Four Dead In O-Hi-O - Post-traumatic stress from 13 seconds in 1970

TEAR GAS HAS BECOME AS UBIQUITOUS AS SIGNS OF PROTESTS IN POLITICAL DISCOURSE THESE DAYS. (SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO FROM LUIZSOUZA))

The problem with living as long as I have is that history often repeats itself. I will be in 71 in just a couple of weeks on May 3rd.

The latest news of campus protests haunts me. My thoughts go back to May 4, 1970, when, a day after my 17th birthday, the headlines screamed that four students, peacefully protesting on the grounds of Kent State University, had been gunned down and killed by soldiers from the Ohio State National Guard.

I can’t help but compare the actions of those students protesting the Vietnam War to the current protests on campuses from New York’s Columbia University to Yale, to Harvard, and yes, even to Kent State in Ohio.

On that fourth day of May 1970, some 300 protesters gathered there to find they were facing twenty-eight National Guard soldiers. For a still unknown reason, those men fired 67 rounds from their M-1 rifles into the crowd of protesters.

Four students: Allison Krause, age 19; Jeffrey Glenn Miller, age 20; Sandra Lee Scheuer, age 20; and Willian Knox Schroeder, age 19 were all killed.

It took just 13 seconds to snuff out these young lives.

Now, as I listen to the words of College presidents from these same institutions spout rhetoric about safety, protest, and the need to not have protesters disrupt the opportunity for education, I recoil in disbelief.

It was just this sort of callous disregard for basic American rights that led to the murder of those four Kent State students.

I’m not sure if any of these University leaders were alive in 1970 to experience the horror of those days. But, their calls for police intervention are frightening. Particularly in this age when random police shootings are in the news all too regularly.

Will history repeat itself once again?

My head now constantly fills with words from musicians Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young in their song Ohio released a year later,

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming
We’re finally on our own
This summer I hear the drumming
Four dead in Ohio

Gotta get down to it, soldiers are cutting us down
Should have been gone long ago
What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know?

That May 4th was a turning point in my life. The Vietnam War was expanding into Cambodia. Nixon was clamping down on citizens in the name of national security, I was going to be 18 years old in just a year and eligible for the draft.

On the debate team (yeah, I was a nerd) we argued the premise of lowering the voting age to 18 … “If you’re old enough to die for your country, you’re old enough to vote.”

My high school years were transformative for me. Growing up in rural upstate New York, I was raised in a world that would later be viewed as “right-wing”. My father was a WWII veteran, and then a Master Sergeant in the New York National Guard. My brother was in the U.S. Army. As for me, I was twisting and turning in my understanding of the world around me.

I wasn’t sure what was going to happen in my future. I had been slowly morphing into someone I didn’t know. I was probably one of the first to smoke weed in my class, having experienced it on a summer trip to Texas to visit my cousins the year before. I started hanging around with some alternative-thinking kids. My guidance counselor wanted me to go to Cornell and become a lawyer. I thought I was going to be a policeman. And, the draft lottery loomed large in my future.

My adolescence was filled with what seemed like endless political assassinations. My father talked of Martin Luther King as a danger to America. There was Woodstock and lots of protest music. Everyone smoked Marlboro Reds.

The only things two things I was sure of were, that if there was a sexual revolution going on I wanted to know how to join, and that shooting down student protesters didn't seem to be something my government should be doing.

I suppose I was drifting toward a different view than my family for some time. A year later, I was volunteering on George McGovern’s campaign for President. My draft number was 283. 18-year-olds got the right to vote.

My world was changing and I was changing with it. I registered as a Democrat and my Mother told me not to tell my father.

I was never the same again.

So here we are more protests and calls for crackdowns. I’m not a particularly religious man, but I find myself praying for the protestors and cringing as I open my computer each morning to read the day's news, hoping that history won't repeat itself.

All the while the words echo on in my head.

Four dead in Ohio (four)
Four dead in Ohio (I said four, I said four)
Four dead in Ohio (how many more?)
Four dead in Ohio (why?)
Four dead in Ohio (I wanna know why)
Four dead in Ohio (you better tell me why)
Four dead in Ohio (why?)
Four dead in Ohio (why did they die?)

Mr. Johnson Declares That Congress Should “Do The Right Thing

It could make the difference in who is President.

WHEN HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON SAID, “WE SHOULD DO THE RIGHT THING,” ON FOX NEWS, I FIGURED SOMEONE MUST BE PUTTING POT GUMMIES IN THE CONGRESSIONAL COOKIE JAR. (SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO FROM NUVA FRAMES)

ust when I thought the world as we know it was about to end, House Speaker Mike Johnson called on Democrats to support his plan to pass a massive $90 billion-plus aid bill to give $60 billion to Ukraine, $26 billion to Israel including humanitarian aid for civilians in the conflict zones aka Gaza, and $8 billion in humanitarian aid to Indo-Pacific.

The New York Times reported that, in an interview on Fox News of all places, Johnson is reported to have said:

We’ve taken the Senate supplemental bill and we’ve improved the process and policy, and that’s a really important thing,” Every member gets to vote their own conscience.

And, that in a CNN interview shortly after, Johnson added:

We’re not the world’s policeman, but we’re going to do the right thing.

Do the right thing? Vote their conscience? On Humanitarian aid? Has Johnson gone mad?

Something tells me someone’s putting pot gummies in the Congressional cookie jar!

Nevertheless, Johnson plans the vote for Saturday.

Why, sometimes I’ve believed six impossible things before breakfast. — Alice in Wonderland (1951)

The bill closely resembles that which Senate passed already which means it could actually end up on President Biden’s desk for his signature.

And, in an unprecedented outreach, President Biden endorsed Johnson’s efforts in a statement and urged everyone to get on board.

I strongly support this package to get critical support to Israel and Ukraine, provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, and bolster security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed.

But of course, not everyone is eager to jump on the bandwagon.

A vote to oust the House Speaker can be brought by just one nut-case member. And promises have come from two of the nutiest members to call for ouster if Johnson brings Ukraine aid to the floor.

Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie of Kentucky have said they will vote to dump Johnson. So Johnson is going to have to seek help from (GULP!) Democrats if he’s going to survive. And, most believe that it will take some serious magic for that to happen.

If you remember last time, House Democrats stood by smirking at the Republican ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy and refused to budge to save him.

Now though, there’s a strange sound resonating through the hallowed halls of Congress that is as loud as thundering horses' hoofbeats.

KAZAM! The magic happens! The cavalry has come to the rescue. Two Dem Reps. Jared Moskowitz of Flordia and Tom Suozzi of New York have pledged to vote against any resolution to vacate Johnson as speaker.

But the question still remains, what could have happened to make the Republican leader start acting like one? At first I thought maybe Speaker Johnson was actually reading the Bible he purports to live by in Isaiah 11:6 :

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

But then I realized there’s a stronger motivation. Turns out it’s not as strange as I thought. It’s a simple matter of survival.

He’s going to make a deal with Democrats to vote to keep him as Speaker when Greene and Massie (and a whole list of conservative Republicans) vote to oust him.

This sort of cooperation across party lines has not been seen in this century.

Many Republicans are appalled. Texas Republican Representative Chip Roy groused:

This is not the way we should be doing business. I believe this is part of a larger effort to push something through for very politically expedient purposes that I’m on record as disagreeing with.

No, Mr. Roy, actually it is the way you should be doing business. It’s called compromise. It's the only thing that has ever made progress in civilization possible.

Will someone please pass him the gummies?

Was Trump Asleep At The Wheel?

The “husher”, Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen, paid the “hushee”, adult film star, Stormy Daniels to keep her mouth shut about her affair with the former President. Here they are in April of 2018 after appearing in federal court in Lower Manhattan. (Shutterstock photo from a katz.)

Maybe Trump’s criminal trial is a wake-up call for America

Earlier this week, jury selection began in a Manhattan Court for a historical moment in America’s history.

A criminal trial for a former President of the United States.

Ninety-six average citizens were called for jury duty, and the number quickly faded to 46 after some 50 potential jurors raised their hands to say they couldn't remain impartial in response to the judge’s query.

Trump’s response? With all of the world watching and his fate driving relentlessly toward a brick wall, Donald Trump was asleep at the wheel and took a snooze. The New York Times described it this way”

Even as a judge was hearing arguments on last-minute issues in a criminal case that centers on salacious allegations and threatens to upend his bid for the presidency, Mr. Trump appeared to nod off a few times, his mouth going slack and his head drooping onto his chest.

The former president’s lead lawyer, Todd Blanche, passed him notes for several minutes before Mr. Trump appeared to jolt awake and notice them.

Taking a little catnap wouldn't ordinarily be unusual for someone who will be 78 in June. Except of course if you happen to be a Presidential candidate who for months and months has been berating your opponent for being too old to be President.

It’s an unprecedented moment. So much so that in anticipation the morning of the trial’s opening, The New York Times had no less than 10 homepage stories about the former President on all manner of sordid things. It read more like an edition of The National Enquirer than a sophisticated New York Times edition. But then again, it’s hard not to act like a tabloid when the charges against Trump stem from alleged hush money he passed on to a porn star during the 2020 election in an effort to get her to keep her mouth shut about his affair with her. The trial itself is anticipated to be filled with witnesses giving detailed accounts of his sexual escapades.

During jury selection, they even played a recording of Trump’s bragging about his being able to grab women’s genitals at will because he’s so rich.

You just can’t make this stuff up!

This is only the beginning of the saga. In two federal courts and two state courts, former President Trump faces a total of 88 criminal charges.

That’s a ton of criminal activity. What I can’t figure out is, when does he even have time to have extra-marital affairs?

