It's a 'Catch-22' Situation on America's Southern Border

If you describe a situation as a Catch-22, you mean it is an impossible situation because you cannot do one thing until you do the other, but you cannot do the second thing until you do the first thing.

This is exactly what's happened on our southern border.

Everyone in both parties agrees that something has to be done about the un-checked flood of migrants crossing our southern border.

But taking action is an entirely different story. There's a bipartisan bill in the Senate that will address the immigration problem. It's stalled now because Trump told Mitch McConnell and Mike Johnson NOT to pass any legislation that will solve the problem so Trump can campaign on the hot button issue.

Even if the Senate does pass it, MAGA Mike said he won't even bring the bill to the floor, effectively paralyzing the House. 

To be clear, the Republican party is prepared to make the border situation even more perilous in order to get Trump re-elected president. So now until November there would be no hope for a solution.

Meanwhile Texas Gov. Abbott is preparing to go to war with the federal government. Abbott ignored the Supreme Court's ruling to take away the concertina barbwire in the river and to let federal agents resume their monitoring duties on the border.

In an act of total defiance, Abbott has refused to obey the Supreme Court ruling and has declared Texas has the right to defend itself against an invasion. Twenty-five GOP governors are supporting Abbott, and some are sending (or already have) their national guard units to join the rebellious state.

Trump is smiling right now. His operatives in Congress are obeying his every demand and MAGA governors are defying the Supreme Court in order to keep the chaos level high. In his tiny lizard brain Trump sees himself solving the border problem with draconian legislation.

On Monday a convoy of MAGA big rigs are going to travel along the border, starting in California, then Arizona and finally Texas. Tune in to your news and count the Trump flags. 

Blocking the Biden administration from being able to solve the dire situation is one of Trump's many corrupt schemes to become America's first dictator. He could care less about the continued chaos.

Hopefully sane Americans who love their country will somehow prevail against this deadly Catch-22. I believe average Americans can see what's happening right now. Trump is no longer hiding his authoritarian vision for our country.

As it stands, the bottom line is to vote blue in November. It's that simple if you want to save democracy and your own freedoms. 

Brief Blog Break: Back Sunday

Time for a 4-day break... just because.

Seeing as how you stopped by why not check out my archives (right side of page)? There's years of stories and opinion pieces to peruse.

Interested in reading some poetry or flash fiction go to The Creative Chronicles of Dave Stancliff.

Here's a sample: The Language of Color

More to see.

Here's a link to the daily newspaper - The Times Standard in Eureka, California. I wrote a Sunday Opinion column for the publication for five years after I retired as a newspaper editor.

Here's a sample: When Love Calls: a brief look at a four-letter word

Something to ponder...

This year's presidential election is going to be historical in many ways. Americans may lose their hard-fought freedoms under an authoritarian rule by Trump if he wins.

It's MAGA versus America.

If you haven't registered to vote this year, do it now. More important Vote Blue if you want to preserve the republic.

As it stands, I highly recommend taking a few days away from the chaos in your life every now and to just have fun. Life is too short.

Are Tests for Cognitive Decline Something to Brag About?

Listening to Trump speak at recent campaign rallies raises the question of the orange clown's sanity.

Between thinking he's running against Barrack Obama and confusing Nikkie Halley with Nanci Pelosi; he's been talking crazier in each new public appearance.

While campaigning in New Hampshire he went on a rant about how smart he is and how he "aced" another cognitive test for dementia recently. 

For the record, there are three scientifically accepted cognitive tests. None of them have whales despite Trump's claim that his test featured one. 

Let's think about that for a moment.

The purpose of a cognitive test is to see if the brain is functioning correctly. There's generally a reason to take one. It's not like an annual eye exam. You don't take a cognitive test unless there's a reason.

Cognitive skills and knowledge involve the ability to acquire factual information, often the kind of knowledge that can easily be tested. Cognitive science is a growing field of study that deals with human perception, thinking, and learning.

Let's put it this way; if you were having troubles like hearing voices in your head, or were speaking coherently was a challenge, would you broadcast that to the world? Or would you quietly see a doctor to get help?

How many friends or family do you know that would go to a party and brag about taking cognitive tests like they were badges of honor?

However, if you go to a Trump rally, he makes a big deal of the test as a measure of what a stable genius offers. Worse yet, his cult followers need to take cognitive tests themselves due to their lack of critical thinking or belief in reality.

Trump's father had dementia in his late 70s and the odds that Donald does goes up with every public speech he makes showing his condition is getting worse.

As it stands, the idea that the Republican party is promoting an arguably crazy man shows just what trouble democracy is in today.

