Apparently those who remain blinded to the defeated former President still cannot differentiate between truth and a lie.
We are forced to use the Keep It Simple Stupid approach to explain this rather obvious yet critical difference.
The DFPOTUS (Defeated Former President of the United State) said this, which is an example of a lie,
“I will tell you they know who shot Ashli Babbitt. They’re protecting that person. I have heard also that it was the head of security for a certain high official, a Democrat. And we will see because it’s going to come out. It’s going to come out.” — on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
Here’s another example of a lie from DFPOTUS on another Fox Show
“The defeated president’s comments come as he and many of his supporters recast the pro-Trump insurrection as a patriotic display of “spirit and faith and love,” as he put it Sunday on Fox News Channel.”
Fox News
“There must be some way outta here, said the Joker to the Thief”
All Along the Watchtower, Jimi Hendrix version (written by Bob Dylan)
Here are a couple of images from the Capitol that infamous day which illustrates the truth, unless your idea of “spirit, faith, and love” is quite different than most rational Americans.
NBC4 Washington ImageImage Rolling Stone Magazine
Here’s an image from EDM.com which shows a gathering of almost 400,000 Americans at a true celebration of America’s “spirit, faith, and love” as comparison.
Woodstock Image EDM.com
At Woodstock, there were less than a dozen police officers for the enormous crowd and none were injured.
On January 6th, where several officers died and hundreds were injured, the DFPOTUS would have you believe this was a celebration of “spirit, faith, and love” in the finest tradition of American patriotism.
From Woodstock we got the most memorable music and one rather crude but harmless chant.
“Gimme an F…Gimme a U…”
From January 6, 2021, we got this gem.
“Hang Mike Pence, Hang Mike Pence.”
I’ll leave it to you to choose which chant you want to recall with some sense of fondness, and which one comes closest to reflecting the worst of America.
The truly sad part about the DFPOTUS rants is that not one leader of the Republican Party called him for what he is, a liar. Not Mitch McConnell, not Kevin McCarthy, none of the so-called Republican leadership has the courage or the sense of honor to call the DFPOTUS to task for his lies.
So, Mr. DFPOTUS, I have a new chant for you.
Gimme a S… Gimme a T…Gimme a F…GImme a U…” What’s that spell? STFU! What’s that spell? STFU!
Please, Mr. DFPOTUS S.T.F.U. (Cue Jimi Hendrix “There must be some way out of here, said the Joker to the Thief”)
JEBWizard Publishing (www.jebwizardpublishing.com) is a hybrid publishing company focusing on new and emerging authors. We offer a full range of customized publishing services.
Everyone has a story to tell, let us help you share it with the world. We turn publishing dreams into a reality. For more information and manuscript submission guidelines contact us at info@jebwizardpublishing.com or 401-533-3988.
This is Q2-anon ( a new and improved Q-anon with most of the bugs worked out) and your Q2-anon tip of the day.
It has taken us time, but Q2-anon has uncovered the truth behind the Vaccine conspiracy. We all suspected how evil the Deep State could be, but even your Q2 -anon wasn’t prepared for what we have uncovered.
The Vaccine does contain tracking bots, but we are loathe to report they are there to identify the Q-anon believers. By inoculating the masses, with the side benefit of preventing COVID, the deep state will have an easy way to cull the herd of the Q2 -anon faithful.
The dark lord B’ha R’oc O Ba Mah decreed his acolytes Fah’ucci and Ga’tes to spread the word among the faithful by – and this is truly evil- spreading the truth about the disease.
They wanted us to think it was evil, so they could find out who we were since we would believe it was evil when all it along it wasn’t evil but their plan was evil and they knew we would fight against them despite the facts which was even more evil and this evil was really not evil which made it more evil by not really being evil.
Such sinister not evil evil was never before unleashed upon the world and we missed it.
It should have been evident from the beginning. But we failed to understand the level of depravity the evil ones would sink to in their quest for dominance.
The rise of the evangelists—those in whom we saw hope—should have been a clue. For why would such clueless ones be so successful?
Marjorie Taylor Greene? Come on, think about it. Deep state plant. Who else could think someone so intellectually challenged would be a good fit for Congress?
And Gaetz? With an appetite for the young stuff he could only be a plant (although most plants are brighter and at least rot and return something to the earth.)
Isn’t it obvious? Trump received the vaccine. He who pretended to be our leader is among the inoculated. Perhaps he knew and bravely took the shot to preserve our cause once the culling began, but such courage has never been shown by this obvious stooge.
