Saturday, June 26, 2021

Quotes That Will Make You Shake Your Head

Today I've selected quotes from various news stories to give you a sense of what people are saying about the hottest subjects circulating the country.

Let's start:

"If there's one lasting legacy of Donald Trump it's that there are no longer any sacred cows on the American right. 

They have given themselves permission to literally say anything in the moment with regard to principal or ideology while at the same time wringing their hands over the supposed destruction of American culture by "wokeness" and political correctness.

 They no longer have any commitment to making sense and I'm not sure that anyone knows exactly how to combat such surreal intellectual anarchy." (Read article here)

By Heather Digby Parton - 6/25/21

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"There's no doubt in my mind that the 2020 election was "stolen. The truth will continue to come out. Something is going to happen. I don't think we're going to have to wait until the end of summer.

I think it's going to happen here fairly soon...they must create noise prior to the Arizona audit starting to really bubble out. They are going to have to do something."

(Read article here)

By Michael Flynn - 6/25/21

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"There's almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president.

I will always be proud that we did our part on that tragic day to reconvene the Congress and fulfill our duty under the Constitution and the laws of the United States."

(Read article here)

By Mike Pence 6/25/21

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"The large number of Republicans who believe this conspiracy theory is a glaring warning on the persistent acceptance of the stolen election narrative.

They believe him when he abjectly lies. It is a glaring warning that the Big Lie has created fertile ground for all sorts of insane conspiracies'."

(Read article here)

By Chuck Schumer - 6/25/21

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"The important aspect of this visit is leading this visit after the work we did in Guatemala and Mexico. It's not a new plan. But the reality of it is that we have to deal with causes, and we have to deal with effects."

(Read article here)

VP Kamala Harris - 6/25/21

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"It's a delicate dance between providing public access and protecting the public as well as the resource (decision to seal off the forest).

But public safety overrides access."

(Read article here)

Brady Smith - 6/25/21

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On Republicans passing a bill enacting stricter voting rules.

"It's all based on the former president saying, 'Well, I'm going to be back in August,' and everyone anticipating it like a second coming. 

I am no prophet, but I can tell you one thing: The orange rapture is not happening."

(Read article here)

By Arizona State Rep., Lorenzo Sierra 6/25/21

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That's all for today folks. Enjoy your weekend!

Friday, June 25, 2021

Texas AG Faces State Securities Fraud and FBI Bribery Investigation Yet Continues To File Lawsuits Against Democrats

You have to hand it to Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton. 

He's waging war against reality and Texas residents still like him.

Despite facing a securities fraud lawsuit and an FBI investigation into claims he used his office for bribery, Paxton keeps filing lawsuits against democrats and Joe Biden.

Most of his baseless charges (with the exception of one challenge to an executive order) haven't won in court yet. That hasn't deterred the hypocrite however.

Let's look at Paxton's track record thus far in his Don Quixote-like quest to paint an alternate reality for Texas, and America.

-- Paxton joined with Gov. Abbott to sue the Obama administration at least 48 times.

-- Paxton tried (and failed) to sue six battleground states for unconstitutional changes to the 2020 election laws. The case was tossed by the Supreme Court.

-- For nearly six years Paxton's been under indictment on three felony state fraud charges, and he's also under investigation by the FBI for allegedly accepting bribes from a real estate developer.

-- The State Bar of Texas originally dismissed a complaint that Paxton had committed professional misconduct by petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn President Biden's victory in four states.

But the Board of Disciplinary Appeals, a tribunal of 12 independent lawyers appointed by the Texas Supreme Court, overturned that decision last month.

The tribunal is investigating whether Paxton's lawsuit to overturn Biden's electoral win was frivolous, unethical, and filed in bad faith.

If the proceedings determines Paxton is guilty there will be a disciplinary process that could result in disbarment and suspension.

Despite Paxton's track record in losing lawsuits, he continues to for one big reason; many Texas Republicans are still drinking Trump Aide, and don't believe in any of the charges filed against him. 

Instead of losing voters for a career reeking of hypocrisy and lies, Paxton gains their support with every outrageous stunt he pulls.

It's a situation the whole country is facing as the Party of Trump attempts to claw it's way back into power.

Thursday, June 24, 2021

American Myths Exposed: The Struggle To Create A Utopia Continues

When our forefathers gathered in Independence Hall and launched the great experiment - freedom for all - and codified it with the Constitution, the United States of America was born.

For generations we were taught in school that our country's founders were just short of saints. 

Like millions of other kids I bought the myth of George Washington fessing up to chopping down a cherry tree and saying "I cannot tell a lie."

But myths have a way of being exposed when we look back at history with a critical eye.

We can discover facts about our heroes and near saints, that have been silenced by a cabal of educators who don't want to admit past wrongs in American history.  

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson have been immortalized as fathers of this country despite the fact they were also hypocrites. Both had slaves. Freedom for all didn't include blacks in their minds.

School districts have traditionally guarded our founders and other so-called heroes by polishing their images in state-approved publications with narrow narratives.

All of which leads me to the current hot topic in America - the Critical Race Theory which has been embraced by civil rights activists throughout academia.

Conservatives are losing their shit about this shift to reality-based history. Especially Trump acolytes who avoid reality with a passion. 

They also see the subject as something worth attacking and further dividing people with. Expect to see the GOP use the Critical Race Theory in their midterm campaigns and beyond.

Perhaps one of the harder myths to debunk is that we are a United Nation, and America is a Utopia for oppressed people of the world.

It's difficult to admit that we're not. Being real is never easy.

However, I will always pick America over any other nation on this planet.

