Monday, October 31, 2022

Arizona Focal Point in Democracy loss

 

The state of Arizona is now a dead-center on the issue of our loss of democracy. This honor results clearly from the candidacy of the lunatic, Kari Lake, who is running for governor. Frank Bruni of the New York Times dubs her as part of, "The Republican Double Standard That’s Endangering American Democracy. Here's the scenario...

"A Republican victory in a tightly contested race means that Democrats’ desires or schemes to corrupt it didn’t pan out. Let freedom ring! A Democratic victory means that George Soros cast a magic spell over voters while a global cabal of socialists and pedophiles used space beams to scramble the results that voting machines spit out."

Kari Lake doesn’t commit to accepting Arizona election result if she loses...


 This is the result of Bruni's analysis of Lake's interview with Dana Bash on CNN. In her appearance with Bash, Kari Lake made it clear she would accept no result except her win against Democrat opponent, Katy Hobbs. Lake later softened that stand. I live in Arizona, moved here from California some 25 years ago. We were blind-sided by the radical politicians, we were more concerned with affordable housing in the move. I have been a liberal activist since the first day.

Kari Lake was skewered on the latest Saturday Night Live, and her misguided rants over a fixed 2020 election and sophomoric idolatry of Donald Trump makse her a laughingstock among the thinking population. But many Arizonans are flocking to her side, making the competition with Hobbs very close. Bruni exclaims...

"Republicans are fashioning a politics without accountability. They’re rigging reality itself. And Lake’s interview with Bash was one of those moments that captured, in miniature, the broader dynamics and dysfunctions of its time."

Bruni continues...

"Look at all that doubt! It’s a garden, it’s a thicket, it’s a wild anti-Eden all its own. It must be tamed — and you know how? Elect Kari Lake. Bow to Ron DeSantis. Because they’re spotlighting that doubt. They’re boldly confronting it. They’re not letting evidence, or the lack thereof, get in the way of emotion."

GOP governor says Trump-backed candidate is misleading voters...


Even current Arizona GOP governor Doug Ducey said Kari Lake is full of misinformation and fully rejected her in the primary against Karrin Taylor Robson. Lake did win but Ducey wasn't sure whether Republican governors would support her. The gov has finally decided to support Lake, which indicates what kind of leader Arizona has had the last eight years. Bruni quips, "This is no laughing matter," continuing...

"If enough Americans exalt feelings over facts, insist on their preferred version of events rather than the actual one, refuse to subjugate their personal wants to any public good and reject the processes and institutions that enable group decisions, we have chaos. We all lose."

Bruni says he won't accept that result and neither will I.

VOTE KATY HOBBS GOVERNOR OF ARIZONA. 

 

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

MLK daughter says Kari Lake comment about her father "absurd"

 

I guess I am picking on Republicans but what can you say with the antics from those like Lauren Boebert, Paul Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Ron Johnson, to name only a few. The first three are members of the House, Johnson a Senator. Don't get me wrong, there are accusations of Democrat lunatics. Googling that, one in particular came up in the search. Congressman Steve Cohen from Tennessee. Didn't find much more than an incident in Trump's impeachment. 

So, I decided to see what Cohen stands for and found his issues far from lunacy. As an example, Cohen supports Biden's Student Loan Debt Relief; also for the President's pardons for marijuana possession; the congressman wants to name Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. Whatever Cohen says, it can't compare with statements like "the Lord has washed me in the blood of Jesus," from Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker. Bill Maher dubs him an "idiot."

But it is Arizona's gubernatorial candidate, Kari Lake, who takes the cake. Her

most recent idiocy was a claim...
“I’m a true believer that if MLK, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. were alive today, if JFK were alive today, if our founding fathers were alive today, they would be America First Republicans,” Lake promised. “I really believe that.”

So ludicrous it doesn't justify a reply. But MLK's daughter fired back...

King's daughter called Lake's claim absurd and noted that saying something like that was being dismissive of her father's 'seminal work and beliefs.'"

And, did you catch Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's latest stupidity?  She tried to make a show of herself standing up for Confederate soldiers and in her typical ignorance...

"despite Greene’s apparent rush to pay her respects to what she believed was a Confederate monument, the monument actually pays tribute to Union troops that battled the Confederates."

In The Ring of Fire progressive post by Farron Cousins, he comments...

"Two factions within the Republican Party are fighting for dominance right now, and the lunatics are winning by a lot. The Gaetz’s, Jordan’s, and Gohmert’s are the ones making the rules now, as they are the ones with the biggest reach and the ones being amplified by right wing media."

As Cousins exclaims the lunatics are winning, he adds more to the gang: "your Josh

Hawley’s and your Ted Cruz’s and of course your Rand Paul’s." The proliferation of these whackos, of course, started with the administration of Donald Trump. With his continued help, these crazed individuals, and many more like them, have managed to nearly bring down the nation. The epitome of this movement was the Jan. 6 insurrection of the U.S. Capitol. According to Time...

"More than 840 people have been arrested for storming the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, with charges ranging from obstruction of an official proceeding to assault. But 17 months after the attempted insurrection, a significant number of rioters are still awaiting their sentencing."

One interesting comment is that, although there may be some crazies in the Democrat Party, this list is Republican-heavy; the reality is that Democrats just aren’t keeping pace right now in the crazy department. But one looney stands out in the areas of stupidity and lunacy, Lauren Boebert, Rep. from Colorado, most recently when she proposed an amendment in the House with the result...

"Lauren Boebert's legislation got blocked thanks to House panel's rule targeting 'lunatics.' House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern (D-MA) has a new rule on his committee for people like Boebert. McGovern explained to Republicans that his new rule for his committee says if you're "batsh** crazy, you're not getting an amendment" after he blocked one of Boebert's amendments from going to the House floor."

Biden accuses Trump, "MAGA Republicans" of threatening democracy in prime-time address...


Turning now to the instigator of all this mayhem, Donald Trump's latest rally "Flies off the Rails," as reported by The Daily Beast...
"The QAnon-peppered programming frequently flew off the rails Saturday, as speakers took severe issue with everything from McDonald’s being part of the 'deep state' to “demonic satellites” controlling the voting system in the United States."

And here's a Tweet from the rally...

Opening prayer today at Eric Trump and Michael Flynn’s QAnon event: “God, open the eyes of Pres Trump’s understanding, that he will know how to implement divine intervention. And you will not surround him with RINO trash, in the name of Jesus.”

There is no doubt at this point that Donald Trump's input to these irrational

supporters is what keeps them flying off the rails. And the fact that he continues his terrorist activities, plus the fact he is threatening to run for President again in 2024, should chill the bones of any American who is in his or her right mind. Before I close, a return to Arizona where the politics are sown with lunatics and fertilized with the idiocy of Republican radicals.

Arizona's unesteemed chairperson of the Arizona Republican Party, Kelli Ward, has "lost her attempt to block a House committee subpoena for her phone records in connection with an investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol building and other events related to the 2020 presidential election," according to Politico. There are also a couple of daffy dingbats worth mentioning--that's all since they haven't been important enough to get a lot of media coverage.

They are Debbie Lesko and Andy Biggs, both full of misinformation and conspiracies but no substance. And the closing act is something I described as un-freaking believable. Wendy Rogers, an Arizona state Senator, urged voters to lie to poll workers on election day. E.J Montini, a local columnist, describes Rogers as a liar, sleezy and "the most unhinged member of the Arizona Legislature (which is saying A LOT). 

But, one of the best comments comes from the local paper's opinion column. Dan Peel of Phoenix suburb Scottsdale who said in comparing the races of Katy Hobbs (D), and Kari Lake (R), commenting on Hobbs' accomplishments and Lake whose only real issue is Donald Trump, "just step back and see the big picture. Even if you can only support Hobbs as the ant-Lake candidate, do it. Our democracy and state truly depend on your vote."

YES, not only the state of Arizona but the entire country depends on your votes for Democrats if we are to save our democracy. GO TO THE POLLS ON NOVEMBER 8, AND ENCOURAGE ANYONE YOU SEE OR TALK TO TO VOTE. LIKE MICHAEL MOORE SAID, THIS COULD BE A DEMOCRAT TSUNAMI.

LATE FLASH...

We had another governor in Arizona like Kari Lake wants to be...the bigoted Evan Mecham. Arizona business detested him, and his discrimination of Martin Luther King Day made the state a national embarassment as well as losing the Super Bowl in 1993. Kari Lake, the right-wing conspiracy theorist, follows in his footsteps with her latest salvo aimed at major league football and...
"Dares the NFL to Pull the 2023 Super Bowl from Arizona if She Becomes Governor and Declares Border ‘Invasion’"

Goodbye Super Bowl for 2023...

 

Monday, October 17, 2022

Republicans Spreading More MisInformation Before Midterms

 

Robert Reich has done it again in his post, "Republicans are trying to win by spreading three false talking points. Here’s the truth." Reich's three main thrusts are crime, inflation and IRS auditing harassment. Reich destroys the GOP's attacks with something the right rarely acknowledges...truth.

Have Democrats Been Soft on Crime?

It is common knowledge that it is Republicans that have put more guns on the street; more than the U.S. population. Here is the scenario...

"While violent crime rose 28% from 2019 to 2020, gun homicides rose 35%. States that have weakened gun laws have seen gun crime surge. Clearly, a major driver of the national increase in violence is the easy availability of guns."

And lack of police funding...

"While violent crime rose 28% from 2019 to 2020, gun homicides rose 35%. States that have weakened gun laws have seen gun crime surge. Clearly, a major driver of the national increase in violence is the easy availability of guns."

These scripted conversations on gun rights come direct from Wayne LaPierre and his NRA minions who favor guns over innocent lives.

Analysis: The three things Republicans are betting on in the midterms...


Inflation
 

It isn't Biden’s spending, and wage increases that have caused domestic inflation. It is greedy U.S. Corporations that are "taking advantage of inflation by raising their prices higher than their increasing costs." This also includes things like food and gas during the Covid pandemic. And blaming heavy spending on Biden, not so...

"heavy spending by the US government began in 2020, before the Biden administration, in order to protect Americans and the economy from the ravages of Covid-19 – and it was necessary."

And American workers getting wage increases...Reich says...

"American workers getting wage increases? Wages can’t be pushing inflation because wages have been increasing at a slower pace than prices – leaving most workers worse off."

Hiring an Army of IRS Agents to Harass the Middle Class 

Pure bunk. Why would Biden go after the middle class when they are a big part of his plan to improve the economy. No, it is rather the wealthy and tax cheaters that are the target...

"The extra staff are needed to boost efforts against high-end tax evasion – which is more difficult to root out, because the ultra-wealthy hire squads of accountants and tax attorneys to hide their taxable incomes."

If you think Donald Trump is still the biggest liar in the GOP, and that could be what Republicans want, you must consider this wave of misinformation from the right when you go to the polls next month. I urge you to read Robert Reich's post because there is much more than I covered. VOTE DEMOCRAT ON NOV. 8! 

Thursday, October 6, 2022

The Next Civil War Expected Soon...


If the Trump minions' response after the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago documents Donald Trump took from the White House illegally is any indication, we can expect action in the near future, Ken Bensinger and Sheera Frenkel of the New York Times report. It all began after the FBI completed its search of Mar-a-Lago where the social networks lit up like the 4th of July...
"Posts on Twitter that mentioned “civil war” had soared nearly 3,000 percent in just a few hours as Mr. Trump’s supporters blasted the action as a provocation. Similar spikes followed, including on Facebook, Reddit, Telegram, Parler, Gab and Truth Social, Mr. Trump’s social media platform. Mentions of the phrase more than doubled on radio programs and podcasts, as measured by Critical Mention, a media-tracking firm."

And then it continued a couple weeks later when President Biden branded Trump and “MAGA Republicans” a threat to “the very foundations of our republic.” The NYT warns with the midterms coming, the threat could be compounded significantly. Here's a shocker that probably really isn't...

"Polling, social media studies and a rise in threats suggest that a growing number of Americans are anticipating, or even welcoming, the possibility of sustained political violence."

 Majority Of Trump Voters Say Civil War ‘Likely’ In Next Decade...


But what should we expect? While the radical right calls for an organized battle for control of the government, according to the Times...

"Others envision something akin to a drawn-out insurgency, punctuated with eruptions of political violence, such as the attack on the F.B.I.’s Cincinnati field office in August. A third group describes the country as entering a “cold” civil war, manifested by intractable polarization and mistrust, rather than a “hot” war with conflict."

I am reading The Next Civil War by Stephen Marche and it is frightening. One of the author's findings describes how the next one won't be fought on the battlefield, rather it will be neighbor against neighbor, depending on your political stand. Just think of the consequences especially if you live in a radically right area and you are on the liberal left. I urge you to read the NYT article and if you really want a scare, read Marche's The Next Civil War.

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Phoenix Shelter Not Providing Mandated Animal Care

 

It is downright heartbreaking to find out your local animal humane shelter is not providing the care mandated for the animals under their control. It is even more heartwrenching to learn the shelter management refuses volunteer help. Like walking dogs regularly. Employees, volunteers, and the community have repeatedly observed incompetence and lack of transparency from the Maricopa County, AZ, Animal Care and Control (MCACC).

My wife has worked with animals for years in the Tellington T-Touch program, retiring only a couple of years ago. She is still very sympathetic toward animal welfare; as a matter of fact it was she who thought of and recommended that I do this post. I have helped out over the years and twice have witnessed on my own the politics of management in animal rescues. It is disgusting when you observe an ego for power replace the daily care for their animals.

Lorena Bader has started a petition aimed at Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Jack Sellers and 7 other decision makers. They have 22,156 signatures so far and are striving for 25,000. You can sign the petition by going here. The petition is a no-confidence plea in the ability of the elected Maricopa County Board of Supervisors...

Jack Sellers, Thomas Galvin, Bill Gates, Clint Hickman, and Steve Gallardo, appointed Maricopa County Manager, Joy Rich, Maricopa County Assistant Manager, Valerie Beckett, Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) Director, Michael Mendel, and MCACC Deputy Director, Crystal Enojos to run MCACC effectively and to provide proper medical and behavioral care for the animals in their charge.
The petition states residents' "efforts have largely been ignored or met with outright


disdain and obfuscation by MCACC leadership and the BOS (Board of Supervisors)." Examples include...
"The BOS refuses to communicate with concerned citizens by ignoring telephone calls and emails and by refusing to meet with individuals or a group. The BOS refuses to place MCACC concerns on its formal meeting agenda. Citizen recourse is limited to speaking (2 minute limit) during public comments of board meetings, expressing concerns on social media and going to the media. Even recommendations from a 2015 Task Force the BOS itself commissioned have been largely ignored. Repeated requests to meet with MCACC leadership and pleas for responsible course correction have been met with silence."

You can see the Task Force Final Report here

A classic example of the total problem is an accusation, "Michael Mendel Cancels Public Dog Walks to Spite Four Paws and Friends." Lorena Bader claims...
"Dogs sit in their kennels for up to a week without getting out for a walk or yard time. MCACC volunteers only filled 17% of the available shifts in August. The shelter desperately needs help to meet the needs of the animals in their care."

Bader exclaims the public dog walks were held weekly and could get 100 dogs out for a 30 minute walk in about 3 hours. However, Michael Mendel made the rash decision to cancel the Four Paws and Friends Mutt Strut. Bader says Mendel did it to spite Four Paws and Friends. Bader adds...

"I am personally so disappointed that the management would make the dogs suffer just to retaliate against me and my non-profit."
Protest takes place at Maricopa County Animal Care and Control...


And a tragedy did occur at MCACC that was preventable. In June of this year, a veterinarian employed at MCACC for 9 years was mauled by a dog who was exhibiting signs of extreme kennel deterioration. The dog Kronk's condition was due to neglect at the shelter and when brought to the deputy director's office for examination but was not leashed, a ridiculous decision knowing Kronk's status.

The dog attacked the vet and was pulled off by Michael Mendel, who was also bitten. This was Michael Mendel’s second bite in his short tenure as director from a dog showing serious, documented signs of deterioration. An issue that had existed for some time but apparently ignored by management. Lorena Bader asserts...

"this would look like an unprovoked attack however there were clear indications that Kronk was mentally struggling and should never have been placed in this situation. Instead of looking at management’s responsibility in this tragedy, they immediately banned any dogs from being in offices and started labeling more dogs as deteriorating and placing them on the euthanization list."

In this particular case Kronk was euthanized, in my opinion an inhumane act by this supposedly humane shelter. Bader says controversy has plagued MCACC for years and lists the following complaints...

-Basic medical needs of the animals are not met resulting in a year-long distemper outbreak, botched surgeries, and an excessive number of dogs becoming sick in the shelter or actually dying in their kennels.
-Basic behavioral needs of the animals are not met resulting in dogs not being assessed with other dogs, dogs only getting out of their kennels for exercise approximately 20 minutes per week and some dogs not getting out for weeks, staff lacking skills and training to handle fearful dogs or any with behavioral needs. High quality, in-kennel enrichment is sporadic and not funded by MCACC.
-Frequent firing of volunteers and silencing of those who speak up about inhumane conditions.
-Putting up roadblocks for community members, non-profits, and rescues willing to help.
-Toxic work environment that results in a high turnover and hiring practices that indicate nepotism and favoritism.
-Failure to be transparent and excessive efforts to find information leaks, including obstruction and delay of public record requests.
-Inability to identify all stakeholders and refusal to allow stakeholders any voice in decision-making that directly affects them.

Apparently this whole charade is no secret...

"Employees, volunteers, and the community have repeatedly observed incompetence and lack of transparency from MCACC. Those who speak up are faced with bullying, discrimination, and retaliation. Those who are incompetent at their jobs remain employed. Those who put ego, power, and control above saving lives are in charge."

Yet, this is the result...

"Mismanagement, nepotism, and unprofessionalism continues at the highest level. The most qualified are not hired to the top positions. Those who are true animal advocates and move the shelter forward are either forced out or fired. Management monitors communication by both employees and volunteers and threatens them if they speak publicly."

It is beyond belief that...

"In the past 3 months, under the direction of Michael Mendel, the pattern of poor decision-making continues, bullying and intimidation tactics have increased, employee and volunteer morale has decreased, and effective communication and transparency are at an all time low."

You can see a collection of Michael Mendel's questionable decisions here. The petition makes its demands but only time will tell if changes will be made at MCACC's top management. You can do your part by signing the petition and letting the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors know how you feel about this untenable situation. 

The question I still have...is this happening all over the country?

 








Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Socialist Left More Concerning than MAGA Republicans?...Frightening!

 

I did not know there was anything more concerning than Trump's MAGA minions. They are, of course, also Republicans. But the frightening part is fifty-five percent of the American public cares less about MAGA's treasonist antics, like the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, than what they view is a Socialist left agenda threat. A new Harvard-CAPS Harris poll asked respondents...

“Are you more concerned about the Socialist left in America and the power they are gaining or more afraid of MAGA Republicans and the power they are getting?”

And more frightening, only 45 percent of respondents said they are more concerned with MAGA Republicans. As a matter of reference, many of these "Socialists" counted in the poll are actually Democratic Socialists. There is a big difference. A true Socialist believes in rebellion through violence. Democratic Socialists do not believe in violence, rather, accomplishing change through legislation with an emphasis on equality.

Biden: US democracy cannot survive threat of MAGA Republicans...


A majority of Americans believe the number of “dangerous MAGA Republicans” is “grossly exaggerated.” Again, referring to Jan. 6, with the violence resulting in death and the intimidation of the members of Congress. The MAGA gang threatened to hang Vice President Pence and Donald Trump gave his approval. Here's the scenario...
The poll was conducted September 7 and 8, one week after President Biden gave a speech in Philadelphia saying former president Donald Trump and the ‘MAGA Republicans’ represent “an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”
Brittany Bernstein, in Yahoo! News proclaimed, "not every Republican, not even the majority of Republicans are MAGA Republicans,” also confirmed in Biden's remarks. The President also recounts his ability to work with mainstream Republicans but adds...
"the Republican Party today is dominated, driven, and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans and that is a threat to this country.”

And that, folks, should be the concern of Americans if they don't want to lose their rights and democracy under a totalitarian government. 

Monday, October 3, 2022

Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis Threatens Looters With 2nd Amendment

 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis makes the uninformed statement in the aftermath of hurricane Ian that it wasn't heading to Ft. Meyers, where it was definitely aimed and there was extensive destruction, but rather to Tampa. Florida Attorney General candidate Daniel Uhlfelder has spent the weekend sounding the alarm against these comments...
"claiming that it was well-known where the storm was headed and well in advance. He told Raw Story on Sunday that he thinks DeSantis was too distracted to better prepare for the storm."

INCOMPETENCE! 

And then, "There are indications that Lee County's (Ft. Myers) comprehensive emergency management plan was ignored." Apparently Lee County didn't order evacuations until Tuesday with Ian due to hit on Wednesday. This while other nearby jurisdictions took such action one or two days earlier.

DeSantis Puts Looters On Notice After Hurricane Ian...

And in an attempt to save his credibility, DeSantis told looters they had better stay away from Ft. Myers because Florida is a 2nd Amendment state. In effect admitting that he can't protect Floridians' property so he urges homeowners to shoot looters. All this while the state is now reporting 88 deaths from the hurricane.

Donald Trump Says He Will Be Indicted On Tuesday

  THAT'S TODAY... Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has brought the case to this point, now looking at a possible indictment. Trum...