Grifters Golden Age: It's Easier Now Than Ever to Scam People Through Fundraising

The 21st century has turned out to be a golden age for grifters and con artists.

Prior centuries had their famous grifters like the infamous Charles Ponzi, but their numbers weren't that high and most con artists historically suffered the consequences of their actions.

Thanks to the internet just about anyone can start a fake fundraiser that'll rake in some serious money.

It's been a grifter's paradise, especially for political grifters (most of Congress and radical political activists in the country today). 

When it comes to cheating people out of their money under false pretenses the former twice-impeached president is without rival.

Trump has been giving master classes in the Art of the Con to his minions for six years now.

Prior to sites like GoFundMe and the other spinoffs, fundraising scams were easier to bust. 

The quasi-legal world of fundraising websites has given a false legitimacy to ripping off gullible donors. Quasi-lawyers defending these websites are as common as fleas on a wild dog.

Recommended reading on the subject

Trump's Sleight of Hand: Shouting Fraud, Pocketing Donors' Cash for Future

How Trump's election scam is still making him money

It's not just politicians getting rich off of donors. Just about anyone can cheat their way to dollars.

To avoid being a victim check out these articles:

GoFundMe Scams: How to identify Fake Fundraisers

Protecting Yourself from Online Scams

Crowdfunding: A Cover for Money Laundering?

If you're a generous person who likes helping others you should do your due diligence before parting with your hard-earned cash. Here's some more tips from AARP.

The Book of Trump: How the Republican Party Ended Up Wandering in a Political Wilderness

The GOP has lost its way.

Like the Nation of Israel in the Bible, Republicans have been lured away from their core values by a false god.

Nationalistic Evangelicals are partly responsible for the rise of Trumpism. They and their alt-right cronies have preached from The Book of Trump for six years now.

By worshipping Trump - the golden idol with tiny hands - conservatives have tossed their core beliefs into the fires of hell. They chose to bow before his Trumpness and to espouse lies from the new gospel of Trump.

As the Republican Party proved in their last national gathering, reality has no place in their world. 

By calling the insurrection a legitimate form of protest and blessing the rioters, the once party of Lincoln has wandered into a political wilderness where there doesn't appear to be a way out.

As Trumpian acolytes continue to collect converts in every state, the message is clear, all hail the Master! We are now the Party of Trump.

Every staunch supporter must read - or listen to the right-wing media -from the Book of Trump (which features a lot of images for those who can't read).

These zealots employ violence like it's their sacred duty, which it is if they've chosen to join the cult.

It's up to the rest of Americans who believe in truth, the constitution, democracy, and freedom for all, to refute the Party of Trump every day.

One way to combat the Trump cult is by voting. Democrats and Independents need to turn out in record numbers for the midterm elections in November.

It's not going to be easy. History is against the party in power during midterm elections.

The Party of Trump is busy creating voter suppression laws in red states where the cult has taken control of governors and state legislative offices.

Knowing this the Democratic Party has to reach into the hinterlands and let people know they have a real agenda for America - unlike the revenge tour Trumpies are planning if they take back the House and/or Senate.

Please. Stand up for America and vote this fall for democracy. 

'Trump Judges' Delivering for Former Grifter-in-Chief

Trump's appointed judges have been paying dividends for his authoritarian agenda.

Yesterday one of those Trump judicial jerks dealt another blow to Biden's climate agenda, barring the administration from using a metric that estimates the societal cost of carbon emissions.

The metric uses economic models to put a value on each ton of carbon dioxide emissions, to help quantify the economic harm caused by the climate crisis: sea level rise, more destructive hurricanes, extreme wildfire seasons and flooding, for example.

Legal experts say there's not much legal precedent to support the Trump judge's ruling. Now it's up to the justice department to correct the right-wing attempt to stall legislations pertaining to fighting climate change laws.

A federal court in Missouri last year struck down a similar lawsuit by Republican-led states, finding that they did not have standing to challenge the Biden administration's interim metric.

Meanwhile another Trump-appointed federal judge has temporarily blocked several Texas counties from pursuing criminal charges against public officials who encourage voters to use mail ballots in next month's primary election.

