Month: September 2018

Kavanaugh Has Become The Poster Boy For Feminists

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If you are a male it’s becoming increasingly difficult to ward off feelings of self-loathing given all the criticism about us. We are all vile sex deviants according to feminists, several of whom are Democratic senators. The #Me too hysteria has swung far to the left and is tearing the country apart.

In the New York Times op-ed section yesterday, there were two articles that lambasted men. One related to the decision about Senate Republicans proposing to employ female prosecutors to question Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser.

Ironically, I thought this was a sensitive, sincere and civilized gesture on the part of the all-male Republican contingent on the Judiciary Committee. I’ll bet an anti-male article would have been forthcoming regardless of whom the Republicans proposed to appoint to question the accuser.

The other story is a general bashing of men, fraternities, sports groups, affluence, private schools, etc. It discusses the misogynistic antics and alcohol consumption of male party animals. The article is titled “Pigs All the Way Down.”

I was at a gathering this week that included several highly intelligent and successful women. It appeared that that the judge, jury and executioner has already decided. As far as I could tell all of them believe that (a) Kavanaugh is a liar and (b) Kavanaugh is going to overturn Roe v. Wade (as if he alone could do this). As an aside, I believe the majority of women feel the same way.

It should be noted that the Supreme Court nominee intends to testify under oath that he never sexually assaulted any women; he was a virgin until after college; and he never exposed his private parts at a drinking party.

Regarding Roe, it seems to make no difference that Kavanaugh resoundingly supports stare decisis, a precedent or authority in a legal case that establishes a principle or rule. This means that it would be next to impossible to abrogate Roe, even if Kavanaugh thinks the decision was misguided or unconstitutional. In any case, I suspect there would be a revolution if the law were to be changed.

I think the #Me too movement is a terrific thing for all woman. I’m delighted that women are implicating men who have abused them. It is particularly important when they bring down men who use(d) vaulted positions (as a boss, mentor, priest, doctor, teacher) to have their way with women (and other men).

I’m disheartened that Kavanaugh is the poster boy for the ire of all women. He’s led an honorable life, and has been a good judge, husband and father, by almost all accounts. It’s unfortunate that without corroboration he is being viciously attacked for political purposes by Senate Democrats who are abusing the court of public opinion. Note: The bar is much lower in this court than in a real trial of innocence or guilt.

The alleged event happened 30 years ago and someone’s recollection is cloudy. Very young people, not adults, were involved. My recommendation is that #Me too begin to shift its focus to prospective abuse by males rather than dwelling on alleged abuses by youngsters that may or may not have occurred decades earlier.

Trump Must Clean Up The DOJ and The FBI

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There’s no denying that the Department of Justice and the FBI are flawed institutions that employ politically partisan individuals. The unprofessional behavior of senior officers can no longer be ignored. The president is right to clean house. It’s a pity that the he is not approaching this issue in a more statesman-like manner. The grave misbehavior of these people is being clouded by Trump’s clumsy and overtly aggressive style.

Let’s begin with the Attorney General, Jeff Sessions. After supporting the Trump administration during the campaign and immediately after being named AG, Sessions recused himself from the ensuing allegations and investigation of Russian and Trump collusion in the 2016 elections. This was a very significant decision because, unlike Sessions, many of the next level management at the DOJ and the FBI are diehard Trump haters. The president was exposed without Session’s involvement.

The result is that the Assistant AG, Rob Rosenstein, appointed a Special Counsel (in Session’s absence) who appears to have no limitations regarding his mission. For the last year, cloaked in secrecy, Robert Mueller has turned Washington upside down without implicating Trump personally.

Also, the Special Counsel will likely have a very serious impact on our midterm elections. We really don’t need to have an interloper make it more complicated for voters to choose their leaders and representatives.

Trump has been critical of Sessions from the outset. He is befuddled why Sessions recused himself, leaving the president at the mercy of partisans in the DOJ. The more important question is why Sessions took the job to begin with, given the nature of the position and his historical relationship with the president.

