Public Discourse: Here's How Far Americans Have Sunk

After seeing a video of people eating chocolate ice cream out of a standard size toilet in a midwestern restaurant, I was finally convinced this country is metaphorically going down the crapper.

Also, on that menu there's Orange Turd sorbet served in a golden shitter, according to one wit on X where I saw the video.

If the Italians are known for having bad tempers, then Americans should be known for being course and rude in our conversations.

Especially when it comes to politics. There are no barriers in a war of words where loathsome nicknames and hateful accusations are hurled every day.

Even normal conversations in public and social media are often so crude and rude they get out of hand and result in violence.

We have a presidential nominee who's in court for paying hush money to a porn star (while married) and being known for his infamous quote about "grabbing pussies whenever he wants."

In Congress a female GOP member of the House brought in and displayed fully nude photos of the president's son during a public hearing.

At some point numbness kicks in.

As the conversations continue to grow increasingly disgusting Americans are turning blind eyes to stories like a female member of Congress caught groping her date and vaping during a performance of a Beetlejuice musical.

The presence of course language starts early. Children mimic what their parents say and how they say it.

In fairness, people also have different opinions about which terms are okay and which are offensive.

What's not complicated is the fact that people just don't seem to care anymore. Taking the high road to a conversation and not using foul language is becoming a casualty in our culture.

As it Stands, it's sad that this is how far we've sunk as a civilized society.

Trump's Repeat of a Quid-Pro-Quo Offer Might Get taken Up This Time

         It wasn't that long ago that Trump approached Ukraine's president Zelensky with an offer to send military supplies in exchange for finding dirt on Joe Biden.

Apparently, it's one of Trump's favorite ways of doing business. You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.

This time Trump is offering oil industry executives the deal of a lifetime (when he's re-elected) if they come up with a billion dollars to fund his cash-strapped campaign.

"This deal perfectly captures what's wrong with our big money campaign finance system," Erin Chlopak, former Federal Elections Commission attorney, told Politico in a recent interview.

The solicitation reeks of corruption but isn't illegal, given that Trump reportedly didn't tie the donation to exact policy actions.

The oil industry has already put together numerous executive orders for Trump to sign if he wins in November. Such policies include reversal of a Biden-administration pause on natural gas export permits and new drilling expansions.

The thing to keep in mind about this MAGA proposal is it will be a blueprint for how he does business when he slinks back into the White House.

Trump was impeached the first time he tried to pull off a quid-pro-quo with Zelensky. This time he won't have to worry about repercussions because he's planning on a complete overhaul of government by remaking it into his dystopian dream.

It's still unclear if the oil industry is going to pony up and boost Trump's campaign. A billion dollars is a lot of money. But if any group could pull it off it would be them.

The meeting was held last month when Trump passed the hat around to invited executives at Mar-a-Lago.

As it Stands, "Fighting corruption is not just good governance. It's self-defense. It's patriotism." - Joe Biden

I Never Thought I'd See the Day that I Couldn't Afford Fast-Food Prices

The last decade has seen a steady increase in the costs of fast food, according to FinanceBuzz, a personal finance site.

The good news is I eat at home more often. The bad news is while my disposable income remains the same (I'm retired) and the cost of eating fast foods keeps climbing.

My earliest fast-food memories start with McDonald's when my family of six went there before going to the drive-in movies on Friday nights.

Hamburgers were only 15 cents and every item on the menu cost less than 25 cents. It was a guilty pleasure to eat fast food and go to the movies. 

As the years went by, I can remember eating fast foods because it they were cheaper than restaurants. For the poor McDonalds was a haven for the only warm food they could afford.

It was just a matter of time before the prices began a steady climb and we're now at a crossroads. Inflation gone wild.

In the last ten years the price of a McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal more than doubled in price from $5.30 in 2014 to $11.99 this year. 

Other restaurant chains have also been jacking their prices up. Popeye's, Jimmy John's and Subway hiked their prices from 2014 to 2024 86%, 62% and 39%, respectively.

I haven't been to a Subway for a long while and when my wife and I went to one in Arcata, California. a couple of days ago I was stunned. It cost $32 for two-foot-long meatball sandwiches. My eyes bugged out.

For the record fast food prices can vary wildly from state to state. While prices are set at the corporate lever for some fast-food restaurants, they are determined by individual franchise owners at others.

Across the country there's 22 states that have raised their minimum wages in January, although the federal baseline pay remains at $7.25 an hour.