Why Americans Aren't Happy

 A recent Forbes survey of the top 20 happiest countries in the world lists the United States at #15. Finland was #1. 

With that empirically established what's the problem? 

Why are we so miserable in the Land of the Free? We have the biggest economy in the world. So, what's the problem?

Overall, the fear of losing freedoms is like a blanket over our national consciousness. It seems like everyone is afraid they're going to lose something important in their lives.

These fears are magnified by the political polarization in the nation that are tearing apart norms and precedented laws at an alarming rate since Trump turned the Republican party into a cult of one.

With a presidential election looming in November, this is a particularly divisive time because democracy is on the ticket. 

If Trump wins, it will become an authoritarian hell in America. He openly advocates for shredding the Constitution and making himself a dictator at his rallies.

Americans are afraid, confused, and angry at the constant chaos across the country. As a nation we can't do anything about mass shootings that plague our schools and public places. Other counties have travel warnings about the risks of visiting the United States.

Many older Americans long for a mythical past where everything was just peachy. 

Many younger Americans see no future for themselves because of the devasting effects of climate change brought on by greedy corporations. It's a bleak outlook, but not an unrealistic one.

We have several generations that have always known war (or undeclared wars like Vietnam). It's no wonder people's mental states have been weakened by the constant global combat that has been their norm.

The battle for equality for all races has become more intense now than it was prior to the Civil War. Racism is ripping our social fabric apart. Extremism is everywhere.

We have millions of homeless and disenfranchised people living in the streets of cities from coast to coast. Note: there's no homelessness in Finland.

Since the pandemic we have large swaths of people who've become addicted to social media where there is little, if any, content control. Lies and misinformation are on a thousand platforms spreading hate. Tech companies rely on the massive traffic they produce online.

As it stands, the brief summary above is just some of the main reasons Americans aren't as happy as many other countries.

"We have seen the enemy, and it is us." - Pogo 

My Wife is an Empath - The Benefits and the Challenges She Faces

My wife Shirley is an empath and after being married 49 years I've watched how that affects her life.

Empaths, for the record are people who have a higher than usual level of empathy, called hyper empathy. 

Because Shirley has so many friends - many dating back to junior high school - she's always encouraging and sympathizing with someone. This means there's a lot of highs and lows as she finds out one friend had a baby or that another suffered a tragic loss, or even died.

My impression is it's not easy being an empath. But the world needs empaths more than ever in our polarized society. They're known for listening and being unjudgmental. You can feel their silent power of love no matter who you are.

Just think, if we had more empaths in our lives what a different world, we'd live in. The lack of empathy is wearing away at the gears of society, grinding us down to the nubs.

Ironically, the very technology that is supposed to keep us connected is actually driving us apart. Face-to-face interactions are declining, and news is filtered through an echo chamber that shelters us from other points of view. 

The thing about empaths is they have big hearts and can be emotionally crushed by a friend's drama. 

I've seen the devastation Shirley experiences when a friend is sick, dying, or depressed over personal losses. It leaves her exhausted. She can be easily affected by the plight of others. Complete strangers.

It's not easy being so highly attuned to the energies and emotions around her. On the other hand, the benefits are lifetime relationships with people she loves. Being a social person, Shirley thrives when we get together with family and friends.

Are you an empath? There's a fun test at the Personality Lab online if you'd like to get to know yourself with the Enneagram test. While objective empathy level testing is difficult this is one test that has gained acceptance among the scientific community.

As it stands, needless to say, I'm blessed to live with an empath who always has my back.

Flip the Script: If Biden Loses Dems Should Do a 'Trump' and Not Recognize The Results

Why should Americans accept Trump as the new president despite his criminal history if he's re-elected?

If by some terrible twist Trump did get re-elected, it'll be because his Republican cronies in Congress and red state politicians gamed the electoral system.

The GOP has spent the last three years on a campaign to disenfranchise Democratic voters through gerrymandering and other ruthless means to game the vote.

The MAGA cult has grown and is spreading like poison mushrooms in federal and state governments. It remains to be seen how much damage these trolls for Trump will inflict on our electoral system.

Remember this isn't Trump's first rodeo. He failed in 2020 but learned how to manipulate the government during his regime. This added knowledge and insider contacts will help him in his efforts to steal this election.

That's what Trump is planning on for good reason. His followers will do anything to see him restored to his - what will be a throne - in the White House. Cheating and intimidating at state polling places is a given if you look at the types of election laws the GOP has passed since they lost in 2020.

There would be legitimate challenges for the Democrats to question the validity of vote totals. These challenges would spring up in every court in the land.