Biden's immigration agenda has faced one setback after another from courts with Trump-appointed judges.

When it comes to taking presidents to court over their policies, savvy lawyers know that location is everything: Choosing the right courthouse, and landing a case with the right judge, can make all the difference.

In Biden's first year Trump-appointed judges have ruled against the president on immigration, COVID relief, the environment and more.

Trump's appointment of three Supreme Court justices has swung the court over into a right-wing platform that is tearing the constitution apart and polarizing Americans from coast-to-coast.

Therefore, it's no wonder that the approval ratings for the highest court in the land has plummeted to 40 percent, an historic low.

Related articles:

Trump busted an immigration judge's union. His holdovers are blocking it again.

Biden administration policies struggle with Trump-appointed judges

Conspiracy-Driven Truck Convoy is a Sign of the Times

Like all dangerous attempts to rewrite history and current reality, a vocal minority in America is making inroads with a blatant attempt to harm the Canadian and American economies.

Trump supporters and an assortment of conspiracy trolls in Ottawa are assaulting both countries with misinformation in an effort to destabilize democratic economies.

What started out as a supposed protest against getting vaccinated for COVID-19 has quickly morphed int a stage for right-wing Americans to spread their hate to another country.

A small group of about 200 Canandian truckers (90 percent are already vaccinated) decided to block commerce between the two counties by parking their rigs on international borders.

It didn't take long to realize that vaccine mandates were just a cover to spread chaos and discontent in a brazen move to start a worldwide attack on democracies.

The result thus far is frightening. Workers in the Michigan auto industry could lose up to $51 million in wages this week due to the trucker protest, according to Anderson Economic Group. 

This serious interruption couldn't have come at a worse time with both countries struggling with supply chain challenges. Adding to the problem it's nearly impossible to get semiconductor chips - which is needed in all cars. 

In a chilling development the so-called "Freedom Convoy" scam is spreading to other counties like Australia and Great Britain where right-wingers have been inspired to copy the attack on democratic governments.

Meanwhile the right-wing American actors are busy spreading their poison in Canada. 

Observers need only look at the flags being carried by the protesters to see whose behind it. Trump flags, Nazi flags, and Confederate flags are waving in the wind.

A corrupt minority is wielding undue influence on societies inspired by the cancer these alt-right lunatics have spread across America.

The organizers of the chaos are on a roll and already threatening to disrupt the Super Bowl and shut down the city. They're emboldened by our First Amendment which they've twisted into a pretzel to serve their ends.

Homeland Security is aware of the threat the extremists pose, but it's not clear how they'll deal with an attempt to take over the city of Los Angeles.

The fact that a minority of nuts can seriously threaten everything America (and other democratic countries) stands for is a sign of the times. Trump's corrupt legacy lives on.

What Tales the White House Toilets Could Tell!

It was a dark and stormy night when Trump flushed the toilet sending secret messages to a watery grave.

Once again, a White House toilet was forced to cover up Trump's foul deeds. It was a crappy habit Trump carried over from his days of training under the notorious conspiracy maverick Roy Cohn.

But the paperwork didn't go right down. Instead, it clogged the toilet which overflowed, and forced the house "engineer" (DC talk for a plumber) to get up and unclog the unholy combination of Trump's turds and state secrets.

The engineer quietly swore epitaphs at the creator of the soggy correspondence that would never see the light of day.

The next day.

Trump makes an announcement from the Rose Garden that all the low flow toilets in the White House will be replaced with "normal high flow" shitters. He also railed against showers that he said made him feel like he was getting pissed on.

Who knows what was flushed down the toilets during Trump's four-year regime? Love letters to dictators, like the one he got from Kim Jong-un?

It's fascinating to think about what tales the executive commodes could tell. If only there was some way the Jan. 6 Select Committee could subpoena the White House cesspool and put restoration experts on the job.

They could even get help from the White House staffers who spent years taping together ripped up paperwork Trump threw in the trash cans.

Imagine. The toilets could get some measure of revenge after enduring years of the biggest ass in the nation besmirching them!

