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JUNE 6,  2021

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:45 P.M. ET:

ALWAYS HAPPY TO GIVE THE GOOD NEWS – FROM FOX:   Republicans celebrated Javier Villalobos's narrow win in the mayor's race in McAllen, Texas, on Saturday even though the race is technically nonpartisan.  "Javier Villalobos is a proven leader who cares deeply about the people of the Rio Grande Valley.  Congratulations on becoming the next Mayor of McAllen!" Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wrote on Facebook.  Villalobos, an attorney, was appointed to the Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board by Abbott in 2018 and is the former chair of the Hidalgo County GOP.  "Amazing news! McAllen, Texas is a major border town of 140,000 people. 85% Hispanic — and just elected a Republican mayor. The macro realignment accelerates in South Texas, and elsewhere, as Hispanics rally to America First," former Trump 2020 campaign adviser Steve Cortes wrote on Twitter.  Villalobos defeated opponent Veronica Whitacre by a little more than 200 votes in a runoff election, KVEO reported. He is currently a McAllen City Commissioner.  "Let me start by thanking the voters, my team, my family [and] everyone who helped run this campaign. Thank you McAllen for trusting [and] believing in me. I promise to not let you down," Villalobos wrote on Facebook this weekend.  He received praise from conservatives across the country. Hidalgo County, home of McAllen, went to President Biden by roughly 17 points in the 2020 election.  "Holy cow... Republicans just flipped the mayorship of McAllen, Texas. This was not expected and shows Hispanics in South Texas may have shifted with the GOP even post Trump," author Ryan Girdusky wrote on Twitter. May many more like this follow.

LARA BOWS OUT – FROM FOX:  Lara Trump said during North Carolina’s Republican Convention Saturday night that she would not seek the state party’s nomination to run for U.S. Senate, citing her young children – but she left open the possibility of a future run.  "No for now," she said, thanking the supporters in her home state. "Not no forever."  After she left the state, former President Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C, as "your next senator" to the crowd.  "A lot of you don’t know him that well, but you’re gonna know him probably within a few minutes," he said. "Ted Budd."  Then he called Budd, of North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District, to the stage.  "I am giving him my complete and total endorsement," Trump said.
Budd thanked both Trumps for the help on his 2018 and 2020 campaigns, in which he overcame deep-pocketed Democratic challengers.  I've seen Lara Trump speak at a meeting in New York.  She is just superb - knowledgeable, reasonable, dynamic.  I hope she does get involved in electoral politics, and wins.

June 6, 2021       Permalink

This is is the 77th anniversary of D-Day, the 1944 invasion of Normandy, in northern France, by troops of the Allied Expeditionary Force.  Actually, every invasion day in World War II was called D-Day, but the name came to symbolize that particular invasion, which marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany.

There are a small number of American veterans left from that heroic day.  The youngest soldier on D-Day would have been 18, and would be 95 now.  Soon, the Greatest Generation will be gone. 

Here is a wonderful remembrance of D-Day, and the story of a returning American soldier.  From American Military News: 

Charles Shay, a 96-year-old U.S. Army veteran, was the only veteran to attend a D-Day anniversary remembrance ceremony in Carentan, France on Saturday, 77 years after U.S., British, Canadian and French forces landed on the beaches of Normandy and parachuted inland to invade France.

The New York Post reported Shay is also expected to be the lone veteran to attend Sunday’s June 6 anniversary day ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer.

Shay is of Native American descent from Indian Island, Maine. He took part in the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 as a 19-years-old U.S. Army medic. He now lives in the country he helped liberate from Nazi German occupation.

Shay’s lone presence at the D-Day ceremonies is due in part to coronavirus-related travel restrictions.

The Associated Press reported travel restrictions have barred other surviving participants of the battle as well as the families of the 4,414 allied service members who died storming into Normandy.

2,501 of those killed on D-Day were Americans. About 5,000 more allied troops were wounded in the fighting on that single day. Several thousand German troops were killed or wounded in the fighting that day.

This is the second year in a row coronavirus restrictions have limited those wishing to commemorate the landings in Normandy.

“We have no visitors coming to France this year for two years now. And I hope it will be over soon,” Shay told the Associated Press during the ceremony in Carentan on Saturday.

France’s coronavirus related travel restrictions are due to be lifted next week, but that will be too late for the D-Day anniversary ceremonies.

The limited attendance at this years D-Day anniversary ceremonies is also a reflection of the dwindling number of veterans remaining who served on that historic day.

The Associated Press reported only one veteran remains from the French commando unit that joined the allied forces to invade Normandy. Only about 2,600 U.S. D-Day veterans are still alive today, according to The National D-Day Memorial’s latest estimates.

Making up for the limitations on attendance from veterans of the D-Day fighting, local residents are reportedly attending in greater numbers than usual, some arriving in restored jeeps and dressed in old uniforms and creating a celebratory atmosphere at the commemorations.

Pascal Leclerc, a member of the Remember Omaha Beach 44 group, said, “We missed it a lot. That’s just fun, happiness, and also being able to pay tribute to all the veterans. That’s the main goal.”

“In France, people who remember these men, they kept them close to their heart,” Shay said. “And they remember what they did for them. And I don’t think the French people will ever forget.”