Then you have to ask yourself how deeply MAGA has infiltered our entire judicial system - from top to bottom? Will there be enough neutral judges to preserve the sanctity of the court? 

Were we just lucky the last time when every court challenge MAGA threw out - 61 of them - were rejected? 

Trump lost in 2020 by over 8 million votes and I'd hazard to say he's pissed off more Americans since then.

As it stands, one thing is for sure, whoever wins there's going to be chaos in the country. Peaceful transitions of power are a part of our past that we may never see again. 

Disinformation is Destroying Americans Trust in Truth

How does disinformation hurt our republic? 

Let me count the ways:

1. Widing partisan divides are crippling Congress from passing any legislation.

2. Public trust in government is at an all-time high.

3. It's getting harder for average citizens to find neutral news sources.

4. Risks to national security, safety and voting rights have increased under the MAGA movement that relies on lies and partisan propaganda.

5. Watchers are challenged by the lack of transparency from social media companies.

6. So-called black boxes surround the algorithms that serve up content, and the inability to see what is happening on the platforms in real time has only gotten worse.

7. MAGA politicians and activists target researchers, universities, tech companies and journalists who point out their lies.

8. Social media space has become fragmented with the ascendancy of alternatives including Substack, Telegram, Threads, and Rumble as viable spaces for far-right political actors and extreme content.

9. A potential threat lies in AI tools' ability to personalize misinformation, making it harder for social media to platforms to moderate because it appears authentic.

10. Election deniers have infected Congress and are running interference for former president Trump's current re-election efforts.

I could go on, but the above pretty much captures the highlights why disinformation is such a threat to this nation.

As it stands, we must be prepared for the most contentious presidential election in history by being aware of the challenges I've mentioned above. And for an election even worse than the 2020 attempts to overthrow the government.

Secretive Group Getting on State Ballots Wins Right to Block Candidates from Running for Office

They call themselves No Labels.

The secretive political group funded by anonymous donors can prohibit members from using its ballot line to run for office in Arizona according to a federal judge's ruling Tuesday.

That decision enabled the group to maintain control and secrecy around its operations and finances as Trump critics warn No Labels could help re-elect Trump by taking away voters who might otherwise for President Joe Biden.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes was blocked by a judge from recognizing candidates wanting to run for office under the No Labels banner.

Fontes warned that the ruling could keep 19,000 No Labels party members from voting in a primary, and the precedent could allow party bosses to decide who can run for office from any party!

The judge's ruling is going to disenfranchise 19,000 Arizona voters if it stands. Worse yet it has the potential to derail the entire candidate process in the state. 

After spending tens of millions of dark dollars to secure ballot access in all 50 states the group has been drawing increased scrutiny lately.

The group's critics have pushed for transparency around its donors, who have refused to disclose them, hoping that state campaign finance laws could help get that information.

If the ruling remains it could support the No Labels argument that it doesn't have to file campaign finance disclosures under the Arizona law because it is not supporting any candidates for state office.

Yet.

The grand plan is to announce a third party presidential, and vice-president pick, after getting on all 50 state ballots. Meanwhile the group continues to obscure their donors. 

No Labels is a dark money "centrist" group that was launched in 2010 when Republicans in Congress were united in an effort to block all of President Obama's legislative initiatives.

Since 2018, the group vowed to support lawmakers who were willing to meet in the middle, regardless of which party they belong to. Sounds good, doesn't it?

Well consider this, this third-party gambit to not reveal the names of the donors is because of a 2010 U.S. Court of Appeals ruling and a 2014 decision by the Federal Election Commission which held that until a nonprofit nominates a candidate, it is not subject to campaign finance rules. Sneaky, eh?

Throughout this process the group has been funneling money to campaigns through a web of Super PACs. One of the known donors is Harlan Crow, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's billionaire buddy.

No Labels has no purpose but to take away votes from Joe Biden in swing states like Arizona. All the talk about unity and transparency is a stalking horse for extremists involved in an effort to upset the 2024 election.

As it stands, don't pay attention to what No Labels is spoon feeding the public. Pay attention to what they're actually doing.

GOP Iowa Caucus Winner in Court Today - Facing Defamation Penalties

Only in America today.

A presidential candidate and former president wins the Republican caucus in Iowa and has to appear in court the next day in a rape and defamation trial.

Trump's takeaway was over 50% of the votes making him the majority favorite. Surprisingly Ron DeSantis came in second (by a country mile).

Interesting tidbits...

Eighty-two percent of Nikkie Halley supporters said that if she isn't the Republican candidate for president they will vote for Joe Biden.

Among the rank-and-file MAGA supporters 32% reported they would NOT vote for Trump if he's convicted. That's significant. Democrats need to be ready to bring them into the fold.

