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. 

 

Lara Trump: Illustrating Trump administration unqualified and incompetent

New White House sign

Lara Lea Yunaska married Eric Trump on November 8, 2014, in a ceremony at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. It was a match made in Looney Tunes and Lara Trump has amply carried this image forward with statements like 'Donald Trump isn't racist.' Here's another classic...

"He is gracious with his time and has a tremendous heart. He is an incredibly loyal person and never forgets those who are loyal to him. I feel very lucky to have a man like Donald Trump as my father-in-law."

During the 2024 Presidential campaign, on Fox News she compared Kamala Harris to a designer ‘trash bag.' In October of 2024, she was Called 'Dumb' as Husband Eric for Saying There Are 81 States in the U.S. And the headline, "How Dumb Can You Be" — People Are Slamming Lara Trump After She Questioned How Climate Change Could Be A Factor In California Fires. Here are some Indy 100 ridiculous and terrifying things she’s said...

Mocked Joe Biden for having a stutter.

Tried to claim the Trump family are “down to earth.” 

 Congratulated Trump for his “incredible” response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The above are just a few of the stupidities of a Trump family member who almost ran for the Senate in North Carolina and Florida. 

Okay, so what's my point?

If Lara Trump could convince Donald Trump to make her co-chair of the Republican Party--and she did and did in fact become co-chair--what might she urge him into when he returns to the White House? Of course, she would only be an extension of the unqualified and incompetent people Trump has nominated to run his administration. If a Republican Senate lets the future Oval Office maniac get away with such ludicrous picks, it will be a clear signal that Republicans don't intend to govern, rather to only seek revenge.

Aljazeera reports...

He has suggested using the United States military against an 'enemy from within'.

"He has threatened to prosecute lawyers, Democrats and others whom he falsely accuses of committing electoral fraud, and pledged to carry out the 'largest deportation operation. of undocumented immigrants in US history".

"And once he is back in the White House, he has said he will be a dictator during his first day."

The latter is the scariest and a clear indication of what we can expect in the next four years of Donald Trump's residence in the White House.  

Gallup produces blueprint for Democrat's strategy

Unfortunately for outgoing President Joe Biden, the American public is fundamentally negative about his four years in office on 18 economic, national and international issues. Here's the scenario from Gallup...

"Majorities of Americans think the U.S. has lost ground in six areas over the past four years, including the federal debt (67%), immigration (64%), the gap between the wealthy and less well-off (60%), the economy (59%), the United States’ position in the world (58%) and crime (51%). Pluralities also say the nation has fallen behind in six other areas: education, terrorism, trade relations with other countries, race relations, the nation’s infrastructure and energy."

Gallup continues...

"Meanwhile, U.S. adults are more likely to see progress (39%) than regression (23%) or steadiness (31%) on just one of the issues -- the situation for gay, lesbian and transgender people."

Joe Biden through the years

In the report there seems to be no progress in climate change and the problems of African Americans. The U.S. is split on healthcare, national defense, the military, and taxes, in relation to their standings. I read recently where one of the reasons Americans did not vote for Biden was that his administration lectured to the public over issues not important to voters. In a progress report, Gallup has determined just where the U.S. population stands on the 19 most important areas during President Biden's four years.

The gay/lesbian community came out best with 39% saying progress was made. 31% felt it stood still and 23% felt it lost ground. Biden received his lowest grades on the federal debt and immigration, with 67% and 64% saying he lost ground, respectively. Following that were the economy and the United States position in the world, 59% and 58%, respectively, lost ground. There were a couple I was interested in, Gap between the wealthy and less well-off, lost ground 60%, and race relations, lost ground 39%.

The Democrats are obviously more positive over Biden's record than the Republicans. But you have to understand that the GOP has a negative opinion about anything that carries a Democrat label. Here are the comparisons...

"Under Biden, Democrats think the nation has lost more ground than it has gained on the federal debt and the gap between the wealthy and less well-off. On taxes, Democrats are divided over whether the nation has made progress or lost ground, with a majority (63%) believing it has stood still on the issue. Democrats are also split on whether the U.S. has seen progress (30%) or lost ground (33%) on immigration."

