Category Archives: President Trump

05/30/17

NATO Allies, Ungrateful Freeloaders?

NATO allies are ungrateful freeloaders, Big Red Car? Not all of them, just some.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, having spent a few days with President Donald J Trump in Washington, DC and now having spent a NATO Summit and G7 meeting utters:

“The times when we could fully rely upon others are to some extent over. I experienced that in the last few days. We Europeans must take our own destiny into our own hands.”

Read those words a second time and see if you have any basic disagreement with them. The Big Red Car sayeth, “Duh?”

This bit of wisdom comes on the heels of President Trump repeating what he has said for a long period of time — NATO members are not living up to their contractual obligations to spend 2% of their GDP on defense.

This is as essential element of the NATO (the Atlantic Charter) as Article V which states an attack on one is an attack on all. It is difficult to see why the Europeans think the United States should honor Article V and come to their rescue if they don’t honor their part of the deal.

Continue reading →

05/18/17

Special Counsel

Robert Swan Mueller III – special counsel. Big news, y’all.

Big Red Car here on power washing day. Two power washers hitting the paint and the stone in anticipation of a new exterior paint job. It is crazy loud here.

So, the Acting Attorney General invoked the provisions of 28 CFR 600.1 – Grounds for appointing a Special Counsel. This is exactly the situation for which that statute was written.

There is a criminal investigation and the objectivity of the Department of Justice staff may have a conflict of interest. Bingo!

So, they pick Robert Swan Mueller III to run the show. Would you please join the BRC in a short round of applause?

Continue reading →

05/17/17

Anonymous Sources — The Washington Post and The New York Times

Anonymous sources — what does that mean, Big Red Car?

Big Red Car here in the gray before dawn waiting for its brain (electronic ignition) to wake up. Might need some hot 10W40?

So, today, dear reader, we talk of a dinosaur which no longer roams the earth — journalism.

Journalism was that respected profession through which we earthlings were informed of goings on near and far. Journalists wrote reliable utterances and you could count on their accuracy because they held the imprimatur of such venerable institutions as The New York Times or The Washington Post. [Note the reverence which the Big Red Car visits upon these publications by using the word “The” to precede their names. Very impressive, Big Red Car.]

Alas, these “institutions” are now crack dens extensions of the People’s Democrat Party. Unfair, some may say as they have long since ceased to be followers and are now leaders. They are not reporters of news; they are manufacturers of news. They do not follow the direction of their masters; they lead the way.

Ask yourself if you can find a single conservative or Republican amongst the staffs of those once great papers. Unicorns? How can there be balance when there is no balance?

Continue reading →

04/25/17

US v Canada — Canadian Softwood Lumber! Grudge Match

Wait a damn second, Big Red Car. Canadian softwood lumber? A grudge match? What? You got some ‘splaining to do, Big Red.

Big Red Car here on a grayish Tuesday. Still, on Earth as it is in Texas, y’all!

So President Donald J Trump has fired his first shot in the centuries old trade dispute between the US and Canada over the export of Canadian softwood lumber to the US, by imposing 90-day retroactive countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber exports of up to 24%. Hello, Canada!

Canadian US flags lumber

Everyone was expecting the trade wars to start with Mexico or China. Nope — Canada.

Game on, y’all. And, President Trump started it, just like he promised he would. [Promises made, promises kept.] Get some popcorn, a lemonade, and a seat.

This has been a sore spot for so long it is a sore spot within a sore spot.

First, let’s know this is a complex issue with a bunch of talking which  has gone on for so long it has bridged more than a dozen US administrations.

Let’s review the bidding, shall we?

Continue reading →

04/13/17

Gravitas — US Foreign Policy Gravitas

Big Red Car here on an early Thursday morning. Hey, it’s Thursday and who doesn’t love Thursday? Let’s talk gravitas, shall we? [No, gravitas is not something you eat on a toasted bagel with capers and chopped onion. Sorry.]

So, the Trump administration has begun to engage with the Russians.

The first notable engagement was the launch of sixty Tomahawk cruise missiles to strike client state Syria. [The Trump admin launched SIXTY and only FIFTY-NINE made it to the target. Hey, Raytheon dudes, can we get a refund on the one that went swimming?]

Cruise missile launch 2

The Tomahawk cruise missile — when you care enough to send the very best. A thousand pounds of explosive love and gravitas.

 

When you cruise missile a sovereign country on the first date, that sends a certain message as to the seriousness of your intentions. No? Stuff is getting real and fast. Hang on.

Continue reading →

04/11/17

Texas — Made In America

Big Red Car here. Hope all is well with you, dear reader. OK, we are talking Made in America today, y’all, and why not?

One of the promises that Candidate Trump made was he wanted to protect the jobs of Americans and toward that end, he suggested that public projects should use goods made in America.

In particular, he mentioned the Keystone XL Pipeline and its use of foreign steel pipe.

To jog your memory, the Keystone XL Pipeline project was disapproved by the Obama administration in 2015 after seven years of hand wringing.

It was approved and the permit issued in late March, less than two months after President Trump took office. Promise made; promise kept.

Continue reading →

04/9/17

Lazy Republicans

Big Red Car here on a cloudy Texas day. Still, it is Texas and that’s alright. What is not alright is lazy Republicans.

So, the Republicans are in charge of the House and the Senate and are going to be taking 22 days off in the month of April.

And, the Big Red Car sayeth, “You are some lazy bums, Republicans. You are really only going to pretend to work for 8 of 30 days and are going to take 22 days off?”

While I am taking issue with the lazy Republicans, would you indulge me with a couple of other rants? Thank you.

Continue reading →

03/13/17

NCAA Tournament Conflict — No Official Presidential Bracket 2017

Big Red Car here, y’all. So the first game in the NCAA Basketball Tournament is on tap for Thursday, 16 March 2017 — said the basketball junkie posing as a Big Red Car.

But, what I want to talk about is way more important than our annual fix of basketball (which is important as Hell, don’t get me wrong).

What I want to talk about is this: President Trump has not held a public event to fill out his bracket!

As you know, his predecessor, President Obama, was a huge bracket filler-outer (seems a bit awkward, but go with me).

President Barack Obama participates in an ESPN interview with Andy Katz regarding the President's 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament bracket, in the Map Room of the White House, March 18, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

President Obama billing out the Official Presidential Bracket with ESPN’s Andy Katz. Nice Presidential seal and must have cost a lot of YOUR money.

So, I called President Trump and tried to get to the bottom of things. He graciously gave me permission to quote directly from his comments (provided by the NSA and CIA who are conveniently tapping his phones currently).

Continue reading →