tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76851932024-03-13T13:11:31.374-05:00That's Going Too Far!Humor, political commentary, satire and short stories since 2004.
andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.comBlogger1081125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-24764217965782685672017-05-21T11:27:00.000-05:002017-05-21T11:27:14.306-05:00Democrats Need To Reintroduce Themselves To Rural America<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I7X0xosf98c/WSG_R5f8TYI/AAAAAAAAEE0/mAN3NZIK3pomlghpQATKNXv_pEYq2Sr2gCLcB/s1600/images-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I7X0xosf98c/WSG_R5f8TYI/AAAAAAAAEE0/mAN3NZIK3pomlghpQATKNXv_pEYq2Sr2gCLcB/s1600/images-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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I reposted a video on Facebook that looks back at the
political events of the past week and demonstrates how FOX News distorts,
deflects and denies stories critical of Trump and his administration. Regular
viewers of FOX News are told over and over again the mainstream media is fake
news, journalists are treating Trump unfairly, stories damning to the president
have no basis in fact, etc., etc., etc. If your main source of news is FOX,
you’re living in a bubble of right-wing fantasies and delusions.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Yet FOX News isn’t the only culprit in the conservative echo
chamber. Another factor that on the one hand seems self-evident, yet is vitally
important to the future chances of Democratic candidates, is what I call the
closed political loop of small-town America.</div>
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<br /></div>
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During my life I have lived in several small rural towns. I
found many of the clichés about small town living to be true. Neighbors help
neighbors, doors don’t have to be locked at night and there is a real sense of
community pride you won’t find in larger cities. In some ways, small towns are
like extended families, with all of the good, bad and ugly aspects you would
expect. And like many families, political views are generally shared and reinforced
within the clan. To no one’s surprise, most rural folks are staunch
conservatives, and so are their friends and family. When the men meet at the
diner on main street for coffee, they aren’t quoting Marx or praising Elizabeth
Warren, they’re parroting FOX News talking points.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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I believe this is an important issue for Democratic
candidates in all states, but especially red states. The good folks living in
small town Arkansas or Georgia or Idaho do not seek out and rarely receive news
or opinions contrary to their fixed worldview.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When it does happen on occasion, it is dismissed out of hand. That’s why
I believe it is necessary for Democratic candidates to go to the rural towns in
their states and meet with people face to face. Democrats have written off rural
America for far too long, and the result is a huge swath of the country
drowning in a red sea.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Democratic candidates shouldn’t expect a warm welcome in
rural areas, but it is absolutely necessary, especially in this era of Mad King
Trump, to reintroduce traditional Democratic ideas back into middle America. It
is the only hope we have of ever turning red states blue again.</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-3375538937344998882017-05-08T10:56:00.000-05:002017-05-08T10:56:15.243-05:00Is Trump Really As Stupid As He Sounds?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--3Ja5icZaSU/WRCUvm8Be6I/AAAAAAAAEEg/iU7OHy1ZSaUkoQ22D4tne2g7cuF-Q1hRgCLcB/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--3Ja5icZaSU/WRCUvm8Be6I/AAAAAAAAEEg/iU7OHy1ZSaUkoQ22D4tne2g7cuF-Q1hRgCLcB/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
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One of the fundamental questions reasonably intelligent
people ask each other is whether Donald Trump is really as stupid (or mentally
ill) as he sounds or is he simply playing a character who recites lines to
satisfy his loyal followers. Although not the definitive answer, a blurb from
an article in this month’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New Yorker</i>
tilts the needle toward the former. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a comment on exercise, the article states, “Other than
golf, [Trump] considers exercise misguided, arguing that a person, like a
battery, is born with a finite amount of energy.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My first question is, where would anyone even come up with
such a bizarre notion? Did it come from the same kooky personal doctor who
wrote, “[Trump] will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the
presidency?” What universe does Trump live in where he can seriously believe
something that is at odds with every bit of research done on the subject of
exercise? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Not only is Trump a pathological liar, a severe narcissist
and a sociopath, he is also delusional. All conservatives practice inductive
reasoning, which is using a specific instance to make generalized conclusions,
such as the claim that a black woman once bought vodka with food stamps, hence
all food stamp recipients and black people are lazy cheaters with no morals.
Trump, however, takes inductive reasoning to new heights, creating an entire
personal universe of gross generalizations based on little more than something
someone once said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The level of Trump’s ignorance is not merely shocking, it is
also very, very dangerous.</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-49667851057393532702017-05-06T12:02:00.000-05:002017-05-06T12:02:22.990-05:00Will Losing Their Health Insurance Help Republican Voters Wake Up?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S_E5ngHAyx8/WQ4A5bKOIVI/AAAAAAAAEEQ/zfwVXuUIdUs0Up2AFBciIfL3MWE2ZghZQCLcB/s1600/RT-trump-AHCA-ml-170505_12x5_1600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S_E5ngHAyx8/WQ4A5bKOIVI/AAAAAAAAEEQ/zfwVXuUIdUs0Up2AFBciIfL3MWE2ZghZQCLcB/s320/RT-trump-AHCA-ml-170505_12x5_1600.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Seeing video and photos of Trump and congressional
Republicans celebrating the passage of the catastrophic Trumpcare legislation
turned my stomach in a way that so many other recent images have not. Why?
Because the clusterfuck of mostly rich white males guffawing and ass-slapping
each other like they’d just gotten free tickets to a Three Stooges film
marathon were laughing at you and me. That’s right, good citizen, we were the
butt of the joke in Washington, D.C. yesterday, as Republican members of
congress and Trump celebrated our utter stupidity, our unassailable ignorance,
our inability to distinguish fact from fiction. And by “we,” I mean the
millions of Americans who keep voting for Republicans.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To Republican candidates, a large swath of American voters
are country hicks in the big city who will stand at the Three-Card Monte table indefinitely,
continuously betting that they will win the next hand. And that
characterization is highly accurate. Part of this is because the marks get
their information and their biases confirmed from a corporatist network media
and delusional right-wing cable “news” shows. FOX News has been the most
watched cable news show for years. Bolstered with misinformation and appeals to
their darkest fears, Jesus-loving whites turn out on election day eager to vote
for the Christian con-artist with the shiniest American flag lapel pin.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is very unlikely that the Trumpcare legislation will pass
in the Senate and become law, but that doesn’t mean a slightly less onerous
bill couldn’t succeed in the future. As long as Trump is president and both
houses are controlled by Republicans, there will be no end of legislation
designed to benefit the .01 percent at the expense of the rest of us. Today
it’s healthcare, tomorrow it will be taxes and the next day energy and on and
on, with the pigs at the trough never getting enough. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Will it take the total annihilation of this country to open the
eyes of the American voter? What will it take to break the trance of values
voters and get them to see the con-artists for who they truly are? Will losing
their health insurance be enough? What will wake these people up?</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-76433627240807518482017-04-20T12:15:00.000-05:002017-04-20T12:15:44.117-05:00Angry Town Hall Attendees Need To Look In The Mirror<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sjfrRHfxwwE/WPjsMau2HUI/AAAAAAAAED8/biY55QZs3CAb8ttlGKuhfFAMZjBVvsppQCLcB/s1600/68082-full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sjfrRHfxwwE/WPjsMau2HUI/AAAAAAAAED8/biY55QZs3CAb8ttlGKuhfFAMZjBVvsppQCLcB/s320/68082-full.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Across red state America from Idaho to Florida,
congressional Republicans are returning to their hometowns to face angry
voters. Those conservative reps brave enough to attend Town Hall meetings are
being met with large hostile crowds who are demanding answers about their
support for Trump and his toxic agenda. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I don’t get it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The majority of the people attending these Town Hall
meetings are Republicans. They likely voted for the representative they are now
booing and probably voted for Trump. Yet here they are criticizing the person
who they knew was a conservative, who they knew would support the Republican
presidential candidate, and who they knew would follow Donald Trump’s lead.