"Republicans and Republican-leaning independents perceive the country has lost ground in 17 of the 18 areas over the past four years, with their most negative views on immigration, the federal debt and the economy. The situation for gay, lesbian and transgender people is the only issue on which Republicans think there has been progress under Biden’s stewardship."

There is also a Partisans' Report on Joe Biden's progress included. The full report is worth a read, especially you strategists who are trying to put the Democratic Party back together.

One of most dangerous people in the world today

Elon Musk

Elon Musk has financially wormed his way into Donald Trump's world by helping to buy the election for him. Trump has rewarded him by allowing Musk the ultimate insider's spot. But the incoming Oval Office lunatic has recently let know that the world's richest man could be getting on his nerves. This, however, did not preclude Trump from appointing Musk, along with Vivek Ramaswamy, another Republican wanna-be, to head up the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The Mary Sue says, Elon Musk’s hatefulness makes him ‘More despised worldwide than Trump is.’ Here's the scenario...

He’s [Musk] currently using his vast wealth to fuel the flames of far-right groups in Europe, such as Germany’s AfD and Britain’s Reform. Then there’s the issue of the actual flames. Wildfires have devastating Los Angeles, and Musk is blaming everything but climate change, despite scientists agreeing that climate change was the root cause of the wildfires. Instead, Musk seeks to blame Governor of California Gavin Newsom, as well as “DEI” (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies. And he’s doing so using the most inflammatory language possible.

As Musk called California's Gov. Gavin Newsom  a “subt*rd" and a  “r*tard,” Newsom fired back accusing Musk of ‘encouraging looting’ with misleading claims which included...

"Factually incorrect posts shared by Elon Musk on his social media site claim California governor Gavin Newsom decriminalised looting."

Elon Musk rages on with malicious material like the above when at least 25 people have

GAVIN NEWSOM: Trump hasn't returned my phone calls

died in the Los Angeles fires, more than 12,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed, with over 150,000 still under evacuation notices. The comments on X (formerly Twitter) about Musk were not friendly but certainly colorful...

“I believe this loathsome, fear mongering sh*tbag may be even more despised worldwide than Trump is.” And even on Musk’s own social media platform, plenty of people agreed with her.

"Quite honestly, I find him to be the head troll, full of shit stirring, gaslighting and fake news. He's the biggest bag of toxic bile on this site."

"His money will never buy him respect..his support of felon trump was the kiss of death..Musk is a pathetic individual who will never achieve honour as there is none among thieves!"

Keep in mind, folks, the X platform belongs to Elon Musk. And Dr. Daniela Peterka-Benton, Associate Professor of Justice Studies at Montclair State University said...

“The online space has always held potential dangers for marginalized communities, and it appears to be getting worse.” With Meta rolling back its DEI policies in the wake of Trump’s re-election, it almost certainly will get worse. Social media has become a horrible place to be a member of any marginalized group and it’s all because of people like Musk. He deserves every last bit of the hate he gets.

This, folks, is what we have to look forward to for the next four years with the Donald Trump administration and his unprepared and incompetent minions. 

 

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.

 

The love of animals...

 

Immanuel Kant feels that people can be judged by the way they treat animals. I worked for a guy once who was a complete jerk, but one day I learned how much he loved his cat, often discussing with me his care of the animal because he knew we had cats. After this I realized I couldn't fault the man altogether and our relationship improved measurably. But treatment of animals by some results in abuse, even cruelty, an area requiring new laws. 

But have you ever taken the time to see that lovin' look in your pet's eyes that says they adore you. And, of course, you adore them too. The connection to our animals has grown over the years to where they are now one of the family. And that's the way it should be as most of us consider them our children, most especially when you don't have human kids. These households treasure their pets and some families spend large sums on their animal for toys and miscellaneous things. 

The main thing is you must keep them healthy making regular trips to the vet. Find a caring doctor for your species, dog, cat, horse, etc. Depending where you live, housing is important. As an example, you should never leave a cat outside for the simple reason they are easy prey for predators. Dogs are better able to defend themselves but should be in a fenced yard high enough to keep out all other animals. Climate change has made some desperate and they are on the prowl.

Animal lover and vet, James Herriot, draws a comparison between animals and

humans, contrasting the souls of each, and animals come out on top. The traits Herriot emphasizes are love, loyalty and gratitude, three qualities that many humans are sorely missing. There is a saying that I use regularly in my blog: "All I Want is to Live." Animals don't ask for much but the least we can give them is a loving family and a forever home.

