kanesrealm

As regular readers know I'm a political junkie. I actually watch C-Span, Senate and House hearings are meat and drink for me. So it will come as no shock that I've been following the Iran Nuclear Deal in those forums carefully. The fake outrage expressed by most Republicans and Democrats during these sessions would be laughable except for the seriousness of this deal. Many of them were against the deal before negotiations ever began. They had no intention of ever considering the deal no matter what it said. Members of Congress and Republican Presidential candidates have been using the Neville Chamberlain Munich Accord argument once again. This old chestnut is trotted out every three or four years to make points that have nothing to do with the topics at hand but makes for a good sound bite. They are all clearly reading from the same talking points undoubtedly drawn up by a think tank where very little actual thinking takes place. The analogy is completely wrong. Barack Obama...

The most famous lion in Zimbabwe, Cecil, has been slaughtered by a dentist from the U.S. Cecil, he had a name. He was in many ways a goodwill ambassador for that country. It is estimated that there are less than 32,000 lions left in the wild. He was lured away from his protected conservation land with food in order to kill him for trophy purposes. I don't understand trophy hunting and never will. Hunting for food is one thing. The killing of livestock to feed people is one thing. I eat meat and will never apologize for it. But killing animals for the purpose of mounting a head on your wall is creepy. Those who do it will speak of the thrill of the hunt. What hunt? These trophy hunters have guides who find the beast, then set the stage for the hunter to slaughter the animal with superior weaponry. You want a thrill? Track the animal yourself and then battle it with your bare hands. A rogue dangerous animal must sometimes be hunted and put down. That is not what happened here and...

Presidential candidate Chris Christie said if you're a pot smoker in Colorado enjoy it while you can because as of January, 2017 when he's President, Federal law will be enforced. This leads to two points for consideration. The first is that Federal law still prohibits the legal use of marijuana. Those engaged in these legal businesses worry about this issue. For now the Feds have taken a hands off approach. The second point goes directly to one of the alleged conservative cornerstones and that is States rights issues. How does Christie square this? For over twenty years I have advocated that marijuana use should be at a minimum decriminalized at all levels. Our prisons are overloaded with pot users that frankly shouldn't be there. I have now come to the conclusion it should be legalized and taxed across the board. There is zero evidence that those who don't use marijuana will suddenly take to it if it's legal. The states where it is legal is proof of that. Do I ...

The human race as a species is capable of unspeakable violence. A brief reading of known history reveals this, let alone an extensive study which can send chills down your spine. This violence can be the result of nation versus nation or individual acts of criminality. Last week we once again witnessed a mass shooting in a movie theater in Louisiana. The perpetrator obtained his weapon legally from a pawn shop in Alabama. This in spite of his troubled history, his ex-wife had removed his weapons from him and at one point he was committed against his will. He was bi-polar and apparently routinely did not take his medications. He had a love of Nazism and was estranged from his whole family. All of these things are indicators of a possible meltdown. Could he have been prevented from legally buying a weapon? The answer is yes if all fifty states and territories were properly reporting all of the data they are supposed to and there were no loopholes in buying a gun. He still would have ach...

The human race as a species is capable of unspeakable violence. A brief reading of known history reveals this, let alone an extensive study which can send chills down your spine. This violence can be the result of nation versus nation or individual acts of criminality. Last week we once again witnessed a mass shooting in a movie theater in Louisiana. The perpetrator obtained his weapon legally from a pawn shop in Georgia. This in spite of his troubled history, his ex-wife had removed his weapons from him and at one point he was committed against his will. He was bi-polar and apparently routinely did not take his medications. He had a love of Nazism and was estranged from his whole family. All of these things are indicators of a possible meltdown. Could he have been prevented from legally buying a weapon? The answer is yes if all fifty states and territories were properly reporting all of the data they are supposed to and there were no loopholes in buying a gun. He still would have ach...

It's tough to be a Republican Presidential candidate right now. With Trump sucking all the air out of the room it's hard for the others to get media coverage. So what to do? Say inflammatory things and bad mouth the President, it's sure fire. Mike Huckabee says the President of our country is leading the Israelis to the ovens, a direct reference to the Holocaust.This is the chance to once again equate Barack Obama with Hitler, which was all the rage during the Affordable Care Act debate, you remember the death panels? Naturally  Huckabee maintains he's speaking of the Iranian Goverments routine declarations of unleashing a Holocaust on Israel. He opposes the current Iran Nuclear Deal and that's fine. He could have taken the high road and explained his opposition and laid out his alternative for the path forward, but that wouldn't get him attention. So he chose the low road and not for the first time. The Reverend Governor Fox Commentator is a nasty demagogue ...