No wonder he’s nodding off. I once lost sleep for three days over a speeding ticket I had to appear for. It leaves me hard to believe that Mr. Trump can focus on anything other than his monstrous legal charges looming before him.

Meanwhile, back at the White House, President Joe Biden had a few challenges of his own including:

An immovable House of Representatives holding up aid to our ally Ukraine while their cities are leveled, and young men and women die every day because they lack enough ammunition to fight back against Putin’s army.

A humanitarian crisis in Gaza where a million and a half people are about to starve to death.

A potential conflict between Israel and Iran that by some accounts, could lead to World War III.

A broken health care system.

Student debt that cripples our young people.

And, last but not least, laws banning abortion being passed in half the country, all of which were caused by a bunch of elitest dirtbags whom Trump appointed to the Supreme Court and who live privileged lifestyles completely out of touch with everyday, average Americans.

I’m not sure this is the worst of times for our country, but it seems like it to me. There are so many problems that it seems hard to figure out which one is going to cause our downfall.

One thing is for sure. While the economy is apparently doing just fine, there still seems to be a major spending crisis facing us, but not the usual kind related to the national debt.

It’s the contrast between how President Biden is spending his days, and how former President Donald Trump is spending his. One is focused on the welfare of America. The other is on the welfare of his legal problems.

Compare the two candidates and decide which one is ready, willing, and able to handle our future.

It should be a wake-up call for America.

Should We Encourage Abortion Restrictions Before the 2024 Election?

Protests against the ban on abortion in Gdynia, Poland. (Photo from Shutterstock by kamilewski)

Arizona just re-instated an 1864 law basically making abortion illegal and punishable by a term in prison.

While I watched the news unfold of the tragedy of their return to the Stone Age on women’s reproductive rights, an interesting thought came over me.

The more states that enact restrictions on what women can do with their own bodies, the better chance Joe Biden has of winning the 2024 election.

Nearly two dozen states have now enacted severe restrictions and harsh punishments since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. Almost every southern state is jumping on the abortion BAN — wagon. And, Donald Trump is now bragging about having appointed three Supreme Court Justices who kicked out Roe v. Wade and supporting state’s rights to do whatever they want. But if there’s one thing I’ve noticed after all of this it’s this:

Women don't like what’s happening to their rights.

And, I’m not only talking about the ones on the front lines. I’m also talking about the strong-willed, silent women who either have a deep dark secret about their own abortion or who know someone who has.

And, they’re not about to keep silent.

There are a couple of things I find Crazy about the Arizona situation. First, the “law” was passed in 1864. Arizona didn't even become a state until 1912. If we all have to abide by laws that were in place prior to our states joining the Union, shouldn’t we then be enforcing Native American Treaties and giving back the land to the people we took it from?

I’m sure Arizona’s courts won’t support that view any time soon.

Secondly, if I’m not mistaken, people have been screwing since the beginning of time. But birth control in 1864 was about as effective as a three-legged horse. Times are different today. The problem was that in the 19th Century, the most common birth control method was abstinence, which didn’t work very well and consequently led to large families.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but here in the 21st Century, because of advances in birth control, people are screwing more than ever because the chances of getting pregnant are slimmer. However, unintended pregnancies do happen. And it makes no sense that we should be hurriedly advancing opportunities for activities in the bedroom and not also expanding reproductive rights for women at the same speed.

This is what happens when old white men make all the laws, but that’s a topic for another day.

So what does this mean for the Presidential election of 2024?

Joe Biden and the Democrats are pummeling Trump and Republican candidates across the nation on their support of rolling back women’s rights.

One of the few things the right-wingers haven’t been able to overcome is the right to a secret ballot. No matter what their husbands might think, women of all ages will quietly vote against anyone who is dumb enough to support the further disintegration of women’s rights. And, I think young women particularly will go to the polls and vote to keep the rights their mothers fought so hard for in the 60s and 70s.

As evidence of this, take a look at what happened in Poland in their most recent parliamentary elections. In addition to destroying just basic freedoms, the right-wing totalitarian government was putting the screws to women’s reproductive rights big time. Women young and old came out to vote in numbers never before seen and threw the bums out! An extraordinary 74.4% of the eligible voters cast their ballots.

I can’t imagine that women in the U.S. won’t do the same and quietly … or perhaps not so quietly … go to the polls and vote against Donald Trump and the rest of the Republican gang who are yearning for a return to the days when women were chattel.

I’m not talking about women like Clarence Thomas’s wife. She’s a privileged nutbag. I’m talking about real women. The ones with the brains, and the brawn at the ballot box.

So to all the state legislators who want to squash Women’s Reproductive Rights, I say go, go go! On November 4th of this year, the women of this nation will speak loud and clear and send you to the unemployment lines.

Three Things About Trump That Should Scare the Shit Out of You

If you aren’t afraid now, you will be when he comes after you

Biden’s State of the Union Speech is over and his campaign is ready to rock. In the meantime, if you haven’t figured out who is best for the country, maybe a reality check about Trump will help you decide. (Shutterstock photo from Benoit Daoust)

If you had any thoughts that President Biden isn’t 100% on his game, you should watch his State of the Union Speech. He rocked it!

Despite that, I really do understand my neighbors who think that Biden is too old, or that AOC is too young, or that Democrats are out of touch with reality. I may not agree with any of it … well at least the first two, but I get why they would think these things.

But what I don't understand is why these same people aren’t scared out of their minds that Donald Trump has even the slightest chance of being president again.

This guy is unbalanced. He’s a rapist, a crook, a thief, and a liar. And if there’s anything I’m scared of in my current age, it’s that after he’s elected, he’ll be coming after me for telling the truth about him.

But what the hell? You only live once.

So, at the risk of putting a final nail in my own coffin, I’m going take one last chance at shaking my Trump-supporting friends into understanding just how dangerous this guy is.

Here are three things Donald Trump said that should scare the shit out of you. There's a much longer list, but these three are particularly frightening.

1.) On social media he threatened to execute his own choice to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley. He said, “This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!”

2.) He plainly stated, “I won’t be a dictator except on day one.” He models his style of governing on guys like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán who rules with an iron fist. And, Trump really wants to be Vladimir Putin when he grows up, who is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of his own Russian people including just about anyone who opposes hin.

3.) He makes no bones about using the power of the federal government to go after his enemies. “I will use the justice department to go after anyone who opposes me”. We haven’t had anyone this bad in Washington since J. Edger Hoover ran the F.B.I. and targeted everyone from Martin Luther King, Jr. to … you and me.

This may seem unreal, but it’s all been done before.

As Hitler rose to power in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s, much of Germany saw him as the savior who would bring them out of the horror of WWI and the devastation of the Great Depression. Someone who might have been an unexpected Hitler believer was a prominent leader of the Protestant Church, Rev. Martin Niemöller. He was a supporter of right-wing radicals and the ideas of the National Socialists aka Nazis.

However, after Hilter came to power in 1933, he became a loud critic of Germany’s new leader. He paid for his outspoken attitude by spending the years between 1937 and 1945 in Nazi concentration camps.

Here’s how he described Hitler’s rise to power:

First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me. — Martin Niemöller

I don’t happen to be Jewish, but two kids I helped raise have Jewish grandparents. And, I am a member of two unions as well as a dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

You know, socialism? The terrible ideas that brought you social security, medicare, unemployment insurance, Health and nutrition programs for Children, public schools, public fire protection, and the nastiest of all … public infrastructure programs like CHIPS (Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program).

I regularly am criticized for being a “Liberal” which is pointed out as my reason for being critical of Donald Trump. But frankly, the prospect of another 4 years of Trump scares the shit out of me. And it should scare you as well.

Just in Time for Easter, Get Your Trump “God Bless The USA” Bible

He may have confused it as his latest biography

Trump’s God Bless the USA Bible is elaborately bound in Chinese faux leather. (Shutterstock photo from Popel Arseniy)

Asthis year’s Easter season approached, Mr. Trump gathered several of his disciples at Mar-a-Lago for dinner. As they sat at a long table in the storied dining room, he presented each of them with a faux Chinese leather-bound, special “God Bless the USA” edition of the Bible.

Available on the musician Lee Greenwood’s website, it is featured with a large photo of the new book with an enticing description.

Easy-to-read, large print and slim design, this Bible invites you to explore God’s Word anywhere, any time. This bible has been designed so that it delivers an easy reading experience in the trusted King James Version translation. This large print Bible will be perfect to take to church, a bible study, to work, travel, etc. Proudly made in the USA!

But that’s not all! In addition to a large print version, you can get a Lee Greenwood Baseball cap (normally $30.00. now ON SALE for just $20) or even a God Bless the USA Guitar for $1,000!

The Mar-a-Lago dinner was held as Trump rolled out the new Bible on X.

“Happy Holy Week!” Trump announced on social media Tuesday, during the most solemn period of the Christian calendar, the last week of the Lenten season marking the suffering and death of Jesus. “As we lead into Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to get a copy of the God Bless The USA Bible.”

But not all the hoopla was well received by the faithful. A few prominent Christians were, shall we say, “perplexed” at Mr. Trump’s rollout of his version of the Good Book during the holiest week on the Christian calendar … a commemoration of the suffering of Jesus Christ leading to his crucifixion.

CNN reported some of the controversy this way:

Responses to Trump’s social media announcement called the endorsement “sacrilege,” “heresy” and “borderline offensive” and cite lessons directly from the Bible that suggest taking advantage of people’s faith for money should be condemned.

