ALABAMA GETAWAY

17 May 2019 Dwight

Trump’s Conspiracy Against Women

I grew up in a home with a very strong and opinuated woman. My mother was not ahead of her time, but she had a certain way of showing me the many ways that women and girls are equal to men and boys. We have arrived in a strange time when TV dramas depicting the stripping of women’s rights just might be more predictive than fantasy. See: The Handmaiden’s Tale.

25 white men in Alabama’s state government have now decided how all the women in the state should manage their bodies. The morality of the Alabama’s ruling class is built on a foundation of stupidity. They don’t understand that more unwanted children in their state will only increase the tax burden on the very people they are attempting to appease with this highly political ploy to reverse Roe vs. Wade. If this sounds a bit racist, I must remind the reader that statistics don’t lie. According to AL.com, “The poverty rate for Hispanic or Latino Alabamians is highest, at nearly 34 percent, compared with 31 percent for blacks and 14 percent for whites. Alabama’s median household income of $44,833 is nearly $11,000 less than the national median of $55,775. The difference grows starker when comparing black and white households, however. According to the report, white Alabamians earn $50,402 a year on average, compared with black Alabamians’ average of $29,180.” This study was done by Alabama Possible.

So, here’s my question. Why would the state government want to exacerbate the problem of income inequality, while driving more poor white state residents to depend on more services because of more children than they can afford?

Alabama’s draconian law, if it is ever applied, will force talented medical professionals away from the state. Smart doctors won’t take the chance of something going wrong in their operating room leading to a life sentence in prison. The quality of medical care will decline and medical insurance will skyrocket.

While discussing the Alabama ruling with some firm Trump supporters in another southern state, they voiced their distress because of non-exclusions for rape and incest victims. They said that was going too far. I agreed, and then one of the guys said, “That’s why they should leave this whole matter up to the states.” I raised my voice, “That’s the problem not the solution!” You see, once a snapping turtle latches on to a talking point, the brain’s logic circuitry no longer functions. The only force to stop this terrible law is the Supreme Court. If they reverse Roe Vs. Wade, they will once again MAKE LAW, not interpret it.

Now I have another question. Can a woman sue a rapist for child support in the state of Alabama? If not, then the Governor of Alabama has failed women by signing the bill before having a moral backstop law in place. They’re all confused. If a woman can’t seek any monetary retribution, then she’s been legally downgraded to three-fifths a person. Why does that sound familiar? With statues of limitations and overprotective male judges getting in the way of justice, it’s hard enough for a rape victim to get a conviction against her assailant,. Why are we adding an extra burden on women and awarding fatherhood to rapists? This is counter to every civil liberty women have fought so hard to gain.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t extend to my readers the courtesy of placing blame. Trump went on and on about why evangelicals and right-to-life people should vote for him. He clearly stated that he was going to stack the court with ultra-conservative judges who would overturn Roe vs. Wade. Even moderate Republican women voted for him. He did what he said he would do, even though seven out of ten American women, regardless of their political affiliations, do NOT want Roe vs Wade to be overturned. Of course, this doesn’t matter to Donald Trump. He has never respected women or minorities.

Trump believes that by trampling women’s rights he will be able to get re-elected, not once, but forever. If you think I am joking, you are a fool. We have a problem and there doesn’t seem to be a way to stop this insanity. Trump and Pence want all women to be controlled as they were in the old Testament of the Bible, casting America back to the stone age. If you think this can’t happen, remember that a loud minority of people were able to bring us prohibition for 13 years. How many women will die before more logical minds prevail in the fight of Right to Life vs. Freedom of Choice? Why would we create a medical police state? Why would someone, who no doubt paid for many abortions, be against a procedure that is in common practice and legal? We can only believe that he was taught that his own mother didn’t count. Notice, he never talks about her.

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

Gold, God, Guns & Goofballs shows how we’ve wasted our GOLD on bad wars and corruption. While GOD is there for many people as a spiritual enrichment and the provider of glowing feelings, the truth is just praying and believing will not change our major arc. We don’t determine who gets a GUN. We aren’t sure if we have paramilitary groups ready to storm the White House or a White Castle. There is no control of weapons. The GOOFBALLS with the power constantly try to manipulate us into spending more money on bombs and tanks and wars. When all of our institutions are infected with neglect and fall in disrepair, we will only have ourselves to blame. This book is not an antidote for the left or right, it’s an accelerant to move the middle off their collective asses to go do something positive for America.

Get the Kindle Version HERE. Or order your paperback edition HERE.

10May

TRUMP’S TRADE WAR

10 May 2019 Dwight

Did He Really Need to Do This?

If you review the dogma of Donald Trump, you will see a picture of the administration’s complete lack of intelligent design. If you wanted to bring together many nations to curb Chinese manipulation of world trade, you would sign an TTP agreement. Trump walked away from it. After NAFTA achieved years of strong economic development in the US, Canadian and Mexico, Trump tore it up.

If you want to keep track of the nuclear ambitions of Iran, you make them sign an agreement with many nations. Trump walked away from it. If you want to motivate the countries of the world to establish reasonable pollution control and climate change curtailment, you sign a Paris Accord. Trump walked away from it.

And now, Trump believes that the way to get the world’s economy under the control of American money is to slap tariffs on products from all the top economies of the world. What is a tariff? It’s a tax on imports or exports between sovereign states. It is a means to regulate international trade by taxing foreign products to encourage or safeguard domestic industry. Basically, we add taxes to products so that another country cannot undercut US products with a price advantage. This was first done by Alexander Hamilton to protect new companies from harsh competition.

Consider this. You bought a case of wine in France and tucked it into your luggage as you returned to the US. A customs inspector discovers your cache and analyzes it. Let’s say you bought a case of 36 bottles for two dollars a bottle. So, the value of your case is $72 and the tariff (really a fine in this case) is $8 per bottle or $288 for the case. Now, let’s further say you were bringing the case into America for a friend. Instead of charging your friend $72, you now must charge your drinking buddy $360 for the contraband you delivered. If we apply this to a real-world business situation, one might also have to charge the friend federal and state taxes on the goods, which would raise the cost even more. Yes, the treasury got the $288 in fees, but the tariff was paid by the importer, and the consumer reimbursed the importer for their costs. The money was a tax paid by the consumer and deposited into the treasury.

