High Stakes: The U.S. Court System vs Trump

Good Day World!

There was one thing I counting on when Trump got elected; it was our court system.

Despite numerous attempts to bypass the Constitution, Trump has been stumped by our court system numerous times.

The federal courts just shut down Trump's latest attempt to keep Muslims from entering the country by striking down his latest version of a travel ban.

The reason the judges keep turning Trump down is his own words on the subject of keeping Muslims out of America during the presidential campaign.

Trump enjoyed the campaign rallies where he was able to whip up racism and say whatever came into his small brain with abandon. With no adults watching his every move.

Reality has harshed Trump's high with repercussions in the real world. He's failed to ban Muslims.

Once again, on Thursday, a Federal judge overturned something Trump tried to get away with. Pardoning Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

US District Judge Susan Bolton said in her ruling that a presidential pardon may have granted Arpaio mercy, but not the power of "judicial record-keeping."

"The pardon undoubtedly spared defendant from any punishment that might otherwise have been imposed," Bolton wrote. "It did not, however, 'revise the historical facts' of this case."

Here's the deal; a presidential pardon does not remove a criminal conviction.

In her ruling, Bolton wrote that the purpose of a pardon was not to wipe a defendant's record clean or "blot out guilt," but to prevent further punishment for the crime and restore the his or her civil rights.

Trump ignored the normal protocol by granting Arpaio, who hadn't even been sentenced yet, a pardon.

In the real world you can't just ignore the typical Justice Department process. 

Pardons are suppose to be requested through formal applications submitted to the Office of the Pardon Attorney at least five years after the applicant is sentenced.

There is one thing that concerns me, Trump has been appointing judges to our system. This doesn't bode well for the future of justice for everyone in America.

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

The Day I Realized John Kelly Wasn't The Only Adult In The White House

Good Day World!

That does it!

I thought there was at least one adult in the West Wing.

Looks like I was wrong.

You know I'm not talking about Trump. Everyone on the planet knows he's just a mean man-child by now.

I'm talking about the WH Chief of Staff, John Kelly.

As a Vietnam veteran, I listened to him when he gave that emotional speech about our military dead and he really had me going after hearing that part of him walking through Arlington Cemetery to be with "his friends."

When he made the accusation about Representative Frederica S. Wilson making a speech where she glorified herself and not the two FBI agents the dedication ceremony was about...I hesitated.

Somehow that story, injected between the patriotic platitudes, didn't sound quite right. Why would he even bring it up, I wondered?

 The answer came later that day, and the next. The story was bullshit. Certified grade A cow paddy!

A video emerged of her 9-minute speech and proved he made the story up. But why? 

That's when I realized there were no adults in the West Wing. He lied to cover up for Trump's bumbling phone call. He tried to turn the story into a partisan attack. To deflect the truth.

I have to admit I was disappointed. I wasn't surprised when Sarah Huckabee Sanders continued the farce and even got a cheap jab in herself.

This whole event stems from Trump's stupidity. As usual. The guy can't sound sincere for the life of him. He should of taken Kelly's advise and not even called.

But Trump doesn't like to take advise. So he called and upset the fallen soldier's widow. When confronted about his call he impulsively lied...it's second nature to the ex-reality star.

Trump kept up the spat this morning like the spiteful man-child he is. 

As long as everyone around Trump lies to please him we're going to have endless controversies. Like the last nine months.

Sad.

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

Strange Days: Dubya Dishes on Trump's Presidency

Good Day World!

It's one of those cold mornings where hot coffee seems like a gift from the gods.

I'm feeling reflective this morning.

I've been thinking back to when George W. Bush was president, and how much I loathed him and his war-mongering cronies.

Like cartoonist, and pundits, throughout his two-term debacle, I viewed the man as an idiot. He did little to dissuade me of that opinion during his time in the Oval Office.

But a strange thing happened.

Bush doesn't look that bad in retrospect, especially when compared to the psychopath we now have as president. At least he was able to use words with more than four-letters in them, unlike Trump.

Even stranger. Bush came out of wherever he's been hiding and made a rare speech. And what he said made sense!

“Bigotry seems emboldened,” Bush said in his opening remarks at the Bush Institute’s Spirit of Liberty event in New York City.

“Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication,” the former president told his audience.

But that's not all:

“We’ve seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty,” he continued.

“At times, it could seem like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together. Argument turns too easily into animosity. Disagreement escalates into dehumanization.”

Good grief! What's got into Georgie? I had to pinch myself to see if I was awake when I saw the video of him speaking.

Things are so chaotic in our society today that a once reviled former president sounds like Mahatma Gandhi. Imagine, Bush promoting peace and love?

Some pundits may point to this moment and say it's another sign the world is coming to an end.

I'm not sure about that. I can think of a lot of other signs that point to an impending collapse of our country, but not necessarily the world.

When that horrible final day does arrive, I doubt we'll get a warning.

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

Addiction To Technology: Just The Way Designers Wanted It

Good Day World!

Here's a disturbing thought this morning; Americans are addicted to social media platforms and smartphones.

Addicted. That's a powerful word, but an accurate description of what's happened in America today.

Most of the tech insiders questioning today's attention economy/tech addiction are part of the last generation that can remember a world in which telephones were plugged into walls.

Nir Eyal, the author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, has spent several years consulting for the tech industry, teaching techniques he developed by closely studying how the Silicon Valley giants operate.

"The technologies we use have turned into compulsions, if not full-on addictions," Eyal wrote.

“It’s the impulse to check a message notification. It’s the pull to visit YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter for just a few minutes, only to find yourself still tapping and scrolling an hour later.”

None of this is an accident, he writes. It is all “just as their designers intended.”

What concerns me is there's no apparent way to reverse this dangerous trend.

People are so addicted - and their attention is so distracted - in many cases that they get ran over by cars, fall into manholes, or walk off piers.

Driving a vehicle has taken on a new challenge in the 21st century; avoiding drivers that talk and text on hand-held devices while driving.

I read that many of those youngish designers are coming up with apps to help them stay off social platforms - especially Facebook. It's that bad.

We have turned into a nation of zombies, helplessly addicted to fake news, "Likes" on Facebook, and instant images of ourselves doing stupid things.

It's too late. There's no signs these addictive trends will let up as long as we fail to embrace what's happened in America. 

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

Trump's House of Lies Will Collapse When The Truth is Out

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I still can't figure out how Trump gets away with lying every day?

It's certainly no secret.

The whole world, not just the American people, knows he lies, and that he's in love with himself. Facts, for him, are like garlic to vampires, not enough to kill if one stays on the move.

Here's the latest roundup of lies from the AP Fact Check website. None of these lies, or the ones that preceded them, bother what Trump calls "his people."

Isn't that what Jim Jones called his followers?

There's never been a president of the United States who was a serial liar. None of Trump's predecessors were caught in blatant lies almost daily, refuting reality when confronted.

This is our 21st century reality; people are confused when confronted with fake news and facts. Many doubt the origin of facts, just to support a partisan worldview.

Trump's White House is a mockery of democracy. A shrine for right-wingers, neo-Nazis, KKK members, and ethically-challenged wack-a-loons.

The White House has transformed into The House of Lies. The Liar-in-Chief's agenda is crippling Americans health care, and numerous other programs designed to help the poor and middle class.

I'm waiting for truth to emerge triumphant over all of Trump's lies since he snuck into office with Russia's help. 

And, I'm waiting for the results of special prosecutor Mueller's investigation on Trump cronies colluding with Russia in the 2016 presidential elections, and Trump's attempts at obstructing justice.

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

McConnell Makes All-Time Creepiest Dummy List While Performing With Trump

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I'm adding Mitch McConnell to the list of the Top 10 Creepiest Ventriloquist Dummies of all time.

After watching Trump and Mitch hold a duel press conference yesterday to prove they can still work together, I was surprised that Mitch just didn't sit on Donny's lap.

At first he just parroted what Donny said and swiveled his thin neck around like a turtle trying to escape it's shell. Try to imagine how creepy that looked. 

You could tell it was uncomfortable for Mitch who never stopped blinking his eyes like a startled owl at high noon.

When Trump couldn't answer a question he turned to Mitch who gave short passionate responses that he thought Donny would like to hear.

