America? Or Amerika? You Decide

      The gauntlet has been thrown down.

The challenge issued.

Americans are going to have to decide what form of government they're going to have after the November election.

A Constitutional Democracy? An Authoritarian State? A Dictatorship? A Banana Republic? 

Americans face a stark choice this fall between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Both have low ratings in the polls because of the polarized politics dividing our country.

Americans don't know who to believe anymore. Once trusted institutions like our judicial system (in particular the Supreme Court) and Congress have the lowest approval ratings in the history of the republic.

As a Vietnam veteran I have seen this country torn apart over the undeclared war in Southeast Asia. I, and my returning comrades, faced a wave of hatred among young politically active students. 

As bad as that was, I was never worried that our republic would ever face a nationwide referendum on our Constitutional Democracy. That America would teeter on becoming an authoritarian state. 

But here we are.

It seems unreal that one party's candidate for president is a convicted rapist, was twice impeached as a former president, and is facing four criminal trials - with 91 felony indictments - for trying to overthrow the election he lost in 2020 and stealing secret government documents.

What kind of candidate is that? Trump is the complete opposite of law and order and he's a worshipper of dictators and strongmen around the world.

In what kind of world could this happen? 

In our world. Like it or not we're going to have to fight to preserve our democratic way of life by calling out MAGA lies and using truth and facts as weapons. 

There won't be any beach landings on other countries shores for this war to preserve our American way against Trump and his cult supporters. The battles will be fought in the voting booths of every state. 

The front lines are the mainstream media versus right-wing disinformation stations like Fox News and Newsmax. For every daily salvo of lies there needs to be the return fire of truth backed by facts.

We can't count on the courts holding Trump accountable for his crimes. His influence with the Supreme Court puppets he appointed along with a legion of MAGA judges in the federal and state courts, has been an effective counterattack against justice being served.

We have to fight for freedom at the ballot box like never before. Our votes are the ammunition against tyranny. What shall it be? America... or Amerika? You decide.

As it stands, it's not hyperbole saying this election will decide the fate of freedom in the United States of America.

Just What Americans Didn't Want - President Biden Versus Trump

After Super Tuesday's results it's official, Biden and Trump will be facing off for the presidency in November. 

Just what the majority of Americans didn't want to see.

Were there ever two opposing candidates more unpopular than President Biden and Trump? I don't think so. Voters will be holding their noses when they cast their ballot for America's next Commander-In-Chief this election.

Age plays a big factor in both men's profiles, but it goes much deeper than that. Biden doesn't need to take cognitive tests like Trump who apparently gets them quite often. 

Fun fact, doctors don't give cognitive tests to people that still have their marbles. On top of that he acts like his "passing score" means he's a stable genius.

Here's what we do know. Trump is a malicious sociopath who wants to be the country's first dictator. President Biden has a proven track record of improving the economy and fighting dictators around the world.

These facts should convince any sane person that Trump is a threat to our Constitutional Democracy. The key word is sane.

While President Biden is backed by the Democratic party, Trump is backed by a cult that was once the Republican party.

You can already see how awkward this contest is going to get when there's alternate realities vying for votes. Throw in the fact that Trump is facing four trials with 91 felony counts charged against him and it gets even crazier.

How is this going to work? The short answer is no one knows.

Trump's game plan is to delay his trials until after the election, which he's counting on winning and being able to shut down the criminal cases, and to pardon himself if he is convicted by any of the courts.

Special Counsel Jack Smith has had his hands tied behind his back when it comes to some judges like Aileen Cannon in the stolen documents case. Cannon has gone out of her way to accommodate the Trump team and has been admonished by the 11th District Court for violating rules twice.

Then there's the Supreme Court's "Trump Justices" obstructing state laws to keep him on their ballots. Legal experts are anxiously awaiting the Supreme Court's oral hearings on presidential immunity.

If that supposedly august body decides it's okay for a president to order Seal Team 6 to kill his political opponents, the results would be catastrophic for the republic. 

It would effectively shatter the Constitution and open the door for a fascist state under a twice-impeached former president and convicted rapist.

The Democrats need a resounding victory in November. I'm convinced there are more sane Americans than crazy cultists.

As it Stands, Democrats and Independant's are going to have to swallow their distaste over President Biden's age in order to preserve our freedoms and democracy.

MAGA House Members Find Another 'Perfect Witness' for Biden Impeachment Folly

GOP House chairmen Jim Jordon and James Comer have gotten themselves another "smoking gun" witness in the never-ending quest to harass President Biden and his son Hunter.

For the record they've already presented a wanted international arms dealer and a rogue FBI agent working with Russian intelligence in their prior endeavors to discredit the Bidens, making absolute clowns out of themselves.

But Trump's three main butt boys in the House, Jordan, Comer, and Andy Biggs are completely shameless and there's no way they're going to let facts interfere with their disgusting mission to please their master.

So, who is this NEW smoking gun in the saga of liars, thieves, and miscreates that have paraded through House committees?

Here's the story...

the above-mentioned trio of MAGA morons held a transcribed interview with a guy named Jason Galanis who they expect will be their next star witness in their conspiracy theories.

Who the heck is he?

Jason Galanis is a federal inmate sentenced to 15 years in prison for scamming a Native American tribal entity out of tens of millions of dollars. Period.

The new prospective witness pleaded guilty in January 2020 to charges of multiple frauds, among them funneling about 8.5 million of Wakpamni Lake Community Corporation funds into his personal bank account, according to a lengthy release from the U.S. Attorney's office.

Here comes the best part, however. Galanis was part of a notorious New York crime family whose patriarch was targeted by then-mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Sounds like a perfect witness to me. Such credibility. But where's the connection to the Bidens?

Galanis was a partner with also convicted felon Devon Archer. Archer was a former business partner with Hunter Biden - who was not involved in the alleged bribery scheme.

But Hunter's name came up during the investigation as an unpaid member of the Burnham Group, of which both Galanis and Archer were also members, according to the Wall Street Journal. Hunter was not charged.

Going back full circle, the trio of idiots sent out angry letters to the Manhattan-based assistant U.S. Attorney Negar Tekeei and Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Collette Peters - demanding information why Galanis' 2023 early release was denied.

Why are the three stooges so interested in this felon? I'll tell you, in their twisted minds he could be a backdoor to attacking Hunter and allowing them to continue their assault against the Bidens. Something to keep the false narratives alive as it were.

You'd think they'd be too embarrassed to introduce another "key witness" straight from a federal prison. But no. Like I said they are shameless and without honor.

As it Stands, when it comes time to vote in November, I hope the American people remember what the conspiracy ranting Republicans did to the House this year and our country in general.

Creep in the House: MAGA Mike to Release GOP Video Version of Jan. 6 Security Footage

      Speaker of the House Mike Johnson 

...is a creep, a disciple of the Nationalistic Christian movement, and the coffee boy for a disgraced former president who wants to destroy our Constitutional Democracy.

"Why a creep," you ask?

For starters, I watched an old video of MAGA Mike taking his preteen daughter to a purity ball. 

"So?" You reply.

Do you know what a purity ball is? Extremist Christian fathers take their preteen daughters to an affair that looks very much like a wedding. The father gives his daughter a corsage and they dance around the ballroom full of groomers disguised as doting fathers.

In the climax of the creepy event the father puts a wedding ring on his daughter's finger and has her sign a covenant that states her father owns her body and she's not allowed to have sex until she gets married upon which time daddy's ring comes off.

There's more. The above is a brief summary.

In MAGA Mike's world it's okay to openly monitor his son for porn use on the computer, and the son monitors MAGA Mike's online surfing. This bizarre behavior is supposed to make them both more godly and good Christians. 

It sounds more like they have a porn addiction, and both are trying to quit. It's got creepy written all over it.

Why Release Jan. 6 Security Footage Now?

A few months ago, MAGA Mike told reporters that he and the GOP leadership team were going to release Jan. 6 security footage, though the videos would be slightly ...altered before reaching the public.

MAGA Mike explained that they had to blur the faces of persons who participated in the events of the day because "we don't want them to be retaliated against and be charged by the Department of Justice."

