From Russia with Love: Marjorie Taylor Greene and GOP Right-Wingers Praised for Not Funding Ukraine

Russian State media can't get enough of Marjorie Taylor Greene. 

She's proven to be a superstar for actively stopping aid to Ukraine.

Her horsey-faced mug has become a regular feature on Russian TV. And the rest of the right-wing Putin-loving GOP members have willingly joined her in becoming traitors for Trump.

Some people in Congress on the Republican side realize what a cancer she is for the party and have retired early to avoid being associated with her toxic lies. 

House Republican Ken Buck, who recently retired from the House after being disgusted with how chaotic things in the House were went on CNN yesterday and called her "Moscow Marge" who is willingly helping the Russian's propaganda machine.

Two senior Republican lawmakers, the chairs of the House Intelligence and Foreign Affairs committees, said their colleagues are echoing Russian state propaganda against Ukraine.

Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the chair for the Foreign Affairs committee acknowledged what has been clear for some time: "Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, unfortunately, and it's infected a good chunk of the party's base." 

Republican Rep. Mike Turner, chair for the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN that anti-Ukraine messages from Russia are "Being uttered on the House floor."

The Good News and the Bad News

The good news is that some Republicans are admitting there's a traitorous connection between Russia and some Republican congressman.

The bad news is that they are not going to do a damn thing about it! It's still business as usual in the nut house where anti-American squirrels are sharing lies at an amazing rate.

What would have Republican saint Ronald Reagan have thought about that? His beloved party infiltrated by communists and their sympathizers.

As it Stands, I've quoted this before, and I'll probably quote it again, "We have met the enemy, and he is us." -POGO

GOP Governors Unite in Fight to Stop Unions in their States

Six Republican Governors have gathered to warn their residents against the evils of unionization which they claim would threaten their jobs and values.

The governors high-profile attempt to head off unionization in their states was spurred by The United Auto Workers (UAW) voting to unionize a Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennesse later this week.

The UAW is also targeting more than a dozen factories in the south as it attempts to break out of its Midwestern stronghold.

What the Republican governors are trying to do is to preserve their economic models built on relatively low pay and minimal worker voice according to Stephen Silva, a professor at America University.

So far Tennessee Republicans have thwarted two UAW attempts to unionize the VW factory in 2014 and 2019. They've been ramping up their opposition recently with news conferences and public statements.

Like everything these days, the whole issue is a political battle between Democrats and Republicans. In their joint statement the six governors wrote, 

"We have serious reservations that the UAW leadership can represent our values. They proudly call themselves democratic socialists and seem more focused on helping President Biden get reelected than on the autoworker jobs being cut at plants they already represent."

The governors of Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas are united in their opposition to the UAW.

Democratic state senators in Tennessee criticized the Republican governors on social media this week.

"Autoworkers in the South are ready to make history this week. #StandUp, Chattanooga!" Sen. London Lamar posted. 

To put the six governor's action into prospective Silva, who has closely studied unionization in the South, called their statement "unprecedented and shocking" and it discouraged workers from exercising their legal right to organize.

As it Stands, the wealthy's war against the common man is still very much part of our chaotic society.

Truth Social: Betting on Ideology is Risky... Especially if it Involves Trump

Step right up folks and buy Trump's meme stock if you love the former president and rapist.

Don the Con's stock market debut with Truth Social is a blast from the past. Gullible people buying into another Trump scheme to fleece the masses. Remember Trump University? Not only did it fail but Trump was forced to pay $25 million to the victims.

At first the initial offering price of Truth Social (DJT) was about $50 dollars to a peak of $80 in late March. Since then, the share price has plummeted a staggering 68% to Tuesday's price at $25. 

Stock experts have warned people all along that DJT stock is nothing more than an illusion. A fairy tale story that isn't going to happen in the real world.

Trump's latest con is meeting financial reality according to Tyler Richey, an analyst at Sevens Report Research, during an interview with ABC. 

The only hope Trump has is if enough of his cult followers buy into his scam and the very real possibility their doing it to support him financially and don't care if they end up losing their investments.

However, "Truth Social is not attracting and holding users and it's not attracting significant advertising revenue," Jay Ritter, a professor of finance at the University of Florida told ABC news recently.

"Its current business model is a colossal failure," he concluded.

Investors just have to look at Trump's past business ventures where he ended up filing bankruptcy seven times.

Canny investors don't bet on ideology because it's too risky. But these are crazy times where a former president and insurrectionist indicted in four jurisdictions is the GOP nominee for president.

Anything could happen.

As it Stands, it remains to be seen if Trump supporters have any more money left to invest/donate in Trump's latest rip-off after being constantly dunned for over a year to pay his legal bills.

Trial Begins: What Are the Chances of Convicting a Former President of a Felony?

Once again, Don the Con is making history for all the wrong reasons.

No former president has ever been indicted for a felony and forced to go to trial.

Add eighty-eight felony charges in four jurisdictions and you have the most corrupt former president and current GOP candidate for the presidency in American history.

Trump's hush money trial is here. Jury selection has begun with a dour Trump listening to prospective jurors who may decide to throw him in jail with a guilty verdict.

The whole thing is a political spectacle like the public has never seen before. Legions of reporters from all over the world clustered around the courthouse like moths around a flame as the drama unfolded inside.

There are 6,000 prospective jurists who have been called up by the court and the long process of vetting them as begun under Trump's baleful gaze.

Publicity for this potentially weeks long trial has reached a fever pitch with the legacy media and right-wing outlets competing to flood American households. It'll be a war on truth. Facts versus lies. Reality versus an alternative universe.

The feeling I'm getting is there's a good chance Trump may elude justice. I've carefully followed what legal experts have been talking about in this trial of the century, and it looks like the prosecution is going to have a rough road to hoe.

There's always the possibility of a MAGA mole worming his/hers way on to the jury. Keep in mind that Trump's followers are a cult and there's no extremes that they won't take to defend him. One determined follower can stop justice from happening.

As it Stands, this is just one of four criminal trials Trump faces this year. The stakes couldn't be higher. It's Democracy versus Autocracy.

GOP House Members Plan on Protecting Home Appliances Instead Giving Ukraine Aid

The GOP House's never-ending saga to stall passing a Ukraine aid bill gets more ridiculous by the week.

Their latest tactic is pure MAGA-inspired bullshit with the usual heavy dose of hypocrisy with a side of stupidity.

MAGA Mike Johnson came back from paying Trump homage Friday at Mar-a-Lago with a brilliant plan to introduce a series of six bills, each relating to government regulations and standards on household appliances.

They just got to save those dishwashers, clothes, stoves and refrigerators that are under fire from the evil liberal Democrats. 

Right now, MAGA Mike has bought himself some time against Marjorie Taylor Greene's efforts to oust him as speaker of the house.

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

The bills to be reviewed are the following:

* Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act

* Liberty in Laundry Act (??? Set those t-shirts free!)

*Clothes Dryers Reliability Act

* Refrigerator Freedom Act (who knew they were being held hostage?)

* Affordable Air Conditioning Act

* Stop Unaffordable Dishwater Standards Act

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

These bills are more important than giving aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan according to the House MAGA morons shilling for Trump.

Who doesn't think this whole idea wasn't driven by Trump and his numerous phobias about low water flow and stoves?

The waste of time on cultural wars is always a good way to keep his minions happy, but Trump is going to have to yank MTG's leash back a bit before she actually bites MAGA Mike's skinny leg!

As it Stands, the House is on shaky ground with warring Republicans and Trump in the driver's seat.

It's Time the Mainstream Media Admits This is not a Normal Election

The mainstream media is sending signals that they don't know what to do about the most corrupt presidential candidate in history.

Trump gets away with horrendous threats against the majority of Americans daily. You just don't see it consistently covered in the mainstream media which hasn't figured out how to deal with Trump's daily attacks against his perceived enemies.

It's really sad that the industry which enshrines objectivity is at a loss on how to cover an election where one candidate is a normal politician, and the other is a convicted rapist who tried to steal the 2020 election. 

Publishers and editors are afraid to accurately portray events for fear of being biased. Instead, they would rather stumble into a dictatorship rather than to take a side.

In their efforts to be neutral the press can't seem to handle the fact that this is not just a regular election between a Republican and a Democrat. 

It must be understood that ignoring or avoiding Trump's dangerous behavior is a mistake. An error of the first order. We're talking about Democracy versus Autocracy. The most meaningful election in America's history is upon us.

It's not too late for American media to fulfill its basic obligation to report on Trump's escalating threats in a consistent and accurate fashion.

The press needs to stop pretending that Trump rallies calling for the death of Democrats are just politics as usual.

Trump's cult uses a variety of tactics meant to train and socialize the public, including media and cultural elites, into compliance and submission. He uses the threat of violence, coupled with the promise of positive rewards for loyalty and "patriotism."

In essence, sociopath Trump is authorizing his MAGA followers to do whatever it takes to get him re-elected.

None of this is normal. It's the mainstream media's duty to inform Americans of the threats Trump presents to their freedoms on a daily basis. 

As it Stands, worrying about appearing biased (even when you have the receipts) is not serving anyone but Trump.

Mike Johnson and Trump to Make 'Major' Announcement About Election Integrity (!)

House Speaker MAGA Mike is in trouble with some of the far-right members of the House so he's going to make a pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago to do a walk-of-shame to save himself.

The supposed reason he's going to the House of Trump is to make a "major" announcement on election integrity. The irony of election deniers talking about voting integrity shouldn't be ignored.

The spineless House Speaker is under attack from ultra-MAGA star Marjorie Taylor Greene who wants to oust the jellyfish behind the podium. Johnson is hoping his master Donald Trump will get him out of the mess Greene's causing.

I think Johnson is in for a surprise if he thinks Trump will solve his dilemma. He's just going to be Trump's useful idiot in a crazed rant Friday to the press about election integrity... of all things!

The two traitors are going to talk about preventing non-citizens from voting. Never mind that there's already a ban on non-citizens in federal elections from voting and it's not a common occurrence.

The event is simply a dog whistle for white supremacists and racists across the country. It'll be like watching Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels talk about world peace. 

The real reason for Johnson's walk-of-shame is how he can help Trump's campaign for president. 

Johnson knows that while groveling for relief from Greene's attacks that he's going to have to ramp up his efforts to enable Trump's corrupt campaign... and that doesn't bother him a bit.

As far as Greene goes, she's a Trumpie trying to outdo the master with crazy stunts and rants designed to get herself attention. It's a 50-50 chance that Trump will call off his bitch because she does cause so much chaos in the House - a situation Trump enjoys.

As it Stands, to be clear, Trump is counting on the ignorance of his followers who more than likely don't know there's already a ban on non-citizen voting. 

An Open Season to Kill: New York Politician Plans on Having a 'Personal Militia'

    A protest outside the Nassau County Legislature. Photo by Zoe Hussain.

A Nassau County politician is pushing a plan to create a list of deputized, armed civilians, to step in during local emergencies.

This despite Nassau County being called the safest community in America by US News and Report.

The county already has roughly 2,500 police officers and the National Guard to assist during emergencies and enjoys an exceedingly low crime rate.

So why the need of an additional armed group? The answer is simple and also a reflection of our times.

Nassau Executive Bruce Blakeman is a Trump cult member. As such he believes he needs a personal army answerable to him and MAGA supporter Sheriff Anthony LaRocco who is part of the plot.

The plan has been deemed dangerous by Nassau County residents and legislators who rallied against Blakeman outside of the Nassau County Legislature on Tuesday in Mineola, New York.

"This is an open season to kill" Barbara Powell, the president of Hempstead's NAACP branch at a protest.

Detractors of this goon force fear the plan will protect some while endangering others - namely residents of color in Nassau County.

Among the concerns raised it remains unclear how they would work with the already sizeable Nassau County Police Department.

There also remains some open questions like who does this new armed group answer too?

How will they be held accountable?

How will the county bear the liability of this special force?

Historically, arming and deputizing large groups of people has always been a form of fascist violence - like the Brownshirts in Nazi Germany. 

What's happening in Nassau County is just a reflection of the culture war we've all been unwillingly dragged into by Trump the traitor.

Texas MAGA Republicans are pushing for legislation that would allow civilians to be deputized to arrest suspected (!) undocumented immigrants.

The Republican party, now referred to as Trump's cult, promotes violence to achieve their ends. Misinformation and flat-out lies are the coin of the new rising Reich under Herr Trump.

As it Stands, the only way to stop the Trump cult's march to tyranny is at the ballot box. Vote blue in November and save our Constitutional Democracy and republic.

Trump's Hush Money Trial: Is it Even Possible to Find 12 Neutral Jurors?

