Trump acquitted, giving even more power to extreme right

 

Donald Trump has been acquitted in the impeachment trial even with seven Republican Senators crossing the aisle and voting for conviction. Moscow Mitch releases a glaring put down of Trump, yet votes to acquit him. Lindsey Graham got his nose out of Trump's butt long enough to vote to acquit. Greg Sargent's prediction in the Washington Post was fulfilled...

"Mark it now: The vast majority of them will agree that the storming of the Capitol was an abomination and that the perpetrators must be held to account. But little by little, many will migrate to a place where Trump himself is absolutely and comprehensively exonerated from any culpability for inciting it in any way."

It is frightening for sane thinking people--yes, there are still some left--who have come to realize that Republicans have absolutely no honor left. This radical right would let a lunatic go in the face of overwhelming evidence that he committed terrible atrocities while in office. Donald Trump will go down as the most vile and corrupt president to ever serve this country, but also the world's most effective con man. But these morons in the Senate acquitted him. 

And if this isn't enough, there is a new proliferation of self-proclaimed "prophets"

who, according to Alex Henderson of AlterNet, "are known for making political predictions." Ruth Graham of the New York Times reports that "some of them have turned out to be way off in their predictions." Graham adds...

"Such 'prophets,' according to Graham, are likely to promote political conspiracy theories."

These heretics operate mostly online and are, according to Graham...

"are part of the rising appeal of conspiracies in Christian settings, echoed by the popularity of QAnon among many evangelicals and a resistance to mainstream sources of information."

But let me tell you, there is no bigger threat to this country--that is other than Donald Trump--than Fox News anchor, Tucker Carlson. I wish someone had done the same tally on him as they did on Donald Trump lies. However, there are a couple of PolitiFact sites here, and here. that will give you an idea just how deceitful and dishonest this lowlife is. Max Boot of the Washington Post says...

"When Donald Trump was in office, he posed the most dangerous threat to American democracy. With the former president now golfing full-time, the most dangerous threat may well emanate from the Fox 'News' Channel — and specifically from its top-rated host, Tucker Carlson. He seems to be on a mission to make America’s worst problems even worse."

One of Carlson's specialties is promoting vaccine conspiracies, which influences people in the wrong direction and a major threat to their health. He is the epitome of an anti-vaxxer, anti-masks, anti-distancing, all rolled into one pompous moron. Tucker Carlson is the go-to for far-right extremists who, according to AlterNet "have the potential to mount a coordinated, low-intensity campaign of political violence." From the Proud Boys to QAnon, these noodle-heads are dangerous.

AlterNet reports...

"Several U.S. security experts say they now consider domestic extremism a greater threat to the country than international terror. According to my [The Conversation] research on political violence, the U.S. has all the elements that, combined, can produce a low-intensity terrorist conflict: extreme polarization and armed factions willing to break the law, in a wealthy democracy with a strong government.

The article points out that during modern days, civil wars only break out in poor countries where leadership is weak or non-existent. Yet, Donald Trump, in his four years in office has driven the powerhouse United States to the point of all-out insurrection with a radical faction that only seems to get stronger. Joe Biden is busy with controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and there are other issues on his plate like immigration and minimum wage but we all must look out for the radical right.

Latest News for those in a hurry

 

Joe Biden wants to eliminate credit bureaus. His idea is to transfer all data to a public registry under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I found numerous violations of consumer rights as a private advocate several years ago. My question is, would the government handling this be any better...or worse? Read More...

Sorry but I cannot conjure up the least amount of sympathy for a sleaze, namely Rush Limbaugh, that has spewed downright dangerous rhetoric for this country over the years. Example...

"Early in the coronavirus pandemic, Limbaugh told listeners that the virus was no worse than 'the common cold' and that the news media had 'weaponized' the crisis to hurt Trump."

Limbaugh needs to go and he can take the rest of conservative talk radio with
him. Read More...

