Our country is dramatically split between liberals and conservatives. Currently, the former are resentful of the federal government, which is utilizing ICE agents to capture and deport illegal aliens.

Conservatives foresee a dangerous threat to our social, political, economic and judicial systems from aliens entering the country unlawfully. Some experts estimate that there are about 20 million illegals in the US.

Liberals argue that illegals living in the US for many years deserve citizenship because they have proven that they are living up to American standards: no violent behavior, working at legitimate businesses and obeying the laws of the land. Illegals that have been crossing into the US recently do not deserve the same consideration, in the opinion of many Americans. This is a massive group of people from countries south of Texas that have not been vetted.

These “other illegals” have mostly crossed our borders during the Biden administration. Trump and ardent conservatives believe that a large number in this group have criminal records in the US and in their home countries. Trump has often said that these people are creating dangerous situations in America, including high crime rates in larger cities.

When Trump began this round-up of illegal immigrants, he said immigration officers were looking for the worst of the worst of those who crossed our borders illegally. Liberals claim that honest immigrants are being incarcerated and harassed by the police. People are being pulled out of cars and from their homes having not committed any crimes, with the exception of entering the US illegally. I think most caring Americans do not believe the conservatives or the liberals. The rhetoric from both sides has been deafening. These sentiments are causing protesters to disrupt many large communities across the US.

There exists no compromise for these two warring parties. Every day the schism between the dueling parties grows wider. Protesters that threaten citizens going to work are creating dangerous standoffs between radical zealots and peace officers, who have been assigned the task of dispersing crowds.

The scariest part of the confrontations is that there appears to be no common ground between the warring sides, and so peace is elusive. Activists are creating chaotic environments in which people are being arrested for disturbing the peace. When confrontations become violent there is never any agreement about who is responsible.

The absurd and sad encounter between an ICE agent and a woman driving her car is a perfect example. There is no agreement about who is responsible for the violence that occurred in which ICE officers say a woman was trying to run over an agent, and he responded by shooting and killing her. Liberals said the woman was just making a turn, while conservatives say the woman was trying to run over the agent. This occurred in broad daylight and both sides cannot agree on the facts surrounding the event even with the help of recordings of the incident.

Minneapolis politicians are saying the city is being attacked by federal agents who are aggressively and dangerously controlling the protesters. Law enforcement people are saying they are merely protecting citizens and property from harm by the protesters.

Nonviolent protest is guaranteed by the constitution. Encounters that include violence are not protected. It appears that protesters are being supported financially by large donors who are attempting to taunt Trump into greater violence. In the meantime, the ICE agents are being called Nazi storm troopers. To debase these law men and women is shameful. Our police forces and government law men are risking their lives to protect peaceful citizens who are innocent bystanders.

When Americans have disputes about the facts of a certain event, the civilized thing to do is to take it to court and allow a judge or a jury to make the final decision. The aggressive response by certain people in Minneapolis is what needs to be tempered. The confrontations between the aforementioned parties is a violation of laws that protect peacekeepers that governors and the president can call into service.

The political landscape is becoming more and more complicated every day. This essay will examine the choices Democratic voters have for president at this early stage.

The US currently has a lame duck president who is taking on many of the most controversial issues during his time in office. On the other hand, a cavalcade of old and new faces are dominating the liberal side of the equation by grasping onto tired issues. If any of the latter group is to be successful, he or she must choose the most important issues in the minds of voters and deliver tangible strategies to solve the problems of all Americans.

Let’s  consider the candidates who may represent Democrats.

Kamala Harris still has not revealed what she aspires to moving forward. Her choices are to run for the presidency once again, run for governor of California or just hang around as others plan and execute their next moves to win the Democratic Primary.

Kamala would have to shed a ton of dead weight before she could assume leadership of the Democratic Party. Her performance in the last presidential campaign is not affording her party confidence that she will do better with another presidential nomination. She has not made one single proposal or remark that has encouraged voters to support her. Kamala is not a leader and does not have the knowledge to take on others from her own party or the opposition party.

Kamala has left her party in shambles and her book tour is only serving to infuriate fellow Democrats. I started to read her autobiography and ended my experience just a few chapters into it. I decided to give the book to one of my frustrated progressive friends.

Gavin Newsom seems to be moving ahead with a plan to run for president. The New York Times seems to think this man can save the Democratic Party. California is having a very bad year. Fires, protests, massive debt concerns and a growing homeless population are all things that Newsom doesn’t speak about when he gets on the stump. To date, Newsom has not done a very good job selling himself as a top shelf candidate. His rhetoric is directed mostly at Trump’s persona, not his policies.

