NO COLLUSION

Trumpers Rally Around Denials

As I walked to my local library, I couldn’t help but notice a small card table at the doorway with a couple sitting in the hot sun. The poorly made sign said, “No Collusion.” They were passing out Trump reelection brochures. Even before the ink on the Mueller Report was dry, the idea of using the phrase, “No Collusion” as a slogan for a reelection campaign seemed rather senseless. But with Trump denying things and lying his way out of any situation this seems to be standard operating procedure. Trump the martyr.

Even the first statement Trump made after the 4-page letter from the Attorney General William Barr was read to him was a lie. WHY? Clearly, in this documents (Here v0) you can read the line, “The Special Counsel states that, ‘while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.’” And yet, that sentence in black and white was totally ignored by Donald Trump. His first sentence included the phrase, “… total exoneration.” Clearly, if you believe what the Special Counsel said, then Trump’s problems of misdeeds, misconduct and malfeasance while in office is not quite resolved.

The Southern District of New York office of the Justice Department may charge Trump and his organization for things done before Trump became president, but that doesn’t mean that Congress cannot hold Mr. Trump to a certain ethical standard while he remains in office. He is making a ton of money being President. Isn’t that against the law? There are some very important issues at stake here and the sooner we Americans focus on them, the quicker we might be able to stop Trump from trampling over the rights of the citizens.

Depending on the demographics, most voters are focused on healthcare/healthcare costs, employment/jobs, the effect of immigration and its administration on the general well-being of America. Whether the Mueller report has some great consequence in their lives is far from where the rubber meets the road. Now, the lunatic in the White House has a new push.

According to Vox.com, “The Trump administration wants the federal courts to overturn the Affordable Care Act in its entirety, an escalation of its legal assault against the health care law. The Justice Department said in a brief filed on Monday that the administration supports a recent district court decision that invalidated all of Obamacare.”

The ACA covers 15 million Americans and along with Medicaid expansion that covers another 15 million, Trump and his henchmen will destroy the healthcare of more than 30 million Americans with the stroke of a pen. They will take away the right to get insurance if you have a pre-existing condition. A free and open market in healthcare, hospital care and pharmaceuticals will guarantee price increases. This might be good for all the Congress men and women who own stock in healthcare and drug companies but will only hurt the common man and women. Eyes open people. Medicare is next.

Trump has continually claimed that by getting rid of Obamacare, we would have a better and cheaper healthcare system. But the big orange glow job of the West Wing has never laid out what that post-Obamacare policy will be. His administration is so wrapped up with catch phrases and sales pitches, there is never any meat on the bone. No one knows what he will say, so no one on his staff commits on details.

Here is what America should be asking, would we have wanted P.T. Barnum or Teddy Roosevelt commanding the troops during the Spanish – American War? Barnum, who was a lot like Trump said, “Nobody ever lost a dollar by underestimating the taste of the American public.” Our taste in leaders is highly suspect. While President Theodore Roosevelt said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” And President Trump will always be known for, “No Collusion.” Sad.

When I read that 4-page letter from Attorney General William Barr, I was rather confused. Didn’t they just do exactly what Jim Comey did with the whole Hillary email scandal? They said they wouldn’t exonerate but couldn’t bring a charge in that case. Why are they allowed to do this? Oh, yeah, that’s right, they aren’t the judicial branch, they are the executive branch. They are the order, not the LAW. That is up to Congress and the Supreme Court.

Here is a newsflash for you folks, Mueller, Barr and Rosenstein are convinced Donald Trump’s words on Twitter or news conferences or campaign rhetoric cannot be used to codify his intent. So, why didn’t they put Trump under oath? Even the judges during the Muslim ban hearings kept questioning whether slogans and declarations on Twitter and the campaign trail were just jokes and just part of some political, public masturbation. Clearly, Trump asserted more than 183 times that Robert Mueller was corrupt, confused or conflicted. But when the letter from Barr came out, Trump said Mueller did his job honorably. So, which is it? Trump hates someone until they agree with him, then they are “tremendous.”

If your campaign slogan for 2020 is “No Collusion” you must be crazy. Next Tuesday, if the DOJ complies to the demand from Congress for the whole Mueller report to be handed over, we will see the details of Robert Mueller investigation. I predict some of the more obvious and embarrassing details will motivate Trump to keep up the “Witch hunt” mantra. The President is quite insecure. Someday we will have a real “leader” in that position, so think about who you would like to replace him in 2020. Get to work.

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.

THE QUICKSAND OF CORRUPTION

Trump Weighing Down America

I am very proud to be an American, but my faith is being tested by the unfit human in the White House. There is a principle of science that says an unstable surface can support only a certain amount of strain before it collapses and takes all that’s good with it.

There is something inherently wrong with a company who has been given an unreasonable amount of control over its own compliance. As I pointed out in my new book, Gold, God, Guns & Goofballs:

“The airline industry and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have cooked up an idea of “cooperative compliance” on rules and regulations. It’s a thinly disguised delay tactic.”

Donald Trump is so incompetent that he is unable to comprehend, let alone correct, this flaw in governance. It’s another reason why he and his cohorts must be stopped as soon as possible. The first job of any president is to keep the people safe, and mismanagement in this important regard can kill people.