“It is a bankrupt Christianity that sees a demagogue co-opting our faith and even our holy scriptures for the sake of his own pursuit of power and praise him for it rather than insist that we refuse to allow our sacred faith and scriptures to become a mouthpiece for an empire,” said Rev. Benjamin Cremer on X.

Jason Cornwall, a pastor from South Carolina, said on X that Trump’s Bible endorsement was a violation of one of the Ten Commandments of the Hebrew Testament that forbids taking God’s name in vain.

There was further confusion because as he handed out personally signed copies to each of the 12 in attendance at the Mar-a-Lago dinner, he began describing the contents.

“There are some really incredible, phenomenal, and unbelievable stories in here about some of my most really, really incredible exploits,” he said, “Like the one where I save all the animals by putting them on my yacht two at a time for the New York City Zoo. Or the story where I started a company from scratch to sell grape-colored spring water from Lake Erie as wine for the masses.”

He had a special story for each of the guests as he handed them their copy in return for the $59.99 off-the-shelf price.

Needless to say, there were a few muffled giggles as those in attendance realized that not only had he never read the actual Bible, but his handlers led him to believe that this edition was in fact a biography of his rise to power.

Undaunted, Trump explained the confusion.

“It’s metaphorically written,” he said. “But it’s all right in here.” And with that, he gave the final copy to his ex-chief of staff, Mark Meadows, and quipped, “There’s even a story about you in here, Mark.”

It was an auspicious gathering and even the seating arrangements were the cause of some speculation as to their significance. On Trump’s right sat Congresswoman Elise Stefanik of New York’s 21st District. Rumors loom large that she is to be his pick for Vice President.

Those seated down the long banquet table after Ms. Stefanik included, House Speaker Mike Johnson, podcaster Steve Bannon, singer Lee Greenwood, Tucker Carlson, and finally, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, a last-minute stand-in for Trump’s wife Melania who was detained at the Texas Border trying to get back into the United States with a Slovenian passport.

On Trump’s left sat Senator Joe Manchin, a reward for his having caused chaos throughout his time in the Senate. Next came Kanye West, followed by an unexpected guest, the ghost of Rush Limbaugh who though dead since 2021, seems to have risen for the auspicious occasion. Rudy Giuliani was next (though he had to be excused before he got his Bible because he couldn’t raise the sixty bucks he needed to get his copy). At the far end sat Trump’s ex-chief of staff Mark Meadows whose decision to testify against Mr. Trump has him labeled as chief betrayer.

Last but not least was an empty chair reportedly reserved for Trump’s surprise guest, President Joe Biden. Trump pointed out that Biden was invited as a symbol of unity but unfortunately was tied up at the time and couldn't make it.

To get your copy, Trump will be appearing at a Christian book store near you throughout the campaign season. Checks can be made out to, The Committee to Elect Donald Trump.

Trump Promises Violence if He Doesn’t Win in November

There are two words for this: Sedition and Treason

WASHINGTON, DC — JULY 18, 2018: Demonstrators outside White House protesting President Donald Trumps “treasonous” relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin at early evening protest. (Shutterstock Photo by Bob Korn)

I’m beginning to believe that Donald Trump is the most dangerous man in the world. His drive toward authoritarian government in the United States endangers each and every one of us.

But, what can we expect from a popular culture star who gained his reputation by saying “You’re fired” after humiliating his apprentices on national television?

But now, he’s gone too far. and I believe he’s even worse than his good friend Vladimir Putin who threatens nuclear war if he doesn’t get his way.

Putin threatens peace throughout Europe. Trump vows to destroy the United States of America.

In a campaign speech purported to be in support of Ohio Senate Candidate Bernie Moreno, Mr. Trump shocked the crowd with his blatant promises to undermine our democracy.

His words and the actions he threatens us with are nothing short of treason and sedition.

Here’s a sampling of the things he said, as reported in The New York Times:

“Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a blood bath for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a blood bath for the country.”

The former president opened his speech by praising the people serving sentences in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. Mr. Trump, who faces criminal charges tied to his efforts to overturn his election loss, called them “hostages” and “unbelievable patriots,” commended their spirit and vowed to help them if elected in November.

He asserted, without evidence, that other countries were emptying their prisons of “young people” and sending them across the border. “I don’t know if you call them ‘people,’ in some cases,” he said. “They’re not people, in my opinion.” He later referred to them as “animals.”

Mr. Trump called Mr. Biden a “stupid president” several times and at one point referred to him as a “dumb son of a — ”

To be fair, his comment on the “Bloodbath” was in reference to his announcement that he would put 100% tariff on foreign car imports. But it isn’t the first time he has referenced violence as the answer to the nation’s ills. In October, AP cited several examples of dangerous rhetoric on the campaign trail.

“Over the past two weeks, Donald Trump said shoplifters should be immediately shot, suggested the United States’ top general be executed, and mocked a political opponent’s husband who was beaten with a hammer.”

In Ohio, he again stated his intention to exonerate the “unbelievable patriots” who on the infamous January 6th were on a mission to hang the Vice President. He also described President Joe Biden as “stupid” … a remark that in my childhood, my mother would have responded to a remark by me about any president with a slap across my face.

His reference to immigrants as “animals” is puzzling to say the least. I can’t help but wonder if he includes his wife in his characterization. She was, after all, born in Slovenia and immigrated to the United States. And while we’re thinking about it, is he including the 44.8 million immigrants who live in the United States now, or the 33 million second-generation Americans whose parents were immigrants, or just black and brown people?

But no matter. as disturbing as it all is, his prediction that we should prepare for a “bloodbath” if he doesn’t win in November is nothing less than sedition.

Don’t take my word for it, here’s how the U.S. Code describes it:

§2384. Seditious conspiracy

If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.

On the other hand, there’s treason.

§2381. Treason

Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.

His statement in February of this year that he would not support allied nations he deemed as behind in their NATO payments in the fight against Putin’s aggression certainly borders on it. See above: “… or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere …

He is, in effect, giving Putin a pass on invading Europe.

The Council on Foreign Relations summed it up like this:

“The forty-fifth president says he will encourage Russia to attack NATO countries who don’t spend enough on defense.”

That spells Treason with a capital T.

I’m sure that Donald Trump considers those who speak out against him as un-American and more dangerous than he is. But no good can come of this. Win or lose, Trump is going to wreak havoc on America.

While Congress Debates the Danger of Tik-Tok, Ukraine’s Soldiers Are Dying

How does House Speaker Mike Johnson sleep at night?

Fighters in Ukraine are running out of ammunition and House Speaker, Republican Mike Johnson of Louisiana, refuses to bring the U.S. aid package to a vote. (Shutterstock photo from Shark9208888)

Recent headlines hailed the efforts of our courageous House of Representatives to ban Tik-Tok as a threat to national security.

This on the heels of news last month that Ukrainian soldiers have been forced to retreat from Avdiivka, a city of some 32,000 on the frontlines of Ukraine’s fight for freedom.

Putin’s army has reduced the city to rubble. During the four-month-long siege which became the symbol of Ukrainian unity and bravery, estimates of Ukraine’s casualties mounted to almost 50,000.

In the end, these soldiers sacrificed in vain. They were forced to evacuate because they were running out of ammunition.

And it’s all because Donald Trump’s lackey, House Speaker Mike Johnson, refused to let the military aid package for Ukraine come to the floor for a vote.

Instead, he holds debates over Tik-Tok.

This is the best we can get to lead Congress? Just how does Speaker Johnson sleep at night?

As far as I can see, Johnson couldn't lead a two-car funeral. It’s a disgrace. He no more represents the America I live in than I look like the Metro-Goldwyn Mayor lion.

It should not come as a surprise. An oft times overlooked fact is that he represents the State of Louisiana. It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. His part in the leadership of that state is certainly exemplary. But not in a good way.

It’s ranked 50th of all U.S. States for just about everything bad.

For example, Louisiana is the second poorest state in the country, with a poverty rate of 17.8 %. Only Mississippi ranks lower, which is no surprise. And, the Pelican State’s overall rank is 50th among all the states in the United States according to U.S. News and World Report.

Here’s how it measures up on these important rankings:

Crime & Corrections #50

Economy#50

Education #46

Fiscal Stability #38,

Health Care #45

Infrastructure #49

Natural Environment #49

Opportunity #48

Thanks for your leadership, Mike. As they say in the deep South, it’s clear that you don’t know shit from Shinola.

Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson, called Johnson “the most anti-equality Speaker in U.S. history,” reminding us all that he is anti-everything: anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ, anti-gun safety, and anti-democracy.

By the way, he also believes he has been chosen by the Almighty to be the leader in Congress.

“I believe that Scripture, the Bible is very clear, that God is the one who raises up those with authority. He raised up each of you. All of us. And I believe that God has ordained and allowed each one of us to be brought here for this specific time,” Johnson said after his election.

By all accounts, he also leads the most ineffective congress in the nation’s history.

Even Republicans don't like him. The smart ones anyway. One of the national organizations I have become increasingly aware of is The Lincoln Project. It’s a political action committee founded by a group of well-known Republican strategists whose main goal is to stop Donald Trump from being elected a second time.

They have this to say on their website:

“Mike Johnson’s elevation to Speaker put one of the most undemocratic Members of Congress second in line to the presidency. As the Architect of Sedition, Mike Johnson led the charge to invalidate the 2020 election in the House and helped to incite the bloodshed of January 6th. He made “sedition palatable” to other Members of Congress who were not inclined to go along.

This lunatic is two heartbeats away from leading the free world in the Presidential line of succession, right behind the Vice-President.

It has often been said that the great thing about America is that anyone can grow up to be president. The problem is, they often do.

