About that "presidential pivot"

I guess the so-called "pivot" where President Donald Trump is "going to be so presidential that you people will be so bored" is still to come even though we're 5 months into his term.

I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017

...to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017

These tweets were apparently in response to MSNBC's Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski making a remark about Trump's "teensy" hands.

Honestly, I don't even know where to begin regarding this utterly asinine development, so I'll just convey a few random thoughts.

- There were many things I admired about President George W. Bush, but one in particular was the dignity he exuded despite the abject hatred and maniacal sentiments levied towards him. Never once did Bush even acknowledge the leftist media's brutal (not to mention outrageously unfair and utterly false) indictments of his character and intellect. To respond in kind would be, in Bush's mind, beneath the dignity of the office.

- The Trump tweets also further the narrative of his propensity to demean and mistreat women. However, I believe this is more an issue of Trump's overall personality. Did you watch any of the GOP presidential debates? The vast majority of the candidates were men. Trump was just as mean, nasty and condescending towards them.

- First Lady Melania Trump essentially stood by her husband in this incident, indicating his reputation for hitting back ten times as hard as he's initially struck. Such a stance would seem to fly in the face of her platform to stop cyber bullying.

- Speaking of bullying, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders explained away this incident by saying the President will not be "bullied" and thus will "fight fire with fire." Some folks are going to have to get their narratives straight. Either Trump is a fearless leader who's in Washington to take a proverbial blow torch to politics as usual or he's so vulnerable that he's capable of being "bullied." Can't have it both ways.

------------------------------------------------------------

Flashback: May 3, 2016

On May 3, 2016, the Chicago Cubs crushed the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-1 to move their record to 19-6 on a 2016 season which was less than one month old. The win also increased the Cubs' lead in the National League Central Division to 5 games.

Also on that date, Donald Trump easily won the Indiana GOP primary, giving him his seventh consecutive primary victory. As a result, Trump's most formidable Republican foe remaining, Ted Cruz, suspended his campaign for President which essentially cleared the path for Trump becoming the party's presidential nominee.

The next day, a site called The Sports Pickle (which is like a sports version of The Onion) tweeted out the following:

Fast forward about 13-1/2 months to Wednesday of this week: 

Cubs Visit President Trump at the White House.

Even though we're almost halfway through the year 2017, the events of 2016 still have a way of reminding us what a confounding year that was. 

------------------------------------------------------

Justice Kennedy's swan song?

It was reported earlier this week that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case of Masterpiece Cakeshop (and its owner Jack Phillips), a business which gained notoriety for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding.

The issue being whether "applying Colorado's public accommodations law to compel the petitioner to create expression that violates his sincerely held religious beliefs about marriage violates the free speech or free exercise clauses of the First Amendment."

With persistent rumors of the pending retirement of 81-year old justice Anthony Kennedy, there's speculation he is waiting to weigh in on this case before calling it a career. Why this particular hearing? David French at National Review speculates along the same lines as I do.

(I)f Justice Kennedy views this case primarily through the LGBT lens, then the First Amendment may well lose. Kennedy is obviously proud of his long line of LGBT-friendly precedents, and that pride has even led him to a relatively rare First Amendment misstep, so it will be critical to explain to him (and the other justices, of course) that this isn’t a case about “discrimination” but rather about forced speech. Framing matters, and the other side will wrongly frame the case as raising the specter of Jim Crow. The right framing is found in the First Amendment.

I specifically recall certain excerpts of Kennedy's majority opinion in Obergfell, which was the case that made gay marriage the law of the land nearly two years ago. It may be a glimpse into how he'll rule in Masterpiece, which is of particular interest given Kennedy may well be the "swing vote" on the 9-judge SCOTUS panel.

Many who deem same-sex marriage to be wrong reach that conclusion based on decent and honorable religious or philosophical premises, and neither they nor their beliefs are disparaged here. But when that sincere, personal opposition becomes enacted law and public policy, the necessary consequence is to put the imprimatur of the State itself on an exclusion that soon demeans or stigmatizes those whose own liberty is then denied.

