Congress is Where Politicians Go to Retire

It's time we quit kidding ourselves.

When a politician becomes a senator or member of the House of Representatives their main goal is to stay until they retire or die.

No one believes that malarkey about them wanting to serve the American people. Or the sacrifices they supposedly made for their country. 

That's not what we see. We, the people, see lawmakers led around by their noses by special interest groups. There are three lobbyists for every member of Congress. The only thing they serve is their own interests.

The Republicans and the Democrats are both guilty of having members that probably should be in retirement homes instead of making laws that affect over 320,000 million lives.

Two examples:

Republicans have a situation with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell because he's having brain freezes. 

Two have happened in front of news cameras this month as he was taking questions from reporters. They happened after he took a fall and got a concussion last month.

McConnell is 81 years old and hasn't been in the best of health in recent years. If he were a bus driver that demands real-time responses the company would insist he get a medical examination.

His handlers say he's fine. And maybe they'll have a doctor check up on him. After all, the Capitol Hill doctor said he was clear to work. Anyone who witnessed the two incidents knows that Mitch's once sharp mind is turning to mush.

Meanwhile the Republican party is paralyzed with indecision. What to do about their leader? So far, the consensus is that if they have to wheel him around in a moveable lectern (think Saturday Night Live's episode where Sarah Huckabee Sanders went after the pressroom reporters in a motorized lectern) they will do it.

The Democrats geriatric champion is 90-year-old Senator Dianne Feinstein who is tied with Sen. Chuck Grassley for the oldest member in Congress.

She fell in her home and went to the hospital for a short time during the first week of August.

Before that, she had trouble with shingles. She was hospitalized in San Francisco in March and treated for shingles. She's been basically communicating with her staff who are carrying her workload as much as possible.

There have been uncomfortable conversations among her peers about how her advanced age and cognitive abilities are hurting the party. Every time she has to take a medical absence Democrats get more nervous.

So, there you have it. Two examples of members in Congress who should have retired at least a decade ago.

What is the age demographic of Congress?

The median age of voting House lawmakers is 57.9 years down from 58.9 in the last Congress which can be seen as progress for younger members.

The new Senate's (the 118th) median age, on the other hand, is 65.3 years, up from 64.8 years. At the rate they're going the median age for senators will increase in the next Congress (119th). Nearly 25% of Congress is older than 70 right now.

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Related story: Congress is older than ever. It hasn't always been this way.

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It should be obvious that 70-year-olds and upward aren't going to be as sharp mentally as someone in their 50s or early 60s. Maybe there should be a mandatory cognitive test as a working requirement when members reach a certain age.

When politicians accuse people of ageism when it comes to being concerned about mental abilities, they're missing the point.

As it stands, growing old is natural. There's no shame in not being at the top of your game. That day will come for us all. And when it does, we should accept it.

Project 2025: Conservatives Plan for Authoritarian Regime if Trump is Re-elected

Dozens of right-wing organizations are busy boasting about dismantling the government and what things will look like in America if Trump defies the odds and gets re-elected president.

Their dystopian view for the future is being funded by the Heritage Foundation and fueled by Trump and his cult.

Here's their plan:

The groups have merged into a coalition called "Project 2025" a far-reaching effort to essentially form a government in waiting for Trump's return.

Project 2025 has a nearly 1,000-page handbook for an "army" of Americans who want to destroy our civic structure and reshape it into an authoritarian state with a lifetime leader.

They intend to disable the current government bureaucracy by firing as many as 50,000 federal workers. 

Project 2025 conservatives want to gut the "Administrative state" from within by ousting federal employees they believe are standing in the way of Trump's agenda and replacing them with like-minded officials more eager to do Trump's bidding without question.

"The president Day One will be a wrecking ball for the administrative state," bragged Russ Vought, a former Trump official involved in the effort and president of the conservative Center for Renewing America.

A return to the political spoils system

In the bad old days of 19th century patronage this all would be par for the course. Watching it unfold in the 21st century shows how little progress this country has made in politics.

Trump wants to bring back an executive order he made - Schedule F - while in the White House that reclassified tens of thousands of the 2 million federal employees as essentially at-will workers who could be fired more easily.

When Biden came into office, he immediately rescinded the executive order.

Historical note: The civil service was overhauled during President Carter's administration in an attempt to ensure a professional workforce and end political bias dating back for over a hundred years.

Project 2025 plans on a "top to bottom overhaul" of the Department of Justice, particularly curbing its independence and ending FBI efforts to combat the spread of misinformation.

It even calls for stepped-up prosecution of anyone providing or distributing abortion pills by mail.

The group plans to make the Pentagon "abolish" its recent diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, what the project calls the "woke" agenda, and reinstating service members discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.

Two of the things I find most chilling is the "reexamining" of the tradition of providing workspace for the press corps, and ensuring the White House counsel is "Deeply committed" to Trump's agenda.

These authoritarian fever dreams are just some of the things the GOP has in store when their messiah returns. If he returns. Which is unlikely when you consider the four felony indictments he faces.

