Open Inquiry Now: Trump is Rolling Over Congress in Slow Motion

“Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, COFFEE and acceptance…The SIX stages of waking up!!” Comic Strip Mama 

Good Day World!

What Americans have been witnessing this year is worthy of a slasher film where parts are slowed down for dramatic effect. 

Watching the Trump team use "slo-mo" tactics to hamper Congress from concluding their numerous investigations, has been like watching an oncoming train wreck.

You know it's going to happen. It's just a matter of when.

Trump hopes to have Congress tied up in the courts until next year when he can exploit their attempts to find out the depths of his corruption, and claim it's a campaign ploy by crazed democrats. A conspiracy.

That strategy may, or may not work. But, why wait and see? I think it's time to open up an impeachment inquiry.

If the House doesn't move soon Trump will continue to dismantle our government and alienate our allies. It's getting worse every day, and every month.

Trump now has to deal with a possible war with Iran. It's going to be of his own making because he violated America's commitment to stay in the Iran Nuclear Agreement which was signed on to by the rest of the world.

Related: Trump's Last-Minute Pullback on Iran Strikes May Have Made Crisis More Perilous 

Related: Here's What a US War With Iran Could Look Like

How many more days and months have to pass before Trump inadvertently stumbles into a war with Iran, or even North Korea? 

Or, watch Trump permanently cripple our government with corporate whores in cabinet positions, and other government appointments?

The very least Democrats should do is open an inquiry into impeachment now, so they can get the answers they need - after a blanket effort of stonewalling subpoenas - before next year, when the political calculus could change.

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

GOP trying to Show Spine in Opposing Tump's Pal Mohammed Bin Salman

Science may never come up with a better office communication system than the coffee break. -Earl Wilson

Good Day World!

It's not easy for those cowardly GOP senators to stand up to Trump. 

But there seems to be one subject that is forcing them to "grow a pair." 

Defying the orange ape's efforts to protect Saudi Arabia from answering for the murder of Washington Post columnist, Jamaal Khashoggi.

Republican flip flop artist, Lindsey Graham defiantly claimed, "There's no amount of oil coming out of Saudi Arabia and there's no threat from Iran that will get me to back off," in reference to holding the Middle Eastern Kingdom responsible for the journalist's grisly murder. 

Graham's comments came after a bipartisan coalition of senators are attempting to block 22 arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which Trump has attempted to push through despite significant bipartisan opposition.

The rest of the world knows bin Salman is a bloodthirsty
tyrant who doesn't hesitate to kill his enemies (real and perceived) with impunity. Trump doesn't care.

 A recent international report concluded the whole murderous operation was bin Salman's work. American senators and members of the House are unanimously opposed to selling arms to his murderous regime.

But Trump, being Trump and dumb as a rock, has rejected all advise and proof, and is still trying to bulldoze his military gift package past lawmakers to please Saudi Arabia.

Related: Senate Votes To Block Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia Despite Trump Veto threat

Trump cronies, like Mike Pompeo, insist the Trump administration is not trying to cover up Khashoggi's grisly murder. No one believes that but Pompeo, and some other zombie members of Trump's cabinet.

Once again, Trump is not only embarrassing America, he's selling us out.

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

Two Realities: Trump's Campaign Rally Messages and The Real World Outside

"Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat." ~ Alex Levine
Good Day World!

While Trump was holding his "official opening campaign rally" in Orlando, Florida yesterday, our country was edging towards a war that even Trump says he doesn't want with Iran.

As he stoked the fires of racism promising a massive sweep of millions of illegal immigrants next week, leaders at ICE said that no such massive roundup was planned. 

Trump's announcement of a pending tsunami of arrests was news to everyone involved. Except the audience. They believed every lying word he said.

A spokesperson for ICE admitted a limited roundup would take place (oh, and thank you Mr. President for letting the world know beforehand), and had been planned for months.

It was a more, or less, a routine operation. Several like it are conducted throughout the year. Ice doesn't announce these raids, but Trump didn't care because he was wanted to politicize them for his kickoff of the 2020 election.

To be factual, Trump started campaigning for re-election on his first day of office.

While Trump and his corrupt family pranced around on a stage like performing monkeys last night, the country was in a constitutional crisis (Trump vs Congress), and on the brink of war with Iran.

Trump didn't tell his adoring minions about the chaos in the White House - another of his unvetted nominees, Patrick Shanahan for Defense Secretary - had to step down from his acting position because of domestic violence accusations. Remember Trump's pet adviser Porter? Same thing. It appears to be a pattern among his picks.

