Democracy is Slip Slidin' Away Every Day - What Can We Do to Stop It?

States are slowly slipping under one-party rules that ignores the Constitution and even the Supreme Court's decisions.

States like Alabama (who just rejected a Supreme Court ruling that stopped their gerrymandering) are definitely acting like they're a sovereign nation by promoting MAGA agendas that involve voter suppression, suppressing women's rights, and the rights of minority communities of color and the LGBTQ community rights.

Did the sovereign state of Alabama comply? Hell no! The governor signed a bill that would guarantee blacks wouldn't be fairly represented when it comes time to vote. In essence they flipped the court off.

Look at Tennessee, believe it or not, it was actually a fairly bipartisan state in the last couple of decades but that's changed drastically. It's now totally controlled by the Republican party from governor to the conservative judges and state legislators.

These are just two examples of states metaphorically breaking away from the United States of America and becoming independent fiefdoms pledging allegiance to MAGA Republicans and their foul leader.

Two more states are even more extreme than the two mentioned earlier. Florida and Texas have become vast wastelands of hate and racism. Their governors acting like medieval barons only beholden to the king - Trump.

There's an apparent race to see which state can take the most freedoms away and become an authoritarian enclave in the midst of other states still loyal to America that believe in equality for all, justice, and the Constitution.

It's easy to say, vote them out, when in reality their so insulated by layers of power it's practically impossible in some states. 

It's going to be a long hard fight, basically trench warfare, to meet the challenges these rogue states present to our democracy. It's also going to take lots of education in places like rural communities that are often separated from mainstream America.

The biggest challenge to our freedoms comes from social media spreading lies and misinformation throughout the nation. That won't stop until the billionaires that own social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, clean up their acts.

We must always speak truth to lies when people try to spread them by any method.

I suspect you've heard the phrase; Freedom isn't free. Or even Freedom comes at a price. The point is we can't afford to sit around and wish the MAGA cult will just fade away someday. Remember, they're extremists and bullies who need to be shown the light.

As it stands, sane Americans who believe in true democracy can't afford to sit on the sidelines of our cultural war.

Looks Like Revenge Porn by Republicans in Congress is the New Norm

Please quit saying Republicans have hit a new low in Congress...because they're nowhere near hitting the bottom of the rabbit hole yet.

Once again one of the stupidest (and plain mean) GOP House members, Marjorie Taylor Greene, managed to snatch a headline from the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing the other day.

As usual another MAGA hearing - aka let's attack the president and his son - wasn't going so well with the two IRS stooges/whistleblowers who were being fact checked on live TV.

So, what could a girl do to stay in the limelight? Easy. Display a nude photo of the president's son in a sex act with a woman taken years ago. 

It was straight up porn for the committee and the world to see. 

A blow up of the photo she cribbed from dark corners on the web, was proudly held high as she grinned like a hyena in heat while accusing Hunter of making pornography.

Okay. Let's just stop right here.

First off, she needs to be prosecuted under revenge porn laws.

Question...

When during the last 117 past congresses has a representative from the House showed an explicit photo of two people having sex in an open hearing?

Answer.

Never. 

Nothing that disgusting and depraved has ever been displayed in the House of Representatives. That tells you right there that MAGA morons will use any tactic to "own the libs" while running interference for Trump's crimes.

For the record, MGT could be sued for her stunt. It was against the rules in Congress and the District of Columbia under defamation and/or revenge porn statutes. 

In fact, when she doubled down and posted her theatrics on her social media accounts, she opened the door to be federally charged with showing child porn because many of her subscribers on social media are underage minors.

That's right. Ms. QAnon who push's child pedophilia conspiracies whenever she has an opportunity, could actually be held to account on several charges; including sharing porn with underage viewers, breaking revenge porn laws in DC, defamation, using a photo without the participants permission... and a few other possibilities.

Don't hold your breath waiting for someone to file a lawsuit, however. The power MTG wields in the House makes her a formidable opponent in court with dark money backing her.

