What's the Bar for Being Crazy in America Today?

In past decades it was easy to tell who was crazy. The mentally challenged people in the past wandered the nation's wastelands like outcasts in the 19th and 20th century.

Those unfortunates were easy to spot on the streets because they were doing crazy things like walking around naked and talking to themselves out loud.

But since we've entered the 21st century where crazy people have mainstreamed into politics, the media, and all aspect of our lives, it becomes a challenge to tell who is bat-shit crazy or walking the line of sanity and ideology. 

I'll be blunt here. The Republican party looks like a 19th and 20th century insane asylum where the inmates have taken over.

Right-wing lunatics have infiltrated state and federal governments. 

Their biggest achievement was getting a full-blown narcissistic sociopath elected for president.

One of many crazy media luminaries, Mike Lindell, capsulates the true meaning of insanity. I'm not exaggerating. 

Last week he announced that he was going to drive a truck full of 10,000 pillows for the right-wing activists squatting in Ontario, Canada.

What happened?

The truck, and Mr. Pillow Guy, weren't allowed to enter Canada. Authorities turned his crazy ass around and said go back to where you came from.

A Trump devotee, Mike didn't let that bother him, however. Reality seldom does. So, the next thing he announces he's going to parachute pillows (!) into the protestor's encampments.

As of this writing no pillows have fallen out of the Canadian skies like a twisted Berlin airlift for the protestors comfort.

I'm going to go as far to say that if he flies an unauthorized plane into Canadian airspace he won't be warmly greeted.

But no worry of that happening. Like his election lies, everything Mike's spewed has been discredited and laughed at. By sane people.

Republican lawmakers and activists like to prop him up because he creates chaos and is a great messenger for their apocalyptic agenda.

As we witness Republican lawmakers debasing themselves and their offices, it's important to realize how being crazy has cemented their base.

With people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Gym Jordan, Paul Gosar, Josh Hawley, and Ron Johnson as standard-bearers the party of Trump has raised the bar on being crazy by ignoring reality and truth-telling.

Where crazy people once wandered the streets practically unnoticed, they now march down streets proudly pushing lies for a twice-impeached president.

Fear of Transparency: GOP State Lawmakers Restricting Reporters Access

If there's one thing the Republican party hates... its transparency.

After the GOP became the party of Trump its efforts have been geared to suppress voters and reporter's access to their meetings. 

A disturbing trend has surfaced where Republican lawmakers in several states are scaling back access to government business.

The reason is simple. Members of the GOP want to dodge the press and any accountability for their actions.

As the pandemic eases up and the public returns to the corridors of state capitols, new rules approved in Iowa last month and in Utah this week critically limit reporters' access to lawmakers.

These rule changes limit when journalists can work on the floor of the legislature where lawmakers sit, making it easier for elected officials to avoid interacting with the press.

The rule changes are a canary in a coal mine. This new trend to obstruct transparency at the state levels is part of a greater plan to transform our democracy into authoritarian government.

By placing these new restrictions it's obvious they have something to hide, or that leadership is taking unwarranted and unnecessary retaliation against reporters who could expose their corruption.

This new tactic of suppression comes in an environment of increasing attacks on the media and parallel new restrictions placed on journalists covering protests and courtroom proceedings.

Behind Trump's Big Lie, the Republican party has descended into fascism at an alarming rate.

Lies wither under the light of transparency and truth. That's why it's important to reveal the anti-American effort to take our republic down.

"Sunlight is the best disinfectant." - William O. Douglas

New Platform for Domestic Terrorists Hoped to Launch on President's Day

What do you call someone who is actively trying to disable Democracy?

A domestic terrorist. That's easy enough to understand. 

So why is Trump, and his minions who are actively sabotaging our electoral system, getting away with it?

The short answer is these domestic terrorists have carved out alternate reality platforms that attract the very worst of truth deniers to a bubble where their fever dreams could come true.

The latest incursion against the real world is an app called Truth Social (talk about irony). It's a clone of Twitter, which the former twice-impeached president was kicked off of.

The platform is currently undergoing pre-launch testing with a goal of President's Day release - which by the way has already been pushed back to the end of March.

The Truth Social's page on Apple's App Store continues to display an expected official launch date of Feb. 21 even though they know better.

The new platform for domestic terrorists of all stripes has a disgraced Republican representative who left Congress to be the site's CEO - Devin Nunes.

Meanwhile, federal regulators are investigating Trump's new social media platform for securities violations.

No one involved in the launch responded when contacted by the mainstream press. The organizers are also being investigated about whether investors in the shady site were told about the probes when their capital was being solicited.

