One can be forgiven for thinking that America’s slow spiral into third-world status is accelerating. Everywhere you look there’s confusion, chaos, outright lying, and a gerontocracy of doddering, drooling “leaders” who are either clueless or actively lying to the American people.
Take the Chinese spy balloon (please!). Reports now say the government was tracking it from the moment of its launch from Hainan Island off the southern coast of China nearly a week before it arrived in US airspace. The American public would not have been told of the balloon’s presence had it not been for some eagle-eyed observers in Montana who spotted it hovering over or near military installations in that state. The balloon then proceeded southeast and exited off the coast of South Carolina on February 4th, when it was shot down. Since then, the US Navy has been involved in recovery operations and has reportedly recovered a significant amount of debris. Recovery efforts are ongoing. Who doubts that the debris will disappear into a hangar on a military base, never to be seen again?
The same goes for three other objects shot down over the US in the last week. One was picked up over Montana as a radar anomaly, evaded detection by aircraft, only to reappear above Michigan and be shot down over Lake Huron. Another entered Canadian airspace and was shot down by US fighter jets by NORAD at Canada’s request. A third was shot down over northern Alaska. Biden administration officials say they don’t know what the three objects were, but they were “benign,” a contradictory statement. How can they assess the threat as benign if they don’t know what it is? But, no matter. Perhaps someone should ask the National Weather Service if any of its weather balloons went offline prematurely. Only the incompetent US government would use a $400,000 Sidewinder missile to pop a balloon—two missiles in one instance where the first one missed.
Now, on to Ohio where a Norfolk Southern train loaded with toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine. Once again demonstrating its wisdom and competence, the federal government decided to blow the train up in what it called a controlled release, resulting in an enormous fireball and a giant mushroom cloud of burning chemicals. People were forced to evacuate the town. Residents suffered burning eyes and skin irritation as chickens, domestic foxes, and farm animals died, some many miles from the accident site. Fish were dying in nearby streams, but the government was telling residents the water was safe to drink. In the meantime, Pete Buttigieg, our erstwhile Secretary of Transportation, was holed up in a bunker complaining that there are too many white people in construction jobs. A community meeting in East Palestine this week erupted in anger when Buttigieg failed to appear to answer questions, nor did anyone from Norfolk Southern railroad which cited threats to employees’ security. Meanwhile, no one from the Federal Emergency Management Agency has put in an appearance, proclaiming that East Palestine is not eligible for emergency assistance, and the accident has barely been remarked on by news media other than conservative outlets. Welcome to flyover country, the land of deplorables. Move on, nothing to see here.
In Baltimore this week, it was revealed that in 23 schools not one single student is proficient at his or her grade level…not one! The administration’s solution? More money for teachers. How about demanding results before awarding raises? Everyone knows, however, that the Democrat party is owned lock, stock, and barrel by the teachers’ unions.
This week, Senator Diane Feinstein’s staff issued a statement that the Senator would not run for re-election at the end of her current term. When asked about it yesterday, Senator Feinstein, the oldest person in Congress, was unaware of the statement. A nearby staffer told her the statement had been released. You’d be forgiven for concluding her staff is trying to force her out amid reports of her mental confusion and difficulty with everyday affairs. The gerontocracy is on full display.
These are just events during the past two weeks. Add in the Southwest Airlines meltdown during the Christmas travel season, the air travel shutdown due to a glitch in the FAA’s Notices to Airmen system. America is circling the toilet and no one sees a solution on the horizon. Nikki Haley is competent but didn’t articulate why she should be president during her announcement. A second Trump administration might make his supporters feel good as they shove him down the Left’s throats again, but things would likely devolve into a four-year revenge tour. Ron DeSantis is competent, qualified, and has an attitude toward wokeness and government that appeals to a large bloc of voters, but his candidacy is still firmly lodged in the “maybe” category.
May you live in interesting times, goes the Chinese curse.