Bernie Sanders is too old to lead the Democratic Party. He is the most knowledgeable progressive and would be a huge supporter of AOC if she decides to run for president. Bernie just has not been able to convince the voters that he can run the US government himself, much less balance the budget after giving way so many free things to his constituents.

AOC is an interesting choice for president. I must confess, she has really made an impact as a rebel-rouser. That is not to say she has anywhere near the requisite experience to be president and a world leader. Her affiliation with the radical troublemakers in Congress will not help her gain support.

So, Zohran Mamdani is the new face on the block. Having won the New York City mayoral race is a feather in his cap, but he is a socialist. I spent my entire life being told and believing that socialism is very bad for our country. Why would I ever consider a man who eschews capitalism as a person to be the leader of the largest and greatest city in the world? New York City is a solid blue stronghold, but it’s the economic capital of the world. There are lots of young people who seem interested in testing socialistic solutions to our problems. They will learn to appreciate that socialism is not going to be successful in the Big Apple. Even China and Russia are accepting capitalistic dogma. Mamdani should have little impact on the impending presidential elections. It will be impossible for this man to give the benefits he says he will fight for.

Democrats don’t seem to understand that facing off against Donald Trump is a waste of time. He’s going to be gone in less than three years. Of most importance and to win, Democrats need new ideas about how to deal with illegal aliens, in particular. Our nation has been inundated with illegals and a significant number of them have criminal records. The impact of 20 or so million people across the US has been a hardship at every level of government. This is a fight for jobs, housing, and education. The assimilation of illegals would be an excellent challenge for Democrats to take on. To date, the focus has been on new immigrants. Illegal immigration will continue to be the number one issue facing our leaders in the foreseeable future .

Democrats must move away from woke issues. The backlash against this phenomenon has been broad. Unisex bathrooms, teaching very young children about gender issues and the like are not popular with the majority of American voters.

Effective Democratic candidates will need to convince ultra-progressives and young people that militant activities such as violent protest will make it impossible for Democrats to effectively challenge conservative Republicans.

There are a number of Democratic Congress-people who could become effective candidates for the presidency. Unfortunately, radical progressives of the party will prevent them from getting into the race for political offices.

Shutting down our government was a terrible strategy for both political parties, and those who endorsed the action should be casualties in the next national election. The harm inflicted on needy Americans and essential government workers was very damaging.

During this era of cut-throat rhetoric and garbage politics, the major impediment to efficient and timely governance is the filibuster in the Senate. This antiquated tool of the standing minority has created many problems over the last few years. Effectively, the minority in the Senate can halt most aspects of law making if it controls 41 seats. This means that the Senate is incapable of enacting laws in conjunction with the House unless it convinces some minority members to vote with it.

The strategy of Democrats during this hurtful moment of government stagnation was to force Republicans to make concessions concerning health care that made no sense. A senatorial standoff prevented the US government from being able to borrow money to pay for social programs, military salaries, air traffic controllers and government subsidies that reduce medical costs.

The largest and strongest country in the world was temporarily bankrupt and unable to pay expenses affiliated with government programs that prevent hunger in our country.

It was sinful to watch the government grovel for money to pay its employees. We as Americans just stood by as babies were unfed and airport services were jeopardizing the safety of Americans flying on airplanes.

Why did this come about? It was all a play to make Trump look bad. Democrats have only one issue as we enter the next race for the presidency- Donald Trump. Meanwhile Trump is addressing our nation’s problems.

Democrats will not have a chance to win the next election unless they surface issues and propose ways to deal with them. Using Trump as a target going into 2028 is a waste of time and money because he cannot compete for the White House.

To make matters worse, the same old washed up individuals are lining up to compete/influence the campaigned for president. Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom are attempting to gain traction with their party. Bernie Sanders, Zohran Mamdani and AOC are pushing for more progressive candidates, which will play into the hands of conservatives.

If I were running the for president as a Democrat, I would zero in on the likes of Vance and Rubio.

The Democratic Party is in tatters. One segment of it is trying to bully their way into power represented by the most progressive side of the party. The American people don’t want radical leaders. Notwithstanding some lost support among voters during the past few weeks, the Republicans stand in good position to fully dominate the next presidential campaign.

One last word on the filibuster issue. It can be abolished by a simple majority vote in the Senate. The minority party in the Senate will always object to eliminating the filibuster.

Shutting down our government was a terrible strategy for both political parties, and those who endorsed the action should be casualties in the next national election. The harm inflicted on needy Americans and essential government workers was very damaging.

