Saturday, July 3, 2021

Trump's Response To His Company and CFO Being Criminally Indicted: Hold a Political Rally

Most Floridians today are mourning for the residents of a 12-story condominium that collapsed in Surfside.

Located near Miami, there's been 18 confirmed deaths and a 100 are still missing. It's a time of grief for the families of the dead and missing.

But not for Trump and his minions in the state.

Three-and-a-half hours away from where the tragedy occurred a hate rally is being held in Sarasota.

It's going to feature Trump ranting about his loss in the 2020 election, and the criminal indictment against his company and CFO Allen Weisselberg.

Amid reports that Gov. DeSantis wanted Trump to cancel the rally there appears to be a growing gap behind the two men.

DeSantis denied the reports. Trump's lackeys declined to discuss any differences between the two in the run-up to the Sarasota rally, issuing a statement saying they never planned to postpone the event.

I can't help but seeing the stark contrast between President Joe Biden, and former president Trump. Full of empathy, Biden came to Florida to meet with the families waiting to hear about their relatives fate.

Full of rage, Trump came to Florida to stir up hate and to encourage the insurrectionists following him.

Friday, July 2, 2021

Trump's Response To His Company Being Indicted: 'Look! There's a Squirrel!'

The day Trump's company and CFO were criminally indicted
, he started the spin machine by claiming it was all a witch hunt.

That was quickly followed up by his favorite tactic of shouting "squirrel!" to divert people's attention.

"Who shot Ashli Babbit?" the former president asked after hearing about what an anonymous British Spectator author who claimed Mike Pence's security detail killed her.

Rumors go a long way in Trump's alternative reality approach to dealing with the reality that he's in big trouble. 

The more outrageous the better. It's the kind of fresh raw meat his acolytes crave.

Why go after Pence?

The answer lies within the Big Lie narrative. Because Pence didn't listen to Trump's urging to blow up the electoral process, he's become the enemy. 

Trump's willingness to embrace every conspiracy theory that he believes helps his cause is an endless source of rebuttal to truth.

Despite claiming to be "thrilled" after his company and CFO were criminally indicted yesterday, Trump knows he's in trouble unlike anything he faced before.

That's why I expect more outrageous claims by Trump and his minions in order to muddy the waters in media reports. It's one of his older tactics, but still works with the extreme right-wing core who support him.

I also expect this trial will go on for a long time, as more information is discovered during the process.

Meanwhile, Trump will be shouting "squirrel!" every time more information is exposed about the criminality behind his company, and his personal corruption.

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Time To Pay The Piper: Trump Org and CFO Indicted


Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg (Center) turned himself in this morning.

Finally! Trump's luck has ran out. 

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UPDATE: Allen Weisselberg charged with 15 felony counts over a 15 year period

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The beginning of the end of Teflon Don's empire began this morning as Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg voluntarily turned himself in at 6:15 a.m. Eastern time.

The groundwork for indicting Trump's business was laid several years ago when Manhattan investigators began turning up evidence of tax evasion.

Investigators charged Weisselberg on evading taxes on fringe benefits, opening Pandora's box to a slew of further charges in the future.

Prosecutors are expected to continue pursuing their broader investigation into potential bank, insurance and more tax fraud.

Still in the line of fire are the officers of Trump Organization, starting with Trump himself and his family.

In his usual attempt to reverse reality, Trump claims he's thrilled about his company being investigated because it's going to hurt (are you ready for this?) "Sleepy Joe Biden."

Pause.

Thrilled? Hurt Biden? If you ever had doubts about Trump's sanity this response should change your mind. 

Unable to contend with reality, Trump does what he does best... deny, lie, deny, lie, etc.

I expect this investigation will go on for some time, especially as new indictments begin rolling out during the process.

It's questionable if this investigation will be Trump's swan song. Slippery as an eel, he's always managed to have others take the fall for him.

This case will be a definitive test for our justice system - can a wealthy man buy justice? Or, is true justice going to prevail?

The outcome of this investigation will determine Trump's future. If he comes away personally unscathed, democracy is going to face another assault that might not survive the second time around.  

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Voting Today: House Republicans Terrified Of Jan.6 Insurrection Investigation

House Republicans, especially those that were complicit in the Jan. 6 riot, are panicking at the thought they'll be exposed as traitors when a select committee examines their actions.

If McCarthy and his cohorts had any sense at all they would have gone with the Democrats first offer of creating a bipartisan committee. But no.

Led by Trumpies, they blocked an independent, bipartisan panel that would have been modeled after the commission that investigated the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"They had an opportunity to really engage. And they didn't. So they can't now come back and say, 'Oh, that's not fair," House Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson told reporters yesterday.