On April 15th more than 500 Manhattanites will be responding to notices to appear for jury selection at what could be the trial of the century.

A former president has been indicted on 34 felony counts of falsification of business records, which stems from alleged efforts to hide "hush money" payments to an adult film star Stormy Daniels. 

Potential jurors will be given a questionnaire with 42 questions, ranging from the mundane and common ("What do you do for a living?" "Have you ever served on a jury before?") to the more pointed ("Have you ever attended a rally or campaign event for any anti-Trump group or organization?").

During the potentially dayslong process of jury selection some potential jurors will be singled out for individualized questioning by Trump's lawyers and prosecutors.

{Go here to read all of the questions}

Despite all of the cautions being taken above I can still see how a Trump minion might get selected.

For starters they are going to lie. That's Trump 101. With no morale guidelines to hinder them a Trump mole can be effective at convincing an attorney of their sincerity.

Just think about it. That mole would become famous beyond their wildest dreams. The MAGA cult would nominate him/her to be a saint in the Nationalist Christian hierarchy.

Let's not be naive. It could happen. More than one mole has sabotaged a trial before in judicial history.

Which leads me to the bigger picture. There are three more felony jury trials ahead. Three more juries to be selected. The odds keep going up for a snake in the jury pool to slither past the questions and into the court room.

Everyone knows Trump. He's the biggest con man in American history... and some people love him for that and others loath and mock him. There's not an in-between in our polarized society.

So how can we expect a neutral juror in any of Trump's trials? It nearly defies logic. But that's how it's done in our increasingly chaotic judicial system.

As it Stands, maybe Orson Wells was right when he said, "Nobody gets justice. People only get good luck or bad luck."

The Rapture Didn't Happen to the Dismay of Trump-Loving Evangelicals

Thirty-two Million Americans turned out to see their last total solar eclipse until August 23, 2044.

The path of the eclipse provided wily marketers with a financial opportunity in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois. Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire and Maine.

It was like an unexpected holiday as delighted Americans loaded up on merchandise associated with the Great Northern American Eclipse.

But there were some Americans who were disappointed. Very disappointed.

Trump-loving Evangelicals were expecting to be "raptured" during the celestial event. Some other Trump cult subsidiary groups were expecting God to climb down off his throne and to anoint Trump as the next savior.

It got scary for many Trump cultists who were wearing Trump-branded safety glasses (made in China). 

Thousands of them were seen at public gatherings in parks and other outside venues with arms stretched out in front of them and walking into trees and other inanimate objects.

Casuality counts haven't been totaled yet for Trump followers who went blind using his special safety glasses.

The good news about the eclipse is it brought families together across the nation to experience a once-in-lifetime event during what has turned out to be a very stressful year. It was like the country took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

As it Stands, for a brief moment in time the majority of Americans agreed on one common thing - how cool the total eclipse was.

An 'Ice Age of the Heart': Kindness Becoming a Casualty in our Chaotic Society

I was reading a book review on The Power of Kindness by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat the other day and was motivated by its message.

The author, Piero Ferrucci, is a psychotherapist and philosopher who was a student and collaborator with Robert Assagioli, the founder of psychosynthesis. 

The following particularly struck a note with me.

Ferrucci says that we are going through "an Ice Age of the Heart" where people are often chilly and indifferent to each other.

Does this sound familiar to you? Are we less likely to talk or help out strangers now than ever before? I fear the answer is yes.

"The single-minded pursuit of money and power knocks aside the values that have animated religions for years, Ferrucci warned. "Kindness is the one trait that can save us," he asserts in his book.

Ferrucci notes that being kind is a way of life that can bring happiness to others as well as to those who practice it.

What a concept in 2024! With all the hate and fear circulating around the country we are just getting further away from being a civilized race and a workable republic.

I've read about the benefits of kindness in many books and other publications how kindness gives meaning and value to our life. As Ferrucci explains,"... kindness raisers us above our troubles and our battles and makes us feel good about ourselves."

Sometimes it's not easy being kind and forgiving in life. It can be a challenge with all the jerks running around in public, but it's not impossible.

I try my best when I go out and circulate not to be a problem, and to help others by being encouraging and understanding. It's not easy because I have PTSD. But when I do a kind act it becomes a healing experience for me and someone else.

As it Stands, kindness can become a superpower in this dark age if we all practice it. If you don't already, give it a try. It's worth it.