4th of July: Veteran Comments On New Vietnam Documentary

Ron Kovic: [to reporters] 
"I'm a Vietnam veteran, I'm here tonight to say, this war is wrong, this government lied to me, lied to my brothers, the people in this country tricked us into going thirteen thousand miles to fight a war against poor peasant people who have a proud history of resistance who have been struggling for their own independence for one thousand years, the Vietnamese people. I can't find the words to express how the leadership of this country sickens me, people say "if you don't love America, then get the hell out." Well, I love America, we love the people of America very much, but when it comes to the government it stops right there, the government are a bunch of corrupt thieves, they are rapists and robbers, and we are here to say "we don't have to take it anymore", we are here to tell the truth, they are killing our brothers in Vietnam. This wheelchair, our wheelchairs, this steel, our steel is your Memorial Day on wheels, we are your Yankee Doodle Dandy come home.
- from the movie "4th Of July" 
(Photo - Dave Stancliff, 18 years-old. Bien Hoa, Vietnam 1970)
                                   Good Day World!

Turns out I'm a 33 percenter.

I found that out in this article about Ken Burns and Lynn Novicks new documentary on Vietnam.

Fact: Two-thirds of Americans who served in Vietnam are no longer alive.

I served in Vietnam/Cambodia in 1970 as a combat Engineer (EOD) with the 31st Eng. Battalion. 

Let me first say, I've seen all of the iconic movies about Vietnam from, Apocalypse Now, Born on the Fourth of July, Coming Home, The Deer Hunter, Full Metal Jacket and Platoon.

I've also seen journalist Stanley Karnow's, award-winning, 13-part PBS series Vietnam: A Television History. 

I couldn't help wondering what else could Ken Burns and Lynn Novick add to Karnow's award-winning documentary?

The answer lies in the telling of the whole story, according to the producers.  Viewers will get a better understanding of the terrible losses Vietnam sustained - 3 million deaths in a population of 30 million.

Vietnam was heavily polluted with Agent Orange, and nearly bombed back to the stone age. Viewers will hear interviews with 90 Vietnamese soldiers/civilians and 90 American soldiers who survived the chaos.

In other words, we'll hear the other sides story.

This documentary promises an epic 10-part, 18 hour series, with rarely seen archival footage, photographs, TV broadcasts, home movies and secret audio recordings from the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations. 

The background music - Gotta love it! The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Simon and Garfunkel, reflects the hits of the period. 

In a trailer, army veteran Phil Gioia says: “The Vietnam war drove a stake right into the heart of America.”

I agree with Gioia. I'll watch this new series with an eye to more details, and hope that it sends a strong message to generations today.

Who knows? I might even get a glimpse of myself as a teenager fighting to survive.

The series premieres on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) September 17th in the US, and will be released in full on DVD in the UK.

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

Bill Introduced: Congressman Seeks To Invoke the 25th Amendment and Confront Trump's Madness

Good Day World!

Have you ever gone with your "guts" when making a decision?

I have, and my guts tell me Trump is nuts. But I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Following Trump's frenzied tweet attacks against two CNN hosts, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., rallied support for a bill to create an oversight commission to determine whether Trump is "mentally or physically unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office."

The bill had first been introduced in April, but Raskin tweeted Friday that it had 23 cosponsors.

Raskin tweeted: Section 4 of the #25thAmendment empowers Congress to create a body that can confront presidential incapacity. pic.twitter.com/RMBNa2BnsJ

The question of Trump's mental health has been raised by top psychiatrists in the nation repeatedly since he's been sworn in:

Psychiatry Experts Claim Trump Is Unfit For The Presidency due to "Dangerous Mental Disorder' 

Trump's regime is under enough fire with the Russian investigation, and accusations that he obstructed justice, without this new line of attack against him.

Raskin also tweeted:

.@POTUS' incapacity must be seriously addressed. That's why I introduced the Oversight Commission on Presidential Capacity Act. #OCPCAct pic.twitter.com/1CvYfTUhYC

Americans are getting sick of Trump's tantrums and obvious personality disorders. To bring home that point just look at what happened Sunday:

Protesters gathered in Austin, New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other cities throughout the country in rallies calling for Trump’s impeachment.