It goes without saying that the Republicans in the committee who witnessed her little porn prank are also complicit. Especially the chairman Gym Jordan who enjoyed every minute of the foul presentation and even let her go over her allotted time.

As it stands, remember these horrific displays in what was once the hallowed halls of Congress when you vote in 2024.

Shame! The Kennedy Legacy Being Shredded by RFK Jr.

I remember how the White House was once referred to as the mystical Camelot by the press and the Kennedy family was revered by the majority of Americans.

John F. Kennedy's charisma endeared him to most Americans. The Kennedy clan in the West Wing was compared to a royal court by the mainstream media.

When he was assassinated, he ascended into democratic legend. When Bobby Kennedy was assassinated, he joined his brother as a democratic demigod.

Now we have his son Robert F. Kennedy Jr. whose legacy will be that of a vaccine denier, liar, racist and antisemitic. 

The Kennedy clan is frankly embarrassed by their black sheep relative.

You'd know why if you saw him testify in Congress this morning. MAGA Republican Gym Jordan who chairs the so-called House Weaponization of the Federal Government Committee, gave RFK Jr. a major platform to spew his conspiracies, and even threw in two disgruntled IRS agents who claimed to be whistleblowers against the DOJ's investigation into Hunter Biden (always a crowd pleaser in the MAGA world).

The whole hearing was another pathetic extremist stunt by MAGA morons to deflect what's happening to their supreme leader Trump who is on the verge of being indicted for more crimes...including insurrection.

Listening to RFK Jr. struggle to speak (his voice is so raspy you can barely make out what he's saying) is difficult. 

His tortured gestures looked comical as he raged against democrats like Debbie Wasserman Schultz when they presented evidence of his misdeeds and lies.

This was no great orator who testified before Congress. Or savior of democracy. Or lover of freedom. 

The man viewers saw during the televised hearings was a cranky old white guy clinging to conspiracies while dragging his families good name into his fever swamp existence.

As it stands, these so-called hearings that are being staged by members of the Crazy Caucus are intended to run interference for the most corrupt president in America's history who (by the way) is getting closer to well-deserved justice every day.

Looking for that 'Big Interview' with an Extraterrestrial Being

                        Don't laugh.

I'm waiting to get an interview with someone from another planet. 

It's just a matter of time if you've been following the news stories about UFOs this year.

I just read about a former Pentagon worker who claimed the government is covering up a captured extraterrestrial craft and the dead inhabitants inside it.

Oh yeah!  A UFO hunter claims a giant spacecraft is being hidden under a major landmark.

Folks from California to New York are reporting close encounters with aliens daily. It seems like the rush is on. Which leads me to wonder who will be the first to encounter an extraterrestrial being?

Let's start off with the premise that aliens would want to speak with our leaders. That seems to be the most common assumption.

Personally, I don't think beings from another universe would give a damn about seeking out our leaders and would be content to communicate with the first human they stumble upon.

A lot of people want to think that aliens would be peaceful, or we would have already had a war of the worlds. Not that they've been observing us for eons and planning on the right moment to take over the earth.

The aliens better make a move soon however if they intend to inhabit the planet because humans have polluted it so badly it's just a matter of time before they die off from their own stupidity, and there's nothing left but wastelands devoid of life.

Just saying.

Back to first contact thoughts. Imagine an alien bumping into Donald Trump and assuming the whole human race is that stupid? 

Meanwhile, I'll be going out on certain nights (aliens always come at night) with my camera and a prepared list of questions to ask if I get nervous. 

I used that method back in the early 90s while interviewing Miss Nude Universe at a nudist camp for a feature story for the group of newspapers I was managing.

But I digress.

As it stands, I'm really looking for that big interview to cap my career as a journalist.

Take this Quiz to Determine Which Politician is the Head of a Crime Family

Let's have some fun today with a simple political quiz. Which politician do you think heads up a crime family?

Joe Biden, or Donald Trump?

