A Cult Leader for the Ages: Trump Transformed a Segment of American Society into 'Useful Idiots'

        In the pantheon of cult leaders from around the world Trump has emerged as the gold standard for cults in the last nine years.

His ascension (or dissent) by brainwashing Americans on a massive scale is unparalleled by any other current cult in the country.

I just read an alarming article in The Atlantic titled "What's Left to Restrain Donald Trump?"

The author Peter Wehner, raised the question if Trump ordered political assassinations would he get away with it? And if he did, would the Republican Party stand with him?

Trump's lawyers believe he should have complete immunity regardless of if he performs criminal acts as a president. The question of presidential immunity is now before a Conservative Supreme Court with three Trump-appointed justices.

"So why would we assume that Trump - a man of sociopathic tendencies, who appears unable to even think in moral terms, who inflamed a violent mob to try to hang his vice president - would automatically recoil from having a political opponent assassinated if the opportunity presented itself?" Wehner wrote.

Wehner's assertion that much of the Republican Party, including white evangelicals and fundamentalists, would line up in support of Trump even if he did order the assassination of a political opponent is a chilling (but probably accurate) reality.

In Trump's worldview everyone around him is a useful idiot to be exploited and pandered to depending on the circumstances. In a nutshell MAGA world will stand with Trump regardless of his criminality.

In fact, his cult's support has deepened in the last two years, despite his civil and criminal indictments that have led to felony trials in four jurisdictions. 

As Wehner pointed out, "The identity of MAGA world has fused with Trump's; to turn on him would be to turn on themselves. They won't admit to themselves, and they certainly won't admit to others, the sheer expanse of Trump's degeneracy."

To be clear, we're only six months away from a presidential election that will determine the fate of our Constitutional Democracy and the rule of law in America.

As it Stands, if you want to see our republic continue to stand Vote Blue in November. There's never been a starker choice in our history.

He's Back! This Time in Drag

While Donald Trump has inspired thousands of grifters from across the country few have reached the heights that disgraced former Congressman George Santos has.

Since being booted out of the House for ethic violations Santos has been scrambling to make money in any way possible. Nothing is too demeaning for this man with no shame.

His latest cash grab is a modified attempt at something he tried a few months ago. His first attempt to make money on the video platform Cameo, where users can commission messages from public figures, did pretty well.

In an interview with comedian Ziwe, Santos claimed he was netting $80,000 per day. Which makes one wonder why he stopped doing it for months and has suddenly returned with his shelved drag queen persona, Kiutara Ravache.

Videos starring Ravache run prospective buyers $275 for an averaging-53-seconds-long greeting. In a post on X, Santos promised to share 20% of proceeds with pro-veteran and Zionist charities Tunnels to Towers and the International Fellowship for Christians and Jews.

Fat chance of that happening.

The Back Story

George Santos is facing a September trial where he's charged with stealing people's identities and making charges on his own donors' credit cards. 

Despite his criminal history, including an incident where he stole $3,000 from a fund for a disabled veteran's dog, Santos is back looking for another 15-minutes of fame (more like infamy) while raising money for his defense in his upcoming criminal trial.

In a gleeful post Santos wrote, "Hey, you messy bitches! Kitara is coming out of the closet after 18 years, thanks to all of you."

However, by all reports Kitara's debut has been somewhat of a flop thus far and only netted a little over a thousand dollars. But outwardly Santos is portraying this happy go- lucky freak - "I hear you're a bunch of freaks out there, and you love to dance all night long!" - he posted on April 29th.

A Few Thoughts

1. George Santos is enjoying Trump's golden age of lies and massive grifts along with a lot of other con men in America today.

2. How did Santos even get elected in the first place?

3. There must be more gullible people in this country than I ever dreamed. The dumbing down of America appears to have succeeded.

As it Stands, if anything, this is a sign of the times - from congressman to drag queen - welcome to America.

Lies Versus Reality: Who's Winning the War of Words?

Lies and unverified rumors course through the right-wing narrative universe daily. Reality is constantly trying to catch up to the poisonous MAGA universe's barrage of blatant lies. 

It's a war being waged throughout the United States by the two major political parties, the Democrats, and the Party of Trump (let's be realistic, it certainly isn't the Republican party).

After each day Trump spends in court with one of his four criminal trials he comes out and spins a web of lies about what happened that day.

At one point Trump, seeking sympathy as usual, claimed the judge wouldn't let him go to his son Barron's graduation. Fox News and Newsmax leapt upon that hot story about what a bastard judge Merchan was in another attempt to disparage the trial and the judge overseeing it.

The right-wing spin machine got 48 hours of sharing this hot take before reality slapped them down when the judge said Trump could get the day off to attend Barron's graduation.

