Tuesday, March 21, 2023

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. Trump's statements so far have been based only on what he has seen in the media with no direct contact with Bragg's office. The BBC says...

"This case focuses on alleged hush money paid on Mr Trump's behalf by his lawyer to porn star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election."

Trump has urged his supporters to launch mass demonstrations in his support like he did prior to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol where he shouted in his speech at the Capitol, "We will never give up, we will never concede," and ended with the words: "We fight. We fight like hell and if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore. So let's walk down Pennsylvania Avenue." The riot erupted resulting in injuries and deaths of Capitol police.

Here's the scenario according to Time...

"As part of Bragg’s investigation, Trump could face charges for falsifying business records when he allegedly reimbursed his then-personal attorney Michael Cohen for paying off Daniels. The hush-money deal, allegedly crafted weeks before his presidential win, could also put Trump in jeopardy of violating campaign finance laws."
You have to understand that Donald Trump is up against at least five investigations, covering everything from his possession of classified documents to his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Some have said in the past that the charges brought against him by the Atlanta Atty. Gen. for interference in the 2020 election could have the most impact and provide the best venue for prosecution. Back in Jan., charges were said to be imminent.

Will Donald Trump be indicted on Tuesday?...


Barricades are being erected outside the Manhattan criminal court in anticipation of potential charges against Trump. This is because he called for protests when learning of the indictment, which resulted in the assumptions that it could start another riot like Jan. 6, 2021. But PBS News Hour said, "Trump’s calls for protests fail to gain traction ahead of anticipated indictment"...

"Former President Donald Trump’s calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap."

Now Stormy Daniels is entering the fray which Yahoo/News describes as "snarky

tweets about Donald Trump ahead of his possible indictment in New York." Here's an example...

"He probably watches my movies on repeat which may be why he has so many typos. (Slippery fingers from lube and KFC/fast food)."

Here's more...

Trump has denied that he had an affair with Daniels. He has also denied paying her $130,000 to keep quiet about the relationship before the 2016 election; he maintains that the paymentsfunneled through his former fixer turned nemesis, Michael Cohen — were fees for Cohen's legal services.

This reminds me of Al Capone who said, “They can't collect legal taxes from illegal money.” The feds did and put him in prison for tax evasion when Capone was clearly guilty of other major crimes like murder. And in the charges by Bragg, Trump can be tried for falsification of business records in the Stormy Daniels money transfer. But, like Capone, this is only the tip of the iceberg when he should also be tried for his efforts in launching the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection.

It is also clear that Donald Trump's delay in the Covid pandemic accounted for the deaths of hundreds, even thousands of Americans. These are only some of the reasons Trump should be prosecuted, and put in prison. There are more and can be found in my collection of posts on Donald Trump corruption.

 

Monday, March 20, 2023

Chas. Koch Sneers At Democracy And Human Life

 

Charles Koch has wreaked havoc on democracy for decades with one of his major movements against climate change. Why? He was an oil company heir and in 2019, as the biggest purchaser of crude oil in the country, was investigated by the Senate "for stealing oil from leases on Indian reservations." Politico also comments Koch was stealing from its producers by misreporting how much oil it picked up from their wells. Clearly showing the lack of business ethics used by Chas. Koch. 

This is not all they do; they have a massive network of oil and gas pipelines, and investments in other polluting industries like paper and plastics. One of my favorite quotes on the Kochs comes from Bill Maher on Charles' brother's death...

“He and his brother have done more than anybody to fund climate science deniers — for decades.” “So f*ck him, cause the Amazon is burning up, I’m glad he’s dead and I hope the end was painful.”

This is how some react to this family, I being one of them, for how they have used

their resources to help bring down our eco system. They also are ruthless. Due to their disregard for safety, the Kochs were responsible for two 17 year-olds being burned to death in Texas. Butane vapor was leaking from a corroded steel pipeline that had not been serviced for some time and an explosion ignited the inferno that burned the kids alive. One of the fathers sued Koch for $298 million.

Nancy MacLean, the William H. Chafe distinguished professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University, and Lisa Graves, executive director of True North Research and a co-creator of the websites Koch Exposed and Koch Docs said in Progressive Magazine, reported by AlterNet...
"For nearly half a century, billionaire Charles Koch has quietly funded, initiated, and supported efforts to dismantle democracy in the United States."

Kochland: The Secret History Of Koch Industries...



McClain and Graves provide further evidence of the Koch family plundering the rights of the American public to boost autocracy and line their pocketbooks. It is downright depressing to see how these mongrels of power can get away with so much just because they has billions of dollars. In his book, Kochland, Christopher Leonard illustrates a passive family suddenly coming alive after being caught stealing oil. Here's an example of company policy from Politico...

On July 11, 1988, the president of Koch Industries, Bill Hanna, sent a companywide memo informing employees how to handle company records. He reminded employees at the oil company that there was a code of secrecy for internal records. Then, he ordered that “written materials which would be useful to our competitors should be destroyed by shredding, burning, or some equally effective method.”

What he was really saying was, get rid of anything that could be incriminating to Koch. All prompted by the fact that the U.S. Senate was investigating Koch Industries for stealing oil from leases on Indian reservations. As if America hadn't already done enough to the Native American community, the Koch pilferers plunder from this group but are caught by the U.S. Government. Here's the scenario...