As French noted earlier, it will all come down to how this case is presented. This isn't about denying people services due to their sexual orientation, which is illegal based on public accommodations laws. It's about one being forced to violate one's deeply held religious beliefs. In fact, I daresay that if a gay man walked into Masterpiece and informed Mr. Phillips that he'd like to purchase wedding catering services for his adopted son and the son's wife-to-be, there would be zero issue.

If precedence means anything here, let's just say I'm not terribly optimistic that Kennedy will err on the side of religious liberty in this case.

--------------------------------------------------------

Quick Hits: Volume CLI

- Part of the "Deep State" which has continually thwarted President Donald Trump's so-called "travel ban" suffered a blow at the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday.

(T)he full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit had put the order on hold last month, concluding that – although it did not specifically say so – the order likely violated the Constitution because the president intended to discriminate against Muslim travelers. Earlier this month, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit also blocked the order, but on a different ground: It concluded that the order exceeds the authority that Congress has given the president to regulate immigration. The (Supreme) (C)ourt’s announcement (Monday) means that the justices will review both of those decisions. The justices also granted the Trump administration’s request to allow the ban to go into effect, at least for would-be travelers who don’t already have some connection to the United States.

So what does that "connection to the U.S." entail?

For individuals, a close familial relationship is required. A foreign national who wishes to enter the United States to live with or visit a family member, like Doe’s wife or Dr. Elshikh’s mother-in-law, clearly has such a relationship. As for entities, the relationship must be formal, documented, and formed in the ordinary course, rather than for the purpose of evading EO–2. The students from the designated countries who have been admit- ted to the University of Hawaii have such a relationship with an American entity. So too would a worker who accepted an offer of employment from an American company or a lecturer invited to address an American audience. Not so someone who enters into a relationship simply to avoid §2(c): For example, a nonprofit group devoted to immigration issues may not contact foreign nationals from the designated countries, add them to client lists, and then secure their entry by claiming injury from their exclusion.

I'm on record as saying I am skeptical that this is the most effective deterrent to radical Islamic terror. Many of the recent high profile terror attacks in western world countries have been perpetrated by citizens of those very countries. Said perpetrators have been radicalized by means that a "travel ban" would not have thwarted.

That said, I agree with National Review's David French when he says that, for now, the "constitutional and statutory primacy of the executive and legislative branches over national security and immigration has been restored." 


- The fetching Mrs. Carlson and I finally saw Wonder Woman in theaters over the weekend. To date, it is my favorite film of the latest set in the superhero genre.

If you have yet to see it, I highly recommend it! 


- There are some decisions that, when they're announced, are just destined to be abject failures. And these decisions can be within any facet of life, whether it's sports, entertainment, politics, etc.

Some examples?


The Minnesota Twins starting Miguel Sano in right field to start the 2016 season.

Chevy Chase being given his own late night talk show.

But the latest bad idea which has come home to roost? Significant hikes in minimum wage.

As cities across the country pushed their minimum wages to untested heights in recent years, some economists began to ask: How high is too high?

Seattle, with its highest-in-the-country minimum wage, may have hit that limit.

In January 2016, Seattle’s minimum wage jumped from $11 an hour to $13 for large employers, the second big increase in less than a year. New research released Monday by a team of economists at the University of Washington suggests the wage hike may have come at a significant cost: The increase led to steep declines in employment for low-wage workers, and a drop in hours for those who kept their jobs. Crucially, the negative impact of lost jobs and hours more than offset the benefits of higher wages — on average, low-wage workers earned $125 per month less because of the higher wage, a small but significant decline.

All the adverse affects of this higher wage were pretty well predicted ahead of time. Heck, even some of the biggest proponents of minimum wage acknowledged the adverse economic impacts to come, but dismissed those concerns as secondary to what's "moral" or something.

Oh, and you're next, Minneapolis!

-------------------------------------------

Watch this (mildly NSFW)

Trust me. Just watch.





-------------------------------------

Box Score of the Week

Washington Nationals at Milwaukee Brewers - July 15, 2005.

------------------------------------------

As commenter Mr D. noted, this game ended with a walk-off balk. 

With the Brewers batting in the bottom of the 10th inning, runners at first and third and score tied at 3, Nats relief pitcher Mike Stanton came in to face Lyle Overbay. Before even throwing a pitch, Stanton committed a balk, which allowed the winning run to score from third. 

