Sarah Sanders has no credibility

Sarah Sanders

That's just tragic since Sarah Sanders is the spokesperson for Donald Trump, who, of course, has zero credibility himself. Which means when the lie comes out of T-rump's mouth, it is immediately compounded by Sanders. If this all hadn't already dropped to the depths of the ludicrous, I would have to say again it's getting worse. But we're way beyond worse after Columbia Journalism Review editor-in-chief Kyle Pope remarked...

“Reporters have to start assuming that this White House is going to continue to lie and manipulate the media.”

That is one of the most pathetic statements on the Trump administration I have ever heard, but it will still fall on the deaf ears of hard-core T-rump supporters. In addition, Pope...

"even questioned the value of quoting or interviewing Trump’s principal spokesperson, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who admitted to Mueller’s investigators that she made unfounded claims that the ousted FBI director James Comey had lost support among rank-and-file agents."

And even worse, Sanders tried to maintain her credibility even after admitting to Robert Mueller's investigators that her Comey comments had no basis in fact. Lather she went so far as to denounce the media while Trump bashed The New York Times on Twitter, calling on them to “get down on their knees & beg for forgiveness.” This whole damn administration is a gang of certifiable freaks, and the tragedy is they are in control of the most powerful government in the world. There is literally no one who can be trusted, and that's scary as hell.

Another example, first T-rump claimed “total exoneration” from the Mueller Report. Later this changed to Mueller's findings were “total bulls--t" while at the same time berating his staff who blew the whistle on him. Peter Baker of the New York Times said...

“Journalists shouldn't take anything said by any president at face value, but the Mueller report reminds us that this president in particular says so many things that are flatly untrue that we shouldn't trust anything without checking it.”

There's not much more left to be said than please, please let the 2020 elections get here as soon as possible so we can rid ourselves of this fraudulent president. Unless he wants to resign now???

Bernie says don't impeach Trump-He's right

Bernie says the most important thing to him in the time left leading up to the 2020 election is to see that Donald Trump is not reelected. That would be the attitude of most of the U.S. population, minus the Trump hard core supporters, which was around 18% in 2018. I have been in contact with a few of these uninformed citizens recently and can say their less than rational mentality will never change. As I mentioned in another post today, much of the Trump base is completely disenchanted with the Oval Office lunatic and are looking hard at Bernie Sanders. The gist of Bernie's statement...

"At the end of the day, what is most important to me is to see that Donald Trump is not re-elected president, and I intend to do everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen."

 He does want a thorough investigation by the House and would reconsider his position if anything damaging to Trump were to develop. Meanwhile, here's CNN Politics assessment of the right direction for Democrats...

1) Abandoning the Mueller report conclusions is unacceptable to the party's political base.
2) Impeachment will allow Trump to paint himself as a victim of overly partisan Democrats looking to run him out because they lost an election.
3) Senate Republicans will simply not abandon Trump en masse, ensuring that even if impeachment succeeds in the House, Trump will not be removed from office.

Bernie's position is, and I agree, that the left shouldn't fight a campaign of personalities, rather, emphasize the issues like healthcare, minimum wage, climate change, gun control and racism. A sensible public is not interested in revisiting the bizarre antics of a moron who has proven time after time that he is unfit to be president of the United States. And since impeachment is the epitome of Bernie's base, he must justify this position by convincing his people he can win in 2020. Early polls show him well out front in New Hampshire, but Joe Biden declaring tomorrow could change things.

Karl Rove says Bernie can beat Trump in 2020

Bernie Sanders

Coming down the stretch for the first U.S. primary in New Hampshire, Bernie Sanders has a commanding double-digit lead at 30 percent, followed by Biden at 18 percent and Buttigieg at 15 percent. Biden hasn't officially declared and N.H. is right next door to Sanders home state of Vermont. But the real surprise is the fact that newbie Pete Buttigieg is surging in the Democratic race, trailing former V.P. Joe Biden by only 3 points. Could the primary end up with a Bernie Sanders/Pete Buttigieg ticket, and, if so, could they beat Donald Trump?

Karl Rove says so. He "thinks Democratic contender Bernie Sanders could beat Donald Trump in 2020 to become the next president." Rove even added...

"After watching the Vermont senator’s Monday Fox News town hall, Rove complimented Sanders on Fox and Friends Friday, saying participating in the event was a 'smart move on his part.' He was also impressed with the response Sanders got, saying, 'Bernie comes on to Fox, and gets the largest viewership of any campaign event thus far.'”

Now that's very interesting considering Fox plays to a conservative, Republican base.

The word is out some Trump supporters who are disenchanted with the Oval Office lunatic's bizarre antics are looking at Bernie Sanders for 2020. But Bernie still must contend with the fact he is a Democratic Socialist, a trait becoming more acceptable but not quite there yet. I have had two people recently question my Bernie 2016 bumper sticker, still affixed. One "patriot" actually walked up to my wife on the passenger side window and said, "Just wanted to see what a Socialist looks like." I pulled out of the parking place quickly hoping to run over his toes. Unfortunately not.

