Courts Thwart Trump, Just Say No Joe, Waiting to Exhale

Good Day World!

Once again our liar in chief has been rebutted in court in another attempt to undermine the Affordable Care Act last week.

In another case entirely, the federal courts told Trump to keep his tiny paws off an Alaska Wildlife refuge. 

Say It Ain't So Joe!

Joe Biden is considered among the top three Democratic candidates (as of this post). He's been talking like a presidential candidate, walking like one, and traveling around the country speaking to people like one.

But, Joe has not officially announced he's running. 

Nor should he, in my opinion. Reasons why: 

1) His role as chairman of the House committee that racked Anita Hill over the coals after she spoke out against then-supreme court candidate,Clarence Thomas, doesn't play well in an era where women are fighting to be treated as equals.

2) This isn't going away: A former Nevada state assemblywoman, Lucy Flores, accused Joe of making her feel "uneasy, gross, and confused" in 2014 at a campaign event where she says he kissed her on the back of her head.

3) An old white man isn't what the Democratic party is looking for. Let's face it, Joe isn't exactly a dynamic figure. 

Moving on:

Still waiting to exhale. The Mueller report came out - let me clarify that - a 4-page political conclusion was made by Trump puppet AG William Barr.

The country is still waiting to see what Mueller said. 

Especially in regard to obstructing justice. Mueller reported he couldn't make a conclusion, but did say Trump WAS NOT exonerated of the charge. He left it up to Barr.

Oddly, obstruction of justice was the primary reason for the investigation. So, why didn't Mueller give a conclusion? 

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

'Big Fat Con Job's Rally Defied Reality

Good Day World!

Another day.

Another Donny racist rally.

Feeling victorious because the Mueller report didn't outright say he was a traitor, Trump waddled around on a stage in Michigan last night to the delight of the red hat MAGA crowd spewing his favorite lies.

After a careful fact-check, everything he said was bullshit. A word, by the way, that Trump threw out like a piece of meat for the salivating audience. He thought it made him sound tough.

The part where I laughed the hardest was when Trump claimed the whole investigative was a "Big fat con job." Picture him, for a moment, bobbing around the platform looking very much like a Big. Fat. Con. Man.

It was a serendipity moment.

If you happen to be in the mood to see a real demagogue at work then you should watch a video of the rally on YouTube. Excuse me for not providing a link to it, but I don't want to infect my computer.

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

Mystery Solved: How Trump Got Evangelicals To Support Him

                                       Good Day World!

I always wondered how the devil's disciple, aka Trump, managed to worm his way into the good graces of a religious congregation.

On one hand, I recognize the appeal of someone in power who is against abortion, but where does the allegiance stop when everything about Trump is corrupt?

One mystery about how he got such immediate backing from evangelicals has been solved.

It turns out that days after Trump was elected he told the Pentagon to buy nearly $900,000 in jet fuel from the conservative university owned by Jerry Falwell Jr., who by the way, endorsed him for president.

If that seems odd, there's good reason why. The Pentagon has never been told to buy jet fuel from any private organization before. Ever. 

The kicker here is Falwell was the first big evangelical leader to come out and support Trump during the election, and it's obvious he was rewarded for his efforts.

Using Falwell as his springboard gave Trump legitimacy he didn't deserve. He still enjoys that backing in spite of all the hateful things he's done to divide our country.

This information won't make you rest easier, but at least it goes towards explaining how someone as corrupt as Trump co-opted religion to build his cult base.

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

Open Hypocrisy in Everything We See

Good Day World!

The era of hypocrites is upon us like never before. 

There was a time hypocrites tried to hide their duel purposes, and when exposed were even contrite.

Welcome to Trump's America, where liars, racists, hypocrites, and grifters are dominating the nation's politics from the county level, to state level, and all the way to the top where hypocritical lawmakers gather to decide the nation's fate.

Q- What's worse than religious bigotry and hypocrisy?
A- Violating the Constitution's guarantee of separation of church and state. 

Most recent example: 

The Missouri House passed a bill to teach (preach) the Bible in public schools recently.

Despite Constitutional protection for all religions, the Missouri House doubled down on their assault and ignored it, turning down amendments allowing classes for the Book of Mormon, Muslims, Hindu, and Buddhist texts.

Textbook hypocrisy.

The Trump Administration is claiming the "there's no longer any poverty in America" and thus no need for welfare programs.

Holy shit! What planet are they talking about?

Then there's the GOP budget plan to slash funding from the education system with the help of Betsy DeVoss, who has set the bar for hypocrites in our education system.

When grilled by Congress why she was seeking to defund the Special Olympics (and even take their tax exempt status away) she simply replied "cuts had to be made somewhere."

In the current budget battle, taking away funding for the Special Olympics - and other programs focused on the most vulnerable Americans - is not only on the table, it's the plan.

A hypocrite is bad enough in any setting, but when they're situated in places of power the damage they create is exponential. 

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

The Wealthy, Unethical, and Powerful Officially Take Control of America

                                          Good Day World!