They’re mad at their representative, when they should be mad at themselves for
their ill informed, self-defeating choices.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s a ton of analysis out there about why people
continue to vote against their own best interests, but what does it take to get
them to stop? Do they really believe a Democrat would do a worse job then their
current congressperson, who they now revile? Red state Americans willingly
voted for a president who was an avowed racist (a point in his favor, I guess),
a misogynist, a serial liar and a corrupt businessman basically because he
wasn’t Hillary Clinton or another Democrat. And then they are disappointed with
the results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How bad will things have to get before Republican voters
realize the leaders of their party have no interest in helping them or making
their lives better? And how long will it take for Democrats to wake up and
realize that neo-liberal, corporate-sponsored candidates like Hillary Clinton
and John Kerry won’t win the hearts and minds of Middle Americans? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know it can be hard to admit your own mistakes, but
when your very survival and the survival of your children is at stake — and
with Trump at the helm this isn’t hyperbole<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>— isn’t it time to reconsider where your loyalty lies?</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-30979813539679432292017-04-08T13:51:00.000-05:002017-04-08T13:51:50.545-05:00The Nightmare Realized: Trump Is Taking Us To War<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GzP0C-9IYMI/WOkwxP7RIvI/AAAAAAAAEDo/KGQ6gW_Y0nMAoh6rzOU1bemgX1cVLesLQCLcB/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GzP0C-9IYMI/WOkwxP7RIvI/AAAAAAAAEDo/KGQ6gW_Y0nMAoh6rzOU1bemgX1cVLesLQCLcB/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
We stand on the brink of a major conflict with Russia. How
did we get to this perilous point? What happened to America? Here’s a brief
overview of the past year to help understand how things went so horribly wrong.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
May 2016 – Ted Cruz and John Kasich, the last Republican
candidates for president standing, ended their campaigns, making Donald Trump
the presumptive Republican nominee to the shock of almost everyone.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
July 2016 – Despite numerous polls showing Bernie Sanders
had the best chance of beating Trump in the general election, and with the
overt help of the Democratic National Committee, Hillary Clinton received
Sanders’ endorsement and became the Democratic nominee for president.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
November 16, 2016 – Despite endorsements by every major
newspaper in the country, despite being declared the winner of the presidential
debates, despite numerous revelations exposing her opponent’s racist and
misogynistic background, despite her opponent’s refusal to release his tax
returns, despite reports of Russian influence within the Trump campaign,
despite spending almost twice as much money during her campaign as Trump,
despite the polls and despite winning the popular vote by almost 3 million
votes, Hillary Clinton loses the election by 77 Electoral College votes to
wealthy TV personality Donald Trump. White Americans in the Mountain, Midwest
and Southern states expressed their anger at “the establishment” by voting in a
true outsider.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
January 20, 2017 – Donald Trump is inaugurated 45<sup>th</sup>
President of the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trump
spends his first few days in office arguing that his inauguration crowd was
larger than Obama’s (it wasn’t) and that he would have won the popular vote if
it wasn’t for millions of illegal voters (no evidence has been found to support
this claim). Using his Twitter account, Trump establishes a pattern of
outrageous, insulting and often fabricated comments to communicate his views
and reach his constituents. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
January 2017 to May 2017 – </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trump nominates scores of uniquely unqualified alt-right ideologues
and family members to cabinet posts and positions as advisors. With the help of
Mitch McConnell and a lapdog congress, nominations are rammed through the
approval process with virtually no vetting. This pattern continued to include
the April appointment of rabidly right-wing judge Neil Gorsuch to a seat on the
Supreme Court.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Accusations of Russian involvement in the recent U.S.
election rise to the surface as it is revealed numerous Trump administration
officials met with top Russian politicians and oligarchs before and after the
election. Trump’s ties to Russian oligarchs going back years are exposed.
Investigations are started, but Congress continues to run interference for
Trump and block any serious probe into the accusations. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Trump administration approaches government spending with
a chainsaw, proposing drastic cuts in every area except military spending. Many
new appointees as cabinet heads are avowed enemies of the agencies they now
oversee and have no problems with slashing their own budgets or eliminating the
agency altogether. Threats are made to privatize Social Security and Medicare.
Environmental and safety regulations are decimated. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trump wages war on undocumented citizens, ordering the
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) to arrest and deport thousands
of immigrants, tearing families apart and deporting many people who have been
productive, contributing Americans for decades. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Intrigue and internecine warfare escalates within the White
House, as various factions fall in and out of favor with Trump. Family members
are given positions of enormous influence within the administration and
resentment has escalated. Once Trump’s most influential advisor, white
nationalist Steve Bannon appears to be on the way out as Trump son-in-law Jared
Kushner accumulates more and more power. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
April 2017 – As the conflicts within Syria continued to
simmer, reports reached the west that chemical weapons were used on citizens of
a Syrian village and that men, women and children died horrible deaths as a
result. The attack was blamed on Syrian President Assad. Despite the fact that
Donald Trump had criticized President Obama for similar actions in Syria on
many occasions in the past, Trump ordered the bombing of a Syrian airstrip on
April 6. Details of the attack have since emerged, and we now know the Trump
administration communicated with Russia before the attack and, coincidentally,
Syrians at the airport were given a heads-up hours before the attack and were
able to evacuate the facility before the bombs fell. The Russians were notified
of the attack before congress. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Syrian attack appears to have angered Russia, and some
type of response is expected. Additionally, there have been no reports of
whether the bombing destroyed any chemical facilities or accomplished anything
substantial. There are suspicions being voiced that the attack was an attempt
to divert attention away from the Russian investigations in Washington. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today – The situation in which American finds itself is
frightening. We have an unqualified, unhinged narcissistic president who may be
wittingly or unwittingly instigating a war with Russia to take the heat off of
his administration’s collusion with Russia to sway our presidential election. We
cannot count on the other two branches of government to help us, as congress
and the Supreme Court are under the influence of right-wing radicals who have
no allegiance to democracy or even what most of us consider reality. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trump is taking America down a very dark and dangerous path
at a rapid pace. The question is, how will we stop him before it is too late?</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-44289075627629200792017-03-24T12:12:00.000-05:002017-03-24T12:12:26.912-05:00Russia’s Foreign Policy Strategy Is Bigger Than Trump<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jhfTSF4xXm8/WNVS2b8pH2I/AAAAAAAAEDU/1KZaSeNzKKU70is5a8a42K0qZeXZYZA2wCLcB/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jhfTSF4xXm8/WNVS2b8pH2I/AAAAAAAAEDU/1KZaSeNzKKU70is5a8a42K0qZeXZYZA2wCLcB/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
As the whole “Russian connection” drama plays out in
Washington, D.C., we might want to take a step back and look at the larger
picture. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, Russia
has adopted a new foreign policy strategy that is far less reliant on military
aggression and far more about covert, subversive activities. The new tools of
Russian expansionism are computer hackers, powerful, wealthy oligarchs aligned
with Putin and alliances with western alt-right media outlets and politicians. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course, you can hardly keep track of the Trump
administration players whose Russian connections have been exposed, but the
Russian strategy is bearing fruit in Europe, as well. Just today, we learned
that French far-right leader Marine Le Pen met with Russian diplomats in Moscow
just months before the French presidential election. Russian agents and
oligarchs are clearly stoking the flames of nationalism and assisting far-right
politicians in their quest for power.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And Russia’s tactics aren’t always highly sophisticated.
