Tuesday, November 24, 2015

World Wars a Sad Democratic Legacy



Say what you want about conservatives, but up to and including now, it has traditionally been a liberal Democratic President who's presided over the United States while the planet became engulfed in a World War.

Woodrow Wilson, a far left Democrat, refused to get involved in the First World War until it was obvious that Germany's unrestricted use of submarine warfare would starve Western Europe.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, also a Socialist Democrat, stood by idly during the Spanish Civil War while Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy murdered thousands of Spanish innocents. He still refused to fight Fascism when the Second World War broke out, and he knew full well that Jews were being relocated to concentration "death" camps. Only when America's mainland was struck in 1941 did he have no choice but to declare war on the Axis powers.

Now we have Barack Obama, a leftist Democrat, who has forcibly made the US withdraw from its responsibilities on the world stage over his own political agenda--a dangerous policy that has directly resulted in thousands of Christians being slaughtered overseas.

Unlike the previous two aforementioned Presidents, he's gone a step farther than merely avoiding war with an obvious enemy like Radical Islam. He has signed treaty-like agreements with our enemy, Iran and taken great pains to empty out the GITMO detention center in Cuba. He's also made decisions of staggering ineptitude, like trading several major Al Qaeda players for a treasonous Bowe Bergdhal.

A Russian jet fighter was shot down over Turkey earlier today. Some are already saying that the incident is a part of Putin's overall strategy to see the world engulfed in a World War in which the Russian leader feels confident he can crush an ineffectual NATO and at the same time, rebuild the Soviet empire.

Why does NATO stand the chance of being ineffectual?

Because Barack Obama is ineffectual and the USA needs to lead NATO. 

The world security slope is indeed slippery. And the world is currently sliding rapidly down into a Third World War which presents the very real possibility of being fought with nuclear weapons.

Mr. President, wake up and be a leader before it's way too late. 

WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM

Thursday, November 19, 2015

On the Ground Observations from Terrorist Rattled Europe

Papa defends freedom with a pen and gin in his canteen.
Couple observations.

First, Bloobmberg reports today that Hemingway's 1964 posthumously published memoir about Paris is flying off both the digital and paper shelves in France, particularly Paris. Amazing the support for Papa's romantic vision of the City of Lights as A Movable Feast all these years later during such complicated and dangerous times. A time in which, like during WWII, the Russians are allying with France to eradicate a common enemy as murderous if not worse than Hitler's Nazis.

According to Bloomberg, the renewed interest in the great work is a "show of defiance" against the recent Radical Islamist terror attacks and Radical Islam in general which would do anything possible to eliminate a way of life for drinkers, writers, poets, artists and more. Let's face it, the bastards would make a mosque out of the Deux Magot.

Papa would love the renewed interest in the wake of this new war of freedom vs. terror. Speaking of another time in history he famously stated, "Fascism is a lie told by bullies." No writer can truly write under Fascist law. Same goes for Sharia Law, as well as the Political Correctness which has afflicted the USA and been perpetuated so dangerously by Barack Obama and his mainstream media minions.

So Papa would be proud.

One wonders however, what he might have thought (off the record, of course) of the present POTUS. My guess is he would have smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "You get what you goddamned pay for, pal." He then would have belly laughed and poured another glass of vino rosso (or rouge). "Don't take life so seriously," he would have said, slapping me on the back. "You never know when that old whore death is gonna come knocking at your door."

In other matters, today, I came face to face with a group of Muslim young men freshly transplanted from their home territory. I stood in line at the grocery store with them. They seemed giddy and relieved to have made it this far. They had a leader with them. A fixer. A man who was about my age, and who was coaching them on what to buy and how to buy it (no pork products). They spoke in their native tongue, and looked healthy and fit and not to badly attired with nice watches and jeans. The leader, who spoke very little English and zero Italian, was confused when the cashier wanted to know if he wanted a plastic bag with which to carry his purchases. He just looked at her like she had two heads. I reached out, grabbed the plastic bag, and gave it to him. He smiled. I wondered if these transplants had wives and children waiting for them somewhere. But there was nothing in their food and supply purchases that would have indicated as such. No baby cereal or diapers. Just stuff a grown young man might want to eat and utilize. And certainly no booze.

Syrian refugees come up from the south?

Almost certainly.

But the refugee part might be misleading. More like young men fleeing a civil war in which they would have to choose between one of two evil sides. I could only hope their intentions were benign. But I can only wonder considering the recent events in Paris. Vigilance is key here. This world war is only just getting started. 

Oh, and by the way, the fixer attached to the young transplants paid with a Mastercard.

Go figure...

UPDATE 11/20:
 As of this morning, the US State Department warns American travelers that Florence's "Duomo Cathedral" and Rome's Vatican are now listed as viable ISIS targets based on recent intelligence reports. Italian military and police have now ramped up security accordingly.


WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM

     

Monday, November 16, 2015

Is President Obama in Control?




I (try to) approach my politics as an indie. Despite what writer/journalist and Ernest Hemingway's 3rd wife, Martha Gellhorn, opined a long time ago about "Fuck all that objectivity shit," I need to keep an open mind to both sides, resist the Fascism of political correctness, and go with my writing gut.

But watching today's Barack Obama press conference--subject ISIS and the Paris attack--broadcast from the G20 Summit in Turkey (and doing so from Europe) was a very painful experience (one journalist cavalierly queried, "Why can't we take out these bastards?"). The leader of the free world not only seemed out of touch with reality, his answers were filibuster-long, disjointed, devoid of hard facts, defensive and, in a word, rambling.

In my opinion, we see a foreign policy failure unmatched since Chamberlain in the months leading up to WWII.
But don't take my word for it. Catch the full press conference here.

Critical questions loom:

--Is the US prepared to handle an attack like that which has consumed France?
--Is taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees, 90% of whom are fighting age young men, really a good idea at this time?
--Since we know precisely where the majority of ISIS members live and thrive, shouldn't we enter into a series of decisive blows that obliterates them, and neutralizes their capabilities overnight, despite the President's sentiment of not wanting to engage in an "immediate solution"  (Huh?)?
--Is the President, not pushing moderate Muslim nations in the Middle East to both fight Radical Islam and take in Muslim refugees because of his new alliance with Iran?
--Was it wise of him to release more Gitmo detainees only a couple of days after the Paris strike (Is this the result of his new alliance with Cuba?)
--Is the President truly concerned with the safety of America, or with his own political (philosophical) agenda?
--Is Barack Obama in control?

WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM






Saturday, November 14, 2015

France's Hollande Says Attack an 'Act of War'



Despite a US State Department claim yesterday that ISIS is being "contained," a massive terrorist attack was carried out in Paris last evening killing upwards of 158 and wounding scores more.

Get the full story here from the Reuters.


In a statement just moments ago, French President Hollande  stated that the attack was an "act of war" and that France would show no pity for those responsible. While an ISIS cell has been identified as that responsible party behind the attack, the President has declared a state of emergency, closed all borders, and initiated the first curfew in the country since WWII.

This is a developing story...

WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM 



 

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Killing O'Reilly (By Sheer Force of Will)



I've been out of the country for a while but I happened to catch the cage fight between Bill O'Reilly and George Will over the latter's recent review of the former's newest addition to his "Killing" series, "Killing Reagan." I haven't read the book yet, but I have read a couple in the Killing series and I can tell you this: they are fun. But I never once took them seriously as historical fact. I merely enjoyed them as a kind of alternative history told in journalistic fashion. For anyone who kindly reads the Chase Baker books, don't look for fact. Just look for fun, told in a fictional, almost pulpy comic book manner. You see what I'm getting at here.

But apparently Mr. O'Reilly takes the books very seriously. As serious as a heart attack, because anyone who witnessed the exchange between he and Will on Fox News probably thought the 'No Spin Zone" host was going to double over from cardiac arrest. Here's the clip.


Listen, I'm not about to take sides here. But as far as I'm concerned, I see O'Reilly as more of an entertainer. A conservative one at that. However, I also know as a writer, that he probably pens very little or any of the text in his books, and more than likely, doesn't participate in the research one iota. He's got like a billion bucks and he can pay to have the dirty work done for him. See an interesting Washington Post piece by my old friend Erik Wemple in which he illustrates O'Reilly's research process (keep scrolling down until you find it), which apparently is to give his subcontractors one week to come up with information he requires to support his thesis. For their time he pays $5K. Not a bad take home for a week's work. But you can't fence in the time needed for serious research that, if not conducted properly, could do unseen damage to a man as iconic and well respected as Mr. Reagan.

George Will has also entertained me over the years. But he is a serious intellect unmatched by O'Reilly. If the two were to enter into a battle of wits, O'Reilly would come off as being unarmed. Hey, I'm not knocking O'Reilly here, I'm just telling the truth without any spin in the end zone whatsoever (haha).

At the end of the interview, O'Reilly calls Will a hack. That's like me calling Jonathan Franzen or Tim O'Brien minor talents who will soon be forgotten. Will handled himself well in the interview and I think, in moral terms, he had an obligation to write the review of his co-worker's book, knowing with every keystroke the shit storm it was going to cause. But hey, sometimes you gotta take the video game controller out of the hands of even the most brutal brat. Tantrums be damned.

It turns out Mr. O'Reilly has a thin skin. I suggest that in order to avoid any further criticism of his Killing books by serious historians and/or veteran political thinkers, he take the time to write them himself, even if it means he take a two or three year sabbatical from the No Spin Zone. The alternative is for great minds like George Will to  keep on Killing O'Reilly.

WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM