Month: September 2021

We have a mess at the border. And “mess” is too mild a word for the recent catastrophe at Del Rio, Texas.

You’ve heard elected officials use terms including “outraged,” “horrific images,” and “these people will pay.” And you know those quotes make sense if you’ve seen photos of 15,000 living in a hot, smelly, unsanitary, Covid-spreading campground along the Rio Grande.

But wait. Those comments were not about a photo of the disgusting conditions under and beside the bridge. No, those chaotic conditions had been ignored by officials and the media for two weeks. The photo that drew the harsh criticism was of a horse; a well-trained horse ridden by a skillful Border Patrol employee tugging at the shirtsleeve of an immigrant to keep him from exiting the river. In other words, doing their job of protecting our border.

Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas, who is in charge of the Border Patrol, was shocked by the “horrific image” even though both horse and rider were working exactly in accordance with their training manual. They were also rescuing immigrants from drowning.

Vice-President Kamala Harris, who is supposed to be in charge of the border, said she was “outraged” and it reminded her of the treatment of Native Americans and slaves. As soon as she learned about this embarrassment at the border, she rushed out of her Washington office, got on Air Force 2, and flew to… New York City. So, instead of standing beside her Border Patrol agents she preferred to sit beside the women on “The View.”

President Biden was asked about the mess at the border at a news conference. Instead of answering about the 15,000 in squalid conditions he angrily zeroed in on the mounted Border Agents saying, “those people will pay!” Fortunately, he did not take out his wrath on the horses or they would end up as equine filet on a Paris menu.

Will Rogers would be boiling mad at critics of the horses and experienced riders. Will said, “A man that don’t love a horse, there is something the matter with him. And if he has no sympathy for the man that does love horses then there is something worse the matter with him.” (WA #88, Aug. 17, 1924)

The only connection with horses most of these critics ever had was on a Merry-Go-Round. It is common sense that a person on a well-trained horse has an advantage over a person on foot. That’s why mounted officers are used to control crowds in New Orleans, Chicago, New York City and along our border.

Here’s a solution. Let the critics take the place of the Border Patrol and their horses. Let them stand there on the river bank and fend off the attackers with… well I don’t know what with. Maybe “diplomatic terminology.” Maybe have Congresswoman AOC in a white gown with “Tax the Immigrants” painted across the back. Even scarier, get Sen. Bernie Sanders to sit in a chair with his oversized mittens and yell at them, along with a masked Speaker Pelosi waving her arms.

However instead of scaring them away, they would hand them a “Welcome to the USA” bag of goodies and help them complete voter registration forms.

Of course, the real problem is that President Biden opened the border on January 20. But he says the border is NOT open. Well, no matter what our President and the Secretary of Homeland (In)security say in English, when it’s translated, the message is “Come on in, welcome to America!” And by golly, they have come! Over 200,000 a month and the rate is increasing.

You have heard the border chaos is because the Biden Administration is incompetent. But it’s not incompetence. It’s intentional. And Biden (and many Democrats in Washington) have disdain for anyone who tries to slow down or stop people from illegally entering our country. Remember, we welcome about a million immigrants, legally, every year. Apply for asylum in your home country and if you qualify, we’re glad to have you here.

In other news that you may have missed:

• Russians conducted cyberattacks against agricultural co-ops, demanding millions of dollars ransom. Yes, agricultural businesses are included in the 16 that Biden told Putin were “off limits.”
• Hunter Biden’s laptop computer included a vast amount of information and messages that tied his dad to lucrative deals with China. Now, YOU probably knew that last October (before the election), but 99% of our media, including Facebook, squashed that “News” claiming it was a Russian hoax.
• Hundreds of our top female Olympic gymnasts were sexually abused by a team doctor at Michigan State University. Many reported the abuse to the FBI in 2015, but the agents ignored their claims. Finally, these young women got to report the abuse to a Congressional committee.
• Hundreds of Americans are still held hostage by the Taliban. Thousands of Afghan citizens who helped us in the war are likely to be tortured and eventually executed.
• Hours of previously hidden videotapes of the January 6^th Capitol “invasion” show that the vast majority of people in the building acted more like tourists than insurrectionists. We’ve seen plenty of video of the bad actors previously.
• China’s Communist Party is taking dead aim at Taiwan.
• President Biden has had his wrist watch taken away. (Not really, but that would keep him from looking at it during solemn ceremonies.)

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“Now there has been more said and written about Russia than there has been about Honesty in Politics and Farmers’ Relief, and there has been just as little done about it as about either of those two.” Letters of a Self-Made Diplomat to His President, Nov. 6, 1926

We got past September 11. So, what’s happening in the news now?