---------------------------------------------

On hiatus

Some of you may know that I had emergency surgery to remove my gallbladder late Tuesday evening. While there were slight complications, I am officially on the mend and feeling a lot better since my Thursday morning discharge from the hospital.

While there has been a plethora of political news on which to opine, I'm just not up to digging into anything. As such, I likely won't be back into regular blogging until Monday. I figure I can take a brief hiatus since I will also be absent from this Sunday's weekly radio broadcast.

Until then......

-----------------------------------

Box Score of the Week

Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski collected his 3,000 career hit in a September 1979 game vs. the New York Yankees.

--------------------------

In this game, the Red Sox started Ted Sizemore at second base. Why is that relevant? Well, just a month earlier he was with the St. Louis Cardinals when the Cards' Lou Brock collected his 3,000 career hit.

--------------------------

Miss Minnesota 2017

For the third consecutive year I had the honor of co-emceeing the Miss Minnesota Scholarship Pageant. On Saturday evening, a new Miss Minnesota was crowned.


Announcing Miss MN 2017 from Zandolee Media on Vimeo.


I first met Brianna Drevlow last year when she was competing for Miss Minnesota 2016. I recall chatting with her a bit backstage a mere few hours before finals night. As a graduate assistant at Bowling Green State University as well as being a composer and freelance piano teacher, Brianna had options. She said as much during that conversation, indicating that she would give it her all in competition but that she would likely move on in life if not crowned Miss Minnesota. So when she finished first runner up last year, I assumed she was done despite having one more year of eligibility remaining.

However, in chatting with her this afternoon on my weekly radio program, she mentioned that upon finishing second overall she made an almost immediate decision to return. Sure enough, she won a local pageant in Northern Minnesota last September. When I learned of that victory, I immediately said that she will be the most formidable contestant in the 2017 group. My prediction was spot on as she performed flawlessly in the two preliminary competition nights as well as Saturday in the finals.

So within 17 hours of her crowning, Brianna stopped by the Patriot bunker this afternoon to chat about her title.

Congrats again, Brianna! I know you'll be a phenomenal representative of our state and, if the panel of Miss America judges have any common sense, our country!!

-------------------------------------------

When you got a job to do, you got to do it well.....

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! I hope that after y'all are spoiled on your special day that you have an opportunity to indulge in this week's edition of The Closer. Today's 1-hour bonanza begins at 2:00 PM Central Time.

I'll discuss the shooting in Alexandria, VA earlier this week, one where GOP members of Congress were the targets. I will also weigh in on the verdict in the trial of former St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez, who was tried in last year's shooting death of Philando Castile.

Finally at 2:30, we welcome to the Patriot bunker Miss Minnesota 2017 Brianna Drevlow. The lovely and talented Ms. Drevlow was crowned just last evening, so we'll find out what she has planned for her reign over the next 364 days.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio. If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast if you so desire. Check it out here.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

----------------------------------------

Yanez trial

When it was announced that the jury in the trial of St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez, who fatally shot Philando Castile last summer, was into its fifth day of deliberations, I had an inkling that a "not guilty" verdict was imminent.

Sure enough......

The jury reached its verdict of not guilty on the manslaughter charge as well as the two counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm Friday afternoon after about 30 hours of deliberations.

It was delivered in a Ramsey County District Court courtroom packed with family members and friends of both Yanez and Castile.

The statements given by Castile's family members afterwards were, as you can imagine, utterly heartbreaking.

Allysza Castile, Philando’s 24-year-old sister, said after the verdict was announced that she hadn’t spoken much in the last year because she gets emotional concerning her brother’s death.

“The system really is wrong and they really failed us,” she said, in tears outside the courthouse. “They really failed us once again because my brother was a good man” who never raised his voice.

I also saw television footage of Castile's distraught mother, Valerie. In sharing her grief, Ms. Castile indicated she hopes Yanez "will die tonight." While it's inappropriate to have calls for incitements of violence against anyone, I'm not about to vilify a mother who lost her son 11 months ago in such a senseless manner.

A few other thoughts:

- It may not be a bad idea to come up with some sort of universal policy on what cops require of a citizen who, like Castile, is legally permitted to own a gun and has one on his/her person when pulled over. My understanding is one is not legally obligated to disclose such information. But while doing the honorable thing in offering up full disclosure to Officer Yanez, Castile still wound up dead. Would he still be alive had he indicated initially that he had a permit to carry a firearm before disclosing he was carrying?