Good old fashioned blackmail still works, and there are hints and leaks that
western politicians, including Donald Trump, have been caught in very
compromising situations while guests of the Motherland. Little sets Putin’s
government apart from an organized crime ring, as evidenced by political
critics and Trump enemies experiencing tragic “accidents” before they are able to
spill the beans.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like every organized crime web, the threads all lead to
money. Rachel Maddow has done an exemplary job of putting together the pieces
of the Trump/Russia money connections that have stretched back years, and
Moscow is today funneling money to nationalist candidates and organizations throughout
Europe and the U.S. Media organizations like Breitbart and Alex Jones’ Info
Wars are being investigated by the FBI for their possible relationships with
Russian agents.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What is Russia’s end game in all of this? It doesn’t take a
PhD in international affairs to see that helping countries elect leaders
sympathetic to Putin is in the best interest of Russia. Having Western
politicians in your pocket is like having money in the bank. There are,
however, also great risks to this strategy. Trump is a dangerously unhinged
character and a destabilizing force in America. Russia managed to get it’s man
into the White House, but he is such a loose cannon that the possibility of
this presidency crashing and burning have become very real, and this would not
be in Putin’s best interests.</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-44235569013449536632017-03-21T19:43:00.000-05:002017-03-21T19:43:08.147-05:00No, Trump Did Not Inherit A Mess. We Have That To Look Forward To.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6KP452rDa9U/WNHHgJq3PTI/AAAAAAAAEDE/4K7qigyYLrUpGPZEL-QReXLg00KPlY-kQCLcB/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6KP452rDa9U/WNHHgJq3PTI/AAAAAAAAEDE/4K7qigyYLrUpGPZEL-QReXLg00KPlY-kQCLcB/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Since taking office, Trump has said on more than one
occasion that he inherited a mess from President Obama. I have run across Trump
supporters in comment sections repeating this absurd assertion, once again
proving that Turmpland is a fact-free amusement park where you can believe any
old thing you want. The earth is 6,000 year’s old? Sure. Dinosaurs and people
coexisted? Okay. There’s no such thing as human-influenced climate change? You
betcha. Barack Obama left Trump a country in the midst of economic ruin? Why
not?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am not a huge Obama fan, and I believe some of his
decisions during his tenure were misguided and not in the best interests of
America BUT, for Trump to claim Obama left him a mess simply flies in the face
of reality. And let’s also try and be honest about President Obama’s tenure.
During his eight years in the White House, the man was faced with a Republican
congress that tried, and in many cases succeeded, in thwarting the President’s
policy agenda at every turn. The fact that Obama got as much done as he did
seems amazing based on his relentless opposition in congress. And the economic
mess that George Bush left behind (remember 2008?) put Barack in a hole before
he even started.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What Trump actually inherited is a country with an economic
expansion that was the third longest on record; an economy that had been adding
jobs every month for the past six years; and a federal deficit that had sharply
declined from a high of 9.8 percent at the height of the last recession to 3.2
percent last year. In addition, worker wages have been climbing for the past
four years and the median household income jumped 5.2 percent in 2014-2015 (the
last years records are available).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This isn’t to say everything was rosy when Obama left Washington. Unemployment, income
inequality and sluggish growth remained problematic, but has anyone heard from
Trump solutions to these issues that don’t involve massive program cuts and tax
breaks for the wealthy? No, the mess is currently underway and will only get
worse over time. Trump’s plan for the economy will work just as well as Bush’s
did, with huge, untenable deficits, declining jobs and wages falling further
behind the rising cost of living.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The one who is going to inherit a mess is the president
following Trump.</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-57875642686586810572017-03-17T13:10:00.000-05:002017-03-17T13:10:59.664-05:00I Have Traveled Back In Time And I Have Proof<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-atmN4gWM89M/WMwmJqj17EI/AAAAAAAAEC0/B5NjiwhZX9cMG1D13MSRb5qYuv-r-dcnQCLcB/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-atmN4gWM89M/WMwmJqj17EI/AAAAAAAAEC0/B5NjiwhZX9cMG1D13MSRb5qYuv-r-dcnQCLcB/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
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Who says time travel is impossible? I have been teleported
to the early 17<sup>th</sup> century and I can prove it. Yes, the clothes and
the technology around me are mysteriously similar to what I remember of the 21<sup>st</sup>
century, but daily life in my settlement is clearly pre-enlightenment and
therefore I can only conclude I must have been sent back in time. My proof? By
Dickens, here is my proof. This country’s leaders: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Reject science. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Don’t care if the poor, the elderly and children are
neglected.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Believe wealthy people are inherently superior people.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Support constant war and an obscenely bloated military.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Believe Christianity is superior to all other religions and
want to create a theocracy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Want women to remain second-class citizens and believe the
government should control their bodies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Believe in white supremacy, and want to keep minorities
underclass citizens.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Want to build a wall to keep brown-skinned people out of the
country.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Treat anyone who disagrees with them as the enemy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Act as if citizens are fools by brazenly lying day after
day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Insist only positive news about their activities is factual
news.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am trying to get back to the 21<sup>st</sup> century but I
can’t seem to find my time machine. Send help if you can. </div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-40824400347704525372017-03-13T13:52:00.000-05:002017-03-13T13:52:13.397-05:00Trump Is Literally Making Us Sick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K0XBGfE0l9Q/WMbpupzH8xI/AAAAAAAAECk/chmrg-9P7ggZk0YHE4a-x26mYKJ7pZSxgCLcB/s1600/th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K0XBGfE0l9Q/WMbpupzH8xI/AAAAAAAAECk/chmrg-9P7ggZk0YHE4a-x26mYKJ7pZSxgCLcB/s1600/th.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
During a recent clinic visit, my doctor said she was seeing
a lot of people coming in suffering from depression and anxiety directly related
to Trump’s election. I believe her. The fact that a racist, misogynist, fascist
man won the White House is bad, but what is truly shaking people’s mental
health is that we can’t seem to do anything about it. Day in and day out we are
bombarded with news reports recounting Trump’s lies, incompetence, treasonous
activities, financial corruption, policy blunders, callousness and total
indifference to the people who elected him, and yet no justice is in sight. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Congressional Republicans have put ideology and “winning”
above everything else, and will never do what is right and impeach Trump. He’s
helping them destroy democracy and replace it with either a theocracy or a
dictatorship, so he remains a useful idiot. Emotionally, we know that we have
to continue fighting the Trump regime, keep the pressure on, but
intellectually, we can clearly see that stopping Sauran…sorry, Trump, will be a
titanic struggle, and might require the equivalent of throwing a magic ring
into the heart of a volcano.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many Americans feel a sense of helplessness right now. They
are watching lunatics dismantle America from behind a glass wall, willing, but
unable to stop the madness. I understand this, but we must continue to resist
in big and small ways, from calls and emails to representatives to town hall
meetings to protest marches, we need to make our voices heard. We also need to
put a great amount of effort into the 2018-midterm elections. Getting Democrats
elected in 2018 needs to be primary focus if we are to have any hope of
stopping or slowing the Trump/GOP train wreck. These are dark times, but we can’t
afford not to press forward. </div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-70989553343808316252017-03-11T14:26:00.000-06:002017-03-11T14:26:03.153-06:00How Long Will Trump Supporters Buy Into His Lies?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GB1fj4H2_V4/WMRdFW6hkQI/AAAAAAAAECQ/hfs6uBaTG8Mn9xDRth8F8CCUWHLKDVENgCLcB/s1600/images-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GB1fj4H2_V4/WMRdFW6hkQI/AAAAAAAAECQ/hfs6uBaTG8Mn9xDRth8F8CCUWHLKDVENgCLcB/s1600/images-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
There were a lot of bad reasons to vote for Donald Trump in
this past election:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I hate Hillary.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I hate immigrants”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I hate minorities.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Trump is a successful businessman.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Trump understands me.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Trump tells it like it is.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Trump is a leader.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As dizzyingly divorced from reality as these beliefs are,
you can look at Trump, listen to Trump, and understand how these noxious
notions were reinforced. But what about the campaign slogan, “Make America
Great Again?” That isn’t on the list. Ah, but it is, if you know how to
interpret it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trump’s campaign slogan has a very different meaning to
Trump supporters and non-Trump supporters. If you were a fan of The Donald, you
understood the real message behind “Make America Great Again”: Get rid of
immigrants, crush minorities, continue treating women as second-class citizens
and trash the constitution and government red tape. That, to many voters, is
how you make America great again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It didn’t matter to Trump’s fans that he offered no concrete
plans to stimulate the economy, create jobs, improve conditions in rural
America, strengthen public education, make higher education more accessible…or
do anything to improve the lives of the people who voted for him. Why that
didn’t happen shows just how emotionally bound certain segments of the
population are to the idea that they are victims of some grand liberal
conspiracy. And Trump, the (supposed) billionaire, managed to exploit Ma and Pa
Red State’s feelings of victimization and convince them he was going to put
them back at the top of the ladder again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s impossible to know how many Trump supporters have come
to their senses since the election, but the number will undoubtedly grow as
their healthcare options dwindle, the unemployment rate increases, water and
air pollution worsen, and the trajectory of economic health in Midwestern and
southern states continues to plummet. Obama can’t be the scapegoat
forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The one question is, how long can Trump and company sustain
the lie that he’s working to better the lives of the people that voted for him?