The deep state has out-conspiracy-theoried the conspiracy theoried and we have almost fallen for it.
But, alas, your Q2 -anon—in our new and improved format—have uncovered the truth. So burn your Say No to the Prick T-shirts, remove the aluminum foil from your heads, and run to the nearest vaccination location and get the shot.
Let’s beat them at their own game.
And to Marjorie Taylor Greene we say, nice try moron. Here’s a bit of advice for you as well, you are way too old for Gaetz..
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I hereby present an open invitation to someone, anyone, who can articulate, present, or show one iota of verifiable evidence that voter fraud had any effect on the outcome of the Presidential Election.
I will put it here and shout it to the world should anyone succeed in this effort,
Here’s your chance to prove the allegation and rehabilitate the floundering, sniveling, lying, Carnival barker, former President of the United States who, lacking the bully pulpit of the Presidency and the implied (although in his case, misplaced) credibility of the office, now wanders the country seeking out his fellow “delusionistas” and wailing how the election was stolen.
Show me one scintilla of evidence fraudulent votes changed this election.
The Greek Chorus
I’ll wait.
Until then, muzzle the former POTUS (Prevaricator of the United States.) He is an international embarrassment acting like a spoiled child.
Bonus points if you can explain Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, the maniac and the molester tag team running amuck in Congress. Trump, Greene, and Gaetz are a boil on America’s rear end and they need to be lanced.
When we teach kids that anyone in this country can go to Congress or become President, I am certain this is not what we had in mind.
Dragon: dragon is a large, serpentine, legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide.
A recent cartoon by Maddie Dai in the New Yorker Magazine depicted a man dressed as a Knight, holding a sword, while reclining on a therapist’s couch. The caption read, “There was a time—back before people found out that dragons were made up—when I would’ve gotten a hell of a lot more respect for being a dragon slayer.”
I realized this was a perfect illustration of the Trump phenomenon—belief in myths and imaginary dangerous creatures and a charlatan claiming he can slay such beasts to garner the admiration (or votes) of those who believe such nonsense.
Dragons are wonderful creatures for books, movies, and storytelling, but when turned into real threats requiring us to put our faith in both their reality and the necessity for a “hero” to confront them, we border on the abyss of insanity.
Mr. Trump in his time in the public light has created many dragons—hordes of rapists and murderers surging over the border, Muslims, Q-Anon complicit politicians, deep state actors, and the latest and most dangerous of them all, voter fraud.
That each Trump dragon is no more real than the one slain by the legendary Saint George matters little. They are dragons needing vanquishing and Mr. Trump with his mighty sword of prevarication is the only one capable of slaying them.
There is one thing you must give Saint Trump credit for, his powers of persuasion to convince millions of the reality of what is complete fabrication. In his battle with the dragon of voter fraud, fought on the battlefield in the courts, Mr. Trump suffered defeat after defeat when the dragon was shown to be a myth, yet the myth lives on.
When Mr. Trump whipped his hordes of dragon-fearing followers into a frenzy and sent them to the lair of the Dragon itself, the US Capitol, once again they were defeated, not by a fire-breathing dragon but by truth.
Myths are persistent things, like the concept of white supremacy. They are based on tales dreamt up in the minds of those who need an enemy to explain their own inadequacies. Trump’s dragons may be real in his mind. They may be real in the minds of his followers. But they are not real. They are a child’s story run amuck. And, like an out-of-control child, those who embrace such myths need be sent to their room until they regain their senses.
In Mr. Trump’s case, that will be a long, long, long time coming. Maybe he should try to convince us the flying monkey army has been unleashed by the witch, give us a new myth to fear.
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Here’s a simple explanation against the argument that the impeachment hearing violates the former President’s First Amendment rights.
If a police officer says, in a speech, that he only arrests black people because they commit the most crimes, he may have a first amendment right to say it, but it would clearly violate his duties as a sworn officer.
If a doctor says, in a speech, that he won’t treat Jews because they killed Jesus Christ he may have a first amendment right to say it, but it would clearly violate his Hippocratic oath and licensure as a doctor.
If I say, in a speech, all women should obey the men in their lives because men know better (I would, of course, say this silently in the presence of my wife and daughter) I may have a first amendment right to say it, but it would clearly violate common sense.
Each example may be constitutionally protected and, more important, few people would pay attention to the point of the pronouncements, but they would be rightfully concerned about the context and position of the person making them. (Except mine, of course, my wife and daughter would just ignore me.)