The Heritage coalition has taken their recruitment efforts on the road to fill federal jobs by inviting them to be trained in government operations. 

As it stands, that's how crazy these people are forming a shadow government that will never see the light of day.

Republicans Better Start Looking for Another Presidential Candidate Before it's Too Late

Let's set the table.

The main dish is Trump ala mode and is being served up in four criminal trials in state and federal courts.

Halloween may start early for Trump (Oct. 23) and his 18 co-defendants who tried to overthrow the state's voter choices in the 2020 election if Fulton County DA Fani Willis gets her way.

Four criminal indictments. Two state and two federal cases with a total of 91 felony counts face Trump while he's also running for president. Odds are he is not going to beat every indictment. More than likely he'll be convicted in at least two of them.

And that's before everyone votes in November 2024. In other words, he'll be a convicted felon running for the highest office in the land by that time.

The last time I looked that's not exactly a positive endorsement for the leader of the free world.

I realize the Republican party is full of gutless Trump minions willing to throw their own lives and credibility away to follow their supreme leader but at some point, they are going to be forced to look at reality and see his presidency isn't likely in the real world.

C'mon! Isn't there any sane members that don't lick Trump's boots every morning? Seriously, you cowards need to make a move now before it's too late.

What will you do when Trump gets disqualified to be on the ballot in a state or multiple states, which will likely happen when he loses the Jan. 6 trial?

His primary wins will shackle the GOP into a toxic relationship unless the party starts seriously looking for an alternative to his Orangeness.

C'mon! Conservative think tanks and state party leaders need to circle the wagons and look for someone who isn't a convicted criminal and having trouble getting on state ballots if they want to give their flock a choice.

Don't ask me who that would be? If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say Nikki Haley.

The Republican party still has a chance to pick someone other than Trump. There're more primaries ahead and things could change as Trump's court battles wage on.

As it stands, this is a warning to the GOP that time is running out to find a viable candidate. Break out the smelling salts and take a deep whiff and wake up!

They're Doing it Again: House Republicans Plan on Holding the Country Hostage

Trump's real defense team is in the House of Representatives as GOP members look for ways to target the criminal investigations against him by using the annual appropriations process to hold the country hostage.

Their diabolic plan, introduced by crazy Andrew Clyde (R-GA) is to introduce a pair of amendments that will prohibit funding from being used for the prosecution of any major presidential candidate ahead of the 2024 election.

Can you say red herring? How about pure bullshit soaked in malicious lies and topped off with a healthy helping of hypocrisy?

The measures will come up before the Commerce, Justice, Science, and related agencies appropriations bill. It's one of 12 spending bills that Congress must pass ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government.

Shamelessly using terrorist threats against our justice system, the House Freedom Caucus clowns are pulling out all of the stops in an effort to keep Trump out of jail for his numerous crimes.

What they're doing is overt election interference designed to undermine both our Republic and our fair system of justice.

The irony of a full-on MAGA member (Clyde) in Congress claiming it's imperative for Congress to use its power of the purse to "protect the integrity of elections" and prohibit prosecutors from coming after top presidential candidates is as thick as a brick.

It's still too early to know the specific language for the amendments because they haven't been drafted yet. It's also not clear if all the House Republicans will back it.

Clyde's warning was a symbolic shot across the bow to the American people. When the House Appropriations Committee reconvenes for its CJS markup in September they are prepared to shut down the government to get their demands and take the heat off of Trump.

To be concise, the House Freedom Caucus has vowed not to support a stopgap spending measure unless it is tied to a number of policy wins.

It's all or nothing for MAGA lawmakers who have no qualms about making millions of Americans suffer until their corrupt demands are met. 

By defunding Trump prosecutions House extremists will be violating their oaths of office. Not that it seems to matter anymore.

As it stands, seeing how lawmakers aren't returning to Washington until Sept. 12, that only leaves 18 days until the Republican party is going to bring our economy to a halt and cause financial hardships for millions of Americans. The prognosis looks bleak.  

Trump's Biggest Grift Yet Capitalizes on His Criminality - Who Says Crime Doesn't Pay?

How much sense does it make when an indicted criminal can make money off of being booked and charged with multiple felonies - including trying to overturn the election results in Georgia?

It doesn't make sense. It's all wrong.

But Trump has turned all four of his criminal indictments into record-breaking fundraiser hauls. His last one in Fulton County Georgia was his biggest grift to date by raising $7.1 million in 24 hours after getting his mug shot. 

Imagine if Al Capone had a savvy group of media influencers that were publicity wise and could muddy the waters of the investigation against him with conspiracies.

Would he have gone to prison? Would he have gotten away with blatant verbal attacks against state persecutors like Trump does? Would the Chicago mob boss have made money off of his mug shot back then? I doubt it.

Yet in the world we live in now a mob boss backed by a cult can damn near get away with anything because of his wealth and dark connections with elite extremists who want to destroy our democracy and turn the country into an authoritarian state.

