If you are actually someone (or thing) which reads what I write on this “blog” you must know in the title I point out I was a sixth grade teacher in the last third of my working life. I taught in a high poverty Middle School for around 23 years and I’ve been active on this site since around 2008 – although, my opinions on issues like the NEED to vote the republican party as it exists today (actually, it’s MUCH worse now than it was when I first began making that claim) into the HISTORY books. Of course, it appears there haven’t been enough people listening to me YET, because they keep pushing the party farther to the RIGHT every year – when it seems they couldn’t go any farther and have ANY chance for political viability it just keeps getting worse.

A while ago I wrote that the Supreme Court’s extreme agenda would motivate many democrats to actually vote this coming November and that the January 6th Select Committee in the House would also motivate people to vote AGAINST republicans. Well, I hope I’m correct, but we won’t know for about three months and, trust me, these republicans can cause a LOT of DAMAGE between now and then. Six years ago I started writing about the potential DAMAGE Donald Trump could cause for “we the people” and now, there’s a “wave” of republicans who are trying to out-Trump Trump on the chance they could replace him on the 2024 ballot. Circular firing squad? Whatever!

By November, both sides – those who oppose Trump and those in his cult – could be extremely motivated. Remember, in several states the legislatures have passed laws which actually allow them to overturn the results they don’t like. This makes this an “uphill climb” for democrats – who, by most prognosticators, will lose control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate. However, the issue of ABORTION has motivated WOMEN all across America to vote in November. On top of that, it appears more and more Americans are becoming aware our democratic republic is, in essence, on the ballot this November. Could things get a lot worse? Well, duh! If republicans take control of either House of Congress you can bet the next two years will be “Trump-like” painful. History tells us democrats will fail to vote in large numbers in November! Yikes!!!

The optimist in me continues to hope “history” is wrong and “we the people” will turn out in record numbers for a mid term election. The republican LURCH to the “right” has been widely referred to as “Trumpism,” but I believe this “lurch” began many years ago and Trump was just the perfect “vehicle” to pull America’s white nationalist core into the “mainstream” of republican politics. Trump is a pathological LIAR and, sadly, the REQUIREMENT for any politician wanting to be “electable” on the republican side of things is having a willingness to LIE! And, we’re talking about bold faced LYING. You watch these candidates LYING and you get the idea they’re ALL a bunch of pathalogical LIARS – if you’re not familiar with someone who LIES that often they actually begin to believe their own LIES are “true” as the words flow off their tongues. KellyAnne Conway coined the term “alternate facts” to rationalize what is happening.

I know MANY people in my peer group (Baby Boomers) who’ve been lifelong republicans and they reflexively vote for republicans. I was talking to one of them today, a retired dentist, and he said, simply put “I always vote for republicans.” I asked him if he was aware that one of the top republicans in the House has credibly been accused of “child sex trafficking.” He said, no! Who is it? I said, “Matt Gaetz.” He had no idea who Matt Gaetz is and said, “Well, he’s go to go!” I thought to myself “I need to invite him to lunch where we can have a discussion about what he’s actually voting for” – because, to a large degree, he has no idea. And, in our district, our representative, who voted to impeach Trump, Jaimie Herrerra Beutler, she was defeated in the primary by a Matt Gaetz wannabee – named Joe Kent. Our district, years ago, was gerrymandered into a reliable republican district and, undoubtedly, there are MANY republicans who will vote for Kent with no idea what he stands for.

Kent will fit in nicely with Marjorie Taylor Green, Lauren Boebert, Jim Jordan, Gaetz (until he’s FINALLY indicted – come on Mr. Garland, do your job!) Paul Gosar, and the rest of the white nationalist republican caucus. It really is deflating for someone like me to see this great nation beginning to rot at her core. I likened it to dry rot a few years ago – it starts in a small place and, if not radicated, it just continues to spread getting worse EVERY year. Depending on the vote in November, it could get to the point where it’s in danger of “rotting” our system of government to the point where it will be unrecognizable. The DANGER posed by this is aimed directly at women, members of the LBGTQ community, the “Black and Brown” community, and, sadly, the younger Americans who are recognizing in increasing numbers the perils of the Climate Crisis.

Make no mistake – republicans recognize – and have recognized for years – they represent a MINORITY of the voting public so they’ve been busy working on a scheme to gain MINORITY control of our system of government – and, as I’ve said MANY times here, their “thinkers” are so far ahead of the democrats it’s almost no contest. I’m not the only one who’s wondering how much the democratic leadership understands the challenge facing “we the people” in this coming election. It’s NOT “business as usual.” Republicans have clearly gained CONTROL of the courts and they’re busy working to pass voter suppression legislation in virtually EVERY “red” state in the country. Their plan is to “fool proof” their “grasp” of the Electoral College for upcoming presidential elections and they’ve already gerrymandered enough districts nation wide to require democrats to have MILLIONS more votes nationwide in Congressional elections to have any chance of controlling the House.

Remember, when we’re talking about the Senate, it’s even worse than the House. For example, there are around 40 MILLION people in California and they get two Senators. South Dakota and North Dakota have around a Million and a half people – COMBINED – and they get FOUR Senators – almost always guaranteed to be republicans. Wyoming has less population statewide than the city I live right across the Columbia River from, Portland, Oregon and they get two Senators. The republican Senate caucus – whether in the “majority’ or not – represents a significant minority of the American people – ALWAYS! This is why we’re always seeing issues where LARGE majorities of the American people FAVOR one side of the issue and the republicans in the Senate ALWAYS stand in the way.

That is, unless they can manage to “win” the “White House” along with controlling the House. Remember, the last two republicans who “won” the “White House” did so with a significantly fewer number of “popular votes.” Bush/Cheney in 2000 actually “won” the presidential election via a declaration by the Supreme Court – with a 5-4 republican makeup AND, of course, with a 5-4 decision along “party lines.” For some reason “we the people” simply accepted that result – KNOWING that had the court allowed the Florida recount to be completed Al Gore more than likely would have been president (and, of course, there would have been NO Iraq invaion – just sayin!) Trump LOST by 3 MILLION to Mrs. Clinton and over 7 MILLION to Joe Biden – and, of course, Trump and ALL his minions are still claiming the “election was rigged.”

Let’s be clear, the only way the 2020 election would have been “rigged” would have been had Trump actually managed to get more Electoral College Votes than Biden. Trump did everything in his power to remain in office – likely anticipating legal entanglements he was facing once clear of the OLC memo which protected him from indictment while he was in office. Trump is so “dirty” that NUMEROUS acts that SHOULD have fallen under criminal scrutiny have simply been “washed away” – because there’s seeminglly always a new accusation of illegal activity every week. Just when I was thinking Trump was about to be indicted for SEDITION regarding his actions around the INSURRECTION it appears he’s facing possible INDICTEMENT for violating the ESPIONAGE Act. Sedition, Espionage, hell, what’s next? Actually, the only way it could get worse for Trump is if he’s charged with TREASON!

And, the FBI simply doing a search based on a “probable cause” warrant has the Trumpisphere “sh@#ting nickels.” It’s as if the very SAME people who were chanting “Lock her up” at Hillary Clinton over the use of an email server in her residence believe Trump should be able to break ALL the laws he wants to. We’ve listened to republican “leaders” attempting to “whitewash” the January 6th INSURRECTION, for example, for almost two ;years now. In the immediate aftermath even republicans were lambasting Trump for the attack on the Capitol, but it took only a couple of weeks and all of a sudden the INSURRECTION was “legitimate political discourse” or it was “regular visitors to the Capitol simply taking pictures” – as if all of us who watched it unfold right in front of our eyes were seeing things which weren’t there?

Trump SHOULDN’T get a “pass” from all his LAWBREAKING simply because he WAS the president (the TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president) – he is now what you’d call a “citizen” – and, he’s subject to the same laws as the rest of us. There are close to 1000 “ditto heads” being prosecuted because Trump whipped them into a fury and then directed them to attack the Capitol and “fight like hell or you won’t have a country anymore.” And, Trump – of course – continues pushing his “Big Lie” to this day – and, demands the same of anyone else calling themself a republican and wants to be in office. What this tells me is there are a LOT of STUPID republicans out there to continue believing this nonsense. And, worse yet, they continue sending him money.

Occasionally the republican mailing lists find my name somewhere and I get one of their – in this case Trump’s – emails asking for (the last one) $45 – apparently because he was the 45th president (although the ONLY one IMPEACHED twice – maybe he should ask for $2). When you look carefully at the solicitation – which I did – having, of course, no intention of helping his grifting – you see that the emails are designed to suck you into recurring donations you won’t notice (unless you check your bank balances regularly) until you’ve “donated” way more than you intended. Fortunately, for me, my email “app” has a “junk” option and I can block any more of this “junk” from coming my way. Josh Hawley managed to get through the firewall the other day and his email showed him with his fist raised to the INSURRECTIONISTS (a couple hours before he was hightailing it to a secret place in the Capitol’s depths running from the MOB he had just saluted) apparently, he thought that picture would be enough to get me to donate to his grift as well!

The bottom line is this republican party is fully willing to resort to fascism (and, that’s NOT hyperbole) in order to gain and maintain POWER. They’ve succeeded in polluting the courts with Trump appointees (which, may ultimately be their undoing) and they are working on a scheme to ensure republicans win elections up and down the ballots – or else! As I said above, if those in charge of the legislature – in several states now – don’t like the results of an election, they can simply “undo” it. Especially, when it comes to presidential elections and the electors coming from that state. (More evidence the Electoral College is as outdated as the way we choose our Senators) Americans MUST understand that, if they don’t like the decisions coming from the Supreme Court, EVERY election for the forseeable future is critical – any time republicans control the Senate they are committed to blocking judges nominated by a democratic president or ramming through right wing idealogues should they also control the “White House.”

Final Thought: I’ve been over this NUMEROUS times in the past four or so years – NO ONE should be “above the law” if we are truly going to remain a “nation of laws and not men.” The idea being thrown around by Trump and his sycophants that should he be prosecuted – right now they’re referring to his VIOLATING the Presidential Records Act and possibly the Espionage Act along with OBSTRUCTING the investigation – they will sick their violent extremist mobs into/onto the “streets.” To that I say, “so be it.” To me, the sooner we get this over with the better. For heaven’s sake, it SHOULD be clear to anyone paying close attention to the EVIDENCE presented by the Select January 6th Committee that Trump is LIKELY guilty of SEDITION – maybe the Justice Department can combine the charges regarding his flagrant misuse of CLASSIFIED documents and his inciting the INSURRECTION. I’ve been saying for years, Trump belongs in the history books right next to Benedict Arnold!

I wrote the other day about the distinct possiblity Donald Trump will be indicted for SEDITION in regards to the ASSAULT of our nation’s Capitol on January 6th, 2021. In that piece I suggested the only way this could get worse (for him) would be if the charge became TREASON. Of course, at that point in time I had no idea what the government was dealing with as they were attempting to get Trump to return documents which SHOULD never have been taken from the “White House” and are subject to the “Presidential Records Act” which says that any records of ANY converstation, written document, etc. etc. MUST remain with the National Archives for a number of years after any president leaves office. They belong to “we the people.”

OK, so I KNEW Trump could potentially be in deep “doo doo” because he had returned 15 BOXES full of documents which belonged in the Archives several months ago. Well, lately we’ve learned there was – as there always seems to be – MORE. On Monday of this week (it’s 8/12 as I’m writing this) the FBI executed a search warrant on the resort home of Trump at Mar a Lago in Southern Florida. This, of course, set off the right wing “blogosphere” with all kinds of threats and recriminations toward the FBI and Justice Department. For example, Kevin McCarthy issued a THREAT to Merrick Garland for when republicans take back control of the House. (Heaven forbid!)

Those who belong in the “basket of deplorables” began issuing threats of VIOLENCE aimed at the FBI, the Judge in the case, Mr. Garland, and who knows who else. SO, Garland did what the republican enablers of Trump were requesting and that was to “unseal” the warrant along with the list of items taken by the FBI. Well, had they given this a little thought, they may have waited a few days before “popping off.” After all, the original 15 boxes included several which contained “classified documents.” Plus, there was much we didn’t know then – we know more now, but there’s still much we don’t know. Trump apparently believed this documents were “his.”

Here’s where the term “STUPID” seems to come back in to play – sadly, that’s often the case with these republicans and when you think about it their “ditto heads” who will believe anything they say. There were ANOTHER 20+ boxes of documents which SHOULD have been either where they originally came from (ie “TS/SCI” ie “Top Secret” file room) or in the National Archives. Some of this stuff has the highest level of classification and, as you would expect from Trump’s sycophants, they’re claiming he waved his magic fingers over each box of classified documents – at some point in time – and de-classified them. Considering he thinks he’s still the president, maybe he did this just the other day.

Naturally, none of that makes sense to anyone with a logically working brain – which apparently excludes Trump and his republican sycophants – and, consider this: We also found out Justice Department agents visited Mar a Lago back a few months ago and didn’t get the documents (for some unknown reason back then) and, then, in early June Trump was subpoenaed to return the documents. Of course, that wasn’t good enough for Trump – he refused to honor the subpoena, which would have ENDED this whole thing (apparently) – so, now here we are. In the interim something happened to cause the Justice Department to feel they had to act PROMPTLY – supposedly there was someone who reported something to the Department which set the process into high gear.

That sends all kind of questions into my head. Like, “why did Trump feel he wanted these documents, which included highly classified information?” – some reports are suggesting there are documents relating to our nuclear capability. Who helped him gather the documents in order to ship them to his Florida home? How many people have seen ANY of these documents in the 18 months they’ve been where they’re NOT supposed to be? Are there fingerprints on any of the documents? (I ask that because, undoubtedly, Trump will LIE when asked to answer any of those questions) And, finally, when are republicans to begin the process of pulling away from their sycophantic behavior supporting this common CRIMINAL? (Don’t hold your breath!)

Marjorie Taylor Green has already begun selling hats and shirts with “defund the FBI” written on them. Ted Cruz DEMANDED that the “warrant be made public” – likely, until the warrant was made public. Josh Hawley sent me an email – with a photo of him raising his fist to the January 6th rioters just prior to when he was seen RUNNING away from them – asking me to send him money. I think you know how that ended. The list goes on and on and, in virtually EVERY instance, whatever the republican speaking says just seems STUPID! When will they learn to keep their mouths SHUT until at least some of the FACTS have become known. Again, don’t hold your breath.

So, just this week, Trump pled the “fifth” over 440 times in a deposition to the AG of New York regarding an investigation of his “Trump Organization” – with some people suggesting his organization has been committing various forms of FRAUD over a number of years. This could cause the demise of his personal business (not including his grifting of the “ditto heads”). This issue with the documents in Mar a Lago which SHOULDN’T have been in Mar a Lago now appears to be a much MORE serious issue than MOST people thought – one of the CRIMES of which their was “probable cause” has to do with the ESPIONAGE Act – and, trust me, that’s a bad one to be facing. Even if you’re our TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president.

Getting back to “Stupid” – it’s fairly obvious that is a “bipartisan” term. In the past couple of days, for example, I’ve been reading about Andrew Yang’s response to the FBI executing a Search Warrant on Trump’s estate. Remember, Yang was one of the candidates for the democratic nomination for president back in 2020. At the time, I had no idea where this guy came from and what should make me want to vote for him for president – but, soon after the primaries began he morphed back into obscurity. That is, UNTIL he decided to attempt starting a “third party” – the so-called Forward Party. In response to the FBI “visiting” Mar a Lago Yang apparently tweeted (I don’t do “Twitter” so I got this in a MSNBC blog post) “I fear we will look back on this as a day that activated extremism and not the opposite.”

That “tweet” puts Yang in the same category of a number of democrats who’ve come before him (apparently, Yang believes the democratic party is “too liberal”). Just look the other way when there’s misbehavior at the top, because we don’t want to make all these republicans angry. Here’s what I say to that type of thinking: “FOOEY!” (I hope that’s a word) In EVERY instance where lawbreaking by republican leaders has been IGNORED they’ve viewed the democratic response as weakness – and, the next time it ALWAYS gets worse.

Reagan and George HW Bush got away with their CLEAR involvement in the Iran/Contra affair because the Clinton administration apparently didn’t want the “distraction” – plus people felt sorry for Reagan because he had alzheimer’s. That emboldened George W Bush, Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, and others to feel perfectly “at ease” in authorizing TORTURE, claiming they could declare someone an “enemy combatant” by fiat, and that they could hold political prisoners indefinitely without charging them with a CRIME. That was BAD! But, obviously, Trump has been “exponentially” WORSE!

And, at this point in time, we don’t know how much WORSE Trump is? The reality, when you do a LITTLE checking is that Trump has been flouting the LAW for, well, forever. (Ok, most of his life would be a better way to put it) The New York AG is investigating alleged CRIMES which go way back in Trump’s “organization.” If you had read Robert Mueller’s report you would know Trump’s first couple of years in office were full of potential serious CRIMES – and, during the campaign of 2016 he not only solicited help from the Russians, but he paid off a couple women who he had illicit affairs with leading to him being given the monikker of “individual 1” by the Southern District of New York’s US Attorney’s office in a CRIME which led to Michael Cohen, Trump’s previous “fixer” going to prison for THREE years!

He topped all that off (he “got away” with all of it) by inciting an ASSAULT on our nation’s Capitol in a desperate attempt to remain in office despite the FACT he resoundingly LOST the election he was claiming he actually had won. Sadly, his followers seem to believe virtualy ANYTHING without a shred of evidence to support what has become a steady flow of LIES. Now, other “leaders” in the republican party have assumed they must spout the same LIES if they want to remain in POWER. (You could call today’s republican party a LYING hoard) And, now, it appears, Trump is facing a possible charge of violating the ESPIONAGE Act!