Why Do We Fart and other Intense Questions

Welcome to a curious old man's questions about the world we live in. I admit, these questions won't ever appear on a SAT test or on reputable scientific website. 

But they still beg for answers somewhere on the planet. Let's get started.

Why do we fart?

I suspect mankind has wondered about that since emerging from caves that were hotboxed by smelly farts.

Doctors will tell you we fart because of a build-up of gas in our guts. But is that all there is? 

Is it possible farts could be a genetic form of self-defense? Or perhaps, is mankind cursed with farts for offending the gods in ancient times? 

Why are there so many articles telling us how to view an event?

Personally, I think those info pieces are absurd.

One explanation could be that the general public is so stupid they need to be guided like sheep on how to observe something.

Why do we only have five toes?

There are some scientific assumptions, but no definitive answer. As far as I know we should have six, or even seven toes, on each foot for added balance and climbing.

After observing my polydactyl cat Ernie, who has eight toes on each paw, it became obvious we could have used some more toes for traction. It appears we got shorted in that department.

Why does Donald Trump have such small hands?

Observers have always commented on Trump's tiny hands, but I've yet to hear a satisfying reason for their size.

Some scientific types have suggested it's a family affair, but I'm skeptical of that explanation. Look at everyone else in the Trump clan. Even the women have bigger hands than Stump.

My guess is there's a corrupted correlation between those tiny hands and his minuscule brain.

                     How high is high?

After burning a bowl of chronic ganja, a person gets high. But how high? It's an ancient mystery that needs to be answered.

Is the sky high?

Is the Empty State Building high?

Who's to say what high is?

---------------------------------------------------

That's all I've got for you today. Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for another As It Stands post that will ask the question, WHY?

Alternate Education Efforts Focusing on a National Partisan Academy

A pro-Trump activist is trying to get parents nationwide to take their children out of public schools and to place them in K-12 academies that will have an "America First education. In other words, a right-wing agenda.

The effort is being led by a punk named Charlie Kirk who founded the alt-right group "Turning Points USA." 

The pilot school was supposed to start up this fall, but Kirk and his lunatic followers suffered a setback when an education firm in Arizona backed out of the plan.

The firm, StrongMind had programmers working on the project for months. They estimated the potential of Kirk's fever dream could generate $ 40 million in gross revenue at full capacity (10,000 students).

Kirk's attempt to start brain-washing academies hit a snag after The Washington Post conducted an investigation into the business venture. 

It turned out that StrongMind employees were concerned about the prospect of a Turning Point-directed lesson plans.

When a key subcontractor tapped to prepare course material backed out after learning about Kirk and his vile group's involvement it was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Undeterred by the rejection, Kirk is seeking other sources of revenue to finance his nefarious plan.

His blueprint is as simple as the man himself.

He believes there's a growing market for partisan education and media serving families disgruntled with public schools that insist on presenting facts, and not the Trump worldview.

Kirk's webpage claims that students are taught "a false narrative about America" and that his academies will promote a "reliable, honest, and quality America-first education."

The Charlie Kirk's in this country are gleefully pushing Trump's fascist agenda to divide and conquer America. 

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”
― James Waterman Wise

Wanted: Tech Wizard to Create an App to Save Democracy

Apps are super popular in the world of high tech these days.

There's an app for nearly anything you can think of. Here's some examples:

A digital Grocery Coupons App

A digital Drawing App

A digital Signature App

A digital Marketing App

Here's the top 10 Most Popular Apps in 2022

1.Uber

2.Amazon

3.Netflix

4.airbnb

5.TikTok

6.Instagram

7.YouTube

8.Dropbox

9.Spotify

10.WhatsApp

We're a society that trusts apps to guide us with multi-task software, quick connections, and an endless trove of information. It seems like there's an app for everything we want to accomplish.

With that thought in mind I'd like to locate a tech wizard to develop the mother of all apps that will save our democracy.

This special app is going to require a fact-checker that works like a virus when introduced to right-wing media outlets.

It should feature a mental health connection for Trumpies looking to get control of their brains again.

