(#6337) trump interfering in our elections should put us all on guard!

      The fix if and when it comes this time will be through the postal service. Not delivery or pickup of ballots per se but in the who gets ballots to begin with. trump has issued an executive order which requires the postal service to have a master list of eligible voters and then for them to decide who gets a ballot.. By making the postal service more than a neutral delivery system, trump is trying to bypass our constitution which clearly articulates that only states can administer elections. It is obviously an end run around our constitution and should be quickly dismissed as unconstitutional. However with this current republican majority not supreme court the doubt level is raised significantly.
     This is just the latest attempt by trump to control who gets a ballot in our democracy. He could not get his voter suppression bill passed through a republican majority Congress. Which should tell you that even his bootlickers had a hard time with stomaching it. Everything trump is doing is to stifle democracy within our citizenry. He never proposes rules like a voting day national holiday. Or increasing the ease at which to make voting more attractive like a small bonus for anyone voting. His policies are always to make voting harder. I can say for sure that if voting is harder republicans are more likely to benefit. Which is not how democracy works!
     The courts are already getting lawsuits over his mail in voting end run and decisions should be forthcoming given the closeness to our midterm elections. In no universe can a president issue an executive order that supersedes our constitution. Yet we shall see with this obviously pro trump not supreme court. If this pro trump election fix is allowed to remain then we the people are in a desperate position. We will have to adapt but the odds increase in trump's favor of getting a voting outcome he wants instead of the voting outcome we the people want. Because they are both very different!

     

(#6336) The petty old child trump exposed!

      Where to begin with what trump said in his broadcast interview. I won't try too hard to interpret it as he allowed his emotions to leave us all with a true sense of his value. As to his mental state I have no doubt he believes what he says regardless of the logic he is missing. The interviewer tried to bring logic to his conversation but he could not absorb the fact of it. Instead he went straight to Ad Hominem. He is normally adept at diversion but what came across as personal attacks grew into a larger issue of mental incapacitation. His belief that many are crooked or stupid is his go to defense. A defense filled with narcissism, paranoia, antisocial traits, and projection.
     Instead of being engaging and confident of his vision, he lashes out at any and all who do not heap praise on him regardless of the cause and effect. The line between fantasy and reality is lost on him. He cannot entertain being wrong about anything. He can only prescribe his usual issuance of others out to get him. He showed all of us who were paying attention that he cannot carry on a tediously thorough conversation centered on one subject. As to simplicity he cannot do that very well either as basic questions are often deflected to his time worn talking points. What really stuck with me was his insistence that evidence of malfeasance with the 2020 election was everywhere without being able to give one example.
     For me his inability to give examples of his many times purported evidence of cheating from the 2020 election signifies that he is what he thinks and not what is true for all the rest of us. We live in a logic based system where truths and fallacies are determined in an argument based upon true premises. That is not how trump approaches what he thinks is true or not. His facts are processed inside his head and come out as his truths. He doesn't follow logical sequential reasoning. Which in all senses makes him illogical. Watching him in his true nature last night was revealing. Not only to me but to any other objective human being watching who uses logic to make sense of truth in the world.

(#6335) Under this time of trump paying off any and all of my debt is crucial for me

      It isn't just that trump is working overtime to make the lives of we the people more expensive but he is causing uncertainty as to our futures. The billionaire class is doing great under trump and trump sees that as what is best for all of us. Akin to trickle down theory which has never been shown to work. So as prices seem to stabilize at higher rates, the expectation for me is that prices will stay high even if relief from supply chain and tariff issues abate. All of this triggers within me an alarm to not take on any new debt but in fact reduce what debt I have. Even to the point of downsizing.
     My focus now is on necessities, not keeping up with modern advances. I will make do with what I already have and spend in ways that minimize additions and maximizes value. My main focus is however debt. I am almost debt free but not quite there yet. If I can survive until next May of 2027 I will be free from debt obligation. I will still have to work as a man in his seventies but that cannot be helped at this point. With no attention paid to the working middle poor class plight by trump and his republican stooges I do not expect any relief from inflationary strategies trump employs. I am not worse off than others who are just battling to put food on the table and my anger at trump for that is immeasurable.
     So for the next 10 or so months I will be as miserly as possible in hopes of removing the remaining debt I have. For me it is likely that our economy will be much worse for we the people and continue to grow for the billionaire class. Now in five months if we the people come out and vote like we should be doing we may stave off any further economic hardship by reversing trump policies favoring the wealthy and costing we the people. In the meantime however I would suggest to any who read this blog to tighten your belt and make yourself debt free as best you can. Those who are younger will find this hard to do since they have less options for necessities. Voting matters so vote in November if you really want more than just being under the thumb of the wealthy!