There was a much smaller turnout than the last caucus because of the bad weather.

So today Trump is in court finding how much money he's going to have to pay E. Jean Carroll for defaming her for a 2nd time after losing a prior rape and defamation trial.

And believe it or not, he's trying to portray himself as a victim of the cruel court for not postponing the trial so he could go to his mothers-in-law funeral on Thursday.

There's one big problem with that, however. Trump doesn't have to appear in court in the trial. He decided to go today so he could lie to his cult followers and tell them he was being treated inhumanly by the Biden-loving court who wouldn't let him go to his beloved mother-in-law's funeral.

Today's appearance in court is just another form of a campaign rally staged against the backdrop of the judicial system. It's been working thus far as he raises funds after every appearance in court in the four jurisdictions where he's charged with 91 felony indictments. 

This election is going to make history for a lot of reasons. The very fact that Ultra MAGA followers will vote for him even if he's convicted in these trials is amazing. He would be the first felon-in-chief if elected.

I expect the trials ahead will be more dramatic because they are going to be jury trials. So, buckle up, grab some popcorn, and be prepared for entertainment unlike anything you ever saw or heard before.

As it stands, we face the biggest threat to democracy this republic has ever known. Vote blue to preserve you freedoms.

Fear and Loathing in Iowa: Welcome to the GOP Caucus

Amid below-zero temperatures the Iowa Caucus went on with the show today.

Supporters of Ron Desantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Donald Trump are braving the extreme weather to pick their extreme candidate for president.

Trump's cult followers are the most likely to turn out even if they have to hitch rides on snow ploughs. I suspect that data will prove that out in the aftermath of the event.

According to the latest polls Nikki Haley supporters loath Trump and if she's NOT the party's candidate they will vote for Joe Biden.

The driving message among the four candidates is FEAR. 

Fear that whites are being marginalized in America because of immigrants and people of color.

Fear of gender equity.

Fear of the LGBTQ community.

Fear of Trump. The other candidates fear him so much they make assholes of themselves defending his indefensible actions while meekly running against him. 

The whole event has the feeling of being predetermined. If the polls are right 69% of Republicans want Trump to return to the scene of the crime - The White House.

You get the feeling that the sideshow candidates - everyone but Trump - don't stand a snowball's chance in hell to win in frozen Iowa. 

I've watched reporters follow around the candidates for the last week, attending their mini-rallies and asking them questions they never really answered. 

It was chilling to hear candidates spread conspiracies and lies through their chattering teeth. If any of the candidates had an actual platform for governing, they hid it well.

Two things that seem the most unreal...

1) Elderly Trump supporters braving sub-zero temperatures to elect a twice-impeached former president with 91 felony charges in four jurisdictions, including a coup attempt, making that kind of effort to restore the most corrupt man in American history.

2) Despite the serious court cases coming against Trump he continues to drag the Republican party around like a dirty dish rag.

As it stands, the only candidate that really stands a chance of beating Trump is Nikki Haley, but she's going against cult followers who'll walk on coals, or ice, to support their master.

The 2 Biggest Reasons Why Americans Are Turning their Backs on Religion

In God We Trust.

Well, maybe not so much in these chaotic times despite the motto being on American currency since 1955 when it became law by a joint resolution of the 84th Congress.

Since the turn of the century attendance in churches has declined. With fewer younger participants, the typical age congregants are rising.

But the two biggest factors for the recent decline of organized religion are the pandemic and politics.

Politics 

There's been a growing movement among evangelicals mixing politics with religion. This polarization has paralyzed our government and threatened our freedoms.

There's what I call the core evangelicals who actually follow the teaching of Jesus Christ. Then you have people who identify as evangelicals but don't go to church or follow the teachings in the bible. They use the term as a cultural marker.

It's the latter group who mindlessly follow Trump like he's an orange Jesus that pose the biggest threat to the church's legitimacy. These so-called evangelicals are among the core base of Trump's cult. 

Worse, they have infected Congress and our judicial system with their sick ideology that rejects true Christian values.

The Pandemic

According to a nationwide report Christian clergy are experiencing a post-pandemic burnout that's prompting many to think about leaving their jobs.

More than 4 in 10 of clergy surveyed in fall 2023 had seriously considered leaving their congregations at least once since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The high rates of ministers considering quitting reflects the "collective drama" that both clergy and congregants have experienced since 2020, according to a survey by the Hartford Institute for Religious Research.

Many clergy members cited dwindling attendance, declining rates of volunteering, and members resistance to further change as factors that have discouraged them.