While farmers suffered from Trump's stupid tariffs, he told them they've never had it better than under him. That only he can solve all of the world's problems, and needed just four more years to do so.

The Reality Outside

America's Infrastructure is Crumbling and These People are Suffering Because of It

"The American Society of Civil Engineers gives the nation's infrastructure a D plus grade. That would be for the roads and bridges we drive on every day, the airports we use for business and vacation travel, and the schools where we send our children to learn."

Trump's entire term has been about himself and his minions profiting off of taxpaying middle class Americans, while the wealthy got richer. The discrepancy of income is the biggest it's been since the Gilded Age of robber barons.

While Trump the con man performed in his racist bubble, the rest of the nation was trying to do damage control from the many fires he's lit.

Long after the lights went out last night, and the crowd crawled away into the darkness under their rocks, Trump was tweeting about his latest victory.

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

Trump's Lack of Credibility May Lead Us Into a War

“What do you want?"
"Just coffee. Black - like my soul.” Cassandra Clare
                                    Good Day World!

America's allies are shy about getting in bed with us these days. For good reason.

It's one thing to have a president losing his credibility at home, but when that cloud extends to the rest of the world bad things - like war - can happen. 

As Trump's hawks, Bolton and Pompeo, make their argument that Iran is attacking oil tankers in the Hormuz Gulf, most of our allies are reluctant to agree with that assessment without more proof. 

This is a perfect example of Trump seeing the fruits of his stupid decisions internationally. When he doesn't even trust his own intelligence community, why should other countries trust we're telling them the truth?

On his way to isolating America from the world community Trump has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Accord, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, just to name a few.

Consider this; we asked our allies to work with us on the Iran deal. They did, and then Trump came along and stiffed them - so getting these countries on board with a more coordinated action on Iran is a tough haul.

We have a wannabe strongman who tells us news is fake when it doesn't parrot his personal talking points. He encourages others not to believe what they're seeing or reading in the media.

Trump's well-documented corrupt behavior at home is not a recommendation to other countries for reliability. They see what's happening here.

What they see is chaos and mistrust.

To ask countries like Germany and Japan to go along with whatever contrived evidence Trump's hawks have on the Iranians, was just too much. They're reserving their judgement until more evidence can be produced.

The don't trust Trump. Can you blame them?

Related: Iran Official: US and Iran Headed Toward Confrontation

Related: Pompeo on Iran: US Considering Range of Options Including Military

Related: US Sending 1,000 Additional Troops to Middle East Amid Iran Tensions

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

The 'Trump Zone': A Journey in an Alternate Reality

“Having charged your brain with a cup of coffee, you’re ready to face some more challenges of life.” -Sahara Sanders

                                        Good Day World!

Trump's clearly speaking to his base (the rest of the people can suck eggs in the Book of Trump) all the time. His presidency has been an ongoing campaign rally for a redo in the 2020 elections.

His devoted followers have always ignored the truth and messy realities in favor of their favorite bad boy, who is not afraid to look you in the eye, and lie.

He's famously claimed his inauguration crowd was the biggest of all time - despite photographic proof showing otherwise.

Trump has shamelessly gone on TV and said what Americans hear about him are lies concocted by the liberal media, despite videos showing him saying one thing, and then changing his story entirely the next day.

His minions have to go out of their way to interrupt what he said, fecklessly assuring us it's not what he meant, whenever there's considerable backlash.

All this is meat for his base.

When it comes to dirt, Trump is always open to business when it comes to receiving it on his political rivals. Even as the President of the United States who is supposed to uphold and support our laws.

Trump told ABC's George Stepanopoulos he would be open to hearing dirt on his opponents from foreign governments, coyly suggesting that there was nothing wrong with listening. He thought the idea of going to the FBI to report the interference was crazy.

I did believe him when he said he never called the FBI for anything. He's no snitch, as they say in the underworld.

A stunned FEC chairwoman, Ellen Weintraub, had to come out on twitter and remind Trump it's totally illegal to accept any help from foreign governments in our elections.

The next day Trump totally ignored reality (and the article and video proof) and simply said, "What you heard, I didn't mean. The fake media left part of it out." 

You can bet your sweet bibby his base would never fact check it, and that's all that matters.

That's an alternate reality. The scary thing is Trump is becoming bolder all the time with his amoral decisions and claims in defiance of what we see and hear.

