World Famous Groundhog Predicts Gathering Storm in Our Future Was his dark outline the only ominous prognostication shadow?

Kenneth Lee Warner Bouncin’ and Behaving Blogs TOO

Punxsutawney Phil, the world’s most famous groundhog, saw his shadow on February 2nd and dashed back into his hole in the ground, promising 6 more weeks of winter. But before he left, he expressed even more concern over the first two weeks of the Trump Presidency predicting a gathering storm for our Democracy. (Shutterstock photo 1024441057 by YevgeniyDr)

Ever since 1886 when the Punxsutawney Spirit, a rural Pennsylvania newspaper, named their local Groundhog mascot and weather forecaster Punxsutawney Phil, February 2nd has been known as Groundhog Day throughout the U.S.

The rodent’s supposed wisdom actually comes from a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition that if he comes out of his hole on that day and there’s no sunlight to scare him, he promises an early spring.

This year, Phil raced back into his hole, scared of his shadow in the early sunshine, to portend six more weeks of winter.

But some say that Phil is more than just a weather forecaster. His actions this year followed the inauguration of Donald Trump a dozen days before as POTUS. And, they contend, it is a prediction of a gathering storm over the United States’ landscape.

The predilection of dark days in our country’s future is largely spurred not by a fat furry rodent, but by an ominous coincidence half a world away. The 27th of January marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland where 1,000,000 people were killed by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s “final solution” during World War II.

Meanwhile, in front of God and everybody, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, — the new U.S. President’s closest advisor, used the inauguration as an opportunity to flash what some saw as a Nazi salute towards the incoming President.

Since that moment, controversy has arisen as to whether it was a Nazi Salute or simply an effort to brush off one of the flies that seemed to be following Musk ever since it became clear that he is not in fact, Superman, but is really just full of shit.

But the truth of the matter came from Germany’s own Deutsche Welle Radio — the country’s equivalent of England’s BBC — where the host of the weekly show on Europe’s affairs, Inside Europe had this to say:

Just days before the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp on the 27th of January 1945, the world watched as the richest and possibly most influential man on the planet, Elon Musk, gave a Nazi salute in front of the presidential seal of the United States of America. And yes, I’m going to say it was a Nazi salute. Here in Germany, we know one when we see one.

Call me crazy, but I believe her more than anyone on FOX News, so clearly, that settles the matter.

And I believe it signals dark days ahead for our country. I harken back to the 1930s when Fascists were gaining influence, first in Mussolini’s Fascist Italy and then in Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany.

Meanwhile, here in America, that era’s richest men were busy embracing the rise of these European Gangsters.

Automobile industry giant Henry Ford and the world’s famous aviator Charles Lindberg were publicly supporting the Nazis’ rise. They entertained them in their living rooms and spouted their praises from the rostrums of a pro-fascist group called America First. They proposed partnerships with the fascists across the sea and urged America to turn away from what was happening in Europe and ignore the rape of Austria, the betrayal of Czechoslovakia, and even the invasion of Poland.

The only thing that stopped America First’s lunacy was the bombing by Nazi Germany’s Japanese allies of the American fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1941. War broke out, and the Nazis immediately declared war on America, effectively burying the fascist philosophies of America First for almost 100 years.

But somehow, “America First” has crept back into the language of politicians across our country from east to west, particularly in Congress with comments from everyone from New York member Elise Stefanik to Colorado’s Lauren Boebert. It’s even portrayed as the new MAGA motto.

Trump even used America First members as election watchers for the 2024 election.

Once in office, Trump claimed a huge mandate from the American People, at the polls despite winning the popular vote by just under 2% … and he didn’t even get 50% of the total vote. Clearly that’s not a mandate.

That led him to promise all kinds of crazy stuff on his first day in office. It hasn’t all happened in 24 hours, but these last couple of weeks have provided an amusing show watching the mainstream media as they play Newsroom Whack-a-Mole with Trump’s assault on American Democracy.

Here are just a few of the Antics that have dominated headlines over the last few weeks:

· Right off the bat, Trump pissed in the faces of Union supporters by firing the worker-friendly head of the National Labor Relations board which oversees fairness in worker’s rights.

· In a Friday night midnight purge, he illegally fired 17 Federal Inspectors General who are part of the system of checks and balances that hold our branches of government accountable.

· And, while he was eliminating livelihoods, he gave termination notices to a couple of million government workers saying in effect, you can leave now, or you can leave later, just get out.

· He also pulled out of every major environmental protection for our planet he could find.

· And, as though alienating a whole section of his base was not enough, he shit on America’s closest ally, Canada, by starting a trade war, a battle that even his allies in Texas say will be a disaster. America gets a huge percentage of its lumber from Canada and the cost of your dream deck just skyrocketed. Texas builders say these tariffs will devastate the state’s building industry.

· Trump promised to eliminate the strain on the average American’s home budget on day one. Instead, his trade wars will raise the cost of everything from groceries to TV screens, refrigerators to clothing. Most economic experts point out that rather than lowering prices on day one, his actions will increase the cost of living dramatically for the average American.

· But most egregious has been his assault on the United States Constitution. Not only has he usurped Congress’ basic job to control America’s purse strings, but he signed an executive order eliminating birthright citizenship that is enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Seems he doesn't think that “Amendments” matter. If you don’t think this sets a dangerous precedent, just remember, the Bill of Rights is the first 12 amendments and, it will give him the “right” to eliminate them.

All this by Trump’s start of his second week back in the White House. No wonder, Punxsutawney Phil rapidly escaped back into his dark hole. It was a warning of a long winter, and, it was nature’s way of indicating a gathering storm for our Democracy and our world.

In my advanced years, I’ve discovered that my Mother has proven to be right about almost everything. And, as one of her homespun philosophies she always used to say that if you could make it till Groundhog Day, you’ve survived the torrents of winter’s darkness.

But, this year, I’m not so sure.