As it stands, at a time when truth is constantly challenged, American churches face an uncertain future.

'A Good Day for the Constitution and Democracy' A Pushback on Book Banning

Thanks to Florida's fascist Gov. Ron DeSantis the state has the distinction of banning more books than any other red state.

Florida school districts and public libraries have become battlegrounds for MAGA morons determined to indoctrinate students in radical ideologies.

The good news is there's a court case against this growing fascist movement involving the Escambia County School District for pulling more than 1,600 books from school libraries.

U.S. District court Judge T. Kent Wetherell II refused the state's request to throw out the plaintiff's case against book banning and gave the district 28 days to respond. The judge ruled that the First Amendment claim could move forward.

In a truly stunning move, the school district even banned at least five dictionaries along with eight different encyclopedias.

* The American Heritage Children's Dictionary

* Webster's Dictionary for Students

* Merriam-Webster's Elementary Dictionary

* The Clear and Thesaurus Dictionary

* The Dictionary of Costume

The Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley's Believe it or Not, were among the eight banned encyclopedias.

Pen America, an organization that supports prosecuted writers and promotes literary culture filed the lawsuit against Escambia last May. 

The school district is trying to keep students from accessing dictionaries which, in defining sex and other concepts like LGBTQ, are considered to violate state law 1069.

However, the judge said the district could remove books only for legitimate reasons, such as the inclusion of pornographic material, not because officials consider them "woke" or immoral.

This lawsuit is extremely important. It's a first of its kind federal lawsuit alleging that an earlier set of book bans and restrictions violate their rights to free speech and equal protection under the law.

As it stands, the far-right lunatics in this country are doing their best to take away our freedoms, from women's rights to banning books. We're in a battle to retain the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. Vote Blue in November.

MAGA Members Ambushed in Contempt of Congress Hearing on Hunter Biden

It was like Custer's last stand. 

Pumped up MAGA House members eager to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for refusing to attend a closed door, Soviet style, interrogation, had smirks on their faces.

This was going to be fun. Each MAGA member had visions of great media coverage as they owned the liberals. 

Then Hunter Biden appeared with his lawyers and offered to testify before Congress right then.

There were gasps of surprise. There were angry murmurs like bees in the room as everyone witnessed their unsolicited presence as they sat before the panel. 

Suddenly Comer's clown show was in trouble as his hypocrisy was exposed to the world. This wasn't supposed to happen. The look on Comer's face was somewhere between rage and resignation.

Democratic members circled the MAGA loyalists and shot them down with one fact after another. It was almost embarrassing to watch how easy it was.

What was supposed to be a contempt of Congress hearing for President Biden's son Hunter turned into a referendum on Republicans who also refused to respond to subpoenas.

Rep. Jamie Raskin read them out loud.

Jim Jordan. Kevin McCarthy. Andy Biggs. Scott Perry. Mo Brooks. All were subpoenaed by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. All had first-hand knowledge of events that happened that day but refused to respond. They still haven't.

And there they were, going after President Biden's son for doing the same thing. MAGA moron Nancy Mace made a fool out of herself spewing malicious lies and venom like a snake.

My favorite part was when Hunter and his lawyers got up and walked out when Marjorie Taylor Greene was about to speak. You could see she was visibly shaken because her moment in the limelight was disappearing with a contemptuous Hunter and company.

Reporters followed them out the door as Greene helplessly watched while shouting insults.

Hunter's trip to Capitol Hill was a great legal strategy. It forced Comer to put up or shut up. He did neither. Instead, he sat there and absorbed the scorn heaped on him with a blank stupid look and stubbornly went on with the hearing.

As it stands, Comer's clown shows continue in spite of no evidence and outright poison partisan politics on display for all of America to view.

'The King of the NRA' Resigns Just Before Corruption Trial

The National Rifle Association is trying to pull a fast one on New York Attorney General Letitia James prior to their trial for corruption in New York.

In a sly move NRA attorneys are hoping to dodge penalties in the civil corruption trial before it even starts by claiming their leader Wayne LaPierre's sudden resignation proves there is no longer "ongoing and persistent" wrongdoing at the gun lobby.

The gun lobby claims that jurors should hear evidence of the NRA's "course correction," including that LaPierre is on his way out in a recent court filling. The NRA was not LaPierre's enabler, they argued. Rather they were a victim of "former rogue officers" which apparently includes LaPierre.

AG Letitia James was skeptical over the timing of the resignation, just three days before trial. That it was meant to gain an advantage at trial.

After standing with LaPierre for 30 years the gun lobby has suddenly claimed he was a rogue. In her opening statement AG James promised jurors that testimony over the next five weeks would show that loyal NRA employees considered LaPierre as their "king."

