Tom Brokaw called our parents and grandparents “The Greatest Generation” for the sacrifices and contributions they made through two of the greatest national calamities this nation has ever seen-the Great Depression and then World War II. I’m not going to argue that fact considering how we came through both calamities as a nation stronger than ever and became the world’s first true “superpower” in both economic and military terms.
Now seventy five years later our country has once again been besieged by a vicious enemy resulting in nearly 270,000 deaths and untold economic hardship. This time the enemy is a raging pandemic and the stakes are even higher. The question is how would this new generation respond when duty called? As the virus spiked in the spring the country was ordered into a lockdown in order to stop the spread of this disease. The result was millions lost their jobs and thousands of businesses were forced to close. But as a country we generally speaking responded by conforming to the shelter in place orders and managed to flatten the curve and slow the spread of Covid-19. But then things changed in the spring. Our President, Donald Trump decided that his reelection took precedent over science and medicine, that reopening the economy was more important than trying to save lives by following his own CDC guidelines, which he himself and his entire administration refused to follow, thereby turning the mitigation measures that were instituted into a political statement. Wearing a mask in public, social distancing and avoiding large gatherings were openly mocked by Trump and disregarded by his loyal minions. Governors were encouraged to open their states back up despite the fact that the pandemic was still killing thousands of our fellow citizens. Then came the Fourth of July. Our fearless leader attended a political rally fittingly at Mt Rushmore at the invitation of the Republican Governor who also completely disregarded any semblance of following the CDC guidelines-few masks, no social distancing, people crammed together like lemmings The South Dakota Governor also encouraged mass gatherings like the Sturgis motorcycle rally, which we now know was responsible for untold infections being spread around the country. The holiday also saw tens of thousands flocking to beaches, bars and other social gatherings sans masks and social distancing. All the while the medical community and scientists were warning that a second wave of the virus would hit in the fall, but these dire predictions were either disregarded or dismissed by our political leaders. Schools were reopened, bars and restaurants were back up and running as Donald Trump was knowingly misleading the public by claiming the “worst was behind us” as he hit the campaign trail with a vengeance, holding numerous so called “super spreader” events where literally hundreds of people were infected. His own White House was riddled with cases. including Trump himself. All the while he and his cronies continued to downplay the pandemic while thousands continued to die. And now, just as prognosticated, we are in the midst of a huge spike in both infections and deaths. Hospitals are strained to the limit while our front line first responders themselves struggle with both the disease and burn out after nearly nine months of the fight. And what does our President do? He refuses to even attend meetings of his pandemic team of doctors and advisors opting instead to play golf. As for the rest of us? Despite being repeatedly warned NOT to travel and attend large family gatherings over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season nearly FIFTY MILLION Americans chose to ignore these warnings and did so anyway. Colleges across the country sent their students home to potentially expose those most vulnerable, their parents and grandparents. People were urged if they did travel to self quarantine, many chose not to do so. They put their own selfish needs ahead of the good of the country, just like Donald Trump. The history of this outbreak has taught us that typically the surge in cases would lag approximately two weeks behind exposure to the virus. That means that come mid December our country will see Covid-19 statistics in new cases and deaths that will absolutely be staggering and then comes Christmas. People are calling their indifference and refusal to follow the protocols “Covid Fatigue” as they flock to shopping malls and refuse to consider their fellow citizens as they desperately try to return to normalcy. It’s a sad and pathetic excuse for the abject FAILURE of our generation to protect the very ones we hold dearest in our hearts, our parents, grandparents, families, friends and neighbors. When the chips were down, we couldn’t even bring ourselves to sit on the couch, much less to our respective part to help curb the spread of this debilitating disease. We are acting instead like “THE LAMEST GENERATION”. History will not be kind when it looks back at the unnecessary death and economic chaos caused by the incompetence and indifference of our leadership in Washington and the failure of so many Americans to do their duty. It’s truly a sad commentary on what has become of America. Our once strong and united country has instead become a deeply divided, tribalistic war zone with no end in sight. Shame on us, all of us.
