Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Blog Break: I'll Be back In Time For Halloween

Good Day World!

It's that time of year...when I step away from my blogs. 

This one, and my Fiction Blog - Stories By Dave Stancliff.

As much fun as I have writing non-fiction and fiction, it never hurts to back away for a while (leaving today, back Oct.30th), and become computer free. 

I think we all need to stop and smell the roses sometimes. This fast-paced world we live in can become mentally (and physically) exhausting for anyone.

I invite you to check out my archives (they go back to 2008) on the right side of this page. The same invitation is extended to my fiction blog archives

If you're a regular reader, I thank you for spending time with me. If you're new, I hope you'll like what you see and subscribe to my blog(s).

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Now, It's Time For the Rest of the Story About Kavanaugh

Good Day World!

There's still a rotten stench lingering after "Beer boy-I like beer, do you like beer?" Kavanaugh's confirmation process.

The aftermath of that stolen confirmation involves a dozen ethics complaints filed against him during the process. Instead of taking care of them in a timely way, they were held up somewhere.

That somewhere, it turns out, was supreme court chief justice John Robert's desk. The complaints sat there until the confirmation farce was over and Kavanaugh was on the supreme court where judges are in effect immune to disciplinary action by lower-court justices. 

T
he court is supposed to police it's own actions. Anyone who really believes they do are painfully naive about our crooked courts. It's apparent to most law observers that the supreme court is now fully politicized. 

So what are the chances that Kavanaugh will be called out for lying under oath, and eleven are charges? Zero. 

To illustrate that point let's look at who Roberts put in charge of reviewing the complaints; a good buddy of Kavanaugh's, Timothy Tymkovich.

Here's what's common knowledge: Kavanaugh once lobbied in support of a controversial judge who is now going to judge him. That judge is Tymkovich.
 

Kavanaugh was involved in a high-stakes campaign to ensure that Timothy Tymkovich, another staunch conservative and a former Colorado solicitor general, would secure a lifetime appointment as a federal judge.

Talk about convenient. Tymkovich's now chief judge on the 10th circuit court of appeals, in Colorado. That means just one thing; the process was a sham from the get-go.

Instead of Robert's going out of his way to choose a judge who did not have any ties to Kavanaugh, such as one nominated by Bill Clinton or Barack Obama, he has added to the perception that the nine supreme court justices are above the law.

Critics, including hundreds of law professors, legal experts and senators, have said that Kavanaugh’s performance, in which he lashed out at Democrats over allegations he committed sexual assault, lacked judicial temperament. There was also that little matter about lying under oath.

In summary, we have a chief justice(Roberts)who thinks he's fooling the world about adhering to a lawful investigative process, when in fact he stacked the deck.

And that, my friends, is the rest of this sorry story.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Monday, October 22, 2018

I Voted Today: Stay Posted For Your Turn


                                            Good Day World!

I love the voting system here in Oregon. It's by mail. This money-saving and secure way of voting went into effect in 1998.

I'm taking advantage of turning in my ballot early today. It's really too bad that most states don't use the mail-in system. There's only a few that currently do.

In 2016 California passed SB 450 which authorizes a roll out of 100% vote by mail across the state. However, only five counties are doing so for the midterms. All counties will be authorized by 2020, except LA County which will be authorized in 2022.

Washington, Colorado, and Utah have 100% vote by mail.

The majority of experts argue it's the safest way of voting in our world today. They nearly unanimous in praising paper trails. Better yet, there's no way in hell anyone can hack a mail-in election because no computers are involved.

It's common sense. Does that mean the rest of the states aren't far behind in adopting the system? Probably not. Most aren't even considering the idea.

There are some successful pilot programs going on this year in Anchorage, Alaska which had record (early voter) turnouts, and in Garden City, Nebraska which saw a much higher turnout versus the state average.

Wherever you live please remember to vote in November, or before, if possible. I truly feel this will be an historic election determining the course of our democracy. 

Trump has made it a referendum on himself so it's a great opportunity to send the narcissist in charge a clear message...we won't take your shit any longer!

Time for me to walk on down the road... 

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Midterm Alert: Georgia's Kemp Is Playing By Trump's Dirty Politics Guide

Good Day World!

The fix is on in Georgia.

Georgia's secretary of state, Republican Brian Kemp, is running for governor...which in itself is no problem, unless you factor in that he's also supervising the election!

He should have recused himself and let another pol take over the supervision of the election because of the obvious conflict of interest.

But that didn't happen. Instead, the bastard doubled down and purged 340,000 current Georgia residents from voting rolls, making them unable to participate in the November 6 election.

A recent analysis of records by the Palast Investigative Fund found that Kemp has overseen the removal of possible voters in the hotly contested race.

He didn't stop there however.

He's facing legal action over claims that he has hindered the voting registration of around 50,000 people, a group that is overwhelmingly black, Latino or Asian American, by implementing a new law just in time for the election.

In addition:

Georgia County Tosses Out Hundreds Of Minority Absentee Ballots


His opponent, Democrat Stacey Abrams, is running to be the first black female governor in American history.

Kemp is also talking a page from his Trump's Dirty Politics Guide by creating a miasma of fear over voting in Georgia. 

Without a shred of evidence, and taking another page from Trump's vile guide, Kemp claims Abrams wants illegal immigrants to vote.

He told the Republican propaganda outlet, Fox News, that,  I think hard-working Georgians should decide who their governor is, not people here illegally like my opponent wants.”

The claim is, of course, a lie. In Trump's Dirty Playbook of Politics, lying is highly recommended. That and defying reality with an alternate reality conjured up by Republican's who kiss Trump's ass daily.

With just weeks remaining, we're going to find out just how effective a campaign of lies and voter suppression is. 

Time for me to walk on down the road....

Universal Music Power

In a delightful description of the power of music William Congreve wrote "Music hath charms to sooth a savage beast..." in his 16...