Are We So Numb That Mass Shootings No Longer Shock Us?

Good Day World!

This last week has been horrific. 

It's time to declare we have a national crisis, and to do something about it.  

Twenty-nine innocent people (mostly Hispanic) were slaughtered by racists in the space of six days. In addition, over 50 were wounded in the three separate attacks from Gilroy, California; to El Paso, Texas; to Dayton, Ohio.

All committed by young white men with assault rifles. Does anyone see a pattern here? I do. It's called domestic terrorism, although the FBI doesn't classify it that way... yet.

The majority of mass murderers identify with nationalist/supremacist screeds and are young white men. Just look at this year, for numerous examples.

I'm concerned that all of this daily violence is having a numbing effect on people. There's been 250 mass shootings in the last 215 days! It sounds more like a war zone than the land of the free.

Yet, despite these horrendous statistics, there's been no movement on common sense gun control. Our polarized Senate and House have a major problem getting anything (other than emergency bills like balancing the budget) passed.

As families of all of these victims mourn their senseless losses today, all the members of the House and Senate are staying away...on vacation.

Are we as a country content to live with this increasingly common reality of mass shootings? I haven't seen any nationwide, or even state, marches or movements insisting on gun control... yet.

America seems unable to address the continuing violence and the racism that feeds the fire that motivates these domestic terrorists.

We don't have a president to lead us through this dark chapter of our history. Instead, our president fuels the fires of white nationalists who are committing these murderous assaults, at every opportunity. Including his rallies for re-election.

In an era where the president goes out of his way to divide by party and race, people are depressed and anxious. The constant mass shootings are having the effect of further numbing their senses.

Our reality today: there's no safe haven in our society from maniacs with assault rifles, and not enough people ready to do something about it. 

I keep seeing polls where the majority of Americans want more gun control, yet nothing happens. 

Until this silent majority becomes active politically... this is our present, and future.

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

The Not-So-Excellent Adventures in DonnyLand

Good Day World!

We live in a perverted reality under an ex-reality star whose goal is to turn America into his own Magic Kingdom.

The majority of Americans are reluctant subjects trying hard to hold onto their values, like defending truth and the promises in the Constitution that guarantee we're all equal and have certain rights.

Trump is having the adventure of his life being a cult-like figure with the alt-right. The country has been his personal amusement park for the last two-and-a-half years.

Thus far, his not-so-excellent adventures have resulted in:

1) A humanitarian crisis on the southern border.
2) Increased isolation from America's traditional allies.
3) Befriending every dictator/king/strongman on the planet.
4) A race war where minorities are increasingly marginalized.
5) Holding Congress hostage with his abuse of power.
6) Defying all traditions and ethics with impunity.
7) Defiantly telling lies every day of his presidency.
8) An all out assault against journalists and news sites by discrediting them with claims of "fake news."
9) Selling an alternate reality by spinning the truth relentlessly.
10) The demise of the Republican Party.

That's just the top ten consequences of Trump's corruption and disruption of our whole society and system of government.

Short of impeachment (which seems unlikely right now), we're playthings in DonnyLand until next November. 

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

'Mr. Wizard' Can Cure AIDS and Childhood Cancer... If You Vote For Him

Good Day World!

A 4th grade class somewhere in the Rust Belt:

Teacher: "Good morning children, I have good news for you!"

Class: Yeahhh!!

Teacher: "Mr. Wizard" is going to be performing miracles again as soon as he's re-elected next November.

Joey: "What's that got to do with us right now? 

Teacher: "Keep your trap shut long enough for me to tell you Joey. Mr. Wizard is going to cure childhood cancer, that's what."

Mary: "Scientists have been researching childhood cancer for over 20 years. Unless Mr. Wizard has a team of scientists with the cure hidden somewhere waiting for him to be re-elected, I highly doubt his claim of a major breakthrough is possible."