Those were certainly some heavy pieces on Russia, now let's be positive. There are many wonderful things about our Kremlin friends. They have snazzy fur hats. Their military officers caps are simply stunning, one definitely detects a designer with flare is responsible but that's strictly don't ask, don't tell! They have wonderful lapel pins for their space program. Speaking of space, high above the earth the International Space Station is in orbit. Russians and Americans work side by side everyday and they don't kill each other. Of course they're our ride. Here's another outstanding Russian thing, mechanical watches. Seriously, I have many interests, hobbies and or obsessions depending on your own interpretation. I love timepieces of all kinds. In particular mechanical. The problem is aside from a traditional Timex they're generally too expensive for me. In the late 90's and early 2000 I stumbled upon Russian mechanical watches and they were unbel...

Well readers, you've just had a blast from the past with two commentaries on Russia from eight and seven years ago respectively. Do you think we and that includes our allies, have done a good job analyzing Vladimir Putin and Russia? Have we learned our lessons? Have we siezed even the slightest of initiatives to bridge the gap? My conclusion is nyet. If a blogger, such as myself, was writing about Russia's intentions for the Ukraine seven years ago, surely our experts in high places were thinking about it. After all, they are paid to think about it and form a strategy. The famous reset button in 2009 was a cheesy but good idea. The only problem is, other than the stupid plastic red button with the wrong word on it, there was absolutely nothing to follow. No long-term strategy, no joint government and civilian objectives to achieve, just lumbering from one crisis and misstep to another. So here we are. The Crimea is back in Russian hands, this will not be reversed no matter ...

In keeping with the Russian theme, here is another commentary from the past. I originally published "Beware the Bear" on August 15, 2008 and here it is: Watching the conflict this week between Russia and Georgia I am reminded of a Ronald Reagan ad from his 1984 campaign. The ad showed quick glances of a bear moving through the forest while the narrator said "some people believe the bear is tame, others can't even see the bear..." The bear is alive and well and mauling in plain sight. Today in the presence of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice the President of Georgia signed a cease fire agreement, with a reciprocal signing to take place in Russia by Dimitri Medvedev. There was a cease fire agreement earlier in the week as well, will this new one fair better? Russian troops will apparently leave South Ossetia, except for Russian peacekeeping forces. Since Russia substantially contributed to the disruption of the peace exactly what is their function? Last...

I've recently been rereading some of my old commentaries and have found some to be of relevance today. As this is a new forum and some of you are just discovering or rediscovering the joy of me I've decided to republish a select few from time to time. The Summer of Russian Discontent was originally published on July 14, 2007 and here it is: The Russian Federation has announced it is suspending it's participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty. Theoretically clearing the way for a massive build up of tanks and other conventional armaments aimed at Europe. Will it happen? Probably not. Russia is unhappy with it's diminished role on the international stage since the fall of the Soviet Union. It seeks to be relevant and is flirting with the mechanisms that gave it's predecessor teeth in the international community. When the Soviet Union and it's communist ideology were defeated a rare opportunity was missed by the west. Perhaps it was due to the fati...

The Obama Administration is pulling out all the stops to gain Congressional support for the Iran Nuclear Deal. They're using social media platforms, including Twitter, the President is appearing everywhere and extending press conferences to encourage more questions, even suggesting some. Today Secretary of State Kerry and key negotiators appeared before a Senate committee. The exchange was often contentious, especially from those running for President. This is to be expected and as I've previously written there are genuine concerns about the deal. The deal is worth pursuing. There are no constructive alternatives being offered by it's opponents, most of whom were against it long before they even knew what it would be. As others have already pointed out, you don't have to negotiate these kind of deals with your friends. You must engage your adversaries and we always have and often with those countries that posed far greater threats to our country. I'll say it again,...

We've just witnessed the amazing escape from the jaws of death by a world champion surfer. He was lucky and thank goodness for him. There's a lot of questions right now about the number of recent shark attacks. Unexplained epidemic? Or we're the sharks hired by the producers of Sharknado 3? The answer to both is no. Let me explain how this works. Sharks eat fish. Humans eat fish. Humans gather up mass amounts of fish...cause, you know, we eat fish. Oceans empty of fish, shark still hungry. People like to swim in ocean, people look like big fish, shark still hungry. Shark eat people cause people really stupid. Don't want be eaten, stop advertising yourself as an all you can eat buffet! Fin...