- I said it last year in the shooting's aftermath and I'll reiterate. Had it been a white driver who emulated Castile's behavior, I find it difficult to believe he would have been shot to death. I'm not one who typically indulges knee-jerk accusations of racism, but I'm at a loss to come up with words to refute any such speculation involving a racial component in the Castile case.

- There was a story that circulated last year which suggested that Castile matched the description of a suspect who robbed a convenience store not far from Falcon Heights (where Castile was shot). Would that change things? Perhaps if Yanez definitively believed that he was in the midst of someone who potentially committed armed robbery. But it still doesn't explain how the officer could discern if Castile resembled the suspect given he was pulled over in twilight hours.

- Yanez will not be returning to the St. Anthony police force. It's essentially a lock that he will never work in law enforcement again. So this idea he got off "scot-free" is not 100% accurate given his name and picture have been circulated worldwide. That said, he is at least above ground.

--------------------------------------------

Leftist hypocrisy: Part infinity

That was a horrific situation in Alexandria, VA Wednesday morning where GOP members of Congress were shot at by a gunman who was not shy about his grievances towards Republicans.

If certain leftists are intellectually honest (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Oh. Oh, I slay me), they would probably acquiesce to the fact that their blatant calls for violence (or fantasies of violence towards President Trump) should probably be dialed back. After all, this is the standard they set back in early 2011 when the Congresswoman Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) was shot by a deranged individual. The left contended that vociferous right-wing opposition to high taxes and an intrusive heath care law incited Jared Loughner to shoot Giffords. Never mind there wasn't a shred of evidence to back up those utterly absurd claims, but it was the narrative they chose.

Oh, and does anyone recall this post from a college professor after the GOP House passed the American Health Care Act?

Flashback: Professor says Republicans "should be lined up and shot."https://t.co/JeDcUTqfTU#Alexandria #GOPShooting pic.twitter.com/XrvV1caGUF

— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) June 14, 2017

Ah, but remember. Symbolic cross hair logos are allegedly far more dangerous than explicit calls for violence.

----------------------------------------

Get a grip

It was 6:30 Monday evening when I scrolled through my Facebook feed and saw the following status update from a friend and fellow Minnesota Twins fan:

F--king Twins!!!!!

I was perplexed by this, given that their game against Seattle hadn't started at that point. What could have possibly happened? Did they trade ace starting pitcher Ervin Santana?

As I scrolled through the comments on that post, I realized it had to do with the Twins selection of Shortstop/Outfielder Royce Lewis as the top pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. My buddy's frustration stemmed from the fact the Twins bypassed high school pitcher/outfielder Hunter Greene, a stud prospect with a 100 MPH fastball. My buddy, along with a few of his FB friends, allege the Twins made this move strictly for financial reasons. The armchair critics contended that the Pohlads are just too damn cheap to shell out the bonus money necessary to corral a "can't miss" prospect like Greene, so they settled for a shortstop.

With all due respect to my buddy, I can't even count the ways how utterly moronic these reactions appear.

First off, of all the major professional sports (MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA), Major League Baseball's draft is by far the biggest crap shoot. Heck, look at the three players going into the Hall of Fame this summer.

-Ivan Rodriguez - signed as an amateur free agent at age 16.

- Jeff Bagwell - 4th round pick.

- Tim Raines - 5th round pick.

I then made the point to my buddy that new President of Baseball Operations for the Twins, Derek Falvey, knows a thing or two about building contending clubs given he was part of the front office for the 2016 AL Champion Cleveland Indians. So with all due respect, I'll trust his judgement over said armchair critics. My buddy countered with "Falvey had good pitching in Cleveland. That should trump everything." Indeed he did. So let's look at some of the key pitchers who were vital to Cleveland's success last season.

• SP Corey Kluber (4th round pick)
• SP Carlos Carrasco (Free agent out of Venezuela)
• SP Danny Salazar (Free Agent out of the Dominican Republic)
• SP Josh Tomlin (19th round pick)
• SP Trevor Bauer (trade)
• RP Andrew Miller (trade)
• RP Cody Allen (16th round)
• RP Dan Otero (signed off waivers)

The point? It's quite possible to build a pitching staff with guys not selected in the first round or even drafted by your club at all.