The difference is a police officer, doctor, or any other person can hold and express anything they like when acting as private citizens if they act within the law. If they translate these protected speech statements into actions in their employment or position, there are legal consequences.
The President of the United States is never a private citizen while he holds the office. Everything he says, he says as the President and it implies infinitely more significance than statements from ordinary American citizens.
If the President enjoyed unfettered First Amendment rights, then he could announce an intention to fire nuclear weapons against the county of East Japeepee with no concern for the reaction of the East Japeepeeians.
If they launched a pre-emptive strike against us, it would be because they hate our freedom and our First Amendment rights.
Which leads us to the Impeachment trial. Getting past the raw emotions of what happened that day (as a former police officer I felt only rage for the attack on those officers and, frankly, I am in awe of their restraint. Some officers I know might have opened fire at such a threat) we need examine the President’s speech in the context of not just that moment but with the understanding of what led the crowd there in the first place.
A Lie
A bold faced fabrication intended to subvert the Constitution.
And more critically, a lie spread by the President of the United States that the election was stolen from him. And if one wants to argue the President of the United States can lie to the American public because he has a First Amendment right to do so, one risks the consequences.
Consequences that played out in the halls of Congress.
Or if one argues that it is not a lie if the President believed it to be true, somehow delusional does not seem a good characteristic for the President of the United States.
The speech by the President on January 6th wasn’t the reason the mob attacked the Capitol; it was merely the starter’s gun signaling the beginning. Mr. Trump lit the fuse on the artillery he had primed, loaded, and aimed at our country.
One last point, and this is telling, from the moment the mob stormed the Capitol until the President made any effort to dissuade the mob, he did nothing for hours. Hours while US Capitol Police officers were being attacked, assaulted, and murdered by a mob he unleashed.
Even if one accepts the premise that the President never intended his speech to spark an attack, he did nothing to mitigate it once it began. Actions, or in this case inactions, speak volumes. If he never intended them to attack Congress, why did he do nothing?
One can draw a reasonable inference from the President’s failure to take swift and bold action.
Can you imagine what would have happened had not the US Capitol Police and the Secret Service acted as quickly as they did to protect the Vice President and the members of Congress? There is no doubt in my mind that the frenzied crowd—driven by weeks of the President’s own exhortations that the Vice President could change the results of the election, had they seized Mr. Pence (after the Secret Service ran out of ammunition killing who knows how many)—would have executed the Vice President and anyone else the President sent them after.
Now there’s a legacy of Making America Great Again one could point to with pride.
As part optimist, I believe there is a chance that enough Senators will do what’s right as opposed to what is politically expedient. As part realist, I have little reason to believe it will happen.
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It would seem we have another story like Genesis on our hands. Joe Biden has been President for just about seven days and, according to those stalwart supporters of the “good ‘ole days” when Mr. Trump was President, and everything was perfect—kind of like Eden before the snake arrived and stole the election—Mr. Biden has singlehandedly ruined the country.
IN JUST 7 DAYS. (I gave him inauguration day off since it took time for him to get inside, find pens, and create these proclamations for disaster.) The last time something this dramatic took seven days…well, never mind.
This is a quote from one response to a Facebook post I made (“That sound was a collective sigh of relief echoing across the country…”) after the inauguration, but it reflects the tone of many.
It would seem those who didn’t support Mr. Biden see a looming disaster that began January 20th, 2021, at 12:00 P.M. (unlike the previous exit from paradise, we know the exact time this apocalypse began.) According to these visionaries of the future, Mr. Biden has caused the following,
“…gas and heating oil are on the rise, the stock market is going down, not tanking, but going down. Women’s sports will now be dominated by men, taxes are on the rise, China can now control our power grid if they feel like it, for Joey gave the access, the cost for a family to purchase an EpiPen for their child will now double thanks to Biden’s EO so that Senator Manchin’s (D- W. Virginia) daughter can go back to scalping those that need it. Add insulin to that equation, I don’t know who benefits from that, and there are others, but I think we’ve done enough sighing in relief for now…”
Facebook reponses
These are statements lacking context, supporting evidence, or any actual proof, just conjecture, opposition talking points, or expectations based on innate disagreement with anything in opposition to their position.
I have no idea what the future holds, although I am more optimistic about it, but I thought I’d address each item as best I could and see if there was any truth to the assumptions.