And what’s up with President Donald Trump’s ongoing and rabid criticism of our fallen hero, the late great John McCain? His attacks are based on nothing short of envy and partisan needs rather than the good, fair and right treatment of a veteran. If members of Congress don’t stand up against this horrible verbal abuse and bullying of a veteran family, then those fat cats are in the quicksand and will sink with Trump in the end. Every Representative and Senator should state their disagreement of this continual flogging of another American.

Now we hear from Florida that Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and friend of Donald Trump, has been offered a deal in the case of his solicitation and payment of a prostitute. The pretrial deal is part of a deferred prosecution program offered to first-time offenders who concede the state would have been able to prove their guilt. Isn’t that the same as pleading guilty?

Call me stupid, but part of the deal is just as embarrassing as his possible $10,000 fine. Under Florida law, Kraft would also be required to perform 100 hours of community service, pay for and attend an educational program about the negative effects of prostitution and human trafficking and enroll in a sexual violence prevention education program. He must be tested and treated for sexually transmitted diseases. Why should this man be allowed to own an NFL team?

There is a precedent here. During an investigation into Jerry Richardson, the former owner of the Carolina Panthers, he was accused of sexual misconduct and racist language in the workplace. He was forced to sell his team and did so. If the Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell gives Robert Kraft a pass, he too slides into the mud pit. Corruption in a monopoly is unamerican and should be investigated by Congress. This just in, Kraft and his legal team have announced they will not take the deal. We are going to court!

And finally, we have a very fat cow who has been in the quicksand pit with Trump from the beginning, Devin Nunes. This braindead Representative from California has taken a step that is a glowing example of someone who will get exactly the opposite of what he wants. Nunes has decided to sue Twitter and a few Twitter users because they said bad things about him. Poor baby.

According to the New York Times, “Mr. Nunes singled out Liz Mair, a Republican strategist who said on Twitter that she would not comment on the lawsuit, and two parody accounts: @DevinNunesMom, which was suspended last year, and @DevinCow, which is still active. The complaint says that Ms. Mair coordinated with the anonymous accounts on “a vicious defamation campaign” but did not offer evidence she was behind them or communicated with them, except for one tweet encouraging people to follow @DevinCow.”

Now most legal experts will quote statues claiming that internet service providers are not publishing companies but are simply accommodating users and giving them a platform to say practically whatever they want. You know, just like this @realDonaldTrump guy. Even if they were publishing companies, they would be protected by the First Amendment. This lawsuit is nothing more than bovine stupidity and Nunes just made the sites more popular with his legal action.

Trump Steps In Manure on White House lawn

@DevinCow had only 1,200 followers prior to the lawsuit, but the site now has more than 370,000 followers and it’s growing. Like the expanding udder of a cow that has been out to pasture too long, Nunes has just proven his complete ignorance about how the internet and social media work. The hind teat dragging in the mud is Nunes, not Twitter.

Those sites in his lawsuit are not unlawful and do not violate Twitter policy. Many large corporations have used anonymous sites to push slogans and create ideas with the goal of going viral. And now, like a viral germ spreading through the herd, those highly vocal want-to-be political critics and digital comics are ready to stampede. This generation of posters will do anything to stop those who challenge the power of a free internet. Devin Nunes has simply left the gate open and we are coming to get him, snorting and galloping all the way.

Sadly, this is all part of what America asked for and got with the election of Donald J. Trump. Perhaps it is time to eliminate the Electoral College, but in the meantime, let’s get rid of Trump. Let’s send him back to the Southern District of New York where justice awaits this giant, overweight criminal. The quicksand will get him.

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

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

ONE DIMENSIONAL DONALD

Trump’s Inability to be Presidential

In today’s hyper partisan, social media fueled reality, every word, thought and prayer is overanalyzed by a mass media gone mad. And when something bad happens, anywhere in the world, people turn to their leaders for fatherly, or motherly, guidance to get them through the trauma.

Even if you are a Donald Trump supporter, you must admit that the man rarely says the right thing during a crisis. His inaction on situations he simply disagrees with may be a more critical problem, like grounding a fleet of questionable jets. Why did he wait so long? Was he weighing Boeing stock against peoples’ lives?

Trump’s inarticulate nature exposes his real lack of intelligence and leadership talent. After each of his controversial utterances, others run behind him to the TV cameras to explain away his confused meanings and, sometimes, outright lies. This is why he has never graduated to the presidential seat of decorum.

Donald Trump, like a trapped mouse in a house with a larger than life cat, is off his meds and tweeting so much he needs a time-out. The cat in this metaphor could very well be Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a woman even Steve Bannon admires for her methods against Trump. And just like the coy house cat, she will play with her prey before finally rendering it lifelessly limp at the doorstep of the American public.

But the world keeps turning and bad events get churned into our awareness. When a neo-Nazi white nationalist decided to massacre a group of praying people, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, spoke to her nation. Yes, we heard and felt her pain, but we also experienced her resolve to do something about the gun laws in her country. She clearly stated an action of resolve.

