Saturday, September 14, 2019

Guffaw Saturday: 6 Links to Laughs

Good Day World!

As a lifetime subscriber to the theory that laughter is the best medicine, I thought it would be nice to change the pace of my posts today with an infusion of humor.

** This video (50 seconds) features the first time Robin Williams appeared on the Johnny Carson Show. Williams was a comedic genius who took off like a rocket and stunned the entertainment world with his crazy antics. 

** This video (5 minutes) is a collection of Rodney Dangerfield's best one-liners. He was the master when it came to reeling off jokes in rapid succession.

** This video (13 minutes) is a collection of Don Rickles best jokes. His humor was controversial at the time, and today he would probably be banned from performing. But, damn! The guy was hilarious! 

** This video (1 hour) portrays a comprehensive selection of George Carlin's best jokes. Carlin is probably one of the most controversial comedians in American history. He was also a social critic, satirist, actor, writer, and an author who won five Grammy Awards for his albums. 

** This video (10 minutes 30 seconds) is from Richard Pryor's TV Show. His character the Rev. James L. White is a real crackup. Pryor thrived on controversy. From stand-up comedy, to albums, and even his own show, he was (and is) still popular for his zany wit. 

This video (49 seconds) features funny man Bob Newhart doing stand up comedy. Skit: "Air Traffic Controller" Bob's understated personality led to uncontrollable laughter! 

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

Friday, September 13, 2019

Payoffs, Pardons, Profiteering: How Trump Has Been Getting Away With Open Corruption

Good Day World!

It's about time.

Democratic lawmakers reaction to Trump's open corruption came to a vote yesterday when the House Judiciary Committee voted to launch a formal investigation that could result in the adoption of articles of impeachment by the full House.

One step towards justice. The next will be the Full Monty.

I don't have the space to list all of Trump's emolument violations, but they basically began while he was being sworn in as out next president.

Related: The Investigation into Trump's Inauguration Money Looks Quite Serious

The most recent blatant violation of the Constitution came when Trump pitched have the 2020 G-7 Economic Summit.

Related: Using Trump's Golf Course for G-7 Summit Is a Clear Emoluments Violation, But what can Be Done? 

The answer to the above link was yesterday's vote to move impeachment proceedings along.


One of the many things that will come up for further examination will be Trump's use of pardons. 

Tossing all normal proceedings aside, he's been granting them on whims and for political reasons.

Details of Trump's misuse are documented in the following article from Lawfare:

Trump's Corrupt Use of the Pardon Power

Moving on to payoffs:

Trump's lifetime habit off paying off troublesome lawsuits - like when women accuse him of sexual abuse - came back to haunt him when he paid Stormy Daniels hush money days before the 2016 election, not to mention their sexual affairs.

Related: House Dems to Investigate Trump's Involvement in 'Hush Payments' to Silence Affair Accusations in Impeachment Probe

Because there's so many lawsuits involving Trump I went to see if Wikipedia has a list. They do.

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

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Why America is Less Secure Today - Hint Donald Trump


                                       Good Day World!

Seen posted on the door of the White House:

"Taking Applications for National Security Adviser" 
(In small print) Don't apply unless ready to kiss Trump's ass daily.

After kicking John Bolton out, Trump is scrambling to find his fourth national security secretary in less than three years.

The search has been narrowed down to this short list of Trump loyalists: 

Stephen E. Biegun - special representative for North Korea
Brian H. Hook - special representative  for Iran (Kushner's buddy).
Douglas Macgregor - retired Army colonel (who appears frequently on Trump's favorite Fox program "Tucker Carlson.")
Richard Grenell - ambassador to Germany (the wild card - Trump personally likes him).
Ricky Waddell - a former deputy national security adviser who left the White House a year ago).

Other names tossed about:

Keith Kellogg, Jack Keane, Robert Blair, and Robert C. O' Brien. 

When Trump stumbled into office on January 2017, America was immediately put at risk with his first choice for national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

Flynn was part of Trump's A-Team. Now that Trump's down to the D-Team it looks even bleaker for the nation's security. 

Think about that for a moment; Trump has been at odds with all of the intelligence agencies (preferring Putin's opinion over theirs) since he was elected, and now he's scrapping the barrel to fill one of the most vital positions on his cabinet.