Let's stop here for a moment.

Why would the 76-person gun lobby board suddenly decide to un-throne their king of 30-years? The guy is highly popular in the five-million membership non-profit. He was re-elected in 2022 despite the fact he was being investigated for corruption at the time.

My guess is it's an end-run. His supposed resignation is a red herring. As soon as the trial is over, the board can turn around and reinstall the King. 

AG James realizes that, so she is asking the judge to bar the NRA from ever reinstalling him back to his throne. Her reasoning is sound. LaPierre is still going to get in trouble and the NRA is still going to be held accountable regardless of their scheme. 

Loyal LaPierre board members looked the other way and actively enabled his greed, according to AG James.

As it stands, the NRA has been ripping off its membership for three decades. Regardless of the results of this trial I fully expect the group to continue lying and fearmongering to raise funds which will eventually end up in their pockets. 

There's Nothing Graceful About Growing Old

The next time I hear someone talking about growing old gracefully I'm going to clean their clock!

There's nothing graceful about wrinkles, or your skin turning into parchment paper.

There's nothing graceful about palsied hands so bony their almost luminescent.

There's nothing graceful about food running down your chin because your dentures are loose.

There's no way to be graceful when you stop in the middle of conversations and forget the current subject and start babbling about something else.

There's nothing graceful about wearing eyeglasses so thick your eyes look like boiled eggs.

There's no way you can appear graceful when the battery on your hearing aid isn't working and you're desperately trying to read lips and look cool by nodding constantly.

It's hard to be graceful when your inner organs are at war after years of misuse resulting in flatulence and worse. 

It's also hard to be graceful when your children, and great grandchildren talk about technological things that simply don't make sense to you...without getting irritated.

I know people mean well when they say someone is aging gracefully despite being hard of hearing, nearly blind, and barely being able to walk but let's get real... there's nothing graceful about growing old!

As it stands, I thought a silly rant might make your day today. I hope I achieved that goal. 

Deep Denial: Republicans Insist on Pursuing a Fantasy Story

To be a member of the Republican Party these days you have to be prepared to live in an alternative world where truth and facts fall victim to wild conspiracies and big lies.

Take Rep. Elise Stefanik for example. She refuses to say the 2020 election was legal - despite mountains of evidence - and now she's saying she might not certify the 2024 election if she doesn't like the results.

That's traitorous talk in any book. A Congressperson openly warning she won't accept the real results of a presidential election if she doesn't like it. Why isn't she locked up?

House Speaker MAGA Mike calls the description of him as an election denier "nonsense" but he won't say Biden won the 2020 election. As a matter of fact, he was one of the chief drivers of the false elector grift that many GOP members signed on to that year.

Illinois presidential candidates are asked to pledge an oath not to overthrow the government (it's been going on 50 years and is more of a tradition than anything else) and to no one's surprise Trump wouldn't sign it.

Maybe his lawyers told him not to since he's currently being investigated for trying to overthrow the government in 2020.

What's hard to understand is the entire Republican Party is pursuing a fantasy about what a great world it would be to have Trump for president again. Despite his regime being the most corrupt in American history.

Again, facts bear out the toxic chaos that occurred during the Trump administration. We're still paying residuals for allowing his ardent followers to infect our courts and Congress.

There's no deep state, as Republicans claim. There's just a deep denial of reality for political purposes to gain power.

I began this year by promising readers I wouldn't write about Trump as much as I did last year. I'm failing already. When I look around for news stories to comment on 80% of them involve Trump in one way or another.

That poses a problem. As a retired newspaper editor and publisher, I'm used to commenting on the events of the day. Ignoring Trump - especially during this election year - is impossible. I just can't do it.

I will try to limit my coverage of the orange orangutan as much as possible. But this is the most critical year of my lifetime - and yours. The republic has never faced a more challenging year. We may sink into a dictatorship this fall if Trump is somehow re-elected.

Democracy is on the line. Listen to what Trump's saying right now. Believe him. He'll bring a scorched earth policy against anyone he deems an enemy and intends to expand presidential powers so that no one, or law, can stop him from ruling like one of the several dictators he currently admires.

As it stands, I never could stand by and ignore corrupt politicians. I exposed them at every opportunity. I guess some things never change.

Why Congress Can't Come Up with a Border Policy

In 12 days the first batch of government funding runs out if there's no agreement on border policies. 

A shutdown looms like a dark cloud over Washington DC.

With time running out for agreement senators return to Washington on Monday and plan on holding a full party meeting on Tuesday. That leaves 10 days for the House and the Senate to hammer out a deal. That would require a political miracle after years of total opposition on border security.

