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Mr. Mueller, Another Indictment … Please

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It is holiday time but we are not in a festive mood.

The national embarrassment sitting in the White House has zapped us of our usual holiday cheer. Try as we may, we just cannot jingle our bells or deck our halls as in years past. We need something only you can provide that will lift us out of our funk … an indictment or two.

Yes, we were happy when you announced your first indictments against Paul Manafort and Richard Gates. We were thrilled when George Papadopoulos was the first Trump aide to plead guilty in your Trump-Russia probe. But that was nearly two months ago.

We were more than ecstatic when you got former Trump national security advisor, Mike Flynn, to plead guilty to lying to the FBI. But that too was nearly one month ago.

We are in disperate need of a new dose of good news.

An indictment against Donald Trump Jr., or Jared Kushner, would do just fine.

We know you have the goods on these two loathsome human beings. Why not make your announcement now … before the start of the New Year?

We have been given a heads up by Senate Intelligence Committee member, Mark Warner, that something big is about to come down the pike.  While appearing on MSNBC this week, Warner confirmed that “more” indictments are coming. So why not now?

Call it our Christmas present.

What’s that you say? Too cruel to announce indictments at Christmas time? You and your team of investigators would be seen as mean, biased, partisan hacks?

Sorry, but a good portion of the country, along with the man occupying the Oval Office and many congressional Republicans, already see your investigation as a “witch hunt.”

But we trust your judgment. If you are waiting until after the start of 2018 to drop the hammer of justice, I guess we can wait.

God bless you, Mr. Mueller. God bless us, every one.

(Credit Image: © Xinhua via ZUMA Wire)

 

 

 

America Under Siege From Within … Coo Coo Coo Coup!

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Fox News, our very own state propaganda machine, finally went there.

They used the “c” word.

In an effort to delegitimize the ongoing investigation into the Kremlin’s meddling in our 2016 election, and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, Fox News has accused the FBI and special counsel Robert Mueller of a “coup” attempt against the Trump administration.

Here is part of Fox News’ Jesse Watters recent rant, filled with misleading statements, about the alleged coup d’état:

“So the investigation into Donald Trump’s campaign has been crooked from the jump,” Watters said. “But the scary part is we may now have proof the investigation was weaponized to destroy his presidency for partisan political purposes and to disenfranchise millions of American voters. Now, if that’s true, we have a coup on our hands in America.”

It’s possible that Jessie and his friends at Fox do not know the meaning of “coup” (a sudden decisive exercise of force in politics; especially : the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group). Or they are purposely stirring up their base of brainwashed blockheads in anticipation of some very bad news about to come down the pike.

Either way, this sort of language is not only irresponsible, it is downright dangerous.

There, no doubt, are many gun-toting Fox viewers who could take this incendiary talk to heart and see it as a call to action.

Since morphing into Trump TV, Fox News is doing it’s very best to paint Trump as a victim, not as a president who may be guilty of obstructing justice … or treason.

It appears Fox has given up on calling the Mueller investigation a “hoax”; a “witchhunt”; a “fraud.” Now it’s a “coup.”

Rest assured, no matter what Trump’s propaganda outlet calls it, or what Trump may try to do (shut down the investigation), the truth will eventually come out.

But the potential for violence only increases with what Fox News is spewing on a daily basis.

Photo | foxnews.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Mass Shooting? Put The Blame Where It Belongs … The Supreme Court

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America… another day, another mass shooting.

Only one month after the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history took place in Las Vegas, the most deadly mass shooting in Texas state history has taken place at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs.

In a country awash in gun violence, people are angry. They ask, “When will enough be enough? When will the madness end? When will our lawmakers enact gun regulations that might help stem the tide in this seemingly endless wave of gunphilia insanity?”

As if on cue, politicians have once again offered up their “thoughts and prayers.” Yet the American people want something more … they want action.

While anger continues to grow against our feckless politicians, bought and paid for by the NRA, one government institution seems to have escaped blame … the Supreme Court.

On June 26, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its controversial ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller. In a 5-4 decision, the Court ruled that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to possess firearms independent of service in a state militia and to use firearms for traditionally lawful purposes, including self-defense within the home.

The NRA, and gun enthusiasts everywhere, hailed the decision as an affirmation of unfettered gun ownership. While this reading of the Court’s ruling is misguided and a clear misinterpretation, let’s leave that aside for the moment (read: The Supreme Court Ruling On The 2nd Amendment Did NOT Grant An Unlimited Right To Own Guns by David Ropeik).

Thanks to Justices Roberts, Thomas, Alito, Kennedy and Scalia, we have the NRA trumpeting its false narrative that the Constitution absolutely protects one’s right to bear arms.