True to form, Trump is out to bilk people - including his loyal minions - by cashing in personally while using a new media platform to spread the Big Lie.

Regulators have noted that there's been serious violations of securities laws during the proposed merger of Digital World Acquistion Corp and Trump's new media company.

It's safe to say that why President's Day this year won't be violated by a disgraced loser announcing an authoritarian agenda. That's down the road.

Breaking News: Russia... 'Wait! There Goes a Squirrel!'

A satellite image shows new deployments and military equipment in Novoozernoye

For the last two weeks everyone in the world has been waiting for Russia to invade the Ukraine.

Recent reports have suggested that Russia could attack today. As of this writing (10:15 PST) the Russian's haven't crossed the border.

I'm going to stick my neck out here and say... no way. Not today. The buildup to this moment has been nothing more than a high stakes game for Putin.

Russian's leader has a long game going and while the world concentrates on defying an invasion, Putin's hammering economies across the globe and especially America's fragile economy with rising inflation.

In other words, Putin has diverted everyone's attention while economic damage is being done against the economies of America and its allies as they wait for his next move.

The USA is already feeling the pain today as oil prices bounced back to $95 a barrel. The US stock market also gave up sizeable gains from Tuesday, with the Dow falling 225 points, or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq losing 1%.

Russia may attack tomorrow. Or the next day. Anything could happen.

Is it crazy to think that Putin never really intended to invade the Ukraine with a massive army? A "Wait! There goes a squirrel" moment?

No.

Like I said, Putin plays a long game. Diversons can be on a grand scale as he moves troops around the world seeking to extend Russia's influence.

Rumors of war can be more effective than an actual physical invasion in international politics. Take a look at who is getting the worst of this deadly standoff.

It sure isn't Russia. 

Republicans are Cannibalizing Their Own in Shasta County

Two rifles are propped up near a "Recall Moty" sign in Clendenen's barber shop.

I have a friend from high school who lives in Shasta County, California, who sent me a local article about Republicans attacking their own.

Shasta County is small, and Republicans have outnumbered Democrats 2-1 for decades. But something sinister is happening there.

Traditional Republicans are being cannibalized by ultra-conservatives and a local militia. The rebels turned against the leadership of the party and are busy canceling them.

The rebels campaign began with recalling a longtime Republican supervisor and inserting one of their own which effectively gave them control of the five-man board.

But how? Where did the money come from? The answer is damning. From a wealthy alt-right donor in Connecticut, Reverge Anselmo.

What was his stake in a tiny California county? Why did he give the rebels so much money? No one knows for sure because Anselmo isn't talking after numerous requests from various press organizations.

The Republican that got ousted, Leonard Moty, who barely had $30,000 for his campaign didn't stand a chance against a war chest of $450,000. What followed was a firehose of attack ads on local television and in mailers.

-------------------------------------------------

How One Small Town Fought Off A QAnon Invasion

--------------------------------------------------

One of the leaders of the group to overthrow Moty, is Woody Clendenen whose barbershop has become a Defacto headquarters for the group. It's festooned with extremist rage, with rifles and ammo next to the barber chair and Let's Go Brandon flags on the walls.

He also has a couple of Confederate flags that he flies whenever he feels like it. 

Another of the instigators, Carlos Zapata, is a local militia member of the so-called California State Militia, a loosely organized band of armed para-military members. 

Zapata and Clendenen (who is also a militia member) wanted the county to return state and federal funds, so it would have freedom to defy the health orders (as in masking).

When the Board of Supervisors didn't respond to their threats at public meetings, the extremists took that as an act of war.

Zapata who became a viral video star for disrupting public meetings is not stopping with infecting just Shasta County. He has plans for a video-campaign called Red,White & Blueprint to take over other counties nationwide.

His template for alt-right wackos promises a 10-episode indoctrination on how to overthrow local government bodies. 

What's happened in Shasta County is just part of an overall campaign financed by ultra-conservative wealthy donors and dark money.

Extremist groups are threating to turn the nation into an authoritarian government. Their leader is a twice-impeached traitor who has divided the nation with the Big Lie.

God save America which is under siege.

Grifters Golden Age: It's Easier Now Than Ever to Scam People Through Fundraising

The 21st century has turned out to be a golden age for grifters and con artists.

Prior centuries had their famous grifters like the infamous Charles Ponzi, but their numbers weren't that high and most con artists historically suffered the consequences of their actions.

Thanks to the internet just about anyone can start a fake fundraiser that'll rake in some serious money.

It's been a grifter's paradise, especially for political grifters (most of Congress and radical political activists in the country today). 

When it comes to cheating people out of their money under false pretenses the former twice-impeached president is without rival.

