The View from Right Field

Thoughts of One and a Half Dozen of the Other*

It’s getting hard to write longer posts these days, so here are some short thoughts that I wish I could develop further but haven’t been able to get to:

• Re Ukraine: Joe Biden is doing a pretty good job, certainly better than either of his predecessors (especially Barack Obama, who wouldn’t even sell antitank weapons to Ukraine after Russia annexed Crimea and invaded Donbas in 2014).  But President Biden could be doing better.  We need to sell/give the Ukrainians more weapons and more powerful weapons.  The best, and quickest, way to end the war is for Ukraine to win.  Let’s help them do it – now.

• Given all the weapons we are shipping to Ukraine, we need to replenish, and build up, our own inventories.  That means spending more money on defense – and committing to do it for an extended period of time.

At Thanksgiving, I am Grateful for Joan Beck’s Annual Thanksgiving Column

The Chicago Tribune asked for readers to tell them what they are most grateful for at Thanksgiving.  Here is the letter I submitted, which is in Wednesday, November 23’s “Voice of the People”:

"One of things I am most grateful for at Thanksgiving is the memory of opening the Tribune on Thanksgiving morning and reading Joan Beck’s annual Thanksgiving column.  She would remind us, each year, of all that we had to be grateful for and of Him¹ to whom our thanks should be given.

While Ms.² Beck is no longer with us, I still have her columns.  On Thanksgiving morning, I pull them out and read them once again.  Not only does it bring back memories of reading her column each year ; it also reminds me of all that I have to be thankful for."

For several of Joan Beck’s Thanksgiving columns, see here ("To Count the Lord's Blessings" - November 28, 1985), here ("For Laws and Lech, Basil and Borders Opened" - November 23, 1989 ), and here ("In Praise of the Real Bounty" - November 26, 2998).
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¹ The letter posted above is as I submitted it.  The Tribune made a couple of changes.  Here they changed “Him” to “God”.
² Here the Tribune deleted “Ms.”.

On the Special Counsel for Donald Trump

I let out a big sigh when I read that Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to investigate whether Donald Trump should be indicted with respect to the events of January 6 and with respect to confidential documents he took to Mar-a-Lago.  I sighed because, at least to me, the appointment means former President Trump will likely be indicted, and I can’t see that as a good thing.

I don’t know whether former President Trump broke any laws with respect to January 6 or the Mar-a-Lago documents.  I don’t know all the facts, and I don’t know the specifics of the laws.  But, ultimately, I don’t think former President Trump should be indicted because I don’t think it will help the country.  I want former President Trump gone.  And I think the best way to get him gone is to just ignore him.  Don’t talk about him.  Stop giving him the respect of attention.

Supporting Taiwan With Military Preparedness, Not Just Words and Visits

In The Wall Street Journal’s editorial yesterday about Nancy Pelosi’s speakerships and the lessons the GOP can learn from them, the Journal gave Speaker Pelosi due credit for “believ[ing] in American freedom” and visiting both Ukraine and Taiwan this year.  However, as Walter Russell Mead said at the time of her trip to Taiwan in August:

“Mrs. Pelosi is sincere in her support for Taiwan …. But to make that support effective, she should have beat the drum for the past 15 years for greater military preparedness even if this meant larger defense appropriations.”

Building LNG Terminals; Counting Votes: Germany vs United States

The Financial Times reported today that Germany has completed the construction of an LNG import terminal in Wilhelmshaven (on the North Sea in northwest Germany) in 200 days.¹  The terminal, along with another in Brunsbüttel, which is to be completed by the end of the year, will facilitate the importation of LNG this winter to replace Russian gas. 

Getting this done is little month than six months is amazing.  One wonders how long it would take in the United States.  Probably years, if it could be done at all.  In the United States, 200 days would probably wouldn’t get you through the first round of pleadings and objections in the first of many lawsuits, let along getting a permit or even starting construction. 

When the Dog Actually Catches the Bus. Republicans on Obamacare, Roe v. Wade, and Now 2023

It’s an old joke: Dogs are always chasing buses (among other things).  But do they have any idea what they would do if they actually caught it?

Which is what happened to Republicans on both Obamacare and Roe v. Wade.¹  After Obamacare passed, the Republicans had a clear position on what they would do if they got back in power: Repeal it.  It was simple, and the House, which flipped to the Republicans in the 2010 election, voted to repeal Obamacare a number of times.  Of course, it was easy to do.  Until the 2014 election, the Democrats still controlled the Senate, so no repeal passed by the House would ever become law and it didn’t matter much about the details.

If Republicans Win on Tuesday, Will They Lose in 2024?

Pollsters and prognosticators are saying the Republicans will win the House, and maybe even the Senate, on Tuesday.  But the question is: If the Republicans do win on Tuesday, even just the House, what will they do with that victory?  Will they come up with programs to deal with our problems?  Will they pass a budget that makes sense and do it on time?  Will they actually pass legislation to try to accomplish something?¹ 

Or will they use their power to investigate Hunter Biden and his laptop?  Will they push even more investigations into Donald Trump’s constant claims about how the 2020 elections was stolen from him?²  Will they try to impeach Joe Biden?