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

1. Who had mob connections with Anthony "Fat" Tony Salerno and Paul Castellano and is still in touch with mobsters?

a. Biden

b. Trump

2. Whose family business has been convicted of 17 crimes?

a. Biden

b. Trump

3. Whose father was arrested twice for his involvement in a Ku Klux Klan riot in 1927?

a. Biden

b. Trump

4. Whose 3 children have been accused of massive fraud?

a. Biden

b. Trump

5. Which president brought his two children into the White House as his top advisors?

a. Biden

b. Trump

6. Who has 72 federal felony indictments against him with more coming soon?

a. Biden

b. Trump

7. Who was the first US president in American history to try and overthrow a legal election to stay in power?

a. Biden

b. Trump

8. Who was the first US president to be impeached twice while in office?

a. Biden

b. Trump

9. Which president has family financial connections to Saudia Arabia's corrupt regime?

a. Biden

b. Trump  

10. Who was involved in more than 4,000 civil cases in U.S. federal and state courts when he became president?

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

If you came to the same conclusion, I did Trump is truly the head of a crime family. Facts. Evidence. Receipts. Emails. Phone calls. 

Family history and more confirm that.

Trump and his minions are projecting against Biden in a pathetic ruse to turn the tables on truth. Trump's defense team in the House of Representatives are doing their best to further the lie.

As it stands, the MAGA Republicans desperate attempts to protect their supreme leader will ultimately lead to visiting him in prison on weekends

Fair Warning: You Could Be Part of the Next Discriminated Segment in Society

Imagine if you woke up one day and found out that you were now considered a second-hand American because of:

Your race

Your religion

Your ethnicity 

Your sexual preferences

and

Your resistance to the growing fascist movement in America.

Of course, it wouldn't just happen overnight. These things take time. We've allowed white supremacists and other extreme groups to spread their poison in politics to the point we're near a civil war.

Systemic racism has always been an issue in America. Only a clueless idiot would deny that. African Americans have always been discriminated against since they were brought here as slaves.

Religion has always been weaponized in cultures around the world. It depends what religion you are part of and where you live. In America we have white Christain Nationalists who rebuke other religions rights and secular citizens freedoms.

Ethnicity is another longtime challenge when it comes to getting equal rights in the "Land of the Free." The pecking order goes something like this, Caucasians, Asians, Blacks, and Hispanics. You could shuffle the order around, but they are always beneath the whites.

Who you love is a major issue these days. Admittedly it has always been a super charged issue with straight people who demonize the LGBTQ community out of fear and stupidity.

The latest example is the current war on trans people perpetrated by MAGA morons. Over 500 court cases across the country so far have been filed against trans citizens and many are now new laws.

MAGA politicians in Congress are complicit in this attack against trans people because they know it pleases their homophobic base. As I write the corrupt GOP operatives for Trump are pushing this hateful agenda as part of their presidential campaign and the general election in 2024.

Consider this.

What are the chances you could be affected someday by this trend to marginalize Americans who don't support rightwing extremists? 

As it stands, the first step towards saving our democracy is taking back control of the House, maintaining the majority in the Senate and re-electing Joe Biden in 2024.

Knock Off the 'Good Old Days' Crap! They're Myths!

There is no, nor was there ever, universal '"Good old days" anywhere on the planet.

One person's good old days recollection doesn't always reflect other people's memories from the same time period.

For some reason I hear a lot of conversations, especially when it comes to politics, about how great the 1950s were. Conservatives seem to have enshrined them in their mythologies.

I was born in 1950, and growing up was full of struggles that I'm glad are now behind me.

My one big highlight was going to Disneyland in 1955 when it opened up. It was my first theme park experience, and I thought it was magical.

One odd memory of that big day was that the pavement was sticky (apparently newly poured asphalt or it was melting under the sun) and I thought it was hilarious when I saw women's high heels getting stuck in the goo. But I digress.

That same day African Americans were struggling to survive in the southern states where Jim Crow laws demeaned and disenfranchised them.