If I could reach the people who are applauding Donald Trump and have catapulted him to number one in the Republican polls, I would ask this question, what is it you think he stands for? At his core he is a salesman. If you asked a large number of citizens from all economic brackets, do you trust salesmen? The answer would be no. They occupy an opinion spectrum somewhere between criminal and a lawyer. The car salesman who coats you with honey and tries to convince you to borrow a sum you can't really afford but you love that hunk of metal and you deserve it. They pretend to fight for a better price, con you into a trade-in that exists only in the fantasty terms of a piece of paper. The nice person on the other end of the phone trying to sell you services you really don't need, but it's such a good deal. The contractor working in your neighborhood just for the day and is willing to redo your driveway at a cost below market value. Our antenna goes up, our common sense says r...

...is give the Iran Nuclear Deal a chance. Seriously, give it a chance. It really is a good deal and a step in the right direction. Don't take my word for it, read it yourself, don't wait for the skewed interpretations of others. Iran is certainly not our bosom buddy, we're certainly not ready to be roommates but we do need to start a more meaningful dialogue. Given the Iranian Governments general hostility it is certainly wise to question whether they can be trusted to honor the deal but here's the most important thing to remember, we are giving up nothing. Iran has everything to gain by cooperating, they can normalize relations with the world and build a better domestic economy. If they choose to cheat we and our allies hold all the cards for retaliation. It's scary to risk a little trust or if you prefer, take a leap of faith. Those who oppose this agreement need to carefully reflect on the alternative, they haven't offered their solution because it is war....

Space, the final frontier, these are the voyages of the New Horizons spacecraft, her nine and a half year mission to travel three billion miles and provide detailed images of the Dwarf Planet Pluto. She did it, mission control we have success! Are you as excited as I am by this, cause you should be. With only two percent of the imaging in for analysis we already know we were wrong about many things regarding Pluto. It will take approximately sixteen months to receive all of the information New Horizons has transmitted and here's an even more awesome thing, this little craft has already travelled two million miles beyond Pluto. Now, I know Pluto has been a controversial topic, like many of you I grew up with the planet Pluto, then the scientists gobsmacked us with the shocking announcement that it was not a planet but was in fact a new category called Dwarf Planet. I know, I know, it was...disturbing, but we've moved on. This little planet has much to teach us. In a time full...

Sixties super spy Matt Helm is making a comeback with the aid of daughter Jade. Operation Jade Helm is underway across eight states including Texas, where many of the tall hat manly men are soiling themselves. This is a military training exercise that has been on the planning books and known about for quite sometime. The training will take place on Federal property and some private, with permission. There are Texans, egged on by their own Governor, that actually believe this is an invasion and prelude to Marshall law. This in spite of the fact that American military officers have appeared at numerous Town Hall meetings to explain the training. Some of these officers have had their honor insulted by dimmer bulbs in attendance. Governor Scaremonger has ordered the national guard to keep an eye on things. Really? Who does Scaremonger believe people in olive uniforms ultimately answer to? Military training has occurred on our own soil since the Revolution. Where do you think they train? ...

The new, well let us say never seen, well let us say variation of never seen novel by Harper Lee was released today. In advance of the momentous occasion there was already some bitching by fans, I 've never quite understood the phenomenon of complaining ahead of the fact but to each his own. Apparently this novel which is actually the first version or follow up, though not really. Is this how sausage is made? Perhaps we should avert our eyes. I won't be reading the book because "To Kill A Mockingbird" is one of the most overrated books of the twentieth century. Yep, I just said that. It's a decent book but that is all there is to say about the thing itself. Generations have been enthralled because of the film and Gregory Peck, this combined with later literati insisting so voraciously of the book's greatness that it became shoved down the throats of millions of students as required reading, yours truly among them. It is not that the book is the holy grail,...

I try hard not to be one of those people who opines about "the good old days", which weren't, or "in my day", which is a silly phrase, but... The art of conversation seems to be waning. Even the most basic of exchanges have been reduced to abbreviated text with no true inflection beyond preloaded emoticons. In my personal life I have been fortunate enough to occasionally have someone who shares my love of diverse topics in depth, often the twin taboos of politics and religion, but not nearly as much as I crave. Even topics such as entertainment have devolved to the simplistic, liked it or it sucked, you gonna eat the last slice of pizza? Not all people like conversation in their personal life so let's leave that domain and focus on the professional talker. We have a 24/7 media culture and hundreds of channels, not including radio. With all of that you would think a golden age of conversation would be upon us but it's not, it's virtually non-exist...