Now, if France got wind of this tariff and matched the tariff on something coming the other way, let’s say, a John Deere tractor, then their consumers would have to pay an increased price on the US-made tractor. But what if the French refused to pay the tariff and bought a Kubota tractor from Japan? That would mean the US manufacturer would lose the sale and the trade war would damage that company’s bottom-line. These complex layers of global trade are a great pitch to rabid political rally goers, but the consequences of knee jerk trade policies become highly problematic for our producers.

Idiot-in-Chief Trump has a fantasy dream that all the rustbelt states will bring back major manufacturing facilities and we will return to the calmer economy of American in post-war 1950s. This might sound like a great idea on the surface, but it took more than 70 years for these former US industries to be eliminated by sellers importing cheaper goods from other countries and that’s not a clock easily turned back.

Sure, the US could have been a protectionist economic force in the last 50 years, but the rest of the world wouldn’t have bought our expensive goods. Large markets such as China, India and Southeasts Asia would have simply bought items and sold products such as steel and aluminum to and from other nations. Our industries might have collapsed faster.

Instead of trying to bring back those high polluting industries, with no guarantee that we could even produce cheaper products, we need to look toward products of the future. To borrow a sports metaphor from famous hall of fame hockey star Wayne Gretzky, success is “not skating to where the puck was but skating to where the puck is going to be.” And that is precisely what we must do with our industrial developments and plans.

The world is migrating toward wind and sun energy. Why can’t we be the #1 producer of the gear to lead the planet to renewable energy? If the earth is all about technology, why aren’t we investing in education and finding the brightest and smartest inventors for the future? It’s a better investment than cranking up the coal burning power plants. Even investment in nuclear power plants makes more sense then putting money into old technology. We can produce without killing the world markets.

Most smart investors and economists understand how things work, but remember, they are never 100% correct. We have a president who thinks he knows everything about money and how to make billions, yet in his life he lost more than a BILLION dollars and paid no taxes for more than a decade. Sadly, his followers don’t care about the past. They don’t even care about the Mueller report. The reality is we all will lose money because of Donald Trump. WHY DO WE HAVE TO PAY FOR HIS MISTAKES? Hey, maybe that’s a good tag line for a political opponent’s commercial in 2020!

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

Get the Kindle Version HERE. Or order your paperback edition HERE.

6May

TRUMPARENCY VS TRANSPARENCY

6 May 2019 Dwight

Executive and White Privilege

Until 2009, there was no Supreme Court in Great Britain. Before then, all weighty legal decisions were made in the House of Lords, a body composed of church Bishops, a ruling class who could hand their seats down to their male offspring along with a few people who managed to attain appointments through an arcane selection process.

I point this out because our founders saw the flaw in the British form of law and improved it dramatically. The idea of taxation without representation drove not only the disagreement, but a revolution. Americans cast off the notion of royalty and privilege. Status was not determined by birth, but by how hard one worked and what they accomplished. Well, except if you were a woman or an African slave. The most hypocritical aspect of these newly formed United States was that our founding fathers talked a good game, but allowed only white land owners to vote. They, in fact, created a privileged white male class. It took 89 years to free the slaves and 144 years for women, no matter what their color, to be “awarded” the gift of the vote.

Now let’s talk about Donald Trump’s claim that he has the most transparent administration in the history of America. That’s a rather funny statement when, in the same paragraph, he blocks past and present White House personnel from testifying to Congress. The Washington Post has documented more than 10,000 lies the President has created since he took office. Telling a lie is the opposite of being transparent; it’s being deceptive.

We unintentionally promote certain classes and people to a status above common man. Statistics don’t reflect the notion that no man is above the law in America. African-Americans make up more than 35% of our prison population, even though they represent only 12.5% of the general population. One might want to argue that African-Americans are more likely to commit crimes, but that would mean that there is something inherently wrong with our society and the Black community. We should always ask why any group of Americans are not doing as well as others and find ways to help make America a better place for them.

This brings us to an invented privilege built into our system of law. Does it surprise you that “executive privilege” is not in the Constitution? This privilege, claimed by the president for the executive branch of the US government, allows the withholding information in the public interest. So, we have one person, the president, deciding that a lack of transparency can actually be in the public interest. Huh?

Presidents Washington and Jefferson, both refused to provide certain documents to Congress and this set up a more clearly defined defense of NON compliance during the Eisenhower administration. In 1954, when an out of control Senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy, was getting too close to the Oval Office with his investigation of possible Communist involvement in the Army, President Eisenhower drew a “line” in the sand.” He said that “provision of any data about internal conversations, meetings, or written communication among White House staffers, with no exception to topics or people” should be privileged and not given to Congress. This clear separation of powers debate was ended with the case against Richard Nixon during Watergate. The Supreme Court ruled that “executive privilege” is a valid concept, but that a president cannot block evidence needed in a criminal case. Remember, Mueller brought no criminal case against the White House in his report.

In today’s world, the expression “white privilege” stains common sense and is extremely disparaging to all Americans. There is no built-in advantage for being born white in this country. So we now return to the difference between law in Great Britain and how we manage our affairs here in the US, where no one should have privilege because of the color of their skin. One could argue that the President of the United States believes in “white privilege” and uses “executive privilege” to give him an advantage in the transparency game.

When history is written and most of the documents, rulings and conversations of the Donald are exposed by time, we might all learn that Trump’s biggest lie was his claim of being the most transparent president of all time. The braggadocio and bravado of this buffoonish little man may excite raw nerves in his followers’ brains but bears no resemblance to truth. Perhaps those neurological tingles are simply a form of white privilege that Trump sycophants believe is baked into their “heritage.” Wouldn’t that make them racists?