They weren't allowed to go into the same establishments as whites or even drink from the same water fountain as Caucasians. Lynchings were common. 

As I rode on Disneyland's "It's a Small World" ride with people of all races featured in positive poses, African Americans (especially in the south) were being treated like animals and were violently discouraged from voting to get equal rights.

It was a small world alright. One where whites dominated, and other races were forced to fight for survival in a world where only white was right.

That's the world MAGA Republicans want to return to today. A time when they basically ruled America by disenfranchising anyone who wasn't white. 

As it stands, let's call out those MAGA minions for what they are... racist morons who need someone to hate to stay unified.

The Day Hollywood Went Silent

   July 14th marks the day that entertainment ceased in Hollywood. A dark day for sure.

The last thing Americans need is to lose a major source of entertainment that helps them escape the chaos of cultural wars.

Hollywood didn't shut down during World War One or Two. Inspirational and funny movies helped the average citizen cope with the earthshaking events happening worldwide.

I recall Hollywood almost completely shutting down during the height of the COVID pandemic, but it has rebounded since the crisis has passed.

Until now.

The Actors Guild, all 160,000 of them decided to go on strike today. They joined the 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America who have been on strike since May.

Everyone but me must have seen this coming. Movie moguls like automakers or other manufacturers who might try to build extra inventory by stockpiling new movies and shows to roll out were prepared for the strike.

Kind of. 

That new pipeline of shows is already slowing down to a trickle. Data from film permits in California indicates that production of most shows and movies already has been halted by the writers' strike.

Where does that leave viewers?

It's not going to be pretty. Late-night shows have already been cancelled, a major loss of laughs. We can count on more reality shows (yikes!) and maybe game shows (oh no!) which are normally low hanging fruit for most channels and streaming services.

Apparently traditional daytime soap operas will continue to have new episodes because the writers of the shows are typically nonunion, and they work under a different contract.

For the record the last time the Writers Guild went on strike was 1960 - so long ago that Ronald Reagan was the SAG president leading the strike.

The challenges ahead for the industry look to be daunting. The two sides are miles apart even after extending the deadline and getting a mediator.

As it stands, don't look for your favorite shows or new movies this September. Hollywood has gone silent.

Congress: The Circus of the Damned Defying Reality

Before you say Congress has always been a circus this 118th version is the biggest circus of them all.

Compared to prior sessions of Congress, the 118th is like comparing Ringling Brothers to a church petting zoo.

Under House Speaker Kevin McCarthy this 118th session has set new lows in politics by acting like the defense team for the most corrupt man in America. Donald J. Trump.

Conspiracies get regular airing from House committees chaired by radical Republicans. Reality is ignored as MAGA members propose laws based upon their cultural war with the rest of the country. 

In the main ring of the circus, we have the monkey house - also known as the Freedom Caucus - that keeps throwing shit around hoping it'll stick somewhere.

Anyone who saw Marjorie Taylor Greene scream like a howler monkey when Biden gave a speech earlier this year can instantly see the primate connection.

The supposed ringmaster Kevin McCarthy is beholden to the baboons in the monkey house who are on the verge of a mutiny.

I think it's appropriate to call this the Circus of the Damned when you look at the MAGA element and the rest of the spineless GOP party is doing.

The legacy of the 118th Congress is going to be a story of traitors and cult members who did their best to subvert democracy and justice.

The shameful record they leave behind will be studied by historians hoping to avoid another crooked Congress being a threat to the United States of America.

As it stands, closing down the GOP House circus is up to you, me, and the rest of America to turn back the insanity at the voting booths in November 2024.

Story Time: Interview with a Demon

Here's a short story that popped up on my way back files that was popular with readers a couple of years ago.

Just because...

Somewhere between heaven and hell, demons live among us. You can’t tell they’re demons. They don’t wear signs proclaiming, “I’m a demon,” or have horns on their heads for all to see.