In the end, I'm always wary of a high school pitcher being labeled a "can't miss" prospect. It's reminiscent of the 1990 draft when the Atlanta Braves, who were in the midst of their seventh consecutive losing season, had the top pick. A Texas high school kid by the name of Todd Van Poppel was the crown jewel of that draft. The right handed pitcher was already thought to possess major league stuff to the point where then Texas Rangers manager Bobby Valentine indicated he was ready for "The Show" right then and there. The Braves desperately wanted to take Van Poppel, but the young man hinted strongly that he'd prefer to attend the University of Texas. After being unable to secure a commitment from Van Poppel, the Braves then settled for a shortstop out of The Bolles School in Jacksonville, FL. His name? Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones who, in a mere 13 months from now, will be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.  

And what became of Van Poppel? He would actually be drafted by the Oakland A's with the 14th overall pick in 1990 and end up signing with the club. He would go on to have a mediocre 11-year MLB career with six different teams, compiling a record of 40-52 with a 5.58 ERA. 

So am I saying the Twins made the right move selecting Lewis and thus have a future Hall of Famer in their midst? Of course not. Heck, I'll even submit that Greene may become the next Dwight Gooden (sans the drug habit of course) and Lewis may never amount to anything. But therein lies my entire point. To say we know definitively that the Twins made the right or wrong choice is at best premature and at worst utterly asinine. 

-------------------------------------------

A new addition to the protest industry

When Donald Trump was inaugurated President of the United States nearly five months ago, there was one undeniably historic component. That would be the fact Trump was the first President in U.S. history to openly support same-sex marriage on day one of his administration.

Yes, I'm aware the LGBTQ community is focused on more than just that marriage issue. But Trump's record on additional concerns within said community is also pretty solid.

Despite criticism from both sides, Trump largely stood by his “New York values” throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, paying just enough lip service to the evangelical Right to cement his working-class base while still emerging above the Republican field in condemning North Carolina’s practically unnecessary “bathroom bill.” His Department of Justice did not withdraw the Obama administration’s lawsuit against the state until the North Carolina legislature replaced it. Trump’s religious-liberty executive order was nominal at best. And between the platforming of Peter Thiel at the Republican National Convention, who famously announced, “I am proud to be gay, I am proud to be a Republican, but most of all, I am proud to be an American,” and the tapping of the openly gay Richard Grenell as the U.S. ambassador to NATO, the LGBTQ+ community has had more representation thanks to the Trump administration than any other American presidency, save for maybe that of Obama.

With all that said, I guess I'm rather confounded at the latest protest added by the grievance mongering crowd (via Vox.com).

President Donald Trump’s first few months have been marked by protest. There was the Women’s March. There was the Day Without a Woman strike. Then there were the March for Science and the People’s Climate March.

Now there’s the Equality March for Unity and Pride, a protest by and for LGBTQ people, on Sunday, June 11. And it could be big: Organizers expect 260,000 to 300,000 will attend.

The march will target a broad set of problems facing LGBTQ Americans, according to organizers:

The “Equality March for Unity & Pride” is a grassroots movement which will mobilize the diverse LGBTQ+ communities to peacefully and clearly address concerns about the current political landscapes and how it is contributing to the persecution and discrimination of LGBTQ+ individuals.

Although Trump and his administration’s rhetoric and actions are on organizers’ minds, the point of the march is broader — addressing nondiscrimination laws, hate crimes (including murders of transgender people), disparities in the criminal justice system, and the unique challenges of LGBTQ immigrants.

And even though it’s coming in the middle of LGBTQ Pride Month, the march is not meant to be a traditional Pride parade; it’s geared more toward protest than celebration.

Amazing. Pride Month has really evolved as a celebration over the years, specifically how the LGBTQ community views it as a festival for all segments of society (yes, even straight folks) who celebrate the freedom to live openly. Yet this "Equality March" likely did little except draw attention away from the tremendous progress which has been made over the past decade. That's not to say that the LGBTQ folks don't still face challenges. They most definitely do. One obstacle in particular is that any member of that community who in any way expresses an allegiance to right-of-center politics are pretty much ostracized by the grievance mongering crowd. Somehow I don't believe the "Equality March for Unity and Pride" had any chants on behalf of gays who don't toe the "progressive" ideological line. Kinda the antithesis of "unity," no?

