Welcome To America's Dumb-Downed Society!

Good Day World!

Let's start off with the fact that Americans rank 5th in the world when it comes to overall education.

How embarrassing is that?

Thirty years ago, America was the leader in quantity and quality of high school diplomas. 

Today, our nation is ranked 36th in the world. 

Related: American education fails because it isn't education

The effects of our dumbed-down society

We're paying a steep price with a new generation of under-educated Americans who are easy marks to manipulate. They are easily entertained, and have trouble focusing on reality.

That dynamic gave us Donald Trump for a president. 

That same dynamic is on display in headlines of the day;

People are debating why Billie Eilish actually made her iconic 'confused face' at Oscars

"There's fire on the sun" - from Fox News

This public safety headline: "Health officials: pools and diarrhea don't mix 

From WBTV: Man killed to death

I could go on, but I believe you've got the point.

Because people don't bother to fact check what they read, most are in bubbles that favor their world views... which sometimes doesn't comport with reality, or the truth.

To get a broader view of this subject, I strongly recommend reading "The Dumbing Down of America - By Design"

George Bernard Shaw's quote seems prophetic when it comes to Trump;

"He knows nothing; and he thinks he knows everything. That points to a political career." 

We live in fragile times where truth fights fiction daily. It's never been more important to educate our children to insulate them from dangerous ignorance. 

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

'We Have Found the Enemy and He is Us'

Good Day World!

The Russians success at interfering with the 2016 election set the standard for disinformation so persuasive it affected the results of a presidential campaign.

While no one has put a definitive number on how many votes were swayed by the Russians, the fact that they concentrating on swing states that barely picked Trump is revealing.

This election cycle there's a new enemy seeking to abuse our electoral system... Trump and His Hostages in the Republican Party who were inspired by Russia's success in 2016.

Yes, the Russians are back this year, but our greatest enemy is from within.

The phrase "We have found the enemy and he is us," came from a newspaper cartoonist, Walt Kelly. His character Pogo, an opossum, said that to his buddies an alligator and an owl.

The biggest spread of disinformation in this election is coming from an empowered Republican campaign machine. 

Trump has proven lies work and that his use of fear is effective - not only in keeping his minions in line - but in spreading chaos nationwide. 

Experts say the Iowa mess illustrates just how easy it is for any actor - foreign or domestic - to amplify disinformation aimed at ultimately suppressing the vote.

The information vacuum and overreaching confusion in Iowa, which could be seen in live television coverage, further fueled disinformation and conspiracies on social media.

Graham Brookie, director of the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, who was monitoring Iowa for foreign influence, argues that the media has a big role to play in countering disinformation.

Brookie pointed out that speculation opens the door to "Could-bes" and "what-ifs." 

The newsrooms covering the Iowa Caucus went from providing information to a space where all commentators were speculating on the delays when it became apparent something was wrong.

Just to be clear, Brookie believes the scale and scope of domestic disinformation is greater than any foreign adversary. I wholeheartedly agree.

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

Nice Guys Finish Last in Battle Against Corruption

Good Day World!

Truth seldom triumphs in the hot mess this country has become under a wannabe dictator.

Fact and fiction are fluid, depending on who you talk with. 

Trump's supporters delight in shattering tradition, and civility.

Revenge is served up daily by the chef-in-chief whose enemies are countless.

Corrupt government officials prostate themselves before Trump like he's a pagan god.

Thanks to Trump, White evangelicals have renounced God in order to worship Him. The Church of Prosperity and preachers like Paula White and Joel Osteen are promoted by White House minions.

Trump lies every day. His lies have surpassed 16,000 and counting. And, he gets away with it.

And on, and on, and on....

It's up to the Democrats, and the majority of Americans, to resist the toxic direction that Trump is taking the nation.

For starters, the Democrats need to counter the damage Republicans are causing by getting more digitally savvy. The debacle in the Iowa Caucus was a BIG wake-up call.

If the Democrats don't rapidly improve their whole political ground game in every state, Trump is going to be reelected despite being the most corrupt president in our history.

It's time for Democrats to take their gloves off. No more, "I'll go high, when they go low." It doesn't work against Trump and his cronies. That was evident in the 2016 election.

Nice guys finish last...

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

Expunging Impeachment is Impossible - Trump Tries While Seeking Revenge

Good Day World!

It didn't take long.

Just days after Trump's acquittal in the Senate and he's seeking his revenge against all who dared to stand against him. 

House Democrats and impeachment witnesses have targets on their backs. 

Meanwhile the Trump team is busy trying to bury all of the evidence against him. 

There's even a Republican senator in Trump's crosshairs. Mitt Romney had the balls to stand up and vote to convict him, even though none of the rest of his party did. He's paying a price now.