(#6334) The upside down world of trump

      No American president ever is as anti truth as trump is. He claims he is the physically fittest president ever to have been president plus the smartest. He has surrounded himself with yes people who are only there to echo his praises. He says our economy has never been better with low gas prices, low grocery prices and jobs for everyone. He claims that the world is so enamored with the success of America that we are the most admired nation on Earth. Nothing he sees looking out into his reality is as beautiful as is the world he has created. I have never heard him once take the blame for anything nor ever admit he has told a mistruth.
     A more perfect human being in his mind has not yet been created. Yet, logical reality is our world, and trump is in conflict with that. I am paying higher gas prices at the pump by nearly $2 a gallon. My grocery cart at the checkout line is less than half it's normal amount but the price is still the same. As to jobs, in his second term to date he has created about 650,000 jobs in the private sector while government jobs are minus 270,000. Which means trump has only created about 380,000 jobs. In Joe Bidens first 15 months he created 8.3 million jobs. As to the world being enamored with him he is obliviously backward. The world is embarrassed for him and are moving on without his American leadership as they are able. That is not the action of staunch allies who welcome him with open arms.
     What he is still very adept at is bullying. He can manipulate the forces that should be reporting truths into omitting truths. He has weaponized our federal government in ways that serve him and not the American people. What he has done is warp reality with all his efforts to support his and only his agenda. A more miserable creature may have existed but not as our president. With five months until the midterm elections we are at his mercy; less any growth of spines in the majority republican legislative branch. As to how to exist until the midterms I can only offer this. Fight back any way you reasonably can and don't give up until we have neutered his power!

(#6333) When we support Ukraine we support democracy!

      If you are unclear about what democracy is let me give you a quick reminder. Democracy is about the power of government in the hands of we the people. In our democracy we elect from we the people representatives to administer our vision. We are not told how to live we direct our representatives to pass laws making our lives better. That is the difference in say Russia where the tyrant putin directs his people's lives to fit his vision of what they should be. So when our president here sides with putin then know that he is not siding with democracy!
     It is not a secret that Ukraine is fighting for democracy! That is their number one objective! So when Russia invades them because Russia doesn't want Ukraine to be democratic the obvious choice of all democracies is to align with Ukraine and stop Russia from interfering in their national matters. Yet some democracies like ours here in the States have decided to play both sides. Our current American administration is linked to Russia through what I will describe as questionable personal relationships. The fact that the leader of our democracy puts his own considerations ahead of our nations is not only unethical and dishonorable to his oath but alarming in political, social, and economical gravity!
     What trump is showing is that he didn't want to win our presidency out of some greater honorable good. He instead wanted to win our presidency so that he could accomplish his own desires. We the people are not his guide as we should be, instead we are his tools for his purpose. Which is the exact opposite of what his position has traditionally demanded. I have felt all along that trump only desired the presidency out of some disjointed idea of his own worth. His intent is not to improve the health of our democracy. His intent is to lessen our democracy. As he takes away our policies of helping we the people, we become more like his buddy putin in Russia. That is the point I think!

(#6332) The war criminal triumvirate of netanyahu, putin, and trump!

