NOTHING’S INEVITABLE

Trump’s Two Stupid Words

One of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, is given credit for this statement, “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Back then, we didn’t even have an income tax.

After returning from India, Donald Trump tried to ward off the panic of a possible pandemic but his statements and actions only made things worse. From the land of saffron and curry that our idiot president visited comes a word that hasn’t been matched in the American patois; that word is “karma.”

The concept of karma is shared by those who follow Hinduism and Buddhism and is believed to be the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence which decides their fate in future lives. As Donald Trump railed against globalism and preached the need to be treated more fairly, he pushed his America First mantra and most likely permanently damaged his personal karma.

It’s okay if Trump disagrees with Benjamin Franklin. After all, we have a First Amendment because of Ben’s work, but what do we have for the “work” of Donald Trump? We have a divided nation, an uncertain future and an administration that is not qualified to fight coronavirus. Trump spent so much time telling us the danger was coming from Mexico and began building a big expensive wall, but the enterprising drug dealers are digging holes under his massively ugly fortifications. He told us that everyone was out to screw us in trade, and now he’s built a house of cards wobbling on the verge of toppling.

Trade wars were unnecessary and damaging to our farmers. Taking money from science, medicine and research on healthcare was just another karma-damaging trick on the America public. All the money going to the wall, most of it diverted from the military, should have been used to arm the CDC and Homeland Security with the materials and experts they need.

Now we learn that Vice President Pence has been tapped to run a team to battle this health crisis, pushing aside Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar. He, most recently, was President of the US division of Eli Lilly and Company, a major pharmaceutical firm, and he also sat on the board of directors of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, a pharmaceutical lobby. Yes, he’s an eye doctor like Rand Paul, but he isn’t seeing the whole picture because he’s spending too much time pleasing Donald Trump. As Jimmy Kimmel said, “He better hope you don’t get the virus from kissing ass!”

If you’ve read this blog before you know I have a “take no prisoners” attitude, so let me point out another turd in the punch bowl, Chad Wolf, the acting director of Homeland Security. He’s a fucking idiot who is not qualified to do his job. Appearing before Congress this week, he said that the death rate for the common cold was the same as coronavirus. The COVID-19 virus has a mortality rate of about 2.1% while, in most years, flu is well below 1%. Mr. Wolf was severely unprepared for this one hearing so how can be equipped to run Homeland Security?

Capping off the shit platter that the Trump boys have delivered to our table, Rush Limbaugh said over the air that the coronavirus was being used by the Donald’s enemies to hurt him. Now keep in mind this came from a guy who has stage four lung cancer. It’s incredibly disturbing and un-American for Mr. Limbaugh to claim a possible pandemic is a hoax. Of course, his karma was affected years ago and whatever he reaps is on him, not those Americans who unknowingly supported this fool over the years.

What is inevitable, Mr. President, is that all these clowns around you, all these ass licking sycophants and brain-dead political appointees, will DIE. That is what is inevitable, you big, orange Cheeto. Just because you declare something doesn’t make it true. You are the little boy who cries wolf, and when things get extremely bad everyone will quarantine themselves from you. Your mask of makeup will not protect you. Your demise is inevitable.

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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.

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ARE YOU FEELING RIPPED OFF?

Trump Denies Virus and Stock Market Drop

Donald Trump must wake up every morning and discuss with himself what he will say that is contrary to anyone with knowledge of a matter might pronounce. I know this might sound mean, but he reminds me of a decrepit, homeless guy sitting on an old, greasy, wooden crate outside the convenience store giving advice to those just wanting to buy a newspaper. The difference is the penniless man could never afford the makeup Trump wears and, quite frankly, wouldn’t emasculate himself by wearing it.

With Bernie Sanders running around America screaming his dogma to rabid crowds of under-thirty-somethings who want someone to erase their college debt and spread the wealth to those who have been screwed by the 1%, we still have to face some facts.

