The thoughts are swirling through my head as I try to process that a majority of American voters chose a TRAITOR and a FELON to be the next president of the United States. Not to mention a alleged serial sexual predator and Fraudster. (I’ve got two rants going on in my head at once) My heart is grieved by what is happening in our nation. And, the most important part to me, as I was sitting in church today, I know about 70% of the people in the service voted for Trump. (In my state, it didn’t matter as much because Washington, as a state, voted for Kamala Harris) These people, during the service, made it clear to me they have no idea what is coming.

All I could think about as I was trying to get to sleep last night was all the times in this blog I’ve talked about the fundamental characteristic of FASCISM being a government/corporation partnership. This couldn’t have been more obvious as we all watched Elon Musk attempting (and apparently succeeding) with BUYING votes in Pennsylvania and other “swing states.” His $150 MILLION “investment” in Trump has already paid off to the tune of about an increase in his net worth of about $30 BILLION in the three days following the election. Trump is going to put Musk in a place where he’s overseeing his own financial empire. That’s not a good look – if you still believe in our democratic republic.

It’s not only Musk. Jeff Bezos, as we all know, blocked the Washington Post from endorsing Kamala Harris and was then the FIRST to call and congratulate Trump. These American OLIGARCHS know how to play Trump and they can’t get enough money – it’s like they’re making a rush to be the first TRILLIONAIRE. Musk is now worth close to $300 BILLION and Bezos is nearing $250 BILLION. And, there’s Mark Zuckerberg who’s worth around $200 BILLION. When you think about the POWER of Social Media and the coming reality the Justice Department will undoubtedly stop the lawsuits attempting to break up these corporations who have monopolies. Their “donations” to Trump have/will pay off handsomely. Corporate dominance of our society has been on a steady rise since Lewis Powell sent his now infamous “memo” to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce laying out the plan which has finally reached full truism. (It started to take shape with Ronald Reagan and Trump has applied the exclamation point)

That is simply the “foundation” of the reality we’ll all be facing (even for those of you who voted for Trump and haven’t read Project 2025). Trump has made “promises” which many seem to think were just his normal “hot air” – but, they aren’t aware of the number of corporate interests which were behind Project 2025. The shit is going to hit the fan starting on January 20, 2025. We’ll likely never know how many voters were purged during the election or chose to stay home. We’ll likely not know how many young people Musk influenced to vote for Trump. We won’t know the full effect of the hundred or so BOMB threats at polling stations across several “battleground states.” What we do know is that 3 out of 10 women who voted for abortion care in their states also voted for Trump. MORE women voted for Trump in this election than in 2016. And, he’s going to take care of them, “whether they like it or not.” This all is like a bad dream to me.

So, you think this is all hyperbole. Well, just think about what we KNOW. Trump will now get away with serial violations of the laws he’s soon expected to take an oath to “preserve, protect, and defend.” That oath is to the constitution which Trump has said he will terminate. Any “oath” Trump takes, this one with a hand on the Bible, will take place with his fingers crossed behind his back. When his lips are moving, he’s LYING.

We also KNOW Trump stole highly classified documents the last time he left office and, when he forced the FBI to search his home (Mar a Lago), there were Top Secret documents missing. Do you think they were shared during the SEVEN phone calls with Putin, which should have caused Trump to be investigated for violating the Logan Act? We KNOW Trump shared some of that CLASSIFIED information with strangers – do you really believe he would be capable of not sharing it with Putin? And, Musk? He has been calling Putin as well, what’s that all about? Trump, Musk, and anyone associated with Trump’s administration will be “above the law” on January 20th. And, is alleged FELON and disbarred attorney Jeffrey Clark really going to nominated to be the next Attorney General? Yikes! (So says Steve Bannon)

Then there’s Vladimir Putin. He has been vocal about his anger at the demise of the former Soviet Union, blaming the United States. He’s been polluting Social Media in America for much longer than the time we’ve been stuck with Trump and his sycophants. The leaders in Russia are doing jumping jacks with big smiles on their faces – they’ve succeeded at getting their “useful idiot” back in the “White House.” Putin has used our open society against us in an attempt to prove democracy doesn’t work. And, he’s had a compliant republican party whether those in the party recognize it or not. It appears Putin has succeeded. (My heart grieves for the valiant people in Ukraine)

I’ve been trying to listen to/watch “news” programs – I watch MSNBC when I watch anything – and I don’t last long as the program “hosts” and their guests are attempting to “put lipstick on a pig.” I’m not sure how many people fully understand what’s coming. Trump being manipulated by the worst dictators in the world – and NATO automatically on shaky ground. Elon Musk having untold POWER to further his own interests and to put “temporary pain” on the rest of us as he promised during the campaign. And, unbelievably to me, Robert Kennedy, in the words of Trump, “having his way with the medical” (or words to that effect). Bad dream? Sadly, not so! That’s just a small part of what’s coming. It’s like “democracy” has been tied to the tracks and here comes the train. It could get really ugly.

I only made it through the prologue and the first hundred or so pages of Project 2025, but I didn’t need to read any further. This is a roadmap to a fascist state and Trump is the perfect vessel for the 170, or so, right wing political “leaders” and the right wing corporate interests who laid out the plan which avoids what they refer to as the pitfalls of Trump’s first four years inflicting incompetence and pain on America. In their minds it SHOULD have been much worse. There were people in the “White House” who actually believed in the oath they had to take to get their jobs. That oath was to the constitution – this time the oath will be to Trump. I think the number of people who understand this are few and far between.

No one should be surprised at what Steven Miller will be up to in the new administration. Will he be able to actually lead a “roundup” of the “illegals” living and working in America? (Remember, Musk entered the U.S. illegally) These people don’t mind immigrants, as long as they are white. How does J.D. Vance talk to his IMMIGRANT wife, who is from India, as he’s spreading lies about Haitians eating “cats and dogs?” Trump (Drumpf) is a second generation German immigrant (who has repeated several of Hitler’s fond phrases) and he’s been married to (and cheated on) two immigrants. If they succeed, what will be the effect on our economy? (Hell, Musk is offering his “sperm” because he believes we need more babies.

And, to those women who voted for themselves to have autonomy over their bodies by voting for initiatives to put the right to an abortion in their state constitution and then voted for Trump, were they not aware that a prime focus of Project 2025 is to pass a nationwide ABORTION ban which would override their state’s new law? As someone whose first experience with pregnancy was with a wife who had a miscarriage – this is alarming. I actually didn’t understand, at the time, I was paying for what amounted to an abortion as my wife was taken from the emergency room bleeding out and had the procedure known as a D & C. (ie the same procedure as an abortion). I fear for any woman in that predicament who is denied health care because of draconian laws – written by WHITE men! It’s already happening in nearly half the U.S. states.

Do you really believe the laws will be faithfully “preserved and protected?” I, personally, don’t have any confidence, for example, that the Judge in Trump’s “porn star election interference” trial, where Trump was unanimously found GUILTY of 34 FELONIES will have the “stones” to give Trump the sentence he deserves. Remember, he was found in contempt of the court TEN times during the trial. Not once has he expressed a scintilla of remorse – consider if that was you. 34 FELONIES – guilty on all of them. Ten instances of CONTEMPT (where, if that was you, you’d have found yourself behind bars at that time), and NO remorse. Do you think the charges would be dropped? Do you really believe this judge will sentence Trump to prison time? (That would make J.D. Vance, temporarily the president I suppose) Trump will get away with ALL his criminal conduct – and, likely, a lot more before he’s done. He’s got almost unlimited IMMUNITY now!

Add to that the SCOTUS. They not only made sure Trump’s January 6th trial didn’t happen before the election, they were primed to help him out had he lost. However, from their vantage point just in case he manages to win, they have given him “cart blanche” to violate our laws with impunity. Not only will he get away with his criminal conduct, but so will Musk? He, to me, is virtually as arrogant in regard to our laws. Offering Million dollar payoffs to people in battleground states to “sign his petition” that they support the first and second amendments to the constitution, do you really believe that’s legal? Nice trick, especially because we know Trump’s justice department will look the other way – for heaven’s sake, that could have been a key contributor to Trump’s “win.”

Why do you think Jeff Bezos was the first to call and congratulate him? Bezos recently moved from Seattle to Miami because Washington passed a Capital gains tax on stock gains of over $250 THOUSAND of something like 7 percent. He, like Musk, doesn’t seem to have a limit to how much MONEY he thinks he’s worth. I don’t use Amazon and I, despite both my wife and I driving electric cars, there’s no way we’d drive a Tesla. In fact, if I had any pull, I’d be urging all Americans to avoid driving Tesla’s. (I drive a Polestar which is every bit as nice as a Tesla but without the “Musk.”)

The point I’m Trying to make is that I believe “we the people” have allowed ourselves to be pushed over the tipping point into becoming a pure fascist state. (As I told my son this morning I’ve never more hoped I’m wrong) What will happen if they succeed in dismantling the Department of Education? (That coming from a retired public school teacher) What will happen if they succeed in purging America’s institutions of the dedicated public servants – who know the “ropes” – only to install their Trump loyalists? What on earth DAMAGE will RFK Jr. manage to inflict on the CDC, the FDA, the NIH? What will four years of allowing unvaccinated children into our public schools? (Measles, Small Pox, Polio and more – does Kennedy want a recurrence of these diseases?) And, dismantling the FBI and DOJ? That should be interesting – more people will be walking around while packing a weapon. Great! (not)

Not only will the safety of our food be at risk with Kennedy calling the shots (he’s going to focus on “Fruit Loops”) – the guy is a TOTAL wack job! But, when all these “illegals” are rounded up – many who do the critically important WORK of helping to harvest the crops of America’s farmers – what will that mean for our food supply? – and, for all those Americans who voted for Trump because they’re worried about inflation – well, do you think it might be possible for Trump’s group of incompetents to cause the prices of food to spike to new highs? (Again, I hope I’m wrong)

Is Trump really going to put tariffs on imported goods across the board? He still believes that’s a tax on the country of origin. However, it’s a tax on “we the people.” That SHOULD be easier to understand unless you’ve got a mind as demented as Trump’s. And, do you think putting these tariffs on will create ANY jobs in America? Hell, Trump gets the Bibles he hocks to “we the people” from China. Speaking of Trump’s con game – do you really think he’s not going to be busy figuring out ways he can PROFIT off this bonanza – letting the Project 2025 people figure out the details of running the government? I could go on and on with all the thoughts swirling in my brain, but this, so far, isn’t helping my feeling of gloom.

I have to say, I’m really disappointed in the American people. As I said, this right wing takeover of the government has been going on for over 50 years. It’s been methodical and the republicans have proven themselves to be much more strategic in their thinking than the democrats – not to mention, the republicans cheat and fight dirty while the democrats continue to want to put a positive face on things. I can’t stop this without ending with my thoughts about John Roberts and the other right wing members of the SCOTUS.

Lewis Powell was placed on the Court only one year after laying out the plan for corporations to take control of our government – leading to the “trickling up” of TRILLIONS of dollars out of the Middle Class to the top “1%.” Over the years, since Reagan, the Court moved farther and farther to the right culminating, in 2000, with the “crowning” of GW Bush/Dick Cheney over the “will of the people.” Talk about your “rigged” elections. Bush’s brother as governor of Florida and the Court stopping a recount which would likely have put Al Gore in the “White House” – thereby preventing the Iraq fiasco. (And, likely, the ensuing financial meltdown of 2007-2008)

But, as I always say, with republicans you can count on MORE. Along comes Roberts and Sam Alito and we’ve gone from the Citizen’s United v Federal Election Commission ruling OPENING the floodgates of DARK money (and foreign money) into our elections, (remember, “corporations are people”) followed by a gutting of the Voting Rights’ Act of 1965, followed by the end of “affirmative action,” followed by (maybe I’m out of order here) overturning of Roe, followed by the end of “Chevron deference” (which I, and likely most of you) don’t understand – I believe it takes the expertise out of government agencies and gives it to the incompetents in the Courts) followed by giving Trump unlimited IMMUNITY to violate our laws if he considers it “official.”

And, of course, both Sam Alito and Clarence Thomas are likely to retire at the end of the present term and Trump, likely, already has the replacements in mind. And, guess what, – and you heard it here (likely not) first – I believe Trump will reward Aileen Cannon for her “loyalty” in overseeing his Espionage case by promoting her to the Court. And, the democrats will be powerless to stop him. This will ensure the Court is in the right wing’s grip for 30 maybe 40 years. And, it wouldn’t surprise me if the republicans, to head off what democrats have been mumbling about, try to expand the court – one justice for each of the 13 appellate Courts. That would equate to four more right wing, lifetime appointed, Supreme Court Justices. Yikes!!!

Final Thought: I haven’t even brought up the Climate Crisis. How many Hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, wild fires, droughts, will it take for Trump and his sycophants to understand we have a problem here? Apparently, they all think if the world is really coming to an end they’ll be the ones going to heaven – despite all the LYING and CHEATING and the worshiping of MONEY, all the ignoring of the “least of these,” and a host of other “commandments” in the Bible. They’ve paid their $70 for Trump’s (China made) Bible (which everyone else can get for nearly FREE without Trump’s picture) so they’re “good to go.”

I found it interesting (or should I say depressing) that the states hit hardest by the Hurricanes earlier this year ALL voted for Trump/Vance. Apparently, the FACT 2024 broke 2023’s record as the hottest year yet doesn’t faze these people. The FACT both the Atlantic and Gulf waters are dangerously WARM – providing FUEL for the Hurricanes isn’t of concern in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina or North Carolina. It seems the citizens of Florida must be getting their homeowner’s insurance from “we the people.” I feel for my children and grandchildren that their country is going to lose AT LEAST another four years – which may be too many – in combating this crisis. This is simply a small sample of the thoughts SWIRLING in my head! Stay tuned!!!