Who says crime doesn't pay?

Trump is parlaying 91 felony charges into a cottage industry. He's raised nearly $20 million in the last three weeks.

His campaign is also being powered by merchandize (shirts, posters, bumper stickers and beverage coolers to name some) on his online grift site.

The site's landing page includes his now infamous mug shot and asks supporters to "make a contribution to evict Crooked Joe Biden from The White House and SAVE AMERICA during this dark chapter in our nation's history."

Oh! The irony! It's a dark chapter alright with Trump threatening our freedoms by tearing up the Constitution if he gets back in office.

This latest grift is Trump's greatest at this point in his life. It's the culmination of decades of cheating and lying his way to the top of the dung pile.

As it stands, Trump will always hold a unique position in the history of American crimes by being the only former president with a mug shot.

Faces of Desperation: The Republican Party's Melt Down

It hasn't been fun to watch.

The Republican Party has become a cult in the last seven years. 

All vestiges of what the party once stood for have disappeared and have been replaced with sheer lunacy.

The Trump cult has stripped away the Law-and-Order mantra that began with Ronald Reagan. Now they attack lawmakers and the judicial system daily.

Here's three faces of desperation within the cult that's trying to take America hostage.

Donald J. Trump.

Our former twice-impeached president is desperately running for re-election to stay out of jail.

He's been indicted in four criminal cases that add up to 91 felony charges. State and Federal jurisdictions.

He's made it clear he wants to change the Constitution, if elected, and turn the country into an authoritian hellscape. 

To think that elected lawmakers have jumped to the dark side like spineless jellyfish and are backing him is truly disheartening.

Ron DeSantis.

This is a man with no soul who smiles like a robot about to take a dump. He desperately wants to be president. 

See Ron run. 

See Ron make an ass of himself during the GOP Primary debates by claiming (if he's made president) that the first thing he would do would be to send in military special forces into Mexico after the drug cartels.

Doesn't Ron know that would really piss-off Mexico and could possibly start a war with our southern neighbor? 

See Ron attack Mickey Mouse. 

See Ron turn the state's school systems into MAGA indoctrination centers. 

Watch the libraries burn thanks to Ron. 

See how Ron has rigged the election system in Florida and how he disenfranchises LGBTQ and minority communities.

All for power. He's so desperate that he's running for president against his role model Trump who is crushing him in the polls. 

See Ron court Trump's base by acting like a tough guy.

Kevin McCarthy.

This pathetically weak-minded excuse for a man is the Speaker of the House who has sold his soul and who also sold out the majority of Americans by being a MAGA puppet.

He's slimier than a fish in a crude oil spill and is known for his flip flopping on everything from Trump to stripping Social Security. 

But McCarthy will forever be known as the weakest speaker the House has ever seen. Watching him licking the boots of the so-called Freedom Caucus or bigly Trump defender Marjorie Taylor Greene is enough to gag a maggot.

Desperation pours from his brows every time he holds a press conference and claims he's got the goods on Hunter Biden and President Biden.

These three characters are joined by many others in the GOP willing to destroy democracy in order to put Trump in charge of our country.

They are all desperate and dangerous. None of them have any guard rails of reason or honesty to go by. They are all shameless. 

As it stands, the death knell of the real Republican Party starting ringing in 2017.

Americans are Being Consumed by a Moral Pandemic

After surviving a medical pandemic Americans are now faced with a moral pandemic fueled by hate that is poisoning hearts and minds.

Evidence of this moral pandemic can be seen in increased hate crimes against LGBTQ and other minority communities.

Censorship is spreading like a disease and has led to attacking innocuous forms of entertainment and expression, including books and drag shows.

Extremist politicians are having a field day passing restrictive laws and policies that erase LGBTQ people from school curricula and library shelves. Transgender people are denied access to public facilities, sports teams, and even potentially life-saving health care.

The contagion has left millions in jeopardy and a state of emergency. The LGBTQ community faces real, tangible threats every day.

The Human Right Campaign recently issued a national state of emergency for the first time in the organization's history. It's proof that a nightmare is growing among us.

Pride flags have become targets for the far-right as evidenced by a recent murder in a little town (Cedar Glen) not far from the big city of Los Angeles.

Laura Ann Carleton was shot down by an extremist in the front of her boutique because she flew a pride flag outside the store. Despite not identifying as LGBTQ Laura was a strong advocate and committed ally. She was married for 28 years and shared a "blended family."

The man who shot her, Travis Ikeguchi, confronted her outside her store (where her pride flag waved) with homophobic slurs that ended up in shooting Laura to death. He was later shot and killed by police.

Laura paid the ultimate price for her acceptance of others. The pride flag is not a frivolous adornment; it is a concrete and powerful marker that the LGBTQ community won't bow down to bullies.

The pride flag is a symbol of hope and promise that all are welcome here, even if they aren't welcome everywhere.

As it stands, sadly, this pandemic doesn't have a vaccine to combat it like the last one.