The writing is on the wall. Sessions is going to be fired soon after the elections, and heaven knows when the Special Counsel will fess up and admit to America he was unable to link Trump to the Russian efforts to destabilize our elections. Even his inane obstruction of justice investigation is crumbling and will likely be dropped.

It was reported in the NY Times that Robert Rosenstein “Raised Idea Of Recording Talks With Trump,” and “[He] Floated and Effort to Remove the President.” Really? Why is this man still in office after treasonously attacking the president?

Rosenstein has flip-flopped on his feelings about James Comey, the former Head of the FBI who was fired by Trump. On the one hand, Rosenstein wrote a memo indicating why Comey should be fired. It had to do with his handling of the Hillary Clinton email scandal. Democrats still attribute Clinton’s defeat in 2016 to Comey’s indecisive behavior to end and then reinvestigate the alleged email activities.

Subsequently Rosenstein regretted writing the memo about Comey and was furious that the president used it as his primary reason for firing the FBI Head.

Just yesterday, the president met with Rosenstein, and it appears that he will not be in office much longer.

Comey is an ambitious man who politicized an organization, the FBI that can only be effective if it steers clear of politics (remember J. Edgar Hoover?). Moreover, Comey regularly disregarded one of the primary foundations of his organization- confidentiality. He was the leaker-in-charge at the FBI. It’s a wonder he has not been indicted for his inappropriate conversations with the press.

And then there’s Comey’s book. It’s chock full of self-aggrandizing tell-all nonsense. A great many people in Washington have criticized Comey’s warped perspective. He certainly was not an FBI Director that America can be proud of.

Other casualties of unprofessional behavior include Andrew McCabe, the former FBI deputy director who was fired in March. He retained memos implicating Rosenstein in an effort to topple the Trump presidency by invoking the 25th Amendment.

Enflaming McCabe’s relationship with Trump was the fact that his wife ran for office in Virginia and was supported by a Democratic PAC affiliated to Hillary Clinton.

And then there are Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, two other high-ranking DOJ employees who were fired for lying and bias against the president that included anti-Trump communications.

Although it’s important for the DOJ and the FBI to have independence and freedom while conducting investigations, it makes no sense for a president to retain individuals who publicly challenge his authority and leadership. There should be no ambiguity that the officers in both organizations are accountable to the president.

Although, once again, Trump’s style makes it seems that these people were treated unfairly, it’s not true. They are partisans who went off the tracks when Trump was elected. For this reason, their termination was warranted.

30 Year Old Accusation Threatens Kavanaugh Confirmation

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The #Me Too phenomenon has dramatically empowered women in America and around the world. In a very short period of time, the movement has greatly affected the way men and women relate to each other. Unfortunately, when change occurs rapidly, there can be dire unforeseen consequences. One of these is reflected in the controversy affecting Judge Brett Kavanaugh, nominee to be the next Supreme Court Justice.

Most people seem to thing that Kavanaugh has led a righteous life (even if you disagree with his stance on social issues) as a judge, a teacher and a family man.

Many women have written to the Senate Judiciary Committee indicating that he was a nice fellow even when he was a young man, at the time of the alleged sexual abuse. These plaudits were inspired by an accusation that Kavanaugh sexually attacked a young woman of 15 years, while he was a young man of 17. The alleged encounter happened several decades ago.

I respect the right of any woman to take action against sexual abuse, regardless of the passage of time. I also believe that Kavanaugh has the right to defend himself and not be prosecuted by the court of public opinion. Unfortunately, the aforementioned court has a much lower bar than a traditional trial jury, and it has been particularly aggressive with Kavenaugh encouraged by Senate Democrats. So Kavanaugh’s life could be ruined without any court proceedings for a moment that may or may not have happened many years ago.

Reasonable doubt is supposed to protect the accused from frivolous prosecution and questionable allegations. It’s not always perfect and many defendants who were guilty over the years were set free because of reasonable doubt.

In the case of Kavanaugh, reasonable doubt and political gain is painted all over the allegations. The accuser has waited 30 something years to cry foul, just as the accused is about to be confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice. The allegations were known, but not made public until the 11th hour of the Senate confirmation hearings. A highly partisan female senator, Diane Feinstein (D-CA) either directly or indirectly convinced the accused to go public. Directly by indicating that an age old interlude by high school students should disqualify a Supreme Court Justice nominee, or indirectly by encouraging the press to badger the accuser.

