Vote Blue or Die!

When (not IF) COVID19 takes hold in the US, it will be largely because too many Americans can’t afford medical care or to stay home from work when sick.  Universal healthcare and workers rights (as exist elsewhere) would make epidemic control far more effective, protecting us all.

When businesses and schools and venues must remain closed because of the virus, and/or lose clientele,  there will be tragic economic hardship, for both business owners, corporations, as well as the little guy that the GOP doesn’t seem to care about.

I’m not suggesting a Dem president could prevent a pandemic,  but it will certainly help to have an admin that a) believes in science;  b) knows what they’re doing; c) has experts in place to deal with such a crisis; d) has contingency plans in place for such outcomes.

VOTE BLUE OR DIE!

My Horrifying Prediction for 2020 and Beyond

 

I have a prediction which would give me no pleasure should I prove to be correct.

I believe Trump will jettison Pence as his VP and choose Ivanka as his running mate. This theory is based on a few observations.  First,  none of the campaign signs or slogans say “Trump/Pence”.  They are all “Trump 2020”.   Second,  as you may recall, Trump changed his primary residence from New York to Florida last year.  Why?  One reason might be that a presidential candidate and his/her VP must be from different states.  Third, this would be the culmination of both their dearest fantasies. Complicit Barbie might seem vapid, but she’s got the same feral cunning as her father. By all accounts from those who have worked with her, she is as power-hungry as he is,  and she knows how to play her father, undoubtedly out of necessity and opportunity.  She has learned her grifting lessons well upon Daddy’s knee (quite literally.)

Since the GOP and Trump, himself, believe him to be a king, why shouldn’t his beloved daughter be next in line to the throne?

I pray that turnout for the Dems will be so huge it will counter the Russian interference and dirty tricks the GOP are inevitably going to pull,  but realistically, horrifyingly,  there is a fair chance that Trump will win in 2020.

His mental and physical health are already declining rapidly.  We can only hope his deterioration becomes so pronounced before the election, he becomes incapable of running. But assuming they manage keep him standing until November, and he does win,  how long will he last? At his current rate of decline,  probably not more than another year, maximum.

Many people have suggested that his family get him the help he needs but why would they?  He’s their big fat goose that lays gold-plated eggs.  Ivanka, especially, would be loathe to relinquish her shot at the Oval, whether it’s as the de facto president when Daddy become incapable of functioning, or as the actual president when Daddy dies or is Article 25’ed. (And if Vanky is Veep,  it will be much more likely that she will invoke Article 25.) Until then, she will make sure he’s propped up, shot full of drugs so he can perform,  and do everything in her power to keep him together enough to run in November.

While Ivanka’s politics previously leaned to the left,  at this point, she knows that in order to remain in power, she will have to toe the same GOP line as Daddy.  The Dems are certainly not going to support her.  Thus, if she becomes POTUS,  she will have no choice but to continue kow-towing to the same deplorable elements that constitute her father’s base.

I sure hope I’m wrong.

Feeling a Little Flushed…

Trump claims Americans have to flush the toilet ’10 times, 15 times, as opposed to once’

https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/07/politics/trump-americans-flushing-toilets-intl/index.html

Ok…here’s my theory.

1) We all know the steady diet of junk food he consumes. Buckets of fried chicken, Big Macs, taco bowls,  two scoops of ice cream with cake. I don’t believe the man ever ate a vegetable or piece of fruit in his life.  Frankly, it’s amazing that alone hasn’t killed him.

2)  It’s been well-established that he also pops Adderalls like M&Ms and does all kinds of other stimulants.  (He was reported to have done a lot of cocaine at least until he left Celebrity Apprentice.)  There was a photo few years back of him eating a taco bowl at his desk (to prove how  much he loves Mexicans!).  In his open desk drawer,  we could see several boxes of UK over-the-counter decongestant which is not available in this country due to additional ingredients which are addictive/illegal OTC.   Even in normal doses, these kinds of stimulants are known to cause diarrhea.  Imagine what happens when you take a lot of them, constantly.

3) According to some people who have worked with him in the past,  he has to wear Depends because he has been known to shit/shart his pants, quite believable given the above.

4)  We know that whatever he says publicly always refers to himself. In this way, he’s completely transparent.  We always know what’s going on with him by paying attention to what he accuses others of.  That’s been proven again and again.

So,  putting these clues together, I’m guessing he’s tried to flush his Depends.  Obviously, it would be humiliating for him if anyone else were to see his doody diaper  (i.e. if cleaning staff found it in a trash can.)   And it would take at least 10-15 flushes to get that down (if it went down at all).