The US has increased its debt substantially under Donald Trump’s rule. The federal government wouldn’t start paying down debt for 15 years, but Trump promised he’d do it in eight years. Gee, I guess he lied. According to NBC News, “…even under the rosy projections of Trump’s budget-writers, Washington would run annual deficits adding to a red-ink total that already stands at more than $22 trillion.” The headline in NEWSWEEK states it more clearly, “NATIONAL DEBT INCREASED BY $3 TRILLION DURING DONALD TRUMP’S THREE YEARS AS PRESIDENT.”

The world is interconnected environmentally, economically and human health wise, and Trump is doing more harm than good on all three levels. Let me pour salt into the self-inflicted wounds of the Donald by quoting an article recently penned on CNN.com by Chelsea Clinton, “Unfortunately, President Donald Trump has taken actions that many doctors and experts agree will leave the US less prepared to respond to COVID-19. He has eliminated the position of Global Health Czar and has repeatedly proposed cuts important to global health funding — thankfully that have failed to pass in Congress.” So, Trump’s thickheaded and incorrect opinions on science and medicine are just one reason why he’s a terrible president, but on this one he’s going to actually kill people.

Economically, his vindictive and vile attitudes toward countries which make parts for the economic and manufacturing machine here in the US proves that he and the lightweight experts he’s assembled don’t quite understand that his America First chant will not quickly and productively change a perceived imbalance. It affects everyone when a Subaru dealer tells you that he thinks the coronavirus could interrupt deliveries of 2020 automobiles. When the stock market falls one-thousand points in a day we see proof that smart money managers know more about how the global economy works than the President of the United States. Who put this idiot in charge?

Trump makes a 24,000-mile round trip to India to bask in the sun and hundreds of thousands of sycophants who mirror the xenophobic rants of Prime Minister Modi and, in a way, Donald Trump. While Trump is away, he says the coronavirus is under control and the stock market is just fine. He believes he can bend metal with his lies and change the course of rivers with his “wisdom.” He’s making as much sense as the guy sitting on the wooden crate, begging for a dollar to buy soup. You might hand him a buck, but his medicine doesn’t come from the soup kitchen.

Just when you think Trump’s global disconnect couldn’t possibly get worse, he turns his attention to domestic enemies. He has declared war on all government employees who he believes are not loyal to him. The reports claim that the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is putting together a list of people to fire or replace. Who put her in charge of anything related to our government institutions? As I recall, she’s nothing but a right winged, opinionated nut job.

As for the Supreme Court, a Donald Trump tweet, has asked that Justices Sotomayor and Ginsberg recuse themselves “…on all Trump, or Trump related matters!” Yes, folks, he has ruined the Republican party, thus lowering the standards of the Legislative branch, he has destroyed the Executive branch with his people and policies and now he’s going after the Judicial branch. He’s nothing more than a homeless, heartless, fat, old man with the power to fuck up our entire country. Someone, or something must stop him. Congress should have removed him when they had the chance.

Trump’s handling of the virus spreading across the world will clearly demonstrate his lack of wisdom and respect for science. When George Washington came down with a bad cold the week of December 14, 1799, he kept saying he didn’t need a doctor. His advisors told him he should have a medical professional look at him. He finally agreed and the first doctor said he was very sick, and he drained some blood from the retired President, following the available science of that time. When George didn’t get better, another doctor came by his Mount Vernon estate and drained yet more blood from the father of our country. By the end of the night, George Washington was dead. it wasn’t that science lost; it was just bad science. Washington died because he and his advisors just didn’t know any better.

Trump doesn’t know better, because he doesn’t try to know better. He sees enemies in every shadow, trickery in every negative news story and a lack of desire to get to the bottom of anything. He knows it all and never needs to ask. He will never be a good leader and the title of statesman will never be spoken with his name. We need someone who thinks. Donald Trump doesn’t think; he just argues.

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PARDON ME, MR. FAT BUTT

Trump’s Misuse of Power Continues

What did the Republicans expect after they blindly defended Donald Trump during his impeachment trial? Our President has a totally perverted view of the Judicial Branch of the government. He has no idea what it means for the Department of Justice to be independent of any Presidential interference or influence. What you may not realize is that Trump is setting the stage for his own possible pardon. What is so confusing about Trump is that while he thinks he’s a king and untouchable, he also has a persecution complex and he plans to be a martyr.