George Orwell's 1984 anyone?

The majority of American's reluctantly had to step into the "Trump Zone" on January 2017.

 As we experience this strange journey that's straining our Constitution and credibility in the White House to the limits, we have to cling to our sanity and core beliefs until next year's election.

Here's what happens when Trump's minions actually tell him the truth...

Trump campaign to Purge Pollsters After leak of Dismal Results

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

Trump's NSC Burning Scientific Research in Favor of Corporations

“A good cup of coffee makes life seem better.” - Sahara Sanders

Good Day World!

The Trump regime hates facts that interfere with it's efforts to protect Big Oil and associated other corporations. 

A Short History:

On May 6, 1933 the German Student Association announced a nationwide "Action against the Un-German Spirit."

It was the first clarion call from the emerging Hitler regime that made a point of denying facts in order to promote Nazi propaganda. 

Quote:

"Where they burn books, they will also ultimately burn people." - Heinrich Heine 

Here's What We Face Today:

A member of the National Security Council, William Happer, sought help from advisers to a think tank that disavows climate change to challenge widely accepted scientific findings on global warming.

Recognize that stench of burning knowledge? It's the same defiance of reality to promote political ideology that favors dictators like Hitler.

Hitler's cronies burned the books in public. 

Trump's cronies are destroying knowledge behind closed doors by dismantling fact-based knowledge in numerous government agencies.

From the start Trump signaled his ignorance when he claimed global warming was a Chinese conspiracy. It got worse as his administration systematically set about denying any scientific knowledge in favor of polluting corporations.

Trump also solidified his place as one of the stupidest leaders in the world when he withdrew America from the Paris Climate Accord that Obama had already signed on to.

Related: Trump's Order To Slash Number of Science Advisory Board's Blasted By Critics as 'nonsensical.'

I take heart from the fact that when Trump is gone, a lot of the damage he's inflicted on government agencies and with our allies can be reversed by a new administration.

That is, if the next president is a democrat, and Trump is consigned to the trash heap of history.

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

The Hatch Act (and other violations) Don't Apply To Trump Minions

                                         Good Day World!

“...and woe betide anyone foolish enough to question my caffeine intake.” -Kieron Gillen
Just to be clear this morning, there's a double standard in Washington where everyone but Trump's minions have to follow the rules.

The latest example:

The US Office of Special Counsel (OSC) found that Kellyanne Conway has violated the Hatch Act "numerous times," and recommended she be fired.

"Never has (the office) had to issue multiple reports to the president concerning Hatch Act violations by the same individual," said Special Counsel Henry Kerner in a letter to Trump.

The agency is only a watchdog however, and cannot pursue violations. Only the president can. As expected, Trump laughed and shredded that request.

It was just another peep from the underlings in government who aren't personal followers of the orange anus.

Trump's Refusal To Fire Conway is 'Dangerous and She Should Resign: Ethics Experts

Another example:

Senate majority Leader Mitch McConnell's wife, Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao, directed an aide in the US Department of Transportation to prioritize her husband's Kentucky projects. He's up for re-election in 2020 and is using whatever devious means he can to stay in power.

In any other administration either of these two cases would have been a major scandal. In the Trump era they're just beeps on the radar.

I could easily add to this list, but it's unnecessary for the purpose of getting my point across. You've got the idea.

Americans are going to have to tolerate this kind of shit until Trump and his minions are purged from The White House.

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

Trump 'Doesn't Know The Difference Between Right or Wrong' Nor Does He Care

Good Day World!

"It's when I sip coffee that I know that I can handle anything that life can throw at me." - Anthony T. Hincks

For the first time in the orange ape's administration there's been some clarity on how he really feels about something.

When it comes to collecting dirt on opponents the sky is the limit.

Trump recently told ABC's George Stephanopoulos that he'd be open to listening to information from foreign governments that would damage his opponents in the next election.

It was a rare moment of truth, and proved how willing he was to get Russia's help in 2016. 

Our liar in chief's explanation that it's okay to listen to foreign powers to hurt American politicians was a frank admission that he doesn't play by the rules. Any rules.

What amazes me is he's doing it right out in the open. I've never seen an American president brazenly welcome foreign inference into our elections before. That's because it's never happened.

The Mueller report made it clear that Russia attacked our 2016 election to support Trump. He, and his minions welcomed that help.

It's glaringly apparent Trump intends to go the same treasonous route again if any foreign governments can help him get re-elected.