Other functions desired:

Bullshit detector, reality alerts, voter suppression alarms, conspiracy monitors, and advanced criminal search features.

If you think you have what it takes to develop this app contact me via this blog or at richarddavestancliff@gmail.com 

Blaming the Damn Pandemic

The pandemic is one good explanation for the massive anger in America today.

Right or wrong, everyone is pissed at something and looking to lay blame on others for their woes.

Sometimes however, it's hard to find a scape goat. Two popular fallbacks are blaming ideologies and the rise of full-blown tribalism.

Still, it seems the pandemic is a player in any conversation.

Example:

This article Why More Kids are Getting Eating Disorders  talks about eating disorders related to the pandemic lockdowns.

There's really no doubt the pandemic has led to prolonged stress which leads to significant psychological and social effects.

There's also no doubt our prolonged pandemic is affecting healthcare workers trying to combat it.

Business pundits are stressed out by the pandemic's toll on the economy. Supply chain problems still plague most cities.

Worse yet, the pandemic could be ongoing for years because a large population of Americans are refusing to get vaccinated. The idea of no hope in sight even discourages those with positive attitudes.

In a long succession throughout history, pandemic outbreaks have decimated societies, determined outcomes of wars, and wiped-out entire populations. See History.com Editors (2020)

Paradoxically pandemics have cleared the way for innovation and advances in society (including medicine and public health), economy, and political systems.

It's becoming increasingly common to blame the pandemic for ANY PROBLEM we have.

In the search for normality and restoration of our society to pre-pandemic times, many disgruntled American's patience has worn thin. 

These disgruntled Americans are searching for cures in all the wrong places. Experts in healthcare are reviled. Scientists haven't been this unpopular since the Catholic Church declared they were heretics in medieval times.

People often need a boogieman to blame for all their miseries. There's no better candidate today than the damn pandemic.

Clarence Thomas: Corrupt Justice Siding with DeSantis and GOP Radicals

    (Clarence Thomas and wife Ginni and Ron De Santis)

Supreme Court Clarence Thomas doesn't care about equal justice for all. He's an extremist who sides with conservative conspiracy-riddled radicals.

One of the many reasons we know this is his wife, Ginni, is a die-hard Trump fan who applauded the Jan. 6 rioters and encouraged them weeks before the insurrection attempt.

She runs her own consulting firm which has been working with Gov. DeSantis in helping him encourage groups, including Judicial Watch (an extremist group) that uses information requests and lawsuits to investigate liberal public officials.

As for Thomas, he's completely ignored the obvious conflict of interest his wife is causing, and actually encourages her right-wing activities.

How do we know that?

Because his wife admits Thomas has been in contact with DeSantis regularly. The fact that Thomas is supposed to be neutral doesn't even phase him. He made his decision a long time ago to be a political whore for the Republicans.

DeSantis knows how to stroke egos. He has had plenty of practice with Trump. It's evident in his public statements.

During a 2020 Federalist Society conference held in Disneyworld, DeSantis gushed over his Supreme Court connection stating, "Thomas is the greatest living justice."

To Supreme Court observers Thomas has always been the squeaky wheel who rolls with right-wing politicians and conspiracy loons. His track record of rulings clearly points that out.

It's plain to see that DeSantis is working with Thomas's wife, and him, to achieve his goal of running for president. He believes a direct connection to the Supreme Court will bolster his campaign.

He's probably right.

Breaking News! Rudy Giuliani Exposed as a Gremlin

Since losing his sanity about two decades ago Rudy Giuliani has since morphed into a gremlin.

As you may be aware gremlins are mischievous creatures that are known to cause malfunctions in aircraft or other machinery. 

The term "gremlin" originated with the Royal Air Force whose pilots used the term as a slang for sabotaging aircraft in WW I.

To be exact, gremlin Giuliani is an updated version sabotaging American politics and the constitution, instead of aircraft.

Despite all the court cases he faces for helping sabotage our electoral system, he still pops up in unexpected places.

For example, I just found out he was a contestant for the TV series The Masked Singer! WTF! Apparently, a couple judges walked out during the show's taping when Giuliani revealed his ugly mug.

