What Americans Need to Talk About This Veteran's Day

Good Day World!

As Veteran's Day looms around the corner, there's one issue all Americans should be talking about...

… taking care of our living veterans who are under assault from Trump's minions in the government.

Here's the most recent example of how our veterans are being treated. After reading this link you'll see how low the Trump administration has gone.

Trump's record with veterans is shaky at best. He's taken credit (falsely) for a program introduced by the Obama administration that allows veterans to seek private care in emergency cases.

It's unforgivable what Trump's done to our troops in Syria; abandoning our Kurdish ally to a cruel dictator in Turkey as a shocked world looked on. 

And, for what?

Oil, it seems, as Americans are still in Syria, but now they're guarding oil fields instead of what was once a secure border between Syria and Turkey.

Trump treats our active military members like mercenaries, bragging that Saudi Arabia is paying for the cost of 1,500 additional American troops to guard the kingdom.

As a veteran myself, (1970 Vietnam and Cambodia campaigns - photo above), I find it particularly galling to have a five-time draft dodger as commander-in-chief. It's almost sacrilegious.

If you want to honor veterans this year there's no better way than contacting your elected representative, and demanding the Trump administration cease and desist it's agenda dishonoring those who are serving, and have served their country.

Remember, your vote next year could send Trump and his cronies packing! (That is, if he doesn't get kicked out of office before then!)

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

Public Impeachment Hearings May Not Feature a Star Witness

Good Day World!

When the impeachment hearings begin on Nov. 13th, there's a good possibility a star witness won't be present.

John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser, is smack dab in the middle of the Ukraine scandal.

Democrats want to hear him public testify because he's the key to confirming what other witnesses have said.

But there's a problem.

Bolton's lawyer have advised him not to testify unless he's subpoenaed. Congressional subpoenas have been confronted with a stone wall from the White House thus far 
in an illegal effort to buy time, and discourage the Democrats.

Time is an issue.

The Democrats only hope of getting Bolton to testify depends on a key test case involving former White House counsel Donald McGahn. A decision could come by the end of November.

If McGahn's lawyers lose their case, a door swings wide open, forcing all the holdouts to testify in the impeachment inquiry. Bolton would probably be the first, in the long line, to appear before Congress.

Although Bolton would be a star witness, there's a lot of star power in a lineup of future witnesses consisting of the likes of Mick Mulvaney, Mike Pompeo, Mike Pence, and the rest of the current holdouts.

When the day comes (if it does) Bolton is expected to corroborate what the other witnesses said, testifying that he was aghast at what was happening.

Bolton knew that U.S. Military aid was being held back as Trump and his minions pressured Ukraine's president to open investigations on his political rival, and a cockamamie conspiracy theory about a missing server. 

Related: Bolton Knows About 'Many Relevant Meetings' on Ukraine, Lawyer Says

I recall what Bolton said when he resigned, "You'll hear from me in due time."

There's one caveat I should mention; Bolton has always held an expansive view of presidential power. It's unclear whether he would testify that Trump overstepped his constitutional authority in his dealings with the Ukraine.

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

Impeachment Poker: Trump's Ace-in-the-Hole

Good Day World!

Despite a mountain of evidence against him, Trump is confident it won't matter when the impeachment trial in the senate begins.

Like all card sharks, Don the Con has an ace-in-the-hole when it comes to counting votes in the senate. He's confident of being exonerated.

Why?

If these were normal times and any other president was confronted with proof of abuse of power, he'd step down. Like Nixon. But, because were in the era of Trump, the senate is a stacked deck.

The GOP senators/aka jurors, have already made their tiny mind's up. Trump's not guilty. 

Talk about a kangaroo court (a term Republicans have been throwing out during the impeachment inquiry in the House), the senate is poised to let a lawless president escape justice.

Trump is gambling on those senator's loyalty.

Next Wednesday the game is going be played out before all Americans, as the House moves forward with public impeachment hearings.

I expect to see the Republicans united in their defense of Trump during this stage of the proceedings. But when Trump is actually impeached, and it goes to the senate for trial...who knows?

There are no guaranteed winners in political poker, or any other game of chance. 

If those GOP senators see a seismic shift in the polls favoring impeachment (especially from their own constituents) Trump's ace-in-the-hole won't come through. He'll be unceremoniously kicked out of the Oval Office.

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

Analysis: Shaming a 'Career' Politician is Impossible

                                       Good Day World!

Regardless of career, you can't shame a person who simply doesn't care what others think of them. 

Politicians and lawyers (they're often intertwined) are immune to their own hypocrisy, despite media evidence revealing it in detail.

Watch Lindsey Graham talking about impeachment back in the day, and now. It's a stunning turnaround by a career politician.
The difference between a career politician. and a plain old politician is simple; a career politician will do anything - regardless of laws and ethics - to stay in office. 

All politicians lie at one time or another. I don't care which party it is. That's a fact of life. When the biggest con man in the world pulled off his 2016 win (with Russian help), chaos descended upon the land.

