The backlash over Biden's commutations continues to grow; Trump is really talking about China when he talks Panama Canal; what happened to all of the cable news viewers and where did they go plus we remember the end of the USSR on this day in 1991.
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." - President Ronald Reagan
Thursday, December 26, 2024
Biden is King Midas in reverse
Biden is King Midas in reverse - American Thinker https://t.co/Iz2A7OueN7
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) December 26, 2024
President Biden will be going home to Delaware soon and it can't happen soon enough. Sadly, he will be remembered as King Midas in reverse, the opposite of the old king who turned everything into gold. He turned the border into a national security nightmare and humanitarian crisis. He turned Afghanistan into a disaster that did not have to happen. Add the economy and you know what I mean. And then to top it off he has turned pardoning and commutations into a joke.
I agree with Rich Lowry:
President Biden, or whoever is running the White House, has grotesquely abused the pardon power, yet again.
Biden commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 of the prisoners on federal death row in response to the lobbying of opponents of the death penalty, keeping intact his nearly unbroken record of bending to left-wing pressure groups while in office.
Biden… put out a statement averring that the president has long been committed to “ensuring a fair and effective justice system.”
Even if true, this is a non-sequitur, since there’s nothing to suggest the handling of these cases was unfair.
Biden decided a few years ago that he opposed the death penalty after long being an unsparing supporter (when he said in the 1990s that his crime bill did “everything but hang people for jaywalking,” he meant it as a compliment).
That’s fine. Anyone with such a long (and undistinguished) career is going to shift on issues over time.
Still, that shouldn’t give Biden… the prerogative to impose his will over and above that of the American people as expressed through Congress.
And that's the point.
Maybe President Biden had a "come to Jesus" moment over the death penalty. He is the not the first or last person to have one of those moments. It can happen. It's a bit strange given all those speeches on YouTube about Biden the crime fighter over the years. Still, he is entitled to change, but it would have been nice if the change of heart had come with a little press conference.
He could have told us why he did it and explain to the families why he did it now. Furthermore, why did this moment of principle happen now and not during the campaign? Once again, we were left in the dark with a little White House statement that he may or may not have written.
So the pardon powers, a very important presidential prerogative, has now been messed up too. Unlike President Ford, who addressed the nation, took questions and even went before a congressional committee to defend the Nixon pardon, all we have from Biden is more of the same silence about everything, from commuting sentences to firing missiles in Syria.
It's up to the next president to restore the creditability of the pardon power. Once again, everything that Biden touched as president is worse than it was before.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Happy # 77 to Carlton Fisk
We remember him for that 12th inning home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. I saw that live on TV and it was a great moment and game.
Beyond that, Fisk also had a great career: .269 career batting average, 2,356 hits, 376 HR and 1,330 RBI.
On May 8, 1984 Fisk caught all 25 innings in a 7-6 victory over Milwaukee. Isn't that like playing 3 games in one day? A week later, he hit for the cycle!
His best season was 1985: 37 HR and 105 RBI.
Great catcher and ambassador for the game of baseball.
1967: The Beatles and "Magical Mystery Tour"
Where did the time go? On this day in 1967, The Beatles released their second LP of the year or "Magical Mystery Tour". The other one was "Sgt Pepper's".
Side A were songs from the film. Side B were the 1967 singles, including their new one "Hello Goodbye" already on its way to # 1 on Billboard USA.
The film was horrible, a boring movie about The Beatles going around in a bus. It was nothing like "Help", "A hard day's night" or later "Yellow submarine".
The soundtrack was very good, specially the title song, "The fool on the hill" and "Your mother should know". It's surprising that they weren't released as singles in the US.
Rolling Stone ranked this LP as #19 of movie soundtracks.
So we remember The Beatles and this week in 1967.
Christmas 1967: The Magical Mystery Tour and The Beatles
It was not their best album but pretty good.
Christmas 1967 and The Beatles released Magical Mystery Tour. It was the soundtrack of a British TV movie but it flopped in the US.
Nevertheless, there were some pretty good songs, including the title song and The Fool on the hill.
But it was OK.
We remember Phil Spector (1939-2021)
Phil Spector was born in the Bronx, NY, on this day in 1939 and died in prison in January 2021. A few years ago, he was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for the 2003 fatal shooting of actress Lana Clarkson.
From "Be my baby" "You've lost that loving feeling" to the excessively produced Beatles "Let it Be" LP to a great "Christmas album", Spector was regarded as a master of production.
Cuban Americans remember the tradition of 'Los Reyes Magos'
Guests: We remember 'Los Reyes Magos' and growing up Cuban with Tersi Bendiburg (storyteller) and Amarilys Rassler (author). As kids in Cuba, and the US, we used to get our toys on January 6th, or 'El dia de los Reyes Magos'. It was a wonderful tradition and we all have memories of it.
P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk). If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column.
We remember Rickey Henderson (1958-2024)
Rickey made his debut in 1979 going 2-for-4 against Texas. His career took off in 1980 stealing 396 bases over 4 seasons. In 1985, he was traded to the Yankees but came back to the A's in 1989. Henderson was with the A's when they won 3 straight AL pennants, 1989-90-91, and Toronto when they won the World Series in 1993.
Overall, he hit .279, with 3,055 hits. He is the all time leader in runs scored (2,295) and stolen bases (1,406).
Henderson was the greatest lead off hitter in baseball history. In 2009, Rickey was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Over the years, Henderson was a character on and off the field.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.
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President Truman (1972) and President Ford (2006)
VP Truman became president when President FDR died in 1945. He was not well known and followed a political giant of the 20th century. It was President Truman who made the decision to drop nuclear bombs in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. He put in motion "The Truman Doctrine" that guided US foreign policy until the collapse of the USSR in 1991. In other words, his presidency was one of the most consequential of the 20th century,
VP Ford became president when President Nixon resigned in 1974. He served about 30 months but did much to restore confidence in the presidency after Watergate. His pardon of Nixon was vindicated over time, a profile in courage!
They were both Midwestern men, of great integrity and character.
We remember James Brown (1933-2006)
James Brown died in 2006, or many years ago this week. I remember seeing this:
"James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured "Godfather of Soul," whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died Monday, his agent said. He was 73."In the late 1960s, I was a big fan of James Brown. His legacy is a string of hits and songs! You can get his collection HERE.
Rest in peace, James Brown. You left us a lot of good music.
1975: Top 10 WABC radio New York this week
1. That's the Way (I Like It) -
KC & the Sunshine Band (T.K.)
2. I Love Music, Part 1 - The O'Jays (Philadelphia Int'l)
3. Saturday Night - The Bay City Rollers (Arista)
4. Feelings - Morris Albert (RCA)
5. Sky High - Jigsaw (Chelsea)
6. Let's Do It Again - The Staple Singers (Curtom)
7. Love Rollercoaster - The Ohio Players (Mercury)
8. Fly Robin Fly - Silver Convention (Midland International)
9. Nights on Broadway - The Bee Gees (RSO)
10. Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To) - Diana Ross (Motown)