He, of course, is blaming the low flush toilets for not being able to hide his shame, NOT that fact that (as any normal person knows), you’re not supposed to flush those things.  And he assumes, however, that what he’s doing is perfectly normal, and that everyone must have the same problem/complaint about the toilets.

Somebody ought to interview the White House plumber.  (The real plumber, not the Watergate kind.)

photo: https://www.etsy.com/listing/551495703/golden-toilet-resin-award-toilet-trophy

The Terrifyingly Uncertain Future

 

I hate to rain on anyone’s parade, but I don’t think we’re getting rid of Trump anytime soon…unless he has a complete meltdown and/or his dementia incapacitates him (which is where I’m pinning my hopes.)

Despite a shit-ton of incontrovertible evidence of crimes, violations of his oath of office, not to mention violations of the Constitution, the GOP continues to defend and support him.  Why are all these law and order, by-the-book good old boys not outraged at his behavior?  The only logical conclusion is that they, too, have been compromised in some way, and by continuing to enable him are also covering their own asses.

We just learned that Devin Nunes is balls deep in this whole “Ukraine Did It” and “Let’s Demand Faux Dirt on the Bidens” business.  Investigations into his involvement are about to begin. Thus, it makes sense that he would be out there as Trump’s cheerleader.  If Trump goes down,  so does he.   (Although, at this point, Nunes might go down, irrespective of Trump.)

As for the rest of the lot,  I have always said those in power would never give it up without the fight of their lives.  And the way this is shaking down,  it seems they are ready for a scorched-earth type of war.

It’s devastating to realize that our government is so deeply compromised; that our elected officials (who, let’s face it,  have always been a bunch of self-serving hacks) will essentially hand the reins over to Vladimir Putin in order to remain in power.  It’s sobering and tragic that there aren’t at least 20 honest, patriotic Republican senators willing to risk losing re-election in order to do what they damn well know is the right thing.

Those who speak about “the deep state” or “the Illuminati” tend to be conspiracy nut jobs on the Right. But to anyone who’s paying attention,  it’s pretty clear that there exists a relatively small group of wealthy and powerful individuals who are pulling the strings on the world stage  Tremendous amounts of money are at stake.  Any notion that the rest of us have autonomy is an illusion. We are manipulated and placated to serve their ends.  Some may call me a cynic.  I think of myself as a realist.

Should Trump somehow survive to be the 2020 GOP nominee, I believe he will win for the same reason he won before — because not nearly enough is being done to prevent the Russians and GOP operatives from rigging the election again.  And if he is reelected,  we are as fucked as fucked can be.  He literally COULD stand on Fifth Avenue and shoot Nancy Pelosi in the head with Jr.’s elephant hunting gun, and nothing would happen to him.

Noel Casler, who used to work at Celebrity Apprentice and knows Trump personally,  suggested this today:

 

Does anyone think Trump wouldn’t love to have an elite group of trained killers at his command, willing to take out his political enemies, just like his hero, Vladimir Putin?

Truly, I think the only ray of hope is his rapidly deteriorating mental condition.  But still,  that doesn’t change the fact that millions of people in this country still embrace his ideas.   I am a baby boomer. I don’t imagine I will see the end of this nightmare in my lifetime.

Nancy Beating T as his own game.

Former Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich says he’s now for impeaching Trump

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/18/politics/kasich-calls-for-trump-impeachment/index.html
____________

John Kasich…..”After hearing Mulvaney’s comments, I now believe that Donald Trump should be impeached by the US House and face a trial in the US Senate.

This is not a decision I’ve made lightly, but it’s clear now that a line was crossed. This is an abuse of power. Action must be taken.”

_____

I know everyone is screaming to IMPEACH already; that it’s long overdue. Emotionally I feel the same. I just want this mutha fucka GONE already.  BUT I think Nancy’s tactic of biding her time will prove to be correct.

First, as news of his abuses of power and crimes (and mental incapacity/decline)  are revealed — frequently by his own Republican appointees — it becomes harder and harder for the GOP to defend him.

Second, his betrayal of the Kurds is reviled by even his staunchest supporters.  Our allies are being brutally murdered. The Turks areraping and beheading Kurds, and posting videos!   This is all on Trvmp and everyone knows it.  Decent (and even not so decent) Americans are revolted by this.  And while it’s true that had he been removed sooner, this genocide might not have happened,  I think, sadly, it has taken something of this horrific proportion and something so clearly trvmp’s very own doing, for his congressional supporters to finally turn against him.