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As we enter into the final two months of the Presidency of Donald Trump, his refusal to accept the results of an overwhelming defeat at the hands of President Elect Joe Biden who garnered a historic total of over EIGHTY MILLION popular votes and received 306 Electoral College votes just solidifies his infamous place in the history of our Republic. His actions and rhetoric over the past four years have divided our nation as never before into warring tribes and his incompetence and indifference in dealing with the worst health crisis in over one hundred years has resulted in the unnecessary and unfortunate deaths of now nearly 270,000 Americans. He will leave office kicking and screaming claiming that the vote was all a massive fraud and conspiracy against him, a completely baseless claim that every single court in the land has dismissed. Let’s take a brief look back at what historians will likely remember when they write his political epitaph. For starters, his election was marred by the specter of Russian interference with the release of the Wikileaks Clinton e mails and then by the attempted cover up which resulted in a number of his closest aides and advisors being convicted of felonies and sent to prison, individuals like Michael Flynn, Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort. The resulting investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller found numerous examples of obstruction of justice committed by Trump and others but was swept aside after his hand picked Attorney General William Barr discredited it before it was even made public. Then he lied about the size of the crowd at his inauguration which was to be the first of over TWENTY THOUSAND he has uttered since. Next came Charlottesville and his utter failure to condemn the white supremacists responsible for the death of an innocent protester saying instead “there are good people on both sides” which was to be the beginning of four years of racist rhetoric that divided the country. His immigration policies, spearheaded by a little weasel named Stephen Miller included the utter waste of resources on his promised border wall, separating children from their parents, putting them in cages and then losing over five hundred of them. He railed against the “brown invasion” from south of the border and claimed thousands of MS-13 gang members were going to invade America raping and pillaging along the way. He tried to initiate a ban on ALL Muslims entering the country and threatened deportation to even those legally documented immigrants and all of the DACA classified individuals. His foreign policy blunders from the very beginning included total subservience to Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, his failed negotiations with the murderous thug Kim Jung UN of N Korea while he continues to strengthen and expand his nuclear weapons capability thereby threatening not only our long term allies in Seoul and Tokyo but the American mainland as well. He declared a trade war against our largest trading partner in China which has been an abject failure resulting only in a cost of billions to the American economy and taxpayers with zero tangible results. He unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear accord thereby opening the door for the Iranians to commence their nuclear weapons development program just like the N Koreans. He then ordered the assassination of a leading Iranian general in broad daylight at the Baghdad airport almost culminating in an all out conflict in the Persian Gulf. He supported the Saudi Crown Prince MBS despite the brutal murder and dismemberment of a Washington Post journalist claiming that the multi billion dollar arms deal with the Kingdom was more important than a man’s life. He has blindly supported Netanyahu in Israel and his land grabs in the West Bank while ignoring the plight of the Palestinians. He has consistently sided with other authoritarian regimes around the world like those in Turkey and Brazil. And all the while he alienated our most trusted allies around the world, from NATO to the Pacific to Canada insisting that they “pay their fair share”. He and his cronies have rolled back nearly every environmental regulation that had been put into place to safeguard us in exchange for campaign contributions from oil and gas, coal, chemical and utility companies. He unilaterally withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord instead absurdly touting the viability of fossil fuels like coal and natural gas while the rest of the world goes green. He has sold off vast areas of protected wilderness to these same oil and gas interests on a routine basis. The damage that has been wrought during these past four years to our environment will take years to repair, and as his lame duck presidency winds down there are actually careers civil servants in the government actively working against him recognizing the absolute danger his policies have created. Then came the impeachment proceedings against him over his attempted extortion of Ukraine, holding up desperately needed military aid appropriated to combat Russian aggression into the eastern part of the country in exchange for dirt on his political rival Joe Biden. Despite overwhelming evidence against him, the Republican controlled Senate under Mitch McConnell gave him a free pass, thereby ignoring their oath of office to uphold the Constitution. He then gloated about it and was even further emboldened to continue to flout Constitutional norms. Then we had the summer of protests triggered by the murder of George Floyd around the country. He had his Attorney General and the military attack peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square gassing them and beating them so he could stroll down the street for a photo op where he held the Holy Bible upside down for the world to see. Instead of attempting to defuse the unrest, he doubled down on his efforts to crush the protests using paramilitary units with no identification in cities like Portland and Seattle, calling the peaceful protesters “thugs”. And then came the pandemic. He admitted in an interview with award winning journalist Bob Woodward that he deliberately underplayed the threat going back to January in order to “protect us from the truth”. He refused to invoke the Defense Production Act to supply desperately needed PPE equipment to front line medical workers. His claims regarding the virus through March and April are well documented, from it’s only one individual from China to it will magically disappear in the spring. When it didn’t and raged out of control in the spring he then urged America to go back to work, that it was all behind us, that it would go away when the weather warmed up. He refused to follow his own CDC’s guidelines like wearing a mask and social distancing, holding numerous so called “super spreader” events like the one at Mt Rushmore on the Fourth of July. He bullied Republican governors into prematurely reopening their states despite the fact the pandemic was NOT slowing down. The results of these policies to date as we endure the second wave of Covid-19, one which the scientists and medical community had predicted long ago and he refused to acknowledge have been catastrophic to say the least. To date, nearly 270,000 Americans are DEAD, including my own mother who passed away alone in an extended care facility. It appears until a vaccine is available for general distribution next year these numbers will continue to skyrocket and our healthcare system (which he wants to dismantle BTW) will be taxed beyond its capabilities, which we are witnessing now. With the onset of the lockdowns necessitated by the pandemic, the economy tanked also. Tens of millions lost their jobs with small businesses like bars and restaurants being particularly hard hit. While the initial stimulus package helped in the short term, Trump and the Republican controlled Senate to date refuse to negotiate another relief package while millions wait in food lines and their unemployment benefits expire. While the stock market has flourished, we all know it is being driven by insider trading deals, bankers and the billionaire hedge fund managers on Wall Street. There has been no let up in gun violence across the country, yet he and his Republican cohorts refuse to enact or even discuss ANY form of gun regulation being completely beholden to the NRA while hiding behind the Second Amendment. Finally, his CABINET OF CLOWNS has been the most incompetent and corrupt in history also in fitting with the general theme of his presidency. From Betsy DeVos to Mike Pompeo and every political hack appointee in between, these people have collectively nearly gutted our government infrastructure in their various departments, like education and the environment. The number of these buffoons who have either been fired or resigned in disgrace is like a revolving door in the West Wing, the highest turnover in history (are we sensing a recurring theme here?!?). There’s no predicting what further harm this unhinged and unglued individual, now bitter and disenfranchised by his crushing loss to the man he derisively called “Sleepy Joe” can or will do during his last two months in office. The facts to date, however, speak for themselves. Donald J. Trump will be remembered by history as by far the WORST POTUS IN AMERICAN HISTORY. The damage he has done to the very cornerstones of our democracy will be long lasting and difficult to repair, but I believe that Joe Biden is the right man in the right place at the right time to get the job started. As for Trump, good bye and good riddance!!! Your reign of terror has ended. The news of Trump’s latest outrageous act of pardoning convicted felon Michael Flynn, his former National Security advisor TWICE guilty of lying to the FBI during the Russia investigation and sentenced to prison should come as no surprise to anybody. You can also be certain this won’t be the last before CROOKED Don leaves office as names like Paul Manafort are being discussed also. He already pardoned dirt bag associate Roger Stone. There is even speculation that Trump will also issue a pardon to himself and his family members before he departs in January to avoid the potential criminal charges that could be brought against them after four years of corruption and wrongdoing.