To be clear, Judge Merchan originally said he'd consider Trump's request for that day off. He did not turn him down. He said he'd consider it. That's all the right-wing media needed to hear to spread their rumors.

Daily fact-checking has become a cottage industry among podcasters and the legacy media. The White House devotes staff to checking out Trump and his minions daily lie output.

One estimate of the amount of lies that Trump has told since he started campaigning for president is 20,000 lies... and growing daily.

So, who is winning this war of words?

It's hard to tell right now. A lot depends on where Americans get their news from. 

Because Trump's lies are so spectacular they grab headlines throughout the mass media market and that gives them an advantage in advancing their false narratives.

The reality, or truth, only goes to the legacy media because the far-right media totally ignores rebuttals to the trash they spread. In essence, this MAGA blackout means less people will hear the truth.

As it Stands, I guess we won't know who won the war on words until November when a very divided nation goes to the polls.

Humanity Test: Would You Kill Your Puppy if You Were Mad at It?

A top contender to be Trump's running mate in this year's election is bragging about killing a stubborn puppy.

South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem released her new book "No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward," triggering a controversy she didn't count on.

South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem released her new book "No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward," triggering a controversy she didn't count on.

If Noem's intention was to impress Trump who famously hates dogs it was a gambol gone too far. Perhaps she should have looked at a 2023 poll that found that 97% of people with pets view them as a member of the family.

There are an estimated 65 million households that own a dog. How many do you think condone murdering a member of the "family" and then bragging about it? 

Liberals and conservatives love their dogs and killing a puppy is something both sides agree is a brutal and cruel act for just being a puppy. She could have just given the dog - a female named Cricket - away to someone or taken her to the dog pound.

Instead, she chose to take Cricket to a gravel pit and shoot her according to Noem's book. In subsequent passages she talks about taking a "nasty and mean goat" to the same gravel pit and shooting the poor animal twice because the first shot didn't do the job.

The whole murder your pet thing was proof that she was willing to do the "difficult, messy and ugly" tasks of life - and presumably politics as well. That's what she told her daughter and what she proudly shared in gory detail with readers of her new book.

Keep in mind, this is the woman who gave then President Trump a model of Mt. Rushmore with his head alongside the other presidents. There's nothing she won't do in order to gain more power.

Given the opportunity, Noem would call for Biden's dog Commander to be executed for biting secret service agents (they probably deserved it). Thus far, after biting at least two dozen Secret Service agents over the years, no one has suggested that he deserves capital punishment for that misbehavior. Relocating Commander has been brought up numerous times.

Fun fact: Trump was the first president in 120 years to not bring a dog to the White House.

It's no secret Trump hates dogs. It's no secret Noem would do anything to be his VP. By telling her story Noem thought it would endear her to a certain breed of heartless Republicans and convince them of her toughness. Especially Trump.

Noem's plan to impress the MAGA cult has been a bust as most Americans are appalled by killing a puppy because she hated her and didn't have a heart.

As it Stands, people of all political persuasions are rightly disgusted by cruelty to animals, even if they don't always treat their fellow humans with the respect and dignity they deserve.

A Pox on Polls! Who Really Needs Them?

It's time to expose the dark secret about political polls.

We, the people, don't need them.

However, the media market needs them to make a profit by making us puppets.

Yeah. Puppets. The polls are meant to get the public stirred up over fleeting issues that will attract viewers (the sound of cash accumulating) by presenting constantly changing narratives about candidates in an election.

Polls mean nothing to most Americans. The general public doesn't wake up each day wondering what the polls have to say. Polls are for political geeks and media types desperately trying to attract listeners and viewers by serving up controversial subjects.

The absurdity of polls is intrinsic. The pollsters take a small sampling of people and based upon their reaction predict percentages like seers in Harry Potter. 

I took an Empirical Reseach class while attending Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humbolt) in 1979. It was an eye-opener. After researching all the variables in conducting polls I came to the conclusion that they are dust in the wind. They are easily manipulated and often have partisan leanings.

Yet pollsters continue to conduct surveys that only serve a select audience willing to suspend their common sense and to get worked up if their candidate is winning or losing.

It's like throwing chum to a school of sharks. Poll watchers are easily distressed, especially if they think something bad is happening to their candidate.

To be sure, polls are nothing more than twisted entertainment for the masses. The goal of a poll is to manipulate numbers in a way that appears scientifically based and credible. That doesn't change the fact that polls are easily polluted.

