Two Notorious Right-Wing Operatives Face $5.1 Million Fine

When it comes to political scumbags, Jacob Wohl (right) and Jack Burkman (left) are poster boys for the radical right.

Both have a long history of fraudulent activities that would make any wacko drool. When it comes to conspiracy theories they're the canaries in the asylum.

I'm pleased to report that the Federal Communications Commission has proposed a $5.1 million fine against the duo for improperly making robocalls to cellphones without getting people's consent.

There's still a hoop or two for the FEC to jump through, but the chances of getting the largest proposed fine the FEC has ever asked for in this specific violation appear to be good.

This same conservative pair of swamp creatures were charged with four felonies in Michigan last year for allegedly intimidating voters with robocalls that spread inaccurate messages about voting by mail.

As soon as I get a date when the Michigan felony trial will be held, I'll share it.

Robocalls were one of the sources of disinformation leading up to the 2020 election, with characters like Jacob and Jack in the forefront.

Of the two creeps, Jacob has the most crazy creds as an American far-right conspiracy theorist, fraudster, internet troll, and conservative lobbyist.

Jack's crazy creds are there, he's also a conspiracy nut, and a conservative lobbyist, that's teamed up with Jacob in multiple scams.

Here's hoping the Beavis and Butthead of the right-wing operative community spend many years behind bars - along with getting slapped with that fat $5.1 million fine the FEC proposed.  

Proof of 2020 Voter Fraud in Florida: GOP Vote-Siphoning Scheme Exposed

                             How about that?

The only verifiable voter fraud in the 2020 election was committed by Republicans. 

Today we're going to hear about a no-party candidate who ran a successful ghost campaign in a South Florida state senate election.

Alexis Rodriguez is expected to enter a guilty plea before a Miami-Dade Circuit Judge and admit that he accepted $45,000 from former GOP state Sen. Frank Artiles to run for office.

Rodriguez ran as an non-party affiliated (NPA) candidate in November's Senate District 37.

The Democrat running in the district had the same surname as Alexis Rodriquez; Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez.

The name on the ballot was "Alex Rodriquez," the same as that of the baseball Hall-of-Famer and Miami celebrity. 

The result?

Alex Rodriguez received 6,300 out of 215,000 ballots cast in the SD 37 runoff which was won by just 32 votes by Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia, who unseated the incumbent Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez.

Yesterday the judge granted Artiles' attorney's request for more time to interview witnesses and review evidence, granting a 60-day continuance and setting a check-in hearing for Oct. 19.

Republican campaign organizers are nervously watching the case that has launched a broadening voter corruption probe into two other Florida counties; SD 39 and SD 9.

The bottom line is there was voter fraud in 2020, and it was committed by Republicans. I hope that settles the controversy about which party was cheating.

Oregon School Superintendent Instructs Students Parents To Lie

As an Oregonian watching the state struggle with a COVID surge worse than last year, I'm disgusted and disappointed at what I'm seeing.

I live in Medford, currently the worse county in the state for COVID infections.  Watching the numbers of victims rise daily is the sad reality here.

Why is Oregon doing so bad with this latest surge?

Last year at this time we had the numbers of infections under control, and ranked among the top states with the least amount of outbreaks.

One of the reasons is burn-out. People are tired of complying with the new masking rules and just want to return to "normal."

Unfortunately that's not possible. And to make matters worse Oregonians are ignoring the science and fighting face masks in schools and other public places.

For example, the superintendent of the rural Alsea School District told parents they can sidestep the governor's mask requirement by applying for an accommodation for their children under federal disabilities law.

According to superintendent Marc Thielman, "The majority of my parents are skeptical and no longer believing what they're told," as if that was a legitimate excuse.

School starts tomorrow.

Governor Kate Brown was shocked that Thielman was undermining her policies {the science} by "Instructing students to lie about having a disability."

For the record, Thielman is planning to run for governor next year. It appears he's building up his crazy creds to attract right-wing voters.

Not everyone has decided to board the "mask skeptic train," however. 

Oregon resident Jenny Jonak, who has an 11-year-old daughter with autism and health problems that make her more susceptible to the current Delta variant, said wearing masks is a "very small inconvenience" to protect vulnerable."

