Insurrection Inquiry Will Burst The Bubble of 'The Big Lie'

No wonder Republicans are panicking.

Not only is Trump's Big Lie going to be exposed, but Republican Congressmen and other right-wing politicians are facing retribution for their traitorous attempt to steal the 2020 election.

The House Select Committee on Jan. 6 poses such a threat to right-wing politicians that they are now doubling down on their lies and are spreading more myths to muddy the investigative waters.

Trump enabler, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, is busy trying to impede the investigation.

His latest tactic looks like something out of The Sopranos, where McCarthy is the mob boss threatening telecommunications and social media giants with harsh retribution if they cooperate with the inquiry.

Ten other House Republicans have joined him and assert they "will not forget" the companies who comply with the request when they take over the House in 2021 during the midterms.

That threat is bullshit.

In the first place there's no guarantee the Republicans will get the House back, and if they do there's no way they can carry out their threat to strong-arm private companies.

Basically McCarthy's toothless threat is a desperate effort to impede the investigation. Those same companies have always responded to Congressional subpoenas, as Republicans are fully aware of having used them their selves.

It just goes to show the lengths Trump's disciples will go to change the narrative on their coup attempt.

It's important to keep in mind that Trump's assault on democracy is a multi-front attack that also involves rigging state election systems to favor GOP voters.

The insurrection inquiry will expose the Big Lie and those who were involved. What happens after it's finished is the big question.

COVID-19 Madness: Our Prolonged Pandemic is Poisoning People's Minds

After two years of an invisible killer stalking the nation, the terrible mental toll has taken its effect on millions of people.

If there's one thing ALL Americans have in common right now it's experiencing the effects of a fourth virus surge.

Instead of embracing the knowledge our scientists have gained to fight the virus (by developing a vaccine in record time), millions of Americans have turned on science... and sane solutions to staying safe.

Polarized by politics, and massive disinformation campaigns in all medias, there doesn't seem to be an antidote for this crisis.

Initially, people listened to advise and hunkered down everywhere in an attempt to stop the spread of the most deadly virus to hit the country in over 100-years. 

That patience is disappearing.

What little unity to fight the virus has slowly evaporated as the months passed and turned into a year... and beyond. Now, two years later most people's patience has disappeared.

We've gone from fear to anger

Overworked doctor's and healthcare officials are angry and exhausted with the unvaccinated who are filling the hospitals to capacity. That's because they know it doesn't have to be this way.

We have the vaccines to save people. But you can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved.

Angry parents in school board meetings over masking are physically assaulting board members, doctors, and other parents. 

Weaponized words are turning into violent actions as anti-vaxxers and right-wing pundits claim the virus is a hoax, and face masks are a violation of their kid's rights.

The only answer to defeating COVID-19's latest mutation the Delta variant, is through universal vaccinations and safety measures like using face masks inside schools and other public places.

The longer it takes to get this pandemic under control so we can return to our {normal} lives, the more the poison will spread.

Ironically, truth deniers and science advocates have a common goal...both sides want the dying to stop.

Personal Freedoms Are Being Used As A Cudgel Against Science

The Republican party's current war about personal freedoms being challenged is the descendent of the 20th century Moral Majority who were always whining about perceived threats to their freedoms.

Writer B.J. Rudell, whose article on The Hill today discusses how "Freedom is good policy and good politics," details how the GOP is luring sane people into it's folds.  

The article, Republicans Cornering the Market on Freedom and Oppression addresses how selling the public on a policy - right or wrong - is key for a corrupt political party's chances of successful indoctrinating voters.

Rudell points out;

"Today's "personal freedom" movement is code for 'Make America Great Again.' Advocates seek to restore America's revolutionary spirit. If you oppose freedom, you support tyranny. There is no wiggle room for nuance or differing opinions. American and God-given rights are intertwined and inalienable."

The Republican party has hardened in it's views of what personal freedoms mean. Rudell explains:

"Personal freedom fighters in the COVID era believe individual opinions - regardless of their truth - matter more than those of experts, of politicians, or of the dying lying in hospital beds. 

