The First Steps to Fix the Secret Service

I finally agree with something the Harris-Biden regime created. They put together a “blue ribbon” panel to investigate the failures of the Secret Service after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in July.

 

The panel, led by Mark Filip, deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush, Janet Napolitano, the secretary of Homeland Security under former President Barack Obama, and others, recommended leadership in the agency be replaced with outside individuals who could change the culture of the Secret Service, including the “present sense of complacency within the Service.”

It was reported by CNN Politics and Newsmax that, “The Secret Service has become bureaucratic, complacent, and static even though risks have multiplied and technology has evolved,” the panel wrote in its report released Thursday 

Any reasonable person would agree. Former Director Kim Cheadle was allowed to resign and Acting Director Ronald Rowe, who, though not named directly in the report’s recommendation for leadership change, comes from inside the ranks of the agency and was appointed after Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in the wake of the near assassination.

But the culture is stagnant and will not change as long as the existing leadership remains.

The 52-page report issued Thursday took the Secret Service to task for specific problems leading up to the July 13 rally in Butler as a well as deeper one within the agency's culture. It recommended bringing in new, outside leadership and refocusing on its protective mission.

I agree. And when Donald Trump is elected again, his first order of business should be to appoint Dan Bongino to head up the agency and give him complete autonomy to clean up the Service as this bi-partisan panel believes. He knows what is needed.

The morale of the rank-and-file is suffering from the negative political climate caused by the current lack of real leadership and needs someone who can lead them like they want and need. The sooner this happens, that attitude will be improved.

And in nineteen days, we can all make that happen by electing Donald Trump.

What Can Prompt Your Cherished Memories

Just one week ago, we woke up to incessant rain and winds blowing at 85 MPH and gusts over 100. It had been raining since Tuesday afternoon, and was non-stop all through Thursday.

My daughter's children were excited because the last time they witnessed such a storm was when we were in New York in 2021 and a tree branch pulled down a wire in front of their house. In addition, this time, all the grandparents had to sleep over. So it was a Hurricane Party atmosphere.

I shared this all last week in my Commentary, Here Comes the Sun.

Today, I want to tell you something new. When I woke up, it was a crisp, autumnal day, not unlike I used to enjoy on a mid-October day in New York. The sky was blue, with wispy clouds, the air was cool and dry, and it was the coolest day since April, at 54*. It was refreshing.

I know that for my friends in the northern climes, this is a normal day for you since probably Labor Day. But for this transplanted Long Islander, it was something we generally don’t see in Central Florida. At least, not until after Thanksgiving.

Funny thing how something simple and unexpected happens, like a change in the weather, and memories flood back from a day gone by. Or a special song. Or a fragrance or smell from your youth. Like Sunday Sauce. Right?

And instantly, you are transported to another place and time. Even for just a brief moment. That is what happened to me this morning.

And then suddenly, reality returns, leaving you with a wistful smile, knowing those days are gone. Forever. But the memories are there to be recalled when you least expect them.

And you smile, knowing they are yours to cherish. Always.

Like the memories my grandchildren have locked away, until they are recalled for them unexpectedly. Like they were for me.

Until this morning, at around 7 AM.

Another Merger of Iconic Brands

What do you get when you put two struggling entities together? Do you remember when Sears and K-Mart did that? Ultimately, it became a nightmare for both long-time brands.

 

I wrote about this in my Commentary, Say Good-Bye to Yesterday – Again. I discussed how after the merger occurred in 2005, there were 2,500 stores.

But after the bankruptcy, there were 231 stores remaining. And as of this October 20, there will be only one left. In Miami.

And now, is history about to repeat itself? It was reported today by CNN Business and Yahoo News that Bed Bath & Beyond is returning at The Container Store. Both companies announced a strategic partnership leveraging both of these iconic brands.

Bed Bath and Beyond withdrew from its arrangement with Overstock.com in July, while The Container Store was struggling with its options with its current business model since May. Beyond Inc is investing $40 million in The Container Store and giving the home goods and former competitor a much-needed lifeline.

The arrangement includes Bed Bath & Beyond selling its branded kitchen, bath and bedroom products at The Container Store’s 102 locations.

“Through the licensing of the Bed Bath & Beyond brand, The Container Store will enhance their store format and current general merchandise offering by incorporating the most popular Bed Bath & Beyond products to drive improved financial performance while providing customers a more comprehensive product offering for their home and organizational needs,” said Marcus Lemonis, Beyond Inc.’s executive chairman, in a release.

The companies intend for the partnership to position The Container Store to return to profitable comparable store growth over time by utilizing and benefitting from Beyond’s intellectual property, customer data, network of brands, and affiliate relationships.

Following a refinancing or amendment of the Company’s credit facilities and the approval by shareholders pursuant to a shareholder vote in Q4 2024 or Q1 2025, and subject to certain other conditions, the arrangement will commence once paperwork is agreed to by the SEC.

Let’s hope for a more successful outcome than Eddie Lambert had when he destroyed the Sears/K-Mart fiasco.

The Failure By CBS Earns a Black Eye to Show the Truth - For Profit

Here is an idea. If a network news division interviews a prominent person, say like Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, or Mike Johnson, show the WHOLE UNEDITED interview, in order to avoid charges of trying to alter the responses. Even if YOU don’t like them.

 

Let the viewer determine what is factual. YOU don’t hold a monopoly on Truth or News. We have the ability to do our own research.

And if it goes over your allotted time to broadcast, then we can wait until it is completely aired so accusations of news manipulation cannot be made.

For example, do you stop broadcasting a sporting event like the Sunday NFL game because it goes into overtime? No, you don’t!

 Instead, you delay the start of the next program. Remember, we have DVRs which can record, too.