So according to MAGA Mike suspected criminals had to be protected from possible accountability, so he and his colleagues decided to take deliberate steps to obscure the identities of those who entered the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack.

The idea of misusing cherry-picked scenes to justify a vast array of false claims and conspiracy theories about Trump's coup attempt, has been percolating for months in MAGA world.

Here's an interesting twist. I just found out that MAGA Mike said efforts to produce the videos have been going slowly because it takes extra time to blur faces - thus the delay before the big day. The unveiling as it were.

So MAGA Mike decided not to blur faces. Meanwhile the far-right fanatics are getting restless for results, so I expect to see the videos fairly soon.

As it Stands, the Creep just keeps rolling along believing he's Moses and parting the red sea of stupidity.

Gambling Pandemic Sweeps America: No End in Sight

Welcome to the golden age of gambling in the good old USA.

Once upon a time gambling was looked upon as a cultural scourge. You couldn't openly bet on any sporting events like you can today. 

Most states didn't allow slot machines or public card games with the exception of Las Vegas, Nevada, that reveled in being called Sin City where gambling was legal.

That attempt to separate the seedier side of gambling from wholesome family driven sporting events - like baseball - is now dust in the wind. 

Odds for betting on games are shared by sports hucksters/announcers who are in the pockets of giant betting companies like Draft Kings and Fan Duel.

Here's a fun fact, gambling is addictive. That's one reason why it - along with the profit - has become legal in all forms today. Greedy politicians have gleefully accepted donations from gambling lobbies to make restrictions on gambling disappear.

Fact: less than six years ago, betting on sports in the United States was prohibited under federal law except in Nevada casinos and a smattering of venues in other states.

But in 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal prohibition was unconstitutional and opened the floodgates to a field of fantasy sports companies that allow gambling on all sports.

The New York Times investigated the dark underbelly of these gambling companies a couple of years ago and discovered that state lawmakers were showered with money, gifts and visits from sports luminaries.

In addition, the article pointed out that the gambling lobby was using deceptive arguments to extract generous tax breaks and other concessions.  

Sports-betting firms cultivated friendly relationships with lawmakers and regulators who didn't have the taxpayers and people at risk of gambling problems best interests at heart.

This pandemic of gambling has spread to 31 states and Washington D.C. and isn't going away soon. Sports gambling is permitted online or in person. There are also five more states that will allow such betting in the future.

A study at the University of Connecticut showed that as many as three in four pre-teens that are exposed to internet gambling become addicted.

I've heard the saying "Money is the root of all evil," and I'm convinced it's true. A new generation of gamblers will suffer financial setbacks that will eventually land them in the streets with the other homeless Americans wondering how they got there.

As it Stands, I understand the attraction to gambling because it's a human thing. However, it's not a smart thing.

Why is Justice So Damn Slow in America?

Exhibit A: Donald J. Trump

After decades of dragging the justice system around by the hair one man has eluded, mocked, and used it with impunity.

Yet we claim no man is above the law.

Forget about Trump's ghost-written book The Art of the Deal... he should have written The Art of the Steal. Or "The Art in Delaying Justice in America.

Delayed justice didn't suddenly become a problem when Trump ambled upon the court scene. He just mastered the art.

Corrupt lawyers and judges have always infected our judicial system. It's a foul byproduct polluting our system of law from the earliest of days. There will always be bad actors in the courts because the world's not perfect.

Some decades are worse than others. Politics plays a major part in polluting both our government and judicial systems. Our Constitutional Democracy is struggling with the biggest challenge in America's history.

Can our republic stand up to a lunatic leading a cult that was once the Republican party?

With Trump judges in the Supreme Court, federal, and state courts, justice is slowly being choked via delays by corrupt judges. 

There's no excuse for the courts to move like arthritic turtles when it comes to making decisions.

Instead of the old hard copy searches for evidence and information, there's these newfangled things called computers that move with astonishing speed.

The Constitution supposedly guarantees everyone the right to a speedy trial, but when's the last time you saw that happen? Trials today are political minefields where lawyers plant delays to avoid adverse judgements for their clients.

Trump's masterclass performance in delaying justice sets new lows in America's court history. It has become the blueprint for MAGA crooks for the foreseeable future.

As William Gladstone said, "Justice delayed is justice denied."

As it Stands, because of justice delayed - all four of Trump's trials that should have begun two years ago - a sociopath is running for president in November.

MAGA World Offers 2024 Trump Trial Tour

                            Welcome!

I'll be your Trump Trial Tour guide today. First off, make sure you've purchased your tickets in advance for all the locations on this nationwide tour of the country's court houses. All proceeds will go directly into Trump's coffers.

As you know we're offering save spaces across from the nation's court houses that Trump will be visiting on a rotating basis the rest of the year.

In addition, there will be street vendors offering Trump merchandize from gold sneakers (now 50% off at all tour sites), Trump trading cards, and clothing with Trump's orange mug peeking out from behind bars with the saying, "Never Surrender."

Also, just a gentle reminder, there's no refunds if you can't attend due to the weather - like a 100-year blizzard, or you get arrested for rioting. However, the organizers will provide legal assistance at a Special Tour price. All proceeds go to Trump's coffers. 

For your convivence the Trump Tour Association has chartered a Trump train that will have stops at all of Trump's court appearances. Fees will vary from state to state. All proceeds will go to Trump's coffers.

I can promise you will enjoy numerous personal sightings of Trump as he shambles in and out of court rooms. Don't be surprised if there's a bonus rant - especially if he gets convicted of some ruling goes against him.

Consider this, most Americans aren't going to have the opportunities you have to follow around the second coming of Jesus Christ. Orange Jesus, as Trump's referred to by loyal minions like yourselves.

By the end of this tour, you'll be able to share memories with friends and family who'll be wondering why you don't have any money and why you have to keep making so many personal court appearances.

As it Stands, "Gullibility is a knife at the throat of civilization," - David Wong.

Supreme Court Scheme & Photo Ops on the Border While Texas Experiences Worst Wildfire in State's History

Okay. I'm back despite my posting that I was taking a blog break. 

I just couldn't ignore what the Supreme Court has done with the Trump immunity case. The justices handed Trump his first clear victory for delaying his coup trial until after the election in November by postponing the case until April 22nd to "hear oral arguments."

To be clear the justices shouldn't have taken the case into consideration at all. They should have kicked it back to the federal courts who all ruled Trump can't order Seal Team Six to kill his political opponents.

SCOTUS has given a corrupt and treasonous man a free pass to be above the law. It's nearly impossible to hold the coup trial before the election with the obstacles that still lie ahead.

Looking back this was a foregone conclusion when Clarence Thomas didn't recuse himself despite his wife's efforts to overturn a fair election. The scheme to help Trump was baked in after he made three new puppet justices his lackies.

Wildfires and Photo Ops

Nothing can stop political photo ops... not even the worst wildfire in Texas history that has already consumer a million acres and currently is raging out of control.

President Biden and Trump are both campaigning on the southern border with conflicting visions for solving the immigration issue. 

Changing his narrative somewhat, President Biden talked about tougher border security measures while Trump took his usual racist message to his base ... "We don't need these people from other countries invading our border!" 

Meanwhile catastrophic wildfires are ripping across the Texas Panhandle and have killed at least one person and threaten to destroy more homes, cattle and livelihoods as it engulfs more land every minute.

To make matters worse Texas governor Abbott won't excerpt federal disaster help after declaring a state of emergency in the Lone Star state. Why? Because of politics.

As it Stands, watching border photo ops while the state burns are like watching Nero play a fiddle while Rome burns.

Blogger Hits Pause Button

I know. 

I just came back from a blog break and now I'm taking another one.

Some readers may be saying, "Hey Dave! What's with all the blog breaks?"

My answer is simple. Because I feel like it. This blog is my pastime not my job. I'm retired. I do however warn my readers when I'm going to skip school and when I'll be back. 

I'll be back on Monday March 1st, 2024.

Meanwhile, here's a few thoughts...

If you thought that Congress has become a big hot mess you haven't seen anything yet!