All levels of government constitute "the swamp." "Don't tread on me" has devolved into "No more rules." It is the antithesis of the state control sought by family values. It is instead a battle against society - against the essential frameworks on which civilizations are built.

 This is a point of anarchical pride for the personal freedom brigade, because it doesn't matter who gets hurt, as long as it's not them."

Rudell's summary conclusion:

The GOP has decided it's better to be on the wrong side with millions who adore you, than to be on the right side with millions who don't."

Baby Trump Wannabee Cawthorn Threatens Americans With 'Bloodshed' Remarks

The fight to see who can go the lowest among far right-wing politicians has reached new levels of insanity lately.

The youngest person in Congress, Madison Cawthorn, wants to be just like his idol Trump and is going to great lengths to prove it.

He continues to preach the Big Lie and is threatening Americans who don't agree Trump is still the president.

Despite the fact that the federal intelligence warnings have been coming out warning against rhetoric that could spark another riot, "Baby Trump wannabee" is throwing fuel on the fire.

"Anybody who tells you that Joe Biden was dutifully elected is lying to you," Cawthorn said in a video the party posted on its Facebook page before deleting it yesterday following blowback.

Meanwhile Cawthorn is bragging that he would be willing to take up arms against the government to defend "election security." 

This open admission of treason has become fashionable among the far-right set who are willing to destroy democracy to stay in power.

Cawthorn's little speech came after a joint intelligence assessment that warned "narratives of fraud in the recent general election" and "the emboldening impact of the violent breach of the US Capitol" would "almost certainly" spark domestic terror attacks."

After his spiel an audience member asked Cawthorn "When are you going to call us to Washington again?"

His reply, "We are actively working on that one. We have a few plans in motion I can't make public right now."

As proof of what a hypocrite and liar he is,  look no farther than when he admitted the election was not fraudulent, and that Joseph R. Biden was our president in January.

When Cawthorn warned that there could be bloodshed in future elections, he was setting the stage for that to happen.

One War Too Late: Jane "Red" Fonda Joins Campaign To Deny Taliban Recognition

 

Before you go any further you should know that I'm a Vietnam veteran who hasn't forgiven Jane "Red" Fonda for her support of the North Vietnamese.

In July of 1972, Fonda earned the enmity of untold thousands of Vietnam veterans and their families (as well as service members for generations to come) when she arrived in Hanoi, North Vietnam and began a two-week propaganda tour there.

It's ironic that the last time the U.S. had to cut and run from a war, Jane Fonda was all over our enemies, but this time she's suddenly not in love with them.

Fonda was given the well-earned moniker of "Hanoi Jane," at the time.

The kicker - for me - was hearing about her latest campaign to deny the Taliban recognition. Why couldn't she have done that with our mortal enemies, the NVA and the VC?

There's a whole new generation who are unaware of her traitorous past. They have been watching her on cable sitcoms for years and think she's a moral person who would never turn on her country for nothing more than the publicity.

They may re-think that opinion if they Google her name and expose her dark past. Some crimes can never be forgotten.

Memories: My Wife and I Have Been Married 47-years Today

 

           Dave and Shirley Stancliff - Married on Aug. 31st, 1974

Despite the chaos we all live in, there's still golden moments in our lives that are worth celebrating.

A wedding anniversary is one of those moments.

Family and friends often ask us how we managed to stay together for so long. In many ways we're polar opposites.

The answer is relatively simple; we respect one another's views, and we both love to joke around. Our sense of humor has gotten us through many iffy situations in life.

We continue to bond regardless of the outside pressures in the world. We both believe in living for the moment and that every day is a precious gift.

Our past is an album of victories and defeats. Challenges met, and accepted. Aware that there are no re-runs in this life, we try to stay true to our values every day.

The fact is we love each other every moment, whether apart or together. 

We're thankful for our three sons, five grandchildren, and the rest of our families and friends.

Enough said.

School Boards Have Become Fertile Ground For Conspiracy Loons and Corrupt Politicians

In the ongoing American tragedy of the dumbing down of students (education has been a low priority for decades) politicians, parents and school boards are fighting over science and safety at schools.