Gas and heating oil are on the rise
February 17, 2020 the retail average price of gas was $2.518/gallon (at the cusp of the pandemic) April 27, 2020 the retail average price of gas was $1.87/gallon (Low point for the year) January 25, 2021 the retail average price of gas was $2.478/gallon
Using the same benchmark (adjusted for seasonal changes) for oil,
So this contention is correct, gas and oil prices (adjusted for seasonal use) have been rising since Spring 2020 (pre-Biden) which means little. There is a glut on the market because of falling demand related to the pandemic, production by OPEC countries is in flux, uncertainty in the Gulf creates price variations.
In other words, it ain’t that simple.
It remains to be seen what effect Mr. Biden’s Executive Orders regarding oil and gas leases on Federal Land and offshore will have on the economy. I would argue the overall risk to the environment outweighs the negative economic costs. Existing markets will adapt, or new ones arise.
In an interesting development, General Motors announced they would eliminate gas powered automobiles from the production line by 2035 and all their vehicles would be carbon neutral by 2040. Nothing says America like Baseball, Hotdogs, Apple Pie, and Green-energy Chevrolet.
Economics 101 says gains will mitigate losses. Mr. Trump once touted the return of the coal industry as a gem of his economic plan. But the realities of the market mitigated any huge growth. It wouldn’t work because it couldn’t work economically. (https://ycharts.com/indicators/us_coal_production)
Stock market is going down, not tanking, but going down
So if we look at the chart below, the market has been trending up—Gasp! Say it ain’t so—since 2009 under President Obama and Vice President Biden when they came into office after the crash of 2008. This trend continued under Mr. Trump.
It is a bit premature to write the obituary on the economy and I would caution, as I often have, that much of what happens in the market does so despite any actions by the President not because of them.
Dow Jones Industrial Average – Historical Annual Data
“What I came to learn is transgender is a more colloquial term for a wide-ranging variety of conditions. One specific condition, which it would seem is the heart of such protective actions, and the foundation for a Supreme Court case which I will mention shortly, is Gender Dysphoria.
“Gender dysphoria is the feeling of discomfort or distress that might occur in people whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth or sex-related physical characteristics.
Transgender and gender-nonconforming people might experience gender dysphoria at some point in their lives. But not everyone is affected. Some transgender and gender-nonconforming people feel at ease with their bodies, either with or without medical intervention.
Gender dysphoria is a diagnosis listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5); a manual published by the American Psychiatric Association to diagnose mental conditions. This term is intended to be more descriptive than the one that was previously used, gender identity disorder. The term gender dysphoria focuses on one’s discomfort as the problem, rather than identity. A diagnosis for gender dysphoria was created to help people get access to necessary health care and effective treatment.” (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gender-dysphoria/symptoms-causes/syc-20475255#:)”
I am fairly certain we won’t see the next Lebron James in a dress heading into a WNBA locker room or a women’s soccer team needing a shave any time soon.
Taxes are on the rise
Taxes for some segment of the population may increase. Mr. Trump’s tax cuts have done little to stimulate the economy, allowed the wealthy and companies to buy back stocks and increase the share prices (which of course positively affects the stock market though not equitably), and increased the national debt.
Compounded by the pandemic—something not caused by Mr. Trump, but I would argue so poorly handled that the problem was amplified—and the need for the economic stimulus bills, revenue has to come from somewhere and a revision of the Tax code may be necessary.
China can now control our power grid if they feel like it, for Joey gave them access
A bold, daring, apocalyptic, and factually inaccurate description of what Biden’s Executive Order does. The order does impact Mr. Trump’ earlier executive order entitled, Executive Order 13920 of May 1, 2020 Securing the United States Bulk-Power System. The superseding order suspends the prior order for 90 days. It doesn’t revoke it, but includes the following provision,
“…the cost for a family to purchase an EpiPen for their child will now double thanks to Biden’s EO so that Senator Manchin’s (D- W. Virginia) daughter can go back to scalping those that need it. Add insulin to that equation, I don’t know who benefits from that, and there are others…”
Facebook post response
Here is a link to the Executive Order which does no such thing as raise the price on anything. Instead, it freezes for review any such prior orders to insure they comply with the policies of the new administration and their goal of a reinstatement of the Affordable Care Act and improvement or adjustments to the program as part of their overall strategy. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/regulatory-freeze-pending-review/
You may think this will fail, but that’s different than contending it already has.
This leads us predictably to a discussion about why US drug prices are so much higher than other countries.
Key Findings: U.S. Drug Prices Significantly Higher than All 11 Other Countries • The U.S. pays the most for drugs, though prices varied widely. • U.S. drug prices were nearly four times higher than average prices compared to similar countries. • U.S. consumers pay significantly more for drugs than other countries, even when accounting for rebates. • The U.S. could save $49 billion annually on Medicare Part D alone by using average drug prices for comparator countries. (House Document)
Once again, this is a complex topic and, it would seem, Republicans have been leading the charge in blocking any meaningful changes to address the issue. As usual, the devil lies in the details.
“Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he won’t hold a vote on a House-passed bill supported by Democrats that would require the federal government to negotiate lower prices for some drugs covered by Medicare. He is also reluctant to hold a vote on a separate bipartisan bill, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), that would limit the price increases drug companies typically make every year.” https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/477604-drug-price-outrage-threatens-to-be-liability-for-gop
In the interest of full disclosure, the Democrats walked away from negotiations on the bi-partisan legislation for purely political reasons. They saw the Republican reluctance to address the issue as a political liability and election vulnerability they could exploit. Politics can be an ignoble endeavor, but it doesn’t alter the fact that Biden’s Executive Order didn’t cause the price of EpiPen or insulin to rise. Rather, the EO seeks to consolidate their policy goals into crafting an effective universal health plan for all Americans and addressing price of prescription drugs.
Now before the usual attack on the source of this information ensues, a search of senate.gov. and house.gov and the Federal Register reveals no significant legislation affecting drug costs. Interestingly enough, one of the few Republicans pushing for such legislation was none other than former President Donald J. Trump.
So there you have it, my take on each of the “issues” raised by the comments about my post. Challenge each point and I’ll be happy to post it to my blog for all to review and comment.
P.S. If this is perceived as being divisive, I apologize. My intent is to spur rational discussion not rabid reactions. (No, really, it is.)
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A recent piece in the National Review (Biden’s Inauguration Speech Was a Lot Like Trump’s) caught my eye. I’ll leave it to you to read it, but the author bemoans the lack of media cynicism depending on which party is in power.
The author substitutes his own cynicism in his take on Presidential Inaugural addresses since he sees no such criticism by others. He sees a similarity in the speeches regardless of who is making it.
Otherwise, for incoming presidents, the formula is this one: Whew, things are really bad out there, huh? Way worse than they are telling you. Luckily, I have all the answers. (Details TK.) It’s too bad we’re always quarreling. It would be better if we could all unite. Er, behind me. Now pardon me as I wield the cross* like Father Merrin and wrap myself in the flag like Rocky IV. (*Some Democrats omit this part.)
Kyle Smith, National Review “Biden’s Speech Was a Lot Like Trump’s”
The Exorcist
I think he has a valid point, to a point, but media cynicism, like everything else it would seem, is as partisan in its nature as is almost everything else.
I would argue, and I bet he would agree, there was a great deal of media cynicism with Mr. Trump and, as his article illustrates, we will see a similar cynicism over Mr. Biden. The only difference is the perceived bias of the media outlet involved.
I will also say this, Mr. Biden can use the sins of the previous administration as an excuse only for so long. He is now the President and, whatever the cause of the issues he faces, he must deal with them. Let history assign blame. We need solutions not an autopsy of prior policy actions by a no longer in power President.
But I digress.
The author also injects a couple of interesting words that, for most people, including me, might be unfamiliar. Now I am a big fan of expanding vocabularies. I take some perverse pleasure whenever someone says they had to look up a word in something I write. But such efforts need be used judiciously, no matter how much fun they may be. (I am looking for a way to interject Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (the fear of long words) into a piece, but it will have to wait.)
In the piece, the author described the difference in the media’s portrayal of the two speeches by claiming,
“Biden offered an olive branch to those who didn’t vote for him while Trump rained hellfire. Biden was irenic, Trump chthonic.”
ibid (look it up!)
Irenic and chthonic? Again, I will defer to the ingenuity of the reader to find the meaning. But it gave me pause. Are such challenges to one’s internal dictionary worthwhile or worthless?
There was a famous duel of words between William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway, two of the most brilliant writers of the 20thcentury.
Ernest Hemingway: he has no courage, has never crawled out on a limb. He has never been known to use a word that might cause the reader to check with a dictionary to see if it is properly used.
William Faulkner on Hemingway
Hemingway punched back by stating that he did not need “ten-dollar words.”
Perhaps they are both right; sometimes simple is best, sometimes challenging is best.
Now the article makes another valid point. Presidents always say similar things at their inauguration, it falls upon us is to hold them to it and measure the promises at the beginning with the reality four years later.
I will leave it to your imagination my opinion of Mr. Trump’s four years. And I hope I can point to the first four years of the Biden Presidency and recognize promises kept, but that remains to be seen and, despite what I am certain will be a round of cynicism from some, I shall be forthright in my analysis.