Election officials across the country are experiencing a rash of phone calls from Republican voters. Their primary concern is what happened on January 6, at the nation's Capital. Insurrection orchestrated by Donald Trump with lives lost and over 200 rioters in jail. The result is 1,000s of Republicans are leaving the party, 33,000 from California alone. Read More...

The big question today is who's in control? Demented State Republican Parties would have us believe it is still Donald Trump. Here's an example from Alex Henderson of AlterNet...

"In the view of the Oregon Republican Party, what transpired on Jan. 6 was not an insurrection — and the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol were not supporters of Donald Trump. Rather, the uprising that the world witnessed that day was a 'false flag.' Its aim, according to the party, was to discredit Trump and 'advance the Democrat goal of seizing total power, in a frightening parallel to the February 1933 burning of the German Reichstag.'"

Joe Biden needs to get Merrick Garland confirmed and in his seat as Attorney General. 

Gun sales are booming with 330 million firearms on the street. With a U.S. population of 329 million, wouldn't you say that is enough? Not so say the 40 million who purchased guns in 2020, plus another 4.1 million in January of 2021. This is both obscene and insane when you consider America's gun violence is the second highest in the world. Douglas A. McIntyre of USA Today says...

"Growing civil unrest may have prompted people to buy guns for personal and family protection, many social scientists have posited, although this remains a matter of debate. Another theory is that chaos brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is a major cause."

This may be true to some extent but McIntyre leaves out the most important reason. These buyers, led by the NRA's head gun nut, Wayne LaPierre, are making these purchases because of the propaganda fed to them by the gun lobby. Don't be misled, LaPierre, like Trump, may be temporarily disabled, but there is still power in both of these misfits. Five-million of this total were new buyers with sales to women up 40%. Fortunately Joe Biden plans to take on the gun lobby. 

 

First step, Donald Trump impeachment conviction - Second step Prison

 

Donald Trump is being tried in the Senate for inciting an angry mob of his double-digit followers to take over and attempt to destroy the U.S. Capitol. His conviction is at best 75/25, 75 against, but there have some indications since the trial began that Republicans are feeling the heat, recently hearing that their constituents are fleeing the party by the 1,000s. And this may not be his biggest problem. NY Atty. Gen. Letitia James is preparing her case against Trump and it's a doozy. 

Trump's complicity in the Capitol riots is settled in his speech to the rioters the day of the insurrection. He takes his last shot at Biden's election results amassing a hoard of lies that mirror the 20,000+ deceptions he spewed during four years in office. By the way, during this diatribe the audience chanted, “We love Trump.” He tells these idiots to go to the Capitol and fight. They did and CNN's Erin Burnet lays it all out in a ghastly timeline that cinches Donald Trump's involvement.

I want to see Trump put in prison, and for a long period of time for his criminal acts while in the White House and what he did on January 6. The most reprehensible act from the ex-oval office lunatic is his incompetence in the handling of the coronavirus pandemic. First it was a hoax, then, it'll go away when the weather gets warm, followed by an insanity of the ages in belittling the CDC and the only one in the administration that knew what was going on, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

And then he appointed Louis DeJoy as Postmaster General, many feel to dismantle the USPS. It helped that DeJoy was a large donor to Trump's election campaign. DeJoy did his appointer's bidding by removing one of the most important tools of the UPSP to expedite mail, sorting machines. Working in the junk mail industry for 35 years and witnessing what these appliances are capable of, I can understand how this move slowed the mail at a critical period during the pandemic and Christmas. 

But the kicker comes from a Republican representative from Illinois, Adam Kinzinger, who voted to impeach Trump, and continues to condemn him and his loyal followers for what this maniac has done. In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, Kinzinger said, "My fellow Republicans, convicting Trump is necessary to save America." Continuing, I say this as a lifelong Republican who voted to impeach Trump last month. There's more...

"Winston Churchill famously said, 'Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.' All Americans, but especially my fellow Republicans, should remember this wisdom during the Senate’s trial of former president Donald Trump."

