Saturday, October 24, 2020

A Long Ten Days Until America's Destiny Is Revealed

 Pandemic Diary - Day 222

Dear Diary,

America's future will be decided on Nov. 3rd. when voters across the nation brave the pandemic to vote in-person. 

Election gurus have been warning Americans that it's unlikely there will be final results in every state on that day. That it's more likely going to take several days before the record amount of mail-in ballots are counted.

In the span of two weeks we could be faced with a Constitutional crisis if Trump loses and refuses to leave The White House.

Instead of the traditional peaceful transfer of power this nation has enjoyed throughout its history, Trump is threatening everything our democracy stands for in a desperate attempt to stay in office.

Before we get to Nov. 3rd, each day will be 24 hours of open warfare between good and evil. Between fact and fiction. Between Trump's World versus Reality.

I expect to see Trump's abuse of government agencies to continue as he calls on lapdog AG Barr and other minions to arrest Biden and derail the election.

Trump's misuse of his office extends beyond American borders, as his love of dictators has shown us all in the last four years.

He's tried to get a foreign government - the Ukraine - to dig up dirt on Biden and was impeached for his efforts. 

That didn't even slow him down, because he knew he had enough spineless senators to avoid getting his fat ass kicked out of office.

That bold and craven attempt was back in February. Try to imagine how deranged Trump is right now with less than two weeks to go and he's trailing in all of the polls.

It's not going to be pretty. 

The fate of our republic is at stake. I'm hoping the United States survives this test and continues to fulfil the destiny our founders envisioned.

Quote for the Day: "Destiny is a name often given in retrospect to choices that had dramatic consequences." -J.K. Rowling

Friday, October 23, 2020

The 'Big Con' is Collapsing: Trump's Tactics Are Taking Him Down

 

Pandemic Diary - Day 221

Dear Diary,

I've been thinking about the most infamous con men throughout history lately.

For example, Victor Lustig who became infamous as "the man who sold the Eiffel Tower twice" would be considered the most audacious in some circles.  

Other names that come to mind are Lou Pearlman. Charles Ponzi. Frank Abagnal. George C. Parker. And, Bernard Madoff.

But Trump has them all beat

He pulled off the longest con in history by getting elected the president of the United States by getting the backing of every angry conspiracist, and right wing wacko in America. (The Russians helped too, but I digress)

His regime has proven to be the most chaotic in presidential history. It's been dripping with corruption since the day Trump lied under oath during his inauguration about protecting all Americans and our democratic way of life.

2020 has not been a good year for our wannabe tyrant. 

He was impeached; he failed to properly respond to a pandemic that's already killed 223,000 Americans in eight months; the economy is failing;  and he's losing his bid to remain in power.

The irony is Trump is taking himself down with a long list of childish grievances that most voters could care less about. His increasing open scorn for science and Dr. Fauci, and his inability to control his temper are losing the race for him.

He demonstrated that yesterday during the last presidential debate, and a few days ago when he was interviewed by Lesley Stahl for 60 Minutes. He lost his shit both times.

Historians say the only reason Victor Lustig didn't get away scot free with his monumental con in France was that he didn't know when to end the con.

Because Trump's long con worked in 2016, he refuses to change his tactics in 2020. It's that hubris that will finally take him down, much like his predecessor Victor Lustig.

Quote for the Day: "Hubris is one of the great renewable resources. -P.J. O'Rourke 

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Tonight's Presidential Debate Isn't Going to Change Anything - But It Should Be Entertaining

 

Pandemic Diary - Day 220

Dear Diary,

The fading reality star who stole the 2016 election is facing his final curtain call tonight in the last presidential debate before Nov. 3rd.

I don't believe, for one moment, that there's any undecided voters left in the country. Trump voters are locked in.  So are Biden voters.

So why even bother having the debate if no one is left to court?

--Ratings for TV channels?

--An opportunity for Trump to suddenly win hearts and minds? (Like that'll really happen.) 

--Another opportunity for Biden to humiliate an obviously defective opponent on national TV?

