Below the Radar

By William L. Garvin

“This is a good deal for the United States.  North Korea will freeze and then dismantle its nuclear program.  South Korea and our other allies will be better protected.  The entire world will be safer as we slow the spread of nuclear weapons.”           President Bill Clinton, October, 1994

There seem to be a number of stories escaping notice these days.  It’s understandable.  The “piranha press,” fueled by their partisan blood lust is swarming in a full-on feeding frenzy.  As usual, the media is solely focusing on a Republican.  It must be difficult for them to defend a Fox News anchorwoman given their one-sided track record.  Historically, they stand by in mute impotence when conservative women are assailed in the vilest of terms.  Now they are ranting and railing against a perceived slur of words.   Would that they had shown such moral outrage about Clinton Oval Office imbroglios or the Kennedy-caused death at Chappaquiddick.

Here in California, State Senator Leland Yee recently plead guilty to accepting bribes, extorting money and offering to smuggle weapons for the New Jersey Mafia.  He copped a plea to racketeering in exchange for the other charges being dropped.  Hopefully he will receive the full twenty years in the federal pen solely for his hypocrisy.  Lee was one of the most ardent anti-gun zealots in the California Senate!  But that’s okay; he’s a Democrat.

On the Hillary front, it’s helpful to recall that General David Petraeus was found guilty of keeping several personal notebooks that contained classified information at his home and making them available to his paramour/biographer.  Nothing was destroyed.  Hillary kept everything on her private server and has already admitted destroying thousands upon thousands of emails.  Many more emails are on a thumb drive in the hands of her attorney.  There’s no indication her attorney has never received a security clearance.  The FBI is finally investigating this matter but Hillary says it is not a criminal investigation.  Note to Hill:  the FBI does nothing but criminal investigations!

In the meantime, Hillary refuses to say whether or not she would approve the Keystone pipeline even though her State Department gave it the go ahead.  She flippantly quipped that if it was still an issue when she was president, then they would know her answer.  That is vaguely reminiscent of having to “pass the bill so we know what’s in it.”  Maybe that lack of specifics and haughty demeanor is why Bernie Sanders is now in a statistical tie with her in New Hampshire.  The inevitable one is not looking quite so invincible these days.  In contrast, Bernie is drawing huge crowds and wowing them.  Unfortunately, a dozen of the “Black Lives Matter” crowd decided to disrupt his latest offering in Seattle and refused to let him speak.  The BLM previously booed Democrat Martin O’Malley for the cardinal sin of saying “all lives matter.”  They have also threatened to disrupt the Republican convention.  So far, the only person they’ve avoided is Hillary Clinton.  Is that why she only speaks to small, handpicked groups of devotees?

Hillary has also refused to disclose her position on the TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.  Maybe that’s why the National Nurses United labor union recently endorsed Bernie.  The NNU is 185,000 strong and is ninety percent female.  One could guess that economic issues are more important to them than gender issues.  The AFL-CIO has yet to endorse a candidate but we know it won’t be a conservative!

Hillary did release her tax records and they show that the Clinton’s made an adjusted gross income of $141 million since 2007.  No wonder she travels in a private jet and hasn’t driven for twenty years.  They did claim 10.8% or $15 million for charitable contributions.  Of course, they firmly believe that “charity begins at home” and $14.9 million went to their very own Clinton Family Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative.  They may not draw a salary but they certainly draw a lavish lifestyle.  Critics claim the foundations are merely a “slush fund” for the Clintons.  Do you think any of this will come up when CNN finally holds a Democrat presidential debate in October?

Apropos to nothing but balancing media concerns, did you know that lions kill 70 humans each year?  Tigers take out about 100; cape buffalos account for another 200; and elephants usually trample about 500 per annum.  Crocodiles vary from 1,500-2,500 kills each year but hippos highlight the human hit list at 3,000.  It’s a jungle out there and nearly as dangerous as Chicago or Baltimore!