Being A Parent of a Correctional Officer Means Waiting For That Bad Phone Call

Photo: Eli Stancliff posing with his Gold Medal from last years National Law Enforcement Games.

Good Day World!

My youngest son, Eli, is a Correctional Officer at Pelican Bay Prison in Crescent City, California.

It's the home of the baddest of the bad in California's penal system. So-called "Shot callers," or crime bosses, plot crimes from their cells.

You may have recently read about the riot there. Large groups of prisoners overran a small group of officers in the day yard.

My son was one of the responding officers. During the brawl he was instructed to save a prisoner's life - he'd been shot in the face.

Luckily Eli didn't sustain any injuries. What he did do, at his first chance, was to call his mother, and I, to reassure us.

"I'm okay, " he said. That was all we wanted to know. He told us before it even hit the news. He knew what both of our greatest fear was...getting that phone call.

You know the one I mean. Where a stranger calls you and tells you your son has been killed. The one you've had nightmares about throughout the years that your child has been working in a dangerous profession.

Police Officer, correctional officer, a fireman, a soldier, a sailor, coast guard, and many more professions bring that fear your child is going to lose his/hers life in the course of doing their duty.

In every case, the parents must reconcile themselves to the fact that someday they could get that phone call. Until then, we parents must go on with life and it's many challenges.

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

How Long Will The Lord of Lies Lead America?

Good Day World!

Behold! We have the King of Asses, leading us and dividing us.

Alexander Hamilton wrote in the Federalist Papers:

“The person of the king of Great Britain is sacred and inviolable; there is no constitutional tribunal to which he is amenable; no punishment to which he can be subjected without involving the crisis of a national revolution."

That's why The United States of America has a Constitution, to protect us from anyone trying to rule like a king.

By ignoring the emoluments clause of the Constitution which bars the president from accepting payments from foreigners, Trump acts as a king, as if there is “no punishment to which he can be subjected without involving the crisis of a national revolution.”

I think Trump needs to look at his job description closer.

He'll find Impeachment is written into it. Trump is subject, not superior to, the law, according to the Constitution.

The Founding Fathers wanted to make sure someone like Trump could "be held liable, tried, and, upon conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors, removed from office; and after that they would still be libel to prosecution and punishment in the ordinary course of law."

Trump's disdain for our laws is already legendary, as he goes after judges like they're mindless vassals in his kingdom.

A week doesn't go by when Trump claims he can do anything he wants. 

Whether it's giving away U.S. espionage secrets in the Oval Office to the Russians, to forming meaningless commissions to investigate his version of voter fraud where he claims Clinton didn't win the popular vote.

He lies with the impunity of a King beholden to no one but himself. When no facts support his lies - like Obama bugging him in Trump tower - he just moves ahead with more lies.

During his campaign Trump told his supporters that he would rule like a CEO, and they'd all benefit from his enormous experience.

That certainly isn't what the rest of the world sees. Some countries are now leery of Trump's ability to keep his big mouth shut when it comes to state secrets.

His imperial ways will only take him so far. Shoving another Head-Of-State aside for a NATO photo op, Trump displayed his blundering lack of tact and statesmanship while in Brussels.

His lies will eventually end his reign when he's convicted of obstruction of justice in the course of the intelligence probe centering in on his ties with Russia.

He is the Lord of Lies. 

He is NOT a legitimate president, but one whose election campaign was aided by our greatest enemy in the world, Russia.

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

Drain What Swamp? The One In Washington Has More Players Than Ever Before

Good Day World!

Can you still hear the chants, "Drain the swamp! Drain the swamp!" 

Trump supporters were thrilled that he was going to clean up Washington.

Fact.

Not one of Trump's transition team signed a pledge not to take a lobbying job.

That happened despite the fact that Trump instituted a "rule" to prevent anyone who held an office in his transition or administration into taking a lobbying job.

Supposedly Trump was draining the swamp. It's more like he's stocked the swamp with his own creatures:

From Politico:

Three months after Trump moved into the White House, at least nine people who worked on his transition have registered as lobbyists, highlighting holes in the president’s pledge to keep people from cashing in on government service.

Many are registered to lobby the same agencies or on the same issues they worked on during the transition, a POLITICO review of lobbying disclosures found.

Many are registered to lobby the same agencies or on the same issues they worked on during the transition, a POLITICO review of lobbying disclosures found:

A former "sherpa" who helped to guide Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos through the Senate confirmation process is now registered to lobby her department. 

The former head of the transition's tax policy team has returned to his old company to lobby Congress on tax reform. One ex-member of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative team is now registered as part of a team lobbying on behalf of a major steelmaker."

If there's a bright side to Trump's blatant corruption it's playing itself out in the investigation of his team's collusion with Russia, and his own attempts to obstruct justice.