I have to hand it to Donny, for a moron he does a pretty good imitation of a ventriloquist. Then again when you have a natural dummy like Mitch, it isn't all that hard.

Unlike in the movie "The Ventriloquist's Dummy (1945)" where Hugo the dummy watched his handler get carted away to the booby hatch in the end, Mitch hasn't gotten the pleasure of seeing his handler trotted off to an insane asylum...yet.

That doesn't mean we can't hope.

As for future performances by these two dummies it's just too hard to say.

Donny's moods change like a pregnant woman's craving for sardines on ice cream one day, and Buffalo Burgers with soy sauce, the next.

Let me also add that it wouldn't hurt the argument they both needed to be locked up if they would perform wearing the same outfit, and Mitch got a hair implant just like Donny's! 

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

Trump's Revenge Against Obama and the Middle Class

                                                       Good Day World!

When you have an ego as big as Trump's, the better part of your life is spent getting revenge against anyone who has opposed, or mocked you.

Trump never got over being the butt of jokes by President Obama during a White House dinner. It permanently scared his already sensitive ego which has to be stroked daily by his minions.

Then there's Trump's billionaire buddies. We now see them scattered throughout the administration. They needed a voice in the White House. 

They are Trump's peers. He can't identify with the middle class and poor because he's been brought up to believe he's special. A one percenter.

I think it's obvious these two factors are what motivated him to run for president. Just look at what he's done to erase all evidence of the Obama administration.

Despite failing to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with a Republican majority in Congress, he's plowed ahead and violated the Constitution again.

By signing an executive order that allows a backdoor attempt at selling private insurance he's sabotaged the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is the law of the land.

When Trump was sworn in he gave an oath to uphold the Constitution, whose Article Two demands that the president “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”  

When Trump signed his executive order on the ACA it directly collided with the “Take Care” clause in the Oath of Office.

I think that's pretty clear. 

By rolling a grenade into the ACA system he's going to undermine millions of Americans health care.

Instead of helping the majority of Americans get health care by continuing the subsidies to ACA, he's stopping them.

Just like that, in total defiance of the law. Trump desperately wanted some kind of victory because he's been unable to get any serious legislation passed in his 10 months of office.

It's a victory for Donny, and his mindless minions. Not the American people.

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

The Religious Right's Hypocrisy is Nothing New

Good Day World!

I've heard a lot of people ask how Christians could possible back a misogynist, racist, narcissist, liar like Donald Trump?

First off, it helps to understand that the religious right was once referred to as the Moral Majority, despite being anywhere near honest (or with morals) about what they really stood for.

Discrimination. 

The first clue is that the majority of the religious right's members are white. Always have been. Resistance to racial integration helped unite conservative evangelicals in the 1960s.

They developed their own political agenda after losing a landmark court case - Green vs Kennedy. It ended the tax-exempt status for private Christian schools known as "Segregation Academies."

A myth then arose among the evangelicals that they were so morally outraged by the Roe vs Wade decision (which came after Green vs Kennedy) they resolved to organize and overthrow it. 

History refutes that myth. 

The fact is they organized to protect segregated schools, but it's leaders tweaked the evangelical movement's real purpose and seized upon abortion as it's main mission.

Back to Trump.

Hypocrisy meets hypocrisy, and there's a marriage made in hell between Trump and the white evangelical cult.

As long as Trump furthers their hypocritical aims he's going to get a pass on anything stupid, or mean, that he does to millions of Americans.

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

  

Another Day in TrumpLand: Cold Hearted Complaints From POTUS

                               Good Day World!

My morning coffee fix is more enjoyable than usual right now because the temperatures outside have plunged here in Medford, Oregon. It's 31 degrees. 

Cold morning. Good coffee. What more could a person ask for?

Speaking of cold; have you heard some of Trump's most recent remarks (rants)? 

He's threatening to quit helping Puerto Rico recover from the devastating hurricane that crippled the island. Why? For one big reason; Puerto Rican's can't vote.

Fact: Residents of Puerto Rico can vote in the primaries, as do the American Samoas, the American Virgin Islands and Guam, but can not vote in the General Elections.

That's the bottom line. 

