Trumps Sudden Drone Strike: Wag the Dog?

                                       Good Day World!
Without authorization from Congress, Trump suddenly ordered a deadly drone strike on the second most powerful man in Iran - Major General Qasem Soleimani.

Instead of following the lead of past presidents and informing the Gang of Eight (four Democrats and 4 Republicans) before authorizing military action that could lead to war, Trump, aka the Chosen One, chose to make the decision all by himself.

The lone decider is a pattern of governing Trump has been embracing more and more during his corrupt regime. He's turned all the heads of government into puppets dancing to his crazy whims and prejudices.

Why take such a provocative move now? Killing a top Iranian military leader visiting Iraq was a calculated move by Trump. The only person he told about his plan was his asshole buddy, Lindsey-the-hypocrite Graham, while they were golfing at his resort a couple of days ago.

That meeting stinks of a wag-the-dog moment. With the impending impeachment trial in the Senate coming up soon, Trump did what he does best - divert attention to something else.

**Pompous Mike Pompeo and Trump declared the reason for the sudden strike was because of an imminent threat;

**The reason for the strike was to stop an ongoing threat, according to Mitch McConnell; 

**The drone strike was a deterrent according to the Pentagon;

The story keeps changing. Take your pick. 

This post is not about defending that ruthless murderer Soleimani. Lives will be saved with him gone. What needs to be examined is why now? Let's be real. Soleimani has been a threat to Americans in the region for at least three decades.

It's no coincidence that in the last two weeks more revelations about Trump's Ukraine cover up have become public with additional damaging information on Trump.

It was time to change the narrative.

By now, everyone in America knows Trump will stop at nothing to stay president, and get re-elected. If that means starting a war, he's fully capable of it.

The scary thing is if Senate Republicans acquit Trump he's going to become even more unhinged than he currently is... at the sake of our country's best interests.

The nation's fate rests with true patriots recognizing the truth and convicting Trump for Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress in the Senate trial. 

The senators have all sworn to protect our republic from day one. This is their chance. Trump has to be stopped as soon as possible.

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

Majority of Americans Want To See a Fair Senate Trial But Will That Happen?

                                       Good Day World!

The U.S. Senate is reconvened today, but don't expect an answer on when the impeachment trial will be held, or what the rules will be.

Despite how divisive the impeachment saga has been, most Americans believe the Senate trial should - and will - be handled fairly.

The Senate Republicans, under Moscow Mitch, have no intention of making it a fair trial if they can help it. But there is pressure on them to make it fair.

Seven in 10 Americans in a new ABC/News/Washington Post poll say Trump should allow his top aides to testify. The last thing Moscow Mitch wants is witnesses because he knows their testimonies would be damning for Trump.

McConnell knows Republicans Senators would feel immense pressure if more information came out about Trump's crimes on live TV. Facts are hard to fight when constituents are paying attention.

To complicate Moscow Mitch's battle to protect Trump is Trump himself. He wants a show trial. He's dreaming of bringing Adam Schiff, Joe Biden, and his son Hunter, onto the senate floor in chains to be tried for treason.
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Related: Mitch McConnell Devastated As 50 Percent of Voters Want Impeachment Trial Witnesses 
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To Moscow Mitch's credit he knows that's not real world thinking coming from the reality star turned wannabe dictator.

Republicans are going to be the ones in the hot seat because they have to demonstrate it's going to be a fair trial and not a partisan coverup.

If John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney, Michael Duffy, and Mark Esper testify, Trump is in deep shit. They'll be more smoking guns uncovered for the public to view. If they don't get called, then accusations of unfairness will follow.

The final consideration lies with those GOP senators who decide to ignore all the evidence, even though it's been a fair trial, and still vote to acquit Trump.

Related: 4 Ways the McConnell-Pelosi Impasse Over a Senate trial Could End

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

This Year Americans Will Find Out If a President is Above ther Law

                                        Good Day World!

It's been a reoccurring claim since Trump stole the 2016 election with Russia's help...

Trump believes he's above the law.

Any law. He has christened himself the Chosen One. His hardcore followers are ready to walk of cliffs of credibility for him at a mere tweet.