In his dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that the Second Amendment does not create an unlimited right to possess guns for self-defense purposes. Instead, the most natural reading of the Amendment is that it protects the right to keep and bear arms for certain military purposes but does not curtail the legislature’s power to regulate nonmilitary use and ownership of weapons. Justice Stevens argued that the Amendment states its purpose specifically in relation to state militias and does not address the right to use firearms in self-defense, which is particularly striking in light of similar state provisions from the same time that do so.

No, let’s not let the above-mentioned activist judges off so easy. They are one of the main reasons why mass shootings have dramatically escalated in the last ten years.

The Heller decision was, ironically, the very kind of judicial overreach conservatives constantly rail against.

Photo | achievement.org

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Mueller Probe … What If It All Doesn’t Matter?

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For the majority of Americans, the only thing that can bring an end to our national nightmare (otherwise known as the Trump regime) is Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into the Trump-Russia connection. Many defenders of our rule of law were overjoyed when, earlier this week, it was learned that three former Trump campaign officials have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges stemming from Mueller’s investigation.

As welcome as this news was to believers in our constitutional system of government, David Roberts’ piece in yesterday’s Vox.com cast a pall over those good feelings. Roberts asks:

What if Mueller proves his case and it doesn’t matter?

“Say Mueller reveals hard proof that the Trump campaign knowingly colluded with Russia, strategically using leaked emails to hurt Clinton’s campaign. Say the president — backed by the Wall Street Journal editorial page, Fox News, Breitbart, most of the US Cabinet, half the panelists on CNN, most of the radio talk show hosts in the country, and an enormous network of Russian-paid hackers and volunteer shitposters working through social media — rejects the evidence. 

They might say Mueller is compromised. It’s a Hillary/Deep State plot. There’s nothing wrong with colluding with Russia in this particular way. Dems did it first. All of the above. Whatever.”

Farfetched? Not really.

As scary as the scenario Roberts paints might be, it is certainly plausible … and the article is worth the read. Here is a link to the piece… “America is facing an epistemic crisis.”

It appears the only sure way we Americans can rid ourselves of Trump and his band of traitors is for Democrats to take back the House and Senate in 2018.

But whether fair elections can ever be held in our country now that Republicans have all but acquiesced to a foreign power meddling in our electoral system (and their own efforts in suppressing the vote) is another question all together.

Photo | rollingstone.com

 

 

 

 

 

Trump Guilty Of Tweeting Premature Vindication

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After yesterday’s much anticipated news about the first indictments in FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia investigation, Donald Trump, no doubt, breathed a sign of relief. Nowhere in the criminal charges against his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and his assistant, Rick Gates, did Trump’s name appear. In fact, the charges had nothing to do with collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia but everything to do with financial crimes.

“Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren’t Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????,” tweeted Trump, adding, “….Also, there is NO COLLUSION!”

Unfortunately for Trump, only hours after the Manafort-Gates bombshell, we also learned of criminal charges brought against a third Trump campaign member, George Papadopoulos. Having been a well-kept secret for over three weeks, Papadopoulos pleaded guilty on October 5 of lying to the FBI about his contacts with people who claimed to have direct connections with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian officials.

Papadopoulos, a former foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign, is cooperating with prosecutors in Mueller’s office as they continue to investigate allegations of collusion between Trump aides and Russian officials looking to influence the U.S. election.

No evidence of collusion between your campaign and Russian officials. Mr. Trump?

According to court documents, Papadopoulos repeatedly tried to arrange a meeting between then-candidate Trump and senior Russian officials in London or in Moscow. The meeting did not take place, but court documents detail an extensive effort by Russian officials to gain access to Trump’s operation.

What is even more troublesome for Trump, the court documents show higher ups in the Trump campaign not only were aware of Papadopoulos’ efforts, but also encouraged them.

So a guy from out of the blue is the first Trump campaign member to plead guilty in the FBI’s Trump-Russia probe … and he is a cooperating witness! If that doesn’t scare the bejesus out of other Trump campaign operatives, I don’t know what.

No matter how much Trump and his surrogates try to downplay the latest news, yesterday could very well mark the beginning of the end of our national nightmare.

After hearing the news of Papadopoulos’ guilty plea and his cooperation with the FBI, I somehow couldn’t get Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” out of my mind.

“And now the end is near, and so I face the final curtain …”

Photo | forums.sailinganarchy.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like Dubya Before Him, Trump Is Exceeding Everyone’s Worst Fears

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Admit it, even some of you Trump supporters, you never thought Trump could be so bad, so incompetent, so divisive, so petty, so …. well you name it.

Hillary Clinton didn’t.

“I really had such deep doubts about his preparation, his temperament, his character, his experience, but he’s been even worse than I thought he would be,” Clinton told MSNBC’s Joy Reid on “AM Joy.”

