Join the Whiners Club Where Friends Gather to Bitch About Stuff

First off, membership is free in the Whiners Club, so you have nothing to lose.

What the hell is the Whiners Club, you ask?

It's an offshoot of the Shriners that I made up about 48 hours ago. 

The purpose of the club is simple as rain. Everyone takes turns bitching about whatever bothers you.

There's a five-minute round where each member of the group launches into a gripe session. The next round gives everyone 10 minutes to rant. The final round goes back to five minutes.

Rules

1. Alcohol must be served. Wine or Whiskey. Beer or Tequila. As long as everyone gets soused by the second round.

2. No limits on the subjects that irritate people.

    Suggested categories: politics, MAGA morons, Trump, Republicans, Putin, voter           suppression, assholes who tailgate you, robo calls, your aches and pains (a favorite), the Supreme Court, and gun violence.

3. Everyone has to be vaccinated!

Future Plans

When groups get too big (maximum size of 10 is recommended) new chapters can be formed anywhere in the world.  

New members will enjoy the therapeutic benefit of safely venting so much that I expect the Whiners Club will eventually replace all religions. 

In time there may be open Whiner Circles in public places if the movement catches on like I suspect it will.

Just so you know, there's no one person in charge in the Whiners Club chapters. The person hosting meetings gets the ball rolling and the session ends by mutual consent.

On Old Friends and Memories

My best friend since high school is visiting today. It's been nearly three years since we saw each other.

The pandemic played a major role in not visiting for both of us. We did stay in touch with emails and phone calls.

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"Time doesn't take away from friendship, nor does separation." 

- Tennessee Williams 

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Our History

We first met at Azusa High School in 1966.

He and I weren't model students. We would have won the "Most Likely Not to Succeed" award if the school had that category for seniors.

We were the smokers, dopers, and the jokers in our class. Once we smoked that first joint, we became wannabee hippies, turning our noses up at fellow classmates who were considered "straight." Because, you see, we were experienced (thank you Jimi Hendrix).

Here's the thing, we both act like complete fools when we get together. No subject is sacred as we fillet extremists like fish, and roast Republicans at every opportunity.

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"It's one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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We are both basketball Joneses. After school we played pickup games.

We liked challenging people playing two on two basketball. Really had some memorable games like when we played two sheriff deputies while we were peaking on LSD. 

We are both Vietnam veterans. I was in the Army, and he was in the Navy.

He's a retired Postal employee who is still active with the Postal Union.

I'm a retired newspaper editor/publisher.

All in all, I expect this day to be full of laughter and memories.

Clown Hall of Fame Announces, 'Clown of the Year' Award and New Inductees

For the past five years Trump has won the coveted "Clown of the Year" award. 

He did it again this year, to no one's surprise.

The Clown Hall of Fame also announced this year's new inductees. Some of them have been clowns their entire career and others were relatively new on the political scene.

Categories

Boss Clown - the clown responsible for the others (currently Trump)

Whiteface Clown - the next highest status in the clown hierarchy: Origin dates back to 1801. The face and neck are covered with white makeup, mouth painted in a grin, and black eyebrows. 

Rep. Andy Biggs - AZ-5th

Rep. James R. Comer -KY-1st 

Rep. Paul Gosar - AZ-4th

Rep. Ronny Jackson - TX-13th

Rep. Louis Gohmert - TX-1st

Rep. Jim Jordan - OH

Sen. Marsha Blackburn - TN

Sen. Lindsey Graham - SC

Sen. Tom Cotton - AR

Sen Ron Johnson - WI

Sen. John Kennedy - LA

Sen. Mitch McConnell - KY

Sen. James Lankford - OK

Sen. Rick Scott -FL

Sen. Rand Paul - KY 

Auguste Clown - This clown face is painted in pink, red, or tan. His mouth and eyes are painted white and his lips and eyebrows in black. This category's character is that of an anarchist, a joker, and a fool.

Rep. Lauren Boebert - CO -3rd

Rep. Madison Cawthorn - NC-11th

Rep. Matt Gaetz - FL-1st

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene - GA-14th

Rep. Chip Roy - TX-21st

Rep. Elise Stefanik - NY- 21st

Rep. Josh Hawley - MO

Sen. Ted Cruz - TX

Sen. Tommy Tuberville - AL

Sen. Mike Lee - UT

Special Speakers

Mike (Pillow creep) Lindell shared his latest plan to sue all the machines in America.

