Seems Like Everyone's Testy Lately

Good Day World!

While enjoying the taste and aroma of my first cup of coffee this morning it occurred to me that everyone seems really testy lately.

Recent example: a woman assaulted a manager at McDonald's because she didn't give her enough ketchup packets. Testy, testy. Now the police are looking for the attacker.

How about Melania Trump? She's suddenly decided to wield her power and get rid of a top security official with whom she's clashed with in the past.

He office released a statement that deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel "no longer deserves the honor of serving this White House." 

Her dramatic intervention sparked speculation that the first lady was at odds with her husband, was overstepping her role and that the East Wing was going rogue. Testy...testy.

In another vivid example of being short-tempered, Trump clashed with CNN reporter Jim Acosta in a testy exchange that led to the White House banning Acosta from press briefings.

That unconstitutional move, based upon a rigged video shared by Sarah Huckabee Sanders (WH propaganda puppet not afraid of lying for Trump), was met with strong pushback from CNN lawyers and every news organization in the country (including Fox News!).

The matter went to court yesterday. I'm waiting for the judges decision today.

The recount of votes in Florida has absolutely brought out a slew of testy Republicans who want to steal the election. 

Gov. Scott (who just happens to be running for a senate seat) tried to sue to stop the recount, but was rebuffed by the courts who warned him against any more partisan interference. Testy, testy.

I could go on, but you see where I'm going with these testy exchanges. Americans are tired and stressed out after nearly two years of Trump's assault on everything this country stands for.

Related: What Trump's 'Sulk' Told America's Friends 

Related: Trump's Mood Takes a Foul Turn: "He's Pissed - at Damn Near Everyone

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

As The White House Turns: Trump Sulks, Attacks Everyone

                                        Good Day World!

Trump is spinning around like a Tasmanian Devil that's had it's dick stepped on after another bad week for his regime.

Maybe it's because he's finally beginning to understand what trouble he's in after the midterms. With the Democrats at the helm in the House he knows he's going to suffer one indignity after another with repeated revelations and violations.

His tax returns are the first thing Rep. Richard Neal, D-Massachusetts, will look at as his first order of business as the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

In desperation, Trump has put a crony in temporary charge of the DOJ after firing Jeff Sessions, hoping he can obstruct Mueller's investigation into his presidential campaign.

He's also lashing out against his own Cabinet members making it known Chief of Staff John Kelly, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristijen Nielsen, are on borrowed time. 

The urge Trump satisfied so many times on his reality show, The Apprentice, to fire someone continues to surface when he's stressed out.

The author of the book Trump on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President, Dr. Justin Frank (a physician with over 40 years of experience in psychoanalysis) summed up Trump's current condition in a recent interview:  

What Trump has done is he has given the superego permission to become violent. He has sanctioned such violence, which is very disturbing. Donald Trump is like a person who has road rage. But he has the world's biggest bully pulpit and is able to express this rage in front of everyone.

If anyone is unstable or people are angry, even it is justifiable, a leader gives permission to express it. It comes and goes in waves. It may have gotten worse because of Trump's anxiety about the midterms. I worry that Trump's anxiety has translated into even greater externalization of his aggression."

I'm also concerned about Trump being cornered with the avalanche of bad things coming his way. His instinct is to lash out against the world...regardless of the consequences.

As president of the United States that's a damn scary thought!

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

Okay, I get It...Trump's Afraid To Get His Toupee Wet

Good Day World!

As Americans observed Veterans Day yesterday, Trump shut himself inside the White Office and refused to come out and play.

It was a replay of the embarrassment in France when the rain kept the orange anus from attending a WW I ceremony honoring thousands of Americans who died fighting for freedom.

The White House propaganda wing announced a "lid" (never heard that term before) on presidential movements at 10 a.m. yesterday. 

Note: a "lid" is a euphemism meaning Trump is not going to do a damn thing today.  

It also meant Trump sat in the White House and pouted all day over his numerous grievances while the country's veterans attended ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and across the land.