We've come to the point where career politician and Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, lied on TV about senor advisor Michael McKinley trying to contact him three times with concerns.

Another career politician, AG William Barr, has managed to destroy the DOJ's credibility by being Trump's personal attack dog. 

Related: Grand Hypocrisy - Rand Paul Shows Two Faces

Watching career Politician, Rand Paul, at a Trump rally in Kentucky the other night, I was struck with the blatant call to expose the whistleblower in the Ukraine scandal.

Paul knows better than that. There's whistleblower laws protecting the informer for good reasons. That he would still stoop to please Trump by calling for a legitimate whistleblower to be unmasked, shows how little a man Paul is.

In summary, a career politician can not be shamed. They can be kicked out of office for crimes. They can be voted out of office, but you'll never make them feel bad by calling out their lies and corruption.

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

Trump in a Corner: There's Going to be Casualties. Will Democracy Prevail?

                                        Good Day World!

As more impeachable evidence continues to grow against Trump, it's likely he's going to strike out wherever it'll hurt the most.

If that means holding the country hostage to deflect away from the facts, so be it. We know he's capable of acting like a spoiled child when he doesn't get his way. 

So don't be surprised when the November 21st deadline for an appropriation bill funding the government in 2020, isn't signed.

Trump is fighting for his political survival and would see it as a way to deflect away from the damning testimonies Congress has gathered, and is sharing with the public weekly.

Fighting for his "big beautiful wall" is a better prospect, and it keeps his base energized. 
Footnote: I'm wondering how much of his base is aware that the new wall going up is a waste of their money? It's already proved to be ineffectual in stopping smugglers, or immigrants.

It's always been about what's best for Trump. After three years and countless examples later, everyone in America knows it. His appalling lack of knowledge about our history, world history, and the Constitution doesn't seem to bother his base.

The majority of Americans however, are bothered. The most recent poll shows that 50 percent of Americans want Trump to be impeached and thrown out of office.

Trump use to love polls. Now, all pollsters are trolls, according to the "Chosen One." In the weeks ahead when public testimonies are being given, there's going to be worse polling news for Trump, according to Politico.

The question is, who will Trump hurt during his unhinged rage against the reality unfolding around him, and driving him into a corner?

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

Colonization of Mars More Likely Than a United America

Elon Musk is Mar's bound with hopes of colonization.

                                      Good Day World!

I'm waiting for real estate ads selling land on Mars. 

Before you laugh at me, what about billionaire Elon Musk who claims he's on the verge (possibly this year according to Bloomberg) of missions to Mars?

He's serious.

When I think about the direction our democracy is going the thought of relocating to another planet doesn't sound too crazy. 

With Trump's unpredictability the world is on the edge of a nuclear Armageddon if he totally melts down.

And, Trump's getting closer to that possibility every day, with impeachment hovering over him like a hawk circling it's prey from above.

What troubles me more than anything, is the chances of uniting the country are slipping away in the polarization gripping the nation.

Will America ever heal post Trump? 

It's a question for the ages. Historians, if the human race is still around, will look back at the Trump regime as a seismic shift in disunity of every American community.

It was a short toxic reign that tore apart the country with lies and corruption on a scale never seen before seen in American history.

Musk suspects a dark age for earth is coming upon us rapidly, and colonization is the only way to save civilization. That pessimistic outlook is shared by many people.

Sadly, people living on Mars is more likely to happen than America returning to the core values that were once embedded in our Constitution; creating a Republic that was once a model for the modern world.

NASA also plans to colonize Mars by 2030.

If Trump is impeached, but not convicted by the senate, the 2020 election will be a political bloodbath fueled by millions of dollars and disinformation on every media source available.

Anything could happen.

If Trump is somehow re-elected, then going to Mars may not seem that outlandish, because there's no way American's could take four more years of his bullshit!

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

21st Century Impeachment: Facts and Truth On Trial

Good Day World!

There's no comparison.

The impeachment proceedings underway against our crooked president are totally unlike the last three cases in American history.

Johnson, Nixon, and Clinton didn't threaten the very core of our democracy by extorting another country to get dirt on a political rival, endangering our national security.
They didn't make the entire country question facts, or truth. They didn't bend reality into an alternate realty where Americans were forced to choice between the two. 

Nixon's indictment of abuse of power doesn't even come close to the abuse Trump's done in three years... by openly defying the Constitution. Trump believes he's above the law.

Not one of the infamous three threatened the country's security like Trump has. Caught lying, Nixon resigned rather than drag Americans into a messy impeachment when he knew he was guilty and going to be convicted.

If convicted by the senate (it seems unlikely right now) Trump most likely won't accept the results, leading to a Constitutional crisis that not even the founding father's anticipated.

There's good reason to worry.

Democracy and the rule of law are at stake. We're facing an historical event that could very well be decided by partisanship, instead of facts and evidence.

Trump's base is gathering around the edge of a cliff, ready to jump off, if he asks. Like Jim Jones, Trump has followers who are ready to do his bidding without any regard to reality.