Yep, ESPIONAGE Act. That means the government suspects Trump has somehow threatened our national security – the thing republicans used to be most worried about. He had documents with the HIGHEST level of classification there is – sitting in Mar a Lago for the past 20 months. I listed some of the questions I have above, but I find it very interesting republicans are soiling themselves once again in a scurry of attempts to rationalize away the seriousnes of what Trump just might be up to. Once again, who else saw these documents?

Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, Elise Stefanik, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and Marco Rubio are just some of the republicans who I’ve heard/read about attacking the FBI for having the “nerve” (my characterization) to search the home of a former president. Keeping in mind they appear to have lost contact with the reality Trump is simply another citizen at this point in time. It appears they all believe, as he portrays himself, that Trump is STILL president – therefore he can’t be “touched” for his lawbreaking. Well, I’ve got news for the whole bunch of them. This “ESPIONAGE” thing is just the “tip of the iceberg.” He’s facing a plethora of other potential CRIMINAL and civil charges which, as I’ve been predicting for at least 4 years now (since I read Mueller’s report), will keep him busy defending himself for MOST of the rest of his life.

If, as Yang fears, prosecuting Trump for his ILLEGAL behavior pulls the “right” together behind him, so be it. This “looking the other way” to CRIMES by leading politicians or powerful corporate leaders needs to be a thing of the past. As I’ve said in many of my previouis posts, there is so much “EVIDENCE” in the public realm that NOT prosecuting Trump will cause MORE division than doing what is right – which is PROVING to “we the people” that “no one is above the law.”

Final Thought: I believe this degeneration of the republican party showed itself in its FULL “glory” back with the emergence of the so-called “Tea Party.” This “wave” was what brought us Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows plus “a whole lot more.” Well Meadows, in my view, is facing some serious legal issues going forward, and I’m not even thinking about his election FRAUD in North Carolina (I’m still wondering how many times he voted in 2020?) Was Jordan involved in Trump’s conspiracy??? My point is, it was the “Tea Party” which brought all the white nationalists out from under their rocks in response to the election of Barack Obama. (You’ll notice Trump still mentions his middle name when referencing Obama – I wonder why?) Trump won their “hearts” by taking the lead in the “birther” movement.

I’ve written many times “we the people” have been “chasing our tails” in what has seemed like a futile attempt to keep up with the CORRUPTION – ie LAW BREAKING – of former president Donald Trump. Of course, the alleged CRIMES committed by Trump go way back prior to him taking (LYING about) the OATH of office, but the COLLUSION with Russia and all the OBSTRUCTION of Justice alleged during the Russia investigation was – for people like me who actually read the Mueller Report – clearly grounds for IMPEACHMENT.

Naturally, Trump couldn’t leave well enough alone – after William Barr obscured the TRUTH which was in Mueller’s report – so, the next day (I believe after Mueller testified to Congress) he decided to attempt a shakedown of Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, in order to force Zelensky to order an investigation of Joe Biden. Let me clarify if you don’t “get it:” Right after feeling he got off the hook for his LAWBREAKING regarding the “Russia thing” where he sought help in the 2016 election he tried to BRIBE Zelensky for help in the 2020 election. If you don’t know this – it’s against the LAW to seek help from any foreign entity in our elections. Full Stop!

I wrote that yesterday and, of course, as I’ve said, “It’s hard to keep up with all of Trump’s CORRUPTION.” So, soon after I saved and left those two paragraphs in order to “capture the thought” I was having at the time, Trump’s “home” at Mar a Lago was SEARCHED by a team of FBI agents who had a warrant to find ?????? Naturally, this caused Trump – who was in New York in order to deal with another of his legal headaches (testifying in the NY AG’s investigation of the Trump Organization) to get his depends “all in a bunch.” Apparently, he STILL believes he’s above the law as if he really is still president.

News Flash: Donald Trump really is NOT the president, he’s simply another “citizen” and he’s no longer protected by the now infamous OLC “memo” which saved his butt during the Russia Investigation from up to 10 instances of OBSTRUCTION of Justice. Naturally, the right wing message boards filled up with THREATS to – well, the FBI ???? or ????? from some of the same wack jobs who stormed the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. Was there anything in this world which was more predictable?

About three or four years ago I wrote about reading the book “Rising out of Hatred” about the transformation of Derek Black, the son of former KKK Grand Wizard Don Black and the heir apparent of the white nationalist movement which has a portal at Stormfront.com. After reading this book I did a little ‘poking’ around in the places frequented by Mr. Black and Derek’s God Father David Duke – another former Grand Wizard of the Klan. These people were enthusiastic supporters of Trump and considered him their “vehicle” into the mainstream of American politics. Them along with their brethren in the white nationalist movement represent a significant portion of the “patriots” (ie CRIMINALS) who attacked our Nation’s Capitol on 1/6 2021. Mr. Duke famously congratulated Trump after Trump’s infamous “very fine people on both sides” comment following the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville back in 2017 and they have been an important part of the republican base since Trump took over the party.

These people (the ones who marched on Charlottesville chanting “Jews will not replace us” while toting Tiki Torches and wearing Nazi armbands and carrying Nazi/Confederate flags) continue to demonstrate why Hillary Clinton referred to them as “a basket of deplorables” during the 2016 campaign. While those comments have been widely considered a major “gaffe” for Mrs. Clinton back then, I’m constantly reminded how prescient she was. When you consider republicans have always considered themselves the “party of law and order” it has almost become laughable – the only reason I would suggest I’m not laughing is because this all is very serious. Trump and his cowardly sycophants continue their staging of what has been called a “slow motion coup d’etat.”

I bring this up because, despite my declining years and difficulty with my memory, there are certain things/issues that come back “clear as a bell.” So, as I’m thinking about Trump having a search warrant executed on his property (remember, there MUST be probable cause a CRIME has been committed and a JUDGE must sign off on the warrant), all the times I listened to Trump claim he was a “law and order” president are flashing in front of my mind while I listen to him and his COWARDLY republican sycophants complaining about the FBI and the Justice Department. Do you find it ironic republicans like Majorie Taylor Green, Matt Gaetz, Marko Rubio, and others are calling for “defunding the FBI?” Kevin McCarthy, without having ANY idea why the FBI was in Mar a Lago, made a direct threat to Merrick Garland. And, the right wing message boards??? Yikes! For heaven’t sake, what are all these people going to be doing when Trump gets INDICTED for Sedition? (Along with, well, maybe some of these very people spouting off as if they’re “shocked” Trump could EVER be held accountable for his lawlessness)

Speaking of my memory being jogged. I’m pretty sure I remember Trump, back when he was suggesting Hillary Clinton should be jailed for using a personal email server while Secretary of State (just like Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell before her), commenting on his thoughts regarding those who “take the fifth” when in front of law enforcement questioning. I believe he said something along the lines of taking the “fifth” is something you do when you’re guilty of a crime and, as usual, there’s always more – he added that this is something “mobsters” do. Well, apparently, he’s confirming what I’ve been saying for years now – he’s a low level mob boss. I suggest that because, today, he took the “fifth” OVER 440 times in a deposition he was FORCED to give in the NY AG’s office investigation of the Trump Organization. I’m sure Trump will find a way to LIE about this to his base – like, in his case, taking the “fifth” is justified – because, well, because he’s Trump!

Now, there’s a good reason why “we the people” have the privilege of “taking the fifth” – it’s part of our constitutional guarantees – that you can’t be forced to give incriminating evidence against yourself – but, in the case of civil litigation, which was the case today regarding Trump’s 440+ times of taking the “fifth,” if this litigation goes to a trial there can be an “inference” of guilt because there are potentially only financial penalties opposed to criminal ones. What this means is, it appears to me, the Trump Organization could be on very shaky grounds at this point in time. If the reports of various kinds of FRAUD are true regarding Trump’s business the financial penalties could be significant enough to take down the entire business. (Shortly after he was elected I predicted there would come a day when he would “rue” the day he decided to run for president. That day may have finally arrived)

Remember, this is but ONE of MANY instances of legal liability our TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president is facing. I suggested well before he was resoundingly defeated at the polls in November of 2020 (by well over 7 MILLION votes) he could be spending the rest of his life, once out of office, defending himself in court. Aside from the NY AG investigation and the FBI searching of his residence (which requires allegations of a CRIME) there is the CRIMINAL investigation happening in Fulton County, Georgia, there’s the January 6th, 2021 investigation (Sedition), There’s still the investigation by the Manhattan DA (which seems to be stalled) and there are NUMEROUS civil lawsuits regarding the January 6th, 2021 INSURRECTION where those initiating the lawsuits are seeking damages in excess of a BILLION dollars – I believe there’s a couple of those. And, that’s just off the top of my aging head!

The sad part in all of this is the NOISE being created by the most loony of his supporters on right wing websights – which I don’t follow, just hear about – where the threatening of – well – I guess it would be anyone who opposes Trump – is raging in “high gear.” As I questioned above, we don’t even know what prompted this search, but what are these people going to do when Trump is put in handcuffs and taken to a Federal Courthouse while being charged with one of the most egregious crimes on the books, Sedition? People I know who are part of Trump’s CULT didn’t pay any attention to the January 6th Committee’s hearings – despite the FACT almost EVERY witness who testified was a republican and, in MOST cases, someone who actually was working in the “White House” for Trump. In other words, first hand witnesses to “deplorable” CRIMINAL activity.

Some of those squawking the loudest – members of Congress like Marjorie Taylor Green, Jim Jordan, Scott Perry, Andy Biggs, Louie Ghomert, Paul Gosar, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and others maybe should be keeping their mouths SHUT because, in my view, Trump is part of a significant CONSPIRACY and based on my understanding of the laws they’ll all be liable for – the same CRIME. You’ll notice – if you’re paying attention – that you’re not hearing a “peep” out of people like. for example, Ginni Thomas. I believe she’s definitely part of the “alleged” CONSPIRACY and figures if she “lays low” maybe no one will notice her role in encouraging the coup d’etat. Oh yes, of course, I forgot to mention Mark Meadows, Peter Navarro, Steve Bannon, Mike Flynn, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis – and, I’m sure others, these are the ones I can pull off the top of my head – and, that’s not mentioning all the FAKE electors who “allegedly” committed FRAUD when signing the FAKE elector document which was sent to Congress.

These are the “leaders” of the republican party I’ve been lamenting about for nearly 20 years now. In fact, I almost can’t believe one of the republicans I actually admire is the daughter of Dick Cheney who, in my view, was laying the foundation for this “lurch” to the “right” back when he was hell bent on sending American troops, needlessly, into Iraq for a quagmire which had way too much resemblance with Viet Nam for me – which I stated at the time. And, the idea that an American president could label someone an “enemy combatant” – at his/her whim – and, hold them indefinitely without charges was anathema to every fiber of my being! To top it off, feeling comfortable authorizing TORTURE was what really set me off. So, I find it awkward, to say the least, that I’ve come to admire Liz Cheney – based only on her belief in the value of telling the TRUTH!

So, whatever the “probable cause” which initiated the FBI SEARCH of Trump’s Mar a Lago home/resort/???, I believe it will “pale” when compared to the impending CHARGES Trump is LIKELY to be facing in the coming months. Can he be charged with TWO federal CRIMES at the same time – I believe the answer to that is a resounding YES! However, I hope the Justice Department is tired of “chasing its tail” and will focus on the most EGREGIOUS of the CRIMES which, to me, is an easy call. SEDITION is at the head of the “class,” when it comes to EGREGIOUS crimes – in my mind, the only way to make this worse is if the charge would be TREASON – which, when you think about it could be the reason for the SEARCH of Trump’s Florida (illegal) residence. The ONLY charge more serious than SEDITION would, of course, be TREASON. I can see where Trump’s actions would constitute “Treason” (Treason: the betrayal of allegiance toward one’s own country, especially by committing hostile acts against it or aiding its enemies in committing such acts) but, I believe SEDITION will be easier to prove in court.

Final Thought: I live in a right wing section of a state considered to be “liberal.” My representative, republican Jaimie Herrera Beutler – who voted to IMPEACH Trump – lost her primary to one of the most disgusting candidates the republicans will put on the General election ballot this November. Sadly, this person, Joe Kent, is likely to “win” because the district I’m in was Gerrymandered a few years ago (2010) to almost guarantee a republican representative each election cycle. Kent is someone who listed Matt Gaetz as the member of Congress he most looks up to, someone who’s aligned with the white nationalist movement, and someone who continues LYING about the results of the 2020 election. (Remember, to these nut jobs, the ONLY election which was “rigged” was the one for president – not their own)

I’ve pointed out I’ve always been an “independent voter” – although in recent years I’ve found myself voting AGAINST republicans. For sure, I’ll be doing that this November, likely to no good. My hope is those republicans who supported Ms Beutler will NOT support Kent. There is little political advertising around these parts save for all the road SIGNS you pass when going into town (I live in a rural setting) so you can pretty much count on republicans voting for republicans, no matter what, and vice versa with democrats. The problem in this instance is there are more republicans than democrats where I live. I’m bracing myself to have to stomach a “marjorie Taylor Green” like candidate coming from my own district. I’m on my knees praying this will not come to pass. Kent is a favorite on Tucker Carlson’s show, Steve Bannon’s “war room,” and the like. Yikes!!!! Stay tuned………………..

I may have been wrong the MANY times I wrote about my frustration waiting for Merrick Garland to give me a “sign” he’s not afraid of the “division” which WILL be caused by INDICTING Trump! I can’t think of anything I’m more excited about being WRONG about! AG Garland has put the “onus” on Trump when it comes to the purpose of the SEARCH which happened earlier this week. Numerous of Trump’s sycophants have been clammoring for the Justice Department to “release the details” of what they seized and why they seized it. Well, what’s the old saying, “Be careful of what you wish for?” Today, AG Garland announced the Justice Department has requested the Florida Court where the search warrant originated to “unseal” the details in the warrant and what was seized – UNLESS Trump objects! The first thought I had when I listened to Garland announcing why the Justice Department was doing this was “check mate.” (How will Trump explain to all his “ditto heads” why he objects to making this all public?)

If you listen carefully to all the republicans explaining why they’re up in arms, you’ll hear them accuse the Justice Department of being like the “Gestapo” – I’ve explained republican “projection” on many occasions here – that’s a great example of it. “If we lose an election it must have been rigged!”

Today, in my email inbox I got a request for MONEY from none other than Josh Hawley – based on the SEARCH of Trump’s property. Of course, I suppose they’re ALL (meaning republican Trump sycophants) attempting to use their “outrage” that our government would SEARCH the home of a former (CRIMINAL) president to raise money. I just found it interesting Hawley somehow got my email address and thought I might fall for his shtick. Again, I would find this all laughable if these people weren’t so dangerous. And, to me, Hawley is right at the top of the list. (Hawley even included a photo of himself raising his fist to the January 6’th INSURRECTIONISTS – right before he was seen desperately RUNNING away from them.

Once again, my apologies for publishing without editing. You’re correct – I’m lazy!

I know many “conservatives” who are Trump supporters and who, likely, haven’t watched a minute of the Select Committee on the January 6th INSURRECTION and continue to believe the assault on our Capitol was “legitimate political discourse.” And, of course, they’ve spent the past 7 or so years believing the words coming from Trump’s mouth despite the FACT he’s a pathological LIAR. (OK, I’m not a psychologist – but, as a Middle School teacher I learned how to identify pathological LIARS) Here’s the bottom line; Merrick Garland, at this point in time, with all we KNOW about Trump’s attempted coup d’etat, has no choice but to INDICT our TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president for one of the most SERIOUS crimes on the “books” – which is SEDITION.

And, when you consider the EVIDENCE of what Trump and his collaborators did in the 2016 election along with Trump’s fealty to Vladimir Putin over the past 6 years. When you look at his disregard for our constitution since the day he took the OATH to defend it against “all enemies foreign and domestic” and his willingness to disregard that OATH in order to CHEAT himself into a second term it’s not hard to come to the conclusion the MAIN crime he should be indicted for would be TREASON! I’ve been saying for five years now he’s going to end up right next to Benedict Arnold in our history books.

Trump will likely be indicted as the “linchpin” of a large conspiracy to overthrow the results of a “free and fair” election – the ONLY time in American histroy a president has attempted such a thing. Personally, I believe Trump COULD be charged with TREASON (as I just explained). Here’s the definition of TREASON: “The betrayal of allegiance toward one’s own country, especially by committing hostile acts against it or aiding its enemies in committing such acts.” I’m thankful he FAILED and I’ll be even more thankful when he’s defending himself in court. The evidence we KNOW about – that which is in the public domain already – suggests OVERWHELMING guilt.

That all being said, about 15% of America will be very unhappy when Trump is indicted and, of course, these are the kind of people you see driving their pickups around with American flags and Trump flags flying in the breeze – with AR-15’s cradled across the rear window of their rigs. Will this be the “flash point” some of these “deplorables” have been waiting for in order to pick up the steam on the so-called “slow moving coup” which has been spreading across the so-called “red states” since the day Joe Biden took the oath of office. Remember, the thugs who showed up on January 6th were ARMED and had every intention of KILLING members of Congress and, especially, Mike Pense.

As an aside, Pense continues to show his lack of courage – despite finding it on the 6th of January, 2021 – as he’s begun an attempt to grovell his way into the good graces of the MAGA world in an attempt to build a run for the republican nomination in 2024. When you listen to him you realize just how pitiful he’s capable of being – despite, at least in my case, wanting to give him some grace after he refused Trump’s orders to carry out his coup plans on January 6th, 2021. The reality is Pense will NOT do anything which might cause the republican base to shun him – although, that’s likely exactly what is going to happen. Pense SHOULD be acting more like Liz Cheney and showing at least a little amount of COURAGE. (Of course, it is hard for me to ignore the almost four full years of Pense acting like a robot around Trump.

Here’s a rub for me with pundits who I watch on TV (when I choose to do so) – they almost always talk about Trump in terms of him being the “frontrunner” for the republican nomination for president in 2024! OK, I have this question: Can he run for president from a jail cell or court room? Do they simply assume Merrick Garland won’t have the guts to indict “a former president?” I believe the evidence of Trump’s complicity in the most DANGEROUS conspiracy this country has faced – well, maybe EVER – makes it NOW likely he’s going to be indicted. There are many aspects of all this I’ve been “reporting” on for over four years now – that many in the so-called “liberal media” are finally catching on to. One of them is that Trump is a wannabe mob boss who thinks like an organized criminal. (ie – his disdain for people who tell the TRUTH – people he refers to as “rats”)

I started calling him a “mob boss” about four years ago (maybe five – it’s in the archives if you’ve got a lot of time on your hands) and I’ve been explaining the republican party has become a hotbed for FASCISM for several years now. Of course, I’ve had to point out to anyone who’s associated with republicans and who throw that word (fascist) around cavalierly what the meaning of the word actually is – and demonstrate what I mean. Well, now we have the republicans cozying up to Viktor Orban – the fascist leader of Hungary – as if he’s the new Ronald Reagan of the party. Orban is a fascist in the same vein as Vladimir Putin only without all the nukes – he has to be a bit more subtle. But it’s classic fascism as if it came directly from 1930’s Germany, complete with the “anit-immigrant” and “anit-semitic” dog whistles.

I’ve been pointing out for years the U.S. is ALREADY a borderline FASCIST state based on the definition which eminated from Mussolini’s time in Italy – a partnership of the government and corporate powers. We’ve seen this evolution since the Supreme Court intervened in the 2000 election in favor of Bush/Cheney, the power of the Supreme Court growing in the intervening years with decisions like “Citizens United,” the gutting of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – both section 5 and section 2 – which has opened the door to the flood of voter suppression bills being passed in states across America since the 2020 election, the support of partisan gerrymandering (especially in republican states), the support for GUNS, and most recently, the issue of abortion – one decision after another which amounts to “legislating from the bench.”

The republicans have a friendly court which is going to be that way likely for at least a generation and should they retake control of Congress in the 2022 midterms they are planning to make it near impossible for democrats to return to power – no matter how the votes are cast. I mean, when you take a close look at who’s running on the republican side in MANY important statewide elections across the nation it’s a bunch of “election deniers.” That is, if the elections don’t go their way they’re going to “deny them.” Candidates for governor or Secretary of State in several “swing states” saying they won’t certify an election they don’t agree with. The republican nominee for governor in Arizona was recently claiming she wouldn’t accept the results of the election (she was LOSING at the time) but she “changed her tune.” Of course, you know the reason – it turned out she got the nomination – so the election was “no longer rigged.” Ye gads!

Will Americans vote for these wack jobs in large enough numbers for them to actually win in the general election? Well, we’ll have to stay tuned on that one – obviously, I hope not. Another area where I’ve been ACCURATELY pointing out the reality of republican CORRUPTION is be pointing out their penchant for PROJECTION! We’ve all spent about two years listening to the claim (without a shred of evidence) our “elections are rigged” and we’ve listened to the so-called “stop the steal” movement among these right wing “deplorables.” Well, here’s the TRUTH – it’s the republicans who are working OVERTIME in order to RIG the upcoming elections and, in essence, they are attempting to STEAL the 2022 mid-terms because Donald Trump failed to STEAL the 2020 election! (Although, many of them are still focused on doing just that – yah STILL!)

I’ve pointed out here it almost pains me to give kudos to Liz Cheney because there’s little she believes, politically, I agree with. However, the KEY thing I agree with her on is the importance of telling the TRUTH to the American people and politicians being TRUTHFUL with their own voters. I have come to look at her as a person of HONOR – in fact, at this point in time, I would suggest she would have the best chance to win in 2024 of any republican because, aside from Adam Kinsinger, we haven’t seen many republicans with the courage to speak the TRUTH to the American people and/or their voters.

Here’s where I agree with Liz Cheney – for the next two elections it is imperative that independents (like me – even though most people think I’m a democrat) and disaffected republicans coalesce around democrats to vote AGAINST republicans until the republican party is purged of these COWARDLY members who KNOW better but don’t have the guts to say so publicly because their job is more important to them than their country. This is why, in the long run, I believe Liz Cheney will be the “bedrock” of the republican party – once these right wing white nationalists are scurrying back under the rocks they were hiding when Barack Obama was elected and they hit the “white nationalist” panic button.

I don’t want to paint them all with a “broad brush” – but, to me, wilful ignorance is no excuse for a willingness to do to this country what Hitler failed to do in WW II. I’ve written about a former acquaintance who I used to have breakfast with regularly – someone who joined the “Trump train” – knowing what a low life Trump was at the time (I believe an “anti abortion” republican) and who I just got to the point where I couldn’t tolerate (in my mind) some of the things he said to me. And, after he became an election denier (he SHOULD be smarter than that, but……) I started remembering things he said to me over the past few years. The first thing which came to mind was him saying (several times) that he didn’t believe in “democracy.” And, at one time he implied he didn’t think “inner city” Blacks should be voting! Yikes!! I tolerated those remarks as “not serious” until after the election and the refusal to accept the results. (He had predicted a Trump “landslide”) Then……………………

On the night of the election, when – after the election day votes were counted and Trump had a lead of something like 600,000 votes in Pennsylvania he emailed me that Trump had “won” the election. I emailed him back “don’t get ahead of your ski’s – there’s something like 1.5 MILLION mail in votes to be counted and reports are about 80% of them were cast by democrats. My “prediction” proved to be correct – he even had predicted “when Trump wins ‘liberals’ are going to react violently in the streets” – and, I suggested the exact opposite was going to be true. (Of course, I did not anticipate right wing zealots would go so far as to ATTACK the CAPITOL of our great nation – but, well……………… that’s what happened, isn’t it?)

That get’s to the bottom of why Trump and his white nationalist followers are so dangerous – Trump was “grooming” these “ditto heads” (in the words of Rush Limbaugh) for the so-called “rigged election” well before the election happened – saying over and over again to his CULT “The only way I lose is if the election is rigged.” He encouraged republican voters to vote on election day – because those votes are counted first – in Pennsylvania, for example, they can’t even count the mail in votes until the next day – so he could “declare victory” and then claim the election was “stolen” after all the mail in votes were counted and Joe Biden was declared the WINNER! He KNEW what was going to happen all along – It was all planned out ahead of time. (In fact, he was planning the same shtick back in 2016 when Roger Stone coined the phrase “Stop the Steal” because he thought for sure he would lose to Hillary Clinton.)

And, speaking of the 2016 election – for those of you who don’t believe the Russians influenced the outcome of the 2016 election and haven’t read Robert Mueller’s two volume account of the “Russia Investigation” you should read “Collusion – Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win” by Luke Harding of “The Guardian.” I’ve had this book for a few years just sitting by my nightstand and have no idea why I waited until now to read it – but, it’s an “eye opener.” Suffice it to say, our “liberal media” didn’t do such a bang up job researching the credibility of Christopher Steele – he of the now infamous “dossier” – I’m sure much to his relief. He NEVER intended for his “dossier” to be made public and, to me, it’s a shame the parts of it which are clearly prescient have been lost in the FOG of all the CRAP (out of a reluctance to use a more appropriate noun) Trump pulled off in the interim. The “whirly dervish” of CORRUPTION was simply too much for “we the people” to keep up with.

Possibly the worst part of Steele’s “dossier” being published would be the Russians who were “frog marched” from the Kremlin with bags over their heads apparently because the information in the “dossier” implicated them as Steele’s sources. Steele went into hiding for a month or more in order to attempt to take the focus off him (possibly from the Russians – they are experts with poison after all) because he was genuinely worried about the safety of his sources. While much in the “dossier” was “unverified” Steele, himself put the likelihood it was true as very high – and, of course, much of it turned out to be true. What is undeniable is the COLLUSION between the Trump campaign and the Russians – we’ll never know the full effect it had on the outcome, but in my mind (with a little help by James Comey) it’s the reason we were all subjected to Trump’s reign in the “White House” and his continuing assault on our republic in absentia. Please Merrick Garlan, put an end to this nightmare!

Here’s the good news! The Select Committee on January 6th is going to have additional hearings – hopefully in prime time – and the democrats are going to have the opportunity to make republicans WEAR their COWARDICE and their support for UNPOPULAR public policy and political CORRUPTION between now and November. The bad news – I don’t have a lot of confidence in democrats to take this FIGHT directly to the people (and republicans) in EVERY district in this nation. I noticed today that gas prices are coming down for all those voters who would blame President Biden for them going up (that’s what I call “wilfull ignorance” – Biden’s attempting to head off WW III for those not paying attention to what’s going on in Ukraine – and, trust me, Ukraine’s not happening because Trump lost in 2020 – had he won, Putin would have annexed Ukraine in a matter of a few days – NATO would LIKELY be “no more,” and ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, suffice it to say, I thank God Joe Biden is president!

For anyone who believes abortion is an issue which is private between a woman, her doctor, and her faith they would need to be voting AGAINST republicans for the foreseeable future – because republicans already have a 6-3 majority on the Court and should republicans gain control of Congress once again they’ve already said NO Court appointments by a democratic president will be considered (Like Garland in 2015-2016) and they’ve pledged to pass legislation making abortion ILLEGAL in all 50 states. So, for those who are focused on that issue it’s “on the ballot” for the foreseeable future. If Kansas’ recent referendum on abortion is any indication, this could be an issue which hangs as a “heavy weight” around the necks of many republican candidates for office nationwide. After all, women make up more than HALF of this great nation!

And, as far as our democratic republic is concerened all you have to do is listen to the candidates for governor in Pennsylvania and Arizona on the republican side to realize they’re counting on democrats NOT voting come November and gaining a stronghold in our nation during a “mid-term” election with low voter turnout. Will it work? Well, as I just said above, it remains to be seen if democrats have the “will” (I was going to use a cruder term) for this FIGHT. However, we do have people like Liz Cheney, the Lincoln Project, and other republican affiliated groups who willingly want to coordinate with democrats in order to defeat republicans. To me, that makes it doable – but democrats MUST understand the CRITICAL aspects of this election and the importance of pulling this coordination together. Some of their (democrats) accomplishments have been significant, but the voters need to understand the STAKES of this election and why voters should support them. Yes, inflation is bad, but fascism is WORSE! That needs to be driven “home” in local election after local election! Stay tuned………………

Final Thought: One republican “trick” I keep thinking about as I read about local statewide legislation being proposed in various states which is worded almost identical to legislation in other states is how the organization ALEC works. ALEC (American Legislative Exchance Council) – a Koch funded group – writes legislation for state legislators around the country – going from one state to the next in order to simplify the process for right wing state legislators. That’s why many of these proposed statewide abortion bans seem so similar. I don’t believe democrats have a “competitive council” and they haven’t even made much of a “stink” around the nation that, in essence, Charles Koch is behind much of the local legislation at the statewide level. I’ve said this many times, the republican operation is “light years” more sophisticated than the democrats – which seems to lead to democrats seeming to be “reactive” in too many instances. People SHOULD know about ALEC and the extent of the DAMAGE they’re doing to our republic.

I have to add: One reason why I believe Trump’s indictment is a ways away is because he’s part (the head) of a HUGE conspiracy which COULD draw in over 100 “co-conspirators” – including several sitting members of Congress, the wife of a Supreme Court Justice, a gaggle of Trump’s “lawyers” (if they’re still lawyers by the time of the indictment) and a whole bunch of “suckers” in various states who signed FRAUDULENT documents claiming to be the “real electors” of their state. Additionally, there were people who were funding this, people on the periphery like Roger Stone, Mike Flynn, a recent lawsuit loser of about $50 MILLION Alex Jones, and who knows who else? I’ve written about what it takes to be part of a CONSPIRACY and it’s really not all complicated. Were you ANY part of the plan? Were you encouraging the plan? Probably really COMPLICATED from the standpoint of the Justice Department!

My apologies, I’m publishing this without re-reading and editing it – a “no no” for my 6th graders when I was still teaching!