Nothing has been more contentious than taking precautions against the surging COVID-19 virus in school districts.

Governors are threatening school superintendents, and teachers, if they enforce mask mandates to protect students who are too young for the vaccine.

Republican politicians running for office are burnishing their crazy creds on resisting masking in the schools. 

One GOP loon - Steve Lynch (some irony in the last name here) is running for a public office in Pennsylvania, and is threatening to use physical force against school officials upholding the CDC guidelines.

Parents who don't believe in science, vaccines, and the CDC, are showing up - and disrupting - school board meetings all over the country.

School board members lives are being threatened by these crazy conspiracy-driven parents that show up in meetings turning them into chaos. 

School board meetings have always had controversies. That's nothing new. But now the meeting places have turned into battlegrounds of science versus fiction.

After surviving four years of the Trump administration's encouragement to conspiracy nuts, they're now as prolific as weeds in the garden of democracy.

The bottom line is students have become political footballs in the fight against the surging Delta variant. 

American politicians have treated education like a poor relative for far too long. School agendas have been watered down. There's less emphasis on a well-rounded education. And teachers are poorly paid.

It looks like this vicious fighting between politicians, school board members, and parents is going to be around for a long time.

It's just not fair for the next generation to have to deal with a lasting legacy of conspiracy theorists and corrupt politicians.

Right-Wing Armchair Quarterbacks Waste Our Time With Ill-informed Opinions

I'm tired of hearing about right-wing TV hosts, podcasters, and assorted minions of Trump opinionate on subjects they know nothing about.

When Fox news host Sean Hannity opinionates about our military actions it's important to understand he has no military background (rumors are he was kicked out of the boy scouts for lying) or even an average understanding of Afghanistan's war-torn history.

The only experience Hannity has is in riling people up with conspiracies and blatant lies about what liberals are doing.

The fact is there's a lot of Americans who follow armchair quarterbacks like they're experts on the subject they're bloviating on in a given day.

Instead of backing Biden's administrations efforts to battle the Delta variant and keep people safe for the common cause, there are people who actively resist the science and become armchair doctors prescribing bleach and animal de-wormer medicine as an alternative cure.

Too many Americans listen to media types who claim to know everything. Just look around at the Bill O'Reilly's, and Tucker Carlson's. They're airheads who know how to get your blood boiling by picking at your fears.

Sadly, talk show hosts have replaced real journalists in millions of households. They tell people what to think. How to react. Where to cause trouble. Who to attack. Not to believe their ears, or eyes.

I like to keep in mind the old adage, "Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one."

All too often opinions get taken for facts. Like author Harlan Ellison once said, "You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant."

The Taliban Have a Major Problem: They're in a Hot Sticky Mess

The Taliban's seizure of Afghanistan reminds me of a fable from the tales of Uncle Remus, where Brer Rabbit always outfoxed Brer Fox in The Man's Garden.

My favorite tale, Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby, echoes the current situation that the Taliban are in. They're stuck with the fact that there's no money in the country they just conquered.

Like Brer Rabbit found when he slugged and kicked the tar baby, it made matters worse. The more he kicked and hit the tar baby the more stuck he became.

The Taliban have more to worry about than just having no money (the USA and the rest of the world froze their assets); they have to deal with enemies embedded in the war-torn country.

The northern provinces have seen a gathering of armed Afghans who are intent in overthrowing the Taliban. 

Add having enemies like ISIS-K popping up at the worst times, a massive homeless population (the biggest in the world), dwindling food supplies and cash on hand, and it's a sticky situation...at best.

Unlike Brer Rabbit who got stuck in the tar baby but eventually escaped, it's unlikely the Taliban will be as lucky as the country collapses around the "victors."

Should We Sympathize With Unvaccinated People Who Are Putting Others At Risk?

I've always been of the school that we all make our own beds in life, and have to live (or die) with the results.

If this sounds like a lack of empathy, it's not. It's just a practical reality. A lot of people don't believe in science and would rather take a medicine for animals (cows, horses, etc.) than something approved for humans.