"Koch Industries was the biggest purchaser of crude oil in the country, and Senate investigators believed that the company was stealing from its producers by misreporting how much oil it picked up from their wells."

The Arizona Republic blew the whistle and...


"alleged that big oil companies were stealing oil from Native Americans who owned oil wells. When the companies picked up crude oil from wells to take it to market, they falsified receipts to make it look like had picked up less oil than they really did, or that the oil was of a lower quality than it really was."

Here's what the Senate investigation found...

"As evidence came rolling in, it pointed in one direction, Koch, more than any other company, had falsified tickets and taken more oil than it paid for. (The company later admitted in court that it collected about $10 million in crude oil each year without paying for it.)"

After further checks, the investigation found that no other company, other than Koch Industries, had collected so much oil without paying for it. But big money prevailed, as usual, and the Kochs went on their merry way fleecing the American public. And there has been little, if any, change up to today.

 




Friday, March 17, 2023

The Atlantic Has A Question...Has Ron DeSantis Reached His Peak?

 

Specifically the magazine said, "Is Ron DeSantis Flaming Out Already?" It is more to the point that this guy is arrogant, is on a hate trip with blacks and the LGBTQ community, and did a rotten job with the handling of the Covid pandemic in Florida, in spite of the fact that he claims he did a great job controlling the virus. FACT: The state was number 3 in coronavirus cases and deaths. All because DeSantis and his lunatic surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo claimed vaccines didn't work.

The Atlantic piece by David Frum starts with...

"The Florida governor has a plan to win the Fox News primary—and lose everything else."

To me this translates into the fact that DeSantis is above all an ego maniac who craves attention and demands loyalty. We've been down this road before with Donald Trump and see where that led us. Straight into fascism, building an autocricy that was tumbled but remains in the background of the Republican Party, ready to leap forward again and demolish democracy. DeSantis has his own methods but he has picked up in the residuals of the Trump failed campaign.

DeSantis, like Trump, is not prepared on the issues that confront this country. Like the Russian invasion...

"When a reporter for The Times of London pressed the governor [on the Ukrainian war with Russia], DeSantis scolded him: 'Perhaps you should cover some other ground? I think I’ve said enough.'”

The fact is he had not said anything of substance about the issue. In trying to turn

this around, "DeSantis delivered a more definitive answer on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show..."
"DeSantis’s statement on Ukraine was everything that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his admirers could have wished for from a presumptive candidate for president. Vladimir Putin and his admirers could have wished for from a presumptive candidate for president. The governor began by listing America’s 'vital interests' in a way that explicitly excluded NATO and the defense of Europe. He accepted the present Russian line that Putin’s occupation of Ukraine is a mere 'territorial dispute.' He endorsed 'peace' as the objective without regard to the terms of that peace, another pro-Russian talking point. He conceded the Russian argument that American aid to Ukraine amounts to direct involvement in the conflict. He endorsed and propagated the fantasy—routinely advanced by pro-Putin guests on Fox talk shows—that the Biden administration is somehow plotting 'regime change' in Moscow."

Someone in his gang of minions has convinced DeSantis that this tough guy approach is what the American public wants, but several polls so far reveal that only Republicans are buying in. You don't win elections without contingencies from your opposition and the Independent vote. Frum says Republicans have built themselves a one-stage rocket...

|"one that achieves liftoff but never reaches escape velocity?"

Here are some good reason why DeSantis may be on the way to flaming out...
Florida Republicans will soon pass—and DeSantis pledged he would sign—a law banning abortion after six weeks. That bill is opposed by 57 percent of those surveyed even inside Florida. Another poll found that 75 percent of Floridians oppose the ban. It also showed that 77 percent oppose permitless concealed carry, which DeSantis supports, and that 61 percent disapprove of his call to ban the teaching of critical race theory as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion policies on college campuses. As the political strategist Simon Rosenberg noted: “Imagine how these play outside FL.”

With all these numbers against him, the Florida dictator looks like his candidacy will take the low road that does not lead to the White House. You can read the full story at MSN.com

 

 


Thursday, March 16, 2023

Republicans Moving Slow On Fascism...Not Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

 

First let's start with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who epitomizes a fascist dictator and is running at full momentum to become the modern Mussolini of our time. He is also planning to run for the White House in 2024. The pitiful lot of voters who elected him and wantonly continue to support him are letting the state of Florida digress as no other state in the country has done.

The nation is fighting for our democracy against a Republican coalition of rightist radicals who are determined to establish an autocracy. And a Republican constituency is supporting them. It is beyond me how anyone could want a tyrant telling them every move to make. Donald Trump tried his hand, now Ron DeSantis wants to put in his two cents. And that is about all the man and his candidacy are worth.

A RawStory commentary by Thom Hartmann says, "Republicans are systematically destroying democracy — and replacing it with strongman authoritarianism," a move, prompted, in my opinion, based on two factors. First, the never-ending Republican drive for power; second, the GOP has absolutely no agenda, thus, they must resort to athoritarianism. Both of these points can be supported by the actions of Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy.

And Hartmann comments... 
"For some unfathomable reason, Democrats insist on calling their Republican colleagues their 'friends.' They are not friends."

The point is well taken with the likes of right radicals like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, Lauren Boebert, Andy Biggs and the list goes on. Democrats and other liberals must treat Republicans like the enemy, which they are of both the left and this country. Until we do, states will continue to rack up new GOP legislatures and we could lose the Senate. Aggressiveness is what is needed to contradict the right's propaganda machine, and push forward on Democratic issues.