The Republican party is doing everything in it's power to "move on" and ignore what happened on Jan.6th. Their already trying to rewrite history.

The Vote Is Today

The GOP opposition comes as McCarthy is facing pressure to take the investigation seriously from police officers who responded to the attack, Democrats and even some of his fellow Republicans.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has invited representatives of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia and the U.S. Capitol Police to sit in the gallery and watch the vote.

That will give House Republicans something to think about as they cast their vote. The victims will be closely watching.

It's worth noting that two Senate committees issued a bipartisan report with security recommendations earlier this month, but they did not examine the origins of the siege, leaving many unanswered questions.

Once again, Republicans are opposed to the truth behind the attempted Capitol coup. However, the truth will come out one way or another.

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Guest Column: We Now Know How Close Trump's Coup Attempt Was


A few comments before I turn the page over
to today's guest columnist, Chauncey Devega.

America has never come so close to becoming an authoritarian nation. Trump's efforts at dismantling our democracy was a four-year assault on the Constitution.

During that time he built up a cult following that has become a danger to our everyday life. 

And the coup attempt has not abated as he continues to spread poison throughout the Republican party.

Make no mistake; Trump is still a threat to democracy. His toxic rhetoric and blatant lies that defy reality has found a home among the right-wing extremists in America.

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How Close Did Trump Come to Attempting a Military Coup? Much too close

Trump's erratic behavior undermined his desire to seize power. Those who come next won't make the same mistakes

By Chauncey Devega for Salon

"At the present moment, American democracy is like a tightrope walker attempting a crossing during a howling storm, and without a net.

That democracy has thus far "survived" the Age of Trump and his regime's and allies' assaults — including an all-too-real attempted coup — is something like the luck enjoyed by fools and drunks.

Joe Biden may now be president, but the perilous tightrope walk continues.

Safety appears to be in sight, but that is a dangerous illusion: Most lethal falls during a tightrope walk happen during the last few feet when the performer believes they are safe.

Contrary to what the professional smart people with their "view from nowhere" and too many other members of the chattering classes have claimed, the dangers of a coup perpetrated by the Trump regime were not exaggerated or hysterical, and most certainly were not symptoms of "Trump derangement syndrome." 

The danger was clear and obvious for those who were paying attention to reality as it is, and not as others wished it to be."  

(Read the rest of the article here)

Monday, June 28, 2021

What Would You Do If Your Family Called You A Traitor and Wanted You Kicked Out Of Office?

                     It's a family affair.

GOP Rep. Paul Gosar's family wants him removed from Congress because they believe he's a traitor.

Gosar's nine siblings are calling for his ouster after backing Trump's lies about the 2020 election.

This attack against their brother is nothing new. Six of Gosar's siblings first attracted attention in the 2018 election cycle when they were featured in an TV ad, pleading with voters NOT TO SUPPORT the congressman's conduct during the election campaign.

What would you do if your whole family came out against your lifestyle and adoration for Trump?

I can't help thinking it would be embarrassing. That would be the normal reaction. Except Gosar is not normal in the sense he constantly denies reality and has no moral compass.

Earlier this month, siblings Tom and David Gosar appeared on CNN and apologized for the congressman's conduct and comments about the Capitol insurrection.

The feeling of shame in the Gosar family is universal, but their stance doesn't even faze Paul Gosar who has willingly separated from his family to follow Trump wherever he may go.

For the actual sane members of the family it's a stigma that will last for generations. 

Another member of the family, Tim Gosar, summed up how they feel:

"Once you loser your focus on the truth, once you become someone who peddles in lies, once you become basically a snake oil salesman, the truth is a really slippery thing to get your arms around," he told Reporters.

"It's really hard to go back to truth once you become a pathological liar like Paul has become," he added.

Meanwhile, Paul Gosar continues to spread lies, assured he'll be protected by Trump's minions in Congress.

Sunday, June 27, 2021

Florida Governor DeSantis Signs Bill Straight from Orwell's 1984

Some background.

1984 was a novel written by English author, George Orwell, who penned the iconic dystopian social science fiction tale in 1944.

The novel has shocked societies worldwide with it's premise of a totalitarian future society that employees people to re-write history daily.

Orwell's chilling prophecy where the State controls all the narratives in society is beginning to materialize in 2021.

The Trumpified Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill requiring public universities to survey both faculty and students on their political beliefs.

Full stop.

The state is forcing universities to give it the survey results, and if they're "not satisfactory (?)" they will lose their funding in the Republican-led legislature. 

No other state has ever taken this bold and unprecedented assault on our schools of higher learning.

The bill lacks details on the survey's privacy protections, and questions arise over how the results will be used. 