As you can tell I've been having a lot of fun with Donald Trump's candidacy and will probably have more (definitely will). But for this post I promise no product launches or tongue firmly in cheek. At no time over the many election cycles that Trump teased about a possible run did I believe that he ever would. Pretend he will for self-promotion, yes, but never do it. Proof that even political junkies like myself can get it wrong. As easy as it would be to believe that this is all just a publicity stunt and any day he's going to yell, gotcha! It isn't, this campaign is for real. Even if Trump originally considered it a lark, all of the blowback concerning his rhetoric has emboldened him. While many would recoil and possibly withdraw from the field, a man of Trump's self-confidence absolutely will not. I think he looked at the unbelievable number of people who were going to try and get the Republican nomination and realized that other than a guy named Bush, none o...

New Jersey Governor and Presidential hopeful Chris Christie made his triumphant return to his favorite cable news show, Morning Joe, yesterday. Christie hasn't appeared on the program for awhile, I think it had something to do with dodging the press. But he need not worry cause they love him on that show. Softballs are the norm when he is on that set. Pushback, not. Christie is a highly skilled and commanding politician and doesn't allow reality to interfere with his narrative. He demanded and is still awaiting an apology from the press over Bridgegate because he has been cleared of wrongdoing. First, the press owes no apologies for covering the news. But if it will make you feel better Governor, I'm sorry. I'm not a member of the press but I am the preeminent essayist of Hindtit, Indiana. I'm so sorry that you're so wrong. Second, here are the facts which you have conveniently forgotten. There have been three investigations of Bridgegate. One was conducted b...

Dear Donald,      Thank you so much for the gift that keeps on giving, your spewing pie hole is a thing of beauty. Our Research and Development department under the leadership of Dr. Jeesh is launching the Diarrhea Donald® doll. Simply lift the lifelike hair and depress the soft center of the head and and listen to the over the top shenanigans of America's favorite ringmaster. (Diarrhea Donald® is a registered trademark of the Kane Media Group, who along with it's subsidiaries and affiliates are not responsible for the shit that comes out of the doll's mouth. You must be at least 18 to purchase Diarrhea Donald®.)

I can't begin to tell you how many times a day I'm asked about my thoughts on climate change. Actually I can, none, but this is my blog so here goes. Is the climate changing? Yes, it always has. Is man having an impact on the climate? Common sense would certainly indicate that we have an impact on our environment especially since the dawn of the industrial revolution moving forward. Should we be taking drastic measures which could seriously harm our domestic and world economy? No we should not. We should be sensible and be good stewards of the planet but we must not take actions which would in fact most seriously harm the financial well being of the poor and middle class. A slow steady approach with common sense public policy is the best course. Is oil just the most horrible thing ever? No it isn't and it's applications go far beyond just fuel. On the subject of fuel and our power needs we must take a common sense path and set long-term sustainable and reachable...

As we celebrate Independence Day I pause to wonder if we're all living up to the meaning. To me, alongside taxation without representation, our grand ongoing experiment in the U.S. is embracing and encouraging independent thought. Are we thinking for ourselves or waiting to be told what to  believe by the loudest extremists on the left and the right? This brings us to The Dukes of Hazard. What's that Kane, have you lost your mind? Maybe and if you find it you will be lucky indeed. The cable network T.V. Land has announced it will no longer show reruns of the 1980's series. Citing the fact that the car, the General Lee, has a Confederate Flag on the roof. Apparently toy replicas will also no longer be made, I was unaware they were being made. This show was very popular in the ratings when it first ran. I watched it from time to time and the only influence it had on me was to wish there were better shows to watch. It was not a deep show and the plot quite easy to follow. I...

This is what I love about politics, even as I published my previous post it contained an outdated thought. Former U.S. Senator Jim Webb has declared his candidacy for the Democratic Party's nomination for President. He did this via a lengthy letter posted on his official website. As announcements go it's a somewhat subdued approach especially for someone with limited national prominence. Webb is a serious and substantive person. He has a long history of public service including serving as Secretary of the Navy under President Ronald Reagan. So where does he go from here? How will he compete in a race where the overwhelming tide is with Hillary Clinton and the passion is with Bernie Sanders?

