When Harassing a Woman is Appropriate?

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos tried to go to a DC school today but a crowd of protestors blocked the entrance and then started berating her as she retreated to her vehicle.  One cried 'Shame' repeatedly like he was playing a scene out of Game of Thrones.  Even after she was in the car and attempting to drive away, the successful 'shamer' stepped in front of the vehicle to once again inflict his sign on the secretary.

 

Having exhausted the legitimate means of defeating Betsy DeVos, her opponents are now resorting to illegitimate means.  Most times, a man harassing a woman in this manner would be yet another sign of the War on Women but the problem is that the woman is Republican and the protestor is presumably a Democrat.  As we have seen with Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, Kellyanne Conway, Ivanka Trump, Condoleezza Rice, and other Republican women, it is entirely appropriate to attack and harass them.  Really, they don't count as women.

Getting Rid of Secretary DeVos

Betsy DeVos won confirmation today on the barest of margins.  In fact, prior to Harry Reid's nixing the filibuster, there is no way she could have been confirmed.  One must always consider that the other side is going to benefit from such innovations.  Ms. DeVos is noted for championing charter schools and vouchers as an alternative to the demonstrably mediocre public school system.  This is a threat to teachers' unions throughout the country.  With all efforts to stop her from getting the job having failed, maybe now is the time to really go nuclear: Abolish the Department of Education.

Today, Thomas Massie of Kentucky proposed a bill that would shutter the Department of Education on December 31, 2018.  Created in 1980, US students have seen gains in math but losses in verbal skills.  SAT scores were 502/492 when DOE began and rose all the way to 494/508.  That's below the 1972 scores of 530/509, which predate DOE.  It is a money pit, like most federal departments.  Though the intentions were great, the results don't justify the cost.  Let's close up shop and say good bye to Secretary DeVos!  I approve this method of removing Ms. DeVos from government.

Too Much News

So much is happening in so short a period of time that I would have to be a fulltime blogger to get even close to commenting on all of it.  However, here are some thoughts on recent developments:

1. Senate Committee rule change: It has long been practice that members of both party need to be present for a vote on a nominee.  The Democrats have used this rule to prevent votes by not being present.  This was used to the extreme by Wisconsin Democrats trying to thwart Governor Walker's reforms, which included them fleeing the state!  Committee Chairman Hatch altered the rules to allow for a vote with those present.  I suspect the purpose of the rule was to prevent the majority from meeting secretly to move nominees and bills out of committee and intentional absence was not an expected tactic.  Such childish antics explain the low approval ratings of Congress and government.

 

2. Neil Gorsuch nomination: It is always best to have justices who understand that it is up to the legislature to write law, not the courts.  Far too many subjects are decided by courts writing laws and framing it as existing rights.  That he was unanimously approved for his current position in 2006 is good maneuvering by the Trump Administration.  It used to be that nominations were not so contentious, because the court wasn't nearly as important as it has become.  Antonin Scalia was approved 98 to 0 and Ruth Bader Ginsberg won with 96 to 3.  Gorsuch will be lucky if he gets 60 in favor.  If courts would refrain from legislating, we could return to the ho-hum confirmation process.  Yeah, that's not going to happen.

 

3. Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary: Though she is out of committee, two Republican Senators have stated their intention to vote against.  A party line vote would give her a 50-50 split which VP Pence would presumably decide in DeVos's favor.  As someone who would like to abolish the Department of Education, I am mostly indifferent to who is in charge.  When did the Constitution get amended to expand federal authority to education?  In any case, US education has been static - at best - since the creation of the department, demonstrating how useless it is.

 

4. Barack Obama speaks: Not even two weeks and Obama feels the need to offer his opinion.  I'm not sure George W Bush ever said anything in opposition to Obama though Obama spent most of his first term blaming Bush for the state of everything.  Even so, Bush remained silent and allowed the new president to take the world stage.  Some ex-presidents have class.

 

5. Military Action against Mexico: Apparently Trump had a phone conversation with Pena Nieto and suggested that he deal with the cartels or perhaps the US military might.  Wow, that escalated fast.  The US has intervened militarily in Mexico in the past.  When Pancho Villa raided into the US, President Wilson dispatched a Punitive Expedition led by General Pershing.  Wilson also occupied Vera Cruz.  It is extremely unlikely that US forces actually march into Mexico but hinting at the possibility could certainly prompt Mexico to crackdown.  Bullying or smart diplomacy?

 

6. Frenetic Trump: That may not be the right adjective but it certainly seems appropriate to an outside observer.  There is something new always happening.  No one would accuse Trump of being 'low energy.'  In a way, his tactics so far remind me of a military campaign.  Shock and awe is surely what Washington is feeling.  This high-speed activity is not how things are normally done.  However, that may be the point.  The opposition is off-balance.  Heck, even the allies are off-balance.  It remains to be seen how successful this strategy will be.  Did he use this technique in the many deals he has struck over the years?

 

7. Berkeley Riot: The self-described 'Dangerous Faggot' was scheduled to speak at Berkeley but protests turned to a riot.  Do these students not realize that this sort of 'tolerance' of opposing views is part of the reason Trump was elected?  Each time one of these protests make the news, more people wonder what Milo is saying to incite it.  Curious, they look on YouTube.  This is how I became aware of Milo and now he is a rising star with a huge book deal and multiplying appearances.  It reminds me of how every time Obama would call for reasonable gun legislation, gun sales would sky rocket.  Counter-productive.

 

I wonder how much has happened while I've been blogging.