He's bragged on numerous occasions that he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue, and get away with it. Trump believes the Constitution is a pain in the ass and is constantly testing the courts to see how far he can go to get his way.

Despite having been impeached, he's confidently defiant. He knows GOP senators fear him and won't convict him for his crimes when his case goes before them.

As of the writing of this post, there's no doubt it will be a show trial. A sham. A kangaroo court with the accused and senate majority working hand-in-hand. Nothing short of a political miracle can change that.

When the senate trial is over, Americans will either know if their president is above the law (if Trump's acquitted), or if the guardrails the founder's came up with for our democracy failed.

There's a very scary possibility our system of checks-and-balances will collapse for the first time in American history.

If that's the case, we'll officially have the nation's first dictator. 

How long Americans are going to tolerate that inconvenient fact will be decided in the November elections.

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

Happy New Year! Welcome to the new Roaring 20s!

Good Day World!

It's taken a century. 

The 20s are back in time for a new generation full of craziness.

Don't expect the Charleston to come back and compete with Hip Hop dancing. Or, Jazz to lead the way like back in the day, with current music trends favoring Pop and Rap.

The 1920s in America, often referred to as "The Roaring Twenties," was a time of celebration. A world war had ended. It was a time of prosperity and optimism.

Contrast that with how the teens (2010-2019) were, and our world today. At first glance, prosperity is still a common theme. But dig a little deeper and a troubling comparison also emerges...

The 1920s saw the rise of far right political movements and fascism in Europe. To make matters worse economic problems in Eastern Europe and the Balkans contributed to the emergence of dictators.

What we're seeing today, is the same breakdown of democracies in the face of fascism that the 1920s had to contend with. America, and the rest of the world, is still dealing with dangerous radicals seeking to usurp societies.

Technology in the 1920s saw the large-scale adoption of automobiles, telephones, motion pictures, radio, and electricity. 

Technology has advanced so far in 2020, that tourist trips to planets like Mars will become routine. The Internet continues to evolve, but in many ways it's still a brave new world.

The youth culture of the 1920s was referred to as the Lost Generation. Our lost generation for the 2020s are called Millennials. 

Fads like pole-sitting were popular in the 1920s. Things haven't change too much (depending on how you look at it), and pole-dancing is popular today.

The biggest difference in the two eras is that in the 1920s there was a national sigh of relief after an extremely devastating war.

The contrast is dramatic.

As we begin the 2020s the nation is not at peace. Instead of celebrating, we're struggling to survive under the assault of the most corrupt president in history. Our republic is in danger like never before.

Welcome to the new Roaring 20s!

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

2019: A Year Defined By Hate, Fear, and Loathing in America

                                         Good Day World!

I'm glad this is the last day of 2019. I'm not going to sugar-coat it...  

It's been one long reality show starring a criminal president who has plunged Americans into chaos daily with his unhinged tweets.

And, his total disregard of law and abuse of power.

Political parties have gone beyond being traditionally competitive. They now openly hate each other. I mean REALLY HATE with a mindless fury and loathing spurred by Trumpism.

Related: Anti-Gay Hate Crimes on the Rise Says FBI   

Related: Hate Crimes Increased 226 Percent in Places Where Trump Held a Campaign Rally in 2016

Another sign of increased hatred in the country is how frequent Anti-Semitic hate crimes are.

We all know why.

Since the day Trump took the oath of office he's divided the country into warring camps - his core followers who are willing to ignore his numerous crimes and who believe in his conspiracy theories - versus the rest of the nation.

Racists play an important role in Trump's government. None more so than one of his chief advisers, and white supremacist, Stephen Miller.

There has been resistance to Trump's assault on our Republic. Congress impeached him. Nevertheless he's confident that the senate will acquit him because the GOP senators fear him.

Trump knows how to use fear. If there's one thing he's always been consistent at, it's using fear to get his way. Expect that tactic to continue in 2020.

If the senate gives Trump a pass, he's going to interrupt that as a concession to his COMPLETE POWER.

America's last chance of reversing this damage to our democracy would be the election of a Democratic president. Any democrat would be an improvement.

I'm hoping that when it comes time to say goodbye to 2020, it'll be remembered as a Year of Hope - the year the nation shrugged off Trump like a bad habit.

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

Celebrating Good Times

Good Day World!

