RFK Jr. wants to send anti-depressant users to "wellness farms"

Brought to you by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Wellness farms, just another name for concentration camps. And that's where the new Sec. Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., wants to send anyone who takes an anti-depressant. Where the hell did this come from? To the best of my knowledge, there have been no reports of mass deaths from Prozac. The new health lunatic is spending his time, and, taxpayer money, on crap like this when the country has a new significant problem with the outbreaks of measles and bird flu.

Mother Jones covered the anti-depressant thing as far back as July of 2024...

"In a virtual event last week that was billed as a “Latino Town Hall,” presidential candidate and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled his plan to overhaul addiction treatment programs. Speaking during a live recording of the Latino Capitalist podcast, Kennedy described opioid, antidepressant, and ADHD “addicts” receiving treatment on tech-free “wellness farms,” where they would spend as much as three or four years growing organic produce."

Then, just recently, RFK Jr. submitted his plan to, " Round up people with mental health conditions in camps." He has completely flummoxed a clueless bunch of Republicans on his intentions for keeping people healthy, and suddenly digressed into the intention of creating his own system of stalags. Of course, in keeping with the ideology of Donald Trump. But I am both surprised and very disappointed there has been no massive outcry from the medical community. They've let the Kennedy outcast take healthcare into a downward spiral.

Here's the scenario from NPR...

New Mexico health officials [recently] confirmed the death of an unvaccinated adult who tested positive for measles. The first death was a school-age child in Gaines County, Texas, last week.

News of a second death comes as infectious disease doctors worry that the federal government's messaging about the outbreak is putting more emphasis on treatments like vitamin A than on vaccination, even as misinformation about some of these treatments is spreading online.

RFK Jr. did reference vaccine as good " for community immunity," but said "good

nutrition is 'a best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses.'" NPR reports...

"That emphasis on nutrition and vitamin A to treat measles is concerning some infectious disease doctors."

Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said...

"Mentions of cod liver oil [by RFK Jr.] and vitamins [are] just distracting people away from what the single message should be, which is to increase the vaccination rate."

RFK Jr. told Fox News' Sean Hannity that the best immunization to measles is to catch it. If you haven't already heard, the latest fad is to have measles parties where you can pass around the highly contagious viral disease, for adults and children. What Kennedy did not tell Hannity is the fact that doctors claim the downside from catching measles is worse than getting a vaccination. The health care imposter didn't mention that...

"measles can be deadly, although rare, with approximately 1 to 3 out of every 1,000 people with measles dying, even with the best care, primarily due to complications like pneumonia or encephalitis."

But why would he even address the above possibility? RFK Jr. is a part of the Trump administration that cut U.S. aid to millions producing the following reaction from Irish Star...

"Experts have warned that Donald Trump’s cuts to USAID could cause over 2.1 million deaths per year over the next three years."

Considering the current objective to eliminate as much money and people from the U.S. Government as Trump and Musk can manage, it is obvious the Republicans just don't care. So why should RFK Jr.??? 

 

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.  

Donald Trump's new administration of criminals

People who left Trump White
House first admin.

Donald Trump could not have done any better in assembling a gang of criminals for his administration than if he had conducted his recruitment in a prison. To begin with, Trump, himself, has been indicted in four cases, convicted in one and penalized in several civil lawsuits. Political scientists Austin Sarat and Tom Dumm, in a Salon article republished by RawStory, say...

"There is, of course, nothing wrong with giving people second chances after they have paid their debt to society," the pair wrote. "But everyone Trump has nominated or appointed thinks they owe no debt to society. Each of them contends or is portrayed by Trump’s transition team as a victim of a political prosecution or a left-wing smear campaign."

• First, there is former trade adviser Peter Navarro who will return to the White House after serving a prison sentence for contempt of Congress.
• And then there is his son-in-law, Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner, who will be ambassador to France, despite his own criminal convictions.
• Although there is no litigation, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth was picked to be defense secretary, in spite of multiple charges of misconduct.
• Again with no litigation, former Rep. Matt Gaetz had to withdraw as attorney general nominee due to accusations of his sexual trysts with minors.

The authors bring up the competence of the nominees and while Navarro and Gaetz are questionable, and Kushner is most certainly borderline, Pete Hegseth's nomination as

Pete Hegseth

Defense Secretary is beyond ludicrous. There are lots more who are somewhat dubious but don't necessarily carry the baggage of legal problems. Are you ready for this?

• Marco Rubio does not have the strength to be Secretary of State.
• Pam Bondi would trash the Attorney General's office with her spoken vendetta of Donald Trump's enemies.
• There are screams all over the medical community from doctors and scientists that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will destroy medicine as we know it today.
• And Kristi Noem as the Secretary of homeland security is another one that keeps you rolling in the aisles with laughter.
• Tulsi Gabbard, as Director of national intelligence, is highly questionable since she doesn't really know if she's on our side or the side of the Russians.
• Dr. Mehmet Oz has a fascination with Medicare advantage, in lieu of its rival so his nomination as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator could jeopardize regular Medicare.
• Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy heading Department of Government Efficiency is a total joke. Two morons for the job and Ronald Reagan couldn't make it work. Donald Trump sure as hell won't be able to.
• Stephen Miller as Deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser worries me a lot. This man and his ideologies are just plain scary.
• Kash Patel as FBI director is in the Pam Bondi mode; would rein the department with his rage against Trump enemies.
• here is one who appears qualified for the job, Susie Wiles, as White House chief of staff. And if she can hold Donald Trump down, she will deserve our applause.

It will be interesting if all, or at least some of these nominees are approved by the Senate, just how long it will take for the axe to fall on the first one.

Steve Bannon: Almost as scary as Donald Trump?

 

As Republican House Speaker, Mike Johnson, tries to persuade the Supreme Court to keep Steve Bannon out of prison, it was reported by CBS News that "Steve Bannon promises retribution if Trump returns to the White House." Here's the scenario...

"House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Fox News' 'Hannity' on Tuesday night that House Republicans were 'working on filing an amicus brief with his appellate work there in his case because the January 6 committee was, we think, wrongfully constituted.'"

Meanwhile, The former Donald Trump strategist claims "his War Room is shaping Republican narratives" adding, "We’re relentless. I will never back off." That has been the blueprint of the Republican Party for years; to keep shoving misinformation at the American public, over and over, until some begin to believe it.  And those poor souls range from the hard-core MAGA supporters to those who are undecided and can be influenced by this meaningless nonsense. Yes, and in my mind this makes Steve Bannon almost as scary as Donald Trump while sharing similar means of dissemination.

CNN reports...

"The Justice Department urged the Supreme Court on Wednesday to reject an effort by former Trump aide Steve Bannon to avoid prison while he appeals his contempt of Congress conviction."

 But with a conservative packed court, it's anyone's guess of what they will do. Throughout all this radical right muddling, Bannon confirms the 2020 election denial, the "Big Lie," as he and his cronies describe it, is still "Driving Everything in the GOP," according to The New Republic. And then in The Guardian piece on the 'War Room,' above...

The 70-year-old – once featured on the front of Time magazine with the headlines 'The Great Manipulator” and “Is Steve Bannon the Second Most Powerful Man in the World?'– is constantly thinking about the media and shaping narratives. He believes that he wields more influence through his War Room show, which launched in October 2019, than he did working on Trump’s first election campaign or during a brief, ill-fated spell as White House chief strategist."

Now, that's really scary!

TURN LEFT AT THE NEXT CONSERVATIVE... 

,"

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

 

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

The Atlantic piece by David Frum starts with...

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

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

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

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

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

this around, "DeSantis delivered a more definitive answer on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show..."

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

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

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

Here are some good reason why DeSantis may be on the way to flaming out...

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

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

 

 

First There Was Long Covid - Now There Is Long Covidiocy

 

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

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

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

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

There's more...

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

Republican War On Covid Science with Florida a leader in denial…

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

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

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

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

The subcommittee goes on to present...

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

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

you can see my posts on this divisive gang of goons here. It has been proven that the herd immunity approach could have killed "hundreds of thousands more Americans." This is Republican radicalism at its best, best known as the killing machine. But here is the closer from Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins surgeon and Fox News regular...

“'It’s a no-brainer that it came from a lab,' he declared. What’s more, 'at this point it’s impossible to acquire any more information, and if you did it would only be in the affirmative.' He even suggested that two of the nation’s top virologists knew this but 'changed their tunes' because they were bribed with grant money by Anthony Fauci."

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

 

Fox News A "Dishonest Organization"

 

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

'Maybe it will put them (Fox) out of business and eliminate a gargantuan source of misinformation..

Here's the scenario from CNN...

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

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

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

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

The Daily Beast says...

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

RawStory reports...

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

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

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

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

Clips From Nasty Jack Buzz: Gun Violence

 

The night of Nov. 13, 2022, three people were shot and killed on the campus of the University of Virginia. Two others were injured. The three dead were football players. The shooter, Christopher Darnell Jones, is in custody. Yahoo!News says...

"A former student athlete accused of fatally shooting three University of Virginia football players was able to legally buy two guns after failing a background check last year and trying to get a handgun while underage four years ago, according to the gun shop that sold him the firearms."

And then only hours later, four University of Idaho students were found dead in an

off-campus house. CNN reports...

Moscow [Idaho] police said they are investigating the deaths as homicides, but did not provide any other information about what happened. As of midday Monday, no suspect was in custody. Anyone with information about the case has been asked to contact police.

Two gun violence murder scenes so close together, it was hard for the media to decide which to concentrate on. It is no doubt the Idaho killings that will receive the most focus until the shooter is caught. Authorities called it senseless killings but did not get into the basics that lead to this kind of brutality resulting in unlimited bloodshed. I looked at the Gun Violence Archive and this is the gun violence activity in only the last 72 hours. The list is almost endless with 10 pages.

The hard numbers are 39,005 gun violence deaths so far this year. There were 34,706 injuries from gun violence. Of these 285 children (age 0-11) were killed, 627 injured. Added to this teens (age 12-17), 1,194 dead, 3,354 injured. There are 390 million guns out on U.S. streets with a population of 329 million people. America rules the world as the Czar of guns and gun violence. This is not a reputation most citizens of this country want, but are comatose when it comes to action. 

I have selected a few posts done on gun violence, as follows:

This one actually came to pass in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection of the U.S. Capitol, "Gun violence bloodshed threatened if 2020 goes to Democrats." Here's an excerpt...

You would expect no less from Fox News and other conservative news outlets than to suggest gun violence bloodshed should the Democrats win big in 2020. It's looking likely that they will so these anarchistic terrorists are "threatening mass violence and a bloody people’s revolt in the streets."

And turning back to 2018, "American Medical Association asks for ban on assault weapons." It's about time the people who witness gun violence firsthand get in the act. Here's a startling clip...

The ban of assault weapons in the U.S. today should be a given based on the number of school children killed by one of these weapons in 2018 alone. Kids all over the country are expressing their fear of going to school because they are afraid they will be the next victim. Just a couple of years ago some youngsters were scared to face the school bully. That bully has now decided to arm himself and wipe out as many as 44 students.

Are COVID-19 deaths more relevant than gun deaths? Comparing gun deaths

to Covid deaths, I cite Donald Trump, then in the Oval Office, because of his reluctance to acknowledge the pandemic, as leading the American public into a state of apathy similar to the gun violence problem. Here's a selection from that post...

And here we go again says Charlie Warzel in the New York Times...

"The coronavirus scenario I can’t stop thinking about is the one where we simply get used to all the dying."

And therein rests the problem. The American public was tricked into indifference over the deaths from gun violence by Wayne LaPierre, the NRA head, and his minions. and once again when Donald Trump refused to address the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately both gun violence and the Covid virus continue to spread. 

Here are all my gun violence posts to read...

 

 

2022 Election Republican Extremists

 

The nation's focus is on Arizona because the experts say that if the radical slate of extremist candidates win, democracy is lost in the state. The concern is over a select five including Kari Lake, running for governor, Mark Finchem for Sec. State, Blake Masters, U.S. Senate and incumbent House members Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs. All 2020 election deniers. Gosar's family even says do not vote for him. There are more not on the current active list which I will cover later.

What can I say about Kari Lake?...She's a misinformation lunatic and possibly the next train wreck to hit Arizona unless she is stopped. If you go to "Search," above, and type in her name, there are numerous posts that express the need to defeat her. One of my favorites is "Kari Lake, Potentially Most Dangerous Politician in America," It recounts one of her latest lies saying she has won the election...

"Lake boasted that recent polls showed her up 11 points and 9 points just before Fox News flashed a graphic of the latest New York Times/Siena College poll showing the race tied at 48 to 48 percent." 

You cannot believe Kari Lake so why would anyone but an idiot want her for the next governor of Arizona? VOTE FOR KATIE HOBBS (D) TOMORROW!

Mark Finchem is a devout 2020 election denier, but his most serious downside is the fact that he has said, if elected, he wants to do away with 'vote by mail' in Arizona and will make changes to the state's voting system that will make it harder to go to the polls in the future. In a debate this whacko admitted 'the big lie" is a fraud. Duties of the Arizona Secretary of State include serving as the state's chief election officer. So, VOTE FOR ADRIAN FONTES (D) TOMORROW!

Blake Masters, another avid believer that the 2020 election was won by Donald Trump, not Joe Biden. Masters is not alone...

"Election deniers will be on the ballot in 48 of 50 states and make up more than half of all Republicans running for congressional and state offices in the midterm elections. Nearly 300 Republicans seeking those offices this November have denied or questioned the outcome of the last presidential election, according to a Washington Post analysis."

This is unconscionable as is Masters' position in Arizona. VOTE FOR INCUMBENT SENATOR MARK KELLY TOMORROW! 

Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar, two Arizona House members that should have been voted out years ago. My blog on February 9, of this year, following the Republican insurrection of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, "ARIZONA: Home of Insurrectionists." pretty much labels Biggs and Gosar the anarchists they are. Added to that...

Leading Phoenix columnist E.J. Montini says it all in his headline, "Arizona's Jan. 6 insurrectionists should be barred from holding office."

The same should apply, of course, to the other 2020 deniers mentioned above. But it all comes down to the 14th Amendment; here is Section 3...

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

And the other non-active Arizona election participants are Karen Fann, Kelli

Ward and Wendy Rogers. Fann, as Arizona Senate Pres. ordered an audit of the election results in Maricopa County, hiring a firm that was founded by a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist who promoted false claims of fraud. And Ward, after losing three Arizona elections, was chosen as chair of the Arizona Republican Party and who filed lawsuits seeking to nullify the state's (AZ) 2020 election results.

Finally, Wendy Rogers, the Arizona state Senator who was the focus of an ethics investigation by her own party for a comment on the Buffalo gun massacre...

“Of course I condemn the violence in Buffalo, who doesn’t?” Rogers tweeted on Monday morning – two days after suggesting it was a false flag attack by a federal agent.

 Could it get any hotter? Many political pundits are exclaiming, 'so goes Arizona, so goes the rest of the U.S. The local newspaper, The Arizona Republic, a conservative publication said this...

"Don't sit out this election. The stakes are too high"

VOTE TOMORROW AND MAKE THIS A BLUE TSUNAMI! 

Kari Lake, Potentially Most Dangerous Politician in America

 

What else do we expect from a Trump worshipper? More lies, of course. Here's the definition of a lie: "a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth." Precisely what Lake has been doing the entire campaign for governor with Katie Hobbs, her Democrat opponent. Here's the scenario from MEDIAite...

"Republican nominee for governor of Arizona, Kari Lake, joined Fox News’s America’s Newsroom on Tuesday and declared “it’s pretty much game over for Katie Hobbs” – her Democratic opponent. Lake boasted that recent polls showed her up 11 points and 9 points just before Fox News flashed a graphic of the latest New York Times/Siena College poll showing the race tied at 48 to 48 percent."

Former President Obama, whom Lake supported in 2016, is coming to town

and, hopefully, will help Katie Hobbs improve her place in the polls. Lake says Obama's trip is no big deal, then rages on about Hobbs refusing to debate her. This is how Hobbs reacted to this claim...

"How do you debate someone who refuses to accept the truth, who doesn’t live in facts? Oh, she’s going to do a shout. Shout over me, interrupt me and spew lies."

Any well-balanced, fair-minded Arizonan would agree with Hobbs' statement, probably adding, Lake is a certified lunatic. It is obvious she was trying to jump on the bandwagon with Barack Obama, then six years later she has found a faster train with Donald Trump. She has no issues other than...Trump. There is no substance in her speeches and even less in the crowd she attracts. And, working for Fox News for 30 years was an excellent training ground for Lake's persistent lies.

Yahoo!News asks, "Is Arizona's Kari Lake the most 'dangerous' politician in America?" The article quotes from Atlantic Magazine and The Washington Post exclaiming the fact that Lake bets all her chips on Donald Trump and the 2020 election denial. But the article gets scary when top Democratic strategists "now believe Lake has the 'potential to soar to a vice presidential spot or a post-Trump presidential candidacy.'”

That isn't just scary, it is downright terrifying! VOTE KATIE HOBBS FOR ARIZONA GOVERNOR!

 

 

The All-Female KKK of Arizona Politics

 

Karen Fann, radical conservative Republican, who ordered an audit of the election results in Maricopa County, hiring a firm that was founded by a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist who promoted false claims of fraud. It cost Arizona residents $5.7 million. Fann made a false allegation, later amplified by Trump that Maricopa County election officials deleted the voter database after the election. Another lie by Fann confirmed by Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican who oversees elections. Fann is not running for reelection.

Kelli Ward, after losing three Arizona elections, was chosen as chair of the Arizona Republican Party in 2019. Following the 2020 United States presidential election, in which incumbent President Donald Trump lost in 25 states, including Arizona, she filed lawsuits seeking to nullify the state's (AZ) election results. She had no evidence of wrongdoing in the election and by December 9, federal and state judges had dismissed all challenges against President-elect Joe Biden's victory in Arizona. She was also involved in the state's fake electors scheme. Once endorsed by Steve Bannon, she continued to support the Trump lie, in defiance of Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey.

Kari Lake, the armpit candidate and a not so good TV news anchor at a no-news Fox TV station. She turned politician in 2021, when Arizona welcomed its newest lunatic politician. Republican, of course. I did a recent post, "Kari Lake Invites Jesus Christ to Arizona," where I pointed out the fact that 'Kari Lake compared herself to Jesus." Earlier I did posts on Twitter and FB of how Lake accused her opponent in the governor's race, Katie Hobbs, of a vote on legislation, completely false, because Lake can't read a bill. She is, of course, an ardent Trump supporter.

 Okay, this isn't a hanging but it is clear that these three totalitarians are doing their best to assassinate our democracy. Arizona is a hotbed of this kind of stupidity, as is Florida and Texas, with the GOP determined to take 2022 and 2024 elections and maneuver America to an eventual catastrophe. VOTE DEMOCRAT IN NOVEMBER AND AGAIN IN 2024!

 

Radical Information Can Destroy a Democracy...Here's how

 

Over thirty-five years in the junk mail industry, information was my crown jewel. Information about mailing lists, information about people (demographics); information about geography (demography). Without all this I could never have progressed as a data broker. It was plentiful and it was expensive but cost even more when collected and refined, then sold to a client for their mailings. I do not know the number of peoples' names I sold but it was in the multi-millions.

This was several years ago and the business has changed significantly since then. What hasn't changed is still the fact that nothing moves without information. In Salon recently, Chauncey Devega spoke with Stephanie Foggett, who is director of global communications at the Soufan Group, a global intelligence and security consulting firm. Foggett specializes in monitoring white supremacist, neo-Nazi and other right-wing extremist groups.

With the Covid pandemic in a slight decline, we now have monkeypox to deal with. And there is a constant reminder from Bernie Sanders and other Progressives that inequality is still raging in this country. Devega reminds us...

"Here in the U.S., Donald Trump's political cult and a Republican Party dominated by fascists are attempting to end multiracial democracy. This is a revolutionary struggle whose goal is to create a new American society, that in practical terms will be an apartheid Christian fascist plutocracy ruled without challenge or accountability by a small number of rich white men."

 The Pro-Putin Wing Of The GOP Echoes Kremlin Disinformation...

In Devega's exchange with Foggett, she...

"shares her views on how "malign actors" are using this moment of global disruption to expand their power by undermining liberalism and Western-style democracy, both internationally and in the United States."

Of special concern is the use of the Internet and conservative media by "the global far-right and their allies, along with the Republican Party and its agents." Including Fox News and conspiracy cults like QAnon. Foggett even predicts that military conflict between states is now a reality, in keeping with recent forecasts of another Civil War. But, it takes time she says, because more than ever today, we must know why we are doing what we are doing.

It is here where Foggett addresses "How the far right is winning the information war." With Republican disinformation of course, made popular during the Donald Trump administration...

"Every issue is being muddled with disinformation and half-truths and narratives that paralyze action by creating confusion and doubt. This makes it hard to chart a shared path forward."

In this "confusion," it is...

"very difficult to even have discussions about politics and current events when there is less of a shared understanding of reality, the truth and facts. Every issue is being muddled with disinformation and half-truths and narratives that paralyze action by just creating confusion and doubt."

And therein lies the problem. Republican disinformation creating a confusion because the GOP has no agenda other than to block anything the Democrats want to do. It sure isn't the Grand Old Party anymore.

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
 

Don't Believe Joe Biden's Low Approval Ratings

 

For some reason the U.S. media has reacted to Joe Biden's presidency with the negativity of a pre-planned disposition that he can't possibly be a good president. Much of it is Trump supporters and some of it could be an incompetence within the Biden administration of getting the word out. Because, if you look at the facts, President Biden is doing a great job and here are prime examples...

• He passed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package -
• Then the administration passed The $1.9 trillion COVID relief deal -
• He supported transgender service members
• Reduced unemployment -

There's more and you can read it here. The background...

"In December, the national unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent while jobless claims sunk to their lowest levels since 1969. When Biden took office, the unemployment rate stood at 6.3 percent.

"Despite the growing inflation, wages paid by private businesses also saw an increase of 2.4 percent from January through October last year, while disposable income rose by 3 percent."

Biden on first year in office...

These are facts that cannot be disputed. Then, Nobel winner in economics, Paul Krugman, adds his expert opinion...

“'Real wages rose last year,' Krugman explains. “On a two-year basis, they’re probably down, but not by a lot. At the same time, we’ve had stellar job growth — and as I said, the combination of modestly declining real wages with a strong job market has actually been a winner for past presidents."

But not a winner for Joe Biden, and when you consider all the above, you have to wonder where all the negativity is coming from. Krugman asks the same question. Here's how he explains it...

"As many of us have noted, Americans are very down on the national economy, but relatively upbeat about their own personal financial situation…. That is, their personal experience is pretty good, but they’ve heard that things are terrible for other people.”

Bingo! "They’ve heard that things are terrible for other people." And where have they heard it from? A Republican cartel of propagandists like Fox News, Breitbart, and undercover groups like Charles Koch's. But, then, there's inflation, which cannot be denied. It did happen on Biden's watch and as Harry Truman said, 'The Buck Stops Here.' But the corporate world isn't helping with escalating prices in oil plus food and more. 