One thing is certain, much of what a President can or cannot do is mitigated by Congress. Here is an example of my cynicism; one thing motivates most members of Congress, re-election. They spend thirty to forty percent of their time raising money to achieve that goal.
Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla, claimed that in a closed-door party meeting they were told their first responsibility was to raise $18,000 per day. Think about that for a moment. $18,000 a day. Any business with 535 employees bringing in at least $18,000 a day would do well. But in this case, none of the money goes to the employer, it merely sustains the employee. (60 Minutes)
This is what Presidential promises run up against, a stone wall if the agenda doesn’t support the efforts of Congress to stay in their job.
We need to pay attention to what people say and what they do to further those promises.
Sometimes, words fade into history because of what actually happened. In one of his lesser-known quotes, Abraham Lincoln said.
“If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that. What I do about slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save this Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union.
Abraham Lincoln
What if Lincoln saved the Union without going to war and freeing the slaves? How different would our perception of him be? Or perhaps, and here is the cynicism creeping in, he said this to placate those less fervent for Emancipation to buy himself time to free the slaves once he had garnered sufficient support.
The point being, while words matter, actions matter more, yet actions are often dictated by forces and realities outside our control. One might think of an inaugural address as a battle plan. And, as anyone who has been in combat will tell you, the first casualty in a battle is the plan.
Thus Mr. Biden has set an ambitious plan. And the plan faces challenges not just from outside forces but from our own elected officials driven to surviving in office more than doing the people’s work.
If power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, then the money that funds the quest for power is the poison coursing through their veins.
Joe Broadmeadow
As an aside, now that the dust has settled to some measure on the events of January 6th, the impending impeachment trial, while demanded by that incident, will yield nothing more than a reinforcement of our partisan divide.
If convicting Mr. Trump assured their reelection, the vote would be 100 to 0, and the same if finding him not guilty. Securing re-election is the only sure way to Congressional compromise.
This impeachment is a necessary exercise, but likely a futile one. Once they finish, we should turn our attention to fixing the broken system rather than seeking vengeance through a partisan infected system on those who trampled on the seat of government. If power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, then the money that funds the quest for power is the poison coursing through their veins.
Despite my cynicism, I have faith that the four-year experiment in changing the status quo in Washington will be recognized as a failure and inspire a new generation of civic minded Americans to work within the system to change it, for that is the only way change happens for the better.
JEBWizard Publishing (www.jebwizardpublishing.com) is a hybrid publishing company focusing on new and emerging authors. We offer a full range of customized publishing services.
Everyone has a story to tell, let us help you share it with the world. We turn publishing dreams into a reality. For more information and manuscript submission guidelines contact us at info@jebwizardpublishing.com or 401-533-3988.
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Under the category “It Couldn’t Get Any Stranger, Could it?” I have proof it has.
Donald Trump, in his quest to alter reality, through his legal eagle lawyer, filed a case (in the wrong court mind you) entitled
Donald Trump For President, INC. et.al. v. USA
Docket number 1:2020cv01567
Yes, you read that correctly. The President of the United States sued America. He is suing us!
It’s like being sued by your child, only worse.
How this is part of the plan to Make America Great Again is anybody’s guess.
Here’s an image of the case from the Federal Claims Court
Shortly after the court stopped laughing, they ordered the matter transferred to the US District Court in Michigan. Then they started laughing again.
Recognizing this might be a bad thing, and after taking the wrapping off his Federal Rules of Procedures and looking for a hint, his lawyer said “Oops” and filed a motion to dismiss.
Which, in between giggling, snickering, and wiping tears from their eyes, the court granted.
This legal circus is all a smokescreen for the real intent. If Mr. Trump doesn’t know he has less chance of winning any legal challenges to this election than a Russian opposition candidate has in challenging Vladimir Putin (and living to talk about it) he is a fool.
But we know he is not a fool, he is a scam artist. The President formed the Official Election Defense Fund. Ostensibly to challenge the election results.
Wrong!
The devil is in the details (and in Mar-a-Lago last I heard altering his golf scorecards to qualify for the Pro Tour.)
It would seem that any donation above $8,333 can go to fighting the results, however 60% of the donations go to a recently formed PAC which is barred from using funds for such purposes.
They can, lo and behold, be used to promote a run in 2024, or, perhaps, for a defense fund should one be needed in the near future.
Our worst nightmare, they are plotting a return. George Orwell had the date wrong. Not 1984 but 2024.