The biggest problem with Donald Trump is that he lies. The second biggest problem with the 45^th President is that he doesn’t govern for all the people in America. He has, with his comments, tweets and policies, created two Americas. He has never graduated from slimy politician to presidential leadership. And he never will.

Mueller should testify because he failed to clarify his findings with an indictment of Donald Trump. If he believed Trump had conspired with Russians to affect our elections, then he would have been forced to make a call on criminal activity. But do we know that for sure? The only way to close the book on this matter is to have Mueller testify so that America hears from him. Without Special Counsel transparency, we will be hurt by this Trumparency. Trump’s lies have upset the respect of America in the world. Beyond the party animosities, America is drowning in ignorance.

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

Get the Kindle Version HERE. Or order your paperback edition HERE.

3May

CAINE, MOORE & MONEY

3 May 2019 Dwight

Congress: All about the “Benjamins”

Herman Caine has never appeared to be anything but a partisan carnival barker with some of the most asinine ideas coming out of his pie hole. In his 2016 campaign, Caine introduced the memorable tag line “9-9-9” for a tax reform. The idea was to replace all current taxes (including the payroll tax, the capital gains tax and the estate tax) with a 9% personal income tax, a 9% federal sales tax, and a 9% corporate tax. The concept caught people’s attention, but Caine neglected to do the math. And many people didn’t look at the plan’s details, which would have added harsh sales and “value added” taxes while ending all deductions. Some “real economists” believed that the plan would have increased the deficit by billions. Huh?

Now if Herman a clown, Stephen Moore, the other guy Trump nominated for the Federal Reserve Board, is a buffoon. He started a group called Club For Growth in 2004, worked for the Heritage Foundation and has a Master’s Degree of Arts in economics, but professionals in the field feel he has no credibility. CNN hired this idiot to be a balancing act, presenting right winger viewpoints on discussion shows. From my perspective, TV networks putting fools on the air is how we got Trump in the first place. Yes, I blame you NBC.

As our not-so-great leader and part-time president Donald Trump said, “It’s easy to be a critic.” That’s exactly what Moore has been over the years. A plug-in personality to put down people who have power or respect in the financial arena. Unfortunately for Stephen Moore, when he veered out of his imaginary lane and tried to expose thoughts on any other topic, he exposed himself as a total asshole. This self-confessed male chauvinist pig’s latest harangue is that the real problem with the US economy is male wages are not rising fast enough. He goes on to call men the “real bread earners” in the family. He must be from 1945.

When both clowns were nominated by Trump to push Jerome Powell at the “Fed” to lower interest rates, I calmly told many of my friends, “Don’t worry, they will never get on the Federal Reserve Board.” Why did I think that? Because Republicans, especially those in the Senate, care far more about their freaking money than they care about Trump, or America for that matter. And so, it has come to pass that Mr. Caine and Mr. Moore have been obliterated from the Fed board confirmation hearing process. Trump will have to be more careful next time. You know, apply some real VETTING.

If you would enjoy an interesting day of research, look at the financial realities of those who sit in the Senate. Lindsey Graham is ranked 84th in Senate wealth at $489,009. Mitch McConnell is ranked 11th in the Senate with a net worth of $26,927,535. Rand Paul is ranked 66th in the Senate with an estimated net worth of $1,335,018. Mr. Sheldon Whitehouse ranked 21st in the Senate with $8,883,112 in 2010. Richard C Shelby at 22nd had a net worth of $10,963,007. Charles E Schumer ranked 73rd in the Senate with an estimated net worth of $948,522. Unless stated otherwise, all figures are from 2015 and posted on OpenSecrets.org. Mitt Romney, not on their site since 2010, is allegedly worth more than $300 million and is clearly the richest member of the Senate.

The House of Representatives is not much better. Nancy Pelosi is ranked 6th in the House with an estimated net worth of $100,643,521. Darrell Issa (R-Calif) is worth $330,050,015, Jared Polis (D-Colo) clocks in at $313,556,221, Mark Warner (D-Va) is worth $238,157,630, John K Delaney (D-Md) comes in at $232,816,089, Dave Trott (R-Mich) banks $177,149,145 and Vernon Buchanan (R-Fla) is worth $115,534,558. These figures are also from the same site and year, 2015. Just imagine how much more these folks have made with this great economy and why they are so very careful as they cast their votes.

Consider this from NPR. “Russian aluminum company Rusal announced Monday it plans to invest in a new Kentucky aluminum mill to be built near Ashland in eastern Kentucky. The $200 million investment in Braidy Industries is Rusal’s first U.S. project since the Trump administration lifted U.S. sanctions placed against the company. Rusal had been sanctioned by the U.S. government because its major controller, Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, faces accusations of “a range of malign activity around the globe” by Russia, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. Those actions include interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and meddling in neighboring Ukraine.” You see, this helps Mitch McConnell’s state and Steve Mnuchin lifted sanctions against this one specific company. Can you say, Quid Pro Quo? They have no souls.

It’s clear to me that smart politicians, economists and business people are not going to let Trump foolishness get in the way of their money. Many of the Republicans who blindly follow Trump into indefensible domestic and global misadventures allow him to make many mistakes if they don’t jeopardize their wealth. With the most recent jobs report showing more than 263,000 jobs added in April 2019, and unemployment dropping to 3.6%, the path is cleared for a great Trump campaign in 2020 and possible reelection. If the Democrats have a chance of taking back seats in the Senate and the White House, they must convince all Americans what they propose is something better than what we see right now. Good luck.

It would be disheartening to the left wingers if a candidate said, “I wouldn’t change a thing.” It would be equally insane for a Presidential candidate to say that they would like to spend more money than Trump spent in his first two years.

Might we remind the public here what Forbes magazine said, “Trump has talked loudly but delivered little real results when it comes to impacting trade. Under his watch the trade deficit has grown over $100 billion, going from $502 billion in 2016 to $621 billion in 2018, an increase of 19%. The deficit for Goods has increased $140 billion from $751 billion to $891 billion. At its current pace, the Goods deficit could also hit $1 trillion in 2020.”