I was having a lengthy discussion yesterday with my brother regarding the incredible damage that Donald Trump has done and continues to do to the very cornerstones of our democracy. He has found every loophole and used every opportunity to stretch the limits of operating beyond our Constitutional norms over the past four years. The conclusion was in the post Trump era a number of these methods and loopholes MUST be reexamined and changed if necessary to avoid any potential future president from abusing his power the way Trump has. One of these items is the power of the presidential pardon. Trump isn’t the first one to abuse the authority granted to him…Bill Clinton did a similar thing before he left office. Why was the president, any president, given this power in the first place?!? The only thing Trump should be able to pardon was the two Thanksgiving turkeys. The other item that commands revisiting in light of what is going on at present is the length of time between the election and the swearing in of a president elect. The time between November 3rd and January 20th is an eternity in terms of what world events could transpire or what other horrific acts Trump is capable of, or any other president for that matter on their way out the door. We’re talking nearly three months of a lame duck presidency which seems to me to be way too long a period of time. The time between the election and the swearing in of a president-elect should not be more than thirty days at the most. There are a number of other issues that Trump has raised during his four year reign of terror like his abuse of issuing Executive orders but that can be a subject for another day. In the meanwhile, buckle up until Jan 20th because it’s going to be a wild ride! And BTW, if you know someone who is currently incarcerated after having been convicted of a felony just call the President-maybe he can help you out!!! The news had barely been out for a few hours regarding President Elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet appointments before the first of many would be REPUBLIKAN(T) politicians jockeying for position in 2024, Florida Senator Marco Rubio began attacking his selections. Another perfect example of what has become of the once proud party of Abraham Lincoln, a party of self promoting opportunists who put self in front of country following the lead of their deposed would be king Donald Trump, who was summarily shown the door by over EIGHTY MILLION American voters. Led by MOSCOW MITCH McConnell, the Senate REPUBLIKANTS will do everything in their power to derail the new President’s agenda, just like they did to barrack Obama. This is why the run off Senate races in Georgia have become so critical-denying these would be obstructionists a majority in the Senate would completely derail their grand plan. Here is what he had to say about the President Elect’s Cabinet level appointees: "Biden's cabinet picks went to Ivy League schools, have strong resumes, attend all the right conferences & will be polite & orderly caretakers of America's decline," Rubio wrote in a tweet. "I support American greatness. And I have no interest in returning to the 'normal' that left us dependent on China." In the true spirit of bipartisanship.......... But let’s take a look in more detail at the would be candidate behind door number one, Marco Rubio and what he stands for. As it turns out, he represents the epitome of the low bar that has been set under the last four years of Trump’s presidency and the policies which this party now represents. Rubio is a son of Cuban immigrants, though the exact nature of their departure from their home country has been a subject of controversy. In October 2011, newspapers reported that Rubio's previous statements that his parents were forced to leave Cuba in 1959, after Fidel Castro came to power, were embellishments. His parents actually left Cuba in 1956, during the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. According to The Washington Post, many voters in Florida would be less impressed by his family being economic migrants instead of political refugees from a communist regime. Rubio responded, saying: "The essence of my family story is why they came to America in the first place, and why they had to stay." His connection to the Latin community, especially in his home state of Florida is indisputable. So are his positions on issues described below as detailed by Wikipedia. Rubio supports balancing the federal budget, while prioritizing defense spending. He disputes the scientific understanding of climate change, arguing that human activity does not play a major role in global warming and that proposals to address climate change would be ineffective and economically harmful. He wants to replace Obamacare with tax credits and less regulation. He opposes net neutrality, a policy that requires Internet service providers to treat data on the Internet the same regardless of its source or content. With regard to immigration, he supports securing the country's borders, but also wants to offer a legal status to people who came to the United States unlawfully. In addition, Rubio believes that the DACA program is unconstitutional.[218] Rubio is an outspoken opponent of abortion. In an interview with Chris Cuomo of CNN, he stated that, "Every life is worthy of protection". During the 113th Congress, Rubio co-sponsored S.1670 - Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which prohibits an abortion from being performed if the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or greater, with exceptions in the case of rape or incest or if the life of the mother is in danger.[220] Rubio opposes decriminalization of illegal drugs and does not agree with cannabis legalization, but he does support non-euphoric medical cannabis. Rubio supports setting corporate taxes at 25 percent, reforming the tax code, and capping economic regulations, and proposes to increase the social security retirement age based on longer life expectancy. On education, he supports expanding public charter schools, opposes Common Core State Standards, and advocates closing the federal Department of Education. Rubio supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq and military intervention in Libya.