Senate intelligence committee Trump minions are investigating Hunter Biden's personal travel records. It's the same hypocritical committee that refused to look into Trump's travel records.

Unhinged, Trump is taking his recent triumph over justice to the extremes, holding a partisan "Celebration" in the East Wing of the White House, and giving the most vindictive State of the Union speech in history.

He's just started to run amok. Trump wants his crimes expunged now. Top minion - and House Minority Leader - Kevin McCarthy promised to get his impeachment "expunged," if the Republicans take back the House. 

If he can get away with it, Trump will re-write our history and turn it into the alternate universe he's been creating since his earliest days.

But, in spite of Trump's best efforts, facts are still facts. The truth remains the truth. Most Americans believe that. 

It's not easy with the constant disinformation Trump and his allies pump out daily, but recognizing reality is the key to kicking the orange anus out of office.

Base your vote on truth, and what your conscience tells you this November. Let's stop Trump from re-writing history.

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

2020 Election: Be Afaid... Be Very, Very... Afraid

Good Day World!

It doesn't look good right now.

One of the battles to protect this years elections has been lost. 

Trump's been impeached, but remains unbowed. When the GOP senators acquitted him of his crimes he took it as a free pass to continue interfering with the election in November.

For the first time in my life, I'm really concerned about the integrity of our voting system holding up to a corrupt incumbent. 

I also don't trust a voting system without a paper backup. According to reporting from The New York Times 16 million Americans in eight states do not have a paper backup voting system for this year's presidential election.


After 2016, we knew that the Russians interfered with our election. All of our intelligence agencies have warned that the Russians (and other bad actors) are already probing our 2020 electoral systems for weaknesses.

Dealing with an unrepentant Trump is dangerous. He's in a stronger position to rig this election than he was with Russia's help in 2016. He's also built up a cadre of corrupt top government officials who will aid him in gutting the entire voting process.

It gets worse.

Trump's base looks to be a disruptive factor as well. It was his supporters who clogged up the emergency phone lines' during the Iowa Caucus. Who knows what else they'll do in the months ahead? 

It's particularly troubling having an enemy within -  Trumplican trolls on the internet. 

Democracy is on the ropes. The final round comes in November. Then we'll find out for whom the bell tolls. 

If the Democrats don't get their ground game straightened out and nominate a strong candidate, the America you grew up in... will be gone.

Instead, we'll have a supreme leader for life. Trump is already talking about staying in office until he decides to step down. Don't think he's joking. He's not.

It's vital that we have the largest presidential voter turnout in generations. If we do, I'm confident a majority of Americans will not vote for Trump.

As for the Electoral College, if the Democrats do their due diligence in the swing states they should go Blue.

Meanwhile, the Democrats must present a united front in the months ahead.

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

Mitt Romney: The Last 'Real' Republican

                                        Good Day World!

There's still a faint heartbeat among traditional Republicans.

A lone Republican senator showed he had a conscience, and honored his oath to be fair and impartial. He voted to convict Trump of Abuse of Power.

History will remember this sole survivor of a once proud party who put his country first. History will also show the temporary price he paid for defying Trump, but it will also note he was the only Republican in the Senate with a spine.

Mitt Romney probably slept well last night after his historic vote. He was at peace with his God. 

Today, he's an outcast among Trumplicans content to let Trump get away with anything.

To be clear, I was never a Romney fan. 

I certainly didn't vote for him when he ran for president. But, after his heroic move to stand up for justice yesterday, I've become an admirer.

Romney's vote was another chapter in Profiles in Courage.
____________________________________ 

Seen on Twitter

There was a senator from Utah

that cast a vote that was futile.

But in the senate hall,

Mitt broke out his balls

and left his spineless colleagues in awe!

_____________________________________
In these divisive times his courage was more than just a breath of fresh air; it was an affirmation for everyone who believes in speaking to the truth.

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

Dark Days Ahead: The Uphill Battle for America's Democracy

"These are the times that try men's souls."

-Thomas Paine

A dark cloud has settled over America this week.

After last weeks denial of witnesses and evidence in Trump's trial by GOP senators, the die was cast. Any doubt that it was a sham trial will be confirmed today.

After a senate vote we'll have a lawless president thanks to senate Republicans. Checks and balances of power will be permanently peeled back exposing the nation's first dictator.

There will be nothing to stop Trump from picking up where he left off when he's acquitted. There's no doubt that he will interfere again with the 2020 election, and feel free to get foreign help if necessary.

Trump was impeached for his crimes in the House of Representatives, but he was never close to being convicted by the Senate. The fix was in, and Senate Leader McConnell even bragged about it.