The question is, why isn't Giuliani in jail yet? His litany of crimes over the past few years should have resulted in an extended stay in prison instead of doing a guest appearance on a game show.

Yes, it's a sign of the times when insurrectionists are called patriots, and the former president is spreading lies about the election he lost in an effort to destroy democracy.

Giuliani is Trump's gremlin. Always ready to attack reality if the boss says too. The conversion from being a real patriot and America's mayor to one of Trump's creatures is complete.

Minion Turns on Master: DeSantis (DeSnake) Courting Extremists. That Includes Trump's Base

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has dreams of being a dictator.

After watching his mentor Trump suffering defeat in 2020, DeSantis's DeSnake's lizard brain has been hatching a pathway to the presidency. Whatever loyalty he feigned for the former Grifter-In-Chief has slipped like a snake shedding its scales.

It's not all out warfare yet between mentor and master, but all the warning signs are surfacing in the Floridian swamps where he's actively recruiting members from Trump's base.

In a few short years DeSnake has proposed putting together a private state militia only answerable to him.

In addition:

-He's trying to form a special police force to monitor voting (try spying and suppressing voter efforts).

-He's defied science by ignoring CDC regulations to fight the pandemic in favor of quack cures for COVID 19.

-He's currently threatening learning institutions with reprisals if they don't obey him and ignore the CDC's recommendations to wear face masks.

-He's actively supporting anti-vaccination lunatics and has even called Trump out for promoting the vaccine and booster shots.

-He's working with groups to ban books in public schools and libraries. (Remember Hitler?)

Taking everything into account, DeSnake is starting to make his move and further separate himself from Trump by out Trumping him and waiting to see if he gets convicted of any crime that would exclude him from ever running for office again.

Meanwhile to enhance his reptilian reputation DeSnake is busy trying too illegally chart the course of redistricting efforts. If his court challenges fail his backup is to veto a fair plan. 

There's one more hurdle for DeSnake. If he doesn't get re-elected governor in November - and loses the influence that comes with the position - his chances of getting elected for anything other than dogcatcher will be slim to none.

Smoking Guns Amid Coup 2.0

The first coup attempt failed, but not for lack of effort.

In recent days lawmakers have uncovered smoking guns from that first attempt to overthrow our democracy. 

Thanks to the Trump files from the National Archives that were turned over to the Jan. 6 Select Committee revelations have been coming fast and furious.

Smoking guns are shooting down the lies by Trump and his fellow traitors.

The fact that Trump cronies were prepared to seize voting machines across the country by using the military, has surfaced through seized documents and interviews.

What was once a murky picture of insurrection has been clarified and its vast scope revealed to investigators. What has emerged is Trump came closer than many thought to seizing power after he lost the 2020 election.

After a year of investigating the cause that led to the Capitol being assaulted a picture of corruption at the highest levels has become clear.

Another thing has become apparent as lawmakers close in on Trump. A second coup is underway.

As investigators close in on the failed coup attempt, Trump's desperation has skyrocketed. He's resorted to holding hate rallies to gin up his hardcore base by furthering the Big Lie amid the flood of information condemning him.

His last rally saw him threatening prosecutors in Washington DC, New York, and Georgia. He made it clear that he wants his supporters to launch coup 2.0 if he gets convicted of anything.

Trump wants to see a repeat of Jan. 6, but on a larger scale. His minions have been actively promoting voter suppression in Republican run states since he was kicked out of the White House.

As I write this the push to overturn our electoral system has gone on steroids. It's happening today. Out in the open for all to see.

Trump's distain for our Constitution and the rule of law has actually increased to the point that he now feels invulnerable. He isn't even trying to mask his intentions.

He's so confident he's called out AG Merrick Garland and threatened to start a revolution if he turns him over to the DOJ for prosecution. It's a slap in the face.

The question now is Garland going to reply to this overt challenge to our democracy? Or is he going to remain silent and let Trump hang himself with his own big mouth at future hate rallies?