During this era of cut-throat rhetoric and garbage politics, the major impediment to efficient and timely governance is the filibuster in the Senate. This antiquated tool of the standing minority has created many problems over the last few years. Effectively, the minority in the Senate can halt most aspects of law making if it controls 41 seats. This means that the Senate is incapable of enacting laws in conjunction with the House unless it convinces some minority members to vote with it.

The strategy of Democrats during this hurtful moment of government stagnation was to force Republicans to make concessions concerning health care that made no sense. A senatorial standoff prevented the US government from being able to borrow money to pay for social programs, military salaries, air traffic controllers and government subsidies that reduce medical costs.

The largest and strongest country in the world was temporarily bankrupt and unable to pay expenses affiliated with government programs that prevent hunger in our country.

It was sinful to watch the government grovel for money to pay its employees. We as Americans just stood by as babies were unfed and airport services were jeopardizing the safety of Americans flying on airplanes.

Why did this come about? It was all a play to make Trump look bad. Democrats have only one issue as we enter the next race for the presidency- Donald Trump. Meanwhile Trump is addressing our nation’s problems.

Democrats will not have a chance to win the next election unless they surface issues and propose ways to deal with them. Using Trump as a target going into 2028 is a waste of time and money because he cannot compete for the White House.

To make matters worse, the same old washed up individuals are lining up to compete/influence the campaigned for president. Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom are attempting to gain traction with their party. Bernie Sanders, Zohran Mamdani and AOC are pushing for more progressive candidates, which will play into the hands of conservatives.

If I were running the for president as a Democrat, I would zero in on the likes of Vance and Rubio.

The Democratic Party is in tatters. One segment of it is trying to bully their way into power represented by the most progressive side of the party. The American people don’t want radical leaders. Notwithstanding some lost support among voters during the past few weeks, the Republicans stand in good position to fully dominate the next presidential campaign.

One last word on the filibuster issue. It can be abolished by a simple majority vote in the Senate. The minority party in the Senate will always object to eliminating the filibuster.

Disclaimer: For the past decade, this blog has made comments about Donald Trump that might lead a reader to believe that Softball Politics was partial to Mr. Trump. People have asked me if I am supportive of the man on many occasions. During his first term as president, I was bewildered that the nation elected such a person to the most important position in the world. The first Trump administration was a disaster, and our country was in decline because of its inexperienced president.

Donald Trump has not changed as a person since his first administration. He is not a person I admire or one I would like to have a beer with. He was and still is a narcissist. He was and still is a megalomaniac.

But his ability to identify and rectify problem facing our nation has improved. He has done some things that needed to be addressed. He does not govern with style or in a statesman-like manner. He is a bad winner and takes credit for things he should not.

In the following blog, I credit and laud several things that Trump has done. I believe we should distribute kudos when it is warranted. But please be mindful that I am not a Trump supporter in any way shape or form. And, I will breathe a sigh of relief when his second term ends.

Donald Trump is trying to act like a world leader. During the presidential campaign he said America was in dire straits. He has tirelessly addressed many pressing issues that were damaging the country’s reputation. Already he has made strides and has kept promises he made during the election especially regarding immigration, crime and the economy.

As an aside, I feel sorry for Joe Biden. He never should have run for the presidency a second time. He was not healthy enough to lead the country. Democrats were buffaloed into believing Joe could be an effective face man for the power-hungry politicians that supported him.

Joe was just a puppet for Democratic politicians. All the while the country was being devastated by an ultra-liberal mentality. Joe’s fellow Dems should have recognized that the assault on our borders, illegal drug activity, crime in our big cities and the dearth of leadership in America were on the minds of voters. The result was the total collapse of the Democratic Party.

Then again, if Kamala Harris entered the presidential race earlier, the result would have been the same; she probably would have lost by a greater margin. What a bad choice. Harris was not capable of taking the reins of the most powerful country in the world.

Trump is bringing the US back into the limelight in almost every regard. He’s doing so much that Dems are claiming he is becoming too authoritative. I really doubt there will be a King Donald I in our future. Our governmental structure and laws would not allow Trump to take over the Congress, the military and individual states. Moreover, Trump has just three years left to govern.

Personally, I think Trump is a menace. He’s a megalomaniac. He wants everyone to declare their loyalty every day. But the man has accomplished a lot in the short time he has been in office.

In this regard, Trump has used the power of his office to usurp some activities that are the in the purview of Congress. It’s about time that Congress lived up to its responsibilities and assumed the role of managing the receipts and expenditures of our government, approving actions of the president, dealing with friends and foes, vetting the president’s aides, fixing our electoral system, dealing with the environment, and so on.