As I scrolled through that Vox piece, I came across a couple of paragraphs which seemed to undermine the march's mission (emphasis mine).

So what exactly are the issues that LGBTQ people are fired up about, two years after the massive victory of marriage equality?

The issue at the front of many LGBTQ people’s minds is violence. The march, after all, is coming a day before the one-year anniversary of the deadliest mass shooting in US history: the Pulse shooting in Orlando, Florida, where a shooter targeted LGBTQ people at a nightclub, killing 49 and wounding dozens more.

So the motive of the "shooter" isn't relevant? The fact that the "shooter," whose name was Omar Mateen, pledged allegiance to ISIS prior to carrying out these atrocities shouldn't be considered? Y'all heard of ISIS, right? They're that little faction within the radical Islamist movement which happens to abhor homosexuals and thus commits unspeakable violent acts towards them. Yet I scan this entire article and find nary a mention of ISIS, Islam, jihad, etc. Seems to me that should be the biggest target of the march's ire.

Given the fact that President Trump has conveyed a unifying message towards the LGBTQ community in addition to his commitment to eradicating radical Islamic terror, I don't know that the "Equality March" could have found a more staunch ally for their cause.

Ironic, isn't it?


-------------------------------------

Box Score of the Week

The New York Giants took on the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of a doubleheader on May 2, 1954.

---------------------------------

The Cardinals' Stan "The Man" Musial hit two home runs in this game. In the first game of the doubleheader, Musial hit three homers, which gave him five in one day. That was a MLB record, one that was tied 18 years later by San Diego Padres first baseman Nate Colbert. 

----------------------------------

I'm lookin' high and low, don't know where to go......

It's one of these days where I will be grateful to be in the air conditioned Patriot bunker. As usual, the one-hour edition of The Closer will get started at 2:00 PM Central Time.

Right at 2:00 I will be joined by Dave Hughes, who will seek the GOP nomination to oppose Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN 07) in 2018. Dave was the Republican candidate in 2016, but just fell short in defeating the longtime incumbent Congressman.

In the non-guest segments, I plan on weighing on James Comey's testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee and try to parse through the partisan spin.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio. If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast if you so desire. Check it out here.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

----------------------------------------

Just the beginning

At the end of the day, most people will view through their own political prism former FBI Director James Comey's testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday.

Sure, you can definitively argue that the Trump-Russia collusion angle is dead. Heck, even MSNBC's Chris Matthews acquiesced to that. And for all the caterwauling leftists have done over Trump allegedly obstructing justice by expressing his hopes that Comey would drop the Flynn investigation, they emitted a collective yawn over the revelation that former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch asked Comey to downplay Hillary Clinton's email scandal. 

However, if you think for one second that President Trump is fully vindicated, think again. Matthew Continetti at The Washington Free Beacon lays out a compelling scenario that Trump may still face impeachment down the road. 

It has to do with this tweet the President sent out three days after Comey's dismissal.

James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

That tweet, Comey told the Senate, prompted the now-private citizen to instruct a friend, Columbia Law professor Daniel Richman, to share with the New York Times the contents of contemporaneous memos he had written describing his interactions with the president. The article, published a week to the day Comey was fired, revealed that the president had asked the FBI director to end the criminal investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Why did Comey have Richman call the Times? Because, he told the Senate, he hoped that the disclosure of the memo would prompt the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russia's involvement in the 2016 election and possible collusion with associates of the president's campaign. That is exactly what happened May 17, the day after the Times piece, when Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein named as counsel former FBI director Robert Mueller.

And though Comey would not say if he believed President Trump obstructed justice by urging him to "let go" the investigation into Flynn, he did say he was sure that Mueller would investigate whether obstruction of justice had occurred.

Obstruction of justice, of course, being something past congresses have considered a "high crime and misdemeanor" worthy of presidential impeachment.

In other words: By firing Comey and then tweeting recklessly about it, Trump elevated a long-running but manageable problem—the so-called "Russia thing"—into an independent investigation that seriously endangers his presidency.