This raises an interesting question. I’d ask his lawyer but I’m not sure he’s read criminal procedure yet either.
Will President Trump, since he is eligible for another term as President, have to seek permission from his Parole Officer to leave the state every time he wishes to hold a rally?
Inquiring minds want to know…
Just kidding…I know it will be too soon for him to be on Parole.
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There are indeed, in the present corruption of mankind, many incitements to forsake truth: the need of palliating our own faults and the convenience of imposing on the ignorance or credulity of others so frequently occur; so many immediate evils are
Samuel Johnson
Under normal circumstances, I abhor rude behavior. But these are anything but normal circumstances.
The one consistent aspect of American Democracy, one that many nations seek to emulate, is our peaceful transfer of power after an election. In every election, there are winners and losers, but this is not a sports contest.
Winning is not the only thing.
After an election, for the Presidency in particular, a candidate should shed his political persona, release his particular partisan label, and transition from a Democrat or Republican to an American President.
With the defeat of an incumbent, this peaceful transition and metamorphosis to the Presidency are even more critical. But Mr. Trump is anything but tradition or honor-bound.
Since the inception of his candidacy for his first term, Mr. Trump raged about invisible forces arrayed against him. He claimed that there was massive voter fraud in the 2016 election without one scintilla of evidence and blamed it for his loss of the popular vote.
He even formed a commission to root out this fraud. After a year of tilting at windmills, this commission found nothing.
Now, on the cusp of defeat, facing an even larger percentage of the popular vote against him and the imminent loss in the Electoral College, Mr. Trump spews more of the same vitriol and lies. He rants about voter fraud, demands the stopping of vote counting (at least where he’s ahead, although the number is dwindling), threatens to use “his” Supreme Court, and pours fuel on the flames of falsehoods and lies.
It would seem the hope to see him seize his ultimate moment, take this opportunity to untarnish his place in history, demonstrate some sense of honor and respect for the sanctity of the office and the election process, is too much to ask.
When people like me speak, few people listen. Even those with broad public personas rarely garner much attention. But when a President speaks, the entire world listens.
When countries worldwide, who once saw the stability of our government transition as a symbol of hope, see a President unhinged and out of touch with reality, it causes great consternation.
The German Foreign Minister had this to say about the situation.
“America is more than a one-man show. Anyone who continues to pour oil on the fire in a situation like this is acting irresponsibly. Now is the time to keep a cool head until an independently determined result is available.”
Germany, a country that knows a thing or two about the dangers of usurping free elections, and one of our strongest allies, has reason to be concerned for the American Government’s vitality.
When an American President speaks, particularly in crisis times, the world could take most of what they said at face value. The world imbues the Presidency with credibility. But, with this President, such credibility has long ago evaporated.
By prattling on making claims of widespread voter fraud, by misconstruing the counting of mail-in ballots as “newly discovered,” by inciting the raw passions of those of his followers too ignorant or disinclined to look for the truth, Mr. Trump is committing a crime.
He is inciting to riot those Americans who support him and see no need to respect the process. He is inciting violence and discord, which could tear this country apart. He is on the verge of causing significant damage to a country he claimed he would make great again.
When the final count was done in 2016, we accepted Mr. Trump as the President. While I may have found little he did as President of any real value, I never questioned the process’s legitimacy. It is the Electoral College that selects the President. While the popular vote is something worth noting, it is merely a footnote to the decision.
Mr. Trump should just let the process proceed. Suppose he, or his supporters, find any reliable evidence of voter fraud or other apparent violations of the law. In that case, he should bring it to the American people and present it to the courts.
Until then, for sake of this country and the continuity of this American experiment, I beg you.
JEBWizard Publishing (www.jebwizardpublishing.com) is a hybrid publishing company focusing on new and emerging authors. We offer a full range of customized publishing services.
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When did our choices for public office go from the Best and the Brightest to the Rest and the Blighted? Forcing us to pick our poison. To make our decision based not on vision, or ideas, or policies for the future, but on who will do the least amount of damage to the country.
How did it come to this?
While in this case the choice is clear—a deranged and dangerous would-be potentate with delusions of grandeur all out of proportions to any innate abilities or a kindly, old, but experienced statesman past his prime—it begs the question.
Why?
How is it we cannot find a Joe Biden of twenty years ago? Or a John Kennedy? Or a Dwight David Eisenhower? Or, more troubling, why would the candidacy of a woman almost certainly be doomed to failure because she is a woman?