The Unraveling: A Coup Within a Coup. Fake Electors Get Subpoenas

It looks like the ongoing story (nearly a year now) about fake electors is entering a final phase.

The Jan. 6 Select Committee has issued subpoenas for 14 Republicans from seven states who served on bogus slates of Trump electors in 2020 as part of the Trump campaign's scheme to subvert the Electoral College.

The 14 GOP leaders from the states served as "Chair" and "Secretary" of the slates of fake electors designed to be alternates to the duly elected electors.

The plan didn't work, fortunately for democracy.

---------------------------------------------

Here's a list of the would-be traitors in all seven states:

• Nancy Cottle and Loraine Pellegrino from Arizona. Cottle is listed on the Arizona Federation of Republican Women's website as being the group's vice president.
• David Shafer and Shawn Still from Georgia. Shafer is the chair of the Georgia GOP and was a plaintiff in some of Trump's longshot lawsuits to overturn the election in Georgia. Still was the Georgia GOP's finance chair and is now running for a Georgia Senate seat.
• Kathy Berden and Mayra Rodriguez from Michigan. Berden was a national committeewoman at the Republican National Committee and served as a Trump delegate at the 2016 GOP convention. Rodriguez unsuccessfully ran for a Michigan House seat in 2020.
• Jewll Powdrell and Deborah Maestas from New Mexico. Powdrell recently told the Albuquerque Journal that he signed the fake certificate at the behest of former Rep. Steve Pearce, the head of the New Mexico GOP. Maestas previously served in that role, leading the state GOP.
• Michael McDonald and James DeGraffenreid from Nevada. McDonald is the Nevada GOP chairman and reportedly promoted false voter fraud claims in 2020. DeGraffenreid's Facebook page says he is a national committeeman from Nevada for the RNC.
• The committee subpoenaed Bill Bachenberg and Lisa Patton from Pennsylvania. Bachenberg is a board member of the National Rifle Association and spoke at a pro-Trump fundraiser in 2020.
• Andrew Hitt and Kelly Ruh from Wisconsin. Hitt is the former chairman of the Wisconsin GOP and a staffer for former Gov. Scott Walker. Ruh is currently an alderperson from the city of De Pere.

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They all have until February 11th to appear for depositions through the month of February.

Among the accusations leveled is that the Trump campaign lined-up supporters to fill the elector slots, secured meeting rooms in statehouses for them to meet on December 14, 2020, and circulated drafts of the fake certificates.

It doesn't look like it's going to be that difficult (with mounds of evidence) to prove there was a coup attempt by these fake electors and the Trump campaign.

It was literally a coup attempt within the coup attempt by the Oath Keepers who have already been indicted with insurrection and sedition.

America needs accountability for the near death of democracy. When the committees' final recommendations get to the Department of Justice it's up to Merrick Garland to see that justice is served.

Where Has All the Honor Gone? Long Time Passing

Where have all the soldiers gone, long time passing?

Where have all the soldiers gone, long time ago?

Where have all the soldiers gone?

Gone to graveyards, everyone

Oh, when will they learn?

Oh, when will they ever learn?"

-Pete Seeger, 1955 Hit song 

Today I'm not talking about soldiers, but I am embracing the nostalgia behind Seeger's iconic song.

--------------------------------------------------

Where has honor gone?

Once people believed in honor 

Where has that practice gone? long time passing

Where has honor gone?

Gone to right-wing graveyards, as we look on

When will people learn?

We can only hope honor will return

---------------------------------------------------

Looking at the current state of our society becoming increasingly hostile, and the art of communication breaking down, many good traits have fallen to the wayside in the cultural chaos.

Honor is one of those things.

One of the things that trigger me is watching people openly lie when you know they know better. Anti-vaccination activists and politicians - who are often vaccinated and boosted - espouse the dangers of getting the shot. There is no way people like that have any honor.

Greed and power have supplanted facts and honor. There's no guilt when others die after listening to the conspiracy trolls who are laughing all the way to the bank.

Honor no longer seems to matter. Ask Ted Cruz. He lost his five years ago when Trump insulted his wife and grandfather.