Educated Republicans Chose Haley Over Trump, but He Won Anyway

Which should not be a surprise to anyone

Trump won, but smart Republicans voted for anyone but Donald Trump in the 2024 primaries. (Shutterstock photo by Alberto Andrei Rosu)

Destiny has been fulfilled. Donald Trump swept (sort of) the Republican Primary. Nikki Haley quit the race. Trump will be the next POTUS and we’re all gonna die.

Or maybe not.

Republican primaries are for voters who register with the Republican Party as their choice … until they aren’t.

Vermont is one of the most Democratic states in the U.S., and it has open primaries. This means Democrats can vote for their favorite Republican if they so choose, and they didn't choose Donald Trump.

They chose Nikki Haley and she won the state’s primary.

I’m not surprised. Anyone with half a brain, maybe even a quarter of a brain, would do the same thing. And that’s why I still hold out hope that even in these days of an uneducated populace, sanity may win out.

Political pundits have made much of Trump’s “crushing” Ms. Haley on the campaign trail. Frankly, I find it a bit bizarre that everyone waited to declare victory until hard-core Republicans kicked Haley right out of the race.

Yet, what they fail to mention is that only the most Republican of the Republicans come out to vote in primaries. Underdogs winning these elections is almost unheard of because of what used to be called the “Party Machine”. That means party regulars doing all the supporting work for the frontrunner a.k.a. Trump. It’s the work that wins elections that challengers (generally) don't know how to do. It’s all accomplished by the staunch party members who know how to get out the vote and who are most likely to vote the way party leaders want them to.

These voters are the most likely to participate in their party’s primary. But remember, minorities aren’t the only ones who are afraid to participate in the voting process. Dissenting party members who aren’t following the strict party line (and I include both Republicans and Democrats in this assessment) are often treated badly in local voting places and by their neighbors when they try to vote in primaries. Consequently, a lot of them stay home.

Is this a surprise to anyone?

Yes, Nikki hasn't fared well and has dropped out of the race. But that doesn’t mean that the voters who supported her on rational grounds are going to suddenly decide to embrace Trumpism and start paying dues to the local Nazi Bund.

This is important when you realize that 49% of the vote in Iowa went to someone other than Donald Trump. And, Ms. Haley got over 43% in New Hampshire.

In the next big test, she got screwed royally in her home state of South Carolina, but again I ask that you put it in perspective. These are the great-grandsons and daughters of people who thought slavery was an important enough issue to fire cannons on Fort Sumter and start a Civil War back in 1861.

These aren’t normal people.

The real “normal” folks voted for Haley. On Super Tuesday, not only did seven counties in Vermont give her 56% of the vote she won in University towns across the country where smart and politically engaged people live. And, surprisingly, inside the Washington D.C. Beltway, she mopped up 61%.

I’m not surprised when I hear she lost in places like Northern Colorado. Really? Have you ever been there? Even if it has great trout fishing, it’s in the middle of nowhere and may not have the brightest bulbs in the Republican Party.

I’m still not convinced that Trump will win in November. There are still eight months till the election and a lot could happen. Especially when you have two octogenarians running for office. The average life expectancy in the good ole U.S. of A. is 73.1 years. That’s way down the list of life expectancy throughout the world. In fact, we’re so far down the list that males in Albania, Kosovo, and Czechia — wherever the hell that is, all live longer than men in the U.S.

Both these guys are well past the average maximum age and can be blown over by a stiff breeze. Well, maybe not Trump, he weighed in at a dainty 245 lbs at his last official white house physical, but you know what I mean.

A lot could happen, but one thing is sure. Of the two, I’m betting Trump has a better chance of seeing the inside of a jail cell than does Biden. And if that ain’t enough for a U.S. Voter with an average IQ of 97.4 to figure out, then perhaps we really ARE in trouble.

By the way, Vermont ranks 4th highest in IQ of the 50 states.

Florida on the other hand, ranks just a little over 10th from the bottom. They used to fare better in the most southern of all our United States, but then Trump and all his supporters moved in putting downward pressure on the numbers.

So things seem bad, depending on how you look at it. But here’s some good news.

It’s amazing, but somehow, the same apparatus that botched the Presidential Election in 2020 has managed to run the Republican Primaries without a single glitch.

Funny thing but not one voice has been raised about stealing the election. Not one recount has been called for. Not one voter, nor elected official, nor Secretary of State, nor one Republican has raised the slightest notion that something was rotten in the election booth.

Not even Nikki Haley who was massacred on Super Tuesday has made a single complaint about the honesty of the election returns.

Not a peep.

So when Donald Trump loses the November election, as I believe he will, and starts to whine about election fraud, we should all remind him that those same people who ran the general election are the same ones who ran the primaries that put him in the running in the first place.

Politics in 2024 is going to be interesting if nothing else.

Are There Fascists In Our Midst That We Don’t Know About?

American aid to Ukraine founders while Putin threatens nuclear war

Supplies of Baby Boomer fallout shelters are quickly diminishing as Gen Zers order them from Amazon in response to Vladimir Putin's threat of Nuclear War over aid to Ukraine. (Shutterstock Photo from smolaw)

There are many episodes of American history that we would like to forget even when they include important lessons. But all too often, history begins to repeat itself with events that could have been avoided if only we had learned our lesson in the first place.

Let’s turn the Wayback Machine back to the 20th century.

In March of 1938, Adolf Hitler annexed Austria to the German Reich. Barely a word of opposition was spoken. In September, his armies marched into the Sudetenland snatching it from neighbor Czechoslovakia without opposition.

A year later, Adolf Hitler invaded Poland causing Britain and France to come to its defense. Just barely over 20 years after the end of the “war to end all wars”, the armies of the Third Reich were sitting comfortably in Paris cafes.

Yet through all this, many voices of sanity in America were silent. On the other hand, people like radio evangelist Father Charles Coughlin, industrialist Henry Ford, and aviation hero Charles Lindbergh, were all using the airwaves to say that Adolf wasn’t all that bad.

Hadn’t Hitler’s Nazis pulled Germany out of a massive economic depression, they asked?

Charles Lindbergh was fascinated by Germany’s rebuilding of their air force, a forbidden initiative outlawed by the Treaty at Versailles ending WWI. And, he liked the modern technology of their planes. He got a medal for visiting the Reich.

Henry Ford had a vested interest in Hitler’s war machine. The German Ford plant was making money hand over fist, supplying the German military with the machines to rebuild their army. To keep America out of the war Ford founded America First … a pseudo-patriotic organization, spreading his sympathetic fascist claptrap similar to how Fox News does it today.

Father Charles Coughlin was just crazy.

These men made it “fashionable” to flirt with the fascists. And, the charismatic trio drew millions to their cause while in the meantime, letting Hitler swallow up Europe, opposed only by Great Britain.

Until of course, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941.

Within days after the surprise attack, Hitler declared war on the United States, and talk of cozying up to the Nazis disappeared. Then, the world started anteing up the human cost of war with 15 million soldiers and 38 million civilian deaths as the price of the next 5 years.

Here we are, some 80 or so years later, and Vladimir Putin is marching his personal war machine across Ukraine. Meawhile, House Republicans under the so-called leadership of Speaker Mike Johnson leave Ukraine and NATO out to dry.

Instead of standing up to tyranny, conservative celebrity Tucker Carlson travels to Moscow to chat with the Russian leader. House Speaker Mike Johnson and his loonies in Congress hold aid to Ukraine hostage in a circus of political gamesmanship. And, America appears poised to elect Donald Trump, who flat out says that if he’s elected, America will not defend any NATO nation behind in their payments.

“You gotta pay your bills,” he shouts. It’s pay-to-play on a grand scale that makes Chicago's corruption under Mayor Richard Daley look like a friendly game of Monopoly.

Are these guys the 21st-century fascists in our midst who are echoing the voices of Coughlin, Ford, and Lindbergh?

As Europe scrambles to make up for America’s failure, French President Emmanual Macron reminds the world that if Russian aggression doesn’t stop, sooner or later it will lead to French soldiers, as part of NATO, fighting on the ground helping to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty.

The response from Putin was quick. In his annual speech to the Russian people, he threatened that direct intervention from the West could be met with a nuclear response.

“We also have weapons that can strike targets on their territory,” Mr. Putin said. “Do they not understand this?”

Apparently, people like Tucker Carlson, Mike Johnson, and Donald Trump skipped out on their world history class in high school and never learned the lessons. Perhaps they just see this as a chance to feed their egos for personal gain. Or maybe they spend too much time on the crack pipe, but they’re leading us onto World War III, believing the American people will blindly follow them down the path of nuclear destruction.

Have we learned nothing about bullies? Are we so glued to our phones we can’t see the handwriting on the wall? It is mystifying.

But whatever the case, America needs to wake up before it’s too late. These guys are a danger to our freedom.

Man the Lifeboats! Republicans are Jumping Ship in Droves

It’s a sign they’re starting to understand how dangerous Trump is

Watching Republicans leave the party is nothing short of astounding when you consider that it has taken so many, so long to realize Trump is a loser. (Photo from Shutterstock by Elnur)

The demise of the Republican Party is painful. It’s a reminder to be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.

Back in the ancient political history of 2016 when Hillary Clinton was running for the Democratic Party nomination and Donald Trump was clearing the field of Republicans, I voiced hope and a prediction.

I wanted Donald Trump to win the nomination because I thought it would spell the end of the Republican Party. And, if he managed to get the nomination, I never thought the majority of Americans would vote for him.

I was right.