--The Trump campaign is hoping for an October Surprise after a stellar performance by Trump?

--It's traditional to have three debates?

Take your pick. There can be multiple correct answers.

I'm left with one conclusion: it's going to be entertaining because Trump will put on a performance worthy of his reality TV days on The Apprentice.

If you plan on watching the debate, I suggest bringing popcorn and an alcoholic beverage of your choice. I doubt you'll ever see a political performance like this ever again.

I sure hope not.

Quote for the Day: "America is the first culture in jeopardy of amusing itself to death." -John Piper

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

'Trump's Army' Preparing to Intimidate Voters at the Polls - Democrats Will Be Ready

 Pandemic Diary - Day 219

Dear Diary,

It appears that some Americans are going to get a taste of the old Jim Crow politics at the polls as "Trump's Army" prepares to intimidate voters in Michigan and Minnesota.

The call to arms is coming from Trump operatives who are encouraging armed militias to monitor polling places in the two swing  states on Nov. 3rd.

In Minnesota, civil rights groups sued to block efforts by a private security company to deploy armed polling monitors, labeling the effort voter suppression.

Michigan's top election official said state police will enforce a ban on people openly carrying firearms near polling places on Election Day.

There's similar scary incidents in other states. In Florida Democratic voters are being targeted by the right-wing group Proud Boys via emails threatening harm if they don't vote for Trump.

Some officials are concerned that an attempt to block people from carrying guns to the polls will spur protests by gun rights activists outside of the voting centers.

But there's no choice. The right to vote without being intimidated is guaranteed in our government and backing down is not an option.

Violence on Election Day? Perhaps. No one really knows. Fear is driving people to vote early in every state as the data shows historic early voting nationwide.

More than 200 "Count Every Vote" demonstrations - and counting - have already been planned across the country by "Protect the Results," an effort launched by "Stand Up America" and "Indivisible" amid Trump's ongoing attacks on mail-in voting and the electoral process.

In addition, FBI and local officials have been running through worse-case scenarios in response to high tensions among voters. 

State governors are issuing public warnings that any crime that threatens the sanctity of a Nov. 3rd vote will not be tolerated.

In the end, the majority of Americans are standing up for democracy despite Trump's best efforts to denigrate it in the waning days of his regime.

Quote for the Day: "If you want to control someone, all you have to do is make them feel afraid." -Paulo Coelho

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Why History will Remember Trump as a Mass Murderer Who Abused The Power of the Presidency

Pandemic Diary - Day 219

Dear Diary,

One of the hallmarks of great civilizations is the pursuit of science. 

Called by many names throughout the centuries, science has always been about verifying facts in the physical world, nature, and the universe.

There were eras of such ignorance that scientists were called witches and agents of the devil, and were tortured and summarily executed.

Here we are in the 21st century and the president of the United States is calling scientists "idiots."

Any pretenses that Trump was listening to the scientists of the Coronavirus Task Farce have evaporated into thin air this week.

Trump has unapologetically turned on science like a mad dog with rabies. 

He's holding daily super spreaders and talking about how stupid scientists are... and how the country is "turning the corner" against the coronavirus while cases spike in 47 states (latest update).

Reality versus Trump

We always knew it would come to this. He's unable to operate in the real world any longer and has retreated into a bubble where adoring fans chant his name every day. And he's not losing the race.

Most Americans aren't stupid and recognize what's happening around them. Friends and family are dying in astronomical numbers

Hearing Trump trashing the foremost scientist in the country, Dr. Fauci, was a step too far for most Americans to ignore. 

Dr. Fauci has been truthful about the dangers COVID-19 poses, in spite of the pressures Trump's regime has put on him, and continues to push for safety measures like wearing face masks.

The scientists are warning Americans that between the coronavirus and the flu, there's going to be darker days ahead this fall. More cases. More deaths.

When historians look back at this year, Trump will be credited with hundreds of thousands of deaths that should never have happened.

His mishandling of the pandemic, and the science to save us, was nothing less than a case of mass murder.

