Florida quack surgeon general plus idiot governor conspire to spread disease

Are Joseph Ladapo and Ron DeSantis
laughing at the people of Florida?

Florida's surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, "said the Florida Department of Health would be working with Gov. Ron DeSantis' office to end all mandates in state law." This imbecile continues on ABC News...

"Ladapo said that parents should be able "to choose" what vaccines they want their children to receive or not to receive."

Okay, I'll say it again. Vaccines have been proven beyond a doubt by the scientific community to save millions of lives. The Covid pandemic would have spiraled out of control without them. But these morons in Florida think they know more than scientists, and in the name of freedom, will deny schools the right to require proper inoculations before sending a child to school. I would be scared to death if I was a parent living in Florida. The equally stupid anti-vaxxers are the culprits that will get things moving soon since schools have already opened in the state.

Several pediatricians and public health experts told ABC News...

"...the removal of mandates -- including those required to attend school -- will likely lead to more infections, hospitalizations and even deaths among children."

And here is something very scary...

"Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said that because Florida is removing mandates -- and potentially other states will follow suit -- a population of children susceptible to diseases is likely to crop up."

I've said it before and I will say it again...families that are anti-science, anti-vaxxers, should be confined

Anti-Vaxxers demonstrate

to concentration camps where they can happily pass their diseases around amongst themselves. And, in the state of Florida, we aren't just talking about endangering children, there is also a large population of senior citizens that would be highly susceptible to disease. Offit said, "You may not see it immediately. It may take a couple years, three years, before you really see the impact of this," adding, "I do think that's where we're heading."

And here is the tragedy that accompanies this whole concept...

"No other states have announced such plans yet, but Patel said more announcements may come if states view removing mandates as politically popular."

"Politically popular" to enact something that could kill children and adults at risk for the sake of political ideology. Unconscionable, and it all dates back to Donald Trump's succession to power around 2015. Since then, we have experienced an environment where the Republican Party has decided it can do what it chooses without regard for the law or public opinion. They have the support of both houses of Congress plus the Supreme Court. And so far the GOP has minimum opposition from Democrats. This country is almost at the point of having a one party government.

But, surprisingly, Donald Trump stepped in with a statement that Ladapo's decision was a "tough stance," adding...

"You have vaccines that work. They just pure and simple work. They’re not controversial at all. I think those vaccines should be used, otherwise some people are going to catch it, and they endanger other people. I think people should take it.”

Apparently Ladapo also pissed off a lot of people, including parents, public health experts, and many Republican politicians. prompting the state of Florida to scale back Ladapo's comments including vaccines for diseases such as measles, polio and chickenpox. The state's health department even exclaimed that "he doesn’t have the power to arbitrarily chop every mandate he promised he would." Scott Rivkees, an infectious diseases expert at Brown University and former Florida surgeon general under DeSantis, added, childhood vaccinations in Florida are already down 10% in a decade.

And, can you believe this? Ladapo admitted he didn’t study whether ending the vaccine mandate would increase diseases, adding, he didn’t calculate the costs of ending vaccine mandates in the state. If this isn't sure-fire incompetence, don't know what is. This dope with a medical license decides to put thousands of Florida children and elderly at risk without knowing what the outcome might be. I don't know who is the dumbest, Ladapo for what he did, or Ron DeSantis for appointing him surgeon general in the first place.

But you still have a blockhead for a governor, Ron DeSantis, and a numbskull for surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, in critical positions leading the state of Florida. There are questions re. just how many deaths were caused by these two lunkheads during the Covid pandemic, but right now we should be asking, what else can they come up with like this. If the state residents are smart, they will begin the process right away of impeaching both.

Charlie Kirk...In his own words

Charlie Kirk - Donald Trump

Charlie Kirk is not someone I have paid much attention to, plodding the political sites daily. Guess I just wasn't interested. I knew who he was, but had no idea he was a close associate of Donald Trump. So when I heard about his assassination, there was complete surprise over all the hoopla from the right. The execution also seems curious, coming from such a conservative state. There has been, however, a recent slightly larger increase in Democratic votes compared to the national trend. The shooter, Tyler Robinson, was thought to be a liberal but Robinson was known to be a follower of Nick Fuentes.

On AlterNet, a witness reported a Group of students 'stood up and cheered' after Charlie Kirk was shot. Here's the scenario...

"An eyewitness at Utah Valley University described a chaotic scene during a campus event when conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot, saying that a group of students celebrated the shooting.

"The witness recounted hearing a gunshot and then seeing Kirk collapse, prompting panic among the audience.