How long will they swallow it?</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-220106145345594242017-03-08T22:20:00.000-06:002017-03-08T22:20:52.892-06:00The Future of the Republican Party is Dependent on One Thing: Money<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C8DtFMJ1DHo/WMDXdeWZgJI/AAAAAAAAEB0/b_gMRF-J5k80EBXjp-JoytXlLvvyCAudgCLcB/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C8DtFMJ1DHo/WMDXdeWZgJI/AAAAAAAAEB0/b_gMRF-J5k80EBXjp-JoytXlLvvyCAudgCLcB/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Here is the bottom, bottom line on what’s happening in
Washington D.C. right now. Set Trump aside for the moment. In many ways, Trump
is being used by Congressional Republicans as a diversion from what is going on
under the Capital Dome. The important work is being done in Congress, and that
work involves helping rich Americans become richer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why? Ahh, here is the method to their
madness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The majority of Americans do not share the radically
conservative ideology of today’s Republican party, and as time goes on, there
will be fewer and fewer adherents going to the voting booths. Take the last
election. Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes. Republicans
in positions of leadership can read the writing on the wall, and they understand
they have only one option if their party is to survive into the future, and
that is money. In today’s Wild West political environment, if Republicans have
enough money, they can counteract the will of the majority of voters and remain
a viable political force in America. Money is the key.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What better way to guarantee the influx of money to
Republican politicians than by helping the wealthiest Americans grow their
already grotesque bank accounts? Elites tend to be conservatives because they
believe the current system helped them get where they are, so why try and
change it? These are Donald Trump’s pals, and like Donald, they live in a
cloistered world where the price of bread or a gallon of gas is as important to
them as the current temperature on Venus. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While there may be cheering and applause in the penthouses
of New York city and Moscow today, the elites of the western world will soon be
gaping in horror watching Trump bring the house down on himself and those who
stood with him. Why? Trump is an idiot. A moron. The delusional billionaire
class equate their wealth with innate superior wisdom and knowledge, which will
be their ultimate downfall, because they are really well-connected thugs, con-men
with pedigrees, names that get you into clubs and international deals. Despite
what they tell themselves, their riches have nothing to do with their inner
worth. In fact, it’s the complete opposite.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am not a psychic, but I can tell you with some certainty
that, like the nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty will have a great fall. Trump’s
lies will be his downfall, and all of those who celebrated him will soon be
forced back into their shadowy crevices and passed over as history marches
forward.
</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-41280796539654731592017-02-23T21:33:00.000-06:002017-02-23T21:33:53.264-06:00Trump Opens the Racist, Xenophobic Gates of Hell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gh4YXrY-YRY/WK-o7aDgIMI/AAAAAAAAEBg/AeKXQ2AyxhkWCnFvJL6JIukUkRdDLFLnACLcB/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gh4YXrY-YRY/WK-o7aDgIMI/AAAAAAAAEBg/AeKXQ2AyxhkWCnFvJL6JIukUkRdDLFLnACLcB/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
A white Kansas man screaming, “Get out of my country,”
opened fire on a trio of men at a bar in Olathe, Kansas, killing one and
seriously injuring two others. The two men who were the object of the shooter’s
ire were Indian engineers who worked at a technology company.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This past December in Michigan, a white U.S. military
veteran shot a store clerk of Indian descent in the face because he thought the
man was a terrorist and member of ISIS.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On a recent United flight out of Chicago, a white man was
tossed off the plan by the crew after verbally attacking a Pakistani couple
with racist remarks about bombs in their luggage.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Welcome to Trump’s America. The above incidents are only the
most recent in a string of racist attacks in this country on people who “look
Muslim.” Our Dear Leader has opened the gates of racist, xenophobic hell and
every angry redneck, PTSD suffering veteran, mentally ill gun owner and
self-described patriot feels they have the green light to save ‘Murica from the
terrorists by shooting first and asking questions later. Too stupid and blinded
by bigotry to be able to discern the difference between someone from the Middle
East, India, Southeast Asia or Africa, who could be Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Bahai
or evangelical Christians, our volunteer army of dangerous racial purists are
ready to jump to any conclusion and blast away.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Folks, this is just the beginning. As long as Trump is in
office, these incidents will continue and grow ever more violent. And Muslim’s,
real and imagined, aren’t the only target. Racist, anti-sematic attacks are
also on the rise across America, from graffiti to cemetery vandalism to
physical assaults, and the only reason for this is the virulent bile that
escapes from Donald Trump’s mouth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
America is in a state of rapid decay. We are walking in the
footsteps of the German’s in the 1930s, unable to push back against the growing
landslide of hate and thugishness rolling over everything in its path. I hope I
am wrong, but I have serious doubts that we, the people, can work within the
system to bring about change before our total collapse. The Republican Congress
won’t impeach Trump. What is left but the power of the people? Tell me.
</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-86944386198205864772017-02-22T20:17:00.000-06:002017-02-22T20:17:45.549-06:00Grandma and Grandpa, Let’s Be Honest. Republicans Don’t Care About You.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CkrT7RTd1kw/WK5FrwuKiYI/AAAAAAAAEBE/dFEyg3bXSKYUMboUJl-ogmcJqtHd0l6kgCLcB/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CkrT7RTd1kw/WK5FrwuKiYI/AAAAAAAAEBE/dFEyg3bXSKYUMboUJl-ogmcJqtHd0l6kgCLcB/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div>
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I am as happy as anyone with the turnouts at Republican Congressional
Town Halls being held around the country (for those Republican reps who had the
courage to hold one). Constituents are expressing their anger and frustration
with conservative ideologues more interested in their billionaire donors than
the people who elected them to congress. Seeing corporate lapdogs like Mitch
McConnell, Joni Ernst, Chuck Grassley and Tom Cotton get verbally pummeled by
angry Grandmas is truly heartwarming.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But, and you knew there had to be a “but,” why did so many
of these same people think at one point in time that McConnell, Ernst, Grassley
or Cotton were going to work for them when they never had in the past? The
Republicans now in congress are the same band of money worshipping, democracy
hating corporate toadies they always were, the only difference is Trump is
president. Where were the cries of “Do your job” when they spent eight years
obstructing Obama? Or when they wasted millions of taxpayer dollars and
congressional time chasing the fictitious Benghazi boogieman?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m glad Americans are finally getting angry at
Congressional Republicans and their destructive agenda, but they need to get a firm
grasp on WHY they are angry and start rethinking their choices at the voting
booth. Grandma, Republicans don’t want to help you because you have so little
to offer them. They may say the love Jesus and apple pie, but they don’t love
you. They do love the Koch brothers, and General Electric and off shore tax
havens, but constituents? Pffft. So please, the answer is crystal clear: Stop
voting for Republicans.