I don’t know whether an alleged singular moment in Kavanaugh’s life that happened when he was a child should disqualify him to become a Supreme Court Justice. I don’t know if the accuser is lying or she is confused about what happened and with whom it occurred many years ago.

What I do know is that if the accused will not testify, the questionable circumstances, the denials by a man with outstanding credentials and integrity, the age of the accused when it may have occurred and the passage of time should be enough to satisfy senators that Brett Kavanaugh should be confirmed to the Supreme Court.

The Washington Swamp Is Now A Bio-Hazard

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Certain events over the past several months are creating great consternation in America. The unsavory actions of politicians, the press and our president are generating an inordinate amount of anxiety. And, most importantly, the behavior and some of the comments made by powerful people and influential institutions are not in the best interests of America.

The election of Donald Trump has been, without a doubt, a disturbing phenomenon. His disdain of statesmanship and presidential tradition has bewildered Americans, our allies and even enemies of the US. But Trump was duly elected and, in spite of all that has transpired, he deserves to be treated with respect.

It has been said many times that the election of Trump was made possible by the incompetence of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and the mismanaged and directionless Democratic Party. Without their truly questionable tactics and combative attitude, Trump would likely be peddling real estate to this day, not leading the world, cutting taxes, abrogating lousy treaties and pissing off just about every person he meets.

The vicious attacks by Trump’s political opponents are something that has never happened before. The characterizations of the president are degrading and inappropriate. Future presidents will likely be treated similarly even if their demeanor is more mainstream than Trump’s.

But there are other things happening that are reflective of the poisonous climate in Washington. Take the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings.

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) recently mused about the unhinged questioning of Kavanaugh and subsequent comments to the press by Democrats during the confirmation process. He pointed out that until recently, most Supreme Court confirmations were not so confrontational.

Former presidents recognized that a lifelong appointment to the highest court in the land warranted an extensive vetting process. Problems were usually surfaced before nominees faced the Judiciary Committee. Most nominees were unanimously confirmed or received an overwhelming majority.

Today the venom between the majority and the minority is front and center. Opponents of Kavanaugh are blatantly attacking the man and questioning his integrity. Accusations of unsubstantiated perjury and misconduct have occurred every day. An honorable man is being besmirched for political gain. Liberals are “borking” him. This refers to the witch-hunt affiliated with the confirmation hearings of Judge Bork in 1988.

Graham went on to say that it is perfectly reasonable for a conservative president to nominate a conservative justice, and a liberal president a liberal justice. Why all the fuss about Kavanaugh? Did his opponents think Trump would do otherwise?

The fact is that Kavanaugh is a highly respected scholar and judge. He deserves to be confirmed. The disrespectful interrogation by Democrats has been disgraceful.

The presiding president gets to make nominations to the Supreme Court when an opening occurs, and Americans should not be surprised if that nominee is ideologically aligned with his sponsor. The best way to insure that Supreme Court nominees represent your perspectives is to elect a president that will pick people of your persuasion.

There has been a lot of talk about the possibility of impeaching Trump for all sorts of alleged crimes. This is an unproductive debate for many reasons. The most important one is that a president can always be replaced within four years without creating a constitutional crisis.

Impeachment is the accusation by the House of Representatives of crimes and misdemeanors committed by the president. A majority vote is required. Then the impeachment is sent to the Senate where 2/3 must vote to remove the president from office. Given the current division of Democrats and Conservatives in Congress, there is no way that a “trumped up” charge by Democrats (assuming they achieve a majority in the House in November) would ever be supported by a supermajority in the Senate. Frankly, the conversations about impeachment are tearing the country apart.

Liberals are so frustrated that they are moving further left than any time in history. Let me be clear, there should be great latitude for progressives. In fact I support a number of their positions. But to elect self-proclaimed socialists . . .?

