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CENTRAL VIEW for Monday, July 22, 2024

by William Hamilton, J.D., Ph.D.

Secret Service on the slippery slope

Given what happened to President Trump at a recent rally in Pennsylvania, surely we can agree that there is something wrong with the way those persons authorized Secret Service protection are "protected."

We can and should applaud the dedication and bravery of the Secret Service agents who will take a bullet for those under their protection. But we should also recognize that there is something fundamentally wrong when the Secret Service is forced to organize, staff, and train based more on DEI than Merit. An exposé by Washington Post reporter Carol Leoning entitled Zero Fail: the Rise and Fall of the Secret Service (2017) provides an overview of the problems faced by the Secret Service. In addition to the security issues, the author reveals that the Reagan and Bush families were beloved by their Secret Service agents and that Mrs. Clinton and her Secret Service detail despised each other.

Fast forward:, the attempt to kill President Trump at a public rally sucked the news space away from the apparent cognitive decline of President Biden*. But, on the other hand, the near miss made President Trump a more sympathetic figure on the eve of his confirmation as the GOP presidential nominee.

So now, "the months dwindle down to a precious few," that, hopefully, will see America decide the election on Election Day and not be held in abeyance until the Election Day losing side manufactures enough votes to "win."

The hallmark of American Democracy has been the peaceful transition of power from one political party to another. But peaceful does not mean without heated debate. Still, hatred and violence should have no place in these contests.

Here in Idaho, we have enough on our plate trying to outwit the AI Devil. We thought we mastered our stove top until the meal we were hoping to eat set off the smoke alarms. Not yet aware of the location of the circuit breaker box, the best we could do was open all the doors to let out the smoke (and 100-degree F. heat in) and pray for an EMP attack to end the ear-splitting noise.

Nor have we mastered the dishwasher which, after you have selected the functions you want it to perform, only allows you four seconds to close its door. If you violate the four-second rule, AI erases your selections and you must start all over with a new set of selections.

Apparently, the hidden, automatic lawn sprinkler system is still set on "Ambush Mode." The only upside is that our new umbrella stand by the door to the back yard looks very nice. If you ask how many Ph.D.s it takes to unlock the microwave, the answer is two. Working together, we can each have a nice cup of hot tea. Hopefully, after Election Day, we and our nation will be back in order.

©2024. William Hamilton.

Nota bene: "Central View" moved from Colorado to Idaho on Memorial Day.

Dr. Hamilton can be contacted at:

Email: drwm.hamilton@gmail.com

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