Sunday, March 31, 2019

Forever, An Old Abandoned Fort Holds Sway!

Old Fort Miflin, down by the Philadelphia airport on Mud Island, is a special place.
There's a stillness about it that will mesmerize you.
During the American Revolutionary War, the British Army bombarded and captured the fort as part of their conquest of Philadelphia in autumn 1777. In 1795 the fort was renamed for Thomas Mifflin, a Continental Army officer and the first post-independence Governor of Pennsylvania. The United States Army began to rebuild the fort in 1794 and continued to garrison and build on the site through the 19th century. It housed prisoners during the American Civil War. And it also played a role in both world wars. The army decommissioned Fort Mifflin for active duty infantry and artillery in 1962.
However, while the older portion of the fort was returned to the City of Philadelphia, a portion of the fort's grounds are still actively used by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, making it the oldest fort in military use in the United States. 
Historic preservationists have restored the fort, which is now a National Historic Landmark.
We visited the fort recently on a clear, crisp spring day and took these photos.






















All photos copyright 2019 by Dan Cirucci.

She's Back; She's Fired Up And On Target!

Saturday, March 30, 2019

Hey, You Don't Wanna Miss THESE Stories!

A Catastrophic Media Failure
-The Wall Street Journal
“Robert Mueller’s investigation is over, but questions still abound. Not about collusion, Russian interference or obstruction of justice, but about the leading lights of journalism who managed to get the story so wrong, and for so long,” Sean Davis writes. “It wasn’t merely an error here or there. America’s blue-chip journalists botched the entire story, from its birth during the presidential campaign to its final breath Sunday—and they never stopped congratulating themselves for it.”
 
Watch: President Trump delivers a statement on the Special Counsel report
Accountability for a Dossier
-The Wall Street Journal
Now that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has dispatched the Russia collusion theories, The Wall Street Journal editorial board writes, one has to ask “How did the partisan propaganda known as the Steele dossier become the basis for an unprecedented FBI probe of a presidential campaign, an abuse of law enforcement, and two years of media and political hysteria? . . . Its authors and promoters should be held accountable.” 
The Media’s Russia ‘Bombshells’ Look Even Worse Now That Mueller Found No Collusion
-The Daily Caller
“Attorney General William Barr told Congress Sunday that special counsel Robert Mueller did not find collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, destroying two years of media speculation and bad reporting,” Amber Athey writes. “In light of Mueller concluding his investigation, we’ve compiled a list of some of the worst media screwups in the history of Russia theories.” 
Mueller’s Conclusions Expose Disgrace of Obama’s Spy Chiefs
-New York Post
“Of all the reputations in tatters now that Robert Mueller has exploded the Russian-collusion fantasy, Obama-era spy chiefs John Brennan and James Clapper stand out,” the New York Post editorial board writes. “These two weren’t average citizens: They spoke with the authority of having headed federal intel operations”—breaking a longstanding precedent of former top law enforcement officials steering clear of politics. 
Border Hits ‘Breaking Point’ in El Paso, CBP Commissioner Says
-Fox News
“The nation’s top border security official said Wednesday that the border is at its ‘breaking point’ during a visit to Texas, where as many as 1,000 migrants crossed into the U.S. and there are not enough agents to respond,” Louis Casiano reports. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan said that “CBP is facing an unprecedented humanitarian and border security crisis.” 
Trump’s Golan Decision Is Moral and Strategic
-The Wall Street Journal
The President “tweeted last week that the U.S. will formally recognize the Golan Heights as part of Israel. The decision is strategically wise and morally important,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) writes. “Mr. Trump has been one of the most effective American leaders in strengthening the country’s relationship with Israel.”
 
Watch: President Trump meets with Prime Minister Netanyahu
Trump Presents Posthumous Medal of Honor to Army Staff Sergeant Who Died Saving 3 Fellow Soldiers
-Washington Examiner
“President Trump on Wednesday awarded a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor to U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Travis W. Atkins, who heroically sacrificed his life and saved the lives of three fellow soldiers while fighting in Iraq in 2007,” Emily Ward writes. “In his final moments on Earth, Travis did not run,” the President said. “He laid down his life to save the lives of his fellow warriors.” 
Tax Reform is No 'Sugar High'
-The Wall Street Journal
“The current mantra from opponents of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is that the strong economic growth that followed is the result of a ‘sugar high,’” Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) and economist Lawrence Lindsey write. “These arguments reflect political and ideological wishful thinking, not a substantive analysis of what is happening in the economy.”