This isn't the first time rallies have been held objecting to Trump, and his policies since he's been elected, and it won't be the last.

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

States Resist Trump's Demand To Turn Over Private Information on Voters

Good Day World!

Resistance.

It's the key word for coping in the Trump era. 

Thus far, nearly everything Trump has tried to ram through Congress and elsewhere, has been met with strong resistance.

In pursuit of Trump's fabled 3 to 5 million illegal voters in the 2016 election, he's created a sham commission to back up his false claims.

The so-called, Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (I Iove the irony) has asked the 50 states to send them detailed information about their voters, including birth dates, parts of social security numbers and voting histories.

Remember what I said about resistance to Trump's regime?

The states have, in most part, resisted the commission's requests. 

Some comments from state officials:

*** Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican, said the state would require the commission to file a formal request and will not release personal information about voters.

*** The office of Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler, a Republican, said lawyers are reviewing the letter to determine how the state will respond.

"Our priority, as we've demonstrated in the past, will always be to protect voter's protected, personal information, said Meg Casper Sunstrom, a spokeswoman for Schedler, former head of the National Association of Secretaries of State.

*** Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, also a Republican, said he hasn't received the letter yet, but he's not giving up voter information. 

My favorite response:

"My reply would be: They can go jump in the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi is a great state to launch from," he said. "Mississippi residents should celebrate Independence Day and our state’s right to protect the privacy of our citizens by conducting our own electoral processes.”
  
*** Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted said Friday that his state will not provide the commission with the last four digits of Ohioans' Social Security numbers or their state driver's license IDs.

*** Connecticut Secretary of Denise Merrill, a Democrat, said Thursday that “in the spirit of transparency” the state will only provide publicly available information about voters, but not any information that is protected.

Here's her great response:

“In the same spirit of transparency, we will request that the commission share any memos, meeting minutes or additional information as state officials have not been told precisely what the commission is looking for,” she said in a statement.

State officials aren't stupid. They know the vice chairman of the commission is Kris Koback - a man with a long history of promoting allegations of voter fraud and for tighter restrictions on voting.

Maybe Trump didn't think the state officials would notice. The other thing Trump didn't count on was this unified resistance against his draconian demands.

Resistance for democracy. There's always hope.

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

No,This is Not a Fake News Headline: President Tries Blackmail, Then Tweets Trash About TV Host

Good Day World!

Liar-In-Chief, Trump, is back to his old blackmailing tricks.

Throughout his career Trump has used the media, and an army of lawyers, to intimidate people he doesn't like. His connections to the National Enquirer is the latest example.

 "Morning Joe" TV host Joe Scarborough asserted Friday that three top White House staffers had told him that President Trump could arrange to "spike" a negative story about him in the National Enquirer if Scarborough would call the president and apologize for his negative coverage of Trump.

This is essentially blackmail.

Trump has often spoken of his long-standing personal relationship with David Pecker, the owner of the National Enquirer. 

During the 2016 campaign, Trump several times referred to negative stories in the tabloid aimed at his rivals, such as Ben Carson and Ted Cruz.

Related:
'Please Just Stop:' Republicans Plead With Trump Over Mika Brezesinski Tweets

Lawmakers denounced the tweet. House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters, "Obviously I don't see that as an appropriate comment... What we're trying to do around here is improve the tone, the civility of the debate. And this obviously doesn't help do that."

Trump continues to use his bullying tactics whenever he feels slighted by someone. The irony of his wife, Melania, dedicating herself to stopping cyber-bullying is thick as a brick.

It hasn't taken Trump long to drag the office of the presidency into his personal swamp. No wonder the world is laughing at our man-baby's nasty twitter habit.

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

We Need To Go 'Old School' With A Paper Trail In Every State

                                       Good Day World!

Lawmakers need to make a quick, but thorough, change in the nation's electoral process before 2018.

That mean's taking some immediate action. While Trump and cronies drag their feet in making improvements to safeguard our system, Putin's pals are working on improving their successful cyber attacks in 2016 for the next round in 2018.