[226] Rubio voiced support for a Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen against Houthi rebels. Regarding Iran, he supports tough sanctions, and scrapping the recent nuclear deal; on the Islamic State, he favors aiding local Sunni forces in Iraq and Syria.Rubio says that the United States cannot accept more Syrian refugees because background checks cannot be done under present circumstances. He supports working with allies to set up no-fly zones in Syria to protect civilians from Bashar al-Assad. He favors collection of bulk metadata for purposes of national security. He has said that gun control laws consistently fail to achieve their purpose and as of 2017 had received $3,303,355 in donations from the National Rifle Association. He is supportive of the Trans Pacific Partnership, saying that the U.S. risks being excluded from global trade unless it is more open to trade. He is wary of China regarding national security and human rights, and wants to boost the U.S. military presence in that region but hopes for greater economic growth as a result of trading with that country. He also believes the U.S. should support democracy, freedom, and true autonomy of the people of Hong Kong. On capital punishment, Rubio favors streamlining the appeals process. In February 2018 he attracted controversy following the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting at a town hall event held by CNN when he was questioned by a survivor of the shooting about the supposed $3,303,355 he had received in donations from the NRA. Rubio replied, "I will always accept the help of anyone who agrees with my agenda." Rubio opposed the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"). On April 27, 2020, the US Supreme Court voted 8–1 to defeat his attempt to undermine the Act. In 2016, Rubio opposed the nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, saying: “I don’t think we should be moving forward with a nominee in the last year of this president’s term. I would say that even if it was a Republican president. In 2020, the last year of Republican President Donald Trump's term, Rubio strongly supported the nomination of Amy Coney Barret. So there you have it. He claims to be in favor of a balanced budget but we now have the largest budget deficit in history under REPUBLIKAN(T) leadership. He disputes the scientific evidence of climate change. He wants to do away with the Affordable Care Act. He strongly opposes women’s right to choose. He supported the Iraq war. He opposes any form of gun legislation, despite having witnessed some of the most horrific mass shootings in our nations history in his own state, and has accepted literally MILLIONS in campaign contributions from the NRA. He like many of his counterparts in the Senate completely disregarded his own promise with regard to the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Barret ala Lindsey Graham “CRACKER”. He favors capital punishment. He opposes DACA. He wants to be “tough on China” but favors trading and the opportunity for economic growth it represents. He favors the huge tax breaks afforded to corporate Amerika which have resulted in the huge budget deficit. In short, you are looking at the platform of today’s REPUBLIKAN(T) party-the party of the elitists, free spending and beholden to numerous special interest groups like the NRA. He consistently has put his own political ambitions ahead of the needs of the country and has enabled Trump’s horrific immigration agenda despite his own background as the son of immigrants. While this sycophant might have been the firs REPUBLIKAN(T) to resort to political posturing as the transition to the Biden presidency takes place but he certainly won’t be the last. The party of Lincoln has become the party of Trump and MOSCOW MITCH and it is NOT a good look moving forward. As President Elect Joe Biden begins announcing his Cabinet selections, so far an incredible list of accomplished and experienced individuals, I feel it’s also time to revisit the absolute trail of damage and destruction they will inherit from their Trump counterparts and how these sycophant hacks have abused their offices for personal gain and in some cases criminal activities. I wrote a post several years ago entitled:”TRUMP’S CABINET OF CLOWNS” which is worth revisiting today. Here’s what I wrote almost three years ago. I wrote yesterday about Betsy Devos, the Secretary of Education and her incredibly inept interview with Lesley Stahl of “60 Minutes” on Sunday night regarding the success or lack thereof of her charter schools at the expense of public education agenda. I have written a number of previous posts about other members of what can only be described as the WORST assemblage of individuals EVER selected to serve in a President’s cabinet, so I thought it might be enlightening to review the performances of a number of these appointees in their positions and the negative impact they are having on the agencies they are supposed to be running (into the ground!). So here goes my list of the top ten buffoons who are busy dismantling America. Steve Mnuchin-Secretary of the Treasury: just take a look at the guy and listen to him speak once and you’ll understand why he is on top of the list. After Trump called Richard Todd of NBC News a “sleeping son of a bitch” during his disturbing campaign rally in Pennsylvania to support another losing Republikan Congressional candidate (do we see a trend here?), Mnuchin stated that Trump had a lot of “funny moments” in his speech, like when he questioned the I.Q. of a black Democratic Congresswoman. Hilarious, Steve. Why don’t you and your wife go pose with some more stacks of money! Ryan Zenke-Secretary of the Interior: Selling off parts of our natural resources and wildlife refuges faster than you can award an electrical contract to your next door neighbor in Montana while Puerto Rico remains dark following Hurricane Maria! (Update-long gone having left a trail of very questionable and unethical actions before resigning in disgrace). Wilbur Ross-Secretary of Commerce: Lied during his confirmation hearings regarding business dealings with Russia (what a shock!); couldn’t negotiate a trade deal with China so he supports Trump’s proposed tariffs, which will end up costing the American consumer billions of $’s in the long run. Ben Carson-Secretary of health and Human Services-How did that $31,000 dinette set work out for you, Ben? He needed a place to lavishly entertain his guests while he takes