MARK TWAIN: "The truth has no defense against a fool determined to believe a lie"

The headline is a Mark Twain quote. And it precisely describes the predicament the good people of this country find themselves in the fight against Donald Trump's lies and the supporting morons that believe him. Think about it...these lost souls are probably in double-digit territory in connection with their mental status and follow the Oval Office lunatic without the slightest hesitation nor evidence of reality. Donald Trump is a habitual liar. Some of his nominated administration misfits are liars. And there you have the blueprint for Trump 2.0.

Guess what...it couldn't have been that long after his inauguration that Trump shifted to his usual deluding, con-artist roll. In comparison to his inaugural address, in the speech at Emancipation Hall there were a lot of lies told, many of them familiar, according to CNN's Jake Tapper, along with Daniel Dale, the network's famous fact-checker. Dale's retort to Tapper was...

"There were a bunch, Jake."

There's more...

Dale noted that while there was only a "smattering of falsehoods" in Trump's "scripted" inaugural speech, he "returned to his familiar lie-a-minute style" during the "unscripted" Emancipation Hall speech.

Here we go...

"He [Trump] said the 2020 election was totally rigged," Dale told Tapper. "We know that's a lie. He said his opponents tried to rig it this time; that is more nonsense. He said California Democrats tried to cheat, and that he thinks he would have won the state this time if it were not rigged. Well, it was a free and fair election in that state as well; he lost by more than three million votes."

For the seven-hundredth time, we are hearing the same 2020 steal story, one that has been disproven over seven-hundred times, which must indicate some level of dementia, or just that Donald Trump is stupid. Remember Kari Lake? She was a loyal Trump fan who used the same strategy but in respect to her loss of the Arizona governor's election. Arizonans, of which I am one, grew tired of Lake's whining and decided to give her another defeat when Ruben Gallego beat her in the Senate race.

"The CNN fact-checker also debunked Trump's false claims about the January 6,

 

2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building."

Sarah K. Burris in AlterNet calls Trump 'One million percent total insane' for his claim that California's wildfires were being allowed to spread “without even a token of defense.” Here's the scenario...

"What an insult to all the amazing firefighters who put their lives on the line to bring the LA fires under control! Trump starts out with a speech filled with massive lies, deceit, insults as he trashes the country to uplift his own deviance," she said on X.

Another writer in this article spoke about Donald Trump' ignorance about what "asylum" means. It seems that Trump believes that the immigrants seeking asylum are also those who come from insane asylums and are being sent to the U.S. MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan, thinks Stephen Miller may have written Trump's speech and could be behind the inane idea that asylum-seekers are coming from mental asylums. And, of course, the White House maniac couldn't speak too long without taking a shot at Joe Biden...

New York Times reporter Glenn Thrush noted Trump is already preparing to take credit for former President Joe Biden's work, "Many of the crises Trump has vowed to address (taming inflation, ridding cities of violent crime, building the world's most formidable military...) are already well on the way to be solved..."

More from CNN's Daniel Dale and Trump's Emancipation Hall speech...

"He [Trump] claimed he won Alabama this time by 48 points — more like 30, 31. And then, on immigration, he spoke of the jails of every country in the world being emptied into this country. He has never provided any evidence for his familiar claim that foreign countries are deliberating emptying prisons to send people here as migrants."

 There are several more instances of Donald Trump's misinformation fantasies in the above AlterNet piece, well worth reading. It almost seems that Mark Twain had Donald Trump and his minions in mind when he concocted the above [headline] statement. Dorothy Parker said...

"I require only three things of a man: He must be handsome, ruthless and stupid." 

Naw, she would shoot Trump down in flames and write something like this...

'Only a grifter like Donald Trump could get away with murder and have the person murdered thank him.'

Folks, we must press on for four years. 

 

 

and

The two sides to life and living

Maybe you haven't noticed, because of all the hostility in today's politics and this country in general, but there are many good things going on out there that prove we aren't ready yet to throw in the towel. My wife and I were discussing this at dinner last night and it made sense for me to share. Here's an example from Twitter re. the Los Angeles fires...

Los Angeles is a beautiful town filled with generous people and wonderful public servants. The way people came together to help each other over the last few days. With humor, grace and generosity. The way our brave firefighters and police officers risked their lives selflessly despite unfair criticism. We have each others backs and we will rebuild.

And here are some graphics that illustrate compassion between humans is not dead...

 

 

And the most amazing change over the years, people helping animals, supplanting much of the cruelty with good deeds: https://www.facebook.com/Strecci/videos/animals-asking-for-help-from-humans/9630244330320459/

And not to be outdone, animals do help other animals in ways that confirm just how smart they are with the ability to reason: 

A lot of the people in this country deserve better than they have been given in the last several years. It is both unfortunate and appalling to have to say, but the major portion of the responsibility for a divisive United States is with the Republican Party. Look who they just elected to the White House, to prove my point. Look at the GOP lunatics in Congress whose only agenda is self-adornment. And look at the recent suck-ups to Donald Trump from the corporate world and U.S. Congress. It is all pathetic but the current positivity is still conclusive.

There are two sides to life and living and my wife and I definitely prefer the good life.

Trump says he's not for sale...BULLSHIT!

Trump's inauguration is today. He beat Kamala Harris in an election that many say the outcome was decided by idiots. Trump voters. But now he's on his way to the White House and the suck-ups are going crazy. To the tune of around $500 million by this summer. Remember when corporate CEOs and those in Congress, even some Republicans, were mocking and ridiculing Donald Trump? Apparently this same group has gotten Trump religion and are now going for the jugular. That, of the American public.

Axios points out...

"By stockpiling so much cash, Trump is signaling he doesn't want to be seen as a lame duck in his second term, and is ready to help political allies, punish opponents and help Republicans keep full control of Congress in 2026."