Time for Justice: Trump Surrenders in Georgia

It's hard to believe that a former president is being indicted for state and federal felonies for the fourth time in one year.

When Trump surrendered to Fulton County authorities on 13 charges including racketeering he made history - in the annuals of crime in America.

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* Trump replaces top Georgia lawyer today 

* Mark Meadows booked

* Trump's bond agreement

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Watching on live television as Trump's plane landed and following his motorcade to the Fulton County Jail was a silent spectacle for the history books.

Reporters constantly noted that it was one of the worst jails in the country and that Trump was experiencing a taste of reality as he was being booked after spending time behind bars.

It took four indictments, but Trump finally got his mug shot.

 

Expect Democrats to have a field day with it. Because Trump is shameless, he'll use it in fundraising efforts to pay off his legion of lawyers.

There's nothing in American history to compare with what's happened with Trump's corrupt regime and his efforts to steal an election he lost. No precedent. 

That's because the founders never counted on a rogue president threatening our democracy. 

Trump's control over GOP lawmakers has never been more apparent than now. They've become his second defense team and are doing their best to keep Trump out of jail.

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House Judiciary Committee launches inquiry into Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis

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In retrospect historians will mark this time in our history "the great sorrows" when the country was so divided the United States of America was no longer united.

As it stands, this passion play has still got a long way to go.

With a Friend Like Trump Who Needs Enemies?

He's gone from being America's Mayor to being indicted for multiple crimes, including election interference in Georgia.

Now Rudy Giuliana is so broke that he can't pay his lawyer's and court fees. So, what is a corrupt lawyer (whose already had his law license revoked) supposed to do?

Oh! That's right! Go to Trump for financial help because he promised to help him out in the past. 

After dragging his feet and leaving Rudy dangling from a cliff for a while, Trump announced he's going to have a $100,000 per person fundraiser to rescue him financially.

This out of character charitable effort by The Boss is deceiving. I guarantee Trump didn't have a Road to Damascus moment. He's not built that way.

So, what's up?

First off, the fundraiser is not really so much a defense fund as it's a "don't flip on Donald" defense fund.

Secondly, and just as important to Trump, it's going to be another vehicle to siphon funds from to pay for his ever-swelling lawyer bills.

I have one question about this fundraiser; what kind of slime slithers to an event like this and flips out a fortune to save crazy Rudy? They must be even crazier than him.

Here's a hard fact about being Trump's friend; be prepared to be thrown under the bus, or at the very least dragged around like a rag doll and discarded when he gets bored or thinks you're not loyal to him. 

One iffy comment can leave you adrift in the wake of his verbal attacks on social media and right-wing news outlets. 

When deciding to be a friend of Trump it's necessary to give up your dignity, lie prolifically, and to live in an alternate universe that worships him regardless of the hateful things he does.

As it stands, as the old saying goes, "With friends like that who needs enemies?"

The Great American Hangover: Enough is Enough!

Stop already!

My head is pounding with political trash talk that's had the effect of drinking too much hard liquor for too long on my weary brain.

I'm sure there are millions of Americans who are experiencing the same thing - a hangover.

Exhaustion with constant tribal warfare is settling into the national scene like rot gut whiskey on an ulcer.

There are no support centers in the country where people can go to get cured. The Great American Hangover is here and in the foreseeable future.

MAGA morons are drunk with power in Congress as they push for an authoritarian regime under a president for life - Donald J. Trump. 

Normally a hangover will go away after the booze dissipates but our national hangover isn't showing any signs of going away soon. It just increases as the days, months, and years stagger by like drunken sailors on a never-ending shore leave.

One of the worst effects of our mutual hangover is anger. People get really pissed off easily. 

Compromising is impossible when someone's demons get in the way. It's like putting a match in a bottle of high-octane scotch. Nothing good will happen.

As it stands, if, and when, the country sobers up someday we'll find out if we still have republic.

Corporate America's Wet Dream is Coming True

Imagine an America where most of the country's regulatory agencies don't exist anymore and CEO's set the rules.

This is a warning.

The Supremely Conservative Court plans on addressing the topic this fall, and a decision is probably going to be announced next spring. It could fulfill Bannon's and Trump's promise to dismantle - or at least eviscerate - most of America's regulatory agencies.

This is a case that that could fundamentally transform America from a modern, well-functioning nation into a third-world backdrop where massive corporations and billionaires get richer.

Some background. The Legacy.

It was a Supreme Court judge's mother who set the ball rolling when she was appointed by Ronald Reagan to be in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency. (EPA)

Anne Gorsuch quickly set out to gut the EPA. She dialed back restrictions on expansion of factories and other operations that were already polluting the atmosphere.

There was a Supreme Court challenge that overruled her and the Reagan Administration.

Nevertheless, Gorsuch continued to hammer away at the agency and in her first year there was a 79 percent decline in enforcement cases, and a 69 percent drop in cases the EPA referred to the Justice Department for prosecution.