They are moving slowly now, according to Hartmann...

Infiltrating police departments and the enlisted ranks of the military

Taking over school boards and local boards of elections

Firing principals and teachers who defend multiracial, multicultural democracy while banning books that contain such “dangerous” ideas

Demonizing queer people and outlawing drag shows

Gerrymandering states so regardless of how people vote, Republicans control the levers of power

It is clear to see here that four out of the above five have Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' footprints all over them. He both initiated these ideologies and continues to support them aggressively in his state. For gerrymandering, which seems to be a Republican specialty, and an area that the left must oppose and fight for vigorously. There are several more of Hartmann's theories of GOP takeovers that are very interesting to read, here

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis Bans Completely Respectable Books-Geo. Orwell's "1984" Revisited...Again

 

Bestselling author Jodi Picoult's book, The Storyteller, a novel about the unlikely relationship between the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and an aging S.S. officer, was banned by southeast Florida’s Martin County. Of course, at the impetus of the state's dictatorial governor, Ron DeSantis. Another 20 of her books were also banned. The DailyBeast commented in shock...
”Picoult said in an email to The Washington Post, calling book bans a 'breach of freedom of speech and freedom of information. 'According to Picoult, most of her books have nary a kiss in them but do include 'gay characters, and issues like racism, disability, abortion rights, gun control, and other topics that might make a kid think differently from their parents.'”

None the less, just what DeSantis abhors; that is in order to pacify his double-digit voters. And, most U.S. voters aren't buying his crap with a recent poll indicating...

"56% of Americans consider “woke” a positive term, meaning “to be informed, educated on, and aware of social injustices.” Even more than a third of Republicans agree."

"Wokeness" is probably on a parallel with the autocrat's latest 2024 campaign slogan, "We were right. They were wrong," referring to Florida's policies on freedom, more specifically DeSantis' handling of the Covid pandemic. But under his leadership, the state's pandemic results were considerably worse than the rest of the country. In fact, Florida was third highest in the country for both Covid cases and deaths

The Washington Post says DeSantis claims the state only bans “porn” and “hate,” but there is a problem with that allegation...

"The people deciding which books to remove from classrooms and school libraries didn’t get the memo. In many cases, the notion that banned books meet the highly objectionable criteria he detailed is an enormous stretch."

 Hear from author who had 20 of her books banned in Florida school district...


WaPo continues...

"This week, Florida’s Martin County released a list of dozens of books targeted for removal from school libraries, as officials struggle to interpret a bill DeSantis signed in the name of “transparency” in school materials. The episode suggests his decrees are increasingly encouraging local officials to adopt censoring decisions with disturbingly vague rationales and absurdly sweeping scope."

The impact of DeSantis's banning of Picoult's book The Storyteller has much of the media cashing in. She tells RawStory that the book has never been banned before, and RawStory's Brad Reed said...

"While DeSantis is not involved in choosing which books to remove, his 
Department of Education has issued guidance saying that schools should 'err on the side of caution' and to remove books that they wouldn't feel 'comfortable reading aloud.'"

It is unconscionable to "err on the side of caution" when the act results in taking away the rights of individuals in the likeness of Big Brother. It is clearly censorship and in my opinion borders on 1st Amendment rights. The "woke" American public isn't stupid and they will carry this malfeasance of justice to the 2024 elections.




Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Why Ron DeSantis is unacceptable on any level

 

Any level meaning specifically politics, but I sure wouldn't want DeSantis living in my neighborhood. I am, however, surrounded by Republicans here in Arizona but in my worst possible fantasy, even this state's rightest radicals cannot come close to the dictating governor in Florida. Ron DeSantis is a dictator of the first rate and here are some of the issues that confirm that title.

Afraid of the press and called a "fascist" by AlterNet, he recently blacklisted the media at a GOP event in Dallas. Of course he had plenty of friends there with his tyrannical  twin, Texas governor, Greg Abbott, at the annual "Reagan Day Dinner," hosted by the Dallas County Republican Party. I knew Ronald Reagan and do not think for one minute the former president would condone an autocrat like DeSantis.

 But listen to this...

Even Civil libertarians slam Ron DeSantis' 'brazen and blatantly unconstitutional' war on press freedom

 Here's the scenario...

"We are not able to invite the media," Jennifer Stoddard-Hajdu, Dallas County Republican Party Chairwoman said. "That was the decision of Governor DeSantis' team."

But, this takes the cake: "DeSantis promises Florida will control Disney's content.

Right-wing board to clamp down on 'woke ideology' in cartoons." I moved to California just after Disneyland opened and remember the fun my family and I had at the park in Anaheim. Walt Disney was alive then and believe he would have considered it sacrilege what Ron DeSantis is doing. This is what he actually did,,,

"DeSantis appointed a board to oversee Disney. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is stacked with DeSantis cronies, including Bridget Ziegler, a proponent of his education policies; Ron Peri, who heads the Christian ministry the Gathering USA; and Michael Sasso, president of the Federalist Society’s Orlando chapter."

 This is the New York Intelligencer's Jonathan Chait's take...

"It is worth pausing a moment to grasp the full breadth of what is going on here. First, DeSantis established the principle that he can and will use the power of the state to punish private firms that exercise their First Amendment right to criticize his positions. Now he is promising to continue exerting state power to pressure the firm to produce content that comports with his own ideological agenda."