The worst held secret in America has come out into the open since Trump's takeover in 2016.

The wealthy, unethical, and powerful rule this country with an iron hand. There's no use in denying it. Look at just a few things that happened in the last couple of months:

* Mueller's investigation was declared complete and exonerated Trump and his campaign from colluding with Russia. 
Well, sort of. All those contacts with Trump associates and Russians during and after the election were ruled...insufficient to indict (?).
More maddening however, was Mueller's decision to not make a decision about Obstruction of Justice (the original reason the investigation opened), instead letting Trump's puppet William Barr make the crucial call. 
The call was inevitable because Barr made his decision a long time ago (before he was hired by Trump) that the Mueller report should never have happened.
Then when Mueller stated that Trump was not exonerated from the charge of obstruction, it became a battle royal.

Trump 1. America 0.

Accountability will be tied up in courts allowing Trump to ignore the case and to continue to spread his corruption with renewed vigor in the government like a disease.

* Another case of connections in high places played out when Smollett's case was suddenly dropped, despite 16 felony counts and a grand jury's recommendation.
Related: Chicago mayor: "Mr. Smollett is saying he's innocent. How dare him!" 

* Then we have the college admissions scandal where wealthy parents, test administrators, and college coaches rigged the system to allow for students to attend elite college. There were two different types of schemes - a standardized cheating operation and a college acceptance scam. 

* There's Trump's tax con that made the richer even more wealthy and powerful.

* How about billionaire Robert Kraft? The guy gets caught having sex in a message parlor (twice) on video, then pleads not guilty. He's apparently confident the team of lawyers will find (or create) loopholes in the law allowing him to not tell the truth. Sound familiar? Shades of the Smollett case. Getting away with lying.

Related: The Problem With Rich People and Ethics

Related: How Wealth Reduces Compassion

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

The Tweet That Keeps On Giving To World Dictators

Good Day World!

In one of Trump's twitter revelations last week he called for the world to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, in a direct violation of International law.

A law that the United States has upheld for 52 years was suddenly challenged by Trump's stupid tweet. By just suggesting the idea he handed Israel's embattled leader an election day gift.

It was a case of birds of a feather sticking together; our corrupt president, who's under investigation for numerous crimes, is helping out Netanyahu who is also under investigation for corruption and abuse of power.

That same tweet is also going to produce an opening for Russia's Vladimir Putin by undermining international condemnation of Russia's seizure and annexation of Crimea.

And the tweet keeps on giving as China will hop on the bandwagon and apply it to the South China Sea.

Nothing official has been passed since his mindless tweet. Trump and Netanyahu got a chance to hug and compare crimes yesterday at The White House, but no announcement on an official policy had surfaced yet. 

Stay tuned to twitter...

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

Barr: No Trump/Russian Conspiracy - Perceptions, Conclusions, and Chaos

                                        Good Day World!

The big moment has come and gone. Attorney General William Barr shared his summary of the Mueller report yesterday.

No bomb dropped on Trump or cronies. Barr's perception of Mueller's summary was a benign nod to our corrupt president. Most likely giving him the benefit of the doubt that there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

The report summary given to Congress noted that the campaign was given "multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign" but no one within the campaign or "anyone associated with it" conspired with Russia.

Okay. That'll be interesting when we get all the details and see Barr's perception of a crime can be different than Mueller's, especially when it comes to obstruction of justice.

As you read this, I suspect Trump will be waddling around the White House celebrating with his cronies.

The howls of dismay from The House of Representatives reverberated throughout the hallowed halls of Congress yesterday:

Where's the beef?
We need to see what evidence was collected to produce a summary of no collusion or obstruction. 
Mueller did not rule out obstruction of justice despite not charging Trump with it.

Chaos now reigns. At least until election day 2020, as a revigorated Trump returns to bullying and defending himself from the numerous investigations that lie ahead.

The Republicans and the White House will fight tooth and nail to suppress the evidence and subpoenas will bloom like mushrooms demanding attention. 

Trump and his enablers hope to drag this fight out until election day - never letting the evidence surface and using it as a political foil with Trump's base to get re-elected.

The only thing that nullifies Trump's victory is that it's just one battle fought, while numerous battles with the House, New York's 9th District, Virginia, and Washington DC, lie ahead.

In other words, the war to stop Trump's corruption is not over. It's actually just begun.

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

Trump Minions Claiming Victory Before Mueller Report Released

Good Day World!

The lies from Trump world have already begun despite the fact that AG Barr hasn't shared a thing (as of this writing) about the recently released Mueller report.

Leading the way was Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) who eagerly reported yesterday that "early reports" confirmed Trump and his campaign did not collude with Russia.

His claim was utter bullshit. There were no early reports exonerating Trump and his minions. Because they were no further indictments against Trump's cohorts the victory dance began early.

It's notable that partisan hacks like Stewart are already spinning the Mueller report. They've been preparing to do this for a along time.

It's possible, as you read this post today, Trump and his minions will be doing the happy dance because AG Barr's perception of Mueller's report will initially be watered down.