It took Congress years to overturn her cuts to the "Clean Air Act" on everything from automobiles to furniture manufactures.

Finally, Gorsuch resigned her office to avoid prosecution for what Newsweek described as a "Nasty scandal involving political manipulation, Superfund mismanagement, perjury, and destruction of subpoenaed documents," among other things.

Her son Neil was in college at the time and was enraged that she resigned. He, like Trump later on, believed in plowing through scandals and not resigning regardless of how severe the charges.

Years later, Trump appointed Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, and the mission of revenge for his mommy was underway.

To achieve Neil's goal, he and at least three other Republicans on the court appear hell-bent for leather to turn regulatory agency rule-making upside-down.

The first strike came in June 2022 when a group of right-wing justices, including Neil, overturned rules made by the EPA about CO2 emissions from power plants in the West Virginia Vs EPA decision.

The coal-, oil-, and natural gas-fired power plant industry has been celebrating ever since.

With Amy Coney Barrett (appointed by Trump) whose father was a lawyer for Shell Oil for decades, we have John Roberts, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh (appointed by Trump) who are all on the court in part because of support from a network funded by the fossil fuel billionaires and their industry (among others).

We must not forget "on the take" Clarence Thomas who flip-flopped on the subject for a while before joining his corrupt peers.

More to come.

In an upcoming case the Supreme Court is explicitly preparing to expand their victory by blowing up the entire Chevron defense (a law protecting the EPA's rights) out of the water.

The Biden administration has stepped up the EPA's defense. They have a hard fight ahead against a corrupt Supreme Court that has chosen to sell out average Americans for their sick ideology and greed.

As it stands, you probably aren't going to hear much about this issue until a decision is made next year. By then it'll be too late to do anything about it.

Up Next: The Strangest GOP Primary in History

        Since I was eligible to vote in 1971, 

I've followed presidential elections and primaries. Without a doubt the August 23 GOP primary is already proving to be the strangest yet and it's not even showtime.

Before reflecting on who is going to be at the Republicans first primary debate let's take a step back and look at what's been happening right up until today.

I've never seen a political debate where all the candidates are afraid to say anything bad about one candidate that their all competing against. It's like watching a hologram of a school of shark's circling around the biggest one with fear and respect. 

You know why? Trump is too cowardly to attend the debate, but his presence has already paralyzed the so-called competition.

Thus far eight candidates have met the qualifications to be on stage in Milwaukee. They are Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie, Doug Burgum, and Mike Pence.

Here's who hasn't qualified yet:

Asa Hutchinson, Larry Elder, Perry Johnson, and Will Hurd. 

Back to why this primary is so strange.

The participants are all supposed to be signing a pledge promising to support the winning nominee. 

That's not been the case yet according to candidate Chris Christie who says no one asked him to sign anything.

I haven't seen any other candidates waving pens and declaring they'll go along with that promise. And Trump, of course, wouldn't consider it even if he did suddenly grow a set and attend the debate.

Instead, Trump has chosen to do a pre-recorded interview with right-wing lunatic Tucker Carlson to be aired at the same time as the debate. Aired where? That I couldn't tell you and probably wouldn't if I thought it would encourage viewership.

I can't imagine what those poor idiots on stage are going to talk about. Most of them are afraid of their own shadow and hardly inspiring speakers.

The only one that will speak about the orange elephant not on the stage will probably be Chris Christie but be prepared for a bigly surprise - like several others taking cheap shots and hoping they don't get spanked by Trump's followers for heresy.

With seemingly no way to win against Trump who is dominating the polls despite being indicted in four felony cases, a reasonable person has to wonder why they're even having a debate?

Which leads to the strangest thing of all...

... a former twice-impeached president, convicted sexual abuser, tax cheat, and traitor for stealing top security documents and trying to overturn the 2020 election is the Republican's likely candidate for president in 2024.

As it stands, that's Outer Limits, Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock material in any fiction writer's book.

Gaetz Seeks to Censure J6 Judge in Desperate Attempt to Defend Trump

By now it's blatantly obvious that House MAGA Republicans are Trump's first line of defense. 

And that they don't care about their constituents as much as kissing Trump's ass.

In another pathetically partisan performance Matt Gaetz introduced a resolution Friday to censure the judge overseeing special counsel Jack Smith's case against Trump's attempt to overthrow the 2020 election.

Why?

Gaetz's office claimed U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan "is showing open bias and partisanship in her official duties on the bench."

Hearing Gaetz whine about partisanship is too much to swallow from a guy that idolizes the former president and backs his efforts to destroy our electoral system in a naked power grab.

In a recent rant Gaetz claimed (without any proof) "that Judge Chutkan's extreme sentencing of Jan. 6 defendants, showcases a complete disregard for her duty of impartiality and the rule of law."

Gaetz's real beef is he's afraid he might get pulled into the Jan. 6 investigation and face some consequences for his efforts to support Trump's coup attempt.