school lunches and food stamps away from those that need them. (Update-just recovered from a severe case of Covid-19, which he like all Trump’s supporters refused to take seriously until it almost killed him!) Elaine Chou-Secretary of Transportation: Wife of “Rich” Mitch McConnell-need I say more? Head of the agency that incredibly certified the Boeing 737 Max leading to the deaths of several hundred innocent people. Secretary of Energy-Rick Perry: Advocating for utilizing good old coal as our primary energy source, despite the environmental consequences and availability of far more economically viable and cleaner energy sources such as solar and wind power. (Update-also long gone under a cloud of controversy and responsible for incalculable environmental damage). Betsy Devos-Secretary of Education: see yesterday’s post ‘Heavens to Betsy”. She is truly the epitome of Trump’s appointees-a wealthy Republikan contributor with virtually no qualifications for her position and less understanding of her mission to serve the American people. (Update-her legacy will be the attempted destruction of public education in America). Scott Pruitt-Environmental Protection Agency: turning EPA into EDA (Environmental Destruction Agency) through his mission of deregulation, and is also a strong advocate for coal. He prefers to travel first class at the tax payer’s expense, while claiming he needs extra security in his detail because of people saying mean things to him on airplanes. Poor Scott! (Update-the poster child of the collective group of idiots and total lackeys Trump assembled-left office in complete disgrace after numerous allegations of gross misconduct). Rex Tillerson-Secretary of State: Somebody should tell Trump that he actually has a Secretary of State. Tillerson doesn’t seem to be in any kind of communication loop with the President on Korea or any other subject for that matter. He’s too busy dismantling our diplomatic corps to pay foreign policy much mind. (update-fired by Trump, replaced by the biggest idiot of the Cabinet, POMPOUS Mike Pompeo). It will take the Biden team years to undo the damage to American status and standing in the world community that this jackass has caused on instruction from his boss). Jeff Sessions-Attorney General: This guy is so bad Trump has wanted to fire him since he recused himself from the Russia investigation, thereby opening the door for the appointment of Robert Mueller as Special Counsel, much to his dismay! He has also spoken out against the legalization of marijuana in states like California and Colorado, despite these states having overwhelmingly approved its sale and use through voter referendums. (Update-just when you think it couldn’t get any worse, Trump gives us William (DIS)Barr. He acted as Trump’s personal attorney and represented the absolute worst of this miserable group of appointees). There is only one word that could characterize the group of individuals: buffoon (plural buffoons)
In the United States the term is used most commonly to describe inappropriate, clownish figures on the public stage; here the behavior of a variety of public figures have caused them to be described as buffoons by their political opponents. Trump called this cabinet collection “the greatest ever assembled!” He is right; it is the greatest collection of BUFFOONS ever assembled. And they are tearing the very fabric of our country apart. By the time this administration leaves office (hopefully sooner rather than later), it may be too late to reverse the incredible destruction they are wreaking upon our institutions. Lawrence O’Donnell noted on MSNBC last night that the incoming Biden team will undoubtedly discover just what I was addressing in this post-this collective group of Cabinet appointees behaved like pigs at the trough instead of putting the needs of the country first and there will be numerous instances of wrongdoing and incompetence unveiled in the transition process. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see actual criminal charges being brought against some of these despicable individuals. In closing, we can already see the vast difference between a career government servant of the people and a reality show host in the choosing of those who will lead our country forward instead of backward. Donald J. trump was NEVER qualified to be President and his choices of Cabinet level officials and the incredible incompetence and malfeasance they exhibited certainly reflected that fact. The only qualification Donald Trump required was that they bow before him and pledge total loyalty. What a disaster. I first wrote this post under the "WAR ON COLE" tag I used to write under nearly four years ago, just a few short months after Trump's coronation. I haven't changed a word, but they are indeed prophetic. It's chilling. Read on.
They say we get the government we deserve. Well, I don’t know what I did to deserve Donald Trump and the Republican majority, but whatever it was I would do any penance required to turn back time (and Russia and Wikileaks). As hard as it was to garner much enthusiasm for Hillary Clinton, she was obviously far more qualified to assume the duties the office requires and her liberal policies more in line with my political ideology. I wondered as I cast my ballot how anyone could possibly vote in good conscience for the man who said he would “make America great again”; then I recalled a conversation a couple of months previous with my brother-in-law, a retired Air Force general for whom I have the utmost respect, that almost resulted in a physical confrontation, who believed that Hillary was not “trustworthy” and could not keep our most sensitive intelligence information from the hands of those who would do us harm. Thinking about that conversation today, amid the ongoing investigation(s) into just such allegations against the president and his people, it seems almost prophetic in the reverse. Good intentioned people, solid, white middle class people were duped into believing as an outsider Trump could magically transform our government-well, fellow countrymen, he is in the process of doing just that! The Republican Party, of which I was a member for over forty years (until the presidency of George W. Bush, a blog for another day), has allowed this President to obliterate any semblance of governance they had envisioned when he swept them