Trump-Giulani statements...Can this get any more stupid?

The Bobbsey Twins-Trump, Giuliani

Of course the double-digit Trump supporters will just schluff this off as a simple mistake by Donald Trump and another dumb remark by Rudy Giuliani. Neither would be correct. They are each examples of two morons--one of which runs the most powerful country in the world--who perpetually run off at the mouth, with the result that the sane people of America just shake their heads in disgust. These are the two scenarios...

TRUMP: “Heartfelt condolences from the people of the United States to the people of Sri Lanka on the horrible terrorist attacks on churches and hotels that have killed at least 138 million people and badly injured 600 more. We stand ready to help!”

GIULIANI: "There's nothing wrong with taking information from Russians,"

To begin with, Trump's figure of 138 million people is six time the entire population of Sri Lanka. Second, Giuliani's statement is just...stupid. Apparently the idiot doesn't realize that this very issue is what the Robert Mueller investigation was all about.

But the real concern here is that we have a lunatic sitting in the Oval Office that has absolutely no tether whatsoever. His mouth is allowed to run rampant daily with no one able to control him and often resulting in disasters. Like his comment on John McCain's heroism...

“He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”

 That's just one of many Trump major gaffes compiled by Politico you can see here. As far as Giuliani is concerned, we just consider the source and hope that he doesn't do too much damage. However. because all of this has become a daily, almost hourly, occurrence, one has to wonder what kind of condition the U.S. is really in with people like these in high places. Is impeachment the answer?

Trump guilty of same charges Bill Clinton impeached for

Bill Clinton acquitted of impeachment

Did the Mueller Report accuse Trump of witness tampering, one of the offenses Republicans impeached Clinton for? The answer is an unequivocal, YES! "It accused Donald Trump of obstructing justice by witness tampering, one of the offences that led Republicans to impeach Bill Clinton 20 years ago." The Mueller Report revealed that Trump...

"repeatedly made efforts to 'encourage witnesses not to cooperate with the investigation' into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election."

Is this why Democrat Elijah Cummings and his House colleagues feel confident about the possibility of reintroducing the idea of impeachment? Senator Elizabeth Warren, also a Democrat plus presidential candidate, is a proponent of impeachment saying...

"The severity of this misconduct demands that elected officials in both parties set aside political considerations and do their constitutional duty. That means the House should initiate impeachment proceedings against the President of the United States."

Trump as much as offered His former campaign mgr., Paul Manafort, a pardon, while at the same time encouraging his prior personal attorney, Michael Cohen, "not to 'flip' and help Mueller’s inquiry." Clinton's guilt pales when you consider the corruption Donald Trump has spewed throughout his administration. This is what the slime ball Mitch McConnell said of Bill Clinton...

"… I am completely and utterly perplexed by those who argue that perjury and obstruction of justice are not high crimes and misdemeanors."

Yet this lowlife lets Donald Trump go on his merry way. The U.S. Congress is itself a cancerous stigma in the American political system. This could be their chance to make amends.

A pathetic presidential administration based on lies

The culprits Sarah Sanders and Donald Trump

THE DONALD TRUMP ADMINISTRATION has based its entire tenure in the White House on lying. Lying to the public, lying to the media and the Oval Office lunatic even lies to his own aides. The Mueller Report exposed a bunch of these intentional deceptions, the latest of which is T-rump's spokesperson, Sarah Sanders. She is trying to lie herself out of a lie over James Comey...

"Addressing reporters from the White House lectern, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders made a startling claim shortly after President Trump fired FBI Director James B. Comey two years ago. 'I’ve heard from countless members of the FBI that are grateful and thankful for the president’s decision,' she said, refusing to back down when pressed on the issue. 'Between emails, text messages, absolutely,' she insisted."

You don't lie to Congress, nor the feds, as the prosecuted perjurers Michael Flynn and Michael Cohen found out. But Sarah Sanders is the face of Donald Trump, and a very ugly one it is. Not because of her looks but because of how low she is willing to lower herself for the lowlife she works for. The deceit extends into the Trump family when Donald Trump Jr. was told the [Trump Tower] lawyer was working on behalf of the Russian government and would bring damaging information on Hillary Clinton...

Trump Jr. replied, “If it's what you say I love it.”

And this is Los Angeles Times Chris Megerian's take on the whole scenario...

"Pervasive lying is an unsurprising result of having a president whose dishonesty has been a hallmark for years, whether it’s exaggerating the height of his buildings or claiming that President Obama wasn’t born in the United States.

While every White House is accused of dissembling or worse at times, the report makes clear that Trump leads a White House where falsehoods and misrepresentations are common practice."

What is clear is that this country somehow elected an accomplished scam artist. What we must be careful of now is not to do it again in 2020.