</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-17533762487698556092017-02-18T11:12:00.000-06:002017-02-18T11:12:42.968-06:00Trump Fans To The Rest Of America: SHUT UP!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0U_dONcQcrU/WKh_855GMyI/AAAAAAAAEAw/mJp0I4rwAToCI_7unkBKR-hz3BNzfjkZQCLcB/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0U_dONcQcrU/WKh_855GMyI/AAAAAAAAEAw/mJp0I4rwAToCI_7unkBKR-hz3BNzfjkZQCLcB/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span class="uficommentbody"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">During the
presidential campaign, Trump said, "I could stand in the middle of 5th
Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters." At the time, it was
treated as typical Trump hyperbole, another “People love me” boast from a man
who has no idea what “love” is. Today, however, this turns out to be one of the
most accurate statements The Donald has made. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="uficommentbody"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you spend time on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other major site that posts political
articles, you will undoubtedly have run into a Trump supporter in the comments
section trying to defend their president. They are usually angry, emotional and
devoid of any evidence supporting their rant. One woman responded to a comment
I made about Flynn resigning after his Russian fiasco by writing, “Hillary
Clinton is the one who should be in jail. SHUT UP!!!” </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="uficommentbody"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are two common
characteristics at work here. First, at least since the start of the
congressional Benghazi hearings, Hillary Clinton has become a focal point of conservative
ire, a Dark Lord Sauron-like figure embodying the twin evils of liberalism and
feminism. I am not a huge fan of Hillary, but the hatred directed at her by the
poorly educated right is in a realm of unreality that borders on madness. Any
suggestion that Trump or members of his administration should be held
accountable for their actions is routinely met with some form of a “Hillary,
too” remark.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="uficommentbody"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The other common
feature of my right-wing troll’s comment is the use of all caps, “SHUT UP.”
She’s angry. They’re all angry. Even though their hero won the presidency, they
will not abide any criticism of Trump or his actions, and want you to know that
whatever your complaint is, you’re WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Of course, they never
offer any factual rebuttal because there is none. Like Trump, they want you to
cower in fear not at their knowledge, but at their righteous anger, their God-approved
surety in their cause.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="uficommentbody"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="uficommentbody"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="uficommentbody"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span class="uficommentbody"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One possible
interpretation of the anger Trump fans feel is that their faith in their leader
is beginning to weaken amid the daily stories of his unhinged behavior, and as
their pride and devotion continue to come under attack, they lash out
instinctively like wounded animals at their enemies. The other interpretation
is that they are imbeciles. Either way, I expect the anger to continue
ratcheting up the longer Trump stays in office.</span></span>
</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-11090812477068621252017-02-16T08:55:00.000-06:002017-02-16T08:55:43.291-06:00Falling Further and Further Down the Rabbit Hole <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LdNz2-04nX4/WKW8213q2PI/AAAAAAAAEAg/inNU5DJHRGIijW4wzcM3udydM_zHLw-NQCLcB/s1600/th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LdNz2-04nX4/WKW8213q2PI/AAAAAAAAEAg/inNU5DJHRGIijW4wzcM3udydM_zHLw-NQCLcB/s1600/th.jpg" /></a></div>
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Is anyone else questioning reality? Is anyone else asking
how things in America could spiral so totally out of control in what is
historically faster than the blink of an eye? Our country slipped from the enjoyably
reassuring and positive (if less successful than hoped for) Obama
administration into the Mariana Trench of political dysfunction and ineptitude.
After electing the first African American president, an accomplishment many of
us never thought we’d see in our lifetime, we suddenly fell into a dark canyon
of seething, writhing white reptiles determined to take us back to the
Pleistocene age. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How surreal is it? Somehow, Donald Trump became president of
the United States. Donald Trump, a man who unquestionably represents everything
that is, and ever was, wrong with America. Greed, misogyny, racism, xenophobia,
you name it, it’s part of Trump’s DNA. The man is a walking medical chart of
every ailment from which America suffers. His repulsive behavior knows no
bounds. He is tacky, unsophisticated, unworldly, lacking intellect, wit and
empathy. Every public situation in which he finds himself is awkward and
uncomfortable. Even his wife finds him reprehensible.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet here we are, struggling to cope with a situation that
thriller author Tom Clancy probably tossed out as too unrealistic. Who would
believe the plot? A narcissistic man/child millionaire grows tired of the
entertainment biz and decides to run for President of the United States, and
wins. What? Wait, what about all that “checks and balances” stuff and the
beauty of the democratic process and the will of the majority, blah, blah,
blah. That’s all it is. So much ink on parchment paper. We thought it meant
something, but obviously we were wrong.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the icing on our surreal Cake? The downfall of the Trump
administration may come courtesy of the true dark lords, our intelligence
agencies. Trump has chosen to go to war with the CIA, NSA and others in that
community, and that could ultimately prove to be the biggest of his many, many
mistakes as president. The Russian debacle is the one scandal that could bring
Trump and his administration down, and it is clear that the intelligence
community is not on Donald’s side on this one, and further revelations could
actually push Republicans in Congress to act against Herr Trumpenstein. So sane
America find itself in the position of cheering for the spooks, whose
undemocratic and unconstitutional efforts have had us screaming “foul” in the
past, to dethrone the nut job who slipped into the White House while we were
looking the other way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hold on to your seats, because as long as Trump is
president, we’re going to keep falling down that hole.
</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-74132400983124533062017-02-10T12:48:00.000-06:002017-02-10T12:48:47.361-06:00Poor Bill Moyers Thought the Mainstream Press had Grown a Backbone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RIf4MZd3R1w/WJ4KKepe98I/AAAAAAAAD_4/wTvzS8o4vYM_0eAKe74JXqoRr75jd1j-wCLcB/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RIf4MZd3R1w/WJ4KKepe98I/AAAAAAAAD_4/wTvzS8o4vYM_0eAKe74JXqoRr75jd1j-wCLcB/s320/images.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The great Bill Moyers wrote an article
in <i>Salon</i> today lamenting the fact that he had initially praised CNN for
announcing it was going to ban pathological liar Kellyanne Conway from
appearances on the network, but then reversed itself within a day. I feel
Bill’s pain, but like the Cowardly Lion, the sycophantic mainstream press still
hasn’t found the wizard to give it the courage it needs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The American mainstream press has been
a propaganda arm of the government for a very long time (recall the virtually unanimous
support for the disastrous Iraq war) the problem today is that the Trump team
isn't playing by the old rules, and it's disrupting a once cozy relationship.
Past administrations and presidents lied all the time, but it was done with
civility and decorum that was acceptable to the networks, so it was okay. With
Trump and his administration, there isn't that thin veneer of reasonableness to
slide lies by unquestioning interviewers. The Trump buffoons are up in your
face with lie after lie after, forcing the networks out of their comfort zones.
As Moyers clearly points out, CNN and the others want badly to play along, to
let the game continue has it has for decades, but Trump and his minions are far
too dull-witted and ideologically zombified to understand the rules of the
game. The mainstream media is being forced to fight back, not because it really
wants to call out the administration's lies or it has some new-found zeal for
exposing the truth. Panicked, CNN almost called a time out, but then decided it
wasn't ready to call off the game.</span></div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-49131232718524481872017-02-07T21:42:00.000-06:002017-02-08T09:53:52.589-06:00The Magic Train to Trumplandia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wDXScHUiffc/WJqSAk92hTI/AAAAAAAAD_o/bRBRbThMgDw7GxI2C7aq15KGsws6nBM0QCLcB/s1600/th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wDXScHUiffc/WJqSAk92hTI/AAAAAAAAD_o/bRBRbThMgDw7GxI2C7aq15KGsws6nBM0QCLcB/s1600/th.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
A class of giggling, fidgeting fourth-graders stands in line
waiting to board the magical train for a tour of the kingdom of Trumplandia.