US, Germany, Ukraine, France Lead Blog Visits

Pageviews by Countries - Week of 3/23

Graph of most popular countries among blog viewers
EntryPageviews
United States
3060
Germany
340
Ukraine
246
France
181
Unknown Region
137
Ireland
133
South Korea
58
Russia
58
Bulgaria
46
United Kingdom
37

Dan Cirucci Blog: Week's Top Five Stories

Top Five Posts - Week of 3/23

Woman Claims Biden Forced Himself On Her!



A Nevada woman, who is a Democrat, is accusing Joe Biden of forcing himself on her and kissing her. According to the left's standards they set with Kavanaugh, Joe Biden should never hold public office again and should drop his presidential campaign.

From Lucy Flores:
Click here for even more!

Friday, March 29, 2019

Rollicking Human Journey On Political Rollercoaster


Governor Chris Christie's Let Me Finish is one of the best political memoirs I've ever read.
And I've read a lot of them.
The book is a lively page-turner that will keep you up late and make you wonder why others have not been able to combine real-life, teachable moments and insightful political analysis in the same way Christie has.
One of the best things about the book is that it's told in Chris Christie's own inimitable voice. Indeed, it's pure Christie from beginning to end -- frank, conversational, engaging and devoid of duplicity or pretense. And The Guv is often as hard on himself as he is on others as his looks back on critical moments in his life and honestly reviews his own words and actions.
No, there are no regrets expressed here. Christie's not one to wallow in the goo of coulda, shoulda, woulda. But there is sincere self-examination, the likes of which we rarely encounter in a book such as this.
The title of the book is largely derived from Christie's experience as the chair of Donald Trump's transition team. The story both begins and ends with Christie's inability to finish his job as chair of the transition, a post that was yanked away from him.
It seems that as long as Trump's election appeared unlikely, nobody apparently cared very much what Chris Christie and his staff of more than 100 volunteers were doing about the transition. Of course, Christie cared. He and his team took the job seriously and prepared an exhaustive, detailed plan for the orderly transition of power from Obama to Trump. And once Trump was elected the plan was ready to be enacted. Yet that's precisely when others in the Trump campaign decided Chris Christie could no longer hold this pivotal position. He was then replaced as chair by Vice President-Elect Mike Pence and became one of six vice chairs of the transition team.
Who was behind the coupe that removed Christie? The Guv lays the blame mostly of Jared Kushner, Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon. Interestingly enough, Bannon and Priebus were later banished in relatively short order. Only Kushner remains in the administration.
And, yes -- Christie has plenty to say about Jared Kushner and various members of the Kushner family. After all, it was then US Attorney Christie who prosecuted Kushner's father and sent him to jail. But you'll have to read the book for that entire story and its lingering repercussions.
This book is so much more that a political read.
It's a far more substantive and instructive human story of a Jersey kid who was taught to follow his dreams fearlessly and relentlessly.
It's the story of the people who helped mold the young Christie -- who inspired him and guided him and urged him onward. Christie not only talks about his parents, grandparents and siblings but he also discusses the early years of his marriage to Mary Pat (Foster) Christie, their struggles and the journeys they made separately and together as parents and successful professionals.
You'll learn about Christie's childhood friends; his lifelong passion for baseball; his college years at the University of Delaware and Seton Hall; his foray into politics and his two early losses; the defining implications of his mother's terminal illness and death; his entry into national politics via the George W. Bush campaign; his appointment and tenure as US attorney; and his tumultuous and hugely consequential time as Governor of New Jersey.
You'll also discover the story behind Christie's close relationship with certain key New Jersey Democrats such as George Norcross and Steve Sweeney; his obesity and lap band surgery; why Christie decided not to seek the presidency in 2012; how Bridgegate really impacted him both politically and personally and how Christie's longtime friendship with Donald Trump continues to play out. In fact, this book will give you a peek into the world of Donald Trump -- inside the Trump White House, Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower -- that you won't find anywhere else.
But you've got to read the book to discover all this and more -- including the multiple meaning of the title and why there's much unfinished business behind Let Me Finish.
Okay, I will leave you with one juicy tidbit from the book. It's the story of Chris Christie in Donald Trump's office in New York as Trump first discusses the transition team assignment with him.
Trump doesn't want to talk too much about the possibility of becoming president because it would be "bad karma". So, he's willing to leave pretty much the whole thing to Christie.
But then Jared Kushner comes into the office, sits down, and in front of Christie lays out the case as to why Christie should not chair the transition team. And of course Jared brings up the bad blood between Christie and the Kushners. He does it all right there -- right in front of Christie and Trump. And Christie lets Jared go on. He just sits there and takes it all in.
Feeling that it's "all too surreal" Christie then turns to Jared and says that "You and I are both burdened with things that are difficult for the other person to understand." Christie tries to explain that he cannot possibly understand the depth of Jared's love for his dad "because he's not my father." And Jared, he says cannot understand "the facts about your father that even you don't know, that I can never tell you, because if I did I would break the law."
The room turns quiet.
And then, Donald Trump breaks the silence: "I've made my decision . . . Chris is the chairman of the transition."
"Fine," Jared replies. "I understand."
But, of course, that was hardly the end of the story.

