Saturday, August 19, 2023

Gaetz Seeks to Censure J6 Judge in Desperate Attempt to Defend Trump

By now it's blatantly obvious that House MAGA Republicans are Trump's first line of defense. 

And that they don't care about their constituents as much as kissing Trump's ass.

In another pathetically partisan performance Matt Gaetz introduced a resolution Friday to censure the judge overseeing special counsel Jack Smith's case against Trump's attempt to overthrow the 2020 election.

Why?

Gaetz's office claimed U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan "is showing open bias and partisanship in her official duties on the bench."

Hearing Gaetz whine about partisanship is too much to swallow from a guy that idolizes the former president and backs his efforts to destroy our electoral system in a naked power grab.

In a recent rant Gaetz claimed (without any proof) "that Judge Chutkan's extreme sentencing of Jan. 6 defendants, showcases a complete disregard for her duty of impartiality and the rule of law."

Gaetz's real beef is he's afraid he might get pulled into the Jan. 6 investigation and face some consequences for his efforts to support Trump's coup attempt.

In a truly Trumpistic move, Gaetz is attacking judges and our entire legal infrastructure with the hope it'll muddy political waters and slow down the process of trying Trump in court.

During a hearing last week, Chutkan said she will not consider how her decisions affect political campaigns on "either side."

I suspect that terrified Trump's cabal of incompetent lawyers by undermining their wacky defense of "She doesn't like Trump" and one of them called Gaetz to get help. 

You know, it's kind of weird why Trump's lawyers (and The Boss himself) haven't said a word about Judge Aileen Cannon who is overseeing his stolen documents case.

Be that as it may, Trump's slimy minion Gaetz won't be the last one to attack Judge Chutkan because it appears MAGA Land is experiencing troubling tremors over this particular indictment.

As it stands, as I watch the stunts and antics of the GOP House majority defending a convicted sexual abuser, a twice impeached president, and defendant in four major felony trials, I can't help thinking that it isn't going to help them get re-elected in 2024.

Friday, August 18, 2023

Trump Chickens Out of 1st GOP Primary Debate: DeSantis Strategy Includes Defending Him

Let's get this straight.

Without Trump attending next week's GOP Primary Debate the show will be boring. 

But it will still have some entertainment value as Ron DeSantis (a distant second in the polls) becomes the central target for the half-dozen candidates on stage.

DeSantis, whose game plan for the debate frankly puzzles me, plans on supporting Trump (his opponent) and attacking (of all people) "Fake" Vivek Ramaswamy who's a long-shot candidate.

Why? Because Jeff Roe who leads the pro-DeSantis super PAC, said it was a good idea. Advise like that makes no sense to a normal person but we have to remember we're talking about right-wing lunatics.

Perhaps, in their world it's considered a smart approach but it's hardly going to prepare him for Chris Christie and the others piling on him in hopes of leapfrogging him in the polls.

Someone short of a sixpack in the PAC released a two-page memo encouraging DeSantis to defend Trump and to "hammer" that upstart Vivek Ramaswamy.

Can you imagine how Christie will respond when DeSantis says, "Trump isn't here so let's just leave him alone." That's when the hammering will start for Ron Boy.

Meanwhile Ramaswamy's people are laughing and calling the memo "boring" and hit "Robot Ron" for "taking lame, pre-programed attack lines to use in the debate."

Ramaswamy's spokesperson Tricia McLaughin added, If DeSantis struggles to use a spoon, I can't imagine he is particularly agile with a sledgehammer."

Apparently while doing a jig for Trump supporters his handlers told Ron to convey himself as the best leader positioned to carry "the torch" of Trumpism forward. 

That would be a nice piece of juggling that I seriously doubt he's capable of. Especially while under attack from Christie.

Speaking of Christie. Trump is afraid of him. That's the main reason he's not going to attend the debate. He remembers what Christie did to Marco Rubio during the 2016 GOP debates and his shit got weak.

My favorite part of the DeSantis' memo is when his people implore him to make mention of a "personal anecdote" or "story about his family, children" and/or his wife Casey... while SHOWING EMOTION. Wow! Is that even possible?

As it stands, that coward Trump has elected to be interviewed by Tucker Carlson the day of the debate hoping to pull viewers away from the stage.

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Right-wing Terrorists Posting Hitlist of Jurors in Georgia Trump Trial

Transparency is one thing.

People's safety is another.

Georgia, unlike in federal trials, releases the names of a grand jury after a criminal indictment. Trump's minions immediately pounced upon the easily available information and are weaponizing it. 

In the last 48 hours rightwing websites are posting the jurors names and addresses in a hit list. Violence is being encouraged. People's lives are being threatened as unhinged lunatics are stalking these jurors.

What is turning out to be the biggest criminal trial in Georgia history is also a Crossing the Rubican moment for the Republican party. 