Steve Bannon detailed how a coming Civil War will happen.

Roger Stone - gave a lecture on how to lie like a mob boss.

The whole event was raucous and reality free. Reportedly the party that followed turned into an orgy and cocaine snorting contest.

The Demigods in Our Democracy

These judges have all have one thing in common, they've been groomed by the Federalist Society. 

They are above the law of the land.

Yet they enforce laws.

They have lifetime appointments and are virtually untouchable.

They are the end of the line in our democratic process where decisions are made that affect everyone in the nation.

There is no way to appeal their decisions.

Like demigods they rule the highest court in the country from their unassailable positions of power.

They are the Supreme Court justices.

People once trusted those judges because they were led to believe they make unbiased rulings.

That's no longer the case.

The Supreme Court has become a place where partisan politics are firmly entrenched.

That's why political observers say it's a conservative court. Republicans have polluted the confirmation process by grooming candidates backed by the Federalist Society.

We're seeing the effects of this new conservative court that is threatening Roe v. Wade, an established law.

Now we're faced with a judge, Clarence Thomas, who clearly supports his wife who was part of the illegal effort to overthrow the 2020 election.

When he didn't recuse himself on a decision to turn over White House records that involved his wife's conversation with Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, Clarence Thomas crossed the Rubicon and joined the enemy of freedom - the party of Trump.

But because he is a demigod there will be no consequences. He won't get into trouble, nor will his wife who joined the insurrectionists in an effort to disrupt the legal process that made Joe Biden our president.

It's no wonder that Americans view of the Supreme Court is so poor. They no longer trust the partisan hacks that sit on the bench and make decisions that enable the enemies of democracy to shred the Constitution.

American Democracy's Imminent Demise: We Are Turning Against Truth and Reason

If you look real closely you can see the dreaded four horsemen galloping across the country sowing lies, hate, toxic ideology, and conspiracies.

These harbingers of disaster for democracy are riding roughshod over Congress and the rest of the country.

Congress is so polarized it's almost ceased working entirely. Just look at the process for confirming a Supreme Court justice. It no longer matters if the nominee is not fully qualified. That metric has been replaced with partisan poison.

The roots of the confirmation process's decline trace back to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell's refusal to allow President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland, to even get a hearing.

After that the kid gloves came off and the confirmation process has been an exercise in chaos. It's now nothing more than a circus where the two parties take turns grandstanding on grievances.

I suspect that after judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is confirmed it may become impossible to get any future appointments - unless one party is in complete control of the Senate and the presidency.

As we witness the steady decline of justice in the lower courts another deadly dynamic is shaping our lives - the advent of extremism in politics and our private lives.

Millions of Americans have been seduced by wild conspiracy theories that fly in the face of truth.

A recent poll showed that 22 percent of Americans believe in QAnon - a conspiracy themed group that has blossomed during Trump's turbulent regime.

Toss in extreme right and left media platforms that provide echo chambers for fixed ideological minds, and you have a recipe for disaster.

States are now seen as Blue or Red. This growing separation is just one of the terrible transformations we're experiencing. 

We're becoming two Americas. Talk about civil war is common on far-right platforms like InfoWars and Steve Bannon's War Room pod cast.

Sadly, I don't see how we turn this country around from the current gridlock and outright hatred against minorities.

The nation's long vaunted values have slipped under the slime of extremism. Somehow, we're going to have to reclaim the high ground of a functioning democracy the world can confidently follow.

The Slap Heard Around the World

With all of the challenges facing people on this planet one would think someone getting slapped at the Oscars wouldn't crack the Top 10 headlines.

But Will Smith's open-handed slap of Chris Rock's mug is still hugging the headlines with a story of an ongoing war in Europe, the latest pandemic variant, and the ongoing coup attempt in the United States.

It appears that many people's priorities only extend to entertainment (in one shape or another). 

The media is complicit. Both right-wing and left-wing platforms have been playing up the slap heard around the world like nothing else matters.

Americans are adrenalin junkies. They want that quick horrific jolt that comes with witnessing physical confrontations.

It makes me wonder why actors like Jim Carrey and Judd Apatow are acting like that slap was the crime of the century.

Let's get real.

It sounds like they all have too much time on their hands. 

A lot of people weren't horrified or "stunned" by the slap. Tiffany Haddish said what Smith did meant "the world to her." 