Just think about these stats from the ASPCA...

Approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.1 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats.

Each year, approximately 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized (390,000 dogs and 530,000 cats).

Approximately 4.1 million shelter animals are adopted each year (2 million dogs and 2.1 million cats).

Why not go to your local animal rescue, shelter or humane society today and take one, or more of those statistics with you to your forever home.

Should We Cancel Thanksgiving This Year? NO but...

 

Starting with the corruptive enigma that almost brought down this country, Donald Trump has decided to run for President again.

I, and millions more can't be thankful for that.

I am not thankful for the amount of animal abuse and cruelty that is going on in the U,S, and in the world. In this country an estimated 115 million animals in science labs are killed every year for chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics research. Every 60 seconds, one animal suffers abuse; Every year, more than 10 million animals die from abuse in the US alone; There are over 10,000 puppy mills in the United States.

Millions are definitely not thankful for this. And I do not see how anyone could abuse an innocent animal; it takes a sick human being to do something like this.

Next, the idiot Elon Musk, a leader in electric vehicles, recently bought Twitter and is slowly but surely dismantling one of the best social medias the world has known.

Again, myself and millions can't be thankful for that.

A number of viruses, infections, new variants and most recently a deadly fungus threaten the U.S. population. How did it start and then spread so fast?

Once more, millions recognize that beginning with the pandemic and continuing with the current onslaught of calamities must, to some degree, be blamed on anti-vaxxers that we certainly can't be thankful for.

A recent blue tsunami in the November election is something to be thankful for, but the GOP although barely winning the House, does open the door to idiocies like the Hunter Biden investigation being planned by Jim Jordan.

Certainly nothing to be thankful for on either side of the aisle.

And then there are Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, the shallow and brainless Bobbsey twins that barely tip the meter of double-digit IQs.

If you really searched high and low, there is absolutely no way to be thankful for these two idiots. 

Look at gun violence. With two recent incidents of mass shootings at the Univ. of Virginia and another at LGBTQ Club, Club Q, eight are dead along with multiple injuries. There have been 39,005 gun violence deaths so far this year and 34,706 injuries from gun violence.

No one should be thankful for the National Rifle Assn. and its head, Wayne LaPierre, as well as the minions that serve him. Also, those gun nuts out there who have blocked responsible gun legislation.

Perhaps the most pressing problem the world has ever had, climate change is drying up lakes that are critical for reservoirs in the U.S. and causing weather calamities that are changing lives around the world. Although the Republicans take the lead in the denial of this issue. the Democrats have also dragged their feet. WHO estimates that half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas by 2025.

How could anyone possibly be thankful for this.

The U. S. has a Supreme Court that has moved so far to the right there are calls for impeachment for at least two judges, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. In the court's recent decision to in effect repeal the abortion act, Roe v. Wade, millions of women have been compromised, and they are mad as hell. They showed their anger in the recent election by turning back the expected red tide.

Yes, there are millions who are not thankful that the right to control their own bodies has been taken away from them.

Democracy is slowly dying, made possible by the autocratic government of Donald Trump's administration in the White House, supported vigorously by the Republican Party. 

Who could want their rights taken away from them and end up living like basketball star Brittney Griner has been forced to do? But this is the way they do it in a fascist government.

And the last entry leads to the question of whether Americans could live without their right to vote. If Republicans have their way vote will be restricted for some constituents; as an example, the black vote.

I am not thankful for the many laws the GOP has managed to pass and the new drawing of voting districts just to favor the right.

There are more I know but this is enough for now. 

Back to my original question, NO we shouldn't cancel Thanksgiving. What we must do is be thankful that we still have the right to fight tyranny and make it a 2023 resolution to try and mend the fences that have been erected by both the Republicans and Democrats, and return to the use of the two words negotiate and compromise. Without them, we are a lost nation. 

 

Joe Biden Administration Accomplishments

 

People are still making up their minds before going to the polls next Tuesday. Over 20 million Americans have already voted and the U.S. Elections Project reports that more Democrats than Republicans have voted early. With a turnout of 154.8 million (66.8% 18+) in 2020, and with expectations higher for the 2022 midterms, there should be an onslaught on Nov. 8. Michael Moore says it will be a blue tsunami. It should be, based on the accomplishments of the Biden

administration from Matt Robison of RawStory.

You also must credit certain Democrat congressional members for their support of the President's agenda; and then there are others like Sen. Krysten Sinema of Arizona and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia that fought Biden all the way. However, the Biden administration hasn't done a good job of communicating their record achievements, an effort I hope to rectify here to the best of my ability. So, just before that surge to the polls, here are the real facts on Joe Biden.

Let's start with jobs: The greatest single year of job creation in American history, more than 6 million in 2021, a decrease of 16 million receiving unemployment benefits, and the biggest drop in the unemployment rate in history. Including manufacturing jobs, the biggest yearly increase in US manufacturing jobs in nearly 30 years. Democrats’ new incentives for key industries have already led to announcements of thousands of new manufacturing jobs.

The covid pandemic:  Biden executed the most successful American 

vaccination program in history – from under 1 percent of adults fully vaccinated to over 75 percent, with over 500 million shots administered – and from less than half of schools open to almost all of them.

Budget: Jerome Powell has been in a year-long effort to lower the inflation with some success. And, there is the Inflation Reduction Act which reduces the deficit by $300 billion.

For Safety: The President passed the biggest anti-violence measure in decades, including the Gun Safety bill and strengthening the Violence Against Women Act.

Protecting America and our allies: No country has been more active in the support of Ukraine and its fight against the Russians. Biden also kept the NATO alliance together in support of Ukraine following the Russian invasion, brought in two new countries and took out the world’s number one terrorist, Ayman al-Zawahri.

 Top Moments of Joe Biden's Presidency...

For diversity and equality: Democrats made lynching a federal hate crime, made Juneteenth a federal holiday and Biden appointed more Black women to the US Court of Appeals in one year than any president in history.

Confronting poverty: The Democrats' child tax credit created the largest-ever one-year decrease in childhood poverty in U.S. history, around 3 million kids were affected. Households saying they didn’t have enough to eat dropped by a third.

Healthcare: Democrats’ new tax credits resulted in a record 14.5 million Americans signing up through the ACA, including 5.8 million new people getting coverage. They forced drug companies to negotiate prices for the elderly and capped costs at $2,000 per year. This will save elders thousands annually.

Support the police: Democrats passed 4 bills supporting both police and 

crime victims. During Biden's administration he has had to contend with Republicans, especially Donald Trump, advocating violence.

For Veterans: Democrats allocated funds for hundreds of thousands sickened by burn pits in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

Climate Change: The Inflation Reduction Act includes the largest investment in history to address global warming. Biden rejoined the Paris Climate Accords and the EPA established strong new fuel economy standards.

Roads, bridges, energy: the bipartisan infrastructure bill will finally fix America’s infrastructure. In 2022 alone, repairs are starting on 65,000 miles of roads and 1,500 bridges, with thousands of jobs created.

As you can see, there is something for everyone. Joe Biden may be softspoken and laid back but he acts with the forceful action this country needs to move back into its place in the world as a leader. We need Biden and supporting Democrats to get the job done after the damage the Republican Party has wreaked on America, led by Donald Trump. We need Joe Biden as president to protect our democracy.

  

Latest Catchup on American Chaos...

Summarizing what is wrong with this country...

Marjorie Taylor Greene fashions herself a Christian White Nationalist, no doubt for votes and attention, but there is really a movement, as CNN describes it: "An 'imposter Christianity' is threatening American democracy."

. . .

And more..."White Christian Nationalism ‘Is a Fundamental Threat to Democracy’"

. . .

Former Koch executive, Marc Short, testifies before a grand jury investigating the Jan. 6 attack. Short was close to Chas. Koch and has shilled for the fossil fuels industry. There is hope...

"that the U.S. Department of Justice peels this onion all the way to its corrupt core – the unbridled Koch money machine — something that the January 6 House Select Committee has yet to do."

. . .  

The climate crisis could not be pointed out more vividly than in this headline: "Anglers asked to fish out two reservoirs before they dry up."

 . . .

In another Chas. Koch move, "This nation is scorching in a heat wave and wildfires, yet it's returning to planet-baking coal."

. . .

Mark Finchem just won his primary for Arizona's Sec. of State, which will include control over election certification. READ: "Trump-Backed Conspiracy Theorist Vies to Take Over Arizona Elections." He is a Trump lackey and listening to him talk, you would guess he was a lunatic. "He has said he won’t concede if he loses."

. . . 

And further confirmation of Republican plans nationwide to "steal" elections: 

"'This is how Republicans are planning to steal elections': GOP officials refuse to certify primaries."

The RNC's New Plan To STEAL Elections...

. . .

This is beyond frightening...Can you image the damage that will be done to this country and its democracy if Republicans are able to rewrite the Constitution? READ: "Trump-tied conservatives are 15 states away from an unprecedented rewrite of the Constitution."

. . .

I live in Phoenix and it can get very hot, although we have tempered that over the years with 'It's a dry heat.' Well, climate change has now thrust a period of humidity into the state of Arizona that is, to say the least, uncomfortable. Don't let anyone tell you they have learned to live with it, but in 25 years we have learned to tolerate the heat. That is, however, not so easy for the homeless. Now help is here: "A day with America’s only dedicated heat team in the US’s hottest city."

. . .

Agreed, media headlines, especially the Internet, are supposed to be grabbers, and often way overreacting to the issue. Well, this just posted from NPR certainly fits that premise, except it is not overreacting. Number one, it is from a very credible National Public Radio; second, based on the Putins, Donald Trumps and the U.S. Republican Congress, it sounds very feasible. READ: "Why the U.N. chief says we are 'one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation'"

'Humanity is one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation'- UN Chief |Nuclear Non-Proliferation...

. . .

First it was Lake Meade, then Lake Powell, the two biggest reservoirs in the country located in the Southwest. Now, "Utah's Great Salt Lake is vanishing amid the megadrought gripping the southwestern United States." The shift in size is from 3,301 square miles down to where it now only holds one-quarter of the volume of water it used to. READ: "Megadrought at Utah's Great Salt Lake Seen From Space in Shocking Images."

. . .

The headline says it best: "The world is ablaze and the oil industry just posted record profits. It’s us or them."

At the age of 90, one has a very different perspective on the above. It's not hopeless, it's really a contentment.

Are you ready for total climate meltdown? It may be unstoppable...

 

I live close to both Lake Meade and Lake Powell so I get a daily update on the climate disaster through waterlines and the drying up of the lakebeds. Lake Meade, the nation's largest reservoir reached 1,043.8 feet on Thursday, June 23rd, of this year, the lowest level since the lake was created in the 1930s. It is nearing what is called "dead pool," a situation where there isn't enough water to flow over the dam to create electricity. And there is another problem...

"Lake Mead provides water to the states of Arizona, California, and Nevada as well as some of Mexico, providing sustenance to nearly 20 million people and large areas of farmland."

Lake Powell is down -18.14 feet from one year ago. What is the current status?...

"Lake Powell is in crisis. The nation’s second-largest reservoir is strained 

 by more than two decades of drought, and its water levels are slipping dangerously low. In March, the reservoir passed an important threshold. Water levels dipped below 3,525 feet – the last major milestone before a serious threat to hydropower generation at the Glen Canyon Dam."

And these are only two examples of the catastrophic effects of climate change. Here's a headline from The Guardian that should knock your socks off, evaluating worldwide conditions: "‘Soon the world will be unrecognisable’: is it still possible to prevent total climate meltdown?" How's that for a statement that should make the U.S. public and conservatives in Congress demand and enact legislation NOW to correct the problem. But, as in the past, it probably won't.

I will be 90 years of age by the end of the week and probably won't be around to see the apocalypse. But I fear for the young people, especially my family, the climate deniers in Congress don't seem to give a damn about. With the daily disasters of fires, floods and storms, it would seem only idiots could deny such devastation. And that, apparently, is who is running our country. Here's how Robin McKee starts his article...

"Blistering heatwaves are just the start. We must accept how bad things are before we can head off global catastrophe, according to a leading UK scientist."

If you've ever been to Las Vegas you wouldn't recognize it now after catastrophic climate change...

Although the article's author, Robin McKee, is located in the U.K, his perspective is worldwide. He quotes from Bill McGuire’s latest book, Hothouse Earth; McGuire is emeritus professor of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London. A quote from his text...

"we have – for far too long – ignored explicit warnings that rising carbon emissions are dangerously heating the Earth. Now we are going to pay the price for our complacency in the form of storms, floods, droughts and heatwaves that will easily surpass current extremes."

McKee points out that many climate experts...

"still maintain we have time left, although not very much, to bring about meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. A rapid drive to net zero and the halting of global warming is still within our grasp, they say."

McGuire's reply...

“I know a lot of people working in climate science who say one thing in public but a very different thing in private. In confidence, they are all much more scared about the future we face, but they won’t admit that in public. I call this climate appeasement and I believe it only makes things worse. The world needs to know how bad things are going to get before we can hope to start to tackle the crisis.”

Hothouse Earth was completed at the end of 2021 and by publication McGuire found that many climate extremes had already been broken. To me this reflects just how fast climate earth is going down the drain. And McKee confirms this with...

"Wildfires of unprecedented intensity and ferocity have also swept across Europe, North America and Australia this year, while record rainfall in the midwest led to the devastating flooding in the US’s Yellowstone national park."

 McKinney Fire becomes California’s largest wildfire this year...

 And here is a most frightening statement by McKee, reflected in his title: “Soon it [the earth] will be unrecognisable to every one of us.” Is that what we want to leave for our children and their children? We find out from McGuire that the earth has only heated up 0ne degree, but according to climate models it is still heating up much faster than anticipated. Apparently it was the Industrial Revolution that started dumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere...

According to the Cop26 climate meeting in Glasgow last year, every effort should be made to try to limit that [carbon] rise to 1.5C, although to achieve such a goal, it was calculated that global carbon emissions will have to be reduced by 45% by 2030.

McGuire says no...

“In the real world, that is not going to happen. Instead, we are on course for close to a 14% rise in emissions by that date – which will almost certainly see us shatter the 1.5C guardrail in less than a decade.”

Two people were found dead inside a vehicle in Northern California’s McKinney Fire zone. They couldn't escape the fire and no doubt died a horrible death. Is this what you climate deniers want?

 

 

The Agony of Unbelievable News

 

Here's a shocker...

Jon Stewart believes a certain subset of the right has long viewed Putin as “an ideological brother,” noting that “for years, it’s been pretty clear that they would much rather do a deal” with Vladimir Putin than Nancy Pelosi."

He's talking about Donald Trump and Fox News' Tucker Carlson, the name a couple. Stewart calls Carlson a “dishonest propagandist,” which really is an understatement considering the subject.   READ MORE...

Jimmy Kimmel called out two “congressdemons” for their boorish behavior during President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union speech earlier this week. 0They were, of course, Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene who interrupted Biden's address. Kimmel added...

“As irritating as their behavior was, we do have freedom of speech in this country,” Kimmel conceded. “Which means I can remind you that Lauren Boebert is married to a guy who went to jail for showing his penis to a teenager in a bowling alley.”   READ MORE...

White Supremacist propaganda is not only growing, it is becoming

increasingly coordinated, NPR reports...

"The distribution of white supremacist propaganda around the country remained high last year, with nearly 5,000 incidents reported, or an average of 13 per day," the Anti-Defamation League says.

The ADL's Oren Segal, vice president says...

"It's disturbing that white supremacists and anti-Semites can mobilize supporters quickly to target neighborhoods in multiple states."

It is beyond "disturbing" how the United States has just decided to live with its racism dilemma since its supposed settlement with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and again in 1991. I did a post in my blog recently, "Recollections of U.S Racism" with both a national glimpse of the issue with added commentary from my years living in the South. Believe me, it ain't pretty.   READ MORE,,,

Climate Change is now working its disaster faster that scientists can act. It might already be too late a UN report speculates...

"The dangers of climate change are mounting so rapidly that they could soon overwhelm the ability of both nature and humanity to adapt unless greenhouse gas emissions are quickly reduced, according to a major new scientific report released on Monday."

Here are the ten main greenhouse gases...

• Water vapor (H. 2O)
• Carbon dioxide (CO. ...
• Methane (CH. ...
• Nitrous oxide (N. 2O)
• Ozone (O. ...
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs and HCFCs)
• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
• Perfluorocarbons (CF. 4, C. 2F. 6, etc.), SF. 6, and NF.

The New York Times says, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a body

of experts convened by the United Nations, so we are assured of credibility. The report...

"concludes that nations aren’t doing nearly enough to protect cities, farms and coastlines from the hazards that climate change has unleashed so far, such as record droughts and rising seas, let alone from the even greater disasters in store as the planet continues to warm."

I am 89 but am still trying to save the planet for the young people. Maybe it is time for sanctions for those countries who refuse to address climate change. It's working for Biden against Ukraine. Unfortunately, the U.S. will be the first country sanctioned.   READ MORE...

I have done a series of articles on climate change you can see here.

SUPPORT UKRAINE
 

Joe Biden is a Victim of Reckless Republican Propaganda...Here's the Real Story

 

OK, let's accept the fact that no matter what President Biden does, the GOP erects an immediate wall to oppose it. Whatever - you name it. Minority Senate leader and power grabbing Moscow Mitch McConnell is the head wall builder, followed by Kevin McCarthy, House minority leader mixed with a plethora of Republican misfits. It is clear that the above has replaced an agenda for the right as they roll on with their plans to eliminate American democracy.

Overshadowed within all this is the agenda of Joe Biden which he describes as the perfect storm, consisting of four crises that must be addressed. They are, "fighting the coronavirus, restoring the economy, combating climate change and making the country more equal." Here's the scenario from The Washington Post...

Those four issues remain central to Biden’s presidency. “I think if you take a look at what we’ve been able to do, you’d have to acknowledge we made enormous progress,” President Biden said Wednesday [Jan. 20] of his first year in office.

From WaPo's Post Pundit Power Rankers in the beginning of the Prez's administration he was given a B+ on his first 100 days in office. Fast-forward through the crises to today and...

"Now, we’re back to assess a full year’s worth of White House decision-making. Like last time, our rankers have assigned Biden a grade A+ to F, taking into account such issues as the pandemic, the economy, foreign policy, voting and human rights, and presidential leadership. Also as last time, our readers — more than 4,400 of you! — got in on the grading. Your scores factor into the final average just like our pundits’."

 Biden highlights wins, struggles and top priorities after 1 year in office...

In the final score Biden had an average pundit grade of C+, average reader grade B, overall grade B-. There is a raft of scores on specific issues in this article like the economy, voting and human rights, foreign policy, etc. I urge you to read them all.

But, Matt Robison from AlterNet exclaims, "The reality is that Biden has done a great job — but the pundits can't admit it." He gives President Biden an A+ commenting, "Anything else is insane."

Robison points us back to a glut of Donald Trump stupidities...

water cannon of lies
a cabinet of grifters and thieves
disastrous and deadly Covid denial
child separation
the Helsinki Putin bootlicking affair

This is only five. There are fifteen more. This is how he visions another four

years under Trump...

"Faster global warming. Endless vendettas. Jailing dissidents. Clawing back LGBT rights. MAGA budgets and widespread hunger. Endless trade wars and rising nuclear standoffs. An impenetrable wall of judges. A chokehold on immigration. The end of democracy."

Then, Jennifer Rubin comes along with her opinion, "Biden is on a roll as commander in chief." A great read! That's good enough for me.

        

Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis Destroyed by Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom

 

With Florida's demented governor, Ron DeSantis, spewing bullshit over his new budget and his recent "successes," California governor Gavin Newsom stepped up to the plate and ripped him to pieces...

"They're [DeSantis, Abbott, etc.] performance artists, some of these people,” the governor snapped. “All you have to do is watch Fox and then just decide to plug in. I mean, it's about the easiest thing I've seen in politics. It's just, ‘What's the ticker on Fox primetime?’”

“With respect, we'd have 40,000 more Californians dead if we took [DeSantis's] approach,” Newsom continued.

“I do not look for inspiration to that particular governor … to not only the pandemic, but to other policy, including the absurdity that was his ‘woke’ initiative and the laughability around stopping something that doesn't exist, around critical race theory — just playing in and placating the right-wing punditry. It’s the CPAC primary. It’s rather absurd. And that's why I respectfully submit that so much of this is pure performance.

What is most frightening is the fact that this moron, and I am talking about

DeSantis, wants to run for president. We've just had one Republican imbecile in the White House, and this country cannot stand another one. 'But wait,' as the TV commercial says, there's more. Nikki Fried, who has served as the 12th Florida commissioner of agriculture since 2019, a Democrat, has repeatedly criticized Ron DeSantis comparing him to Adolph Hitler on several occasions.

According to Florida Politics, Fried believes that Donald Trump is now officially after DeSantis...

"Fried thinks the booster shot back-and-forth is only the beginning of issues between the Governor and his erstwhile political patron. In Jacksonville Thursday for gubernatorial campaign events, Fried predicted the former President would complicate DeSantis’ re-election prospects, potentially trying to “destroy” the Governor."

DeSantis' term as Florida's governor ends this year, meaning, if he at least wants to hang on to the top spot in the sunshine state, he has to run in November. But if he is serious about the presidency, he has to throw his hat in the ring now. Fried says...

“What I think is going to happen is we all know President Trump wants to run for President again, and so does Gov. DeSantis. And so you’re going to have two individuals that are going to hit heads.”

There's more...

“And Trump is not somebody who’s going to sit back. He created DeSantis. And he fundamentally believes that he can destroy DeSantis.”

 Gov. Gavin Newsom Compares CA & FL COVID Response...

But it is entirely possible that someone like Gavin Newsom will do the job before Trump has the chance. While DeSantis talks of putting a band aid on Florida's problems (Florida has had a total of 5,039,887 Covid-19 cases, 63,084 deaths), both 3rd highest in U.S., Newsom shows how it's done in California...

"Making use of a massive budget surplus, Newsom also proposed spending another $2 billion to address his state’s homelessness crisis (on top of the $12 billion in last year’s budget); investing $22.5 billion over the next five years to fight climate change; paying health care expenses for every low-income adult in the state regardless of their immigration status; and devoting $102 billion to help schools deal with the ongoing pandemic and expand early childhood education and child care programs."

With plans like this, people have a tendency to listen to the positive and to success. But California does have its coronavirus problems with 6,635,535 cases of the virus and 77,928 deaths. The huge difference is that Gavin Newsom is using

proven scientific protocol to fight Covid-19, not the fake science used by Ron DeSantis. Florida Politics reports...

Trump has predicted that if he runs for President again, DeSantis will not run. But DeSantis has not promised he will not run for President, apparently irking Trump. Instead, DeSantis has tended to deflect the question.

So when will the showdown occur, and most of all, who will come out on top and who will end up all bloodied? 

Misinformation was Conceived and Launched by Republicans

 

And it has never been the same. It brought on Fact Checks by several media publications and the well-known Pinocchios from the Washington Post. Fact checking had to work overtime during Donald Trump's time in the White House, but even clearly defeated by Joe Biden, this lunatic continues to rack up the lies. Well over 30,000 to date with some classics by POLITIFACT. It is unreal, as you scroll through these lies that they are attributed to an ex-U.S. President.

The New York Times starts their article with'''

"A few weeks ago, Representative Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican, falsely claimed that the centerpiece of President Biden’s domestic agenda, a $1.75 trillion bill to battle climate change and extend the nation’s social safety net, would include Medicare for all."

It does not and never has, but the pathetic Republican supporters either don't have the brains to check things like this out or they just don't care. And by the way, Crenshaw used this outright lie to raise money for his candidacy. Emails, that's how he spread his message of deceit, the manner in which many politicians communicate these days. I was working in the junk mail industry when emails were first initiated but this political crap far outdoes the junk emails.

In a New York Times project info on how "to track how widely false and misleading statements were being used to help fill political coffers." Republicans and Democrats are guilty"...

"One Republican, for instance, declared that Democrats wanted to establish a “one-party socialist state,” while a Democrat suggested that the party’s Jan. 6 inquiry was at imminent risk because the G.O.P. 'could force the whole investigation to end early.'”

There was a huge percentage difference between Republican and Democrat misinformation. The former 15%, the latter 2%. Like I said earlier, The GOP invented misinformation. Here's an interesting fact...

"In addition, multiple Republicans often spread the same unfounded claims, whereas Democrats rarely repeated one another’s."

There is so much more to discover in the NYT article that I urge you to read the entire piece.