It’s clear that Trump lies about everything, more than 10,000 times since he’s been elected. Why would economic issues be any different? How can we trust him to be a good steward of the economy when he goes too far in everything he does to feed his insatiable need for personal winning? He just can’t smile and move to the next thing. He must rub someone’s face in it. He walks around believing that he’ll figure out the debt later. No planning, No blame. That is the way he ran his companies, and that’s the way he’s managing the nation. HE SPENDS TOO MUCH MONEY ON STUPID THINGS. We just might have a storm on the horizon, but ego won’t let him think he could ever make a mistake. Another credit downgrade of America on the world’s financial stage will hurt us all. We hope it doesn’t happen, but would you loan money to someone who owes $1 trillion? I don’t even know who we owe it to, do you?

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

Get the Kindle Version HERE. Or order your paperback edition HERE.

29Apr

GUNS, GUTS & GRAVITAS

29 Apr 2019 Dwight

Trump’s Vacuous Reactions

Have you noticed that when Trump responds to various things, he sometimes seems passionate and focused, while at other times he offers a rather perfunctory reaction? If you assume that the 45^th President of the United States has some thought process at work before he speaks, wouldn’t you also believe that he would try to be a respected leader with his words.

70% of everything Trump says is negative. He continually sounds more like a small-town politician rather than the leader of the free world. And because of his lack of precision when presenting his viewpoints, many people on the other side paint him with a justified brush of racism and xenophobia. They use his own words to reach their conclusions. Donald Trump is a horrible communicator. Consider the sheer volume of his statements and orders that must be explained by others in the administration. Of course, the common thread in the explanations from Trump supporters and, sadly, those in Congress is a tinge of anti-press putdown.

Hate speech and crimes in America are on the rise. In 2017, hate crimes were up by 17% (7,175 incidents): 1,679 of them were religious bias crimes, 58.1% were anti-Jewish and 18.9% were against the Islamic community. These stats are from the FBI. While some people are quick to assign blame to Trump, hatred seems to be a global trend that must be intelligently addressed. However, don’t look to Trump for leadership here; he’s not capable.

Our president is missing a gut feel for the realities of life in America. I have often believed he treats Putin well because he fears being poisoned by him. The reason he doesn’t take a strong stand against the White Nationalists, Neo-Nazis and the failing KKK is because he’s afraid they will turn against him politically. Some Neo-Nazis have already abandoned him because of his stance on Israel. Trump’s bailiwick is fear and hate, while his lack of understanding of real people could become his Waterloo.

Think of that hate cult known as the National Rifle Association. Trump fears the guys with the guns, and they manipulate his fear by motivating him to stand behind the 2^nd Amendment in fake, patronizing ways. No matter what state Trump visits for his rallies, guns are not permitted in the building. Of course not. GUNS ARE DANGEROUS and there is no way the Secret Service could protect the president if people carried guns into a rally. Despite this, Trump pushes for guns in public places like schools and churches. You know, to shot back at the bad guys.

In his response to the gunfire in Poway, California, Trump gave his obligatory comments and then said that it “might be a hate crime,” before getting a report from authorities. Why would he do that? And then he tacked on, “that’s unbelievable.” Does he mean, that a hate crime is unbelievable, or that it’s unbelievable that in 2019 it’s happening again? As is typical of this moronic man, his sentence construct gets him in trouble and misguides us.

Trump dismisses major realities like global warming and climate change without a drop of common sense. He doesn’t relate to the pain that extreme weather is causing to Americas in every state. He’s disinterested in taking a strong stance against foreign meddling in our elections because he thinks it’s good for him. He obviously doesn’t care about people, only himself.

The Trump surrogates on TV keep referencing Donald’s frustration about how the investigation into Russian interference was conducted and his belief that it shouldn’t have started in the first place. It’s appalling when semi-literate Congressional leaders paint a picture that it’s more important protect the President fragile temperament than to fortify the electorate against fraud and deception. Who are these people?

In pitching his book, Mike Lee of Utah talked about how the problem is Congress, even though he is a member of Congress. He complains bitterly about those “unelected” career government people who have done such terrible things to Trump. That’s rich. Hey, Mike, you do realize we didn’t vote for Jared Kushner, or Ivanka, or Mick Mulvaney or Betsy Devos and the rest of the low-life ideologs who are ruining America right before our very eyes. They are political appointees who should be doing their damn jobs to protect the Constitution and to help America.

Kushner says that a “few ads” on Facebook was no big deal and claimed that the Mueller Investigation did more harm to democracy than Russian interference. You lost, little boy. Perhaps your ancestors from Belarus found living under Russian rule for so long wasn’t all that bad. Well, not all that bad after getting past the imprisonments and executions.

Hardly anyone talks about GUNS these days. They focus on HATE. The thousands of parents and families who have been torn to pieces by gun violence in America have never lost their focus. We will never get any effort to curtail the White Nationalists, Neo-Nazis or the KKK from Donald John Trump. He’s simply chicken-shit-scared of them. Trump will never make a grand speech or produce a plan to reduce the hate that is flaring up in America. He holds the blowtorch in his small little hand while insincerely protesting these “sad things.”

The vile and derogatory disparagement Trump spreads at his rallies, press conferences and online tweets has penetrated the mass mentality of our nation. His highly destructive attitude toward anyone who thinks differently than him is appalling and offers a back-stage pass to radical minds intending to harm.

Trump is an idiot when it comes to understanding the fragile intellects of those who follow him. He truly believes that most Americans are so stupid he can get away with anything. He dismisses the people who are trying to tell him what he is doing wrong as haters. By simply using the word, he is promoting hate. Since Trump demonstrates a belief that he’s above the law, a lunatic-coward wielding an AR-15 believes he can make a difference, too. Sadly, people die when such errant political rhetoric is acted out. Trump has blood on his hands, just like Pontius Pilate. Happy Passover.

