The religious fanatics that support Trump

Did you know, 81 percent of white evangelicals voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election? That was more than voted for George W. Bush. And they did it with the urging of their leaders who heretofore have bragged about...

"superior virtue, especially in matters of sex and marriage and parenting and social propriety. They’ve blasted premarital and extramarital sex, LGBTQ people, divorce, pornography, sex work, foul language, crude behavior, and not being a Christian—as they define “Christian”—blaming these things for everything from 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina."

Since all that went out the window when these uninformed pathetic souls put their Bibles behind T-rump, the public has had a laugh fest over how this group could be so stupid. And still is. But they never got tired of berating Bill Clinton for his infidelities, which, of course, indicates these people are hopeless Republicans. Michael Gerson, former Bush speechwriter, wrote in the Atlantic...

“The moral convictions of many evangelical leaders have become a function of their partisan identification. This is not mere gullibility; it is utter corruption.”

Gerson also believes evangelicals have done some good things and still do but can't really explain how they hit the bottom of the barrel with Donald Trump. What is even more troubling to me is the evangelical attitude toward women; they think women should unequivocally obey their husbands. "Southern Baptists insist that wives submit to their husbands and ban women speaking from the pulpit or having religious authority over men." Whew! Sell that to the feminists of today. It is ludicrous, of course, and clearly points out why evangelicals are regularly held in contempt.

Although Gerson doesn't believe most evangelicals are racist, he writes...

“But every strong Trump supporter has decided that racism is not a moral disqualification in the president of the United States. And that is something more than a political compromise. It is a revelation of moral priorities.”

And that should not be acceptable!

Read more: Why Evangelicals—Still!—Support Trump

Donald Trump makes the laws now...not Congress

Trump-Judge Gonzalo Curiel

The Oval Office lunatic started over two years ago during the presidential campaign making disparaging remarks about the judicial system and US District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel, him because he was of Mexican heritage (born in Indiana) his court because Trump thought he was being railroaded in the lawsuit against Trump University. Trump ended up paying $25 million to his former “students,” who sued him for ripping them off. But it was the fact he felt he was above the law and not to be held accountable to the innocent folks who bought in simply because of his name.

He continues to ridicule judges along with the courts and the justice system, perhaps in part because of the lawsuits that have been filed against him. When Trump decided to mock "due process of law, the bedrock against government's arbitrary denial of a person's life, liberty or property." That was too much and there was a reaction...

"Critics warn that denunciations that once seemed so aberrational may be seeping into the American psyche and influencing how government operates."

Then he decided, "immigrants at the border could be summarily deported without any hearing to determine if they deserved asylum or were US citizens wrongly apprehended." He even said on Fox News...

"the system of immigration judges [was] "corrupt," and whoever heard of a system where you put people through trials? Where do these judges come from?"

He defends men for domestic violence shifting the blame from them on to the system. This parallels his abuse of women, which he either denies outright, or justifies because it is something he, Donald Trump, can do. He fired FBI Director Jim Comey simply because Comey was getting too close in his investigation of how the Russians helped elect him president. Former GWB aide Michael Gerson, a conservative writer, wrote...

"Whatever else Trumpism may be, it is the systematic organization of resentment against outgroups. His record is rich in dehumanization. ... This is more than a disturbing pattern; it is an organizing political principle. And it has resulted in a series of radiating consequences."

It is disturbing enough that Donald Trump and the whole Republican gang must go in November.

Read more: Trump's sustained attacks on American rights
                   
                   “Mexican” Judge (He’s American) Gets Last Laugh as Appeals Court OKs $25 Million    Trump University Settlement

Poor baby-Donald Trump ABC-TV ignores/he whines

Doesn't even whine like a guy

When Donald Trump is supposed to have more important things on his mind, definitely not thinking about the Roseanne show cancellation, according to misinformation specialist, Sara Sanders, Trump's press secretary, bam, right after she announces this, the Oval Office lunatic starts tweeting over how his feelings are hurt. Bob Iger of ABC called Valerie Jarrett to apologize for the tweet rant by Roseanne Barr, but T-rump complained that Iger had never called him, "to apologize for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC."

Donald Trump, as the leader of the freest nation in the world, and that supposedly includes racism, didn't take Roseanne to task for the HORRIBLE things she said about Valerie Jarrett, like comparing her to an ape and the Muslim brotherhood. Rather this moron did what he always does, turned the whole matter around until it became a Donald Trump issue. Whining like some four-year-old that doesn't get his way. Simpleton Sanders explained her boss' statement about Iger by saying, Trump was "simply calling out media bias."

That statement doesn't even deserve an answer if the person, being who he is, does not recognize blatant racial slurs when he sees them. But then we are talking about the same person who based his run for the presidency on racism and white nationalism. And he won, but thank God, not with the popular vote, which would mean this country is populated by the same kind of moron they voted for. It was the Electoral College, and it is in bi-partisan general agreement now that the College is out of date and should be replaced.

Read more: Trump breaks silence on Roseanne Barr scandal

Arizona Senator Jeff Flake puts Trump in his place again

Jeff Flake and Donald Trump at war

Jeff Flake told Harvard Law School's newest graduates the Oval Office lunatic "seemingly has a bottomless appetite for destruction and division." He continued, actually repeating himself, apparently for effect, "Our presidency has been debased. By a figure who seemingly has a bottomless appetite for destruction and division. And only a passing familiarity with how the Constitution works," If the retiring Senator isn't running for President, then we are getting a welcome continuity of characterizations of the kind of idiot that was elected by more idiots to the White House.

Jeff Flake has decided he cannot defend his Senate seat in Arizona, but really should know a run for president is also useless for a virtual national unknown. However, the latter may have changed lately with his regular attacks on T-rump, and the man does come off as an affable guy, the complete opposite of his opponent. Here is an interesting analogy by the Senator...

"You could say that we are witnesses to history. And if it were possible to divorce ourselves from the obvious tragedy of this debacle, I suppose that might even be interesting, the way some rare diseases are interesting to medical researchers."

I can certainly agree that Donald Trump is a disease, something like Ebola, perhaps, the worst kind that kills everything around it, highly contagious as it spreads from person to person, until it has wiped out an entire population. And Flake has been doing some of his blasting of Trump from the Senate floor where fellow Republicans, some Trump supporters, have to listen to his barrage. He even used the "Make America Great Again" battle cry as an example of T-rump's failure...

"To be clear, we did not become great — and will never be great — by indulging and encouraging our very worst impulses. It doesn’t matter how many red caps you sell."

Jeff Flake's general tenor, which runs through most of what he says is that Washington has given itself to the likes of Donald Trump, and that many, like himself, don't like this style of government and aren't going to take it anymore. And that seems perfectly clear with the recent exodus from Congress, mostly Republicans. This all means someone must save our country, but who will that be?

Recommended reading: Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake bashes Trump again
                                     

Roseanne a Trump clone or vice versa?

Remember this picture?

The TV show Roseanne has been cancelled by a smart ABC president, Channing Dungey, a black woman, who said, "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show," The racist tweet by the star was directed toward Obama's former aide, Valerie Jarrett, also black, with additional smearing of Muslims. Rosanne's actual tweet...

"Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj."

The "vj" at the end was, of course, Valerie Jarrett. Barr has also recently targeted Chelsea Clinton by calling her "Chelsea Soros Clinton."

As far as the show, Roseanne, is concerned, we watched it once and didn't think it was that funny. Apparently, it did have heavy appeal with Trump supporters, possibly because Roseanne voiced so much support for the candidate in 2016. The media described a lovefest between Barr and Trump since they share things like bigotry and intolerance. It is a sure bet to me that with the numerous racist rants by Donald Trump both before and after he was elected, Roseanne Barr felt completely comfortable with her racist comment against Jarrett.

To begin with, Trump and Roseanne both favor the use of Twitter to spew their garbage, picking odd hours to do it in. The comedian goes after her enemies with vehemence, as does Trump, and they share a rich fondness for the conspiracy-loving Alex Jones. He's the guy who called the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, which left 20 school children dead, a "hoax." They have both appeared on his show and, according to Roger Stone, Trump's former political strategist and campaign adviser, Trump and Jones speak on the phone from time to time.

Dean Obeidallah of CNN describes the two, "a couple made in bigotry heaven." What more could be said?

Recommended Reading: Roseanne Barr show cancelled

                                           Roseanne/Trump share "certain" traits

Are we doing the Monkey Trial all over again in Arizona?

Evolution became a household word with Charles Darwin's writing of the Origin of the Species, which ultimately led to...

"Darwinism, a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others, stating that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual's ability to compete, survive, and reproduce."

It is a theory in fact that, although accepted by the scientific community over the years, has been challenged by countless religious groups. The 1st Amendment does guarantee freedom of religion, but the First Amendment not only allows citizens the freedom to practice any religion of their choice, but also prevents the government from officially recognizing or favoring any religion, better known as Separation of Church and State. Unfortunately, this 'separation" always seems to be in the most defiance when the Republicans are in control.

Arizona does love its guns but this week the hot issue is evolution, by which our dufus State Education Superintendent Diane Douglas wants to weaken its teachings in public schools and emphasize creationism. As schools head, she has always emphasized ideology over education, which has brought her to the evolution table.  For the last year, several dozen science teachers have been working to update the state’s science standards – the first such rewrite in 15 years. Douglas took a red pen to their proposal, as follows...

Science teachers, for example, want their high school biology students to explain “how the process of evolution result(s) from natural selection.” 

Douglas wants students to explain “how the process of evolution may result from natural selection.”

Douglas' claim is that evolution is a theory and "that while there are parts and pieces of it that are [valid] we can, I think agree, are proven science, there are other areas of it that are very theoretical." She added that the theory of intelligent design should be taught along with the theory of evolution. A 2008 poll found that "one in eight high school biology teachers already teach creationism as a valid scientific alternative to Darwin's theory." The Monkey Trial brought evolution into the spotlight in Tennessee in 1925 with John Scopes on trial, which solved nothing.

Apparently scientists around the world think Diane Douglas is as big a nut case as we do here in Arizona. Here's an opinion from the UK...

"The Association for Science Education, which represents the UK’s science teachers, says Douglas’ proposal to cast doubt about evolution would 'undermine the scientific literacy of Arizona’s students.'"

The downside of all this is that politicians like Diane Douglas rave on and on about issues like this to appease their base while the children of Arizona have to deal with one of the lowest rated education systems in the country.

Recommended reading: Laurie Roberts/Arizona Republic
                        Laurie Roberts, AR column

Additional Reading: The Monkey Trial

Can't believe the NRA blames free press for gun violence

The blame stops here

It's been going on for a hundred years, blaming everything but guns for gun violence. Excuses used by the gun nuts are lack of treatment for mental health, film, TV and video game violence, erosion of Christian values and lack of adequate security measures at schools. But the latest selection by the National Rifle Assn.'s head gun nut is the media. Only a warped mind like the one in the head of the NRA's Wayne LaPierre could come up with this one. Here's what their video said...

"journalists are more responsible for school gun violence than the ease of access to guns: 'Over-reporting on school shootings inspires other shooters. … Ignoring shooters and not giving them any attention will do more to stop school shootings than any gun control measure ever will.'”

In other words, don't cover the shooting event in the media, which means the NRA won't have to defend their intentions of putting as many guns on the street as possible.

It is an extremely troubled person that can believe bullshit like the above, and maybe it's the gun huggers we need to take the guns away from. Back in the 20th Century "The NRA also argued at the time that because criminals already did not follow the law, it was nonsensical to pass controls that in any way impeded the average person from acquiring a firearm." Translated, that means, let's put all the guns on the street we can and if criminals do get them, what the hell. Only a complete moron would make a statement like the above.

Even Harry Truman was duped by the NRA when the country was suddenly flooded with overseas firearms, they told him, "the foreign influx and ready availability of firearms was a nonissue." And in the 1960s the NRA faced a fierce public because of its opposition to gun control laws. Then comes the cry of "a failed criminal justice system that was too lenient on crime." But in 1969, a commission formed by Pres. Lyndon Johnson found "two out of every three homicides are committed with guns." The tragedy of all this is the NRA blame game has worked...until now. Enlightened we go today.

Recommended reading: SLATE

Additional reading: US/GAMER

                                NEWS & GUTS

                                POLYGON

Do you want to be naked or dress up your data?

Facebook's Cambridge Analytica’s unbridled use of the profile data of 50 million Facebook members during the 2016 election must have opened the eyes of at least some of those out there that give up their personal data at an alarming rate. This practice has virtually abolished the word privacy to another planet. The Nation says...

"Nearly the entire Internet is based on the following trade: You give us intimate personal data, and we give you magical services for free. This is the original sin, and almost every major website you visit (except Wikipedia) commits it. (Yes, dear online Nation reader, there are at least five trackers running on you as you read this.)"

The Internet is a wonderful invention, no doubt something we could not do without these days. My wife and I were talking today about all the books on our shelves we could get rid of since every bit of information in them can be found on the Internet. What we have collected over the years includes a large amount of reference, which we plan to give to used book stores and library sales, along with fiction, which is comprised of several of the classics. Most of the fiction, especially the classics, we will keep. In many homes a well stocked library was always considered a necessity.

Just this May the General Data Protection Regulation took effect in Europe, and we will all see a subtle shift in how big platforms deal with our data. Already I have had a notice from Blogger that they are updating my blog to confirm with the new European regulations. The purpose in all this is transparency of what personal data companies collect about you online. In the case of Cambridge Analytica it was all about politics, how they determine the right location on Facebook to place a political ad.

A Democratic firm by the name of DSPolitical claims to have invented a “political cookie,” an online tool for targeting individual voters, a new technology online much like direct mail was in its infancy. It's supposed to spare you from being flooded with useless political ads that you would prefer not to see. But to do that, it must know everything it can about you to make the decision. And there lies the problem. At least for those of us conscious of our privacy rights. Unfortunately the rest of you will fling your private information at anyone that promises you "magical services for free." Duh?

Concealed-carry laws amplify violent crime

I live in gun-loving Arizona, one of 33 states where the right-to-carry law means you can swagger all around town like you are Wyatt Earp reincarnated. In Arizona you can actually take your gun into bars, schools and public buildings. The National Rifle Assn. with head gun nut, Wayne LaPierre, leading the way, has convinced these pathetic souls that their guns are more valuable than the lives of their family, friends, neighbors and innocent individuals. But all of this could be changing if an apathetic American public takes notice of new research on concealed-carry.

This all may have stemmed from the research of John Lott and David Mustard in 1997 that found more guns meant less crime, which was flawed in its findings, even certifying an increase in violence with concealed-carry through new research by legal scholars John Donohue and Abhay Aneja and economist Kyle Weber. They confirmed the following frightening statistic published in The Nation...

"Ten years after a state passes a right-to-carry law, violent crime—which includes murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault—will be 13 to 15 percent higher than if the state had done nothing."

Adding to the validity of the new report is the number of years available to the researchers on which to base their analysis; those years between 1981 and 2007 when right-to-carry laws were passed, ten of those years after the John Lott and David Mustard report. The new paper took advantage of cutting-edge statistical techniques by constructing synthetic control groups for states using what’s known as a LASSO analysis to pick the best variables for comparison. Their findings were always consistent in the fact that...

"When states passed right-to-carry laws, violent crime ended up higher than it would have been otherwise."

It's time to get the cowboys and cowgirls off the street and generally begin a sweep to curb the number of guns owned in this country with some relatively tough new reasonable gun laws. 

Trump unconscionable in self adoration

Here's how the Oval Office lunatic honored the fallen dead on Memorial Day with the tweet heard around the world that makes the U.S look like idiots...

“Happy Memorial Day! Those who died for our great country would be very happy and proud at how well our country is doing today. Best economy in decades, lowest unemployment numbers for Blacks and Hispanics EVER (& women in 18years), rebuilding our Military and so much more. Nice!”

Actually, it just leaves you speechless. 

Memorial Day for the heroes

The word memorial is identified as a commemorative act to perpetuate the memory of a person, event, etc., usually carried out as a monument or a holiday. Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day was inaugurated by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic [U.S. Army] in 1868. It was for the purpose of honoring the 620,000 soldiers killed in the Civil War. In comparison, 644,000 were killed in all other conflicts. In going to war, the participant realizes his or her chance of not coming home alive. That's a hero, and we have many of those today.