A sense of honor is rapidly disappearing in a time when we need it more than ever. 

GOP Master Class - 101 Ways to Raise Money off of Lies and Rumors

Thanks for attending today's class on How to Raise Money off of Lies and Rumors.

The contributors to this GOP master class program come to you from the Dark Net. 

There are also public figures (think Steve Bannon) who will guide you step-by-step on how to reap profits from gullible partisan fools in three of the special courses

Today's lesson from Fox News is being brought to you by Rupert Murdock. Remember, fear is your best friend.

Headline

Michelle Obama in 2024?

Republican Senator Rick Scott was quoted, "We did not believe it when we first heard."

(That's because it - the bullshit story of Obama running for president - is a baseless rumor and lie)

Pay attention now. Keep in mind how fear works here.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee sent out fundraising appeals twice this week warning supporters that Obama is exploring a White House bid. 

Oh no! A black woman and an Obama! Dear Lord! That must never happen. Who do I give my money too?

The fundraising letter said,

"Yup, you're reading this right. Michelle Obama? Running for PRESIDENT in 2024? The left-wing Democrats KNOW they are going to LOSE their Majority in Congress this November, so they want to bring out an OBAMA to save them in 2024."

(Pause for a fact check. It's marlarkey, as Joe would say. Michelle has long made it clear she's not interested in running for political office. She reminds people it was her husband who went into politics. As his bride she went along for the ride.)

Back to day's lesson.

1. Know your audience. If they believe in Jewish space lasers you need to connect with them and suggest Michelle is also behind the assault from the stars.

2. You can go fact free if you make your fundraiser into a conspiracy. The alt-right just can't get enough of them. They're also great donors.

3. When confronted by the nosy liberal press tell them, "I'm rubber, and your glue. Everything you say to me bounces off and sticks on you!"

For extra credit you can donate money to cover Trump's legal fees. In return you'll get his autograph on a photo of him desecrating the Oval Office with a row of canned beans stacked on the resolute desk.

Class dismissed.

We're All Waiting for the Other Shoe to Fall Somewhere

The world is waiting for the other shoe to fall after witnessing Putin's military buildup on the Ukranian border.

Anxious countries like the United States are pledging to back up the Ukrainians who intend to fight until the last man if Putin invades.

War inches closer every day. It seems inevitable. All anyone can do is wait.

Americans are waiting for the other shoe to fall in the Donald Trump saga that led to a coup attempt that nearly succeeded.

For decades Trump has defied laws by gaming the court system.

The Jan. 6 Committee is putting the pieces together that led to the insurrection. What they have already discovered is enough to convict Trump of obstruction of justice and other equally serious crimes.

If it was anyone beside Trump, justice would prevail, and the perp would go to jail. But it's Teflon Trump. Americans wait with bated breath to see if Trump is truly above the law.

Libraries and schools across the nation are facing book censorship as teachers and librarians brace for the other shoe to fall. 

What's next? Free speech outlawed if it isn't praising fascism? 

Americans are waiting for the pandemic to go away. Their tired and cranky. 

Misinformation is muddying up any real chance of controlling the virus to the point where we can get on with our lives. The fact of the matter is the virus may never go away, and containment is the only path forward.

And we all wait for answers. Impatiently.

Now They're Coming For Our Books

 It can start with just one person.

Or one small group.

Either way they can spark a fire with help from their friends. 

The call to ban books which is blossoming across the country, has turned into demands that are funded by outside conservative millionaires and billionaires who have an agenda.

The agenda is simple. And anti-democratic. They want to scrub our history until it's a shiny white fantasy. 

These wealthy conservatives don't want to see teachers talking about the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans in U.S. society. Period. The other reasons for banning books are just window-dressing.

We're looking at a nationwide campaign of censoring books on a scale never seen before in this country.

Books have already been banned in schools in Texas, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming in the past year.

National groups have sprung up like deadly mushrooms after a rain and are teaching individuals and small groups how to ban books they don't approve of in schools and libraries.