Third,  by now, there can no longer be any doubt (except for the most insane, ignorant supporters) that he’s a Putin asset.  For him to have ceded nuclear weapons to the Turks; to see the flags on the American base in Syria to be taken down and Russian flags put up in their place; to see all those ISIS terrorists that were being held  by the Kurds released has finally (it seems) brought many in the GOP to their breaking point.

And of course sentiment and pressure are building among Americans (i.e. constituents) for removal. The cowards in Congress who are afraid of their own voters are getting the message that America has finally become revolted enough to demand impeachment.

Fourth,  Nancy is beating Shitler at his own game of “tune in next week for another exciting episode.”  She’s taken control of the narrative.  Now instead of the news cycle hanging on Trvmp’s every crazy word,  it’s being fed by anticipation of more damning testimony coming out of the House committee.   And there can be no more denying that he’s always been in bed with the Russians, despite Barr’s attempt to minimize the findinings of Mueller Report.

I don’t disagree with those who say the US and the rest of the world might have been spared a lot of death and misery had he been removed sooner.  And undoubtedly it will take decades, perhaps generations,  for the US to recover from the damage this mad man has done.  But I am not entirely convinced that removal could have been accomplished before now.  There were too many who believed the GOP/Fox News “witch hunt” line.  It could easily have backfired.  Had the House impeached prematurely and the Senate failed to convict, in the end it would have had far worse and longer reaching consequences both for the US and the rest of the world.   It’s not enough for the House to impeach him.   Nancy needs to know the votes will be there in the Senate otherwise it will accomplish nothing except to give more strength to the GOP propaganda bullshit., which would entrench that whole reprehensible party for another decade.

Screaming Flu Murder

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/20/health/cbp-migrant-vaccinations-bn/index.html

(CNN) — US Customs and Border Protection will not vaccinate migrants, even though three children who had been in US custody died after contracting the flu.

________

This is exactly what I have been warning about and predicting. At this time, they are not putting immigrants in gas chambers… that’s too much like murder. But they are not averse to killing them by attrition. If the flu breaks out in a camp, and people die, they can convince themselves those deaths were natural, God’s will (as it were), maybe a result of inferior genetics.

Remember, Anne Frank and her sister did not die in the gas chamber. They died of typhus.
I don’t know the exact numbers of people who died in the gas chambers versus people who died of starvation, disease, complications from conditions they already had because they were denied treatment, but make no mistake that those in the latter group were murdered just surely as those in the first.

ICE and CBP and everyone running these facilities have convinced themselves they are good people, saving America from subhuman invaders. (Sound familiar?) Why waste food, medical resources on them? And if they die, so what? Good riddance to bad garbage.

It’s only a matter of time until deaths by attrition aren’t fast or convenient enough. I’m sure some guards would have no problem taking out a bunch of prisoners and mowing them down with automatic weapons. We already know those kind of people live among us. (i.e. El Paso) Or perhaps something less violent, such as an “accidental” CO2 leak in barracks overnight? From there it’s a quick descent into mass extermination.

If you ever wondered how it happened in Germany, wonder no more.

OK… NOW You Should Panic…

The Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children      Courtesy of Carrie Feit

ICE has moved thousands of children from the Homestead, FL and Brownsville, TX facilities and nobody on the outside knows where they’ve taken them.  If this doesn’t scare the shit out of you, either you’re not considering the ramifications or you are a heartless POS.

This administration has no accountability.  We already know they have no system in place for reuniting families.  That means reunification was never their intention.   So what IS their intention?  At this point,  given the mounting levels of secrecy,  the appointment of zealots and sycophants to positions of authority within the various departments,  with their plans to create an internment camp at Ft. Sill (a military base which would preclude visitation from lawyers, advocates, the press,  even members of Congress),  they could at some point literally kill them all, dump them into a mass grave, and we would never know.

Oh. You think I’m exaggerating? Being hysterical, maybe? Just look at the maltreatment we DO know about, and recognize that that is only the tip of the iceberg.

This is a socio-political test to see if the general public cares about what happens to those people.  If we do not protest, do not raise the alarm, do not let this administration know we are paying attention, I can assure you, things will quickly escalate to extermination.  That’s how it has always worked.  That’s been the progression in every case of genocide.   Genocide always depends upon the complicity of the privileged classes. (In this case,  white and Christian.)

Certainly you cannot believe this administration is morally above committing such atrocities. Trump et al  have proven hundreds of times that they believe America would be greater without brown people, without Muslims and Jews, without LGBTQ.