Russia, China and India, three of the largest and most powerful countries in the world have given up on socialism. All have elections even though it’s questionable whether they are fair. Each of them embraces capitalism. They have recognized that capitalism and democracy (to some extent) is what most people want. Why is America poised to move in the opposite direction? All socialist countries to date have been abject failures.

At first I thought the concept of Fake News was a joke or a political ploy. Now I think it’s real. Our press that benefits by extraordinary protection in our Constitution is abusing its vaulted position. Too often reporting is editorial. Too often news zealots, who think that they can trick average Americans, twist the truth. To often stories and sources are not vetted. Too often the press walks back bad reporting.

Lastly are the outrageous actions and biases of the Special Counsel. He has refused to give anyone a heads up on his progress in determining whether Trump illegally influenced the elections in conjunction with Russia. The Special Counsel is not above the law, and is responsible to those that gave him his power. He is not a judge, jury and executioner. He should not have unlimited power and resources.

The midterm elections are just a few weeks away, and Americans have learned nothing from the Special Counsel, other than he has indicted several people not involved in Russian collusion.

The country is eroding before our eyes. Americans are at each other’s throats based upon political affiliation. Politics is now everything, and Congress is in a state of paralysis. We must enact term limits and rid the country of those lawmakers who have created such a destructive environment.

The US and North Korea Will Likely Make A Deal For Peace

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Kim Jung-un reached out to President Trump to schedule another summit meeting. Is it a ploy to stall for more time to build out North Korea’s nuclear arsenal? Or, is Kim really prepared to give up his nuclear program for a peace treaty with the US?

This essay will explore the possibilities and the issue relating to a North Korean deal.

I have no diplomatic experience, but I recognize the potential for a good deal when I see it. From my vantage point, Trump has all the cards in the impending game of chicken with Kim. There is no conceivable reason, other than ego or stupidity, why a deal for peace should not become a reality in the near future. It will be good for all parties concerned including South Korea, Japan and even China.

Keeping its nukes will bring nothing less than misery and regime change to North Korea. If Kim does not accede, the US will increase economic sanctions and continue to threaten military action.

The people of North Korea are experiencing great hardships. The country is crumbling economically as North Korea continues to spend inordinate amounts of money on its offensive weapons and its huge standing army.

China has begun to support its neighbor to the south, but not enough to offset the economic pressure being applied by the US. North Korea’s standard of living is deteriorating every day because of shortages of food and other supplies, and at some point North Koreans will rebel.

What will happen if Kim’s government falls? Many North Koreans will attempt to leave the country in the fallout. South Korea will likely close its borders as will China. Neither wants a refugee problem or increased costs associated with caring for displaced North Koreans. After a failure of the government, the unauthorized movement of nukes from North Korea could pose a very significant problem for the region, especially if the weapons fall into the hands terrorists or regimes that support them.

Most importantly is Kim’s fate if his regime falls. His life will be threatened if he is unable to find sanctuary elsewhere.

A deal with the US would ameliorate North Korea’s pressing issues and assure Kim a long tenure as its leader. By giving up and/or destroying its nukes, and agreeing to end human rights violations, Kim would bring long lasting peace and prosperity to his country.

What are the benefits to North Korea if it makes peace with the US? Here is a partial list:

 

-The US would agree to officially end the Korean War.

-North Korea would be welcomed into the international community of nations.

-The US would guarantee the security of North Korea. In effect, Kim’s regime would be protected from any outside forces.

-North Korea’s reliance on China would decrease, giving the country more diplomatic and economic options.

-North Korea would no longer need to spend significant amounts of money to finance its nukes and standing army.

-North Korea’s relationships (social, economic and military) with South Korea would flourish.

-All economic sanctions would end immediately.

-North Korea could begin to develop its industrial capabilities.

 

Of great importance is that the US flatly refuses to ease sanctions unless the nukes are disposed of. This is the critical issue, and it will decrease the odds that North Korea does a bait and switch as it has in past negotiations.

It’s imperative that US negotiators clearly indicate that Kim’s regime will be defended with a peace treaty. Kim’s security and longevity are paramount to him.

Diplomatic negotiations are tricky. Many things can sidetrack talks including egos and false expectations. Yet this deal is doable and there is no reason it should not be consummated within a year.

