Wlll Michael Cohen dump Trump to save himself?

The Gang-Trump-Stormy Daniels-Michael Cohen

There is no honor among politicians (my version of the "thieves" aphorism) and I wonder if it is just a matter of time before Michael Cohen decides to jump off the Donald Trump bandwagon and vie for himself. He should make his move soon, if he plans to, before the whole T-rump fiasco begins to spiral down into the depths it was destined to achieve from the beginning. Cohen has recently come, "under investigation in the Southern District of New York for possible campaign-finance violations and bank fraud." A perfect profile for the personal attorney to the President of the United States.

And then there is the Stormy Daniels issue, the porn star who claims to have had a 2006 affair with Trump, denied by same, but then the man recently admitted to the payoff of $130,000. That's a pretty hefty sum for a roll in the hay, even if he is a billionaire. This is all so bizarre, and it could only be allowed to go on this long with the idiots that populate the U.S. Congress. Democrats and Republicans. But wait, all of the above were put there by voters who were either uninformed or mentally incapacitated. I can say that because I didn't vote for any of them.

There's another $150,000 payment Cohen was involved in with Playboy model Karen McDougal, and Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti alleges there are more, saying on MSNBC...

"he has nearly completed reviewing claims from two additional women who said they signed similar, Cohen-negotiated NDAs for affairs they alleged to have had with the president."

You have to understand that all these agreements and payments were devised and signed to prevent these women from revealing that they were having an affair with a married man who was running for President of the United States. But even after the Oval Office lunatic was elected, this made absolutely no difference to his loyal supporters and the rest of the country has apparently said "ho-hum." And that's where the United States is right now, a ho-hum nation.

Oliver North just completed extensive NRA training

Oliver North-NRA's new propaganda master

One would expect no more from Oliver North, recently elected head of the National Rifle Assn., and true to the cause as dictated by NRA head, Wayne LaPierre, than to blame everything but guns on the Santa Fe, Texas massacre of 8 students and 2 teachers. This gun nut actually dismisses "the role of guns in a spate of recent high school shootings." North's words...

"the 'disease' causing such rampages is not firearms but 'youngsters who are steeped in a culture of violence' and who have “been drugged in many cases.”

Can you believe this idiot? The recent mass killings of students, according to North, are caused by everything but the guns used to commit the mayhem; guns, in this case, which were owned by his father and available to the shooter, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, because the father didn't secure them. Even if he had, Pagourtzis could have easily obtained one under the lax gun laws in Texas. And I don't remember the shooter being on drugs. What did happen, apparently, is bullying of this young man, but it takes some other contributing factor to make him resort to this kind of gun violence.

As has been the case in all the school bloodbaths, the availability of the weapons has been a key component in the carrying out of the shooter's mission. And the flags that are raised by most of the killers, like Pagourtzis wearing a black t-shirt with the inscription "Born to Kill." It isn't cute, nor something to snicker about; it is a serious statement that is a prediction of what that person might do. In this case, he did it. Didn't his parents see him in this shirt, or the students at Santa Fe High? We have become entirely too apathetic over these things, which only encourages the next incident.

Red Flag law should have prevented 10 deaths at Santa Fe, High

Ten people were killed, ten wounded at Santa Fe High School in Texas. The shooter was 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a student at the school. Reports say two guns were used in the attack, a shotgun and a .38 revolver, but I have also heard that Pagourtzis had an assault weapon, all legally owned by his father. As is the case with many gun owners, they don't secure their arsenal. CBS News notes that...

Dimitrios Pagourtzis

"Pagourtzis' social media pages showed multiple images of guns. He recently posted a photo wearing a t-shirt reading "Born to Kill" and there were also photos of a long green jacket with Nazi regalia."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott claims that, "unlike Parkland, unlike Sutherland Springs, there were not those types of warning signs." If wearing a t-shirt with the inscription "Born to Kill" isn't a warning sign of pending violence, the Governor of Texas must explain just what is. Abbott's reaction to the incident in this way is clearly designed to disguise the fact that his state of Texas does not yet have a Red Flag law...

"Red flag laws – also known as Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) or Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs) – enable law enforcement, and sometimes family members and other concerned parties, to petition a judge to remove guns from individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others."

If there is any law right now being considered in the gun control movement that should be enacted across the nation, immediately, it is the Red Flag law. Yes, there could be incidents where law enforcement makes the wrong move, but on the other hand, how many childrens' lives could be saved? Only nine states have the law, another fourteen considering it, but in twenty-eight states there is no law, nor are there any active bills. Check this article for the apathetical states like Texas who apparently care more about their guns that the lives of their children.

Trump connection?- You have guaranteed income

Some consider lobbyists the scum of the earth because they often influence legislation in Congress that is very bad for this country. The best example is the National Rifle Assn. and its gun rights laws. Over the years it has been connections that made lobbyists so effective, resulting in the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, which failed miserably. Politico found...

Nine years following the enactment of this bill, "352 people who left Congress alive since the law took effect in January 2008, POLITICO found that almost half (47 percent) have joined the influence industry: 84 as registered lobbyists and 80 others as policy advisers, strategic consultants, trade association chiefs, corporate government relations executives, affiliates of agenda-driven research institutes and leaders of political action committees or pressure groups."

But the epitome of connections has been those associations with Donald Trump, following his election. In a USA Today analyses...

"Lobbying firms managed by former campaign aides, fundraisers and others with ties to President Trump and Vice President Pence have collected at least $28 million in federal lobbying fees..."

Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, is an excellent example of what the Trump-buddy relationship can reap. He received more than $2.3 million in payments from corporate clients including $600,000 from AT&T and $1.2 million from Swiss drug firm Novartis. Cohen is now the target of a criminal investigation in New York. Ballard Partners is another large Washington lobbying firm and it claims to have "several well-known Democrats" on its staff. The Oval Office lunatic, as of this writing, has had no comment on lobbying activity.

Latest Donald Trump: Illegal Immigrants Aren't People

Said from a White House round table this past Wednesday while continuing...

“You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people. These are animals. And we’re taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that’s never happened before. And because of the weak laws, they come in fast, we get them, we release them, we get them again, we bring them out. It's crazy.”

Sounds like Donald Trump is running for 2020 with the same rhetoric he used in 2016. Author Clint Smith in Vanity Fair, pointed to the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide...

“It’s easy to dismiss what Trump said as nonsense . . . but there is a long tradition of entire groups of people being likened to animals before [and] during periods of mass violence against them."

Sarah Huckabee Sanders said T-rump was referring to only the MS-13 gang but after listening to the full manuscript it is, "abundantly clear that the president, while responding in part to a prompt regarding the MS-13 gang, was in fact speaking generally about illegal immigration." If this doesn't raise the ire of the Hispanic community to get out the vote this November and in 2010, they can only blame themselves.

Will Kaitlin Bennett soon succeed NRA's Dana Loesch

Kaitlin Bennett

Kaitlin Bennett is the epitome of an NRA trained gun nut, coming from a Republican Ohio family. What always amazes me about these people is that they play back almost to the word, the propaganda spewed by National Rifle Assn. head, Wayne LaPierre. Here are a couple of typical Bennett quotes...

“I believe that if the government has it, we should have it. Machine guns — any weaponry.”

“To make sure the government can’t go against the citizens, we should be able to protect ourselves against a tyrannical government.”

If she was talking about Donald Trump, at least she got that part right.

But the head gun nut couldn't have said it better, and Bennett's plans are to stay in Kent to continue her activism. If LaPierre and his minions are looking for someone to take the place of burned out Dana Loesch, this young lady should apply for the job. She's already appeared on Fox and Friends and has taken the time to insult David Hogg, Parkland survivor, so she certainly has the qualifications to work for the NRA. And she's had death threats, provoking this comment...

“I’m not nervous, because everyone knows that I’m armed. I don’t know why they would threaten an armed person.”

And that statement showcases the mentality of a true gun nut. Be safe Kaitlin. 

Did NRA cooperate with Russians and Trump in 2016 election?

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee issued a report Wednesday suggesting that Russia, "used connections to the NRA 'as a means of accessing and assisting Mr. Trump and his [2016] campaign.'" This Russian connection re. the influencing of the 2016 election in Donald Trump's favor becomes more bizarre by the week. The NRA reportedly did donate $30 million to Donald Trump's election campaign. And Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller has his investigation going but a McClatchy report in January said...

"the FBI was investigating whether a top Russian banker funneled money to the powerful gun lobby group [the NRA] to aid Trump's underdog campaign."

About that time Hillary Clinton was way over-confident being 25 points ahead. And this points out the fact so effectively, all it takes to elect an idiot to the Oval Office in this country is money. It's all quite complicated involving Alexander Torshin of Russia's central bank, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Maria Butina, a Torshin protege, who founded the Russian group Right to Bear Arms. During the campaign...

"Mr. Torshin, Ms. Butina, and their intermediaries repeatedly offered the campaign back channels to Russia and relayed requests from President Putin to meet with Mr. Trump,"

The NRA declined to disclose their sources of "dark" contributions received, those identified are not required to be made public. With this dark money remaining secret, if the NRA really wanted to prove their innocence in this issue, they would certainly want to release these records. Barring this release, it is appropriate to be suspicious of Wayne LaPierre's National Rifle Assn. as a co-conspirator in the Russian election investigation.

Does Rex Tillerson still think today Donald Trump is a moron?

Rex Tillerson tells the truth

It was pretty well established that in a meeting in 2017, the then Secretary of State called Donald Trump a moron. Later he was removed from office but recently commented...

"If our leaders seek to conceal the truth, or we as people become accepting of alternative realities that are no longer grounded in facts, then we as American citizens are on a pathway to relinquishing our freedom."

Wow, this competent and well-respected man will not go quietly, and still puts forth the feeling that this country is being led by...a moron? During his tenure at state, his boss Donald Trump, "said more than 3,000 things that were either misleading or totally false during his first year in office -- a rate of more than six mistruths a day," as reported by CNN. That is a record I don't think any president in the future will even come close to. It is also a shocking record for the President of the United States. The kind of conduct you would expect from a dictator. On second thought, why not?

In a 2017 Quinnipiac University poll the question was asked, “What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of President Trump?” The answer...

"A total of 53 people responded with the word idiot, 44 with liar and 36 with incompetent. Another 26 people gave the response a**hole, while 19 respondents said moron, 18 said arrogant and 17 said disgusting.”

It wasn't all bad for Trump. In another Quinnipiac poll, voters did say they disapproved of the job he’s doing by a margin of 57 percent to 37 percent. But as a first-year president, "35 respondents gave pollsters the word 'leader' and the same number picked 'strong,' while 21 answered 'great.'”

Still not enough. We agree with Tillerson, Donald Trump is a moron.

Mass killing ten Texas students without assault weapon

Dimitrios Pagourtzis

Well now we know that you can take out 10 students in a high school using a shotgun a .38 and some bombs. No AR-15, just plain old everyday killing tools. 10 killed with the killer in custody who admitted he didn't have the courage to commit suicide. It was the Santa Fe, TX high school and the shooter's name is Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a seventeen-year-old. I am really beginning to wonder if this kind of thing has become so common the American public actually no longer gives a shit? OK folks, wait until it hits your high school.

Note: Later sources indicate there was an assault rifle in Pagourtzis' possession; no indication yet if it was used.

EU's Tusk deems Trump and U.S. an unreliable ally

Donald Tusk

Those uninformed doormat supporters of Donald Trump who say he is in there "kicking ass" and getting things done just had that mentality shoved down their throats with a harsh rebuke from the President of the European Union, Donald Tusk, making the following remark...

"Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, some could even think, ‘With friends like that, who needs enemies?’”

America has always been a nation that prides itself in its individuality while cooperating with other countries around the world. Yes, there have been tiffs with the likes of Russia, China and North Korea, but we have been fortunate in solving most disagreements with diplomacy. Another option is war, one of which the Democrats got us into in Vietnam, the most recent by Republicans, and much worse, in Afghanistan and Iraq. But then there's Donald Trump, and his willingness to withdraw from the Iran deal and the threat of a transatlantic trade war, reported by the Guardian.

As the most powerful country in the world--and we are on the precipice of losing that--we should lead, not dictate. The UK, France and Germany have decided to stay with the joint plan against Iran because those in charge of the three countries are smart enough to see the diplomatic benefits over starting a war in the middle east. John Bolton was brought into the White precisely for decisions like the one on Iran. Bolton is known to believe that the U.S.'s strength enables it to bully nations all over the world, even taking on China in the South China Sea.

Right now, the nations of the European Union are our closest friends, the kind we desperately need as Russia and China continue to rattle their sabers, and North Korea, with another lunatic at the helm, could go postal any day. It's is imperative to stand up for what you believe but most sophisticated individuals solve their problems with negotiations. 

2016 Trump voters ignorant but not poor

Foreign Policy Magazine says what we already know, that Trump did win in 2016, but adds that he was elected because voters are "ignorant literally." And these poor souls who elected him aren't in the low-income bracket as some have maintained, their average income is $72,000 per year. U.S. median household income is $55,760. Although a Pew study of voters from both parties claims that Republican voters are more informed than Democrats, Foreign Policy states those who put this lunatic in the Oval Office are definitely uninformed. Findings from political scientists studying the issue for well over 65 years...

"Voters generally know who the president is but not much else. They don’t know which party controls Congress, what Congress has done recently, whether the economy is getting better or worse (or by how much)."

This is why we end up with morons like Donald Trump in the White House. Precisely why we also have the idiots we do in Congress, and we can't get rid of either. Yet. FP would have us believe it is not because voters are stupid--something I quickly disagree with, at least some of them--rather they don't do their research. And that in itself is stupid when it comes to the responsibility of voting, particularly in the shape this country is in under Republicans.  I'll leave you with this...

The great political scientist Philip Converse once said: “The two simplest truths I know about the distribution of political information in moderate electorates are that the mean is low and variance is high.”

Sean Hannity wishes Donald Trump beddy bye every night

I don't know if Hannity says 'cuddle up and sleep nice,' but he does place a call each evening at 10PM following his Fox News show at nine in New York. The Independent News calls this, "both laughable and worrying, considering the crazy stuff that pours out of Hannity’s mouth constantly, and undoubtedly into Trump’s empty head." This could account for some of T-rump's middle-of-the-night tweets that are completely off the grid. Apparently even Trump calls Hannity back sometimes holding conversations that don't disturb Melania since she sleeps in another bedroom.

Here's what Rob Reiner tweeted...

"We’re told that Trump whisperer Sean Hannity and the pathological liar engage in pillow talk every night. Comforting to know that the fate of democracy and the free world rests in the hands of a ventriloquist and his dummy."

Another said...

"I wouldn't be shocked to learn Trump's first question to Hannity every night is, 'What are you wearing?'"

Only a bunch of uninformed morons would support a president that pulls the crap that this man does. But the tragedy of it all is the idiots in Congress that allow it to continue. I no longer think November will be a landslide to the left, but I cannot believe there won't be a reckoning. I'll leave you with this commentary by Stephen Colbert you find here on Salon.

Scandal is Donald Trump's new middle name

Donald Trump-Stormy Daniels

Scandal forced Richard Nixon out of office, almost got Bill Clinton, but Donald Trump is the enigma of the political century. It started with the Russians, to influence the 2016 election, angled over to paying off porn star, Stormy Daniels, careening next to Michael Cohen's influence peddling. The Oval Office lunatic is either ignoring the uproar, or he really is too stupid to realize the deep shit he is in. Lanny Davis, the former Clinton attorney who now specializes in crisis management said...

"Usually in crisis management, you have a terrible week, and your first rule is to get it all over with. In the case of Trump, he seems to not care."

And the irony of all this is that special prosecutor, Robert Mueller, is not the predator, rather career prosecutors in New York, going after Trump through his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. USA Today reports that "At least 27 times over the past two weeks, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders and her deputies have referred questions about the controversies to the [personal] lawyers. So, does this mean that with time Trump's ratings will decrease and he will no longer be able to bargain with Congress? That could bring about more chaos in the GOP, which won't bode well for November.

Religious affiliation down as more elect to be "nones"

"Nones" of another variety than we're used to in the Catholic Church, and, of course, spelled different, are the driving force in religion as we know it today. They are either "atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular,” according to the American Family Survey Their numbers are 34% of all Americans with Protestants trailing at 33%, Catholicism 21% in this late 2017 study. I have said for years that the primary thing wrong with religion is the organized church and continue to believe it is precisely that which is creating this new important group.

Other factors accounting for the exodus are the strict disciplines that have often harsh requirements in order for the congregation to participate, like the Catholic faith, but then there is the latest barrier, an LGBTQ community that isn't welcome, especially by Evangelicals. Here are passages from the Bible re. homosexuality...

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. (Leviticus 18:22)

If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. (Leviticus 20:13)

According to one source "The word “homosexuality” didn’t even show up in English translations of the Bible until 1946," so Bible thumpers can't really trace it back to the original scriptures. And that brings about another theory of mine, the Bible is a book written by men who, even if inspired by the holy events of the day, nevertheless were people like us. Prone to mistakes, which in many cases account for confusions found in translation after translation. But the obstacles against the LGBTQ group is only one problem for the church; with so many more, the "nones" are sure to proliferate.

International gun control gets in the act

Probably most of us have not thought enough about international gun control when the situation is so bad in this country, far surpassing those of other industrialized nations like the U.S. As an example, this country had 3.85 gun deaths per 100,000 population in 2016 compared to Japan .04, China .06, United Kingdom .07, and Germany .12. There's more but you get the idea. The international conference was about eliminating the trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons, but has several other aspects to its agenda...

• Exert greater control over ammunition
• Support women’s participation in small arms control
• Crack down on illicit trade in small arms and ammunition
• Strengthen legislation to disarm domestic violence abusers

They also want to address things like guns in the home, a problem very prevalent in the U.S. since 1.7 million children live with unlocked, loaded guns in this country. Did you know that 91% of all children who die from firearms in high-income countries across the world come from the United States. So, the high level of gun violence and the need to fix it is not debatable. And since the Mary Stoneman massacre, the right button seems to have been pushed, and the gun control movement has gained a momentum that just may be both deep-rooted and enduring.

New Jersey has a grip on gun control

The 2nd Amendment gun nuts are all in a dither over the release by New Jersey of federal information on "near-real-time firearms trafficking data." They refer to the 1996 Dickey Amendment, which forbids using the feds budget to do gun violence research. The NRA and its brainless membership have been dreading this for some time, knowing full well that, with the brutal facts out in the open, the American public might come to their senses and take up opposition to gun violence. What is so pitiful is it has taken so many gun deaths, including hundreds of children, to get here.

"Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy unveiled the data Tuesday as part of a campaign promise to strengthen New Jersey's already-tight gun laws." One of the facts" "77 percent of guns used in crimes in New Jersey come from out of state." Which would indicate they are bringing in guns from states with the loosest gun laws like Arizona, Kansas, Mississippi, or closer Vermont. New Jersey has promised to release this information from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on a monthly basis. More states should do this in line with enacting new gun control laws.

Did Facebook elect Donald Trump?

Typical Facebook 2016 Election ad

Headlines have proclaimed that thousands of ads were purchased by Russians, some posing as Americans, designed to elect Donald Trump in 2016. If the idea was to force the U.S. into chaos, then they accomplished their purpose. Facebook says they were actually purchased by the Kremlin and, even when considering 1st Amendment rights, it raises the question of whether or not this is considered an act of hostility against the American government. Of course, T-rump and his pathetic supporters would say no, it is just business as usual, in the good old Republican way.

Facebook even admits the ads were meant, "to sway public sentiment," and claims to be placing safeguards in place to prevent manipulation of future elections. But the question arises, is the American public so easily swayed, basically uninformed, so downright stupid that a Facebook ad could decide their vote? If so, this country has become a massive field of what I call apathetics, those who are completely out of tune, and really don't care. The most frightening side of the ads was their bent toward racism as well as to create unrest on gay rights and gun rights.

If Facebook did elect Donald Trump, we are in more trouble than we ever realized.

NRA still doesn't want public to know true gun violence statistics

The National Rifle Assn. pushed through the Dickey Amendment in 1996, gun legislation that prevents, "the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from using funds 'to advocate or promote gun control.'" Naturally it is in the best interest of this violence promoting organization to keep the true facts from the public. According to Health, "Of the 30 leading causes of death in the United States, gun violence is the least researched." And the Brady organization reports, on an average day 96 people die from gun violence. But the NRA refuses to accept these figures.

I have followed David Hemenway, director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center for years and despite the NRA's head gun nut, Wayne LaPierre, he is making progress in documenting and publishing about gun violence. He regularly side-steps the Dickey Amendment which prevents "the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from using funds 'to advocate or promote gun control.'" It's a stupid law meant only to hide the facts that gun violence is completely out of control, to keep it all secret so a stupid Congress doesn't have to face the facts.

Actually, gun violence research has proliferated over the past few years thanks to people like David Hemenway and with the help of universities, think tanks and private philanthropy. Even states like California are beginning to recognize the problem and then "governors from six northeastern states and Puerto Rico announced plans to launch a research consortium to study the issue. "A gun in the home increases the risk of someone in that home dying from suicide maybe threefold, and the evidence is overwhelming," Hemenway says. The NRA, and the public, must face up to these facts.

Trump's bait and switch on reducing drug costs

Mouth open as usual but no substance

Bait and switch is alive and well in the Trump administration and, as usual, the American consumer is the loser. Instead of going direct to the source of ridiculously high U.S. drug prices, the greed of pharmaceutical companies, he appeals to foreign markets to adjust their prices, That has to be one of the stupidest  moves Donald Trump has made since entering office. Besides, health experts say it wouldn't work anyway because the American drug industry wouldn't cooperate. Why should they? As an example, Medicare, one of its largest markets, isn't required to negotiate its drug pricing.

After Trump's speech, shares of major drugmakers, insurers and PBMs, pharmacy benefit managers, rose. Warren Buffett called the cost of healthcare "insane," and he, along with Chase Bank and Amazon hope to, "create a health care system that costs less and gets better results." for its employees. Talk is that could even accommodate other companies in the future. And that brought down the stocks of insurers and pharmaceutical companies. This would bring to mind that competition is no longer fair in the business world, now favoring large corporations and the wealthy.

Has anyone doubted that for some time?

Not one iota of your life is private anymore

For years I labored as a privacy blogger to convince the public they should be concerned over the loss of their privacy. Protect your data, I would tell them, even going to the extent of suggesting individuals should own their personal information, companies having to get your permission to use it, paying you for the privilege. No one was interested and out of all this I coined the term, 'apathetics,' for the individuals who stood by indifferently, watching their private data collected in databases around the world.

I finally threw up my hands and said, 'If you don't give a shit, why should I,' and turned my interest to political blogging. I can assure you the time to protect your personal information is long past; given time, almost anyone can go to the Internet underground and buy your Social Security number for five bucks. I still refuse to give mine out just because of the principal of it. Now Google is talking about selling the future, "powered by your personal data." Facebook, because of the use of its users' private information is in trouble with the feds. I hate to say it, but I told you so.

John Bolton is a cautious enigma

John Bolton

With John Bolton now in Donald Trump's cabinet as the new national security adviser, one doesn't know whether to head for the bomb shelter or just hang around to see how long it takes
T-rump to fire him. In either case, he was a major factor in the decision to quit the Iran deal, but on that note itself, there is a modicum of doubt if the agreement really did any good. The question is, as it has been for some time, when it comes to these "rogue" states, do we go for regime change or continue to settle for diplomacy? Spectator/USA thinks Bolton's war mongering is overstated, even in Iran's proclamations, ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to America.’ Only time will tell.

Immigration tops gun control in November voting

I know immigration reform is an issue that must be addressed, but currently more lives are at stake in the matter of getting guns off the street. Especially since much of the targeting has been children in respect to mass shootings. I was more than a little surprised to see a recent poll by Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Business and Economics Polling name immigration as the number one issue this fall. Now this is Florida voters in the state where the most recent gun violence massacre occurred, Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. You have to wonder if this is because Florida has such loose gun laws with the NRA's leading lobbyist, Marion Hammer, in residence, or is this predicting the familiar trend after major gun violence...back to public apathy.

Have democrats lost their edge? Not surprised!

A new CNN poll shows that the earlier held 18-point spread the Dems held for November is down to just 3. But then the results are qualified with the fact that the results follow closely with Trump's favorability, and the new average for Democrats is seven, not three on a generic ballot.

"The generic ballot is a poll question that asks voters whether they’ll vote for Democrats or Republicans for Congress, and historically it’s been a decent predictor of the House popular vote."     The NY Times

About 45% of the voting public feel enthusiastic about voting in November' the general turnout in midterm elections is 40%. The earlier figure is around the same for both Democrats and Republicans. A big consideration right now is Donald Trump's meeting with Kim Jong un. If it goes well--and we have to hope it does regardless---then we can expect T-rump's favorability to rise even more. To say the least, November will be interesting.

Parkland students think Oliver North perfect for NRA

Charlton Heston

Oliver North's sleezy background with Iran-Contra qualifies him as the devious type to be a leader for the National Rifle Assn. He'll obviously get more training from NRA head Wayne LaPierre, the leader in deviousness. Apparently, activists splashed fake blood at the house of Chris Cox, the NRA's chief lobbyist and leading purveyor of the organization's enormous trove of propaganda. This prompted North to call it "civil terrorism" adding, the NRA was the target of a “cyberwar.” I won't even begin to count the number of gun violence deaths just in 2018, but it takes 18 pages to cover all of them. I don't know who's worse, North or Charlton Heston, but I think most of us agree, the NRA has to go!

Why are young people dumping religion?

Pope Francis with lamb

Some of this can be attributed to Donald Trump's claims of being so Christian, when in fact he does nothing but un-Christian things. Like ceaseless lying and adultery. But E.J. Dionne thinks faith has taken its worse hit from the "Republican Party's alliance with the religious right." You're talking about 26% of the voting population, who recently witnessed Speaker Paul Ryan try to oust the House chaplain, a move that was typically Republican. I have an opinion that many folks out there now look up to Pope Francis as the kind of religious leader worth listening to, like Billy Graham was. However, most aren't willing to make the switch to Catholicism so they admire him like I do. There aren't too many like that left.

Monkey see Trump do, Monkey do like Trump

Kelly Sadler_Mouth open once too often

Special assistant Kelly Sadler, a Trump aide, showed she can demonstrate complete lack of class as much as her boss, Donald T-rump. When John McCain voiced opposition to Gina Haspel, as new CIA Director, Sadler commented, “It doesn’t matter, he’s dying anyway,” McCain has been diagnosed with brain cancer with an unknown future. It's hard to get any lower.

Internet will never be the same

The FTC has overturned 2015 rules governing net neutrality. Democrats think they have the votes to reverse the Republican move. Stay tuned to Nasty Jack for how new measure affects your Internet experience, starting June 11.

AI is scary but fun

HAL of Space Odyssey

I worked with AI, Artificial Intelligence, for several years in the junk mail business when I was creating computer models that would determine just where to find a catalog company's best and most profitable customers. Yes, it's been around for several years but wasn't really known outside that limited community of analysts and statisticians until recently. It worked. I purchased a computer program, all-told cost me $25,000, that literally did all my thinking in relation to telling my clients where to mail their catalogs. Output was very expensive, which limited those able to pay the price.

I tell you this to illustrate the fact that you can program a machine (most computers) to think like a human, draw conclusions and make valid predictions. In the same vein, it is possible for these same machines to perform normal household tasks, including what is in the Google AI article, making a call that sounds like a human being. Robots replaced human beings long ago on auto assembly lines, as well as other automated businesses. Remember HAL from Space Odyssey? Started out a team player but turns on his makers and controllers. This was 2001. We're way beyond this today.

Can't imagine an Internet without neutrality

Net neutrality, according to Google, is "the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites." A Republican Congress wants to repeal...

"The rules, put in place in 2015 when the FCC was controlled by Democrats, prohibited internet-service providers from selling faster delivery of certain data, slowing speeds for specific content and blocking or otherwise discriminating against any legal online material."   from the LA Times.

Amazon, Facebook, Google and Netflix are all in favor of net neutrality, which would normally raise a red flag for consumers, but Consumers Union Calls FCC’s Net Neutrality Effort “Chilling.”   Jonathan Schwantes, senior policy counsel for Consumers Union says, “Protecting net neutrality means preserving the internet as it was designed — a free, open platform for all that has spurred tremendous competition and innovation." But some Republicans say the Democrats are just politicizing the issue, because they can never win against the House and Trump's signature.

Donald Trump and his GOP minions have been knocking off all programs that favor consumers to put the business community in complete control of our lives. One Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, thinks it's wrong and is part of the group fighting the loss of net neutrality. Here's a list of the numerous rights the voting public has lost under T-rump.

Iran decision just another in line of ending Obama programs

Trump and John Bolton

The man sitting in the Oval Office today is still as incompetent and dull-witted as the day he took office. No matter what success he has had in real estate--most of which is questionable--he is still a loser. He remains in office simply due to the poor, uninformed souls that support him and a Congress riddled with idiots and morons who are equally as incompetent as Donald Trump. It is all a travesty for this country, one that has set us back ages in the eyes of the rest of the world. And just yesterday he revoked another of Barack Obama's accomplishments, just because Obama's name was on it.

He tried this on Obamacare but some thoughtful congressional leaders wouldn't permit it. However, the Iran deal didn't require a vote of Congress so Donald dufus went on his merry way of destruction and repealed an action that many believe was keeping the Middle-East semi reticent. Was this the result of the recent addition of John Bolton to Trump's staff? This warmonger still believes the Iraq war was right and that "pre-emptive war with Iran and North Korea is the right call." I'll leave you with a list of now undone programs from past administrations. Basically, his only accomplishments.

Pro gun control folks must vote Democrat in November

Wayne LaPierre, NRA head executioner

National Public Radio has gone to a lot of trouble to compile a report on how state Senators and representatives have voted on gun control in the past, which is a fair indication of how you can expect them to vote in the future. With one exception. Since the Parkland, Florida gun massacre where 17 students and teachers were killed, the mood has changed slightly in Congress. Atlantic Magazine says Republicans are afraid of primary challengers to the gun lobby this election and "appear ready to abandon these concerns [fear of the NRA] in favor of a more proactive response to gun violence."

As an example, when you look at the NPR study, it is completely one-sided in votes on gun control, divided as you would expect with the left for and the right against. There was one particularly troubling item, mental health and gun control, where all but two Republican House members had voted against along with six Democrats. There was the same proportionate vote in the Senate. The point is, if you were convinced that Parkland was something that will definitely continue, and you want to stop it and all gun violence, pick your candidates carefully in November.

Between Trump and Giuliani, Stormy Daniels will end up President

Rudy Giuliani and MOUTH

Let's just look at this scenario. We have a famous porn queen that claims she had a tryst with Donald Trump, which he denies. She was paid $130,000 to keep quiet. And now enters former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as Trump's top attorney, replacing someone with what looked like solid legal credentials, contrary to the mouth-only talent of Giuliani. The latest is the Oval Office lunatic is unhappy with Rudy, since he can't close the deal on Stormy. Folks, this is the President of the United States, supposedly the most powerful person in the world and not another episode of the soap opera As the World Turns. Trump supporters look at this and say, 'As long as Donald Trump does it, it is OK.' Congress looks at him and says, 'As long as he keeps doing these asinine things, we don't look so stupid.'

Wrong on both counts

John McCain "cunning promoter of his own self-interest"

John, Cindy McCain

The above is a line from Stephen Lemons in FrontPageConfidential. Lemons also writes for the Phoenix New Times and speaks his mind in a way that the informed among us understand. He said the above about McCain adding that he has, "a knack for playing both sides of an issue to his advantage." Like being for immigration and then being against it. He prevented efforts to repeal Obamacare and then voted for Trump's tax plan for the wealthy. He rails against campaign contributions from special interest groups, yet he rakes in contributions from those same groups. He is tops in money received from the National Rifle Assn. And he has a dark side you can see here in his quote from 1998...

Do you know why Chelsea Clinton is so ugly?
Because Janet Reno is her father

Another fact...

"Few know that he left his handicapped first wife for a fetching beer heiress whose father gave him a job and a leg up in politics."

John McCain's been a has-been for years and now for the sake of Arizona and the country, should resign from the Senate and spend his time left in beautiful Sedona enjoying life away from Washington. 

Marco Rubio partly right on tax cut

Rubio-Trump

There have been limited bonuses given, little real investment in the American worker, and employment has been in a steady cycle of improvement for awhile, but think Marco Rubio is on the right track, Donald Trump's tax bill still for the wealthy and corporations, not the workers. Rubio says after the weak corporate response above, “In fact, they bought back shares, a few gave out bonuses; there’s no evidence whatsoever that the money’s been massively poured back into the American worker.” And an interesting claim that everyone seems to be ignoring, sure we can bring back the car business to the U.S., but since it is almost all automated, it won't help the American work force.

Is boycotting NRA companies working

We quit buying from Amazon over 10 days ago after placing at least one order per week over the past year or so. We have actually found equitable quality and discounts elsewhere but not always free shipping as with Prime. Bloomberg says Jeff Bezos cares more about "free speech principles" in the fight to sever Amazon's relationship with the National Rifle Assn., than he does about what his customers think about the fact the NRA is responsible for so many childrens' deaths. Some would call that commendable. I call it cowardice because he is afraid of the NRA.

The Bloomberg article says to turn our attention away from boycotting companies like Amazon and concentrate on the people who make guns. Companies like Sturm Ruger, Remington Outdoor, Smith & Wesson, Glock, Big Sauer, O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Savage, Springfield Armory and others. These are the people who make the guns that the NRA works so hard to put thousands of on the street. Large chains like Dick's Sporting Goods, Walmart, LL Bean and REI taking a stand against guns is helping convince the public that firearms in general are bad for this country.

Sales of guns are down under Trump, probably because of the unknowns involved, and maybe even due to the possibility that a lot more people are coming to their senses, realizing that guns do kill. It won't bring back the hundreds of children that have lost their lives, and thousands of adults due to violence. But it could sure paint a much more optimistic picture for the future if we did start getting rid of guns. The time is now!

When Republicans back gun control you know you've won

VOTE NOVEMBER 6

We may not be all the way there yet but when six out of eleven incumbent Republican congressmen are running scared for November, you know your momentum is building. I am talking gun control, and I am referring to Republicans who have publicly embraced new gun control to save their butts in an upcoming election shaping up to be all about gun violence in this country. Gun control tops the list of public voter priorities for November, alongside immigration reform. Support for the issue is the highest ever at 70 percent.

Since the GOP will have to depend on moderates and Independents to win this Fall, it is expected that the Democrats will swoop right in with a renewed drive to take away these seats handily, considering they are so vulnerable after the Parkland, Fla. gun massacre. Yeah...sure. The Dems have completely forgotten how to swoop and they sure as hell don't have any drive. Now is the time for Bernie Sanders to get solidly behind gun control and bring all Progressives to the voting booth in November. If he doesn't, I will be very disappointed in the man and sorry I voted for him in 2016.

The NRA can be taken over by children. Here's how.

Why not? Children are the only age group that appears intelligent enough with the desire to pass reasonable gun control legislation. Certainly not the idiots that populate the U.S. Congress and absolutely not the lunatic in the White House. GQ reports it would take about 350,000 new members joining the National Rifle Assn. to out vote the bare 6 to 7 percent who currently vote on NRA issues. Enlist Michael Bloomberg founder of Everytown for Gun Safety to underwrite the $12,250,000 necessary to pay the dues of the 350,000,000. Once they are in they can take over the NRA by vote.