In California fast-food chains with 60 or more locations nationwide are now required to pay their workers a minimum wage of $20 an hour.

The rising labor costs account for driving the food prices according to the corporations, but that's just a smoke screen according to the Roosevelt Insitute who noted the industry's record profit margins.

Which brings me back to the fact that fast foods have become too expensive for retirees (and poor people) to buy. We're a significant segment of customers that the fast-food industry has always counted on in their sales predictions and that's changing.

As it Stands, I suppose there will always be a reason for people wanting fast food. Regardless of the price.

Blog Break: Taking Time to Exhale

Warning.

Sensory overload.

Too much Trump, Stormy Daniels, MAGA Mike Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Lindsey Graham.

Too many Trump trials being held up by MAGA judges and the Supreme Court where the rule of Trump applies.

Too much antisemitism. Too much hate. Chaos every day. Christain Nationalism. Fascists. Traitors.

I'm checking out.

I'll be back Friday May 10th.

May I suggest you take some time off and turn off all those negatives and do something positive for yourself.

Check the right side of the page for past posts. 

Do you like fiction and poetry? Take a visit to my other blog The Creative Chronicles of Dave Stancliff

Have a great day.

As it Stands, we all need a break now and then.

13 Trump Appointed Judges Try Bullying Columbia University Law Students ...Just Because

      A group of Trump appointed judges are vowing to not hire Columbia University law students or undergraduates because they don't approve of the way the school handled pro-Palestinian demonstrators recently.

A dissatisfied collection of conservative judges primarily from Texas (why aren't I surprised?) sent a letter to Columbia President Minouche Shafik and the dean of Columbia's law school Gilliam Lester on Monday.

In the letter they outlined their position accusing the campus of being "ground zero for the explosion of student disruptions, antisemitism and hatred for diverse viewpoints on campuses across the country." 

One of the MAGA loving judges, Matthew Kacsmaryk, is best known for issuing an order blocking broader access to the abortion pill mifepristone. The case has gone to the Supreme Court and will be tried in July.

Kacsmaryk, like other Trump appointed judges are the vanguard of a movement to completely corrupt our judicial system. 

Judge Aileen Cannon who is presiding over Trump's stolen documents case in Washington DC, is another scary example of how Trump's vile influence has spread in the court system.

So, in summary we have a disgruntled bunch of Trump judicial minions who want to punish a college with a rich history of protests because they didn't like the way things went down there recently.

While scolding the administration in the letter they called out for a system that would identify student protestors and punish them so "employers can avoid hiring them." 

Is it just me, or does that sound like gestapo tactics?

Trying to justify their ban the judges wrote that they are protecting employers, "who are forced to assume the risk that anyone they hire from Columbia may be one of those disruptive and hateful students."

This won't be the end of Trump judges bullying universities because they don't like the way they're run. Depending on what happens with Columbia there could soon be more quasi-judicial assaults against upper education in America.

Trump appointed judges carrying out his agenda, need to be held accountable for their unjust service to the public. 

Judge Cannon has been repeatedly smacked down by the 11th Circuit for unconstitutional rulings, but she continues to be on the case and helping Trump out in any way she can.

As it Stands, conservatives have traditionally been at odds with colleges because they present diverse viewpoints, something they hate. Add Trump Judges and you can see where our judicial system is heading... over a cliff!

 

 

 

Ceasefire? Hamas Accepts Proposal to End the War - Waiting for Israel's Response

Caution.

Don't hold your breath, but it looks like the fighting might stop between Hamas and Israel soon. 

The militant group has accepted a ceasefire proposal by Egypt and Qatar.

The fly in the ointment is if Israel accepts the proposal. The government is reviewing the plan, but the prime minister's office has refused to comment at this stage.

It's not clear if the original framework for the deal (which Israel helped craft) but has not fully agreed to or if there's been modifications.

The original deal called for the release of between 20 and 33 hostages over several weeks in exchange for a temporary ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

CIA Director William Burns has been working with middle eastern leaders to accept the proposal which the United States considers a good plan.

Now it's up to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow the deal to go through. Despite worldwide pressure to stop the fighting Netanyahu's hard right coalition has resisted all efforts this far.

The announcement of a ceasefire deal came just hours after Israel ordered Palestinians living in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza. to "Evacuate immediately."

So, what happened to open the door (however briefly) to a deal? It's not entirely clear.