into power, completely derailing key issues such as Health Care, Tax Reform, Infrastructure, Foreign Policy while they all grovel at his feet, either unwilling or unable to reign him in. Mitch McConnell-where are you? Paul Ryan, your comments are lamer than a lot of Republican terms in the House and Senate in 2018 at this rate! And meanwhile in DC, all that gets accomplished in more investigating “committees”, while Rome burns in the background. Our country is in grave peril from external threats, such as North Korea, Iran, Russia (duh!) and ISIS, among others, but the biggest threat to our Republic currently resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (or does he?), and unless immediate steps are taken to curtail his reckless and dangerous policies, we will suffer the same fate as many previous democratic states have suffered-extinction at the hands of a man who came to power by very questionable means but was allowed to consolidate his power until no one could challenge it. I realize our country is deeply polarized from a ideological standpoint on many issues, but the very survival of our democratic way of life is at stake here. WAKE UP AMERICA, before it’s too late!! Give me liberty AND give me death!!! The actions of a number of REPUBLIKAN(T) governors, especially in states like TX, FL and SD where the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths are completely out of control are more than a dereliction of duty they are directly related to the spike we are currently experiencing. People are DYING, and yet we have these irresponsible and indifferent sycophants denying the science behind wearing masks or social distancing for the sake of economic and political expediency. The Governor of SD, Kristi Noem, said the following: "We already know that lockdowns DON'T stop the spread of the virus. However, they destroy small businesses and jobs, and they make it difficult for families to put food on the table.” During a press conference on Wednesday, she rejected claims that cases in South Dakota are on the rise because of her refusal to put in place a mask mandate. "That is not true," she said. "There are 41 states that have some kind of a mask mandate. Cases are on the rise in 39 of those 41 states. Now some in the media are saying that South Dakota is the worst in the world right now and that is absolutely false.” (BTW…it’s TRUE.) In FL, Governor Ron Desantis has stood by since the very beginning of the pandemic and done absolutely NOTHING to stop its spread, opting instead to put economic considerations ahead of the health & safety of his constituents. Remember spring break? Here’s some of the idiotic things this Trump loving buffoon had to say about Covid-19 and the CDC guidelines: he said he didn't want to order a shutdown because he didn't want to "hurt families who can't afford to shelter in place for six weeks," according to a statement his office sent to local station WPEC. "Especially not for a virus that has a 99.8 percent survival rate." The governor has been heavily criticized for his response to the virus. In March, the governor took heat after he refused to issue a statewide shutdown of beaches as college students flocked to Florida for spring break. More than 17,800 people in Florida have been killed by the virus. The state reported 10,105 positive cases on Sunday which brought the total to 885,201, according to NBC Miami. That was the highest number of daily cases in the state since July. TX Governor Abbott, another REPUBLIKAN(T) STOOGE who has refused to follow any CDC guidelines now has a pandemic raging completely out of control in his state. Gov. Greg Abbott said in an interview that there won't be "any more lockdowns" in the state and he wants to focus on "working to heal those who have Covid" so they can leave the hospitals and get back to their normal routines, the Texas Tribune reported. As of Wednesday, Texas had over 1.1 million cases and 20,274 deaths related to coronavirus, according to data compiled by NBC News, and the state had seen a 47 percent increase in cases over the past 14 days. There are a number of other states whose Governors are equally guilty of callous indifference or gross negligence in mitigating the spread of this deadly disease (we are now approaching 260,000 deaths in the U.S.). Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, Mississippi and Tennessee. Of course the only plausible explanation for their dereliction of duty rests with their complete subservience to our fearless leader who himself has basically disregarded the pandemic from the very beginning, contributing to the incredible death toll in America. So instead of invoking the famous words of Patrick Henry in their pathetic attempts to justify their lack of any action to mitigate the spread of the virus they should just modify them to read “GIVE ME LIBERTY AND DEATH”. That’s the path they have chosen and it’s unfathomable!!! BREAKING NEWS: EIGHTY per cent of Trump voters believe that Biden’s election victory was a fraud!!! Despite the fact that Trump was swamped by over SIX MILLION votes and SEVENTY electoral votes (the same margin he defeated Hillary Clinton by in 2016) on Nov. 3rd, despite Trump’s very own DHS calling it “the safest most secure election in our history”, despite repeated recounts and absurd legal challenges which have proven zero evidence of the massive voter fraud he claims and every single court case has been summarily tossed out, despite pending certification in every contested state these Kevins and Karens continue to believe only the misinformation and lies Trump and his allies like RUMDUM RUDY, FAUX NEWS, OANN and RASH Limbaugh are spreading. I suggest they try to tune in a more main stream media outlet to avail themselves to the actual facts. In the meanwhile I also suggest they all GET OVER IT!!! The election is OVER. Trump lost. He was NOT cheated, he was defeated. The fact that he himself is unable to accept the REALITY of having his fat ass kicked by a 78 year old career politician who he derisively called “SLEEPY JOE” is dangerous enough, but to half over fifty million Americans believing that a perfectly legitimate election process was somehow rigged against Trump is just plain incredible. “Congressional Quagmire” Definition of quagmire: a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position : PREDICAMENT I wrote this post