Political pundits believe the trial will stretch on for at least two years because of the large number of defendants (19 including Trump). That means the juror's lives are going to be hell for years to come.

It's important to note that Trump is a stochastic terrorist who encourages his followers to dehumanize and vilify a person or group of people with ideological hate speech. He encourages people to violently and unpredictably attack the targets of his vicious claims.

With Georgia's criminal indictment Trump faces (at least) four felony trials - one in New York, one in Florida, and one in Washington D.C. 

As of today, the governor of Arizona, Katie Hobbs, is backing another state investigation into Trump attempts to overthrow the 2020 election and disenfranchise Arizona voters.

The common denominator in all of these trials are Trump's attempts to get his cult enraged enough over his indictments to go out and commit violence in his defense.

The Georgia trial is Trump's latest attempt to terrorize the justice system, but I have a hunch we'll see the same thing if he's indicted in Arizona or any other state.

As it stands, anybody with eyes and ears knows that our former twice impeached president is the biggest threat our republic has ever faced.

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Conservatives Hunting 'Tony the Tiger!'

Another cultural clown club strikes.

It's the Kellogg's Company's Tony the Tiger who's the victim this time.

The cartoon character on their popular Frosted Flakes (I still love them) is just one of the latest victims of cultural wars started by a right-wing group called America First Legal (AFL).

Their beef is the kind of red meat MAGA morons feast on. Are you ready for Wokeness?

How about claiming Kellogg's is "infused with woke ideology" and should be investigated for their policies and programs? 

How vague and pathetic, but it's this kind of misinformation that keeps conservatives tilting at symbolic windmills like Don Quixote in Miguel de Cervantes' novel.

The legal group going after Tony the Tiger (AFL) is run by a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer Stephen Miller, one of Trump's old henchmen in the West Wing.

Not surprised, are you? These cultural attacks by MAGA minions come from all types of extremist groups and Trump's cult followers.

Let's take a moment to see what Miller's slimeball associates said when they filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission recently.

According to the group's senior counselor, Reed D. Rubinstein, "Kellogg's is a publicly traded company that engages in unlawful employment practices by - wait for it - employment practices that seek to balance its workforce based on race, color, national origin, and sex."

To someone like Rubinstein the word "equity" is a euphemism for illegal discrimination. That's where the AFL is at. The last thing they want is equality for all.

Fun fact: Mark Meadows (yes that Mark Meadows who was recently indicted in the Georgia investigation to overturn the voters real results in the 2020 election under a RICO law) is the other founder of AFL. Isn't that interesting?

Meadows and Miller's strike group of crazies also took issue with the company's efforts to diversify its leadership. Horrors!

So why Tony this time?

When a Tony the Tiger mascot showed up "linking elbows" with the controversial transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney at the 76th Annual Tony awards in New York City, AFL's members reaction left a lot of dirty diapers in their rage.

Their rage increased when they found out Cheez-Its featured a drag queen RuPaul on its product. Expect more stupid stunts like this in the future as long as there is an alternate universe where MAGA minions think they rule.

As it stands, this one crossed my red line because Tony and I are old buddies going back to the 1960s. He's G..R..E..A..T..!

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

It's About That Mugshot: Upcoming Poster of Trump Will Sell Out

Trump didn't have to get a mug shot while being booked and arraigned for numerous state felonies during his first indictment which was a major disappointment to me and millions of Americans.

When it comes to political collectibles a poster of Trump's booking mug shot will be the golden grail (or golden calf) of collecting memorabilia.

It won't just be posters that will feature his famous orange makeup while scowling for the camera.

The collectibles market is going to be swamped with Trump mug shots on glasses, coffee cups, t-shirts, hoodies, posters, stickers for vehicle bumpers and windows, toilet seat covers, women's handbags, and on and on.

McDonald's could have a new ad campaign connecting the original HamBurglar ads in the 1970s (where they had this clownish character wearing prison stripes and a black scarf with floppy hat who was constantly trying to steal -and failing - hamburgers for himself) to Trump's criminal mug shot with a backstory of how loves their burgers and how he ate them in the White House.

Using an updated clownish figure with an orange face and tiny hands in the new ad campaign would be perfect in this polarized society. 

Here's the thing.

Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat recently told the press "Unless somebody tells me differently, we are following our normal practices, and it doesn't matter your status, we'll have a mug shot ready for you."

Will Trump cronies somehow stop the mug shot from happening? It's a good question. The arraignment for Trump's attempt to overthrow Georgia's voters' choice is, Friday, August 25th.

As it stands, we'll find out then.

Monday, August 14, 2023

The Twilight Zone is Back with a Season About Treason

      Narrator: "You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not of sight and sound but of mind."

I remember the first episode of The Twilight Zone on Oct. 2, 1959. I was nine years-old and instantly became a fan of the series where reality and imagination blended together.