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

Get the Kindle Version HERE. Or order your paperback edition HERE.

25Apr

IMPEACHMENT DOC LEAKED

25 Apr 2019 Dwight

Trump’s Inevitable End

We have received a leaked copy of the first draft of an Impeachment Document being put together to lay out the charges against the President of the United States. Rather than attempt to comment on these masterful points, we respectfully submit these words, as received.

116th Congress Report

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

IMPEACHMENT OF DONALD JOHN TRUMP,

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

———-

R E P O R T

together with

ADDITIONAL, MINORITY, AND DISSENTING VIEWS

The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the consideration of recommendations concerning the exercise of the constitutional power to impeach Donald John Trump, President of the United States, having considered the same, reports thereon pursuant to H. Res. ??? as follows and recommends that the House exercise its constitutional power to impeach Donald John Trump, President of the United States, and that articles of impeachment be exhibited to the

Senate as follows:

RESOLUTION

Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. Resolved, That Donald John Trump, President of the United States, is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate:

Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of

Representatives of the United States of America in the name of itself and of the people of the United States of America, against Donald John Trump, President of the United States of America, in maintenance and support of its impeachment against him for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Article I

On January 20^th, 2017, Donald John Trump undermined the integrity of his office, has brought disrepute on the Presidency has betrayed his trust as President and has acted in a manner subversive of the rule of law and justice, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States by instructing his press secretary to lie about the size of the assembled crowd to witness his inauguration. This breach of trust could have been just part of the President’s ambition and avarice, but a deeper malady was disclosed that day, that Donald John Trump believed that the honor that was bestowed on him, just hours earlier, gave him the right to lie to the American people. One might argue that his annoyance is not a high crime, but it will be proven in this document that this “misdemeanor” is systemic and dangerous to the security of the United States of America. What some have described as flippant bon mot, has been witnessed by the world over publicly displayed social media platforms that have misled allies, discredited citizens without recourse, incorrectly accused innocent and nations abroad with nothing short of self-evident lies.

Wherefore, Donald John Trump, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.

Article II

Donald John Trump, before being sworn in to the sacred Office of President of the United States cooperated, instructed and had knowledge of members of his campaign and transition team who made contacts and started to negotiate matters of treaties and foreign policy, clearly a violation of the Logan Act (1 Stat. 613, 18 U.S.C. § 953.

Donald John Trump failed to put his business interests into a firm Trust, therefore benefiting from those interests because he was elected to the office. Donald John Trump has continually failed to disclose to the American public at large, his interests, profits and tax returns, a half century tradition of presidential candidates and president-elect disclosing same. This is a clear violation of the Title of Nobility Clause, a provision in Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution that prohibits the federal government from granting titles of nobility, and restricts members of the government from receiving gifts, emoluments, offices or titles from foreign states and monarchies without the consent of the United States Congress. Donald John Trump has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by providing their subjects rooms for profit at the President’s properties.

Donald John Trump has blatantly and willfully violated 5 U.S. Code § 3110 that restricts Employment of relatives. A public official may not appoint, employ, promote, advance, or advocate for appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement, in or to a civilian position in the agency in which he is serving or over which he exercises jurisdiction or control any individual who is a relative of the public official. An individual may not be appointed, employed, promoted, or advanced in or to a civilian position in an agency if such appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement has been advocated by a public official, serving in or exercising jurisdiction or control over the agency, who is a relative of the individual. Donald John Trump has appointed members of his immediate family to service in critical roles in his administration.

In all of this, Donald John Trump has undermined the integrity of his office, has brought disrepute on the Presidency has betrayed his trust as President,and has acted in a manner subversive of the rule of law and justice, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.

Article III

In his conduct while President of the United States, Donald John Trump, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has prevented, obstructed, and impeded the administration of justice, and has to that end engaged personally, and through his subordinates and agents, in a course of conduct or scheme designed to delay, impede, cover up, and conceal the existence of evidence and testimony related to a Justice Department Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller, III.

Donald John Trump failed to disclose to the citizens of the United States of America and Federal Law Enforcement entities that his campaign was targeted by foreign agents of the Republic of Russia, during the campaign, and during the transition. The Presidential candidate and President-Elect provided cover for these activities by sowing doubt that the interference happened in his campaign and transition organization. Donald John Trump continued to deny that any of his inner circle had contacts with Russians during the campaign and transition. A lie to the American public, that was unmasked in the Special Counsel report and revealed as a severe breach of trust with the electorate and Congress. A democracy cannot stand tall when the leader of same, is prone to misinformation and lies that are used to defect the true responsibility of the office.

In the report from the Special Counsel clearly states that a high crime and misdemeanor was committed by the sitting President of the United States, Donald John Trump. There are five distinct and connected crimes of obstruction of justice proven in the Special Counsel report:

1. Donald John Trump instructed the Director of the FBI to be less than diligent in his investigation of General Michael Flynn who had lied to the FBI about his pre-inauguration contacts with Russian government offices, and his violation of the Logan Act. Due to the known habits and techniques used by Donald John Trump throughout his business, entertainment and political life, this obstructive act is part of a pattern of suggestive banter that to some might seem superficial and non-direct, but for those who have spent time with Donald John Trump, know that his vague instructive methods can be codified by testimony that showed his return to a subject to ascertain if the deed had been done. The misinterpretation by some, is very clear to those who have dealt with the person.
2. Donald John Trump’s efforts to fire Robert S. Mueller from his post as Special Counsel by instructing the White House Attorney, Don McGahn to do so, is a clear act of obstruction of justice defined by federal statute as any “interference with the orderly administration of law and justice” and governed by 18 U.S.C. §§ 1501-1521. Within the scope of this charge, is also the blatant and public berating of the Attorney General of the United States, Jeff Sessions and attempt to get Mr. Sessions to “un-recuse” himself and to take charge of the Special Counsel’s investigation by eliminating the need to investigate the 2016 President Election interference by foreign nations. This was also a clear attempt of obstruction of justice.
3. Donald John Trump instructed several government employees and administration officials to create false documents to back up the lies that the President transmitted to the American public. This is a clear violation of the 18 U.S. Code §  Destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in Federal investigations and bankruptcy.
4. During the investigation, indictments and arrests, Donald John Trump not only continued to berate the law enforcement agencies he is mandated to manage, but also belittled, criticized and threaten witnesses and potential witness through his public statements of use of social media. The President also presented a philosophy of those who cooperated with Federal investigators were “Rats.” Along with threatening these said witnesses, Donald John Trump also made slanderous threats against the families of the witnesses which was clearly, retaliating against a witness, victim, or an informant and violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1513.
5. In the course of the prosecution of the accused and the court cases that were created by those prosecutions, Donald John Trump used his vast reaching social media account to message the witnesses, accused and the jury about the veracity of the charges and going so far to encourage the accused to “stay strong” that some have interrupted was a quid-pro-quo arrangement for not implicating the President. This intent is harder to prove, but the effect of the jury, who in many cases were not sequestered, was clearly a violation of 18 US Code § 1504 – Influencing juror by writing.

In all of this, Donald John Trump has undermined the integrity of his office, has brought disrepute on the Presidency has betrayed his trust as President and has acted in a manner subversive of the rule of law and justice, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.

Article IV

Using the powers and influence of the office of President of the United States, Donald John Trump, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in disregard of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has engaged in conduct that resulted in misuse and abuse of his high office, impaired the due and proper administration of justice and the conduct of lawful inquiries, and contravened the authority of the legislative branch and the truth-seeking purpose of a coordinate investigative proceeding, in that, as President,

Donald John Trump refused to go under oath to answer questions about these important matters and instead, answered in writing to the questions presented by the Special Counsel. To that end, the Special Counsel declared his answers to be “insufficient” and that more 30 times, Donald John Trump wrote he “did not recall” what occurred. We the People can only ask, what is the President of the United States hiding from law enforcement, the Congress and the courts of this great land. Is the greatest lie being perpetrated on the American public that fact that this man has no credibility and is more than derelict in his duty and oath to the Constitution and this great land?

In doing this, Donald John Trump has undermined the integrity of his office, has brought disrepute on the Presidency, has betrayed his trust as President, and has acted in a manner subversive of the rule of law and justice, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.

Narrative

TO BE COMPLETED SOON

First draught, B. Franklin

Leaked to press by E. Brancroft

We cannot speculate on the authenticity of the document, or the identities of B. Franklin or E. Brancroft, but we sense they could be messengers from the past, warning us that our democracy is at risk. Could time travel be real?

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

Get the Kindle Version HERE. Or order your paperback edition HERE.

19Apr

BARRED FROM THE TRUTH

19 Apr 2019 Dwight

Trump’s Lies and No Recollections!

The wheels are coming off our democracy. William Barr, the Attorney General of the United States, should be impeached by Congress. Barr has exposed himself as an agent of the White House rather than the man the country needs to protect us from illegal acts and determinations. He’s a partisan hack under the power of the president and has lost all credibility because of his verbal whitewashing of the Mueller Report. And yes, any public official can be impeached by Congress.

But let’s back up; what is really happening here? William Barr is simply the result of a terrible, defective President. What we should fear is four more years of this idiot in power and the ideologs and anti-patriotic water boys working in this corrupt administration. What did the Mueller Report really show us?

From the beginning of this presidency, Donald Trump has surrounded himself with a bastion of mediocre, self-serving, self-dealing and misguided criminals. Some of these people have already been convicted and are headed to jail. Some of these poorly vetted individuals were brought into the Trump circle based on superficial Google searches. Yes, that’s in the report. They were given big titles when they were nothing more than eye candy for the campaign, frauds at best. Some of these losers came highly-recommended by lame braindead people who had no idea what they were doing. Judging by the number of high-level fools who have since left the administration, the Mueller Report highlights the fact that Trump is a horrible chief executive.

Next, it’s clear that Robert Mueller and William Barr are not on the same page. The contradictions between Barr’s assessment and Mueller’s document are appalling. Did William Barr even read the report? Rod Rosenstein will likely become known as the biggest political patsy in the history of America. If you read the report (GET IT HERE) you will learn about all the unethical and illegal acts that took place in the Trump administration. Don’t take my word for it, read the damn report. Mueller should have at least named Donald Trump an undisclosed co-conspirator in an illegal campaign contribution, you know, the one that led Michael Cohen to jail time.

The Mueller Report shows us that Vladimir Putin lied, and Donald Trump believed him. Unfortunately, the report also shows us that the President of the United States doesn’t know the difference between the truth and a lie. Donald Trump embarrasses America by continuing his dialog that says, bad guys are good, good guys are bad. When will someone from the other side of Congress stand up and scream, STOP SHORT-SELLING AMERICA!

One could second guess Robert Mueller in this as well. A huge mistake was NOT having Trump come before the Grand Jury to explain, under oath, what he did. Even if Mueller interviewed Trump, it may not have differed from his written answers where, more than 30 times, Trump said, “No Recollection.” Because Trump wasn’t summoned to the Grand Jury, like any other American would have been, he is now set up to believe he is above the law. This is troublesome.

There will be many detailed examinations of what is in the Mueller Report, and it is good that Barr has finally said he will give Congress a secret peek at the non-grand jury redacted portions, but the damage is already done.

Donald Trump is not going to be arrested or brought before Congress to explain himself. The 45^th President of the United States will not be impeached. As Trump has said so loudly and clearly, “the system is rigged.” There’s one he gets right! The Republicans have sold their souls to the devil, Donald Trump. He has hypnotized the evangelicals, bribed Wall Street and demolished common decency, and many people just don’t seem to get it.