Robert Mueller Report shows Trump collusion with Russia

DONALD TRUMP IS GUILTY

Trump-Mueller-Barr

This is what Donald Trump said when then Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions told him in 2017 that a special counsel had been appointed to conduct the Russia investigation: “Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I’m fucked.” With his usual "class," T-rump clearly believes Robert Mueller's investigation will bring down his presidency, indicating to me that the Oval Office lunatic feels that he is guilty. Mueller was appointed in May 2017, days after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. The appointment was made by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein,

After the Mueller Report was released today, The Slatest live blog commented...

As to why Mueller decided that the the presidential transition team’s friendly outreach to Russia about sanctions—an issue that campaign figures had previously learned was an issue of concern to the Russian government—didn’t constitute participation in Russia’s election-interference scheme … I haven’t really figured that out!

That was 12:00 Noon eastern time but at 11:55 A.M., Slate's earlier observation...

"The report indeed documents previously known instances in which Trump figures expressed interest in Russian assistance (e.g., the June 9 Trump Tower meeting), and it documents instances in which the campaign (via Paul Manafort) and presidential transition team (via Michael Flynn) discussed Russia-friendly policies with Russian-government-linked individuals."

But Mueller "concludes that such activities were not illegal 'coordination'or 'conspiracy.'” But here's a brief summary of findings...

“In sum, the investigation established multiple links between Trump Campaign officials and individuals tied to the Russian government. Those links included Russian offers of assistance to the Campaign. In some instances , the Campaign was receptive to the offer, while in other instances the Campaign officials shied away. Ultimately , the investigation did not establish that the Campaign coordinated or conspired with the Russian government in its election-interference activities.”

 Republicans, particularly Trump supporters, will spin this to exonerate the most fraudulent president in recent history. The left will see it for what it is, a clear indictment of the corruption of the Donald Trump administration.

Michele Bachmann's latest stupid Trump statement

Michele Bachmann

MICHELE BACHMANN COMES STUPID: "We will ‘never see a more godly, biblical president." That's right folks, she said it and in her apparently severely demented state, she apparently meant it. I mean it is one thing when you consider the oblivious Trump supporters and the fact they all have one thing in common, double-digit IQs, but the people of Minnesota sent Michele Bachmann to Congress. Of course she fit right in with the remaining population of ignoramuses and performed exactly as one would expect a Republican to perform, at the bottom of the barrel.

 She did this from "Understanding These Times,” a Christian radio show where she "offered her praise of the commander-in-chief, adding there were so many examples of Trump 'standing for righteousness.'” Even considering Bachmann's mental capacity is nil, that statement, 'standing for righteousness' is perhaps one of the most bizarre of the Donald Trump administration. His graphic sex talk in Burbank is the extreme example of T-Rump's non-righteousness. But what is even worse is the fact that anyone pays any attention to Michele Bachmann anymore.

Measles killed 1,200 that wanted vaccinations

Madagascar measles epidemic

While the gang of anti-vaxxing morons spreads their false propaganda here in the United States, 1.200 have died of the measles in Madagascar where they want but lack the resources to fight the disease. Only 58% have been vaccinated on this poor area of the island, where it's known the immunization rates need to be 90 to 95 percent or higher to prevent outbreaks. But here in the U.S. these flaky anti-vaxxers go on their merry way spreading disease.

Here's the take of the World Health Organization (WHO)...

"The measles outbreak has killed mostly children under age 15 since it began in September. The epidemic unfortunately continues to expand in size though at a slower pace than a month ago," said Dr. Dossou Vincent Sodjinou, a WHO epidemiologist in Madagascar.

Further, "By mid-March, 117,075 cases had been reported by the health ministry, affecting all regions of the country." Added to this is the fact that Madagascar is a poor nation where 50% of its children are malnourished. Contrast that with the U.S. where there are all the benefits of medical advancement and its availability to the public, and, yet, there are those who spurn this technology to pursue the stupid idea they can do it on their own, thus, endangering their children.

Here's the scenario in Madagascar...

"Simply reaching a clinic for help can be a challenge. Many people in Madagascar cannot afford to see a doctor or buy medicine, and health centers often are understaffed or have poorly qualified workers. As a result, information about health issues can be unreliable. Some parents are not aware that vaccines are free, at least in public health centers."

And yet here in the United States we have all the things these folks from Madagascar don't have, but still opt on the side of stupidity. Pathetic! 

Could Julian Assange U.S. return sink Trump's ship?

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. said following Julian Assange's arrest at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, "He is our property." The agreement was unanimous in Washington...

Julian Assange

"from Congress to the intelligence services. Assange committed the unpardonable sins of embarrassing the establishment — from members of Congress to intelligence officials to the news media."

It's hard for me to understand how anyone could embarrass a Congress consisting of such a gang of idiots. USA Today's take on the Assange case...