The last episode was on June 19th, 1964. After five seasons of thought-provoking stories that often had a surprising twist or unexpected ending the show was canceled.

Meanwhile...

...back to 2023 where another season of the iconic sci-fi series is underway. It began on January 20th, 2017, when Trump became president, and is still ongoing.

This current season concentrates on Treasonous episodes in America starring our rogue former president and his MAGA cult.

The twists and turns of each episode are enough to keep the entire country watching treason unfold as Trump tried to overthrow the 2020 election and is currently seeking a repeat in 2024.

As hostages to the weekly chaos, madness, and attempts to destroy democracy, the American people are confused, angry, and scared. Each episode gets stranger and poses dangers to our republic.

Past snippets from early episodes:

Episode 9 - Trump gives American Carnage speech at his inauguration foreshadowing future events.

Episode 10 - Hundreds of thousands of protestors gathered in D.C. and other cities for the Women's March on Washington (the day after Trump's was sworn in), one of the largest single-day protests in history.

Episode 14 - Watch as Trump breaks all norms about presidential behavior, ranging from feuding with a military widow to reducing the size of a national monument. 

Episode 17 - In a bizarre scene Trump is hosting TIME correspondents at a private dinner in the White House. He gets two scoops on his ice cream cone, while everyone else got one. Note: it became a viral meme.

Episode 22 - Trump huddles up with the Russian Foreign Minister to the U.S. in the Oval Office and reveals highly classified information, calling Comey "a real nut job" and criticizing the FBI investigation over his involvement with Russians during his presidential campaign.

Episode 31 - In an eerie sequence we see Trump and wife Melania, Saudi Arabia's King Salmann bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi with their hands on a mysterious illuminated globe. Viewers are left wondering what kind of evil they are planning. 

Episode 38 - In a stunning revelation of clueless meanness we see Trump touring an emergency shelter in Houston for people displaced by Hurricane Harvey and tells reporters he sees a "lot of happiness" and tells everyone there "to have a good time."

Episode 45 - Americans are shocked to see how dumb Trump is when he's spotted staring at the sun during the solar eclipse without wearing protective viewing glasses. An aide is heard shouting "Don't look!"

The above snippets were from his first year in office. If you watch the next three years episodes, you'll see how Trump grew even crazier and more dangerous. By the time he lost the 2020 election he went full loon on his numerous attacks against reality, facts, and evidence.

Then defying all reality (like a good Twilight Zone story should) Trump claimed the election was stolen and led a coup attempt against our government and constitution that has polarized the nation up until today.

As it stands, if you feel like you're in The Twilight Zone... you just may be! 

Sunday, August 13, 2023

Anti-Press Rhetoric Leads to an Unconstitutional Raid on a 154-Year-old Newspaper

According to The Press Freedom Tracker there's been 55 incidents targeting journalists' First Amendment-protected activities thus far this year.

(Photo: A raid on this small-town newspaper - The Marion County Record - has enraged free press advocates nationally)   

Make that 56 after a small-town police force in Kansas raided the office of a local newspaper and the home of its publisher!

The entire five-member police department seized computers, cell phones and other reporting materials effectively shutting down the operation of an historic newspaper founded in 1869.

The Marion County Record's 98-year-old co-owner was apparently so overwhelmed by the incident that she collapsed and died the following day according to Publisher Eric Meyer.

What prompted the gestapo-like raid?

Two things.

* The newspaper was actively investigating Gideon Cody, Marion's chief of police, following allegations that he retired from a previous job to avoid punishment over accusations of sexual misconduct.  

* The raid came after a complaint by a local restaurant owner named Keri Newell. She was upset with the newspaper's reporting that she kicked out reporters from a recent event at her establishment with Republican Congressman Jake LaTurner. 

She also found out that the publisher had unearthed her past DUI violation looking through government records. It's important to note Meyer chose not to do a story about it.

Meanwhile a Marion County District Court Magistrate Judge Laura Viar signed a two-page warrant that allowed the police to take anything "pertaining to Keri Newell.

During the raid Chief Cody reportedly dislocated one reporter's finger after snatching her phone from her hand. Officers also reportedly photographed personal financial statements and seized personal items - including a smart speaker used by the newspapers 98-year-old co-owner Joan Meyer to ask for assistance.

Adding to the unconstitutionality of the raid was the fact that NO probable cause warrant was filed with the court. That's flat out against the law.

The Good News

With the help of other newspapers (even their competition) and free press groups across the country The Marion County Record was able to meet their deadline for their next publication because of the donations of computers, servers, and other equipment.

The newspaper is expected to file a federal lawsuit.

As it stands, anti-press rhetoric has become too pervasive in America thanks to the former twice impeached president who has been criminally indicted with 70 felonies (with more on the way) "fake news" mantra.

Blog Break Until Presidential Election is Over

I finally hit the wall today. I can't think of what to say about all of the madness going on in this country right now. I'm a writer...