Look, I don’t do “Twitter” or any other social media platform, but I do see reporting on what shows up there. I’ve written extensively about my perception of Mark Zuckerberg as one of the “Worst people in the world” – in the words of Keith Olberman (years ago on MSNBC). I have also pointed out how I see the wedge being driven between the “right” and the “left” in America running a parallel “course” to the growth of these social media “empires.” That being said, yesterday I saw a “Tweet” from Rob Reiner which was simple and straight to the point AND, from my viewpoint, right on.

“It couldn’t be more simple. A vote for Republicans is a vote against Democracy.” A very succinct way of saying what I’ve been trying to say for the past 15+ years. Another of his “Tweets” says: “Democracy will not survive unless Donald Trump (individual 1 – in my words) is punished for trying to destroy it.” I remember watching Reiner on a TV sitcom many years ago, but the more I hear from him the more I admire his thinking! People with a “platform” need to continue speaking out. I was listening to MSNBC as I was driving around today and the democrats losing control of Congress was considered a foregone conclusion with the moderators. I keep wondering if people’s actions drive the news or if the “news” is what is driving people’s actions (and opinions). I don’t understand why ANYONE would vote for a republican under present day circumstances!

I say that because it’s just hard to believe, for me, that the American people are STUPID enough to vote for the very republicans who are attempting to undermine our democratic republic. The bottom line requirement for republicans in legislatures from our national legislature on down to the state legislatures around the country which are passing voter supression legislation is LYING. And, “we the people” seem to be unable to parse the LIES. Our “liberal media” continues to fail to report this LYING is part of a strategic “plan” based on the “Big Lie Theory” of the Nazi’s in 1930’s Germany. We’re seeing it in “spades” as we watch Vladimir Putin as Russians continues their ILLEGAL assault on the republic of Ukraine. And, as an aside, does anyone actually believe he’s planning to stop there? I’ve been pointing out he’s wanted to recreate the “Soviet Union” since he took the “reins” of power in Russia over 20 years ago.

Russia’s “active measures” campaign against the democratic nations of the “West” began several years prior to Russia’s “interference” in America’s 2016 election culminating in the success of helping individual 1 “win” the election. (with over 3 MILLION fewer votes than Hillary Clinton). Russia was also integral in “encouraging” the “Brits” to vote in favor of “Brexit” which passed with the help, also, from Steve Bannon and, you guessed it, individual 1. All these same “actors” were also attempting to encourage the French to vote Marie La Pen as French President four years ago and likely are still doing so today as we prepare for the next French presidential election. La Pen, of course, is – like individual 1 – focused on undermining the NATO alliance in an ACCORD with Putin and Russia and, is a right wing hack. (And, Putin et al are doing the same things to the Germans, and the …………… fill in the blank)

It somewhat “blows my mind” that the American people – and, I’m talking about “liberals,” “moderates,” and “independents” along with many “conservatives” don’t understand the importance of “we the people” fighting to defend our democratic republic. Why on earth would people want to return to a party controlled by individual 1. The republican leaders have been SHAMEFULLY cowardly in the face of what they KNOW is ultimately a “dead end” for their party. They are trying to prevent people of color and young people from voting – but, the reality is, it’s simply a matter of time until this republican party will be sent to the “ash bins” of history. Now is the time for this to happen.

The Biden administration has passed two historic bills – the first aimed via their “bottom up middle out” philosophy which SHOULD appeal to MOST Americans. The second will be responsible for the NEEDED repairs and upgrading to America’s infrastructure over the next few years – you know, the “infrastructure bill” individual 1 COULDN’T get passed over FOUR years of “infrastructure weeks” which accomplished NOTHING. We’re watching the Ukrainians “fighting like hell” (in the words of individual 1) – “or they won’t have a country anymore” for their democracy. Is that willingness to FIGHT for their democracy registering with “we the people?” And, do you really think Americans will be unable to see the difference between President Biden and his predecessor due to a “bout” with inflation which was totally predictable coming out of a monumental shock to our economy?

President Biden has pulled the NATO Alliance together beyond most people’s imagination as NATO countries are coming to the aid of Ukraine and imposing crippling SANCTIONS on the Russians – who are using their BRUTALITY against Ukraine’s civilian population as a weapon of “terror” against Ukraine because they are failing to defeat Ukraine’s military. Plus, Putin is “fear mongering” with his threats of using nuclear weapons. I don’t question whether Vladimir Putin SHOULD finally be declared a WAR CRIMINAL, I just believe it’s encumbent on those in NATO to be prepared to stop him – one way or another. (And, keep in mind, I believe GW Bush, Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld and other Americans were guilty of WAR CRIMES in their ILLEGAL invasion of Iraq back in 2003 – 2009 – by authorizing and committing TORTURE)

Can you imagine individual 1 dealing with the many issues facing President Biden? With our TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president in office the Russians likely would have succeeded in their plan to “topple Kiev in a matter of days.” Do you really believe individual 1 would be sending BILLIONS in military aid to the Ukrainians to help them stop Putin’s ILLEGAL invasion of Ukraine? Hell, individual 1 was planning to pull “we the people” out of NATO had he “won” another term in office.