      Imagine for a moment that all three of these brutally abnormal human beings were removed from their positions of power. I can see a Russia where the idea of democracy is given room to grow into a life affirming reality. Where the people of Russia control their own destiny and pursuits of no harm happiness. I can see an Israel that will finally stop being aggressive and give the Palestinian people their voice back. It may be harder there in the middle east because of the historic distrust on both sides but perhaps if a large peacekeeping force were available then that would help both sides find the space to logically communicate.
     We here in America need our current administration to change. We have a few processes for it and this November will be an opportune time to implement some significant change. Unless fate intervenes we won't be able to remove our current president until 2028, However, we can nullify the time until then after this next election in November. All three of these mentally challenged leaders are right now in jeopardy from different forces of considerable pressure. All three have broken trust with the international community with the deaths of innocents through illegal means. So all three are subject to international treaties that will arrest and prosecute them should they enter into their jurisdictions.
     All three are in precarious positions. In Russia the invasion of Ukraine is backfiring on putin as it ethically should. In Israel the devastation netanyahu is applying to Gaza and Lebanon is horrific and undoubtedly has fomented many attempts of reprisals. Here in America, the deaths of American protestors and international civilians is grave and piling onto the other many criminal enterprises this president has made possible. The end of all three from holding power is my hope for the world before I leave this existence and hopefully it will happen within a very short time period. Our world needs leaderships that put we the people and the health of our planet above all other considerations.

(#6331) We won't now the outcome of the final votes for California's primary for several more days

      As is the usual scenario in California, about 50% of the vote comes in on election night. After that small percentages are added each day for about 10 days. So we get an inkling of how the vote share is distributed among the candidates but nowhere near enough to make a call on too many races. However the trend is always that the later votes still being counted trend overwhelmingly democratic. So any lead from the counting on election  night by a republican is in jeopardy. Which is the case in several congressional races and even the governor race.
     The republican candidate for governor holds a slight lead for now but as the votes come in I expect that Becerra will quickly overtake the republican's lead and the other democrat Steyer will begin gaining on the republican. Will Steyer gain enough to pass the republican? We don't know yet but depending on turnout he could well do so and give democrats both candidates for governor in November. To me though that is a bit of a reach. However trying to figure out how this will end up is more a fool's errand than just waiting to see the final tally of votes. Personally, I want to see both democrats in the final race because they both will contrast and compare with each other.
     If that scenario of having 2 democrats in the final election were to come about the citizens of California will be the ultimate victors. If the republican makes it to the final then know that his defeat is assured and gives we the people of California no compromising function for the democrat to adjust his position as needed. The republican party is not offering the people of California solutions that help us all so their attendance in the final is moot. With 2 democrats in the final I can see a honing of positions to attract we the people of California's votes. A win/win with 2 democrats in the final race. It may be wishful thinking but let's see the rest of the vote first.

(#6330) Primary election day in California!

      Most of us older Californians are aware of this but it seems that many in the age group of 18-34 are not as keen to the event today. Why I don't quite understand since what happens today is going to be a big determining factor of their futures. I don't really think it is apathy as much as it is understanding the significance of everything. The whole of politics can be confusing but it really isn't. All of us need to just allow our best instincts to guide our choices. We all do make choices whether we actively choose or just let our choices be made for us. It is always better to make your own choice as you are not just another cog in the wheel you are a real human being.
     Some of us can speak our minds about our choices and defend them whenever needed. Others are less sure so remain silent about our choices. Either to not vote or vote they would rather keep the choice a secret. I get that because for one no one likes to argue over politics. As well no one likes to lose friendships when in conflict with popular opinion. However, let me give some wisdom on that front. If your hopes and dreams are being downplayed out of a fear of losing friendships then that isn't a real friendship just more like a convenient one. If it breaks apart due to your choice that suits your pursuit of happiness then break it up!
     Not only have I given up friendships, I have given up family! Just because of relationships that have spanned some time are of value that does not mean they are relationships worth diluting our lives to keep. True friendships are not built on coercion, duress, or manipulation, they are built upon us being uniquely individual and respected as such. I always vote my heart and mind because it makes sense for me and in the bigger picture makes sense for every one else just trying to pursue no harm happiness. For those who disagree with me I accept that and move on without their company. Life is not what we are herded to do, life is us making it better for ourselves and the next generations; and for them to make it more perfect for the next generations after them.