Obama Encourages Americans to Dump Trump

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Barack Obama emerged from his cocoon with an expansive denunciation of the Trump administration, along with a personal attack directed at the president. Why did Obama choose this moment to speak up? Does he actually believe his administration left the country in better shape than when he arrived in 2008? Doesn’t Obama remember the bonehead moves he made during his tumultuous years that left the country in dire economic and political distress?

Up to this point, Obama has taken a low profile, and it’s not because he was concerned about violating the unofficial code that former presidents not interfere with current presidents. In the eyes of many, Obama was a failed president. The mention of his name, along with that of Hillary Clinton makes conservatives’ blood boil. His performance between 2008 and 2016 enabled yet another incompetent man to become president.

It would be burdensome to attempt to list all of Obama’s missteps, so I will mention just a few of the notable disasters he inspired.

Right out of the box, the former president misjudged his mandate. He campaigned as a progressive and went all in when he bludgeoned Congress into enacting Obamacare. The problem with this tactic was that the US could not afford a multi-trillion dollar entitlement coming off of large expenditures affiliated with conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Moreover the economy was tanking and needed financial support.

You may not believe this, but misguided health care reform was a principal cause of Obama’s terrible performance. Immediately after Obamacare was enacted, Teddy Kennedy passed away and was replaced by Scott Brown, a Republican. This special election caused Democrats to lose their filibuster-proof majority. From that point, Obama’s agenda went up in smoke.

Democrats then lost their majorities in the House and Senate. Obama became a lame duck shortly after taking control of the White House, as Republicans refused to consider his legislative proposals and obstructed whenever possible.

Why did this happen? The new president was a neophyte, a self-proclaimed genius who attempted to personally manage the colossus known as the US. To make matters worse he surrounded himself with equally inexperienced sycophants. The ultimate result was a series of bonehead decisions, most of which were made by fiat and not with legislation. The most important of which was Obamacare.

A dearth of support in Congress did not stop Obama as he proceeded to initiate a series of regulatory mandates that cost businesses throughout the country billions of dollars and only served to make the economy worse. This deepened the ensuing recession.

To his credit, Obama heeded the warnings of more knowledgeable conservatives and propped up the economy lest it degrade into an outright depression.

All the while Obama kept trying to sell Americans on his pie in the sky ideals relating to social reform, climate change, inequality, the evils of capitalism and the sins of the 1%.

Regarding the last item, Obama encouraged class warfare that severely damaged the country. He made no excuses, and he said affluent Americans did not pay their fair share, and the 99% should join with him and strip 1%ers of their hard earned wealth.

Barack Obama was a not president of all Americans. His crusade, to steal from the rich and give to the poor without conditions, was a major reason his economic agenda was such a disaster. In any case, the US spent trillions on entitlements that exacerbated the economic distress of the day.

Internationally, Barack Obama performed like a true amateur. All of his smooth talking and blathering about inequality throughout the world fell on deaf ears. The world needed American leadership and he gave it platitudes while apologizing for the sins of America.

Most countries around the globe felt abandoned by the US because Obama pulled back in the face of terrorism, tyranny, imperialism, colonialism and nationalism. Russia and China made great strides as Obama stood aside in the Middle East, Asia and Crimea. The president did not have the courage to rein in either of our most important enemies, much less the murderous Assad in Syria.

Specifically, in the Middle East, Israel was abandoned by the Obama administration. If you don’t believe this read Bibi Netanyahu’s public statements regarding existential threats against the State of Israel and Obama’s feeble responses. It was the first time since the establishment of the Jewish State that America abandoned Israel and sided with the Palestinians.

The other major event was the inane nuclear deal with Iran. The stated policy of the US has always been to end the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The Iran pact merely delayed the development of nukes by Iran. The ayatollahs despise the US, all non-Islamic people and non-Shiite Arabs. The country contributes to virtually every anti-Semitic activity in the Middle East.