However, I suspect another reason Trump didn't want to go to Arlington National Cemetery was the 100% prediction of rain. As we found out in Paris, Trump hates getting his toupee wet and shuns umbrellas because he doesn't know how to properly use one.

Once again Trump has dishonored our military. It's becoming a regular habit. 

Sending 5,200 active duty troops to the border for political reasons isn't going to make military families happy as their loved one's spend Thanksgiving Day in tents without heating (or air conditioning) on a mission going nowhere.

Our fair weather draft dodger in charge does have his priorities...to himself.

Related: What Trump's Sulk Told America's Friends

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

At What Point Will 'Baby Trump' Explode?

Good Day World!

What a sight yesterday in Paris. 

For the record, I'm not talking about the official ceremony with 70 world leaders honoring the WW I dead. The highlight of that ceremony was France's leader speaking out against the nationalism Trump has been promoting since he slunk into office under suspicious circumstances.

Instead, I'm talking about the now famous Baby Trump Blimp seen hovering over Paris that afternoon. Directly below the diapered dictator wannabee a large crowd of Parisians gathered to protest his presence and his world policies. 

The Baby Trump Blimp was last seen across the Atlantic in Florida during midterm madness. Prior to that, the well-traveled blimp made it's debut in England when London residents turned out to protest his presence and racist policies.

Rumors are there is more than one Baby Trump Blimp. I can't confirm that. But, I can say the person who came up with the blimp was a genius!

Watching the video of people taunting our leader should be a wake-up call to all Americans. Trump has reduced us to a laughing stock wherever he travels to. Our allies no longer trust the direction that Trump is taking the USA.

With this international distain for Trump, coupled with his legal problems, there's a growing pressure on the orange clown in charge.

He's set to take on the House, the US Constitution, the DOJ, the FBI, NY State attorneys, and the courts to protect his fat ass from impeachment...and worse. 

The pressure of truth and justice holding Trump to account is going to uncork our unstable leader one of these days...I suspect that time is drawing near.

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

A Veteran's View: POTUS Has Embarrased Us All...Again

Good Day World!

I'm sad this Veterans Day, but not for the usual reason.

Yes, I get emotional every year when I think about my friends in Vietnam who died fighting that dirty war.

I was 19 during my Tour of Duty in 1970. Served with 79th Engineer Brigade, 31st Engineer Battalion, B Company. As a combat engineer I specialized in demolition - spending most of my time mine sweeping muddy roads to make them safe for our troops.

I'm proud to be an American. But today, it's a little harder to be proud because our liar in chief once again embarrassed America before every country in the world.

His mission was short and should have been simple. Attend ceremonies celebrating the end of WW I, and say a few patriotic things about our allies.

He couldn't do it. Instead, the moment he arrived in France he insulted their leader in a twitter attack. It got worse after he got off the plane.

He was supposed to visit the burial grounds for some of the 117,000 Americans who died in the war. Ceremonies were held at the Aisne-Marne American cemetery, near the Battle of Belleau Wood.

He didn't go because of bad weather! That's a damn outrage! Those men and women buried there fought and died in the mud and rain. Instead our draft dodger in charge sent a flunky.

Today, Cadet Bonespurs will be delivering remarks from Suresnes American Cemetery. I'm hoping he won't embarrass me, and the country, one more time.

Fat chance.

Related: Trump To Snub Macron-Favored Paris Peace Forum 

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

Here's What A Constitutional Crisis Looks Like

Good Day World!

Since Trump slithered into the Oval Office, political pundits have been talking about the possibility of a Constitutional crisis happening.

Well folks, it's here.

Trump has fired the opening salvo by dumping AG Jeff Sessions unceremoniously (he was too chicken shit to do it himself and let John Kelly do the dirty work) and putting a crony in his place to sabotage the Mueller investigation.