But, I have a hunch the hokey pokey dance won't last long after the House pursues the threads of evidence Mueller's comprehensive report will have, despite the possibility of Barr's consensus of no colluding.  

One caveat; if by some surprise, Barr sees Mueller has overwhelming evidence of collusion he could indict the president. I have to admit the chances of that happening are probably slim, to non-existent.

For those people who have not been following this legal free-for-all, I would caution them to not get too excited, either way, about what AG Barr has to say.

Trump's future is filled with investigations into all his forms of corruption, before and after entering office. I don't expect to see any more dance parties being thrown by Trump's enablers before the 2020 elections.

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

NZ Tells NRA to 'Bugger off' - Americans Can Learn a Lesson From That

                                        Good Day World!

Today, I'm hanging my head in shame for the thousands of Americans who have been slaughtered by semi-automatic rifles with no consequences in this country.

I'm particularly angry with the role that the National Rifle Association (NRA) has played in recent decades. They've successfully stifled any safety gun laws from being enacted with their powerful lobby. 
That same NRA has recently stuck it's ugly nose into New Zealand's affairs and claimed it's residents have a right to have assault rifles. 

The response, from former Police Minister Judith Collins was to warn NRA lobbyists trying to interfere in the countries laws; "Bugger off!"

So how was New Zealand, a country of three million with over one million citizens bearing semi-automatic rifles, able to pass legislation so quickly after a white nationalist slaughtered 50 innocent Muslims in their mosques?

One big reason is New Zealand doesn't have the NRA and their politicians don't have to face the wrath of gun industry corporations acting under the guise of the NRA.

New Zealand's government felt empowered to do something to make the country safer, instead of what is least likely to elicit attack ads during the next re-election bid.

The NRA's lobbying power has so warped our conception of what is possible that to us, every instance of meaningful gun reform now seems astonishing.

What New Zealand did was not astonishing. It was a safe, rational, and sane thing to do.

It's really a pity that an organization (currently being investigated for accepting foreign funds (Russia) to help Trump win the 2016 election, has such a sway over our lawmakers.

New Zealand is a teaching moment for our republic. The question is, can we learn from it?

Related: Pew Research Poll Shows Majority of Americans Want Gun Safety Laws Enacted

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

This Is Collusion: Trump Give's Embattled Netanyahu a Gift

Good Day World!

Let's set aside Trump's collusion case with Russia for a moment to take a look at another unfolding case of collusion.

This time with Israel's embattled Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Like Trump, Netanyahu is being investigated for corruption and abuse of power.

In three weeks Israel will hold national elections that will either boot him out of power, or will give him another term.

With this in mind, consider yesterday's surprise announcement by Trump that he was overturning a longstanding US policy (52 years) regarding the Israel-occupied Golan Heights.

This comes after a year of lobbying by Israel and some senators like Cruz who was drawing up a plan to legitimize driving the Palestinians out of the Golan Heights, despite the stance taken by the rest of the world.  

But there's more. Netanyahu is scheduled to join Trump at The White House just before April 9th, when his country's elections take place.

Why? It's kind of obvious. Because he wants to double down on getting Trump to formally recognize the Golan Heights as part of Israel prior to the vote. He needs something concrete to win the election. 

Netanyahu's counting on Trump's popularity in Israel to give him the edge it'll take to overcome his shady dealings on election day.

I agree with former US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta who recently said, "...the move raises a lot of concern, and it's difficult to not see this as an attempt to buttress Netanyahu's chances of remaining in power."

As Panetta noted, "It's hard not to put two and two together."

It's also not hard to see where all of this will end. Trump is colluding with another authoritarian leader for mutual benefits. The next question is what is Netanyahu giving Trump? A Trump tower in Jerusalem?

Some habits are just hard to break.

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

Sideshow Trump Displays Art of the Dodge

Good Day World!

Here's a silly question to ask; Have you ever watched The Simpson's, a popular animated show on TV?

If you have, do you remember Sideshow Bob? 

He was a self-proclaimed genius, member of the Republican Party (is any of this sounding like someone else you know?), champion of high culture, and Bart Simson's archenemy. 

He was also a former children's entertainer (Trump was an entertainer in The Apprentice appealing to a childlike segment of the country) before turning into a criminal mastermind.

To change the conversation about the upcoming release of Mueller's report, Sideshow Trump put on a series of sideshows to distract Americans recently.

1) Ex-CIA Director Blasts Trump Over 'Temper Tantrums'

2.) Trump Blasts Kellyanne Conway's Husband George Conway: Husband From Hell, Conway says You.Are.Nuts.

3) Trump Using Stalinist Tactics To Discredit Climate Science 

4) Trump's Latest Deranged Rant Divorced From Reality

I could go on and list more examples, but I think you got the point by now.

Trump's recent twitterstorm and public statements are sideshows meant to distract us. To take the focus off his real fear...what the Mueller report is going to reveal.

Until that fateful day arrives we can expect more sideshows from the clown in the Oval Office.

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