The key to reversing this surge is vaccination and taking proper safety precautions. 

Having students lie about face masks is not the solution. It's the problem. As long as skeptical school officials and lawmakers push back against the science, the pandemic will never end in Oregon.

Trump's The Main Feature: A Super Spreader Rally Set During a A COVID State of Emergency

It's Deja vu time.

Are you nostalgic for those 2020 super spreader Trump rallies?

Do you miss being shoulder-to-shoulder with anti-vaxxers and QAnon followers?

Do you want to hear how the 2020 election was stolen and how Trump is still president?

Well, it's your lucky day my friend.

Trump is attending an Alabama GOP rally today as the state struggles with a new surge of COVID infections.

The timing couldn't be worse.

Cullman, the city where the rally is, has declared a COVID-19 related state of emergency.

The chief operating officer of Cullman Regional Medical Center, requested additional resources because of the rally. This while the center is overcrowded amid a spike in coronavirus-related hospitalizations.

Alabama saw 3,890 new cases on Wednesday and is averaging 3,000 infections daily since then.

Even worse, The Alabama Hospital Association also reported that the state has run out of intensive care unit beds, citing a 29-bed deficit.

It's in this backdrop that an estimated 20,000 people are going to gather to listen to Trump's alternate version of the universe, where he still continues to be The Chosen One among hard right-wing wackaloons.

Why Hasn't Rep. Mo Brooks Been Locked Up Yet?

Rep. Mo Brooks is a seditionist, far-right extremist, and liar. 

He's proved it multiple times starting with his fiery speech on Jan. 6 where he encouraged Trump supporters to "start taking down names and kicking ass."

Mo Brooks knew there was going to be violence at the Capitol on Jan.6, but he didn't share that knowledge with the Justice Department.

In a recent interview with Salon, Brooks admitted, "I was warned there might be risks associated with the next few days. As a consequence of those warnings. I did not go to my condo. Instead, I slept on the floor of my office. And when I gave my speech {on Jan. 6}, I was wearing body armor."

It was a damning admission but no one has done anything about it. 

A Washington-based watchdog group Campaign For Accountability has filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics demanding an investigation into whether Brooks violated federal law, House rules and the Constitution by inciting a riot and seditious conspiracy.

As of this post no action has been taken.

Brooks has also served with a lawsuit filed by Rep. Eric Swalwell, seeking to hold him partially accountable for the Jan 6 insurrection.

The DOJ declined a request by Brooks to intervene for him in the Swalwell lawsuit noting that he wasn't within the scope of his duties of his office when he spoke before a pro-Trump rally.

As of this post no action has been taken.

Steeped in litigation over his role in the coup attempt, Brooks expressed sympathy yesterday for a man who threatened to bomb the Library of Congress.

After the would-be bomber, Floyd Roy Roseberry was arrested, Brooks came out and said, "I understand citizenry directed at dictatorial Socialism and its threat to liberty, freedom and the very fabric of American society."

The backlash from members of Congress from both parties was immediate in condemning his words.

As of this post no action has been taken.

The threat of corrupt lawmakers like Mo Brooks, Ron Johnson, Paul Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, etc, present a very real threat to our democracy.

The sooner Trump Republican seditionists are brought to justice the better. Our freedoms depend on it.

New Reality Game Show: Pick Your Crisis

             Welcome ladies and gentlemen!

Today is the pilot for a new reality show featuring dire national and international news. Let's get right on it with our two contestants, Jack and Jane.

Host: For 10 points, what is the worst crisis facing humanity today?

Jane: It has to be the exodus from Afghanistan where thousands of people at Kabul airport are waiting for a flight out of the country after the Taliban's stunning victory.

Jack: No doubt about it; the Delta variant that's surging across America, and other countries in the world.

Bell rings

Host: It looks like Jack has earned the first 10 points in the competition. For 10 points...

Whose most enjoying seeing President Biden under fire for the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan?

A. Taliban

B. Republican Party

C. Trump

D. Russia

E. China

F. North Korea

Bell rings

Jane: I'm guessing B and C based on their history.