You could be sitting next to one right now. In a theatre. On the subway. On a plane. You’d never guess by their appearance. You might even have a friend who's a demon. They play their cards close to the chest and do their best not to stand out in any setting. They may be in positions of power. Or Hollywood celebrities. They can be found in gangs, and in prisons.

Teddy Stackhouse Jr. was only 24-years old when he went to prison. He ran over a mother and daughter in a crosswalk while going 100 mph in a street race. It wasn’t his first speeding ticket. He had been driving on a suspended license when he snuffed out the lives of Lily and Julie Satarson. He also had numerous run-ins with the law (dating back to when he was 13 years-old), but always got bailed out by his wealthy parents. But the two deaths finally became the straw that broke the camel’s back. He was sentenced to 30 years in a state prison.

I think Teddy’s parents knew he was a demon. I also think they were relieved when he was sent to prison. When I came by to interview them for the local newspaper, they both seemed unperturbed by the fact their only child was going to spend most of his adult life behind bars. They almost seemed jovial as they answered my questions. Before I left, they gave me a recent photo of Teddy to add to the article. It was all a bit odd, and my instincts told me there was a lot more to the story than a spoiled rich kid who really screwed up so badly even his permissive parents couldn’t save him. As I got into my car, I wondered why Teddy’s story was clinging to my brain. I studied his photo. He was a handsome guy. Dark curly hair and big blue doe-like eyes with thick lashes that must have driven more than one female to lust for him. He had an aristocratic nose that narrowed into tiny nostrils. He was tall and slender with the hands of a pianist. No doubt about it. He was a handsome devil I conceded and was probably going to end up a plaything among the brutes he was going to live with for the next 30 years.

Candace Willis sat in the rear of the courtroom. She had come to see Teddy Stackhouse Jr. after seeing his photo in the newspaper. She fell instantly in love with his eyes and hair. She watched his every move and when she didn’t think anyone was looking at her, she took photos with her cell phone. After the hearing was over, she went to the park across the street from the courthouse and sat down on a bench. Soon she was posting Teddy on her TikTok account, her Twitter account, and her Facebook page. She had to share how handsome he was and made comments like, “He’s just too cute to lock up, and “They should give him another chance.” It didn’t take long until all three of her social media platforms were buzzing about Teddy. The buzz went on all day. And the next. It never stopped. Candance was amazed as she gained millions of new followers as the days turned to weeks. The fascination over Teddy’s good looks and story seemed endless.

It wasn’t long before hashtags like #FreeTeddy sprung up in the Twitterverse. People even starting fundraising so that Teddy could get another trial. Right-wing podcasters and cable stations called for Teddy to be set free. That he’d been unfairly treated by libtards in the court system.

I picked up Teddy’s story again about a year after he was sent up to the big house. My cousin Dennis was a guard at the prison where he lived. The first thing he told me was a shock. None of the prisoners messed with Teddy. I was sure he’d be fresh meat for the animals that awaited him. Not so. Even Dennis couldn’t explain why. Even more odd, the other prisoners feared him. The guards were stunned by all the letters Teddy got every day. All from women. From California to Florida. The stacks built up in his cell until there was no longer room for them and they were transferred to a secure locker in the complex.

Dennis arranged the interview. I was, after all, the hometown reporter who wrote about Teddy’s capture and court hearing. It didn’t take long. I only had three days to study my notes before we’d meet. In my research I came across Candace Willis’s Twitter account purely by accident. At least I thought that at the time. Discovering Teddy Stackhouse Jr. was a social media star was a revelation – a window – into the mysterious power he wielded over women. Looks are one thing, but after reading what women posted on Teddy’s accounts (to no one’s surprise his parents had arranged for him to use a computer one hour a day under the watchful eye of a guard) it was obvious he’d become a cult leader.

Women worshiped him. Pledged their lives to him. Yearned for his guidance. Offered their bodies if he should ever be set free. He was an online celebrity when I interviewed him.