In a nutshell,

• Our military fired a missile in Afghanistan intended for an ISIS bomber. Turns out it blew up a family of 10 going on a picnic;
• Hundreds of Americans are stuck in Afghanistan, praying that Secretary Blinken and the Taliban will agree on a $10 Billion ransom;
• Speaker Pelosi is pushing a bloated $3.5 Trillion tax bill masquerading as Infrastructure;
• President Biden signed a deal for a new submarine with Boris Johnson of Britain and what’s-his-name of Australia. The guy in France complained;
• Unvaccinated Covid patients are filling hospitals while millions still refuse the vaccine;
• Millions who got the vaccine so they could live “normal” lives are asked to wear a mask and avoid crowds;
• President Biden ordered 400 million Pfizer booster shots, but the FDA says only old folks and a few others are eligible to receive it;
• Millions followed news about the disappearance of the beautiful blond Gabriel Petito. Her body was found today in Wyoming. Did anybody see news about how many were murdered this weekend in Chicago;
• 15,000 “immigrants” piled up at Del Rio, Texas, with no vaccines, no masks, no TV drones allowed, and no VP Kamala Harris either.

President Biden was so concerned about these disastrous news stories he spent a long weekend relaxing at his Delaware beach house. He was determined to focus on only the most important issue: how to get rich folks to share the wealth.

Did you see the Congresswoman who attended a $35,000 dinner wearing a $10,000 white gown with a message painted in red on the back, “Tax the Rich!” She also wore expensive jewelry and carried a red purse with the same “Tax the Rich” message. That was in case you missed seeing it on her backside. Asked about the cost, she bragged, “I’m a socialist leader. All my expenses are paid for by the peasants.”  She didn’t say that, but I know that’s what you were thinking.

As I said, President Biden is pushing his own plan to tax the rich. It’s based on Huey Long’s plan from the 1930s to “Share the Wealth.” Biden calls his plan, “Pay Your Fair Share.” For those in the top 1% or top 10%, he says your “fair share” is way more than you are paying now.

Let’s do a poll to help our President.

Question 1. What percent of total federal income taxes should the Top 1% pay? 10%; 25%; 40%; or 50%.
Q 2. What percent should the Top 10% pay? 25%; 40%; 65%; or 85%.
Q 3. What percent of the total should the Bottom 50% pay? 0%; 3%; 5% or 10%.

Ask your representatives in Congress these 3 questions. I doubt that any will give a straight answer, especially a Democrat. (Note that President Biden is talking “fair share” of income taxes. In general, workers contribute to Social Security and pay federal taxes on a few products including gasoline.)

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“Our foreign dealings [by diplomats] are an open book, generally a check book.” (repeated)

“What a difference in diplomatic relations an army and navy make!” DT #196, March 13, 1927

“[Sen. Huey Long’s] plan to ‘share the wealth,’ it’s a marvelous idea.  And our own downright conscience tells us that there’s no reason why, well, anybody should have more than you.  There ain’t nothing wrong with the plan, only this one little defect: Nobody ain’t going to share it with you, that’s all. I know a lot of tremendously rich people that should share their wealth with me, but they just don’t see it that way.  And I know folks that ain’t got as much as I have that think I ought to share it with them.  Well, I just can’t hardly see it their way either. That is, even if I can see it that way, I’m not doing it.” Radio, Apr. 21, 1935

“It costs ten times more to govern us than it used to, and we are not governed one‑tenth as good.” DT #1770, March 27, 1932

Folks, I wrote this a few hours after the attack. Note that I also reference an earlier Weekly Comments (in 1998) where I projected about Bin Laden.

Weekly Comments #197   September 11, 2001

COLUMBUS: This is not a time for comedy. Civilization was attacked today.

The targets were in New York and Washington, but we ALL got hit. Yes sir, not just Americans, but everybody around the world who believes in freedom and democracy and fair play.

I was not going to write a Weekly Comments tonight. But then I thought, maybe a few of you would like to know how Will Rogers reacted to tragedies and disasters. Although nothing as instantly catastrophic as today’s horror occurred between 1879 and 1935, there were disasters that he wrote about. (See Historic Quotes for some samples)

First, I will do something I can’t recall ever doing before in any of these Weekly Comments. That is to include one of my own ‘historic quotes’. Here is part of what I wrote in Weekly Comments #47 on August 20, 1998: “News is happening so fast it’s hard to believe it’s August…. We had bombs explode in Kenya and Tanzania and Ireland, Monica and Bill took shots at each other, and just today we sent missiles cruisin’ after some terrorists in Afghanistan and Sudan. You might not have heard of this Saudi Arabian billionaire named ‘Bin Laden’, but you’re likely to hear plenty from him now. He’s got more money than many countries, and a bigger army than at least half of ‘em.”