For starters, it's not a deal until both sides agree to it. Israel has given every indication that the military would continue ongoing operations. The fact that they didn't come right out and accept the deal is telling.

Large parts of the Israeli public want a deal. They've been protesting the ongoing war for months. They're tired of the slaughter and just want peace. 

Families and supporters of the hostages blocked the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv last week, holding a banner that reading "Rafah or the hostages - choose life."

The problem is the far-right Religious Zionism Party doesn't want a ceasefire. Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, said Netanyahu has "promised that Israel would enter Rafah," and assured them that the war would not end, and also pledged that there would be no "reckless deal."

Comments like that doesn't exactly bode well for an agreement.

Earlier this morning, President Biden spoke with Netanyahu for about 30 minutes before Hamas publicly said it had accepted a deal.

The question is how hard is Biden pushing for this ceasefire? There's been reports of withholding military assistance circulating around Washington for weeks. 

Did Biden drop the hammer this morning?

If so, we'll find out soon enough when the Israeli government announces its position on this latest ceasefire proposal.

As it Stands, let's hope the ceasefire works out for the sake of thousands of innocent people.

Another Coup Attempt? Trump Supporters Are Signaling a Jan. 6 Repeat if He Loses Again

The cat is out of the bag.

Trump's cult members are already threatening violence if he loses the election in November.

Red Flags

** GOP Sen. Tim Scott was asked on Meet the Press if he would commit to accepting the election results if Trump lost? 

"At the end of the day, the 47th president of the United States will be President Donald Trump...that is my statement."

By not directly answering, Scott's statement spoke volumes. Hell no! He'd attack the Capitol without hesitation if Trump told him to.

** The recent issue of Time Magazine featuring an interview with Trump revealing what he would do if he lost was enlightening. He hinted that leveraging political violence to achieve his goals was still on the table.

In the interview Trump bragged about supporting a mob mentality, his historical abuses of power, and being a dictator on day one. "I think a lot of people like it," he claimed.

Trumpian politicians and rabid followers fall all over themselves claiming they want a fair election, but... you can bet if their idol loses again there will be violence.

The open threat of not accepting the results of a presidential election casts a dark cloud of fear among the majority of Americans. They don't want to live in a fascist government if Trump prevails.

There's a growing feeling of resignation that Trump won't be held accountable in the courts, especially if he's re-elected.

Millions of Americans face the most important presidential election in over 200 years because it could be a turning point that sends us down the road to a dictatorship - effectively destroying the longest Democracy in the world.

As it Stands, our only hope is enough Americans turn out to vote and re-elect Joe Biden in six months from now.

Trump's VP Choice: The Clown Parade Begins This Weekend

There's a major fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago this weekend touting Trump's possible vice-presidential picks.

This donor retreat will feature the likes of, Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, Vivek Ramaswamy, Kristie Noem, Byron Donalds, and former Congressman Tulsi Gabbard. All possible VP candidates for the Don the Con.

More top names in MAGA world who are also attending are, Marco Rubio, Doug Bergum, and Elise Stefanik.

A Quick Look at the Activities

Poolside...

The clown parade for His Corruptness has begun. (Background music by the J6 choir is playing).

Oh look! There's Tim Scott wearing an "Uncle Tom" costume and shuffling around the pool waving a Confederate flag.

And there's J.D. Vance marching along in a Hillbilly costume festooned with images of his book/memoir and portraits of Trump on his butt cheeks.

Oh, my Goodness! Look at Ron DeSantis! He's trying to pull off wearing a bikini and a fake suntan while strolling in super stiletto high heels.

It looks like Trump, who is sitting on a gold throne at the head of the pool, has taken special notice of one of the clowns auditioning for VP.

Ohhhh... it's Kristie Noem wearing a hunting outfit with patches proclaiming, "Puppy Killer," and "Goat hater."

Talking about dogs, there goes Doug Burgum in a giant poodle costume scampering around to show he would be an obedient candidate that didn't need to be told when to lick Trump's feet.

Oh! There's a clever candidate! Elise Stefanik is wearing the Handmaiden's outfit and is pulling a little red wagon with a statue of Trump in it.

There's just no telling who Trump will select. Rumors are he'll make his pick in June. Who knows who he'll add to the list by then? 

As it Stands, I wouldn't be surprised to see Sean Hannity or Tucker Carlson end up as Trump's partner in crime.

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.