It’s true that Trump will likely pick his successor. If he chooses another Republican like JD Vance, Marco Rubio or Ron DeSantis, do you really think any of them would allow Trump to interfere in the matters of state once they are in the White House?

Republicans have nothing to worry about. The next person in the White House will be a strong conservative and a much nicer person than Donald Trump.

Getting back to Trump and his lame duck presidency, we should appreciate several positive things that are happening.

Consider the following:

• Trump put crime in America at the top of his list. Democrats gave radical left wing elements free rein. They defanged the police and now there is chaos in our large cities.

• Trump has addressed some parts the woke movement. Bathrooms will not be shared between women and men and men will not play in women’s sports.

• Our borders are finally closed. Applying for citizenship in our country will be more vigorous as we install proper vetting standards to ensure that we aren’t relocating criminals.

• The economy is booming. CEO’s are becoming more optimistic and increasing their investments in manufacturing every day.

• America has re-assumed a leadership role in some of the most important negotiations including the Ukraine and Gaza.

I understand that Trump is a difficult man too appreciate, but he is doing a pretty good job in a number of areas. When his term is ended you should expect a similarly conservative government led by a similarly conservative Republican.

A terrible thing happened this past week. Charlie Kirk, a popular 32-year-old supporter of traditional conservative values was assassinated at a Utah college while meeting with students. Mr. Kirk conducted his life’s crusade via Turning Point USA.

Frankly, I never heard of Charlie until the day his life was ended by an assailant, who objected to Kirk’s ideology. We will probably learn a lot more about the shooter as time passes. He has been arrested. It would be interesting to hear the murderer’s justification for his actions that deprived Kirk from fulfilling his mission in life and took him away from his family as a husband and father.

As far as I know, Kirk never supported violence as a means to improve our country. He preferred debating with words and concepts. Nor did he ever espouse taking physical action against those who disagree with his philosophy on life and his code for young people.

The shooter wanted to rid the world of a man who fought for his causes peacefully. Supposedly, everybody in America is permitted to express their opinions and decide how they stand on specific and controversial issues such as abortion, crime, violence and family matters.

But wait, maybe America a not a place where everyone can express his or her opinions without fear of retribution? Some people on the far left rejoiced when they heard Charlie was gone. How does the shooter’s single action, the firing of a bullet to kill a man of peace, register with America? Among many other laws, the shooter violated Kirk’s freedom of speech.

Kirk was a great person based upon the reaction of many Americans to his demise; he probably would have eventually rivaled Martin Luther King Jr. and other great leaders who believed that passive resistance was the desirable way to make changes. Perhaps Kirk would have aspired to be to be elected president someday. Good God, America really could use a smart, honest and well-read person in the White House. No, not in this world. Violence is what idiots resort to when they want people to listen to them. Unfortunately, violence is a road to chaos and sadness.

R.I.P. Charlie Kirk. I wish I had a chance to meet you.

Congressional committees are one of the most unprofessional and unproductive aspects of the US government. The disrespectful questioning that takes place at each meeting is appalling.

This situation is greatly responsible for the inability of Congress to effectively oversee the actions of the Executive Office including the president. The committees are also responsible for identifying bad behavior by government officials. Meetings should be a place where the best ideas and suggestions of Congress can be incorporated into new laws. Unfortunately, they are used to make speeches and ridicule members of the opposition party.

In recent years, I have casually followed the sessions of Congress dealing with difficult and political issues. It seems that people responsible for every complicated and controversial topic are dragged into a meeting where they must answer impossible questions, be criticized and then raked over the coals by political sycophants and uninformed electees of Congress looking to make political points.

RFK Jr. had a rough day last week when a senate committee met with him. Actually, anyone who appears before a congressional committee has a bad day. Democrats attacked RFK for his position on vaccines. Their efficacy and risk to the public were supposed to be the subject of the committee’s meeting.

Democrats were waiting with sharpened knives in hand. First of all, they never not once, gave RFK a chance to answer a question. They intimidated him rudely after each comment he made. They confused the issues so that RFK was all over the place trying to explain his perspectives, his actions and his expertise.

This is not a new technique to make political points. However, when congressional people call witnesses a liar and convolute the witness’ comments, it does no good for anybody.

The public has a right to know what the Executive Branch and Congress’ opinions are relating to vaccines. Sometimes opinions differ, and arguments arise. It’s good for the public to hear all sides of the story before they have to make a decision about their children. The perspectives of Congress and HHS should be vetted if they are in conflict. The meeting held was just a whole lot of screaming and name calling on both sides by various loud mouths. The loudest mouth in the group was the senator from Massachusetts (Warren).