In a truly Trumpistic move, Gaetz is attacking judges and our entire legal infrastructure with the hope it'll muddy political waters and slow down the process of trying Trump in court.

During a hearing last week, Chutkan said she will not consider how her decisions affect political campaigns on "either side."

I suspect that terrified Trump's cabal of incompetent lawyers by undermining their wacky defense of "She doesn't like Trump" and one of them called Gaetz to get help. 

You know, it's kind of weird why Trump's lawyers (and The Boss himself) haven't said a word about Judge Aileen Cannon who is overseeing his stolen documents case.

Be that as it may, Trump's slimy minion Gaetz won't be the last one to attack Judge Chutkan because it appears MAGA Land is experiencing troubling tremors over this particular indictment.

As it stands, as I watch the stunts and antics of the GOP House majority defending a convicted sexual abuser, a twice impeached president, and defendant in four major felony trials, I can't help thinking that it isn't going to help them get re-elected in 2024.

Trump Chickens Out of 1st GOP Primary Debate: DeSantis Strategy Includes Defending Him

Let's get this straight.

Without Trump attending next week's GOP Primary Debate the show will be boring. 

But it will still have some entertainment value as Ron DeSantis (a distant second in the polls) becomes the central target for the half-dozen candidates on stage.

DeSantis, whose game plan for the debate frankly puzzles me, plans on supporting Trump (his opponent) and attacking (of all people) "Fake" Vivek Ramaswamy who's a long-shot candidate.

Why? Because Jeff Roe who leads the pro-DeSantis super PAC, said it was a good idea. Advise like that makes no sense to a normal person but we have to remember we're talking about right-wing lunatics.

Perhaps, in their world it's considered a smart approach but it's hardly going to prepare him for Chris Christie and the others piling on him in hopes of leapfrogging him in the polls.

Someone short of a sixpack in the PAC released a two-page memo encouraging DeSantis to defend Trump and to "hammer" that upstart Vivek Ramaswamy.

Can you imagine how Christie will respond when DeSantis says, "Trump isn't here so let's just leave him alone." That's when the hammering will start for Ron Boy.

Meanwhile Ramaswamy's people are laughing and calling the memo "boring" and hit "Robot Ron" for "taking lame, pre-programed attack lines to use in the debate."

Ramaswamy's spokesperson Tricia McLaughin added, If DeSantis struggles to use a spoon, I can't imagine he is particularly agile with a sledgehammer."

Apparently while doing a jig for Trump supporters his handlers told Ron to convey himself as the best leader positioned to carry "the torch" of Trumpism forward. 

That would be a nice piece of juggling that I seriously doubt he's capable of. Especially while under attack from Christie.

Speaking of Christie. Trump is afraid of him. That's the main reason he's not going to attend the debate. He remembers what Christie did to Marco Rubio during the 2016 GOP debates and his shit got weak.

My favorite part of the DeSantis' memo is when his people implore him to make mention of a "personal anecdote" or "story about his family, children" and/or his wife Casey... while SHOWING EMOTION. Wow! Is that even possible?

As it stands, that coward Trump has elected to be interviewed by Tucker Carlson the day of the debate hoping to pull viewers away from the stage.

Right-wing Terrorists Posting Hitlist of Jurors in Georgia Trump Trial

Transparency is one thing.

People's safety is another.

Georgia, unlike in federal trials, releases the names of a grand jury after a criminal indictment. Trump's minions immediately pounced upon the easily available information and are weaponizing it. 

In the last 48 hours rightwing websites are posting the jurors names and addresses in a hit list. Violence is being encouraged. People's lives are being threatened as unhinged lunatics are stalking these jurors.

What is turning out to be the biggest criminal trial in Georgia history is also a Crossing the Rubican moment for the Republican party. 

Political pundits believe the trial will stretch on for at least two years because of the large number of defendants (19 including Trump). That means the juror's lives are going to be hell for years to come.

It's important to note that Trump is a stochastic terrorist who encourages his followers to dehumanize and vilify a person or group of people with ideological hate speech. He encourages people to violently and unpredictably attack the targets of his vicious claims.

With Georgia's criminal indictment Trump faces (at least) four felony trials - one in New York, one in Florida, and one in Washington D.C. 

As of today, the governor of Arizona, Katie Hobbs, is backing another state investigation into Trump attempts to overthrow the 2020 election and disenfranchise Arizona voters.

The common denominator in all of these trials are Trump's attempts to get his cult enraged enough over his indictments to go out and commit violence in his defense.

The Georgia trial is Trump's latest attempt to terrorize the justice system, but I have a hunch we'll see the same thing if he's indicted in Arizona or any other state.

As it stands, anybody with eyes and ears knows that our former twice impeached president is the biggest threat our republic has ever faced.

Conservatives Hunting 'Tony the Tiger!'

Another cultural clown club strikes.

It's the Kellogg's Company's Tony the Tiger who's the victim this time.

The cartoon character on their popular Frosted Flakes (I still love them) is just one of the latest victims of cultural wars started by a right-wing group called America First Legal (AFL).

Their beef is the kind of red meat MAGA morons feast on. Are you ready for Wokeness?

How about claiming Kellogg's is "infused with woke ideology" and should be investigated for their policies and programs? 

How vague and pathetic, but it's this kind of misinformation that keeps conservatives tilting at symbolic windmills like Don Quixote in Miguel de Cervantes' novel.

The legal group going after Tony the Tiger (AFL) is run by a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer Stephen Miller, one of Trump's old henchmen in the West Wing.

Not surprised, are you? These cultural attacks by MAGA minions come from all types of extremist groups and Trump's cult followers.

Let's take a moment to see what Miller's slimeball associates said when they filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission recently.

According to the group's senior counselor, Reed D. Rubinstein, "Kellogg's is a publicly traded company that engages in unlawful employment practices by - wait for it - employment practices that seek to balance its workforce based on race, color, national origin, and sex."

To someone like Rubinstein the word "equity" is a euphemism for illegal discrimination. That's where the AFL is at. The last thing they want is equality for all.

Fun fact: Mark Meadows (yes that Mark Meadows who was recently indicted in the Georgia investigation to overturn the voters real results in the 2020 election under a RICO law) is the other founder of AFL. Isn't that interesting?

Meadows and Miller's strike group of crazies also took issue with the company's efforts to diversify its leadership. Horrors!

So why Tony this time?

When a Tony the Tiger mascot showed up "linking elbows" with the controversial transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney at the 76th Annual Tony awards in New York City, AFL's members reaction left a lot of dirty diapers in their rage.

Their rage increased when they found out Cheez-Its featured a drag queen RuPaul on its product. Expect more stupid stunts like this in the future as long as there is an alternate universe where MAGA minions think they rule.

As it stands, this one crossed my red line because Tony and I are old buddies going back to the 1960s. He's G..R..E..A..T..!

It's About That Mugshot: Upcoming Poster of Trump Will Sell Out

Trump didn't have to get a mug shot while being booked and arraigned for numerous state felonies during his first indictment which was a major disappointment to me and millions of Americans.

When it comes to political collectibles a poster of Trump's booking mug shot will be the golden grail (or golden calf) of collecting memorabilia.

It won't just be posters that will feature his famous orange makeup while scowling for the camera.

The collectibles market is going to be swamped with Trump mug shots on glasses, coffee cups, t-shirts, hoodies, posters, stickers for vehicle bumpers and windows, toilet seat covers, women's handbags, and on and on.

McDonald's could have a new ad campaign connecting the original HamBurglar ads in the 1970s (where they had this clownish character wearing prison stripes and a black scarf with floppy hat who was constantly trying to steal -and failing - hamburgers for himself) to Trump's criminal mug shot with a backstory of how loves their burgers and how he ate them in the White House.

Using an updated clownish figure with an orange face and tiny hands in the new ad campaign would be perfect in this polarized society. 

Here's the thing.

Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat recently told the press "Unless somebody tells me differently, we are following our normal practices, and it doesn't matter your status, we'll have a mug shot ready for you."

Will Trump cronies somehow stop the mug shot from happening? It's a good question. The arraignment for Trump's attempt to overthrow Georgia's voters' choice is, Friday, August 25th.

As it stands, we'll find out then.

The Twilight Zone is Back with a Season About Treason

      Narrator: "You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not of sight and sound but of mind."

I remember the first episode of The Twilight Zone on Oct. 2, 1959. I was nine years-old and instantly became a fan of the series where reality and imagination blended together.

The last episode was on June 19th, 1964. After five seasons of thought-provoking stories that often had a surprising twist or unexpected ending the show was canceled.

Meanwhile...

...back to 2023 where another season of the iconic sci-fi series is underway. It began on January 20th, 2017, when Trump became president, and is still ongoing.

This current season concentrates on Treasonous episodes in America starring our rogue former president and his MAGA cult.

The twists and turns of each episode are enough to keep the entire country watching treason unfold as Trump tried to overthrow the 2020 election and is currently seeking a repeat in 2024.

As hostages to the weekly chaos, madness, and attempts to destroy democracy, the American people are confused, angry, and scared. Each episode gets stranger and poses dangers to our republic.

Past snippets from early episodes:

Episode 9 - Trump gives American Carnage speech at his inauguration foreshadowing future events.

Episode 10 - Hundreds of thousands of protestors gathered in D.C. and other cities for the Women's March on Washington (the day after Trump's was sworn in), one of the largest single-day protests in history.

Episode 14 - Watch as Trump breaks all norms about presidential behavior, ranging from feuding with a military widow to reducing the size of a national monument. 

Episode 17 - In a bizarre scene Trump is hosting TIME correspondents at a private dinner in the White House. He gets two scoops on his ice cream cone, while everyone else got one. Note: it became a viral meme.

Episode 22 - Trump huddles up with the Russian Foreign Minister to the U.S. in the Oval Office and reveals highly classified information, calling Comey "a real nut job" and criticizing the FBI investigation over his involvement with Russians during his presidential campaign.