Trump is a stochastic terrorist. He has instigated violence and murder, and then used it for a photo opp for a campaign ad. He’s PROUD of it. It plays to his base.  Does anyone,  even his supporters, think he’s SORRY about any of this?  He had the baby,  whose parents were killed in El Paso protecting his body with theirs,  brought back to the hospital so he could take P.R. pictures!  It’s sickening.

If you support this administration and those who enable it (i.e. the entire GOP) you are complicit.  You are no different from the Germans who looked the other way as the Nazis rounded up Jews and gypsies and gays and the handicapped.  Willful ignorance, refusal to get involved or “be political” IS, de facto, complicity.

History will judge you and it will not be kind. And unlike in the 30s and 40s, today we have social media. We know who you are and where you stand,  what you posted/commented and what you didn’t.  You will not be able to obfuscate your complicity later.

And I’m speaking to the media, as well — to the outlets who try to maintain the illusion that there are two legit sides to these stories and that both deserve to be reported with equal respect;  the ones who regurgitate WH and GOP talking points and don’t bother to look past the obvious; those who are too busy to dig deeper and put two and two together, even though there are several freelance journalists and investigators who have given us clear road maps (i.e. Seth Abramson, Sarah Kenzior).  You have the power to sound the alarm yet you enable and remain complicit. (Looking at you, NYT! Which is why I canceled my subscription.)

Even if you are “not political”, at the very minimum, you should be donating as generously and regularly as possible to the ACLU, to RAICES,  SPLC, or other immigrant or legal aid organizations.  You can call/write to your congressional reps.  (Capitol Switchboard  202-224-3121.  If you don’t know your rep, give the operator your zip code and they will look it up and pass you through to the right person.)

We are no longer talking about politics. We’re talking about morality.  The time for silence is long past.  It’s time to scream our heads off.

ACLU donate

RAICES donate

Southern Poverty Law Center donate

The Confidence of the Mediocre White Man

<<In 2009, Judge T. S. Ellis, III sentenced Rep. Bill Jefferson (D-LA) to 13 yrs on corruption charges. It was the longest sentence EVER for a member of Congress.  Yesterday, on far more serious charges, Ellis gave Paul Manafort 47 months instead of the recommended 19-24 yrs.

First pic is Ellis, second is Manafort, third is Jefferson. Any questions?

—Clarence Patton, March 8, 2019>>

____

If you want to know what “white privilege” is, just lookie here. I am heartened to see that many heretofore oblivious white people starting to call out this type of injustice and inequality. If we want to live in a just society, it’s our responsibility to assure that justice is equally applied to all.

That said,  I fear we are heading into, if not a civil war, at least a highly charged socio-political atmosphere where there will be a lot of violence, and where innocent people will be hurt. Worse than the 60s, I think. There are a lot of people in this country (and in this administration) who feel threatened by the notion of equality for all, terrified of oppressed minorities rising up and demanding their rights. They will do anything,  use every power and privilege they have been granted,  to preserve the status quo.

I get it. They know if they are judged by merit alone, they will never succeed.  For example, strip away the privilege and wealth of every male GOP member of Congress, and most of them would be wrestling coaches, Home Depot employees, or Winn-Dixie store managers with no influence or power,  not even in their own households. Yet they all believe they deserve those elected positions because of their innate superiority. (Lookin’ at you, Jim Jordan,  Matt Gaetz.  You too, Brett Kavanaugh.)

 “Lord, give me the confidence of a mediocre white man.” — Sarah Hagi

Who would Donald Trump be without his father’s money and all that it bought him? I used to visualize Poor Donald as a bitter, divorced used car salesman, living in a shitty motel,  delinquent on his child support,  drinking himself to sleep at night — but I’ve reconsidered. Given his particular brand of toxic narcissism, his sociopathic lack of empathy, and a feral talent for self-promotion, I now think he would have ended up as one of those phony Christian preachers who dedicate their lives to fleecing poor, gullible folk of their money in order, living a life of luxury at others’ expense, all while fake-praising Jesus.  Which, if you think about it, is pretty much his current job description.  No wonder those Evangelical preachers love him. They recognize him as one of their own.

Tax-scamming con-men of a feather…

 

Duh, It’s Not About the Wall

John Cole/Scranton Times Tribune/CagleCartoons.com 2019 (by John Cole / Scranton Times Tribune / CagleCartoons.com 2019 )

Anyone who thinks that the GOP is somehow covering for Trump/compromised by Russia is missing a crucial point.    This shut down is THEIR plan.  Remember, small government,  “starve the beast” has been their wanking fantasy for decades.  This has McConnell’s jizz all over it.