Trump has been giving master classes in the Art of the Con to his minions for six years now.

Prior to sites like GoFundMe and the other spinoffs, fundraising scams were easier to bust. 

The quasi-legal world of fundraising websites has given a false legitimacy to ripping off gullible donors. Quasi-lawyers defending these websites are as common as fleas on a wild dog.

Recommended reading on the subject

Trump's Sleight of Hand: Shouting Fraud, Pocketing Donors' Cash for Future

How Trump's election scam is still making him money

It's not just politicians getting rich off of donors. Just about anyone can cheat their way to dollars.

To avoid being a victim check out these articles:

GoFundMe Scams: How to identify Fake Fundraisers

Protecting Yourself from Online Scams

Crowdfunding: A Cover for Money Laundering?

If you're a generous person who likes helping others you should do your due diligence before parting with your hard-earned cash. Here's some more tips from AARP.

The Book of Trump: How the Republican Party Ended Up Wandering in a Political Wilderness

The GOP has lost its way.

Like the Nation of Israel in the Bible, Republicans have been lured away from their core values by a false god.

Nationalistic Evangelicals are partly responsible for the rise of Trumpism. They and their alt-right cronies have preached from The Book of Trump for six years now.

By worshipping Trump - the golden idol with tiny hands - conservatives have tossed their core beliefs into the fires of hell. They chose to bow before his Trumpness and to espouse lies from the new gospel of Trump.

As the Republican Party proved in their last national gathering, reality has no place in their world. 

By calling the insurrection a legitimate form of protest and blessing the rioters, the once party of Lincoln has wandered into a political wilderness where there doesn't appear to be a way out.

As Trumpian acolytes continue to collect converts in every state, the message is clear, all hail the Master! We are now the Party of Trump.

Every staunch supporter must read - or listen to the right-wing media -from the Book of Trump (which features a lot of images for those who can't read).

These zealots employ violence like it's their sacred duty, which it is if they've chosen to join the cult.

It's up to the rest of Americans who believe in truth, the constitution, democracy, and freedom for all, to refute the Party of Trump every day.

One way to combat the Trump cult is by voting. Democrats and Independents need to turn out in record numbers for the midterm elections in November.

It's not going to be easy. History is against the party in power during midterm elections.

The Party of Trump is busy creating voter suppression laws in red states where the cult has taken control of governors and state legislative offices.

Knowing this the Democratic Party has to reach into the hinterlands and let people know they have a real agenda for America - unlike the revenge tour Trumpies are planning if they take back the House and/or Senate.

Please. Stand up for America and vote this fall for democracy. 

'Trump Judges' Delivering for Former Grifter-in-Chief

Trump's appointed judges have been paying dividends for his authoritarian agenda.

Yesterday one of those Trump judicial jerks dealt another blow to Biden's climate agenda, barring the administration from using a metric that estimates the societal cost of carbon emissions.

The metric uses economic models to put a value on each ton of carbon dioxide emissions, to help quantify the economic harm caused by the climate crisis: sea level rise, more destructive hurricanes, extreme wildfire seasons and flooding, for example.

Legal experts say there's not much legal precedent to support the Trump judge's ruling. Now it's up to the justice department to correct the right-wing attempt to stall legislations pertaining to fighting climate change laws.

A federal court in Missouri last year struck down a similar lawsuit by Republican-led states, finding that they did not have standing to challenge the Biden administration's interim metric.

Meanwhile another Trump-appointed federal judge has temporarily blocked several Texas counties from pursuing criminal charges against public officials who encourage voters to use mail ballots in next month's primary election.

Biden's immigration agenda has faced one setback after another from courts with Trump-appointed judges.

When it comes to taking presidents to court over their policies, savvy lawyers know that location is everything: Choosing the right courthouse, and landing a case with the right judge, can make all the difference.

In Biden's first year Trump-appointed judges have ruled against the president on immigration, COVID relief, the environment and more.

Trump's appointment of three Supreme Court justices has swung the court over into a right-wing platform that is tearing the constitution apart and polarizing Americans from coast-to-coast.

Therefore, it's no wonder that the approval ratings for the highest court in the land has plummeted to 40 percent, an historic low.

Related articles:

Trump busted an immigration judge's union. His holdovers are blocking it again.

Biden administration policies struggle with Trump-appointed judges

Conspiracy-Driven Truck Convoy is a Sign of the Times

Like all dangerous attempts to rewrite history and current reality, a vocal minority in America is making inroads with a blatant attempt to harm the Canadian and American economies.

Trump supporters and an assortment of conspiracy trolls in Ottawa are assaulting both countries with misinformation in an effort to destabilize democratic economies.