"What could be the most important free speech and free press case in our history could well be reduced to the scope and substance of an unauthorized computer access case."

Assange has had his ups and downs with Donald Trump thinking his presidency would benefit him when...

"it was the Trump Administration that sought to redefine WikiLeaks as a 'non-state hostile intelligence service'—an organization that did not belong within the ambit of journalism."

 In 2016 Donald Trump said he loved WikiLeaks, later refuting he knew anything about it. And then Mike Pence adds his usual confusing and laughable comment...

"Trump’s acclaim for an organization his own administration has identified as a cutout of Russian intelligence services was not actually an 'endorsement.'”

Now, doesn't that just out-dumb everything? But it is yet another reminder that we have not one, but two imbeciles in the White House.

The question is why did Equador dump their most prestigious guest? Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno said...

“We’ve ended the asylum of this spoiled brat. From now on we’ll be more careful in giving asylum to people who are really worth it, and not miserable hackers whose only goal is to destabilize governments.”

In turning his tiny office-cum-bedroom into a new headquarters for the WikiLeaks’ operations, he made the mistake of interfering in politics, most importantly "releasing stolen emails related to Hillary Clinton’s campaign." Then he even turned on his host's President Moreno, accusing him of financial irregularity. Assange also abused the very staff that was caring for him and astoundingly spread feces on the walls.

So, the man's a pig and gave up information that was critical to U.S. security, but does he know something that can sink Donald Trump's ship? Assange was very vague when talking to Meghan Kelly in 2016, saying he would release anything he had, adding...

"it's really hard for us to release anything worse than what comes out of Donald Trump's mouth every second day."

The Mueller "shadow" that Trump can't avoid

Donald Trump...Still denying Mueller Report

The Mueller Report is about to be released but Politico says...

"a pair of high-profile new cases surfacing in the past 24 hours signals that the arm of his Russia investigation is long indeed."

They are charges "against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and the indictment of former Obama White House counsel Greg Craig." Although not actually connected, the two could add to and tie together many of Robert Mueller's findings. This includes...

"everything from Russian interference in the 2016 election to the hush-money payment scheme Donald Trump’s campaign designed to help sway the last White House race, from the fundraising for Trump’s 2017 inauguration to unregistered foreign lobbyists working in the U.S."

I will be doing a post on Assange's release later, but this shows how there is yet another player in the investigation that will eventually bring Donald Trump to his knees, or lower. Gene Rossi, a former federal prosecutor from Virginia, describes it as a part of Robert Mueller's tendons that have resulted from his investigation and which branch off into several directions. They include the Justice Department, Eastern District of Virginia, Southern District of New York and Washington D.C.

If the examination of Donald Trump's wrongdoing continues on for months, like National Public Radio reports, how can this country possibly move on ahead and do the job of governing? Congress is already stymied with the "anti-everything" Mitch McConnell heading up the Senate, while Nancy Pelosi does her best to keep the House moving forward. NPR refers to the following cases...

Prosecutors have charged GOP political consultant Roger Stone with obstruction, witness tampering and lying to Congress in connection with his work in 2016 on behalf of Trump's campaign...Attorney General William Barr has come under fire from Democrats for releasing top-line findings tied to Mueller’s work that Trump has used to claim “total EXONERATION” even though the special counsel’s report said no such thing...The case against the Russian company Concord Management and Consulting, which has been linked to Russia's social media disinformation campaign...

There's more you can read in the NPR article, but the gist of all this is that Donald Trump is sitting in the Oval Office just waiting for the shit to hit the fan.

Your Political Bullshit of the Day

TRICKLE DOWN BULLSHIT

The Fox network has talked about US congresswoman AlexandriaOcasio-Cortez for 42 consecutive days, at least 3,181 mentions...NEW YORK'SVACCINE ORDER SHOWS HOW HEALTH LAWS ARE FAILING US...Re. Barr's FBI spying claim, Comey says, he had no idea" what Attorney General William Barr meant when he testified that he believed the government spied on President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign...Donald Trump's sister, Maryanne Trump Barry's retirement connected to father Fred Trump when he illegally evaded taxes in transferring much of his wealth to his children — including both Donald and Maryanne...

Donald Trump just showed how low he'll go on immigration, dropping immigrant families off in sanctuary cities.

From measles to E. coli to a Superbug

Superbug

We've dealt with the backward-thinking anti-vaxxers into an E. coli outbreak and now along comes a superbug that threatens to kill all of us. The CDC says already over 600 are infected in the U.S. It first learned of Candida auris in 2016 with the number of cases now at 617 stretched over New York City, New Jersey and Chicago in the U.S. and another 20 countries worldwide. It appears that "Multiple factors have created the perfect storm" for Candida auris.

What is most scary is the fact that it is potentially a deadly multidrug-resistant fungus and even worse...

"can survive on cooler surfaces like skin, potentially remaining for a long time, enabling it to act more like bacteria than a fungus."