There are 22 million veterans in the U.S. (10 percent are women) meaning that 7.3 percent of all living Americans have served in the military at some point in their lives. There are lots of reasons for joining up but then there is also the draft, initiated when personnel were needed for the Korean and Vietnam Wars. In other words, the military is made up of a complex group of individuals, but no matter how they entered the service, they were there to fight for, and, if necessary, die for their country. Those that died are the ones we pay tribute to today, honoring their lives and commitment.

Here are three things you may not have known about Memorial Day...

• John Logan originally meant Memorial Day for Union Soldiers only
• The Vietnam War was responsible for Memorial Day becoming a national holiday
• Although many towns claim to have been the birthplace of Memorial Day, Waterloo, New York is officially recognized as the first to commemorate the day

Along with my fellow veterans and all the rest of you out there, we want to convey our gratitude to those who didn't make it back and our heartfelt thanks for your ultimate sacrifice.

Don't let someone steal your new Medicare card

My insurer, United Healthcare, in connection with my AARP membership, just sent me their guidelines to help avoid someone scamming your new Medicare card which you should be receiving any day, if not already. Their points are:

• No action is needed. New Medicare cards will be automatically mailed to the address that CMS has on file. Medicare beneficiaries should not provide any information to anyone claiming it is needed for the new card.
• A temporary card is not needed. Medicare beneficiaries can continue to use their existing card until they receive a new one.
• CMS does not charge for Medicare cards.
• Medicare will not call. Be suspicious of anyone calling about the new Medicare card.

The most frightening thing you can experience today is medical identity theft. Here's the worst-case scenario. Someone steals your medical records, say, by having your new Medicare card info. They go to the hospital with a life-threatening diagnosis of diabetes. Because they have stolen your medical records, this information is entered into your file. You are not diabetic and at some point something happens to you that you are taken to the hospital unconscious. Because your record now indicates you are diabetic, it could be assumed you are in a diabetic coma, thus, doses of insulin to revive you.

Depending on how much insulin you were given, you could have dangerous side effects like hypoglycemia where blood sugar levels are so low that the body is not able to function properly. or it could even cause death. OK, this is the extreme, but I use this example to point out the fact that you should guard your medical records as much or more than your financial information. It is my understanding that one of the primary reasons for issuing new Medicare cards is to get rid of the Social Security number as you Medicare ID number.

That means you must protect it now the same as you have always been advised to protect the SS number.


   

	.

Mexican gun violence stems from lax U.S. gun laws

There is only one gun store in Mexico, just outside Mexico City, heavily guarded on a Military base. To even get inside the store, buyers must go through months of background checks. And Mexico has its own 2nd Amendment, but it stipulates that federal law "will determine the cases, conditions, requirements and places" of gun ownership. And while each day the army gun store sells only an average of just 38 firearms to civilians, "an estimated 580 weapons are smuggled into Mexico from the United States." Clearly, their problem is U.S. gun laws, making more guns available to the public.

The LA Times reports...

"About 70% of guns recovered by Mexican law enforcement officials from 2011 to 2016 were originally purchased from legal gun dealers in the United States, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives."

How does this all stack up? It's the American connection where the National Rifle Assn.'s head gun nut, Wayne LaPierre, believes in spreading guns around the country like the spreading of seeds by farmers in the Spring planting. Guns proliferate on the streets much like the crops in the fields. Except, they end up killing the innocent rather than feeding the hungry. It's an American tradition that is now seriously affecting our southern neighbor, adding to the drug cartel violence. There are 67,000 licensed gun dealers and gun shows in this country, the latter where just a warm body can buy a gun.

Mexico has a ban on assault weapons but, once again, enough come across the U.S. border to satisfy the appetite of the bad guys, especially cartels, in this case. Chelsea Parsons of the Center for American Progress touts the problems of International drug trafficking in a report that "found that 66% of Mexico's homicides were committed with a gun in 2017, up from 15% in 1997." It's beginning to look more and more like the U.S. and they don't like it. Ricardo Anaya of the National Action Party said recently...

"Instead of threatening walls, instead of threatening to militarize the border, we demand that they stop the flow of arms from the United States to Mexico."

Illegal immigrants coming north and illegal guns going south. What should be the priority with such a good nation that has been our partner for years?