I have to admit, I’m really getting tired of “chasing my tail,” which is what I call trying to keep up with individual 1’s scandalous behavior. But, at the same time, as a citizen who has been blessed with the right to VOTE, I feel an obligation to continue working to understand what is going on with the government which is, ultimately, accountable to “we the people.” Individual 1 is busy with what I’ve always called the republican “wet dream” and that is their “permanent republican ‘majority.'” Of course, republicans know better than MOST Americans they will NEVER again represent a “majority” of “us” – so, they have to do it their way. Which I’ve been attempting to point out for years requires CHEATING. I’ve always wondered when “we the people” are going to “wise up” to their scheme, but NOW I’ve got another thought which keeps running across my mind. I’ll get to it!

Individual 1, who was denigrated by many of the republicans who are now his sycophants, has the personality which, republicans figured out soon after he “won” the election, to actually pull this off. GW Bush was in the position, also, to do this – republicans had the “White House,” control of the Supreme Court, and both Houses of Congress – but, his incompetence led to President Obama. The difference between Bush and individual 1 is Bush had respect for the constitution at a much higher level than our so-called president. Bush lacked individual 1’s brazenous by a “country mile.” Republicans now view individual 1’s pathological LYING as an asset!

President Obama “fixed” the mess he inherited from Bush/Cheney – and, make no mistake, it was a REAL mess. Not only were there TWO fiasco’s going on (Iraq and Afghanistan) – wars which had been terribly mismanaged, were the result of neo-con philosophy, were unwinnable, and had been funded “off the books” – but the economy, in general, was teetering on the brink of another Great Depression. Thanks to Obama and his economic advisers (and, by the way, almost NO republicans) the “recovery” which is ongoing started with the stimulus package passed in 2009 – a package which was too small, again, because of republicans like Moscow Mitch.

This leads me to my thoughts for today (and, likely, the next few days). I, long ago, decided I didn’t want anything to do with Wall Street. I sold my stocks, fortunately, when the market was at its peak in 2007 and then watched as the DOW went from 14,000 in 2007 down to about 6,500 shortly after President Obama took office. I remember being tempted to jump back in when it was at 6,500 but that was when I decided Wall Street is a glorified gambling casino so I’ve just kept what little amount of money I have in savings. Of course, that was a bad economic choice as the DOW is now approaching 30,000 although I’m at peace just observing from afar. In an effort to keep myself somewhat educated on economic affairs, I continue to follow the market and, in the process, a few individual stocks. (What I try NOT to do is make economic observations regarding the economy as good or bad based on the stock market.)

As someone who has placed solar panels on the roofs of my outbuildings and who drives a Chevrolet Volt (I rarely buy gas) plus my wife drives a totally electric Nissan Leaf, I follow solar stocks and companies like Tesla. Recently, if you haven’t been paying attention, the stock market has been “surging” upward. While it’s true the unemployment numbers are low, the issue with “income inequality” continues to cause America’s Middle Class to, at best, stagnate and likely, recede. I keep thinking, virtually EVERY day, “Is this the day the market is going to “crash” and start its downward trend into a “bear market?” Yet, every day, it seems to be up, up, up. Today, for example, Tesla jumped almost 10% to over $900 – despite still NEVER producing a profit across one year’s time-frame.

So, I keep trying to figure out what is going on and, it’s starting to sink in. I believe I finally have to point my finger at individual 1. If you’ve read any of my posts over the past three years you know I’ve stated many times this economy, which individual 1 “inherited” from Obama, is the one thing he’s inherited in his life which he hasn’t destroyed. At the same time, I pointed out when the tax “scam” was passed, doing a major tax cut when the economy was already “heating up” and when the recipients of the money ALREADY had TRILLIONS in cash, made no sense. (Other than republican “donors” demanding a “return on their investment.”) I thought inflation could heat up and and the deficit would BALLOON.

Well, I was correct on the deficit but inflation continues about the same. So, I’m getting a good dose of reality, that I’m no economist – despite taking an online “Master Class” from Paul Krugman. However, my feeling about the Market – which is how too many people judge the economy, in my view, is still there’s a “crash” a coming. In my mind, I get this picture of individual 1 with a tire pump hooked to a balloon and pumping as fast as he can. The balloon, of course, represents the DOW and, as they say, “the rich are getting richer” with every “pump.” The amounts of money being accumulated by the “titans” of Wall Street is unimaginable to someone like me. For example, today Elon Musk’s net worth went up BILLIONS. Tomorrow???

in my effort to figure out how this could be happening with an economy producing MILLIONS of homeless people because they can’t afford to pay the rents on even low end apartments I try to allow logic to guide my thinking. Well, I did a minimal amount of research and feel comfortable with my belief individual 1 has succeeded in intimidating the head of the Federal Reserve Bank to keep the “loose money” era going – despite those at the top “swimming” in cash. My “gut” tells me this balloon, at some point, is going to burst and it’s going to be a big “explosion” when it happens. I almost hope it happens before the start of this year’s election voting because I believe whoever wins in November will be facing the bursting balloon soon after the election is over. Not only do I want individual 1 to have to face the voters if the economy “crashes,” I don’t trust him or his sycophants to have a clue how to fix it when it does. (Which, of course, is inevitable)

Another example of what makes no sense to me would be interest rates. I looked the other day and 30 year mortgage rates are almost as low as I’ve ever seen them. That’s a good thing for people buying homes and refinancing their homes, but it also allows for home values to be too high for those at the “bottom.” It’s what has led to rents at levels where many people can’t afford to even rent an apartment. These artificially low interest rates are great for those rich Wall Street executives who can borrow money at extremely low rates and then buy stocks like Tesla or Amazon or Apple or Google or one of the other stocks which seem to just keep going up. Tesla has gone from 185 to over 900 in less than six months. My limited understanding of economics tells me lowering interest rates is an effective tool to fight off an economic downturn, which should be saved for that time.

I have to admit, I’m one who wants Tesla to succeed, but that kind of a “jump,” I believe, is more the result of the “easy money” situation on Wall Street than in Tesla’s economic success (although, they have been doing better). The question becomes, in my mind, how much “air” can individual 1 pump into that “balloon?” I don’t think the interest rates can go much lower – which, of course, takes that “strategy” (lowering them) off the table when the “balloon” bursts. I suppose the Fed can continue “pumping” more money into the system – but, I still have to believe when the bubble (balloon) bursts, it’s going to be historic.

If this happens before November, the American people will see the incompetence of individual 1 and his republican sycophants up close. In my lifetime I’ve never seen republicans show they can “fix” a bad economy, but they’re really good at taking a wrecking ball to a strong economy. Between now and November we’ll hear individual 1 constantly “crowing” this is the best economy in the history of the country – which is just another of his 16,000+ mountain of LIES. If it crashes prior to the election, I can guarantee you he’ll be blaming democrats, including President Obama – on that, you can be assured.

And, while we’re all focused on individual 1’s “revenge tour” demonstrating to people like Susan Collins what he ACTUALLY learned in the IMPEACHMENT “trial” individual 1 and his rich sycophants will be funneling as much of America’s wealth as they can into their private “coffers.” Our so-called president keeps “we the people” aghast, almost daily, on his relentless assault on the constitution and the institutions of our government in a manner which makes it almost impossible to process, intellectually, all the DAMAGE being created to the fundamental “norms” of our government – and, almost impossible to ignore. Remember, the constitution is just a document which works as long as those who pledge to “defend and protect” it, actually believe in its sanctity. Obviously, individual 1 is not one who takes that oath seriously.

While I was busy trying to figure out why the stock market seems to be getting “pumped” to an artificially high level (That’s just my instincts speaking) individual 1 has been busy pardoning some of his loyal sycophants in a manner FAR beyond anything I’ve ever seen – in a manner which makes me feel it may be time for a new constitutional amendment reeling in that power. Honestly, I’m expecting individual 1 to pardon HIMSELF right before he leaves office (along with other family members over any future indictments – what the heck, you never know unless you try, right?)

As I’m writing this, he’s acting as though it’s just a matter of time until he pardons Roger Stone and Michael Flynn and, who knows, maybe Paul Manafort. Of course, he WON’T pardon Micheal Cohen or Rick Gates – both also his former associates but, in his words, “rats.” I guess when our founders put the pardon power into the constitution they just couldn’t imagine a (so-called) president like individual 1. Or was it, they couldn’t imagine a Senate like this republican led Senate who would enable someone like our so-called president. The IMPEACHMENT section in the constitution, it seems to me, was put there SPECIFICALLY in case we ever allowed a (so-called) president like individual 1 to gain power. Our founders trusted our Congress to do their jobs! Which brings me to that other thought I mentioned above.

Can a (so-called) president be IMPEACHED twice? Is there any limit on the number of times a (so-called) president can be IMPEACHED? To me, what individual 1 has done to Ukraine was unthinkable. It was outright EXTORTION – which, I believe, is a CRIME for those who claimed he shouldn’t have been convicted because the House managers didn’t accuse him of committing a crime – but, whatever. He OBSTRUCTED Justice, by some accounts, during the Mueller investigation – which was “whitewashed” by William Barr and now he’s clearly OBSTRUCTING Justice again! I can’t stop thinking of Susan Collins claiming “he’s learned his lesson.” I believe the only lesson he’s learned is republicans live in FEAR of him!

I checked my pocket version of the constitution again and I believe there is no restriction on the number of times a (so-called) president can be IMPEACHED. Individual 1 has been committing potentially IMPEACHABLE acts by the “bucket load” since the day he LIED about his “oath” to the constitution. I certainly don’t expect the House to IMPEACH him again this year, but it would be nice if they would broach the subject publicly. Just as individual 1 is publicly proclaiming he could intercede in Judicial prosecutions “If I want to” I’d like to see the House point out they have the right to IMPEACH our so-called president again. They have the power to give the Senate more opportunity to get this right. That MIGHT be the only way to cause individual 1 to put the “brakes” on this “revenge tour.” Just sayin…………….

Final Thought: What happens to a person who is accused of a crime, goes to court and receives an acquittal and then goes out and starts committing crimes again? Well, I think the answer is obvious – he or she gets INDICTED (for a president wold be IMPEACHED) again! I believe House democrats are leaving it up to “we the people” to “IMPEACH” individual 1, and, I get it – but he can do a LOT of DAMAGE between now and January 20, 2021!

BTW – withholding the aid to Ukraine was also ILLEGAL. And, I heard today individual 1, as part of his “revenge tour,” fired the person who OK’ed the aid – i.e. cleared it of the obstacles Ukraine had to prove (pass) in order to get the aid released – like them (Ukraine) fighting “corruption.” Once the aid was “cleared” it became ILLEGAL to withhold it without giving Congress the reason why – which DIDN’T happen! My next post will point out some of the other victims of his “revenge tour” – of course, with “we the people” being the ultimate victims!

Do you actually know what people are talking about when they use the term “banana republic?” Well, here it is – according to “Forbes” – “In banana republics, high government officials ….. pressure other officials to carry out vendettas against political enemies and to defend their friends against harsh treatment by judicial institutions.” The ….. was the reference to Lt. Colonel Vindman and Roger Stone in reference to their (Forbes”) “definition” of a banana republic. This article, in “Forbes” of all places (certainly a surprise to me) came across as a “heads up” to what individual 1 is doing to this nation MOST of us love. The article went on, in great detail, to point out how individual 1’s attacks on his opponents with a weaponized Justice Department led by a sycophantic Attorney General and a supportive group of cowardly republicans in Congress are the recipe for America descending into “banana republic” territory.

Yes, there’s a significant segment of America (I believe they’ve been sucked into a CULT) who don’t care about what is being done and are not concerned about the weaponizing of the Justice Department. Apparently because “They’re not coming after me.” (And, they’re likely certain democrats would never do this) That was what many said in Germany in 1929! However, just the FACT the article I referred to above was in “Forbes” tells me the resistance is WIDE and it’s growing. I feel “we the people” are being challenged as to whether we are willing to FIGHT for what our country has stood for over the previous 230+ years. This is getting more “uncomfortable” by the day, and “we the people” are relying on people who are “inside” the government to stand up for what is right.

Individual 1 is doing what tyrants do – and, after his “acquittal” by the COWARDS in the republican caucus in the Senate – he feels emboldened and now he’s further making it clear anyone who comes across as criticizing him is going to face his wrath – which very well may include an “investigation” by William Barr. His (Their) actions are designed to leave a “chill” over those in the government who could possibly be the next whistle blower. For the career public servants it’s keep your head down and your mouth shut or you’re looking for a new job. And, these people are not highly paid and likely NEED to keep their jobs – plus, they’re important to “we the people” because what they do is valuable – they’re public “servants” – if you don’t know what that means, look it up! I’m guessing even Susan Collins understands our so-called president hasn’t “learned his lesson.” But, you won’t hear her say that, because she’s AFRAID!

Personally, with all this talk about America “bending” toward becoming a “banana republic,” I would respectfully disagree (although, I do see how the “definition” of “banana republic” mentioned above “fits”). To me, what individual 1 is attempting to do in America is very similar to what Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pulled off in Turkey – and, that would be turning a democratic republic into a dictatorship. Of course, to pull that off, individual 1 will have to go one step further than weaponizing the Justice Department – he’ll have to increase his WAR on the “free press.” It should be interesting to watch how individual 1 goes about that process. Intimidation is his routine manner of achieving his “ends.” Well, is individual 1, through Mr. Barr, going to start arresting members of the media – like, for example, some of the “hosts” of shows on MSNBC or CNN? (I, personally, don’t watch CNN, but you don’t have to in order to understand individual 1 would like to shut CNN down)

Our so-called president operates by sending a “chill” over his intended “target” by going after a vulnerable, “weak” link. (Traditional BULLY 101) For example, he may identify a journalist who doesn’t have a strong following and go after him/her – maybe causing him/her to be arrested for some “trumped” (It’s really hard for me to write that word, even in that context) up charge. The purpose having nothing to do with that particular journalist, but to send a “message” to all the other “investigative” journalists who might be “digging up dirt” on him. This will be a “test” of the solidarity of our “free press” – not only testing those who are part of it, but testing those of us who rely on it from the outside.

That’s how “tin pot” dictators work. That’s how Erdogan managed to put his “iron grip” on Turkey, that’s how Putin has reversed Russia’s attempt to join the “Western World,” and the list goes on. Will individual 1 be able to pull this off in America? Well, as I’ve said, there’s a significant section of the population who, I believe, would support it. I believe individual 1 thinks he’s already prepared the courts for any challenges “we the people” might make toward his power grab. Which brings up another interesting point – how “we the people” are going to respond at another critical point in America’s “time.”

Part of what led the term “banana republic” to become in the discussion of late has been individual 1’s assault on the Justice Department via the sentencing of Roger Stone. Well, later this week the judge in that case will have to make a decision. If she gives Stone the “recommended” sentence, the one which William Barr had rescinded, things should get interesting really fast. Will this cause individual 1 to simply do what you know he wants to do and that’s pardon Mr. Stone? Will he “go after” the judge in some kind of way? (Remember, the judge has a lifetime appointment) What will Mr. Barr do? Will he appeal a decision his prosecutors actually won? Wouldn’t that be interesting?

William Barr has turned the Justice Department, essentially, upside down. In the last day or so there have been THOUSANDS of former Justice Department employees who have called for Barr to resign, along with several members of Congress. I’ve heard members of the House using the “I” word on Barr – which seems appropriate to me – he seemed to LIE in his confirmation hearing and he LIED about the Mueller report and he it appears he continues LYING for our so-called president (of course, he’s really good at it, so you would never be able to “prove it”) as he helps with the “revenge tour.” How much is enough with these people? (OK, if you don’t know what the “I” word is, it’s, of course, “IMPEACHMENT”) I’ve felt for years, the one thing which holds this republic together is the people’s belief the Justice Department is at least, to a large degree, fair. I get that if you’re a Black person, that would be a “loaded subject.”

I’m taking an online “class” from Paul Krugman, I’m trying to better educate myself regarding economics, and, in the section on “writing,” (Krugman is a very distinguished economics professor) he says his main criticism of much of the writing he reads on the internet is the frequency (my phrasing) where there’s no “argument.” I believe I probably fall in that category more often than not, because – for starters, this “blog” is my place to vent, kind of like a diary – and, secondly, I just (too often) don’t think in terms of the singular piece I’m writing. My ARGUMENT, by and large, is the importance of “we the people” voting republicans (and, of course, individual 1) out of office.

Often times, when I think about it, a “rant” of mine will consist mostly of the reasons I believe they should be “gone.” I used to teach my 6th graders, “You can’t assume your audience understands what you’re thinking – you’ve got to write it down.” Well, I know what I’m thinking, but if you’re reading this and wondering what my point is, well, that’s it. I believe you should vote AGAINST individual 1 and any other republican on the ballot. (With the exception of Justin Amosh – who’s now an independent, because he read Mueller’s report and he’s HONEST – two disqualifiers for republicans!

My reasons seem to be my attempt at trying to keep up with the scandals, which leaves me feeling as if, sometimes, I’m “chasing my tail.” But, tonight, the (latest) “reason” I believe individual 1 MUST “go” and there SHOULD be another IMPEACHMENT has to do with William Barr. I’ll say it once more, when the Justice Department is undermined by a “Roy Cohn” as the Attorney General, America is in trouble! And, my argument isn’t that America is in trouble, it’s that “we the people” MUST vote individual 1 and his republican sycophants (at least as many as we can) out of office in November. We need to use the privilege our “Founders” gave us to save this republic. That’s the RIGHT to VOTE!

Final Thought: I’ve been pointing out for several weeks now I believe republicans, surreptitiously, will be “interfering” in the democratic nominating process. The republicans, seemingly, would love it if Bernie Sanders was the nominee with a divided democratic party “staggering” out of a “brokered” convention. Trust me, the republicans are much more sophisticated than democrats when it comes to technology – like, for example, the misinformation campaigns on social media – plus, republicans don’t think twice about LYING and/or CHEATING. I realized their propensity to believe “the end justifies the means” back during the Romney/Obama campaign. (I wonder why it took me so long to figure this out)

Just the idea there were something like 30 democrats who believed they were the person best to take on our so-called president has set up the possibility of a “brokered convention.” The “writing has been on the wall” from the start of this campaign and we’ll pretty much know if that’s the likely outcome in a couple weeks – remember, “Super Tuesday” is the first week in March, just three days after the South Carolina primary – this all seems like, almost, a setup for Michael Bloomberg who’s been throwing money at the Super Tuesday states while the rest of the democrats have been fighting over 2% of the delegates in Iowa and New Hampshire – two states which do NOT represent the demographics of this country. Apparently, democrats like to make things difficult on themselves.

The only good news, to me, is the large segment of the population who are committed to “anything but individual 1.” Our so-called president is the least popular president in history and, I believe, he’s going to keep “losing” support as his “revenge tour” expands. I think there are even republicans who don’t like it when a president attacks purple heart recipients for showing even more courage than they did in battle – ie Lt. Colonel Vindman. I also believe, individual 1’s budget proposal with BILLIONS in cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid might not even go over well with some of his supporters in key “rust belt” states. Should he succeed in overturning “Obamacare” – which he’s trying to do in court as I’m writing this – he could lose even more support.

His supporters might not abandon him if he “shoots someone on Fifth Avenue” but I’m not sure how they’ll respond when he takes their or their children’s or their parent’s health care away. I believe even many republicans want “universal healthcare” and, when they see the numbers going the wrong way, well, it should be interesting! Stay tuned……………..

Please forgive me – I”m publishing this “rant” without re-reading it – sorry for the “foopahs”

I’ve said (admitted) many times here when I watch TV “news” I watch MSNBC, and during this latest “purge” of individual 1’s perceived enemies I have to wonder if the number of SCANDALS which our so-called president has “showered” on “we the people” has caused the pundits to somewhat lose their minds. (Or, at least, their memories) Today’s “news” (ie scandal) coming from individual 1 and his “Roy Cohn” (ie William Barr) is Barr having a US Attorney somewhere in Missouri “looking into the charge against Michael Flynn.” The suggestion is Flynn was “tricked” into LYING to the FBI investigators who interviewed him shortly after individual 1 took office. Yikes! (How do you “trick” a LIAR into LYING? Yikes!!!)

Of course, the FBI KNEW Flynn was LYING (to, for example, Mike Pense) about his conversations with Sergey Kyslyak, the Russian Ambassador, which included a proposal relating to sanctions that had just been imposed on the Russians by President Obama – this being done while Obama was still in office a clear violation of, I think it’s the, Logan act. So, now Flynn is attempting to pull back his plea and, apparently, he’s got Mr. Barr (likely upon orders from individual 1) in his “corner.” This is all very interesting to me, but, it seems, like many people are forgetting what COULD have been the charges against Flynn – and, by the way, his son.

At the time of his arrest, by all accounts (and, I heard a person who was actually in a meeting where this plan was being “hatched”) Flynn COULD have been charged (along with his son) for a scheme to kidnap a Turkish Muslim Cleric, Fethullah Gulen, for a reported “cool” $15 MILLION, at the request of Turkey’s dictator Erdogan. Additionally, Flynn was alleged to have received $500,000 from Turkey while working for individual 1’s campaign and without registering as a foreign agent. He allegedly LIED in the foreign agent filings which is also a FELONY. (Of course, as a military officer he should know better, shouldn’t he?) I have to wonder if Mr. Barr, when re-opening Flynn’s case of LYING to the FBI will remember these other alleged CRIMES, including those of Flynn’s son.

I don’t do “Twitter” (or other “Social Media”) and, obviously, (so far) no TV network has “discovered” me – (OK, that was a joke) – but, it appears that’s now how AG Barr and individual 1 are having their most intimate conversations. Of course, in the past 24 hours Barr suggested individual 1’s “tweets” are “making it impossible to do my job” and, sure enough, today individual 1 suggested “I have the right to ‘tweet’ whenever I choose.” As Rick Wilson said in a book I read, “Everyone (individual 1 – I can’t bring my fingers to write the name) touches dies.” Well, Barr won’t likely “die” from being in individual 1’s “orbit,” but his reputation is already in “tatters” and it’s going to continue getting worse. (Attorney General IMPEACHED?)

I’m sure, by now, Barr realizes he’s simply a “pawn” in individual 1’s attempt to have COMPLETE control of America’s government. It’s been clear, at least to me, individual 1 is “dead set” on “being like Vlad.” He wants to have the same power as Vladimir Putin and, sadly, there’s a significant segment of the American public who are “all in.” Having an “iron fist” control of the Justice Department is a requirement of individual 1’s goal to go after his enemies. Of course, William Barr is a necessary “evil” in this scheme and Barr, at least at this point in time, seems to be “all in” as well! This really is dangerous, especially if people don’t VOTE!

In my last few posts I’ve “owned” up for the parts of individual 1’s scheme I failed to “get” from the start up until now. I honestly believed, at some point, the republican “firewall” would “break” – I believed when the republicans feared for their own jobs they would “see the light.” Evidently, virtually EVERY republican left in Congress (less Mitt Romney and Justin Amash) seems to be willing to “go down with the ship.” Yes, there seems to be around 40% of America which is “on board” with whatever individual 1 chooses to do, but, I have to believe the “resistance” far outnumbers the CULT. We’ll have to wait until November to find out if those who claim to be “for anyone but individual 1” will show up at the polls. (Of course, we KNOW individual 1 and the republicans will do every thing they can to suppress as many voters as they can get away with)

I’d love to be the person who puts together the opposition add in the Senate “race” in Maine where Susan Collins is seeking re-election. Ms. Collins first gained notoriety when she sided with accused sexual predator Brett Kavanaugh in his confirmation hearing for the U.S. Supreme Court – voting to give a lifetime appointment to a man credibly accused of sexual assault by multiple women on the nation’s highest court – while emphasizing her support of “women’s rights.” Actually, Kavanaugh’s history of legal opinions SHOULD have been enough to disqualify him (he was involved to some degree – they didn’t allow the evidence into the hearing – in the TORTURE issue during the Bush/Cheney regime) as he’s no “friend” of women fighting for equal rights. However, I believe her Kavanaugh vote will not be what she’s ultimately remembered for.

When it was time for Ms. Collins to decide whether she had the courage to do what Mitt Romney did, and vote to convict individual 1 for what she (and every other republican) KNEW he was GUILTY of in his IMPEACHMENT “trial” (with NO witnesses) – she chose to vote to “acquit” and say, “I believe he’s learned his lesson.” OK, can we just agree that statement should be filed in the STUPID remarks file? That would be the statement with which I would start my “ad.” Shortly after the beginning of the “revenge tour” a reporter asked individual 1 what he learned from the IMPEACHMENT process? Well, here’s what he “learned,” “I’ve learned the democrats have a lot of crooked things going, that they’re vicious, and they shouldn’t have brought IMPEACHMENT.” (The next sentence in my ad) In other words, Ms. Collins, he HASN’T learned ANYTHING! (Are you paying attention Mainers?) Then the screen would have a “camera roll” of Masha Yavonovich, Lt. Colonel Vindman (and his twin brother) being “frog marched” out of the White House, individual 1’s threats to his “enemies” including comments with individual 1 attempting to “put Mitt Romney’s head on a pike,” and Adam Schiff’s prediction that’s what Romney knew was “in store” when he made his COURAGEOUS vote, and evidence of Barr’s complicity as our so-called president’s “Roy Cohn,” (I might top off the ad with the FACT Mr. Cohn was a disgraced MOB lawyer with a picture of him with Joseph McCarthy)

Susan Collins wasn’t the only disgraceful republican in the IMPEACHMENT “trial.” I’m just going off the top of my head and I have to admit I didn’t feel the need to watch the “trial” from start to finish, (We all knew the end result before the “trial” started) but lets start with Lamar Alexander. He doesn’t even have the excuse he’s worried about the next election because he’s retiring. He simply said he believed the House managers had proved their point so he voted against witnesses (apparently just too lazy to go through a couple more weeks of the “trial”) and, curiously, he voted to acquit. So, out of one side of his mouth he admitted our so-called president was guilty and out of the other side he voted to acquit. Alexander had the opportunity to put himself into the Mitt Romney part of the History books and chose, instead, the Benedict Arnold section saying it’s OK for our (so-called president – or now, any president) to EXTORT political favors from foreign leaders.

Of course, there were 52 republicans who voted to be part of the CULT. I understand why some of them did. For example, people like Moscow Mitch and Lindsey Graham have proven themselves to be loyal “lap dogs” and I expected nothing less. And, I knew individual 1 was NOT going to be voted out of office by the Senate – but, there were several who had the opportunity to show themselves as courageous (along side Romney – and, I guarantee you, Romney is standing head and shoulders above any other “republican” at this moment in time). Lisa Murkowski of Alaska KNEW the president was guilty – for some reason she decided to do the “easy” thing and vote to acquit. I believe it’s likely McConnell “snuck” some money into her campaign “WAR chest.” I really misjudged Ms. Murkowski, I thought she might choose to do the courageous (and right) thing. Marko Rubio, Ted Cruz, John Cornyn, Cory Gardner, Thom Tillis, just a few of the names I can think of – all COWARDS! (That’s how History will remember them)

Everyone knows there’s a large segment of the republican Senate who can’t stand individual 1 (in private) but the IMPEACHMENT “trial” proved those correct who’ve been pointing out they live in FEAR of him. He comes across to me as a mob boss (I’ve been suggesting that for a couple years now) and I have to wonder what is going on “behind the scene.” Well, in the sphere of Americans who don’t want this nation ruled by an autocratic tyrant, I’ve never heard (or seen) so many people energized to work to vote the (so-called) president out of office, but also as many of the 23 Senate republicans up for re-election as possible. Personally, I’m hoping for another “wave” election (similar to 2018) and, obviously, I believe 2020 is going to determine whether Americans still believe we are “a nation of laws and not men.” This is BIG!

Personally, I’ve already given a few “bucks” to the opponents of Moscow Mitch and Lindsey Graham. I understand Senators as embedded as those two are hard to vote out of office, they’ve got a lot of “minions.” But, I have to believe, even in Kentucky and South Carolina there are people who don’t want to live in an autocratic dictatorship. I have to believe there are many in Kentucky and South Carolina who actually believe in the constitution and how it has protected us all from what individual 1 is “up to” for well over 200 years and are embarrassed by these two “lap dogs” of individual 1. I would consider this election as “interesting” except that I’m old and I’m concerned for my children and grand children. I will be a candidate for depression should individual 1 find a way to CHEAT his way into another “win” (plus I’ll owe for another lost bet).

So, individual 1 has his “Roy Cohn” in William Barr and the future of this nation is “on the line” as we approach this next election. Our so-called president made it clear he’s going to CHEAT in order to “win” the election and the republican party has endorsed this CHEATING (apparently, believing democrats would never do it, so they’re setting a precedent for…………. you guessed it, THEMSELVES – I have to admit, it gives them an advantage). Those of us who consider ourselves as “liberals” or “progressives” or “pragmatists” or, simply disaffected republicans who likely are in the independent “caucus” with me only in a different “apartment” – are relying on democrats to figure out a way to DEFEAT the worst (so-called) president in the history of this great nation. Of course, there’s a lot of worry because democrats have a history of taking defeat from the jaws of victory (as in the election of 2016) – and, in this election, they’re facing the greatest CHEATER in the history of American elections. (Well, I’ve given individual 1 that title) Stay tuned………………….

Final Thought: As I just said, there’s a lot of worry among the (very large) group of Americans whose ONLY (it seems) objective in the 2020 election is to get rid of individual 1. This sense of urgency, ironically, led to something like 30 “candidates” stepping forward as the “best alternative” to individual 1. Of course, having that many candidates creates its own challenges. For example, and don’t get me wrong, in 2016 I supported Bernie Sanders, someone like Sanders is able to “win” primaries with around 25% of the vote. During this process several really “attractive” candidates, from my perspective, have been “winnowed” out because there’s only so much money to go around.

For example, I really liked both Kamala Harris and Cory Booker but they just weren’t able to gain a “foothold” and dropped out prior to any of the primaries or caucuses. So, as the angst of those who ONLY care that individual 1 is voted OUT of office come November continued to rise, in walked “Mike Bloomberg.” Bloomberg is dumping HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of dollars into his attempt to gain the democratic nomination. Now, I’ll give him credit for saying he’s going to support WHOEVER the democrats nominate, we’ll have to see on that – but, I’ve seen a growing number of democratic leaders lining up behind Bloomberg, because there’s nothing more important to them than defeating our so-called president.

This all reminds me of the words of Elizabeth Warren when she pointed out the folly in allowing ourselves to be guided by FEAR. Take Ms. Warren for example. From my vantage point, she’s coming across as maybe the smartest of all the candidates and she’s made several proposals which, clearly, have the support of a majority of the American people. That, of course, put her in the “cross hairs” of America’s wealthy elite and her “numbers” have been going steadily down since, due to the negative advertising – and scare tactics – her proposals aimed at “leveling the playing field” have generated. It appears too many democrats are AFRAID to rely on someone as progressive as Ms. Warren to defeat individual 1. Despite the FACT most democrats agree with Senator Warren that BILLIONAIRES have too much power in America and they’ve “left behind” the middle class. Still, despite all this, it appears many democrats are looking at Bloomberg – along with ALL his “baggage.” Is he really the safest “bet?” Yikes!!!

I have to agree, if he’s the nominee, I’ll vote for Bloomberg – but, I really hope it doesn’t come down to that. I’ve listened to a couple of his campaign speeches (well, parts of them) and I just don’t think he understands what people like me want in America. For example, I listened to his response to a question about whether or not the minimum wage should be increased. Honestly, his answer, to me, was a traditional republican response. As I’ve said, Bloomberg has a lot of baggage, but, as that is all dealt with, I’m concerned his actual republican “bonafides” will be overlooked. He wants to defeat individual 1 (along with MILLIONS of Americans) and he’s got an unlimited amount of cash for the campaign (unlike individual 1 who claimed he could fund his own campaign), but, make no mistake, Bloomberg is no “traditional” democrat!

I keep pointing out here, if the democrats want to nominate a BILLIONAIRE in order to defeat individual 1, I believe Tom Steyer should be the one! While Steyer doesn’t have as much cash as Bloomberg, he’s got plenty! (I’ve heard he’s worth “only” $35 BILLION) Steyer is the BILLIONAIRE with a history of supporting PROGRESSIVE initiatives and legislation. He supports the “wealth tax” of Elizabeth Warren (or some version thereof). He’s a strong proponent of Climate Change legislation. I could go on, but I believe Steyer would be a true progressive should he end up the democratic nominee and, I believe, he can genuinely not only get the support of the African American community, but I believe he would push solutions to the problems “we the people” face in the sphere of income inequality, in the issue of racism and what needs to be done to help lift up the Black community, and, along with many other issues, I believe Steyer would push to reverse the tax scam which has led to a annual deficit above a $1 TRILLION per year! I believe “we the people” need to return to the “bottom up” approach to governing! When those at the “bottom” are “lifted up” everyone prospers!

Like I said, I’ll vote for Bloomberg if he’s the nominee, but if democrats have to nominate a BILLIONAIRE I would much prefer Mr. Steyer!

In any other time during my lifetime of watching politics in America had FOUR prosecutors resigned due to a president interfering in the process of sentencing a CRIMINAL who had violated aspects of the law which go to the foundation of our “nation of laws” time would have nearly stood still. In the world with individual 1 as our so-called president this seems to be “just another day.” Of course, outlets like MSNBC will be reporting on this, but the individual 1 CULT will either be unaware of what is going on or won’t care. As I have predicted, William Barr has morphed into the second most DANGEROUS person in America and his actions should motivate more progressive thinking Americans (especially, the younger generation) to VOTE!

Here’s my latest thought, how many times can a president be IMPEACHED. I was just talking to a young person I know about second chances and, I believe, the COWARDLY republicans in the US Senate, maybe, are going to get a second chance to reconsider their “CS” vote in the IMPEACHMENT “trial.” We’ll see how the House responds to what is likely to be an accelerating attack on our fundamental republic by individual 1 who now believes there are NO “guardrails.” Personally, and I’ve actually read the constitution, I believe any president can be IMPEACHED as many times as the House votes to IMPEACH him/her. (Of course, the Attorney General also can be IMPEACHED – Just sayin……….)

It’s fast becoming apparent individual 1’s call with President Zelensky will ultimately be a minor abrogation of his obligation to “defend and protect the constitution.” What our so-called president is now doing in his “revenge tour” is likely to make asking a foreign government for help in the upcoming election as simply a “blip” in the area of presidential misconduct. I’ve been saying this for years, with added intensity, this is a WAR for the heart and soul of America. When you think “how low will he go?” Well, he’s now suggesting further “punishment” for war hero Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman – who served in Iraq, getting wounded (no “bone spurs” for Colonel Vindman) and – for telling the TRUTH about what individual 1 said on his “perfect” phone call – That’s REALLY low. (If you believe that call was “perfect” I’ve got a bridge …………………)

So, what we now are facing is a (so-called) president who wants the Justice Department to prosecute all of his (perceived) enemies, from Colonel Vindman to Barack Obama (and, a bunch of people in between) while at the same time orchestrating a Justice Department which is undermining the prosecutions of, most recently, Roger Stone, and, a few weeks ago, Michael Flynn. I mentioned above how four prosecutors resigned after the Department responded to a presidential “tweet” and pulled their sentencing recommendation for a man committing organized crime like offenses. The same thing happened with Flynn, only, as far as I know, none of the prosecutors resigned, so it didn’t receive much public disclosure. What Flynn was doing (Illegally) was far worse than his “plea deal” indicated – at the time, I believed, he “pled” to the one “count” to protect his son, who was in on the alleged ILLEGAL behavior right along side “dear old dad.” (Like working for the government of Turkey without disclosing it, and receiving money from Mr. Putin himself – for something?) Think about what having a (so-called) president “weaponizing” the Justice department means? It IS kind of Russian-lite!

In case you haven’t been paying attention (which is likely) to what is going on in the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York, it appears Mr. Barr is sticking his “nose” in there, as well, in regard to the reason individual 1 earned that name during the Michael Cohen pleading AND regarding the investigation of Rudy Giuliani along with his two friends Lev Parnos and Igor Fruman. Of course, Lev and Igor are still facing “justice,” but do you really believe the “investigation” of Giuliani will bear “fruit?” NOT likely! Mr. Barr has turned the Justice Department into a “weapon” of our so-called president which is one of the sure paths to turning America into a “banana republic.” My hope? The 2020 election and the statute of limitations. Not only can individual 1 be prosecuted for his crimes, but also Mr. Barr. (Remember, Barr was mentioned FIVE times in the “perfect” call, AND he clearly has been part of the smear campaign against Joe Biden. Naughty, naughty!

I’m certainly not the only American who saw the authoritarian in individual 1 even before he “won” the 2016 election. What I didn’t see was the level of CHEATING he would “fall” to, and, you have to give him credit, he’s really good at CHEATING! (I’ve mentioned here before, anyone who CHEATS at golf, well, look out everywhere else) And, even though he didn’t totally get away with CHEATING in reference to the Ukraine fiasco leading to his (first) IMPEACHMENT, I do believe he succeeded in destroying the candidacy of Joe Biden. (Another thing I didn’t understand prior to individual 1’s election was his connection to organized crime – including the Russian mafiya)

Now, I wasn’t someone who felt Biden would be the democratic nominee anyway, but, I believe, it’s certain he won’t now. The more people around the country understand what a THREAT individual 1 is to this country, the more you will see democrats focusing on who is MOST likely to BEAT him in November. The reason this is going to be such an interesting election is because the democrats have to try staying one step ahead of individual 1’s misinformation campaign. In a recent post I brought up the name Michael Bloomberg, at the beginning of his MASSIVE campaign of throwing money at our TV screens, thinking he may end up being the safest “bet” for the democrats – most who believe BEATING individual 1 is the number one issue this November. And, we’re already seeing indications individual 1 is surreptitiously going after Bloomberg – just as he was doing with Biden early on. (I’m sure our so-called president believes he should be able to choose the democratic nominee – trust me, he’ll be trying, for sure!)

The other day I read a post on the Daily Kos, a liberal Blog, where most people consider individual 1 in the same light as myself. The post was highlighting comments Bloomberg made back in the days of “Stop and Frisk” (including a video of him defending the plan which has racist overtones) which, apparently, is the “weight” those who don’t want another BILLIONAIRE running for president will be trying to “hang around his neck.” Of course, the “stop and frisk” issue is the first thing he apologized for when he declared his candidacy and, of course, there will be speculation about where this video came from (Bloomberg himself? Individual 1?), but, to me, the reality is Bloomberg is gaining steam as the person who many believe can defeat individual 1. I have to admit, I could care less if it’s a BILLIONAIRE or a pauper – as long as individual 1 gets to defend himself in the Southern District of New York for directing Michael Cohen to commit at least 2 FELONIES on January 21, 2021. (Those FELONIES earned our so-called president the moniker “individual 1”)

I like to watch Nicole Wallace on MSNBC, apparently because she’s a disaffected republican, and, today, I was reminded when we watch ANYTHING on TV we need to have our “thinking caps” on. For example, today Steve Schmidt (also a disaffected republican) was a guest on Ms. Wallace’s show and, when commenting about Bernie Sanders, he called Sanders a candidate who wants to take “health insurance away from 150 MILLION Americans.” Now, that’s about as ABSURD a comment as I can imagine (Something you’d see on Fox), but, sadly, it went uncontested. Actually, what Sanders wants to do is to make sure EVERY American has health insurance – simply in the form of Medicare. (Full disclosure, I’m on Medicare and it’s really, really good. Keep in mind, if EVERYONE is on Medicare, all doctors will (have to) accept Medicare patients and hospitals will be required to follow Medicare rules – which, from my experience, are very good.

I was really disappointed there was no blow-back on Schmidt’s MISINFORMATION – as I said above, that’s what I would expect to see on Fox “news,” although this happened toward the end of the show so maybe there just wasn’t time. I believe Schmidt was removed from the “guest list” at MSNBC when he attempted to lead Howard Schultz into this election as a third party candidate. Obviously, the idea of an actual “liberal” doesn’t appeal to Mr. Schmidt. And, despite what Bernie claims, he’s essentially a “liberal.” America has been a “Socialist democracy” since the days of FDR. Yes, since those days republicans have been committed to defrocking the “New Deal,” but Bernie’s simply part of a MAJORITY of Americans who believe health care is a “right,” who believe higher education SHOULD also be a right (albeit, one which must be earned in the lower grades – at least from my viewpoint), and believes the wealthy owe their fair share to our nations “coffers” – as they benefit the most from America’s wealth.

I simply have to wonder where Mr. Schmidt is actually coming from. I, today, got the feeling (just a feeling, no real evidence) , he’s going to be one of those pushing for Bloomberg as the democratic nominee. I, personally, am perfectly fine with Bloomberg as the nominee, but only if he is willing to push a progressive agenda and only if he legitimately gets voted in as the nominee with no shenanigans. I do believe the democrats have the opportunity to nominate a different BILLIONAIRE – one who has gone through the “process” from the start and one who’s been supporting a progressive agenda for YEARS, and that’s Tom Steyer. It’s true he doesn’t have as many BILLIONS as Bloomberg, but how many do you need? Despite all of Elizabeth Warren’s protestations against “BILLIONAIRES” buying elections, I’m hoping both Bloomberg and Steyer are “all in” no matter who wins the nomination. They have the money to offset the republican Super PAC’s which seem to have unlimited funding.

I’m certainly not one who believes someone should be persona non grata in the democratic party because they’re a “Billionaire.” In fact, I think it’s great people are able to succeed mightily in this nation, I just also believe if you get rich in America you have more responsibility to “give back.” And, for people who want to hoard BILLIONS, that would be in the form of higher taxes. When I was young (back in the 1950’s and 1960’s) Americans who earned in excess of (in today’s dollars) a MILLION dollars per year paid something like 90% on those earnings past that “cool MILLION.” That percentage was pared down a bit until Reagan took office and he chopped it almost in half. Since Eisenhower’s time republicans have had a war on income taxes for the wealthy and, I believe, it’s an undeniable reason why working class Americans have been “treading water” economically (or worse) since the 1980’s.

The issues we’re all facing in today’s America, in my view, require us all to cherish the “big tent” which has always been the democratic party’s mantra (I’ve been an independent because of what I’ve seen as democrats’ failure to defend their own fundamental beliefs – ie, the “New Deal” – they didn’t even defend “Obamacare” until it became popular!) without attacking each other. To me, whoever the democrats nominate for president in 2020 will get my vote. When you think about it, unless you’re a “lemming” there is not one candidate who stands for EVERYTHING you do. The issue in 2020 is do you want America to be RULED by a mafia like autocrat. Do you want America, really, to be like Russia?

As a former 6th grade teacher I always wondered about the young people I was teaching and how some of them seemed oblivious to the reality our society was formed by people who were willing to FIGHT for it. I wondered, “How many of these students will be willing to FIGHT for this country if the need arises?” Of course, I was thinking in regard to an attack from OUTSIDE, but the reality is we’re facing an attack from WITHIN! “We the people” are dependent on a MASSIVE response to individual 1 at the polls come November. If that happens, I believe there is no chance individual 1 remains in “POWER” past January 19, 2021. The willingness to FIGHT for this great country requires people simply to make sure they CAN vote – and then VOTE!

No matter how this all plays out, I believe it’s going to be uncomfortable and nasty. Most people don’t understand what it will be like to come after a mafia like “boss.” A person who, when his lips are moving is LYING, and a person who has a CULT-LIKE following, which seems willing to accept anything coming out of those “lips.” November of 2020 very likely is going to be an historically memorable time in American history, one way or the other. This issue with individual 1 interfering in the sentencing of Roger Stone and his “Roy Cohn” (William Barr) make it clear, the importance of this election – a clear example of how a “democracy” turns into a dictatorship. If he loses, individual 1 will claim the election was “rigged.” (And, just like 2016, if he “wins” the election will have been “rigged”)

But, of course, there’s a lot more. There’s the FACT individual 1 is a climate change denier, he’s a lackey of the NRA, he’s trying to take health care away from MILLIONS, he’s destroying our “administrative state” (like the State Department, the Agriculture Department, the Defense Department, the Intelligence Community, of course, the Justice Department, and he’s going after the “free press”), and he’s destroying our place in the world in relation to our traditional allies. That doesn’t even bring up what he’s doing to our “Dreamers” and what he’s done at the border – much of it qualifying for the SHAMEFUL section of U.S. History. The list is much longer than that! However, as I’ve said before, I continue to choose to be an optimist.

I believe young people are going to vote in record numbers, I believe democrats are going to vote in record numbers, and, I believe the democratic party is going to campaign EVERYWHERE in 2020. And, they may need the help of “Billionaires to do so.” To me, there are democratic leaning Americans in Georgia, Alabama, and other Southern states. The rust belt, SHOULD be voting for whoever the democrat candidate ends up being – I “get” a significant part of the CULT falls in those parts of the nation, but we have to FIGHT to save these people from the BRAINWASHING they’ve absorbed. What was learned, I hope, in 2016 is the importance of the Electoral College. Stay tuned…………………..

I watched, yesterday – one day after the IMPEACHMENT “trial” ended – as individual 1 vented in a way which made him appear as a “poor man’s” Vladimir Putin. Yes, he’s encouraging reprisals against his perceived “enemies list” but I seriously doubt any of them will end up poisoned. Should one of our so-called president’s “enemies” end up attacked in some other kind of way, well, then, we really will be tilting toward “being like Russia.” While I want to believe that is far fetched, at this point in time nothing surprises me. What we do know is individual 1 is going to do whatever he can to get “re-elected” – and, that obviously includes CHEATING!

I used to rely on the phrase republicans believe “The end justifies the means” to describe their tactics during elections. Well, individual 1 has helped them (republicans) evolve to accepting outright CHEATING as a way to remain in power. Whatever it takes! If you haven’t read any of my previous posts, I’ll remind you – the worst part of all of this, to me, is individual 1’s base is comprised mainly of the “evangelical Christian” community. That being said, I’m an evangelical Christian and individual 1 makes my stomach churn. I struggle to understand how anyone who calls themselves a Christian could support him – in ANY way?!

For example, it’s not just in Christian theology that LYING is WRONG – virtually EVERYONE knows LYING is wrong. Well, it took individual 1 to become our so-called president for people to keep track of LYING because he is LYING almost every time he speaks – the last count I saw was over 16,000 – documented LIES – so far in his first term. (And, hopefully, his last) The count is increasing at an alarming rate and, sadly, there are MILLIONS of “Christians” in America who could care less. It’s as if they’ve made a pact with the devil to get what they want, which, apparently is judges who they hope will overturn Roe.

I’ve pointed out “The Big Lie Theory” has been part of the republican “strategy” for years. They somehow got minions stationed in all walks of our media world to be pushing the identical LIE with the identical “talking points” with the understanding “we the people” would fall for it. The theory goes – if you’re not familiar with it – “If you repeat a LIE often enough people will believe it’s true.” It’s the theory used by the Third Reich, supposedly the work of Joseph Goebbels, the head of propaganda for the Nazi’s back in the 1930’s.

Whether or not this is a “strategy” used by individual 1 is still a question to me. I believe he’s simply a pathological LIAR which puts him in line with republicans naturally, but I often wonder if his LIES are “on purpose” or just that LYING is embedded in his psyche. (ie pathological) I’ve pointed out now for a couple of years I see our so-called president as a “mafia boss” and, to me, that is becoming more apparent every single day. For example, just the other day, Alexander Vindman was unceremoniously “marched out of the White House” and fired from his job because, well, he told the TRUTH. He answered a lawfully written subpoena calling him to testify before Congress (and, “we the people”) and, by telling the TRUTH, he put himself in the “cross-hairs” of individual 1 and many of his supporters. (To individual 1 he’s a “rat”)

Telling the TRUTH got Colonel Vindman death threats via the internet, it got him accused of being a spy by many on Fox “news” – right on millions of American’s TV sets – Americans who, mostly have been conditioned to believe the right wing LIES of the republican party and now who vehemently oppose ANYONE who doesn’t bow to “dear leader.” It really is a quite sobering situation we have here now in America. Walking Colonel Vindman out in a way designed, apparently, to “shame’ him publicly, wasn’t enough for individual 1. So, he had Colonel Vindman’s brother, another 20+ year veteran of the Army who had nothing to do with his brother’s telling of the TRUTH also unceremoniously “walked out” of the “White House.” (I’m sure individual 1 realized Colonel Vindman’s brother was also likely to tell the TRUTH should he be asked so he had no place in the “White House.”)

Next, individual 1 “went after” Gordon Sondland, an inexperienced republican donor who was clearly in over his head as the European Ambassador for the United States. He also chose to answer a lawfully drawn subpoena and testify before the House Intelligence Committee. And, much, I’m sure, to the chagrin of individual 1, Sondland also chose to tell the truth. Now, he had to get some “reminders” from the testimony of others, but ultimately, faced with the possibility of a perjury charge, Sondland “came clean.” And, of course, to individual 1 that made him also a “rat” who needed to be “fired” – no matter the $1.5 MILLION he donated to republicans with a “cool MILLION” going to individual 1’s inaugural committee – money which STILL hasn’t been properly accounted for. (Surprise, surprise) I’ll only be surprised if Sondland didn’t have to find his own way home from Brussels. (And, by the way, part of Sondland’s Hotel empire resides in my hometown)

That brings me to what’s next in individual 1’s vendetta against people he considers part of his “enemies list.” Does that remind you of anyone? (If you’re too young – it’s like Richard Nixon all over again – only worse) Well, people like Masha Yovanovich, Bill Taylor, Fiona Hill, and Vice President Pense’s aid Jennifer Williams have all left their jobs already so individual 1 will have to find a different way to ATTACK them than by firing them – they’re already gone. While none of this surprises me, it reminds me how important it is to vote this thug (individual 1) and as many of his minions (republican Senators) as possible out of office this November.

One thing we can count on is that individual 1 will give us more evidence he’s akin to a mafia boss virtually every day. For example, today the focus SHOULD be on the New Hampshire primary, but, of course, we just got another reason why republicans are living in FEAR of this so-called president. Today the four lead prosecutors in the Roger Stone case, which is at the sentencing phase, resigned because the Department of Justice intervened, apparently because of a “tweet” from dear leader, suggesting the prosecutors were “too mean” in there request for a 7 year sentence. Keep in mind, Stone was found guilty on ALL of the seven counts he was charged with, including (What else) LYING to Congress and investigators of the “Russia thing” and witness tampering – two characteristics of mobsters – and, of course, individual 1 sees nothing wrong with that.

So, our so-called president has intervened in an actual Justice Department prosecution now that, as Susan Collins so adroitly predicted, “he’s learned his lesson” – as he further attempts to stifle dissent via his subtle acts of vindictiveness. I believe his interference in the Stone case is just a precursor to what could be an avalanche of pardons between now and November. And, if he’s “deposed” by “we the people” (God help us if we don’t vote this thug out of office) I believe he will pardon HIMSELF. (Knowing what he’ll be facing in the courts once he leaves office) It should be interesting to see what happens in Stone’s case and whether we find out who “intervened” from the DOJ. (If you’re not thinking William Barr, you haven’t been paying attention.)

I’m reminded once again of Adam Schiff reminding Senators in the “trial” they were threatened with their “heads on a pike” if they voted against individual 1. Of course, they made a public scene suggesting “disgust” at such an idea – when, I believe it’s why they all acted so cowardly – with the exception of Mitt Romney. Now, I’m not one to regularly give props to Mr. Romney, but I believe he’s the ONE republican who will be holding his head high as this DISASTER continues to unfold. Of course, individual 1 was trying to put Romney’s “head on a pike” within minutes of Romney casting his historic vote.

And, people like Rand Paul – who has continually tried to expose the “whistle blower” – will have difficulty finding a rock large enough to “crawl” under. Of course, I have to wonder if Mr. Paul has any more of a conscience than the so-called president. Plus, Susan Collins said, “He’s learned his lesson” – I have to wonder how she’s feeling as the retribution intensifies? Then, there are senators like Lamar Alexander and Marko Rubio who, it seemed to me, were just too lazy to sit through a couple more weeks of this “trial” to listen to John Bolton and other first hand witnesses – they agreed individual 1 “did it” but EXTORTING a foreign government for political gain is not impeachable. Every time I allow my mind to get a picture of one of these Senators I’m overcome with a feeling of disgust!

Well, sure enough, what is individual 1 trying to do with Mitt Romney – along with his most loyal sycophants – as I said above, they’re trying to “put his head on a pike.” And, this would, sadly, include Romney’s niece who is the chair of the Republican National Committee. This is how individual 1 operates. He’s got a large segment of the republican party in a “stupor” and he’s got minions placed in strategic positions – like Moscow Mitch in charge of the Senate and Lindsey Graham now chairing the Senate Judiciary Committee. That guarantees the Senate will do whatever individual 1 wishes. Of course, even in their “red” states both McConnell and Graham seem vulnerable to the voters this November, but I suspect the republicans will find whatever amount of money necessary to keep them in office – I say that with one caveat.

And, what is that, you might ask? Well, I can answer in one word. Michael Bloomberg. (OK, two words) It’s actually Bloomberg who is proving what “money can buy” as he’s vaulting up the polling among democratic voters without one chance to participate in any of the debates so far. How is he doing this? Well, I saw him on the “Late Show” with Stephen Colbert and he said he’s spent over $200 MILLION so far – and, as everyone knows, he can spend whatever he wants. He’s in his mid 70’s and reportedly has between $50 and $100 BILLION in the bank (he confirmed with Colbert he’s got a large checking account) and he’s committed to seeing individual 1 out of office come next January. On the show, he pledged to spend his money whether he’s the candidate or not.

This caused my brain to do a bit of thinking. For example, I really like Elizabeth Warren – I, personally, believe she’s the SMARTEST candidate the democrats have (which is why so many are attacking her) and, I thought, “What would Senator Warren do if she got the nomination and Bloomberg wanted to financially support her?” She’s made such a “stink” about “billionaires” buying our government, would she have to turn him down? That’s really where I worry about the democrats as this scenario unfurls. Take Tom Steyer, as another example. I really like him, I like what he stands for, I like what he’s proposing, and it matters NOT one bit to me that he’s a BILLIONAIRE. (Apparently, he’s only got about $35 BILLION, but I digress) I’m OK with BILLIONAIRES. Had this been his “time,” FDR would undoubtedly have been a BILLIONAIRE – he was part of the privileged class in America when he initiated the “New Deal.”

Here’s what I care about – it’s what people believe in, what they would attempt to get accomplished once in office, and their courage to fight for what they believe in. I’m comfortable with EVERY candidate the democrats are putting on the stage (plus, I’m comfortable with Bloomberg). I suppose I’m the least comfortable with “Mayor Pete” since the day I heard him regurgitate the LIE that democrats were the cause of the huge deficits – which to me was almost disqualifying (he’s only, I think, in his late 30’s – but, just the same, he should know better). Honestly, when I think about it, defeating individual 1 is the overriding issue in my mind – the rest will take care of itself. Of course, democrats MUST retake control of the Senate for any chance that “we the people” will set a course on a progressive agenda which will strengthen our Middle Class.

And, more than ever I care about a person’s personal integrity. That was probably my favorite reason for supporting President Obama. He was/is a man of integrity. He’s an honorable father and husband. Of course, he’s also intellectually brilliant which we can’t say about individual 1. I had my issues with President Obama, which you can find in the archives, but generally I was happy with him as our president. Of course, for eight years you had Moscow Mitch and the rest of the republicans attempting to make sure Obama “failed.” (In fact, along with our so-called president, they’re still doing so – trying to undo as many Obama accomplishments as they can. These people are NOTHING if not VINDICTIVE)

One of the best movies I’ve seen in recent memory was the movie “42” about Jackie Robinson and what he had to go through after “breaking the color barrier” in professional sports. I often thought of that movie when I was feeling a bit of frustration with President Obama, and circumstances since he left office have further confirmed those thoughts. While I was thinking Obama was too pragmatic I’ve come to believe he was saddled with what he could do because of his place in history as our first president of African American descent. The racist backlash to his presidency was plenty without him being more overt in his challenge to the ruling elite of this country. (I always found it ironic when I heard people like Rush Limbaugh referring to Obama as an “elitist.” That pretty much said it all, at the time)

I listened, the other day, to a Black democratic campaign adviser (I think to Joe Biden) who was explaining about things President Obama couldn’t do because of the likelihood it would inspire more racist backlash – with accusations President Obama was an angry…………. (I’ll let you fill in the blank). Just as we have Fox “news” LYING on a regular basis in support of individual 1 they were, during Obama’s term, doing everything they could to turn Americans against our 44th president. And, most of it had nothing to do with policy differences, because, in reality, President Obama was a moderate democrat. Just like the “Tea Party” movement, several Fox “hosts” exposed their racist beliefs repeatedly during Obama’s time in office.

I have friends who are republicans and, at the time, were opposed to President Obama for reasons which made no sense to me – and, I ALWAYS pointed that out to them. I pointed out they were acting like racists. I still remember one of them, a man I care about who is now a pastor in a small Church in Northwest Washington, sending an email to me saying “If someone believes “this, this, this, and this” (of course, he laid out personal beliefs) would you consider that person a racist. I replied to his email with a one word answer, “Yes.” I knew he was referencing his own beliefs and he, thereafter, wanted to change the subject. People I know who considered themselves part of the “Tea Party” movement – in EVERY instance – claimed it was not a racist motivated movement. I have to wonder, “how many Americans are in a state of denial” when it comes to issues like racism, etc.?

Well, if one of them tried to turn my thinking around and suggest, “You can’t stand individual 1 (of course, they’d say his surname, I just cant’s seem to do it) and there’s NOTHING he can do to make you support him. Well, I would have to agree. I don’t know if there was anything he could have done from the start – I recognized his pathological LYING right from the start – well before he was even nominated – I was turned off to his lack of commitment to any values, and the Access Hollywood tape pretty much “sealed the deal” for my disdain of this man. Then, when almost 20 women came forward with supporting evidence to what was on that tape (in his own words) and he accused EVERY one of them as being LIARS – well, yuck! I can’t imagine how “The party of family values” – as they like to portray themselves (or should I say “liked”) – could vote this thug into office.

Since he took the oath of office (which means NOTHING to him), I’ve learned much more about individual 1’s history and it makes me want him out of office even more. I do believe he’s involved with organized crime in some kind of way which we’ll all “discover” at some point in time (I’m guessing some investigative reporter is attempting to “connect the dots” as I’m writing this) down the road. His connection to the Russians goes back well over 30 years, as they were the ones bailing him out of his financial disasters back in the 80’s and early 90’s, One book I read pointed out how he was “laundering” Russian money through his Casino’s in Atlantic City New Jersey for which he paid a substantial fine. Additionally, his history of “selling” real estate to Russians as a way to launder their ill gotten gains is also well documented.

Most Americans are not aware of all this because they don’t have the time or the inclination to read the amount of books I’ve chosen to read – not only about individual 1 and his connections to Russia, but also about Vladimir Putin, who is (and has been) the most dangerous person in the world from my perspective. Individual 1 comes across to me as a Vladimir Putin “wannabee.” Of course, he’s limited by how he can go after his “enemies” by the very constitution he’s attempting to render meaningless – I often think of how he must wish to have the same type of POWER as Putin. That would solve the “free press” issue beyond just referring to the press as the “enemy of the people.” Without the “free” press we would know literally nothing about what he’s really doing as he “deconstructs the administrative state” in line with the wishes of none other than Steve Bannon.

All these people, individual 1 and his most loyal sycophants, are DANGEROUS people who come across in a startling parallel to the Third Reich. In America, it’s taboo to even mention the name Adolf Hitler when speaking about our politics, but the sad reality is “we the people” have allowed a (at a minimum pseudo) fascist into our “White House.” Stephen Miller also fits the bill, of course Moscow Mitch – maybe he’ll do whatever it takes to keep himself relevant, I don’t really know, and of course, Mr. Bannon himself – likely still working for “dear leader” on the outside – and others who come across as people with fascist tendencies. (ie Mr. Paul)

I remember when republicans were accusing President Obama of being a fascist – which simply further exposed their IGNORANCE. i’m guessing MOST of those who made that accusation couldn’t explain what a fascist really is. And, when I looked it up, there were multiple meanings to the term, but here’s what, I believe, would be how most people who understand politics would express fascism, “a form of far-right, authoritarian ultra-nationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and of the economy” – do you see the parallels? Maybe, for example, ask Colonel Vindman, or Senator Romney, or maybe Representative Adam Schiff. The list could go on, I hope you get my “drift.” If the idea of America as a fascist state bothers you, you STILL have the right to VOTE!

Final Thought: I really am getting a bit numb about all the SCANDAL individual 1 feels emboldened to portray on “we the people” simply because the republican party is afraid of him, for whatever reason. (As he said in the Access Hollywood video he was grabbing women by the pussy be cause “They’ll let you do it.” Well, he’s turning America toward fascism because republicans “will let him do it”) I still believe many members of what can only be described as the individual 1 cult will be denying they were part of it within a year or two of his ouster from office – hopefully this next fall. I’ve thought about what might happen if, somehow, he CHEATS his way into another “four years” and I keep asking myself “can a president be impeached more than once?”

Well, the answer to that question, I believe is YES! When I read the constitution I found nothing suggesting any limit on the number of times a president can be impeached. Who knows, maybe republicans will realize their COWARDICE and decide enough is enough at some point. Clearly, individual 1, in his “revenge tour,” is undermining those republicans who believed “He’s learned his lesson.” Of course, we all knew that was foolish thinking, but maybe it will set in on some of them before it’s too late. To me, too late will be EVERY day after November 3rd should he manage to CHEAT his way back in office again.

My friend who is an individual 1 supporter is predicting riots if individual 1 wins again. Well, I guess at this point, I’m inclined to agree with him. In fact, riots wouldn’t surprise me no matter the results of the election – because you can bet he’s going to be exacerbating the differences in this country – both in his rallies AND in his misinformation (Russian like) campaign going on as I’m writing this on Social media. He’s ginning up his supporters and likewise, with his scandalous behavior (LIES), which also is ginning up the opposition – the so-called resistance. My hope is, either way, we have an election “we the people” can believe was “fair.” If the Russians or any other outside “agency” is exposed as being involved, well I don’t think people will believe it’s fair and, things could get ugly.

One last thing: With William Barr as Attorney General I believe the ONLY way “we the people” will know if the Russians or anyone else attempts to interfere in the election will be if individual 1 loses and the next administration exposes it. The second most dangerous person in this country, to me, even more dangerous than Moscow Mitch, is William Barr. Once “we the people” believe the Justice Department is simply a tool of our so-called president (actually, ANY president), well this democratic republic is headed for demise.

While Americans brace themselves for the likelihood the Russians and other foreign “actors” will be “intervening” in the 2020 election I, personally, believe the potential for “hacking” is every bit as likely coming from Americans referred to as “trolls.” I was just watching a segment on the internet referring to the debacle at the democratic caucuses and part of the problem was “internet trolls” (who apparently got the phone number on a site called 4 chan) jamming the phone line used by caucus chairs to report their results, causing the phones to be jammed for hours and creating chaos as the democratic leaders attempted to report the results.

The Russians left us wondering how much effect did they actually have on the final results of the 2016 election. Since then, individual 1 has initiated NOTHING intended to protect our election process from “bad actors” and, now, I’m feeling some of those bad actors could be his supporters here on the “homeland.” It’s now (as I’m writing this) one day since Mitt Romney voted to convict individual 1 on Article I of the IMPEACHMENT charges and, as predicted, the blow-back has already started. I keep thinking of Adam Schiff suggesting Senators were living in FEAR of having their “heads on a pike.” Prophetic!

That should tell “we the people” all we need to know about what individual 1 is attempting to do to this country – with the help of republicans who ONLY care about winning elections and keeping POWER while their party continues to shrink. I’ve said this many times – Americans simply wont vote for candidates who appear WEAK. Right now, with so many attempting to stay relevant in the nominating process something like this FIASCO in Iowa makes the entire party look bad. It seems obvious there are many operating surreptitiously willing to ATTACK our election process and the message at “4 chan” to flood the Iowa Caucus phone lines gives us a “peek” at what lies in store.

We KNOW the Russians are still feeding disinformation into our Social Media networks, most specifically on Facebook and Twitter, and they will be active when it comes time for the national election in November. Having individual 1 in the “White House” is working quite well for the Russians as Vladimir Putin continues his covert ATTACK across Western Europe virtually unimpeded by America. Putin is busy attempting to “Make Russia Great Again” and he couldn’t have a better “helper” in the “White House” than individual 1. If the American people fall for individual 1’s mountain of LIES going into November and vote him into office for another 4 years I believe NATO, for example, will likely not survive – much to the glee of Mr. Putin.

However, it’s becoming even more apparent to me individual 1’s supporters who are affiliated with the so-called “alt right” (ie Steve Bannon), similar to our so-called president, have no “bounds” and they could be more of a threat to our election process than the Russians. Just as the Russians are using our open society against us I believe there are many Americans who will be doing the very same thing. And, of course, during all this the democrats will be focused on “following the rules.” Additionally, you can take this to the bank, individual 1 will be lashing out at his perceived “enemies” from now until November and any republican who even makes a “whimper” of criticism will, as Mr. Schiff said, “find his/her head on a pike.”

We are living in an HISTORIC time – where the future of our nation is at stake in the upcoming election like it never has before. I can think of many elections where I felt I was voting for the better of two candidates neither of which I was excited about. Often times I was voting against a candidate, but NOTHING to the degree which I will be voting AGAINST individual 1 and likely ANY republican as long as I’m still able to vote. I’ve been saying since the day Dick Cheney took the oath of the Vice Presidency back in 2001 – “winning” due to a Supreme Court which was already stacked toward the “right” – this is a WAR for the heart and soul of this nation.

One of my MAJOR issues with President Obama was I never felt he understood the seriousness of this “war.” He started his first term with what I’ve always suggested was the WORST decision of his two terms in office – and that was “looking forward instead of back.” He blocked ALL the investigations into the ILLEGAL activity of the Bush/Cheney regime which included the investigations into the WAR CRIMES everyone knew were committed. I believe President Obama even succeeded in stopping the Spaniards from their own investigation which would have labeled GW Bush, Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, and others as WAR CRIMINALS. At the time, I predicted this would enable future republicans to believe, as individual 1 has repeatedly claimed, “I can do anything I want.”

I do believe younger members of the electorate who support democrats do understand this is a WAR. They are the ones who will face the real consequences of four more years of, for example, climate science denial. They are the ones who have a more direct experience with the issue of the NRA turning America into a nation flooded with weapons capable of MURDERING mass groups of people. They are the ones who are facing the possibility of republicans destroying the Social Security system. They are the ones who will bear the brunt of republicans destroying the health care system more than they already have – the younger generation are well educated and know about American History – which indicts republicans as the problem stopping democrats from creating a national health care system since the days of Harry Truman. I believe these young Americans are going to VOTE en masse this November.

Make no mistake, individual 1 and the republicans will do whatever they can to block as many of these young Americans from voting along with as many African Americans and as many older Americans likely to vote for democrats. The voter suppression tactics of republicans have been red hot since the day the Supreme Court “gutted” section 5 of the Voting Rights Act – the section designed to prevent the very voter suppression tactics which sprouted almost the day after their decision. House democrats, in one of their first actions in this Congress, passed “HR 1” which is aimed at restoring the Voting Rights Act, among other important issues. The Bill sits at the foot of Moscow Mitch’s desk! Again, this is a WAR for the heart and soul of this nation.

“We the people” have been brainwashed over the past 50+ years to believe we are part of the greatest nation on earth and to believe our constitution is the foundation of our nation. In fact, all politicians and public servants (ie military, FBI, intelligence, etc.) take an OATH to “protect and defend” the constitution when they take their oath of office. What we’re learning with individual 1 as our so-called president is how fragile that constitution actually is. This republican party has had their sights on undermining that document for years which is why individual 1 is the PERFECT leader of their party.

While republicans tell “we the people” how great we all are, they’ve been “laughing all the way to the bank” – pilfering the tax rolls via their repeated “tax cuts for the wealthy.” “Trickle down” economic policy which causes tax dollars to “trickle up” and deficits to explode. We’ve never seen anything close to the CORRUPTION coming out of this “White House” and you (well, at least me) have to wonder how so many Americans are supporting someone they know is CORRUPT to the bone. Every time I see or hear him I feel even stronger he’s, at a minimum, a pseudo organized crime boss. I certainly am one who is wondering what’s on his tax returns? We KNOW he has a history of laundering Russian money! Just sayin………….

Individual 1’s pathological LYING works to the ends republicans desire – they are making what amounts to an ASSAULT on the Judicial branch of government by appointing judges whose terms are for life – it’s more important, for example, to them that their appointees are young than qualified. Again, this SHOULD get the attention of Americans of all persuasions – of course, with the exception of those in individual 1’s cult. The right wing benefactors who’ve been funding this push to the “right” in America have been spending BILLIONS for exactly what we’re seeing – they call it the “permanent republican ‘majority'” – where they gain a stranglehold on all three branches of government.

The question will be “front and center” in the news for the next couple of months, at least, as to whether or not democrats are up for what will be, surely even they understand by now, a WAR. If you watched individual 1 today, one day after the end of the Senate “trial,” it SHOULD be clear to you that our so-called president is pursuing third world type revenge on what he considers his enemies. After all, William Barr was part of the scheme individual 1 was attempting to extort from Ukraine and many are concerned Mr. Barr is targeting some of these “enemies” with questionable legal retribution. I have to wonder if individual 1’s “acquittal” will “unleash” Barr? Who is celebrating all of this? Yep, you’re correct, Vladimir Putin! (I’ve been pointing out in my last few posts, ALL Americans SHOULD read “From Russia with Blood” by Heidi Blake. If that doesn’t get your attention, I don’t know what will!

Final Thought: As I was driving around today and thinking about the Americans who were attempting to disrupt the Iowa Caucus results on the democratic side I started getting some alarming thoughts. I’ve lived in the same state almost my entire life so I don’t know how the different primary systems work, but I started imagining supporters of individual 1 participating in democratic primaries in an attempt to disrupt the process by voting for candidates they feel can’t beat our so-called president in November. I have no idea if that’s something to actually worry about, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see an concerted effort on behalf of his supporters to intervene in the process. Stay tuned…………………..

Another day has passed since the above words were written and, last night, as I was pondering the FIASCO which happened in Iowa and my concern that republican operatives will attempt to manipulate the democrats nominating process, the name which kept coming to my mind was Michael Bloomberg. In fact, I even started another rant late last night with that thought in mind and today, after having breakfast with my friend I often write about who is an individual 1 supporter, I turned the radio on there was former Navy Secretary Richard Spencer endorsing Mr. Bloomberg for the 2020 election – obviously, supporting him for the democratic nomination.

My friend believes individual 1 will win in a landslide in this year’s election and, clearly, he’s thinking the democrats are going to nominate Bernie Sanders which he believes is akin to them nominating George McGovern “back in the day.” I told him, “I think they’re going to nominate Michael Bloomberg” and, after a pause, he said, “You might be right.” He believes individual 1 is wildly popular (he also believes he doesn’t LIE) and he believes our so-called president was “totally exonerated” by the Senate. I reminded him I predicted the exact outcome (less Romney’s vote – which, by the way, means my friend believes he should be kicked out of the republican party – I pointed out to him he’s part of a cult) before the “trial” began and, of course, it wasn’t really a trial.

But try to remember how these republicans think – as they’ve been consumed by individual 1. If you remember, when President Obama was in office, the employment numbers which come out every month were a bunch of LIES (according to our so-called president). Obama led a recovery from the “Great Recession” which was in its 7th year when individual 1 (and the Russians and James Comey) pulled off the upset “win” in 2016 (with 3 MILLION less votes than Mrs. Clinton – who, by the way, my friend believes should still be investigated – for what I wasn’t sure). Within days of taking the oath (meaningless for him) of office – where he promised to defend and protect the constitution – the new jobs numbers came out and he claimed credit. He’s been claiming credit ever since for the economy he INHERITED from Obama.

I suppose we should all be happy that he hasn’t screwed up this INHERITANCE (yet), which is unusual for him – although, the tax scam has more than DOUBLED the annual deficit with TRILLION dollar annual deficits for as far as the eye can see – and, should the economy “tank” (which is likely at some point – maybe in the near future despite all the Wall Street glee of late) that deficit will get even more severe. Of course, the republicans wont complain until there’s another democrat in the “White House.”

You can see this “trait” coming from individual 1 over and over. He takes credit for the accomplishments of others and he’s the classic projectionist – putting his transgressions on others before “we the people” knows what has hit them – in this regard, I’m talking about the “liberal media.” They can’t keep up. In the face of all this a majority of Americans understand there’s ONE major goal for the next election. It’s NOT the battle against Climate Change (although it should be), it’s NOT the battle to make health care a “right” in America (although it should be), it’s NOT about Education, women’s rights, restoring the Voting Rights Act, reversing the “Citizens United” decision by the Roberts Court, it’s NOT the crumbling infrastructure, it’s NOT our “crumbling relationships with our traditional allies,” it’s NOT protecting our “homeland” from the cyber attacks coming from inside and outside out borders, although in EVERY one of those instances it SHOULD be – the MAJOR goal of a majority of Americans is getting RID of individual 1 as our so-called president.

And, my hope is he will be able to experience a REAL trial once he’s out of office – you know, a trial where there are witnesses and documentary evidence and where the jurors actually are impartial and vote to convict or acquit based on the preponderance of that evidence. He’s got two trials sitting in wait in the Southern District of New York for the CRIMES he allegedly directed Michael Cohen to commit – CRIMES largely responsible for Cohen sitting in prison as I’m writing this. My individual 1 supporter friend believes individual 1 was totally exonerated, he believes William Barr that individual 1 didn’t commit 10 acts of OBSTRUCTION of Justice in the Russian investigation – an investigation which, according to Robert Mueller, “memorialized” the evidence in case, once individual 1 is out of office, someone may want to re-visit the potential charges. And, the list of his alleged lawbreaking goes on and on – and, by the way, this list includes his immediate family members as well.

I’m not one who has revered Robert Mueller as a national hero – as he was portrayed when chosen as “Special Counsel” – yes, he’s an honorable American who has served with distinction in multiple capacities over the years, but he has to understand the gravity of what this nation if facing – he saw it first hand. I’ve been wondering when those who’ve been discarded by the individual 1 administration would be doing their civic DUTY? Spencer is the first. It’s unusual for someone in the military (even former) to openly challenge the “Commander in Chief” as Spencer has done explaining his support for Bloomberg. I’m waiting for the others. There’s Jim Mattis, there’s Rex Tillerson, there’s Don McGahn, there’s HR McMaster, and, of course, there’s John Bolton. These people, reportedly, have referred to our so-called president as variations of a “F-ing” (fill in the blank – and the missing noun is NOT complimentary). It’s time for them to step forward and be heard – right now, especially, John Bolton.

I will end this with a “spoiler alert” for Mr. Bolton. At breakfast, this morning, my friend was mentioning Bolton at the top of the perceived “enemies list” – so, for his sake, I would recommend AGAINST waiting for your book to give your testimony. Based on what my friend said, Bolton is ALREADY persona non grata in individual 1’s “republican party” (ie cult). Apparently, he’s no longer welcome on Fox “news” (although I have no idea if that’s true, I can’t bear to tune that channel in) And, I have to guess, at this point in time, Bloomberg appeals to Bolton more than does individual 1!

More and more people are going to see Bloomberg as the person who can defeat individual 1 and I hope the democrats, like – for example, Elizabeth Warren – don’t blow it if that’s what the voters decide. (Being a BILLIONAIRE shouldn’t disqualify you – personally, I would support Steyer as well) Of course, I’m only speculating, but Bloomberg was the thought that permeated my brain last night and when I heard Spencer speaking this morning it motivated me to write. No matter who democrats choose, it’s imperative ALL the factions of the party unite in the common goal to GET RID of individual 1. And, while they’re at it, vote the republican majority out of the Senate so that some actual progressive legislation can be enacted. This will be a “tightrope” act for Bloomberg, but it appears to me he’s smart enough to pull it off!

Sorry, I know this is way too many words!

Anyone paying attention KNOWS individual 1 is GUILTY of the charges brought against him by the House of Representatives AND we all know the republicans in the Senate could care less. This “trial,” in my view, is less about our so-called president than it is about the basic tenets of our Constitution and the brilliant plan of “separation of powers” where each branch was granted powers to CHECK the other, a plan which has worked for well over 200 years, and a plan which is really what is on “trial” as we get closer to the day when the republicans in the Senate do what we ALL knew they were going to do before this all started. In fact, the knowledge they would acquit individual 1, no matter what, almost caused the House to turn a “blind eye” to our so-called president’s corrupt, corrosive, and ILLEGAL behavior. (Spoiler Alert: There was a surprise – see “Final Thought” below)

I clearly remember, back in 2007, after Nancy Pelosi was elected the Speaker of the House the first time, and when we had a president and vice president who were authorizing TORTURE and were repeatedly violating the FISA laws, there was NO move toward impeachment because the Senate would not convict. Well, individual 1 pushed the bar FARTHER than even Bush/Cheney to the point where his illegal, corrupt activity FINALLY got the attention of Ms. Pelosi where members of the House said, essentially, “If this behavior is NOT impeachable, then what would be?” There seemed to be new “High Crimes” every week, leading up to the Ukraine Extortion scheme.

Well, the result, from my perspective, has been “we the people” are witnessing a group of “House managers” who are EXTREMELY impressive. As I listen to the closing remarks coming from, one by one, the House managers – ending with Adam Schiff, who has been remarkable – we’ve seen House members who make, at least for me, the idea “we the people” can be excited about removing individual 1 AND as many of these republican sycophants in the Senate as we possibly can come November 2020. The members of the Senate like to crow they are the “world’s most deliberative body.” Well, this IMPEACHMENT “trial” is putting the LIE to that arrogant self aggrandizement. (For his excellent work, by the way, Mr. Schiff is ALREADY receiving “death threats”)

Thankfully, “we the people” put a large group of honorable, progressive members into the House of Representatives in 2018. I called that election the most important election of my lifetime – and, I started voting in the 1960’s – and, now I’m saying if “we the people” don’t continue our MASSIVE move to the polls in November and complete this IMPEACHMENT, pushing it beyond the “hands” of the Senate, for these republican Senators who know individual 1 is TOTALLY guilty will ALL likely vote for acquittal, then what happened in 2018 becomes extremely mitigated. Because, we KNOW if individual 1 is “re-elected” and Moscow Mitch continues to lead the Senate this nation will be unrecognizable for a generation. (I started this post prior to the Senate vote, so again, “Spoiler Alert” – there was ONE surprise)

To voters, 2022 will be too late to figure this all out. Adam Schiff put it well when he reminded us all about Abraham Lincoln pointing out the only way we lose this republic will be from “within.” My father and MILLIONS of other Americans put it all on the line in the 1940’s to stop Adolf Hitler and now “we the people” are facing another assault on the fundamentals of our republic (From a source which dangerously parallels that of the Third Reich) and this next year will make a powerful statement as to the future of this nation. The republicans in the Senate have, essentially, treated this IMPEACHMENT as an annoyance – where they couldn’t even sit in their places in the Senate chamber and listen to all of the arguments – as legally required – because, as we all know and I’ve stated many times, the outcome was never in doubt – Moscow Mitch made that clear prior to the “trial” on a Fox “news” segment.

I have to wonder whether the republicans in the Senate have any idea of how they’re going to be portrayed in the history books? Take Lamar Alexander, for example. He stated the House managers had proved their point so there was no need to hear from anyone else – as he voted against calling witnesses and subpoenaing documents – evidence which would further PROVE individual 1 is GUILTY of IMPEACHABLE behavior. Does this simply mean he’s just not willing to sit there for another few weeks making this an actual trial? My feeling is Lamar Alexander is a disgusting example of what a Senator SHOULD be! For example, even if he’s convinced of individual 1’s guilt (which he says he is) there are MILLIONS of Americans who deserve to hear ALL the evidence! Shame!!!

Of course, there’s 53 Senators sitting on the republican “side of the isle.” As I’ve said, my reading (I read a lot of books) has suggested Moscow Mitch, Lindsey Graham, and Marko Rubio, at least, have taken large amounts of money from Russian sources. Of course, Lev Parnos wanted to testify and, it was reported, one of the charges against him was funneling MILLIONS into republican “Super PACS” with money coming from (somewhere in) Russia. Who knows how many of the republican Senators have taken some of this “dirty” money? Just as the evidence of individual 1’s ILLEGAL and corrupt behavior will continue to come out after his “trial,” so will the evidence of who is getting the Russian money. And, if you can’t make the connection as to what that means, well, I don’t know what to say.

I mean, Mr. Parnos and his buddy Igor Fruman were working right out in the open with Rudy Giuliani and co-mingling with individual 1 at multiple venues while they were doing a LOT of questionable business – not, the least of which was bringing this Russian money into our election process. Should Justice Samuel Alito read this post – I will always remember you shaking your head as if President Obama didn’t know what he was talking about when he predicted this very problem after the Supreme Court’s DISASTROUS “Citizens United” decision. And, of course, Justice Roberts, I believe, wrote that opinion – so, I can imagine he would have been a bit uncomfortable sitting there while Mr. Parnos was testifying. Just sayin…………….

If you watched these House managers you have to be encouraged about the future of the House – keep in mind they’ve put around 400 bills at the “foot” of Moscow Mitch’s desk and around 300 of them are languishing with no chance of even any debate. And, these are bills which represent issues which are extremely important to most of “we the people.” (Lowering drug costs, gun control legislation, minimum wage legislation, climate legislation, health care legislation, infrastructure, and on and on – 400 BILLS) These are bills supported by large majorities of “we the people” – but, there they sit – at the foot of Moscow Mitch’s desk. And, democrats can do nothing about it. In fact McConnell brags that he’s the “grim reaper” in regard to legislation the people desperately want our Congress to address.

We saw in individual 1’s “trial” another example of republicans ignoring what “we the people” want. For example, 75% of Americans wanted “witnesses and documents” to be subpoenaed and there weren’t even 4 republicans willing to honor the “will of the people.” So we’ve got one House of Congress which is working and another which you have to wonder what they’re doing – beside confirming right wing judges and blocking “the will of the people.” I’ve heard reports they show up to work on Tuesdays and head for home on Thursdays. No wonder they didn’t want to drag this IMPEACHMENT “trial” out for a few more weeks – they were FORCED to “work” 6 days a week.

Personally, I did that for almost 50 years – even in my final 23 years of working as a 6th grade teacher, it was a rare weekend when I was not in my room prepping for the upcoming week’s lessons on Saturdays – and sometimes, also, Sundays – not to mention the work at home. Again, SHAME on Senator Alexander and the rest of the republicans (less the one with a conscience – mentioned below) for not EVEN being willing to listen to the FACT witnesses who had FIRST HAND knowledge of what transpired in this shakedown of Ukraine’s President Zelensky and subpoenaing the relative documents – forcing individual 1 to cooperate by providing the “evidence” of voting to convict on Article II.

Final Thought: I started this post prior to the (sham of a) vote where republicans chose to ignore the overwhelming evidence suggesting individual 1 is even MORE of a criminal than what is already publicly known, Felonies which gave him the “individual 1” moniker, but, before we saw the FIRST (so-called) president in American history have a member of his own party vote for him to be REMOVED from office via impeachment as Mitt Romney voted GUILTY on the first Article of IMPEACHMENT. Certainly, caught me by surprise.

So, do you remember Adam Schiff using the term “putting your head on a pike” as he suggested republicans live in FEAR of individual 1 as they make one (non-republican) decision after another. I believe Schiff’s words will ring prophetic as we watch the blow-back Romney is destined to endure after his historic vote. And, make no mistake, the votes of EVERY republican in this “trial” will be historic and the ONE vote on the correct side of the “ledger” will be Romney’s.

There are over 50 republicans who further soiled themselves today as they continue to live in FEAR of one of individual 1’s NASTY “tweets.” I keep asking myself, “What the hell has happened to this nation?” Well, if you want somewhat of an answer to that question, read “From Russia with Blood” by Heidi Blake. Individual 1 continues, it appears, trying to “be like Vlad.” Yikes!!! My hope is the VOTERS will provide the proper consequence for individual 1 and as many of these COWARDLY republicans as “we the people” can mobilize to get rid of.

Here’s a list which comes off the top of my head: Susan Collins, Martha McSally, Cory Gardner, Thom Tillis, Joni Ernst, Moscow Mitch, John Cornyn, and Lindsey Graham – and, hopefully more. These people have sided with the (so-called president) who chose to believe Putin instead of our (17) Intelligence Agencies. The president who openly is seeking help from Putin, the Ukrainians, the Chinese, or any other foreign government or entity who might help him slime his opponent is a MORE dangerous THREAT to the foundation of our republic (the constitution) with every passing norm he abuses or law he breaks.

As you watch the reaction to Romney’s vote to CONVICT individual 1 of Article I it will become clear what is happening in this nation I so dearly love. The assault Romney is about to endure – likely it’s already well under way – is, I believe, aimed more at the other republicans than it is to Romney. Romney is from Utah and, I believe, politically he’s in no danger and, for that matter, he doesn’t care. His vote to convict was a matter of conscience and what he’s now facing is a message to the rest of the republican party that “leave your conscience at the door.” If you want to stay in power you’ll act like the sheep you’re expected to be! Honestly, this episode should send a chill down the spine of every American – who has one.

I used to complain about democrats as being spineless – AFRAID to defend their own fundamental beliefs. Well, these republicans have made the democrats look like Ninja Warriors. And, I say with a sense of hope, the democrats “we the people” sent to the House in 2018 are, many of them, very impressive. It appears they’ve caused Nancy Pelosi to throw some of her “caution” – which has caused much frustration for people like me – somewhat “to the wind.” I believe her tearing up of individual 1’s prepared remarks after his bloviating “State of the Union” LYING was a sure sign these young democrats are having a positive effect! Yeah!!!

Evidently, I SHOULD have said “Final Thoughts“! :o)

Just as I predicted BEFORE the IMPEACHMENT “trial” of individual 1 began Moscow Mitch would find a way to PROTECT our so-called president from being forced to listen to “first hand” witnesses of his SHAKEDOWN of Ukraine’s newly elected president Zelensky. It’s a couple days before the vote on whether or not witnesses (and documents) will be subpoenaed – so that ALL the available information would be before the Senate prior to them voting to – as we all know will happen, one way or the other – acquit individual 1 of his ILLEGAL behavior. I (along with many others) also pointed out the EVIDENCE will find it’s way into the public sphere regardless of this (somewhat) meaningless vote. (My hope was to extend the “trial” for at least another week – past the State of the Union diatribe)

Here’s the other thing which I read about today and I also expected. Individual 1 is, as he’s done with other books, attempting to quash the publication of John Bolton’s book – which is going to be very uncomfortable for our “dear leader” – as Bolton’s credentials are strong with many right wing republicans. Personally, I’m no fan of Mr. Bolton (read a bit about the Iraq invasion circa 2003) but I’ll likely purchase his book. He was right there while many of the destructive decisions of individual 1 (Not only this Ukraine fiasco, but think of the Kurds in Northern Syria) were “coming down.” He can “educate” we the people not only about individual 1’s IGNORANCE but also, the process which goes into his decision-making – which SHOULD be a “red flag” to ALL Americans!

Here’s one of my main thoughts tonight: individual 1 has “tweeted” enough FEAR into the republicans in the Senate to block witnesses from being part of the “trial” – despite 75% of Americans wanting to hear from first hand witnesses (This SHOULD lead to several republican Senators losing their re-election bids) – but, he’s also, now, determined to BLOCK the publication of Bolton’s book. Will individual 1 succeed at CENSORING Bolton’s first hand KNOWLEDGE of the TRUTH behind his EXTORTION of president Zelensky? Stay tuned…..

When you think about it – there’s a lot of precedents “on the line” here. First, it’s likely the Senate republicans will put their “stamp of approval” on individual 1’s criminal behavior in office. Allen Dershowitz claimed “If the president believes his actions are for the national interest, which would include being re-elected, it’s NOT impeachable.” So, if individual 1 actually DID “shoot someone on 5th Avenue in New York” and claimed he did it for the national interest it wouldn’t be impeachable behavior, according to Dershowitz! Honestly, as many predicted, the supporters of our so-called president got a bit bizarre in their defense of his actions. The bottom line is they’re approving this behavior for time immemorial! (Dershowitz was beyond BIZARRE in my view)

Of course, I knew they were not going to CONVICT individual 1 from the outset. But, they COULD have actually focused their “defense” on the actual conduct in question and argued that the conduct was inappropriate and deserved something like a censure, but didn’t rise to the level of IMPEACHMENT and removal from office. They could have found some kind of way to voice displeasure with what our so-called president actually did – which, by the way, was CLEARLY illegal! The bottom line is they’ve chosen to endorse what IS clearly ILLEGAL behavior for the next democratic president – who, personally, I would hope the democratic House would ALSO impeach, should whoever is elected after individual 1 does this same CRAP!

President Obama predicted the intrusion of foreign MONEY (which easily can be connected to the Russian interference FOR individual 1 in 2016) resulting from the OUTRAGEOUS “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision (by the way, led by Justice Roberts) shortly after the decision came down, I believe, in 2009. Obama was absolutely correct, and now we have a republican Senate which is going to put its “stamp of approval” for soliciting aid from foreign governments in our election process into the future. That’s what precedents do – they lead to a continuation, and usually worse, of the behavior in question. (Or, they STOP the behavior IF that behavior receives proper accountability – like, in this instance, some kind of sanction – even if it’s short of removal from office)

And, looking the other way from the Article of “Obstruction of Congress” is the Senate, itself, saying it’s OK to refuse to honor requests for documents and witness testimony. They’ve, in effect, enabled the phantom use of something called “absolute immunity.” Yikes!!! Honestly, I’ve been watching (by most accounts what would be considered “closely”) politics since I graduated from high school in 1965, and I’ve NEVER seen anything like what is happening in this IMPEACHMENT trial. I found it interesting to listen to Lamar Alexander yesterday when he justified his vote to BLOCK witnesses by saying something like, “The House managers have proven their case and we don’t need to hear from anyone else.” That logic was really puzzling to me, unless Alexander would then say he’s ready to vote for a conviction. (Which, we all know is NOT the case)

Most of what I’ve heard during the time I’ve been able to force myself to watch this proceeding has focused on individual 1’s EXTORTION of the Ukrainians, but I happen to believe the OBSTRUCTION of Congress may be the MORE significant issue. For example, “absolute immunity?” What the hell is that? Is the Senate willing to put that absurd excuse for a (so-called) president to BLOCK any oversight from Congress (including, of course, the Senate) as precedent for the future? Evidently, the answer is yes! The thought of what that means makes my mind spin out of control.

Just try to imagine, if all the CHEATING individual 1 is GOING to do in order to “win” the next election actually works, (as my friend who supports him is predicting) what lies ahead? Do you really believe individual 1 will temper his autocratic tendencies if there’s NO avenue for OVERSIGHT? If this doesn’t get the attention of the American people, well, we deserve what we get. I can guarantee you, our friends in Western Europe are on the edge of their seats wondering what is going to happen in November. They are aghast at what has been the result of the Russians inserting individual 1 into the “White House.” They’re laughing in Moscow!

And, by the way, as I’ve written in the past few days, please read “From Russia with Blood” by Heidi Blake if you want to understand Vladimir Putin, the world leader individual 1 seems to idolize. Do you really believe the Russians aren’t attacking “we the people” as I’m writing this? Do you really believe they won’t be doing whatever they can to keep individual 1 as their “useful idiot” for as long as they can? I believe, as I’ve said before, they’ve corrupted members of the Senate (ie McConnell, Graham, and Rubio and maybe others) by finding ways to funnel their MONEY into the “coffers” of these republicans – providing what the Russians call “kompromat.”

If I’m correct – meaning, if the book I read this in is correct – the Russian ATTACK into American politics is well beyond what is publicly known. Here’s what I believe the Senate republicans will accomplish when they vote to stop the IMPEACHMENT trial prior to allowing the testimony of people like Bolton, the people at OMB who participated in the blocking of the aid to Ukraine, and maybe more importantly Lev Parnos who KNOWS “where the bodies are buried.” His lawyer, today, released a letter he sent to Moscow Mitch, with Parnos offering to testify, where he implicated a BUNCH of people in individual 1’s administration: like, for example, beyond our so-called president, Mike Pense, Mike Pompeo, Mick Mulvaney, Rudy Giuliani, William Barr, individual 1’s counsel Pat Cipollone, Rick Perry, Devin Nunez and Nunez’ associate (I believe his last name is Harvey), and others who, hopefully, will face accountability after next January 20th. (It seems to me Cipollone SHOULD be facing integrity accountability from the Bar – was he part of this conspiracy to EXTORT the Ukrainians????)

As I’m writing this I’m listening to individual 1’s lawyer defending their position they don’t want to hear from John Bolton and, via inference, he’s suggesting should the Senate vote to call witnesses and should Bolton be called individual 1 would continue to OBSTRUCT and he’d “invoke” his mysterious “absolute immunity” privilege dragging the process out indefinitely. His argument seems a bit circular to me – like if an IMPEACHMENT trial is prolonged it would be “hanging over the head of the president” at the same time he’s saying if Bolton is called they will cause the “trial” to be dragged out. The bottom line: individual 1 is going to do everything he can to make sure John Bolton is NEVER heard – at least prior to the next election. I keep thinking of “From Russia with Blood” – if this was actually Russia, Mr. Bolton would need 24/7 protection and he’d need to be careful of what he would touch or drink.

Right now, Jay Sekulow is laying out what would be my dream scenario in this procedure. He’s suggesting if witnesses are called they will call ALL of the witnesses who appeared in the House IMPEACHMENT inquiry so they can “cross examine them.” Oh my God! Please, lets get it on! I would love to listen to Sekulow cross examine, for example, Fiona Hill or Ambassador Taylor, or Colonel Vindman and ALL the others. Our so-called president’s legal team is desperate to make sure Bolton does NOT appear before this proceeding. And, I’m sure, they would HATE to hear from Lev Parnos almost as much as Ambassador Bolton. Republicans, originally, claimed the witnesses were not direct “fact” witnesses – so, now when Bolton has agreed to testify, they DON’T want actual “fact” witnesses. (And, by the way, based on information leaked to the NY Times today, Pat Cipollone appears to be an actual “fact witness.” OMG reminds me of Devin Nunes in the original IMPEACHMENT inquiry)

Here’s a huge irony here. These Senators refer to themselves as the ‘world’s greatest deliberative body.” My only thought is “Are you kidding me?” Deliberative? Come on, how many Americans are even paying some kind of attention? The Senate goes as Moscow Mitch wants it to go – his republican caucus is like a herd of sheep and they operate via McConnell as the conduit to the wishes of individual 1. There are something close to 300 bills simply sitting at the foot of Moscow Mitch’s desk. And, the reports coming from this IMPEACHMENT “trial” give a picture of republicans pretty much tuned out of the presentation by the House managers. “Deliberative?” And, blocking evidence from the process. “Deliberative?” This Senate is anything BUT a deliberative body!

As many have said, the EVIDENCE is going to come out – and, it appears, it’s already coming out and likely will be coming out in an avalanche of INCRIMINATING evidence for individual 1. He works “by the seat of his pants” and lives by “today is more important than tomorrow.” His lack of seeing the “long term” has been one of the most frustrating parts of watching him turn America toward second rate status around the world – not to mention, the divisions he propagates on an almost daily basis in the “homeland.” Take for example, off the top of my head, the Paris Climate Accords, the Iran Nuclear Agreement, the “Muslim ban,” the separating children (sometimes permanently) from their parents at the border, etc.

All this leads me, AGAIN, to point out the significance of the 2020 election. We KNOW the republicans will CHEAT in order to “win” this next election – I’m sure they’re already busy trying to turn democrats against each other – “moderates” v “progressives” via Facebook and other social media outlets they’ve mastered at “bombing” with misinformation. (Read “Mindf*ck” – that’s actually the book’s title – by Chris Wiley to learn about the Facebook data they possess – somewhere – Yes, Cambridge Analytica is no more, but they’ve still got the data – think Steve Bannon) The solution to what is happening in the Senate as I’m writing this is a MASSIVE turnout at the polls in 2020. Especially for our young people who have SO much at stake, not the least of which is individual 1 being a climate change denier who’s obliterating every environmental protection he can. (And, of course, much, much more)

Final Thought: The only reason I wasn’t in a state of disbelief as to where the republican party emphasized where they’re at during this (non) “trial” is because I’ve been watching this devolvement for 40+ years. It’s just hard to intellectually process the difference from the Reagan scams and those we’re seeing today. What we see is how every time they “get away” with some kind of “norm busting” behavior they make it worse the “next time.” That SHOULD cause you to realize how important this next election is. I’ve been saying for over 10 years the republicans are at WAR with the heart and soul of this nation and they will do whatever they can to protect their access to POWER. They’ve been ROBBING our treasury, for the benefit of their benefactors (donors) since Reagan FOOLED Americans to believe his “trickle down” (trickle UP – from my viewpoint) theory of funneling taxpayer dollars to America’s wealthiest citizens.

One last thing: After the Senate votes to acquit next week we will all be led to wonder, if breaking (at least) two laws (The Federal Election restriction on soliciting ANY thing of value from a foreign nation – or individual AND the ILLEGAL blocking of the aid to Ukraine) not to mention ALL the examples of OBSTRUCTION of Congress – in this case, and OBSTRUCTION of Justice in the Mueller report (10 instances) – we’ll have to wonder what on earth would be IMPEACHABLE? I’ve been lobbying for “we the people” to vote these republicans into the history books for, as I said above, for over 10 years. Well, to the 2020 voters I say it’s “now or never.” If we don’t stand up to this egregious assault on America’s “rule of law” in November I fear what they will be able to embed in our future. Yikes!!

Did I listen to the IMPEACHMENT evidence presented in the well of the Senate by the House managers? Well, the answer is I listened to much of it, but NOT all of it. Years ago when Richard Nixon was facing IMPEACHMENT I was clued in on EVERY bit of the Congressional testimony, back when there were three TV outlets and it was all you could watch if you watched TV at all. From what I watched I have to say I was totally impressed by what I heard from the Democrats presenting the case against individual 1. Naturally, my expectation all along is that the republicans barely listened and they’re going to cut this off as soon as they possibly can. I’m guessing there will be no additional evidence admitted to the procedure and it will be up to “we the people” to IMPEACH individual 1. It’s clear today’s republicans live in FEAR of individual 1 for some strange reason. (Maybe similar to how he lives in fear of Vladimir Putin)

I’ve been pointing out for some time now I believe individual 1’s “base” to be akin to a CULT. Of course, that would be confirmed by what people who are likening him to be a demagogue are saying. It’s likely a fitting conclusion in all of this is to challenge “we the people” to “take matters into our own hands” depending on how we envision this country. Do we really want our leaders to be able to break the law with impunity and then totally STONEWALL Congress should our Congress have the temerity to investigate. Are we actually headed toward a fascist dictatorship, bit by bit? It really is up to us! (“We the people”)

The voters, in 2018, rose up and said they didn’t like what was happening with individual 1. I’m expecting the energy which led to the 2018 vote to increase as we head toward 2020. And, the reality is, for those who claim the same will be true with individual 1’s supporters, “there’s more of us than there is of them.” Individual 1 has a “grip” on something like 40 – 45% of the American public. The rest of us have the POWER to not only remove individual 1 from office but also to remove several of the republicans who are likely to vote to acquit our so-called president as well. (Remember republicans believe in CHEATING to win, as well!)

From my way of thinking, if “we the people” want to make progress in areas like FIGHTING Climate Change, creating a nation where health care is a RIGHT, rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure (Which, really should be happening right now, with interest rates so low), fixing the many issues with our system of public education – especially higher education and the funding NIGHTMARE our college eligible young people are dealing with, child care issues for children living in poverty, addressing the national debt, turning us away from being a militaristic country, not to mention all I could about the importance of following the “rule of law,” and I could go on – we need to have a democratic controlled Senate and our leaders in the Senate need to end the archaic FILIBUSTER rule in the Senate.

Additionally, democrats need to campaign on the issue that individual 1 has done enough damage to our Judicial branch of government and should he be re-elected we are likely to have as many as 7 right wing judges on the Supreme Court – maybe another couple Kavanaugh types. If that doesn’t get your attention, it should! Right now I’m reading “From Russia with Blood” by Heidi Blake – one of several books I’ve read in order to better understand why Vladimir Putin seems to have such a “hold” on individual 1 – and, sadly, it’s clear “we the people” don’t understand what Putin has actually done to Russia. Russia is attacking the “Western World” surreptitiously and if “we the people” don’t figure this out quickly, well, that will be BAD!

I have no idea what Putin has on individual 1, but when you read about how Russia has operated since Putin took power in 1999 it has to get your attention. And, some of what Putin has done in Russia you can see individual 1 is trying to do in America. The REAL protection “we the people” have from someone turning America into some kind of autocracy (dictatorship) lies in our free press, our Justice Department, and our intelligence community. If you’ve been closely following individual 1’s first three years in office it MUST be clear to you he’s attacking all three of those firewalls to his goal of turning America into a fascist dictatorship.

Clearly, individual 1 will do anything he can to remain in power, now that he’s managed to get power, As I’m reading “From Russia With Blood” I can’t get my mind off the FACT individual 1 was lavishing praise on Putin well before he managed to gain the “White House” as a “strong leader.” Putin is running a government which is akin to (likely) the largest mafia operation in the world and for those Russians who’ve challenged him there seems to be no place in the world where they can get away from him. Make no mistake, Russia is and HAS BEEN one of the MOST corrupt countries in the world. I’m beginning to believe individual 1 is pushing America into that sphere as he seems to idolize Mr. Putin.

if you consider someone who murders, imprisons, and/or tortures ANYONE who dissents in any way a “strong leader,” well, I guess individual 1 would be correct. If you consider someone a strong leader who believes in freedom, liberty, and the rule of law, well, Putin wouldn’t even be in the conversation. Putin stands with Kim Jong un of North Korea, Duterte of the Philippines, Erdogan of Turkey, MBS of Saudi Arabia, and Orban of Hungary as “strong leaders” in the mind of individual 1. “We the people” SHOULD be doing everything we can to mitigate the DAMAGE being done by these “strong leaders” around the world.

I’m not the only American wondering how individual 1 could have such a “grip” on 40% of our population when it’s clear he’s supporting leaders around the world who, traditionally, would have been strongly opposed by the republican party – now HIS party. Can you imagine Ronald Reagan, for example, supporting a mafia thug like Putin, or a murderer like MBS, or someone like Erdogan who’s turned a traditional American ally like Turkey into a dictatorship, or a leader like Duterte BRAGGING about murdering thousands of his own people? I was no fan of Reagan, but I can’t believe he’d be standing along side these thugs and complimenting them as “strong leaders.”

Right now, as I’m writing this, I’m listening to individual 1’s defense as the IMPEACHMENT trial has moved to phase two. I certainly hope the “House managers” will have the opportunity to respond to what I’m listening to. Of course, as I’ve said here many times, “I’m no lawyer,” but I do have to say I have a basic Idea of what is LYING and I’ve observed now, in my lifetime, three IMPEACHMENTS. Two went to trial with acquittal (I’m assuming the republicans will end this “trial” as soon as possible) and, in the first one, Nixon resigned before he was actually IMPEACHED. Back in the 1970’s the “tribalism” which republicans have created in the last 40 years was unthinkable. There actually were many examples of “bipartisanship.”

I’m not sure who’s speaking right now, but I remember the name of the previous “defender of our so-called president” as Jane Raskin. Her job was to LIE about Rudy Giuliani’s role in the scheme to get the Ukrainians to publicly say they were investigating Joe Biden. And, the guy who’s speaking right now is going on and on in a very boring attempt to say individual 1’s claim of “absolute immunity” was something, essentially, all administrations have practiced. Personally, I’ve never heard the term “absolute immunity” prior to individual 1’s attempt to prevent ANYONE from testifying to the House.

Additionally, this person has claimed, essentially, none of the subpoenas issued by the House were valid, I believe, because the House had not voted to authorize the IMPEACHMENT inquiry prior to them being issued – saying the subpoena’s issued by the House were “null and void.” My reaction to that claim was simply, ‘HUH?” Clearly, through the entire process of both the Mueller investigation and this Ukraine shakedown individual 1’s strategy was to “play out the clock” by forcing every issue into the courts. Again, as I’m listening to this guy I’m hoping the House managers get to respond. (One more thought; individual 1’s defenders are totally aware only about 1% of Americans actually read the Mueller report, so it really bothers me when I hear them continually LYING about what was in it)

The argument being made, as I’m listening, is attempting to further the argument there should be no witnesses before the Senate. Actually, I’m kind of hoping that’s how it plays out, because it would have to be due to the republicans failure to vote for witnesses and the release of documents. The reality is EVERYTHING which SHOULD be part of this “trial” will ultimately become public knowledge. For example, John Bolton’s “inside information” WILL come into the public domain. By all accounts he’s writing a book which will likely be published prior to the next election. Bolton knows it’s the voters who would have to vote to impeach individual 1 if he’s to be impeached. What he knows will become public. The same goes for Lev Parnos and others. The guy defending individual 1 as I’m writing this is saying they DON’T want any further witnesses. Of course they don’t – they know, for example, what Bolton would say!

This guy is saying, any subpoena authorized in this IMPEACHMENT proceeding will be BLOCKED by the “White House” – again, attempting to force the issue into the courts. One more thing, this guy is using the term “executive privilege” – but, in reality, executive privilege was not invoked by individual 1 – he had the audacity to authorize “absolute immunity” – but, again, I believe all of this is moot because we all know republicans are going to vote to acquit individual 1. (My only hope is the “trial” lasts for a couple more weeks so the “State of the Union” speech comes prior to the “acquittal”)

I’ve got to go (putting this rant on hold) and Pam Bondi is starting to deflect the proceedings by bringing up the Burisma issue – which, even if there was something “there” – has NOTHING to do with our so-called president attempting to SHAKE DOWN the Ukrainians in an attempt to force an “investigation” into Joe Biden and his son’s position on the board of Barisma. These people I’m listening to seem to me to be like first year law students. There were times in my life where people said I could “argue with a fence post.” That’s what this is all reminding me of.

Here’s something I find very interesting which goes to the heart of where American politics has devolved over the past 40 years (post Newt Gingrich – I’ll let you figure that one out). Individual 1 seems to live in fear of getting on the wrong side of Vladimir Putin while virtually EVERY member of the GOP side of the House AND the Senate live in FEAR of getting on the wrong side of individual 1. When you think about that you realize how much power Vladimir Putin has in the United States of America in 2020. And, of course, you’ve got outlets like Fox, Breitbart, Sinclair Broadcasting, and the right wing radio airwaves all acting like “toadies” for our so-called president – placing THEM, by extension, at the mercy of Mr. Putin.

If that causes you to have any measure of “pause” I would highly recommend you read Heidi Blake’s book which I mentioned above, “From Russia With Blood.” If you followed what happened to the Skripal’s in England last year you know where that title originated. And, of course Sergei Skripal and his daughter are just part of a long line of Soviet dissidents to find themselves poisoned, shot, imprisoned for sham reasons, tortured, or simply living in fear because of the latest “promise” coming from the Kremlin they could be “next.”

It will be interesting when we finally learn why individual 1 became “owned” by Putin and Russia, it’s really hard (at least for me) to understand how this could have happened to the republican party – especially based on their history dating back to Reagan. Of course, as I’ve said here multiple times, I’ve read where Russian money has filtrated America’s political realm much further than just the (reported) $30 MILLION allegedly funneled through the NRA in 2016 for individual 1. In one book it was suggested Moscow Mitch received something in the neighborhood of $800,000 from the Russians and Lindsey Graham (yep, I’m not kidding) supposedly received around $600,000 from Russian sources. That’s why I was not surprised when Oleg Deripaska, for example, was “un-sanctioned” (I may have made up that word) by the GOP, led by McConnell, and leading to an aluminum plant in Kentucky. What’s the saying? “It’s all about the Benjamin’s!” He really is “Moscow Mitch.”

Final Thought: No matter how this IMPEACHMENT “trial” plays out and no matter how the election turns out in November, it’s apparent to me individual 1’s slandering of Joe Biden will prove effective – and, whoever becomes the democratic nominee (likely NOT Biden) he/she KNOWS what lies ahead. Individual 1 is as sleazy as anyone I’ve ever seen in American politics and this upcoming election will, essentially, determine the direction of this nation for longer than I plan to still be breathing. To me, individual 1 is the result of what began in the 1980’s and metastasized when Newt Gingrich instituted the policy of disruption and obstruction into the republican party. That has been the GOP mantra in Congress ever since. Moscow Mitch took up the “sword” in the Senate once it became clear “we the people” were getting “color blind” in our voting preferences during presidential elections and elected President Obama.

The result of the Gingrich led lurch to the “right,” ultimately, resulted in the “Tea Party” which took control of the republican party after President Obama’s election and galvanized the third of America who are comfortable in their racist beliefs allowing them to come out from “under the rocks.” Now, of course, we have a so-called president who is supported by the White Nationalists comprising what has been labeled as the “alt right” movement and, sadly (to me) what is referred to as the “conservative Evangelical Christians.”

“We the people” have one chance to “fix” all of this and it will happen next November. We are dependent on the democratic party to provide a nominee with the resources to WIN the upcoming election and NOT to, as they often do, self destruct. One thing which has stuck with me that came from the mouth of Elizabeth Warren is that we MUST stop being AFRAID to fight for what we believe in. FEAR is a destructive force and it’s time “we the people” STAND up against those who would attempt to SCARE us away from what we KNOW is right. The issues I mentioned above are worth fighting for and my prayer is our people respond in an overwhelming manner come November. February 2021 will be the time for individual 1 to answer for his criminal behavior, both while in the “White House” and what his pseudo mafia organization was doing prior to his “election.” (And, by the way, when you read about this family it becomes clear Don Jr. has issues, and especially Jared Kushner – should the “authorities” care to investigate this family thoroughly)

OK, I often write about my tendency to YELL at my radio as I’m driving from one place to another. As I listen to MSNBC on the XM air waves it’s often either Chuck Todd or Chris Matthews who are the “brunt” of my yelling. Well, true to form, yesterday it was, again, Mr, Matthews who was spewing nonsense as he often does. The major frustration, for me, is that Todd and Matthews seem to be regarded as the political “experts” on the one channel which is somewhat of a counter “force” to Fox “news.” Honestly, I try to listen to these two “experts,” but all too often I’m asking myself “whose side are you on?” Not that they should be on ANY side – it’s just that they shouldn’t, in my view, be any more than reporting with facts.

So yesterday, in an interview with someone who I don’t remember (it was a democrat involved in the IMPEACHMENT situation in some kind of manner) Matthews seemed to be suggesting it would be “relevant” to call Joe Biden as a witness in individual 1’s impeachment “trial.” Now, if Biden had ANYTHING to do with what individual 1 was doing in Ukraine, I’d say – yes. But, it’s absurd to suggest he’s a relevant “witness.” (Actually, I kind of hope both Joe Biden and his son are called to testify – that will provide the American people – most who pay no attention to all of this – with the reality that anything the Biden’s may have done is IRRELEVANT to the FACT our so-called president broke the law when he solicited “help” from the Ukrainians in order to “out” Mr. Biden.

For heavens sake, individual 1 has the most biased, unethical Attorney General in my lifetime and all he had to do was “sick” William Barr on the conspiracy theories coming from Vladimir Putin and other right wing hacks in America suggesting the Biden’s had some sort of illegal “nepotism” going on in Ukraine (Just take a moment to think of individual 1 complaining about “nepotism”) and, it “wasn’t the Russians” who interfered in the 2016 election (in individual 1’s favor) but, instead, “it was Ukraine” and they were working to benefit Hillary Clinton. Of course, individual 1 couldn’t even do that – he had to demonstrate those people who were suggesting soliciting help from foreigners in American elections is ILLEGAL are “full of it.” Apparently, Mr. Barr has convinced our so-called president “Article II” of the constitution says he can do whatever he wants. (Actually, it appears he did “sick” Mr. Barr on this absurd adventure)

Well, clearly, as this Ukraine SHAKE DOWN continues to uncover itself, our dear president has VIOLATED at least two more laws. (There’s a reason I – and the Southern District of New York’s US Attorney’s office – call him “individual 1”) First, it IS against the Federal Election Laws to solicit ANYTHING of value from a foreign nation or person to benefit any candidate for office in the United States of America (Just as it’s ILLEGAL to pay off porn stars to hide illicit affairs right before an election without reporting the payments). Simply put, asking the Ukrainians to investigate his (feared) political opponent was ILLEGAL.

Secondly, the Congressional Impoundment Control Act prohibits the president or anyone else from blocking aid which has been authorized by Congress (without reporting the reason why back to Congress). Of course, there is now documentation in the public sphere which PROVES the aid to Ukraine was blocked by individual 1 – as they say, FULL STOP! That’s two MORE felonies on individual 1’s “plate.” (And, I’m not getting into the approximately 10 cases of OBSTRUCTION of Justice in the Mueller report, the Russian “collusion,” the multiple violations of the foreign and “national” emoluments clauses in the constitution – I say “national” because I’m not sure what the clause which prohibits public servants from taking anything of value above their salaries from – basically – anyone is called. The idea was to help prevent CORRUPTION)

Republicans are planning to acquit individual 1 as quickly as possible and many of them are hoping to do so without calling ANY witnesses or subpoenaing ANY of the documents individual 1 has blocked from the investigation so far. Obviously, if the republicans succeed in preventing both witnesses and documents from the procedure they will have succeeded in the “mother of all cover-ups.” However, I can guarantee you the EVIDENCE will continue to filter out into the public domain and then “we the people” will be on the spot to “fix” this problem in November.

I’ve been pointing out the significance of “we the people” taking control of our privilege of VOTING since it became clear individual 1 gained the “White House” via CHEATING. I keep thinking where we would be had democrats not swept to a resounding victory in the 2018 election? Well, put that thought on steroids should individual 1 and his republican sycophants manage to suppress enough voters to “win” again next November. I’ve been saying this for years; “We’re in a WAR for the heart and soul of America.” And, trust me, the republicans have been working for years to “fix” the system knowing they represent a minority of America’s voting public.

The “fix” includes, off the top of my head, a couple somewhat recent Supreme Court decisions – “Citizens United” along with the “gutting” of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Citizens United has unleashed the flow of MONEY into our political process – including the money coming from foreign sources – and has helped turn the SWAMP into a LAKE! Additionally, as I’ve pointed out numerous times, within days of the Courts “gutting” of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act we saw VOTER SUPPRESSION laws springing up in one state after another where the governor was republican and the state controlled by a republican legislature. A (unnamed, at least by me) representative of Pennsylvania’s legislature simply said, “This bill will guarantee we will control this state for the foreseeable future” …… or words to that effect.

Just the other day I was listening to a conversation with someone explaining what happened in Wisconsin in the 2016 election where individual 1 “won” the state’s election in 2016 by a razor thin margin of less than half of one percent. There were something in the neighborhood of 200,000 fewer democratic voters in 2016 than in the previous presidential election and not too many people are connecting this FACT with the reality Wisconsin was one of the states SUPPRESSING democratic leaning voter groups. To top it all off, it was reported recently, another 200,000 Wisconsin voters have been disenfranchised prior to 2020’s election (I hope they’ll all re-register). Now, it’s true these people can re-register, but I can guarantee you, the “plan” is based on the likelihood it’s people who would likely vote democratic (African Americans, elderly, students) who won’t “fix” their registration. This is exactly why I’ve been saying democrats MUST vote in massive numbers in 2020 to overcome all the B.S.

If we don’t choose to VOTE en masse it’s likely the individual 1 induced NIGHTMARE will continue for at least another four years. Anyone who chooses to watch the impending IMPEACHMENT “trial” will get a good look at where we are as a nation – one way or the other – as we either get a full look at the evidence democrats believe warrant IMPEACHMENT or, on the other hand, if republicans succeed in doing what individual 1 wants them to do – and that is to simply vote to acquit without hearing any of the evidence (Other than what was in the “impeachment inquiry” in the House). Sadly, many Americans get their “news” from sources like Fox “news,” Breitbart.com, or now Facebook.

And, I’m starting to believe Facebook is the MOST dangerous of the outlets of information which is obliterated with misinformation because it’s done so surreptitiously. I’m one of the only people I know who are not on Facebook, but the evidence of the misinformation spewing all over Facebook just keeps showing up. Today, I was listening to an interview with a young man protesting against “gun control” legislation being proposed in Virginia saying, “It’s my duty to protest when the government is threatening to confiscate your weapons by breaking your doors down” – which, of course, in not a proposal ANYWHERE.

Most people are sophisticated enough to understand that’s not “real news” they’re getting, but, sadly, there’s a large segment of the population which has been virtually BRAINWASHED by Fox and the other right wing outlets seemingly working together to “gin up” vulnerable Americans. Anyone paying attention knows individual 1 has been FLOODING Facebook, already, with mountains of misinformation (OK, you’re correct, LIES) as he’s attempting to turn the attention away from IMPEACHMENT. What LIES he’s pushing, at this moment in time, I have no idea. (Although, I suppose, a good start in figuring out might be what came from the young man’s mouth who sincerely believes the “government” is planning to break doors down to “confiscate our guns.” Yikes!!!

Back to IMPEACHMENT, I do know individual 1 is trying to push the (new) narrative the IMPEACHMENT “trial” should be finished ASAP with our so-called president’s acquittal. Alan Dershowitz is claiming a president can’t be impeached for “ABUSE of power” or for “OBSTRUCTION of Congress.” Dershowitz never stops amazing me (and causing my stomach to “growl”), I always think of him as someone who will make the most absurd argument to defend, well, ANYONE. Think, OJ Simpson and Dershowitz’ willingness to get an alleged double murderer “off.” To me, his argument here for individual 1 is as ridiculous as what he did in Simpson’s “defense.”

There are many republicans claiming a president can’t be impeached without committing a crime – and, they’re claiming individual 1 hasn’t been accused of committing a criminal act. Well, when you think about Mueller’s report, the reason he wasn’t indicted was because of the OLC “memo” which states a “sitting president can’t be indicted for a crime while in office.” According to the logic of Dershowitz and individual 1’s republican sycophants it would be impossible, then, for a president to be impeached. (Of course, in almost every instance, if you turn the clock back to the days of Bill Clinton virtually everyone of individual 1’s defenders were speaking in 180 degree terms as to how they’re speaking today)

Here’s the bottom line in what will transpire over the next (hopefully) three weeks and that will be how many republicans will vote to enable a president (remember, this is a precedent setting moment in time) to enlist the help of foreign nations in his/her campaign for office in an American election. (We already KNOW our so-called president is enriching himself from foreigners via his business interests – in violation of the emoluments clause of the constitution, which those I know who support individual 1 either don’t know about or could care less about) We know, ultimately, individual 1 will be acquitted because it would take 20 republicans to vote to convict in order to remove individual 1 from office. What we don’t know is if the republicans will succeed in turning the “trial” into a part of individual 1’s “cover-up.”

However, we must keep in mind that over 20 republicans in the Senate are facing the voters this coming November and I, the optimist in me, believe there are Americans all around the country who don’t want our president (even so-called presidents) shaking down foreign governments in order to weaken their political opponents. Additionally, I would say to Dershowitz and any others who claim impeachment requires a crime (which, clearly, it doesn’t) the list of lawbreaking by our so-called president is eye dropping. Robert Mueller made it clear, in his report on the Russian investigation, OBSTRUCTION of Justice goes against the very fabric of our Constitutional system of government. It’s a very serious CRIME. Individual 1 allegedly committed multiple (many legal scholars have estimated 10 instances) OBSTRUCTION offenses.

When I was studying the legal information Mueller included as he was “teaching” me about why OBSTRUCTION of “Justice” is such a serious CRIME that explanation of OBSTRUCTION included “Congress” in what it described as possible “victims” of this CRIME. The bottom line is the CRIME of OBSTRUCTION fundamentally goes against “we the people” because it prevents our justice system from functioning as intended. For example, by blocking both witnesses and documents from the investigation of the Ukraine SHAKEDOWN, individual 1 is attempting to prevent “we the people” from understanding what ACTUALLY happened. (ie “cover-up”)

Here’s the reality republicans in the Senate SHOULD be thinking about as they go through this procedure, the EVIDENCE is going to come out into the public sphere whether the Senate calls witnesses or not. John Bolton will “tell all” at some point in time – and, let me add, if he waits until after the “trial” to do so, it won’t do much for his claim to be a patriot – ultimately and it will place a “stain” on the book from which he’s gaining MILLIONS. All the information, for example, coming from Lev Parnos will become part of public discourse – whether he’s called to testify or not. Of course, Mick Mulvaney has already “testified” when he admitted in public the aid to Ukraine was withheld in order to get the Ukrainians to announce an investigation into Joe Biden – a “quid pro quo” of which “we the people” are supposed to “get over.”

And, those who’ve been listed as potential witnesses who work at OMB will, eventually, have their emails and other documentation made public. If “we the people” are paying attention, the results will effect not only individual 1’s re-election bid, but also the republicans in the Senate. Let me add to that thought – there’s a bunch of republicans in the House of Representatives who SHOULD get their “walking papers” based on their actions in the “impeachment inquiry.” Take for example, Devin Nunez. He was part of the “scheme” being put forth by Rudy Giuliani, Lev Parnos, Igor Fruman, Mike Pense, William Barr, and the rest of the “team” (in the words of Parnos).

Nunez SHOULD be facing an ethics investigation in the House along with the wrath of the voters in his district and, potentially, criminal liability. Of course, I have no idea about his voters, but it’s hard for me to understand how any Americans can vote for people who perpetrate Vladimir Putin’s conspiracy theories while sitting in the highest seats of our government. I still cringe as I remember watching Nunez repeating those theories from his perch atop the House Intelligence Committee and accusing Adam Schiff of lying as he, himself, was LYING to the entire nation as he glared into the cameras. To me, Nunez is as “low as you can go” as a politician – and, that’s saying something, isn’t it?!

Nunez’ actions in the IMPEACHMENT inquiry, to me, parallels what Mike Pompeo did when questioned about individual 1’s call to Ukraine president Zelensky in a public interview on Cable “news” and acted like he had no idea what the person asking the question was talking about. Soon we learned Pompeo was actually ON THE CALL!! I keep wondering, “Is LYING a requirement for being part of individual 1’s cabinet?” And, then you’ve got Nunez making these accusations to Schiff (which he knew were LIES) all why he was LYING about the Ukraine SHAKEDOWN of which he was a participant. OMG, it’s actually hard for me to believe this country could have deteriorated to this point. (I have to wonder if all of this is the result of the MONEY funneled into our political process due to the Citizens United decision?)

I’ll finish by sharing I’m reading another book about Vladimir Putin (“From Russia with Blood” by Heidi Blake) and it’s sobering, to say the least, when you see what Putin is doing around the world and knowing he’s got someone in the “White House” who is supporting him. Not only does individual 1 seem to be supporting Putin, but it appears to me he would love to follow in Putin’s “footprints” as Putin turned the fledgling democracy in Russia – which was undermined by American greedy right wing economic (free market) vultures who attempted to apply their “shock therapy” to Russia’s Communist economy that had “folded” under Gorbachev and Yeltsin – into a fascist dictatorship. I see Putin as individual 1’s idol. “We the people” are obligated to stop this assault on our nation no later than November of 2020! As I’ve said, individual 1 has turned the “swamp” into a LAKE! Sadly, I’m not optimistic our so-called “liberal media” will be up to the task of fully exposing all of this CORRUPTION! (I hope I’m wrong)

Final Thought: Today, as I’m attempting to finish the thought above, it’s the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday – a great American who is honored on this day by virtually EVERY public official. Of course, presidents have usually made a significant speech or something else honoring Dr. King on this day. When I was still teaching (Middle School) our school would encourage both students and teachers to do some kind of public service activity in honor of Dr. King (even though, of course, there was no school on this holiday) Well, as I’m writing this it’s approaching 5 PM in Washington DC and there’s at least one of America’s “leaders” “missing in action” from honoring Dr. King. It should not surprise you this person is our so-called president.

I’m finally ready to “publish” this “rant” (largely to myself :o) and, it turns out, individual 1 must have heard the criticism he was ignoring “MLK day” because he made a visit to the site honoring Dr. King late in the afternoon, apparently with Mike Pense. I’ll leave it to anyone who might happen this way to figure out the significance of the visit.