As if this wasn't enough bad news for Democrats, they had to suffer through the biggest Iowa Caucus screw up in history!

The Iowa Democratic Party fouled up the most important primary in the land. Their massive failure didn't help the National Democratic Party's message of organization. 

Critics are asking, "If the Democrats can't even put on a primary, how do they expect to have success staging a national campaign?"

Worse yet, "How do the Democrats plan on running the country when they can't run a primary?" 

One more troubling factor... 
There's been rumors that the new phone app the party was using was hacked. I'm concerned people will start believing there's no way we're going to have a fair election after this breakdown, and the fact Trump will be unfettered and putting his tiny fingers on the scales in November.

These are dark days for our republic. Our Constitution is being perverted by partisans with no sense of decency, honesty, and integrity. Truth has become a casualty in the most corrupt presidency this country has ever witnessed.

Democracy is at a crossroad this year.

There's never been a more important presidential election since this country was founded.

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

State-of-the-Divided Union Rally Set for Today

Good Day World!

State-of-the-Union addresses ceased to exist after Trump came into power.

Instead, for the last three years Americans have heard an alternate state-of-the-union that was a poorly disguised re-election rally all about him... and not the country.

In spite of Republican requests not to take a victory dance before the rigged senate acquits him tomorrow, there's always the chance Trump will ignore their request. Past encounters prove that. 

It's an awkward look for swing state Republicans. Red state Republicans don't give a damn what Trump boasts about...and when.

Many Americans watching today's rant are hoping he'll go off script and riff on how he's a stable genius, and can do whatever he wants. Good ammunition for making the case he's crazy and dangerous.

Other Americans - Trump's base - will gladly be swept up in his lies and rhetoric today. They're willing participants in an alternate universe where facts become fiction to suit whatever lie Trump is promoting.

Still other Americans, those nearly mythical undecided, and Independent voters, are watching and wondering what to believe on the eve of Trump's impeachment trial in the senate.

Will the fact that Trump's acquittal was foreordained be repugnant to those who haven't made up their minds on who to vote for yet?

There is no answer to that question until November, when voters decide who will be the future leader of our Democracy.

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

Iowa Spotlight: Voters Play 'Musical Chairs' to Find Trump's Replacement Today

                                      Good Day World!

Americans in Iowa are gathering together to promote their favorite Democratic candidate for president today.

The caucuses are like playing the game called "musical chairs." In it, everyone walks around a group of chairs (music playing) that is short one chair for the whole group. When the music stops, everyone tries to sit in an open chair. The person standing is eliminated.

In Iowa people are forming in lines supporting their pick, then reforming again, and finally reforming for a third time and the final choice.

This arcane approach to selecting party nominees dates back to Boston in the early part of the 18th century. The word caucus was derived from a political club (Caucus Club) that hosted public discussions and the election of candidates for public office.

If you wonder why Iowa is the first in the nation to hold a caucus here's the history behind it. 

It'll be noteworthy to see if Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders comes in first.

Will Buttigieg surprise everyone? 

What About Warren or Yang?

Today is just the first step on the road to selecting a Democrat for president.

I'm still undecided. What about you?   

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

American Memos: The Super Bowl, The Constitution, and a Message to the World!

                                        Good Day World!

I'll end the suspense right now...

the San Francisco 49ers are going to win in today's Super Bowl game. Period. End of argument. Time to move on... 

Update: It's a good thing I don't make a living at sports betting! The Chiefs won 31-20!

On our Constitution

We're mere days from upsetting the balance of power guaranteed by the Constitution when Republican senators essentially hand the keys of the kingdom to Trump, by voting to acquit him on Wednesday.

That's not my prediction. It's just a fact. McConnell has assured the outcome will favor our deeply corrupt commander in chief after eliminating witnesses and evidence last week.

Why even hold a vote? 

I can think of one real good reason... voters will get to see who contributed to rocking our republic and stripping away the power of Congress, and be able to vote the spineless perpetrators out of office!

Message to the World

Americans are resisting the corrupt regime that has alienated us from you and our other longtime allies. Our Congress will continue to put pressure on Trump through pending court cases that will reveal his corrupt dealings.

When the Supreme Court weighs in by June - according to all available information - Trump's taxes will finally be revealed (he's lost every step of the way in the courts), along with his illegal business deals recorded in his accounting firm Mazars, and everyone will see what a crook he is.

Trump and his minions will be defeated at the polls in November. The majority of Americans don't want a king/dictator... and that's a fact.

What you've seen in the last three years has been a country held hostage by Trump and his crooked cronies in the government, and alt-right media.

Forgive us. We'll get it right in November.

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