With the numerous pardons and clemencies that Donald Trump delivered this week, we can see that a get-out-of-jail-free card comes to those who have a relationship with the man. Perhaps he’s a donor and the quid-pro-quo is right there in the open. Perhaps he was a contestant on Trump’s reality TV show and is a “nice guy.” This President’s proclivity for giving white collar criminals a pass speaks to his view that people who are rich or powerful should be treated differently.

There are reports in the Washington Post today suggesting that the White House has, in effect, cut the Department of Justice out of the pardon process and is using Jared Kushner to vet the pardons. This might be weighing on Attorney General William Barr as much as the bothering tweets from Trump. Barr may have just figured out that the President is eating into his authority.

Jared’s father, Charles, is infamous for some sordid reasons. In 2005, he was convicted of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering. He served 14 months in federal prison and an additional ten months in a halfway house. Like Roger Stone, Charles Kushner was convicted on these charges, with witness tampering being the one that garnered the longest jail time. But he did go to jail.

So, Trump puts Kushner in charge of these pardons and his mission to free all the bad guys who did what his father did? How can he not be conflicted on this issue? The President of the United States is using his power to disregard court orders and judges’ opinions, which are the foundation of our system of law and order. Without an independent judiciary, we are doomed as a democracy.

Imagine someone who worked hard their whole life to go to college and get a law degree. Then, saddled with tons of college debt, they become a prosecutor rather than working a more lucrative legal position in private practice. They are given a case from a grand jury and they can see the infractions, misdeeds and illegalities that occurred. They spend the taxpayers’ money to bring a case against a person. During that journey, they find out that the defendant has been threatening the witnesses in their case. They discover that not only jury was tampering involved, but the person being charged lied under oath. After all this work, a jury of the person’s peers finds the person guilty of all charges and then, minutes later, the President of the United States says that he’s more powerful and important than the jury, the Department of Justice or those prosecutors who swore an oath to uphold the law and protect the Constitution.

Rebuked by a Presidential tweet about the Roger Stone case, four career prosecutors resigned from the case and one from the Justice Department. Barr claims Trump didn’t interfere or ask him to get involved in the case, but that doesn’t work this time. It’s like the person who post-dates a check to show they were not delinquent. Barr is more than delinquent; he’s complicit in overriding the American justice system.

The first thing a new president should do is get rid of William Barr and ask Congress to introduce reasonable guidelines for presidential pardons. When Donald J. Trump is gone, we the people will have to pick up the pieces and write new laws to protect the country from a future president like him. Maybe we should modify the Constitution to impose a limit to the number of pardons a president can give, maybe five or so within a calendar year. Right now, the president could conceivably pardon everyone in jail. With the laws in some states letting ex-felons vote, this could be a giant quid-pro-quo to get votes.

Trump’s misuse of power continued this week with his pardons of people whom he feels were treated unfairly. The ultimate jury in this country are the voters themselves and the election will clearly be a case against Donald Trump and his malfeasance in office. If you think he’s good for your pocketbook, think about him deciding one day to take away all your guns, all your healthcare or Medicare to force his vision of America. Did Trump really offer Julian Assange a pardon if he would back up his lie that Russia didn’t attempt to interfere with the 2016 election in the USA? If he did, he should be removed from office immediately. Oh yeah, we already tried that.

This just in: Roger Stone sentenced to 40 months in prison and we are now on “PARDON WATCH” because it’s no surprise that President Trump wants to give him a way out of this mess without serving any jail time. Odds are that this will take place within seven to ten days. Surprise, Surprise!

In the days ahead we will see who Donald John Trump really is, a corrupt politician a la Tammany Hall, a New York City political organization that endured for nearly two centuries and for a time, was the bribe clearing house to get things done. Trump truly believes it’s okay to take money from people and then give them something for their loyalty. He believes that he’s all powerful. He disgraces the office of President and he’s a horrible human being. Where are all the anarchists when we need them?