As the hours slip away toward an exhausted ending for 2019, I have a couple of poems about celebrating good times to share with you:

The Celestial Diner

Satchmo singing”What a wonderful world” in a corner of the 1950’s themed diner that never closes down

a mythical diner that attracts great musicians and singers from all around

Jelly Roll Morton rubbing elbows with Duke Ellington at the red bar

the two legends watching Buddy Holly perform from afar

Little Richie, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Fats Domino

hanging out but looking for somewhere else to go

Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley

looking over at Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee

Diane Ross and Janis Joplin playing Liar’s Dice

while old Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra, tries to be nice

so he can stay in this musical paradise

________________________________

Lighten Your Load

are you carrying a rucksack

of worries?

a load of emotional rocks?

a stack of negative stories?

stuck in a mental box?

then it’s time

to lighten your load

and shine

cast away

your worries

enjoy your day

there’s no guarantee

another will come your way

**

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

Post Trump: 9 New Rules for Future Presidents

Good Day World!

After Trump leaves the White House (which will need immediate sanitizing) Americans should come up with new rules for future presidents.

No one (outside of Trump's cult followers) wants to watch the office of the president descend to the depraved depths it did under the Trump regime again.

To ensure this doesn't happen, I propose the following 9 new rules (in addition to whatever other requirements there are) in order to become the President of the United States.

1) The candidate CAN NOT have past or present mafia connections. 

2) The candidate MUST have an excellent understanding of the Constitution, and American history.

3) The candidate CAN NOT have a Twitter account!

4) The candidate MUST have a moral compass, and not be a renown liar.

5) The candidate MUST show at least 10 years of personal taxes to the public.

6) The candidate CAN NOT ask a foreign power to help them get elected.

7) The candidate MUST believe in science, not conspiracy theories, by acknowledging there's a global warming crisis and America must do everything possible to stop it from getting worse.

8) The candidate MUST strengthen ties with all of our allies, and always keep America united against dictators, and rogue governments.

9) The candidate MUST respect the power of Congress and the Senate, and not defy/attack the balance of power our founder's built into our government.

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

Trump Appointed Judges: Where Justice Goes to Die

Good Day World!

The most devastating effect Trump has on our society is the appointment of numerous right-wing judges across the country. 

Because of Trump's collusion with The Federalist Society, only extremist judges are getting approved in record numbers.

Trump's judicial appointees are not selected because they are unbiased or nonpartisan or fair-minded. They are chosen because of their loyalty to the Federalist Society and Trump himself.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel has devoted the last three years to appointing Trump-judges while letting all bills from Congress (over 400 this year) fester in his partisan graveyard.

A warning sign for what to expect in the future can be seen with what's happened to the 5th District Court; it's been stacked with right-wing judges during the last three years. Now it's a court where justice goes to die.

The future portends more extreme decisions that will drag other courts to the far right. Trump has already flipped the 2nd, 3rd, and 11th Circuits by creating a majority of Republican appointees loyal to him.

This year the conservative majority of judges went on a rampage. This month, the courts ruled that Obamacare's individual mandate has become unconstitutional in an overtly partisan decision and suggested that the rest of the law may have to fall, as well.

Trump has managed to neutralize moderate conservatives. With the waning influence of balanced courts Americans are facing a dark future for personal freedoms.

Roe vs Wade (Jan.22, 1973) has been threatened before in 1992. Based upon the current rapidly slanted changing judiciary, 2020 may see the biggest challenge of all for the controversial law.

Even if we do get a Democratic president and Senate in 2020, the damage Trump and McConnell have done to the judicial system is going to be there for years. In some cases, even a generation.

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

Two Americas, Two Economies: Which Do You Live In?

                                         Good Day World!

Whenever I hear about stock market records being broke it doesn't excite me, because like most Americans I have nothing to do with Wall Street.

More than half of Americans have no connection to the stock market (that includes 401ks, IRAs and mutual funds), according to the Federal Reserve and numerous survey groups.

What about the other half? 

In a Chicago Tribune business article, Steven Rosenthal, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center said, "Stock ownership is heavily tilted towards rich guys, doctors, lawyers, and accountants."