Just like George W. Bush’s presidency, Donald Trump and his administration have once again stained America’s reputation around the world … and after only eight months in office!

While Bush lied us into an unnecessary war in Iraq that destabilized the Middle East and world as a whole, Trump is knocking on the door of nuclear confrontation with North Korea.

Just think about this for one second. At a meeting of a world body dedicated to international peace through diplomacy, Donald Trump’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly this week contained a childish taunt of North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un, calling him “Rocket Man” who is “on a suicide mission.”

The least presidential American president to ever address the United Nations warned the “Hermit Kingdom” to watch its back because the United States would “totally destroy North Korea” if forced to defend itself or its allies. So much for statecraft!

Like George W. Bush, Trump is a national embarrassment. But it wouldn’t be so bad if making America a global laughingstock were the extent of the damage.

By talking up America’s military might and threatening other countries, Trump is not making us more secure. His irresponsible language is having the opposite effect. He is not helping the cause of world peace but making nuclear war a possibility not seen since the height of the Cold War.

Some have called Donald Trump’s “America First” rhetoric the greatest threat to world peace; his incompetence the greatest risk to international security.

Hyperbole? Maybe not.

Who could have imagined Trump’s loose little lips may one day lead to a nuclear crisis.

If only he were just an embarrassment.

Photo | cnn.com

 

On Repealing DACA, Trump Happens To Be Right

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In her column in today’s Washington Post, Jennifer Rubin calls Trump’s ending of DACA, “Trump’s most evil act.”

Her sentiment is shared by a great number of Americans. In a rare case of unity, both Democrats and Republicans are voicing their opposition to the ending of Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

But is this criticism valid … or does it miss the point?

President Obama created the DACA program, which exempts children brought to this country illegally by their parents from the enforcement of the immigration laws, through executive order. He was forced to do this after Congress refused to enact such a law.

There has been serious question ever since Obama signed the order as to whether the President had the constitutional authority to do so. After all, our Constitution gives Congress the power over immigration policy.

Prior to today’s action by Trump, Attorneys General from Texas and nine other Republican-led states threatened to sue his administration if it did not rescind the program that grants deportation relief and access to work permits to nearly 800,000 “Dreamers,” or undocumented immigrants brought to the country at a young age.

While everyone may like Obama’s order, which treats the innocent children of illegal immigrants humanely, a valid argument could be made in court that the former president’s action was unconstitutional; that it was a circumvention of the legislative branch.

In rescinding Obama’s order, Trump is now forcing Congress to do its job.

The fact that it is good policy should not “trump” the fact that it, most likely, was bad law.

Trump has given Congress a six-month window to enact a law that would give “Dreamers” the protections afforded by Obama’s executive order.

It is beyond ironic that our current president, who likes to run roughshod over our Constitution, is doing the right thing in protecting the sanctity of the document and reinforcing the separation of powers.

As Trump aptly tweeted today: “Congress, get ready to do your job – DACA!”

Will they finally step up to the plate?

Photo | greensboro.com

God Punishing Texas For Voting Trump

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Conservative Christians like to believe natural disasters are the result of God’s wrath and retribution. Sodom and Gomorrah come to mind, as does the Great Flood.

More often than not in today’s world, this means the Almighty is unhappy with man’s “homosexual agenda.”

Even though a handful of conservative preachers are blaming Hurricane Harvey’s destruction of Houston on its embrace of gay rights, few would label the state of Texas as one that has been kind to the LGBTQ community

A more plausible explanation of why God would punish the Lone Star state is that it voted decisively for Donald Trump as president.

Do you think a supreme being could be happy with a state that voted for a bigoted, amoral con man and sexual pervert? Wouldn’t God want to punish Texas?

Ken Storey, University of Tampa assistant sociology professor, certainly thinks so.

“I don’t believe in instant karma but this kinda feels like it for Texas. Hopefully this will help them realize the GOP doesn’t care about them” tweeted Storey.

Of course, the backlash to Storey’s reasonable comments was swift as they made the rounds. On Monday, the Florida school issued a statement condemning the professor’s comments, and on Tuesday it was followed with a statement saying he had been fired.

So much for freedom of speech in another Trump-loving state!

It should be noted Storey made his comments outside the work place, on his own personal twitter account.

Undoubtedly there are many Trump supporters claiming God punished Texas not because it voted for Trump but for not being faithful enough to him! To them Trump can do no wrong and wasn’t it God (with the help of the Russians) who put Trump in the White House anyway?

Question … why do most natural disasters happen in conservative, southern states? Just a coincidence?

One thing’s for sure. Once a self-sufficent, personal-freedom-loving state is hit with devastation, watch how quickly it begs for federal funds. Everyone is a socialist after a natural disaster.