The response across America was immediate: 

"Protect Mueller" Protesters Across U.S. Decry President's Dismissal of Sessions 

"No One is Above The Law:" Thousands March in NYC To Protest Trump's New Acting Attorney General

Rockford Protests in Nationwide "No One is Above The Law"

Trump, who believes he is above the law, like any dictator worth his salt, has doubled down on his assaults against the free press.

In a clear attack against the First Amendment Trump has banned White House reporter Jim Acosta when he didn't like his line of questioning about "the caravan" in a fiery 90 minute scrum with the press a few days ago.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders claimed Acosta "grabbed at an intern" who was trying to take a mic from him. She then went on to share a doctored video from right wing InfoWars purportedly showing Acosta chopping down on the intern's arm.

Digital experts were quick to point out that the video was tampered with. The universal condemnation across the nation was just another sign that Trump, an avowed nationalist, and his ilk are doing their best to seize power and destroy our democracy.

Trump set the table for our current Constitutional crisis by warning House Democrats that he will disable Congress if they investigate him for his numerous offenses against the American people.

Make no mistake, we are currently in a constitutionally perilous moment in American history.

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

Miniority Overcoming Majority in American Politics

Good Day World!

You can throw away that trope about majority rule in America.

Democracy is taking a beating at the hands of a minority led by Trump and his cult following. 

Ever since he slunk into office, despite his opponent having three million more votes, he's systematically gamed the system.

"The rise of minority rule in America is now unmistakable," according to Laurence Tribe, a constitutional law professor at Harvard.

The midterms are another stark example of the minority holding on to the Senate. Democrats cast more than 12 million votes more than Republicans in the senatorial elections, yet they still suffered losses in the senate.

How did this happen?

The answer is simple: because each state gets two senators, regardless of the size of their population, Republicans center in own states with small rural populations. So despite millions of more Democratic senate votes in California, a tiny state like Wyoming can offset it with a fraction of the population and voters.

Couple that with heavy Republican gerrymandering and voter suppression (see Georgia) and you have the secret to the Republicans success on keeping a majority in the Senate in 2018.

With a democratic process it's hard to understand how a minority can take charge of the country. I've cited a few reasons, and there's undoubtedly more. 

If you look at the polls throughout Trump's regime, you discover about one-third of this country is his base. That leaves the other two-thirds of Americans twisting in the winds as he assaults our Constitution, divides the country, and attacks the free press daily.

Our minority-backed liar in chief is getting bolder everyday. The day after the midterms he sacked Sessions and temporarily put a cult-follower in his place to check the Mueller investigation on him and his corrupt campaign staff. 

Trump followed that up with threats of causing a war in Congress if the newly Democratic House investigates him for anything. He also made it clear to the press that he doesn't give a damn if a congressional war shuts the government down.

If Trump sounds like a mob boss that's because he really thinks he is. The mob that follows him with dumb adoration consists of a minority of Americans that have lost sight of what freedom means, and are comfortable with an authoritarian regime.

Taking back the House was the first step in checking Trump and his minions. 

The real fight begins today. Is the Republican-held Senate going to play Trump's defender against the House?

He's acting like a cornered animal since the Democrats took the House back. Anyone who saw his 90-minute temper tantrum/press conference two days ago could see that.

Related: Sarah Huckabee Sanders Used Doctored Infowars Video Footage To Justify Acosta Ban

My message to the majority of Americans is to take heart, organize, and make sure to turn out to vote in 2020.

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

Whispers of War in Congress As Trump Threatens New House

Good Day World!

The gauntlet has been thrown down.

One day after the Democrats took back the House, Trump promised a war in Congress if they dare to try investigate him on anything.

The effect of Trump's war in Congress would be felt by the American people. Not the dishonest Republicans that hold a majority in the Senate. If the Senate willingly becomes Trump's lackey and actually turns on the House, guess what?

We'll have a flown blown constitutional crisis to begin the new year. 

Our liar in chief has no problem bringing the government to a screeching halt for his political gain.

He said as much during a rambling one-and-a-half hour press conference yesterday, warning that the government will suffer if Democrats use subpoena power to investigate his personal and administration actions. 

