Monthly Archives: March 2025

Sen. Zell Miller on Repealing the 17th Amendment

Zell Bryan Miller (February 24, 1932 – March 23, 2018) was an American politician and author known for his extensive career in Georgia politics and his evolving political stance. Born in Young Harris, Georgia, he was raised by a single mother in a rural mountain community after his father’s death. Miller earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from the University of Georgia and served as a U.S. Marine in the 1950s. His political career began as a Democrat in the Georgia State Senate (1961–1965), followed by roles as lieutenant governor (1975–1991) and governor of Georgia (1991–1999). As governor, he spearheaded…

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Monday Musings

As part of an effort to deliver content and keep my writing wits sharp, I’m going to post a daily series of Quick Takes. Some may carry more weight and be more serious than others.  Today's Monday Musings post began with a funny post in my Facebook timeline and ended up being an academic exercise in the dangers of consanguineous marriage resulting in a not-so-Quick Take.  Have a great day, everyone! One of my favorite page follows on Facebook is Terrible Maps. On Sunday they posted a map of states where it is legal to marry your first cousin.  I didn't…

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Sunday Sundries

As part of an effort to deliver content and keep my writing wits sharp, I'm going to post a daily series of Quick Takes. Some may carry more weight and be more serious than others.  Let's sift through the week's loose items while we steel ourselves for the week ahead. The political fallout from Signal has metastasized into "gate" status with everyone calling it Signalgate.  This is amusing to me because for half a century we've been told "it's not the crime, it's the coverup" when there has been no coverup whatsoever.  Let's break down a few facts to help us…

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Saturday Summaries

As part of an effort to deliver content and keep my writing wits sharp, I'm going to post a daily series of Quick Takes. Some may carry more weight and be more serious than others. Let's take a look at some stories that may have flown under your radar this week that may not have been in the Signal chat you were inadvertently added to. NORRA & the Restraining Judicial Insurrectionists Act The Babylon Bee goes hard in the paint. No district court judge should be able to issue nationwide injunctions and parties shouldn't be able to jurisdiction shop until they…

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Friday Fancies

As part of an effort to deliver content and keep my writing wits sharp, I'm going to post a daily series of Quick Takes. Some may carry more weight and be more serious than others. Since this begins on a Friday, let's consider serious ideas with some imagination and whimsy. I'd rather be annoyed by brevity than pissed off by substance   It's hard to write a good story around a bad premise.   I read the book before they wrote it.   If you ignore the obvious, you can get away with anything.   Deeds matter, words are meaningless.  …

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Signals

Let’s talk about the bizarre twist of the "Houthi & the Blowfish" Signal chat-a group meant for top Trump administration officials like National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Vice President J.D. Vance to discuss military strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. Somehow, it ended up including Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. Was this the ultimate blunder, a deliberate leak, or something else entirely? I’m not here to break news or claim I’ve got it all figured out-I just want to understand what happened. The administration insists it was a mistake, a simple misdial in the digital…

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About those tariffs on Canadian lumber…

Several U.S. presidents have imposed tariffs on Canadian lumber as part of a decades-long trade dispute between the United States and Canada, primarily over softwood lumber. This conflict, often referred to as the "softwood lumber dispute," stems from U.S. claims that Canadian lumber is unfairly subsidized by government-set stumpage fees, giving Canadian producers an advantage over American ones. Below is a list of presidents who have overseen the imposition of tariffs on Canadian lumber, based on historical actions and trade policies: Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) The modern softwood lumber dispute began in the 1980s under Reagan. In 1986, during "Lumber II," the…

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See, I told you so.

President Trump gets results.  Immediate results. I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace. None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under… - Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 4, 2025 From Zelensky the Pimp's full post on X: I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace. None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as…

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Zelensky is a pimp

Rarely have I seen a realpolitik misread as glaring as this from last week.  It was so bad it needed quoting and a thread about all of the different Laws of Power that Zelensky has no grasp of.  I will try to duplicate the thread here in a single post. At a press conference in Kiev, Zelensky offers to step down in exchange for peace and NATO membership. Putinists simply don’t understand the man. They’re cynical and self-interested, and lose their minds in the face of real patriotism. pic.twitter.com/yxegvgHGMx - Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) February 23, 2025 Zelensky is a pimp. This…

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The 48 Laws of Power

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene is a book that explores the dynamics of power and influence, drawing from historical examples and philosophical insights. Published in 1998, it distills 48 "laws" or principles that Greene argues are timeless strategies for achieving and maintaining power. The book is often described as a guide to navigating complex social and professional environments, though it has sparked debate for its amoral tone and pragmatic, sometimes ruthless, advice. Each law is presented with anecdotes from figures like Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, and various historical leaders, illustrating how these principles have been applied (or ignored) to…

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