Photo | (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Warning – this article may contain an element of satire!

Editor’s note – No one is making light of the devastation taking place in Houston. Our hearts go out to all the  people suffering in the aftermath of one of the worst storms in American history. Conservative Christians love to blame natural disasters on God’s displeasure with man, specifically the moral decay they see as resulting from the ever increasing rights being afforded the LGBTQ community.The headline gives religious conservatives a little bit of their own medicine by showing the absurdity of blaming the pain and suffering caused by a natural disaster on the wrath of an almighty being.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trump … Abject Failure At Everything Except Further Dividing our Country

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Of all the lies that have come out of Donald Trump’s mouth since first announcing his presidential bid on June 16, 2015, claiming he is not a racist surely tops the list.

“Number one, I am the least anti-Semitic person that you’ve ever seen in your entire life. Number two, racism, the least racist person,” our newly installed president stated at a news conference on February 16, 2017.

The recent domestic terrorist attack in Charlottesville has cleared up any question on whose side Trump’s sympathies lie when it comes down to a contest between white nationalists and those patriots protesting the group’s hatred.

In an unhinged news conference Tuesday in the lobby of his gilded tower in Manhattan, Trump doubled down on the inappropriate and equivocal comments make shortly after the Virginia tragedy when, instead of specifically condemning the white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan, he denounced “hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides.”

While speaking at the Trump Tower news conference, that was ostensibly meant to be about infrastructure permitting, our divider-in-chief finally took off the gloves … and the hood.

He repeated his claim that both sides were to blame for the violence in Charlottesville. He labeled the protesters the “alt-left” and claimed they were “very, very violent” when they sought to confront the peaceful white nationalists and neo-Nazi groups.

Trump’s remarks earned the praise of David Duke, former Ku Klux Klan leader, who tweeted: “Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth about #Charlottesville & condemn the leftist terrorists in BLM/Antifa.”

After almost seven months in office, Donald Trump has done nothing to help the many hopeless people who believed in him and voted for him. No new and improved health care; no tax reform; no infrastructure program… just stoking the flames of resentment and division among many angry and aggrieved whites who feel they are a minority in their own country.

And in the not too distant future, that may actually be the case.

According to a new census projection, white people will no longer make up a majority of Americans by 2043, giving way to African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and other minority groups.

White supremacists, and their enabler in the White House, are fighting a losing, desperate battle. What we need most is to learn to live together in peace, now more than ever. All the hatred and violence in the world cannot stem the tide of history.

Photo | nydailynews.com

 

 

When Will Enough Be Enough For Republican Leaders?

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I know. It’s a rhetorical question. The reflexive answer is “never.”

But are we really at the point where, like Trump’s most staunch supporters, Congressional Republicans will stick with their man even if he shoots someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue?

Firing FBI Director James Comey in an obvious attempt at obstruction of justice wasn’t enough.

Thanking Vladimir Putin for expelling over 700 U.S. diplomats from Russia wasn’t enough.

Challenging North Korea’s Kim Jong-un with talk of war, and causing the people of Guam and Hawaii to prepare for a possible attack by the unstable dictator, wasn’t enough.

And now, Trump’s mealy-mouthed tweet denouncing “all sides” in the Charlottesville terrorist attack by white nationalists on lawfully demonstrating counter-protesters, isn’t doing the trick either.

For chrissake, three people died and nineteen injured in one of the largest hate-filled white power rallies in decades!

Of course there are isolated pockets of “responsible” Republicans like Lindsey Graham saying Trump should “dissuade” those hate groups from thinking they have a friend in Donald Trump. Or Orrin Hatch tweeting “We should call evil by its name. My brother didn’t give his life fighting Hitler for Nazi ideas to go unchallenged here at home.”

What is needed is for top Republican leaders to grow a pair and have a serious talk with Trump. For starters, all white nationalists in his administration need to go. The firing of Steve Bannon would be a good start.

Prior to joining Trump’s team, Bannon was chairman of Breitbart News, a website that openly bragged about being the “platform for the alt-right”!

How about this … Republicans lead an effort towards a bipartisan vote condemning the president’s failure to distance himself from white supremacism? A strong congressional resolution that condemns white nationalists and censures the president? That might go a  long way in helping to mend our divided country.

Polls show that a majority of Americans do not support the man-child currently occupying the Oval Office. In fact, a recent Monmouth University poll found public support for impeaching Trump is higher today than it was for impeaching former President Richard Nixon in the summer of 1973, just as the Watergate scandal was beginning to unfold.

Only Republicans have the power to remove the most unfit and dangerous president ever to occupy the White House.

What will it take for them to do their duty and what’s right for their country? When will enough be enough?

Photo | Edu Bayer/New York Times

 

 

 

 

 

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