And the New York Times Editorial Board really took DeSantis to task with this headline: "Florida Is Trying to Take Away the American Right to Speak Freely." The Times exhibits three cases of free speech and then adds...

"All three are examples of Americans engaging in clamorous but perfectly legal speech about public figures that is broadly protected by the Constitution. The Supreme Court, in a case that dates back nearly 60 years, ruled that even if that speech might be damaging or include errors, it should generally be protected against claims of libel and slander. All three would lose that protection — and be subject to ruinous defamation lawsuits — under a bill that is moving through the Florida House and is based on longstanding goals of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Bobby Block, executive director of Florida’s First Amendment Foundation, says... 

“This isn’t just a press issue. This is a death-to-public-discourse bill. Everyone, even conservatives, would have to second-guess themselves whenever they open their mouths to speak or sit in front of a keyboard.”
'We Were Right, They Were Wrong": DeSantis Touts Florida Policies In 'State Of The State' Address...


But get this, DeSantis is going to run for President with this slogan, "We were right, they were wrong," referring to state policies on "freedom" and his handling of the Covid pandemic crisis. To this, AlterNet commented...
"But under DeSantis' leadership, the Sunshine State's results were far worse than nearly every other state in the nation."

The facts are, Florida was third highest in the U.S. for Covid cases and deaths. This clearly proves that Ron DeSantis is a fraud posing as a legitimate politician. To close, DeSantis's opposition to the "Woke" movement may backfire. A new poll in MSNBC...

"shows that 56% of Americans consider 'woke' a positive term, meaning 'to be informed, educated on, and aware of social injustices.' Even more than a third of Republicans agree."

Ron DeSantis is probably just a flash in the pan, but the sooner the American public realizes this, the better. 


Monday, March 13, 2023

First There Was Long Covid - Now There Is Long Covidiocy

 


The Republican Party has shared with us a gang of certified idiots since even before taking the majority in the House. There is Matt Gaetz, Josh Hawley, Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert and the primo-moron, Marjorie Taylor Greene. I recently said we should just ignore Greene but I find it more productive to talk about her asinine antics and big mouth stupidity. It is endless. And Dana Milbank has captured much of MTG and the others in his Washington Post piece...

"There ain’t no cure for long covidiocy," which features a lineup where "House Republicans presented with a textbook case of the ailment this week."

The graphic that came with the article displays a picture of Marjorie Taylor Greene on Capitol Hill ready to do more damage to U.S. democracy. Here's the scenario...

"The newly formed select subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic met for the first time for what its chairman, Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), said would be some “Monday-morning quarterbacking.” It instead became a Tuesday afternoon of false starts and illegal blocks."

There's more...

"Republicans on the panel, some of them medical doctors and others just playing one on TV, offered their predictable assessments. Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) kicked off with the unsupported allegation that “covid was intentionally released” from a Chinese lab because 'it would be impossible for the virus to be accidentally leaked.'”
Republican War On Covid Science with Florida a leader in denial…


Lesko is an Arizona wacky Republican radical whose past is known for "bankruptcies, multiple aliases, an arrest warrant and multiple lawsuits for unpaid bills," according to AZCentral. This should give you an idea of what the Arizona Republican legislature is like. And here is a lunatic opinion from another rightist, this time from Georgia...

"Rep. Richard McCormick (R-Ga.) advanced the ball by informing the panel that coronavirus booster shots 'do more harm than good.'”

You have to wonder just how many constituents of this moron could have died or become seriously ill by not getting a Covid booster. But this is the epitome from the biggest imbecile that has ever been elected to the U.S. Congress, Marjorie Taylor Greene, also from Georgia...

“Researchers found that the vaccinated are at least twice as likely to be infected with covid as the unvaccinated and those with natural immunity.”

The subcommittee goes on to present...

"three scientists who arguably did more than all others to champion a herd-immunity approach to covid. Two of them were co-authors of the 'Great Barrington Declaration,' put out by a Koch-backed group, which argued in 2020 for letting the virus run wild through the population while somehow segregating the old and vulnerable."

My opinion is you cannot trust anything supported by a Koch-backed group and


you can see my posts on this divisive gang of goons here. It has been proven that the herd immunity approach could have killed "hundreds of thousands more Americans." This is Republican radicalism at its best, best known as the killing machine. But here is the closer from Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins surgeon and Fox News regular...
“'It’s a no-brainer that it came from a lab,' he declared. What’s more, 'at this point it’s impossible to acquire any more information, and if you did it would only be in the affirmative.' He even suggested that two of the nation’s top virologists knew this but 'changed their tunes' because they were bribed with grant money by Anthony Fauci."

This is why the American public is so confused about what they should do about Covid. I urge you to read this WaPo article.



 

Monday, March 6, 2023

Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened bloggers...THE KISS OF DEATH

 

Some DeSantis minion, a Republican Florida state senator, proposed a bill that would require bloggers to register with the state if they plan to write about Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), his Cabinet officers and members of the Florida legislature. You have to have received compensation on your blog for this to apply and, the requirement does not include websites of newspapers or similar sites. Sounds like he is afraid of the 4th Estate but he'd better watch out for the bloggers.