Trump has made the country less secure by alienating all of our former allies, sucking up to world dictators, and appointing complete assholes to his cabinet.

Related: Trump Is A National Security Risk. Here's the Current #1 Trump Threat Level 

Objectively, it's fair to say, America is less safe today.

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

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

One Thing That Is Real About Trump: He Lives In His Own World


                                        Good Day World!

It was flashback time yesterday to The Apprentice when Trump told national security advisor John Bolton, "You're fired!"

The former reality star, and now president, has never fully crossed the threshold to the real world, preferring to straddle the line between unreality, and reality. 

Trump truly believes he can control reality by bullying weathermen because they corrected him (factually), or by telling straight-out lies like people were waiting in the rain to see him speak at the NC rally for GOP senate wannabe Dan Bishop Monday night.

Note: Bishop won by a narrow margin yesterday - 2 points (in the pure red state) - showing a growing movement away from Trump.


Recent actions he's taken are pointing towards Trump's mental state's deterioration. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why his approval rating is slipping amid recession and trade war concerns.

Because Trump is a malignant narcissist he lives in his own world and expects those around him to conform to his interruption of reality.

For example; look at the turnover in the White House and cabinet. We're going on the fourth national security adviser after Trump shit-canned John Bolton yesterday.

As a matter of fact, Trump's cabinet turnover set a record going back 100 Years. Note, this NPR article is from 2018. 

Tracking Turnover in The Trump Adminstration - His "A Team" turnover has reached 76 percent (as of Sept.10, 2019) 

The obvious reason for the chaos in government is Trump. Everyone is afraid he's going to fire them if they somehow cross what he's saying.

In other words, Trump does not take advise, and if someone wants to keep their job, they don't give it because he is the chosen one.

So what are Americans saying about Trump's reality game? In a poll yesterday, 6 in 10 Americans said Trump does not deserve a second term.

Coupled with the concerns over the economy, it's apparent Trump is not winning over a lot of voters lately. In fact, he's slipping further into a swamp of own lies.

The only thing that is real about Trump is that he lives in his own world.

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

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Hurricane Trump Continues to Defy Democracy With Every Lie

"I call it truthful hyperbole."
-Trump, from the Art of the Deal"

Good Day World!

The Category 5 assault upon the Constitution by Hurricane Trump and cronies has gone off the charts this year.

Last week Trump took his Sharpie to a weather map in a pathetic attempt to prove he wasn't wrong about Alabama being in the course of Hurricane Dorian.

Doubling down, Trump ordered NOAA top brass to lie about his Alabama claim. 

NOAA Employees Told Not To Contradict Trump

Followed up with this story...Commerce Chief Threatened firing of NOAA Officials After Trump's Hurricane Tweets 

Now this: Another attempt to defy the Constitution - Judge blocks Trump's Asylum Ban Along Entire US-Mexico Border for the Second Time 

And this: Trump told officials that if they break the law to finish hundreds of miles of fence along the US-Mexican border, he'd pardon them.

Then he ordered the officials to fast-track contracts on his beloved wall and to seize land and break any environmental laws that stood in the way. 

When questioned about it, WH staff claimed it was a joke. The only joke I see is Trump in the presidency.

Trump's dubious claims (lies) about China are documented.  He and his cronies have been jerking the stock market around with conflicting stories and claims about the ongoing trade war with China since last year.

The effect of Trump's witless tariffs are becoming clearer every day. Experts are saying Trump's trade war is creating a scenario similar to 2016. Trump continues to say that US taxpayers aren't suffering under his regime. Another big lie.

According to Bloomberg Monday, a Recession Already Grips Corners of U.S., menacing Trump's 2020 bid

Before signing off today I want to share one more story that made my blood run cold:

US Removed Covert Source in Russia Due To Safety Concerns Under Trump


According to a CNN report, US Officials had been alarmed by Trump's private meeting in 2017 with Putin in Hamburg and his infamous Oval Office meeting in May 2017 when Trump discussed Comey's firing, and highly sensitive intelligence concerning ISIS in Syria with the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and then the ambassador to the U.S., Sergery Kislyak. 

The big takeaway from this news is our intelligence community was concerned with Trump and his cronies keeping their flaps shut and possibly jeopardizing the spy's life.

Breaking News Today:

Finally, it was bound to happen: Trump Fires John Bolton

There's no doubt in my mind that Trump is the biggest threat to democracy in modern history.