The difficulty in treating Candida auris is identifying the fungus. It requires "specific technology and a culture of blood or other bodily fluids." Because of the colonization of hosts over several months, "perhaps indefinitely," it can...

"spread between people and to various objects over the course of time before entering the bloodstream and spreading throughout the body, causing serious invasive infections such as bloodstream, wound, and ear infections."

“Healthy people typically don’t get infected," but should be very careful around those who are infected, practicing maximum personal hygiene. And here's the real shocker, the CDC reports that "30 to 60% of people who have gotten C. auris have died." In some cases "standard laboratories have trouble identifying the bug and it can sometimes even be misidentified," according to the CDC. But because it affects those in the health care community, there is a need to identify it quickly.

The CDC says the C. auris infection has been diagnosed in people of all ages affecting a wide range of areas and wounds. In other words, the public beware!

Major out break of E. coli in U.S. says CDC

E. coli

First there were the anti-vaxxers, who have spread measles, mumps and chickenpox all around the country with their uninformed and downright stupid opinions that vaccines will cause harm when, in fact, solid science has proven them wrong. There's also a mysterious fungus thriving in the U.S. that we'll address in another post. But today it's all about E. coli that is running amok in Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.

Federal health officials have not identified a food item, grocery store or restaurant chain as the source of these infections, claims CNN. It's being investigated by the CDC, state health departments, the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service and the US Food and Drug Administration and the mystery of its source is even more troubling. E. coli likely has no connection to measles, but the coincidence of this all at once.

Since no source has been identified, CBS says, "the CDC is not recommending that consumers avoid any particular food item due to E. coli, while health officials continue to investigate the source of the illnesses." Here's what happened in the U.K. in 2015...

"A strain of E. coli became a potentially fatal infection in the UK around 30 years ago, when it acquired a powerful toxin, a gene study has revealed. ... E. coliO157 strains can produce molecules called shiga-toxins, which are linked to more serious human infections."

"Symptoms of HUS include fever, abdominal pain, pale skin tone, fatigue and irritability, unexplained bruises or bleeding from the nose and mouth, and decreased urination. These complications are more common in young children under 5, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems." And there lies my question, people with other diseases have weakened immune systems, thus, they are more prone to E. coli. It could be a vicious circle.

UPDATE: E. coli mystery solved: Ground beef is source of outbreak, CDC says

Racism! Racism! Racism! Will it ever end?

A Louisiana Sheriff Deputy's son, no less, Holden Matthews, 21, has torched three black churches, and says he was influenced by "black metal" music. The three churches were in the heart of south central Louisiana's Cajun and Creole country and were burned in the span of 10 days. Apparently they don't know this wacko's motive but you might look to his upbringing, especially in this state. It also has a very high rate of gun violence.

And Matthews isn't the brightest, leaving a 2-gallon gas can at the scene and was witnessed leaving the handiwork driving his truck. I guess the man doesn't like Baptists since all three churches were of that denomination. That, of course, plus the fact that he hates blacks. Matthews was active in social media...

"On a Facebook page that appears to belong to Matthews, he was active in black metal and pagan pages. Although both scenes are predominately apolitical, both have large neo-Nazi fanbases. Matthews commented on two memes about Varg Vikernes, a far-right (and self-described former neo-Nazi) metal musician who served 15 years in prison for burning churches in Norway and killing a fellow metal musician."

Which brings up the connection today between so much violence in the world and social media. This country is so engrossed with protecting 1st Amendment rights that one often wonders just where those limits should be set. In other words, is it time to evaluate the 1st Amendment and impose guidelines on when a person has gone too far? Like advocating hate and violence against others. Unfortunately, the current Congress doesn't have the balls to address this. 

Dimwitted celebrities just don't get it

Lori Loughlin freaked out

Lori Loughlin and her spacey daughter Jade are really not worth more attention in the media, but the fact that the well-to-do believe they are above the law is taking front and center. Only a person who thinks they are in this position would slough off an investigation into their illegal activities, saying publicly they thought the prosecutors were just bluffing. But now that jail time draws nearer, Loughlin is "freaking out" with the idea of spending time in the slammer.

The Root says...

"Lori Loughlin thought that her being a wealthy white woman legal defense would save her. Yeah…she thought. But reality comes at you fast."

And what about her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli? Did she tell him to keep his mouth shut and she, the big wealthy Hollywood celebrity, would handle this? A source says she has been in complete denial, ignoring...

Legal experts who have been offering repeated warnings in recent days about what would happen if Loughlin refused to play ball.

The fact that Felicity Huffman pled guilty and offered such a great statement of remorse and contrition is a very bad sign for Lori Loughlin, reported one legal expert. He believes by fighting her case she could even lengthen her stay in prison. And now Loughlin and her husband have been charged with new violations, including money laundering facing up to 40 years in prison, if convicted. All this to get an under-performing kid into the U. of Southern California.