Quote for the Day: "History is the biography of murderers." -Khayri R.R. Woulfe 

Monday, October 19, 2020

Daily Disinformation Dumps Highlight Nastiest Presidential Campaign in History

Pandemic Diary - Day 217

Dear Diary,

Whew!

There's a lot of lies disguised as breaking news flooding into the mainstream press and confusing a lot of Americans two weeks from election day.

Who should we believe?

--Scott Atlas, WH coronavirus task force medical advisor? Oh, hell no! He's a Trump minion (with no experience in epidemiology) who denies science and claims we don't need face masks to be safe from COVID-19. 

For example, Atlas was flagged by Twitter for a tweet that violated the social media site's "misleading information" policy yesterday. He was nailed for pushing his mask lies.

--Trump? Unless you're drinking Orange Trump aid you know this virus is not turning a corner and getting better. Just look around. The virus is spiking in nearly every state and healthcare experts say it's only getting worse this fall and winter.

The fact of the matter is the Russians are amplifying the chaos Trump is causing and doubling down on it to spread more lies on social media platforms and into the mainstream media.

Case in point:

The New York Post ran a story that was riddled with lies about Joe and Hunter Biden. 

Loyal lapdog, Rudy Giuliani, supposedly came up with a damaging secret email about the Biden's (15 years ago) that was discovered on a water-damaged laptop from a third party who found it in a computer repair shop.

All fiction. The FBI is currently conducting an investigation into Rudy's weak attempt at an October Surprise. The agency has come out and said the email release was part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

The agency was clear it was an attempt to "denigrate" Biden ahead of the election. The FBI also already warned Trump and other government officials this year that Rudy is a puppet for a Russian agent and has been since last year. 

The story also prompted a social media furor after Twitter and Facebook restricted access to the article because of its uncertain sourcing.

Disinformation dumps from the Trump campaign are tumbling out daily hoping to confuse voters and somehow rescue his fading efforts at getting re-elected.

I don't think most Americans are buying those lies however. The early voter turn-out in all 50 states has been historic, and is favoring the democrats according to political pundits and data supporting that assertion. 

We must not let our guard down. For those who haven't voted yet, please consider doing so before election day if possible. If not, then make sure you vote on Nov. 3rd.

The world's oldest Democracy is under assault by an authoritarian narcissistic sociopath who refuses actual reality in lieu of his reality TV show presidency.

Quote for the Day: "Truth will never shine from a heart filled with corruption and lies." -Suzy Kassem

Sunday, October 18, 2020

America's Shame: Our Election Looks Like a Third World Country On the Verge of Losing Its Democracy

 


Pandemic Diary - Day 216

Dear Diary,

I'm embarrassed for all Americans. We've sunk so low that we're now on par with Third World nations struggling to maintain democratic governments.

In a dramatic sign that people's freedoms are at stake this year, the Carter Center is monitoring our elections for the first time in the organization's history.

For over 30 years, the Atlanta-based Carter Center has been observing elections for fairness worldwide. It was founded by former president Jimmy Carter.

The Carter Center is in discussion with some states, including Georgia, about small-scale, targeted observation efforts on specific aspects of the process, but stopping short of full-fledged monitoring.

Among the Carter Center's election efforts in the US:

-Producing two animated videos - one that lays out voting options and another that focuses on the need for patience after election day, as the large number of mailed ballots will likely delay the results of the election.

-Working with nonpartisan groups to produce and distribute a number of reports, fact sheets, opinion pieces, and articles on various aspects of the electoral process.

-Offering training for journalists on transparency and international election standards.

-The organization will also be hosting free virtual public conversations about voting.

It's sad that we've come to this place, but Trump has put us here with his deranged policies, rhetoric, breaking laws, constant daily lies, and collusion with a Russian disinformation campaign against Joe Biden.

The world is watching, along with the Carter Center to see if we defend democracy on Nov. 3rd.

Quote for the Day: "Democracy is not a spectator sport, it's a participatory event. If we don't participate in it, it ceases to be a democracy." -Michael Moore

 

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