The question now is, should an impeachment inquiry be opened soon? Trump's open defiance against Congress and the rules of laws are damaging our democracy every day he's in office.

If Trump is still in office next year there's a very good chance he'll reach out to his dictator buddies for dirt against his democratic opponent.

The day after the interview Nancy Pelosi summed up Trump's comments succinctly, "What the president said last night shows clearly once again...that he does not know the difference between right or wrong." 

I would suggest Trump just doesn't give a damn about such niceties. 

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

Oh Shit! Here We Go Again - Another Love Letter From Kim To Trump

Good Day World!

“I need COFFEE to help me change the things I can... and WINE to help me accept the things I can't!” -Tanya Masse 

The Trump/Kim love affair is a shit story that doesn't bode well for America.

In case you didn't notice, amidst all of the other crazy shit Trump has been pulling, he claims he has another love letter from one of his favorite murdering despots, North Korea's Kim Jong-un.

Trump told reporters that he got a, “...very beautiful and warm and it was very personal, very warm, and a very nice letter" and that everything is going smoothly with the bloodthirsty little bastard who has captured his heart.

While still unconfirmed, it appears that last meeting between the two jerks ended worse than expected, because Kim had his negotiating crew executed.

I really have a hard time watching an American president lick a foreign dictator's ass in order to claim some foreign policy victory that he hopes will help him get re-elected.

Just between you and me...

Kim, who recently was caught flagrantly flirting with Russia's sweetheart Putin, is playing Trump like a piccolo. By the time Trump figures that out (if ever) he's going to be "sweetmeat" for at least six more dictators.

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

Stewart Spanks Congress: Stands Up For 911 Responders

Good Day World!

“People like to cry over spilled milk, but I cry every time I spill my coffee.” Anthony Liccione 
We live in an era of shame brought about by politicians with no ethics or morals. 

(Update below)

It's no longer about doing the right thing. Everything is a binary choice. Win, or lose. 

When my friend Larry sent me a link to Jon Stewart addressing Congress yesterday, I almost shed tears. 

"Accountability doesn't appear to be something that occurs in this chamber," Stewart said, "and, I'm sorry if I sound angry and undiplomatic, but I am angry and you should be too."

I know I was angry hearing about the difficulties the 911 Victim Compensation Fund has gone through with Congress's lackadaisical responses, coming up short of what's needed, and dragging their feet on releasing funds.

To me, this is another metaphor for when old men send young men to war. When they come home no one cares about their needs. 

Those 911 responders put everything on the line without hesitation. But their deeds are already receding into history along with their needs. 

When most of the members of Congress didn't show up to hear from those first responders in the hearing, it was a show of disrespect.

Stewart made sure they knew it too. His passionate speech -
calling out the "callous indifference and rank hypocrisy" of Congress members who once tweeted, "Never Forget 9/11" are robbing the responders of their 'most valuable commodity': Time, the one thing they're running out of."

The hearing was on a bill that would ensure funding for health benefits for responders for the next 70 years.

It was the first time I ever saw a speaker in the chamber receive a standing ovation. Those members of the House that did show up looked on from their seats sheepishly, fully aware they weren't doing their job.

UPDATE: House panel passes 9/11 Bill After Stewart testimony

Thank you, Jon Stewart!

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

Coming Soon: Political Olympic Games Previewed

Good Day World

"Life is like coffee. The darker it gets, the more it energizes." -  Ankita Singhal

Feel like having some fun today? Try this on.

News flash:  2020 presidential election kicks off with new Political Olympics featuring America's politicians displaying their many skills.

Teams: Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.

Times and Locations: Wednesday, June 12, 2019 - Capitol Hill and state legislatures will formerly kick off next years presidential elections by performing feats of rhetoric and not passing any legislation until after January, 2021.

Events: Full Contact Subpoena Ball; Caucus Weight Lifting, Liar's Dice; the mile long Filibuster run; the 50-yard Corruption Sprints; and the Flip Flop Gym events designed to feature verbal contortions that will leave audiences gasping. 
  
 Under Aquatic - the 10 meter Presidential Backstroke; the 200 meter Committee Crawl; and the 100 meter Freestyle Forum. 

Also, Lobbyist Diving, and one event that is sure to pull an audience, Shark vs Shark, where the politician has to swim to one side of the pool before the Great White waiting in the water gets him!

Meanwhile, we can all just Dream On with Aerosmith!

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