I've served in the Army, and saw combat in Vietnam. My ancestors who came to Middleton, Connecticut in1639 to escape an oppressive English King, fought for freedom in the Revolutionary Army under George Washington.

I believe our forefathers had the best intentions and that America is still the best messenger for freedom and human rights in the world today.

What I see happening now is the debunking of American myths. It was inevitable. We cannot move forward with a fantasy tale history where truth is buried in unmarked graves. 

Seeing the country so divided between conspiracy theorists and sane people is shocking and sad. 

But time marches on. The quest for Utopia will also continue as long as there are dreamers in this world willing to fight for equality and freedom.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

How The Crazies Found Their Voice in America

I miss the good old days when the crazies in our society wore tinfoil hats and communicated with aliens from another galaxy.

Whenever they surfaced from their basements and hidey holes in the past, the crazies were treated with kid gloves and patted on the head. They were considered harmless kooks who didn't threaten anyone.

If they did threaten, or even harm someone, they were locked up in criminal mental institutions and given drugs to be docile until death. Never to be a threat again to humanity.

Fast forward to now.

The crazies found their voice with Trump. Who knew that there were millions of crazies in the country?

Part of me is in denial that this many crazies have infected every aspect of American life and are now seriously threatening our democracy.

Can't just blame Trump however. 

All the crazies were waiting and just needed a national leader to unify the cults (QAnon, etc.), the militias, the Christian Nationalists, the White Supremacist's, the Neo Nazis, and anarchists, and Trump was the Chosen One.

And why not? Trump could get away with openly lying and altering reality to address every fear that the country's crazies have been nursing for years.

No more laughing at the tin hat crowd.

They're busy suppressing voter's rights on a national scale and claiming the Jan. 6th insurrection was no more than some rowdy tourists overrunning the Capitol to "defend" democracy.

In retrospect I should have seen this coming when Trump went after Obama with the bullshit claim he wasn't born in America, and therefore couldn't be the president of the United States.

It was this early recruitment of the crazies that set the stage for the assault on democracy that we're witnessing today.

There's only one way to fight back. Stop the crazies from turning America into an autocracy by protecting our electoral system and voting them out of political offices.

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

How To Achieve Mass Appeal Without Telling The Truth

Americans are jaded.

Over the last couple of decades game shows have radically evolved to compete for an audience on TV.

Each new show had to push the crazy envelope a little more to keep audiences coming back.

The Price Is Right has been replaced by Naked and Afraid.

Traditional news has morphed into free-for-all partisan political propaganda war where the Left jousts with the Right nightly.

When Americans get bored bad things can happen. 

That's what happened when social media latched onto our addiction-prone brains. 

A portal opened up for every conspiracy in the world to the delight of trolls and people looking for action. Good. Bad. Or indifferent.

Reality could be challenged. Truth smothered in millions of lies spewing from characters that live in alternate universes like QAnon.

When Trump came to power he embodied all that was wrong with people. 

That didn't matter.

Suddenly politics had been elevated to not just high entertainment, but also a blood sport.

To achieve mass appeal Trump attracted attention by defying the world around him and saying things no American president had ever uttered before.

He was such a novelty and his way of telling lies were more novel than the truth. Who cared about the truth? It was boring.

People's favorite reality star turned POTUS captured the Republican Party and reduced it to a clown show following the ringmaster's demented orders.

In many cases the more extreme the lie, the more arousing it can be. It. Becomes. Sexy.

Media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, encourages the crazies into getting in a social-validation feedback loop that is fertile soil for conspiracies.

Like the ancient Romans, millions of Americans want to see life-and-death extremes in society where the victor takes all.

Monday, June 21, 2021

Stuck In An Age of Heroes and Hypocrites Vying For The Nation's Soul

Far from an Age of Enlightenment: The Age of Reason, 21st century America is showing cracks in the foundation of our democratic society.

Unbelievable as it may sound, people are increasingly questioning reality. Politicians are telling the masses not to believe what they see or hear, unless it comes from Trump.

The nation is so polarized that lies become people's truths in a bizarre twist of partisanship gone batshit crazy.

Trump and his minions tried to steal the election last year and failed. But that didn't stop them from denying the reality of Biden's legitimacy.

The Republican Party/aka the Party of Trump, has chosen one man to be leader for life. By resurrecting Trump's putrid presidency his followers believe they're saving America from a long list of enemies ranging from Communists to liberals.

I've watched heroes - like Republican lawmakers in Georgia stand up to Trump and his acolytes as they tried to disenfranchise the state's voters with blatant lies.

I've watched a slew of hypocrites in both political parties, as lawmakers seek to stay in office by whatever means becomes available.

It's particularly irksome to watch lawmakers like Sen. Lindsey Graham flat-out lie (with videos available proving he lied), and he still gets a pass from the right-wingers that have infected the GOP.

If anything, Graham was just polishing his conspiracy disinformation creds to stay in good standing with the cult of Trump.

This is the first time in my 70-years that I'm this concerned about the demise of democracy and being forced to live in an authoritarian state.

The thought is inconceivable. But not impossible. Millions of Americans are attacking our electoral system and living in a state of denial who their president really is.

That's a breeding ground for another civil war that can only end in a loss for all Americans and our republic. 

The number one threat to America is domestic terrorists (particularly White Supremacists), and our former president who doesn't believe in reality, choosing instead to further false narratives to stay in power.

As a military veteran who fought for this country, my disappointment in the current challenge the nation faces, is vast and without precedent. 

My fervent wish before I die is for my children, grandchildren, and future generations to spend their lives free in a democracy.

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