We have a tendency to stick together to defend each other because of the relative recency of this media and the repeated criticism we receive. Some consider us amateurs, but many bloggers have been at it for years and are very good at what they do. When you concentrate on a subject like politics, the kind of blog DeSantis wants to control, you have to commit to facts in your posts, and that is also what the despot DeSantis wants to prevent. The deplorable facts about his record.

In the bill, these morons also want bloggers to file monthly reports according to The Hill...
"detailing where, when and by whom the post was published, plus the amount of compensation received. Failure to file reports could lead to fines."

Just more of DeSantis inspired lunacy: Florida senator introduces bill that could get rid of state's Democratic Party...


You have Big Brother and a heinous violation of the 1st Amendment all rolled into one stupid law. It will never fly in a court of law but these Florida double-digits believe they can control the country because they think DeSantis will win in 2024. Well, he won't, and a recent Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll finds Trump leading DeSantis 46 percent to 23 percent, a 5-point drop in support for DeSantis since last month. We don't want Trump but don't want DeSantis more.

AlterNet says Fascist Ron DeSantis is "afraid of the press" for blacklisting the media at a Dallas GOP event. Here's the scenario...

"We are not able to invite the media," Jennifer Stoddard-Hajdu, Dallas County Republican Party Chairwoman said. "That was the decision of Governor DeSantis' team."

I doubt seriously if the decision was a hard one based on the Right's opinion of the

media being the contra position they hold. Kristy Noble, Dallas County Democratic Party chair said...
"We know fascist Republican Ron DeSantis is afraid of history books, free market capitalism, and kids playing sports, but we didn’t know he was afraid of Dallas County’s local reporters,"

It is well known the tyrant DeSantis has destroyed much of what the state of Florida was but it would take a very short time for national media, and especially bloggers to dismantle the DeSantis machine. 

 



Thursday, March 2, 2023

QUOTE: "Greene is ignorant of the Constitution she swore to uphold"

 

The quote is taken from the Editorial Board of the St. Louis Post Dispatch and is yet another disparagement of the U.S. House's top moron, Marjorie Taylor Greene. It is still hard, near impossible, to understand how the people of Georgia reelected this lunatic to office. One can only assume that her constituents are equally as ignorant as is Greene. This is how the Editorial Board begins...
"Loath as we are to grant attention to reprehensible Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the latest head-spinning pronouncement from the Georgia Republican demands discussion — if only for what it says about the House speaker who empowered her after rescuing her from irrelevance."

Folks, they are talking about a member of the U.S. Congress as if she was some obnoxious person not fit for society. Well, she isn't, but Greene is a member of Congress and she shouldn't be. Here's a very scary statement...

"She also confirms that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, political hostage that he is, has elevated an anti-constitutional, anti-democracy, un-American crank to a position of significant and dangerous national influence."

The unlikely alliance of Kevin McCarthy and Marjorie Taylor Greene...


With Kevin McCarthy, equally disjointed of the mind, in control of the U.S. House, he can keep Greene in dangerous levels of power allowing her to spew her lunacy throughout the political spectrum. So far, her most divisive move has been to advocate the division of the U.S. into blue and red states with what she calls a "national divorce." This dimwit wants to start a civil war and Medium.com makes it clear how Republicans could make this happen...

"The repulsive extremism, ugly racism and nativism, and the unhinged conspiracy-mongering that has always existed like a toxic mold on the fringes of the American right are now at its emotional and political center, a place where throngs of QAnon believers gather with Christian nationalists and white supremacists to form the very heart and soul of the new Republican anti-orthodoxy."

Whew! This is a condemnation of the Republican faction in general, and most

certainly applies to Marjorie Taylor Greene. She is labeled the "QAnon-coddling conspiracy theorist and white-nationalist sympathizer who once posited that California wildfires were caused by a space-based laser controlled by Jewish investors." Greene is joined to McCarthy at the hip and plans to advance her radical ideology by using the Speaker.

How many times have I said this? 'The Republicans have no agenda so they shower conservatives with a rhetoric that condemns the left, which, apparently a large amount of the right wants to hear. If MTG and the GOP think that governing with their disruptive stunts will keep them in power, my gut tells me they are wrong. There is always that point of, 'I've had enough,' and I think there is a large proportion of the American population that is fed up with Republicanism.


 

Monday, February 27, 2023

Marjorie Taylor Greene's Crusade To Eradicate American Democracy

 

Even her Republican peers have said she is crazy and they are concerned that Marjorie Taylor Greene could help take the party down in 2024. One can only hope. Stephen Colbert demolished her secessionist lunacies on his show; called Greene the "chief spokesperson for civil war." Additionally, the berserk buffoon wants to ban Democrat voting for at least five years if they move to red states. Here's the way the New Republic describes Marjorie Taylor Greene...

"Marjorie Taylor Greene’s idea for America to “separate by red states and blue states” isn’t just dumb and harmless. It’s also a window into a dangerous vision that’s ascendent in the Republican Party."

Here's her scenario...

“We need a national divorce,” she wrote on Twitter on February 20. “We need to separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government. Everyone I talk to says this. From the sick and disgusting woke culture issues shoved down our throats to the [Democrats’] traitorous America Last policies, we are done.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene advocates for 'national divorce'...



We are definitely "done" if the U.S. Congress allows lunatics like Greene and her cronies in the House continue to serve. TNR says her vision "is an authoritarian
rejection of democratic government itself." Isn't that what Republican ideology is all about? Power at any cost and the welfare of the American public be damned. Secession has been tried before and failed, but it becomes newly appropriate, many think purely for attention.

But this action is at least also due to the fact that the GOP still has no real agenda for the country so Speaker Kevin McCarthy allows his deranged bunch of dimwits to blunder on just so he can enjoy his speakership. The inference that red states should secede from the Union is likened to the old saying, 'if you don't let me win, I'll take my ball and go home.' What this gang of crackpot legislators doesn't understand is the fact that we don't need separation, we desperately need unity.

But Greene says the left and the right have "reached the point of 'irreconcilable differences' on a variety of topics." Here's her take from TNR...

“I’ll speak for the right and say, we are absolutely disgusted and fed up with the left cramming and forcing their ways on us and our children with no respect for our religion/faith, traditional values, and economic & government policy beliefs,” Greene explained.

What we need is members of Congress who can negotiate their difference and come together with a solution that fits both sides. Lyndon Johnson could do this. So could Everett Dirksen. But the fact is that Republicans don't want to negotiate; their main goal is to thwart whatever the Democrats bring to the table. My guess is this has become something the American public is fed up with and voters will show their concern in 2024.

I urge you to read the New Republic article.

 

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

People Have More Humanity Toward Animals Today

 

That's why they call it a "humane shelter," because animals deserve considerate and merciful treatment just like us humans. I cannot understand why someone would abandon their family pet, much less abuse them. It is unconscionable and there should be more laws affecting their well-being. They are innocent, loyal, and all they really want is to live. That's right, something we take for granted but in the case of most animals, something they have absolutely no control over.

But there seems to be hope, if the amount of space on the Internet devoted to animals is any indication of the public's awakening to the fact that they do have rights. The enactment of animal protection laws has been slow but it is showing promise in several states across the country. The Animal Legal Defense Fund has ranked U.S. states in their order of protection based on 20 different categories of protection.

It seems that a lot of southern states, which also have low ratings in the care of their human populations, also neglect their animals. These, along with other states like Alaska, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho make up what is called the "Bottom Tier" of protection. The "Top Tier" includes states like California, Washington, Illinois, Colorado and eleven more. The in-between "Middle Tier" has Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii plus others.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund: All Our Clients Are Innocent...


The number one state for animal protection is Maine; number fifty is New Mexico. Here's the scenario...
"The disparity in various jurisdictions’ animal protection laws demonstrates the unfortunate reality that, in many places, the law significantly underrepresents animals’ interests. However, the Rankings Report also presents an opportunity to improve laws everywhere. New animal protection laws continue to be implemented around the country by motivated lawmakers and their constituents — just like you."

Some notations from ALDF...

Maine maintains its top rank

New Mexico ranked last for third year in a row

     Most improved: Maryland

    Major trends: Animals included in protection orders and laws prohibiting sexual assault of animals

    But, yes, I feel, at least from Internet activity, that the public is becoming more conscious of the rights of animals. And they are finding out just how much love and affection pets can contribute to your household. They become family and hope they have found their forever home. We cannot let them down! 



     

    Monday, February 20, 2023

    Are We Approaching Armageddon?

     

    Armageddon is where the final battle will be fought between the forces of good and evil. There have just been two earthquakes in Turkey/Syria of a magnitude 7.8 on February 6, and now a 6.4. Today's count is 47,000 lives lost. And just today in Sao Paulo, Brazil, heavy rain caused flooding and landslides on the northern coast of Brazil’s Sao Paulo state. 2022 was full of natural disasters...

    • UNDERSEA VOLCANIC ERUPTION IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN
    • PAKISTAN FLOODS KILL MORE THAN 1,700 PEOPLE
    • MASS WILDFIRES IN CALIFORNIA
    • EAST COAST STORM LEAVES 100,000 WITHOUT POWER, AT LEAST 3 DEAD
    • MAUNA LOA VOLCANO ERUPTION
    • EARTHQUAKE IN AFGHANISTAN KILLS AT LEAST 1,036
    Is a higher power trying to tell us something? Or has the world population so screwed up the environment that payback time has finally come. It is a tragedy what we are leaving for our children and grandchildren; basically a climactic mess. And in this country at least, there is a fight between liberals and conservative as to whether there is really a problem. The liberals are losing the fight to preserve our environment to conservatives who only consider the profit angle.

    There is no way to know where this is all going when politics are constantly inserted into the equation. I won't be around to see the outcome, and I wouldn't want to be if it continues in the current direction, but I wonder when it all comes to an end, will the culprits own up and say they are sorry. Probably not.

                            THE LATEST...



    Fox News A "Dishonest Organization"

     

    CNN continues from the above headline in its analysis to determine Fox is "terrified of its own audience." And rightfully they should be since it is a congregation of morons who let dimwits like Tucker Carlson poison their minds. And urge them to vote for maniacs like Donald Trump, continuing to support his 2020 election into 2022. There's a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit by Dominion against Fox and as I said earlier on Twitter and Facebook...
    'Maybe it will put them (Fox) out of business and eliminate a gargantuan source of misinformation..

    Here's the scenario from CNN...

    "A trove of newly-released text messages and emails have laid bare how the right-wing media giant operated with little regard for fact in the weeks and months following the 2020 presidential election. The correspondence reveals that the network’s senior-most executives and highest-profile hosts chose not to disclose what they believed to be the truth of the election out of fear that that the facts would alienate Fox News’ audience and throw the highly profitable business into ruin."

    This video exposes what we thought we knew: Expert on Dominion v. Fox $1.6 billion defamation suit...


    Here is confirmation of that from a piece in a RawStory headline: "Fox News got election fraud info from woman who claims she got it through 'time travel."' It's in the Dominion lawsuit against Fox in a segment,,,

    "highlighted between pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell and Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, who was communicating with her and amplifying her message on her program."

    The Daily Beast says...

    An unsealed brief as part of Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation suit showed Fox News bigwigs criticizing Donald Trump’s Big Lie, all while advancing his B.S. “stolen election” conspiracy theory on air (and simultaneously trying to punish a Fox News fact checker for reporting the truth).

    RawStory reports...

    "a former high-ranking Department of Justice official claimed the conservative network can expect to lose big in the lawsuit filed against it by Dominion Voting Systems."

    What is worse, a legal analyst for MSNBC says, "the network won't have a leg to stand on as they attempt to fend off the billion-dollar lawsuit." With all the problems Fox News has caused in the Covid pandemic and their gross misinformation in the 2020 election denial, their downfall can't come soon enough.

    Read more: "‘BS,’ ‘Insane,’ ‘Crazy,’ ‘Nuts,’ ‘Reckless,’: Fox News legal bomb goes off"

    "Fox News Knew Trump’s Big Lie Was BS the Whole Time"

    Sunday, February 19, 2023

    Florida's Book Banning Is Frightening

     

    I've played the 1984 hand re. Florida's fascist Gov. Ron DeSantis so many times now, I wonder if George Orwell would agree that DeSantis as Big Brother is in the same realm as the one in his novel? All that's missing in Florida are Orwell's characters like Winston Smith, O'Brien and Julia, to mention a few. If you've read 1984, you know the secrecy that Winston and Julia had to maintain just to survive. DeSantis' constituents are also under the gun of a tyrant determined to devastate their state.

    Florida librarian Keri Clark loves working with children and books, but that changed last month...

    "The library is now closed off, the shelves are empty, and her job now mostly consists of “vetting” piles of books to comply with new censorship laws implemented by the state of Florida.
    “The books are sitting out on tables, they’re being boxed up and discarded,” Ms Clark tells The Independent. “It’s just it’s a really sad sight. A lot of the kids keep looking through the window and it’s just it’s awful that I can’t let them come in and get books.”

    Here are just some of the titles that have been banned by DeSantis and his minions...

    Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye,’ ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini, ‘The Stranger’ by Albert Camus, ‘Revolting Rhymes’ by Roald Dahl, and a skateboarding magazine called ‘Thrasher’.

    My opinion is that, not only would George Orwell agree that Ron DeSantis is at least as egregious a Big Brother as the one in 1984, the author would admit he could take some lessons from DeSantis. 

    READ MORE...

    Florida GOP Passes Legislation To Intimidate Voters

     

    You know what voters; liberal and Black. About 10 days ago "the Republican-led Florida Legislature [passed] another voter suppression bill that far-right Gov. Ron DeSantis, a likely GOP presidential candidate for 2024, is expected to sign into law." Here's the scenario...
    "The legislation seeks to expand the authority of the Office of Statewide Prosecution (OSP) to pursue charges for alleged election-related crimes. The OSP reports to Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody, a close ally of DeSantis."
    A coalition of voting rights groups, including NAACP Florida, ACLU of Florida, Common Cause Florida, and the Brennan Center for Justice, is fighting the law, which is clearly the product of a Ron DeSantis dictatorial government. But the coalition says...
    "This proposal is a solution in search of a problem," the coalition said. "There is no legitimate need to waste taxpayer dollars and state resources by expanding the Office of Statewide Prosecution for these purposes. This bill is being heard and swiftly passed only because the governor desires to expand his prosecutorial authority over Floridians who are lawfully trying to exercise their right to vote."

    The question is how long will this fascist get away with this subjugation? 

    READ MORE...

    Election Deniers Taking Heat From States Nationwide

     

    Two states with past problems with rebellious election deniers, Arizona and North Carolina, are moving to stop those who seek to defy democracy. The action is progressing nationwide...
    And later this [past] week, a group of secretaries of state [showcased] a “Democracy Playbook” that includes stronger protections for election workers and penalties for those who spread misinformation.
    Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D), said, “We want to protect the people who protect democracy.” She added, “Clearly the laws on the books are not serving as a sufficient deterrent.” Clearly, Benson, and other secretaries of state throughout the country will have to put the brakes on Republican deniers to insure future elections are not interrupted.

    READ MORE...

    Saturday, February 18, 2023

    Animals Abandoned Becoming A Crisis

     

    How could anyone just abandon their pet on a street curb, even if they left food? Close to a car wash that had been feeding her and even after sleeping almost non-stop for two days, she was still so tired from waiting when a rescue came to help. This is not only spreading nationwide, but is also becoming more prevalent in the media, publicity which animal lovers are thankful for. It's beyond shaming those who give up their animals; we need a national fix.

    Some time ago I posted on Twitter and Facebook that it would be great if some millionaires/billionaires would step up and fund a huge animal sanctuary centrally located where these deserted animals could go. They could coordinate with Pilots N Paws, an organization that flies pets to locations where they are wanted. This would be a great move by those with means and help a lot of animals that have lost their forever homes.     THINK ABOUT IT!       READ MORE...