People forget that Hillary Clinton got 48% of the votes cast in that election. Donald Trump got 46%. Donald Trump has never won the majority of votes in a Presidential election. He became President because he received the most votes in the Electoral College. For those short on their civics learning, that’s the antiquated system of government we have that is supposed to equalize the clout of states with small populations against the big states where people actually live. So much for the founding fathers.

America has such a pursuit of equality for everyone, that we have developed systems that some would say engender reverse discrimination in everything from race, gender, and right up to the election process.

So now we have Trump. But I continued my belief that he would spell disaster for the G.O.P. because I was sure that the American people would see right through his blustering bullshit and uncover his neo-nazi, self-serving power-hungry true being. And, that no matter what happened, it would spell the end of the Republican Party.

And, I was right again. The Republican Party as we know it has all but disappeared. What I didn’t realize was what would take its place.

The inmates have truly taken over the asylum.

The conservative wing of the G.O.P., centered in the states of the deep south, is banning books, destroying women’s reproductive rights, eliminating voting rights for minorities, and taking a last-gasp attempt to create a society based on white supremacy and neo-fascism.

With Trump center stage they’ve inflicted such damage to our court system through his appointment of Federal Judges, that it may take a generation to clean up the mess. His appointments to the United States Supreme Court will last until a bunch of the justices die, or the Democrats get some balls and add more seats to the bench. Having nine people hold that much sway over how our society operates takes us all back to the Middle Ages or the early twentieth century, depending on which you think was worse.

But I still retain hope.

Trumpism — aka American Fascism, will not outlast Donald Trump who, despite the mainstream media's attempt to portray him as spry as a teenager, is 77 years old. On the off chance that he wins the 2024 election (which I doubt), he will be in his 80s by the time he gets out of office. And, if he keeps up his diet of fast food and stress, he’ll never make it through the term.

History proves that once the demagogue dies, followers who inherit the political machine never cast the same spell over the people. The cult of personality fades like the color on a MAGA t-shirt after a second washing.

There are already signs of rust on the armor.

Even though Trump’s brand of neo-fascism has permeated the soul of the Republican Party, there are a lonely few who are beginning to act responsibly.

Mitch McConnell has decided to step down as leader of Republicans in the Senate. But not because of his age as has become the popular focus on his leaving. The underlying reason he’s getting out is because he can't stand the direction the G.O.P. is headed, and he wants no part of it. It’s no secret that he despises Donald Trump. But, at the moment, he’s helpless to do anything about it. The best thing he can do is to step down and hope that any other Republicans who have a lick of sense will join with him.

Some have.

Ronna McDaniel, the Chair of the Republican National Committee has been quick to follow the suit drawn by Mitch. She stepped down from her position as well and for the same reasons. She doesn't want to lead a political party that has been taken over by the crazies.

Trump has appointed his daughter-in-law to be heir apparent. It's kind of like the Kennedys did back in the sixties when lots of relatives took positions in politics and government.

But trust me. Donald Trump is no Kennedy. His brand of politics is vile, corrupt, and destructive. Theirs was a new Camelot.

Just ask Liz Cheney. She may be the last best voice of reason for the party of Lincoln. She was there when Trump made his tragic attempt to take over the government. Sadly, he might have succeeded if he had the guts to lead instead of hiding in a hotel room laughing at the stupidity of the rag-tag loons he recruited to storm the capitol.

Her book Oath and Honor, is a detailed account of what really happened on January 6th and what occurred in the months that followed. Besides being a good lesson in history, it is every bit a call to action for her fellow Republicans to fight back against Trump’s attempt at tyranny.

Trump's Republicanism is an embarrassment. And while both parties in our two-party system have cause for blushing at their ineptitude of governance, more and more voters are choosing not to enroll in either political party. This has meant that while Democrats still hold the number one registration choice in the country, voters who register as unaffiliated have outpaced the numbers for Republicans, pushing them down to third place among voters.

Trump would have us believe that the Republican Party is firmly behind him and that he is a winner in the horserace that will see him regain the Presidency. But evidence to the contrary comes in the remarkable results Nikki Haley has gotten in the primaries. Yes, Trump won. But it has yet to be the mandate that the mainstream news was reporting. She’s walking away with 40% of the vote which translates into a healthy minority of hard-core Republican voters who don't want Trump, who see him as the danger he is, and who want to return the Republican Party to the ideals it once held.

In the end though, it’s slow and excruciatingly painful.

I still believe in the greatness of the America of my youth. My “liberalism” brands me by conservatives as a danger to democracy. When in fact, the things I believe in are the things of the American ideals we longed for as a people after beating back the fascism of the mid-twentieth century through the Cold War.

Yet, fascism is back again with a wolf’s vengeance and wearing the sheep's clothing of Trump’s Republican party.

I so wished that Trump would bring an end to the Republican Party I had long voted against. But I never thought it might signal the end of democracy in the process.

The Only Thing Standing Between Trump and the Presidency is Reality

Despite being anointed as the winner, Trump’s chances are slim, and none

Sooner or later, Trump will have to face all of the American voters and they’re not going to take kindly to his buddying up to the likes of Putin. (Shutterstock Photo by Willrow Hood)

I read the Sunday New York Times religiously, and after Trump’s latest Republican primary win in South Carolina, they’re pretty much measuring the curtains in the Oval Office for him.

And, so is NPR, the Washington Post, and just about everyone else in the mainstream media. But what everyone has forgotten is that Donald Trump has never actually won the popular vote in an election that includes all of the voters. Yes, he gamed the system of the Electoral College and won his time on Pennsylvania Avenue, but though it’s happened a few times in U.S. History that a winner is decided who didn't get a majority of votes, I doubt it will happen this time.

Let’s start with the fact that Republicans haven't won the hearts and minds of the majority of the American people in over 20 years. And they’ve slipped to third place among registered voters across the United States. Most people register as Democrats. Second are voters who are unaffiliated and don't choose to declare a party affiliation, and third are people who register with the G.O.P.

Now, with abortion, women’s reproductive rights, lunatic judges in Alabama, and white racists in Texas that number is slipping even more. Add to it Republicans in the House abandoning our allies in Ukraine and throughout Europe on Trump’s orders, and I’m betting the American people aren’t going to rush to put him in office or keep recalcitrant Congress members sitting at their mahogany desks.

I have faith in the American people.

I’ve also come to realize that Nikki Haley knows something we don’t, which is why she’s vowed to stay in the race. She believes that Donald Trump isn’t gonna make it through to the Republican convention. She’s making a calculated risk that, though the wheels of justice turn slowly, they’re going to roll over him with the 94 Federal felony counts he’s facing.

She’s betting on the chance that Trump will never make it to the podium at the convention unless he’s wearing an orange jumpsuit to match his fake tan.

Trump may be winning on the front pages of national news media, but I’m not sure it’s working in the neighborhoods in cities and rural America. I live in a part of New York State that is so red, it sometimes seems that the sky won’t even turn blue. And while there are Trump flags dotting parts of the backwoods landscape, they’re becoming tattered and torn. The fact that Trump and his decadent children are banned from doing business in New York State hasn’t helped him. And the reality that Trump is a crook, has even many of the rightist of right-wingers quieting in their enthusiasm.

Haley also knows that Republicans are the new “Third party” in American politics. Democrats are number one, and unaffiliated voters come in a strong second. Republicans trail miserably. And the tried and true Trumpers who go to the polls to vote in Republican Primaries represent just a small cross-section of the real world.

Conservatives in this country are vastly underestimating the intelligence of the American woman and their stance on women’s reproductive rights. Outside of Clarence Thomass’s wife, most women I know quietly abhor the prospect of a Federal ban on abortion under a Trump administration. They may not be shouting it from the rooftops, but they aren’t going to vote for a guy who wants to make them second-class citizens … again.

And then, there’s Trump’s cozy relationship with his buddy Putin. Trump seems to be ignoring the fact that half the people in the U.S. have at least one grandparent who immigrated from another country … many from Europe. I’m not sure these voters are going to be too pleased about Putin’s armies marching through Italy or up to the doors of Buckingham Palace. It makes great headlines to say that Europe is going to have to carry the cost of the defense of the continent. Trump can stand up in front of a crowd and shout that NATO partners have to pay to play and get his lackeys in Congress to follow his lead. and mainstream media broadcasts that it’s the new policy of the country. He’s announced that If elected we won’t protect European countries who “don’t pay their bills” to NATO. “You gotta pay your bills,” he shouted. Meanwhile, estimates run into the thousands of lawsuits against him for doing just that. Trump himself doesn't pay his bills.

Just ask Rudy Giuliani.

Donald, if you think standing by our allies is expensive, wait until you see the cost of abandoning them.

It’s nine months until the election. These days, the world changes in a nano-second. Yeah, Trump's donations skyrocketed after he was fined almost half a billion bucks for gaming the banking system. But it hurts. And, not everyone is stupid enough to give him a slice of their hard-earned cash to save him from himself.

I’ve long tried to figure out what a fat orange-tinged white guy has that makes people all a-flutter when they get a chance to vote for him. And here’s what I finally figured out.

Back in the heyday of organized crime in Chicago, America’s favorite gangster, Al Capone enjoyed legendary status as a celebrity both because he was giving people something they wanted (booze) and flaunting his ability to live outside the law. People loved it. Because everyone secretly admires the bad guy who lives on the edge and isn’t bogged down by the day-to-day lives most of us lead.

There’s a certain romance with people who live just outside the law … until the true carnage of their actions hits the front pages.

Trump is the modern-day version of Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, Billy the Kid, and the James gang all rolled into one.

But I believe that when it comes right down to destroying our country, the American people will wake up. Al Capone ended up literally rotting away in prison (he died of syphilis). And, somehow, I can picture Trump coming to a similar fate. His future will be in that la-la land of Mar-a-Lago, ostracized and living out his exile, branded as the traitor to our democracy that he is.