Will Kinzinger's rhetoric do any good, especially considering that fellow

Republicans continue to support Donald Trump. The congressman doesn't think this is all for naught...

"It’s a matter of accountability. If the GOP doesn’t take a stand, the chaos of the past few months, and the past four years, could quickly return. The future of our party and our country depends on confronting what happened — so it doesn’t happen again."

And hate to say it but don't think most of the GOP has learned their lesson, or any lesson, based on the outlook for Trump's conviction. Without this the United States will become the laughingstock of the world (again) and the Republican Party will assume the reputation of nation destroyers. But hopefully the New York Atty. Gen. will proceed with their evidence and put Donald Trump in jail so my wife and I can enjoy our final days knowing there is some justice in our country.

Excepting hunters, ALL guns should be kept at home

 

There have been numerous attacks on the 2nd Amendment, and I won't quote it now because it has been done hundreds of times and most people know its details. The problem is that the two factions in the gun violence dilemma, the gun control advocates and the gun rights advocates cannot agree on the interpretation. The 2nd is ancient, written by men who believed at the time there was a challenge by the U.S. government to take away their rights.

That was 1791, over two hundred years ago, and things have changed dramatically, but the gun rights gang doesn't believe that justifies the control of their guns, all 390 million of them. Incidentally, the current U.S. population is 329 million. Looks like the NRA came up at least 1 million short. In all sincerity, does any fair-minded person think our country needs that many guns? But wait, Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's head gun nut believes we need even more.

America comes in second in firearm-related gun deaths around the world with 37,200 annually; Brazil is number 1. However, as you can see in this illustration, the U.S. ranks higher than a lot of violent nations. With this said, there's a controversy going on in Utah re. just where these 390 million gun owners can take their weapons. Steven. F. Alder of The Salt Lake Tribune feels the two sides must come together, offering this as guidance...

"Let’s adopt a rule from that old Johnny Cash song: 'Just leave your guns at home boys, don’t take your guns to town.'”

Good advice but apparently the Utah Legislature and Gov. Cox don't agree because they support "the right to carry a concealed gun without a permit." There is some ridiculous reasoning for their thinking that could only come from a Republican.  But Alder wants the guns to stay at home, no matter the governor's logic. Here's Alder's thinking...

"We need legislation making it a crime to bring a gun to any public meeting of any branch of government and especially to any protest. It should not just be illegal to have a gun in court, but also at legislative and executive branch meetings. Most importantly, it should be illegal to take a weapon, concealed or open, to any protest or demonstration. Those bringing a weapon to such events should be arrested — not protected!"

The author is making his point in relationship to the state of Utah and its government agencies, but the concept is appropriate not only for state properties, but also for the private sector. State gun laws for gun owners have become so lax that anything goes, and I do mean anything. As an example, in Arizona all that is required to buy a gun is to produce a warm body. And what is even more farcical is that you can take guns into bars, reinforcing Alder's piece.

Okay, I give up, here is the 2nd Amendment...

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Where does it say, or even infer, that an individual can bear arms in a bar? And where does it say even an individual can bear arms; I believe the terms used are both "Militia" and "people" when it refers to having a weapon. And then there is the phrase "being necessary to the security of a free State," a statement that would indicate necessary protection from tyranny; well, folks, we are talking 1791 when this Amendment was passed. 

This is 2021 and the only recent tyranny we have experienced is Donald Trump and I am not sure he even owns a gun. The gun rights issue is pure malarkey. Pew Research Center says that 60% of the American public favors stronger gun laws. On the other hand, the NRA, led by head gun nut Wayne Lapierre, would have you believe that more guns on the street is the answer. Gun violence is its own pandemic but, in this case, we know the source. Read more...

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Catching up on the news

 

"'Insulting' GOP bill would let Arizona lawmakers throw out presidential election results." As a Zoni, I have witnessed the stupidity of the governor and AZ legislature for over twenty. This is just another one of their idiocies. Read more...