Episode 31 - In an eerie sequence we see Trump and wife Melania, Saudi Arabia's King Salmann bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi with their hands on a mysterious illuminated globe. Viewers are left wondering what kind of evil they are planning. 

Episode 38 - In a stunning revelation of clueless meanness we see Trump touring an emergency shelter in Houston for people displaced by Hurricane Harvey and tells reporters he sees a "lot of happiness" and tells everyone there "to have a good time."

Episode 45 - Americans are shocked to see how dumb Trump is when he's spotted staring at the sun during the solar eclipse without wearing protective viewing glasses. An aide is heard shouting "Don't look!"

The above snippets were from his first year in office. If you watch the next three years episodes, you'll see how Trump grew even crazier and more dangerous. By the time he lost the 2020 election he went full loon on his numerous attacks against reality, facts, and evidence.

Then defying all reality (like a good Twilight Zone story should) Trump claimed the election was stolen and led a coup attempt against our government and constitution that has polarized the nation up until today.

As it stands, if you feel like you're in The Twilight Zone... you just may be! 

Anti-Press Rhetoric Leads to an Unconstitutional Raid on a 154-Year-old Newspaper

According to The Press Freedom Tracker there's been 55 incidents targeting journalists' First Amendment-protected activities thus far this year.

(Photo: A raid on this small-town newspaper - The Marion County Record - has enraged free press advocates nationally)   

Make that 56 after a small-town police force in Kansas raided the office of a local newspaper and the home of its publisher!

The entire five-member police department seized computers, cell phones and other reporting materials effectively shutting down the operation of an historic newspaper founded in 1869.

The Marion County Record's 98-year-old co-owner was apparently so overwhelmed by the incident that she collapsed and died the following day according to Publisher Eric Meyer.

What prompted the gestapo-like raid?

Two things.

* The newspaper was actively investigating Gideon Cody, Marion's chief of police, following allegations that he retired from a previous job to avoid punishment over accusations of sexual misconduct.  

* The raid came after a complaint by a local restaurant owner named Keri Newell. She was upset with the newspaper's reporting that she kicked out reporters from a recent event at her establishment with Republican Congressman Jake LaTurner. 

She also found out that the publisher had unearthed her past DUI violation looking through government records. It's important to note Meyer chose not to do a story about it.

Meanwhile a Marion County District Court Magistrate Judge Laura Viar signed a two-page warrant that allowed the police to take anything "pertaining to Keri Newell." 

During the raid Chief Cody reportedly dislocated one reporter's finger after snatching her phone from her hand. Officers also reportedly photographed personal financial statements and seized personal items - including a smart speaker used by the newspapers 98-year-old co-owner Joan Meyer to ask for assistance.

Adding to the unconstitutionality of the raid was the fact that NO probable cause warrant was filed with the court. That's flat out against the law.

The Good News

With the help of other newspapers (even their competition) and free press groups across the country The Marion County Record was able to meet their deadline for their next publication because of the donations of computers, servers, and other equipment.

The newspaper is expected to file a federal lawsuit.

As it stands, anti-press rhetoric has become too pervasive in America thanks to the former twice impeached president who has been criminally indicted with 70 felonies (with more on the way) "fake news" mantra.

How Free and Safe Are You in Today's Society?

        Determining what rights/freedoms 

...you still have in America today depends upon several factors.

* Where you live

If you live in a red state - as opposed to a blue one - your rights are getting trampled by extreme conservatives who don't believe a woman has the right to her own body and should meekly accept their twisted ideology.

If you live in a blue state, a woman has more rights to her body and health care options.

If you live in a red state, it's more likely that radical groups are banning books in schools and libraries.

If you live in a blue state, the chance of book bans in schools and libraries is considerably less and generally only in certain rural counties. 

If you live in a red state, your children are more likely to be indoctrinated in a fact free version of history. Take Florida as a prime example.

If you live in a blue state, your children are more likely to get an education based upon factual history. Again, there's exceptions in some counties in some states.

* Who You Are

If you're a Caucasian, then you have more civil rights than other ethnic groups in America.

If you're Black or Brown, it's another story. Look at national police reports in every state and you'll find that more blacks are charged for crimes than Hispanics (they're 2nd) and of course Caucasians.

If you're religious, you could be targeted and murdered for your beliefs. Jews in particular are constantly suffering from attacks by deranged white nationalists across the country.

If you identify with the LGBTQ community, you're being marginalized by MAGA Republicans. You are also a moving target for hate groups no matter where you go. Trans rights are being stripped away daily in state courts.

* How Much Money & Power You Have

Too many freedoms in this country only apply if you're rich and have political power. The elite. The entitled. Politicians who make decisions to benefit themselves and not for the people they're supposed to serve.

We've become a caste society much like India. The haves and have nots with a sprinkling in-between of a frail middle class. 

As it stands, how free and safe are you?