The rumor is the Senate's bipartisan border negotiators are optimistic about a potential agreement. Arizona Independent Kyrsten Sinema recently revealed she met with House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday. If that's supposed to encourage people, it fell flat with me.

Just look at the history.

If Republicans really wanted to solve the border crisis, why did they vote down a $100 billion-plus emergency national security spending package request last month?

The biggest sticking point remains striking a compromise (the word is not in the MAGA dictionary) over changes to the president's parole authority, which so far has been a red line for the White House.

The dirty not so secret reason is the GOP is more interested in using the hot topic border narrative in their political campaigns by casting all the blame on the Democrats for their inability to come up with legislation to solve the problem.

What would they do if legislation were actually passed? Republicans would lose one of their best campaign talking points. It would be like cutting their nose off to spite their face.

So, what happens next?

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Did you know?

That presidential candidate RFK was Jeffrey Epstein's guest several times to Lolita Island? 

He even copped to it to News Nation when asked. "I took two plane rides with Jeffrey Epstein," he said. Infer what you will from this association. Those Kennedy boys do have a reputation.

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Forest Gump?

There's a Toronto man who ran 242 freestyle marathons - marathon length runs with no set course - over the course of 2023 may have broken a world record.

Ben Pobjoy, who called his project the "Marathon Earth Challenge" traveled across North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia, running 26.2 miles in each location.

Pobjoy said he submitted evidence of his runs to Guiness World Records for review.  

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As it stands, "All you need in life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure." - Mark Twain 

Jan.6 - The Day Democracy Almost Died - Has Become a Day for MAGA Celebration

       Three years ago, Trump attempted to overthrow our electoral system by summoning his cult followers to the Capitol in an attempt to subvert the 2020 election results. 

It was one of the darkest days in American history. Over 1,300 rioters have been charged and convicted for their parts in the coup attempt.

As President Biden said yesterday at Valley Forge, "Democracy is at stake" referring to Trump's attempt to get re-elected president.

But Jan. 6 has become a time for celebration for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and the Osceola Republican Party.

A Florida resort scheduled to host Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for what organizers claimed would be a small book signing abruptly cancelled it Thursday after learning the gathering was actually meant to commemorate the third anniversary of the deadly Jan 6 assault on the Capitol.

Westgate Resorts' Kissimmee, Florida, location said the Osceola Republican Party made no mention of Jan. 6 when they pitched the event as a mere book signing for Greene.

It's just another example of how underhanded Trump's cult members are. They've been trying to re-write history for the past three years. The really disgusting part is there are numerous cult supporters in Congress who follow Trump like lemmings with rabies.

Nothing can change the reality of what happened on Jan.6.

Trump's treasonous followers left five people dead and about 140 police officers injured. On top of that the attack traumatized Americans who watched the horror unfold on live TV. Suddenly our republic was at stake. Domestic terrorists were threatening one of the core tenants of democracy - the peaceful transfer of power.

As Republicans go about the day trying to deny reality, the majority of Americans know what they saw on TV that day - an insurrection.

There were no guided tours and peaceful tourists weren't just walking along causing no harm. The corridors of the Capitol were full of zealous Trump supporters willing to be part of an effort to overthrow a legal election.

As it stands, as much as I don't like talking about Trump, I couldn't let the anniversary of his attempt to overthrow a lawful election go by without commenting. I assure you that I'll avoid mention of him as much as possible in future posts.

They Had to Laundry Their Cash Because Their Dog Ate It, Another Mass Shooting, and More Raw Politics

The good news today is that a Pittsburgh couple whose dog ate an envelope filled with $4,000 cash were able to recover $3,550 - but it was dirty work!

Clayton Law said he and his wife, Carrie, were having a fence installed at their home in the Point Breeze neighborhood, and the workers requested to be paid in cash, so he left an envelope filled with $4,000 in one hundred- and $50-dollar bills on the kitchen counter.

When Clayton returned to the kitchen 30 minutes later, he found Cecil, the couple's 7-year-old goldendoodle, making a meal out of the cash. The couple set about trying to reassemble the shredded bills and came up with $1,500 worth of bills with serial numbers that were intact enough to have them replaced by the bank.

A couple of more $100 bills were retrieved in the evening when Cecil vomited, but the rest of the money involved a lot of waiting - and a whole lot of very dirty work.

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New Year, Same Horror

A 17-year-old gunman killed a sixth grader and wounded five people before shooting himself at an Iowa school yesterday. Perry High School. 