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PRESIDENTS’ DAY

Why do we have this holiday?

According to the History Channel, “Presidents’ Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February; Presidents’ Day 2020 occurs on Monday, February 17. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents, past and present.”

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732. His birthday was once celebrated as an American holiday, but George lost out when we shifted the date to the third Monday in February, lumped in all the other US leaders, and changed the name to Presidents Day. But let’s get back to the central question, why do we have this holiday?

For years, African Americans lobbied for a commemorative day for civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1983, Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation declaring the third Monday in January as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It was remodeled recently to be a day of service, keeping with the credo of the slain leader. As a slap to the face of most activists, Mississippi and Alabama celebrate Robert E. Lee, a confederate General, on the same day.

Here in quirky America, we enacted the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. It basically says that if we add an official federal holiday it must be placed on a Monday to produce another three-day weekend for our citizens. I guess that makes sense.

There are some holidays that cannot be moved, like the 4^th of July and Flag Day on June 14^th. I will always remember that one, because it’s my father’s birthday and I hold the fond memory of him claiming that everyone put their flags out for him on his big day. I might add a footnote that there are some very sad, non-holidays like September 11^th, which remains locked into our memories.

If you think we have too many holidays here in the States, you might want to consider other countries. India has several religious holidays are celebrated over multiple days. There are more than 40 holidays and observances in the land of curry. Deeply Catholic nations in Europe have mini parties on every saint’s day. Some bring about excuses for drinking early in the day while others bearing the saint’s name get the day off work.

I have nothing against holidays and celebrations. I was glad when they added Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to the calendar. It always comes in January, when the pain of getting back to work after the long winter holidays got a bit taxing.

The Uniform Holiday Act, with its three-day weekends, is a brilliantly American idea. Let’s just make sure that we never have a Donald Trump day. His birthday is June 14, Flag Day, so he will likely claim all those flags are for him. Maybe we should lobby to rename that date as National Narcissist Day. I imagine most Americans would get up, go out and do something for themselves on that holiday. Oh wait, isn’t that every day in the life of a Republican?

Enjoy this day off, but if you are required to work today then blame the government.

PARASITE PRESIDENT

Trump vs. Mussolini

The Academy Award winning movie Parasite has a well-conceived plot about conflict between the upper 1% and the lower-middle class in South Korea. Most Korean Americans know this reality but will also say that it’s a thing of the recent past. History can show us a lot about ourselves, and why we must study what has come before to understand what is happening now. As many people have said, Trump is not the problem but just one of the many symptoms of an accelerating mistrust and alienation of Americans.

Let’s talk Benito Mussolini. He was the fascist leader of Italy from 1922 to 1943 and, after the Allies defeated his weak army, he shifted to a resort on the Italian border with Switzerland. He and his mistress, Claretta Petacci, were captured by local partisans near the village of Dongo on Lake Como. Mussolini and Petacci were shot the following afternoon, two days before Adolf Hitler’s suicide. To add humiliation to the death of Benito, he and his mistress were shipped to Milan where they were hung upside down in the parking lot of a gas station. Strange Italian justice.

After two decades of fear and terror, most Italians found Mussolini’s ending to be quite fitting. After all, this was the man who murdered anyone who openly disagreed with him. He believed it was his duty to keep his country from the iron fist of Bolsheviks and what he thought were the unsuitable desires of Socialists. He rewrote the laws to give him total control of everything. He created a Council of Corporations which decided everything from prices to products to profits. His black shirted thugs moved among the population to intimidate and kill anyone who tried to protest his reign. To placate the Catholic Church, Mussolini basically gave the Vatican sovereign status (Lateran Pacts) and bought them off with a get-out-of-jail card and $1 billion.

Just look at this general description of Mussolini’s strategy before his tyrannical rule surfaced, “Recruiting landowners, industrialists, and the middle class, the PNF (Mussolini’s party) adopted a new, more conservative program that emphasized a pro-business, nationalist agenda, cutting taxes and diminishing the role of government, while boosting military spending and supporting the monarchy and the Catholic Church.” This is from the well-written book The History of Italy by Charles L. Killinger that was published in 2002.

Obviously, this is exactly what Donald Trump has done. It’s not too farfetched to believe that Trump’s military school background made him more interested in people like Hitler and Mussolini than Churchill and Truman. It has been written that his first wife, Ivana Trump, claimed that Trump kept a book of Hitler’s speeches near his bed. She didn’t say he read them, but there we can see a glimmer of his early obsession with dictators, demigods and despots.

But what were Mussolini’s weaknesses? He made decisions based on his narcissistic-personality disorder, not on logic or what was good for the Italian people. He invaded Ethiopia for the second time in 1935 and got into a war to dominate a country where victory brought little strategic, political or monetary value. In fact, it weakened his army so that when Hitler hoodwinked him into joining forces in 1940, the country of Italy was ill-prepared for the conflict against Allied Forces in Europe.

In short, Mussolini wanted to be like Hitler. Italy, after years of being dominated by Austria, wanted to make sure they allied with the right side. Unfortunately for Italy, Mussolini’s thirst for power triggered terrible choices. The good news for Italy, Mussolini was exposed as a bad leader and his demise cleared most of the political mess he created. Massive rebuilding after WWII was helped by Truman’s Marshall Plan and aid from the US. Happy ending.

The parasite that lives inside of Donald Trump’s body and brain is a driven desire to be loved and feared. He cannot believe people don’t like him, and he has only one way of dealing with people who speak out against him. He must destroy them. His vindictive, vitriolic and toxic modus operandi only make things worse. He appears out-of-control when he’s frantically trying to appear strong and dominate. His emotional desperation makes logical people think of him as less statesman and more wannabe dictator. Trump’s constant lying is his way of not dealing with any reality that is too challenging for his 4^th grade mentality. Trump’s not killing dissenters, at least not yet, but wait, the head of CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Committee said they couldn’t protect Mitt Romney if he attended their event in Maryland. Protect him from what? Violent retribution? Bodily harm? What country do we live in?

Trump, like Mussolini, has figure out how to placate the religious evangelicals by lying to them with a few Supreme Court picks, with no guarantee his actions will lead to an overturn of Roe vs. Wade. He has managed to massage the over-zealous oligarchies and titans of business by providing a no-tax lubrication for their game. As the Trump Organization profit-takes from the people, farmers get a bail out for Trump’s lack of understanding of global markets. Hope those markets come back after Trump is gone.

It would be helpful if more people understood Trump and the history of the world. While this parasite feeds on the belly of the American dream, we need to find the poison to kill the worm before it takes us all down. All the money spent on that stupid wall should be going to scientists and the CDC, because viruses are not stopped by walls. Violent crime is a medical crisis which should be dealt with more money, not less. There is some strong research that suggests that if we had more mental health professionals on the middle and high school level, we could find the problems and start to address them. Trump fails to understand the need for better education for more people. He’s an ostrich on most issues facing America. How long can he keep his head in the warm sand?

Trump just proposed a budget that forecasts the deficit hitting $1 trillion this fiscal year and suggests tax cuts for individuals through 2035 at a cost of $1.4 trillion. He’s a madman spending money like a drunken sailor in a Norfolk whore house. If you are one of those people who think that Democrats would spend us into bankruptcy, then you are a fool. Trump’s reckless ways will be exposed and his vindictive attitudes toward those Americans who don’t want to vote for him will bring him down, like a parasite facing powerful penicillin. The medicine is on the way, if only we can get the antidote to middle America fast enough.

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ROMNEY, RELIGION & REVENGE

Fake Faith from Unfaithful Father Figure

The problem with different religious beliefs are the conflicts that often arise between the way one person interprets another’s faith, even when praying to the same God. You know, same God, different viewpoints. The Holy Bible for Christians does give some advice. In Matthew 22:21 the writer claims that Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” Then in Romans 13:1 there’s a cautionary warning, “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities.”

Not to get off on a biblical rant here, but both of those references come from the New Testament, meaning they were written after Jesus was crucified. One of the justifications for the Roman’s killing Jesus was the fake news that he said he was a king, but who can possibly know what transpired in the conversations between Jesus and Pontius Pilate? Without a crucifixion you cannot have a resurrection and the true proof that Jesus was not of this world, or was God just manipulating the story? Writers of these first books of the New Testament were produced before the Romans declared that one should tolerate the Christian sect. That didn’t take place until 313 AD. They were careful not to alarm the authorities with what they wrote.

The reason we comment here is because of what Mitt Romney, the Senator from Utah, did yesterday. He used his faith to justify voting for Trump’s removal from office. Romney did something else strange. He voted for conviction on the count of abuse of power but gave the president a pass on obstruction of Congress. I wonder how he justified that. If Romney believed Trump abused his office, and he knew that Trump withheld witnesses and documents, isn’t that clearly obstruction of Congress?

Donald Trump blasted both Romney and Nancy Pelosi for using their faith to do, as he said, “the wrong thing.” He lashed out by saying he “doesn’t like people who use their faith like that” at the annual National Prayer Breakfast. The event has so much political taint and abuse of religion connected with it, that had Jesus attended he would have been turning over the tables of all the money changers in the room.

The French existentialist and philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre said, “There is no determinism, man is free, man is freedom. On the other hand, if God does not exist, we find no values or commands to turn to which legitimize our conduct.” This begs the question, has Trump been using his pseudo belief in God to legitimize his conduct, both before and after he became President? We think so.

There is nothing in the teachings of the Jewish God or the New Testament Christians that seeks revenge as the remedy or resolve for your ego. Romans 1:12:21 clearly states, “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” So, the payback must come from God, not from a mortal man like Trump. For those who keep quoting the “eye for an eye” rule as if it’s part of the Bible, sorry, that is part of Hammurabi’s code from the 18th century BC.

It’s a fact that Donald John Trump has been unfaithful to wives and he has admitted it. At least 17 women have gone public with accusations that Trump once sexually abused or harassed them. I am sure the Christian evangelicals have forgiven Trump, but will Trump ever forgive his accusers for being honest? If one being honest is somehow against Trump, then their honesty is unholy to Donald Trump. Does he think he’s a Pope?

Mitt Romney is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly called Mormons. They have their own Bible, and they have their Book of Mormon. Some critics have called these documents fictional rewrites of history, but deep down inside the doctrine of his church promotes the teachings of Jesus. Mitt is an official in his church and has served in many ordained capacities. Trump can question his motives, but certainly no one in Congress or any other branch of government should question his faith, but they will because they are worshiping the false prophet of Trump.

With the more than one-hour long-winded speech given at the White House today (2-6-2020), we can see that the business of America is solely the DONALD TRUMP SHOW. His agenda is not about uniting the nation, improving leadership or bettering statesmanship. He simply gave the Republicans a rambling, incoherent, rhetorical blowjob and retreated into the White House with his trophy wife on his arm. We are seeing the detonation of democracy right before our eyes. Trump’s gasps for air as he speaks are troublesome.

A person of greater character would have summoned his “better angels” and moved on, instead of throwing chum in the water for the circling sharks who are out to bring him down. He promises revenge and says that those who chose to challenge him should pay for their actions. Really? While stating his distrust and disdain for people like Mitt Romney and Nancy Pelosi, he played the victim card for his family. He says they have suffered so through the process of impeachment. Really? They didn’t testify either.

Donald J. Trump is a soulless human being who worships only winning and money. Perhaps when he walks his last mile he will repent and finally apologize to all the people he has hurt. Nah, that won’t happen. If there isn’t a God, when the lights go out, they will remain dark forever for this fat man lying his way to the bottom of American history.

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DEMOCRATIC GAME PLAN

How to Beat Trump in 2020

Sometimes people do the opposite of what they need to do to get what they want. It reminds me of the time a friend was having trouble with her marriage and said, “We decided to have a baby to help us fix our problems.” Sure enough, they had a baby and then got divorced. Democrats keep talking about beating Trump in the November election, but there doesn’t seem to be any person on a clear path to do it.

When I moved to White Plains, New York twenty years ago, I decided to get engaged in politics. I wrote a letter to one of the guys running for mayor, and the next thing I knew he was buying me a coffee. That is how small-town politics work. He was attempting to unseat a multiple term mayor with a famous family political name and wanted my help.

As I worked on the campaign, it became apparent that the ideas generated by his supporters and campaign workers weren’t aligned with his goals. He was less than encouraging one on one, and the night he lost the election it became clear that he was a bad candidate. Years later, when we were trying to remove a mayor who was charged with domestic battery, my old candidate cast the final, singular vote that kept me from talking at a party meeting to discuss the ouster of the bad seed. You see, this is what turns people off to politics.

The next thing that happened was rather intriguing. One of the common council members consistently voted with the mayor on issues his party opposed. This caused many members of the local Democratic party to question his loyalty. At the next election the party leaders told the wandering party member he would not be their candidate. I was astonished, “They can do that?” Yes, they can, and they did. He ran as an independent and lost.

Had the Republican party just said Donald Trump wasn’t going to be their guy in 2016, things would have turned out much differently. The party hedged their bets early on and imagined that Trump’s words and actions were solely designed to get attention and they believed he would eventually moderate and bring the country together.

The vast divide that Donald Trump has created in America is far beyond repair. The Iowa Democratic caucuses have shown us that it isn’t going to be easy to gain the faith and respect of the electorate. Donald Trump and his gang of sycophants are saying the system is rigged and we have a debacle in our processes. Some people believe Trump and his cronies are right, and that is wrong.

Outside of our borders there is a common criticism of our electoral process that says our campaigns are too long and involve too many people. I used to think that as well, but now I feel our methods have great value. As things change and get reshaped, we must see a whole field and not just one obvious candidate. The “chosen person” routine, along with leaked emails, controversial investigations and Trump’s lies, damaged the Democratic party in 2016. I can’t help wondering if there is a way around this massive pile of political dung.

The gravity of American interest has always been based in drama. As the saying goes, one cannot have drama without conflict, and so it is with the Democratic party. We have this dramatic divide between pushed liberal ideals and sober moderate philosophies.

I use the word “pushed” because older people like me are being pressed by younger people who grew up with a whiff of fairness mixed in with a need to change things. I get it. When I was young, I and others my age wanted to get rid of Richard Nixon and end the Vietnam war. I think we helped do both, but Nixon and the war were so corrupt that the adults of that time finally woke up and made changes.

If you write down on a legal pad all of the good and bad things about Donald Trump, you will begin to see how difficult it will be to defeat him in November of this year.

Yes, the economy, as hot as it can possibly get, is a giant strength for Trump. Unemployment is low and lots of people are working. There is probably some kind of job for anyone who wants to work. That is not a mountain, that is a monument. Wages are going up, never fast enough, but there is some evidence that giving rich corporations big tax breaks made them feel guilty enough to give a little back to the folks who drive their successes.

What the hell is Tom Steyer talking about when he says he’ll take Donald Trump on the economy? Does he claim he will make it better? Hardly. Then there’s Michael Bloomberg attempting to buy his way into the nomination with well-crafted TV ads, but is that enough? He has the personality of an undertaker. Bernie and Warren will be cast as horned communists by Trump and millions will buy it. Trump wouldn’t know a communist if he shook their hands. Oh, wait, he already has: Putin, Xi and Un.

Buttigieg is interesting. What will Trump do with a well-spoken logical Christian homosexual. Is Pete ready to be president? That will be the number one question for pundits to unravel, but no human is ready for that job. And with all due respect to Amy Klobuchar with her levelheaded demeanor, she tends to keep telling us why she is running and how good she is, rather than just proving it.

Joe Biden may have been “Joe Biden his time” up to this point, but he’s already been punched in the face by Trump. The Donald didn’t need Ukraine’s help in defaming and denouncing Biden He has generated enough doubt for people to throw him out. Sorry Joe, the train has left the station. As much as Biden has the experience to do the job on day one, he’s going to stumble and stutter through a campaign that, in the end, will not defeat Donald Trump. Correct me if I am wrong, but is there any Democratic candidate with overwhelming edge and power to defeat Donald Trump? Am I wrong? Or am I painfully correct?

Machiavelli’s “The Prince“ highlights different kinds of leaders, “…one is generous, another greedy; one cruel, another tender-hearted; one is faithless, another true to his word; one effeminate and cowardly, another high-spirited and courageous; one is courteous, another haughty; one impure, another chaste; one simple, another crafty; one firm, another facile; one grave, another frivolous; one devout, another unbelieving.” I bolded those words that remind me of Trump. The great historian and author Stephen Kinzer detailed in his books how America used the CIA to overthrow governments we didn’t like. The people who executed those undemocratic actions were just a reflection of our citizens. We have many haughty, greedy and frivolous people who are exactly like Trump. Sorry, but hey, the truth hurts.

Congress had their chance to unseat a terrible president who has exploited the system at every turn on his way to the most powerful office in the land. The way to take down Donald Trump is for someone in the government to leak his tax returns. They hold the secrets of his past and near future. He has fought so hard to keep them secret. There mut be something there. Without that information in the public domain, Donald Trump will be reelected. Who is that brave American who can do what must be done?

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SOMETHING’S ROTTEN IN DENMARK

Replace the Iowa Caucuses with Traditional Voting

Now I know everyone wants to be special and sometimes we Americans get attracted to shiny objects, but this is a foolish way to run a railroad, let alone an election. So, we begin the 2020 Presidential Election with something we warned you about, Donald J. Trump’s ability to jinx just about anything.

We all know the saying, “something’s rotten in Denmark,” but do you know its origin? Shakespeare! In Hamlet — Act I, Scene 4 — the army officer named Marcellus says, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” He speaks this line right after he sees the ghost of Hamlet’s father, the late king of Denmark. The phrase means things are unsatisfactory; there is something wrong.

The Iowa caucus vote totals are delayed because of what are being describing as “inconsistencies,” whatever the fuck that means. Everyone is going crazy. Even Trump supporters are pounding their chests claiming victory. How could the Democrats lose an election in which only Democrats were running? Travesty!

Rather than speculate on what went wrong, let’s ask the supreme deity, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of the them all?” Well, it’s not Iowa. I have always been a critic of a caucus as a replacement for the good old American way of deciding a winner, an ELECTION! You know, people going to a polling place run by locals, monitored by people from both parties, or all the candidates in the case of a primary, and people casting a secret vote for the person they want to elect. The caucus approach of discussing things and the need to change or give up your vote for someone who didn’t get more than 15% of the vote is not only stupid, it’s wrong.

The national parties, all of them, should demand that Iowa abandon this Neanderthal method of picking a candidate and plug into the standard way of doing things. I think the network news cameras peering into the process created a reality TV atmosphere that probably influenced the way people acted, reacted and cast their votes. The first state primary in America shouldn’t be a third-grade party. The caucus system is difficult to understand and explain, outdated and antiquated. It’s an embarrassment of our political system and incomprehensible to those from other countries. Shame on us if we don’t change it.

A caucus denies older or immobile folks a vote and is very susceptible to campaign worker manipulation. An army of people go door to door, then those same workers flood and manipulate the caucus into a majority for their candidate. It’s undignified and circus like with yelling, shirts, banners and signs.

This flaw in the slaw could tear down our democratic process if not fixed immediately. The events of last night provide proof that caucuses are a terrible idea. Few states use them and they’re the laughingstock of our nation. There’s another Shakespeare phrase for you. Its origin has to do with people put in stocks in the public square for a high crime or misdemeanor and the town folk would come by and laugh at them. In this case, the Iowa Democratic party is in the stocks and the whole nation is laughing at them. What a bunch of dipshits!

Caucuses are a tragic, terrible concept. What a miserable way to begin the fight of eliminating Donald Trump. The grand experiment of caucuses has failed and is not viable. Elections are too important in America to deny the need to go to a normal voting system. Quite frankly, you would get a more accurate result by having cock fights instead of caucuses.

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The book that tells it like it is…

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