(#6329) The continual spiraling of trump

      The great hope for me is that trump's health keeps deteriorating at an increasing speed. I am sorry to have to say that about any human being but in trump's case the term hardly applies. His characteristics on a physical plane appear to be human but not on a mental plane where he drives his ego driven agenda without hesitation. His total disdain and lack of care for all of us is beyond heartless, it is also cruel in that it is strategic. He has a basic indecency about him that is part of his DNA. His lasciviousness and appetite for satisfying his most craven desires is just normal for him. He has a warped entitlement chromosome that he is unable to suppress or quell.
     Thus me watching with hope that his biological existence continues to follow the natural order of cradle to grave. The other incomplete soul I would like to add is putin, however putin is not showing the same physical aberrations as trump. But for now I am I am at least feeling the silver lining that trump is going to be no more sooner than later. An inspiration is what I actually feel as a sensing. It is not typical of me to find delight in this but like I say, it is not a natural phenomenon within me but for trump and later putin the exception is most welcome. I only come to this when all else to use logic and compassion have failed. In trump's case failed miserably as many continue to suffer and die at his vacuous whims!
     His 80th birthday is in 13 days so in his mind he will most likely survive to bask in that numerical achievement. But afterwards having reached his goal where is his next big inspiration coming from? I think he is striving hard to make it to his birthday and then naturally he will feel the letdown afterwards. Which is when I think his physical deterioration will become a greater issue. If he survives the summer I will be surprised as his ailments are many and his ability to stave them off become more limited. What disgusts me most about rooting for his demise is my contentment of the rooting. However, I have found a logic that lets me suspend my own humanity in order to preserve as much as I can the humanity of others who are not choosing to harm as a rule like the callous trump!

(#6328) If not for Ukraine trump would have given putin Alaska by now!

      When Ukraine fought back against what seemed like insurmountable odds they were not just trying to protect their own sovereignty they but as some luck would have it they ended up helping protect the US from trump. If an emboldened putin was to have secured Ukraine then the world would be different today. With the hold putin has on trump there is no doubt in my mind that trump would have ceded Alaska to putin as a bargaining chip to stay in putin's good graces. Let me be clear here, trump is no lover of our democracy. In fact trump is only in politics to secure treasure and stay out of prison.
     I also believe that Greenland would be under trump control as a this for that with putin. Two superpowers trading land masses without the consent of any one. Surely NATO would have been unprepared for a trump deception. It is only because Ukraine fought back and after 4 years is actually holding their own has NATO been able to readjust to any scenario trump will employ as a deceptive act. If Ukraine had folded at the beginning, the Russian enthusiasm for more territory would have gobbled up a few more Eastern European nations. In my mind the heroism of Ukraine is the lynchpin that has preserved democracy both here in the US and the world at large.
     As to Russia, they are neutralized now as to any dominance they might have attained. We here in the US are still far more vulnerable to trump although his power has been waned not by the supreme court so much but by lower courts who have held democratic principles higher than trump demands. We can see the frustration coming from trump as his plans to secure gaudy wealth has been curtailed although not stopped. His ambition to be a tyrant is still smoldering within him but he cannot understand how to make it happen given the few checks and balances we have that still operate under our national constitution. If not for Ukraine and their amazing sacrifice to democratic principles our reality today would be a living nightmare worse than a sleeping one!

(#6327) The writing is on the wall for 4 California democratic candidates for governor.

     Their names will be on the ballot for governor but 4 democratic candidates are not in the running for the top 2 spots. The latest polling has been consistent in showing 3 candidates with a good chance of making the final 2 for the general election ballot. All others are not in contention this late in the process. Voting has been under way for a couple of weeks and will culminate on June 2nd. That is 3 days from now. I am all for ambition to make a difference in our society but sometimes that difference is recognizing the reality around us with a clear mind. The 4 democratic candidates that are not in contention should bow out of the race and endorse one of the remaining democratic candidates.
     Their name will still be on the primary ballot but they will be doing the democratic party a favor in that making sure a democrat is on the general election ballot come November 2nd. By not halting their runs they are siphoning what votes are left away from the more popular democratic candidates. This only helps the republicans who still have 2 candidates in the race. The top 2 vote getters move on to the general election regardless of party. So in theory the 2 republicans could be in the final election if the vote is split badly between the remaining 6 democrats.
     Which is why it is important today for the 4 democratic candidates who are not going to get into the top 2, Porter, Mahan, Thurmond, and Villaraigosa to drop out quickly and endorse their preferred remaining democratic candidate. The point of what the 4 are doing has been made but any further consideration to continue is counterproductive and inherently unwise. We need leaders who understand what leading is and not just a blind ambition against wisdom, no matter how noble their intent. This isn't about any one person, this is about all of us! So if the 4 would just realize that jeopardizing the governorship of California out of one's own self ambition is abominable they would immediately stop their campaigns and endorse their most preferred rival.