In yesterdays talk with reporters Trump said;

"If the Democrats think they are going to waste taxpayer money investigating us at the House level, then we will likewise be forced to consider investigating them for all of the leaks of Classified Information, and much else, at the Senate level. Two can play that game!"

Ah yes, the game. Reverting to his con man credentials, Trump brings everything down to a game, which is either won or lost. He leads with lies and fears to build a cult-like base.

Not only is he threatening to totally disrupt Congress, he's also talking about rejecting Constitutional Amendments - the 14th for a start.

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

Happy B-Day To Me! Dems Take House Back!

Good Day World!

I got my birthday present early yesterday when the Democrats took back the house.

Today, I'm 68-years young and damn glad there's finally going to be a powerful check against Trump's assault on American values and the Constitution.

The orange anus has run rampant thus far in his grab for supreme power. He turned the GOP into a group of spineless supporters. The party of Trump has tried to destroy our democracy and standing with the world.

That changed yesterday. There's a new sheriff in town.

Our wannabee dictator is going to be so busy answering for his numerous crimes against the American people he won't have time to cause as much trouble with the time he has remaining in office.

The Democrats have started their Christmas list and Donny's in the dog house...along with whatever family members and minions he brings down with him. 

Trump was right about one thing...this election was a referendum on his presidency.

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

Cheers and Tears: It's Election Day

Good Day World!

Here we are.

The final act of the reality show we call the midterm elections in the Trump era.

What Time Do Polls Close in Your State?

Leading up to this moment, Americans have seen unbridled racism, anti-Semitism, and anti-immigrant rhetoric take center stage in Trump and his minions campaign strategy.

As usual, Trump pulled the fear factor out and waved it like a Nazi flag to his white supremacist supporters and the rest of his base. 

Let's just see how that plays out today when Americans in all 50 states turn out to vote. I suspect it's going to be a good day for Democrats, and voters will reject his hateful fear mongering tactics.

Periodically, I'm going to give news updates on this post. I'll also be commenting on the results as they come in late today, and up until tomorrow morning.

UPDATE: AP reports Florida Polling Place on Lockdown Over Gun Scare

Am I nervous about the upcoming results? 

Yes. I have to admit that after the 2016 elections anything is still possible, and the Republicans might keep their majority in Congress if Democratic voters don't turn out in record numbers.

I don't think that will happen, however. Hoping for a Blue Wave.

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

Take a Deep Breath and Don't Forget To Vote Tomorrow

Good Day World!

If you've never tried cannabis-infused coffee, this morning might be a good time to try some.

It's pretty hard to relax with everything that's at stake tomorrow. Basically, we'll either have a safeguard against Trump's attempts to destroy our government, or we won't.

It all depends on who wins the House. If the Democrats take it back then Trump's assaults against minorities and the rule of law will be challenged. 
Not to mention that investigations will be launched into Trump's treason (Russia inquiry) and corruption (emoluments and Trump Foundation).

Just thinking about the consequences if the Republicans manage to hold onto the House is enough for me to blaze a bowl of good weed...excuse me for a moment....

Okay. I'm back. 

Where were we? Oh yeah! Somehow, someway, you need to figure out a way to relax today. Set your anxieties aside through whatever floats your boat.

Pretend there is no Trump. Pretend you don't have heartburn right now because of Trump. Immerse yourself with good vibes and friends and don't talk about politics.

Yes, I know the country's future is at stake, and we're heading towards fascism with the orange anus in charge trying to defile our Constitution (claiming he can toss the 14th Amendment aside with a stroke of his pen). 

Yes, there's a lot of hate and racism running rampant right now, driven by a crazed lunatic in the Oval Office. But that doesn't mean we can't get through this and hope for better days ahead.

They say time heals all wounds...let's hope we get on the right road tomorrow when we vote for a better future.

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

Rigged: The Voter Suppression Handbook: GOP Strategy Years in the Making

Good Day World!