After watching the proceedings, I have no idea whether I should have my children take certain vaccines that are readily available.

It is criminal that our electees cannot have a productive meetings on important topics.

Unfortunately, RFK was totally ineffective and unable to make points in defense of himself.

For years, Congress has been holding embarrassing unproductive meetings on the most serious issues facing our government. It’s about time that the people involved were polite and not aggressive when they try to uncover facts. The RFK meeting was just a very bad group of people trying to intimidate a government official, not for the benefit of Americans, but for the benefit of their own political aspirations. Next time you go to the polling place consider whether your representative is seeking the truth.

StatsA few months ago, I revealed to my readers that I was fearful of MRI machines. At that time, I was deathly afraid of sliding into a long tube. I had a serious case of claustrophobia.

It seems that many more maladies are being diagnosed with the information provided by an MRI test. I’ve had tests for my head (I played football and rugby as a youngster), my aorta, (a little bit of plaque), my lungs and pancreas (prevention), my shoulder (skiing accident), my knee, my prostate and my Achilles tendon. I feel been in MRI machines monthly.

Every time I walk into a doctor’s office, he or she prescribes an MRI examination. The first couple of times, I offset the claustrophobia using unusual, but effective tricks. Most notably, I insisted on receiving general anesthesia (very expensive). Once, I wore a pair of glasses that enabled me to see backwards out of the MRI tube. Clearly, I needed to man-up and find a way to survive the dreaded MRI.

My plan was described in detail in the earlier blog post. I “practiced” for an upcoming MRI and was successful. What, practice for an MRI? It was simple, and over a few days. I lied on the floor, shut my eyes and stayed motionless for 30 minutes, the standard period of time for MRI exams.

It was a gigantic moment, I bravely slid into position at the imaging company and told the technician to zap me. No problem. No fear. All the practice got me through the terror of being in the tube. That was then.

Now I’m proud to announce that I just had a cardiac MRI that lasted one hour. That’s 60 minutes of lying still and breathing in and out about 100 times. What a challenge. What an accomplishment. No one will ever call me a wuss.

I recommend, not that I’m qualified to recommend any medical treatment, to practice before you take an MRI, if you are claustrophobic. I’m happy to make this discovery for man/womankind. ‹ Softball Politics — WordPress.com

The Iran ayatollahs and their sycophants have proven time and again that they are liars, religious zealots, murders and abuses of women. Iran is a member of an axis of evil along with Russia, China and No. Korea. Specifically, Iran’s political objectives are to convert the Middle East to their sect of Islam, eliminate the State of Israel and force the U.S. out of the region. Iran’s current weakened situation won’t dampen its desire to lead the Middle East.

Currently, Israel and the U.S. have an excellent opportunity to finish the job of defanging Iran and its vicious ruling class. It would be a huge mistake to think that Iran is prepared to live peacefully and have cordial relations with the  U.S.

With such a reputation, one wonders why America waited so long to “obliterate” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. But that aside, did the U.S. destroy enough of Iran’s nuclear operations to prevent it from regrouping in the near term, possibly with the help of other countries, including ones that are enemies of the U.S.? Will No. Korea, once again,  provide missiles to Iran that will be aimed at Israel and the U.S. military?

Further, are there enough nuclear parts available to put together a smaller nuclear weapons program that could be transported to surrounding countries in the Middle East, or even to the U.S. and Europe in small containers? Weapons could be transported aboard ships or passenger airplanes.

Further, will the ayatollahs regroup and create havoc throughout their region? This can be done using conventional bombs and terrorist attacks.

The theocratic government of Iran is an unholy group that revels in political murder and terror. They are not interested in living peacefully. Rather, they want to convert every person in the world to Shia Islam.

Trump keeps talking about getting together with the ruling parties in Iran and working out a treaty that ends the conflict between Iran and most of the Middle East. It’s not going to happen. The ayatollahs still control a huge military that will likely protect the ruling class. Moreover, a contract signed by Iranian rulers is not worth the paper it is documented on.

There are many Iranians that want to escape the abusive rule of the Iranian clergy. They want to see the ayatollahs fail. The U.S. should assist Iran as it burns to ashes.

The U.S. and Israel should stand by with weapons locked and loaded. If Iran makes a threatening move against U.S. allies with its military or with proxies, the US and Israel should intervene in force. Presumably, any offensives by the U.S. would be against military targets.

The U.S. should attempt to bankrupt Iran so it would be unable to rebuild its military. Without money, Iran will fail and its citizens will revolt.

It was a close call. Iran was on the brink of building a deliverable bomb. The US and Israel arrived just in the nick of time to prevent World War III.