What started out as a supposed protest against getting vaccinated for COVID-19 has quickly morphed int a stage for right-wing Americans to spread their hate to another country.

A small group of about 200 Canandian truckers (90 percent are already vaccinated) decided to block commerce between the two counties by parking their rigs on international borders.

It didn't take long to realize that vaccine mandates were just a cover to spread chaos and discontent in a brazen move to start a worldwide attack on democracies.

The result thus far is frightening. Workers in the Michigan auto industry could lose up to $51 million in wages this week due to the trucker protest, according to Anderson Economic Group. 

This serious interruption couldn't have come at a worse time with both countries struggling with supply chain challenges. Adding to the problem it's nearly impossible to get semiconductor chips - which is needed in all cars. 

In a chilling development the so-called "Freedom Convoy" scam is spreading to other counties like Australia and Great Britain where right-wingers have been inspired to copy the attack on democratic governments.

Meanwhile the right-wing American actors are busy spreading their poison in Canada. 

Observers need only look at the flags being carried by the protesters to see whose behind it. Trump flags, Nazi flags, and Confederate flags are waving in the wind.

A corrupt minority is wielding undue influence on societies inspired by the cancer these alt-right lunatics have spread across America.

The organizers of the chaos are on a roll and already threatening to disrupt the Super Bowl and shut down the city. They're emboldened by our First Amendment which they've twisted into a pretzel to serve their ends.

Homeland Security is aware of the threat the extremists pose, but it's not clear how they'll deal with an attempt to take over the city of Los Angeles.

The fact that a minority of nuts can seriously threaten everything America (and other democratic countries) stands for is a sign of the times. Trump's corrupt legacy lives on.

What Tales the White House Toilets Could Tell!

It was a dark and stormy night when Trump flushed the toilet sending secret messages to a watery grave.

Once again, a White House toilet was forced to cover up Trump's foul deeds. It was a crappy habit Trump carried over from his days of training under the notorious conspiracy maverick Roy Cohn.

But the paperwork didn't go right down. Instead, it clogged the toilet which overflowed, and forced the house "engineer" (DC talk for a plumber) to get up and unclog the unholy combination of Trump's turds and state secrets.

The engineer quietly swore epitaphs at the creator of the soggy correspondence that would never see the light of day.

The next day.

Trump makes an announcement from the Rose Garden that all the low flow toilets in the White House will be replaced with "normal high flow" shitters. He also railed against showers that he said made him feel like he was getting pissed on.

Who knows what was flushed down the toilets during Trump's four-year regime? Love letters to dictators, like the one he got from Kim Jong-un?

It's fascinating to think about what tales the executive commodes could tell. If only there was some way the Jan. 6 Select Committee could subpoena the White House cesspool and put restoration experts on the job.

They could even get help from the White House staffers who spent years taping together ripped up paperwork Trump threw in the trash cans.

Imagine. The toilets could get some measure of revenge after enduring years of the biggest ass in the nation besmirching them!

Why Do We Fart and other Intense Questions

Welcome to a curious old man's questions about the world we live in. I admit, these questions won't ever appear on a SAT test or on reputable scientific website. 

But they still beg for answers somewhere on the planet. Let's get started.

Why do we fart?

I suspect mankind has wondered about that since emerging from caves that were hotboxed by smelly farts.

Doctors will tell you we fart because of a build-up of gas in our guts. But is that all there is? 

Is it possible farts could be a genetic form of self-defense? Or perhaps, is mankind cursed with farts for offending the gods in ancient times? 

Why are there so many articles telling us how to view an event?

Personally, I think those info pieces are absurd.

One explanation could be that the general public is so stupid they need to be guided like sheep on how to observe something.

Why do we only have five toes?

There are some scientific assumptions, but no definitive answer. As far as I know we should have six, or even seven toes, on each foot for added balance and climbing.

After observing my polydactyl cat Ernie, who has eight toes on each paw, it became obvious we could have used some more toes for traction. It appears we got shorted in that department.

Why does Donald Trump have such small hands?

Observers have always commented on Trump's tiny hands, but I've yet to hear a satisfying reason for their size.

Some scientific types have suggested it's a family affair, but I'm skeptical of that explanation. Look at everyone else in the Trump clan. Even the women have bigger hands than Stump.

My guess is there's a corrupted correlation between those tiny hands and his minuscule brain.

                     How high is high?

After burning a bowl of chronic ganja, a person gets high. But how high? It's an ancient mystery that needs to be answered.

Is the sky high?

Is the Empty State Building high?

Who's to say what high is?

---------------------------------------------------

That's all I've got for you today. Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for another As It Stands post that will ask the question, WHY?