Big Trump supporters--what else?--she and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, "were among 50 who were allegedly involved with bribing and colluding with college administrators and athletic coaches to guarantee acceptance for their kids." More from Root...

"Loughlin and Giannulli paid a combined $1 million to scam their daughters into University of Southern California. The fallout has shook the infrastructure of illegal factions within schools across the country."

It will be interesting now to see just how far prosecutors take this case, considering the fact that we have such a host of well-known celebrities and a prestigious university involved. Should there be preferential treatment involved, it will be yet another check mark in Bernie Sanders book on the issue of the 1% controlling this country.

Could dementia explain Donald Trump's bizarre behavior?

All of a sudden the Internet is buzzing over Donald Trump's cognitive health, and people who know him are talking...

"Joe Scarborough, who has known Trump for years, said in 2017 that Trump's mental confusion reminded him of his mother, who had Alzheimer's for 10 years."

Just reported in USA Today, the event occurred two years ago and you have to wonder, with Trump's recent antics, has he worsened? Yes, says Scarborough...

“It's getting worse, and not a single person who works for him doesn’t know he has early signs of dementia,"

 Do we need a person with his finger on the button whose cognitive health is going downhill? Donald Trump shouldn't be in the White House in this condition, he needs to be in a hospital receiving medical care. Psychologist John Gartner, writing in USA, says that President Donald Trump is undergoing significant cognitive decline and must be tested for dementia. Gartner is a clinical psychologist who taught at Johns Hopkins University Medical School for 28 years. 

Gartner's concerns have grown over the months "while following the continued decay of the president’s speech patterns." He cites Trump's "choosing the incorrect words," and "the substitution of a word with a nonword that preserves at least half of the segments and/or number of syllables of the intended word." Gartner says both of these are signs of Alzheimer’s, reported in Salon. And then Gartner recalls examples...

"the president demanding to know the 'oranges' of the Mueller probe, as well as references to 'midtowm' and 'midturn' elections.

But The Young Turks do the best job of expressing the real Donald Trump in this video in descriptions only this group could perform. But don't get me wrong, this is serious and needs the immediate attention of Congress.

 

New Zealand makes U.S. look like the idiots we are

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

The United States is controlled and powered by a gang of double-digit gun nuts, both in the American public and in the U.S Congress. New Zealand, on the other hand, sees the problems and source of gun violence and does something about it. Their parliament votes 119-1 to ban assault weapons. Don't know who the single hold-out was but you can probably bet he is a follower of the American NRA's Wayne LaPierre. Vox says...

"The swift action comes after last month’s mass shootings at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in which a white supremacist killed 50 people."

And there you have the difference between a country (the USA) that values guns over the lives of innocent adults and children, and another country (New Zealand) that identifies their problem--guns--and does something about it. It is very hard to understand how this nation can stoop so low as to favor its weaponry over human lives, with the evidence of gun violence screaming at us daily. It is perhaps one of the sickest cultures of any country in the world.

The U.S. reaction to daily gun violence is a very tiring "thoughts and prayers" response which is regularly regurgitated from Washington and the National Rifle Assn. Both have come to realize what bullshit this is, and each is now at a loss of what to do. So, they do nothing. Here's how New Zealand handles guns...

"people first have to obtain a license to legally purchase, own, and possess a gun. That all typically takes months to get through. some types of firearms, like handguns and certain semiautomatic rifles, require “endorsements” from police and separate permits to purchase. The licenses have to be renewed every 10 years, and police can revoke a person’s license if that person is believed to no longer be fit for ownership and may pose a threat. Gun sellers are also licensed and regulated by police."

WOW! If the United States had this kind of control, how many lives would have been saved in the last several years? Homicides by firearm per 1 million people: New Zealand 1.6; United States 29.7. But on the other hand, Glock has just hired top gun nut Chuck Norris to promote its line of weaponry, which is certain to impress enough people to go out and buy even more guns. But, then, that is the American way, isn't it?

The hidden danger of anti-vaxxers-unknown exposure

Darla Shine-dumbest of anti-vaxxers

They're everywhere, but we don't know who they are. I am talking about anti-vaxxes in business healthcare and education. Here's the scenario. You walk into your favorite retail location, picking up items as you shop to look at. What you don't know is the fact that the sales clerk that just put several of these things on display has an unvaccinated kid at home with the measles, and mom has been touching her all morning. Bingo, you are exposed to the measles.

The same plot is carried out in a doctor's office or hospital, then at the university or in the library. My point is that you simply don't know when you have come in contact with one of these anti-vaxxer individuals that might be carrying all sorts of diseases. It happened to me, in a doctor's office. The receptionist was bragging that she didn't vaccinate her kids, in front of the rest of the staff, and I, of course, was telling her how wrong she was. We no longer go to this doc.