When the trial goes to the senate we're going to find out if there is any regard for the Constitution and the powers it conveys.

Will the GOP senators vote for a corrupt president?

Or, is there a chance that those gutless minions will reach that place of conviction, based upon the overwhelming evidence?

There's always the possibility that if the polls keep climbing to impeach and kick Trump out of office, his supporters could turn on him like rabid dogs who have been mistreated!

There's no other way to put it; facts and truth are on trial.

Related: Pelosi talks impeachment timeline with Stephen Colbert

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

Which America Do You Live In?

Good Day World!

Since the Russians helped get Trump elected, Americans have been living in two worlds.

Trump and his minions live in an alternate reality, where truth and facts are routinely denied. The rest of America lives in the real world.

GOP lawmakers in the House know what Trump did - holding Ukraine hostage for his political gain - but have chosen to step into his alternate America, and pretend the impeachment proceedings are a witch hunt.

With no real argument to counter Trump's treasonous actions, GOP House members, ignoring the evidence set before them, have chosen to step into Trump World and defend him.

As for the rest of us, who want to defend truth and the Constitution, we have to stand up to Trump's reality show. In the real world we see, and hear, the lies being committed daily by a president who describes himself as The Chosen One.

It's remarkable that we live in an age of advanced technology where access to knowledge is easily available, yet there's a segment of the country that denies facts. Facts!

I understand the concept of living in a bubble - both parties are guilty of that - where you only listen to what your party says. That's political.

The thing that concerns me the most is when people chose lies over truth. I don't care which bubble they're in, but it's vital they recognize there is a real world. The sky is blue and grass is green... no matter what Trump claims.

Our crook-in-charge is on the impeachment path, so his lies are now on super steroids. He's bullying lawmakers to stand up for him in the senate... but the silence from that august body shows how uncomfortable they are with what Trump has done.

In the weeks and months ahead, every American is going to have to make a choice. Either Trump is guilty of crimes committed in office... or he's not. 

GOP senators will be watching the polls closely throughout the impeachment process. Hopefully, when they continue to see a growing majority that wants Trump out of office, they'll step into the real world and convict him.

It all boils down to what America you want to live in. Let your senator know which way you want to go.

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

A 'Shitshow' Lies Ahead Just in Time for the Holidays!

                                         Good Day World!

The holidays are going to have a damper on them this year with Trump facing impeachment, and the country divided over it. 

There's not going to be a lot of goodwill floating around in the cold polarized winter this season in Washington DC. as the Democrats ask Santa to impeach the orange Grinch in the White House.

History is made

History is made every day, but yesterday stood out.

Trump became the fourth president in our 250-year history to be put on the road to impeachment. The rules for impeachment were voted on yesterday, and now the show is a go.

Actual impeachment will follow after a series of hearings in the House. It's a foregone conclusion. Trump has been caught red-handed. 

His abuse of power and obstruction of justice are going to be hung out on a clothesline for all to see during the public hearings.

Senate Republicans will be watching the polls closely. 

If voters keep indicating (nationally 50-percent of all voters think Trump should be impeached and kicked out of office at this time), bad news for Trump, then they'll have to go into a survival mode.

McConnell and his ilk will only go so far before they think their own careers may be in jeopardy, and turn on the orange anus like zombies freed from a spell!

When that happens they will shed Trump like a snake sloughing off it's skin! Make no mistake. It's going to take a lot to get them to that tipping point.

I remember when Nixon was impeached (I got married that year), and when Congress went after "Slick Willie,"  impeaching him for messing around with a young female intern.

I think, I can safely predict a public shitstorm just ahead in time for the holidays!

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

A Trumpian Halloween: Republicans Scared To See What Will Happen Next

                                         Good Day World!

Boo! 

It's Impeachment Day! Happy Halloween! It's a haunted House day for Republican lawmakers.

A resolution that formalized the impeachment hearings was passed this morning. 

The result of that action will drag all the skeletons out of the White House closets which have been closely guarded.

The impeachment proceedings now have a road map that the public can follow. It's a real trick-or-treat moment for GOP lawmakers who have to decide between principals and politics.

Frankly, I think the majority of the GOP in the House will continue to back Trump. Most have already made the political choice to live-or-die with Trump... abandoning their duty to country and constituents.  

The public phase has begun. Trump's cronies have been whining about getting the hearing out in the open and now their getting what they want.

But guess what?

Now, the cowering GOP minions say it's too late to fix the Dems supposedly unlawful approach (it wasn't). GOP members took turns whining about how they thought the Dems met to impeach Trump the moment he was elected.

Their response was pathetic. And desperate.

Trumpenstein left them with no real ammunition against the onslaught of evidence that's been pouring in during the last few weeks.

What's really scary for Republicans is the American public is going to witness the process unfolding on TV. The likelihood of more damning evidence against Trump will be revealed, and polls will reflect that.

As those loyal minions of Trumpenstein try to get through tonight without nightmares, the spirit of impeachment will be haunting them.

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