The national groups lurk in the background of every so-called grass root effort. It's no coincidence that most of the banned books are about gender equality and race, at a time when Republicans are mounting efforts to prevent teaching race in schools by launching a campaign against critical race theory.

The campaign to ban books has soared through 2021.  

The following organizations are in the vanguard of this assault on our freedoms:

Parents Defending Education (PDE)

Moms for Liberty 

No Left Turn in Education

Whose funding PDE? None other than conservative icon Charles Koch. This national organization is against critical race theory and encourages parents to "spy on" teachers' online activity to seek incriminating (!) material against them.

The PDE doesn't just stop at banning books, however. Their other aim is to encourage conservative parents to run for school boards - an often-overlooked position that wields a considerable amount of power.

Other mega funders like billionaire Leonard Leo, who advised Trump on judicial appointments, are channeling cash into the efforts by Moms for Liberty and No Left Turn in Education.

George Orwell warned us what could happen when we ban books. Hitler showed the world how effective banning books was in his ascent to absolute power.

Extreme conservatives in America are trying to go the same route of dictators in order to assume control of our society.

Laugh. Laugh. Until You Die: Quotes About Congress for the Ages

The United States Congress has been called many things in the last 240 years. 

My favorite reference to that august body is it's a place where politicians go to retire.

Let's see what other offerings there are.

"Congress is so strange. A man gets up to speak and says nothing. Nobody listens - and then everybody disagrees." -Boris Marshalov

"Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress: but I repeat myself." -Mark Twain

"The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets." -Will Rogers

"I don't mind what Congress does, as long as they don't do it in the streets and frighten horses." -Victor Hugo

"In my many years I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress." - John Adams, 2nd US president

"I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress." -Ronald Reagan

"We many not imagine how our lives could be more frustrating and complex - but Congress can." -Cullen Hightower

"Congress consists of one third, more or less, scoundrels; two thirds, more or less, idiots; and three thirds, more or less, poltroons." -H.L. Mencken

"You can lead a man to Congress, but you can't make him think." -Milton Berle

"If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?" -Unknown

That's it for today. I hope I got a smile out of you!

Discussion: Are Republican Politicians and Activists Above the Law?

Let's start with the

 former grifter-in-chief.

Trump has got away with being impeached twice (a feat no other American president has accomplished).

Despite numerous investigations into his political and private life (for decades), Trump is still not behind bars. 

Above the law? Why? How?

Not far down the list there's people like Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton who has recently refused a prosecutor's demand for his records of appearances at a pro-Trump rally that preceded the assault on the Capitol.

Paxton has a history of putting himself above the law. In 2020, eight of Paxton's top deputies accused him of bribery, abuse of office and other crimes in the service of a supporter.

Most of the time Paxton has been in office he's faced a separate felony indictment. He pleaded not guilty to three state securities fraud charges but has yet to face trial.

The FBI has been investigating those charges. For two years! Still nothing. Why? Is he above the law? It sure seems like it.

Republican right-wing activists joined at the hip to Republican politicians, are gleefully refusing to answer subpoenas from the Jan. 6 Committee.

Trolls Traitors like Steve Bannon, Alex Jones, Roger Stone, Kevin McCarthy, Mark Meadows, Steven Miller, Kayleigh McEnany, Daniel Scavino, Kashyap Patel, Rudy Giuliani, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Jeffrey Clark, John Eastman, Michael Flynn, Bernard Kerik, Jason Miller, William Stepien and Jeffrey Clark, are bragging and fundraising on their obstruction to respond to the committee's requests and subpoenas.

There're fifty more individuals who haven't responded yet, as many of them are negotiating with the committee.

Only two of the rogue's gallery above have been referred to the DOJ for criminal contempt. Steve Bannon and Jeffrey Clark.

There's still no word (they were turned over to him last year) from Attorney General Merrick Garland on what the two men's fate will be. Does this mean they too are going to get away with their defiance?

The big question is why Trump and his minions have not paid a price for their illegal activities?

It's been a year since the coup attempt at the Capitol and there's still ongoing efforts to rig future elections by the same bad actors listed above.

Thus far, almost all the miscreates are still free to attack our democracy.