Like I said, these anti-vaxxers are everywhere and of course in the Donald Trump administration. The wife of former Trump White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications, Bill Shine, is one of these dimwits. Wife, Darla Shine, came up with this absurd idea, and keep in mind it is during the period when new measles cases were breaking out daily...

"she said that not being vaccinated and actually contracting the measles or mumps was a huge advantage, a hardiness builder that could help a person fight off cancer down the line."

I have heard the statements of a lot of anti-vaxxers, but this one takes the cake for inherent stupidity. And this is what the world of these freak propagandists listen to and then go viral with it in social media. Facebook, at least, had the sense to curb what appeared to be complete damaging misinformation. But there is nothing like word of mouth and these morons are out there in force spreading their diseases both verbally and physically.

The terrible truth is these spreaders of calamity are here to stay, says Scientific American. So, the only thing we can do is shun them like the plague and BEWARE!

Trump has much more baggage than just Mueller Report

T-rump definitely in a squeeze

Aside from himself, there is his business, and his family is in jeopardy from many other investigations and lawsuits. This should be a classic example of 'when you do the deed, you do the time.' Unless the Donald Trump legal ensemble can pull this whole mess out of the fire. Many hope that he and his family get their just desserts from using the U.S. government to lie their way through scenario after scenario and connive their way to federal positions of power.

 But the big news is something uncovered in a lawsuit filed against Felix Sater, a Russian-born mobster and government informant who worked closely with Trump for years. Get that, a 'mobster" compounded by the fact he "worked closely with Trump for years." We've had questionable presidents over time , but there is no doubt in my mind that none of them can beat Donald Trump's corruption. Here's what Salon says...

"The bureau should have intimate knowledge of business dealings between the mobster and Trump, who despite being cut off by every major bank except one, was flush with cash after a few years of working with Sater. The one bank that kept loaning Trump money was Deutsche Bank, which has been fined more than $600 million for laundering money for Russians."

Vox mentions a few of Trump's continuing problems: The hush money investigation; The Trump inaugural committee investigations; New York state-based investigations (a biggie!); and miscellaneous Lawsuits. If Mueller can't bring T-rump down, political pundits feel like the above, particularly the New York action, will. Sater's testimony yielded...

"that between Trump, when he was a private citizen, and a host of Russian criminals and a North Korean nuclear weapons materials trafficker there is only one degree of separation: Sater."

I don't believe Al Capone and John Gotti combined had this much dirt in their corner and they didn't wiggle out. 

2nd Amendment 'Sanctuaries' sounding like anti-vaxxers

Here's the definition of a Second Amendment Sanctuary...

"also referred to as Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance or Second Amendment Protection Act, refers to resolutions adopted by some jurisdictions in the United States to not expend resources to enforce certain gun control measures perceived as violative of the Second Amendment."

In other words, gun sanctuary cities are those where gun nut law enforcement has chosen to break the law and not protect its citizens from gun violence. Kinda like anti-vaxxers who have decided to break social traditions that protect the health of this country. Salon reports...

"In some cases, county sheriffs have publicly said they will not enforce the new laws"

This has happened in at least six states: Nevada, New Mexico, Washington, Colorado, Oregon, and Illinois. Sounds like sedition to me, an outright act of huge illegal proportions by law enforcement that is bound by the Constitution to uphold the laws of this country. And it's gaining momentum throughout the U.S. Although inspired by efforts to establish immigration and marijuana sanctuaries, it is the new Red Flag Laws that move these groups today...

"A red flag law is a gun violence prevention law that permits police or family members to petition a state court to order the temporary removal of firearms from a person who may present a danger to others or themselves."

Now that seems reasonable enough to most people who prefer to keep their lives intact rather than die from gun violence. Monument, Colorado is one of those bastions of gun nuts who favor their weapons over the life of the innocent citizens they are supposed to protect. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to proclaim Monument as a “Second Amendment Preservation Town. Police Chief Jacob Shirk doesn't like the red flag bill, probably won't enforce it.

Brookline, Mass. frowns on its firearm licensing policies, and is attempting to take its case all the way to the Supreme Court. These 2nd Amendment morons are going to go too far soon that the American public will tire of the gun violence and vote to repeal the 2nd Amendment. This all ties in with the spate of loose gun laws across the country that allow these cowboys and cowgirls to take their guns anywhere they want to. This sloppy gun control just puts more guns in the hands of the bad guys.

Measles has competition...A 'Super Bug'

Famous new 'Superbug'

There were 100 more cases of measles last week. Keep in mind this is a disease that was considered eradicated in the U.S. twenty years ago. The total number of cases reported is 465, all thanks to the stupidity of anti-vaxxer parents that refuse to vaccinate their children. The irony of all this is the fact that some of these parents probably had their vaccinations years ago from parents who were sane. Fortunately, those parents didn't have social media to lead them astray.

Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable respiratory illness characterized by a rash of flat red spots. Symptoms may include fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes, according to CNN. The disease is widespread throughout the U.S. as federal and state lawmakers stand by while this issue reaches epic proportions in...