Soon, a blond woman bearing a striking resemblance to Kellyanne Conway, addresses
the children through a megaphone.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hi, boys and girls. Thank you so much for taking time out
of your busy school day to visit Trumplandia.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We didn’t have a choice,” says a boy in the back.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Thank you,” continues the tour guide. “What a good looking
group you are. So the train is here and everyone can climb on board.” The woman
stands next to the train conductor for the tour. “And off we go.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The train traverses terrain representing the varied
geography of the United States. As it crosses an arid Southwest desert, it slows
down and comes to stop at a very high wall.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So children,” says the guide. “Does anyone know where we
are?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“A bathroom?” asks a girl with a ponytail. “Because I have
to go.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“This is Donald Trump’s hugely magnificent border wall. Look
at the size of it. Of course, this is a simulation, but someday this 1,900-mile
barrier will allow you and your children to sleep safe at night knowing those
“bad hombres” from the south are dying of starvation and horrible diseases in a
place you’ll never have to worry your beautiful young minds about. Doesn’t that
make you proud of your president?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“My dad calls him the Liar in Chief,” says a suspiciously
tanned boy in the back.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Let’s move on, everybody. Hey, we’re headin’ north. And
here we are at beautiful blue Lake Tahoe on America’s West Coast.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Where’s California?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“California? Never heard of it. There’s no California in
Trumplandia. So now, let’s swing up to one of President Trump’s favorite
states, Montana. Oh my gosh, look. There are cowboys and skinheads and militiamen
all working together to make America great again. They all carry the most
important symbol of American freedom. Who knows what that is?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“A flag?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, silly. A gun. We only have the freedoms we have because
of guns and how they shoot and kill bad people. No one wants bad people in
America. Right?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Who are the bad people?” asks a frightened looking girl.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ah, so sweet and naïve. Honey, there are so many bad people
all around us it’s hard to keep track. There are the liberals and socialists,
of course, and the Muslims and union leaders and scientists and
environmentalists and pollsters who lie and…oh, just too many to list. But you
shouldn’t be afraid, because President Trump is keeping all of those bad people
out of America with his wall and immigration ban and general antagonistic
attitude. He is so very smart.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“My dad says our goldfish is smarter than Trump.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Your dad might need some remedial reeducation classes. Look
everyone. We’ve taken a big dip south to the Bible belt, a very, very important
region of the United States. Within this great swath of the Midwest and south
live the real red, white and blue Americans. Just look at all the empty storefronts,
all the white families enjoying endless seasons of welfare and true blue
patriots flying their confederate flags proudly in support of their fearless
leader’s call to Make America Great Again. I’m all tingly.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m hungry.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh my boy, never give in to physical weakness. Be strong,
like your president. I’ll bet you didn’t know that President Trump was a member
of a semi-final team in the World Series of Beer Pong in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It’s true. We should all strive to be that dedicated and focused. Remember the
heroic sacrifices of the survivors of the Bowling Green Massacre.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“But—“</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Look. Look, everybody. We are heading up the Eastern
Seaboard to Washington, D.C. There’s the Washington Monument, the Jefferson
Memorial and the newest statue honoring one of America’s greatest living
patriots, Steve Bannon.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What’s he doing?”<br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Drinking beer in his pajamas. What an inspiration to us
all. Well kids, that ends our tour of Trumplandia. President Trump was hoping
to stop by and say hello to all of you, but he had some very important tweets
to dictate. Being president is an awesome responsibility. Any questions?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Why—?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh gosh, we’ve run completely out of time. It’s been fun
having you all. Don’t forget, on your way out grab your goodie bag filled with
Trump property discount coupons, the latest products in Ivanka Trump’s
collection and big game hunting tips from Eric and Donald Trump Junior. Bye
now.”
</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-86664664494420138822017-02-04T22:05:00.000-06:002017-02-04T22:07:18.843-06:00Beware the False Flag Event<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hBZj4-9zXYo/WJajqhPuniI/AAAAAAAAD_Y/cnEXhabZctwwxuHBFolOCVC-JuDhKVNjwCLcB/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hBZj4-9zXYo/WJajqhPuniI/AAAAAAAAD_Y/cnEXhabZctwwxuHBFolOCVC-JuDhKVNjwCLcB/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div>
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Here’s the storyline: An immigrant enters the United States
from a Muslim country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is able to
acquire weapons, and also makes an explosive vest. He goes to an event or a
Christian church. Once there, he opens fire and sets off his vest, killing and
maiming dozens of innocent men, women and children. That night, Trump gives an
emotional televised address to a shocked nation. In his speech, he tells the
American people that this event would never have happened if his ban on Muslims
entering the U.S. had been allowed to stand. His supporters are energized while
detractors are left trying to counter an emotionally charged argument with dry
facts and numbers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How convenient, right? The event just happens to bolster
Trump’s view that every Muslim is a potential terrorist and would like nothing
more than to kill Americans. He tried to keep us safe, but was thwarted by
activist judges and naïve liberals. Now some of us might say the timing of this
event is too good to be true, and we might be right. It could be a false flag
event.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What is a false flag event? It is an act of violence or
sabotage that appears to be perpetrated by an enemy, but which was actually
planned and carried out by the aggrieved party to further a desired agenda. A
good example of a false flag event was Operation Northwoods. In the early
1960s, communist Cuba represented a huge thorn in the side of the United
States. Agencies within our government drafted a proposal to stage hijackings
and bombings of American civilian airliners in air space between the two
countries in order to gain public support for an attack on Cuba. The plan was
never carried out, but it is a well-documented case of how to stage a false
flag event.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
False flag operations have been around at least since the
height of the Roman Empire, but there are many recent examples, as well. In the
late 1800s, Spanish controlled Cuba was becoming too rebellious for the likes
of America’s sugar, tobacco and iron industries and something needed to be done
to quell the uprising. At the time, President McKinnley was not interested in a
war with Spain, but on February 15, 1898 the USS Maine exploded and 266 U.S.
sailors lost their lives. No one actually knows what caused the explosion, but
the incident was used by the press and large corporations as a way to force
McKinnley to go to war with Spain. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In1933, Hitler’s Nazi party was on the verge of gaining
enough seats to install Hitler as a defacto dictator, but the outcome of the
upcoming elections was not certain. A week before the elections, the Reichstag,
which housed the German parliament, caught on fire and was destroyed. Hitler
used the event to blame communist terrorists for the fire and was swept into
power. Most historians agree that the Nazis either started the fire or
encouraged a deranged man to do the deed so they could blame the communists.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are other examples, including the bogus Gulf of Tonkin
incident in 1964 that President Johnson used to dramatically increase America’s
presence in Vietnam. Some false flag events are speculative, like Pearl Harbor
and the events of 9/11, while others are well documented. The point is, false
flag operations have proven to be useful tools in garnering public support for
unpopular government actions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All of that considered, would anyone put it past the morally
bankrupt Trump administration to stage an event to further its dark agenda?