The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Ray Rodrigues, claims faculty will not be promoted or fired based on their responses. 

I call bullshit on that assertion. You know why? It's not in the wording of the bill for one reason. The other is DeSantis is a liar of Trumpian proportions.

While signing the bill, DeSantis claimed universities promote left-wing ideologies and discriminate against conservative students as well.

Cry me a damn river!

When pressed by reporters, DeSantis did not offer any specific examples pf repression and discrimination faced by conservative students.

He resorted to a favorite Trumpian dodging maneuver by asserting he "knows lot of parents.

Where was WH Press Secretary Jen Psaki when you needed her? She has a way of handling right-wing reporters when they pull that stunt, "I heard it somewhere."

She then asks them to detail "where they heard their claim?" When they can't answer, she moves on  to the next question.

One more thing the bill does is open up an opportunity for conspiracy clowns by preventing school officials from limiting campus speech that "may be uncomfortable, disagreeable, offensive, or outright lies."

It won't be long before Florida university students are going to be confronted by the KKK, other white supremacists, the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, QAnon acolytes, and hard core Trumpies spewing lies that will go unchallenged.

This is a Rubicon moment where public universities either go without state-funding, or they kowtow and sell out their students to the worst elements in our society.

Because the majority of funding comes from the State (there are federal and private funding options to a lesser degree) it looks like no contest.

The only alternative I see for students who don't want to play Big Brother's game is NOT TO GO to any universities in Florida.

Now, I'm waiting for DeSantis to introduce legislation that will make Florida a sovereign nation, and succeed from the union.

Saturday, June 26, 2021

Quotes That Will Make You Shake Your Head

Today I've selected quotes from various news stories to give you a sense of what people are saying about the hottest subjects circulating the country.

Let's start:

"If there's one lasting legacy of Donald Trump it's that there are no longer any sacred cows on the American right. 

They have given themselves permission to literally say anything in the moment with regard to principal or ideology while at the same time wringing their hands over the supposed destruction of American culture by "wokeness" and political correctness.

 They no longer have any commitment to making sense and I'm not sure that anyone knows exactly how to combat such surreal intellectual anarchy." (Read article here)

By Heather Digby Parton - 6/25/21

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"There's no doubt in my mind that the 2020 election was "stolen. The truth will continue to come out. Something is going to happen. I don't think we're going to have to wait until the end of summer.

I think it's going to happen here fairly soon...they must create noise prior to the Arizona audit starting to really bubble out. They are going to have to do something."

(Read article here)

By Michael Flynn - 6/25/21

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"There's almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president.

I will always be proud that we did our part on that tragic day to reconvene the Congress and fulfill our duty under the Constitution and the laws of the United States."

(Read article here)

By Mike Pence 6/25/21

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"The large number of Republicans who believe this conspiracy theory is a glaring warning on the persistent acceptance of the stolen election narrative.

They believe him when he abjectly lies. It is a glaring warning that the Big Lie has created fertile ground for all sorts of insane conspiracies'."

(Read article here)

By Chuck Schumer - 6/25/21

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"The important aspect of this visit is leading this visit after the work we did in Guatemala and Mexico. It's not a new plan. But the reality of it is that we have to deal with causes, and we have to deal with effects."

(Read article here)

VP Kamala Harris - 6/25/21

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"It's a delicate dance between providing public access and protecting the public as well as the resource (decision to seal off the forest).

But public safety overrides access."

(Read article here)

Brady Smith - 6/25/21

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On Republicans passing a bill enacting stricter voting rules.

"It's all based on the former president saying, 'Well, I'm going to be back in August,' and everyone anticipating it like a second coming. 

I am no prophet, but I can tell you one thing: The orange rapture is not happening."

(Read article here)

By Arizona State Rep., Lorenzo Sierra 6/25/21

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That's all for today folks. Enjoy your weekend!

Friday, June 25, 2021

Texas AG Faces State Securities Fraud and FBI Bribery Investigation Yet Continues To File Lawsuits Against Democrats

You have to hand it to Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton. 

He's waging war against reality and Texas residents still like him.

Despite facing a securities fraud lawsuit and an FBI investigation into claims he used his office for bribery, Paxton keeps filing lawsuits against democrats and Joe Biden.

Most of his baseless charges (with the exception of one challenge to an executive order) haven't won in court yet. That hasn't deterred the hypocrite however.

Let's look at Paxton's track record thus far in his Don Quixote-like quest to paint an alternate reality for Texas, and America.

-- Paxton joined with Gov. Abbott to sue the Obama administration at least 48 times.

-- Paxton tried (and failed) to sue six battleground states for unconstitutional changes to the 2020 election laws. The case was tossed by the Supreme Court.