We sat on plastic benches separated by a clear plastic table. He wasn’t handcuffed and looked relaxed. It was a tiny room surrounded by windows.

“I looked forward to hearing from you Jake the moment Dennis brought it up,” Teddy told me with a broad smile.

It slightly unnerved me the way his pale blue eyes studied me like a specimen to be dissected. I tried not to let it show.

“I’m doing a one-year follow up story on your case and was hoping you’d share how your life’s been and if you still have no regrets about killing Lily and Julie Satarson with your reckless driving. “

It was a leading question designed to throw him off balance with rudeness instead of fawning respect. I saw a brief twinkle in his eyes (Amusement? Anger?) as he yawned loudly, exaggerating the sound.

“Listen to me Jake. Why would I have any regrets killing them? They were my awakening. To be clear, the clown who use to live inside this body was cast out when I took over the car that night. You can call me a demon if you must. My name is Xerse and I came straight from hell to land this gig. I haven’t had this much fun in 2,000 years. There’s nothing quite like messing with human’s minds and their bodies.”

His response momentarily left me speechless with a sliver of drool on one side of my mouth. The guy was crazy. Why wasn’t he in a mental institution for the criminally insane? My brain was spinning as I sought a reply to his claim.

“Don’t get too excited Jake boy. You’ll burst an artery and have a brain bleed. The answer to your question is there’s been no reason to put me away in a nut house. I haven’t caused a stir here. As a matter of fact, things have been pretty peaceful. And yes, I can read your mind.”

So, if you’re a demon why stay in prison?” I blurted out

“It’s all part of the masterplan. Don’t worry your bald little head about it. Today is your lucky day Jake. I think you have a sense of adventure that may be useful to me. My prison time is ending in six months after all my followers successfully sue to free me. Take my word. It’s a given. Are you okay? Your drooling from both sides of your mouth.“

I managed an idiotic smile and nodded that I was just fine.

“You, Jake my friend, are going to be my road manager. We’re going to tour the country together. Lots of curses and spells. Wild men and women. And lots of souls to harvest.”

THE END

A QAnon Movie: The Crazies Go Hollywood

          They never really went away.

The QAnon community has been mostly staying in their caves and only coming out for Trump rallies.

Many of the QAnon nuts have been arrested for their participation in the Jan. 6 coup attempt on the Capitol causing them to back out of the media limelight the last two years.

That's changed.

As much as QAnon supporters hate Hollywood they have no problem supporting it through ticket sales from their newly released movie which is a thinly veiled QAnon inspired production.

The film is titled, Sound of Freedom, and it's about the fight against child sex trafficking, primarily in the Western Hemisphere. Anyone familiar with QAnon knows this has been one of their core conspiracies since Day One.

The actor who stars in it, Jim Caviezel, has been defending the film since critics linked it to the baseless accusations brought by QAnon since the hate group's early days. He's been telling people it has nothing to do with QAnon but there's a big hole in that argument... 

QAnon expert Mike Rothschild told Newsweek that Caviezel's statements during an interview on a Charlie Kirk podcast are 100% of what followers of the conspiracy would say.

During the podcast Caviezel said adrenochrome - a chemical compound produced by the oxidation of adrenaline - was actually produced by torturing children.

The baseless adrenochrome theory shared among conspiracists, including QAnon followers, states the substance is used by elites to extend their lives.

To further expose Caviezel attempted coverup of the connections between the movie and QAnon, reporters saw him attend a 2021 convention hosted by QAnon followers of the online movement in Las Vegas. He gave a 20-minute speech that mentioned child sex trafficking.

You want to know something scary?

The film opened to positive numbers, beating Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny at the box office when it was released on the Fourth of July.

To be exact more than 250,000 people in America watched the movie on opening weekend. I have no idea how ticket sales are going now, but just the thought worries me. A conspiracy theory-based movie slipping into the mainstream under the guise.

As it stands, according to Rolling Stone the Sound of Freedom is a "superhero movie for dads with brainworms: The QAnon-tinged thriller."