Leading The Way Into A Bright New Era!


The Trump Russia Collusion Hall Of Shame!

“The news that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III ‘did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government’ has left a lot of people in Washington with a lot of explaining to do,” Marc Thiessen writes in The Washington Post.
 
The worst offenders are those who had access to classified intelligence and lied that they had seen actual evidence of collusion, Thiessen explains. “We have long since passed the point where Americans expect objectivity from the press. But we should hold our elected and appointed officials handling sensitive national security issues to a higher standard.”

 
Click here to read more.
In a visit yesterday to Georgetown, Kentucky, Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump toured the world’s largest Toyota manufacturing plant with Gov. Matt Bevin (R-KY). She carried the Trump Administration’s message “that U.S. businesses have to become more prominent in working with the federal government to boost worker training and skills development,” Grace Schneider reports for the Courier-Journal. Toyota answered the call to action and “committed to boosting the skills of 200,000 workers.” 

“Catherine Toney began February in prison and ended the month with a job at Walmart after White House adviser Jared Kushner called the Arkansas-based retailer on her behalf,” Steven Nelson writes in the Washington Examiner. “Toney, 55, is believed to be the first woman freed by the FIRST STEP Act, which President Trump signed in December.”
“The Mueller report confirms that the Obama administration, without evidence, turned the surveillance powers of the federal government against the presidential campaign of the party out of power,” James Freeman writes in The Wall Street Journal. “It’s time for Mr. Obama, who oddly receives few mentions in stories about his government’s spying on associates of the 2016 Trump campaign, to say what he knew and did not know about the targeting of his party’s opponents.”
“Support for a southern border wall among conservatives has jumped since President Trump came to office, reaching a new high of 99 percent,” Paul Bedard reports in the Washington Examiner. “The survey . . . found that support for Trump’s border wall has increased 85 percent since he became president.”
First Lady Melania Trump “continues to make an impact with her ‘Be Best’ initiative as she made a surprise visit to West Gate Elementary School in Palm Beach County, Florida, to discuss bullying and encourage empathy among students,” Madison Summers reports for Independent Journal Review.

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Here's Why Trump Must And WILL Fight Back!