Since the day President Obama was elected, Republicans promised to thwart every move he made. 

The unhinged losers put together a vile strategy designed to disenfranchise the nation's minority voters (who normally vote for Democrats).

The unholy alliance of radical right-wing Republicans vowed to suppress people who voted Democrat. Ten years later and we're looking at the results of this racist handbook that's led to Republicans gerrymandering districts and shutting down polling places in minority districts across the country.

Related: The Top Ten Most Gerrymandered States in America

To understand how we got to this place there's a great documentary I highly recommend watching: 

Rigged: The Voter Suppression Handbook

After watching this documentary you'll understand how the GOP takeover happened.

The good news is despite these built-in advantages they illegally gained, the Republicans find themselves in extremely tight races in traditional Red States these midterms.

Analysts say the Democrats are very likely to take the House back because of record early turnouts in voter registration, and early voting.

The senate however is another matter. The GOP senate candidates are in the most heavily gerrymandered districts and unlikely to lose their seats...even with a record Democratic turnout. Despite that, the races will be a lot more competitive than they have in the last decade.

It bears keeping in mind that the Republican party decided to do this before Trump waddled into the picture. He just turned out to be a new weapon (unhindered by truth and a blatant racist) in their arsenal of suppression.

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

A Last Minute Victory For Georgia Voters and The Big Lie Continues

                                           Good Day World!

This election season voter suppression award goes to the state of Georgia. 

Secretary of State Brian Kemp has done everything possible to rig the election by suppressing voter's rights, but at the last minute a judge ruled against him.

Voting rights groups have been monitoring Kemp's efforts and sued him in district court. Yesterday the judge, Eleanor Ross, said the state's identical match system was illegal.

The judge then ordered Kemp to establish additional procedures to guarantee that voters flagged by the state as potential noncitizens can vote in the 2018 election if they can prove their citizenship.

Kemp had 53,000 potential voters sitting on his desk and refused to release them until the court forced him to.

Georgia's nasty gubernatorial race between Kemp (yes, surprise! He's also the Republican candidate) and Democrat Stacy Abrams, has centered around his efforts to suppress the black vote. About 70  percent of the voters are black.

With Trump leading the way, these midterms have turned into a horror show of spectacular proportions. The Republican party has elected to go long with Trump's divisive rhetoric and lies.

In desperation, Trump has brought out the Big Lie about immigrants from South America. The same hateful lie he campaigned on. Hispanics are murdering rapists trying to invade our country.

In a really deplorable stunt, our liar in chief has ordered 15,000 active duty troops to stop the "invasion." That's more troops than we have in Afghanistan.

His blatant lies about crazed MS-13 members and middle eastern terrorists controlling the group have been exposed...but he keeps repeating them...rally after rally.

Three more days. Are you ready to vote?

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

2018 Elections: Vicious Lies, Echo Chambers and Bubbles

Good Day World!

Let's look at the bright side.

In four more days voting will take place and that avalanche of political ads will cease. 

These midterm elections, driven by senseless fears, have already made history as the nastiest midterms ever. 

Fueled by Trump's lies about a group of refugees and immigrants coming from Honduras to invade America, this ad makes the infamous Willie Horton ad look tame. It's a vicious assault based upon lies and conservative propaganda.

Trump and his surrogates are savagely waging a racial warfare between attempted bombings of prominent Democrats and Trump critics, and the Pittsburg synagogue massacre.

Trumpanzees at Fox News and social media web sites like Breitbart are reliable echo chambers for every baseless claim our liar in chief makes.

Then there's Trump's base. This particular group of people live in a bubble where Trump is viewed as a savior because he attacks liberals and tells them things they like to hear...regardless of how racist or hateful the stories are.

In the bubble, Trump can act like the anti Christ and still be hailed as God's servant by the alt-right evangelicals who ignore his sins here on earth in order to further draconian laws against women's right of choice regarding their bodies.