With the thousand or so Presidential candidates in the Republican Party it's easy to forget there's also a Democratic Party fight underway, or at least a skirmish. The national media has always ignored Senator Bernie Sanders. They just didn't want to be bothered with the self identified independent socialist, who caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate. To a large degree they're still trying to ignore him because he doesn't fit the narrative they've already written. But now they can't ignore him any longer. With thousands of people lining up to attend his rallies he has become the hottest thing on the campaign trail. Walk with me now deep into the weeds, so deep even Tolkien himself would be impressed. If every American who was qualified to vote,  registered and then actually voted and if they voted what was in their best overall interest, not the least of which is economics, health and education, then Bernie Sanders would be the next President of the Un...

Keeping in line with the rapidly changing relationship between the U.S. and Cuba, the two countries will officially reopen embassies. Cuba will certainly have an Ambassador here but Presidential hopeful Marco Rubio says he intends to fight the appointment of a U.S. Ambassador to Cuba. Don't you have better things to do Senator Rubio? Oh, I get it, you're staging a political stunt to get attention for your campaign, carry on. Better hurry and get organized before Ted Cruz figures it out. This story is a giant snooze and opponents of this latest development have no justification for opposition. I understand the personal stories of those who lost everything in their homeland because of Fidel Castro and I would hate him and his brother till my dying day. But that has nothing to do with affairs of state. The embargo remains in place, only Congress can lift it and it should lift it. It hasn't mattered for decades. The reasons for it to begin with are completely understandable. ...

As long as we're on the Trump Roll®, you can't use that, seriously I own it. The Trump Roll® is a delicious dense cinnamon swirled sweet dough wrapped around imported marzipan, finished with a maple glaze and just a spritz of confectioners sugar. I've had rolls from everywhere and let me tell you this is the best, you've never had anything like it. Now on to Donald. Lots of stories out there in political land that many in the Republican Party, mostly the insiders, are worried that Donald Trump is going to hurt the party. First, even if the Republican Party were in top form and it's brand sterling, Trump could not hurt it. He is an anomaly and can hurt individual candidates, but not the party. Second, the party is in the toilet, you can't harm a brand that smells of sulfur and raw sewage. Next, I don't believe any of the polling data concerning Trump. Whether he's in second or last place or 55% of the party hates him or 65% say they wouldn't vote fo...

Macy's announced today it is severing it's business ties with Donald Trump, specifically the cologne and clothing that bares his name. They join Univision and NBC Universal in dumping The Donald. The reason all of them have given is Trump's comments about the majority of Mexicans crossing the border are rapists and drug dealers. The statement was made during his Presidential Announcement. So this was a bridge too far for these commercial entities. I'm a free enterprise chap and these organizations are free to do whatever they want, but Donald Trump has been publicly wreckless with his language for years and years, as is his right. Where were these companies when he was regularly attacking President Obama on his birth certificate, plainly suggesting and encouraging the false belief he was not a citizen? Where were they when he constantly asked for the President's college transcripts and blatantly suggested he attained his education solely because of his race? He has...

There are some folks that are plum riled up over most of the Supreme Court's rulings last week. I can't indict them all because the post would be too long. My readers want a tasty snack, not a heavy meal. Ted Cruz wants to change the Supremes into elected officials. Bobby Jindal wants to eliminate the court altogether and Mike Huckabee wants not just civil disobedience, but for government officials to violate the law and not grant marriage licenses to gay people. None of them liked the upholding of the Affordable Care Act but it's really the gay thing that has them breathing fire. It's amazing how much they admire the court when it rules their way and despise it's mean activist ways when it doesn't. Judicial activism is the most overworked phrase in politics. While the Supreme Court does decide what cases it will hear there has to be a case to begin with. Congress writes the laws but it generally makes them so complex there's room for interpretation. It do...

Okay, so, the Republican Party has so many announced and not yet announced candidates that the debate sponsors have implemented a magic number that the candidate must achieve in polling data, in order to participate. Oh my gosh this has never happened before. Sorry friends but this is not a new issue. It goes back many election cycles, just ask Alan Keyes, who was denied the debate stage on more than one occasion. Frankly it's a load of hooey. They should all be allowed to participate. Cut the opening and closing statements, focus on one topic per debate and increase the number until enough candidates have fallen away to present a more traditional debate, which let's face it is nothing more than a large press conference. How about a no holds barred rock 'em sock 'em with the moderator only stepping in to stir things up to the next level. Now we got some politicking worthy of our reality T.V. era! In the past this leaving people out has always been explained away as be...