With Republican Mitch McConnell stepping down from his leadership in the Senate and opening a door for a new crazier successor, both houses will be on fire daily.

What semblance of sanity that was traditionally in the senate will disappear like smoke in a windstorm when the MAGA morons compete for McConnell's position.

On Our Justice System

The way Trump abuses our laws and continues to get away with high crimes is not only a crime within itself but a condemnation of our whole judicial system.

Footnotes:

See past posts on the right side of this page.

Take the last train to crazy town at The Creative Chronicles of Dave Stancliff – Prose and Poetry (asitstandsblog.com)

When As it Stands ran as a column in The Time-Standard daily newspaper - 5 years Dave Stancliff – Times-Standard

Here's a link to a novelette I wrote titled, RAFTER's REDEMPTION.

As it Stands, have a great weekend and I'll be back Monday.

Two Alien Anthropologists Were Talking One Day....

 

Excerpts from audio files recently discovered by the United States Space Force.

Start

"So, you see Xan humans aren't as advanced as one would expect after thousands of years of inhabiting Earth." 

There's a shrill sound of levels being pulled by one of the alien anthropologists as he puts their spaceship on cruise control.

"Do you know what fascinates me," Zur asked?" 

"What?" 

"How stupid humans are. I've been studying them for eons and every time they start making advances in their civilizations, they blow them up and have to start all over again."

"Speaking of stupid when was the last time you interviewed a human politician?"

"A few years ago, in the United States after their 2020 presidential election. I found this 77-year-old rotund human with tiny hands and hair that resembled a rooster in distress who was very talkative.

"Okay. After your interview what did you think?"

"The planet is in peril. He's leading a cult that may upset the longest democracy in the world which would cause a catastrophic ripple effect across the rest of the nations on Earth."

"How much time do you think we have left to study the Earth's inhabitants before they blow the entire planet up?"

"It's hard to say. I remember when Alpha Centaur was vaporized by its clueless inhabitants after 120,000 years on that planet."

"I've nearly completed my studies here. What about you?"

"The same here, but I'm curious to see if that cognitively challenged zealot is the spark that ignites a nuclear holocaust that destroys humanity."

"I guess we could hang around a little longer and see how stupid these earthlings really are."

Audio Ends  

"Did you hear that General?"

"I did Lieutenant. Get me the President immediately!"

As it stands, if there are extraterrestrial beings observing us, they're going to have one hell of a story to tell other civilizations in the universe about Earth's demise.

Telltale Signs That Someone is a Modern Republican

 
By now it's obvious that the modern Republican party has nothing to do with conservatism and traditional values that they once touted.

All pretenses of normalcy have been stripped away in the last eight years and we're left with a cult that wants Trump as their dictator for life.

Here's some signs to tell if a person is a modern-day Republican:

- If they can't tell reality from fiction... they're GOP material.

- If they believe Trump is the Second Coming... they're MAGA Republicans blinded by Christian Nationalists who worship false prophets.

- If they still insist the 2020 election was stolen - the central focus of the Big Lie - they are true Trump loyalists.

- If they try to tell you that Putin is a good guy, and we shouldn't help Ukraine... they are probably a Republican politician trying to protect Trump.

- If someone thinks the earth is flat there's a good chance, they're a modern Republican.

- If someone thinks the Constitution needs some changes... it's fair to say they're a Trump toady Republican.

- If someone likes to cosplay with MAGA shirts and hats and fly American flags disgraced with Trump's face on them... they are truly representative of today's sad version of the Republican party.

- If someone tells you they'd rather die than see Trump lose the 2024 election... back away slowly because you've found the heart of his base!

- If you meet someone who brags about what a genius Trump is and how he keeps passing basic cognitive tests... back away because not only have you found a certifiable idiot, but you've also found a modern Republican.

- If someone tells you women shouldn't have autonomy of their own anatomy... they're a modern Republican.

- If someone admits they're still going to vote for Trump even if he goes to jail for numerous high crimes... you've met a modern Republican who swills orange Kool aid with every meal.

As it Stands, we have met the enemy, and they are modern Republicans.