Where are the candidates of experience, character, and, despite the uncertainties of life, of an age able to offer years of service without the approaching concerns of the inevitable? Why is it we limit our choices to people at the very cusp of their life expectancy?
We put a minimum age of thirty-five to be President, thirty to be a Senator, and twenty-five to be a Representative so age has always been a valid consideration. We recognized life experience is a necessary element to serve in government, but one could argue there is an equally valid expiration date on the other extreme. I’m just troubled that it seems to be a consistently problematic aspect of many of our elections.
I’m not suggesting excluding those of a certain age just because of that fact, but it is a element to be factored in. There are no septuagenarian military commanders because of the demands of the position. The job of President of the United States, which includes being commander-in-chief, is the most demanding job in the world. A simple comparison of any President on inauguration day and on the day they leave office shows the debilitating effect of eight years of making (what should be) heart-wrenching decisions with global impact lasting decades.
It is not the job for the faint of heart. While there are no guarantees on the length of one’s life, we all lose something in our physical abilities as we age. The inevitabilities of life are a reality we must take into consideration.
We have a torch to pass to a new generation, but no one seems willing to accept it.
Loren Eisley, in his book The Unexpected Universe, compared American society to the Odyssey of Homer. He wrote this in 1969, but it has become even more clear today.
Eisley wrote,
“In the restless atmosphere of today, all the psychological elements of the Odyssey are present to excess: the driving will toward achievement, the technological cleverness crudely manifest in the blinding of Cyclops, the fierce rejection of the sleepy Lotus Isles, the violence between man and man. Yet, significantly, the ancient hero cries out in desperation, “There is nothing worse for men than wandering.”
The words could just as well express the revulsion of a modern thinker over the sight of a nation harried by irrational activists whose rejection of history constitutes an equal, if unrecognized, rejection of any humane or recognizable future. We are a society bemused in its purposes and yet secretly homesick for a lost world of inward tranquility. The thirst for illimitable knowledge now conflicts directly with the search for a serenity obtainable nowhere upon earth. Knowledge, or at least what the twentieth-century acclaims as knowledge, has not led to happiness.” (Eiseley, Loren. The Unexpected Universe (p. 5). Library of America. Kindle Edition.)
I think Eiseley made a prescient and compelling argument about the dangers of the unfiltered, unreliable, and unmitigated deluge of “information” pretending to be factual knowledge flooding all facets of the media; social and traditional.
Our once important asset of reliable and unbiased news and the power of the free press has been compromised by our childish short attention spans, craving for continuous entertainment, and disdain for critical thinking.
The Sirens of Mythology Mythologian.net
I think much of the upheaval that was the 1960s with the race riots, the chasm of Vietnam, the growing horrors of the Cold War, and the early rise of nationalism with the fading memories of World War II all contributed to a rewriting of the American self-image. We see the concept of selfless service to country without ambition as foolish; one must take what is yours or have it taken from you.
This attitude, coupled with the loss of the art of compromise where everything must be a zero-sum success, led to a generation of politicians who see remaining in office as the goal. The epitome of success is getting elected and clinging to that position at all costs. Legislative accomplishments or improving the lives of Americans are minor considerations. Such things are useful tools only as long as they insure continuity in office.
We are faced today with a Hobson’s choice. Any impartial analysis of the current course of American policy, practices, or discourse can only reach one conclusion. The time to stop this descent into a society torn asunder by our differences, racked by racial disparities, infected with the scourge of white supremacists, and diverging from embracing science with compassion is upon us. While Mr. Biden may no longer be the best and brightest, he at least is a reminder of our better angels.
Perhaps this can be the new beginning. Mr. Biden can remind us of the once vibrant future, what we have lost, and the generation of Kamala Harris can be the herald of a new course for America. Perhaps she can champion the call for a new generation to accept the torch.
We must resist the siren’s song of the past and turn our vision to the future.
“Come closer, famous Odysseus—Achaea’s pride and glory— moor your ship on our coast so you can hear our song! Never has any sailor passed our shores in his black craft until he has heard the honeyed voices pouring from our lips…”
The Odyssey of Homer
It is time for us to stop looking to the past for the solutions to our problems and embrace the brave new world.
______________________________________________________________________________ If you liked, or hated, this piece, let me know why. Comment, criticize, and share. While I have your attention, here’s some more for your entertainment.
In keeping with the need to woke the world. I give you, …
*****
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Everyone has a story to tell, let us help you share it with the world. We turn publishing dreams into a reality. For more information and manuscript submission guidelines contact us at info@jebwizardpublishing.com or 401-533-3988.
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