And so, Obama, Clinton and Kerry, for legacy purposes, made a deal that enabled Iran to have nukes in about a decade. Only a totally naive leader would do business with a mortal enemy, an enemy that lies and deceives others at every turn? How could Obama be assured that Iran would not cheat? Thankfully Trump has recognized that this horrible deal needed to be abrogated.

People speak of Trump’s efforts throughout the world in a disparaging manner. On the contrary, walking away from the Iran deal, renegotiating trade deals that cost Americans billions each year and forcing our allies to pay for their fair share of defense costs are noble objectives. The countries on the other side of these situations are understandably upset. Nevertheless, Americans should be ecstatic that Trump is cleaning up costly deals and mandates by Obama and his predecessors.

Barack Obama thinks he is the smartest man on the planet. Even if he is, he has proven that he was and continues to be incapable of leading America or even his own party.

I hope he and Hillary enthusiastically stick their noses into the mid-term and 2020 elections. This will result in great victories for Republicans.

Pandemonium During US Open Ladies Final

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Serena Williams stormed through the brackets of the US Open. She faced a 20-year-old woman, Naomi Osaka, in the championship match yesterday. It turned into an ugly scene after Williams lost her cool.

Williams made three grievous errors. She illegally took instructions from her coach in the stands. Serena insisted that she doesn’t cheat (her coach later said that he did give her instructions). For this transgression, Williams received a warning from Carlos Ramos, the chair umpire.

Shortly after, Serena smashed her racket on the ground, which is also a violation. Naomi was awarded a penalty point.

Then, while arguing about the previous violations, Serena called the umpire a “thief” for stealing a point from her. Naomi was awarded a game penalty.

While disputing the actions of the official, Serena played the sexist card to no avail, saying that men frequently behave in a similar manner without receiving penalties. Maybe it’s true, but it doesn’t excuse her behavior.

Serena reminded the umpire that she was a mother and would never cheat. The relevance of this is elusive given that she lied about taking instructions, and being a new mother is hardly germane to the circumstances.

The real story that unfolded at Arthur Ashe Stadium was muted by Serena’s terrible and unsportsmanlike behavior. The facts are that (1) Osaka beat Williams soundly (2) Osaka was mature, composed and incredibly gracious during and after Williams’ outbursts (3) Osaka is a very young woman who won her first major tournament, and it seemed to be an afterthought to the thousands of fans in the stadium.

Regarding the last point, I was in attendance and was astonished when the spectators began to boo. Was it because they thought Serena is above the rules and deserved to win regardless of the amazing performance of her adversary? Was it because they didn’t understand what was going on? And why did the crowd boo after Osaka made great shots?

Frankly, the speaker system was abominable. I could not ascertain what the umpire was saying. Apparently Serena had the same problem, especially when she went ballistic after the umpire awarded a game to Osaka.

I suppose Serena thinks she is above the rules based upon her 23 major wins. The officials did not concur to their credit. Serena violated the rules three times. She took instructions from her coach in the stands and lied about it, smashed her racket and argued vociferously with the umpire. She should have been disqualified.

If things were less heated, the umpire might have warned Serena that any further protest or outbursts would result in a game penalty, thereby giving her one last opportunity to get herself under control. But he did not do so. Yet he was certainly within his authority acting the way he did.

What about Osaka? She received $3.8 million and will likely reap endorsements of tens of millions of dollars more from Japanese sponsors. She is now a bona fide superstar in her country. She has been, and will be lauded for her maturity and class during the match. She avoided any and all controversy. And finally she apologized for beating Serena because the fans were rooting for her, and Serena is her idol.

My harshest criticism is towards the spectators. NYers did not comport themselves well. During the match, they made Naomi feel terrible when they booed her great play. It was a great upset and the winner should have had the best day ever. During all the chaos, Naomi either faced the back wall of the court or covered her head with a towel as Serena ranted and raved.

Congratulations Naomi. You were terrific. And you are the only person on Earth who is 2-0 playing against the great Serena Williams.

Kaepernick And Nike Work Together: Is It Good For Nike?

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Colin Kaepernick’s new advertising gig with Nike has resurrected his controversial protest during the playing of our national anthem. Nike has decided to use Kaepernick’s notoriety stemming from his efforts to expose inequality in America to boost sales and make a social statement. But is Nike ill advised in getting involved with such an inflammatory situation not germane to its business?