"As a woman, who has been unprotected, for someone to say, 'Keep my wife's name out of your mouth, leave my wife alone' it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Haddish told People Magazine.

On the other hand, Amy Schumer wrote in an Instagram post, that she was still triggered and traumatized.

So much drama over such a stupid incident. The way some people are reacting I have a hunch there's been an uptick in psychiatric care in Hollywood lately.

Let's face it. People's viewing priorities in the 21st century isn't guided by real newsworthy stories. Shock and awe are the twins that motivate people to follow stories like the Great Slap.  

Democrats Have to Improve Messaging Before the Midterms

The gates of hell opened in 2016 when the biggest grifter in American history was elected president.

Crazies didn't have a national voice prior to the election. When Don the Con took over the country that changed.

With midterms coming up those crazies are motivated by the thought their going to get back in power. The House and the Senate is in jeopardy for several reasons.

One, the odds of Democrats holding both the House and the Senate are historically thin. Midterm elections for an incumbent president whose party controls both houses almost always ends badly with big gains for the other party.

Two, Democratic voters aren't as enthusiastic about voting in November as the Republicans are. Biden wasn't able to please the progressive part of the party with bills they favored and now they feel like he let them down.

Three, the simplest explanation is voters look at who's in charge and if there's problems with the economy (regardless of the reason) they vote for change.

The stars seem to be aligned for the party of Trump. The omens are ominous for Democrats. In a recent NBC poll, more than seven in 10 Americans say things generally in the nation are on the wrong track.

Concerns about inflation, concerns about the economy generally and concerns about what's going on in foreign affairs right now, are all barriers that have to somehow be overcome.

So, what can be done in the next seven months to reenergize Democratic voters?

That's something the Democratic party has to figure out in the months ahead. Unless the economy shows sizeable improvement, the challenge is an uphill climb.

Will it take a miracle(s) to change the dynamics of the election? 

The answer lies within reach, however. It's messaging.

Democrats need to promote the successes they've had, from passing the largest infrastructure bill in history, to appointing a new Supreme Court justice.

Thus far they've done a crappy job at getting the good word out to the general public. That has to quickly change.

There are still unknown factors that could change a lot of people's minds about the Party of Trump candidates.

Millions of Americans will be watching the proceedings of the Jan. 6 Committee this summer. There's a good chance the committee will recommend criminal charges against Trump and his chief cronies.

I don't expect AG Merrick Garland will move swiftly to prosecute, but the indictments will come in time.

The damning reality of a coup attempt will motivate millions of Americans viewers to vote against Trump-backed candidates.

It'll also motivate Trumpies, but they're already motivated. It may cause some to foam at the mouth but won't change their numbers.

There's always a chance the economy will improve, and Biden's numbers will get better.

All that aside, if the Democrats continue to fail at communicating their accomplishments, they won't stand a chance.

Traitor Trump Asks Putin for Dirt on Hunter Biden

Trump is a filthy traitor seeking to undermine democracy daily.

The latest evidence that Trump still idolizes Russian dictator Putin came on Monday during an interview with a right-wing TV show - "Just the News" - on Real America's Voice network.

In an interview with discredited far-right journalist John Solomon, Trump called on the Russian leader to produce dirt on Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden.

Trumps obsession with Hunter Biden has increased over the years as he's tried every trick in the book to get him in trouble. 

Trump's first impeachment came about after he tried to bribe Ukranian President Zelenskyy to find dirt on Hunter Biden. Now he's turned to Putin.

Despite the highly politicized investigation by Senate Republicans into the Bidens, which was published just weeks before the 2020 election, there was little new evidence of wrongdoing.

Trump's love affair with Putin goes back for years when his family was doing a lot of business there, including plans to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.

During the 2016 election Trump called on Putin to release Hillary Clinton's emails. In 2018 Trump sided with Putin against his own intelligence community at Helsinki.

It's outrageous that Trump the traitor continues to conduct another coup attempt out in the open to pave his way to another term in 2024.

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Russian state TV host calls for Trump to be reinstated - and said it's time for a regime change - "to help our partner Trump."

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That Trump is openly supporting Putin's invasion of Ukraine when the world's democracies are united in opposition, further adds to Trump's infamy. There's nothing the bastard won't do to regain power.

As the Jan. 6 Committee plods on gathering evidence of the insurrection there's a creeping feeling that the Department of Justice isn't going to go after Trump for masterminding a coup attempt.

