who clearly knew better--that is, they were in the know--rushed to assure everyone that metadata was all it was.  Then the whistleblower asserted that he could listen in on any call or review the content of any electronic communication whenever he wanted to.  No warrants or probable cause required.  Rubbish, said the apologists.  Not true. 

But now it emerges that it actually is true.  The whistle blower, Edward Snowden was telling the truth.  Those covering for the government were lying. This, from C/Net

Principled Umbrage

The Big One

About ten days ago rumours were circulating about "the big one"--a scandal that would rock the Obama Administration like none other to date.  It would appear that it has now "hit the fan".  We learn that the Obama administration has been exponentially expanding domestic surveillance upon all American citizens. 

Firstly, a summary of what has been going on:  the US government has been recording the "meta details" of all phone calls in the United States.  Meta details are not the actual conversation, but the number of the one making the call, the number being called, the time of the call and other data about the "event".  Experts say that it is a simple matter to cross reference other databases to establish the name, address, and identities of the callers and those they are speaking to, according to the Guardian:

But such metadata can provide authorities with vast knowledge about a caller's identity. Particularly when cross-checked against other public records, the metadata can reveal someone's name, address, driver's licence, credit history, social security number and more. Government analysts would be able to work out whether the relationship between two people was ongoing, occasional or a one-off.

Others are claiming that Obama is lying when he asserts that actual calls are not being listened to: in fact, they claim, the content of calls are being recorded.

The surveillance has moved from phones to the internet.

Douglas Wilson's Letter From America

Gedunk Government 

Culture and Politics - Obama Nation Building
Written by Douglas Wilson
Wednesday, 15 May 2013


So then, it appears as though the president is making a hash of it. The Unaffordable Care Act supplies the corned beef, the hard leftism of his administration would be the little diced potatos that we see everywhere, and this latest scandal triad is the hot grease that makes the whole thing sizzle and pop like that.

Now in this circumstance, every chance he gets, the president will blame Bush for his woes, and will do so in a way that is more risible every day. So let's not do it that way. Let's blame the so-called conservative establishment in the way they need to be blamed for all these federal fiascos. They are to be faulted because they think like short-sighted partisans, and not like the Founders, who thought with an expansive vision -- a vision that included both the greatness of the cultural mandate and a deep suspicion of man's sinfulness. Our modern conservative leaders are like the man driving a local delivery route with his Fritos truck. The Founders were coast-to-coast long haul truckers.

The legal theorist John Rawls once said that the ideal society ought to be crafted with the designer of it not knowing where he was going to be born into it. This is, of course, simply an interesting variation of the Golden Rule.

Fiscal Cliff Sideshows

Healing the Land

The so-called fiscal cliff in the United States has been averted.  The march toward the soft-despotic state continues unabated.

The sad reality is that a majority of the population in that country want government to look after them; they, therefore, both demand and require that the government be big; they also insist that someone else pays for it.  Since the US is borrowing 40 cents for every dollar it now spends, the real cost will be born by those not yet alive.  Our parents used to call this having one's cake and eating it too.

The United States is not alone in this, of course.  It is now the ordinary characteristic, the new normal of all countries in the West.  Having rejected God they require an idol to perform the works of a god; that idol is the all beneficent state.  Chuck Colson summarises the chaotic irrationality and madness of the US electorate:

Douglas Wilson's Letter From America

Our Little Piggy Hearts 

Money, Love, Desire - The Good of Affluence
Written by Douglas Wilson
Wednesday, 05 December 2012

As we are now in the midst of farcical fiscal cliff negotiations, with the Republicans being lame and the Democrats being eeeevil, I thought I should handle this as a teachable moment. We should take these teachable moments whenever they arise, for there will be fewer and fewer of them as the clouds of economic lunacy settle in.

The president insists on raising the tax rates on the richest among us, saying that they can afford to "pay a little more." This is objectionable, on the surface, in two ways. Let me just mention those briefly, and then move on to a third place where it is doing real damage.