</div>
andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-43588876160506262662017-02-03T13:31:00.000-06:002017-02-03T13:31:58.011-06:00A Divided Country Under Incompetent Leadership<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ui5UvUyT8Jk/WJTZu3wrMMI/AAAAAAAAD_I/6Z40eegDHgg7s1H-xBVATSh-vW8sFraJQCLcB/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ui5UvUyT8Jk/WJTZu3wrMMI/AAAAAAAAD_I/6Z40eegDHgg7s1H-xBVATSh-vW8sFraJQCLcB/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
It truly baffles me that there are millions of Americans who
seem to live in an alternative information universe. They voted for Trump,
somehow convinced beyond all human understanding he would make a good
president. If you read their comments on Facebook and other sites, they believe
Obama was a horrible president who did nothing for eight years. They believe
the lies of Trump’s surrogates without requiring any facts or verification. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course, racism, misogyny, ignorance, etc., all play a
part in this, but I am still stunned that people who live in my country, live
in my city and neighborhood, can be convinced that Santa and the Easter Bunny
are real and the earth is only six thousand years old. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How is it that as a country, we voted for Obama twice, and
then turned around and handed the presidency to an imbecile like Trump? Can a country
be schizophrenic? There certainly is no national consensus on what the “common
good” is or how to interpret the Constitution, so how can we possibly mover
forward with any kind of national agenda? Millions of Americans can’t even
agree on the most basic facts and because of that, Donald Trump sits in the
White House.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A big part of the blame has to go to the growth of the
conservative media over the last 35 years. FOX News, conservative radio
loudmouths like Limbaugh and Imus, and online whack jobs Brietbart, Alex Jones
and Matt Drudge, among many others, provide safe places for bigots and
religious fanatics, confirming their worst fears and stoking their anger. And
the mainstream media must also share blame for failing to challenge the status
quo in its thirst for profits and audience share.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How is it possible to change minds when the two sides cannot
agree on what is a fact and what isn’t? Our divisiveness is destroying this nation,
just as it almost did when Abraham Lincoln was president. Unfortunately for all
of us, we don’t have a Lincoln at the helm of state, but a self-centered,
mentally ill man/child. The odds of unification in this day and age are not
good.
</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-25139898957223609732017-02-02T11:47:00.000-06:002017-02-02T11:47:29.075-06:00The GOP’s Long Fight To Destroy Government From The Inside Is Coming To Fruition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IPrrAJeFqJo/WJNvsodpPoI/AAAAAAAAD-0/51lwYChDmsMY2DqVUMuJe2_KKlM7lvj7wCLcB/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IPrrAJeFqJo/WJNvsodpPoI/AAAAAAAAD-0/51lwYChDmsMY2DqVUMuJe2_KKlM7lvj7wCLcB/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“It must be nice to be a Republican Senator sometimes,
because you get the fun of breaking shit and the joy of complaining the shit
you just broke doesn’t work.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
John Stewart</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So much truth here it hurts. I doubt anyone knows the
specific day or meeting years ago when a Republican politician had an epiphany
and addressed his fellow conservatives:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ladies and gentlemen, why are we Republicans? We are
Republicans because we believe big government is inherently evil, yet here we
are serving the very monster we want to destroy. By doing our jobs well and
with honor, we enable big government to thrive, which is exactly what we don’t
want. So I say to you, we must stop helping the machinery of big government run
smoothly and start throwing sand in the gears. It’s really simple. Our
incompetence as elected officials will be living proof that big government is
by its very nature doomed to failure. All we have to do is act like incompetent
boobs and our point is made for Mr. and Mrs. American public.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For at least the last 30 years or so, Republican elected
officials and appointees have worked tirelessly to prove that government is bad
by pointing to the chaos that they themselves created, as John Stewart makes
clear. And it works. A Republican runs for office, tells voters that government
is bad, gets elected, fucks up everything, then runs for reelection on an
anti-government platform (all the while enjoying the government perks of being
a congressperson).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And now there is Trump. Mr.
“The-government-screws-everything-up” is without question the most incompetent
president of all time, yet his supporters voted for him, and still expect him,
to fix things in Washington. Fix things. The man is breaking everything he
touches and blaming everything and everybody else but himself, and his people
can’t see the obvious. When it all comes crashing down, and it will as long as
Trump is in office, it will be somebody else’s fault. Another failure of big
government.
</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-39717765647398017962017-01-29T12:21:00.000-06:002017-01-29T12:21:41.582-06:00Feeling Shell-Shocked After Trump’s Week-Long Blitzkrieg Of Insanity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WCV5BoI659U/WI4xlNxPKYI/AAAAAAAAD-k/O3ksJOA7HCYBW-Zga_pvUtCUD3XMkApYQCLcB/s1600/th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WCV5BoI659U/WI4xlNxPKYI/AAAAAAAAD-k/O3ksJOA7HCYBW-Zga_pvUtCUD3XMkApYQCLcB/s1600/th.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Trump has only been president for a week and I am already
starting to lose focus amid his blitzkrieg of insane policy decisions and
ludicrous lies. You tell me, what’s worse:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Close Trump advisor Steve Bannon, an avowed racist, Nazi
sympathizer and anarchist, has been added to the National Security Council,
while the Director of National Intelligence and the Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff were essentially demoted.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trump’s Muslim immigration ban includes seven Middle East
and African countries, but does not include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and
Azerbaijan where, coincidentally, Trump has business interests. And in case
you’ve forgotten, 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has pushed the minute hand
of the “Doomsday Clock” two minutes closer to midnight (11:57) and to the
possibility of a civilization-ending catastrophe. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pope Francis has condemned Trump’s immigration ban on
Muslims.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Trump administration is moving forward with building a
wall across America’s southwest border even though a) Mexico will not help pay
for it like Trump promised, b) experts agree that a wall is impractical and
will be ineffective and c) there are major issues of property rights involved
with the project.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The president and his minions continue to lie about,
threaten and belittle the news media, with a recent Trump tweet accusing the
New York Times and Washington Post of delivering fake news and being dishonest.
Once again, no proof of these allegations has been produced.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Leaders of France, Germany, Canada, Italy, The Netherlands,
Mexico, Iran, Scotland and many other counties (as well as the U.N. and the
Pope) have denounced and condemned Trump’s immigration ban on Muslims.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trump continues to insist there were 3 to 5 million illegal
voters in the last election, but has yet to provide a shred of evidence to back
up his claim and appears to be basing this assertion on a single tweet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The president adamantly maintains that waterboarding, and
other universally condemned forms of torture “absolutely work,” without
providing any proof and despite volumes of studies that arrive at just the
opposite conclusion.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On a number of occasions, Trump has stated that violent
crime in America has been increasing, but statistics from the FBI show that
violent crime in the U.S. is near historic lows and that citizens today are
safer than at any time in the past 45 years.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that’s just one week, folks. God help us all.</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-64715497698097256572017-01-28T13:09:00.000-06:002017-01-28T13:09:17.237-06:00It’s Gut-Check Time For The Mainstream Press<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_qVE1jDvnNE/WIzpwSX3TjI/AAAAAAAAD-U/_MAvP61z7h4RZMNWBTAZPbl7keSvzB8NgCLcB/s1600/images-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_qVE1jDvnNE/WIzpwSX3TjI/AAAAAAAAD-U/_MAvP61z7h4RZMNWBTAZPbl7keSvzB8NgCLcB/s1600/images-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The dismal dawn of the Trump era begins with a mainstream
media at war with itself. At the same time that some big news outlets are
defiantly and publically calling out Trump’s lies, others are quietly slipping
back into their more traditional roles as standard bearers for the status quo.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like all big American businesses, the loyalties of the
mainstream news media are not with the readers or even the subscribers, but
with the shareholders of their parent companies. The corporate media is a
profit driven enterprise, and staking out what are considered unpopular or
antiestablishment positions is not a good business strategy. Trump, however, is
still an enigma in the eyes of the press. Yes, he is president, but he lost the
popular vote by nearly three million ballots and is intensely disliked by a lot
of Americans. And he is obviously crazy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But old habits are hard to break. The mainstream news media
has been the lapdog of wealthy elites, America’s intelligence organizations and
the military/industrial complex since the end of World War II, and you don’t
just turn your back on your oldest supporters because there’s a lunatic in the
White House.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Case in point. In a recent interview with ABC News anchor
David Muir, Trump repeated a well-worn lie that two people were shot in Chicago
while Obama was giving his farewell address on January 10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The political point of Trump’s lie is to
underscore the out-of-control violence in Chicago and Obama’s failure to curb
crime in his own hometown. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two reporters from the Chicago Tribune investigated Trump’s
claims and surprise, found they were not true. However, ABC News edited these
false claims out of the televised interview and only included them in a written
transcript on the ABC News website. For reasons that can only be guessed at,
ABC essentially let Donald off the hook.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is a tipping point for the American mainstream press.