More cold quotes from Donny:

"I've had just about the most legislation passed of any president, in a nine-month period, that's ever served. We had over 50 bills passed. I'm not talking about executive orders only, which are very important. I'm talking about bills."

This is a blatant lie that anyone with a history book can refute.

"Well I've gotten very high marks for the hurricanes," Trump told Forbes. This claim, of course, is a patented lie.

In three tweets, Trump once again blamed Puerto Rico for its financial and infrastructure troubles, saying a “total lack of accountability” from its leaders made way for the Maria devastation.

“Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes,” he wrote.

“Congress to decide how much to spend.......We cannot keep FEMA, the Military & the First Responders, who have been amazing (under the most difficult circumstances) in P.R. forever!” Trump tweeted.

His cold-hearted complaints drew immediate disgust and rebukes from other lawmakers and most Americans.

Just another day in Trump's America.

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

That's the First and Last Time, I Watch a House Homeland Security Meeting

Good Day World!

I actually watched the House Homeland Security meeting on North Korean threats yesterday.

Did you?

It's the first time I've ever watched one.

Shit! In summary, we're in trouble.

And not just because of Trump's angry tweet foreign policy diplomacy. That doesn't help, of course.

There's good reason to believe Iran may have secretly developed their own nuclear weapon(s) and are waiting and watching to see what we do with North Korea's nuclear threat.

The panel of experts was pretty impressive. One, Dr. Pry, was ringing the alarm bill about North Korea for decades.

I doubt if there's any other American expert that knows more than him about North Korea's history of cheating on nuke treaties.

One thing about Dr. Pry, he wants to do something right now about Korea and Iran. He's pretty hawkish. 

Of the panel of six, he was the only one who supported Trump's bid (that alone shocked me) to break the Iran deal and consider a first strike against North Korea to solve the stalemate.

Dr. Pry also contended that both North Korea and Iran are making us look like monkeys. Well, not in those words. More like our politicians are a bunch of gutless wonders ignoring reality.

Isn't that comforting?

The other experts painted a slightly less dark picture of North Korea's abilities and seemed to advocate diplomacy could still work.

I can't believe I watched the whole thing. Talk about depressing.

It's was like watching a coming train wreck, and not being able to do a damn thing about it!

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

Trump Is Losing the 'Fake News' Debate

                                 Good Day World!

According to a Pentagon report, Trump wanted to increase our nuclear arsenal the first time he found out we were in the process of decreasing our nuke supply.

Everyone in the room heard him say it. That's called a fact.

But Donny doesn't like facts. I think we all know that by now. So he attacked NBC News for sharing the story with the public.

He said it was fake news. Then he threatened to pull the network's broadcasting license in another example of an assault on the First Amendment.

Trump has always attacked facts. To him, they are inconvenient reminders that he's lying about something again.   

Yesterday's twitter rant about NBC is another reminder that Trump is breaking away from his handlers in the West Wing. 

According to the Pentagon report, the whole staff was shocked when Trump suggested the U.S. needed to beef up it's nuclear stockpile, not decrease it.

One website chronicles Trump's lies since he took office. The last count was in August when The Washington Post documented 1,057 lies and misleading phrases.

Facts like this are crushing Trump's fake news narrative. It's like hearing someone cry wolf every day. After a while you realize that person lives in their own world.

To be sure, Trump has a core of followers who believe he's a working man's deity, and that he can say no wrong. They all happily set aside facts to show their loyalty to the former TV personality.

That leaves a majority of Americans who no longer believe a thing Trump says. The backlash against his lies and ability to lead the country is increasing among members of Congress.

Trump's latest attack against Senator Bob Corker has opened up a rift that will only increase with time. 

At one of Trump's campaign rallies last year he bragged that people would get tired of him "winning" all the time. Thus far all Trump has done is manage to lose every legislative fight he's picked.

Obamacare is still the law of the land. The possibility of Trump passing his huge and historic tax bill is pretty thin since he's managed to divide the Republicans in Congress.

Thanks to Trump's ego and stupidity, the world is laughing at our flawed leader. That's a loss, not a win situation.

The bottom line is Trump can claim anything written about him is fake news until he turns from orange, to blue, but people can see the Emperor has no clothes on.

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