Just a few thoughts this Monday morning:
The news over the weekend was dominated by three major stories: the Hurricane in the Atlantic, the mass shooting in Odessa and the tragic boat accident in California. Isn’t it amazing when the news has something else they don’t find it necessary to tell us how bad President Trump is?
You know he cancelled his trip to Poland to stay back and monitor the storm. Now imagine if he didn’t, they would have been crucifying him as not caring. So you know what they are saying this morning? Here’s a direct quote from two sources: “… and since Saturday morning he has pelted the American public with 122 tweets” on the storm. They are calling him “the weatherman” now. Shameful.
I’m sure, too, you saw the continued stories about the administration moving funds from FEMA to border security. The MSM played this over and over with the question, “Is this going to inhibit your ability to do your job”?
Well first of all, the FEMA budget was upped to $18.4 Billion this year. The transfer was $155 million. Since this is hurricane one for this year, does anyone think this will impact FEMA performance? Of course not, but the manner in which the media presented it was to damage the administration. (Though the timing I will tell you was plain dumb).
And by the way, such transfers are not uncommon. Ready for this? President Obama did the same thing in 2014 with $277 million in FEMA funds. Do you remember hearing anything about that then?
The House Judiciary Committee is intent on impeachment. They are now preparing to hold hearings and call witnesses involved in hush money payments to ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult-film star Stormy Daniels.
Last, another shooting and we wonder still why anyone needs such high power weapons. But that said, short of going to homes and taking them, how are you going to get them out of the hands of criminals? What have we outlawed and stopped? Not drugs, which is part of the problem. Did alcohol prohibition work? I don’t know the answer, but it certainly involves closer control over who gets access, and mental health approaches.
One thing that stands out is coverage. Seven more tragic deaths and we have wall to wall coverage on it and the shooter. Yet in Chicago this year we have had 1,800 shootings. Why the silence?
Keep an eye on that storm today.