Jack: I think it's Russia because I heard they were gloating that they lasted longer in Afghanistan than the we did.

Host: Nice try Jack, but Jane nailed it. Trump and minions are the enemy within. It looks like we're tied thus far.

Next category: Worst air quality for 15 points...

Where is the worst air quality in the world and the United States today? (2 part)

A. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

B. Salt Lake City, Utah 

C. Redding, California

D. Vancouver, Canada

E. UK

F. Australia

Bell rings

Jane: I'm going to take a guess here; Salt Lake City and Dubai.

Jack: Redding, California and Australia.

Host: Jane's on a roll. Dubai and Salt Lake City are the right answers.

FINAL CATEGORY for 25 points...

What country has the most homeless people?

A. Afghanistan

B. Los Angeles, USA

C. Australia

D. Brazil

E. China

F. Bangladesh, India

Jane: I'm torn between Bangladesh and Afghanistan. I'll go with Bangladesh.

Jack: The answer is Afghanistan.

Host: You pulled the rabbit out of the hat Jack! Afghanistan is the right answer and is also the Secret Country for the Day, meaning double the points. 

Thank you for attending the first episode of PICK YOUR CRISIS. I look forward to the next time we meet. Remember, there's always a crisis somewhere!

The War In Afghanistan Is Over: Now It's Finger Pointing Time

The blame game is underway.

Now that the Taliban have reclaimed Afghanistan, critics of the war and supporters, are blaming each other for the final stunning collapse of the Afghanistan government.

The thing is, we've know for years what would happen if we left the country. The Washington Post published the so-called Afghanistan papers a few years ago, revealing a trove of government documents.

Those documents revealed our military establishment knew our efforts to prop up the Afghanistan government and train its military were failing.

It was obvious that our efforts were doomed to fail because America was essentially trying to change the priorities forcibly of a people whose values were very different than our own.

The chaos created by Afghanistan's complete capitulation in record time has resulted in finger pointing and accusations from all sides of the political spectrum.

Our departure was never going to be pretty. Things like this seldom are. There's always winners, and losers. In this case there's more losers than usual.

The beginning of the end began in February 2020 when the Trump administration brokered an exit plan with the Taliban. 

The blame game of which president should take the heat for the hasty retreat is ongoing.

Suddenly everyone is experts on why we failed to turn the country into a democracy. Cable TV and social media hosts are blasting the airways with disinformation and the Biden administration is busy defending it's actions.

It's hard to say how long the blame game will last. Vestiges of it will probably play a part in the 2021 midterms.

I suspect the coverage on Afghanistan will decrease in the news cycles ahead. We're in the middle of a COVID surge that should have never happened.

And the merry game goes on.

The Final Reckoning: Afghanistan Was Sold Out By Weak-Kneed Afghan Leaders

Kabul has fallen. The Taliban seized the city without a shot yesterday. A new era has begun for war-torn Afghanistan.

After 20 years of training and billions of dollars in American aid it was obviously a wasted effort, trying to bring democracy to a Muslim country that never wanted it. 

Why did the Afghan government collapse in just one week?

The major error Biden and the Pentagon made was in assuming the Afghan government would stay intact after we left. It wasn't on anyone's radar that the government ministers would desert the country the minute the Taliban attacked.

The Taliban cleverly exploited a weakness in the Afghanistan government that our military wasn't aware of, or chose to ignore.

Corruption. 

Top officials no longer represented the people. The military was full of disgruntled soldiers who hadn't been paid in six months. When the Taliban offered them money to hand over their weapons and allegiance they eagerly complied.

Cities like the government-held Jalalabad surrendered to the militants without a shot. Within hours they ringed Kabul and the government forces simply melted away.

Meanwhile the American embassy has been evacuated. The American flag was taken down and the diplomatic core were ferried to Kabul airport where most have already flown out of the country.

Thus far there's been no engagement between the Taliban and retreating American forces and civilians.

Americans, and their Afghan allies, are still waiting for a flight at the airport. Timelines had to be moved up after the Afghan government's spectacular failure to hold it's ground.