Related: Trump Bears Moral Responsibility For Pipe Bombs. Denying It Makes It Worse

Hate rides the winds this Fall as America prepares to turn out for what may be our most vicious midterm election in history. 

When the dust settles, we'll find out if there's hope of reining in Trump and his minions with a Democratic majority House.

If you haven't already pre-voted, please...vote on Election Day. Democracy is counting on you.

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

Surviving a Season of Fear in America

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"

- Franklin Delano Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address

                                         Good Day World!

With midterm madness covering us like a burial shroud, the political winds carry the seeds of fear across the country.

Our liar in chief - a known fear monger - has set the tone for the nastiest midterms in history. His fellow racists and Congressional stooges set up a fantasy invasion of America to gin up support before voting day.

Because Trump uses fear to fuel his base, his bullshit stories, false claims, and outright lies about immigrants, are resonating among conservatives, radical supporters like the KKK, white supremacists, and Sean Hannity from Fox News.

The sad thing is many Americans are fearful of the "caravan" and equate it to an invasion thanks to listening to the alt-right haters with megaphones like Trump.

Like Aristotle said, "He who has overcome his fears will truly be free."

In order to restore the freedoms disappearing under Trump's regime, the House has to flip back to the Democrats who'll hold him accountable for his crimes as a citizen and as the president of the United States.

I predict we'll survive this season of fear and raging hatred...at least, until the next election comes in 2020.

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

I'm Back! Time to Expose Trump's Latest Stunt

 Good Day World!

It's good to be back.

It was nice taking a break, but now it's time to take a look at last minute shenanigans that Trump has trotted out for the midterms.

It's all about that base. Anything for the base.

To that end, he's using scare tactics on steroids. Trump knows his base is fearful of Hispanics invading our southern border at any time...because he told them they would if he didn't stop them.

Just to show he means business six days before the elections, Trump is sending 5,000 active duty soldiers to the border to reinforce the 2,000 border patrol agents already on duty there.

Why? Because a caravan of 3,500 refugees from Honduras are going to arrive here and seek asylum. They should be at our border in about two months. So why are 5,000 military men and women being immediately dispatched there?

Hmmmm...let me think.

Why would Trump suddenly order more military personnel to the US southwest that he has serving in some of the world's most contentious combat zones?

Will Fischer, a former Marine who now works for the VoteVets, a progressive veteran's organization knows why:

In an interview with CNN, Fischer said, "Donald Trump thinks unarmed people who are fleeing horrors and are still 1,000 miles away are a national security threat a week before election day. I don't think so. It's a political ploy to blow up the embers of racism and nativism by using the military again as a political prop to advance his own agenda."

I have to agree. Trump's little "Operation Faithful Patriot" (how ironic that name is) is a load of bullshit served up in time for November 6.

Fischer and other veterans point to the unknown cost to taxpayers, given that much smaller deployments of National Guard to the border have cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

They also question the cost the military will bear, as the operation pulls troops away from training, other missions and their families. And then, they say, there's the murky legality of the mission, its scope and its purpose.

Just in case that's not enough red meat for his base, he's promising to defile the Constitution by destroying the 14th Amendment. 

It didn't take him long to make a direct attack against our Constitution...just in time for the elections.

Stop Trump's racist agenda by voting.

It's not going to be easy, but if the Democrats take back the House it's a strong first step at curbing our hater in chief.

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

Blog Break: I'll Be back In Time For Halloween

Good Day World!

It's that time of year...when I step away from my blogs. 

This one, and my Fiction Blog - Stories By Dave Stancliff.

As much fun as I have writing non-fiction and fiction, it never hurts to back away for a while (leaving today, back Oct.30th), and become computer free. 

I think we all need to stop and smell the roses sometimes. This fast-paced world we live in can become mentally (and physically) exhausting for anyone.

I invite you to check out my archives (they go back to 2008) on the right side of this page. The same invitation is extended to my fiction blog archives. 

If you're a regular reader, I thank you for spending time with me. If you're new, I hope you'll like what you see and subscribe to my blog(s).

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