Rosenthal made it clear that the stock market is not for our shrinking middle class. In essence, it's a stark economic divide between the haves and have nots.

This division of wealth determines which America you live in. The gap is increasing since Trump slithered into office, and provided the corporations and the wealthy with massive tax breaks.

Almost 80 percent of Americans live from paycheck-to-paycheck, and in the fear of getting hit with medical bills they can't afford. The homeless population throughout America is increasing at alarming rates.

These dual economic realities are encouraging voters to prioritize the economy in the 2020 election. Thirty-percent say the economy is the most important issue in determining who they'll vote for president in November.

Trump only has one positive thing going for him in the upcoming election, the economy. It's healthy, and that generally means an incumbent president gets re-elected.

But these are not normal times. We're in uncharted waters with the most corrupt president the country has ever seen.

Despite a loyal base of Trump followers, the majority of Americans disapprove of everything he does from his pathetic lack of foreign policies, to his abuse of power.

Related: In Trump Country, A Season of Need on Family Farms 

Being only the third American president to be impeached is not something any candidate would want on their resume.

In the end, a lot depends on what part of America you live in on how you'll vote. Either you're part of that minority getting richer under Trump, or you're in the majority suffering under his regime.

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

10 Gump-Like Observations About Basketball and Life

Good Day World!

Inspired by my favorite movie of all time, Forest Gump, and my favorite sport basketball, I have some reflections on life to share with you today:

1) "Life is like a basketball game without referees."

2) "The secret to being happy is making all of your three-point shots against a tough opponent."

3) "A driving layup is a poem without words."

4) "Life is not measured by how many dribbles you take, but by how many shots you make."

5) "Walk up to the free throw line with hope in your heart."

6) "Big shots get big results, no shots get no results, or somebody else's results."

7) "Take the first step in faith in your team mates by passing them the ball."

8) "Losing a game is not fatal. There's a long season ahead."

9) "A great basketball player sees the invisible, and achieves the impossible."

10) "Always be aware of the shot clock and what quarter you're in."  

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

Seven Memorable Christmas Milestones

Good Day World!

We all have Christmas stories to tell. They can be happy, nostalgic, or sad. They can also be milestones in our lives.

Today I'm sharing seven of mine:

Christmas 1955 - My brother, two sisters, and cousin stayed up all night on Christmas Eve talking about Santa Claus, and the fact we were going to Disneyland on Christmas Day. 

The amusement park had just opened that July, and we were breathless with excitement. I remember going through "It's A Small World" exhibit with dancing dolls from around the world. My favorite ride was the spinning teacups.

Christmas 1969 - I was in the Army and stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri for my advanced training as a Combat Engineer.

It was my first Christmas away from home. 

To make it worse I was practically alone on the base, as most went home for the holiday. I simply didn't have the money to fly home and back. There were a couple of cooks with the same problem, and they made up a meal for the few of us stuck there on Christmas Day.

I was the Field First for my Training Company, and the only man in the company who didn't go home for Christmas. The old World War I wooden barracks were deserted. The potbelly stoves used for each one were silent and the barracks were freezing, like the weather outside.

As I walked from my little room at the end of one of the barracks, to the mess hall in a foot of snow, I recall the lonely feeling that engulfed me and how badly I missed my family.

Christmas 1974 - Married for just four months, my wife and I had a tiny apartment that she decorated for our first Christmas as man and wife. 

We had very little money for extras, but we listened to Christmas music, watched Christmas stories on TV, visited family, and had a wonderful meal. Our love was magic.

Christmas 1975 - Our first son was six-months old, and my wife dressed him up for the holiday. We got him a little wooden rocking horse that he absolutely loved!

Christmas 1977 - Our second son was 10-months old and we had professional photos taken of our growing family. Our first son was very jealous of the attention his little brother got.

Christmas 1980 - Our third son was just two-months old and our second son just adored him! Our oldest son was a bit standoffish, but grew to quickly love the newest addition to our family.

Christmas 2019 - Our sons have moved on with their lives. Two of them (and their families) are here today. We'll exchange gifts and have a wonderful meal.

My wife and I are feeling nostalgic today. We're thankful for our family, and for 45 years of marriage. Above all, we're thankful for another Christmas together!

Time for me to walk on the road...