Will they have the courage to continue calling out the lies of Donald Trump and
his administration or will they fall back into old patterns of cowering from
the truth and covering up for the rich and powerful? Only time will tell.
</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-89917911298781553502017-01-27T11:45:00.000-06:002017-01-27T11:51:17.271-06:00America’s New Path Leads Directly To Mordor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OGL5HsBTJc0/WIuGi0S1bpI/AAAAAAAAD-E/J5tAleGlnh82hIX8D-NV0m8H8QKBf6GkACLcB/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OGL5HsBTJc0/WIuGi0S1bpI/AAAAAAAAD-E/J5tAleGlnh82hIX8D-NV0m8H8QKBf6GkACLcB/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Those of us who worry about upcoming events more than we
should know intellectually that our overwrought reactions to stressful
situations are unnecessary, and that ninety-nine percent of the time everything
works out just fine. But there is that nagging one percent…and Donald Trump.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trump is the rare case of an experience that turns out to be
worse than you could ever imagine. A nightmare come true. Every morning brings headlines
of new <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>horrors from opening up national
parks to oil drilling to “alternative facts” to a president more concerned
about crowd sizes at his inauguration than governing the country. Americans are
living in a worse case scenario, a dystopian reality that was once the stuff of
Tom Clancy novels and George Orwell’s imagination. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were warned many times in the past. Sinclair Lewis, Aldus
Huxley, Orwell, Gore Vidal, Margaret Atwood and many others raised flags
throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first century about the real
possibility of a totalitarian take over in America. You won’t find it mentioned
in many American history books, but this country narrowly escaped a fascist
coup in the 1930s when a cabal of elites (including George Bush’s grandfather)
hatched a plan to use the military to overthrow FDR and establish a government
modeled on Nazi Germany. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It can happen here and now it has. Today we live in an
oligarchy that could slip at any moment into a totalitarian regime. Our status
as a democracy is in question around the world, and foreign leaders are clearly
alarmed and anxious as they monitor the actions of an American president
unhinged from reality. Everything that makes us a supposedly democratic society
is under threat, from a free press to freedom of assembly to the ability to
hold elected officials accountable, and is being eroded by an insecure,
mentally unstable president and his enabling administration.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Donald Trump is as bad as it can get. He represents
everything that is antithetical to what was once the world’s most admired
democracy. If he is allowed to remain in office for the next four years, our
country will end up having far more in common with Mordor than Oz.
</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-37020170908983797102017-01-25T13:07:00.000-06:002017-01-25T13:07:01.059-06:00How Should America Deal With A Mentally Ill President?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nKx5lBZFTA0/WIj2TvLdDOI/AAAAAAAAD90/pnd3uIUmCe0fD0z5bxLinsA8JS5kRQDyACLcB/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nKx5lBZFTA0/WIj2TvLdDOI/AAAAAAAAD90/pnd3uIUmCe0fD0z5bxLinsA8JS5kRQDyACLcB/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Suggestions that Donald Trump might not be mentally fit to
serve as president have become more frequent after his first five days as
Commander in Chief. You might think that this accusation is coming from the
fringe on the Left, but that isn’t the case. Just this morning, Nobel Prize
winning economist Paul Krugman published a tweet that said, “An American first:
a president who was obviously mentally ill the moment he took office. Thanks,
Comey.” Krugman is referring to James Comey, head of the FBI, who some believe
swung the election in Trump’s favor by announcing an investigation
into Clinton’s emails.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trump’s erratic and delusional behavior since his
inauguration should have us all worried. Many Democrats, including myself, have
lamented that even if we get rid of Trump, we end up with uber Christian Mike
Pence. By voting for Trump, poorly educated racist white voters in the South
and Midwest have put America between a rock and a hard place. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am having second thoughts about this issue, however. I
detest everything that Mike Pence stands for, and placing him in the Oval
Office would be a very dark day for this country. However, it is becoming
apparent that Donald Trump’s mental state is putting this country in grave
danger. His delusions about massive voter fraud, his threat to send the
military into Chicago to stem crime and his antagonist rhetoric toward China
are not the statements of a sane person. I don’t know a lot about Mike Pence
other than his odorous political leanings, but if you asked me who I wanted to
be in charge of this country’s nuclear codes, I would have to go with Pence. He
just doesn’t appear to be as unhinged and impulsive as Trump.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This all raises a lot of questions. Who would determine if
Trump was mentally ill and unable to carry out the duties of the president and
what would be the criteria? Can Congress unseat a president under these
circumstances without going through the impeachment process?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, considering Trump’s personality, what
would happen if it was determined he was unfit to serve, but he refused to
leave? It isn’t a stretch to believe Trump and his administration would
consider any effort to unseat him a coup attempt.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are living in unprecedented times in America. Our newly
inaugurated president is showing signs of mental illness. The second in command
is only marginally better. All I can say is hold on to your seats because we are
in for one hell of a ride.
</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685193.post-64634687499739218682017-01-24T14:05:00.000-06:002017-01-24T14:05:15.099-06:00Belligerent Trump Puts All Our Lives In Danger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p9XnazzlQ50/WIey6MClGgI/AAAAAAAAD9g/TrZLkICVbVwmI9ZOadiNi81o16csHf0FQCLcB/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p9XnazzlQ50/WIey6MClGgI/AAAAAAAAD9g/TrZLkICVbVwmI9ZOadiNi81o16csHf0FQCLcB/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Many people have thought about it, a few have come out and
said it, but the reality is that Donald Trump has a better than even chance of
getting us all killed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like climate change, good taste and science, Trump does not
believe in diplomacy. Even before he was sworn in as president, Trump got under
China’s skin over that country’s claim to several islands in the South China
Sea. The subject came up again yesterday at a White House briefing where Sean
Spicer said, “We’re going to make sure we defend international territories from
being taken over by one country.” The implication is that the U.S. is prepared
to take some type of military action or embargo to keep China off of the
disputed islands. For there part, China says any activity like that could lead
to war.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trump is four days into office and we already have talk of
war, not with Panama or Grenada, but with the most populist country on the
planet, which also has nukes. Previous Republican presidents Reagan, Bush
senior and W all had their wars and, while not “official” Republican policy,
there have long been off-the-record sentiments expressed by party elites that
it’s a good thing for one’s polls and continued loyalty within the party to be
a wartime president. As we saw with George Bush, his approval ratings went
through the roof immediately after 9/11 and continued to be high enough to
start two wars nobody outside his administration really wanted.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What is so ominous today is that Trump makes Bush look like
a global statesman. Where Bush was naïve and impulsive (I go by my gut), Trump
is a thin-skinned bully who believes anyone who disagrees with him needs to be
taught a lesson. It’s bad enough when you’re on the playground pushing around
the skinny kid with a pocket protector, but something else entirely when you
start antagonizing countries as powerful as China.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet I don’t believe Trump makes any distinction between the
two. No one is going to tell him what to do, which includes other countries,
his advisors and the American people. Has Trump ever uttered the words “peace,”
“cooperation” or “working together” in the context of international affairs? I
haven’t heard them. Like other chicken hawks, Trump opted out of showing any
true courage by staying as far away from Vietnam as he could, but loves to talk
tough from behind the podium.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The problem we as Americans face is that the consequences of
belligerence in foreign affairs isn’t simply a punch in the jaw, but the
potential deaths of millions of human beings.
</div>
<br />andreinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08542964664292719088noreply@blogger.com0