The attack erupted on the first scheduled day of classes of the new semester. The attack was one of at least four mass shootings that unfolded in the United States in 2024. As usual, Republicans called for prayers while Democrats called for gun safety legislation. In the end nothing will be done about the fact that America leads the world in mass shootings.

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Raw Politics

** Expert: "Treasure trove" of Documents Debunks Trump Claim That President isn't an "Officer" of US - Trump asked the Supreme Court to reverse the Colorado Supreme Court's decision to exclude him from the state's ballot based on the "insurrectionist clause" of the 14th Amendment.

Legal experts remain divided on how quickly the justices will rule on if the president is not an officer of the United States and can't be tried under the 14th Amendment. Their decision will have a major impact on several of Trump's court cases.

** Fear of MAGA "Backlash" is no Reason to Let Donald Trump Make an Illegal Run for President - Giving into MAGA threats by keeping Trump on the ballot just emboldens fascists to get more violent. There's no use in pretending Trump didn't engage in insurrection in his two-month campaign to overthrow an election.

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News Headlines

** Mayor Eric Adams Sues 17 Charter Bus Companies for $700 million for Transporting Asylum Seekers to NYC - In a stunning and unexpected move to stop Texas Gov. Greg Abbott from shipping busloads of asylum seekers to New York City, Mayor Eric Adams has filed a lawsuit against 17 charter bus companies used by the Lone Star State.

** Terminally ill Connecticut woman ends her life in Vermont - The State of Vermont agreed to a settlement last March that allowed Lynda Bluestein, who is not a Vermont resident, to use the law to die in Vermont. 

** Israel's Supreme Court Deals Netanyahu a Political Blow as Israeli military starts moving troops out of Gaza - Israel's Supreme Court struck down part of Prime Minister Benjamine Netanyahu's controversial judicial overhaul, a move that could exacerbate political tension in the country as it changes its footing in the war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas. 

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Weird History

During World War II, a Great Dane named Juliana was awarded the Blue Cross Medal. She extinguished an incendiary bomb by peeing on it!

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As it stands, "Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." - Helen Keller

Let There Be Power! 1st Large-Scale Offshore Wind Project Delivers and More

      The good news for today is a first for American energy sources - a large-scale offshore wind project began delivering power to the New England grid yesterday.

Energy company Avangrid announced that power for the Vineyard Wind project had delivered about 5 megawatts around noon on Tuesday.

According to the developers, the project is estimated to save customers $1.4 billion over the first 20 years of operation and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.6 million metric tons per year, the equivalent of taking 325,000 cars off the road annually.

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Interspecies Communication?

As artificial intelligence (AI) applications increase there doesn't seem to be anything AI can't do.

The latest AI technology is helping researchers decode animal communication and even begin to talk back to nonhumans.

I highly recommend going to Science, Quickly (you'll find them on Apple and Spotify) and tune into their podcasts for more AI news. Their looking back at last year's favorite episodes this week.

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Today's Top Stories

** Ford recalls thousands of F-150s due to a rear axle hub bolt that could break. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Ford is recalling 112,965 F-150 trucks built between 2021 and 2023. Owners of recalled trucks can call the NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

** House committee to begin impeachment of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The Republican controlled House Homeland Security Committee said it will hold an impeachment hearing Jan. 10 against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for allegedly refusing to enforce laws passed by Congress.

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Looking for love in all the wrong places!

A capuchin monkey named Charlie who escaped from a sanctuary in Ireland is likely on the hunt for a mate, the sanctuary's owner Willie Heffernan told reporters.

Heffernan asked local hunters to be aware that Charlie could be hiding in the trees and asked that they take extra caution to avoid shooting him.

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Opinion/Politics

** Trump Blocking Iowa Newspaper from rally raises questions. Lisa Grouette, a journalist for Iowa's Globe Gazette said she had been denied media entry to Trump's event being held in Mason City. 

This is nothing new for Trump rallies where the media has been demonized from the start. 

** Supreme Court put on notice by legal expert that slow-walking Trump case hurts Americans

Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance recently wrote that ignorance of the law isn't an excuse to ignore it. In fact, personal opinion isn't either. Still, it's what is being used by Trump as he mounts a political defense for his indictments.

Vance explained that the case before Judge Tanya Chutkin is on hold while Trump fights for absolute immunity in the appeals court and, presumably at the Supreme Court.

At some point in time, we're going to find out how far right the Supreme Court currently is.

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A few fun facts about Oregon

(Where my beautiful wife Shirley and I live)

1. A quarter of the country's IIama population lives in Oregon.

2. Oregon's State Flower is the Oregon Grape.

3. The smallest park in the world is in Portland.

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As it stands, Seneca once said, "Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing."