Will Brian Thompson's murder end a corrupt insurance industry practice?

Doctors without authority

Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare was murdered and drew headlines like this on WGTC...

"‘He was a serial killer’: Americans have no tears to shed for murdered CEO who denied patients life-saving care."

This may seem callous to some but it is a pent-up feeling for years of those deprived of their rightful medical care. WGTC continues...

"UnitedHealthcare is the kind of insurance company that scams people, but we hardly ever hold it accountable. Well, some people on the internet haven’t forgotten about the company’s past."

Social media is screaming how UnitedHealth has the most denied claims in the industry and they do it by using AI. The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations reported, "the nation’s insurers have been using AI-powered tools to deny some claims from Medicare Advantage plan subscribers," according to YahooNews.

There's more...

"The report found that UnitedHealthcare’s denial rate for post-acute care — health care needed to transition people out of hospitals and back into their homes — for people with Medicare Advantage plans rose to 22.7% in 2022, from 10.9% in 2020."

There is also a lawsuit accusing Brian Thompson and other executives of UnitedHealth of insider trading related to an ongoing Justice Department investigation, according to YahooNews. Here's the scenario...

"Thompson, 50, was one of three UnitedHealth Group executives named in a class action lawsuit filed in May that accused them of dumping millions of dollars worth of stock while the company was the subject of a federal antitrust investigation, which investors say wasn’t immediately disclosed to shareholders."

Taking advantage of this privileged access to inside information is considered a breach of the individual's fiduciary duty. And if you're willing to break one rule, why not another, which, of course, was Thompson's initiation of the use of AI for the purpose of denying claims. A move that ranks UnitedHealth the frontrunner in that process. 

Neiscope says the public's reaction is incredibly dark, with one person cracking the following remark, "Our apologies, but bullet wounds are only covered under our Platinum+ package." Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch commented...

"Let's be clear: any act of violence or loss of life is a tragedy. But the internet's indifference to Thompson's passing — and gallows humor about the notorious deficiencies of the private insurance industry — are simultaneously ghoulish and illustrative of America's profoundly dysfunctional medical system."

The cost of medical care has gone up while the quality of care has gone down. But the epitome of it all this is there is now a company "whose business model depends on turning down payments for care recommended by doctors for their patients," according to ProPublica.org. (They sell this software to insurance companies). The name of the company is EviCore by Evernorth and they are owned by the insurance giant Cigna. Here's the scenario...

"A ProPublica and Capitol Forum investigation found that EviCore uses an algorithm backed by artificial intelligence, which some insiders call “the dial,” that it can adjust to lead to higher denials. Some contracts ensure the [insurance] company makes more money the more it cuts health spending. And it issues medical guidelines that doctors have said delay and deny care for patients."

There is no wonder the American people are furious over being conned out of the healthcare that is rightfully theirs. But when will the masses revolt against this wrong and others perpetrated by Donald Trump?                                         

Why hasn't Joe Biden issued blanket precautionary pardons?

President Biden has a list but this time it is a good one. It includes those who have actively opposed Donald Trump, and he is considering giving them blanket precautionary pardons. Daily Beast describes them "Trump’s biggest political foes," with a mix of Republicans, Democrats and former administration staff...

The main three are former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, Anthony Fauci, former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Adam Schiff, newly elected California Senator. There are more.

Here's a headline for you from Reuters: "Trump taps team geared toward retribution and remaking of government." A clearcut designation of loyalists who share Donald Trump's thirst for revenge. And, a promise to take away your democracy and turn it into a dictatorship. I don't believe the average person in this country wants to give up thinking for themselves and turn over their lives to an oligarchy. Only the double-digit Trump followers. 

And here's a kicker from Reuters: "Trump's team reflects preference for outsiders with disruptive mentality."

Kash Patel, Trum's current choice to head the FBI has bluntly "vowed to go after Trump's perceived enemies," according to Reuters. Listen to this from Politico..

"For years, Trump has peppered his speeches and social media posts with vengeful calls for his political opponents, his critics and members of the media to be prosecuted, locked up, deported and even executed. In the waning weeks of the 2024 campaign, he escalated those promises of retaliation to a fever pitch."

According to NPR, many of Trump's targets are lawyering up...

"It would be naive and foolish for anyone not to take this seriously," said Mark Zaid, an attorney who represents several people threatened by Trump. "We have to prepare as much as we can for what might be coming."

Zaid adds, although he is somewhat concerned, he hopes Donald Trump's vengeance objectives will not have to leave the country for protection.

Is this the kind of America you want to live in? For the anti-Trump group, it is an unequivocal no. 

Trump taking healthcare from most needy

 

Do you live in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah, or Virginia? There are three million of you who could immediately lose your health coverage if the Republicans cut extra federal Medicaid funding that's helped states to increase what you receive.. Here's the scenario from AlterNet...

"If Congress cuts federal funding, Medicaid expansion would be at risk in all states that have opted into it — even those without trigger laws — because state legislatures would be forced to make up the difference, said Renuka Tipirneni, an associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health."

There are forty other states and the District of Columbia extending this health insurance to 21 million people, a move that has brought U.S. uninsured rates to an all time low. In exchange, the federal government pays 90% of the cost to cover the expanded population. A lot of this does depend on politics at the state level. Here's another if..

"If Congress cuts federal funding, Medicaid expansion would be at risk in all states that have opted into it — even those without trigger laws — because state legislatures would be forced to make up the difference.

Republican states would no doubt oppose the above and let the program expire. The article points out that "Six of the nine states with trigger laws — Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, and Utah — went for Trump in the 2024 election.

"Conservatives oppose the ACA, saying "the program costs too much and covers too many people." Liberals say "the Medicaid expansion has saved lives and helped communities by widening coverage to people who could not afford private insurance." And here's an interesting fact...

"Nearly a quarter of the 81 million people enrolled in Medicaid nationally are in the program due to expansions." 

In other words there is a specific, established need here, but Donald Trump doesn't think it is necessary. I have come to the conclusion that the new Donald Trump administration is not necessary. 

 

MR. PRESIDENT: If you look frail, if you talk frail, and if you walk frail, you must be frail...

 

 

  ...too frail to lead this country for another four years. I know, we all know, what you are afraid of; the lunatic who could win the White House without a strong Democrat in the race. But, the American public has decided as reported by Politico...

"Biden’s slide in the polls since the debate puts him in a hole larger than all but two incumbents — who were both defeated for reelection — going back more than four decades."

Four Democrats have come out in favor of you dropping out of the race, while it's still time to prep a new candidate. Make no mistake, Mr. Biden, this is of extreme importance since the election is only a little over three months away. Some of the pundits say it is already too late. Axios reports...

"8.5 million watched Biden's ABC News interview."

 ...only 16.6 percent of the number who watched the debate. One might draw the conclusion that many voters have either made up their minds or just weren't interested. Neither is good for Joe Biden.

In the George Stephanopoulos interview, the President said he didn't need a cognitive test because he takes one every day.  David Axelrod in the New York Post...

“When George Stephanopoulos asked him (Pres. Biden) if he’d be willing to take a cognitive test, he said, ‘I take a cognitive test every day.’ Well, the fact is, that may be true, but 75% of the American people think he fails,” said Axelrod.

And what is astonishing is Mr. Biden denies he is losing to Donald Trump, again from Axios. From the West Coast, "Hollywood moguls want to replace Biden for America’s leading role," according to Axios...

"Several feel deceived by the White House and top campaign officials for keeping Biden's age issues a secret while they promoted his candidacy and donated millions."

An example...

"Abigail Disney, a longtime Democratic supporter, told CNBC she planned to stop any contributions to the party "unless and until they replace Biden at the top of the ticket."

ABC News reports, "Wealthy Democratic donors sound alarm over Biden staying in race," and this is the call all over the current political spectrum. So why doesn.t President Biden answer the call and do the right thing? Now, when a new candidate can be groomed to beat Trump. The time is slipping away, if it isn't already too late. If I were Joe Biden, I would not want to go down in history as the one who helped in the destruction of democracy.

Please Mr. Biden, do it now.

The search for a termination to Trump violence

 

If supporter reaction is any indication as to the backing there is for Donald Trump violence, look at what the Daily Beast says happened right after his 34 count guilty verdict...

"Just moments following former President Donald Trump’s guilty verdict on 34 counts in his hush money case in New York, WinRed, the Republican fundraising platform, crashed due to an influx of supporters flocking to the site to donate to the presumptive Republican nominee."

And, yes, a dollar donated to Donald Trump is a dollar donated to violence. But, at the same time the left saw fit to also take advantage of the situation...

"However, Trump and his supporters weren’t the only ones who were fundraising off of the verdict. Democrats immediately started sending out emails asking for donations to their campaigns including Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Wiley Nickel (D-NC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee."

Meanwhille, a Republican Congress mirrors "Trump’s attacks on justice system and campaign of vengeance after guilty verdict," as reported by the Associated Press. This never ending idolatry for a certified lunatic has brought the GOP to the edge of disaster; their persistence has given them no choice but to continue a path of destruction. His detractors were quickly silenced...

"And those Republicans who expressed doubts about Trump’s innocence or political viability, including his former hawkish national security adviser John Bolton or top-tier Senate candidate Larry Hogan of Maryland, were instantly bullied by the former president’s enforcers and told to 'leave the party.'”

The Guardian reported, "‘No way out without bloodshed’: the right believe the US is under threat and are mobilizing." A sign by one of Trump's minions says, "Load Your Muskets," a call for violence if I ever heard one. Dan Bongino on Truth Social media said, “Pick a side, or YOU are next,” clearly a hostile threat to anyone who doesn't agree with these hypocritic turncoats. More from The Guardian, misinformation is pushing the drive to bring more Republicans into the fold...

"In one viral claim, people say it’s not clear what crimes Trump even committed (the charges for falsifying documents are listed in detail in the indictment, and have been broken down piece by piece by the media). In another, posts claim the judge gave incorrect instructions to the jury before deliberations, which an Associated Press fact check deemed false."

Salon says, "So far, however, Trump's open desire for more mob violence has not amounted to much." But that changed when SCOTUS recently "ruled in favor of a January 6 defendant who argued that he was wrongly convicted under a law criminalizing the obstruction of an official proceeding." It isn't clear yet the extent of this ruling, but it is certainly an opening to put these convicted rioters and murderers back on the street. They tried to take over the government through insurrection, defined as...

An act or instance of rising in revolt, rebellion, or resistance against civil authority or an established government.

Only idiots would deny what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, and apparently that includes the conservative justices of the Supreme Court.

ABC News finds 54 cases invoking 'Trump' in connection with violence, threats, alleged assaults with the following as an egregious example...

"After a Latino gas station attendant in Gainesville, Florida, was suddenly punched in the head by a white man, the victim could be heard on surveillance camera recounting the attacker’s own words: “He said, ‘This is for Trump.'" Charges were filed but the victim stopped pursuing them."

This is not the United States we know. This is not the Republican Party we have known. It is time to terminate the Donald Trump ideology of violence and bring this country back to its traditional self. 

 

JOE BIDEN: It's time to fish or cut bait

 

Bden Trump 2024 Debate

To begin with, there is no amount of political strategy that will take away the impressions garnered by those who saw Joe Biden's performance in last Thursday's debate with Donald Trump. In one case it was described as "dead man walking." It is said he had a cold, begging the question, could they have delayed the debate until he was better? Like the next day at Biden's North Carolina rally where the media described him as "energetic," "Jacked up," "re-energized." Still, Joe Biden is a gentleman politician with a fifty-year record as an outstanding statesman. So what does he do?

Since the first lady is his closest and most listened to adviser, and the fact that she praised the President's performance saying, "You did such a great job," negated her opportunity to be honest with her husband, having a realistic conversation with him about what had just happened. The Daily Beast says, "Jill Biden Must Step Up Now to Help Oust Her Husband." Think the word "oust' is a bit harsh, but it is the general feeling of the national and local media across the country that Joe Biden must go. There is an enormous amount at stake and Jill Biden plus his staff must make the President realize this.

Yes, 'it's the cognition stupid,' a line customized often as here, coined by James Carville in 1992 originally as "It's the economy stupid," for Bill Clinton's campaign. The word, cognition, has been around a long time but was brought back forcefully with The Washington Post describing Donald Trump...

"bragged about purportedly acing a widely used cognitive test that was administered to him when he was president, suggesting that the test included identifying drawings of three animals."

When in fact...

"The creator of the test in question, called the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, or MoCA, said it has never included the specific combination of animals described by Trump in any of its versions over the years."

But, of course, this could have been just another of Trump's lies; however, the media chose the more

seductive reason that he was having trouble with cognition. It is a buzz word now that comes up almost daily to describe either of the two men, so often repeated but is completely overlooked or denied by Trump supporters. The fact that Trump saw animals in the cognitive test sounds almost delusional and probably should be analyzed by a psychologist. And back to Joe Biden, Slate put it succinctly...

"The president got absolutely lost during Thursday night’s debate while attempting to make a point about … something, possibly Medicare enrollment, and it looked terrible."

The Financial Times says, "It is not too late for Joe Biden to go," an opinion by Edward Luce, who comments...

"The best that can be said of Joe Biden’s stumbling debate performance was that it took place in June. If he were pressed to step down as nominee there would still be two months to go before the Democratic convention. For Biden’s loyalists, who have always moved swiftly to shut down any hint of dissent about his candidacy, Thursday night was a moment of truth."

ABC News reported, "Biden addresses poor debate performance, attacks Trump at Raleigh rally," saying that...

"A senior campaign aide told ABC News that the president is "absolutely" not considering dropping out of the race after stumbling with answers and is committed to a second debate."

"The crowd constantly shouted, "Four more years," during the event which also included remarks from first lady Jill Biden."

These are the major considerations in Joe Biden's current predicament, and we're still experiencing the fallout. In post-debate comments, Donald Trump called President Biden "grossly incompetent." In a Washington Post article four years ago, by Daniel W. Drezner, he wrote about, "The unique incompetence of Donald Trump in a crisis," where he compared the missteps by the Obama administration in the 2014 Ebola crisis with Trump's 2020 inept handling of the Corona virus...

"The bureaucracy — composed of the experts dedicated to solving the problem — royally screwed up its initial handling of the crisis."

Biden spent the weekend at Camp David with family and close allies to discuss the situation. We may be surprised by what we hear from the White House today or later this week. One can only hope the right decisions are made. 

 

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... 

,"

Clarence Thomas wants to give domestic abusers guns with gun rights already absurdly exaggerated

 

Aging is something we either look forward to or dread. With today's political crazies, one can only wait...

Clarence and Ginni Thomas

There have already been 8,026 murders by a gun in 2024, 15,299 gun injuries and 245 mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive, But Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas says domestic abusers should own guns, while at the same time SCOTUS was upholding a federal law prohibiting domestic abusers under restraining orders from carrying firearms. Thomas was the only dissenter. Is he trying to persuade the gun industry now to shower him with money and gifts after having done this elsewhere for years and getting away with it?

The New Republic Reports...

"In his dissenting opinion in United States v. Rahimi, Thomas sided with gun rights advocates who opposed the rule, arguing that the other Supreme Court justices had somehow misunderstood a three-year-old opinion he’d written about gun regulation. In this case, however, Thomas only has himself to blame."

Just another case of confusing the issue in the name of gun rights in an attempt to keep the American public on the side of gun nuts. TNR says, "Thomas regularly points to historical tradition when trying to strip away people’s rights," as follows,,,

"Thomas argued that criminal prosecution is a good enough means of keeping guns out of the hands of those who would do harm, insisting that the government could not “strip the Second Amendment right of anyone subject to a protective order—even if he has never been accused or convicted of a crime.”

It is this absurd assumption that the 2nd Amendment is sacred, which is designed to skew the opinions in this country in order to put more guns on the street. There are almost 400 million out there in America with a total population of 341,784,755, more than one gun per person. Common sense tells you that with the huge capacity of this weaponry, you are bound to have more gun violence, and that is what we have in this country.

Also making sense is the idea of keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. Almost 60% of mass shootings are domestic violence related, where the perpetrator either killed family or intimate partners, with these statistics from The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence...

"On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men."

Yet, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wants to give domestic abusers guns. And, unrelated to this issue, but indicative of character, Thomas, along with his wife Ginni, is considered one of the most corrupt judges to sit on this high court. Pathetic!

 

The Republican Party festers racism

 

Dorothy Parker said, "People should be one of two things, young or dead." I am neither young nor dead, but...

Dorothy Parker at left with Algonquin Roundtable friends

   
 ...On a day to day basis I marvel at the utter tomfoolery of the Republican Party and am so grateful that I do not have that many more years to suffer the morons of the radical right. Yes, I am sure they will hang around a while whether in the minority or majority. This kind of cancer is near impossible to get rid of, espeecially with the force Trump supporters are using to prolong it. How can any sane, conscious individual still support Donald Trump after his recent Racine, WI, tirade where CNN's Daniel Dale caught him in 30 obvious lies; old news perhaps, but still pathetic.

Trump is a confirmed racist from Blacks to Muslims, and he has his followers. Valentina Gomez, a Republican candidate for Missouri secretary of stateValentina Gomez, a Republican candidate for Missouri secretary of state, said, Black Americans who do not like the country should "kindly" leave. At times I don't like this country, but that is a constitutional right we have in our democracy. Gomez is a Trump supporter who would agree with the idea to turn America into an authoritarian state. Obviously admitting she doesn't have the brains to think for herself.

In a recent Twitter video Gomez attacked Juneteenth and said: "If you don't like America, gtfo [get the f*** out]." Once again pointing out the classlessness of Trump followers. There is more of this diatribe but what is clear is that it is this kind of senseless dedication to the Trump cause that is threatening to destroy our democracy.  It's been said that Trump is the "most racist president in modern history," and beliefs like the following do confirm that argument...

"embracing birtherism, referring to African nations as 'shithole countries,' telling congresswomen of color to go back to where they came from, calling Mexican immigrants 'rapists,' refusing to denounce white supremacists during a presidential debate and so on."

We have to get rid of the ilk of Valentina Gomez and her absurd ideology. The way to do this is through the November election. BE SURE TO VOTE!

And,,,Take a left at the next conservative!

 

Donald Trump Says He Will Be Indicted On Tuesday

 

THAT'S TODAY...Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has brought the case to this point, now looking at a possible indictment. Trump's statements so far have been based only on what he has seen in the media with no direct contact with Bragg's office. The BBC says...

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

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

Here's the scenario according to Time...

"As part of Bragg’s investigation, Trump could face charges for falsifying business records when he allegedly reimbursed his then-personal attorney Michael Cohen for paying off Daniels. The hush-money deal, allegedly crafted weeks before his presidential win, could also put Trump in jeopardy of violating campaign finance laws."

You have to understand that Donald Trump is up against at least five investigations, covering everything from his possession of classified documents to his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Some have said in the past that the charges brought against him by the Atlanta Atty. Gen. for interference in the 2020 election could have the most impact and provide the best venue for prosecution. Back in Jan., charges were said to be imminent.

Will Donald Trump be indicted on Tuesday?...

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

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

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

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

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

Here's more...

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

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

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

 

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 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. 

 

 

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

 

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

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

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

And Hartmann comments... 

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

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

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

Infiltrating police departments and the enlisted ranks of the military

Taking over school boards and local boards of elections

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

Demonizing queer people and outlawing drag shows

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

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

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

 

Bestselling author Jodi Picoult's book, The Storyteller, a novel about the unlikely relationship between the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and an aging S.S. officer, was banned by southeast Florida’s Martin County. Of course, at the impetus of the state's dictatorial governor, Ron DeSantis. Another 20 of her books were also banned. The DailyBeast commented in shock...

”Picoult said in an email to The Washington Post, calling book bans a 'breach of freedom of speech and freedom of information. 'According to Picoult, most of her books have nary a kiss in them but do include 'gay characters, and issues like racism, disability, abortion rights, gun control, and other topics that might make a kid think differently from their parents.'”

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

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

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

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

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

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

WaPo continues...

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

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

"While DeSantis is not involved in choosing which books to remove, his 

Department of Education has issued guidance saying that schools should 'err on the side of caution' and to remove books that they wouldn't feel 'comfortable reading aloud.'"

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

Why Ron DeSantis is unacceptable on any level

 

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

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

 But listen to this...

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

 Here's the scenario...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“This isn’t just a press issue. This is a death-to-public-discourse bill. Everyone, even conservatives, would have to second-guess themselves whenever they open their mouths to speak or sit in front of a keyboard.”

'We Were Right, They Were Wrong": DeSantis Touts Florida Policies In 'State Of The State' Address...

But get this, DeSantis is going to run for President with this slogan, "We were right, they were wrong," referring to state policies on "freedom" and his handling of the Covid pandemic crisis. To this, AlterNet commented...

"But under DeSantis' leadership, the Sunshine State's results were far worse than nearly every other state in the nation."

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

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

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