"'I did see a select group of students who stood up and cheered after that fact,' the witness told ABC4."

Since the shooting CNN reports, "People are getting fired for allegedly celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder. It looks like a coordinated effort"...

"Prominent far-right influencer Laura Loomer, a US senator, and a site called 'Expose Charlie’s Murderers' have all drawn attention to people who have posted messages about Kirk’s Wednesday assassination."

There's more...

"Most people whose messages have been posted on the site [The Charlie’s Murderers] do not seem to refer to themselves as activists, nor did it seem many were calling for violence. Administrators for the site did not respond to a request for comment. The site also opened an X account on Friday."

Do we have a Luigi Mangione copycat?

Luigi Mangione

 The best way to define Charlie Kirk comes from the title of this post, taken from an article on The Guardian...

Here’s Kirk, in his own words. Many of his comments were documented by Media Matters for America, a progressive non-profit that tracks conservative media.

Trump blamed ‘radical left’ for Charlie Kirk’s death – even as shooter’s identity remains unknown (later identified and captured)...

On race

If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, boy, I hope he’s qualified.

– The Charlie Kirk Show, 23 January 2024

If you’re a WNBA, pot-smoking, Black lesbian, do you get treated better than a United States marine?

– The Charlie Kirk Show, 8 December 2022

Happening all the time in urban America, prowling Blacks go around for fun to go target white people, that’s a fact. It’s happening more and more.

– The Charlie Kirk Show, 19 May 2023

If I’m dealing with somebody in customer service who’s a moronic Black woman, I wonder is she there because of her excellence, or is she there because affirmative action?

– The Charlie Kirk Show, 3 January 2024

On debate

We record all of it so that we put [it] on the internet so people can see these ideas collide. When people stop talking, that’s when you get violence. That’s when civil war happens, because you start to think the other side is so evil, and they lose their humanity.

– Kirk discussing his work in an undated clip that circulated on X after his killing.

Prove me wrong.

– Kirk’s challenge to students to publicly debate him during the tour of colleges he was on when he was assassinated.

On gender, feminism and reproductive rights

Reject feminism. Submit to your husband, Taylor. You’re not in charge.

– Discussing news of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement on The Charlie Kirk Show, 26 August 2025

The answer is yes, the baby would be delivered.

– Responding to a question about whether he would support his 10-year-old daughter aborting a pregnancy conceived because of rape on the debate show Surrounded, published on 8 September 2024

We need to have a Nuremberg-style trial for every gender-affirming clinic doctor. We need it immediately.

– The Charlie Kirk Show, 1 April 2024

On gun violence

I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single

year so that we can have the second amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational.

– Event organized by TPUSA Faith, the religious arm of Kirk’s conservative group Turning Point USA, on 5 April 2023

On immigration

America was at its peak when we halted immigration for 40 years and we dropped our foreign-born percentage to its lowest level ever. We should be unafraid to do that.– The Charlie Kirk Show, 22 August 2025

The American Democrat party hates this country. They wanna see it collapse. They love it when America becomes less white.

– The Charlie Kirk Show, 20 March 2024

The great replacement strategy, which is well under way every single day in our southern border, is a strategy to replace white rural America with something different.

– The Charlie Kirk Show, 1 March 2024

On Islam

America has freedom of religion, of course, but we should be frank: large dedicated Islamic areas are a threat to America.

– The Charlie Kirk Show, 30 April 2025

We’ve been warning about the rise of Islam on the show, to great amount of backlash. We don’t care, that’s what we do here. And we said that Islam is not compatible with western civilization.

– The Charlie Kirk Show, 24 June 2025

On religion

There is no separation of church and state. It’s a fabrication, it’s a fiction, it’s not in the constitution. It’s made up by secular humanists.

– The Charlie Kirk Show, 6 July 2022...

There is one statement, above, that totally rankles me and it is the fact that Charlie Kirk condones gun violence deaths, each year, to protect his Second Amendment right. First of all, these deaths he excuses include innocent children and adults, which is unconscionable. But, on the other hand, was Kirk plotting his own death? 

UPDATE: CHUCK SCHUMER AGREES...Robt. Reich says let the government shut down, force Republicans to turn against Trump

Robt. Reich - Donald Trump

JUST IN:  Chuck Schumer Says He's Now Willing To Risk A Government Shutdown

There is no one I know of more aggressive in pointing out Donald Trump's lies, corruption and his abuse of power in an orchestrated destruction of America than Robert Reich. The former Sec. Labor for Bill Clinton, pulls no punches in his opinion on the forthcoming potential shutdown of the U.S. government. It is scheduled to run out of money September 30, and even as a veteran of a government closing during his tenure with Clinton, Reich feels it just might be best to let it shut down and force cowardly Republicans to come to their senses and challenge Donald Trump. In Robt. Reich's own words...

