Robert De Niro to Tonys, Fuck Trump and got a standing ovation

Robert De Niro at the Tonys

The recent Tony Awards included an impetuous performance by the actor Robert De Niro who blasted out emotional dialogue that proclaimed...

“I’m gonna say one thing: Fuck Trump,” De Niro said, bringing the audience to its feet for a standing ovation. “It’s no longer ‘down with Trump.’ It’s ‘fuck Trump.’”

How many times have you heard a celebrity with the class of De Niro say something like this about the president of the United States? Conservatives are already bashing De Niro for disrespecting the president, to which I say, you can't disrespect a person that is the lowlife of a Donald Trump. Many of the Tony honorees followed suit in calling for political change, but in a more diplomatic way. However, Donald Trump does not understand diplomacy, as evidenced by the insulting and atrocious treatment he has heaped on our best allies like Canada, Germany and France.

What he does understand is the locker room retort like that coming from Robert De Niro, who also. at a special event in Toronto, apologized for Donald Trump's behavior, calling it disgusting. De Niro's comments have gone viral and many have criticized the remarks they consider crude, notwithstanding the fact that the man who is the target of the remarks is perhaps the crudest man alive. Here's more De Niro on Trump...

"Our baby-in-chief -- the j***-off-in-chief, I call him -- has put the press under siege, ridiculing it and trying to discredit it through outrageous attacks and lies," De Niro said. ""This f***ing idiot is the President. It's 'The Emperor's New Clothes' -- the guy is a f***ing fool ... our baby-in-chief -- the 'J******-in-chief' I call him."

Read more: Robert De Niro told the Tonys audience, “F*ck Trump.” He got a standing ovation.
                    Robert De Niro's Trump comments at Tony Awards go viral
                    Robert De Niro apologizes to Canadians for Trump’s ‘idiotic behaviour’

Trump comes away empty-handed at Singapore summit

Donald Trump was sucked into a situation that was way over his head since the man has no capacity for diplomacy. N. Korea's Kim Jong-un walked away with precisely what he went there for, to make Trump look like the idiot he is. Past presidents had the gumption to realize what had to precede a meeting of this nature, an honest compliance in denuclearization. Instead, the Oval Office lunatic settled for "little else than the release of three U.S. hostages in May." He even boasted that he, Donald Trump, didn't even need to prepare for the meeting, that he would wing it. Well, he did and failed.

As far as an agreement on denuclearization is concerned, The Daily Beast described it as "complete pablum"...

“Reaffirming the April 27, 2018, Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

All T-rump was able to accomplish, basically, was to get Kim Jong to commit to the same thing he has agreed to for years, to...

 "something like total global nuclear disarmament or bilateral arms reductions with the United States. And all North Korea will do, per the declaration, is work 'towards' this objective."

A third-grader could probably have done better.

Read more: Trump’s Singapore Summit Was a Bust—for the U.S.
                    South Korea Blindsided By Trump War Games Agreement

Trump/aides insult U.S.good friend Canada

Trudeau/Trump G-7-The man never smiles 

Following the G-7 Conference in Quebec, Donald Trump lambasted Canada's Justin Trudeau with the comment that he was "very dishonest and weak." This was in response to Trudeau's announcement of Canada's retaliatory measures it would take next month in response to the US tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. But that wasn't enough when White House Director of Trade Policy Peter Navarro said...

"There is a "special place in hell" for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau because of his decision to slam the U.S. in a post-G7 press conference."

And then it was top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow's turn who said, Trudeau "stabbed us in the back" with a "double cross." This was all followed by Canadian foreign affairs minister Chrystia Freeland's comment, "Canada does not believe that ad hominem attacks are a particularly appropriate or useful way to conduct our relations with other countries." A monumental put-down of Donald Trump, his administration and the United States. Trudeau added after the conference, “Canadians, we’re polite, we’re reasonable, but we also will not be pushed around.”

I feel sure the U.S. has been taken advantage of over the years due to its wealth and generosity, but to constantly alienate allies like Canada, France and Germany, and with non-stop insults from the U.S. president himself, is sheer stupidity for a nation that has always prided itself in being a world-class peacemaker. Here's another post-conference tweet by Trump...

"Based on Justin's false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our U.S. farmers, workers and companies, I have instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!"

Perhaps this the reason for Donald Trump's latest bullying tactics...

"Kim must not see American weakness," Kudlow said. "[Trudeau] can't put Trump in a position of being weak going into the North Korean talks with Kim. He can't do that."

There is no doubt the world sees our weakness. The U.S. President is operating without a brain.

Read more: Canada Responds After White House Says Trudeau 'Stabbed Us In The Back'
                    President Trump Blasts Canadian PM Trudeau, Calls Him “Very Dishonest And Weak”
                    There's a 'special place in hell' for Trudeau after his G7 'stunt,' top WH Trade Adviser      Peter Navarro says

More guns adds up to more suicides

According to the CDC, "Suicide rates have increased in nearly every state over the past two decades, and half of the states have seen suicide rates go up more than 30 percent." And based on "A study by the Harvard School of Public Health of all 50 U.S. states," there is "a powerful link between rates of firearm ownership and suicides." Who would have thought? The Harvard study proclaims, "Guns and suicide: A fatal link" The CDC's "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" found that...

"Guns were the most common method used for suicide, accounting for almost half of the people who died."

These are the kind of facts that have been hidden at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta due to the National Rifle Assn.'s success in ramming legislation through a paid off Congress that has made the information unavailable until now. And "54 percent of the people who killed themselves didn't have a previously known mental health issue, but 50 percent of these did have a gun. The Harvard study also found...

"that in states where guns were prevalent—as in Wyoming, where 63 percent of households reported owning guns—rates of suicide were higher. The inverse was also true: where gun ownership was less common, suicide rates were also lower."

...proving that, in spite of the NRA's proclamation that "guns don't kill, people do," guns do kill, simply because of their availability. The CDC study asserts, "American suicide is predominantly a firearm issue. Anytime we want to resolve something that involves firearms, we've need to talk about firearms explicitly." But that has been impossible up to now due to the fact that the NRA's head gun nut. Wayne LaPierre, will talk of nothing that restricts gun ownership in any way. You have to understand this radical thug actually reps gun manufacturers right to sell as many guns as possible.

The Harvard study adds...

"The lesson? Many lives would likely be saved if people disposed of their firearms, kept them locked away, or stored them outside the home. Says HSPH Professor of Health Policy David Hemenway, the ICRC’s director: 'Studies show that most attempters act on impulse, in moments of panic or despair. Once the acute feelings ease, 90 percent do not go on to die by suicide.'”

Read more: CDC: U.S. Suicide Rates Have Climbed Dramatically
                   Guns and suicide: A fatal link
                 

Suicide rates are up 30 percent since 1999, CDC says

Donald Trump has 1,655 false statements...so far

This is my new series focusing on the lies and misstatements Donald Trump has made since entering office.

His presidency has been one consisting of a common denominator...lies. The Oval office lunatic has made 1,655 false statements to date. And, we are still counting. The Toronto Star is keeping track of every false claim because...

"We think dishonesty should be challenged. We think inaccurate information should be corrected. And we think the sheer frequency of Trump’s inaccuracy is a central story of his presidency."

And so far, it hasn't been grounds for impeachment by a U.S. Congress that doesn't have a clue how much damage this idiot is doing to our country. It is as if T-rump is seriously on a rampage to sabotage America. But, back to the lies and misstatements now, starting with Canada...

"We lose a lot with Canada. People don't know it. Canada is very smooth. They have you believe that it's wonderful. And it is -- for them. Not wonderful for us; it's wonderful for them."     But...

"The U.S. has a trade surplus with Canada when trade in goods and trade in services are both counted. Trump's own Council of Economic Advisers said as much in its annual report."

Re. guns...

T-rump said, "But when the press covered it, the headline was, 'Trump wants all teachers to have guns.'"

Not true! "in fact: No major news outlet, and possibly no news outlet at all, ran a headline saying Trump wanted "all" teachers to have guns. Media outlets correctly reported that he wants some teachers to have guns."

Re. Barack Obama...

"The 13 Angry Democrats (plus people who worked 8 years for Obama) working on the rigged Russia Witch Hunt, will be MEDDLING with the mid-term elections, especially now that Republicans (stay tough!) are taking the lead in Polls."

"in fact: No part of this claim is fully accurate. There is no indication that people involved with the probe (Robert Mueller) will be nefariously "meddling" with the midterms. Republicans do not lead in a single one of the credible "generic ballot" polls of midterm voting intentions. They briefly led in one, but it promptly bounced back to a Democratic lead."

Re. immigration...

"So they go. And they take this man (Sayfullo Saipov), right? And he got here and he's got 22 people that came in -- his mother, his father, his grandmother, his uncle, his brother, his sister. He got -- 22 people come in for this one guy. That's called chain migration -- 22 people."

This is completely false. "in fact: There is no indication that Saipov, the alleged perpetrator of the terror attack in 2017 on Manhattan's West Side Highway, brought 22 relatives into the U.S. Even Trump's own aides have declined to endorse this claim, and even anti-immigration advocates say it is wildly improbable that one man with a green card could have sponsored 22 people."

Folks, there are over 1,600 of these and some of the best are yet to come. For the first time in the history of the United States, there is someone in the White House that has based his entire presidency on dishonesty and misleading the American public. Stay tuned.

Mick Mulvaney insists on dismantling your consumer protection

Mick Mulvaney, the destroyer

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was originally proposed in 2007 by Harvard Law School professor Elizabeth Warren. In July 2010 Congress made it official and President Barack Obama announced the appointment of then Richard Cordray as Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to set up the new agency. After repeated GOP objections, Richard Cordray was eventually named acting Director; that was nixed but he would eventually become CFPB's first Director.

Through the years Republicans have done everything in their power to thwart the agency, and then Donald Trump on Nov. 25th of his first year as President described the CFPB as “a total disaster.” After repeated efforts to dismantle CFPB, he did the next best thing by nominating Mick Mulvaney as the interim director after Richard Cordray stepped down. True to form, Mulvaney has now dissolved the agency's Consumer Advisory Board. 

"It's quite clear that we've been fired," said Kathleen Engel, a law professor at Suffolk University and a member of the CFPB's Consumer Advisory Board.

NPR describes the group as, " The board is designed to help consumer groups work with the CFPB to identify problems facing Americans who are treated unfairly by financial firms." In other words, Mulvaney completely did away with the people who bring consumer problems to the forefront to be considered. It should also be noted here, "when he was in Congress, Mulvaney sponsored legislation to abolish the bureau." If Republicans had it their way the consuming public would have no avenue available on which to lodge a complaint against big business.

Here's what Ann Baddour, who chaired the board said...

"Firing the current CAPB members is another move indicating Acting Director Mick Mulvaney is only interested in obtaining views from his inner circle, and has no interest in hearing the perspectives of those who work with struggling American families."

The American public's rights could be in ruins if we don't get rid of the Oval Office lunatic soon.

Read more: Mick Mulvaney Effectively Fires CFPB Advisory Council
                 
                   Trump Wants to Dismantle Elizabeth Warren's Agency. Good Luck With That.

Government's largest conglomeration of idiots ever led by Betsy Voss

In a comparison to Sarah Palin, I don't think Betsy DeVos knows just how stupid she is. Ill prepared in most every confrontation with Congress, the general consensus is that she is just, well, stupid. Now she told the Senate appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday that the Federal Commission on School Safety, which she chairs, "will not look at the role of guns in a recent spate of school shootings." OK, let's step back and look at that statement; Betsy DeVos says she refuses to explore the very component that has school children so scared they are afraid to go to school.

Brilliant!

I might remind you here that it is Betsy DeVos who also wants to get rid of the public school system. That should have been the clue that this person is not fit to be head of education in this country. But wait, Republicans are in control of the government so keeping her around makes perfect sense. The day after this ludicrous performance before Congress by DeVos, "A school shooting survivor and several students urged a White House school safety commission on Wednesday to include guns in its discussions." Once again, it is the young people who display the brains.

Donald Trump wants to arm school employes, which, according to former Sandy Hook teacher, Abbey Clements, it “sends the message that adults can’t solve the problem of gun violence in America.” Well, the problem here a firm WE CAN'T, and that is due to the interference of the National Rifle Assn. blocking the passage of reasonable gun control legislation. Here's what Clements said about arming school employees...

“I would like to make something perfectly clear — had school employees been carrying guns at Sandy Hook, it wouldn’t have made us safer. It very well might’ve made things worse.”

To compound DeVoss' stupidity, this commission she heads up for school safety was "formed after the mass school shooting in Parkland, Fla." And yet Betsy DeVos exclaims the commission "Won’t Look At Role Of Guns In School Shootings," adding, "The secretary of education is not charged with focusing on firearms." Where the hell do we get these people?

Read more: Betsy DeVos Says School Safety Commission Won’t Look At Role Of Guns In School Shootings

                   ‘You must understand how fast shootings happen’

Robert Kennedy shooting pulled NRA's chain

Typical NRA gun nut

Robert Kennedy was assassinated on June 5, 1968, and, while some have raised doubts recently about who the assassin was, Sirhan Sirhan is still the choice of most historians. John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King had been killed in 1963, all by guns. Bobby Kennedy had just won the California primary in the 1968 presidential election. Reactions were quick...

"President Lyndon B. Johnson called for a sweeping gun control law. Anti-gun protesters picketed the Washington headquarters of the National Rifle Association as public sentiment zeroed in on guns as a major problem."

Sirhan was 24 at the time and in the passageway through the kitchen, he shot Kennedy numerous times from a snub-nosed revolver. The presidential candidate was hit in his brain, his neck, and one shot grazed his forehead. Conspiracy theorists were abundant in a copycat of John Kennedy's killing. Journalist Jules Witcover, who was there with Bobby Kennedy at the Ambassador...

“His hour of political triumph became another hour of mindless tragedy in a nation that cannot or will not keep weapons of death from the hands of madmen who walk its streets.”

It was four months after Robert Kennedy's assassination and, having waning powers with Congress, primarily due to the Vietnam War, Johnson was able to pass a watered-down gun control bill. Key provisions like national registration of guns and licensing of owners was missing, thanks to the National Rifle Assn. lobbying. And then it happened...

"The 1968 bill marked the beginning of the NRA’s transformation from a gun enthusiast organization focused on marksmanship and gun safety to a political lobbying group focused on opposing gun control."

The gun nuts stumbled along for several years until Wayne LaPierre joined the NRA in 1977, becoming the head gun nut in 1991. It is LaPierre who has championed the 2nd Amendment crusade with success in convincing his gun hugging membership that the government wants to take away all their guns. The organization is responsible for keeping assault weapons on the street, which makes the NRA culpable for the 346 mass shootings in 2017 alone. Worse, there have been 23 school shootings in 2018, one a week, again thanks to LaPierre's proliferation of guns.

So, it was a combination of Bobby Kennedy's assassination and President Lyndon Johnson's determination to pass meaningful gun control legislation that prompted the bizarre demands of Wayne LaPierre's National Rifle Assn. today, an insistence that has caused the loss of thousands of innocent lives. With so much blood on their hands, you would think the NRA would be a leader in some form of responsible gun control. But it's not going to happen, and I am coming to the conclusion the only answer is to take away all guns and start over again.

Read more: The Shooting of Robert Kennedy and the Transformation of the NRA
                    The Biography of NRA Director Wayne LaPierre
                    Mass shootings in the U.S.: 346 mass shootings occurred in 2017
                    There has been, on average, 1 school shooting every week this year

Oval Office lunatic doesn't give a fuck about the people, says LeBron James

Yes, that's right, he is laughable

Lebron James' Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors have already said a resounding NO to any potential invite from Donald Trump to visit the White House, whoever wins the NBA finals. James said it was because of Donald Trump's uninviting the 2018 Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. I posted on this June 6, indicating the Eagles might as well go to Disneyland instead. James' comment on the White House visit was...

"I know no matter who wins this series, no one wants an invite anyway. It won't be Cleveland or Golden State going."

I am reading a little disgust into his statement for the Oval Office lunatic, but, then, that's me. However, to lend validity to my observation, here is a comment by Lebron James to ESPN...

"The number one job in America... is someone who doesn't understand the people, and really don't give a f--- about the people.”

And that pretty much establishes James'--and probably millions more Americans--opinion of Donald Trump. It is a tragic point in the history of this country when one of the top figures in sports says the President of the United States doesn't give a fuck about the people, some of which elected him. And if Trump's stupidity weren't enough, Fox News printed misleading pictures of Eagles players kneeling in prayer, indicating that the player was protesting the National Anthem. I alluded to this "news network" regularly skirting the facts in its reporting...

"Didn't know Fox needed anything to corroborate their 'facts,'"

But when you look at the people who populate Fox News, there's no doubt in your mind...You'll never get the truth.

Read more: LeBron James, Stephen Curry agree that next NBA champs won't visit White House
                    LeBron James Says Donald Trump 'Doesn't Give a F---' About the People
                    Fox News ripped for misleading photos of Philadelphia Eagles players kneeling

UPDATE: Democrats voting in November lead 50% to 40%

UPDATE: New NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll has Democratic leaning voters 10 points more than Republicans, 50% to 40%.

The economy is doing well, unemployment low, new jobs being added, average earnings up and domestic product growth at more than 4.5 percent. Gotta give the GOP credit for passing the tax bill that helped in this general improvement of things, but we mustn't lose sight of the fact that its primary purpose was to reward big business and the wealthy. There are actually three ways the tax plan does not live up to the promises that Trump made to the American people...

1. The cuts for the middle class are meager and temporary
2. There will be significant tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy
3. Individual income rates will not be simplified and are higher than promised

First, the answer to #1: "Middle-income Americans will benefit by around $1,000 initially, according to Tax Policy Center estimates. But by 2027, the majority of middle-class households would get no tax cut, and some would actually pay more." #2: The largest cuts as a share of income will go to taxpayers in the 95th to 99th percentiles of income distribution. #3: "In the final bill, the United States has the same number of tax brackets it had previously: seven." In other words, Trump's tax bill is a ruse for the average American.

But in its design to reward big business and the wealthy, the economy has improved, and the disguised drawbacks to average American benefits are simply left unsaid by Republicans. As one writer put it, "Congress upended the tax code, ladling out oodles to the rich, but also offering a sop to those in the heartland at the expense of the deep blue coasts." But even with all this good news...

"Democrat Conor Lamb pulled off the year’s biggest upset in March and snatched a congressional seat in western Pennsylvania last held by a Democrat more than 15 years earlier."

Added to this: "In the past eight special elections, Democrats have overperformed by an average of 9 points." The Dems have been chipping away at Republicans recently with a blueprint that seems to be working. It can only get better before November.

Read more: TRUMP’S BROKEN PROMISES: GOP TAX BILL FILLS WEALTHY PEOPLE’S POCKETS, TAKES MONEY FROM MIDDLE CLASS, POOR

Read more: Who has the edge for 2018: Republicans or Democrats?

Mitch McConnell has built a Senate cesspool

CNN's Byron Wolf calls it devilish, brilliant politics. I call it typical Mitch McConnell and this is what I had to say about him in a post June 7, 2015...

Don't tell me U.S. Senators deserve respect when they are the low life of Congress. If there was a barrel, the downside would have to be bottomless to accommodate Mitch McConnell.

The post was my reaction to McConnell's perpetual demeaning of Barack Obama, and his insistence that nothing he did would ever get anywhere in his Senate. These were his words when Obama was inaugurated...

“When I first came into office my number one priority is making sure president Obama’s a one-term president."

That, of course, didn't happen, when Obama handily won his second term. McConnell has a deep-seated hatred for Barack Obama, primarily based on the lowlife Senator's racism, a known fact for years. But, this scumbag now leads the U.S. Senate. He's blaming the August recess cancellation on obstructionism by Democrats, the kind of excuse a jerk like McConnell would use. The idea, of course, is to prevent Democratic Senators who are running in November, but my gut tells me there will be provisions made for Republicans.

There are 26 Democrat-held Senate seats and only seven Republican-held seats on the ballot in November. The latest poll shows a tightening of voting preference with the Democrats holding just a 4-point lead. In the House, however, where Republicans are defending more seats, they haven't announced plans to cancel the August recess. This all may be called strategy and, perhaps, the Dems would do the same if they were in control. The bottom line here is that the Republicans are using their power to win the November election. What they don't know is, it won't work.

Read more: Mitch McConnell plays a little dirty to keep his majority

Philadelphia Eagles will probably go to Disneyland instead...

The fact of the matter is that the Philadelphia Eagles didn't even do what they are accused of by Donald Trump. Not one Eagle Player kneeled for the National Anthem last season, but the Oval Office lunatic in his long-running feud with the National Football League canceled their visit to the White House in honor of their winning the Super Bowl. This bad blood with the NFL exists since the league "stonewalled his effort to buy the Buffalo Bills in 2014." This is what Trump said in canceling the event...

"The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better."

The word was that only four Eagles had agreed to appear with T-rump, a statement in itself of the disdain felt for this man around the country. Although the Eagles didn't. players who kneel in protest have been called "sons of bitches" and it was suggested they shouldn't be in the country. This is purely an act to impress his "Make America Great Again" followers. But let's be clear about how this slogan came about; Trump stole it from Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign, "Let's Make America Great Again." And now he claims it's his own.

Fox News is struggling in its support of T-rump's decision but can't seem to find any photos or videos to substantiate the Eagle players were kneeling. Didn't know Fox needed anything to corroborate their "facts," and isn't it interesting that the "news network's" main thrust is to find something to support Donald Trump, even when there is obviously nothing there. The Eagles will survive; as a matter of fact, they had decided not to go to the White House long before the "Anthem" rule was passed. This kind of aversion to Trump must be turned into Democrat/Progressive votes in November.

Read more: Trump's Battle with the NFL Has Reached Critical Mass

Trump's top enemy Mueller could hasten GOP demise

Brent Budowsky, writing for The Hill, believes that Donald Trump's use of enemy lists to set up his agenda of attacks on his enemies may very well backfire, bringing out multitudes of Democratic and [Progressive] voters in November. His words...

"For every voter in the Trump base who is motivated to vote by these attacks, even more voters who disapprove of Trump are motivated to vote."

If this is what it takes to bring out the left vote, bring on the enemies. Harking back to Richard Nixon who thought everyone was his enemy, the Oval Office lunatic has taken paranoia to a new level. He fires people under him at all levels with the ease of throwing out the evening trash. His tactics are like a bad deodorant when he is trying to hide the truth. This undermining of the investigation of Robert Mueller and his special counsel team is actually getting old with respect to its validity. T-rump's latest ploy is to threaten Mueller with the fact that he can pardon himself, which is laughable.

Working as hard as Trump, and with an equal level of madness, is Rudy Giuliani, who Budowsky reminds us...

"was cheered by New Yorkers after the terror attack in September 2001 and was recently loudly booed at a New York Yankees game, to execute a crude strategy in his name.

 and...

"Giuliani is an advertisement for obstruction of justice. He speaks relentlessly and aggressively to discredit and politically destroy the Mueller investigation."

And the author has a number of groups with reasoning to vote in November because they feel "something has gone terribly wrong with America under Trump." Two such are Independents and moderate Republicans from the suburbs and small towns who voted for Trump in 2016. They thought he would "drain the swamp" but found out in actuality that Donald Trump is the swamp.

Read more: Trump war against Mueller will make Dem midterm turnout soar

Trump self pardon just confirms his narcissism

Donald Trump behind bars, where he should be

We have regularly seen exaggerated arrogance from Donald Trump to the extent that some even explored it to see if it was an impeachable offense. It isn't, but it just shows the length to which the Oval Office lunatic will go in making everything about himself. And now T-rump's lawyers have advised special counsel Robert Mueller...

"the president would not comply with requests for an interview, could end the special counsel's investigation and could use his executive powers to pardon if needed."

In other words, Trump would literally pardon himself. The letter was in response to a request from Mueller for an interview with Trump. The former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, who was fired by T-rump, said it would be a “self-executing impeachment” if President Trump were to pardon himself. His lawyers continually make the point that there is no substance in Mueller's investigation, while recounting all the material they have provided the special counsel, therefore, there is no reason for a personal interview.

Bharara's reaction was actually in response to Trump attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who "appearing on ABC's This Week Sunday morning, said Trump could pardon himself, though has no plans to do so." I doubt seriously if Giuliani has any legal source he can refer to that would substantiate that remark. It is, no doubt, off the top of his head, completely without thought, as 99% of what his boss spews regularly. This from former New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie...