The Problem with Living in a Republic Is That We Tend to Elect Assholes

Representative Brandon Williams of New York’s 22nd District is a Perfect Example

Congressman Brandon Williams protested about the new congressional maps despite the fact that now the district will include the house he lives in. He thinks the Republicans on New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission conspired against him. (Shutterstock Photo from the Everett Collection)

The subtle difference between a democracy and a republic is that in a democracy, you directly cast your ballot for how your society will be run. In a republic, you elect people who you believe are representative of your way of thinking and they vote for you in some sort of elected assembly.

The problem in our Republic is, we often end up electing assholes. And, there is no state north of the Mason-Dixon line that illustrates this fact more than New York. Think George Santos. Think Elise Stefanik. Or, think my latest candidate for asshole of the year, House Member Brandon Williams of New York’s 22nd Congressional District.

Two years ago, this guy narrowly won his seat in Washington after the state scrambled through multiple redistricting fiascos that left him winning, but living outside of his district.

Many people were surprised to find out, that this is perfectly legal. The law says you can run for any congressional seat you want to as long as you move into the district after being elected. It’s in the United States Constitution. This is especially true every ten years after a census which could find an elected representative living outside their district due to reapportionment.

In Mr. Williams's case however, he opted to ignore the law and never move into his district because, after all, he’s a privileged son-of-a-bitch and laws don't apply to people like him who have reached the lofty perch of being elected to Congress.

He complained bitterly that it wasn't his fault that he didn't live in the 22nd. After all he reasons, not only did it take three iterations of maps to come up with the 22nd House District in the first place, chances were that there would be one more redistricting for the election in 2024. Why move?

And, he was right.

In fact, New York’s redistricting commission did redraw the district and presented the new maps to be voted on by the state legislature in February. The bi-partisan commission seemed to take Congressmember Williams’ complaint to heart and reached out with their magic pen to include his house in the new 22nd. In the process, they grabbed a piece of “Red” Cayuga County to do it, which includes his home.

Now, he can actually live in the same place the people he represents do.

That should make the Honorable Brandon Williams happy, right?

NOT SO! He claims there are too many Democrats in the District for it to be fair. Almost 60% of the voters are not Democrats but he feels put upon. It means he will actually have to campaign to keep his seat!

After the new district came out, Williams quickly screamed that NYS Senator John Mannion … his most likely opponent, is very powerful and had influenced the final district.

This of course ignores the fact that the state Senate has no role in the effort and it would take a pocket full of miracles to influence the bi-partisan group to vote 9 to 1 for the new maps.

In complete disclosure, I know John Mannion. And, he’s pretty amazing. But as far as I can tell, he doesn’t have any supernatural powers.

By the way, the new maps were drawn by New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission. The district was approved by a 9–1 vote of a bipartisan group of 10 commissioners. All five Republican commissioners voted for approval.

Williams wants a district more like Representative Claudia Tenney’s whose Congressional District loops all the way from the St. Lawrence Seaway to Lake Erie, grabbing every registered Republican west of Albany and North of the Pennsylvania line into her perefctly gerrymandered district.

Williams would even take a district like Representative Elise Stefanik, the darling of Donald Trump, who is rumored to not only be unbeatable because of redistricting, but hints that she might be Trumps’ next choice for Vice Presidential running mate.

“Hey,” shouts Williams, “I know enough about Vice to fill that position! Why not me? It’s not fair!!!”

Like I said, we have a history of electing assholes.

My guess is that Williams will lose and be able to do what any New Yorker who is despised by his constituency does. Think Donald Trump who, due to a recent court ruling, has been barred in New York State from running a business. The court found him so corrupt he can’t even run a hot dog stand in Brooklyn anymore. And neither can his kids.

So Trump moved to Florida. And I’m guessing, so will Brandon Williams after he gets his ass kicked.

Maybe he can run to represent people he doesn’t know there too!

All I can say is “Good riddance.”

Nikki Haley Was In Charge On January 6th And Could Have Saved Us

Finally, the truth is revealed

I SHARE DONALD TRUMP’S INCREDULITY AT THE REVELATION THAT NIKKI HALEY WAS IN CHARGE OF SECURITY ON JANUARY 6TH.(SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO BY EVAN EL-AMIN)

Amid all the conjecture about the January 6, 2021 insurrection in Washington, D.C., trying to connect the dots has been difficult at best, and virtually impossible at worst.

But no more.

Though there are about a million different points of view as to what happened, when, and to whom, much of the confusion has been because of former President Donald Trump’s reluctance to completely share his experiences that day. But in a little-known speech at a campaign stop in New Hampshire last month, Mr. Trump brought a certain clarity to the events of the day and also, some transparency as to why things unfolded as they did.

It wasn’t his fault.

It was all Nikki Haley.

It’s important to understand this because, over the past couple of weeks, there have been countless hours of analysis over President Joe Biden’s faux pas during the investigation of the classified documents he had in his possession.

In announcing that Joe Biden will not be facing criminal charges related to his handling of classified documents, a Justice Department special counsel wrote in a report that

President Joe Biden will not face criminal charges for his handling of classified White House material because a jury might not be convinced the 81-year-old intentionally retained the documents because of his advanced age and “poor memory,”

The special council’s report went on to cite several dates and times that Biden was unable to connect which, I must admit was disappointing.

But to be clear, my disappointment is not because President Biden couldn’t spout off details about the War in Afghanistan or the exact details of his son’s untimely death. It is extremely disappointing to me because now I know that I will never be able to be President of the United States simply because I can't even remember when my wife’s birthday is, nor can I relate the exact year I graduated from high school without checking with Facebook.

Obviously, I’m a doddering old man.

Thank God we have an alternative to President Biden who has a sparkling recall of events of just a couple years ago. And, that because of his remarks at that campaign stop in New Hampshire, we finally know the truth about the January 6th attempt to overthrow the government.

According to the New York Times, here’s what he said at that stop:

“You know, by the way, they never report the crowd on Jan. 6,” he said. “You know, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley.”

Mr. Trump then repeated his frequent claim that the bipartisan House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack — including Mr. Trump’s actions that day — “destroyed all of the information, all of the evidence.”

Then, he claimed that Ms. Haley was in charge of security that day, and that she and others had turned down his offer to send troops to the Capitol.

“Nikki Haley was in charge of security,” he said.

Just to icing on the cake, he went on to point out that he, as an obviously peace-loving man, would be a better choice than President Biden to sit in the white during these difficult times because “we would be in World War II very quickly if we’re going to be relying on … ” Biden.

Thank goodness Mr. Trump has cleared all of this up. I’ve been confused because I thought that Nancy Pelosi was the Speaker of the House on January 6 and, well, that World War II ended in 1945 and Harry Truman was President.

I’m apparently mistaken.

But you decide. You can watch it all on YouTube by clicking here.

Netflix, here I come.

Just When You Thought it was Safe to Come Out From Under the Picket Sign

Amazon joins the attacks on working families in America.

I’M STICKIN’ WITH THE UNION. (PHOTO BY RON ADAR ON SHUTTERSTOCK)

First, my confession. I’m an Amazon fanatic. And, it’s all because I live on Lake Ontario in a semi-remote part of the world along the North Coast of America. OK, I’m not in the Adirondack wilderness or a desert in Utah, but where I live, buying anything of importance without going to get cheap Chinese shit at the Dollar Store is next to impossible.

And so I use Amazon Prime. Baby needs a new pair of shoes? Amazon Prime. Need a pack of Valentines? Amazon Prime. Need to watch the latest movie? Amazon Prime.

But I started to get a little squeamish when workers in warehouses around the country began revealing the harsh almost third-world-like conditions in their workplaces. And, as a member of two labor unions … the National Writers Union of UAW Local 1981 and NYSCOBA which represents me as a Park Ranger … Amazon’s strike-breaking tactics have certainly tugged at my loyalty to my fellow workers.

Now though, Amazon’s latest antic has taken me to my breaking point.

They’re assaulting workers’ rights once more by claiming in a lawsuit that the National Labor Relations Board (N.L.R.B.) is unconstitutional.

For the uninformed, the N.L.R.B. is an 88-year-old federal agency that enforces labor rights. It is made up of a prosecutorial arm, which issues complaints against employers who have violated federally protected labor rights.

They’ve joined the likes of Elon Musk at Space X and Trader Joe’s that if you don't like the law, and you’re rich enough, and you’re popular enough, and you’re just plain greedy enough, it doesn't matter what the law says … it doesn’t apply to me.

The long and short of it is that Amazon, Musk, and Trader Joe’s are saying that protecting workers is not part of the American fabric.

In their legal argument among “other defenses,” they allege that …

“ … the structure of the N.L.R.B. violates the separation of powers” by “impeding the executive power provided for in Article II of the United States Constitution.”

This is a fanciful way of saying that the executive branch, aka guys like Donald Trump, should be the ultimate arbiter in all things related to working families.

Don’t like the interpretation of the law? Just wait around long enough and the loonies will take over and change it.

It wasn’t that long ago that the chairwoman of the labor board under President Barack Obama, called the arguments by Amazon and SpaceX “radical,” adding that “the constitutionality of the N.L.R.B. was settled nearly 90 years ago by the Supreme Court.”

That was then, this is now. Welcome to 21st-century fascism.

So, in protest, I’ve decided to quit.

The hardest addiction I’ve ever had to conquer was smoking two packs of unfiltered Camels a day. I got good at it because I quit so many times I was getting good at it.

But ejecting Amazon is going to make that battle look like a walk in the proverbial park! It ain’t going to be easy. To do it means I have to learn that there’s nothing I don’t need that can't wait a few days or weeks to get. 

Yikes!

I’m getting so nervous about breaking the Amazon habit that I think I need to join Cigarettes Anonymous again. My version was a place where when you want a cigarette you call a number and someone comes over and gets drunk with you. You can imagine how well that worked. But I did it.

And, I have to remember, if I can stop going to non-union Starbucks, I can stop ordering from Amazon, too.

Netflix, here I come.

Presidents’ Day is February 19th, But it Doesn’t Mean Anything Anymore

In case you’re like everyone else and forgotten, February 12th is Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday

ABRAHAM LINCOLN, JUST BEFORE HE WENT SHOPPING TO CELEBRATE PRESIDENT’S DAY. (PHOTO BY CALEB FISHER ON UNSPLASH)

I got my first Presidents’ Day weekend sale flyer about two weeks ago from an outdoor outfitter of which I am a loyal customer. However, at a time when we’re on the brink of conflict with China, letting our allies in Ukraine lose the war against Russia, battling a Republican Congress that can’t seem to get out of its own way, and cringing at crazy election hopefuls, I have to admit thinking about Presidents’ Day Sale savings made me slightly ill.

Happy Presidents’ Day. Now go buy something!

Just what President are we supposed to be honoring, and why was he so interested in shopping?

I’m not a fan of three-day weekends to begin with because they seem to dilute any meaningful lesson, but this one really gets to me. Things are different now than when I was a kid. There wasn’t any Presidents’ Day and we managed.

We did however commemorate two days in February that were connected to real people. Real Americans who believed in real principles and were anything but dedicated to the end of the Union. Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday is on February 12th and George Washington’s Birthday is on February 22nd. Both were floating days of the week each year when schools were closed, mail didn't get delivered and a lot of people got the day off.

They meant something.

Now, half the kids are walking around wondering just who are those strange people whose portrait is on our money … that’s if they even have real money instead of little plastic cards.

These two days are now celebrated as the innocuous and meaningless “Presidents’ Day” on the third Monday. of February, which seems designed to make us forget our history. I much preferred the old way where we had holidays that meant something. Who the hell wants to celebrate Herbert Hoover?! Or Donald Trump for that matter?

But in addition to taking the “link” out of Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays, we’ve made Memorial Day a three-day sales event as well.

That holiday comes and goes with way less fanfare than it did when I was a kid and with far less meaning. Granted, most of the men like my father were recent veterans of WWII, so there was a personal connection. As a consequence, the Memorial Day Poppies from the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) and the American Legion adorned everyone’s lapel like sand on a Normandy beach.

Now, those poppies are scarcely seen and definitely misunderstood.

Instead, it’s all about a mini “vacation” and Memorial Day sales events. Ugh.

Personally, I liked it when the holidays floated. The day itself meant something more. And, the days around it often turned into holidays themselves in a time when it was more about enjoying family and friends than cramming it all into a three-day weekend, increasing productivity, and creating an opportunity to by more stuff we don't need.

That’s what is great about the July 4th Independence Day. You can't change it to fall on a Monday.

I will say one thing though. On President’s Day, I take a few moments to watch “A Night at the Garden”.

A couple of years ago in pre-pandemic 2019, I found out about this Academy Award Nominated Short “A Night at the Garden” which took place on February 20th, 1939. The 7-plus minutes are scary enough to make the January 6th attack on Congress look like a Sunday School picnic. If you want to get the truth about why we should be scared shitless about losing our democracy, watch it.

Frightening.

I just imagine another former President of ours whose number is 45 at the speaker’s platform and remember what all of this is about in the first place.

I only wish we had a few more Presidents like Washington (who much to the surprise of everyone) gracefully handed over the reins of power without so much as a whimper.

Or like Lincoln, who is really the poster child for when people who didn’t want to believe in an election’s outcome take matters into their own hands. He paid with his life just days after being inaugurated in 1865.

Maybe if we all thought more about our country’s history than the next sale at Walmart, this 3-day weekend holiday might be worth it after all.

A Sure Way to Get Rid of Old White Men Who Want to Be President

Here’s a political race I think we should add to the campaign

RACING AROUND IN KILTS AS A WAY TO DECIDE WHO WILL BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. (PHOTO BY RUSTY WATSON ON UNSPLASH)

Nobody can deny that it’s been an interesting start to the 2024 Presidential election. The grueling battle to win legal challenges and primary contests to choose delegates is like running a marathon through a minefield.

States from Maine to Colorado and Massachusetts to Oregon all have challenges as to whether Trump as an “officer” of the United States, sworn to uphold the Constitution, can be on the ballot after allegedly causing an insurrection.

Interestingly enough, Trump makes the argument that he wasn't actually an officer of the United States and therefore immune from prosecution.

Go figure. But if you can understand that line of reasoning, you’ve got a better brain than I do.

That being said, the primary contests go on in all their strangeness.

This week is particularly bizarre, though.

It started with Trump losing his immunity from prosecution case in Federal court. And then moved on to the Nevada Primary where voters who checked the “None of these candidates” box on the primary ballot cast the most votes … 63.2% of them, in fact.

The “election” was weird to begin with. Trump wasn't even on the primary ballot, and no matter who won (Nikki Haley did), no one got any of Nevada’s 26 GOP delegates. That gets decided in that other strange decision-making process, called the “Caucus”, where a bunch of people gather in rooms across the state to try and cajole their neighbors into supporting their choices.

It’s kind of like a verbal fistfight to see who the toughest political bullies are.

In any event, as the year marches on, the campaigns race on to decide which antiquarian, soon-to-be senile old white man will either take us on a path to save democracy or take the road not traveled (lately) to a semi-fascist government in bed with Vladimir Putin.

It’s a grueling race … particularly if you happen to be either almost 80 years old (Trump) or over 80 years old (Biden).

It’s all so confusing so I decided to do a little research on how societies have chosen leaders throughout the ages. And, I have a suggestion for how to decide who is fit enough to lead our nation that has historical precedent.

In ancient Egypt (ancient being around the year 3,000 B.C., not like our Presidential candidates) the pharaohs who ruled were considered to be actual Gods. Not like Trump who THINKS he’s a god, but real, bona-fide, big “G” Gods.

To make sure they did manage to maintain their Godly powers, they had to perform in an unusual contest.

A footrace around their palace.

According to the site History Facts, the event …

… usually took place in the 30th year of a pharaoh’s reign (and every three years after that). The event was filled with sacrifices, crownings, and other lavish displays; the Heb-Sed of Amenhotep III, for instance, featured the construction of temples and colossal sculptures all along the Nile valley. But the main event was a footrace run by the pharaoh — dressed in a kilt with an attached animal tail — to demonstrate their physical fitness.

The mental picture of Trump and Biden dressed up in such an outfit and running around the White House is mindboggling.

Egyptians apparently equated the health of the country with the health of the guy in charge. If the ruler couldn’t finish the race, it was time to get a younger and healthier leader. It seemed to work well as an indication of the state of things. And, many of their kings had a real challenge on their hands in finishing the contest because of some pretty bad health habits related to inbreeding and even more often, obesity. Their diets were filled with:

“beer, wine, bread, and honey, and contained an awful lot of sugar”.

Think Donald Trump tossing a McDonald’s Cheeseburger at the wall.

Anyway, I don't know about you, but I think this is a much, much, much better way to decide who will be our next President.

The only problem is that Nikki Haley can probably outrun both Trump and Biden. But, nothing is perfect.

So Far, The Texas Ban on Abortion Cost Taxpayers $168 Million Bucks

Let’s send the bill to Donald Trump and give Texas back to Mexico

PHOTO IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS“EAST TEXAN, JACKSONVILLE, TEXAS” BY RUSSELL LEE, AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER

It’s been a little over a year and a half since the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health and Texas decided to ban all abortions.

Since then, there have been an estimated 65,000 births due to rape in the 14 states that have decided to revert back to the middle ages regarding women’s control of their own bodies, and Texas accounts for over 26,000 of them.

According to the Brookings Institute, that’s a cost of approximately $4,771 to taxpayers per unwanted pregnancy or about $124,000,000. Put that out over the next decade and it’s billions. I couldn’t figure it out because the calculator on my phone won’t count that high.

And, I can’t even fathom what the cost is to take care of these kids over a lifetime. But if you try to understand what the dollars and sense are to all of this lunacy, it’s staggering.

So who should pay for all of this lunacy? You? Me? Who?

I’ve got a few suggestions on what to do about all of this.

First, we could charge the 6 justices of the Supreme Court who voted to make this ruling in the first place. Personally, I think they can afford to shoulder the burden for their mistake. For example, the money Justice Clarence Thomas takes in bribes each year should probably cover it.

Or, we could just charge Donald Trump. After all, he’s paid about $50,000,000 in the last year on legal fees for his defense, and not one cent of it came out of his pocket. It came from political donations he received, so let’s just send the bill to him. He put 3 of those justices on the court, so he’s the one actually responsible for it in the first place.

And finally, let’s face facts once and for all and realize that Texas is an embarrassment to the rest of the country.

I’ve got a very real solution for eliminating this lunacy, and the cost to the rest of the United States for having Texas a part of the Union.

I said this 3 years ago, and I’ll say it again.

Let’s give Texas back to Mexico.

Texas became independent from Mexico in 1836. It was annexed by the United States and became a state in 1845. It seceded from the U.S. in 1861, returned to the fold in 1865, and has been nothing but trouble ever since.

I’m sick and tired of waking up every morning to hear NPR talk about yet another maniacal abomination against humanity by white men in Texas.

I’m sick of their assault on women and the annihilation of abortion rights. The very thought that this bunch of cold-hearted rednecks can pass a law that overturns Roe v. Wade and sets this nation’s standard of treatment of women back to the stone age, turns my stomach.

I’m sick of their antiquated stance on gun control while our children continue to be assassinated.

I’m sick of their assault on basic voting rights and their consequent destruction of democracy.

I’m sick of their inhuman border wall and the cost of patrolling it with guns, planes, and weaponry to keep out people trying to escape from the most horrible conditions imaginable.

In their rush to regain power over their women, these guys apparently forgot that the other half of pregnancy is a male who is equally responsible for the outcome. Just imagine how much chance the new law would have had if they added a clause that any guy guilty of impregnating a woman who chooses an abortion should immediately go to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Just rot in jail.

The reality is that a female Texan has about as many rights as an Afghan girl in Kabul.

These Texas white guys make the Taliban’s policy toward women seem like they’re grasping them with the open arms of an angel.

With the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, we got a lot of Afghan women out of harm’s way, maybe now we should think about saving the women of Texas.

Our heroic military evacuated 150,000 people from Afghanistan in just 4 weeks after the end of the war under incredibly difficult circumstances. How about we just set up an airlift out of Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and get the women out of there before it’s too late?

There are approximately 13.5 million females in Texas. With enough C70 Aircraft to fly round the clock for the next 120 days, we could get them all to safety by summer.

With that hurdle overcome, we could then just de-annex the state and return it to Mexico where we took if from in the first place, admit our imperialistic mistake, apologize for 150 years of ruling their country, and be done with it.

Hell, they want to secede anyway and this would make everyone happy.

Problem solved. With the women all safely evacuated, the men there can just go fuck themselves, which is exactly what they deserve.

Thank You, President Reagan!

Without you, there would be no Donald Trump!

PRESIDENT REAGAN AT HIS DESK BACK WHEN AMERICA WAS APPARENTLY GREAT ENOUGH TO GIVE RISE TO DONALD TRUMP. (PUBLIC DOMAIN PHOTOGRAPH BY CAROL M. HIGHSMITH IN THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS)

It’s difficult to understand what the world was like prior to the contributions the Ronald Reagan Presidency gave to America. It’s probably too much to hope for, but maybe this is the America Donald Trump refers to when rallying MAGA.

In the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination, Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress came together to make important changes to life in these United States. Leaders of both parties cooperated in a “War on Poverty” and passed all sorts of cockamamie initiatives including:

• Federal aid to education

• Fair Housing Legislation,

• Antipoverty laws

• Rural development aid

• Medicare and Medicaid

They even went so far as to get together and pass a Voting Rights Act which would protect minority voting, particularly in the South which had notoriously denied blacks basic rights to cast ballots.

Women didn't have the right to have a credit card in their own name until the 1970s. And the concept of protection over women’s reproductive rights was unthought of until the 60s. But, by the 1970s, support for liberal abortion laws reached its peak. Republicans revealed data that the majority of Americans including Catholics and even the Southern Baptist Convention of 1971 took the position that life began at birth.

With wide bi-partisan support in 1973, Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackman wrote a decision under the court’s leadership of Warren Burger, legalizing abortion across the country. The Roe v. Wade decision became the law of the land.

Both were staunch Republicans.

And, as time went by and to wide applause by evangelicals, America elected a true follower of the teachings of Jesus Christ by sending a Georgia peanut farmer to the White House in 1977, Democrat Jimmy Carter. What they didn’t expect is that he not only believed in the teachings of Jesus Christ … he lived them every day.

Carter took U.S. foreign policy to a whole new level. He focussed on human rights, made conciliatory overtures to China, and agreed to limit nuclear arms with the Soviet Union.

A REAL “Peace in Our Time” that could make David Lloyd George rise from the dead.

What more could you ask for?

But by 1981, the question was answered as Republicans, disappointed that someone so devoted to Christ would actually follow lessons from the Sermon on the Mount, they sought out an actor who could play the part of President of the United States without the frivolity of morality.

Shame, shame, shame.

Realizing that all of this Godliness was ruining their vision of America, they gave the country Ronald Reagan as our 40th President. A man who vowed from his first moment in office that he only bowed to one special interest … “We the people”.

But apparently, he meant only rich people.

Reagan slashed $47,000,000,000 … that's forty-seven billion, from the budget. And to do so took out the carving knife and carefully filleted spending. The Reagan years would see:

Huge cuts in funding for food stamps.

Devasting reductions in aid to education.

Elimination of much funding for job training.

Slashing benefits for the unemployed.

And then he proposed what came to be termed “Trickle Down Economics”. Reduce taxes on the rich and they’ll produce a better standard of living for the peasants.

Reagan’s Director of the Office of Management and Budget, David Stockman, ran the numbers that would result from cutting 23 percent off individual tax rates, virtually eliminating capital gains and estate taxes, cutting the top tax rate from 70% to 50%, then down to 28%, and finally lowering the corporate rate from 48% to 34%.

What he found was a disaster. So, in an effort to stave off the pending financial catastrophe, he got Congress to raise the tax rate for the lowest income bracket from 11% to 15%.

When that didn’t work enough he just re-programmed the computers.

But, no matter how it looked to the economists, by the time the Reagan years were over, the national debt had tripled from $994 billion to $2.8 trillion.

No wonder the top 1 percent now has 99% of the nation's wealth.

Unfortunately, news traveled fast, and the antiquated system of news broadcasting turned against them by actually reporting the truth.

You remember when newscasters reported the truth, don’t you? You know, TRUTH, something that has become a novelty in today’s world.

In the pre-pre-pre-Reagan days, starting in the 1920s, the government mandated that the broadcast media had to present information that was first honest, and second, actually balanced both points of view. It was something called the “fairness doctrine”.

Under pressure from Reagan’s Oval Office, the FCC ended the policy.

It would be Reagan’s greatest legacy, giving rise to Rush Limbaugh, FOX News, and modern-day misinformation that would make Joseph Goebbels blush.

Once again the nation could ask the question “What more could we ask for?”

The answer is a country where Donald Trump can pass on his vitriolic rhetoric without hindrance, lower political dialogue to the sewer, and attempt to overthrow the government without penalty.

Thank you, Ronald. Even Jimmy Carter’s God can't help us now.

If Trump Isn’t Guilty, Why Is He Asking for Immunity?

Where’s Marshall Matt Dillon when we need him?

“An innocent man will run just as hard and fast as a guilty one,” said Marshal Dillon once long ago. (Image by eunicec94 from Pixabay)

Growing up in the golden age of TV, western shows greatly affected boys of my generation. While millennials grew up watching The West Wing, kids who grew up in the ‘50s and ’60s sported toy six guns and had a steady diet of TV Westerns like The Rifleman, Have Gun Will Travel, Wyatt Earp, and of course, Gunsmoke.

The hell with wanting to be President, I wanted to be U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon.

For 20 years as Gunsmoke’s starring lawman, he dispensed justice and fought on the side of right in Dodge City, never losing his cool or a gunfight. His sidekick, Chester always had his back and the adoring saloon keeper Kitty waited for him, ever beautiful and welcoming.

In addition to being the fastest gun around, Marshal Dillon dispensed justice with all the wisdom of King Solomon, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, and all nine SCOTUS justices put together.

Well, maybe not the current justices, but you know what I mean.

I learned a lot of lessons from Marshal Dillon. Respect for law and order. Honor. Duty. The importance of truth and justice when pursuing the bad guys, who in those days were easy to spot because the bad guys wore black hats and the good guys wore white ones.

“Chester,” he once said, “An innocent man runs just as hard and fast as a guilty one.”

This should make me more sympathetic to the plight of Donald Trump, who is facing 4 Federal indictments and 91 criminal charges, all while fending off the New York Attorney General who wants to kick his business out of the state, and E. Jean Carroll who wants all of his money for his defamation of her character.

People seem to forget that he has already been found guilty in the New York Case. They’re just trying to determine how much he has to pay. And, the court already determined that he sexually assaulted Ms. Caroll. They just had to decide how much money he should be paying to keep the scales of justice balanced.

Apparently, it’s $88 million. That’s what the Judge finally ordered.

All of this is small potatoes in his problems with the courts. But he’s used to it. Since 2016 he and his businesses have battled over 4,000 civil lawsuits.

Now there is the little matter of election tampering, and trying to overthrow the government. But who is counting?

And through it all, Trmp keeps claiming that as a former President of this United States, he should be granted immunity from, well everything! I guess that includes parking tickets and jaywalking. Just wondering how he’ll handle shoplifting if his rule of shooting them on sight goes into effect, but I guess he has Secret Service agents to protect him.

I have to say that Mr. Trump LOOKS and SOUNDS guilty. But then I remember Marshal Dillon’s lesson, and that we live in America where an accused is innocent until proven otherwise.

But I have one small problem with Marshal Dillon’s lesson.

Why is Trump concurrently trying to get immunity? He’s a great American, remember? If he’s not guilty, then why wouldn’t he want his day in court to prove it? What’s he got to lose if he’s not guilty?

And, by the way, after all, it’s almost assured that if he’s found guilty of trying to overthrow the government, he’ll be pardoned by the next president anyway. Think Gerald Ford and Nixon.

Or Donald Trump and Donald Trump pardoning himself. It’s a pretty sweet deal.

I just can't seem to wrap my head around him being innocent of everything he claims to be.

Where’s Marshal Dillon when we need him? Maybe I should be President when I grow up instead.