COMMENT:  Our job now is to be sure young Americans know about D-Day, and all the other sacrifices our servicemen and servicewomen, and their families, have made.  It is a difficult task.  These days most Americans probably have never met a soldier.  Our schools, and especially our colleges, are populated with poisonous elements who despise the military and don't think America is worth defending. 

I have to be optimistic and believe that underneath the current gloom is a new generation of loyal patriots waiting to get their chance.

June 6, 2021       Permalink

JUNE 5,  2021

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:

TRUMP RETURNS – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   Former President Donald Trump returned to the political stage on Saturday with a speech at the North Carolina Republican Convention, where he railed against his successor and predicted the GOP would triumph in the 2022 midterm elections.  After a nearly four-month break from public speaking, Trump took the stage as “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood blared from speakers, praising local and federal officials and candidates — and blasting “radical Democrats.”  “As we gather tonight, our country is being destroyed before our very own eyes. Crime is exploding, police departments are being ripped apart and defunded,” he told his devotees in the city of Greenville.  “Drugs are pouring in, gas prices are soaring, our industries are being pillaged by foreign cyberattacks.  “That’s a lack of respect for our country and our leaders.”  Trump, 74, struck a more subdued tone than the one that marked his more than five years of political rallies, though he still went after the country’s current leadership, assailing rising inflation rates, the cancellation of the Keystone pipeline and foreign relations.  “America’s being demeaned and humiliated on the world stage, our freedom is being overtaken by toxic cancel culture.  Our border is wide open, illegal immigration is skyrocketing at a level that we’ve never seen before,” the former president said.  Clearly, the number one question in American politics is whether Trump will run for the presidency again in 2024.  You may rest assured that he's doing extensive polling already. 

LATEST ROYAL NOTES THAT YOU MUST HAVE TO LIVE – FROM FOX:  Royal expert Angela Levin has spoken out on Twitter about the strained relationship between the Duke of Sussex and his family. She revealed that the royal family is quite concerned about Prince Harry’s mental state, which leads her to believe they won’t be "slamming the door" in his face any time soon.  "My view is that Harry’s family in London are very worried about his mental health," Levin tweeted in response to another user commenting on whether or not it was "too late" to bring Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, back into the fold.  Levin added, "[They] think slamming the royal door in his face could have devastating consequences."  Levin’s insight on the royal family comes just days after it was revealed Prince Harry would "absolutely" be invited to Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. The event, which is set to take place over the course of four days, will honor the queen’s 70 years on the throne.  To add to that, another royal family member revealed that Kate Middleton is playing "mediator" between her husband, Prince William, and his brother, Prince Harry. How could you have gone another day without knowing these things?  But why are we so interested in a loser of a prince? 

June 5, 2021       Permalink

FOCUSING THE SPOTLIGHT – OVERNIGHT:  If there's one hotspot that might flash into armed conflict, it's Taiwan.  Some call it "Free China."  Its formal name is "The Republic of China."  It is a large island off the coast of red China, and red China wants it.  Now a Senate delegation is about to visit Taiwan, and the mainland Chinese government will not be pleased.  From Fox:

Three top U.S. senators will visit Taiwan to meet with its top leaders Sunday amid a period of tense relations between the United States and China.

Sens. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Chris Coons, D-Del., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, are making the visit as part of a broader trip to Asia, according to the American Institute in Taiwan, which announced the visit Saturday.

"The bipartisan congressional delegation will meet with senior Taiwan leaders to discuss U.S.-Taiwan relations, regional security, and other significant issues of mutual interest," the organization said in a statement.

The move will likely anger China, since that country was upset when President Biden asked former Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and other former State Department officials to visit Taiwan earlier this year. The U.S. also moved to relax guidelines around communication between U.S. officials and Taiwan. The Chinese government said the U.S. should "stop immediately all official interactions with the Taiwan region."

U.S.-China ties remain strained over issues ranging from the independence of Taiwan and Hong Kong to the Chinese persecution of Uighur Muslims to China's broad military and economic claims in the South China sea.

China claims Taiwan, which functions as a democracy under an elected government, as its own territory. The United States does not have official diplomatic ties to Taiwan but still engages with Taiwan commercially and through unofficial diplomatic channels. And members of Congress regularly visit the island as a way to show their support for its democracy and demonstrate strength against China.

The Trump administration moved to increase relations with Taiwan and according to Council on Foreign Relations fellow David Sacks, "The Biden administration has signaled that it will largely pick up where the Trump administration left off."

In his confirmation hearing, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the "bipartisan commitment to Taiwan" and "making sure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself… will absolutely endure in a Biden administration."

"Our support for Taiwan is rock solid," a State Department spokesperson told Fox News earlier this year. "We are committed to deepening our ties with Taiwan – a leading democracy and a critical economic and security partner."

China has also recently sent fighter jets and nuclear-capable bombers to fly over Taiwan and the U.S. has flexed its military muscles in the region too.

COMMENT:  Please note the last paragraph.  There are constant provocations involving Taiwan.  China would consider it a decisive victory over the United States if it took Taiwan, which can only be done militarily.

Given America's current weakness, internal turmoil, and a hostility to national defense in the governing party, a Chinese general might well calculate that this is a good time to strike Taiwan, and pass that recommendation on to his country's president.  Miscalculation is a serious possibility when dealing with the Taiwan issue.  So is the clear chance that we could lose a clash with China, resulting in our Asian allies losing confidence in our pledge to stand at their side.

June 5, 2021       Permalink