Call a vote and fire the current board, electing one from the new members. Then, the new board votes to oust its Executive V.P. Wayne LaPierre. Next, the board fires the staff of the National Rifle Assn., selling its building and other assets, donating it all to the cause of gun control. Some of the proceeds could be used to reimburse at least some of the $12.5 M Bloomberg extended for memberships. Finally, the board votes to dissolve the NRA and retires its name in a way it can never be used again. This could be a neat package to get rid of much of the gun violence by disposing of the NRA.

Whadda ya think? Gun nuts welcome.

Gun control tops list of voter 2018 demands

Yes, along with Immigration and Border Security, Gun Control draws largest percentage when asked what would affect your vote most for Congress in 2018. And the voting public doesn't want members in Congress who will cooperate with Donald Trump, rather, those who will fight him, 58% to 32%. A businessman even said, getting a Congress that would impeach Trump would be "pretty interesting." In another case, a Republican from Nebraska said it seemed so like the Democrats would win in November, they probably wouldn't bother to vote. Now that's a switch.

This all follows a recent CNN poll that found, "Support for stricter gun control laws in the U.S. is the highest it has been in a quarter of a century..." by 70 percent. According to Newsweek, it was only 52% after the October mass shooting in Las Vegas. And the blame is being placed exactly where it belongs, on the National Rifle Assn. and its leader Wayne LaPierre. Even people who live in a household that owns guns vote 50% for stricter gun laws. It is all fanfare by LaPierre and his NRA to sell more guns for the weapons manufacturers they represent, not NRA members.

Corporate America tells NRA to screw itself

It's happening all over the country right now with some of the largest industry giants deciding to sever all ties with the National Rifle Assn. after the Parkland, Fla., recent gun massacre. The NRA's response, a "shameful display of political and civic cowardice." It is beyond me how this organization can criticize anyone or any company with their record of killing so many innocent children and adults with the obstacles they have created for years that have prevented any reasonable gun control legislation. It all started with head gun nut Wayne LaPierre's reverence for the 2nd Amendment.

Most Americans believe the 2nd's protection of gun ownership is unquestionable, set in stone. It isn't. In fact, LaPierre's interpretation of the Amendment is far from what constitutional scholars say, even what the Supreme Court has ruled. And now the 2nd Amendment may have its day in court with the outcome a severe adjustment, or even repeal. We can only hope. Here are the companies that have dumped the NRA so far:

Alamo Rent a Car                                          
Allied Van Lines
Avis Budget Group
Best Western
Budget
Chubb Insurance
Delta Air Lines
Dick's Sporting Goods
Enterprise Rent-a-Car
First National Bank of Omaha
Hertz
MetLife
National Car Rental
North American Van Lines
Paramount Rx
SimpliSafe
Starkey Hearing Technologies
Symantec
TrueCar
United Airline

Recently Dicks Sporting Goods, LL Bean, Kroger's Meyers stores and Walmart took away the right to buy a gun under age 21. REI is refusing to sell to any company that supports the NRA. Recently Smith & Wesson reported a slump in gun sales starting in 2017 after years of steady increases. They're all running scared and the NRA leads the pack. Folks, guns have finally become the pariah they should have years ago. The question is whether or not Congress gets the message and turns away from the NRA and toward the 65% of Americans who favor more stringent gun laws.

Want to see how your Congress person has voted on gun bills? Go here.

The reason gun control legislation is not passing

Chuck Schumer-Nancy Pelosi-Completely out of touch

I have been saying this for over two years now, the Democratic Party is completely out of touch and should be replaced. Rolling Stone just clarified one primary reason this exists: The Dems have been the leading stumbling block in passing gun control legislation. After the Las Vegas gun massacre of 58 people, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee warned candidates not to "politicize" the shooting. Here are the exact words...

"You and your candidate will be understandably outraged and upset, as will your community. However, DO NOT POLITICIZE IT TODAY. There will be time for politics and policy discussion, but any message today should be on offering thoughts/prayers for victims and their families, and thanking 1st responders who saved lives."

Couldn't have been written any better by the National Rifle Assn., coming right from the mouth of Wayne LaPierre. My God, when is the time to talk about 58 innocent people who were shot by a maniac that shouldn't have had a gun, with a bump stock that shouldn't have ever been legalized in the first place. The wealthy Democrats who donate to the Party are afraid of going up against the 2nd Amendment. I say SCREW THE 2ND AMENDMENT! Should have been replaced long ago. Guns are not necessary, even for protection; I'm 85 years old and have never had the need for one.

The NRA has scared the wits out of most politicians with weak spines, which is the majority of this Congress, and the Democratic Party has followed suit with conservatives that prefer their gun rights over legislation that would prevent the vicious murder of children. To me it's a ridiculous choice: Take the guns off the street or allow 1,297 to die by a gun, 5,790 injured. To me it is a simple choice. It's up to the American public to make that choice, and if they don't do it soon, there will most certainly be a next time. And that number could be a hundred killed, maybe two-hundred. Pathetic!