    Kari Lake Turns On DeSantis

     

    Most Arizona voters have gotten over Kari Lake and just want her to go away. I am one of those, but, and this is a huge BUT. Daily Beast says she...
    "once fawned over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for having the “BDE [Big Dick Energy] that we want all of our leaders to have,” is now spreading conspiracy theories about the Republican darling."

    We need a good liberal strategist, like James Carville, to put together a blueprint to wreck DeSantis' drive to the White House in 2024 and send him back to Florida where he can continue to ravage that state.  

    Friday, February 17, 2023

    Mississippi Turns Its Back On Healthcare

     

    The Biden administration gave Mississippi $18.4 million in mid-2021 to hire public health workers after the state legslature had made huge cuts to healthcare. 18 months later, Mississippi had spent just $3.6 million of its grant. READ MORE...

    "The number of babies born with congenital syphilis rose 900% over the course of five years in Mississippi, the state that already had the highest infant mortality rate in the U.S. in 2020." READ MORE...

    DeSantis Wants To Amend The U.S. Constitution

     


    There's Kevin McCarthy, carefully regulated by Marjorie Taylor Greene, mixed with other undeniably incompetent Republicans trying to change things like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. But none is as scary as Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has devastated his state, and now wants to amend the U.S. Constitution.

    READ MORE...

    Want To Keep Your Social Security And Medicare? Dump Republicans In 2024

     

    For those of us on Social Security and Medicare, we just got a significant raise due to an increase in the cost of living. Being one of the recipients, I believe this is more than justified based on contributions over the years. As the saying goes, these are entitlements which Republicans are regularly trying to take away from us. The new GOP House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, said both were off the table. McCarthy is just sneaky enough, however, to take them off the table but sneak them in the drawer underneath.

    In the SOTU speech, "President Joe Biden slammed Republicans for their efforts to "sunset" Social Security and Medicare." You cannot trust Republicans...case in point Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida)...

    "who has called for dramatic changes to the way in which those programs are funded. Instead of perpetual funding, Scott has called for Social Security and Medicare to 'sunset' in five years."

    WATCH BIDEN: ‘We all apparently agree’ on saving Medicare and Social Security, Biden teases at SOTU...


    You have to wonder what kind of an individual would even consider taking away the lifeblood of seniors in programs like Social Security and Medicare when the current system of retirement is based in part on these entitlements. Here's what Vox says...

    "Sen. Rick Scott wants every government program — even entitlements — to expire after 5 years unless Congress approves them again."

    There must be something in the water in Florida to spawn two ignoramuses like the Gov. Ron (the despot) DeSantis and Scott. You know it must be pretty bad when Joe Biden feels the need to target a specific Senator and taut the idiocy of what he wants to do. Here's the scenario...

    "Scott’s proposal would radically overhaul how the federal government 
    operates, forcing Congress to re-pass every federal law or else let them lapse — a move that, in Democrats’ telling, would endanger much of what the government does, including beloved federal programs like Medicare and Social Security."

    Biden proposes, instead, "making the wealthy pay their fair share." Now that's an idea that has been floated for years now, but the millionaires and billionaires just keep racking up more and more $$$ and the rest of the country suffers. Even Moscow Mitch is disagreeing with Rick Scott, partly in retaliation for Scott's challenging McConnell's leadership, saying this was not a Republican idea. And, get this, Donald Trump promised not to cut Social Security and Medicare.

    I urge you to read the Vox article which provides some history into both programs and more insight into the fight by Democrats to keep them.


    Thursday, February 16, 2023

    Your Personal Health Data Available Worldwide

     

    I should know. I was a data broker in the junk mail industry for 35 years. In my later years in the business I preached protection of private information but no one listened. The situation had become so bad that I proposed that individuals should maintain ownership of their name and personal date and actually be paid for its use. My proposal, which was introduced on July 4, 2006, in my earlier blog, The Dunning Letter...
    was completely antagonistic to junk mailers, the Direct marketing Assn., and many privacy groups whose purported purpose was to protect your name and personal data.

    Here is an excerpt...

    "There is only one answer to protecting our names and personal data, and holding Big Brother at bay when it comes to business and government usurping individual privacy. Orwell’s 1984 predicted it, and we are very close to fulfilling his prophesy, but Americans are beginning to see the light and the need to protect their inner sanctum."

    Americans actually didn't "see the light" and the data selling business has roared

    ahead at lightning speed and arrives at a point now where the sale of your mental health data is being promoted, bolstered by information gathered during the Covid pandemic. Washington Post researcher contacted data brokers to find out exactly what they sell...
    "Joanne Kim reported that she ultimately found 11 companies willing to sell bundles of data that included information on what antidepressants people were taking, whether they struggled with insomnia or attention issues, and details on other medical ailments, including Alzheimer’s disease or bladder-control difficulties."

    There's more from WaPo...

    "One company advertised the names and home addresses of people with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress or bipolar disorder. Another sold a database featuring thousands of aggregated mental health records, starting at $275 per 1,000 'ailment contacts.'”

    It's all about money. There is a fortune to be made in selling your private information. Just concerning personal health data, a Google search of that phrase brought up 171 million results. And by the way, I left the junk mail industry almost 25 years ago and a health database available then is still around today: Experian's Behaviorbank which offers a myriad of selections including "health problems." Trust me, there is no privacy today so live with it.

    To close, you should know that the exposure of your private information is floating on clouds around the world.




     

     

    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...