Since individual 1 became our (so-called) president, 7 MILLION adults and 400 THOUSAND children have lost their health care coverage. To make matters worse, individual 1’s administration is in court, as I’m writing this, attempting to destroy, completely, the Affordable Care Act which would take coverage from an additional 20 MILLION Americans – leading to increased costs for everyone else. What makes matters worse, individual 1 through HIS Attorney General are attempting to prevent this lawsuit from making it through the Supreme Court until AFTER the 2020 election. That is, individual 1 doesn’t want “we the people” to know he’s attempting to TOTALLY destroy what’s left of the Affordable Care Act prior to the election.

In fact, the latest LIE he’s foisted on his unsuspecting and adoring supporters (that makes them part of a cult) is that he’s the one who has saved their protection for “pre-existing conditions.” Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Until the Affordable Care Act (ie “Obamacare”) came along there was no protection for pre-existing conditions unless you were one of the lucky Americans (like me) who had access to employer based health care coverage. (which is becoming more rare all the time) The amount of LIES is growing more rapidly every day – the last report I saw said there have been, coming just from individual 1, 15,000 documentable LIES since day one of his administration. Our so-called president has no credibility at home or abroad with the exception of those he’s gathered into his enormous cult.

Individual 1’s crimes go well beyond his attempt to EXTORT another sovereign nation into providing him help in his next election but that is the issue which has caused the upcoming TRIAL in the Senate because our so-called president has been impeached. I’ve come to the conclusion “we the people” came through again in 2018 by voting control of the House of Representatives to the democrats. Had that not happened I can only surmise the additional amount of DAMAGE individual 1 would be inflicting on “we the people.” Clearly, he continues attempting to operate just as he did as a wannabee “Mob Boss” when he was in New York – succeeding in bullying law enforcement to the point where they allowed him to get away with………….. well, who knows what? I believe after he leaves office “we the people” will get a better view of what he managed to routinely get away with. (Think Stormy Daniels and wonder how many politicians did he pay off over the years?)

The House democrats, today, voted to send the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for the trial which is likely to begin next week. Republicans in the Senate are planning to take the evidence they are provided with and use it to turn the “trial” into a “sham.” Of course, along with their “dear leader” they are claiming the IMPEACHMENT was a “sham” and that the House democrats have been out to get individual 1 since day one of his administration. Well, as I think back, learning the Russians were involved in getting him elected in the first place would cause, to me, any patriotic American to be wondering “what the hell just happened?” Individual 1 has done NOTHING to cause anyone in America who believes we are a “nation of laws” to be comfortable with what he’s doing as our so-called president. And, he certainly has NOT been acting as if he’s “innocent.”

So, one thing we can count on is the republicans in the Senate will do everything they can to soft sell these latest CRIMES coming from our so-called president. They are hoping to end this “trial” without ANY witnesses being called or without ANY of the documents individual 1 has BLOCKED from investigators and, to me, the question is will the American people allow them to get away with this? There’s more evidence coming out every day, with today’s evidence a bunch of DISTURBING evidence coming from the phones of Lev Parnos – suggesting Ambassador Yovanovitch was being surveiled by a seedy associate of Mr. Parnos who’s a seedy associate of Rudy Giuliani a seedy associate of individual 1. I’m sure, you get the idea!

Maybe the voters will just keep sending these republicans back to the Senate no matter what they do while in office. This upcoming trial is a solemn responsibility for each Senator and they SHOULD be wanting witnesses and documentation – they SHOULD want to know EXACTLY what transpired so when they vote to convict or acquit they have taken their responsibility seriously. Should they do what most people expect, based on public comments by Moscow Mitch – who, make no mistake, is in control of the Senate (come on people of Kentucky – you can fix this in November) – they will rush this “trial” as quickly as they can. Here’s the reality, ALL the evidence which is available to them, and likely much MORE, will eventually come out – I’m guessing much of it prior to the 2020 election. These republicans will have to live with whatever they do in this instance for posterity.

I keep watching the dialogue on MSNBC about whether or not the republicans will call John Bolton as a witness and with them all likely surmising what he knows will eventually come out. Those on one of the programs I like to watch which is led by Nicole Wallace, the Communications director for GW Bush back when the Iraq FIASCO occurred, refer to Bolton as a true patriot – despite the reality many disagree with his political positioning. Here’s what I believe: “If Bolton is not called to testify and still remains silent I certainly won’t consider him a patriot.” He doesn’t need to be called as a witness to tell “we the people what he knows.” If he has information which further implicates individual 1 in ILLEGAL behavior I believe he’s honor bound to bring it forward whether the republicans in the Senate call him or not.

Think about this: If individual 1 is acquitted (which EVERYONE, including me, believes will be the outcome) and, then, a bunch of information further implicating him comes out (which is what I would expect as well) the republicans who worked to cover-up the wrongdoing will look even worse. It would make Bolton look bad if he would choose to keep his knowledge to himself until his book comes out – making him, if that happens, another political figure who’s all about the MONEY. I realize individual 1’s “base” has all the “ingredients” of a (huge) cult, but I believe as time “marches on” – which it ALWAYS does – even members of the cult will come to their senses. At some point we can hope America’s Political reality returns to some kind of “I believe in the constitution” norm!

I can picture a few years from now many of those supporting individual 1 hesitating to admit that in public. My point is those republicans who are enabling this illegal behavior by the top American who took an oath (as did all of them) to defend and protect the constitution wont be happy about their place in the history books. I’ve said this many times here; I believe individual 1 will find himself right next to Benedict Arnold in that writing of American history. After all, he publicly sold out America’s intelligence community to Vladimir Putin in Helsinki just over a year ago and he continues to show disdain for our system of laws. I believe he’s been doing this his entire lifetime and believes now that he has all this power he should be able to continue doing so.

It took individual 1 a bit over 2 years to find his “Roy Cohn” (Cohn was a Mob Lawyer) in William Barr and, of course, Barr has been everything our so-called president wanted in an Attorney General. Once I realized where Barr was coming from the danger of individual 1, to me, became much more serious. Individual 1 seems to be totally incompetent in regard to our history, has sounded ignorant when talking about our legal system, comes across as an empty suit when it comes to foreign policy with a willingness to CHEAT, but when it comes to lawbreaking and the arrogance which goes with organized criminality individual 1 comes across to me as an expert! And, William Barr is willingly enabling his lawbreaking. (This all started when he undermined Robert Mueller’s report)

I’ll try to summarize my thoughts – OK, I realize I keep chasing my “tail” as I try to keep up with the lawbreaking of our so-called president – when you know a person cheats at golf it shouldn’t surprise you to discover he/she would CHEAT to get elected nor should it surprise you this person would LIE about something so important as people’s health care insurance. When it has become so apparent our “commander in chief” is a pathological LIAR it’s even more depressing knowing it’s the republicans in Congress who are defending him, not to mention a large segment of his base are the so-called “Evangelical Christians, especially when we KNOW another significant part of his “base” is Vladimir Putin. If you’re worried about something like “pre-existing conditions” you would be well advised to vote against individual 1! (Or any republican)

OMG: Individual 1 has a habit of answering reporters questions about people associated with him who get “afoul of the law” by saying “I don’t know him.” You’ll have to ask……….. (fill in the blank) to find out about……………. (fill in the blank again) Think Michael Cohen. Well, when it comes to Lev Parnos, I’m guessing individual 1 may come to regret suggesting he doesn’t (didn’t) know him. Tonight, I’m watching an interview with Parnos and Rachel Maddow – OMG, I hope the republican Senators are watching – and, maybe the members of individual 1’s cult.

I still remember hearing, shortly after Parnos was arrested along the side of his fellow thug Igor Fruman, Parnos being angry when he first heard individual 1 claim he had no idea who Parnos is; You’ll have to check with Rudy, maybe he’s one of Rudy’s clients I don’t know. (I have to admit, after listening to Parnos I’m inclined to take back the characterization “thug”) At the time people thought it was a bit odd when Parnos suggested he was part of individual 1’s legal team. Well, it appears he was an integral part of the “team” – in whatever capacity – and, it appears he’s got a lot of “stuff” which not only implicates our so-called president, but also the rest of the “team.” After watching last night I would say that “team” includes: Mike Pense, William Barr, Mike Pompeo, Rick Perry, Devin Nunes and likely others. Should be interesting – and, remember, the republicans in the Senate are soon to show their true colors – and, I’m guessing that color will be yellow!

So, you think I’ve been a bit loony in referring to our so-called president as a mob boss? Well, when Rachel Maddow asked Lev Parnos why he was sitting for this television interview prior to the Senate “trial” of individual 1 he stated he felt by getting everything he has out into the public domain he was safer. Now, think about that and let it sink in. What do you think that tells us about individual 1, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Pompeo, William Barr, Mike Pense, Rick Perry, and the rest of the “team” involved in the SHAKEDOWN of the newly elected president of Ukraine? If you didn’t see that interview, I suggest you visit the archives of MSNBC and check it out! (The interview actually lasted 2 hours! minus commercials)

Final Thought: I’m sitting here watching 100 U.S. Senators sign an oath to be fair and impartial in the IMPEACHMENT “trial” of individual 1. Of course, everyone EXPECTS most of them to be LYING. I say most, because even if somehow witnesses show up with exculpatory evidence which would suggest our so-called president didn’t EXTORT the newly elected president of Ukraine I’m not sure how many democrats would vote to acquit. (I’m actually worried about Joe Mansion and Doug Jones regardless) My point is, anyone paying attention to what has transpired over the past few years would expect every republican to vote to acquit individual 1, even in the face of OVERWHELMING evidence he’s guilty. In fact, they all KNOW he’s guilty of much more than this one “high crime or misdemeanor.” So, I’m guessing this “solemn” oath they are taking while I’m writing this is just one more LIE from each of them!

One more thing: As people were criticizing Nancy Pelosi while she was holding onto the Articles of IMPEACHMENT as having “no leverage,” well, it’s becoming clear Ms. Pelosi had her “ducks in a row.” Not only has more evidence supporting the Articles of IMPEACHMENT in the form of documents come out, but also John Bolton announced he would testify if subpoenaed – which puts republicans in a dicey spot, because Bolton has a lot of information. We’ve also now learned, as mentioned above, that Lev Parnos wants to spill his guts – and, he was right in the middle of all this lawbreaking. And, then, the “one more thing:” I pointed out several times recently I would love to see individual 1 give his “State of the Union” speech prior to the Senate trial being completed – that is, before his republican sycophants acquit him. It appears likely, to me, the Senate “trial” will still be ongoing as of February 4th – the date of the speech. (Unless republicans succeed in turning it into the sham Lindsey Graham favors. Mark one more for Ms Pelosi if it turns out this way. (Should be an interesting speech, don’t you think, under those circumstances? – Especially, if republicans have voted to call witnesses!)

“We the people” have been bombarded by an incredible number of LIES since the day individual 1 took his oath of office. (When you’re a pathological LIAR what significance do you think any “oath” might be?) So, apparently, the “briefers” who explained the rationale for the MURDER of Qasem Suleimani a week or so ago to members of Congress felt comfortable continuing with the constant LYING. It appears even some of the republicans in the SCIF were offended by the LYING. Some of them came out of the meeting looking outraged that even in a room which is protected from any “leakage” they just can’t stop LYING – even to their own republicans.

Of course, this shouldn’t surprise anyone because individual 1 routinely stands in front of his adoring public and LIES to their faces – all the while as they are CHEERING being LIED to. I’ve actually got a good friend, we’re friends despite the fact he’s an individual 1 supporter, and he’s actually said to me he doesn’t believe our so-called president is a LIAR (Despite something like 15,000 documented LIES coming from our so-called president since his first day in office). It’s become glaringly clear individual 1’s base is part of a huge CULT. That is the only explanation why so many Americans can continue supporting a (so-called) president despite his incredible level of CORRUPTION (LYING is just part of it – every day seems to be further evidence individual 1 is a mob boss. The evidence coming from Lev Parnas seems to be more proof our country is infested with organized criminals).

Just the other day, in a Fox “news” interview (where he LIED about the “imminent” threat supposedly posed by Suleimani), individual 1 justified sending a large segment of American troops into Saudi Arabia because the Saudi’s are paying for them. He said, “They’ve already deposited $1 BILLION in the bank.” I’d like to know which bank account for one thing, but the reality of what he’s saying is he’s turned our military into a mercenary force! Yikes!! (FYI – since I started this rant individual 1, after being publicly exposed for his LYING about the justification to MURDER Suleimani, has said, “It really doesn’t matter if there was an ‘imminent threat'” – which is just further proof legal boundaries are of no interest to him – or many of his sycophants)

Like many others, I have continued thinking of the ASSASSINATION of Suleimani despite it’s being over a week since he was MURDERED. Yes, he was a General in the Iranian military and, yes, according to the “hawks” in individual 1’s cabinet – like Pompeo and, despite he’s gone, John Bolton who was a known Iranian hawk, I’m sure, they all wanted Suleimani taken out long ago. What keeps sticking in my head is the way individual 1 and his sycophants keep using as the justification for killing Suleimani – “he had American blood on his hands.”

And, I don’t in any way question that characterization. I mean Suleimani has been one of Iran’s leaders since the day Bush/Cheney LIED America into invading Iraq. Of course, at the time, Iraq and Iran were mortal enemies – having a BLOODY war which pretty much encompassed the decade of the 1980’s and, of course, America was supporting Iraq. In fact, the U.S. (while Reagan was president) supplied Saddam Hussein with the chemical weapons he used to MURDER as many as 80,000 Iranians not to mention how many were debilitated. Does this mean America has Iranian blood on her hands? We all know the answer to that one, don’t we?

Of course, Iraq is 60% Shia which would align many of the Shia militia’s in Iraq with Iran. In fact, I still remember Muqtada al-Sadr, a young Shia cleric in Iraq, at the time Bush/Cheney invaded,who had his own militia after the U.S. invasion in 2003 (likely with “American blood on his hands”) going to Iran in order to study to become an Ayatollah. Essentially, the U.S. invasion of Iraq emboldened Iran and people like Bolton, who helped orchestrate the Iraq FIASCO, have been plotting a war against Iran ever since. It’s like America strengthened Iran while wanting, after doing so, to – once again – cause a regime change. Is this “chasing your tail?”

This issue with Iran v the United States began in the early 1950’s because Iran’s elected leader wanted to nationalize THEIR oil. I’m sure individual 1 isn’t the only American who would like Iran’s oil. (Evidently he’s got a claim on Syria’s oil???) Personally, I believe the reason for this “mess” in the Middle East was caused by the “thirst” for Iraqi’s oil by George W Bush and Dick Cheney. This is all very disgusting to people like me who don’t want America acting as “The world’s policeman.” It really bothered me when Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld decided they could determine who is an “enemy combatant.” That’s authoritarianism in my view – and, now, “we the people” have a more extreme example of that abuse of our constitution.

So, if in this world generals with “blood on their hands” – or the politicians who ordered them to get the “blood on their hands” are vulnerable to ASSASSINATION, well, there are a lot of American military personnel and American politicians who need to be careful where they go. For example, the Bush/Cheney regime was FULL of people who you could say have massive amounts of “Iraqi blood on their hands.” If you’ve paid attention to world affairs of late you know there’s a lot of bad stuff going down around the world – and, a lot of it is due to American foreign policy decisions. I mean, to me, the dysfunction in the Middle East, to this day is the result of the Bush/Cheney regime. My point is having a rogue policy of ASSASSINATIONS is a “slippery slope” to descend – aside from the FACT it’s illegal. Honestly, I believe there are people in leadership positions in America who believe “we the people” are the “rulers of the world.”

I pointed out in my previous rant a reminder of Dwight Eisenhower’s warning about the potential “growth” of the “military industrial complex” and, clearly, it has become the “elephant in the room.” America has become a militaristic behemoth and it’s to a point where I don’t know how we stop it. America’s economy has become dependent on the continual growth of a military which is already well beyond reason – “we the people” are spending more each year than 144 other countries COMBINED by OVER $100 BILLION. With individual 1’s depletion of the State Department our diplomacy now is BOMBS! Holy Cow!!!

I was supporting Senator Cory Booker in the democratic nomination process mainly because I saw him as a candidate who sees the importance of fighting the incredible challenges facing “we the people” by attempting to somehow pull people together. We know that the division in America is “real,” but we also know both individual 1 (and his supporters) along with Vladimir Putin have been working full time to exacerbate those divisions making them worse. I’ve written recently about the issue of Cambridge Analytica (read Chris Wylie’s book) and how they, in concert with the Russians, were able to group Americans into “neighborhoods” based on the data they had STOLEN from Facebook and target these people with misinformation (that’s a euphemism for LYING) designed to exacerbate the divisions. Why would they do this? Because it works!

Cambridge Analytica (CA) is gone (thanks, in part, to Wylie) but the data is still somewhere and, keep in mind, during the 2016 campaign Steve Bannon was the CEO of CA and they were working with Russians. In fact, this is one of the issues I had with the Mueller report because I believe it was very possible the “link” between CA and Russian intelligence could have been a pathway to proving a conspiracy with individual 1’s campaign and the Russians. Of course, that was then, and this is now. And, of course, individual 1’s campaign is already flooding Facebook with misinformation – which Facebook refuses to monitor from what I’ve read – and, now, the Russians are back at it again.

This is not to say the Russians haven’t been finding ways to infiltrate Americans via our social media networks, but it was reported last night the Russians hacked into the servers of the oil company Barisma in Ukraine – apparently looking for material which they could eventually use to attack Joe Biden should he be the democratic nominee for president in 2020. If you watched Robert Mueller’s testimony last year you would not be too surprised by this as he pointed out the Russians were “at it right now and they’re going to be involved in the 2020 election. Obviously, the Russians are going to do whatever they can to keep individual 1 in office. He’s truly helping to “Make Russia Great Again!”

Based on the reports exposing these cyber attacks on Burisma it’s a bit unnerving that America’s intelligence community was unaware, apparently, this was going on because Congressional leaders didn’t know about it until they read it in the NY Times. Just as individual 1 has depleted the State Department so has he been attacking the intelligence community since his first day in office. Additionally, individual 1 has a crony as the head of the Justice Department – all of this a formula used by others around the world as they attempted to turn democracies into dictatorships. Many Americans believe “it can’t happen here,” but it’s time to “wake up.” I believe the Russians are doing this because they KNOW there will be no repercussions coming from the “White House.” To me, whether they are working in concert with Americans or not, is irrelevant. We know what they’re doing and individual 1 is encouraging it!

Just yesterday I was reading about how Major League Baseball (MLB) finished an investigation which confirmed one of their teams, the Houston Astros (and, likely the Boston Red Sox as well), was/were CHEATING through the use of technology and the result was far worse than what individual 1 has received in regard to the Russians. (Further evidence he’s in cahoots with them becomes public almost every week) The Astros were fined the MAXIMUM allowed under MLB rules, both their general manager and the manager on the field were suspended for the next year and then FIRED, and they lost multiple draft picks for the next two years. This was a significant penalty for CHEATING. Apparently, in American politics there is no penalty for CHEATING! For example, one day after Robert Mueller testified about the “collusion” individual 1’s campaign had with the Russians and he felt exonerated what did he do? He called up the president of Ukraine and attempted to EXTORT help for the next election!

Final Thought: Like, I suppose, MILLIONS of other Americans, I’ve become somewhat numb to all the LYING coming from individual 1 and his sycophants. And, some of them (like Mike Pompeo) aren’t very good at it – but, apparently, it’s “part of the job description” in this administration. As I mentioned above, individual 1 and his “national security team” have been busy LYING about why they MURDERED Qasem Suleimani (and, I believe, about 5 Iraqi Shia leaders) at the Baghdad Airport and, in the process, have been “stepping all over each other.” It reminds me of the saying above the principal’s office when I was still teaching which read: “Tell the truth, there’s less to remember.” When it became painfully obvious they were ALL LYING, individual 1 finally admitted “It doesn’t matter if there was an imminent threat.” OMG – when is this American nightmare going to end? Likely not in the upcoming Senate trial.

“We the people” can’t keep up with all the scandals coming out of this “White House.” For example, in any other administration, sending American troops around the world for MONEY would be a SCANDAL we’d be up in arms about. In this administration there’s been hardly a whimper about sending the troops to Saudi Arabia for “$1 BILLION.” To me, selling our troops as mercenaries is a shocking admission which individual 1 did casually as if it was the way we should go. I’m not sure how many other Americans were offended by this admission (or how many even know) but it confirms to me our “commander in chief” is deranged. (That’s really dangerous!)

Tonight Iran launched about 15 ballistic missiles toward a couple bases in Iraq which have been housing American troops and, based on the original reports, there were no American casualties and, very possibly, that was Iran’s intention. That is, very possibly they were attempting to calm their own people by “revenging” the death of Qasem Suleimani (and the others who were with him when he was assassinated), and not “hitting” America with an attack which would stimulate a response from individual 1. In other words, are the Iranians the “adults” in the room? Of course, they know they are over-matched in any war with the U.S., but they could cause a lot of damage.

Here’s my point: If the original reports are true about the Iranian response to Suleimani’s killing it is further evidence individual 1, Mike Pense, Mike Pompeo, and the Secretary of Defense Esper have ALL been LYING (surprise, surprise) about their motivation in killing Suleimani. If Suleimani was really planning an “imminent” attack on “hundreds of Americans” you would have to believe the Iranians wouldn’t have chosen to “miss” their target in their response to Suleimani’s murder! Here’s my logic – if Suleimani’s forces were ready to attack, they certainly would have based on the murder of their leader. Maybe this will still transpire, but it appears to me tonight’s “response” from the Iranians is confirmation the original assertion “justifying” the assassination was “poppycock.”

Of course, you can be assured individual 1’s administration will be unable to “brief” the Congress on their claims of an imminent attack coming from Suleimani because I don’t believe there was one (of course there are republicans in Congress who STILL don’t believe their “commander in chief” is a pathological LIAR). I believe the Iranian “proxies” are always “on guard” based on the FACT the Middle East is STILL in turmoil due to the ILLEGAL invasion of Iraq by GW Bush back in 2003. We’re just living through more of the barrage of LIES which have been coming from individual 1 since the day he took the oath (which, obviously, was meaningless) to defend our constitution. The Iranians gave our so-called president an “out” and he responded by intensifying the sanctions and spewing a bunch more LIES about President Obama.

In his remarks today, at least the part I listened to, individual 1 was seeking more involvement from our NATO “partners” – MOST of who must be wondering “what the hell” is going on in America with this pathological, neurotic, narcissistic, racist, misogynistic, xenophobic (so-called) president who is threatening to turn the Middle East (and possibly the world) into turmoil. Yes, he’s temporarily turned the headlines away from IMPEACHMENT, but just like his Middle East “policy” (if anything he does can be considered via “policy”), any “success” will be short lived. Regarding IMPEACHMENT I still believe Nancy Pelosi continues to hold the “cards,” despite all the (predictable) republican bloviating to the contrary.

I’ve written this before, but I believe Ms Pelosi is planning to make sure the Senate “Trial” has not happened prior to the State of the Union speech. Meaning, if the republicans are going to “fix” the “trial” – as per the claims of Moscow Mitch – then when the trial takes place it will be on Pelosi’s terms. Individual 1 has ginned up MILLIONS of Americans who, quite frankly, are ignorant when it comes to America’s role in the world, to believe he’s keeping us safe. When I hear people at one of his rallies cheering when he bloviates: “I’m going to bomb the shit out of………….. (fill in the blank) the word that comes to my mind is “STUPID” – not only individual 1 but his audience. Personally, “keeping us safe” if far from his mind – he’s enraged about IMPEACHMENT!

There have been something in the neighborhood of 15,000 LIES coming out of the mouth of individual 1 since he took office and some are more significant than others. The LIES relating to the attempt to justify Suleimani’s ASSASSINATION are possibly the most significant. Of course, individual 1’s supporters will believe him – I’ve watched him LIE straight to their faces at rallies as they CHEER! Honestly, I can’t find words to describe that behavior in any way which is at all positive. I have to wonder what people around the world are thinking about the American people. I can tell you one thing for sure, they EXPECT “we the people” to end this nightmare in November if not sooner. (unless they’re in Russia and, possibly, Israel) And, it’s likely going to have to be November based on what I heard from republican Senators as they came out of the SCIF after getting LIED to themselves by individual 1’s “briefers.” They willingly accept it! (The LYING) It really is embarrassing! I picture the first question on the employment contract for individual 1’s administration is; “Will you LIE with impunity?”

In relation to the LYING about something this serious, all this should just be mounting evidence as to why individual 1 should be removed from office. Pelosi is correct when she says he will IMPEACH himself. Virtually every week, he gives additional reasons why he’s UNFIT to be in the office he holds – the evidence is MOUNTING. Of course, Moscow Mitch will do everything he can to make sure NONE of that evidence makes it into the “trial” of our so-called president – because, rest assured, the republicans know he’s UNFIT for office as well – it’s just they FEAR his “tweets” and their focus is on keeping POWER (ie more judges). It’s interesting the hypocrisy coming from the republicans who were in office during the trial of Bill Clinton. See Moscow Mitch and Lindsey Graham videos.

All this didn’t seem quite as serious to me until individual 1 decided to do the thing I was most concerned with and that’s threatening to start another WAR in the Middle East. At some point I have to believe, as an optimist, the FEALTY of the republicans in Congress will catch up to them – the only question is how much DAMAGE are they willing to look away from before they come to their senses – or are they simply counting on their belief “we the people” are so STUPID as to keep them in office indefinitely. I’m listening to one republican Senator after another giving a justification as to why they DON’T want ANY witnesses or ANY of the documents individual 1 blocked from the House during the IMPEACHMENT inquiry – apparently because they FEAR what these witnesses and documents would say to the American people.

Make no mistake, even the republicans in Congress – including over 20 republican Senators – must face the voters in November. Additionally, there ARE voters – even in “Red States” – who aren’t completely sucked into the individual 1 cult and will be wondering why their Senators were supportive of a president soliciting aid from a foreign nation in his/her election – despite the reality, by now, EVERYONE knows it’s ILLEGAL. (They [voters] might even be concerned with their health care!) Also, many might question why it’s so important to prevent witnesses and documents from being part of the trial – an action which suggests, on its face, a cover-up. When this chapter in America’s History is finally documented these republicans are likely to find themselves in a place which will cause their children to question “what were you thinking?”

There are so many issues which are being “swept under the rug” while this inept so-called president is in office – like fighting Climate Change, providing Health Care for all, rebuilding our infrastructure, etc. – but it all might seem inconsequential if this deplorable “leader” is allowed to LIE “we the people” into another WAR. Sadly, as I listen to America’s political leaders, including many democrats, I have little to no faith individual 1 will be stopped if he’s determined to start this WAR as a way to save his butt regarding IMPEACHMENT and his own future once he’s no longer in this office – which protects him (being in office) – based on an obscure “memo” written over 50 years ago, after Watergate, preventing a president from being indicted while still in office.

America has a history of allowing her leaders to VIOLATE laws, often with impunity, with NO recourse. For example, Reagan and HW Bush got away with the Iran/Contra fiasco and Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld et al got away with a plethora of ILLEGAL behavior which included MULTIPLE violations of the FISA laws – which is interesting when you think of the republican response to the Carter Page stupidity – along with an innumerable number of examples of TORTURE – which they publicly admitted to authorizing, not to mention LYING us into Iraq. No consequences in all these instances. The sad reality is the LYING and manipulation coming from the republicans is routine and it’s working – whether on their “base,” the media, the Congress, or the rest of the government – specifically the Justice Department and the Intelligence Community – both of which seem to be bending to individual 1’s will!

I’m fairly certain individual 1 expects he won’t have to face the “consequences” of his ILLEGAL behavior once out of office – although, there’s been a lot of investigating of his actions that occurred prior to taking office which may very well prove to be an issue for him – provided he is unable to get bailed out by the statute of limitations. The issue which has Michael Cohen in prison, the reason I refer to our so-called president as “individual 1,” is because that’s how he’s described in Cohen’s sentencing guidelines – he allegedly “directed” the illegal action. Whether he can avoid prosecution on those two FELONIES once out of office remains to be seen, but you have to think he does have to consider the possibility. (I can hear the chants next year at the democratic convention; “Lock him up”) Additionally, Robert Mueller clearly “memorialized” the evidence individual 1 OBSTRUCTED Justice (10 instances!) in case there might be follow up in the future.

And, it’s not just the members of Congress in the republican party who have locked arms in order to prevent individual 1 from what they KNOW is ILLEGAL, immoral, and inept behavior – which has threatened ALL of us with escalating possibilities of disastrous consequences. It’s as if many facets of America just believe things have always worked out in the past so it’s apparent that will continue – especially now that they have all those judges so they go along with EVERYTHING. I believe people like John Bolton are facing real serious decisions in the near future. Bolton, apparently has information about what was happening during his time in the “White House” during the IMPEACHMENT “misbehavior” which would, supposedly, implicate individual 1 even further. There are people who need to look up the definition of patriotism!

Republicans in the Senate don’t want to hear from Bolton. I’ve heard Lindsey Graham, Marko Rubio, and others come right out and say they are not interested in what Bolton has to say or in ANY of the others with direct access to what was actually happening when individual 1 was trying to get the Ukrainians to help him in his re-election campaign (nor any of the documents) along with spurring on the Russian talking points about the 2016 interference in that election. Bolton, Mick Mulvaney, and the others are also auditioning for their places in the History books. Essentially, on the republican side, we’re looking at a lot of cowardice. In the short term, they just want this to be over. The “long term?” Well, I don’t think that has crossed their minds.

For years my complaints about democrats was they were afraid to defend their own beliefs – that they were/are “spineless.” Well, the republicans are taking “spineless” to an entirely new level never even imagined before. Bolton, for example, should not need a subpoena in order to give his information which he claims is germane to what is an extremely important time in America’s history. There will be endless questions as to whether or not he’s more interested in the profits from the book he’s supposedly writing over his patriotic duty to report the FACTS as to what was happening while he was the National Security Adviser to individual 1. If we come out of this FIASCO further legitimizing the support for ILLEGAL behavior coming from the “White House,” America will definitely be in a spiral for second class status in the world. The world continues to become MORE dangerous, and, from what I’ve read in the past 10 years, the United States is largely responsible for why.

America is the wealthiest nation on earth, yet it seems our “leaders” are focused on “ruling the world” militarily. It all reminds me of Dwight Eisenhower warning of the impending power of the “military industrial complex.” I believe our nation’s largest manufacturing sector is making WEAPONS. It goes well beyond the NRA (although, they are a serious problem) because I have to wonder what would happen to those employment figures individual 1 brags about if we cut back on the manufacture of “weapons of mass destruction.” Just the other day our so-called president “bragged” about a “hypersonic missile” which implies were into another arms race – in this case likely with the Russians and the Chinese. Let’s see, what’s the phrase that comes to mind: deja vu all over again! A lot more people are going to make a lot more MONEY!

All of this has caused me to take a second look at Wall Street which “chugs” along as if “all is well” in the words of individual 1, after the Iranians chose to fire their missiles – supposedly the “revenge” for the murder of Qasem Suleimani – into the desert of Iraq apparently in an attempt to “stand down” in this recent crisis. The stock market continues to “bloom” as if all really is “well” and, most certainly, a serious “correction” is on the horizon. The money-changers in New York seem, to me, oblivious to anything beyond figuring out how to make more MONEY. Yes, the stock market has taken a jump forward, so “all must be well.” Along with individual 1 you have to wonder if they have any idea how “well” things are outside of Manhattan in New York? My experience tells me things can change in a hurray!

Final Thought: Actually, I’m writing THIS “thought” before I finish whatever ends up being this “rant” to appease myself after my drive to and from a few errands this morning. As usual, I was listening to MSNBC on my XM radio and, as happens when I take too long to run my errands, Chuck Todd’s “show” came onto the radio. And, as usual, I was listening to “experts” discussing the “political news of the day” in a manner which always causes me to be SHOUTING at my radio. And, as usual, Todd has what I call the Fox compulsion to have republicans on his show – apparently thinking they’re “fair and balanced” – and, today’s topic was Nancy Pelosi’s withholding the Articles of Impeachment from the Senate.

The “consensus” I gathered from Todd and his guests was that “Pelosi has no leverage and she should turn the Articles over so Moscow Mitch (My characterization) can get on with it. Of course, that is the attitude of, apparently, many members of the media which see the inevitability of the Senate acquitting and see no reason to drag this out further. In fact, they pointed out several democrats have been suggesting “it’s time,” likely worrying about the Senate “trial” conflicting with the upcoming Iowa caucuses.

I certainly don’t have a “crystal ball” but I, for one thing, think Pelosi has plenty of “leverage” and “we the people” are not so stupid (at least enough of us to matter) as to not appreciate Pelosi’s attempt to make sure the key witnesses who were blocked from testifying before the House procedure testify – people like John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney, and those in the OMB who were instrumental in BLOCKING the APPROVED aid (illegally) for Ukraine. This could also include those in the DOD who were part of the email chain wondering what the “H E double toothpick” was going on?

My final thought on this topic would be, and I hope it’s true, that Pelosi is just “running out the clock” – using individual 1’s strategy to prevent witnesses from testifying starting with the Mueller investigation – so that when our so-called president is giving his State of the Union speech he has not been “exonerated.” (Even though EVERYONE knows the Senate “trial,” whenever it happens will be a complete sham.) I believe Pelosi’s strategy could very well be focused on causing individual 1 to have to give his speech while still under the House’s “indictment” AND, ultimately, to force republican Senators to have to vote as to whether or not they believe a president should be able to BREAK THE LAW, whether a president should be able to SOLICIT foreign help to get elected (like he did with Russia as well), and, additionally, I believe while the interest is high, she’s giving individual 1 more “rope” as he has a tendency to commit IMPEACHABLE acts almost at random.

I may end up being completely wrong, but I find it interesting how the “pundits” just assume Ms. Pelosi has no strategy and no leverage. Is this because she’s a woman going “up against” all these white republican men (who, by the way have proven themselves to be incredibly incompetent – over and over)? This all should be interesting, but I hope she’s got “something up her sleeve” these pundits are not sophisticated enough to figure out. (Why Todd insists on inviting republican hacks onto his show boggles my mind – but, there’s never any blow-back on the consequences of “normalizing” these people. Likely because of who owns MSNBC (Comcast, I believe) I believe her plan may be to make sure the “trial” has not ended by the time of the State of the Union speech without the “pundits” understanding that was exactly the plan. Should be an interesting speech!

One more thing: Today Ms. Pelosi said she is going to send the Article of IMPEACHMENT to the Senate next week. Personally, I hope she sends them toward the end of the week so that the “trial” will start after the Martin Luther King holiday. Therefore, the “trial” will be ongoing during the State of the Union speech.

Today, I was listening to another person explaining why individual 1’s decision to ASSASSINATE the “number 2” person in the hierarchy of Iran because “There were plans for the Iranians to attack Americans” (or something of that sort) as being legal and justified. He mentioned this as if to suggest by killing Qassem Suleimani the Iranians would call off the expected threats. Personally, that made no sense to me. My cynical thinking goes like this: Those attacks are now more likely – and, very possibly, more intense. Of course, individual 1 is threatening to destroy up to 52 cultural sites in Iran if there’s any retribution to Suleimani’s ASSASSINATION. Again, here’s how my thinking is evolving: War is on the horizon.

I have to wonder how many Americans are comfortable with individual 1 as our “commander in chief.” I don’t believe I’m the only American who’s been concerned for the day when there might be a crisis with individual 1 in charge. Members of the administration of our so-called president continue to say “the threat was imminent” – leading to this decision to ASSASSINATE Suleimani. That response to whatever the “threat” actually was, makes no sense to me. Based on what I’ve heard and read, Suleimani could have been killed at any time over the previous 20, or so, years. There have been, actually, some reports of Suleimani working with Americans in the fight against ISIS – so, there’s a lot of confusion over all of this – and, coming from individual 1 and Mike Pompeo, there’s likely been a continuation of their mountain of LIES.

I wrote about this the other day, but using the justification Suleimani had “American blood on his hands,” is hard for me to swallow. Just look at this from the point of view of the Iraqi’s and the Iranians. How much of their “blood” is on the hands of American leaders, generals, etc. For heavens sake, did you read about Abu Ghraib? Did you ever listen to both GW Bush and Dick Cheney admit, publicly, to authorizing the TORTURE of (likely thousands of) Iraqi’s – many who had nothing to do with the conflict THE UNITED STATES started in Iraq back in 2003. Again, Suleimani was a general in a war zone and his MURDER was likely “legal” – based on the rationale we get in America assuming our troops are justified being there. (Obviously, Suleimani didn’t think so)

Here’s what seems possible, if not likely, based on individual 1’s decision to authorize this ASSASSINATION – a “tit for tat” escalation which could easily result into a full out war. There’s a lot the Iranians can do which would affect America in a variety of ways. Take for example the oil flowing out of the Middle East. They can put a virtual halt to that flow without this escalation I’m talking about. They have strong “cyber” capabilities and their number one ally is Russia – think about that one. Their “revolutionary guard” has militias stationed all across the region with the capability to reach, from what I’ve read, virtually EVERY base of Americans in the area.

Keep in mind, many of those in the background of individual 1’s administration are veterans of the Bush/Cheney regime. They went into Iraq (based on LIES – of course) and they had no idea what the consequences of their decisions would be. In one book I read, about HALF of Iraq’s population was dislocated during the “Iraq war” (which was NEVER a declared war) and, at least, a couple HUNDRED THOUSAND Iraqi’s DIED along with the 5000+ Americans who died, not to mention ALL the people who were injured – this being the result of acting with no idea what would be the “level 2” consequences. Is this “deja vu all over again?”

I remember asking myself the same question in 2003 – “is this deja vu all over again?” I graduated from High School about the time of the Gulf of Tonkin resolution which was the LIE used by LBJ to escalate the Viet Nam War. Obviously, the Bush/Cheney regime LIED America into the invasion of Iraq, based on the claim there were “weapons of mass destruction” – WMD’s which didn’t exist. Now, when you listen to Mike Pompeo going onto TV programs to justify what individual 1 authorized last week – the ASSASSINATION of Suleimani – his words just come across as hollow. Pompeo had forfeited his own credibility based on his willingness to LIE to the American people before – and, it appears, he’s continuing this disgusting behavior.

It’s true we (humans) ALL have lied to some degree in our lives. Not only do we have a tendency to lie but it’s understandable we all see things differently. But, for most people I know “lying” is more like “spinning” – that is, looking at things with our own biases and perspectives. Personally, I try to tell the truth – even in circumstances where it might not be advantageous. If I say something which I later determine was not “truth” I try to go back and correct what I said. The people we have “running” our country at this point in time LIE with impunity. Expressing an opinion is not LYING, but saying something you know is untrue IS lying.

That being said, there is something called FACTS. And, I’m suggesting the idea of “alternative facts” is the world in which people like the Russians who are working to undermine our republic as I’m writing this – via cyber tactics – and, republicans weaponizing misinformation are practicing their belief the “end justifies the means” in order to retain POWER. To them, LYING is the “cost” of doing business. What they’re really talking about is a justification for strategic LYING. We’re likely never to know actually what the rationale for the ASSASSINATION really was, but if you haven’t thought about the possibility individual 1 is trying to get the headlines off the IMPEACHMENT process – well, I can’t help you. For me, there’s not a shadow of doubt.

In fact, I’ve written on many occasions I believe individual 1 would resort to the traditional republican strategy for mobilizing public support – and that is to start a WAR. And, it usually works for, at least, for a short period of time – which individual 1 may very well think is all he needs. Obviously, his strategy for dealing with the Mueller report and the Ukraine investigation was to “STONEWALL” as a way to “run out the clock” toward the 2020 election preventing “we the people” from hearing the TRUTH – and, thinking “we the people” will vote him back into the “White House” next November. I, certainly, have no idea how this situation with Iran will play out nor how “we the people” will react if we end up with another FIASCO in the Middle East.

I’m just finishing the book written by one of the original members of Cambridge Analytica (CA) which, I’m sure you know, is the company that pilfered DATA from approximately 87 MILLION Americans from Facebook – data “analyzed” and organized into “neighborhoods” based on the tendencies of the people who had their data stolen. They (the “neighborhoods”) were then fed a “diet” of targeted misinformation over their Facebook feed designed to exacerbate their tendencies. For example, if they were determined to be a latent racist, they were fed information suggesting how “whites” were under attack from “the other.” If you are African American you got information suggesting Hillary Clinton hates Blacks – with the idea to cause Blacks to stay home and not vote. There was a variety of “wedge issues” which were attacked and exacerbated. It worked!

Of course, you probably also know Steve Bannon was right in the middle of CA’s use of that data and their organized weaponizing of it – as they were using misinformation to influence the beliefs of MILLIONS of Americans – likely in concert with the Russian cyber warriors. This misinformation campaign is ongoing and, I’m guessing, MILLIONS of Americans are being BRAINWASHED in regard to what is happening in the Middle East right now. All of this “deplorable” purposeful LYING will likely continue at least until the November election. If Americans, somehow, decide this all is “OK” then God help us! (Well, actually, I’m praying for that daily regardless)

Look at this from individual 1’s perspective. Almost the day he leaves office he’s going to be potentially facing numerous legal issues. So, he’s really got a serious motivation to not only get “we the people’s” attention off IMPEACHMENT, but he’s also desperate to find a way to “win” again in 2020 – likely with MILLIONS of votes fewer than whoever his opponent may be via CHEATING. I’ve already read numerous reports individual 1’s “campaign” is targeting Facebook users through MILLIONS of dollars worth of “advertising” – which is another word for misinformation. (Yes, I know “everyone lies” – I just don’t know of anyone who is as proficient – well, there is Vladimir Putin)

And, finally, while I don’t use Facebook, almost everyone I know does. I’ve come to the conclusion Facebook is a very dangerous entity and their CEO Mark Zuckerman is a great example of a human being who becomes driven by GREED. Obviously, he’s created a very effective money making “machine” and, from what I’ve read, the FACT the data of Facebook users is easily “pilfered” (if Facebook isn’t even enabling the pilfering) is due to, again from what I’ve read, Facebook is able to monetize the “sharing” of this data. In other words, they’re making MONEY by allowing YOUR data to be easily stolen! And, the misinformation? Well, they seem to be OK with that as well. After all, according to Forbes, Zuckerman is now the third RICHEST person in the world. What’s the saying? “It’s all about the Benjamin’s!”

Final Thought: Today, I listened to excepts of interviews given by Mike Pompeo regarding the ASSASSINATION of Suleimani. I was a sixth grade teacher for the last 23 years of my working life and I learned to identify LYING pretty much “on the spot.” When you look into Pompeo’s eyes as he’s LYING it’s obvious. Usually, he’s unable to actually put his eyes on whoever it is he’s LYING to. He claims to be a “Christian” but, apparently, he hasn’t read the “Ten Commandments.” It’s been reported over and over Pompeo is an Iran War Hawk.

Tonight, the Iranians launched about a dozen ballistic missiles into a couple Iraqi bases in Northern and Western Iraq and there’s been no report of the result – that is, whether or not there were any casualties. These are Iraqi bases which house Iraqi troops along with American troops and those of some of the other “partners” in the region – although, many of the other countries with troops in Iraq have been calling them home. It appears to me, at this time, the Iranians targeted a very large base where they could avoid killing Americans – quite possibly as a way to satisfy their people that there’s been “retribution” for Suleimani’s Assassination and, at the same time, giving individual 1 a way to get out of this “mess” without it turning into an all out war. Stay tuned!!!

One more thing: Keep in mind the Iranians have developed very precise missile capability so if there really are no casualties, it very well could be because that’s what the Iranians wanted.

The other day I heard someone, while talking about Nancy Pelosi holding the Articles of Impeachment from the Senate, suggesting individual 1 would be apoplectic giving the State of the Union Address if he is still awaiting a trial in the Senate. I believe it’s entirely possible our so-called president has met his match in Pelosi. While I was on the front lines of criticizing her apprehension to do an “impeachment inquiry” in the face of so many impeachable offenses coming from individual 1 – seemingly on a weekly (if not daily) basis – it is beginning to appear as if she will end up being more than formidable in this process. Moscow Mitch’s pronouncement on Fox “news” he was going to run the Senate trial in coordination with our dear leader may prove to be a critical mistake – because, she’s (Pelosi) apparently going to use that to cause individual 1 to further lose (whatever’s left of) his mind.

Here’s the deal. The House democrats have control over when these Articles go to the Senate and, based on individual 1’s history, the longer we wait the MORE evidence there will be against him. As Ms. Pelosi once said, individual 1 (Of course, she used the name I can’t seem to be able to write) will IMPEACH himself – which, of course, he did with Ukraine and he will likely continue to do. Here’s what I think may be the plan, and that is to provide the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate once he’s given his “State of the Union” speech. Personally, I think his “speech” (rambling, disconnected remarks) will be much more interesting if the trial in the Senate is still “looming.” Also, he’s likely to provide more EVIDENCE as to why he’s GUILTY of IMPEACHABLE offenses between now and then. (Not that it would affect the outcome based on the “chicken hawks” on the republican side of the isle in the Senate)

Take for example, his foreign policy (if he has one). Last night the second most powerful Iranian leader was assassinated at the Baghdad airport evidently because he was planning an attack, somewhere, against Americans. Well, if an attack was or wasn’t planned as of last night, it darned well is planned now as I’m writing this. I would encourage any American to avoid traveling outside the country and the response in the Middle East should be interesting. I’ve suggested several times on this site that when things get really bad for individual 1 he has the one “arrow” in his “quiver” which republicans have relied on, repeatedly, in my lifetime and that is – start a war. That usually pulls the American public together and Americans tend to hesitate changing an administration during a war. (Although, this time ??????)

Well, are we headed for another war in the Middle East which MOST Americans DON’T want? I have to say, back in 2003 MOST Americans were probably in favor of invading Iraq (I wasn’t one of them) because the Bush/Cheney regime was LYING through their teeth about WMD’s! (Sound familiar?) In fact, under the surface in individual 1’s administration, lies several of the culprits of the Iraq invasion – which, very probably, some of them still believe was warranted – despite the TREMENDOUS loss of lives they created! Clearly, Mike Pompeo is and has been an Iran war hawk (as he was “back in the day” of the Iraq FIASCO) – I truly hope they don’t allow this episode to spiral into an all out war – because, you can be sure the Iranians are going to respond to the killing of General Suleimani.

Suleimani has been around for, from what I’ve heard, at least the last couple of decades and previous administrations (I guess that would mean the Obama and Bush administrations) have passed on attacking him due to the expected response. From everything I’ve read, a war with Iran will not be similar to Iraq – despite individual 1 saying, “It will be over very quickly.” (Does that remind you of anything, like maybe Dick Cheney predicting Americans would be cheered as heroes for toppling Saddam Hussein or Don Rumsfeld suggesting the “war” [in Iraq] would last “5 days, 5 weeks, or maybe 5 months”) I believe you have to be part of individual 1’s cult (see my last posting) to have ANY confidence they know what they’re doing!

Keep in mind one of Iran’s closest allies is Russia and I can only imagine what individual 1 is thinking when he says any war would “be over very quickly.” Whatever happens next will ultimately go back, when people are trying to understand this scenario, to individual 1 pulling America out of the Iran Nuclear Agreement – which, by all accounts, Iran was in complete compliance with. (And, now is officially OVER) That agreement took painstaking diplomatic efforts to achieve and, of course, because it was President Obama pulling it off, individual 1 and his hawkish republicans didn’t like it. Was it simply because it was our “person of color” in the “White House” who made such a monumental achievement? Who knows, but, what we do know is the republicans were (and have been) attempting to block or tear down anything Obama did – including providing health insurance for TENS of MILLIONS of Americans!

When leaders I’ve listened to rationalize the ASSASSINATION of Suleimani they all say “He had American blood on his hands.” They point out during the period of 2003 – 2011 he was leading Shia militias against American troops in Iraq. Well, that seems to be the point to me – American troops had entered Iraq, shall we say, uninvited (More accurately, ILLEGALLY). There was a WAR where MILLIONS of Iraqi’s were dislocated and HUNDREDS of thousands were KILLED and TORTURED by Americans. It has always seemed to me “we the people” are never educated on the “blood on the hands” of our leaders. Do you think the murder of Suleimani is how individual 1 plans to take the IMPEACHMENT issue off the front pages? Just sayin……………..

Getting back to Suleimani and “the American (and, for that matter, Iraqi) blood on his hands” keep in mind America has been in Iraq for almost 20 years now and people like Suleimani want “we the people” out of there. From what I’ve read, his death may very possibly be the incident which causes that to happen – should the Iraqi parliament ask the Americans in Iraq to leave. This ASSASSINATION included an Iraqi who was also a Shiite and it was instigated without the Iraqi’s knowing it was going to happen – therefore a violation of their sovereignty. Whether they will ask the U.S. to leave remains to be seen – but, it’s clear from what happened last week – the Iraqi “soldiers” are not capable or willing to defend the American Embassy in Iraq.

So, the bottom line here is that we don’t, at this point in time, have any idea how this issue with Iran will play out. I have to believe he “authorized” the ASSASSINATION based on the “advice” of people like Pompeo. Personally, I’m guessing – as of maybe a week ago – individual 1 knew as much about Suleimani as I did – so, he was (likely) acting on the advice of his “generals” and people like Pompeo – who’s long been a “hawk” in regard to Iran. (Remember, individual 1 pulled the U.S. out of the Iran Nuclear Agreement which will always be the “trigger” to whatever happens next – and, lots of republicans were in favor – just like attacking Iraq in 2003 – does that give you a sense of calm?)

Individual 1 may have thought this attack would mitigate the IMPEACHMENT process, although I believe it could make it worse for him. Ms. Pelosi is going to let the clock keep ticking on handing over the Articles of Impeachment and, if this situation with Iran blows up into something like, say, and all out WAR – I believe it could boomerang on individual 1. No matter what, I’m looking forward, for the first time, to individual 1’s State of the Union speech if the IMPEACHMENT trial has not yet happened! Just try to imagine our so-called president speaking to the nation under those circumstances!

Final Thought: While I, obviously, fall into the “camp” of people who ABSOLUTELY don’t trust our so-called president under any circumstance, let alone as our “Commander in Chief” I have to say I’ll be praying he somehow gets this right. The bottom line is the danger he’s flirting with is almost to me unimaginable – except that I’ve read close to 100 books about how our government works/worked in these types of circumstances. Many of the books attempting to explain the actions of the Bush/Cheney regime regarding America’s invasion of Iraq used the term “FIASCO.” Those who were part of the “brain trust” didn’t seem to do a very good job of using their “brains.”

“We the people” are still involved in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places in the Middle East – largely the result of the FIASCO created by the Bush administration’s ill advised invasion of Iraq based on LIES. Sadly, America has a history, over the past 40 years, of apparently believing our military is the reason we’re a strong nation. Personally, I believe the random use of our military over the years has turned America into the world’s pariah. And, keep in mind, the troops who will be/are risking their LIVES are not part of individual 1’s family – they get things like BONE SPURS when it’s time to defend our nation. Our troops, largely, want to make “we the people” proud – but, they follow orders – and, many of them may very well be put into a circumstance which could haunt them for the rest of their lives. What happens won’t bother individual 1 because he’s showed himself to have the conscience of a mafia boss.

Suleimani was planning a threat to American forces, according to individual 1, but, even if that’s true, (and, remember, our so-called president has LIED thousands of times) I have to believe the threat still exists and likely is more extreme today. And, as I listen to reporters regurgitate the claim “Suleimani had blood on his hands” I get a bit queezy. How many military leaders in the Middle East – including Americans – have blood on their hands.

I mean, America’s CIA has a lot of Iranian “blood on their hands” dating all the way back to 1953 when the Shah was imposed on Iran to prevent the nationalization of their oil fields. Both Iran and Iraq have been embroiled in some kind of war for (at least) the past 40 years and, suggesting we assassinate people with American “blood on their hands” – we’ve been embroiled in the Middle East since the Iraq/Afghanistan invasions – would use up a lot of missiles. What if those in the other countries had the same belief in regard to us? Is the message here that it’s OK for America’s leaders to “have blood on their hands?”

The Supreme Court appointed GW Bush into the “White House” back in 2000, and the world has become much less stable as a result. The court has been busy enabling America’s corporatocracy ever since – suffocating the middle class. The effect of individual 1’s time in the “White House” has been a further right wing stranglehold on the courts and, should he manage to cheat his way into another four years, the SCOTUS will insure at least a generation of the enabling of GOP cheating in elections. Should that happen, individual 1 will have succeeded in “making Russia great again.”

I wrote in my last rant that I’m reading “Mindf*ck” (That’s the title) by Christopher Wylie and would be writing about some of what I’m learning in that book in this rant. Today I’m listening to “The Last Word,” one of the shows I watch on MSNBC, as I’m writing this. It’s interesting that all three of the guests on Lawrence O’Donnell’s show, Joy Reid, Michelle Goldberg, and Nickolas Kristoff, are struggling with how the republicans in Congress across America can continue to support individual 1 despite ALL the reasons why they should be falling off from their support like leaves falling from the trees in October. Well, I believe Wylie’s book – which is focused on his experience as the person who, essentially, started Cambridge Analytica goes a long way in helping to understand the curiosity of those who can’t understand individual 1’s “grip” on the republicans in Congress.

As a preface to the rest of these remarks, here’s the definition of a cult: “a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object.” Or, if you’re a republican and you say, “I’m not ‘religious'”: “A misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing.” And, no, these definitions didn’t come from someplace like the NY Times, instead it came from the “Oxford U.S. dictionary.” And, if you’re an individual 1 supporter, you’re a member of what can easily be described as a CULT.

I’ve started out with the definition of a cult because when you read Wylie’s book it supports the inference that individual 1 has created a massive CULT – with the help of Steve Bannon, in particular, along with Vladimir Putin – and, somehow, whoever the democratic nominee ultimately becomes, he/she SHOULD make this reality part of the campaign. In essence, MANY of individual 1’s supporters have been BRAINWASHED and when you read Wylie’s book you better understand why that assertion is NOT “poppycock.”

Cambridge Analytica (CA) evolved out of a data collection and analysis firm located in London, England which helped, among others, America’s NSA to be able to identify and predict the behavior of, for example, people who were being radicalized online in the U.S. One of the directors of this company, originally called “Strategic Communications Laboratories” (SCL), was a guy named Alexander Nix and he ultimately became the head of CA. SCL’s work was identified to Wylie, as he was being recruited to join, as “work for military and intelligence agencies on projects that governments couldn’t officially undertake themselves.” Wylie ended up helping SCL and, then, Cambridge Analytica improve their sophistication in “The world of psychological warfare.”

So, Wylie began his time working for SCL helping them become much more sophisticated in how they collected and used “data.” They were performing “experiments” in countries located in Africa and/or the Caribbean where it was easy to get permission to do what, in more advanced countries, would be considered violations of people’s privacy. Soon after Wylie became employed by SCL a new potential client showed up: Steve Bannon. Yes, the same Steve Bannon who, to this day, is promoting the right wing “White Nationalist” movement which is spreading from America across Europe.

It was Bannon’s intro to SCL which ultimately led to Cambridge Analytica and, of course, the focus became political surreptitious “warfare.” The first challenge was Brexit which found CA (and a subsidiary which was unnamed at the time) using the data collection tactics which were developed while Wylie was helping SCL, and then, CA prior to Bannon’s intro to their work. Bannon brought in Robert and Rebekah Mercer who provided the “seed” money to start Cambridge Analytica. Wylie claims, in the book, he was “naive” to the intentions of Bannon and the Mercer’s to begin with and, as he better understood what was happening with the data and research he instigated, he chose to leave CA.

At the time he left he says Nix told him, “You’ll be nowhere and we’ll all be in the White House.” Wylie says he thought Nix was crazy, but, of course, at least Bannon did end up in the White House. How did they do this? Well, by now, most people who’ve been paying attention know Cambridge Analytica managed to steal the data from something like 87 MILLION Facebook users and Wylie was right in the middle of that. It appears Facebook almost was encouraging this because, if I understood it correctly, Facebook actually was able to monetize this theft of their user’s data.

CA actually paid people to give up their data which resulted, on average, of CA being able to gain EVERYTHING on not only them, but also 300 of their “likes.” I don’t do Facebook, so I’m only sharing what I saw in Wylie’s book. Thousands of people gave up their information, essentially ALL of it, when CA paid them $1 to fill out a form which was the mechanism which opened the door to EVERYTHING they say and do – plus all their friends. Once they had the data they began what was essentially an experiment to see if they could psychologically change people’s beliefs. They organized the data into groups of tendencies and figured out how to “attack” these groups by intensifying their emotions which would lead to possibly changing voting tendency.

Wylie was gone from CA by the time of Brexit but he was still in touch with many of the people still active in the company. Clearly, Brexit was influenced by the work of CA which was, by then, under the control of Bannon. CA also was, to a degree, connected with the Russians, to some degree, at that point in time, which supports my inference made a couple years ago that CA – and, therefore Bannon – and, ultimately Jared Kushner – were somehow associated with the Russian “meddling” in the 2016 American election. (“COLLUSION?”) How did CA work? Well, you hear individual 1 “project” all the time when he refers to “fake news.”

While Wylie helped CA collect and analyze immense amounts of data, the ultimate effect of what they were doing has to do with what they did with this data – I would call it very sophisticated and organized LYING. How did they figure out how to go about doing this? Well, Wylie, who is a Canadian, had gained so much access to people’s privacy that CA could actually watch TV with their unsuspecting targets by paying for interviews. This is where Wylie got introduced to Fox “news.” (My quotes) He was astonished as “People would flip on Fox and their rage became palpable.”

Here’s some of Wylie’s observations of Fox: “People would feel better about their day after an hour-long session in the Fox News rage room – they could groan out their stress, and afterward their problems at work or home were someone else’s fault.” He went on to say people watching Fox had been “programmed” to find various ways to blame “liberals” or “Obamacare” for their problems. He said, “Fox News fuels anger with its hyperbolic narratives because anger disrupts the ability to seek, rationalize, and weigh information.” Fox was “conditioning people’s sense of identity into something that could be weaponized.” In other words, Fox was giving CA strategies they could use to make the effect of the data they held to the satisfaction of Bannon.

Fox was reminding people, according to Wylie, that “if you are an ordinary American this is the way you think.” Wylie then gives a psychological analysis of what Fox is doing: “This primes people for identity-motivated reasoning, which is a bias that essentially makes people accept or reject information based on how it serves to build or threaten group identity rather than on the merits of the content.” I’ll simplify this to what I believe – they’re BRAINWASHING their audience. And, they’re doing it in concert with Bannon and others, who remain anonymous, in the right wing world who consider individual 1 a “useful idiot.”

Make no mistake, individual 1 – despite NEVER having a popularity over 45% AND having a commitment from something like 54% of Americans who say they would NEVER vote for him – very well could end up re-elected – possibly leading me into the world of depression! Cambridge Analytica no longer exists, but the Russians AND Bannon – at least – still have the data AND the strategies they used to pull of the unimaginable in 2016 – and, of course, individual 1 is almost openly welcoming the Russians back in and why would they NOT want individual 1 in the White House for another four years. Putin has made HUGE advances due to the policies of individual 1 which almost seems as if he’s intent on “making Russia Great again.”

So, just as the Russians were targeting groups of American to foment their vulnerabilities and intensifying anger and hate, Cambridge Analytica was doing the same. Based on what Wylie has included in his book – and, by the way, he includes the names of those involved – it’s hard to believe there wasn’t “COLLUSION” between Bannon and Kushner and the Russians. They were doing, essentially, the same thing – sending targeted MISINFORMATION (“Fake News”) to groups of people they were able to predict, usually accurately, how it would be received. Their focus was on intensifying the cultural divide which was “simmering” in America.

Bannon understood the sad reality there was a large group of people in America who were latent racists and were susceptible to “fake news” designed to tear off the “scabs.” That was one of the focuses of CA’s (and that of the Russians) attack on America’s electorate. Of course, they were also working in concert with Fox – basically, using the prejudices of the Fox viewers (which they knew who they were) and working to intensify the HATE which was simmering with that group of people. Their strategy was completely based on attacking the cultural divide in America which manifests itself in multiple ways.

Not only was CA trying to make those susceptible to the “White Nationalist” bent, but they also went after those in the African American community in an effort to keep African Americans from actually voting at all. (Obviously, they knew it was unlikely many African Americans would vote for individual 1) Additionally, they had identified the members of the “conservative Christian” community and they “attacked” them with fake news which was tilted toward HATING liberals – who, of course, were identified as democrats. (I can guarantee you, this is continuing as I’m writing this) Their (CA) strategy was based on “attacking” people’s fears and vulnerability leading toward increased anger – and their work was extremely effective.

All of what went on in 2015 and 2016 (and which is ongoing) – whether coming from the Russians or Cambridge Analytica – explains what the pundits like I mentioned above (and many others as well) continue to wonder why republicans continue standing with individual 1 despite the reality he’s clearly the MOST corrupt (so-called) president in America’s history. (Today, I saw a segment showing the number of occasions which appeared to be examples of corruption coming from individual 1 and there were over 1000 examples of his self dealing since he took an oath to defend the constitution – which prohibits exactly that) A large segment of America has been BRAINWASHED. Yes, we all have our biases, but if you’ve ever attempted to dialogue with a Fox “news” viewer and seen the resulting throwing of things, you know what I’m talking about!

I would refer you back to the definition of a cult above. Clearly, based on both examples I listed – one regarding “religion” and one not – individual 1’s following would meet the definition of a cult. If that doesn’t get your attention, well, maybe you’re part of the cult. This is dangerous because there’s basically nothing “we the people” can say to influence this cult – because they are continually getting the same “fake news” from Fox and the Russians, among who knows who else. Yes, Cambridge Analytica no longer exists, but I’m certain their data, their research associated with that data, their methods of collecting and analyzing it still exists and, I’m certain it would be Bannon or the Mercers who have it.

This is all why I believe the misinformation campaign foisted on the unsuspecting American public is continuing as I’m writing this. In fact, this right wing “fake news” campaign is going on in various countries around the world. Sadly, this comes across as a populist movement, but the reality is that the issue of income inequality continues to get worse and it’s the people at the top (the so-called top 1%) who are the benefactors of the movement which has put their “useful idiot” in the White House. The bottom line here is creating a cult out of a political party is a “clear and present danger” to America’s republic!

Final Thought: When “we the people” are deciding who should be in the “White House” in November of this year my hope is the focus would be on the pressing issues such as CLIMATE CHANGE, health care, infrastructure, education, and, yes, an honorable immigration policy which is consistent with American history – among the many issues which are languishing in Moscow Mitch’s waste basket. During President Obama’s administration McConnell simply filibustered EVERYTHING – now, with the democrats passing something like 400 bills he simply “deep sixes” them – preventing even a debate and vote and MOST of what “we the people” want coming out of OUR Congress.

My hope is that with the clear and present danger of CLIMATE CHANGE being undeniable – as we are watching MILLIONS of acres in Australia burning (costing MILLIONS of animals like Koala’s and Kangaroos their lives) along with countless other examples of what is happening to our planet and the reality we can’t afford 4 more years of ignoring this threat to humanity – young people in America will head to the polls in November and VOTE in numbers never seen before. After all, it’s their lives on the line more than with old geezers like myself. Additionally, if there’s ever going to be a fight to mitigate gun violence in America the republicans have to “go.” And, health care? Right now, as I’m writing this, individual 1 is in court attempting to get rid of the Affordable Care Act (ie Obamacare) completely – with NO alternative.

Infrastructure? – nothing! (and, the issue with just roads and bridges would require at least a couple TRILLION dollars to bring existing structures up to code) Immigration? America’s immigration policy under individual 1 (and, of course, Stephen Miller) has been shameful! The “Dreamers” still are languishing in the courts, etc. I could go on and on with all this, but the bottom line is “we the people” need our young people to stand up and defend our republic in a way that works for their own best interest.

One More Thing: Last night it was reported Qasem Suleimani, the military leader of Iran, along with a military leader of Iraq were both killed at the airport in Baghdad. This is evidence of the power Mike Pompeo has over individual 1. Here’s the question: Are we headed for more intense WAR in the Middle East? Is this the result of individual 1 pulling America out of the “Iran Nuclear Agreement?” I heard a pundit on TV today suggest individual 1’s administration “wants regime change in Iran” – which, to me, is absurd (Do they know nothing of history – and how America was responsible for the Shah?) I wonder how many people around the world want “regime change” in America? Our voters will be challenged in November, because if “we the people” somehow send a message to the world that individual 1 is “acceptable” I believe this country will have forfeited it’s place as “the leader of the free world” for – maybe – forever!

Make no mistake, the danger to America coming from the “White Nationalist” movement is more than the STUPIDITY of individual 1, because it goes well beyond that. And, most people know the front line offenders to our “way of life” – like Stephen Miller, Mike Pompeo, William Barr, Mike Pense, etc. – but, the sad reality is Vladimir Putin has permeated America’s government, apparently, far further than most of us who are trying to figure all this out can know. I’m just finishing Rachel Maddow’s “Blowout” – one of the best books I’ve read in the past year or two – a book which clearly lays out both the danger posed by Putin and the futility of what he’s doing to his own country which falls into the category of countries suffering the “Resource curse.”

The Russian economy is predicated, almost exclusively, on the oil and gas industry and, of course, Vladimir Putin controls it with an iron fist. Along with Igor Sechin, Putin makes sure that “competition” is a “dirty word” in Russia. Those who have dared to challenge the mafia-like rule Putin has on virtually all of Russia’s enterprises either ends up in prison or, well, I’m sure you can guess the alternative – DEAD. There have been some Russian dissidents who’ve managed to escape the country, but it’s hard to escape Putin’s “reach.” For example, just last year Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned while in excile in Great Britain – Skripal being a former double agent who ended up in Britain via a “spy swap.”

It really should make American’s nervous the more we learn about Putin with the realization he’s very likely responsible for individual 1 being in the “White House” – and, by now, seeing how much Putin apparently “has” on our so-called president. When you read Maddow’s book (along with others I’ve read) it’s apparent Putin is busy attempting to recreate the “former Soviet Union” and he’s working with a “weak hand” – in regard to Russia’s economy which is smaller than that of Italy. However, Putin doesn’t work like someone with a conscience, because he doesn’t have one. And, Americans – including the cult-like supporters of individual 1 – would do well to beware of what Putin “has up his sleeve.”

Whether or not individual 1 is working WITH Putin or whether he’s simply a “useful idiot” (in the terms of the Russians) he’s doing the “bidding” of the Russian president and helping to spread the neo-Nazi movement across Europe – putting America’s long standing role as the leader of NATO and the United Nations at risk. America’s traditional allies, like Germany, France, (maybe) Britain (it remains to be seen what the election of Boris Johnson actually means), and other members of NATO are in a “holding pattern” right now – probably as anxious for the next American election as I am (and, of course, MILLIONS of other Americans). November of 2020 will decide the future of this great nation.

I’m not so naive that I believe all will be solved once individual 1 is voted OUT of office – God help us if he somehow manages to CHEAT his way into another four years – because he’s taken a racial divide in America and done everything he can to exacerbate it. I was reading in the Washington Post today a column by Dana Milbank, a journalist I’ve been aware of for many years, who shared some of the “Christmas cheer” he’s received lately from a bunch of individual 1 supporters. The stuff he’s getting in his inbox is hate filled, bigoted, nasty, rude, and full of “four letter words” threatening violence to him.

And, this seems to be the “norm” coming from the cult which calls themselves today’s republican party. It’s not just Milbank who’s getting this garbage in his inbox, but virtually anyone who’s a public figure and speaks out against individual 1 gets lambasted by his supporters – and, of course, he’s right there cheering them on. He uses VULGAR language at his rallies NO American president prior to him would EVER have allowed himself to use and he gins up his base overtly suggesting violence, on their part, as a way to “defend” him is appropriate. They’re now referring to democrats as “snowflakes” – apparently because democrats aren’t willing to commit violence in this FIGHT for the soul of our nation.

His pathological LYING and his regular use of derogatory slurs in reference to his “enemies” – which are anyone who doesn’t agree with him – has become the rule of the day in the republican party. And, sadly, the republican party has bought in “hook line and sinker.” In addition, individual 1 has “news” outlets who are more than willing to participate in the pathological LYING! Of course, first and foremost, I’m talking about Fox “news” but also outlets like Breitbart and the “Daily Caller.” It’s “alt right” unapologetic White Nationalism. Here’s the scary part to me – and that is some of the so-called “liberal media” aren’t so “liberal.” To me, considering anything which might be looked upon as “mainstream” – there are too many outlets which aren’t as “liberal” as the right wing propagandists propose.

For example, over the past few years I’ve subscribed to the Washington Post and NY Times because I feel an obligation to support their investigative journalists, but, today, I read an opinion piece in a weekly newsletter the Post sends me which was written by a right wing pundit and it was titled “The 10 best things (individual 1 – he used the name I can’t bring myself to type) has done this year. (In my mind, he’s done NOTHING which would merit a “best” list) Among those things were the tariffs, the pulling out of the Iran deal, undermining Planned Parenthood, and judges, judges, judges.

My first reaction as I read the piece was “why am I sending money to the Post if they’re going to print this garbage” without real-time fact checking? Evidently, the Fox mantra (which like EVERYTHING Fox is a LIE) of being “fair and balanced” has permeated the Post. There were several parts of this piece which were misleading at best and, of course, the low unemployment rate which is something – meaning the economy which is slowly trudging along and has been for this entire decade – individual 1 INHERITED from President Obama and Timothy Geitner was listed as an accomplishment. The way I see it, it’s an accomplishment the one significant economic thing he’s INHERITED which he hasn’t destroyed just yet. (And, by the way, I believe all pieces should be “fact checked” and I understand “spin” but, let the right wing pundits do their “spinning” on right wing media)

My point here is that I don’t want the Post leading a newsletter they send to me with a column by a right wing sycophant of our so-called president. Yes, it’s true, there are reasons why his “conservative Christian base” continues to support individual 1, but much of those “reasons” people like me don’t consider accomplishments. The reality is individual 1 just got IMPEACHED and I have to wonder if the Post isn’t attempting to move the needle a bit as we’re preparing for, at some point in time, the TRIAL in the Senate. As far as I’m concerned, the Post’s lead “opinion piece” should be the “10 reasons why individual 1 should be convicted in the Senate and removed from office” – which would FINALLY end this national nightmare!

It’s not a surprise that most of the opinion pieces in the Post don’t make individual 1 at all happy, but at this point in time it doesn’t seem like, to me, to be the appropriate time to be putting articles by his defenders as the lead in anything. The DAMAGE being done to America by this so-called president may take a generation, or more, from which to recover – and, that’s if “we the people” can vote him out of office in 2020. And, while it seems that should be “likely,” the reality is the reason he just got IMPEACHED is because he’s a CHEATER and the republicans will CHEAT right along with him in order to “win” the next election.

Can you imagine how all these republicans would have responded had Barack Obama solicited help from Russia or Ukraine or ANY foreign nation in order to “win” either of his elections? Can you imagine how they would have responded had Obama refused to send ANYONE to testify in Congress, even with a subpoena? Or how about if Obama would have refused to turn over a single document requested by Congress, including his tax returns – even after Congress had issued subpoenas? How about if Obama had OBSTRUCTED Justice even ONCE let alone over 10 times? Would a republican Congress have said “That’s OK?” (Yes, there were occasions where the Obama administration balked at some of requests coming from the divisive republican Congress, but he NEVER refused to send ALL of anything to any Committee)

Let’s go a bit further. What if Obama had a couple affairs, one with a porn star, and then paid them off to keep them quiet right before either of his elections? Would republicans turn the other way on that one? Or what if Obama was credibly accused of sexual assault by close to 20 women – especially if he admitted on video he did that because he was famous? Would republicans have ignored that one? What if Obama had DOUBLED the annual deficit in just two years? Would republicans have been OK with that? Well, you know, the answer to all of that is Obama would have been IMPEACHED multiple times and republicans would be YELLING at democrats if they voted to acquit him?

The hypocrisy of these republicans is unmistakable and everyone, even the republicans, knows this. I can’t bring myself to believe, for example, that Lindsey Graham doesn’t understand that he’s now seen as the lead hypocrite by a large segment of the population. Somehow, he manages to sleep at night, but the reality is he’s defending ALL the stuff I just listed which he’d be up in arms if Obama or ANY other democrat chose to do even one of them.

I continue CHOOSING to be an optimist, so I have to believe there are people in South Carolina who don’t think it’s OK for our president to be soliciting campaign aid from foreign nations – and there’s people there who DON’T want our president BREAKING the law. And, Graham is up for re-election this year. (We can hope – and, by the way, among other lawbreaking – holding up the aid to Ukraine was ILLEGAL. Once Congress appropriates the money the president has to release it or communicate to Congress why it’s being held up – which didn’t happen in this instance) Should the people of South Carolina choose to vote Graham out of office it would send a resounding message to republicans everywhere. Even in a solidly conservative state this LYING and embarrassingly open HYPOCRISY will not be tolerated!

So, why are all these republicans continuing to support individual 1? Well, sadly, I’ve come to the conclusion there are more of them than we would think are supporting him because he’s a White Nationalist. I keep struggling with the definitions here and, I agree with people who say if you support a RACIST you’re supporting RACISM – pure and simple! When you look at the intense reactions of individual 1’s supporters toward anyone who challenges him – like the journalist I mentioned above, Dana Milbank – it really gets ugly. Individual 1 publicly ATTACKS anyone who challenges him and his sycophants follow suit – his rhetoric causes them to believe it’s OK to threaten people like Milbank – as if they’re doing their patriotic duty

Unfortunately, I believe the instances of mass shootings which have happened on individual 1’s “watch” by people who have published internet screeds mimicking individual 1’s language right before their DEPLORABLE act of violence are not totally a thing of the past. When you listen to the messages people like Milbank get – and, I have to believe more journalists should publish some of the garbage they’re finding in their inboxes to help people in the “middle” to understand the gravity of the situation – you know danger is lurking. It only takes one deranged person to convince him/herself their “patriotic duty” is to follow their leader. Every day I pray to God there will be no more mass shootings – but, reality says…………………………

The hope for those of us who are having difficulty stomaching even one more day of individual 1 being our so-called president is that “we the people” will vote in massive numbers next November to counter the VOTER SUPPRESSION which has already begun in various states and that democratic primary voters will choose a nominee who is up for the FIGHT ahead – because, we KNOW the name calling and the character assassination – coming from the MOST corrupt president in U.S. History – will start forthwith and will be intense. (It’s already begun in some quarters and to a degree which is surreptitious via Facebook, etc.) If you’re an actual “conservative” or, if you consider yourself an independent (as I do, personally) I believe you’re obligated to vote AGAINST individual 1 (in November’s election) – regardless of who the democrats choose to be their nominee.

Final Thought: Presently, I’m reading a book titled “Mindf*ck” by Christopher Wylie who was a foundational participant in the forming of “Cambridge Analytica” – the company which was originally funded by Robert and Rebekah Mercer and, essentially, commandeered by Steve Bannon. I’ve got a few chapters still to read but, so far, what I’ve read seems to confirm my earlier suspicions that the Russian “meddling” in the 2016 election was funneled through the data they received from CA (Cambridge Analytica). What I’ve read, so far, while not surprising is startling – if that makes sense. In essence, it’s confirming my worst suspicions about what Bannon did with the data STOLEN from MILLIONS of Facebook users in a brazen attempt to do what the Russians were also attempting to do – which is to turn Americans against each other.

My next post, I’m fairly certain, will be motivated by what I’m reading in this book. While CA has been “shuddered” I have no doubt Bannon still has access to all the data and the processes they discovered as they were attempting to prove they could change the way people think. In essence they believed they could create a cult – and, it appears, with the election of individual 1 they, along with the Russians, succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. I’ve often mentioned I believe individual 1 will end up in the History books right next to Benedict Arnold – and, I’ve added Fox “news” will be right there along with William Barr – and “others.” Well, as I’m reading this book, Steve Bannon will definitely be standing right with all of them.

Well, the time for the sentencing of both Rick Gates and Michael Flynn seemed to coming to a “head” at about the same time individual 1 was going to be impeached. It appears the judge, in the case of Rick Gates, appreciates all the “help” he provided in previous prosecutions involving, among others, Paul Manafort. Gates was “rewarded” for his “honesty” (of course, “honesty” after the fact – because the business he was in with Manafort was “seedy” at best) with a light sentence which, I believe, included 45 days in prison. More on Manafort in a bit.

Michael Flynn, on the other hand, had changed lawyers and “changed his tune” over the course of his cooperation agreement – which, apparently, became a “non cooperation” agreement. If you remember (well, if you don’t I’ll remind you) Flynn was prosecuted for “LYING to the FBI – a singular charge which, over time, he decided was the result of the FBI “tricking” him. I don’t think the judge in his case was all too much appreciative of Flynn’s change of tune. There’s a good reason why.

The original charge against Flynn was a “gift” as far as I could tell. Flynn was in way deeper than just the LYING to the FBI. In fact, it was apparent to me his son was every bit as vulnerable as Flynn, himself, because they were in “business” together which, I believed at the time, was the motivating factor in Flynn’s agreement to plea to the one charge of LYING. Here’s some of the other stuff Flynn (and his son) could have been charged with. Let’s start with working as an agent for Turkey’s president Erdogan without registering – and, secretly (and illegally) trying to facilitate the deportation of Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish dissident living in Pennsylvania and other work which “netted” Flynn something around half a MILLION dollars from Turkey.

Of course, Flynn was connected to Vladimir Putin and the Russians in ways we may never know, but we do know Putin was interfering with America’s foreign policy while the Obama administration was still in office – with his calls to the Russian Ambassador in regard to the sanctions President Obama imposed on Russia because of the election interference.

Once Flynn was unceremoniously removed from his military service during the Obama administration he became an overt critic of President Obama and I remember seeing him in some kind of ceremony sitting next to Putin at the Kremlin. He became an even more divisive personality than he had been while running the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) and, apparently, felt empowered to “step over the lines” once associated with individual 1. He became “famous” for leading the “lock her up” chant at the republican convention – saying, “If I’d done one tenth of what Mrs. Clinton did (FYI – she didn’t do ANYTHING illegal) I’d ………….. (You can fill in the blank – in reality, he did WAY MORE than Mrs. Clinton!)

His original charge – which, it seems, he now wants to fight, was far less than what “could have been.” And, his son “got off the hook” with the original plea deal. I think the judge was very unhappy with Mr. Flynn. Sentencing next month (Is he working to get a pardon?) could be very unfavorable based on what the judge had said months ago when he gave Flynn the opportunity to make things closer to “right.” It just seems ironic to me that in the face of these sentences and all the other ILLEGAL behavior which has been uncovered by those close to individual 1 that these two campaign associates are facing “justice” in the courts just as individual 1 is facing what is like political “justice.” (Of course, Moscow Mitch has already claimed the Senate trial will be a “sham” – in the words of individual 1)

Just to further demonstrate what kind of person “we the people” have as our so-called president, tonight at a “rally” in Michigan – which was happening as he was being IMPEACHED – individual 1 showed how disgusting he is – by nature – as he made deplorable comments about former representative John Dingle from Michigan who died during individual 1’s term and his wife is now in his seat in Congress – individual 1 ended his degrading remarks by suggesting Dingle was “looking up” at the proceeding – suggesting, well, you know what he was suggesting. Dingle served in Congress for nearly 60 years!

That was, I thought, going to be the height of the disgusting rhetoric I would hear tonight – but, of course, NO – because the republican party says NOTHING about the substance of the allegations against individual 1 – allegations which have been confirmed over and over by FACT witnesses who have been, one and all, life long non-partisan public servants – but representative Loudermilk of Georgia – UNBELIEVABLY compared individual 1’s treatment by the House to the treatment Jesus Christ received at the hand of Pontius Pilate. As a (I guess Liberal) Christian, to me, that was completely OFFENSIVE. I won’t go into the details of what happened to Jesus – but, if you have read the Bible, you know how absurd that analogy is.

As I’ve struggled to understand how, of all people, republicans can be lining up in support of individual 1 based on so many of the realities of what he “stands” for – I’ve finally decided the republican party has devolved into a cult. Not only have I heard the absurd comparison I just mentioned above comparing individual 1 to Jesus, but I’ve also heard several top level republicans refer to him as the “chosen one.” There are so many examples of what has transpired over the previous three plus years which seem to parallel what took place in Germany in the 20’s and 30’s. Most don’t want to even consider this could be possible, but I’m starting to see indications more and more people are “getting it.”

I was reading something today (sadly, I can’t remember where it came from) which, FINALLY, mentioned how republicans have adopted the philosophy of Joseph Goebbels, chief propagandist of the Third Reich, as the foundation for their strategy of repeating LIES over and over to their unsuspecting supporters – causing some terrible LIES to be accepted as “truth” by MILLIONS of Americans who get their information via outlets like Fox “news,” Breitbart,com, Sinclair Broadcasting, right wing talkers on the radio, and others.

It was a few years ago, when it dawned on me there was a “flood” of right wing pundits on the airwaves making identical “untrue” claims using the same key terms over and over. At the same time I was reading the biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer which was when I learned of the “Big Lie Theory” used by the Nazi’s to, essentially, brainwash their subjects. Interestingly, which I thought about after listening to Mr. Loudermilk’s absurd comments about Jesus, the “base” of the Third Reich was the “conservative Christians” of Germany of that time. This is all a bit eery.

Clearly, individual 1 is very unlikely to be “convicted” in the Senate – but, “next steps” seem anything but obvious at this point in time. Anyone paying attention knows that Moscow Mitch, in an interview with one of the prime “brain-washers,” Sean Hannity – on Fox – claimed he was going to make the “trial” short and sweet. Both McConnell and Lindsey Graham have publicly claimed there is no way they will be “impartial” in the “trial.” Some have wondered, then, how they can take the oath to do so “So help me God” prior to the “trial.” Graham has also said he will do whatever he can to make the “trial” as short as he possibly can – with NO witnesses. (Realistically, I believe it’s fantasy to think ANY of the Senators being “impartial.”)

The charges which led to this IMPEACHMENT are extremely serious and you would think individual 1 would have attempted to defend himself. Instead, he blocked EVERY witness he possibly could, plus blocked EVERY request for documents with almost complete success. Now, McConnell and Graham are suggesting there will be no witnesses in the Senate. The SOLUTION for all this is “we the people” FIXING the problem in the 2020 election. There’s not only the possibility of removing individual 1 in 2020 but also the opportunity to put the Senate in the control of the Democrats – which would be necessary for any chance for a progressive agenda to be passed in Washington.

I believe whoever wins the democratic nomination could be facing a MESS comparable to what Bush/Cheney left for President Obama to clean up – should he/she win the next election. Personally, based on my life experiences I’ve been feeling that a massive economic downturn is on the horizon – whether it “appears” prior to November of 2020 or after I believe it will require someone who believes in bottom up progressive government to address the challenge and, we all know, if the democrats don’t control the Senate (and the House) virtually nothing will manage to find its way through Congress and make it into law.

As I’m pondering all of this, I think what I really want to happen is to get people in charge of our government who believe in the rule of law and won’t be operating in the same manner as members of the mafia. When you read about the history of Vladimir Putin along with the history of individual 1 you easily can see how our so-called president is taking “we the people” in a direction which is much too similar to Russia. You’d have to have had your head in the sand to not see there’s some kind of “connection” between Putin and individual 1 which is threatening the foundation of our republic. And, of course, it’s Putin who is attempting to destroy our nation from within – and, individual 1 as our so-called president is key to his strategy. (The Russian people are laughing at “we the people” overtly on their television airwaves while Putin is ruining their country as well via his mafia like behavior.)

Just the FACT individual 1 is IMPEACHED at the same time two of his key campaign officials have been sentenced for their FELONIES – which both have plead guilty to – pretty much says it all. Of course, as I said, the ILLEGAL behavior goes way beyond Gates and Flynn. Presently, I’m reading “Blowout” by Rachel Maddow (I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand Vladimir Putin, Paul Manafort, and, of course, the impact of “big oil” on the world) and the book gives and even greater insight into Paul Manafort’s (individual 1’s campaign manager) disgusting behavior as an agent working in Ukraine for the Russian backed president who was “run out of town” for the CORRUPTION which individual 1 seems to worried about.

Maddow’s book also clearly points out what a “deplorable” and dishonest and dangerous leader Putin is as he’s pushing the white nationalist movement across Europe as well as in the U.S. According to the information in Maddow’s book Putin is in the process of destroying Russia’s economy as he’s been busy pushing his authoritarian agenda around the world – sadly, with the help of America’s so-called president. Having a (so-called) president who is clearly willing to invite foreign nations to help him retain his power is the worst danger our founders feared when writing the constitution. It appears individual 1 is hell bent on doing the same type of DAMAGE to the United States of America which Vladimir Putin has inflicted on Russia.

Final Thought: Maddow refers to the “Resource Curse” which has affected nations around the world who’ve “discovered oil.” The DAMAGE is clear and it’s happening from inside the U.S. to the shores of Equatorial Guinea. She points out how Putin, in his mafia style, has virtually ruined the economic potential of Russia by his iron fisted control of the mother country’s massive amounts of oil and gas under her ground. We’re seeing the result of this in the attack on our nation coming from Russia AND the situation in Ukraine which is the result of Russian misinformation – which, apparently, our so-called president willingly accepts.

The bottom line here is that this all is very SERIOUS! As I’ve said for several years now – “the heart and soul of America is on the line.” Or, at times: “This is a fight for ………………………” You should get it. And, people like me believe the solution lies at the ballot box. Trust me, the republicans would agree. That is why they are doing everything they can to prevent democratically leaning people from voting at all – VOTER SUPPRESSION. It’s picking up steam as I’m writing this. Just in the past few days HUNDREDS of thousands of voters in Michigan and Georgia were purged from the system.

So, what would matter if somehow Rudy Giuliani “proved” that there’s someone in Ukraine who would say Joe Biden did something untoward in Ukraine when he was the Vice President. Here’s the reality of this – it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change the FACT individual 1 EXTORTED the newly elected president of Ukraine to announce a bogus investigation on Biden (really, anything on Biden would be illegal via the president’s request) in exchange for the ALREADY approved almost 400 BILLION dollars of aid which the Ukrainians desperately were in need of – they have citizens DYING every week as the Russians are attacking them and they (The Ukrainians) are dependent on this U.S. aid.

It’s almost a 100% guarantee that whatever Giuliani has gleaned from the Ukrainians will be something which is pushing the Russian narrative. Make no mistake, the nation of Ukraine in her fight for independence from Russia is in a fight for her life. And, additionally, it’s important to understand that individual 1 could care less about Ukraine. Going forward I believe they understand how vulnerable they are against the Russians with the likelihood individual 1 will turn on them. The question in my mind is whether or not Congress is going to make it clear that “we the people” will defend them – no matter what.

If you haven’t paid attention to recent world history – after the breakup of the Soviet Union -Ukraine was the “home” of HUNDREDS of nuclear weapons (And, I believe, something like 2000 warheads). They agreed to give up these weapons on the strength of the United States and some of our allies PROMISING to defend them against Russian aggression. I certainly don’t feel individual 1 feels any obligation to follow through on that PROMISE (He’s clearly in Vladimir Putin’s “pocket”) – but, the rest of us are OBLIGATED to FORCE our leaders to follow through on that PROMISE. We CAN’T allow the Russians to take over Ukraine – which is the country which keeps Russia from the edge of Europe.

If you haven’t been paying attention, Vladimir Putin is busy attempting to “Make Russia Great Again” and he’s got a willing “partner” in the American “White House.” Sadly, the other day as the IMPEACHMENT vote was taking place in the House Judiciary Committee, instead of giving the Oval Office meeting with President Zelensky of Ukraine which he’s been requesting, individual 1, instead, invited the Russian Foreign minister to the “White House.” This was, at a minimum, bad optics from the standpoint of the Ukrainians. At its worst, it signifies the administration is supporting Russia over Ukraine! Simply put, it’s another reason why individual 1 SHOULD be IMPEACHED!

Individual 1 has been working to undermine the NATO alliance which has kept Russia from re-emerging into an autocratic dominance of Eastern Europe and other areas bordering Ukraine. He’s been a cheerleader in the Brexit situation in Great Britain which very well could lead to some weakness in NATO and he’s been encouraging the right wing neo-Nazi’s who are emerging in country after country across Europe. It should be no secret to the American public that we’re in a FIGHT for the soul of our nation – which I’ve been pointing out since the days of Bush/Cheney. This republican party has been tilting “right” since the election of Ronald Reagan back in 1980, but it LURCHED to the “right” after “we the people” chose a person of color to live in the “White House” with the so-called “Tea Party.” Now, it’s gone “over the cliff.”

And, for all of you (including people I know who identify with the “Tea Party”) who don’t believe the “Tea Party” was founded on racism, you can Google some of the posters people were carrying at their rallies and if that doesn’t convince you, well, you’re probably a Fox “news” person. Of course, individual 1 was leading the way with the so-called “birther” movement accusing Barack Obama of being born in Kenya and, therefore, not being an American citizen. Naturally, I don’t remember anyone asking to see individual 1’s birth certificate and we all know why, don’t we? Our so-called president is leading what amounts to a “white nationalist” movement in America.

Virtually every time I start ranting on this site, in my mind I’m reminded it almost seems unbelievable that it’s the republicans working in concert with Putin. When you think back to the “history” of the republicans, they’ve routinely boasted they’re the party of strong national defense and that would include standing strong against Russian aggression. Well, then along comes individual 1 and “all bets are off.” I have to add, I’ve always pointed out the republicans have clearly believed “the end justifies the means.” So, in today’s political environment – where the republican party has clearly chosen NOT to seek diversification – they are now willing to accept the help of the Russians to remain in power. Don’t be confused – the flood of Russian money into our political process goes well beyond individual 1 and, in almost every instance I’ve seen, it has “flowed” almost uniquely to various republicans. (Like “Moscow Mitch, Lindsey Graham, and others)

I don’t think I’ll ever forget watching President Obama, in one of his first State of the Union messages, pointing out the then recent Supreme Court Decision now known as “Citizens United” would open the floodgates of foreign money into our political process. This was the decision which led to Mitt Romney famously saying “Corporations are people my friends” back when he was the republican nominee in 2012. Clearly, the results of “Citizens United” have favored the republicans as they’ve been the recipients of MASSIVE amounts of what is now called “dark money.” That is money coming from sources which are unknown. (We do know that Russia funneled something like $30 MILLION into individual 1’s 2016 campaign via the NRA)

As President Obama was making his remarks about the danger of “Citizens United” and making the prescient point that foreign money was going to flow into campaign coffers the camera showed newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito shaking his hand and head as if to say “no, no” – because he and Justice Roberts – the two most recent members of the court who had been appointed by George W Bush – were key in this decision which overturned decades of campaign finance reform – and, as we’ve seen, opened the “floodgates” to massive (and unknown) amounts of foreign money into our political process. (Possibly the most extreme example of “legislating from the bench” in my lifetime.)

Of course, Roberts and Alito (and the other right wing judges on the Court) went one step further in 2013 when they obliterated Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – a bill that people like John Lewis (and, of course, Martin Luther King Jr.) risked their lives to get passed – opening further “floodgates” from the “end justifies the means” republicans to win at any cost as they were laying in wait with voter suppression bills which were introduced virtually days after the Court did the “dirty work.” Republicans understand they are a diminishing percentage of the American populace, so they intend to find “creative” ways to “win” – likely why they are lining up behind individual 1 despite KNOWING he’s likely the MOST corrupt (so-called) president in history – because they recognize he has a cult like hold on the republican “base.”

After all, he took advantage of the voter suppression tactics in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania – to name a few instances – along with the help of the Russians to pull off a “victory” in the Electoral College. Of course, he was short almost 3 MILLION votes in the “popular vote” – but, by now, all Americans know the votes of people in rural areas carry more weight than that of those in the industrialized American cities which seem to be located near the east and west coasts of this great nation. So, these two Supreme Court decisions have made republican “wins” with support of around 40% of the nation very possible.

For people like me, who believe in American traditions which are being toppled with regularity, who believe in the rule of law and the constitution, who believe in the foundation of the middle class which was created during the Great Depression by the administration of FDR, and who are direct descendants of the “Greatest Generation” but haven’t been deluded by Fox “news,” Rush Limbaugh, or the other right wing propagandists who’ve turned America almost upside down, the vote in 2020 holds the greatest threat to this nation in our lifetimes. (This morning my son, who is a “millennial” informed that online his peers are referring to “boomers” as stupid. Sadly, I have to agree – and, of course, I’m a “boomer”)

I can’t even bring myself to imagine what another four years of individual 1 would do to America – off the top of my head I feel confident in saying our traditional relationships around the world will be destroyed. Individual 1 has a vision of the United States working with Russia to “rule the world.” We’re talking about a surreptitious attempt for a fascist takeover of our nation and other nations around the world. I’ve suggested many times here that people should be reading “The Family” by Jeff Sharlet in order to understand this surreptitious movement around the world by the rich and powerful that seems to be “flying under the radar” of our “liberal media.”

Our media is easily manipulated and it’s the right wingers who are the experts at doing so. Individual 1 has most of us “chasing our tails” as considerable DAMAGE is being caused while no one is looking – and, America’s corporate interests are usurping more and more of her wealth – I’m assuming this is a phenomenon happening in many other Western countries as well. By the time History gets a full view of what is going on in today’s political environment I have a sickening feeling the DAMAGE will be close to irreversible.

Final Thought: As the day approaches when democrats will IMPEACH individual 1 it’s important to keep our focus on the reality William Barr may be nearly as dangerous as our so-called president himself. His continual accusation that the FBI “spied” on the individual 1 campaign, by all accounts, is absurd. There have been numerous investigations which would refute that claim, but he continues to make it – apparently to keep the viewers of Fox “news” in line with the “Big Lie.”

Here’s the real irony with this attack on the FBI coming from the man who’s supposed to be defending it – Barr, after all, is the head of the Justice Department. If the FBI screwed up during the 2016 campaign it was at the expense of Hillary Clinton. The announcement made by James Comey re-opening the “email investigation” just 11 days prior to the election – which violated ALL norms of the FBI – by most accounts, along with the Russian “interference,” was what allowed individual 1 to “win” with nearly 3 MILLION fewer votes than Mrs. Clinton.

All of the REAL evidence relating to what actually happened in 2016 makes it clear the actions of individual 1 which are leading to his impeachment – that would be his fantasy the Ukrainians were the ones interfering in our election – are further indication our so-called president has mental deficiencies. His narcissism is almost beyond belief and coupled with the reality he’s a pathological LIAR and seems to be without conscience it becomes a bit more easy to understand the terrible DAMAGE he’s willing to inflict on America.

It actually appears to me people like Rudy Giuliani and Vladimir Putin have figured out how to get what they want via manipulating individual 1. It appears that just as individual 1 seems to be a master manipulator of the press he’s vulnerable to people willing to flatter him in order to get what they want. Of course, Putin is at the top of that list and Russian TV is actually mocking our so-called president and the American system which is so vulnerable to their cyber attacks. If Putin succeeds in “making Russia Great again” it will likely be due to his success in undermining the democratic voting process in the United States! Stay tuned………..

Can you imagine what individual 1 would be doing if “we the people” had not voted – in HUGE numbers – to turn the House of Representatives over to democratic control in 2018? The brazen arrogance coming from individual 1 and his sycophants is almost beyond description despite the FACT there’s one House of Congress willing to hold him accountable. Today is the day the House Judiciary Committee has voted Articles of IMPEACHMENT to be voted on in a few days by the entire House when individual 1 will be formally IMPEACHED and what is our so-called president doing? Well, if you said “kissing up to the Russians AGAIN!” You’d be correct. Just as he was the day after he fired James Comey – Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, is in the Oval Office. Yikes!!!

If you’ve read anything about how Vladimir Putin and the Russians (of today) operate you would see that much of what is coming from our so-called president shouldn’t be too surprising. As I’ve said before, it has looked to me like individual 1 has been attempting to “Make Russia Great Again” since the day his “oath” was just another LIE. What is so hard to understand is the amount of individual 1’s republican supporters who seem to be willing to regurgitate the Russian propaganda in regard to Ukraine in order to support him. It’s as if Vladimir Putin has put a spell on the “conservatives” in America. And, sadly, those conservatives don’t understand they are the butt of jokes in Russia – in Russia, it’s like “We can’t believe how easy it was to turn America into a surrogate of our president.”

I mean, while all this has been going on during the past couple of weeks where do you think Rudy Giuliani was? If you said right back in Ukraine attempting to FORCE the Ukrainians to say they’re investigating Joe Biden, well, you’d be right again! That is ARROGANCE in capital letters! It’s as if we’re dealing with an OPPOSITIONAL bully – with about a sixth grade mentality – in the “White House.” So, when democrats remind you that individual 1 is going to keep doing this ILLEGAL scheme to involve foreigners in our elections you need to believe it!

Now, today, I listened to interviews with people waiting in line to attend individual 1’s rally in Pennsylvania and, as usual, I felt as if I was listening to people who are incredibly ill informed. These people are the result of a well thought out propaganda scheme which has been going on since the days of Ronald Reagan – turning working class people against the very politicians who “have their backs.” Listening to the comments coming from the people in the line was like listening to Fox “news.” I’m always pointing out Fox’s role in this, but it also should be noted that Sinclair Broadcasting has a near monopoly of the “local news” stations around the country and they’re part of the “Big Lie” philosophy of the republican party along with the right wing “talkers” on the radio and right wing websites pushing “White Nationalism.”

Fortunately, the number of Americans who’ve succumbed to the propaganda coming from the “right” is a significant minority of Americans. Democrats have the numbers on their side, except for the fact the republicans, as I’ve repeatedly pointed out, will do “whatever it takes” to win an election – likely why individual 1 appeals to them. Yes, they believe in CHEATING if that’s what it takes – so this Ukraine stuff is just “nothing” to them. The challenge for democrats is to make sure their supporters “get” the gravity of the 2020 election and they make sure they show up and vote. And, in places where there have been voter suppression tactics these voters need to make sure their ballots represent how they voted – on a paper ballot!

Do you get the impression I don’t trust the republicans? You’d be correct! In the 2016 election I saw reports something on the line of 300,000 people were denied their right to vote in Wisconsin – a state in which individual 1 “won” by just over 22,000 votes. And, there were issues in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and North Carolina which I can remember off the top of my head with voter suppression schemes which were introduced within days of the Supreme Court Gutting the Voting Rights Act of 1965. So, voter suppression is one way republicans CHEAT. But, of course, there’s more!

If you don’t think the Russians had an impact on the 2016 election you’ve had your head in the sand. Of course, no one can quantify the total impact of the Russian “meddling” but it obviously was significant. If you read the Mueller report (highly unlikely) you’d know that their misinformation reached the Facebook pages of over 129 MILLION American desktops! To suggest this had no impact would be absurd. How much, well, as I said, that can’t be calculated – we just know it MUST have had a significant impact and it’s likely been a lasting impact. And, of course, individual 1 encouraged the Russian interference along with the rest of his campaign. To suggest there was “no collusion” as individual 1’s attorney general suggested in his “summary” of Mueller’s report was “poppycock.” Clearly, there WAS “collusion.” The Russians are STILL here – as Mueller pointed out in his testimony.

Of course, individual 1 will now have TWO asterisks next to his name in the History books (right next to Benedict Arnold) as he’s likely to be IMPEACHED in the next week or so – officially. So, he’s got the “I got elected thanks to the Russians” and “I got impeached” asterisks next to his name for the rest of History. Yes, it’s true the republicans are about as likely to convict him in the Senate as the Seattle Mariners are to win next year’s World Series in baseball. However, if democrats are smart they will be able to use this process to put Moscow Mitch out to pasture along with enough other republican senators to give control of the Senate to the democrats.

I honestly feel as if our country DEPENDS on “we the people” voting individual 1 out of office so he can face ALL the charges he’s likely looking at once he’s no longer protected from indictment by the OLC memo. His re-election – with an approval rating which has hovered between 38 and 44 percent – is possible because of the power of the electoral college. And, of course – as I’ve said, because the republicans don’t think twice about CHEATING! Oh yes, as I’ve also said many times on this site they use the “Big Lie Theory” so routinely they actually appear to believe their LYING as the words exit their mouths. Of course, when it comes to LIARS you can see why republicans are so enamored with individual 1 – I’ve NEVER seen anyone so comfortable with LYING!

Speaking of the LYING if you watched the recent House hearings (I did as much as I could stomach) there was one republican after another spewing the SAME LIES. If you wonder, as I heard a group on MSNBC pondering this phenomenon, why they continue doing this I’ve explained it over and over on this site – to the point it’s frustrating to me watching commentators on TV who either REFUSE to educate “we the people” or don’t, themselves, understand what we’re all watching/listening to. The republicans LONG ago adopted the “Big Lie Theory” of the chief Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.

You’re crazy, you might be thinking. Or, it’s “against the rules” to accuse anyone of aligning themselves with the Nazi’s but, as I’ve said, those who refuse to understand history are destined to repeat it. When I listen to people on MSNBC wondering why the republicans keep repeating the same LIES (they often can’t use that word and say, instead, “untruths” or some other euphemism) I start yelling at my TV or radio. Of course, republicans use the “Big Lie Theory” because it works. That’s why you hear individual 1 claiming things like “it’s a witch hunt,” it’s a hoax,” or “no collusion no obstruction” over and over again. Another reason they use it is because, for some strange reason, the democrats and the so-called “liberal media” refuse to point this out to “we the people.”

When, in public, a LIE is repeated over and over again the sad reality is that more and more people start believing it’s “true.” During the Judiciary hearings where they were voting on the Articles of Impeachment the republicans spent every moment I could stomach watching arguing about the same LIES we see coming from the “White House.” My favorite was Jim Jordan giving a litany of reasons to vote against the Articles which were ALL lies. For example, “the Ukrainians didn’t even know the aid was blocked at the time of the ‘phone call’.” Well, I’ve seen evidence that they were already asking “what is going on” at the time of the “phone call.” However, that doesn’t really matter. The aid had been blocked and our so-called president EXTORTED the president of Ukraine in his phone call supplementing the work of Rudy Giuliani and others. Clearly, the Ukrainians KNEW what was happening.

It’s encouraging to me, no matter how all this plays out, that Nancy Pelosi has FINALLY allowed the IMPEACHMENT process to play out and that the democrats are likely to vote yea on the two Articles which came out of the Judiciary Committee today. Jerry Nadler actually gave the republicans an obscene amount of time to bloviate during the hearing – something which NEVER would have happened had the “shoe been on the other foot.” I’m about to call my representative, who’s a republican, to remind her that when she votes against impeachment (which I’m certain she will do) she’s voting to say she approves of an American president, in the future, soliciting political favors from foreign governments. (Despite the FACT it’s ILLEGAL!)

I actually read the Mueller report (twice), so if you did so as well, nothing in all of this would be surprising. Individual 1 brazenly has been OBSTRUCTING Justice AND Congress since, almost, the day he took office. And, of course, he looks at the constitution as an annoyance and he seems to dream of being like Vladimir. In his report Robert Mueller took pains to explain the importance and the seriousness of the OBSTRUCTION laws as fundamental to our system of laws. Clearly, individual 1 routinely disregards these laws as he continues to OBSTRUCT as if there’s no way to stop him. And, of course, as long as Moscow Mitch is in charge of the Senate individual 1 is likely to continue getting away with it.

I’m thankful the American people voted to STOP this lawbreaking so-called president in the 2018 election and it appears as if we’ll need to show up in similar numbers in 2020 to end this nightmare. And, remember, the republican control of the Senate is a HUGE part of the nightmare. Moscow Mitch is “sitting” on close to 400 bills which have been passed by the House of Representatives – many of them which would lead to a start in the fight against CORRUPTION – not in Ukraine, but right here in the U.S.A. And, our so-called president is very possibly the most CORRUPT president in the history of this nation.

Final Thought: Democrats have the challenge of turning the Senate “blue” in 2020. It appears even Moscow Mitch is no “cinch” to get re-elected. Hopefully, the money he’s taken from the Russians will be part of the adds aimed against him during the election cycle. Susan Collins in Maine SHOULD be vulnerable, I believe Thom Tillis in North Carolina is vulnerable, Joni Ernst in Iowa, Cory Gardner of Colorado, and several other republicans are considered “vulnerable.”

Of course, Doug Jones in Alabama is extremely vulnerable as are a couple other democrats, but there’s over 20 republicans running for re-election and most of them are going to vote that they’re OK with their president committing CRIMES while in office. If democrats can’t cause a “change of scenery” in Washington under these circumstances this nation is headed for a terrible place. Traditionally, we’ve been welcoming immigrants and have cherished our history as the “melting pot” of the world. Clearly, individual 1 is the head of a group who are attempting to hold on to their “white privilege” as long as they can – despite the fact it’s tearing this nation apart.

The divisiveness in America has resulted from the “conservatives” pushing an agenda which is motivated by HATE. I’m hoping and praying they will get their just rewards in the 2020 election – but, the reality is they are sophisticated and they will do whatever it takes to win. It will take an enormous effort by “we the people” to stop them.

One last thing: Along the lines of republicans CHEATING – remember, they will have virtually NO primary elections – so I would expect republicans will be attempting to intercede in democratic primaries in order to help determine the democratic nominee. BEWARE!!!!