And neither the NFL nor MLB, nor the PGA, or any other sport would agree and accept their broadcast airtime be cut so you could begin the next show when it was scheduled. Or, the next time you just might not get the next contract.

CBS has been charged by public opinion for editing the 60 Minutes interview with VP Harris and the Face the Nation interview with Speaker Johnson, claiming their editing was due to “time constraints”.

Bad move by CBSNEWS. Nobody believes that lie.

Last week, the Tiffany Network broadcast two different answers on two separate occasions, a day apart, given by Kammy to the same question. Then, this week, the same network shaved approximately two minutes given by Johnson to make his answer appear to suit the interviewer’s agenda. Even if it was "unintenional".

It was reported by the New York Post and many other outlets, and Speaker Johnson complained LOUDLY in social media about it.

While WE THE PEOPLE are entitled to the Constitutional right to a free press, it does NOT mean the corporate news entities have a right to CONTROL what we get to see or hear. Just so YOU can meet profit margins.

That is the job of your entertainment division. News is not about entertainment, even though you try to run it the same way.

News divisions should NOT be about profit. It is supposed to be there to serve the public good, no matter the cost to your bottom line.

Or did all of you miss that day when it was taught in Journalism 101?

The Anti-Semitic American Regime Makes More Demands

SecState Antony Blinken and SecDef Lloyd Austin are playing anti-Semitic tag team threatening Israel with withholding additional arms support if Israel doesn’t increase humanitarian aid to Gaza. Translate that to Hamas. You know, the entity which captured and killed over 1,400 Israelis last October 7.

 

While the aid is supposed to help the people living in Gaza, Hamas will take the money and food for themselves, without sharing it with the people.  Israel knows it. And unless they admit to being stupid, so do anti-Semites Austin and Blinken.

This is reported across all media sources, including NBC and the Associated Press.

According to the news reports, Israel has thirty days to comply. And by the way, the Harris-Biden regime is pressuring Israel not to strike Iran’s key military locations, including its nuclear plants and oil fields.

The Harris-Biden White House has an ugly history of trying to restrain Israel whenever it seems to be winning, largely because Harris and Biden's foreign policy is fundamentally, and insanely, pro-Iran. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a swipe at President Biden's administration Tuesday, stating firmly that Israel, not the US, will decide how best to retaliate against Iran's recent aggression.

"We listen to the opinions of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interest," Netanyahu said in a statement.

Jewish voters here are witnessing first-hand and up close the actions of the most anti-Semitic American government in our history. With less than three weeks to our own Election Day. And they are watching Democrat Jewish Senators and Representatives remain silent.

Makes one wonder, doesn’t it? Are they Jews only for the votes?

Remember this Holocaust poem? In part, it reads:

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out. Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me. And there was no one left to speak for me.

I do. Always .

Why the Border Patrol Union Supports Donald Trump

The Border Patrol union has endorsed Donald Trump for President. It isn’t surprising, since he has always praised them and recognized them for the difficult tasks they do to protect the southern border.

 

Multiple agents, who talked to the New York Post anonymously for fear of backlash from their bosses, said that Kammy is likely to take office with a massive staffing crisis at the agency if she is elected.

Many officers have voiced their objections so strongly and have threatened to leave the agency should the Kamster be elected President.

“I’m not doing this $#!+ again … four years of hell,” said one agent, who is nowhere near retirement.

Another agent said: “Lots of guys who can retire will go. If Trump wins, they’ll stay.”

Across the entire agency, they feel the Harris-Biden Regime contempt for the work they do. They are truly disrespected.

“Under this administration, they’ve done everything they could to make our job as inefficient as possible. They can’t outwardly tell us not to do our job, but when you’re watching criminals come in and get released it sucks,” said one of the agents. That is the consensus.

In addition, nearly 30% of security cameras that monitor the southern border are reportedly broken, and sources fear that could mean the number of migrant “gotaways” is “way more than reported.”

Trump has indicated that he will offer substantial sign-on bonuses to both recruits and returning agents. He has promised to add 10,000 new agents to beef up the force.

The agency has shed more than 4,000 personnel since October 2020, leaving about 19,000 employees.

Certainly, it appears Donald Trump will continue to support the Border Patrol as it protects our borders with every tool at his disposal. He has also promised to restart the wall, and make certain funds will be available to maintain equipment within days of taking office. 

And the Border Patrol officers are all in on that.

Big Boxes Are Fading Away, Too

It was reported by NBC, CNN, the New York Post and other news outlets that Walgreens Boots Alliance D/B/A Walgreens Drug Stores is closing 1,200 stores over the next several years. 500 of the stores will be closed within the next twelve months. The closing stores have not yet been identified.

 

This announcement comes on the heels of the CVS bombshell when it announced it was cutting about 2,900 jobs as part of a $2 billion in cost savings initiative. The layoffs, which affect mostly corporate jobs, add to the 5,000 or so job reductions disclosed last year.

Both chains, along with Rite Aid, cited acquisitions, competition from Amazon and even declining front end sales which comes from discount stores like Dollar General and Dollar Tree, which impacted impulse buying at the front end of the stores.

Walgreens’ CEO Tim Wentworth said in a statement that the “turnaround will take time, but we are confident it will yield significant financial and consumer benefits over the long term.”

Retail analyst Neil Saunders agreed, saying that Walgreens’ eliminating the “dead wood will help the company strengthen its financials over time, but it is a huge admission of failure.”

This is just the latest evidence of a declining economy, where even “big box” pharmacies are feeling the hurt that the rest of us have felt for the last three and one half years. Imagine what the impact is on “mom and pop” neighborhood drug stores. They are becoming a dying enterprise.

Just like so many other small retail outlets, which are vanishing from the landscape.