The states of Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts and Nevada. Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington.

If your state isn't in there, it will be soon. But now the CDC has confirmed 144 cases of the 'superbug' in Illinois...

The cases of Candida auris, a serious and sometimes fatal fungal infection that has been called a "superbug," have been identified in Illinois and 11 other states across America, according to the CDC.

The sane majority of people in this country are going to want to know if this has anything to do with the idiot anti-vaxxers who have spread measles, mumps and chickenpox. New York has 309 cases and the bug so far seems confined to the big apple, New Jersey and Chicago. It has been reported that...

"Globally, Candida auris has been reported in eight other countries, including two with more than 30 patients each, the 2016 report added."

New York schools were ordered to prohibit unvaccinated children in December. It is time for lawmakers to step in and stop this issue from reaching an uncontrollable state.

West of Tombstone, the shootouts continue

You can't get much further west than Manhattan Beach. Calif., one of the state's premiere beach communities that attracts the moneyed young. Gunfire started in the Manhattan Gateway shopping center with one police officer down almost immediately. Several cops then opened fire on the suspect. No information yet on the injured officer. A bike rider commented...

“This is just a trip,” said Hawthorne resident Chavita Medrano, who was out for a bike ride. “You hear about all these things horrible happening in the world, but you don’t expect it right in your backyard.”

Precisely. We expected this sort of action in the old days of Tombstone, but not in an upscale community of Los Angeles. It started with a guy chasing a woman through the lobby of a hotel and then he took off running into a shopping center. The cop shot was hit in the leg and taken to a hospital. The suspect was eventually captured and a female, also chased by cops, was apparently OK, but her relationship to the suspect was unknown.

Sounds like a great day for a walk around the beach and then all hell breaks loose and there is a shooter on the loose. There are 393 million guns owned by Americans. There are 857 million firearms owned worldwide, meaning the U.S. gun nuts are in possession of almost 46% of total guns owned in the world. And one of these characters just happened to be in Manhattan Beach, Calif. on Sunday, deciding to shoot up the community.

Police announced "the gunman was armed with 'some sort of assault rifle or a TEC-9-type high-powered or high-capacity weapon.'" Assault rifles seem to be the weapon of choice when a deranged individual decides to go out and kill a few people. In this case the police officer should be fine, but the next time the guy could take out 10, 15, up to 20 or more victims in yet another mass killing.

And ladies and gentlemen, all thanks to Wayne LaPierre and his misguided National Rifle Assn. (NRA).

Do we really care about these people?

To begin with, I could care less. And what is even more frustrating is the fact that the media gives it such high profiling. I did one blog post on the news that some top TV and movie stars could be prosecuted for their involvement in an admissions scandal for their children at the U. of Southern California. USC is a bastion of higher learning and should be quick to deal with those school officials involved. But I am really sick and tired of hearing bout it.


These people made their beds so now they must sleep in it, a term Hollywood is quite familiar with. Apparently Lori Loughlin and her husband bought their kids way into USC because they felt they were too dumb to do it on their own. From what I have seen so far from kid Olivia Jade Giannulli, the parents were right in their mental assessment. And Olivia now says she also fears prosecution, but recently blaming her lost career on her mother. What lost career?

While this freak daughter screams over her persecution, People Magazine said, "The 19-year-old knew about the alleged scheme and would have stopped it if she thought they’d get caught." Now that shows real character and is why this whole thing should go to court soon if this case is prosecutable. There's talk of some of the culprits making a deal and in tinsel town that is done regularly. But no matter what happens, these people will always carry with them their involvement in a petty scam.

Mick Mulvaney Trump taxes statement just...stupid

Mick Mulvaney

The release of Donald Trump's taxes, its legality, and whether he was elected in spite of the fact he refused to release the information is not the point here. Newly elected Presidents normally release their tax returns as a matter of transparency, and Donald Trump did not. Mike Mulvaney is either just dumb or he thinks the American public is dumb and will buy his bullshit over the issue. He said the Democrats would never see T-rumps's taxes, then added...

"Nor should they (obtain the documents)" Mulvaney told "Fox News Sunday." "Keep in mind, that's an issue that was already litigated during the election. Voters knew the President could have given over his tax returns, they knew that he didn't and they elected him anyway. Which, of course, is what drives the Democrats crazy."

Don't you just love the reasoning of these idiot Republicans, their arrogance, and how they attempt to protect the Oval Office lunatic. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that Donald Trump is trying to hide something. The question is why, and if his constituency doesn't care, then they are dumber than Mike Mulvaney. Trump's attorney said...

"that the requests for Trump's tax information 'are not consistent with governing law, do not advance any proper legislative purpose, and threaten to interfere with the ordinary conduct of audits.'"

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff responded that, "there is no legal ground for them here." And the beat goes on.