I have no idea where this is headed, as Trump has seemingly staved off one potential catastrophe after another. But if indeed he is impeached, it would only be appropriate that the proverbial ball got rolling due to something he tweeted.

It's gonna be a long summer.

---------------------------------------------------

The ol' Gunslinger

As quarterback Brett Favre progressed in his NFL career, he definitely became more of a student of the game. However, his first few years with the Green Bay Packers, it was obvious he was more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants type of QB as opposed to a cerebral player.

This story about an interaction with then Packers backup QB Ty Detmer pretty much epitomized Favre's first three seasons in Green Bay.

Brett Favre on asking Ty Detmer what a Nickel Defense was. pic.twitter.com/84gvIy36Jr

— Zach Dunn (@ZachSDunn) June 6, 2017

-----------------------------------------

The most trusted name in news.....or something

The Federalist's Sean Davis highlights CNN's stellar past week:


- Mock Beheadings.

- Stage-Managed protests.

- Egregious Profanity.

- Numerous Fake Apologies (Kathy Griffin rolling her eyes during apology, later claims victim status; Reza Aslan saying it's not like him to react to POTUS the way he did when previous tweets indicate otherwise).


For as inept and nonsensical as President Trump can be, his detractors are determined to be worse. Hecukva job, media.

---------------------------------------------

Box Score of the Week

Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees - August 5, 2010.

---------------------------------------

This past weekend, Albert Pujols hit his 600th career home run. At 37 years, 138 days, Pujols became the fourth youngest player in MLB history to reach that milestone. In the game I referenced above, Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, at age 35 years, 9 days, became the youngest player in MLB history to reach 600* home runs.

----------------------------------------

"So why don't moderate Muslims speak out against ISIS?"

CNN: "We'll see to it."

CNN have just been caught in a leaked video with reporter @BeckyCNN FAKING a muslim protest against #LondonBridge. pic.twitter.com/XLdtNq6Rmr

— Caolan Robertson (@CaolanRob) June 4, 2017

------------------------------------

Why is it everytime I see your face, it's only when I got gas in my Chevy?

Happy anniversary to me!! Yes, it was six years ago today when I made my debut as a regular member of the Northern Alliance Radio Network. Today's one-hour edition of The Closer begins at 2:00 PM Central Time.

There's much to weigh in on this week, particularly the news of "comedienne" Kathy Griffin claiming victim status over a faux decapitation of President Trump, the leftist freak out over Trump pulling America out of the Paris climate deal and the latest shenanigans from Minnesota's perpetually petulant governor.

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio. If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast if you so desire. Check it out here.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

----------------------------------------

LeBron vs. M.J.

With Cleveland Cavaliers megastar LeBron James set to make his seventh consecutive NBA Finals appearance, there's been much debate over who's better all-time, LeBron or Michael Jordan. With forums like Twitter, the back and forth has been non-stop.

My thoughts on the matter? WHO FLIPPIN' CARES?!?!?!

Jordan was the greatest player of his era while James is the best (and most physically gifted) in the game today.

Jordan went 6 for 6 in NBA Finals appearances. James is currently 3 for 7 (he single-handedly dragged the Cavs to the Finals in 2007), and is making his 7th consecutive Finals appearance this season (2011-2014 with the Miami Heat; 2015-2017 with the Cavs).

Jordan was a first ballot Hall of Famer; James will be a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Jordan his fifth overall in NBA points scored; James is seventh and climbing.

Jordan is second overall career NBA playoff points; James is first.


Honestly, with the pedigrees of these two players, does it really matter who is better?

I am old enough to have witnessed Jordan's entire career, so I am well aware of what he brought to the game. His physical talent was something to behold but was surpassed by his willingness to win at all costs. Yes, MJ's killer instinct was unmatched in his era.

On the other hand, I've witnessed James' entire run as well. To enter the league as an 18-year old with expectations of being the proverbial second coming and then exceeding said expectations? Unbelievable. And when I said he's the "most physically gifted?" Name another 6'8", 250 lb. player who can guard a power forward or point guard with equal precision.

So who's better? I really don't care. All I know is as a sports fan I was privileged to witness both players for the entirety of their respective careers. Getting into silly debates over this topic only diminishes one or the other, so I refuse to indulge.

-----------------------------------------