Meanwhile, Trump has appointed some sketchy minions to a so-called Presidential Commission on Election Integrity. This is the only thing he's done to address the threat to our voting system.

How credible do you think this commission is going to be?

It's vice-chair, Kris Kobach, was sanctioned by a federal judge last week for his “deceptive conduct and lack of candor” in a voting rights case brought against him.

Don't expect this commission to even mention Russia.

Rest assured, it will have no credible facts to back up it's claims.

The safest, and best way to protect our nation's voting process is to go with a paper trail system. It's time to go old school.

Facts:

There's 29 states that use a paper ballot election system according to BallotPedia. 

In some cases states have a paper ballot combined with voting machines.

That means just 21 more states have to convert to paper before the next elections. Not an impossible task. 

But, Congress needs to act swiftly, in a bi-partisan fashion to assist the states that need a voting system involving paper.

Experts all agree paper is a lot safer than letting some 400-pound hacker in a Russian basement screw with our computerized voting system.

The solution is simple. I'm waiting....

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

Mr. President: 'Take Down That Magazine...'

Good Day World!

Most people would be embarrassed if they were caught photo-shopping their image on a national magazine cover to look important.

(Trump's fake Time Magazine cover is shown here)

Our president (it really hurts to say that) could care less and is currently displaying a fake (fake news?!) Time Magazine cover with his smiling mug on it, looking smug with arms crossed, in the lobbies of five of his golf course lobbies.

Apparently Time Magazine didn't appreciate the gag (if that was what it was) and asked the Trump Organization to take down the phony magazine covers featuring a pre-presidential Trump.

The newsweekly made the request after The Washington Post reported Tuesday that at least five Trump properties had hanging a Time Magazine cover showing Trump.

But the magazine covers, dated March 1, 2009, were fake. The magazine did not publish on that date; its March 2, 2009 issue featured actress Kate Winslet. 

Either Time Magazine has no sense of humor, or a desire to repent for the actual issues they did run featuring The Donald. In any event, the request was considered newsworthy by a lot of publications.

The whole affair is sad. 

That America has a full-blown narcissist and serial liar for a leader is the stuff of a Greek tragedy where the crazy king attacks his allies, and mistreats his people and the environment, in the name of money.

President Ronald Reagan was famous for telling the Russian leader, Gorbachev, to take down the Berlin wall dividing the East and West of Germany.

In a humorous, and nearly parallel way, Time Magazine has made history with their call to a sitting president to take down those fake covers with his bloated mug on it.

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

Memo To Democrats: Until You Get A Charismatic Leader Expect To Keep Losing

Good Day World!

No amount of money will win elections for the Democrats until they shake up the party with some new blood.

The special election in Georgia was one example why the Democrats are losing ground. A record $26 million was raised to support the Democratic nominee Jon Ossoff ...and he still lost.

The specter of Trump's unpopularity loomed over that election, but did not derail the Republican candidate Karen Handel.

Love him, or hate him, Trump is charismatic when it comes to gaining followers. They love him so much that they show up at his rallies (he had another one in Iowa recently) days and hours before "showtime."

His hold on his fans borders on a cult following. He simply can do no wrong in their eyes. It's this kind of devotion that has kept Trump in office thus far.

The Republican party is afraid of Trump because of his core followers in key states.

There's no one even close in the Democratic party with a big following. Democrats are disorganized and demoralized. Instead of doing something about it, they continue to support the failed leadership of Nancy Pelosi and her cronies.

The excuse for staying with a sinking ship? Pelosi can raise a lot of money. Talk about a weak excuse. A charismatic leader with a central message could also bring in a lot of money and voters.

Democrats desperately need an anti-Trump. A charismatic leader who emerges with a powerful message to unite the fractured party.

Pelosi is poison, as is Hilllary Clinton. It's time for the old guard to step down and to get fresh new faces and ideas on how to further a progressive agenda that will entice the majority of Americans to follow.

A leader and a universal message. Sounds simple. But old politicians do not go quietly into the night. They need encouragement...

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

Trump Appointee Guilty of 'Deceptive Conduct and Lack of Candor'

Good Day World!

It's just another day in TrumpLand.

Meet Kris Kobach. Trumpie of the Month for June:

The last we heard from Kris he was busy working as the vice chair for the dubious voter fraud commission Trump created, without proof, claiming that millions of people voted illegally in the 2016 election.

Kobach has also announced he's going to run for governor of Kansas. 

But let's hold on for a moment. Here's what's currently happening with Kobach...

The Republican state official tapped by President Trump to lead his sketchy voter fraud commission was sanctioned by a federal judge Friday for his “deceptive conduct and lack of candor” in a voting rights case brought against him.

Voting rights advocates are concerned that the so-called "Presidential Commission on Election Integrity (oxymoron alert!)" will be used as a cover to push restrictive voter laws like the one Kobach is currently battling in court to defend.

Putting a wolf in the hen house never ends well for the chickens. Trump found his "wolf" in Kobach who is willing to cull the voter population to favor Republicans.

We haven't seen the last of him despite this set-back. It certainly isn't going to bother Trump - or cause him to replace Kobach.

Expect to see him as the Trumpie of the Month again in the near future.

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

All In The Family Reality Show - Episode Two - Ivanka Goes To Court For Ripping Off Another Shoe Companies Design

Good Day World!

Welcome back viewers! 

To refresh your memory, 
Episode One, of my "All In The Family" reality show described how Eric Trump funneled funds into daddy Trump's foundation.

See my June 18 post .

Episode Two

Ivanka Trump continues to follow in daddy's corrupt foot steps. This heart-warming episode describes how Ivanka has been accused of ripping off another companies shoe design.

The apple doesn't fall from the tree as Ivanka described herself as the "Assistant to the President of the United States" and noted that she had an office in the White House.

It was her hope that she would be immune from anything because her daddy needed her help, and she should be free from any lawsuits because of her position in the White House.

Sound familiar?

Ivanka has really been busy these days, making deals with the Chinese to produce her shoes - and other assorted items - with sweat shop labor.

People investigating how badly the workers were treated ended up in a Chinese prison, likely to never be heard from again.

As in all the accusations, she simply lies about what's really happening with her fashion line, defying governments and courts that try to stop her.

Stay Tuned for Episode Three: Things Start To Get Real Ugly in the Trump Clan

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

The Ghost of Trump U Has Come Back to Haunt 'The Donald'

Good Day World!

The ghost of Trump University has recently been sighted.

Thought to have been put to rest with a $25 million settlement, The Trump U scandal has re-emerged after a new suit was filed Friday.

Background:
In November, days after he won the presidency, Trump settled three class action fraud lawsuits over Trump University, for $25m. 

More than 6,000 people were listed in the suits, claiming they were lured into paying up to $35,000 to learn the secrets of Trump’s business success.

Update:

Now, one member of the class action lawsuits, Sherri Simpson, has filed an appeal against the settlement, claiming she was not allowed to exercise her right to “opt out” of the multi-million-dollar deal.

The ninth circuit court has agreed to expedite Simpson's appeal, with a verdict expected in late summer or early fall.

If the court rules that Simpson should not have been included in the settlement, she will be free to pursue her own lawsuit against Trump. 

Here's the good part; she said she will not settle out of court.

That means Simpson will be able to sue Trump independently for fraud, which she hopes could see Trump having to testify before a jury.

As the ninth district court ponders Trump's fate I see some irony unfolding. 

In May 2016 a Ninth District Hispanic judge, Gonzalo Curiel, made public more than 400 “playbooks”, which showed how the Trump University staff were instructed to get people to accrue credit card debt to pay for tuition fees, and ordered to target financial weaknesses in a bid to sell further courses.

Trump, who launched his campaign by accusing Mexico of sending “rapists” to the US, attacked Curiel over the release.

That didn't get him anywhere. As a matter of fact it was the Ninth District court that has repeatedly stopped Trump's travel ban against Muslims.

It seems to me the Ninth District Circuit court knows Trump all too well. Just guessing, but I think Simpson's chance for getting Trump into a court trial look pretty good.

One reminder; Trump U was before Trump was president, and as such, he can be tried as a civilian.

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