Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Trump's Online Presence Has Been Laughable Since Losing the 2020 Election

You can be excused if you don't recall Trump's ill-fated attempt at having his own blog.

It went kaput after one month.

The reason why was simple - it didn't get any traffic worth mentioning. It was a clunky blog with no interactive features that are commonly found with good blogs.

Undaunted, Jason Miller (pictured above) Trump's longtime PR puppet, bragged about his association with a brand new Pro Trump social media platform -  Gettr.

If Trump's blog was a joke, Gettr is the comedy act that keeps on giving.

To begin with the new platform that Miller was talking about (designed for Trump) was launched with enough funny memes to make a book.


Gettr was hacked on it's first day. The accounts of its most popular people - including several Trump aides - were targeted. Even the official support page was compromised.

The fun didn't stop there however. The site was flooded with pornographic images and GIFs. Users spammed posts with graphic hentai videos and images of Hillary Clinton's face photoshopped onto a woman's naked body.

In an attempt to bring in right-wing followers the platform is advertised as "a marketplace for ideas." Code for crazies are welcomed.

In what I describe as sweet irony, this platform designed to attract Trump himself with it's Twitter-like features, still hasn't gotten Trump to subscribe to it.

Trump bitch for life, Steve Bannon, described the new platform as "the Twitter killer" in a post on the new site.

I highly doubt Twitter has much to worry about. It appears Gettr is headed for the trash heap where most Trump-inspired lies and propaganda goes.

Yesterday, Motherboard verified that a hacker posted a database to an online hacking forum claiming to have scrapped the information from the accounts of EVERY GETTR USER.

Private emails, exact usernames, bios, and birthdays of 85,000 users were hacked.

The self described anti-censorship platform for conservative voices continues to flounder like a shark out of water, as Trump seeks to have a presence on the internet. 

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

A Day in the Life of 'Ernie' The Polydactyl Kitten

From the start, Ernie was a special kitten.

He came into my wife and I's life, via our son, who rescued him.

But this was no ordinary rescue on city streets. It was something out of a movie.

Seven months ago when Ernie was only six-weeks-old, an owl sunk it's talons into his skinny neck and flew away with him! It was probably the same owl that took his sibling two days prior to the attack on Ernie.

In tears, my son who has a farm with an old barn, described the doomed kitten's screams as it was spirited away.

Then after two days, Ernie was taken by the owl, and he watched in horror as he twisted and squirmed in the owl's claws.

But then fate took a hand and little Ernie managed to wiggle free and fell down into a tree!

Not knowing if he was dead or alive, my son climbed up and found Ernie clinging with his big polydactyl paws to a branch.

He needed a home and we were glad to take him. My wife and I have fallen in love with this fantastic feline who makes us laugh every day.

What is polydactyl?

Simply put, they are cats with extra toes. Sometimes on all four paws, or just in the front, or back.

Ernie is called a Hemingway Cat because the famous American author Ernest Hemingway was given one by a sea captain. It's name was Snow White.

Today, the Hemingway House in Key West is the Hemingway Home and Museum. Almost 50 cats roam the property - all descendants of Snow White.

A Typical Day With Ernie 

From the moment I wake up - usually around 5 a.m. - Ernie is there to greet me.

He's seven-months-old now, but when I first brought him home he knitted in my beard which was thick enough then to protect the skin beneath.

Since trimming my beard he's moved on to knitting on blankets. As I make coffee he bounds around the kitchen and living room like a cat on crack!

His toys, stuffed with catnip, inspire him to greater heights of buffoonery every day. He heckles our other cats mercilessly, wanting to play.

Our two dogs - Molly, the Pug, and Butters, our Iggy - accept and even tolerate Ernie. It's like they know he's still a kitten.

By late morning - usually 10 or 11 a.m. - Ernie curls up in one of his several favorite napping spots, and blissfully drifts into dreamland.

There hasn't been a day when Ernie didn't make my wife and I laugh. Perhaps it's his youthful exuberance. Or, because he is such a special cat.

Monday, July 5, 2021

When Will They Wake Up? Another Top Trump Enabler 'Thrown Under The Bus'

Along with millions of other Americans, I don't understand why Trump supporters and allies continue to follow him even when he throws them "under the bus."

The latest case is none other than super fan, Rudy Giuliana, whose trying to get paid by Trump for his legal work on overturning the 2020 election.

A new book, "Landside: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency," by author Michael Wolff, describes Trump's post-presidency life at Mar-a-Lago resort, and how he's frustrated by the lack of progress to overturn the 2020 election result.

No one worked harder to please Trump than Rudy whose been Trump's personal lawyer and longtime ally loyally backing his lies.

The book reported that Trump was annoyed that he (Giuliani) tried to get paid for his election challenge.

Giuliani is now beset by crushing investigations and potentially millions of dollars in legal costs. He's implored the Trump family and aides to have the Trump campaign, with it's great wealth, to indemnify him.

All he's got so far is a "cold shoulder."

These are trying times for Trump's old buddy who is facing a Justice Department investigation into whether he broke foreign lobbying laws while working as Trump's lawyer.

No one knows exactly the amount owed to Giuliani by Trump but, at one point, Maria Ryan, an aide and rumored girlfriend of Giuliani, told the Trump campaign that his rate for working the election challenge was $20,000 a day, the New York Times recently reported.

The question is, "How does Trump still convince people to believe him after treating friends and foes alike as puppets to be discarded if they displease him?"

It's no secret Trump doesn't reward loyalty when he's in a pinch. Everyone in his circle is expendable if he's in trouble.

When, if ever, are people going to realize that when they become his minion he expects loyalty, but never returns it?

Sunday, July 4, 2021

4th of July: Forget Traditional Fireworks - There's A Safer Alternative

              The statistics are grim.

(According to a 2021 report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)

-- Last year eighteen people died after episodes involving fireworks. That's a hefty 50 percent increase from 2019.

-- About 15,000 people went to emergency wards because of fireworks injuries in 2020. A 56 percent increase over 2019.

-- Most of the firework injuries occurred from June 21 to July 21, and the two leading sources for injuries year-around were firecrackers and sparklers.

-- Children are the ones that are most frequently injured statistically. 

-- The biggest increase in injuries last year however, was in the 20 to 24-year-old category.

More Reasons Not To Use Traditional Fireworks:

-- Fireworks terrify household pets and other animals in nature.

-- Fireworks add toxic chemical pollutants to the air, water and land.

-- Fireworks trigger terror in PTSD victims.

-- Fireworks cause wildfires.

How to still have spectacular light shows

The 21st century version of traditional fireworks are drones with LED lights.

If China - where fireworks were invented - is hosting massive displays of drone light shows why can't the USA do the same?

The light show drones are usually controlled in fleets of hundreds by a remote computer to create colorful shapes and patterns in the night sky.

As the technology advances the fleets will grow (biggest current fleet is 2,018 according to Guinness World Records). 

Look at it this way; Americans will still get their spectacles in the sky, but people won't have to die.

There's no need to trash tradition. It just needs an update.

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.

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...