Historic Quotes by Will Rogers:

 “Well, all I know is just what I read in the papers.  This sea tragedy [sinking of the British luxury liner, The Vistrus] has just been about all we could see for the last 10 days, and it was awful hard to get your mind off it. Talk about stage plays and dramas, don’t they fade into nothing when a thing like this comes along! And the great part about it is nobody knows where, or who will bob up in the way of a hero.” WA #309, Nov. 25, 1928

“You read about the disaster in St. Louis and what the Red Cross did. No matter what happens, or where it goes to happen, they are the first there. That’s why everybody in America should belong to it.” DT #372, Sept. 30, 1927.

“I know you all read of the terrible movie theater disaster in Ireland yesterday. Well, I am going to Dublin on Wednesday to give a benefit for them. Cable over what you can, either to me at the Hotel Shelbourne or to President Cosgrave. It’s a real cause. Thanks.”  DT #35, Sept. 6, 1926 (from London)

“No nation ever had two better friends than we have. You know who they are? Well they are the Atlantic and Pacific ocean. There is a couple of boys that will stand by you. And you can always depend on ’em, three thousand miles wide and a mile deep.” WA 537, April 9, 1933 (their value dropped a bit on Sept. 11, 2001)

Hurricane Ida damaged Louisiana and Mississippi, but not as bad as Katrina did 16 years ago. The Billions spent on New Orleans levees prevented a repeat. But hundreds of thousands are still without electricity.

Ida got a lot more attention on Network News when it dumped several inches of rain on New Jersey and New York City. More than 25 people died. The subways were flooded. Senate Leader Schumer doubled down on his insistence that $10 Billion for a rail tunnel under the Hudson River be included in the $3.5 Trillion tax bill. You might be wondering, if New York can’t prevent flooding of subways, how can they expect to keep a tunnel under a river dry? They will probably request another Billion for pumps. Naturally the pumps must be solar powered. Yes, in a rainstorm.

Another question, since people are abandoning New York City by the thousands, and working from home, why do they need a newer, bigger, better way to get INTO New York? So far, New Yorkers have had no problem finding a way out of town.

In Afghanistan, another humiliation. Six planes loaded with Americans and our friends have been prevented from taking off… by the Taliban. Do you suppose they are demanding a payment? We all know that “hard power” is expensive. It was not cheap to maintain military control in Afghanistan. Now we’ll learn what it costs for “soft power.” President Biden aims to be the last of five Presidents dealing with radical Islamic terrorists there. Chances are he will be paying them millions, and maybe billions, in ransom to get our American hostages out over the next three and a half years. I may have to repeat Will’s quote every week, “Our foreign dealings [by diplomats] are an open book, generally a check book.”

I know we all hope 9/11/2021 passes without any radical Islamic terrorists using “hard power” against us or our European allies. (Later this week I’ll send out the Weekly Comments I wrote on 9/11/2001.)

Here in the USA, farmers are being attacked by army worms. Not the farmers personally, but their crops, especially alfalfa and other grasses. But lawns, parks and ball fields are also being eaten overnight by voracious army worms. This “invasion” is not new. Will Rogers commented on the “army bugs” 92 years ago, “You know we always figured that the Lord and the elements and Congress was all on the side of the rich against the farmer. So, it was certainly gratifying to learn there is a bug that is eating up the greens on the golf courses. It’s called an army bug, for it comes in droves. That just shows you that the ‘worm is turning,’ and the leisure class is going to have their boll weevil, chinch bug and grasshopper, too. Won’t that be great to hear the golf player hollering for relief!” (DT #995, Oct. 3, 1929)

Tomorrow (Sept. 6) is Labor Day. Remarkably, anybody who wants a job can get one. ‘Help Wanted’ signs are everywhere. Also remarkable, millions of unemployed are at home because they have been receiving more for not working than for working. This may end soon. Of course, Covid has been a factor. A parent had to stay home because schools were offering online classes only.

Most adults know that work has value. On a farm a kid might start by feeding cattle, gathering eggs and shoveling manure. In town the first jobs might be babysitting, mowing lawns, or waiting tables. Learning the basics of work has more value than the income. A “learning wage” is more important than a “living wage.”

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“Tomorrow is Labor Day. I suppose set by act of Congress. Everything we do nowadays is either by or against acts of Congress. How Congress knew anything about labor is beyond us, but any how tomorrow is Labor Day. It’s a day in the big cities when men march all day and work harder than they have in any other of the 365. Even the ones that ain’t working labor on Labor Day.” DT #967, Sept. 1, 1929