That is so frightening that it should rattle the cages of the Democrats who have sat on their butts for years and let Republicans take control of this country. It dates back to when Debbie Wasserman Schultz slept through the period where the GOP was winning state and local offices throughout the country. It still haunts the left because it is these very offices that have been so instrumental in gerrymandering and winning elections for the right. That was in 2016, over eight years ago, and the Dems are still flailing in their political decisions.

I won't bore you with the atrocities Donald Trump has committed in the last ten years because if you don't already know you have been under a rock or had your head in the sand so not worth talking to. The facts are out there for all to see, yet an American public still grovels at his feet. One of the most astonishing happenings is the fact the U.S. working class is flocking to his fold, and they are the very ones who will suffer the most under Trump. They have nothing to offer him so he would turn on them in a heartbeat.

Axios says everyone is coming to Trump with the goal a half-billion dollars. Here are the receiving accounts...

"They include the president-elect's inauguration account, the MAGA Inc. super PAC, a political nonprofit called Securing American Greatness, the Republican National Committee and Trump's presidential library fund."

There's more...

"The donors run the gamut: from health care to agriculture, insurance, financial institutions, tech and cryptocurrency investors."

This is a significant reverse from the Donald Trump of the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, after which, "major GOP donors and corporate interests vowed to either pause or stop donations to Trump or congressional Republicans because of the plot to try to overturn the 2020 presidential election." Some came back but, guess what, the one who never forgets kept a list of deserters which will be added to his laundry list of those to get even with.

The future Oval Office lunatic even makes his case by threatening...

"You guys made this amount of money last year and you're gonna make so much more now because of me," Trump told the representatives of one company, according to a confidant who heard the story from the president-elect.

And then he blurted out...

"But when I needed you, where the f**k were you? You weren't with me and maybe you were with her," referring to Vice President Harris, whom Trump defeated in November.

And it all ends with the most outlandish of expectations. Donald Trump has let it be known that this is a "one-way street." You generously give to him but don't expect anything in return. And do you know what, the corporate world has said, oh well, he doesn't mean that and they keep dishing out the money. Let me repeat: 'Trump says he's not for sale...BULLSHIT!

Donald Trump's second inauguration

The number 47...A precursor to disaster...

We must never forget the death of Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. at Lorraine Motel

I used to drive by the Lorraine Motel in Memphis where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at 6:05 P.M. on Thursday, 4 April 1968. He was shot by James Earl Ray, who was sentenced to 99 years in prison. My curiosity was not over the shooting, but rather how someone could do such a thing. I was naive then, but time has taught me that regardless of all the laws and good deeds of political leaders and others, racism seems to survive and is currently running rampant today. It is impossible to know now, but one can only hope that this won't be worse in four years.

Trump suck-ups coming out of the woodwork

It all started with Trump's cabinet selections circling the wagons, preparing their 'resumes' in readiness to pounce on their idol, none other than the dictator-to-be, Donald Trump. If sufficient adoration doesn't accompany these groveling applications, the person would be out on the street. Apparently this group of unqualified, incompetent bumblers have passed the Trump test, after which most had to have a nose job. If any of these bootlickers veers away from the ritual of Donald Trump, they could find themselves waiting tables at Trump Tower.

Here they are, collected in Yahoo!News, in all their glory...

Kristi Noem, the infamous puppy-executing governor of South Dakota with early expectations for Vice President, had to settle for Homeland Security Secretary.

Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) was among the most outspoken critics of the Secret Service in the aftermath of the first attempt on Trump’s life in July. Now, he’s been chosen to be Trump’s National Security Adviser.

Among the most polarizing appointments by Trump has been his choice of Tom Homan to be his so-called “border czar.” Homan has promised to “run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen. They ain’t seen s--t yet. Wait until 2025.”

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) was also considered for V.P., has said, “President Trump will bring back moral leadership to the White House, condemning antisemitism and standing strong with Israel and the Jewish people." Stefanik is also, perhaps, one of the most radical in the new cabinet.

The infamous White Nationalist sympathizer Stephen Miller—who the Southern Poverty Law Center labels an “extremist”---will be Deputy Chief of Staff For Policy. In my opinion. Miller is probably the scariest member of Trump's selections.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), again, once a V.P candidate, will be Trump's secretary of state. Used to hate each other, now they love each other. I don't feel Rubio has the balls to be sec. of state.

Zuckerberg, bezos, Trump

Not mentioned in the Yahoo article but among the biggest suck-ups with their noses aimed at Mar-a-Lago, and reported by Robert Reich's Substack, are Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon's Jeff Bezos...

"Zuckerberg has turned to fawning. During the campaign, he had several private phone calls with Trump. After the assassination attempt, Zuckerberg told Trump he was “praying” for him and told an interviewer Trump looked like a “badass” after pumping his fist to the crowd."

Amazon’s founder and chief, Jeff Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, had a rocky relationship with Trump during the first Trump administration. Bezos apparently learned his lesson. After Trump was shot at a campaign event, Bezos called him, and on social media he praised Trump’s “grace and courage under literal fire.” Bezos didn’t allow the Post’s editorial board to endorse Kamala Harris for president.

There is much more in Robert Reich's Substack that is well worth the read. 

The one thing that is the most startling to me is the fact that so many outside politics have done a complete turnaround from Trump's first administration and even into the last couple of years. This, of course, makes Trump's new trip to the White House much more complex. The pressure is on January 20, for the entire world.

Lara Trump: Illustrating Trump administration unqualified and incompetent

New White House sign

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

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

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

Mocked Joe Biden for having a stutter.

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

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

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

Okay, so what's my point?

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

Aljazeera reports...

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

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

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

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