Despite having 300,000 soldiers versus 75,000 Taliban insurgents, it was no contest. High and low government officials decided that after the February 2020 Doha agreement between America and the Taliban, they'd been sold out.

The war was essentially over after that.

The writing was on the wall. The Americans were finally going, and it demoralized the Afghan troops who knew their government was on shaky ground.

Simply put, all the Taliban had to do was buy the loyalty of the disgruntled members of the military and the war was over. It took a year, but the results were dramatically effective.

Why American military experts did not see this coming is a mystery to me. It speaks of poor intelligence and planning. It seems we never understood the Afghan people, and what motivated them.

Without exaggeration, it can be said the country was sold out by it's own administration.

The Pandemic Should Nearly Be Over: But Thanks To The Unvaccinated It May Never Go Away

Florida and Louisiana have the highest COVID transmission rate in the world.

Mississippi broke its COVID-19 hospitalization record two days ago, with more than 1,490 patients statewide. Dozens of patients are waiting in emergency rooms for an ICU bed.

In North Carolina, health officials announced the state had seen its largest single-day jump in ICU admissions since the pandemic's start.

In Nashville, Tennessee, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center's adult hospital and emergency department were "completely full."

Dallas County, Texas, Judge Clay Jenkins said Friday that there were "zero ICU beds left for children."

Announcing a mask mandate that went into effect Friday, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said that COVID-19 hospitalizations were at a "record high" and ICU beds statewide were 90 percent full.

Last week Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said the state was down to just eight ICU beds.

There were about 321 available ICU beds across the entire state of Texas - which has a population of nearly 29 million - last Thursday.

The real pisser is that we didn't have to have this recent surge of COVID-19/ Delta Variant. Effective vaccines are available everywhere.

But thanks to the unvaccinated people who ignore science, the nation is infected with little relief in sight.

Republicans need to get their heads of their collective asses (and Trump's) and get vaccinated. There's no two ways about it.

Assholes Like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are killing people to make a political statement by fighting against safety measures to combat COVID.

I don't care what the unvaccinated people's excuses are. They're endangering lives with their sick reasoning about "personal liberties."

Meanwhile the country continues an uphill fight to battle the worst pandemic this nation has ever seen.

Racists Recoil After Hearing About The New Census

Somewhere in America there's a racist puking their guts up after hearing the news of the first-ever decline in the white population in the United States.

According to the new census the white population in the country decreased for the first time ever. (Going back to the first one in 1790)

This news has been like pouring gasoline on a smoldering fire of white resentment across the country.

The biggest fear white supremacist's have is being replaced by people of color. The browning of America has brought out the true colors of this country, whether or not it's the anti-Semitic rhetoric, or whether it's the racism or xenophobia.

This new cultural anxiety is going to play a part in race-baiting Trumplican's attempt to take over congress and the presidency.

The new census result will join the Big Lie in motivating right-wingers for the upcoming midterms. They'll claim whites are being canceled, causing enough fear to pack the polling places with extremists.

Sadly, the news of America's growing diversity is going to become a major issue that will further divide this country.

Trump Is On The Way To Becoming An International Criminal

Scottish lawmakers are on the road to exposing a money-laundering scheme with Trump's golf resorts.

This new investigation brings the total ongoing criminal and civil investigations into our corrupt former president to 26 cases.

Scottish lawmakers have been given the go-ahead to pursue a so-called McMafia investigation into Trump's golf courses after a judge heard that there were "real and substantial concerns" about the Trump Organization and its finances.

Lawmakers in the Scottish Parliament have been pushing since January for an investigation into how Trump funded the all-cash purchases of his two Scottish golf resorts, Turnberry and Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire.

Because Trump financed large-scale purchases with debt before purchasing both resorts in a $400 million spending spree, lawmakers were suspicious.

Today the Scottish Court of Session in Scotland gave permission for a judicial review to appeal the courts earlier stance not to pursue the investigation.

"I grant permission for the petition to proceed without condition or restriction," Lord Sandison wrote.

He said that the review had "real prospects of success" and that "there was a sensible legal argument to be had on the matters raised by the petition."

From the look of things, Trump is well on his way to becoming an international criminal.