Does Anyone Remember Ray Donovan?

Raymond Donovan is a business man and former Secretary of Labor from 1981 to 1985 under President Ronald Reagan.  Through Donovan’s leadership, the department’s staff and budget was reduced, regulatory relief was given to businesses via changes made to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) enforcement practices, new industrial home work rules were created, and the Davis-Bacon rules revised, as well as revision of the federal compliance regulations.  However, it was his comment after the verdict in his 1987 trial that made him famous.

As chronicled in upi.com, Donovan was in the construction business.  He was executive vice president and 40% owner of Schiavone Construction of New Jersey. No sooner than Donovan was confirmed as Labor Secretary in 1981, when Time Magazine reported that he was mentioned in an FBI wiretap of an alleged mobster who did subcontract work for Schiavone.  Shortly after, the FBI said that a labor union official, in 1977, witnessed a $2,000 payoff by Schiavone to another union official.  Then Attorney General William Smith, asked for an investigation of Donovan and attorney Leon Silverman was named as special prosecutor under the Ethics in Government Act.

In May, 1982 Donovan was in front of a New York grand jury.  In June, 1982 the Washington Post reported Schiavone Construction was linked to the Genovese crime family.  However, that month, the Silverman commission cited 'insufficient credible evidence' and cleared Donovan.  At this point, a reasonable man might think the controversy was over…but, in politics, the facts can be irrelevant.

A year later the Bronx District Attorney investigated Schiavone Construction.  Donovan with seven executives were indicted on charges of grand larceny.  The legal wrangling and trial took years, but in 1987, Donovan and his seven co-defendants were acquitted of all charges.  Following the trial, Donovan famously remarks "Which [government] office do I go to to get my reputation back?”

These sort of accusations facilitated by a media with partisan interest make for good political theater and media profits.  Scandals can be created with innuendo and investigation conjured without proof.  However, the story is not that Mr. Donovan was found innocent or accusations investigated were not credible.  It was how political enemies with media allies can colluded to use insinuation for fact in a witch hunt against Mr. Donovan.  Sound familiar?

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day! ...especially to our Founding Fathers!

Comey & Collusion

The political theater this week surrounding the testimony of former FBI Director James Comey, while providing some clarity that benefits President Trump, established that the Left media will not let Trump, collusion, and Russia leave their sights for the next four years.  What seemed to be cemented by the media following this testimony was a political media dogma that “analyzed” Trump lied, Trump isn’t under investigation “yet”, Russia hacked the election, we need further investigation on collusion, and Comey is a stand-up guy.

The sophistry of the Left and their bogeyman of Russia is wicked and is the true collusion that now infects the press.  The collusion that now exists to defame and degrade the President is between the Left and its liberal media counterpart.  In a Harvard study the unfavorable coverage of Trump in his first 100 days was over 90% of the articles where George W Bush was 67% and Barack Obama was 40%.

The media is fanning the flames for impeachment and has become part of the Democratic Party’s “resistance” to assure there is no legislation toward prosperity.  It is one thing to be the loyal opposition and still work with the other party to bend legislation, it is quite another when a major political party and the bulk of the press are in league to overthrow an election.

Stay Safe

Our hearts and thoughts this Sunday go out to those affected by the recent terrible terrorist attacks in the UK.

Why Do We Remember?

The Framers of the Constitution – both federalist and anti-federalists – were suspicious of a standing army. They feared the potential of such to be used against the citizens to enforce unjust laws.  As such, the Constitution had protections to check against the military.  Specifically, a civilian, the President, would be the Commander, but only the Congress could declare war and the Congress had the discretion to fund the military every two years.

Most remarkably, since the ratification of the Constitution, the military has never broken its trust with the people.  They have subjugated themselves and reported to a civilian power.  They have obeyed elected politicians whether the interventions were arguably just or unjust.

Unlike the politicians they serve, whose oath to protect and defend the Constitution are regularly abused, the military, with ultimate power on the planet, has never wavered from its oath.

With respect and admiration, US Vigilance remembers those that have given their lives in service, those that have served, and those that serve.

Public Policy: The Pawn of Politics

Politicians have been stripped bare of any pretense of doing good public policy.  Good has nothing to do with it.  Being elected is the end goal of any political effort, and public policy is the pawn to the goal.  Public policy is to be used not for good, but to dupe a Gerrymandered base into voting for a man rather than a thoughtful process.

In an interview, House Speaker, Paul Ryan, said that his first priority was to assure the reelection of his Republican members and to retain control of the House.  Really?  We were under the impression that the priority was good public policy and an oath to protect and defend the Constitution.  After all, why get people elected if not for that? On the other side of the political aisle, Chuck Schumer will lead his party in stopping any legislation of Republicans - this is exactly what he derided Republicans for during the Obama years.

The point being, these men voice words void of meaning.  A promise is only a campaign slogan, and dangerous and damaging policy is justified if the goal of reelection is accomplished.  To add insult to injury, legislation is written by unknown and unnamed lawyers in backrooms and enacted by legislators who do not give a hoot to even read what they are voting on.

We must be vigilant and demand better from our government.

Monsters Under the Bed

Disinvited speakers at universities that would contest liberal dogma, campus violence to prevent ill-liberal thought, shouts of constitutional crisis when constitutional authority is exercised.  Has the American public gone mad?  No, just liberals.

The liberal elite that once “calmly” held the power, now finds themselves beaten by the Electoral College they lauded when it appeared they would win.  Political games paint the newly elected Republican power as the “monsters under the bed” that everyone should and must fear.  These are the racists, bigots, sexists, homophobes that would take us back to the dark-ages. 

As such, there now rises the need for liberal dogma to retake and reshape government - by whatever means necessary - in their own image because people cannot seem to make the right decision: THEIR decision.

This reshaping of government will take the form of tyranny: taking away freedom of choice.  This has already been set in motion with the push to shut down free speech…unless the speech is in agreement with their own thought.

As we write in, Vigilance The Price of Liberty, Herbert Marcuse, a political theorist and considered the Father of the twenty-first century liberals, writes in his 1965 essay, Repressive Tolerance, that tolerance does not apply to right-wing political movements. Marcuse coined the phrase “liberating tolerance” meaning “intolerance against movements from the Right and toleration of movements from the Left”. 

His practical implementation is the withdrawal of toleration of speech and assembly from groups and movements which the Left sees to promote aggressive policies, armament, chauvinism, discrimination, or which oppose the extension of public services, social security, medical care, etc.

For Marcuse, if schools and other government institutions cannot program the thought Marcuse deems acceptable, then he demands that the rights of freedom of speech and assembly be withdrawn for those that contradict his social policies - any dissident thinking is monstrous.  This is what we are witnessing today.  Political action from the Left on campuses and governments to shut-down public policy and discourse in any disagreement with Leftist dogma.