"Josh Hawley has become 'the face of the Biden resistance': report." AlterNet says...

"Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has become one of the most hated Republicans in the U.S. Senate and is being associated with violent insurrection, extremism and refusing to accept democratic election results."

Read more...  

"Gun seller turned congressman becomes first of 2 republicans fined for 'skipping' metal detectors: report." You can take a gun nut out of his gun store but you can't the "nut" out of a gun nut. Read more... 

"Nearly 150 constitutional scholars sign letter dismantling Trump's 'First Amendment' impeachment defense." Yet, a Republican congressional mass will vote no to impeachment. Pathetic! Read more...

"The polls are in — and the Republican Party looks like a total mess." Here's an example...

"McConnell's favorability, according to FiveThirtyEight, is 19%, while Cheney's is 27%. And the favorability among the 'better-known Trump allies' includes 19% for Hawley, 34% for Cruz and 23% for McCarthy." 

Read more...  

"Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's multi-million-dollar profits made while working for the government." Calling the New York Attorney General...Are you listening? Read more...

"The good news and the bad news in the fight against COVID." AlterNet says, "The good news: millions of people around the world have been vaccinated." The bad news not so good. Read more...

"Trump's election fraud lie has cost taxpayers $519 million -- and his tab is still rising: report." RawStory covers a piece in The Washington Post...

"President Donald Trump's onslaught of falsehoods about the November election misled millions of Americans, undermined faith in the electoral system, sparked a deadly riot — and has now left taxpayers with a large, and growing, bill. The total so far: $519 million."

        Read more... 

"Multiple Republican lawmakers are debating bolting and forming a new party: ex-GOP House member." Just what we need, another gang of Republicans running loose. Read more...

"Opinion: The GOP is not a normal party." Clearly the understatement of the year. Just count the psychiatrists like Brandy Lee from Yale who have labeled Donald Trump unfit mentally to hold office. The rest of the Republicans, especially those who continue to ardently continue to support Trump, well, they all seem to be on the midst of a brain freeze. Read more...

 

UPDATE: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds dooms her state to COVID-19

 

Two cities, Des Moines and Iowa City defy Iowa's idiot Gov. Kim Reynolds and keep their COVID-10 precautionary measures in place.

Idiots abound in politics, most of them Republicans, some Democrats. Joe Manchin may qualify as a disturbed maverick, but he's definitely no idiot. The governor of Iowa, Kim Reynolds, indubitably qualifies and she just recently became certifiable. Her entitlement is how she is lifting all the regulations in place for COVID-19 control. Here's the scenario according to the Daily Beast...

"She’s lifting the measure put in place to slow the spread of the virus. As of Sunday, gone are the mask mandate, the rules requiring businesses to limit capacity and enforce social distancing, and the caps on indoor and outdoor gatherings."

New coronavirus cases have "fallen dramatically" recently but Iowa has just been invaded by the U.K. variant, which has now not only been determined to be more transmissible, but also more contagious, thus, dangerous.  Don't politicians read, and I don't mean Facebook? I know they are dull wits, but, damn, Reynolds is dealing with the lives of over 3 million Iowa residents, some of which are no doubt dull wits like her. Yes, I can just imagine the delight of some...

'Hey dude, the Gov just turned us loose from our condemned isolation. Let's head

for the Embers and put away a few with our comrades.' And then there is the family thing where they figure they can now get the whole bunch together in numbers, attend those parties lately missed, or take the kids to sporting events where crowds proliferate. In other words, do all the things we used to do when it was normal. Well, folks, it ain't normal and it may not be for some time.

I'm not picking on Iowa, it is only one of many states including Arizona, Florida, Georgia and more; all Republican governors. Trumpism at its best, which almost brought this country to its knees, and continuing under faux leaders like Reynolds. It should be noted that Iowa ranks 47th in vaccine distribution with 97,000 shots being given, which is just over 3% of the population. Iowa is also 27th in the nation for coronavirus deaths, 28th for total cases.