"Under ordinary circumstances, people like you and me — who believe that government is essential for the common good — would fight like hell to keep the government funded beyond September 30.

'But we are not in ordinary circumstances. The U.S. government has become a neofascist regime run by a sociopath.

"That sociopath is using the government to punish his enemies. He’s using the government to rake in billions of dollars for himself and his family."

And here's his reasoning...

"He’s using the government to force the leaders of every institution in our society — universities, media companies, law firms, even museums — to become fawning supplicants: pleading with him, praising him, and silencing criticism of him.

"He is using the government to disappear people from our streets without due process. He is using the government to occupy our cities, overriding the wishes of mayors and governors.

"He is using the government to impose arbitrary and capricious import taxes — tariffs — on American consumers. He is using the government to worsen climate change. He is using government to reject our traditional global allies and strengthen some of the worst monsters around the globe."

It would be a national tragedy to keep the government open to the mass of Donald Trump suck-ups that don't have the balls to use their constitutionally given rights to put the reins on the Oval Office lunatic and say, whoa, you're way out of line. Shutting down his dictatorial moves once and for all. Then reopen the government to a new democracy. Reich's own words again...

"So I for one have decided that the best route is to shut the whole f------ thing down."

He added...

"Morally, Democrats must not enable what is now occurring. Politically, they cannot remain silent in the face of such mayhem."

At best, Democrats have been observers on the political scene, for the last several years. Like their

Republican counterparts, who are cowards, Democrats have lost their taste for aggressive politics, in a period when it should have been running at full power. The GOP has outdone them in federal and state offices, and are also known for their dirty politics like voter access, campaigning, and institutional manipulation. Republican's specialty is suppressing votes and are unparalleled in the creation of misinformation. Democrats have let this happen with a weak agenda and party confusion.

Reich is convinced if Democrats stand firm on the closing of the government on Sept. 30, it will give them "a chance to show America that they have chosen to become conscientious objectors to a government that is no longer functioning for the people of the United States but for one man." But to do this they have to discover the party's aggressiveness of the past and not budge when challenged. Robert Reich says...

"They can then use their newfound leverage — the only leverage they’ve mustered in eight months — to demand, in return for their votes to restart the government, that their Republican compatriots give them reason to believe that the government they restart will be responsible."

It just may be now or never... 

 

Is there anyone in Donald Trump's Cabinet that isn't crazy?

Hegseth, Noem, Bondi

Let's start with Kristi Noem, Sec. Homeland Security, who killed her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, because he was untrainable, supposedly dangerous. Then there's Pete Hegseth, Sec. Defense, who leaked highly-sensitive attack details in yet another unclassified Signal chat, this time to his wife and brother, putting the lives of our men and women in uniform at greater risk. And another looney, Pam Bondi, Attorney General, who said that Trump's fentanyl seizures saved 258 million lives in his first 100 days in office, experts say is a gross exaggeration. All major suck-ups but crazy as the maniac they work for.

However, the one who has literally broken the mold for crazies is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for his recent performance at a Senate hearing. Sen. Michael Bennet from Colorado shredded RFK Jr. calling out all his lies and conspiracy theories emphasizing how the Sec. Health was demolishing the American health care system. Trump's stooge was exasperated, acting like a wild animal who had been caged for months. ABC News said...

"He spent about three hours defending himself and his actions a week after the ousting of Susan Monarez as CDC director and major vaccine changes, including limiting access to the COVID-19 vaccine."

Here's more to this...

Monarez, who was in the job for only a month, was pushed out after she declined to fire top officials and pledge to support Kennedy's vaccine policy changes, a source familiar with her conversations with the secretary previously told ABC News.

And then there's this shocker...

"Doctors and other public health experts have pointed out that Kennedy has filled open CDC positions with people who have earned income testifying against vaccine makers and hold vaccine skeptical views."

RFK Jr.

RFK Jr. obviously has his own agenda which is anti-vaccine, actually just anti-science, and is determined to destroy years of medical advancement and research in this field based on his lunatic theories and beliefs. And here's a switch, Kennedy's family has called for his resignation, but Donald Trump is backing him after the Senate hearing. RawStory is reporting...

"The internet had a fiery response Friday to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s bizarre plans to announce research revealing a potential connection between an over-the-counter medication and pregnancy — dubbing him an 'insane clown' and 'fool.'"

We're talking about Tylenol causing autism in a child when taken by a pregnant mom. The article pointed out the fact that autism had been around years before Tylenol came on the market, making RFK Jr. look like a complete idiot. The RawStory article is full of comments by women about Kennedy that more than puts him in his place and well worth reading. The piece also mentions the Tylenol scare of many years ago when someone was tampering with the product. I believe it has been squeaky clean since then and now this.

Here's one for the books, a Kennedy  crackpot adviser, a doctor, mind you, claims COVID-19 Vaccine Gave King Charles and Kate Middleton Cancer. Couldn't resist throwing this in, just illustrating the whackos that RFK Jr. collects around him. Funny? Yes. But tragic when you consider these nut cases are in control of America's health.

The Daily Beast picked up on the ABC News article adding that a Donald Trump adversary, Chris Christie, "suggesting the health secretary’s tenure under President Donald Trump could be nearing an end." This, in the face of Trump's recent support of RFK Jr. Here's the take...

In an appearance on ABC News’ This Week, the Republican lawmaker and Trump foe said Thursday’s Senate hearing, where Kennedy faced off against critics from both parties, “just confirms what all of us around this table have known for decades: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a foolish man, full of foolish and vapid ideas.”

And finally, a classic example of what this country is dealing with in a world of Republican lies and misinformation, Trump’s former chief of staff Reince Priebus takes this position on RFK Jr...

“I saw a decent, humble, caring guy,” Priebus said. “I think he’s trying to do the right thing.” He argued that Kennedy was simply trying to “balance the benefits of the COVID shot.”

It is this kind of Republican orchestrated lies and misinformation that Democrats have not figured out how to combat. Until they do, Donald Trump and his crazies will go on their merry way. 

Liberals are breaking loose onto the political landscape

I'm back...had to attend to some medical issues and other problems. During my absence my blog has exploded with traffic numbering 14,800 readers yesterday, 10,000 already today, two months over 100,000 each, and averaging 80,000 per month. All since the first of the year, when Donald Trump recaptured the White House. You know that Nasty Jack Buzz is totally anti-Republican, more specifically anti-Donald Trump, the reason for the headline above, and my belief that support for Trump is dwindling fast indicates the nation is finally realizing we are on the precipice of losing our democracy.

I heard something recently in the media that a large portion of the American public have resigned themselves to accept Trump as a dictator, letting him make all their decisions, but feeling they will be better off with this. In a recent Google AI poll...

"around 44% of Americans express sentiment that aligns with giving former President Donald Trump extensive power, though no mainstream poll frames the question with the loaded term 'dictator.".

Maybe these morons are salvageable, at least a portion, but, regardless, the rest of our country must move ahead and work toward ridding the U.S. of Donald Trump and his administration of imbeciles. And it's not just the left that is reacting, Republican Rep. from Kentucky, Thomas Massie, is "spearheading a bipartisan bill for transparency on the notorious late sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein." This is one of, if not the biggest, obstacle facing Trump today. Massie and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna’s bill to force the DOJ to release the so-called Epstein files in full have garnered support...

"Three of MAGA’s strongest soldiers are flipping on President Trump to back Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna’s bipartisan discharge petition to force the Justice Department to release the Epstein files in full."

And they are...

Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Nancy Mace have all come out in support of the discharge petition, while virtually everyone else in their party cowers in fear of angering the president further.

This is just the beginning so please keep reading my blog for more of what is eventually going to bring down Donald Trump and his corrupt administration. And...THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! for your support.

Laura Loomer has Donald Trump by the balls...again

 

Donald Trump - Laura Loomer

The Donald Trump mass firing across the U.S. government are unconscionable on their own, but letting a fellow lunatic talk him into cutting loose the director of the National Security Agency, Gen. Timothy Haugh and his civilian deputy Wendy Noble is questionable for the security of the American public. Loomer even confirmed it on her Twitter post...

"NSA Director Tim Haugh and his deputy Wendy Noble have been disloyal to President Trump. That is why they have been fired ... Thank you President Trump for being receptive to the vetting materials provided to you and thank you for firing these Biden holdovers."

How the hell have they been disloyal in this short period Trump has been in the White House? Of course, this question cannot be answered. ABC reports...

"Loomer has frequently spread misinformation. In July, she claimed in a social media post, without citing evidence, that President Joe Biden had a medical emergency after landing at Joint Base Andrews."

There's more...

"She had also started unsubstantiated claims about family members of Judge Juan

 

Merchan in Trump's New York hush money case, including that his daughter posted a fake photo of Trump in jail on social media, which the court has denied. It prompted Trump to share Loomer's posts and spread the rumors."

In other words, in a critical national security situation of two very competent individuals, NSA Director Tim Haugh and his deputy Wendy Noble, The Oval Office lunatic has let a misinformation crackpot tell him what to do. And the USA is now more vulnerable. Loomer was shunned during the 2024 election campaign because of her previous inflammatory rhetoric, with Republican leaders limiting her access to Trump. But once in the White House, the conspiracist called t-RUMP and got an appointment.

CNN reported this statement from Loomer...

“This is called vetting,” Loomer wrote on X early Friday, adding of the NSA leaders: “Their firings are a blessing for the American people.”

You might want to read Loomer's X post, above, as it reeks of misinformation about the NSA staff fired as well as someone formerly fired by Trump, Gen. Mark Milley, who called the White House maniac a fascist. But it looks like Loomer is just getting started...

"And it appears Loomer’s work isn’t finished. In the days since her meeting with Trump, Loomer has publicly accused the president’s advisers of failing to block Republicans whom she sees as unfaithful to Trump from top White House and administration jobs. In response to what she calls a 'vetting crisis,” 'Loomer recently announced she was starting an opposition research firm to dig into the backgrounds of executive branch hires on her own."

Here's what The Guardian had to say about the white nationalist and conspiracy theorist...

"Loomer, 31, has been involved in politics as an advocate of Trump. She twice unsuccessfully ran for Congress, in 2020 and 2022, in south Florida and had been known for staging protests including handcuffing herself to a Twitter office after the service banned her and jumping a fence at a home owned by the then House speaker Nancy Pelosi."

The Guardian has much more about Loomer that is worth reading. 

And what I want you to take away from this post is the fact that Donald Trump has some very dangerous supporters and that Laura Loomer is by far one of the most dangerous. 

If we have a mental case in the Oval Office, shouldn't we do something?

 

Post-traumatic embitterment disorder (PTED)

The person that has been elected to run the United States should have his or her hands on the pulse of the country. Recently reelected Donald Trump does not. He is more concerned with retribution toward his enemies and most recently, slapping tariffs on any country that disagrees with him. I Googled "revenge and mental illness" and found there is Post-traumatic embitterment disorder (PTED), which is defined as a pathological reaction to a negative life event. The perfect description of t-RUMP in action against his adversaries.

And there is more to identify Trump as losing it. Apparently there was public knowledge about the recent Signal intelligence breach before the White House maniac knew. Then, "Trump casually admitted that he was not aware that several U.S. army members had gone missing during a training exercise in Lithuania." It isn't so much that he didn't know; the problem is that he didn't care that he didn't know. The New Republic comments...

"But the armymen were known to be missing as early as Tuesday at 4:45 p.m., the Lithuanian military said, so why Trump was still unaware of the situation more than 24 hours later is unclear."

"The lapse in Trump’s knowledge begs the question, however, as to just how much intel the president has been left out of within the folds of his own administration."

The question, however, is whether or not Trump even wants the intel. And more from TNR...

"During another White House press briefing on Monday, Trump fumbled by admitting that he was not only not invited to his Cabinet’s Signal exchange, in which his top officials discussed when, how, and where they would bomb Houthi targets in Yemen, but that he actually had no idea it had happened."

 

AlterNet exclaims there are...

"Concerns are mounting over President Donald Trump’s ability, willingness, or even interest in engaging with the most pressing issues facing the country, as he increasingly—and casually—admits to being unaware of critical matters. His repeated declarations of ignorance, often delivered without hesitation or concern, have deepened alarm among critics who warn of a dangerous void in informed leadership in the Oval Office."

The concerns are relative to the two points already mentioned, but illustrates how Trump's mental efficacy is on the minds of major media. There's more from AlterNet...

“Hegseth is doing a great job. He had nothing to do this. Hegseth? How do you bring Hegseth into it? He had nothing to do with it. Look, it’s all a witch hunt,” Trump told the reporter. He then went on to try to blame Signal, saying he thought it could be “defective.”

If this is the response of someone with all his marbles in the right place, then the study of psychology has gone down the drain. And it is Huff Post that reflects on the most prevalent psycho side of  Donald Trump's psyche, his early morning rants on Truth Social...

"President Donald Trump fired off a series of wild messages on a number of topics during a flurry of activity on his Truth Social website in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

"Trump railed against a judge, attacked PBS and NPR, defended his tariffs and sent a warning to Europe and Canada, which were once key U.S. allies."

 The key words here are, 'were once key U.S. allies.' The question is how many more allies will we lose before the people of this country finally stand up to Donald Trump?

t

BERNIE IS BACK!

Bernie Sanders in Colorado

Yes, Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, who has been serving in the U.S. Senate since 2007, and ran for President in 2016 and 2020, is back on the campaign trail fighting Donald Trump's oligarchy. He is being accompanied by the Progressive New York Repreesentative, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In my mind, Bernie had two questionable presidential losses. One, 2016 against Hillary Clinton, orchestrated by the DNC, and two, 2020, against an insurmountable presumptive candidate, Joe Biden.

Okay, Bernie is 83, will be 87 when he would run. But don't forget AOC, only 35, and certainly capable of taking over the presidency if something happened to Bernie. She'd make a great vice president for the Bern since they obviously have the chemistry. And we are seeing a new Bernie Sanders with his current focus on defeating Donald Trump's oligarchy. Not that he had forgotten his working class ideology, it is just obvious today that a strong force from the left is needed to conquer the would-be king.

My wife and I still receive emails from Bernie and just this past week he alerted us to his current trip through Nevada, Arizona and Colorado. The rallies drew 34,000 in Denver, another 11,000 at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Arizona, heavily Republican, had crowds of 15,000 with thousands more watching online. And Nevada numbers aren't clear but the campaign quotes in the thousands. Bernie's and AOC's group said they expected a total of 51,000 for the trip. Arizona, Colorado alone had 60,000.

In his email, Bernie expressed frustration of the last Democratic votes between those who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024. Also noted was the loss in this election of working people, young people and Latinos. In other words, the Dems have completely lost contact with their base. Added to this is the fact that the Democratic Party has the lowest approval rating in decades. The Bern asks why and answers his own question. The establishment politicians just don't get it anymore.

The good news is that Americans across the country have had it with oligarchy. His three state rally speaks to this end indicating a need to reject the corporate wing of the party and head for the grassroots. People don't want authoritarianism and the huge tax breaks Donald Trump plans for the wealthy people of this country in favor of shifting the emphasis back to working class families. Voters are fired up nationwide, illustrated by the fact that thousands came out to Bernie/AOC meetings in Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan and Wisconsin.

American Oligarchy by Mother Jones

This is what Bernie had to say at the Denver rally...

“In the hundreds of rallies that I have done, we have never, ever had a rally as large as this,” Sanders said. “And Denver, your presence here today is not just significant for Colorado. You are sending a profound message all over the world. The whole world is watching, and they want to know if the people of America are going to stand up to Trumpism, oligarchy and authoritarianism.”

There's more...

“Abraham Lincoln talked about a government of the people, by the people, for the people,” Sanders said. “Well, Trump has a government of the billionaires, by the billionaires, for the billionaires. And what these guys are busy doing right now is going after Medicaid, going after Social Security, going after nutrition. The rich want to get richer and they don’t care who they step on.”

Bernie Sanders has been talking about oligarchy for years, reports NPR, but, now he talks about his favorite subject...

"...the Democratic Party has also turned its back on the American working class and suggested the party capitalize on this moment by championing policies that address things like income inequality, health care and climate change."

I have thought, and still believe, that the Bern should have won in 2016. There was talk that Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida representative and head of the DNC at the time, did some finagling that won the Democratic nomination for Hillary Clinton. Clinton, of course, who blew it in the last lap and we ended up with t-RUMP's first term. And it was then the seeds were sowed for the oligarchy Bernie Sanders is fighting today. Here is one of his recent statements...

"We will not allow you to move this country into an oligarchy," Sanders pledged, speaking directly to Trump. "We're not going to allow you and your friend Mr. Musk and the other billionaires to wreak havoc on the working families of this country. No, you're not going to destroy Social Security. You're not going to destroy Medicaid. You're not going to destroy the Veterans administration."

Although the Democratic Party has become unpopular, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

said, "voters still have power to push back against Trump administration policies..." and adds...

"Ironically, the most divisive forces in this country are actually starting to bring more of us together," she said. "And that's important, because the same billionaires who are taking a wrecking ball to our country derive their power from dividing working people apart."

Americans are sick of Trump in only the short time he has been in the White House. I don't know what it will be but I sense we are on the cusp of reestablishing our democracy. 

 

Rodrigo Duterte goes to Hague Tribunal ...Is Donald Trump next?

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George Orwell's "1984" comes to Columbia University

 

I am an avid fan of George Orwell, his 1984 and Animal Farm. Each has the message that a larger power is always standing at the door, attempting to enter and take away the rights of everyone inside. In 1984, it is Big Brother, who rules over Oceania. In Animal Farm it is Napoleon, a pig who seizes power after the initial revolution and uses it to create a tyrannical dictatorship. In both cases, the analogy is clear with the United States replacing Oceania, and Donald Trump replacing Napoleon (Trump has spoken of him often).

It was on Saturday, March 8, that Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian at Columbia University, was arrested by federal immigration authorities, the new American version of the KGB. Here's the scenario from AP...

"Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia until this past December, was inside his university-owned apartment Saturday night when several Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered and took him into custody, his attorney, Amy Greer, told The Associated Press."

Khalil had been involved in some demonstrations at Columbia and was suspended at one point but was then reinstated as a Columbia student. His wife was also present during his arrest and is eight months pregnant. Khalil "is a legal resident of the US, was arrested and detained by federal agents after his lawyer said his green card was revoked by the Trump administration." 1984 had a daily “Two Minutes Hate” rallies that channeled citizens’ anger toward specific enemies, real or imagined. A part of Trump's plan for revenge.

Here is a statement from Trump...

Trump touted the arrest in a social media post, saying his administration will “find, apprehend, and deport” noncitizens who, in his view, engage in “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.”

The Oval Office lunatic tried to deport Khalil but "a federal judge barred the administration from deporting him pending a hearing in New York." Here's a statement from Irie Sentner, who was a student at Columbia University, where he covered tense campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war for the college newspaper and for POLITICO. The question is...

"Was deportation a widespread concern among immigrant students participating in the protests?"

The answer is...

"Absolutely. During the encampment, two friends who were international students told me they wished they could be there but couldn’t risk losing their visas. There was a similar fear among low-income students, who didn’t want to risk their scholarships or lose on-campus housing. Many chose to participate in other ways, like sharing pro-Palestinian content on social media or bringing food and supplies to the encampment."

In other words, many more students wanted to do their part in advocating for the Palestinian

cause but were afraid of either ending up on the streets of New York or in one of Donald Trump's stalags, as Khalil is in Louisiana. Big Brother used fear as a tool of control. I would think t-RUMP might have taken his lead from this, but forgot that he can't read.

You can read more of Gorge Orwell here.

Seniors must revolt against the Trump/Musk attack on Social Security

There are 69 million Americans on Social Security. I am one of them. And I am satisfied with the benefits I receive. I also realize Social Security isn't paying for itself and something must be done. There have been proposals for years to expand Social Security benefits and revenues by expanding the tax base...

In the House of Representatives, Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) has led proposals for years to expand Social Security benefits and revenues by expanding the tax base. In the Senate, “The Social Security Expansion Act,” introduced by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Congresswomen Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Val Hoyle (D-Ore.) would raise the taxable earnings cap to $250,000, and like Larson’s bill, include investment income.

The above " would raise more money than needed to solve the long run deficit." And there has also been talk of taxing the income of the wealthiest, which would not only solve the Social Security crisis, but also put the U.S. budget on solid ground. And why not? Larson says...

"164 million workers (about 94% of us) pay Social Security taxes all year long. The point is a lot of income escapes the Social Security system; and the escaping income is that from the wealthiest Americans."

This could all be moot if Donald Trump and Elon Musk get their way, with The New Republic reporting the "systemic destruction" of Social Security started last Tuesday night in t-RUMP's speech. 7,000 SS employees are already scheduled to be laid off, another 30,000 in the near future. With half of its staff gone, experts expect delays in every aspect of the Social Security program. There are many in the program that depend entirely on their benefits and it is likely there will be deaths if they lose them.

Contact Congress NOW!

Trump and Musk don't care. Hell, most Republicans don't care. And many others in the country are apathetics, which is one of the reasons we are in the situation we are. But this is what U.S. voters elected, and hopefully it will be the Trump-voting group that suffers the most from the actions of the radical right. Here's what Republican anti-Trump publication, The Bulwark, says...

"House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-Mass.) said that "after years of hard work and a lifetime of contributions, our seniors shouldn't have to worry about Republicans meddling with their Social Security. This is an attack on our nation's seniors—plain and simple.""

Emphasis my own. 

The GOP and its wealthy donors have wanted to get rid of Social Security or, privatize it, for years. It comes up regularly in Congress but even Republicans realize you don't meddle with something as sacred as this senior benefit. But, under t-RUMP it is different...