Teacher: "Why do you think patriotic Americans call him Mr. Wizard? He can do anything."

Billy: "Not everyone calls him Mr. Wizard. My dad and his friends call him a con man and a moron."

Teacher (ignoring student's comment): "... and that's not all, Mr. Wizard is also going to cure AIDS!"

Mary: "According to researchers there is no cure for AIDS, but some medications are extending lives. Scientists hope to find a cure, but they're not there yet...

Teacher (interrupting student):"...Like I said, if your parents vote for Mr. Wizard, he can make anything happen.
With the exception of Joey, Mary, and Billy, class is dismissed.

Class exits.

Teacher: "As for you three, I'm assigning you to read one of Mr. Wizards books, The Art of the Fool. I want a 500-word essay on why this is one of the greatest books ever written in Western Literature."

And the fanciful lies march on...

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

How 5 Ohio Cops Who Are Trump Supporters Tried to Frame Stormy Daniels

"If I asked for coffee, someone would search for the double meaning." -Mae West

Good Day World!

Stormy's back with a vengeance!

After sentencing Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, for his part in a hush-money payoff to stripper Stormy Daniels to keep her talking about her relationship with Trump … the story is still not over.

Trump, and Cohen, were named in a lawsuit regarding the $130,000 payoff to keep Stormy's silence a week before the 2016 election.

Cohen is in jail for his part. Trump remains unindicted because he's a sitting president. Being an unindicted conspirator will probably tie into other investigations on Trump somewhere down the road. 

Meanwhile, Stormy's story didn't end here.

Not long after she publicly said Trump gave her hush money before the election, a group of police officers who were "avowed supporters of Trump" in Columbus, Ohio, entered into a conspiracy to arrest her during a scheduled local performance in retaliation for her comments about Trump.

The plan didn't work. She was quickly released, and after an internal investigation, it was discovered she was set up by five Columbus police officers.

The charges against them run from false arrest, malicious prosecution, conspiracy to violate the Fourth and 14th amendments and abuses of process violating Ohio law.

In June an amended complaint added the city as a defendant, claiming Columbus violated Daniel's rights.

The story isn't over until we see what kind of sentences these rogue officers get. If any. It's hard to tell how far the corruption is in Columbus with cops like that.

The thing that bothers me the most is that sworn officers of the law were willing to break their oaths to help a crooked president who thinks he's above the law. 

How many more Trumpkins are out there willing to violate their oaths of office because of the example the orange anus is setting?

Consider this; those five Trump cult followers are not the only ones out there abusing their positions of power. Trump has made a point out of stacking the courts with his cult followers.

The threat to democracy is real. This story is just one example of how far the rule of law has sunk during the Trump regime.

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

There's More News To Cover Than Just Next Year's Elections

"Caffeine is the foundation for my food pyramid."

Good Day World!

I have news for all the news media in America; there's a  lot more shit going on right now that you should be paying attention to!

This is not an election year. There, I said it for those who were unaware of the fact. We have plenty of time next year to hear about Democratic and Republican candidates.

For those of you who have been closely following over 20 candidates it may come as a surprise that North Korea has launched missles three times last month with the last launch on July 30th.

Seems like that should be something to be concerned with, but Trump doesn't appear to be. Whatever fantasy relationship he thinks he has with Rocket Man has flown the coop as Kim won't even talk with anyone in our government now.

As people are debating about whose more liberal, Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders, the grim reaper, aka McConnell, has turned away all efforts by Congress to protect the integrity of our voting system.

Instead of reporters asking Pete Buttigieg why he had a small smear on his forehead, the media should have been focusing on a mass murder during a Californian Garlic Festival by a White Supremist. Three dead, twelve wounded.

Is the Mueller report dead with Democrats? I wonder. Taking their focus off of impeaching Trump and squabbling among themselves over which direction to go with health care - the centerpiece of the debates - doesn't seem very proactive.

Equifax got hacked and the FTC is warning about scam sites. 