And worse, the state is 7th in deaths per 1000 population, which bodes poorly on either the medical care or the attitude of people in taking care of themselves. But the attitude that really matters here is that of Gov. Kim Reynolds which clearly sucks. She has released her 3+ million constituents to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, most importantly on each other. Additionally, predicted bitter cold and heavy snow will slow down any vaccination efforts.

It is obvious that state leaders want to get back to as close to normal as possible, but what they don't understand is that "normal" is just not yet attainable with the coronavirus raging across the country. And really good leaders don't just look at the present, but they also keep an eye on the future. Our future right now includes vaccinating the public and prioritizing the preparation that is necessary to deal with the various variant mutations. But not opening the gates to more problems.

Latest News Briefs

 

Biden struggling on stimulus with $15 minimum wage attached to bill. Both are important by do the stimulus now and let Bernie ramrod minimum wage. Read more...

Coronavirus cases on decline in U.S. but U.K., Brazil and So. Africa variants could change that. Read more...

Trump funnelled money from donors into private business after election loss, report finds. Read more...

Trump court appointee grants Capitol rioter, Jenny Cudd, request to go to Mexico for a vacation. A quote from Cudd...

"F--- yes, I am proud of my actions, I f---ing charged the Capitol today with patriots today. Hell, yes, I am proud of my actions," Cudd said in the Facebook video, according to court records.

Read more... 

Climate change "may have played a key role" in coronavirus pandemic, study says. Human caused climate change screwed up forests of Southeast Asia proliferating bats in the region. Result coronavirus? Read more...

Having to fight Republicans on a bill that will substantially help the country recover from COVID-19 and a slowing economy is typical of the miserable Party the GOP has become. Pathetic! Read more...

QUESTION: "Will I get the vaccine or the virus first?" Yet there are those out there who oppose the vaccine and more seriously those charlatans that provoke anti-vaxxers and profit from their stupidity. But this article is about how the coronavirus vaccine is being distributed and its problems. Read more...

450,000 Americans dead from COVID-19, a number that should ricochet around the Donald Trump impeachment trial. The U.S. leads the world in deaths and the signs are for a slow recovery with the three new variants. Read more...

U.K. variant increases the risk of dying from COVID-19 compared with previous variants. Whoa...didn't they tell us the variants were more transmissible but not necessarily more contagious? Other scientists say this is...

"preliminary and still does not indicate whether the variant is more deadly or is just spreading faster and so reaching greater numbers of vulnerable people."

Read more... 

Federal executions likely a COVID superspreader. AP reports...

"As the Trump administration was nearing the end of an unprecedented string of executions, 70% of death row inmates were sick with COVID-19. Guards were ill. Traveling prisons staff on the execution team had the virus. So did media witnesses, who may have unknowingly infected others when they returned home because they were never told about the spreading cases.>

Read more... 

"FBI net closes on Maga mob that stormed the Capitol." As Donald Trump's impeachment Senate trial nears and dozens of Capitol rioters are in jail or on bail, there is no sign of the Department of Justice and FBI letting up in their relentless pursuit of the insurrectionists. Read more...

Get ready for a Super Bowl superspreader in Tampa. The Daily Beast says, "Out-of-towners desperate to escape the confines of more restricted states could spell a fiasco in Tampa." There's more...

“With the Bucs playing in the Super Bowl, no one is thinking about COVID,” [Warren] Colazzo said. “It’s an escape from what’s going on. The last three nights, I’ve met a lot of people from California and other lockdown states who came here just to party. They are not even here to watch the football game.”

Read more... 

"Iowa Governor Rescinds Mask Mandate in Face of Mutations." And in this move by one of the country's most incompetent governors is a guarantee for more COVID-19 cases and deaths in the state many past presidential candidate think has the most common sense. Unfortunately, here, we have a certifiable idiot. Read more...