All I can say is if Trump gets away with subverting elections and colluding with Putin, our democracy will be in danger.

Ongoing Coup Attempt Update: GOP Candidate Vetting Outside Groups to 'Monitor Elections'

To assure himself of victory in the midterms Neveda Republician candidate for the Senate, Adam Laxalt, is already stacking the deck at election sites.

His team is busy "vetting" outside groups to challenge supposed "Voter fraud" in November. 

Known as one of Trump's favorite lapdogs (the local media calls him the Neveda version of Rudy Giuliani), Laxalt has been carrying water for the former president by promoting the Big Lie.

Laxalt's strategy involves launching legal challenges months before anyone votes. 

There's one big problem with his corrupt attempts to rig the election result; Federal Law prohibits candidates from coordinating directly with independent expenditure groups.

The question is what groups and why does Laxalt think he can get away with skirting the law?

Laxalt told Trump advisor Sebastian Gorka that he's doing his best to secure the election during an interview on Gorka's show in January.

What Laxalt is trying to do is part and parcel of the ongoing open coup attempt by Trump and the Republican party. It also highlights how important the fantastical narrative about "voter fraud" is to Republicans.

No top Neveda Republican has raised more doubts about the state's election system than Laxalt according to an NBC news report recently.

Will the combined attempts by the GOP to rig the election results hand them the House, and or the Senate?

If so, it'll be step one in a two-part conspiracy to steal the presidency for Trump in 2024.

Where Has the Middle Ground Gone? Long Time Passing

Moderates in our society have gone the way of the fabled Dodo bird. They've become so rare that they stand out like scarecrows in a corn field.

Congress is increasingly becoming a battlefield for the extreme Right and the extreme Left. Moderates have become causalities strewn about in the halls of power.

College students no longer seem interested in hearing both sides of an issue when a speaker comes to a campus.

Students shouted down speakers at Yale and UC Hastings earlier this month, prompting questions about free speech, and academic freedom.

Both law schools had controversial speakers but there was a difference - the Yale event went ahead, despite repeated disruptions. 

The University of California Hastings College of the Law event, descended into chaos: the speaker was unable to eke out more than a few words before students shut him down, chanting, clapping, and banging on desks in protest. 

The point is people are becoming so entrenched in ideologies they no longer care about reason, fair play, or compromising.

Conservatives and liberals are engaged in a death match that's crippling America's reputation as the greatest democracy on the planet. 

As I write this the nation is facing an ongoing coup attempt fomented by a former president who has lost all touch with reality.

Moderate Republicans are scathingly referred to as RINOs (Republican in name only) in the party of Trump. Moderate Democrats are losing ground to the extreme Left.

I can remember when moderates nationwide were able to heavily influence national elections.

It appears those days are gone. Radical minorities are increasingly gaming the electoral system and exerting outsized influence on election results.

Where has the middle ground gone? Long time passing...

A Guide to Radical Activists: Chapter 1 - Shame Doesn't Exist

 "A man with no shame stops at no vice."

-Procopius

You can't shame someone who doesn't have a moral compass and who lives in an alternate universe.

Try it sometime. It's impossible.

Shame is defined as both a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt and a condition of humiliating disgrace or disrepute.

Radicals on the Right and the Left with views untethered by reality or truth have become the norm in America. They're no longer hiding under rocks and in caves. They're everywhere. 

Once upon a time when an obviously mentally incapacitated person appeared in public shouting the world was going to end it was considered a shameful show. Who would let someone like that wander around in society without help?

Today we have millionaires like Mike Lindell, aka "Pillow Boy" ranting on social media daily. His latest tirade involves taking all the machines in the nation to court. He wants to sue them for reasons that aren't entirely clear.

In another time the guys in white jackets would give him a free ride to an insane asylum.

Do you think he's ashamed of acting like a loon? Hardly. The guy actually has followers and is a favorite of Trump and his minions.

We live in an era where there's no longer any shame when caught lying. 

All you have to do is listen to right-wing politicians like Marjorie Taylor Greene (of Jewish Space Laser fame) or Lindsey Graham, or as he's affectionally known in Washington DC - Flipper - for his ability to constantly change his stance on issues to suit the moment.

Shame has become old fashioned. No one cares if you walk around in public talking in tongues or have a stand selling Ivermectin or bleach to cure COVID.

As Jonathan Swift once said, "I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder to see them not ashamed."