When Donald Trump was asked about whether he thought white nationalism is a spreading problem in the world, he replied, “I don’t really. I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess. If you look what happened in New Zealand, perhaps that’s the case. I don’t know enough about it yet … But it’s certainly a terrible thing.”

Rather than overanalyze that response, I’d like to point out something systemic in the way Trump talks and tweets. He has a strange inability to comprehend the gravity of his words and actions. It’s as if he doesn’t realize that he’s President of the United States. And there is another disturbing tell in the Donald’s attempts.

When more than 130 people were killed in Paris in November of 2015, Trump chanted a mantra that the cure for mass shootings is guns for people on the other side so they can shot back at the bad guys. But when a white nationalist or Neo-Nazi uses a gun or car to kill people, Trump becomes a deer in the headlights. Without an empathy gene, he simply cannot show any.

Trump’s dismissive response to the threat of White Nationalism sounded like he was trying to protect those from that ilk who support him. Maybe, in his hazy way of thinking, they would protect him should something bad happen to his presidency. Those aren’t my thoughts; they are his words.

Michael Kennedy is a lawyer who represents Trump’s ex-wife. He claims Ivana Trump said that from time to time her husband would read a book of Hitler’s collected speeches, My New Order, which he kept in a cabinet by his bed. Now I would be crazy to promote or disseminate a conspiracy theory and must ask why Ivana Trump would lie about this? It makes sense, given everything Trump says and does.

In 1990, Donald Trump was interviewed by Playboy magazine. Heed the seeds of white nationalism in his words, “I’m a strong believer in genes, that my kids can be brought up without adversity and respond well if they have the genes.” He amplified that thought during an interview with Oprah Winfrey saying that people can be successful if they have the right genes. He uses his uncle’s professorship and his father’s success in business to prove his “good genes” self-evaluation.

In his manifesto, the New Zealand terrorist who killed 50 human beings asks himself, “Are you a supporter of Donald Trump?” and then answers, “As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose? Sure. As a policy maker and leader? Dear god no.” And if you have the stomach to read his vomit, you will see that his justification for the killing of Muslims is this dogma that says replacement of non-Europeans is the duty of the white nationalist. He clearly believes people having white genes are better than those with brown genes, because their blood is not clean. He even uses an inept warning to his “special” race that they “may find their very own genes being bred out of existence.”

The Prime Minister of New Zealand received his diatribe minutes before the massacre took place. This was a political act of terror intended to create a civil war in America. And Donald J. Trump never used the word “terrorist,” why?

The media rightfully attacked our idiot-in-chief and his response sounded much like his comments after Charlottesville. He tweeted more than 50 times, his fingers complaining and farting. He called out Fox News for suspending Tucker Carlson and Jeanne Pirro, demanding that his state TV reinstate them. And in a kind of demonic trance, he once again disrespected John McCain. Trump’s tweets are psychological tics, a disorder he cannot control.

If he was a convicted murderer, Trump’s tweets could be used to demonstrate insanity. But he’s a “stable genius” who with every tweet disproves his whole “successful gene” theory. He’s the bastard son of Iago, the most devastating of Shakespeare’s characters. He destroys several people’s lives in the play Othello, including two deaths through the manipulation of everyone around him. Yes, read it, Donald Trump is Iago. The worst lesson from the play is that even though Othello attacks Iago, the villain is still alive at the end of the play. Remember, impeachment isn’t death, it’s justice. And what America and the world needs right now, is justice.

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

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

PROJECTILE VETOING!

Trump Cannot Hide from the Truth

The truth is that Donald Trump has created more problems than he has solved. His promises were sales pitches lacking merit and empathy. His magic wand mentality has been proven to be more about him than what is good and righteous for the world or the United States of America. From the moment he came on the national political stage he was out to exploit hate in exchange for power.

The “revolt” that took place in the Congress with the vote against his “national emergency” is a good first step toward restoring faith in our broken government. Trump thinks he can just veto anything he doesn’t like. He has never comprehended the Constitution and the checks and balances of the three branches of government, but there is something more onerous and dangerous that Trump has wrought on America and now the world.

In an interview with the far-right radical website Breitbart, Trump said, “I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump — I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point and then it would be very bad, very bad.”

That certainly sounds like a warning from a President who thinks he can harness those in law enforcement for their support and violence when we get to that “certain point” he references. Trump telegraphs messages to those people he believes would do dirty deeds to help him stay in power. He is clearly using fear as a weapon against the people and that makes him an enemy of the people, now doesn’t it? He is challenging the very notion of peaceful transition, which is a hallmark of our democracy.

Just hours after Trump used those words in that interview, something really bad happened in New Zealand. 49 people were gunned down during Friday prayers by a self-described white supremacist. Before you scream that I am using that event to shit on Trump, you should read the 87-page manifesto that the killer posted before his rampage, which was streamed live on social media.

The killer, in his self-written Q and A, asked himself, “Are you a supporter of Donald Trump? As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose? Sure.” He declares that he should be remembered, “I did my best to prevent the death of my race.”

His manifesto continues, “Won’t your attack result in calls for the removal of gun rights from Whites in the United states? Yes, that is the plan all along, you said you would fight to protect your rights and the constitution, well soon will come the time.” Isn’t that what Trump was really saying? Who have we become?

In his writing, the accused killer used the word “invader” 55 times. Donald Trump has called people seeking asylum in the US “invaders.” Here are his words, “This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!” As the headline in the Washington Post read, “An ‘invasion of illegal aliens’: The oldest immigration fear-mongering metaphor in America.”

Near the end of his rambling statement, Brenton Tarrant, a white man from Australia, said, “Eventually, when the white population of the USA realizes the truth of the situation, war will erupt. Soon the replacement of the whites within Texas will hit its apogee and with the non-white political and social control of Texas; and with this control, the electoral college will be heavily stacked in favour of a democratic victory so that every electoral cycle will be a certainty.”

I truly believe that Donald J. Trump has some questions to answer. And whether he does it under oath or not, he must address the people of the world and be clear in a denouncement of this hate. The people of the United States need to know, in no uncertainly terms, that this President agrees to throw away his dog whistle and put down these people. When terrorists, white supremacists and neo-Nazis say they are inspired by him, something is WRONG. Every American should pressure the Congress to change this script before it’s too late.

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

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

TRUMP’S FATAL FLAW

The Government of One

This morning I woke up to a startling newspaper headline, “Trump bans Boeing 737 Max Flights.” To my way of thinking, and many avionics experts agree, this action should have taken place days sooner. A major flaw in the process is that we didn’t hear this decision from the FAA or it’s “acting” Administrator Daniel K. Elwell, nor did the pronouncement come from US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. We had to wait for Trump to decide. The plain truth in this age of a power-hungry president is that government agencies are afraid to act. They are frozen in place because everything is judged on how it will affect the Donald or how he will feel about it. Our government agencies are not making decisions in the best interest of our nation. Their actions are based on emotions, not science.

Donald Trump was more interested in talking to the CEO of Boeing than discussing matters with experts at the FAA and NTSB. He’s more comfortable dealing with business executives than lifelong government specialists. What if a plane had fallen out of the sky while Boeing’s top guy, Dennis Muilenburg, was chatting on the phone with POTUS? Trump took the word of the company that its planes were safe to fly, while every other country grounded the jets out of an abundance of caution if not plain common sense. And I would be negligent if I didn’t mention that Trump’s acting Secretary of Defense, Patrick M. Shanahan, came to the administration from Boeing. He worked there for more than two decades and was known as “Mr. Fix-it.” Was he even consulted? What did he have to say?

The United States of America is not a big company to be piloted by one person. The institutions, cabinet positions and administrative heads should be qualified in their specialty and be allowed to state their opinions quickly and unfettered. Trump wants it all to be top down, fighting the foundational concepts of our country where ideas and desires should flow from the bottom up. The people who work in our government aren’t there to agree with Trump. They are supposed to use their radar to find problems and solve them. If we must wait for King Trump to declare anything, we will only get one answer, and that will probably not be a good answer or the correct answer.

The comments from Ms. Chao and Mr. Elwell seem to say that we were making our decision based on facts, rather than emotion. Clearly, Chao wasn’t worried. She flew a Boeing Max 8 to Texas where she spoke that day. But President Donald Trump really mucked things up with this Tweet, “Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better. Split second decisions are needed, and the complexity creates danger. All of this for great cost yet very little gain. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!”

Someone should ask Donald Trump if he would like the Einstein’s in the military to take the radar and telemetry out of Air Force One. This response from our Commander in Chief is lacking science, logic and facts. It demonstrates his stupidity. For someone whose company owned jets, Trump shows a worrisome lack of aviation knowledge. His tweets prove he shouldn’t be around any decision that involves science, technology or law.

We heard him on the campaign trail saying he knew more than his military generals. Most of us thought it was just another lame, boastful joke. But the longer we experience this swamp scum of a man, the more we are coming to believe he actually thinks he knows everything. Hopefully, he won’t attempt heart surgery on anyone. Or attempt to invade a country. Or launch a nuke. Or run the FAA. Oh shit, he’s in charge of most of this. Are we doomed?

This morning we are reading the news about how the air crash in Africa is affecting Boeing stock, a loss of some $25 billion. A Boeing 737 Max jet sells for slightly more than $100 million. If you are mentally calculating the cost per life, then you are guilty of the President’s belief that everything is a transaction. You can kill a journalist, but if you want your oil and money you will look the other way. If the Saudis, Russians and Iranians want to spray poison on their people, it’s their problem. If you don’t like dissidents, just sneak into a country and kill them. And if you want to use social media to screw with the election in our country, go ahead and do it. Trump’s beliefs and actions are those of a dictator.

Our president dodged a bullet this time. If he had waited longer and another plane had crashed, he would have had to explain to America why this government isn’t working. His supporters will believe that he was strong and made the right decision, but in truth he was SLOW and frozen by the corruption and lies of his underlings. When he should have been meeting with smart people about this air travel dilemma, he was busy watching the sentencing news of Paul Manafort.

We also learned yesterday that Trump most likely attempted to manipulate the Justice Department through his fake “acting” Attorney General Matthew Whittaker. Nonetheless, his followers simply swat another fly away from the slowly rotting administration he has created. The “trumpsters” will continue to disregard facts from the Oversight Committee in Congress while wearing their little red “Hitler hats” in public. It might be time to remind ourselves that those “best people” Trump promised to hire are mostly unpatriotic liars. Many of those people trying to “be best” are now convicted felons. People who Trump put in charge of important parts of his campaign and administration are now in jail. Could this be why the Donald thinks he must make every decision himself? Would it not have been a better idea to hire authentically good people and listen to them? Why do we have a jackass President?

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

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

PELOSI PLAYS WITH TRUMP

Real Politician vs. Fake Politician

One of the aspects of Donald Trump that many of his devoted followers really liked was the fact he wasn’t a politician and said whatever he wanted. When Trump told his base that making nice with Putin would be good for the country and world, they hocked their patriotism and went with him. Their blind loyalty has clouded millions of people’s judgement that Russia and Putin would never do anything to hurt the US.

Trump truly believed he would be able to run the country like he ran his businesses. He soon found out that all those “best people” he pulled into the administration were there either to self-serve or out to get him. Really? If these were the best people, then I would hate to see the mediocre people.

The Donald and his ego decided to play the game with his self-anointed deal mastery and what he believes is a likeable personality. Neither exist. He isn’t funny or pleasant in any way. He’s simply an imitation of the 1950s back-stabbing politician of Tammany Hall. His hand is out only to receive. He’s transparently transactional and none of his interactions carry any expertise or empathy. He doesn’t give a shit about any person other than himself and everyone knows it, including Republicans.

Everything was going miserably fine, until the voters woke up one morning and figured out that Republicans had been sucked into this transactional approach with little to no regard for the people. As the soy beans were rotting away in storage, the Republicans were sword dancing with the Donald over a tax cut that helped only the very rich and monumentally increased the country’s debt. They voters gave the Democrats a majority in the House and Trump got reintroduced to Nancy Pelosi.

Trump somehow believes that calling her “Nancy” is a kind of putdown. It’s her name, dumb shit, and she isn’t about to sit back and watch the President of the United States push Congress around. Remember, Nancy Pelosi grew up in the tough and demonic politics of city government in Baltimore. Her father taught her well, and Donald Trump is not nearly as challenging as the things her family faced with labor unions and dock workers in Maryland’s largest city. She has always been a Democrat, unlike Trump, who is a fake Republican.

Trump thought he could huff and puff away Obamacare. Had he read the research, he would’ve seen that the national insurance plan was actually getting good marks. As Obama suggested to Trump, just slap your name on it. Trump’s inability to see good ideas constantly gets in his own way.

Now, Pelosi has given an interview to the Washington Post Magazine saying, “I’m not for impeachment. This is news. I’m going to give you some news right now because I haven’t said this to any press person before. But since you asked, and I’ve been thinking about this: Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. And he’s just not worth it.”

This could be the single most powerful putdown of a President ever uttered. She said that Trump is not worth impeachment! It is tantalizingly funny and a bit absurd that someone could be so bad they don’t deserve the codified method of removal built into the Constitution. Crafty Pelosi left the door open for the real event when indisputable evidence is presented, but Trump will not be able to deal with this latest salvo.

What will he do? Agree with Nancy or continue pounding his ridiculous statements about Democrats hating Jews? Has Trump finally painted himself into a corner of paranoia? Does Trump really fear Democrats or Jews? Does he fear African-Americans, or just Muslims? His ping-ponging of hate comments make him seem a crazy old man. If only he had a drinking problem all this would make much better sense.

Pelosi knows what she is doing. Her comments will take the spotlight off the “Democrats are anti-Israel and anti-Jews” nonsense that Trump has been farting out of his presidential mouth. And in the end, it’s the denotation he hugs like the flag. He wants people to say there is “no collusion” and that he’s a good boy, but a 78-year-old grandmother from San Francisco is playing Trump like a worn-out deck of cards. She has found the Joker and she’s working in her own unique way to remove it from the deck. This will take time, but she wants her next move to be a surprise. She’s is holding a full house, and she knows it.

The Trump card, a valuable resource that may be used, especially as a surprise in order to gain an advantage, is in Nancy’s hand, not the President’s. Pelosi’s measured message is like a mother who knows her son is never going to make it in pro sports. She’s saying, “Son, go have fun. Don’t worry about what the other kids are saying about you.” For now, she’s kicking the can down the road, but eventually she is going to have to comfort the kid when he’s told by the authorities to go do play somewhere else. There will come a time to pick up that can and put it in the recycling bin. Or Prison.

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

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

RIGHTEOUS RESOLUTIONS

Trump is out of the loop

Those who are unfamiliar with the way the US government works are guilty of not paying attention. Granted, our educational system doesn’t disclose civic concepts as much as someone must learn to achieve citizenship, but there some peculiar things being done in Washington that bear mentioning.

After the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and the Constitution were completed, we needed to establish rules and policies to keep all three government branches running smoothly. On the federal level, Congress established a set of rules governing ethics and etiquette. To make things a bit more complex, the House rules differ from those of the Senate.

One regulation stipulates that members of the House should dress appropriately, which has traditionally been considered to include a coat and tie for men and appropriate attire for women. Members cannot wear overcoats or hats while the House is in session and they cannot eat, drink or smoke. Also, use of personal electronic equipment, including cellular telephones and laptop computers, is banned on the floor of the House.

The Senate has 44 rules, and one of them allows a member vote to suspend them. Strange. In either house, a member saying something bad about another member is frowned upon. They cloak this decree in the hazing reality of decorum, “A Member should avoid impugning the motives of another Member, the Senate, the Vice President or the President, using offensive language, or uttering words that are otherwise deemed unparliamentary.” Ignore this directive and the chair will ask to have your words expunged from the record.

The house stipulates that a member cannot refer to another by name. Formal language such as, “the member from the great state of California,” must be used.

A Congressional member can say whatever they want outside of chambers, but while they are on the job of representing their constituency they must always be aware that words spoken in their clubhouse have power and meaning.

So, after Iowa’s Steve King said some clearly racist and neo-Nazis things online and in the press, the House rebuked him with a resolution. It’s was a public spanking, and the leaders went even further by stripping King of his positions on several influential committees.

And now we come to newly elected Ilhan Omar, from the “great state of Minnesota.” She wanted to talk about “the political influence in this country that says it is okay for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country.” She was referencing Israel. Her follow-up tweet, “It’s all about the BENJAMINS!” irked many pro-Israel Democrats and Republicans in both the Senate and the House. Her words felt like a Jewish stereotype and anti-Semitic trope to many members and had to be addressed by the Speaker of the House. Putting this in perspective, the annual funding Israel receives from the United States may be increased by $200 million in 2019. The total amount of aid is expected to be $3.3 billion in 2019. America holds true loyalty to Israel for both political and moral reasons. The moral grounding is based on the fact that America waited so long to get involved in World War II, we have a bit of guilt that had we gotten into the war sooner, we might have been able to stop Hitler’s murder machine and save lives.

The House of Representatives passed House Resolution 183, which condemns anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim discrimination and bigotry against minorities as hateful expressions of intolerance contrary to the values and aspirations of the United States. All but 23 members voted for this resolution.

Those who voted against it were all Republicans and they included: Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mo Brooks (Ala.), Ken Buck (Colo.), Ted Budd (N.C.), Michael Burgess (Texas), Liz Cheney (Wyo.), Chris Collins (N.Y.), Mike Conaway (Texas), Rick Crawford (Ark.) and Jeff Duncan (S.C.), Reps. Louie Gohmert (Texas), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Tom Graves (Ga.), Pete King (N.Y.), Doug LaMalfa (Calif.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Steven Palazzo (Miss.), Mike Rogers (Ala.), Chip Roy (Texas), Greg Steube (Fla.), Mark Walker (N.C.), Ted Yoho (Fla.) and Lee Zeldin (N.Y.). Steve King (R-Iowa), who was stripped off his committee assignments for remarks he made regarding white supremacy earlier this year, voted present.

Some said they voted against the resolution because it didn’t name Representative Omar by name. They claim they do not condone anti-Semitism or anti-Muslim speech and further state they are not defending or promoting bigotry against minorities, but it sure looks that way. Why would they possibly vote against that resolution? Some were told to by the “mind controllers” in their caucus, while other people, like Wyoming’s Liz Cheney, would vote against God himself for pushing any anti-Neo-Con viewpoint. She obviously got her opinions from her father, Dick Cheney, while he ended up with someone else’s heart. Unfortunately, they both have the same brain.

You may not like Ms. Omar’s viewpoint, but her election, by the people and for the people, was the result of how America has modified its welcome message. We aren’t as open to OTHERS these days and that forces people to cluster in neighborhoods and conclaves of like-minded speakers. And when they elect representatives, they tend to hold the beliefs and thoughts and prayers of those around them. Donald Trump is greatly responsible for more diversity in the halls of Congress. Remember, he called it a “Muslim” ban.

Trump, the master of English grammar and syntax, said the resolution was a disgrace. Once again, Trump was out of the loop and incoherent with his comments, swatting away a chance to show leadership. Liz Cheney said the resolution didn’t address the real problem before us, which was her way of conveying a feeling that the real problem in the House of Representatives is the Republicans are no longer in control. Trump has no clue on how government really works and will never learn. The perfect answer is to make him a one-term president, then arrest him.

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SURPRISE! SURPRISE!

Welcome to Trumpworld, Suckers

As much as we want to believe that the judicial system is unbiased, sometimes we feel that an American judge hands down a decision based on a deep-seated bias. Feeling this way, can cause a loss of faith in the system, leading to the phrase, “this system is rigged.”

If you are wondering why the court always pronounces a duration of incarnation in terms of months, you wouldn’t be alone. The clue might be in the “time off for good behavior” policies and laws which are earned in monthly increments. When you looked at your phone and saw that Paul Manafort got 47, you might at first have thought it was 47 years. No, that was 47 months, sucker!

It’s obvious that Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis decided that the crimes leading to Paul Manafort’s conviction were not so bad. This judge was quite talkative during the trial and seemed to berate the prosecutors and editorial comments at every turn. Conservative Judge Ellis said in his ruling that Manafort led an “otherwise blameless life.” Really? Just to remind everyone, the recommended mandatory sentence of Manafort’s crimes is 19 to 24 years. That’s more like 200 months, but the guy got a sentence short of four years.

Let’s put this in perspective. Being caught in Florida with 20 grams or more of marijuana can mean a five-year or 60-month sentence. Why would Paul Manafort get only 47 months? The cynical mind might ask if Judge Ellis is a Republican. Is Judge Ellis anti-tax laws? White collar criminals are not always given such an easy sentence. Bernie Madoff got 150 years in prison. Was that decision because many of his victims were rich white people?

Manafort was found guilty of eight counts of bank and tax fraud by a jury of his peers, He stole from the US Treasury in the form of tax evasion and lies over decades. This decision will certainly pale in comparison to the upcoming sentence that will take place next week in the District of Columbia, where he pleaded guilty to witness tampering and conspiracy related to his illegal lobbying and money laundering. This surely sounds to me like he is a menace to society.

Judge T.S. Ellis did order Manafort to pay restitution of $6 to 35 million and undergo three years of “supervised release” after his nearly four years in jail. I’m not sure what that means exactly, but we all know where this is headed. President Donald Trump wants to pardon Paul Manafort because he thinks he’s a “good guy” and he is “very sad” about what has happened to him. This is based on Trump’s doctrine that “rats” are bad and people who “don’t flip” are good. But Trump has a political decision to make in this matter.

If Trump pardons Manafort, or any of his associates, before the 2020 election, he will risk that the central argument in the next election will be his seemingly lawless acts in a “law & order” administration. Trump fears not being re-elected, because the day after the inauguration of the new president could be the day Donald J. Trump is taken into custody. This next election for Trump might be the most important event in his life.

Paul Manafort is just another bottom feeder scumbag who has fleeced the political system and ignored the tax laws for his own benefit. Like Roger Stone and Dick Tuck, this ruthless, soulless human has bilked candidates around the world out of their money. You might say, “Let the buyer beware,” but there are some significant changes in US policy that were engineered by these self-serving bad guys. Our policy toward Turkey was massaged by retired General and convicted liar Michael Flynn. Paul Manafort manipulated the Republican platform taking arms away from our Ukraine ally. Also, Roger Stone, may have managed the Wikileaks damage from the US. Doesn’t all that sound like treason?

While the House of Representatives passed a resolution against hate and bigotry, the judge in the Virginia courthouse was, in a sense, giving Manafort a gift. Manafort will get more time, but he will serve only a little more than 600 days, not 47 months. If Trump gets re-elected, the first thing he will do is pardon all the criminals he likes. Welcome to the new rules of an evolving despot. The gangster in the White House simply doesn’t care about anything or anybody other than himself.

The President might claim vindication with Manafort’s light sentence, but Trump talks out of his ass most of the time so we can disregard his transparent use of social media. The artful use of the term “collusion” is code for “don’t flip.” You don’t need to be Alan Turing or Michael Cohen to know the subtle subtext of his hyperbole.

Most of the lies and misinformation Trump has transmitted should be reason for his impeachment. But don’t be discouraged, Trump, like Putin, won’t live forever and the worst case is that he will attempt to stay in office by declaring a national emergency. If this asshole gets re-elected, democracy must be on guard.

I take a severely cynical approach to the Manafort sentencing. Judge T.S. Ellis fell for the defendant in the wheelchair trick. Yes, the defense lawyers used the oldest ruse in the book. Like prisoners who ate soap to affect their health and get early release, Manafort ate rich foods all his life and now has gout in prison. Anyone who has tasted prison food knows there’s nothing in that slop that could give a person gout. If I was being even more cynical, I would suggest that Judge Ellis is jealous of the power given to a DOJ Special Counsel. He might see that investigative body as a threat to his own power. We will never know.

Next week will bring another act in this political passion play as Judge Amy Berman Jackson lowers the curtain on the witness tampering, illegal lobbying and money laundering case in Washington. Manafort hid $55 million from the IRS and was caught. He pleaded guilty because he knows that Trump’s pen is surer than another jury trial. Once again, the rich and powerful seem to have a different system of justice. How did this ever happen? Oh yeah, MONEY!

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FAMILY FALACIES & FRAUD

The President Should Be Indicted

Donald Trump has broken the law. Our president has failed to properly administer law and policies. He has ignored his oath of office. If I was tasked with writing the charges of impeachment, this is where I would start:

Violation of 5 U.S. Code § 3110. Employment of relatives; restrictions. It clearly states that 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.

Election Laws: The statute prosecutes individuals who conspire to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States or any agency thereof in order to violate election laws. Pursuant to 18 USCS § 241, two or more persons are prohibited from conspiring to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any state, territory, commonwealth, possession, or district in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him or her by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his or her having so exercised the same.

New York State 176.05 Insurance fraud is a fraudulent act committed by any person who, knowingly and with intent to defraud presents, causes to be presented, or prepares with knowledge or belief that it will be presented to or by an insurer, self-insurer, or purported insurer, or purported self-insurer, or any agent thereof: any written statement as part of, or in support of, an application for the issuance of, or the rating of a commercial insurance policy, or certificate or evidence of self-insurance for commercial insurance or commercial self- insurance, or a claim for payment or other benefit pursuant to an insurance policy or self-insurance program for commercial or personal insurance that he or she knows to: (a) contain materially false information concerning any fact material thereto; or (b) conceal, for the purpose of misleading, information concerning any fact.

The Title of Nobility Clause is a provision in Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution, [1] 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. The government/monarch of Saudi Arabia, according to the Washington Post, in December 2016, spent more than $270,000 to house six groups of visiting veterans at the Trump Hotel in Washington. This arrangement continues and Trump personally benefits from this business holdings and this case is proceeding through Maryland and D.C. courts.

Trump’s bold nonsense about doing nothing wrong must be met with major oversight and investigation. The facts are in broad daylight and people in power are going to have to answer some questions.

Rather than wasting our precious breath on whether President Trump forced security clearances on Jared and Ivanka Kushner, we should be asking why they are even there in the administration. Their appointment was a violation of the nepotism code and they should be removed from their positions immediately.

Donald Trump and Michael Cohen, along with David Pecker, conspired to withhold the details of the Donald’s dangerous and damaging liaisons with women because they believed those facts would have an impact on the 2016 Electoral process. This is a clear violation, which might warrant a $10,000 fine but could also involve jail time with a ruling of the right judge. We have the canceled checks to prove the arrangement.

Clearly, the Oversight testimony of Michael Cohen and the skillful cross-examination by newly minted Congressperson Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez showed that Donald Trump conspired with his CFO Allen Weisselberg and Cohen to lower the value of his properties for tax benefits, while submitting inflated values to get better insurance deals in the State of New York. If this is true, Weisselberg and Trump should be indicted.

And finally, Trump is not nobility We have no place for kings or royal families in the United States of America. The President cannot cast aside laws, traditions and statues at his will and for his financial benefit. The beginning of transparency begins with his tax returns. This is the evidence he doesn’t want us to see, therefore it’s a great place to start!

And in the end, Trump either shows his taxes and schemes or we, the American people, will show him the door.

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THE WALLS ARE CRUMPLING

The Trump Train in Peril

Donald Trump, the titular head of the Republican party, was not able to maintain the majority in the House after the midterm elections, and now he is feeling the pain of investigations coming out of various committees of the House of Representatives. He may be able to veto laws, but he cannot stop the inquiries into his campaign, his inauguration, his presidency and his personal and business lives.

One could feel sorry for the novice politician, but with daily revelations about who he really is, one can see the puzzle pieces of a man who has far fewer morals than those evangelicals who genuflect at his feet. He has displayed demigod-like attitudes and actions toward the institutions of government as well as law and order. It has been reported that he commanded his underlings to ignore security problems with his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and demanded that the Justice Department sue to block the Time-Warner – AT&T merger. Why would he do these things? Well, we have a gangster in the White House who thinks he is above the law and it’s time that Congress does something about it.

Making up emergencies so that he can manipulate the Federal budget should be against the law. Threatening federal witnesses while offering pardons to people to falsify their testimony before Congress and courts is against the law. Where are the keepers of our democracy? Who will step forward to condemn these activities and block the power grab taking place before our very eyes?

On Monday (3-4-2019), House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler announced a sweeping investigation into President Donald Trump’s campaign, businesses, transition and administration. This probe would lay the groundwork for Democrats if they choose to pursue impeachment proceedings against the President. And Trump could have avoided this whole mess by disclosing his income tax returns. They might help us understand why he pals with dictators and to whom he owes favors and money.

Many Americans are getting tired of Trump catering to his base in language, thoughts and deeds. Many people living here truly want a president who can lead us and do great things for America. Trump is not that guy. By dividing the country from the start, he has only emboldened both sides. The far left is more left and the far right has become so extreme that it seems murder is now permitted without rebuke from this president.

The charade we are witnessing is downgrading America in the eyes of other world democracies, while global dictators borrow Trump’s language for their speeches. Antagonizing the free press, spreading conspiracy theories and denigrating law enforcement may be an attempt to distract our attention from Trump’s dirty deeds.

Putin killed people he didn’t like. Trump looked away. The Saudi Crown Prince killed a reporter. Trump seemed confused about who did it. Kim Jong-Un imprisoned an American college student who died shortly after being returned to his parents. Trump claimed Kim didn’t know anything. Who is this person? A respectable country would have landed sanctions on the countries involved and marched their leaders into the world court.

Trump sees things through the distorted lens of always being rich and always being right. No one challenges him, but things are changing, and Donald J. Trump doesn’t have Fred and Mary Anne to tell him he’s a good boy. They raised a liar, cheat, racist and xenophobe.

Trump is simply a paper Mache president who will be brought down by the flames of the Senate, the House and his own justice department investigations. The ash that remains won’t be worth the pardon that the next fake president will give him. Pence is doomed to nothing, because his only power in Washington is kowtowing to Trump. Those Republicans who are now standing blindly with Trump will slowly be weeded out, and their futures back home will find them looking in from the outside. Trump needs a wall, but not on the southern border. He needs a wall built around himself and his family because the law is coming to get him. And in the end, AMERICA WILL WIN!

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

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