So, it seems Karl Rove has some advice for President Trump.
Rove thinks Trump should ease up on his critics. Specifically, Rove wants Trump to back away from bashing those who undermined Trump's presidency for more than two years by feeding the Big Russian Collusion Lie and other lies that have now been fully discredited by the Mueller investigation and its final report.
You know who we're talking about: Comey, Brennan, Strzok, Page, Lynch, the Clintons, the Obamas,  Schiff, CNN, MSNBC, the NYT and WaPO, Pelosi, Schumer, Streep, De Niro, Behar and dozens of others.
Now that he's clearly vindicated, Trump wants to go after all of them. And one can hardly blame him.
But Rove is urging the President to back off.
Rove seems to want President Trump to just let it all slide.
Imagine!
Let it slide after you and your family have been viciously and repeatedly maligned for more that 675 days, day-after-day, hour-after-hour, minute-after-minute in countless public forums and on nearly every media outlet imaginable.
Rove argues that Trump lashing out at his critics is a losing game because Trump's supporters are simply not as revved up as his detractors. What? Maybe Rove hasn't watched any Trump rallies lately.
And then Rove says that Trump revenge will simply turn off "independent" voters. But who are those vaulted "independent" voters anyway? And how many voters are really independent?
Rove points to recent polls to back up his contentions -- the same polls that said Trump would handily lose the 2016 election to Hillary Clinton. You remember those polls, don't you?
Let's not forget that Rove was trained by the Bush Family -- a clan steeped in traditional, country  club style Republicanism.
Old school preppy Republicanism says "don't rock the boat; don't answer in kind; don't worry about responding to your critics because they're beneath you anyway." In the cushioned world of waspy, tweedy Republicanism you slough off criticism by sinking into your club chair, sipping your martini and polishing your putter.
Stiff upper lip. That was the style that the Bushes perfected. But, all the while, their surrogates did their subversive dirty work for them in an ongoing effort to assure la famglia credible deniability.
So, basically, like most politicians they were hypocritical.
But with Donald Trump, what you see is what you get.
He means what he says and says what he means. He doesn't need to be represented by or filtered by or interpreted by surrogates. And he doesn't pretend to play nice when he's taking you on. When he come after you, you know it.
This is why the American people elected Donald Trump.
The people chose a grappler -- someone who wouldn't flinch; someone who would fight for them and hit back hard against any foe. Voters were weary of the same old pretensions and the endless insider game that allowed the power elite to act like they were sparring when they were actually feathering each other's nest. The people were wise to it all.
That's what opened the door to Donald Trump and a new era of "don't tread on me" politics.
So, no -- Donald Trump will not defer and he will not back off.
The days of turn-the-other-cheek Republicanism are over.
The only cheek we'll be turning is the lower one., thank you!

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Nick Foles Legend Inspires Commercial . . .



And "Big D - - k Nick" isn't even an Eagle anymore.

On The Green New Deal, The Dems Are YELLOW!



The Washington Examiner editorial board writes that the Green New Deal is a profoundly embarrassing and politically damaging proposal for Democrats—which is probably why not a single one of them voted for it yesterday.

“Faced with a day-of debate on their own embarrassing resolution, Democrats spent their floor time trying to blame Republicans for not taking global warming seriously enough. But if Democrats took it seriously, and didn't just view it as a potential source of donations from gullible millenarian millennials, they would not have fallen in line behind this ludicrous unicorns-and-rainbows proposal in the first place.”

Click here to continue reading.
“Attorney General William Barr told Congress Sunday that special counsel Robert Mueller did not find collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, destroying two years of media speculation and bad reporting,” Amber Athey writes in The Daily Caller. “In light of Mueller concluding his investigation, we’ve compiled a list of some of the worst media screwups in the history of Russia theories.” 
Now that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has dispatched the Russia collusion theories, The Wall Street Journal editorial board writes, one has to ask “how did the partisan propaganda known as the Steele dossier become the basis for an unprecedented FBI probe of a presidential campaign, an abuse of law enforcement, and two years of media and political hysteria?  . . . Its authors and promoters should be held accountable.” 
“House Democrats on Tuesday failed to override President Trump’s first veto as part of their battle over border security, representing a victory for the administration that allows the president's declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border to stand,” Andrew O’Reilly reports for Fox News. President Trump called it a “BIG WIN today.” 
“Ivanka Trump is coming back to Kentucky. The adviser to President Donald Trump will tour Toyota’s largest manufacturing plant in Georgetown on Thursday,” The Associated Press reports. “Toyota Motor North America CEO Jim Lentz and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky President Susan Elkington are scheduled to sign the White House’s Pledge to American Workers,” an “effort to encourage private employers to adequately train their workers.”