the other day regarding the incredible indifference of our Congressional members to the miserable plight of tens of millions of Americans who are struggling to even put food on the table. Instead of passing new relief legislation to alleviate the situation they instead went on vacation. I just don’t understand how these self effacing, aggrandizing, free loading elitists continue to get reelected. WTF is wrong with us?!? A Thanksgiving like no other! Given the circumstances, it seems pretty hollow to wish America a “Happy Thanksgiving”. Large gatherings are being discouraged; staying at home with immediate family encouraged to try to stop the predicted surge in Covid-19 cases. While some are having problems finding a turkey in their favorite grocery, tens of millions of our fellow Americans are waiting in endless food bank lines to even have a Thanksgiving to celebrate. And all the while our President sits in the White House sulking, refusing to even engage as thousands continue to die, refusing to allow the incoming President and his team to access to critical information that could help curtail the spread of the virus and the thousands of deaths we are experiencing. History will judge this man for what he truly is-a completely amoral narcissist whose only concern since the day he took office has been how to enrich himself, his family and billionaire BFF’s and to promote the Trump brand whenever and wherever possible. The LAST thing on his agenda is doing ANYTHING to govern the United States of America as the leader of the free world. He cannot differentiate the difference between truth and fiction instead spinning misinformation to fit whatever the narrative. Over 22,000 DOCUMENTED lies. So I won’t be wishing America a “Happy Thanksgiving” this year because it won’t be for most Americans. Like Dr. Fauci said, we can look forward to the holidays next year when hopefully a vaccine will be available to protect us all. In the meanwhile, it’s up to us as Americans to do what we can to protect our fellow citizens and those most vulnerable by doing what is right, NOT what we claim as a right. So until next year, be smart and be safe!!! BUFFOON: a ridiculous but amusing person; a clown. idiot · halfwit · blockhead · buffoon · dunce · dolt · ignoramus · cretin · imbecile · dullard · moron · simpleton · clod · dope · ninny · chump · dimwit · nitwit · goon · dumbo · dummy · dum-dum · dumbbell · loon · jackass · bonehead · fathead · numbskull · Kentucky Junior (in more ways than one!) Senator Rand Paul, hereafter referred to as GRANDSTAND Rand is at it again, spouting his Libertarian nonsense to anyone who will listen regarding both the Covid-19 pandemic and Governor Beshear’s new restrictions. Here is a sampling of some of this idiot’s latest proclamations. Se. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) says that he would oppose strict corona virus mitigation efforts if they are put forth by President-elect Joe Biden, pledging to "do everything I can to try to prevent Biden from locking us up and locking us down and forcing us to wear masks forever”. "Paul also claimed in his interview that current corona virus mitigation strategies, such as standing 6 feet apart, frequent hand-washing and wearing masks, don't work, contradicting the advice of most health experts. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is calling new statewide corona virus lockdowns “completely arbitrary.” Let’s hope, in this case, the courts will intervene,” Paul said. “I’ve been calling my governor for months, DWP, drunk with power, because he’s taken this power without any consent from the legislature.” (Please note that the KY Supreme Court just ruled that the Governor does indeed have the power to implement such restrictions and does NOT require legislative approval to do so). GRANDSTAND Rand also tweeted out that Covid-19 survivors should "throw away their masks and celebrate!". OMG!!! Apparently, because he has already been infected with Covid-19 he feels that he has license to dispense fraudulent and dangerous misinformation regarding the virus; that somehow he has become the spokesperson for all the tragic mistakes that the Trump administration has made in dealing with the pandemic. He became infected because he refused to follow CDC guidelines and actually put many other of his Senate colleagues at risk with his reckless behavior. It’s truly pathetic, and what’s worse is that the man is a doctor. I wonder what happened to his Hippocratic Oath, to do no harm?!? It’s very difficult for me to understand how this absolute buffoon got elected in the first place. He’s a carpetbagger to begin with, not having been born here or grown up here. He rode into office on the strength of the Northern KY conservative Tea Party movement, which has long since disappeared in the rear view mirror. I believe he is up for reelection in 2022 and I sincerely hope that voters in the Commonwealth have wised up to this jackass and vote him out of office and out of the state. It’s very apparent from the words and actions of GRANDSTAND Rand that he suffered severe CTE when his Bowling Green neighbor kicked his ass. There simply couldn’t be any other explanation for his erratic and unhinged comments and behavior. He has become, much like his golden idol Donald Trump, a punch line, a joke. He spends his time spreading lies and misinformation on FAUX NEWS and OANN instead of serving the people of KY who elected him. Let’s do ourselves a favor and send him packing when we get the chance. In the meanwhile, consider whatever he says to be nothing more than political theater at best, destructive and dangerous at worst. Twelve MILLION Americans about to lose their unemployment benefits; tens of millions still unemployed due to the pandemic, which is raging across our country completely out of control. An election described by Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security as “the most secure election in American history” (Trump just fired the official who made these comments) being questioned by numerous REPUBLIKAN(T) Congressional members, lowlife individuals like Lindsey Graham (CRACKER) and Kevin (JOE) McCarthy putting our democratic process at risk. A pandemic which has claimed over 250,000 Americans is being ignored by the occupant in the White House who is more focused on destroying our democracy than in saving lives.