There's a lot of daily stories that are getting buried, either by the Democrats running for president, or Trump's insane daily tweets attacking people of color or personal enemies.

It's a matter of the here and now. Because Trump filed for re-election the day he was sworn in, he's been building a war chest throughout his presidency. 

The Democrats are not going to have the campaign funds that Trump will. So the best plan is to unveil as much of Trump's corrupt dealings with foreign powers and obstruction of justice as possible to the people.

The more damning evidence in the mainstream, the better. The conversations should be centered around Trump's racist attacks and constant lies. It's a line Democrats can confidently follow by simply pointing out his tweets.

It seems like all of the Democratic pundits are tone deaf when it comes to todays news. They're too busy prioritizing the gaggle of competitors for the presidency.

I'm already sick of hearing and seeing the candidates everywhere. By next year, I'll probably be so burned out I'll forget to vote! I sure hope that's not true for other potential voters.

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

Debate This: Democrats Need a 'Re-Uniter' Candidate

"Good ideas start with great coffee."

                                         Good Day World!

If you're like me, yesterday's round of Democratic debates didn't leave you with the feeling there was a great uniter among the pack.

I strongly suspect tonight's round two of debates will be much of the same... pablum for liberals, but no earth-shaker to carry the Democratic banner forward in 2020.

One of the reasons I feel this way is the debate format only allows very limited response times. That makes it hard for a candidate to "strike the right cord." I was amazed at how they held the hands up to speak next - it had a Romper Room feel to it.

The result, was "gotcha time," as ten candidates desperately tried to separate themselves from their competitors. The bottom line is I had a hard time getting inspired by any of them.

Like I said, I'm going to partly attribute that to a lack of time and the need to hear more.

What I'm looking for is a "re-uniter." It may end up being a Don Quixote quest, but I'm going to hang in there and hope for the best. There's a lot of time left.

I was watching the news yesterday and saw this elderly man from Michigan tell a reporter, "I'd vote for Bozo the Clown if I thought he could beat Trump in the next election."

Let's hope when it comes to voting time next November, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans with a conscience, feel the same way. 

It would be a big boost, however, if the party's pick was a "re-uniter." This win has to be a slam dunk.

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

What Trump Sees When he Looks in the Mirror: America's First King

"I've started drinking my coffee in a clear mug, so people know where my tolerance level was at."

                                          Good Day World!

Trump is trying to rule like a king. The wannabe royal seeks blind loyalty from his minions.

His Orangeness has a unique way of making government appointments. It doesn't matter if the person he appoints to a position doesn't know shit about the job as long as he/she is willing to kiss his ring and drink the Trump Aid. 

A good example of that tactic this week was Trump's dismissal of long-time intelligence chief Dan Coates.

He nominated rabid weasel, Rep. John Ratcliffe, whose known for his distain of the intel community, and who put on a one-man show for Trump during the Mueller hearing by acting like a crazed attack dog.

The performance obvisiously pleased Trump, because here we are, Ratcliffe is poised to poison the intel community.

The way King Trump sees it, he now has a way of controlling the intel community to his advantage. With an insider blocking every move to make him accountable, along with AG Barr, the rule of law will be smothered at every turn to favor the orange anus.

Related: GOP Senators Give Tepid Response to John Rattcliffe, Trump's Pick for Spy Chief

Republicans who morphed into Trumpkins in the last 19 months have infected Capitol Hill with the Trump virus. They've been inserted into power positions like parasites beholden only to their king.

Needless to say, not only is this an assault on our Constitution, but on everything we hold dear and true about being equal and free Americans.

In order to break away from Trump's growing monarchy there's two roads to take.

Impeachment, or vote him out in 2020.

Because of traitor McConnell's death grip on the senate, Trump feels he's above the law because he won't be held accountable with a stacked GOP jury.