We can only hope real justice will be served.

Time for me to walk on down the road..

There's A Special Place in Hell for Trumpies Who Use Fake News To Deflect Trump Campaign Revelations

Fake News, like the meme above, is being used to deflect from the current investigations on the Trump campaign staff's ties with Russia.  

                                       Good Day World!

Two grieving parents took legal action against crazies who have spun a conspiracy tale over their son's tragic murder.

When more shocking revelations were coming out daily about Trump's campaign staff colluding with the Russians, Trumpies were desperate to change the conversation.

It was time for Fake News, or Faux News.

Enter the ultimate crazy, Newt Gingrich. The man with no shame to his game, has been pushing the idea that DNC staffer Seth Rich, who was shot and killed last summer in Washington, D.C., was murdered as part of a WikiLeaks-related conspiracy.

He even called for an investigation into the matter. A favorite Trumpie ploy these days.

His sources were hardly credible...Breitbart and InfoWars.

Gingrich told Fox News, "We have this very strange story of this young man who worked for the Democratic National Committee who apparently was assassinated at 4 in the morning, having given WikiLeaks something like 53,000 emails and 17,000 attachments."

Rod Wheeler, a private investigator who was hired by Ed Butowsky, a Dallas financier and Fox News guest, claimed that the FBI took Rich's computer which had proof of communications with WikiLeaks. 

Of course that statement was a lie, and has been debunked, by Seth Rich's parents who asked Wheeler to stop spreading the false accounts via a cease-and-desist letter.

Wheeler quickly walked back his claims, saying in an interview with CNN that he had only heard that information from a reporter at Fox News.

Speaking of Fox News...

Sean Hannity is still spreading this fake theory along with the hashtag #SethRich to his nearly 2.5 million followers despite the fact that Fox has retracted the story.

Once again Trumpies are gambling that enough people will believe their lies, and it will hinder official investigations into their leader's (and minions) connections to Russia during the elections.

There really should be a special place in hell for treasonous liars trying to subvert our democracy.

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

As Trump Tramps Through 9-Day Magical Mystery Tour Lots Of Bad Things Are Happening At Home

Roll up
They've got everything you need
Roll up for the Mystery Tour
Roll up
Satisfaction guaranteed
Roll up for the Mystery Tour
-The Beatles

                                          Good Day World!

While Trump is seeking to broker an ultimate peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, his minions are busy at home working on a plan to take away health care for millions of Americans.

Right now the entire world looks beautiful to North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Un, who has been busy launching test missiles while Trump stumbles through a nine-day Magical Mystery Tour where he intends to woe the world (and get lot's of business for the Trump clan).

While Trump and his staff danced the sword dance with their Saudi pals, one of his top health care officials has been caught offering insurance companies a quid pro quo to get their support for Trumpcare. 

While Trump was Tramping around Israel, the White House was busy giving a new cover story for why Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.

Trump's appointees are busy screwing the poor and helping the wealthy here at home. With punks like ex-Tea Party member, Mike Mulvaney, as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the new budget is sure to turn out badly for the majority of Americans. 

Big Chemical companies are thrilled with the appointment of Sonny Perdue as Secretary of Agriculture. The new Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, is paving the way to corruption and collusion with corporate companies.

Trump's commerce secretary oversaw Russia deal at Bank of Cyprus

And the new Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVoss, has to have bodyguards with her when she visits public schools because she's so reviled in the education community.

I could go on, but you get the idea. Abroad, or at home, Trump's corruption is corroding our society, and the way the world looks at America today.

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

Trump Signs Bigly Arms Deal After Ivanka Accepts $100 Million Donation From Saudis

                                       Good Day World!

Did you hear the news?

A gloating Trump announced a $110 billion dollar arms deal during the first step of his "Magical Mystery Tour."

"Jobs. Jobs. Jobs," Don the Con told the press. It was also the biggest arms deal in American history.

But hold on a moment. Let's take closer look. Writer Jen Hayden did an article about this so-called great deal Donny brokered...

"The deal was finalized in part thanks to the direct involvement of Jared Kushner, the President's son-in-law and senior adviser. 

He shocked a high-level Saudi delegation earlier this month when he personally called Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson and asked if she would cut the price of a sophisticated missile detection system, according to a source with knowledge of the call. 

Pressured to finalize a massive $100-plus billion arms deal in the two weeks leading up to Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia, Kushner hoped to maneuver a discount on Lockheed's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system during the Saudis' visit to the White House on May 1 - a request that Hewson said she would look into at the time."

Prior to making this historic sale a curious thing happened. The Saudis agreed to donate $100 million to the recently announced women's fund inspired by Jared Kushner’s wife, Ivanka Trump.

Gee, I guess it was just a coincidence that Kushner's wife  came long in her official capacity as an 'Assistant to the President of the United States.'

It sure seems like a lot of money to fund a vague cause - helping women entrepreneurs. Is there so many in the Middle East that the Saudis want to support them?

Or, are the Saudis suddenly all for women's rights? Did something change? I don't think so.

Our Constitution does have a Foreign Emoluments Clause that bans anyone holding "any office of Profit or Trust" from making shady deals like this.

But that doesn't bother the Trump clan. They're making money on the taxpayers dime while conducting business for the country (Good optics).

Even more vomit worthy; When Don the Con comes home he'll probably do a little victory jig (Jobs.Jobs.Jobs.) in the Rose Garden with his clueless Republican stooges. 

We all know ethics and rules are mere afterthoughts in TrumpLand. Sad.

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

Staying Alive: It's A Good Idea To Be A Strong Swimmer In Washington DC

Good Day World!

It started out as an occasional drip.

But the dripping wouldn't stop. 

After 100 days, the drips gave way to a flood. And the skies over Washington DC became dark and menacing.

No one knows when the flood will stop. Friends and foes of America's first illegitimate president are looking for high ground. Anywhere that might be safe.

Congress is reluctantly building boats for refuge in the face of the crisis of confidence that Trump has plagued the nation with. Wetsuits are a hot item for Trump minions in the government lately.

Lightning keeps striking the White House. There's no end in sight. Trump's lie's and treasonous activities are causing thunder to clap in the Halls of Congress, sending its inhabitants scurrying for survival.

The chances that the sun will ever come out under the Trump administration are next to none. The swamp in Washington is so flooded now that Congressmen are warned not to come to work without a floatie around their waist and on each arm.

The water levels are rising everyday with each new revelation of corruption concerning Trump's campaign team, and his attempts to obstruct justice.

The waters of discontent are getting more turbulent making it difficult for Republicans who support Trump to stay afloat.

Somewhere there's music playing in a Republican coffee klatch. Can you hear it? 

Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive - 

(My Apologies to the Bee Gees)
No doubt about it. It's a good time to be a strong swimmer in Washington DC.

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

Wanted: A Qualified Candidate To Lead The FBI Whose Not Afraid Of Trump

Good Day World!

It's almost impossible.

How is the White House going to provide a credible nominee for FBI Director? Trump's credibility is in question among most Americans. 

Several people who considered taking the job changed their minds. I suspect in all three cases it was a matter of job security - or insecurity with being Trump's lapdog. 

Texas Senator John Cornyn, the current Senate Majority Whip and former attorney general of Texas who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee decided to stay where he was at.

When Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell brought up Judge Merrick Garlands name, the one-time nominee for a seat on the Supreme Court made it known he was happy with where he was.

Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-SC, thought about applying for the job but quickly changed his mind.


One of the most intriguing names on the short list is Andrew McCabe, Comey's deputy and temporary replacement. He probably knows more about potential ties between Trump and organized crime in the former Soviet Union.

Why hasn't this fact been brought up by the press? Simply put, McCabe's prior history is part of the hidden backstory between the FBI and Trump.

Other names still floating around are:

Mike Rogers, R-Mich.; former Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher; the Mayor of Colorado Springs, John Luttig; the director for the FBI's Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch; Paul Abbate, Associate Judge for the New York Court of Appeals Mike Garcia; and Larry Thompson, former deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush and frontrunner Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman.

I can't imagine anyone with a good job would want to take the chance of being suddenly fired by an angry and arrogant Trump. His Apprentice days have morphed into his presidency.

There would also be a stigma attached to the new director appointed by Trump. Did he swear an oath of loyalty to him?
He/she will be looked at very critically by senators on both sides of the aisle.

Expect drama in the confirmation process for whoever is selected.

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

The Fix Is On - Georgia Special Election Runoff Will Be Suspect

Good Day World!

Did you know that Trump has appointed a commission to look into voter fraud?

Isn't that interesting?

I'd like to see that committee look into Georgia's special election runoff tomorrow between Democratic newcomer, Jon Ossoff (49 percent), and former Republican Secretary of State Karen Handel (19.8 percent).

This special election should not have been necessary because Ossoff - who maintained totals above 50 percent throughout the race was robbed. 

After releasing a report on Georgia's sixth congressional district election on April 19th, the advocacy group Voter GA pointed out what happened:

Are you ready for this?

Fulton County officials admitted that a "rare error" was made that "might have cost Ossoff the race."

That error allowed Karen Handel the former Republican Secretary of State to challenge Ossoff in a one-on-one election.

Can you believe that? But wait. There's more.

Georgia is one of five states that has major problems with unverifiable election results. All of these states use touch screen machines (DREs) and have no paper trail.

The DREs should have been consigned to the junkyard a decade ago according to computer experts throughout the country. 

The rest of the states caught on to the many problems with DREs and have moved on to safer voting systems.

Why are these states - New Jersey, Delaware, Louisiana, South Carolina and Georgia stuck in the caveman days of computers?

It doesn't stop there.

In 15 states, including the swing states of Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia there are counties that, like Georgia, who use touch screen machines with no paper ballots.

If these counties were to be targeted by hackers in an election, the shifting of a few votes per precinct could change the results of a race. 

A perfect example of that was Trump's win in Wisconsin, where he won by less than 23,000 votes. Wisconsin has 3,700 precincts. It would only take a difference of seven votes per precinct to change the state's outcome results.

Fulton County Elections Director Richard Barron acknowledged in testimony on the troubled first round of the election, that the system is “inflexible.” 

Barron's testimony, along with the advice of both local and national computer experts, show the results of the first round of the election on April 18th was legitimately suspect and that no election running on this type of computer system can be verified as accurate.

The outcome of tomorrow's special election is crucial to both parties. It's also crucial to democracy that it be a fair election.

Perhaps the question we ought to be asking is, why are these states and counties lagging so far behind in election technology? 

Meanwhile, I'm taking bet's Trump's new commission on voter fraud skips the Georgia election while in pursuit of illegal aliens voting a dozen times each in the last election.

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

Trump's Deadly Ignorance and Ego Is Spreading Chaos Throughout America

Good Day World!

Here's an easy question: 

"Has there ever been a president who has caused more chaos in government and the nation than Trump has in his first 118 days?"

That didn't take long, did it?

No.

I wonder why no one asked Chump about his knowledge of the Constitution during the election process? None of his opponents seemed to realize he was totally clueless on the most important document in American history.

He's demonstrated that with his repeated attempts of trying to institute a Muslim immigration ban. The courts are currently looking at his latest argument to lift the ban.

It appears nothing has really changed from the other two ban wordings which were found to be unconstitutional. Odds are, Dump will got shot down again.

His response has been to attack, and to threaten, our judiciary system. He has no interest in laws that stop him from going forward with his hateful agenda.

Don the Con is really busy violating numerous ethical laws. The sheer volume has been staggering. The biggest example of that is he still runs his company - despite claiming otherwise.

The emoluments clause in the Constitution was written for scumbags like Donny Little Hands. His family and the Kushner's are perfect examples of why the emolument clause was put into our Constitution. 

Lump's managerial style is to bully people. He's done it all his life and gotten away with it. He did it again when he fired FBI Director James Comey for not swearing loyalty to him.

Now it's up to the American people to not only stand up against his fascist attacks on our democracy, but to vote him out of office in 2020.

The process can start in 2018 when House Republicans get ousted by their constituents and the Democrats gain control. 

That is, of course, if he doesn't get impeached and indicted for treason before all of that.

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

Does America Feel Great Again...Yet? Let's See After Trump's Magical Mystery Tour

I am he as you are he as you are me
And we are all together
See how they run like pigs from a gun
See how they fly
I'm crying

I am the egg man
They are the egg men
I am the walrus
Goo goo g'joob
- I Am A Walrus by The Beatles

                               Good Day World!

Donny's Magical Mystery Tour is on.

Our first illegitimate president is busy meeting with world leaders abroad, and here.  

How about that "successful meeting" between Trump and the Russian thugs in the Oval Office the other day? Little Donny couldn't restrain himself from boasting.

It's in his DNA, and that's why the FBI, CIA, and the NSA are concerned Donny's a security risk. His advisor, Gen. H.R. McMaster, laughingly reported that Trump wasn't even advised on the sensitive issue he shared with the Ruskies.

And that's supposed to be good, how? There's an intelligence mole who was helping the U.S. out there somewhere cursing Trump's name right now.

The Israeli intelligence community aren't thrilled that Donny Little Hands couldn't keep his trap shut about such sensitive information, and for ratting them out to their good buddies in the Kremlin.

I'm sure Donny has impressed not only Israel, but the rest of the world, with his quick wit and loose lips. Can't you just feel America becoming great again?

Gives me the goosebumps. 

The idea that North Korea has a man-baby in charge like us is chilling. I can just see Donnie's stubby fingers fumbling with the nuke codes.

Meanwhile The Magical Mystery Tour will continue to enhance America's standing among world governments. But all trips must come to an end.

If there's no multi-nation nuclear war as a result of Donny's doings, things will have to be sorted out.

American's from TrumpLand may end up being banned from traveling to other countries without extreme vetting, and a promise to spend lots of money (See Trump's son-in-law Jared's Golden Visa scam for inspiration).

I gotta tell ya...it doesn't seem like America's Great Again (whatever the hell that means), but hey! Maybe it's just me.

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