And then there's the Russian invasion of Ukraine where the president had to juggle

that with the Covid pandemic and his new SCOTUS nomination. The New York Times reports the administration was in a quandary with his State of the Union speech coming up, which is today. Here's the scenario...

"All presidents are confronted by episodes that are out of their control, forced to react to the world around them more often than they are able to shape it. But the dizzying events of the past week have for now pushed to the sidelines the congressional squabbling over Mr. Biden’s domestic agenda, and are already redefining the arc of his presidency."

So how popular is President Joe Biden today? One of the most credible polling organizations, FiveThirtyEight. has Biden's approval at 40.7%, a disapproval of 53.6%. Compared to Trump's first year of just 38.8% approval, a disapproval of 54.3%. Something's not right and it smells like the radical right again.

 

"TV Wasteland" is Fox News and Tucker Carlson?

 

The tvtech site reports, "On May 9, 1961, then newly appointed FCC Chairman Newton Minow called television a 'vast wasteland,' criticizing the medium for its violence, inanity and impact on children." I was working in television in those days and considered it an extremely creative and glamorous business. I still do, except for at least two exceptions, Fox News and Tucker Carlson. Is it possible that Minow could see in the future with the latter in mind when making that statement?

Why do I bring this up? Because of the absurdities Carlson claims on his show; plus the fact, this moron actually admits he lies when cornered. In late January...

Tucker Carlson claimed that the political violence the United States has been suffering is coming from the left, not the right — insisting that the right, unlike the left, has remained “peaceful.”

This is beyond unbelievable since we recently went through four years of the ex-White House maniac, Donald Trump, in his quest to stir up violence almost on a    daily basis. The Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on the U.S, Capitol is an excellent example of GOP led violence. Carlson, of course, is a lunatic, but it is his statements and and a trove if misinformation that is so indicative of Minow's "wasteland." 

It has been 60 years since Newton Minow's "Vast Wasteland" remark, and I do think television has made some very positive strides. As an example, in my day, TV news and weather was something offered by local stations as sort of a public service, much of it unsponsored. Today, news departments have huge budgets and most strive to provide comprehensive, in-depth news. Admittedly, there are some that slant the news, and, of course, those who completely misrepresent it.

MUST SEE: Still a ‘Vast Wasteland’? Newton Minow on the State of TV...

I have heard the opinion, 'Really...nobody could be that stupid,' referring to Tucker Carlson. Well, he certainly looks the part, but if any of you readers have any insight into this please email me. I have given considerable attention to Fox News in this blog over time because the network stands for everything class journalism isn't, and they are so easy to make fun of and criticize with the largest number of buffoons to ever hit the American airwaves.

The AlterNet's Alex Henderson leads us through a number of radical right wing violence incidents that have happened in recent years completely ignored by Carlson...

"from the January 6, 2021 insurrection to an alleged plot to kidnap and possibly murder Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to White nationalist terrorist massacres in El Paso and Pittsburgh in 2019. Pro-Trump groups like QAnon and the Proud Boys openly advocate violence, and the leader of the far-right Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, is facing seditious conspiracy charges for his alleged role in the Capitol insurrection."

Back to Newton Minow's observations testifying to Congress...

“When television is good, nothing—not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers—nothing is better,” he told Congress. “But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite each of you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air and stay there, for a day, without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland.”

But this was 60 years ago when Congress was populated with at least a modicum

of statesmen as compared to today's gang of inept politicians whose only goals are to amass power, line their pockets and get reelected, no matter what it takes. Minow recently updated his views of television while adding social media and “fake news.” Here's what he said...

“I think the issues for the next generation are the government’s role in social media,” Minow said, adding that he was proud of the strides television has made in educational TV but that local stations needed to remain diligent in ensuring unbiased coverage to their viewers. He also supports reinstating the FCC’s “Fairness Doctrine,” which was repealed in the 1980’s.

"Unbiased coverage," two words neither Fox News nor Tucker Carlson are familiar with.