 

Trump doesn’t have the smarts to have come up with this shutdown idea on his own. He has no concept of how the government actually works.  However, I’m sure when it was suggested to him, and the ramifications explained (ie, defunding the justice department to slow down investigations into his crimes) he jumped on it.  But make no mistake. This is a GOP wet dream come true.

 

Obviously, if the GOP wanted a wall, they could have funded it when they controlled both houses of Congresss.  They did not, so we know this isn’t about a wall. This is about having a shutdown for its own sake, and for all the fallout and benefits it brings. If lawsuits against Trump are delayed, well, that’s how the GOP was able to convince him this was a good idea and in his best interests. But they don’t really care about protecting Trump. As always, he is their useful idiot. (And I’m sure his BFF, Putie, is thrilled about this, too! Probably told Trump is was a great idea while laughing into his sleeve.)

What the Republicans really want is to get rid of all the “useless” government bureaucracy, sucking off the teat of the rich (via taxes.)  They want to destroy government oversight and regulation so corporations can do whatever the hell they want. This is an extension of the same plan whereby they  appoint cabinet members specifically to do exactly the OPPOSITE of what their department was created to do, dismantling the bureaucracy from within. 

If this was about the wall, McConnell would just hold a vote and the Senate would likely vote it down (because $5 billion in taxes to built it has to come from somewhere and THEY sure don’t want to pay for this folly.)   No,  he won’t allow a vote because he WANTS the shutdown to drag on as long as possible.

As we bleed government workers who actually know how things work and who keep the machine running,  the country is increasingly left open and vulnerable to all kinds of attacks, from without and within – from terror attacks to assaults on our electrical grid and infrastructure,  to unchecked criminal enterprises to corporate abuse,to pollution and environmental abuse, etc.

Anyone with any smarts and creds who works for the government would be wise to be looking for another career.  Which leaves us with a brain drain in positions where we really need intelligent, knowledgeable experts in charge.

How does a brain drain make America great? How does a weakened, disheartened military make America great?  How does the dismantling and corrupting of our justice system make America great? How does millions of people without access to food stamps, health care,  income make America great?    How does a weak America make the world safer?

The damage is so deep, it will take a generation to recover, if ever,  even if Trump and the GOP are removed by 2020.  Sorry to be a buzzkill, but the world is in deep, deep doody and I don’t think it’s possible that the evil these men (and the rich, evil men in other countries) have set in motion will be able to be stopped before we explode into WWIII.  The geopolitical pieces are falling into place.

Manafort, Trump, and the Perjury Pit

image:  www.kvia.com

If you’re wondering what the significance of all this recent Manafort news, here’s the Reader’s Digest Condensed version, in a nutshell:

 

Mueller has known for a while that Manafort (via his lawyers) was running back to Trump with all kinds of info about the case — the questions he was being asked, the scope and areas of inquiry, his own answers to the Special Counsel, etc.   This was totally unethical of course (disbarment is certainly possible), but Mueller let it slide because it served his purposes.  You see, Bobby M. knew Manafort was lying… but he didn’t let on that he knew. He let Paulie keep digging himself deeper and deeper into a perjury pit,  while letting him believe he was pulling the wool over his (Mueller’s) eyes.

 

So Paulie Walnuts and Trumpty Dumpty get their stories aligned. One lies and the other swears to it. They both think they’ve outfoxed Bobby Threesticks.  Trump fills out the written open book test — UNDER OATH — telling those same lies.

BAM! Now, Mueller’s caught Trump in the same trap as Manafort and Corsi. They’ve all committed perjury and the special counsel’s office has the receipts!

Now that Mueller has Trump’s written answers, he no longer has to pretend that he’s swallowed Paulie’s BS. These guys have been caught in his snare! Lying to the FBI, especially the Special Counsel, is a felony.

We know how tight the SC’s office usually holds their info but over the last couple of days, they’ve allowed certain information to be released to the press/public.  In particular, that Manafort met with Assange in the Ecuadoran embassy in London. They know this because the Ecuadorans, themselves, were monitoring all Assange’s visitors and Internet activity and THEY have the receipts (which they have shared with Mueller, and at his request have made public.)

And that’s just the teaser.   Once the House becomes Dem-controlled in January,  all hell is going to break loose.  Combover Caligula is in his death throes (which explains his even more-insane-than-usual tweeting.)  Of course, neither he nor the GOP are going down without a yuuuuge fight.  Expect things to get a lot uglier before they get better.

Manafort, Trump, Corsi, et. al…these mooks all think they’re smarter than Bobby Mueller. They are about to learn a VERY painful lesson.

Lettuce spray! Amen!