Fundamental Dishonesty

Having One's Cake and Eating It Like a Famished Mongol

We appreciate the work of Mark Steyn in constantly putting before us the sheer size of the US fiscal deficit.  If ever there was a case of people turning a wilful blind eye, this is it.  Steyn refuses to allow us to ignore the quantum of the deficit and the doom it represents--or the fundamental dishonesty that surrounds the political debate.

Kindly Note the Impending Bankruptcy

The Perils of Pauline
Mark Steyn
National Review Online

Last year, our plucky heroine, the wholesome apple-cheeked American republic, was trapped in an express elevator hurtling out of control toward the debt ceiling. Would she crash into it? Or would she make some miraculous escape?

Yes! At the very last minute of her white-knuckle thrill ride to her rendezvous with destiny, she was rescued by Congress’s decision to set up . . . a Super Committee!

Those who can, do. Those who can’t, form a committee. Those who really can’t, form a Super Committee — and then put John Kerry on it for good measure. The bipartisan Super Committee of Super Friends was supposed to find $1.2 trillion dollars of deficit reduction by last Thanksgiving, or plucky little America would wind up trussed like a turkey and carved up by “automatic sequestration.

Living Within One's Means

 Fiddling While Rome Burns

Columnists like Mark Steyn have been repeatedly calling attention to the mammoth threat of the US deficit.  It was bad under Bush's tenure (the compassionate conservative, you remember); it is not immeasurably worse under Obama's tenure.  It has been the most signal "accomplishment" of his four profligate years in the White House.  The United States is at the tipping point; it will likely never recover.

Here's a summary of the problem, from The Weekly Standard:

Douglas Wilson's Letter From America

No Fluttering Dove 

Culture and Politics - Obama Nation Building
Written by Douglas Wilson
Monday, 02 July 2012

Governors Jindal and Scott are to be commended for publicly stating that they will not implement Obamacare in Louisiana and Florida respectively. There will doubtless be other statements like this, and they are all to be encouraged. In 2010, the legislative House of my own state of Idaho passed a measure that stated their unwillingness for such a federal law to be imposed in the state of Idaho. There needs to be a lot more of this, and it is now essential that Obamacare fail for that reason.

We are not playing beanbag anymore

Douglas Wilson's Letter From America

Up With People With Calculators 

Politics
Written by Douglas Wilson
Wednesday, 06 June 2012

The vote in Wisconsin the other night was heartening, on a number of levels.

First, I was gratified that the very first thing Scott Walker did was give glory to God for His abundant grace. Cynics can dismiss that sort of thing as campaign boiler plate, but in the Bible, it remains a big deal. It is important to do. He also made a point of mentioning how he and his family were sustained by the prayers of many people.

Second, it happened in Wisconsin, for crying out loud. Wisconsin is not just the dairy state, it is the labor union state. Shoot, the cows are the largest public sector union they have.

Letter From America

The Sun Also Sets

By Mark Steyn
March 24, 2012

National Review Online

I was in Australia earlier this month and there, as elsewhere on my recent travels, the consensus among the politicians I met (at least in private) was that Washington lacked the will for meaningful course correction, and that, therefore, the trick was to ensure that, when the behemoth goes over the cliff, you’re not dragged down with it. It is faintly surreal to be sitting in paneled offices lined by formal portraits listening to eminent persons who assume the collapse of the dominant global power is a fait accompli. “I don’t feel America is quite a First World country anymore,” a robustly pro-American Aussie told me, with a sigh of regret.

Well, what does some rinky-dink ’roo-infested didgeridoo mill on the other side of the planet know about anything? Fair enough. But Australia was the only major Western nation not to go into recession after 2008. And in the last decade the U.S. dollar has fallen by half against the Oz buck: That’s to say, in 2002, one greenback bought you a buck-ninety Down Under; now it buys you 95 cents. More of that a bit later.