So what does our Congress do in the meanwhile? The Senate, under the dictatorial mandates of MOSCOW Mitch McConnell took a Thanksgiving recess, necessitated partly because of the refusal of members to follow the CDC guidelines of wearing masks and social distancing that have now come down with Covid-19 and are in quarantine. The House convenes only to return to bitterly partisan politics. There is a TWO TRILLION $ gap between the relief packages proposed by the Democrats in the House and that being offered up by Senate REPUBLIKANT(S). The REPUBLIKAN(T) package of course favors rewarding Wall Street and corporate Amerika while minimizing relief for those most in need. The Democrats want everything but the kitchen sink in their proposed package. They aren’t even negotiating anymore. While this incredible morass continues in Congress, people continue to get sick and die, food lines grow ever longer as Thanksgiving approaches and the government is due to run out of money by year’s end. Incredibly many of these same career politicians, like MOSCOW MITCH have been returned to Washington as a result of the election. I just don’t understand why voters continue to elect politicians who have absolutely NO interest in their needs or wants but only in perpetuating heir own political or economic agendas. This is how absolutely tribal our politics have become. There is ZERO compromise, only acrimony and vitriol. We have a POTUS who refuses to accept his crushing defeat instead attempting to undermine the entire electoral process with endless and baseless legal challenges and cooperate with the incoming Biden administration. Instead he sits alone in the West Wing brooding over losing an election to a man he nicknamed “Sleepy Joe”, who, as promised, took the schoolyard bully to the woodshed and kicked his fat ass! He fires key government officials who dare to challenge him and even considered starting a war with Iran. He has his own Cabinet officials and mouthpieces like Peter Navarro, POMPOUS Mike Pompeo and Kay(LIE) McENEMY running around talking about his second term. He has a drunk as his lead attorney in RUMDUM RUDY Giuliani leading the baseless legal challenges to the election while charging $20,000/day for his “legal” services. And what does Congress do about ANY of this? Absolutely NOTHING!!! Ladies and gentlemen, our system is badly broken. The checks and balances envisioned by our forefathers to protect this republic have been torn to shreds by Donald Trump and MOSCOW Mitch and Lindsey Graham (CRACKER) and Kevin (JOE) McCarthy while they pursue what’s best for themselves and their tribe instead of tending to the urgent business of America. It’s beyond any scenario that Jefferson and Hamilton and other framers of our Constitution envisioned, and it is destroying the very republic we have fought to preserve for almost 250 years. And nearly half of the people in this once great nation voted to support those responsible. We are in very serious trouble with no sign of things getting any better over the next four years, which promise to be more of the same-political gridlock. It’s a sad day indeed. I read yesterday that president Elect Joe Biden was “wary” of taking any type of prosecutorial action against Donald Trump once he leaves office for the multitude of wrongdoings committed during his term. The article explained that the President Elect didn’t want his term in office to be about Donald Trump but rather about addressing the horrific mess he has left behind in his wake. These critical issues include the pandemic, the economy and foreign policy. Taken at face value, I understand this argument-the last four years have been about nothing but Donald Trump and it IS time to move on.
But let’s examine the facts, ma’am. Fact one is that Trump has been given free passes his entire life, from daddy’s inheritance money to bailing him out of bankruptcy, from one fraudulent or illegal act after the other. How many creditors did he cheat out of debts owed for work performed? For how many years did he get away with filing fraudulent tax returns or providing lenders with fraudulent balance sheets? How many shady financial deals were made with various lenders, from supposedly legitimate institutions like Deutsche Bank to Russian oligarchs and mobsters or Middle east Princes or Sheiks? But by hiding behind an array of lawyers, fixers like Michael Cohen, he was able to get by relatively unscathed despite his trail of destruction in the real estate development business in New York. Then came his political career. In the four years he has been in office, he has been guilty of serious offenses from extortion to obstruction of justice and a number of other transgressions. He solicited the help of foreign governments to advance his own political career, both the Russians and the Ukrainians. He committed numerous Emoluments Clause violations as well as enriching the Trump brand at taxpayers expense. He obstructed justice no fewer than TEN times during the course of the Mueller investigation according to his report. The Trump Organization is under ongoing investigation by New York State for hush money payments, bank, tax & insurance fraud as well as falsification of business records. There is a rape case pending against him. The Justice Department (once his private attorney William (DIS)Barr is run out of town) may seek charges against him for income tax fraud dating back YEARS. And yet, through it all, he remains the “Teflon Don” to date. Numerous of his business associates and political advisors have been sentenced with felonies relating to his actions and activities and sent to prison while he distances himself and spins his alternative narrative. And now, despite a significant margin of defeat in the election, he refuses to concede, instead challenging the legitimacy of our democracy. He is endangering our national security every single day he denies President Elect Biden the necessary briefings and information absolutely essential for the transition of power. In addition, his refusal to cooperate with Biden’s pandemic task force is costing American lives-FIFTEEN THOUSAND have died since the election. And yet the Republikan(t) leadership in Congress either outright enables this unprecedented abuse of power or stands idly by doing nothing in the interest of our country. You reached across the aisle and they spit on your hand sir! Unity? With MOSCOW Mitch and Kevin (JOE) McCarthy leading the opposition, that's the LAST thing they have in mind. It's time for a little pay back, Mr. President Elect!!! Bearing all this in mind, Mr. President Elect, I disagree with the argument to let Donald Trump slide once the dust settles (if we are still around in sixty days!!!) and he leaves office. Considering the damage the man has done to our democracy and the carnage he has left behind for the sole purpose of self enrichment he should be prosecuted under the full letter and weight of the law. Throw the freaking book at him. He more than anyone else deserves it. His day of reckoning should be at hand and he knows it. That is why he and RUMDUM RUDY are fighting so hard to keep him in office for as long as possible. There should be no more “Get Out Of Jail Free” cards left in Trump’s Monopoly game. It’s time he got sent there for a long time. As Trump and his supporters so gleefully shout, I say right back at ya…wait for it…LOCK HIM UP! LOCK HIM UP! LOCK HIM UP! LOCK HIM UP! |
About Mike ColeBorn in Hamilton, OH but a proud Kentuckian since age two. One brother and three sisters. Suburban, Catholic middle-class upbringing. Attended Jefferson Community College and Pasadena Community College. Proud father of four and grandfather to seven, and most of all, a concerned American citizen! Are you??? Categories |