Until one or the other happens, we're going to witness more attacks on our judicial system, and Congress, by a racist wannabe king hoping to start a dynasty.

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

The Scarcity of Ethics and Morality in our Society Has Taken a Toll

Coffee… if only everything in life was as reliable!

Good Day World!

I loved the way Michelle Obama talked about positivity in society in her book Becoming. 

I still remember when the former first lady talked about taking the high road when the other side takes the low road early on in her husband's presidency.

Any attempt at setting a professional example in government affairs designed to benefit the majority of Americans, died with the ascendancy of a con man to the presidency in 2016. 

The old traditions of politicians being polite in public were tossed into the Potomac River like a sack of puppies when Trump slithered into the White House.

Let's take a moment to address what morality means. 

Off-hand, it sounds judgmental. But, morality simply means the distinction between good and bad behavior. There has to be a line somewhere to have a peaceful society.

Now let's take close look at morality's close cousin, ethics.

Ethics are a branch of the morality tree that deals with moral principals. Moral principals govern a person's personality or the conducting of an activity.

From what I've witnessed since the day Trump was sworn into office (immediately announcing he was running for re-election), was a steady erosion of norms, ethics, and morality that have taken this country to the brink of a race war.

Trump's mud and shit-throwing political style is being emulated by his minions in congress and the senate. Democrats are also showing signs of adopting Trump's combative style of politicking.

Note presidential candidate, and former VP, Biden's warlike words when he said he wasn't going to be nice anymore during the Democratic debates.

It was that suggestion, that only demeaning and attacking your competition will win an election, that concerns me.

Is that what the majority of Americans want? Did Trump turn the tide in our society where there is no longer any reason to be reasonable? Where truth has become debatable? 

Do voters just want to see a show? I don't know. A reality TV show clown was elected in 2016. What does that mean for 2020?

What do you think? Are ethics and morality outdated in our society today? 

They were once more than just words. They once proudly declared a high ground and were called... The American Way.

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

Feeling Congressional Heat Trump Turns To Racist Tactics

"I'd stop drinking coffee, but I'm not a quitter."

                                           Good Day World!

On the dark day that Trump came down an elevator in his lair and announced he was running for president, race baiting became one of his favorite foils to divide the country.

Trump coldly calculated that there were enough racists in the country to become his base if he fed them the right meat. His foundation of fear-mongering encouraged white supremacists to come out from their basements and caves to attack minorities with impunity.

This year has been a break-out year for Trump's racist screeds as he gets bolder (increasingly desperate?) with each incident.

Trump knows the majority of Americans hate him, but has elected to cling to his base in the swing states hoping they'll save him in the electoral college again.

Trump is feeling the heat coming from the House. Judges and lawmakers are getting closer to exposing his corruption weekly.

Hence, we have a do-or-die tactic being employed by a sociopath who just happens to be the leader of the free world.   

The following articles are from recent days. They illustrate my point:

Trump Campaign Sees Political Advantage in a Divisive Appeal to White Voters

Pelosi Slams Trump's 'Racist Attack' on Rep. Cummings 

Trump Attacks Another Africa-American Lawmaker. and Calls Baltimore "a Disgusting, Rat-Infested Mess'  

Trump Tells Four Congresswoman to "Go Back" to Their Countries and "Fix" Them

Trump Stages Full-Blown Racist Meltdown at "Made in America" Event

Trump attacks Congresswomen at NC rally, As Crowd Chants "Send her Back!" 

I could go on, but you see what I'm talking about. 

Since Trump slunk into office he's regularly demeaned people of color, especially ones that are judges and lawmakers who don't go along with his sick agenda.

Trump's racist colors are now in full-bloom, and he doesn't care because he believes it's the path to being re-elected.

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

#MoscowMitch - A Traitor and Trump Apprentice Threatens 2020 Elections

"Coffee. Today isn't happening without it!"

                                       Good Day World!

It's about time to call out a traitor to our country (other than Trump); the scoundrel's name is Mitch McConnell, and obstruction is his game. #MoscowMitch  

The first senator, and Senate Majority leader, to obstruct Russia's inference with the 2016 election was Mitch McConnell. When Obama's intel community told him what was going on, he told them not to say anything about it.

That was the first sign he was turning traitor. 

He favored a cult leader over our election integrity. Mitch felt Trump was as corrupt as himself, and their future could be bright - taking advantage of their power positions in order pursue their personal agendas.

American's were left with the most corrupt and lying president in history.

With the help of Trump's chief conspirator, Moscow Mitch, he has insulated himself from impeachment by controlling the senate vote. Only a traitor would work with the crazed clown in the White House, protecting him from the laws of the land.

One of the biggest warnings in the Mueller report was Russia is still actively attacking us in cyberspace, and we can expect them, and other bad actors, to try to infiltrate our 2020 election process.

As a result, Democrats passed two election security measures that were promptly shot down by the so-called "Grim Reaper" aka, Mitch.

Instead, Moscow Mitch claimed the measures gave Democrats some sort of a partisan advantage. The sad thing is he's right...legislation to secure elections is partisan. 

The fact that it's partisan shows just how pathological the Republican Party has become in its determination to hold onto power.

Those measures should have been a bipartisan slam dunk!
Especially the one calling for a paper backup system for states that don't already have one, like Oregon whose mail-in system is secure.

One of the reasons why Moscow Mitch stopped the measures was out of pure greed:

Related: As he Blocks Election Security Bills McConnell Takes Checks from Voting Machine Lobbyists

Some things in our system today are partisan in the sense that if we were to do them they would advantage the Democratic Party over the Republican Party.

For example...

* Securing voting systems from foreign hacking
* Allowing every American to vote
* Making it as easy as possible to vote
* Assuring that all votes are counted equally

Now consider what this says about Republicans, who are willing to stop these measures in order to stay in power.

Frankly, Trump and minions like the fact that our election process is still dysfunctional, and getting more help from Russia sounds good.

The last thing Trump wants is an election that is secure, free, fair, and open. Moscow Mitch is doing his best to make sure it won't be.  

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

Future Shock: Grooming the Next Generation of Trumpies

"Hand over the coffee and no one gets hurt!"

Good Day World!

Watching a video of Trump addressing a group of impressionable teenagers at a Turning Point USA convention recently, made my blood turn cold.

For several reasons:

1) The similarity of another youth group - Deutsches Jungvolk (German youngsters in German Youth Group) were rallying around the cult figure, Adolf Hitler. 

The group's main goal was to indoctrinate German youth into believing everything Hitler said, regardless of how crazy it was.

2) Trump is a cult figure, with followers so extreme they're ripping apart the moral fabric of our country. We're not talking about Republican youth with conservative ideals, but a sick hybrid that is dividing the country along racial lines.

A lot like the Hitler youth did prior to, and during, WWII.

3) The sick mind of one young man, Charlie Kirk (who was 18 when he founded the group in 2012), is behind Turning Point USA (TPUSA). 

His organization has secretly attempted to influence student government elections in an effort to "combat liberalism on college and university campuses," since it's inception.

In December 2017, former employees of the organization accused it of engaging in racist practices, as well as potentially illegal involvement in the 2016 presidential election.

In conclusion

Despite calling themselves conservatives (in a pathetic attempt at some kind of political cover) Turning Point USA is really a Trump Youth Movement.

Watching Trump address the group for two hours with fiery rhetoric and racial lies mirrored history. I could hear the ghosts of the Hitler Youth movement chanting "Heil Hitler! Heil Hitler!"

One more thing:

In 2018, The Southern Poverty Law Center's Hate Watch List documented TPUSA's links to white supremacists.

A Humorous aside related story: Trump Appears In Front of Doctored Seal With Russian and Golf Imagery, TPUSA Aide Fired

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