"If the president were to pardon himself, he'll get impeached."

This can probably all be written off to just another stupid day in the saga of Donald Trump's presidency, something, perhaps, we should have expected. Will November never get here?

Read more: Trump's lawyers to Mueller in letter: President can end probe, use pardon power
                    Former US attorney: Trump pardoning himself would be 'self-executing impeachment'
                    Giuliani says Trump 'probably' has the power to pardon himself

Should James Comey run for President? Read his book

I had a hard time getting through the first part of James Comey's book, A Higher Loyalty-Truth, Lies, and Leadership. I thought he was wasting too much time on his past life and background until I realized the core of this man's meaning and purpose for wring his tome, to present the two sides of what a government can be. Sleazy, corrupt and unacceptable like the Donald Trump administration, or honest, loyal to the people and worthy of its leader like, say, Barack Obama. The latter may not have been effective enough for many, mostly because of a repressive Republican Congress, but he had principles James Comey admired and possessed himself. Primarily honesty and loyalty.

Comey's background is diversified legally, a U.S. Attorney in New York, U.S. Deputy Attorney General under GWB, and when Barack Obama appointed him Director of the FBI. Through these four positions, he says in his book that he has become extremely familiar with the workings of the U.S. government. He doesn't say this but under both Obama and Trump, a dysfunctional government, for the former, Republicans denying everything he tried and the latter, the man himself, Trump. James Comey doesn't really badmouth anyone but he does speak the truth.

Especially in the book's epilogue where he comments...

"this president [Donald Trump] is unethical and untethered to truth and institutional values. His leadership is transactional, ego driven, and about personal loyalty."

He goes on to commend those who have stayed with the administration, even with the adversity of this lunatic's constant tirades. Perhaps they have kept us out of a nuclear war, or at least calmed the nations of the world that believe the United States has lost its mind by electing a maniac for president. Donald Trump has said for years...

"I just feel that loyalty is a very, very important part of life, not only of business but of life."

To this Paul Waldman of The American Prospect commented on Afternet...

"The truth is that Trump demands loyalty from everyone but gives it to no one. As he prowls the darkened hallways of the White House at night, alone with his thoughts, his wife and young son 200 miles away, the staff having retired for the night, it wouldn't be surprising if Trump is becoming increasingly convinced that no one is loyal to him and there's no one he can trust."

Trump tried the loyalty ploy with James Comey and was rebuked just before he was fired as FBI Director. Most have seen Comey's move as laudable and in fact there is probably no person in the American government today that is more loyal to this country than James Comey. He is a Republican but even as a liberal Progressive, I would vote for the man. However, it is just possible that James Comey has had quite enough of the stinkin' dirty politics working for Donald Trump that he wants nothing to do with a Presidential election. Only time will tell.

Read more: Trump Demands Loyalty From Everyone, But Gives It to No One

Trump to beat in 2020...if he's still around

And here is the left's voting problem

Now these are opinions based on the statements of political experts that were involved in past and current elections. They take into consideration the election of Barack Obama in 2012, and the fact that in 2016, "Voters were looking for something more "strident" than Obama’s "incrementalist agenda." In other words, they wanted a faster track than Clinton was exhibiting. Something like Bernie Sanders. Not sure, though, they wanted the ignorant bluster of a Donald Trump, but he was elected; they wanted action not promises. Trump was a mover and shaker and he excited people.

That's all proven to be big mouthed bullshit, but those who still support the Oval Office lunatic are solid in their backing. The last I heard they were around 30%, an easily beatable figure. The Democratic candidate was all wrong in 2016; it should have been Bernie Sanders but the fraud of DNC head, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, nominated Hillary Clinton. Maybe Sanders will run again, or perhaps the left could convince someone like James Comey, former FBI Director, to run as a Democrat. Think about that...James Comey running against Donald Trump. More on this later.

One of the main items on the Progressives/Democrats agenda is getting out the vote. According to Nate Silver's 538, the Republicans were able to get their voters to the polls much more aggressively than Democrats. Progressives naturally rejected Hillary Clinton because of the DNC fiasco, and the fact that it was this that beat their candidate, Bernie Sanders. If Sanders plans to run in 2020, and his age will be a factor, he must throw his hat in now. We also cannot rule out Joe Biden, or Elizabeth Warren or New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. Whoever it is, the youth vote must be considered.