Obviously, I’m unable to find a succinct way of saying the same thing as what Mr. Reiner “Tweeted:” “A vote for republicans is a vote AGAINST democracy.” And, we’re not just talking about the U.S. There are neo-Nazi white nationalist groups all across Western Europe pushing for the same outcome as individual 1 is pushing in the U.S. – and now – with TOTAL obedience from the republican party.

Kevin McCarthy, Moscow Mitch, Jim Jordan, Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Mike Lee, Ron DeSantis, Greg Abbott, Kristi Noem, and on and on are all SHAMEFUL sycophants of individual 1 and ALL have indicated a willingness to violate their OATH’S to the Constitution. Here’s how they view elections going forward, “Heads I win Tails you lose.” They actually support legislation giving state legislatures the ability to overrule the “will of the people.” In 2024 it’s possible the FRAUDULENT Electors which were part of individual 1’s scheme (conspiracy) to overturn his election LOSS – will be considered “legit.”

So, Mr. Reiner is correct! Under the circumstances we face today in America: “A Vote for Republicans is a vote AGAINST (my emphasis) Democracy!” If democrats don’t show up this year in the “mid term” election “we the people” deserve what we get. Stay tuned………….

Final Thought: Democrats actually have the opportunity to gain seats in the Senate with a strong turnout. it will take a major push to do so, but I can see a scenario (OK, I’m an optimist) where the democrats gain anywhere from 3 – 5 seats in the Senate. Should they manage to do so and keep control of the House, the “filibuster” will no longer be an impediment to legislation to fight Climate Change, to support our middle class families with children, young Americans in poor families with support for “early education, restore the Voting Rights bill, and many different benefits in the “Build Back Better” agenda of President Biden which was “torpedoed” by Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, two recalcitrant Senate democrats.

Progressives (ie liberals) need to understand the reason President Bident didn’t get his signature legislation through. It was due to Moscow Mitch’s commitment to OBSTRUCT any democratic proposal AlONG WITH Manchin and Sinema’s help. Clear and simple, the democrats need at least two MORE members in the Senate to go along with control in the House. The only thing certain in the Senate is there will be 50 republican votes AGAINST almost any democratic legislation.

What is necessary for Biden’s domestic legislative agenda – the most progressive in my lifetime going back to LBJ’s “Great Society” – is continued control of the House and at least 52 Senate democrats. (Neither Manchin nor Sinema are up for re-election until 2024) Not only is Biden’s agenda “progressive” (Simply put, as I said, he needs at least two more Democratic Senators to get it passed) but, additionally, his leadership in the “West’s” support of Ukraine is TOTALLY laudable. To me, Biden’s low “favorability” ratings demonstrate the weakness of our “liberal media.” I’m still struggling to understand, despite my disgust with the republican party since, well, Reagan – how did they fall into the “grip” of an “alleged” ORGANIZED CRIMINAL?”

I still believe individual 1 will face (possibly multiple) indictment(s) prior to the end of this year – whether from Manhattan’s DA, Fulton County’s DA, or the DOJ – and, possibly “all of the above” and, it should be interesting watching the response coming from his “base.” It doesn’t take much of a LIE to get them worked up. Here’s what may be working in the democrat’s favor: Republicans blocked the “non-partisan January 6th 9/11 style Commission” and, therefore, got the “Select House January 6th Committee” which will be reporting out, likely, this coming June. That will be explosive – despite all the attention on Ukraine. I believe either the Committee will send a CRIMINAL referral on individual 1 to DOJ – or – we’ll KNOW he’s a TARGET of an ongoing DOJ investigation by then. That will get a LOT of people’s attention, but possibly getting more attention will the the Supreme Court, in essence, overturning Roe v Wade among other examples of “legislating” from the bench. Something like Two Thirds of Americans support a woman’s right to control her own body – meaning “the right to choose” in regard to abortion care. Will this cause MORE women to vote? I’m guessing it will.

I keep thinking I’m finding a MOUNTAIN of words to say what Rob Reiner said in nine! “A vote for Republicans is a vote AGAINST Democracy!” Yikes!!! If you’re a progressive, please make sure you’re registered to vote and, of course, VOTE!

I can’t leave without saying: I’ve been lamenting the BILLIONAIRES who have been increasing their wealth exponentially since the beginning of the pandemic and, yet, do EVERYTHING they can to avoid paying taxes for YEARS! I used my retirement savings account to put 32 solar panels on our home (we’ve produced 73,000 Kilowats since 2015) and my wife and I both have been driving electric cars since then. I must admit I’ve supported Tesla for years – UNTIL I finally got my fill of Elon Musk. The “straw that broke the camel’s back” was when, recently, he made a “play” for “Twitter.” Twitter’s board is attempting to fight off his bid, but now another one of the RICH tech wiz kids, Larry Ellison, appears to be willing to take a “break” from his PRIVATE Hawaiian Island – yep, you read that correctly, wanting to pair up with Musk in his “bid” for “Twitter.” These people have BILLIONS of dollars they’ll never need – allowing for the possibility they can purchase virtually anything they want – including, in their minds, established social media companies like “Twitter” so THEY can define “free speech.” It’s well past time for a wealth tax and, it seems to me, it’s time for regulations on platforms like “Twitter,” “Facebook,” etc. My suggestion would be causing THEM to be legally responsible for the veracity of what is published on their platforms. Just a thought…………………. Stay tuned…………….

Do you remember individual 1 predicting we’d all get “sick of all the winning?” Do you remember the prediction he was going to “drain the swamp?” Were you paying attention the other day when he claimed he’s the “most honest person you’ve ever known” – or words to that effect? Did you miss the reporting in the Washington Post of the certifiable 30,000+ “falsehoods or misleading claims?” (ie LIES) It was reported he was committing an average of 21 LIES per day over the final few months of his administration – just sayin…….. Have you forgotten all of individual 1’s administration who were FORCED to resign in the midst of one SCANDAL after another? I could go on.

By the way, speaking of our TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president “draining the swamp,” have you paid attention to the “swamp creatures” he brought along with him to Washington DC? Including, but not limited to, his son-in-law Jared Kushner? Well, remember, it was Kushner who was communicating with Mohammed Bin Salmon (MBS) via “What’s Ap” – Facebook’s answer to people who need their conversations to be HIDDEN from authorities. (In this case, Kushner was, technically, one of the “authorities”) Remember, it was MBS who was, by all accounts, accused of ORDERING the MURDER of Jamal Khashoggi with the MURDERERS dsimembering him with a bone saw. NONE of that seemed to matter to either individual 1 or Mr. Kushner – because, well, “it’s all about the MONEY.” (Isn’t it?)

So, individual 1 and his family seem to be the “gift” which just keeps on giving. While there seems to be AMPLE evidence to indict our TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president – who, by the way, continues his incredible GRIFT of his (stupid) supporters – his son-in-law seems determined to carry on the “family name.” This past weekend it was reported Mr. Kushner managed to pull a “COUPLE BILLION” from the Saudi’s Sovereign Wealth Fund – albeit at extrememly FAVORABLE terms – despite having no experience succeeding in the very business plan he proposed. Apparently, MBS overruled the overseeers of the fund because, well, him and Kushner are “best buds” who go way back.

So, the CORRUPTION just marches on (and on and on and on………..) And, the ARROGANCE coming from individual 1, who laments all the INVESTIGATIONS into his alleged CRIMINAL behavior – “and, they’ve found NOTHING” – who CLEARLY understands his potential CRIMINAL liability – has resulted in the ONLY way he knows of defending himself – and, that is via pathological LYING. Is the Justice Department investigating individual 1’s attempted coup de’etat? Sadly, I can’t be sure! Of course, even I would agree that coup d’etat is much more egregious than Kushner squeezing $2 BILLION from the Saudi’s – apparently, just in case “we the people” really are STUPID enough to vote individual 1 back into office in 2024 – are you paying attention Merrick Garland? That would ALL be “on you.” This Kushner/MBS “bromance” seems a bit “fishy” to me – but, then, CORRUPTION is pretty much BIPARTISAN in Washington DC, isn’t it?

Of course, it wasn’t just Kushner “hitting up” the Saudi’s after individual 1 was run out of town back in January of 2021. The ink was hardly dry on the expulsion notice hanging on the doors of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue back in January of 2021 as individual 1 was leaving town when Steve Mnuchin was grovelling at the feet of the Saudi’s running their Sovereign investment fund – but, ONLY for $1 BILLION. Do you really think the connection to America’s government didn’t help either Mnuchin or Kushner garner this money? Do you really believe they weren’t laying the “groundwork” for this SERIOUS grifting prior to leaving our government? If you do believe that, well, I’ve got a bridge…………………… (Also, do you really believe the Saudi’s won’t find a way to help individual 1 financially in 2024?)

OMG – individual 1 continues to hold rallies where he pushes the so-called “Big Lie” (To me, just another of his LIES) “the election was stolen” and, now, he’s bringing up all the investigations despite his claim, “I’ve done nothing wrong.” His grifting – you know, someone who claims to be a multi BILLIONAIRE shamelessly begging his downtrodden followers for their hard earned money – would make even Charles Ponzi blush. And, sadly, all his (stupid, sorry, just calling it as I see it) followers seem to be ablidging him – by mutiples of tens of MILLIONS of dollars. Just what every “billionaire” needs, correct?

And, of course, individual 1 has no monopoly on SHAMELESSNESS when it comes to the republican party. Have you paid attention to people like Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Matt Gaetz, MTGreene, Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks, Jim Jordan, and on and on, lately? Cruz, Hawley, and Marsha Blackburn, in the hearings I watched for Ketanji Brown Jackson, were some real “doozies.” Cruz brought out children’s books to suggest – I actually am not sure what he was suggesting/ Was he wondering if Ms. Jackson is a racist? Or does he just find children’s books written about Black children offensive? And, Hawley, suggesting she’s a proponent of child pornography? Because she has sentenced people to similar sentences as MANY other judges – many confirmed without question when nominated by individual 1. And, ALL following the sentencing guidelines set forth by, you guessed it, the SENATE! (Which would require the approval of republicans on the Judiciary Committee!)

Is that what we call the “height of hypocrisy?” And, Blackburn asking Ms. Jackson to define a “woman?” Are you kidding me? (Actually, NO!) Oh, lest I forget, good ole Lindsey Graham (roll over in your grave once again, Mr. McCain) asking her to define her “religion.” Keep in mind, confirmation hearings are akin to “job interviews” and asking someone to define their religion in a job interview is, well, UNCONSTITUTIONAL! But this was, after all, the Senate Judiciary Committee so why wouild anyone think republicans would have ANY concern with the CONSTITUTION when interviewing candidates? Or, are they actually familiar with it?

And, I mentioned Matt Gaetz, speaking of CORRUPTION! This is the guy credibly accused of “child sex trafficking” (Maybe AG Garland is afraid of this prosecution as well – we’ll see) who is at the forefront of the white nationalists running amok in the republican party. To him, everything is “wokeism” (I wrote about that in a previous posts, but suffice it to say, it’s a term which implies racism by the one using it – in many instances, that would be Mr. Gaetz. For example, just recently, he verbally assaulted Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, our FIRST African American Defense Secretary, with his “wokeism” nonsense, in regard to our Defense Department and Gaetz claims he’s “embarrassed” by Austin’s “woke” leadership. it’s just MORE disgusting “dog whistling” coming from republicans – who find LYING more convenient than attempting to put together a platform which appeals to the majority of Americans.

Does their LYING work? Well, we’ve been witnessing for the previous 40+ years that it does. The American people are proving, by and large, that “WE” are not the most sophisticated population on the planet. Personally, I’m really discouraged by my own generation – baby boomers – because, it seems to me, too many of my generation who’ve been benefiting from America’s wealth for decades are too self indulged to understand the DAMAGE being done to this nation for our children and grandchildren – by many of US. Too many have become blindly affiliated with the republican party – to the point where republicans don’t need a platform – just feed them a gaggle of LIES and “it’s all good.” Yikes!

Who are the rising “stars” in the republican party? Well, sadly, I have to admit Marjorie Taylor Greene, a truly DEPLORABLE person, seems to be in that category. The FACT she gave the keynote speech at a recent white nationalist convention where the audience was chanting “Putin, Putin, Putin,” as she was introduced pretty much says it all. Yep, she’s a rising star in republican circles (QAnon believer and all). And, if you’d ask Gaetz, he’d suggest he is as well – or ask Ted Cruz, or Josh Hawley, or Rand Paul, or a plethora of others (Kristi Noem, Ron DeSantis, Greg Abbott, etc.) and you’ll get the who’s who of who will be attempting to be the next individual 1 in 2024. Will Americans “buy it?” Who knows, we’ll have to wait and see for that one. (Do republicans prefer, for example, Vladimir Putin to democrats?)

Republicans have been setting “we the people” up for the barrage of LYING which is to take place this election year and in the 2024 election with all this “wokeism” and “Critical Race Theory” (CRT) nonsense – and, you can see why they do it – because our so-called “liberal media” allows them to get away with it. “Hook, line, and sinker.” Both terms, “wokeism” and “CRT” are dog whistles to their white nationalist base – and, as I just said, our “liberal media” is SILENT on this reality. Would the American people care if it was pointed out what these terms actually MEAN each time they were used? Who knows, but, it’d be nice to find out.

Do the American people care that individual 1 has likely committed a PLETHORA of CRIMES since taking the oath to defend our CONSTITUTION from all enemies, foreign and domestic? Clearly, millions don’t! Do they care his son-in-law is grifting at the meet of MBS – an authoritarian despot who has OIL and little else? (OK, he’s got a LOT of MONEY) it’s debatable. And, does Merrick Garland care about the “alleged” CRIMES of individual 1? This too is debatable. How much MONEY does individual 1 and his FAMILY have to poach from “we the people” via their government connections before we say enough already? Apparently, we’re not at the magic number just yet.

Will individual 1’s supporters FINALLY realize the man who warned us about “all the winning” is one INCREDIBLE loser? Two elections, HUNDREDS of lawsuits – including 60 regarding the so-called “stolen election” – all LOSSES – that’s a LOT of LOSING, by the way, just saying (again). Will they EVER recognize the incredible amount of LYING he’s done – in many instances, right to their faces? If they haven’t by now, probably not. Will they EVER equate all individual 1’s cabinet members resigning in DISGRACE and his own CORRUPTION with the so-called “swamp?” Again, probably not. What he’s managed to do with these people really reminds me of what Vladimir Putin has done with the Russian people.

You hear stories all the time about Ukrainians with relatives in Russia who connect with them via phone and tell them about the atrocities being committed by Putin and their Russian relatives don’t believe them. My wife and I know a three quarter Ukrainian one quarter Russian lady – who was the Russian interpreter at our school when I was still teaching – we’ve stayed in touch over the past several years – who gets/got her “news” from “Russian TV” (RT TV). Apparently, that’s not an option now, but recently my wife talked to her and she believes Putin despite the FACT most of her relatives are from Ukraine. She believes Ukraine has been overcome by “Nazi’s” and Putin is clearing them out. And, she believes the claims coming from Bucha are doctored images and the bodies in the streets were “actors.” Yikes!

I’ve said many times individual 1 was attempting to “be like Putin” and he envisioned himself in a similar “president for life” role in the United States – prior to LOSING to Joe Biden (by over 7 MILLION votes – the largest SLAUGHTER ever in an American presidential election – based on the ‘popular vote.” Yet, he appears to be planning a “THIRD popular vote thrashing.” Certainly, one reason republicans are frantically passing the voter suppression bills is to make it possible for the coup d’etat to succeed the next time he LOSES by MILLIONS of votes. Just today, republicans announced they will no longer participate in presidential debates, for example, because, apparently, the debates aren’t the best place to spew their LIES – especially, with a moderator from “the enemy of the people” (ie, the “media”).

Final Thought: If you’re watching the “war” in Ukraine closely and you paid any attention to what individual 1 was doing/saying during the previous 6 years you MUST see how he was attempting to emulate Mr. Putin. There are so many “connections” to Russia via our TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president it can’t be considered a coincidence Putin’s disdain for dissidents seems so similar to individual 1’s. The difference, of course, is how Putin can deal with his enemies (poison, murder, prison on, excuse the pun, “trumped up charges”) while individual 1 could only create his “enemies list” in an apparent attempt to be like Nixon.

I’ve put a plethora of rhetorical questions in this rant because, at the age of 74, I continue to struggle with what has happened to America. How can “we the people” continue to support the republican party? (I’ve been lamenting this for 20 years now) Republicans have shown over and over again they believe the laws have been/were written for others – like Black people, Latinas, young “liberals,” etc. etc. and they believe democrats DON’T have the stomach to prosecute them for their lawbreaking – and, so far, they’ve been proven correct in this respect. I posed these questions in case someone might happen on this site to stimulate thinking. Sadly, I know people who frequent right wing media (Fox “news,” “Newsmax,” etc.) and actually believe things like “individual 1 doesn’t LIE” – and, they’re almost impossible to communicate with. Stay tuned……………

On Final Thing: While the “world” is investigating Russian War Crimes which would be prosecuted at the “International Criminal Court” (ICC) at the “Hague” in the Netherlands it’s important to point out two countries who haven’t “signed on” to the ICC would be Russia and, you guessed it, the United States. While President Biden has referred to Putin, correctly in my view, as a “war criminal” I have to believe the reason the United States hasn’t aligned herself with the ICC is to protect those Americans who, in my view, committed WAR CRIMES during the U.S. invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. As much as I believe Putin and those under his command committing CLEAR WAR CRIMES it’s hard to argue against the (typical) U.S. hypocrisy on this matter. I’ve written extensively about the FACT George W Bush, Dick Cheney, and Don Rumsfeld ADMITTED on national TV to authorizing TORTURE – and, additionally, saying they’d “do it again” means, in my view, the U.S. will have to leave it to the rest of the world to determine the culpibility of Putin and his thugs.

If you’re young and are reading this and you’re paying attention to all the signs of the Climate Crisis – I hope you’ll encourage everyone you know to vote AGAINST republicans in the 2022 Mid Terms – the reason democrats can’t pass their legislation has been pretty much layed at the “feet” of Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema (justifiably) – but, keep in mind there are 50 republicans in the Senate who believe Climate Change is a “hoax,” they support fossil fuel corporate interests, and they believe OBSTRUCTION is a strategy which will cause Americans to turn against democrats – when the reaction to that “plan” should be the opposite. The opportunity to vote enough democrats into the Senate to get rid of the filibuster is right in front of “we the people” – but, it appears our “liberal media” is more interested in their bottom lines than in reporting the TRUTH about what our nation is facing going forward. Yikes!!!!

I’ve been lamenting the reality, over the past many years, that our so-called “liberal media” has FAILED miserably in defining the use of the Nazi propaganda “strategy” of the “Big Lie Theory.” It was “invented” by Hitler, himself, when he wrote Mein Kampf and it was proliferated by his head of propaganda Joseph Goebbels – why? – because it works. The “theory” goes, “if you repeat a (Big) LIE over and over people will eventually believe the LIE is “true.” I originally noticed republicans had adopted this “theory” about 20 years ago and, with a bit more thought, I’ve come to believe they (purposefully) began their use of this “theory” during the reign of Ronald Reagan. It was during the years of Reagan that Rush Limbaugh began his ASSAULT on the “truth,” and it’s been proliferating ever since. To me, this is why individual 1 has become the “leader” of the republican party – simply because he’s an unapologetic pathological LIAR.

I’ve pointed out on this site I’m a Christian and I refuse to allow the right wing “Christians” who’ve become the “base” of the republican party (and all the “Big Lies”) to cause me to give up my belief in the “Teachings of Jesus.” Whether you can identify with that connundrum or not, I bring it up because my initial recollections of how serious this problem has become in our society began with “stuff” I began hearing in church back around the time of Bush/Cheney LYING “we the people” into the disastrous debacle in Iraq – circa 2003. I really started noticing how the “Christians” at the church I was attending were using the word “liberal” as a derogatory word. It made me feel very uncomfortable – to the point where I decided to go to a different church.

Quite honestly, I didn’t realize I was a “liberal” until – well, maybe during the Bush/Cheney years when I found myself questioning my representative in Congress why democrats were unwilling to hold IMPEACHMENT hearings on members of the George W Bush administration for the authorization and carrying out of TORTURE. To my naive mind TORTURE was/is unthinkable, although I knew/know it happens in many places around the globe – to me, it just shouldn’t be something “we the people” will tolerate from our own represenatatives in government. My questions in that town hall made it to the local TV “news” and, members of my church who saw it then referred to me as a “radical liberal.”

I had always considered myself to be a “conservative socialist.” That is, I supported the concept of the government reducing the national debt and “living within its means” while governing from the “bottom up.” I studied politics when in college and fully understood/stand there are times when it makes sense for the government to “spend” in response to crises – like, for example, the pandemic we’ve all been experiencing for the previous two plus years. A response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine requires, in my view, whatever help “we the people” can provide for the Ukrainians without worrying about how that assistance affects the deficit. But, to me, taxing the “billionaires” to pay for legislation positively affecting the lower and middle class is a no brainer. Especially, after 40 years of “trickle down” (I call it “trickle up”) economics.

On the other hand, we’ve recently seen an example of how “politics” seem to always get in the way of “government” responsibly dealing with the critical issues of the time. The example which readily comes to mind is the so-called “Build Back Better” economic agenda of President Biden supported by 98% of democrats in Congress along with somewhere in the neighborhood of 60-70% of Americans across the nation – legislation aimed at issues like CLIMATE CHANGE, Child care, early childhood education, etc. etc. – needed help for those struggling to stay “afloat” in America and legislation designed to help fight inflation AND legislation which was FULLY “paid for.” (Of course, if you’re young, CLIMATE CHANGE is likely a TOP priority – or, at least, I would hope so)

Most Americans are aware that Joe Manchin “torpedoed” this legislation and many understand his CORRUPT “connections” to the fossil fuel industry which vehemently OPPOSED the bill. Of course, Kyrsten Sinema was also opposed to “Build Back Better” for reasons fully explained when you check out her list of “donors.” She received around $1 MILLION from corporate interests (it’s easy to identify them via “Google”) such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, various investment funds, etc. – groups who were “donating” to BLOCK the bill’s plan to raise taxes on the “wealthy” in order to fully pay for it. With a “majority” of, essentially, ONE in a “50/50” Senate, republicans quickly realized they only needed one vote from democrats to BLOCK President Biden’s agenda – and, they’ve been “courting” Manchin and Sinema from day one of this legislative cycle. They got “two for the price of one.”

I point all this out in my own feeble attempt to identify why I realize I must be a “liberal” despite my “old fashioned” mentality (I’m almost 75 years old and BTW I’m white) and appreciation of American traditions. That being said, I’m also attempting to “educate” myself every day – meaning I’m trying to be a “lifelong learner.” As the saying goes, “the more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know.” My appreciations of many American “traditions” along with my feeling of being an ACTUAL “fiscal conservative” is why I, for years, thought of myself as the aforementioned “conservative socialist.” (American traditions like, say, Social Security, Medicare, etc.)

I believe strongly in the words of Jesus when He said “What you do for the least of these (meaning people) you do for Me” and then He adds “What you do TO the least of these, you do to Me.” It’s my belief in His teachings which has led me to believe that government should function “from the bottom up.” I believe in the idea of a “WE” society as opposed to a “ME” society – which I’ve always felt is where “we the people” have evolved since the election of Reagan back in 1980. And, I believe the driving force behind the “Christian” community’s embrace of the republican party can be summed up in two words – RACISM and ABORTION.

And, quickly I’ll point out – the RACISM coming from “Christians” has been an ongoing issue for – well, – how old is this country? By my recent readings, certainly from the Civil War times up through today. The Southern Baptist Convention was integral in much of the racial horror which permeated the South, for example, from Reconstruction up to – again, today. And, I’ve written about ABORTION. I’ll simply say, getting rid of Roe v Wade will NOT end ABORTIONS. True to our “form” the way we resolve problems often times only makes them worse. (If you’re interested in my views on this subject, check the archives. Succinctly put: If you don’t believe in ABORTION, don’t have one – a truly LIBERTARIAN concept)

Our “liberal media” has, in my view, allowed society to accept the notion republicans are “conservative” and democrats are “liberal.” It was back during the initial part of the Iraq invasion that it dawned on me the media had allowed the word “liberal” to mean “democrat” and have allowed the word liberal to be “denigrated” for years – resulting in a large segment of our population simply accepting this, what to me is, a “Big LIE.” The disconnect, for example, of “The teachings of Jesus” with the actions of “conservatives” who operate by claiming the basis of their beliefs come from jesus is, to me, preposterous. For example, I thought I was going to throw up when watching videos of people assaulting our Capitol on January 6th, 2021 “In the name of Jesus.”

My point here is our so-called “liberal media” is too busy “chasing its tail” to realize how “they’ve” been co-opted by republican strategists to help BRAINWASH large segments of the American public into routinely voting AGAINST their own self interests. For example, I’ve heard little in the “liberal media” (I RARELY frequent Fox “news”) pointing out the CORRUPTION behind the “stand” of Senator Sinema to protect the BILLIONAIRES who’ve been growing their WEALTH at an astronomical pace since the beginning of the pandemic and who do EVERYTHING they can to avoid paying taxes. Again, in my mind, this all started with the election of Reagan – paving the way for the “infection” of our society by people like the “Koch Brothers,” the DeVoss family, and other wealthy Americans who WORK to “rig” the system in their favor. And, trust me, I understand Kyrsten Sinema isn’t the only politician in Washington DC who’s been CORRUPTED by corporate money – i’m just pointing out how easy it was for republicans to target one democratic Senator to block Biden’s agenda. (Of course, they managed to get Manchin as well)

Here’s what triggered all these thoughts I’m ranting about today – and, that’s the use of the word “woke” by the republican “Big Lie” machine. I’ve heard that term used over and over by one republican after another as they’ve been “firing up” their “Big Lie” machine ahead of the 2022 Mid Term elections. Their purpose is to cause “we the people” to believe the solution to our problems – you know “Critical Race Theory” (CRT) and “woke” democrats is to vote republicans back into control of Congress – virtually ensuring NOTHING gets done for the next two years. The biggest problem I had with all this is I didn’t know what “CRT” meant or what “woke” meant. I only knew both must be bad because, well, people like Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Ron DeSantis, and virtually every other republican with a public “platform” said so.

The problem I had with “CRT,” once I reallized it had to do with education, is that I taught sixth graders for the last 23 years of my working life (well, on occasion, seventh graders) and I didn’t know what Critical Race Theory actually was/is. I can make assumptions based on the moniker, but it appears to me, the “assault” on “CRT” is reminiscent of the period after reconstruction where the “lost cause” was birthed. My assumption is there are people who don’t want the TRUTH about American history to be taught in our public schools. I don’t believe “CRT” is actually taught, at least I had no idea what it was when I was teaching – but, that’s not the point. To me, the point is to stir up controvesy amongst the white subrubanites who republicans desperately need in order to “win” future elections. It seemed to have worked in Virginia with the election of Glenn Youngkin so, ………….. what the hell?

And, what about “woke” or “wokeness” or ???? I didn’t know what that term means either – but, our “liberal meda” has certainly allowed republicans to leave people to believe it’s BAD and it’s associated with those other really bad terms like “liberal” or “CRT.” I mean with all that really BAD stuff coming from “liberals” – who we’ve allowed to be synonymous with “democrats” who are “socialists” – which we’ve allowed to be stigmitzed as BAD – well, the only reasonable thing for people to think is we need republicans – in the mold of individual 1 and Ron DeSantis – to gain control of our government. Obviously, they’ll protect “we the people” from “woke” democrats. (Ask anyone you know what “woke” means and where the term came from)

So, what does “woke” really mean and where did this term come from? OK, a little research tells me I shouldn’t be surprised at today’s republicans “assassinating” that term and applying it to “liberals” because it’s a slang term which has evolved from the African American community. Based on what I found, it was first used by the Blues musician “Ledbelly” back in the 1930’s in one of his songs and it has evolved to mean people who are aware of the experiences of Black people in the United States. Apparently, this is the republicans way of sending “dog whistles” to their white nationalist base that people like Cruz, Hawley, DeSantis, and on and on oppose the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Or, are the saying they simply oppose Black people? The best I can figure out is if I support the idea of equal rights for all Americans – that makes me “woke.” There you have it Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz – I’m “woke!”

What this all means, at least to me, is that our “liberal media,” in effect, is in cahoots with republicans in allowing RACIST terms to be used with impunity without even the thought of maybe, for example, every time Ron DeSantis, or Cruz, or Hawley, or any of them call someone “woke” or complain about “CRT” that it should be made clear what they mean. What they are ACTUALLY talking about. Of course, their white nationalist base knows EXACTLY what they’re saying, but those white suburbanites who’ve been programmed to fear “liberals” but who oppose RACISM and are largely what would be termed our “independent” voters shouldn’t be left to speculate what is being said. I don’t know, maybe our “liberal media” longs for the return of individual 1 because he was making them BAGS of money!

And, the fact “woke” or “wokeness” or “CRT” is said OVER and OVER again, should cause someone in the “liberal media” to at least have some curiosity as to why they keep repeating this stuff – with NO ONE even questioning “what do they REALLY mean?” I believe I’ve only read one instance of where someone who would be considered part of the national media made a passing reference to the origin of the “Big Lie Theory” – despite the fact individual 1’s constant drumbeat about the “stolen election” is referred to as the “Big Lie” – educating “we the people” that we’re being inundated with LIES based on a theory “invented” by Adolf Hitler. Apparently, that’s too sensitive a subject for our “liberal media” to “tackle.” Yikes!!! If watching individual 1’s “mentor” Vladimir Putin for the previous 40+ days hasn’t given you “pause,” then there’s nothing I can do to help you. I really hope “we the people” don’t want that back!

Final Thought: I’m reading a book titled “Race and Reunion” by David Blight in my attempt to continue as a “lifelong learner.” The book focuses on the 50 years following the Civil War and it’s a very dense, for me challenging, read – likely aimed for students in the upper levels of their university studies. I believe Mr. Blight is a professor at Yale University (I’m going by memory – which mine is receding :o) and I’m trying to “digest” as much of the book as I can – if I was still a student I’d be taking a lot of notes. The last section I’ve read focused on the “Lost Cause” – which, in essence was the time period when people in the South – to a large extent women – chose to create a “mountain” of LIES about the Civil War. Lots of pamphlets were being published and “Daughters of the Confederacy” wanted to create their own “reality.” As I was reading it I was seeing a lot of parallels with what is going on in the republican party today.

Back then, books were being banned if they didn’t give the perspective of those who concocted the notion of the “Lost Cause.” Public speakers were spreading the LIES in an organized manner designed to BRAINWASH the White children who were part of their public schools. It’s almost as if we’re experiencing a “deja vu all over again” cycle in the South today. Make no mistake, RACISM is a problem in all parts of our nation, but – as we’ve seen from the wave of voter suppression legislation spreading across America – the focal point has been in the South. Georgia, Texas, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Arizona, etc. etc. The “dog whistles” are becoming less subtle all the time.

I truly believe America is at an inflection point and if “we the people” actually put people like Kevin McCarthy in charge of the House of Represenatatives and don’t realize the solution to problems in the Senate is not putting Moscow Mitch back in charge but is voting in MORE democrats we are in “big trouble” for the forseeable future. President Biden’s “bottom up middle out” approach to governing is, to me, something I’ve hoped for over the past many years. I’ve always been an “independent” voter – but, since the days of Bush/Cheney I’ve found myself voting AGAINST republicans. Biden’s agenda is the first legislation I can remember aimed at the lower and middle class going back to LBJ’s “Great Society.”

I have to add: Maybe the best way I can make my point about the problem caused by our “liberal media” would be pointing out how CBS “news” recently hired Mick Mulvaney – one of the master LIARS in individual 1’s administration. Mulvaney was directly involved in the EXTORTION of Volodymyr Zelenskyy leading to IMPEACHMENT number one of our TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president. Numerous employees of CBS were angered, embarrassed, fill in the blank over Mulvaney being hired as a “political consultant.” The explanation from whoever is in charge there was something along the lines of “The republicans are going to regain power in the Mid Terms and we want someone on the ‘in’ with that segment of the population.” Those aren’t the exact words, but what I can tell you is I shouldn’t have been so surprised when I read what she said. It is just another example of how our “liberal media” has allowed itself to be INFECTED by politicians as opposed to actual journalists. I realize I’m “painting with a broad brush” – but, if you’ve read this far, I hope it’s stimulated a bit of thought. My hope is, come November, LIBERALS will be voting in record numbers, once again! Mulvaney at CBS will be “unnecessary.”