Poll Quotes

** "Journalists should denounce government by public opinion polls." - Dan Rather

** "Polls? Nah... they're for strippers and cross-country skiers." Sarah Palin

** "Leaders are responsible not for running public opinion polls but for the consequences of their actions." Henry Kissinger

** "Public opinion polls are rather like children in a garden, digging things up all the time to see how they're growing." J.B. Priestley

** "Don't worry about polls, but if you do, don't admit it." Rosalynn Carter

As it Stands, for the record I once participated in a poll in the early 80s. I lied on every question just to prove a point. Polls suck.

Pure Americana: College Student Protests

    American College students have a long history of protesting societal grievances. 

From riots over butter to protests against tuition increases, student activists have spoken out for centuries.

There's been a renaissance of American student activism in the last decade. College students are more active than ever before.

With every new crisis threatening higher education, what lessons does the history of student activism hold for the future?

In a nutshell, student activism has brought about major changes in society like pushing for anti-discriminating policies and more.

I remember when San Francisco State University students (I was a senior in high school then) successfully pressured the administration to establish the country's first African American studies department in 1968.

I clearly remember the student protests about the Vietnam War being a major factor of getting out of the mess we created in Southeast Asia.

Moving forward college students around the country are protesting the treatment of Palestinians during the Hama/Israeli war that has resulted in a massive toll of innocent lives.

The students intense focus on what's happening in Gaza has forced the president and Congress to re-examine America's role in helping Israel while standing up and protecting the Palestinian people who are caught up in the crossfire.

One of the lessons from the history of student activism is clear: student activists are most often successful when they bring concrete, specific demands to the administration and to Americans at large.

Demanding an end to the war and release of hostages isn't just coming from college students - countries from around the world are also making the same demands.

As it Stands, time and time again, college students have proved that when they are at the forefront of confronting institutional oppression and societal wrongs, effective change can happen.

The Day a Journalistic Icon Resigned in Disgrace: Dan Rather Interview Set for Sunday

It's been nearly two decades since journalistic icon Dan Rather resigned from CBS after reporting a discredited story about then-President George W. Bush.

He's back. Watch for him on an upcoming episode of CBS Sunday Morning where the 92-year-old former anchor will talk about his work at CBS and his life in news. I'm looking forward to watching this interview.

He's going to be interviewed about the film "Rather," a documentary about his rise to prominence in media and his swift fall from grace.

For those who are unaware of what took down Rather it was about an incident when he cited forged memos disparaging Bush's behavior while he served in the National Guard in the 1970s allegedly written by his commanding officer at the time. 

It was fake news. Apparently Rather and his team did a poor job of vetting the memos and ran the story on "60 Minutes." What really made it bad was it appeared to be a naked attempt to make Bush look bad two months before the 2004 election.

With all of the misinformation we're currently seeing this election year Rather's ethical crime doesn't seem that egregious when you compare it to what's in the news today.

The important distinction between Rather and Fox News is that Rather didn't lie on purpose. His crime was not fully investigating the story. But he resigned and admitted he fouled up in that one incident.

Fox News however turns out fake news daily and when sued for lying the owners still continued to lie with impunity despite hefty fines.

The disgraced anchor's downfall was the subject of the 2015 film "Truth" staring Cate Blachett and Robert Redford, who played Rather.

In 2021, Rather spoke about "misinformation" on PBS NewsHour Weekend, warning on-air how "misinformation, outright lies, propaganda are rampant on the internet."

Despite his controversial exit, Rather has still been a fixture in the media, making regular appearances on CNN and MSNBC during the Trump presidency and is a prolific anti-Trump tweeter.

As it Stands, the upcoming CBS interview should be fascinating with the contrast of journalism today and in Rather's heyday.

A Life Changer: Living With an Awareness of Mortality

     Since my father died last August, there's been other deaths in my family and among good friends. During this tough stretch I've had an epiphany. Several in fact.

1. Life is too short. Death is lurking behind every challenge in our lives. Naturally and accidently. It can come like a thief in the night. 

2. I've become aware of my own mortality, and it calls for changes in my life. I'm re-evaluating my priorities and unmasking the frivolous, empty pursuits that our culture often validates.

3. Time is the most precious of all commodities. It can't be bought. Period.

Fully embracing the fact that I'm not going to live forever is bringing my values into a sharper focus.

Material things have little, or no, sway with me these days. I don't feel like I need a new house or wardrobe to be happy. 

The subject of social justice is foremost in my thoughts as I watch with some trepidation as Trump tries to tear our Constitutional Democracy apart. 

I've always believed all men/women are equal. That belief is stronger now than ever before.

As a combat veteran with PTSD, I've been struggling with death since I left Vietnam in 1970. I couldn't resolve what I did and saw in the Nam. At times I even embraced death as a solution to my misery.

After 54 years of intrusive thoughts, I think I've come to a peaceful place in this last year as my loved ones passed away. Thanks to Shirley, my wife of 49 years, my priorities are more meaningful now. 

As it Stands, coming to terms with mortality late in life is not all that unusual. Perhaps the saying about old age making us wiser has some merit.

Here's a Collection of Cartoons Because You Need to Laugh

It's time for a laugh break.

With all the chaos and hatred engulfing our country we need to divert our attention toward something positive. Laughing.

After combing through the web, I've selected the following cartoons for your viewing pleasure. 

An interesting sidenote... I've never done this before and am curious how well it does with readers. Let me know what you think.

 

As it Stands

Have a great day and don't forget how to laugh when you feel like crying!

What Options Do Republicans Have if Trump Implodes Tomorrow?

"Well, here's another fine mess you've gotten me into!"

-Oliver Hardy: Sons of the Desert

Republicans have gotten themselves in a fine mess, politically, and morally.

They've staked their future to a former twice impeached president who is facing criminal trials in four different jurisdictions and is a convicted rapist. Not exactly the perfect presidential candidate in anyone's book.

Trump is a walking time bomb. He's already cracking during the first week of his first of four trials. Between falling asleep and farting in court he's been the picture of an old man giving way to his dementia. 

Because Trump has permanent Tourette's syndrome and no self-control he's already at odds with the judge and has violated gag orders with impudence in at least ten examples. The judge really doesn't want to put Trump in jail for the violations and is bending over backward by just giving him financial fines and second and third chances.

A court clash is inevitable. It's such a tough call because the judge wants him in the courtroom. If Judge Merchan decides he has no other choice but to put him in jail accommodations could be made. 

The Manhattan Correctional Center, where Jeffery Epstein ended his life, is only about 100 or so yards away from the courthouse in Manhattan where his trial is taking place. Trump could be confined there and participate in the trial through a video link.

It's also possible Trump could be put in a gilded cage, like Trump Tower or Mar-a-Lago because the Secret Service does have an obligation to protect him.

If jailed - regardless of where he's confined - Trump will play the martyr card and go to new heights as the victim of the century.

However, he could snap and lose whatever tiny bit of sanity he processed and go full looney and be confined to a padded room. With a full-on gibbering idiot Republicans would have to turn to... who?

Exactly. If the day comes and Trump implodes, he's going to guarantee the Republican's will be a minority party for at least the next decade.

There is no plan B. As unimaginable as that may seem to be it's true. Trump hasn't even named his VP pick yet, who could at least be a possible alternative.

Nikki Haley? I don't think so. I have an idea though. They could name Tucker Carlson as their candidate as most of the MAGA cult (once called the Republican Party) currently follows him religiously.

As it Stands, Carlson would also go a long way in keeping Republicans a minority for more than a decade.

It's a Mystery: Why Did Speaker Johnson Suddenly Flip on Ukraine?

A while back, GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Christian, said that he felt like Moses with God parting the sea and elevating him to the speakership.

That dubious blessing turned out to be somewhat of a curse as Johnson has been caught up in a maelstrom of MAGA morons who are enabling Putin and threatening to vacate his seat if he helped Ukraine out.

At first it appeared Johnson was sympatico with the far-right fire starters in the House and a good soldier for Trump who summoned him to Mar-a-Lago to kiss the ring two weeks ago.

But something happened. No one is sure why Johnson opened the floor to vote on aid legislation for America's allies. It was a sure thing Marjorie Taylor Greene and other ultra-right morons would go after him if he did. He knew it but ignored their threats.

Why? Johnson hasn't been a profile in courage in his entire career and now people are suddenly impressed with something he did - Republicans and Democrats alike.

Was it another biblical moment for him like Paul's journey on the Road to Damascus moment when he totally changed his beliefs and acknowledged God's presence in his life?

I'm going to go out on a limb here... but I doubt it. I'm not a particularly religious guy and I tend to look at hard cold facts over miracles. The fact is - despite his big move - Johnson is still Trump's creature.

My guess is it was a convergence of events that convinced him not to hang our allies out to dry. 

His son just graduated from the Naval Academy. Meeting with two GOP house chairs and our intelligence community was a turning point when they laid out the carnage that would follow if a bill wasn't passed. 

Pressure from conservative Republicans who wanted to keep their seats in prominently Democratic areas also played a part in his decision. 

Perhaps he realized he didn't want to be known as the man who turned over our democratic ally to Russia.

The important message is Johnson did the right thing. The bill passed and he seems confident that he'll withstand MTG's lame assault against him. Maybe because - believe it or not - Democrats have told him they would support him in an ouster vote.

As it Stands, we may never know all the reasons that motivated Johnson to do the right thing. Let's just be thankful he did.