The Progressive/Democratic candidate must enthusiastically go after social media to spread its message to all ages and over all political persuasions. The Russia probe of Donald Trump should be a great handle for the left. If a Progressive candidate is nominated, the Democrats must get behind him or her. Many political pundits talk of the potential success of a Sanders/Warren ticket in 2020 winning big on the Progressive side, combining experience with youth, two people who seem to excite their followers to action, meaning voting.

If Trump does last, the candidates on the left will have the most corrupt administration that this country has ever experienced to run against. There are the Donald Trump daily lies, his Stormy Daniels and similar escapades, firing of FBI Director Jim Comey in obvious obstruction of justice in the Russian investigation, the scandal over Michael Cohen's consulting, more obstruction of justice, again, involving Comey, in defending Michael Flynn, and the list goes on and on. Never in the history of American elections has there been this kind of ammunition for a political party.

But...will the Progressives/Democrats be able to pull it off???

Read more: How Hillary Clinton blew it
                   How Trump won the election: volatility and a common touch
                   How did Trump win? Here are 24 theories

Evangelicals do "celebrate" Donald Trump, even though...

Billy Graham

...they know all about Donald Trump's affair with Stormy Daniels, his endorsement of alleged sexual abuser Roy Moore, his reference to “shithole” countries, his toxic tweets, recurrent racism, or general crudity, and a multitude of other things the Oval Office lunatic has said or done over the past two years. One thousand--can you believe it--evangelical ministers, supposedly of God, "plan to meet the president, both to “celebrate” his accomplishments (as one leading pastor put it) and to rally Christians for the midterm elections."
Former GWB speechwriter, Peter Wehner, revealed in a New York Times op-ed page last December, “Why I Can No Longer Call Myself an Evangelical Republican.” After being a part of both the evangelicals and the Republican Party all his life, it took Trump's endorsement of Roy Moore to make him reconsider. His opinion of Donald Trump's Republican Party is...

"a threat to conservatism, and I have concluded that the term evangelical—despite its rich history of proclaiming the ‘good news’ of Christ to a broken world—has been so distorted that it is now undermining the Christian witness.

I was a huge fan of Billy Graham, even though I am an agnostic, and believe he showed the epitome of living what you preach. But I agree with Stephen Prothero, a professor of religion at Boston University, who wrote in Politico...

“to chart the troubled recent course of American evangelicalism—its powerful rise after World War II and its surprisingly quick demise in recent years”—one need look no further than the differences between Graham and his eldest son, Franklin, who took over his empire."

Prothero talks of the fact that Billy Graham was "a powerful evangelist who turned evangelicalism into the dominant spiritual impulse in modern America.” But, "his son [Franklin] is 'a political hack' who 'is rapidly rebranding evangelicalism as a belief system marked not by faith, hope, and love but by fear of Muslims and homophobia.'” Franklin Graham clearly qualifies as a religious fanatic in the worst way. Martin Luther symbolized modern-day evangelicalism with his fierce ideas, vehement language, and combative intellectual style. Evangelicals have carried the ball from there.

Read more: How Martin Luther Paved the Way for Donald Trump

The religious fanatics that support Trump

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that should not be acceptable!

Read more: Why Evangelicals—Still!—Support Trump

Donald Trump makes the laws now...not Congress

Trump-Judge Gonzalo Curiel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doesn't even whine like a guy

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

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

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

Read more: Trump breaks silence on Roseanne Barr scandal

Arizona Senator Jeff Flake puts Trump in his place again

Jeff Flake and Donald Trump at war

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recommended reading: Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake bashes Trump again
                                     

Roseanne a Trump clone or vice versa?

Remember this picture?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recommended Reading: Roseanne Barr show cancelled

                                           Roseanne/Trump share "certain" traits

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Additional Reading: The Monkey Trial

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

The blame stops here

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

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

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

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

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

Recommended reading: SLATE

Additional reading: US/GAMER

                                NEWS & GUTS

                                POLYGON

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

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

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

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

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

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