-- For nearly six years Paxton's been under indictment on three felony state fraud charges, and he's also under investigation by the FBI for allegedly accepting bribes from a real estate developer.

-- The State Bar of Texas originally dismissed a complaint that Paxton had committed professional misconduct by petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn President Biden's victory in four states.

But the Board of Disciplinary Appeals, a tribunal of 12 independent lawyers appointed by the Texas Supreme Court, overturned that decision last month.

The tribunal is investigating whether Paxton's lawsuit to overturn Biden's electoral win was frivolous, unethical, and filed in bad faith.

If the proceedings determines Paxton is guilty there will be a disciplinary process that could result in disbarment and suspension.

Despite Paxton's track record in losing lawsuits, he continues to for one big reason; many Texas Republicans are still drinking Trump Aide, and don't believe in any of the charges filed against him. 

Instead of losing voters for a career reeking of hypocrisy and lies, Paxton gains their support with every outrageous stunt he pulls.

It's a situation the whole country is facing as the Party of Trump attempts to claw it's way back into power.

Thursday, June 24, 2021

American Myths Exposed: The Struggle To Create A Utopia Continues

When our forefathers gathered in Independence Hall and launched the great experiment - freedom for all - and codified it with the Constitution, the United States of America was born.

For generations we were taught in school that our country's founders were just short of saints. 

Like millions of other kids I bought the myth of George Washington fessing up to chopping down a cherry tree and saying "I cannot tell a lie."

But myths have a way of being exposed when we look back at history with a critical eye.

We can discover facts about our heroes and near saints, that have been silenced by a cabal of educators who don't want to admit past wrongs in American history.  

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson have been immortalized as fathers of this country despite the fact they were also hypocrites. Both had slaves. Freedom for all didn't include blacks in their minds.

School districts have traditionally guarded our founders and other so-called heroes by polishing their images in state-approved publications with narrow narratives.

All of which leads me to the current hot topic in America - the Critical Race Theory which has been embraced by civil rights activists throughout academia.

Conservatives are losing their shit about this shift to reality-based history. Especially Trump acolytes who avoid reality with a passion. 

They also see the subject as something worth attacking and further dividing people with. Expect to see the GOP use the Critical Race Theory in their midterm campaigns and beyond.

Perhaps one of the harder myths to debunk is that we are a United Nation, and America is a Utopia for oppressed people of the world.

It's difficult to admit that we're not. Being real is never easy.

However, I will always pick America over any other nation on this planet.

I've served in the Army, and saw combat in Vietnam. My ancestors who came to Middleton, Connecticut in1639 to escape an oppressive English King, fought for freedom in the Revolutionary Army under George Washington.

I believe our forefathers had the best intentions and that America is still the best messenger for freedom and human rights in the world today.

What I see happening now is the debunking of American myths. It was inevitable. We cannot move forward with a fantasy tale history where truth is buried in unmarked graves. 

Seeing the country so divided between conspiracy theorists and sane people is shocking and sad. 

But time marches on. The quest for Utopia will also continue as long as there are dreamers in this world willing to fight for equality and freedom.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

How The Crazies Found Their Voice in America

I miss the good old days when the crazies in our society wore tinfoil hats and communicated with aliens from another galaxy.

Whenever they surfaced from their basements and hidey holes in the past, the crazies were treated with kid gloves and patted on the head. They were considered harmless kooks who didn't threaten anyone.

If they did threaten, or even harm someone, they were locked up in criminal mental institutions and given drugs to be docile until death. Never to be a threat again to humanity.

Fast forward to now.

The crazies found their voice with Trump. Who knew that there were millions of crazies in the country?

Part of me is in denial that this many crazies have infected every aspect of American life and are now seriously threatening our democracy.

Can't just blame Trump however. 

All the crazies were waiting and just needed a national leader to unify the cults (QAnon, etc.), the militias, the Christian Nationalists, the White Supremacist's, the Neo Nazis, and anarchists, and Trump was the Chosen One.

And why not? Trump could get away with openly lying and altering reality to address every fear that the country's crazies have been nursing for years.

No more laughing at the tin hat crowd.

They're busy suppressing voter's rights on a national scale and claiming the Jan. 6th insurrection was no more than some rowdy tourists overrunning the Capitol to "defend" democracy.

In retrospect I should have seen this coming when Trump went after Obama with the bullshit claim he wasn't born in America, and therefore couldn't be the president of the United States.

It was this early recruitment of the crazies that set the stage for the assault on democracy that we're witnessing today.

There's only one way to fight back. Stop the crazies from turning America into an autocracy by protecting our electoral system and voting them out of political offices.

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...