The "lucky" ten? Republicans "deciders" announced plans to limit to ten the number of presidential candidates who will participate in Fox News' first Republican presidential forum. One wonders just how much the various national polling agencies are looking forward their task. Seems it might be one of those "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situations; there are sure to be anguished cries of "foul" among those finishing out of the running with demands for do-overs. Only last week I had a topic about the freak show in the Aurora (CO) theater shooting trial. Seems that these early primary debates may be similarly viewed.
The new Middle East? This linked article from Foreign Policy talks of what this contentious area will look like as the Iran agreements unfolds. What are the options for America? "Oh, what a tangled web we weave...."
Springtime. You may remember the unlikely hit song from the The Producers, "It's Springtime for Hitler in Germany." According to Gary Kasparov, it is now springtime for regimes of which America should be wary, very wary! Kasparov, the former Soviet chess grandmaster who is now very much disaffected from his homeland, heads the New York-based Human Rights Foundation and is, to say the least, uncomfortable with America's recent overtures towards Cuba, the Kremlin, and Iran.
Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression. Both organizations are parties to a suit challenging the constitutionality of Canada's recently passed Bill C-51. The Guardian article notes, "Supported by prominent legal scholars and a nascent crowd-funding campaign, the suit is the first and potentially most powerful of the so-called Charter challenges the law is expected to face." Journalists are concerned, saying “If you publish any information coming from a terrorist group, that is illegal under this law,” Henheffer [CJFE executive director] said. “That is astoundingly troubling....And the whole process is completely secretive,” he added. Sound familiar?
Better late than never. Various media sources were quick to find out just where The Donald was during the time when Senator John McCain (R, AZ) was being housed and tortured in the infamous Hanoi Hilton. Sadly, no Republican candidate immediately or vehemently condemned Trump, which can only bode ill for the party's first upcoming primary debate. Candidate Lindsey Graham's short comment ("He's a jackass!") was even late in coming.
Former TX governor and candidate Rick Perry offered these belated thoughts on Donald Trump, thoughts no doubt issued only after being suitably scrutinized for effect. “[Trump] offers a barking carnival act that can be best
described as Trumpism: a toxic mix of demagoguery, mean-spiritedness and
nonsense that will lead the Republican Party to perdition if pursued...Let no one be mistaken...Donald
Trump’s candidacy is a cancer on conservatism, and it must be clearly
diagnosed, excised and discarded. It cannot be pacified or ignored, for
it will destroy a set of principles that has lifted more people out of
poverty than any force in the history of the civilized world — the cause
of conservatism.”
John Kasich. Here is a link to an informative column from Margaret Carlson of Bloomberg News, a comfortably conservative news source, in which she makes the case for candidate John Kasich, former Republican governor of OH. Alas, she is probably right, that on several issues he is too moderate, therefore too toxic for the party's right wing.
Putin's muzzled press. Anne Applebaum is well known and respected for her books and articles on Russia and the USSR. In her latest column, she reviews -- and laments -- the passing of Russia's short-lived, post-Soviet, and now largely defunct, free press. In my last life, I often told my students that, try as they might, Soviet authorities were never able to cope with the many Russian readers who an acute ability to "read between the lines." It now seems that Applebaum and others have to hope for a re-birth of that ability. She writes that opposition journalist Yevgenia Albats's New Times is one of the very few dissenting voices still to be read/heard. Ms. Albat has received numerous death threats and, unfortunately, an English translation of her publication does not seem to be available.
Another "Ross?" In a Daily Beast article, columnist Eleanor Clift recalls how Ross Perot, a neophyte politician, refused to effectively harness his followers, then ran a third party race that may well have thrown the election to Bill Clinton. She ponders the question, "Will The Donald make the same mistake?" She goes on to note, "How long he can keep his candidacy going depends on how long the free media continues, and how much of his own money he is willing to spend."
Thank you for reading and have an enjoyable week.
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