If more sales are Nike’s objectives it seems to be counterintuitive to alienate half of America that is offended by Kaepernick’s actions. Conservatives and liberals buy Nike products.

If Nike wants to show support for those who think America is fraught with inequities, they probably should have developed a more productive campaign. The commercial, in effect, encourages skate boarders to attempt dangerous tricks- a particularly odd metaphor for never giving up when times are tough.

Kaepernick has not given up and that is the issue. His persistence about denigrating our flag coupled with some really poor play with the San Francisco Forty-Niners ended his career. Other teams avoided him like the plague.

Nevertheless Kaepernick was supported by many football players and by athletes in other sports to a limited extent. Most of them realize that dissing our country is not the best way to encourage social change.

Football fans are particularly nationalistic and the backlash against this type of protest has been strong. Some say that ticket holders around the country are disappointed that football team owners have not been stronger in their reaction to Kaepernick, and more encouraging about exposing inequity off the field.

I would love to have been in the board member when Nike’s CEO presented this great idea to use Kaepernick in a new ad. The company’s stock price tanked the day after the announcement. It has leveled off since then. Nike is potentially creating a schism with many of its customers. From a business perspective the campaign is too risky.

Look for the ad during the new football season and make up your own mind.

McCain Disrespects Trump From His Grave

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The death and subsequent funeral of John McCain has become an important moment in American history. A great statesman, lawmaker and defender of our country has departed, and most Americans are sad. But McCain’s death has become an unexpected political moment encouraged by a dying man’s intentions before his imminent death.

America is a highly charged political and vindictive place, in great part due to the personal style of President Trump. Ironically his successes as our leader have been unappreciated because of his self-aggrandizing and unstatesman-like demeanor. There are many Americans who are in favor of his agenda, but are disgusted by his combative and in your face attitude.

Every day more important Americans are jumping on the bandwagon and criticizing Trump. Many respond to Trump by playing his game of bare-knuckles politics. From his grave, John McCain continued his tit for tat relationship with the president. He in effect blackballed Trump from his funeral and encouraged his admirers to attack Trump at his funeral. This act, in my opinion, detracted from the greatness of McCain.

McCain has been caught up in presidential politics for years. As discussed by presidents Bush and Obama, the former senator was not shy about telling a sitting president, a world leader or a business tycoon that he disagreed with their decisions. McCain was the resident expert on any number of important issues relating to foreign affairs, torture, abuse of downtrodden people and democracy.

Of note, he berated George W. Bush about the use of certain tactics by CIA officers to obtain intelligence after 9/11, and sparred with Obama on many of his progressive initiatives.

Nevertheless, before his death, McCain did two interesting things. One was to bring Bush and Obama together at his funeral to encourage bipartisanship and to speak against the terrible and unproductive impact of hardball politics that has hurt our country.

The second thing was to disinvite Trump and encourage his eulogizers to assail the president. It’s not the first time that two combatants have carried their feud into the afterlife. But in McCain’s case, it seemed odd. Rather than trying to lure Trump into a conciliatory moment, be squeezed a political pimple and agitated an already bad situation.

When a great person dies, the living should laud his or her achievements. This certainly happened over the weekend, but it was stained by a dying man’s intention to antagonize an already explosive situation. In effect, McCain opted for confrontation rather than conciliation.

Perhaps he would have been better served by asking his eulogizers to encourage less partisanship. After all, Trump has over two years to serve. Maybe the country needed McCain to do his political magic one more time. Maybe Trump would have been moved by a voice from the grave calling for cooperation in Washington.

Instead McCain implicitly used his attack dogs, his daughter and two presidents, who took the bait and added to the partisanship in Washington.

I have been critical of Trump over the last two years and wish his tenure were nearing an end. But it’s not. With a great amount of time remaining, Trump can make things worse by responding with a wounded ego.

It may have been doubtful that Trump would have been moved by a plea from McCain to change his ways, but you never know. What we do know is that the president is likely to forge ahead and continue to turn the world on its ear.