In a country that was created because a group of smart, independent men decided that a king could not be above the law, it’s unfathomable that we don’t have strong guidelines concerning a President’s legal standing. Should a one-off policy memo from Robert Bork at the Department of Justice be the definitive guide of law governing the accountability of our president or any other member of the Executive Branch? Shouldn’t we examine this under a legal process and make a firm statute accordingly? Why would we ever have a law that prevents a president from being arrested by law enforcement? We also need a ruling about candidates releasing their tax returns. As a country of law and order, we are failing in these important regards.

I would like to get a few things off my chest before my big finish. Why does Donald Trump get to say that his public words were just a joke or sarcasm? “Hey, I was just having some fun!” He’s the motherfucking President of the United States. I cannot believe that judges, prosecutors and 40% of the American public just laugh and go about their business. Why is it not treason when Trump appears on a broadcast in front of a crowd asking a hostile foreign government to hack into a computer system to get his political rival’s emails? Why are we so dumb as to not take this guy’s request as a legal statement of his actual intent? Why is the Justice Department being allowed to shield some Americans from prosecution? Where does it say that the President is above the law? Could it be that some judges and others in power assume Trump can’t possibly mean his outrageous statements? And after he signs an executive order putting those outrageous statements into policy, why don’t all his words matter?

In conclusion, rather than summarizing — a word that has been forever perverted by the stationary frog William Barr — let me rag on the Mueller Report just a bit more. In black and white, the Report shows the world that Donald J. Trump is a big, fat, fucking liar. He’s always been a liar and always will be a liar. In fact, he’s a pathological liar; look it up. So, I turn to you America, you beautiful shining light on a hill, and ask you this. Aren’t we a better country? Isn’t there an honest broker for democracy who can lead us and the world without deception and lies? We have a liar as a president. Donald Trump is also a cheat, a con, a racist, a xenophobe and, while I’m on the subject, he has a camel-toe neck. Take that you LOSER!

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

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15Apr

SACRED COWS & COWARDS

15 Apr 2019 Dwight

The Grand Illusions of Trump

Without truth, we are doomed to follow the fools in Washington who lie as part of their body politic. When those in power attempt to manipulate the law and order of the nation by being deceitful, we are destined to a lower standard and a perversion of our democracy.

The problem with Donald Trump is twofold. One, he has never become a real president; he remains frozen in time as a bully politician. Second, his use of Twitter exposes his lack of understanding of basic facts. He truly believes he can say anything in a tweet and constantly overcommits himself. Those things he has posted in the past make his flip-flops apparent. We have a written record of every Trump inner thought, hoax, fear, myth and misguided effort that hurts America: @realDonaldTrump.

That brings us to his new battle with US Representative Ilhan Omar. Might I add that she doesn’t have a grasp on the gravity of her comments and lacks the ability to properly formulate her sentences? All she had to say was, “something [terrible] happened…” and her speech to the Council on American-Islamic Relations would have been forgotten by everyone. One could argue that Omar’s comments to this organization were just as irresponsible as some of the things Donald Trump says at his rallies. Sadly, the far left and the far right don’t realize the similarities of their bigotry.

Trump is aware of the power of his platform. He knows if he continues to super serve his base he can count on them to yell loudly enough to scare other people into voting for him again. By using the 9-11 attacks to shame Omar, the Donald has yet again chosen to create negative energy against those of the Muslim faith. It’s completely accurate to accuse the President of the United States of xenophobia, even though it might be a misuse of the First Amendment. The latest fake battle is just another instance of Trump establishing an “US” and “THEM” America rather than advancing a helpful dialog.

Yes, painful moments in our country’s history are sacred cows. You didn’t make jokes about Pearl Harbor to my parents’ generation. The JFK assassination, which came later, is still in the grip of myth and controversary and rarely the punch line of a joke. Omar is not incorrect in her assessment that 9-11 created fear among Muslims and resentment of like people. Sikhs with turbans are not Muslims, but they have been targeted because of appearance. Trump’s rhetoric relies on boogiemen, enemies and challengers. He is not a peaceful man, and if his tweets cause harm to any citizen he should be impeached.

There is something cowardly about a president sitting on his golden throne and blasting out a dozen, poorly written morning tweets. He places little or no thought into his words and his underlings mostly admit they have no power or input into his posts. What I find more disconcerting is that the TV responses of many within his administration make it sound like this President is open to compromise and has thoroughly considered every one of his tweet-based policies. The truth is, they have no idea about what he really believes. When things go badly, they simply blame someone or something else. It’s shameful watching these shallow servants following this lame fool to undo his lies in real time.

When the New York Times broke the story about Trump busing migrants and “illegal aliens” to sanctuary cities, his press corps had to push back. Short of calling the story “fake news,” they said it was discussed but not seriously considered. An hour later, Trump tweeted that it is a good idea which he is seriously considering. Who would want to work for this guy?

This president attempts to create a grand illusion of caring about people. That is so far from the truth, and it hurts to know the person who leads our country has compassion and attention only for those who like him. The more we see how Donald J. Trump treats people and the policies that he has forced on the American public and Congress, the more we know he is not a good person.

If the first aspect of a great leader is honesty, Trump has an empty tank. If the next important attribute is strategic thinking and planning, Donald Trump is a useless blowhard. If we’re looking for a transparent and open leader, we will have to look elsewhere. Trump has darkness all around him and his narcissistic personality disorder drives every thought, every action and every mistake he makes.

America doesn’t need a smoking gun to know who Trump is and how he is dividing and hurting our country. Donald Trump will never be a true president and there is a real possibility that his actions before he became president will land him in jail. But we don’t need to lock up him. We just need to get him out of power.

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

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11Apr

ATTORNEY GENERALIZATIONS

11 Apr 2019 Dwight

Trump Stooge on Trial on the Hill

I’m totally mystified why the new Attorney General, William Barr, released a four-page letter after receiving the full Mueller Report on March 24, 2019. It has been called a summary, but while testifying in Congress, he said it wasn’t really a summary. Are you confused yet?

It was only a few years ago that the Director of the FBI, James Comey, attempted to do the same thing, even though it was against policy to comment on an active investigation. When these officials speak, the nation listens. In Barr’s case, he claimed the letter was intended to provide an overview of the 400-page Mueller report, while waiting for his team and the Special Counsel to redact parts that deal with Grand Jury testimony, ongoing investigations and court cases. His redactions should prevent exposure of those who were not charged with any crime, preserving their innocence, unless and until proven guilty.

I found Barr’s statements to the House and Senate Appropriation Committees didn’t clarify the language or intent of his March 24 letter. He refused to talk about what he wrote, but spoke of “other probes” that might be coming. Didn’t he do exactly what former FBI head James Comey did when right before the election he talked to the American public about the ongoing investigation into Hillary Clinton? Unlike Trump, his boss, Barr refuses to call the Mueller probe a “witch hunt” or illegal investigation. Yet Barr seemed to laugh with the Republicans about the potential of a leak by Congress should the full report be given to them.

What I found most disturbing was Barr’s lack of candor about the Department of Justice’s reversal on the case against the Affordable Care Act. He made it seem like his own decision to have the act nullified by the courts is so outrageous that no one should worry it will actually happen. Barr said his decision to reverse course two weeks ago was based on what he could legally justify and the President’s wishes. He didn’t say that his intent had anything to do with the good of Americans. Strange isn’t it? He seems to have no concept or regard for the millions of citizens who would surely suffer if that act was torn from them.

Then there’s this convoluted logic. He wrote a letter saying what the report didn’t say, as much as what he thought it said, but didn’t want to include more because people would talk about it. Huh? Let’s read between his lines. That letter was not a favor to the American public. It was a big, wet, sloppy kiss for Donald Trump.

The more Barr talks, the more I see him as a partisan player who was put into place to do exactly what Trump wants him to do. This is the kind of AG that Trump trusted Jeff Sessions to be but was publicly disappointed when Mr. Sessions followed the law. I don’t know Barr’s exact agenda, but his answers and non-answers make it clear he’s just another creature in the swamp of old-line Washington politics. Remember, he was standing behind President George H.W. Bush when he pardoned all the liars in the Iran-Contra scandal.

Barr also told a Senate panel on Wednesday that he thinks “spying did occur” by the US government on President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. He plays right into Trump’s narrative, then adds, “I’m not suggesting that those rules were violated, but I think it’s important to look at that. I’m not talking about the FBI necessarily, but intelligence agencies more broadly.” The rules he spoke of are those that were enacted many years ago after it was disclosed that Vietnam protesters were the targets of government surveillance. Barr is simply broadcasting misinformation, adding fuel to many of Trump’s most troubling conspiracy theories. This feels more like Nixonian opinion on Presidential power rather than justice for all.

Perhaps William Barr will look better once the Mueller report is released, but the ability to shade the effect of the report by redaction will be closely monitored by the Democrats in oversight committees. Trump thinks he won, but this is but one round in ongoing investigations. Mueller could not exonerate the President because he can’t foresee the future disposition of those cases. The Donald may see Barr’s letter as a personal pardon, but there is more coming.

This isn’t wishful thinking. In another battle, Trump will stonewall the release of his tax returns. He will wait until after the election to pardon his buddies, but if he loses the election he could end up sitting in meetings with lawyers over the next ten years. In the end, he will do no jail time because, as he says, “the system is rigged.” Rich, white, powerful men always prevail in America and that is the reason we need many more reforms that help citizens, not officials. It might be time to get rid of those in government who don’t work in the interests of the people who pay them, we the taxpayers.

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

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9Apr

CREATIVE IMMIGRATION SOLUTIONS

9 Apr 2019 Dwight

Trump is the Bozo on this Bus

I’ve often said that people who work in government are not particularly creative. Some of those public servants may be smart and have imaginative abilities, but the bureaucratic pounding over the years can wring that talent right out of those people with original ideas.

If we agree that illegal immigration is a challenge here in America, then it behooves us to find a solution. People from Mexica and Central American countries are seeking asylum in the US, but the current resident in the White House believes that the law about asylum is a “con job.” In fact, the law is clear: “The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) authorizes the Attorney General to grant asylum if an alien is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin because she has suffered past persecution or has a well-founded fear of future persecution on account of ‘race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.'”

The Trump administration has no interest is this law and will do whatever it can to stop its enforcement, but is it really thinking about a creative solution? Let’s look at a few ideas.

First, the Aleutian Islands off the mainland of Alaska currently has a population of 8,162 people. These 6,821 square miles of land could provide an opportunity for people seeking asylum in the US. We have encouraged landed immigrants to settle in undeveloped lands in our past. BTW, that is about the same area as Massachusetts.

A more creative thinking President might support families seeking landing status in the United States if they would like to develop these sparsely populated areas. Throw in a pathway to citizenship, and we could end up with a huge positive for state, country and immigrants.

What if safe oil drilling and production could take place in this area and bring an economic boom to an ignored area of our nation? What if we could encourage these landed asylum seekers ways to create, run and develop small farms? We could simultaneously increase the quality of the country’s food supply and help solve the problem immigration influx.

Here’s a final idea, perhaps more controversial. We could enlist males of age coming across the border into a strong, Spanish speaking military force to partner with Mexican and Central American forces to end crime and deal a blow to terrorism. Without the control of the underlying problems in these countries, we will never be able to curtail the flow of dangerous refugees into the United States.

Donald Trump doesn’t care about people; he cares only about power. When backed into a corner, he blames someone else. There is no effort to find creative solutions to any problem because he’s doesn’t have innovative thinking or energy. In his privately held businesses, he has shouted orders without the scrutiny of a board of directors, stockholders and employees. Running the United States is much more difficult and the chaos in his administration pushes focus onto how things look rather than creative solutions.

Immigration could bring us a win-win. Unfortunately, our government’s smartest people are not permitted to offer solutions. Trump is the worst boss ever and, absolutely the worst president of my lifetime.

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

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