Appreciating May the Fourth Be With You

In May 1977, the original Star Wars film (now known as Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope) premiered at movie theaters.  Practically no one expected the tremendous  success of Star Wars, as it grossed $775 million at the box office.   But the George Lucas film became a sustained cultural phenomenon.

When Tory politician Margaret Thatcher first became British Prime Minister, the London Evening Standard published a punny congratulatory ad from the Conservative party which played off of Star Wars rebel imagery vis-a-vis Labour's deathgrip on UK politics after 1978-79 Winter of Discontent.

While the politics of the pun's origination may have faded, the slogan became a geek touchstone.  It was a catch phrase on Facebook for "Luke Skywalker Day" in 2008.  The first organized grassroots holiday was in Toronto, Canada in 2011.  Since Disney took over Lucasfilms in 2013, it has become a celebrated ersatz holiday.

It might make you want to sing.





Like lounge singer Nick Winters on Saturday Night Live so many moons ago?


Almost.

But it might inspire the Boogie Storm to make some mad jumps. 

London Mayor Calls for Knife Ban on the Street to Control Violent Crime

Since the Firearm Act of 1997 essentially prohibited  British subjects from owning handguns and making certificates to own long guns an onerous and time consuming process, Britain has become the most violent country in Europe.  In fact, London had 55 murders in the first three months of 2018, which was more than New York City.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan (London-Labor) complains that budgetary cuts in policing have endangered public safety.  But Khan's knee jerk reaction is to suggest banning knives on the street, as if further weapons bans will work.  

This should be a lesson for public policy pundits who want to have what they term as "reasonable" Gun Reform Now, starting by banning the AR-15 assault weapon.  

When questioning progressives to define an assault weapon, they like to invoke Associate Justice Potter Stewart's obscenity threshold test "I know it when I see it."  When challenging the lack of effectiveness of the US 1994 Assault Weapons ban, as was measured through provisions of the enacted legislation, it is common to hear the "We've got to do something" rationale.   When it is noted that there are at least 330 million legal guns in the US and law abiding citizens are likely to be the only ones who would comply with a ban, gun grabbers' modus operendi is "We have to start somewhere." And dare one propose looking to root problems like mental illness or sudden jihad syndrome then epithets and accusations of NRA propaganda are invoked.

Denouncing the Nerve of Russia Poisoning

Trump Administration UN Ambassador Nikki Haley denounced the assassination attempt on  a Russian double agent living in England at the UN Security Council.  Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found slumped over in Salsibury city center on March 4th and they remain in critical condition.  Haley noted that this episode was a defining moment and "The credibility of this [Security] Council will not survive if we fail to hold Russia accountable." 



 
The March 4th attack in Salsibury used Novichok ("Newcomer" in Russian), a military grade nerve agent which was manufactured in secret in the Soviet Union during the 1970s and 1980s.  A-230, one of the chemicals in Novichok, is five to eight times more lethal than VX gas. This toxic assassination attempt on foreign soil exposed dozens of citizens and 200 first responders to deadly chemicals.  Still, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin deflects from responsibility for the attack. 



British Prime Minister Teresa May opined: "Either this was a direct action by the Russian State against our country or the Russian government lost control of a potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get in the hands of others."   The British Government expelled 23 Russian diplomats and suspended high level contacts.  In addition, there is talk that the UK may organize an official boycott of the Sochi World Cup competition this June.  Putin is mulling over retaliatory actions against the UK. 

Although the British have not invoked the "All For One, One For All" Article V Clause of NATO, there has been a rare joint statement between President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Teresa May which concluded that there was no plausible alternative explanation explanation to Russian responsibility to the Salsibury attack and Russia's non response to the British legitimate request for an explanation further underlines the responsibility.  The communique noted that the use of chemical weapons is a breach of international law and an assault on UK sovereignty.


During one of the 2012 Presidential debates, President Barack Obama mocked Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) for thinking that Russia was the premiere world threat and joked "The 1980s are now calling to get their their foreign policy back." The Salisbury chemical attack impeaches Obama's caustic quip.  Sadly, the mainstream media today is more focused on over-exposing Stormy Daniels strip tease of her truth of a Trump affair a dozen years ago than covering a serious international incident which actually involves Vladimir Putin. 

London Mayor on Life in the Big City

Nigel Farage on the Establishment

Queen Elizabeth II on the Royal Family

Nigel Farage on a Year of Change

Former UKIP party leader Nigel Farage, who championed the British withdrawal from the European Union, saw many parallels between Brexit and President-Elect Donald Trump's win in Election 2016 as they are the rise of the "little people". 

Both renegade political leaders looked happy when they met at Trump Tower after Mr. Trump's unexpected victory. 

UK MEP Daniel Hannan: "Mr. Trump, You're No Mr. Brexit"

British Member of the European Parliament Daniel Hannan (South East England-Tory) is known across the Atlantic as being a staunch critic of anthropogenic climate change.  Hannan also is a renowned Euroskeptic who had an iconic personal campaign for the Brexit referendum: Vote Me Out of a Job!

Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump (R-NY) recently crowned himself "Mr. Brexit", perhaps trying to associate himself with a triumphant underdog image.  This parallel did not settle well with MEP Daniel Hannan, who used social media to distinguish between the Brexit campaign and Mr. Trump's electoral efforts. 

To be fair, Hannan has long been a Euro equivalent of a Never Trump-er.  However, Trump's attempt to attach unto the Brexit Leave victory goes right into Hannan's wheelhouse. It will be interesting to see if Trump continues to bask himself in Brexit's glory or if he will concoct another conceit for his comeback against Democrat Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (D-NY).

Donald Trump as Mr. Brexit?

During an interview on Fox and Friends, Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump (R-NY) claimed the moniker "Mr. Brexit". 

It is unclear if Trump pushes the parallel that the polls are dramatically wrong or if it is a wedge issues between elites and common folks, or maybe emblemizing the rise of nationalism. Possibly all of the above.

Theresa May on Brexit

UK Must be PC on IPs

Adrian Smith, an 18 year veteran of the Trafford Council and Trafford Housing Trust (near Manchester, United Kingdom), was significantly demoted on his job for making moral comments on Facebook.

In October, Smith for daring to post on his own time on a private Facebook page that he thought that same sex “marriages” in churches was “an equality too far”.

These comments were brought to the attention of a supervisor. Subsequently, Smith was demoted from a £35,000 managerial post to a £21,000 position. The only reason that he was not fired outright was because of his long record of service.

The fracas over Adrian Smith’s Facebook posting raises some interesting issues...

READ MORE  at the DCBarroco website

Obama's West Wing Not "Punching Above Its Weight"

Recently,  I had a short  yet civil conversation with an acquaintance from the other side of the aisle.  When the topic of foreign policy arose, I noted the many mis-steps that the Obama Administration has make with the United Kingdom and how we needed to renew the “special relationship” with our principle ally.  My liberal interlocutor dismissed the many gift gaffes and insisted that the world holds President Obama in great esteem.

The Fox News Channel showed the following montage of ham handed handling of foreign dignitaries at the White House, but this evidence would be dismissed by Obamatons because it was a right wing news source.  However, here is the original Danish feature.




Universally well respected-- hardly.  The sarcasm emanating from this reporter about the repetition that all nations are “one of our strongest allies” and “punching above its weight” is palpable.

READ MORE at the DCBarroco website