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

Monday, September 9, 2019

They're Back! A Reinvigorated Congress Takes on Trump's Corruption


                                         Good Day World!

I'm feeling unusually irreverent today. To describe my delight at seeing Congress back in session here's an old song by The Chiffons:


 My Boyfriends Back.
(Lyrics) 
He been away, you hung around
Botherin' me every night
Spreadin' stories that were untrue
So look out now cause he's comin' after you  

My boyfriend's back and you're gonna be in trouble
(Hey la, hey la, my boyfriend's back)
_____________________________________
Congress in Session

Things are finally going to get serious this week as the Democratic Majority Congress rolls out the guide to impeachment. (See my post yesterday)

Related: House Panel Investigating Military Spending at Trump Turnberry 
______________________________________
Trump actually has primary challengers

You'd have to be following the political news of the day pretty closely to even know Trump has some GOP primary challengers.

Related: Mark Sanford Becomes Third Republican To Challenge Trump in Republican Primary 

The deck is rapidly being stacked against Trump's challengers. According to Politico, the GOP in four states - South Carolina, Nevada, Arizona, and Kansas - have chosen not to hold Republican presidential primaries or caucuses next year and just name Trump their boy.
________________________________________
Culture


Jimmy Kimmel Mocks Trump's Daily Schedule: 'Eat, Tweet, Sleep, Tweet, Repeat'
________________________________________

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

Sunday, September 8, 2019

The Door To Impeachment Will Open After Congressional Resolution Next Week


                                        Good Day World!

After speculating on impeachment all year long Democrats are shaking off their lethargy, and are prepared to vote next week on a resolution laying out the procedures for a House investigation into impeaching Trump.

This is a major step towards formalizing the sweeping probe that will occur when they formally declare they're pursuing impeachment.

The House Judiciary Committee may introduce the resolution as early as tomorrow. Moving forward Chairman Jerry Nadler will have the authority to call hearings at either the full committee or subcommittee level in connection with impeachment deliberations.

This will open the doors Trump closed by defying Congressional subpoenas.   

Using Nixon's impeachment proceedings as a model, Nadler will be able to authorize committee staff counsels to question witnesses, something not normally done at congressional hearings.

Democrats have been gathering evidence to prove obstruction of justice, potential violations of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, and reports that Trump promised pardons to officials if they broke the law to carry out his immigration policies.

No stone will remain unturned as the committee resolution also spells out how grand jury information can be reviewed in closed-door sessions. 

These new procedures could be in place by mid-September, according to Politico who first reported the upcoming resolution. 

Trump's mental condition is on public display, especially with his recent Alabama fixation. Aides are reporting his daily rants through the White House have increased lately as signs of a recession are popping up everywhere.

It should be interesting to see how Trump handles more personal pressure from this new House resolution.

Who knows? It could end up being the 25th Amendment that puts The Donald away!

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

Saturday, September 7, 2019

NYC Infestation - Trump Tower and Drunken Rats


                                         Good Day World!

Visitors to the Big Apple often come away with stories of rats the size of cats in the subways and the streets.

Sadly, they're true most of the time.

The truth is NYC has been infested with rats since it was built over two centuries ago. Each generation has tried to deal with the furry vermin with different methods to no avail.

Pause...

Trump recently lambasted Baltimore for being infested with rats. Just months before his rant against the city, he tried to stop funds from going there to fight the rodents.

Another pause...

In a perfect example of irony, Trump Tower is in NYC - or as some call Manhattan, "Ratland." The Big Apple's connection to rats doesn't just stop with the four-legged ones...

The two-legged variety have been expanding for a couple of decades. Their headquarters are located between 56th and 57th Streets in a 58-floor skyscraper dubbed Trump Tower.

Easily the largest rat in the city, Trump has been squatting in NYC all of his life. The irony goes right over Trump's toupee and past his tiny bird brain.

Still Another Pause...

NYC hasn't given up on trying to control it's rat population. The latest radical solution to ridding the city of it's vermin was revealed this week.

The new plan is to bait rats into a trap that will drown them in a bucket of alcohol. 

I'm not making this up. Story here

Last pause...

My only concern is the two legged variety, like Trump, will simply be too large to fit in the proposed alcohol bucket trap!

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

Friday, September 6, 2019

Proof That Trump and Minions Are Losing Their War on Reality

After a correction with his presidential Sharpie (see red arrows) Trump displays a weather map.

                                        Good Day World!

Trump and his minions are fighting a losing war in their effort to turn the tide of truth regarding their corrupt activities with layers of lies.

No lie is too small, or too big.

Trump is still refusing to acknowledge that he was wrong when he tweeted Sunday about the threat Hurricane Dorian posed to Alabama. 

The National Weather Service tweeted 20 minutes after Trump's crazy claim that Alabama WAS NOT in the path of Dorian.

That didn't stop Trump who ginned up his battle with reality by showing a phony weather map where he used a Sharpie to point to Alabama, while sitting behind the Resolute Desk.

As usual, Trump took a lie and doubled down on it by persistently tweeting in the hope someone will believe him. I can't imagine how embarrassing it must be for aides who have to go along with his blatant lies and act like nothing is wrong.

Related: Trump's Alabama Obsession Reveals a Deep Flaw

* VP Pence's visit to Ireland has raised ethical questions for staying at Trump's Ireland Golf Club, at Trump's "suggestion."

Related: Pence's Stay at Trump Property in Ireland is Focus of Senate Democrat Inquiry

When questioned by the press he claimed it was his staff's idea to stay there. That excuse might have worked had there not been a news article the day before pointing out that Pence went there at Trump's suggestion.

Just another lie for his master.
  

* As far as Jared Kushner's much anticipated Israeli-Palestinian peace plan... it's apparent he doesn't have one even though Trump has said he's presenting one right after the Israeli elections.

Once again, reality is biting a Trump minion on the ass. Trump's Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt, who was working with Kushner on the peace plan, resigned yesterday.

By all accounts, negotiations have stalled, and there's very little (if any) progress made by Trump's son-in-law. Don't expect to see a plan soon. The reality is, there never was a plan.

* In another sign that reality is closing in on the orange anus, Mother Jones reported an investigation about a mysterious $50 million debt that Trump owes to a business called Chicago Unit Acquisition LLC, which he fully owns.

Yesterday, experts referred to it as a clear case of tax fraud.

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

Thursday, September 5, 2019

The 1st Wave of Politic Attack Bots Has Arrived: We Haven't Seen Anything Yet!

Good Day World!

Democracy has always been a rough and tumble experiment.

However, it's greatest challenge has materialized in the 21st century.

Trump versus the majority of Americans and our Constitution. I doubt if the founding fathers ever conceived the idea that a president would ever be so corrupt that he would put our national security at risk to stroke his ego and greed.


The Danger Is Now

One of the biggest challenges to our upcoming elections is foreign bots on social media platforms. Our intelligence agencies all agree that misinformation attacks against political candidates are well underway.

Most recent example. Some internet troll claimed that the Odessa shooter was a Beto O'Rourke supporter and had his campaign sticker on his truck (note, the shooter was driving a gold car and stole a postal truck).

The claim was false.

But that didn't matter to Anthony Shaffer, a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer and a member of Trump's 2020 campaign advisory board, who promoted the false theory on Twitter, giving it more legs.

Oscar Villarreal, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, told the Washington Post that there was no indication the shooter was an O'Rourke supporter.

By the time Twitter reacted and suspended the false account, millions of viewers had already seen it and the damage were done.

This example is just part of a mass disinformation campaign already being waged against Americans by the Russians, and other bad world players like China, Iran, and North Korea.

Here's a disturbing story about how NBC helped Russia 'Spread Racial Tensions in America' with viral videos.

Despite Trump's reluctance to talk about anything Russian related, including their being a threat to our electoral system, officials have warned him that they are an "Active Threat" to our 2020 elections.

Even worse...

All attempts to get election security legislation already passed by the House, to the senate floor, have been obstructed by Moscow Mitch the soulless majority leader in the Senate.

The bots are going to keep coming and they're going to be amplified by millions of clueless Americans who are tearing each other apart over lies and racial dog whistles promoted by our enemies.

As concerned as I am about computer hacking at the polling places, I'm even more concerned about the states of mind millions of Americans will have come next November.

Anything could happen.

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

Trump's Lowest Grift Ever Saved for Holy Week

This is a story about how the devil's puppet, aka Donald Trump, mocked Christianity by selling a book combining the Bible, the Constitu...