I'm trying to refrain from calling these people who think bleach, or put light up their body cavities, as a way to fight the new deadly Delta variant of the killer virus plaguing our country, stupid... but it's not easy.

Everyday, I read and see examples of the unvaccinated dying in record numbers in states (particularly the ones with Republican governors). It's discouraging.

Here's four current stories about the unvaccinated that are admittedly sad, but that illustrate my point.

-- Caleb Wallace, who helped organize the "Freedom Rally" on July 4, 2020 for those "sick of the government being in control of our lives," is now on a ventilator after becoming infected with the virus, according to his pregnant wife who consented to a "do not resuscitate order."

-- Phil Valentine a conservative talk radio host from Tennessee who had been a vaccine skeptic died in a hospital gasping for air.

Ironically, after testing positive for the virus he told his listeners he didn't get vaccinated because he thought he'd die.

But after moving into the critical care unit his brother Mark said he regretted he wasn't a more vocal advocate of the vaccination. It was too late by then.

-- Dick Farrel, a former Florida conservative talk show host died from COVID-19, once called Dr. Anthony Fauci a "power-tripping freak" and urged people not to get vaccinated.

The radio station he worked for called him a pioneer "shock talk host" who pulled no punches. 

-- In a heartbreaking story a middle-aged couple who waited to get vaccinated until they thought it was safe, both became infected from the virus.

Lisa Steadman had spent more than a week in a central Florida hospital recovering from a serious case of COVID-19, while Ronald Steadman, who had also contracted the coronavirus, battled a milder case from home.

Lisa kept in contact with check-in phone calls. Before she checked of the hospital the last thing he said was that "he was improving."

When she came home it was like a scene from a horror movie; she found Ron unresponsive on his side of the bed. Their three barking dogs led her to him. He was dead.

She explained to reporters that it wasn't like they were against a vaccine. They just thought it was developed too rapidly.

It would be easy to go on. Even easier to judge each of these unnecessary deaths. Every victim chose not to be vaccinated, either because of their radical ideology or they just didn't trust getting the shot because of all the disinformation circulating online.

I would be remiss if I didn't admit that it pisses me off that people go unvaccinated during a pandemic. They're killing other people, regardless of their reasoning.

Democracy in Peril: Minority Party's Assault On America

(Photo of Republican California recall candidate, John Cox, with his bear talking to a crowd of about 12 people. Just think, he could be California's next governor!)

Amazing as it may seem, a minority party is do a pretty good job at trying to seize power in the United States of America.

GOP members of Congress are stopping any legislation that doesn't meet their approval using the filibuster. Despite being the minority in both the House and the Senate, Republicans have been the one's calling the shots.

It doesn't stop there. One of the tactics the self-proclaimed Party of Trump uses is to take control (from governor to city dog-catcher) of every state by whatever means possible.

Using an arcane law to game the system, California Republicans have gathered enough signatures to file for a recall election, which is just around the corner.

Thank The Terminator, aka Arnold Schwarzenegger, for paving the way to a successful recall (for the first time in the state's history) in 2003.

It was the first time anyone managed to get the required signatures of 12-percent of the turnout in the previous election.

This time - with the help of a three-month extension granted by a judge - the organizers were able to deliver; forcing a recall election.

If the current governor, Gavin Newsom, fails to get 51 percent of the vote he WILL BE DEFEATED while whichever of the 46 clowns on the ballot gets the most votes becomes the new governor.

To break that down further - someone could become governor of the biggest state in the USA with only 10 percent of the vote!

The system is insane, and needs to be tossed in the garbage.

People have been talking about off-year elections like this where voter turnout is normally low unless one party is seriously motivated to vote.

Such as the Republican minority in California that may be on the brink of taking over the Democratic majority, and putting a right-wing troll in the governor's mansion. 

It could happen. If Newsom is defeated it'll be an anti-democratic, legal coup in the most liberal state in the nation.

Democratic voters are going to have to turn out in record numbers in every state. Otherwise the majority of people in America are going to be controlled by a minority of radical racists' and white supremacists.