"They’ve [Republicans] called it everything from communism to socialism to a Ponzi scheme, which Musk just called it this week (“the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time,” no less)."

But The New Republic counters...

"In fact, it has been the most successful anti-poverty program in the history of America, one now emulated by virtually every democracy in the world."

The masquerading president, Elon Musk, appears to have his sights on privatizing Social Security, according to a leaked email from acting Social Security Administration Commissioner Leland Dudek, posted on AlterNet. It goes without saying, this maniac should not have the power given him by Trump, and he most certainly should not have the capacity to make changes to Social Security. So, it all gets back to the morons who elected Donald Trump, knowing full well he carried the baggage of Elon Musk.

The Bobbsey twins who want to take your Social Security

Other salient points from The Bulwark and AlterNet: former SS admin. Martin O'Malley says there is a toxic work environment there, "they are driving people out there with a viciousness that I believe will collapse the agency, which could result in an 'interruption of benefits.';" "We have a 50-year low in staffing while the baby boomer generation is swelling their ranks," O'Malley said. In fact, O'malley thinks Trump and Musk want to break the agency.

Continuing these points...

"House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-Mass.) said that "after years of hard work and a lifetime of contributions, our seniors "shouldn't have to worry about Republicans meddling with their Social Security."

"Congressman Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) declared that 'in no way, shape, or form, should we privatize any aspect of Social Security.'"

Here is an interview from The New Republic with Tracey Gronniger, a leading advocate for social insurance, who argues that Musk’s ransacking of Social Security is getting worse—and will prompt a major political backlash: "Transcript: Musk’s Attack on Social Security Exposed in Shocking Leak." It illustrates the disaster Elon Musk could cause if he is allowed to mess around with Social Security.

John Larson reports...

"that recently House Republicans advocated cutting Social Security benefits by (about 8%) by raising the full retirement age to 69 and President-elect Donald Trump’s only Social Security proposal would drain Social Security of revenue by $23 billion, according to a report by the thorough Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget."

But Larson also says there is, "Political Hope For Social Security Fixes"...

There is hope. In December 2024, Republicans and Democrats raised Social Security benefits for more than 2 million people by repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).

The hope is that the bipartisan support for the expansion of Social Security benefits may mean Congress is listening to the majority of Americans — Republicans and Democrats — who want more revenue for Social Security and do not want benefit cuts.

The other hope is that the Republicans in Congress will finally get some balls and keep Trump and Musk from any tampering with Social Security benefits. 

Executive Orders=Executive Power=Dictatorship

If you have been able to keep up with Donald Trump's eradication of the U.S. Constitution, then you know how much damage he has done in the short period since he was inaugurated. Right out of the box, he halted all federal aid. Then there was an executive order targeting transgender medical care for young people under 19. The BBC also reports...

"He has signed a number of orders since taking office, aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration and reshaping the federal government. He has also issued a number of controversial pardons."

The executive order does "carry the weight of law," but can be more easily overturned. However, with T-rump controlling Congress, this likelihood would be virtually impossible. Notwithstanding, some of these executive orders have been challenged legally, but, again, Donald Trump has been known to challenge the courts, in some cases ignore their decisions. Of course, there is the new Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), headed up by the world's richest, and becoming the most hated man, Elon Musk.

The general consensus is that Musk has done just about as much damage to the country as

Donald Trump has no interest in the people

Trump, as it seems the billionaire has stuck his nose into a number of government departments. The outset is massive firings and cuts in budgets, some of which had to be reversed. The BBC said this all...

"...could lead to "a high-stakes confrontation between two branches of government that the nation’s founders designed as co-equals: the executive and the judicial."

And this was The Conversation's headline following Donald Trump's speech to Congress on Tuesday, March 4...

"Trump is the kinglike president many feared when arguing over the US Constitution in 1789 – and his address to Congress showed it"

The piece quickly skims over the litany of T-rump's claims of accomplishments, many of which are denied or listed as only partially true. BBC makes it clear that the U.S. President is not granted unlimited power in the Constitution but says...

"The extravagant claims appear to match Trump’s view of the presidency – one virtually kinglike in its unilateral power."

But as the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, his corner on America's military clout could harken back to what he said in 2019, that he can do “whatever I want as President.” The Conversation comments...

"I think legal experts are concerned that Trump is expanding executive power beyond anything we have known in American history. And as executive power continues to expand, we may eventually hit a tipping point that threatens the structure of the government, as laid out in the Constitution."

The authors of the Constitution, along with a host of readers, "...believed that endowing the president with such powers was dangerous." And it would appear that their foresight has culminated in Donald Trump.