(#6326) I am sorry to say but I don't trust voting machines anymore!

      For me, if it isn't a paper ballot with an identification number on it I just won't trust it. Sad to say in our technology age but it has increasingly become a doubt that electronic voting cannot be hacked and changed. Electronic voting is too complicated for me to be assured that it is secure. With a paper ballot I can take a picture of it with my marks including the ballot number to be assured that I could prove my votes if needed. With electronic votes cast I don't know what happens to them after I leave the voting booth. If the voting booth would print out a copy or summary of the votes cast then I would be less in doubt as to their security.
     However, the ballot in hand with a picture taken of it is still for me the only secure option. Our world is so entangled in power grabs that nothing can be left to trust if we cannot audit or verify in some fool proof way. What we have here in California and surely other states as well is a tracking method for our mail in ballots. I take a picture of my ballot and the state also informs me when the ballot reaches the county elections office and its addition to the verified received tally. The California Secretary of State administers the election process so we Californians are assured that our ballots are safe. If I knew more about voting machines and the security they should have maybe I wouldn't be so skeptical of them but I am not assured at this time.
     With all the way electronics can be manipulated it just makes good common sense not to trust new technology over time honored hand filled out ballots. It takes no time at all to fill out a ballot and follow the steps to assure the ballot is mailed in accordance with procedures. There is even free mailing for the envelope. It is my fear that as with other times when electronic voting was used that some were assured of the results before they came in. Now I know confidence is one thing but smugness with it is a bridge too far for me not to be suspicious. There are too many. with too much on the line who not only own the electronic machines but also those who engineer them to not suspect that they could in some nefarious way make changes to votes cast on their machines. I know it sounds conspiratorial but the stakes are too high for me to take a chance thus the hand filled out ballot, picture taken, and then the mailed ballot with tracking is for me.

(#6325) We need to get our evolving more perfect union back from republicans!

      It is do or die for democracy in the next five months. I am not saying this as hyperbole. All of us have been shown by the republican party how fragile our democracy was before they began abusing it. We took for granted that all Americans wanted democracy and would protect it with resolve. Well we see now that not all Americans are as patriotic toward the idealistic intent of our foreparents about our national constitution. These anti democracy outlaws are well ingrained in the republican party. So when the voting time comes and there is no rigged election through musk/republican intervention, the outcome has to be an overwhelming denial of all that is trump and his bootlickers.
     Even if a musk/republican intervention takes place we the people must be like Hungarians and come out every one of us who is eligible to vote and vote for every democratically aligned candidate on our ballots. So two things must occur in our coming midterms. One and two, the turnout has to be the largest ever by percentage and total votes cast in American history. There has to be such an overwhelming turnout as to leave no doubt as to what the results will be. Leaving practically no room for voting manipulation that could pass credulity. When we all vote and raise our voices there is no room left for cheating. If cheating does take place then we the people will know it and respond accordingly.
     We see how trump's republicans operate the governmental machinery so there is no illusion about their intent to stay in power. The response we the people make is our choice to define our destiny not trump and his goons. This five month window is our most critical time to decide. Do we save our democracy or do we allow the worst of what humanity has produced to have his way with us? Nothing in our lives is of any greater importance than casting our vote in the coming midterm election. I will say it again, NOTHING! However the alarms by me and so many others have been ignored. Which is why we are in this apocalyptic chaos. We the people just need to vote so we the people can preserve our democracy!

(#6324) Some people in Russia feel about putin like I feel here in the States about trump!

      I truly am a forgiving soul when it comes to people who are horrible human beings. I am no monster as to their existence as a rule. Yet there are certain types who trigger the worst in me as to having no mercy for their behaviors. They earned my absolute no care by not stopping being horrible human beings. There are two currently who are leaders in the world who have made my soul change from being forgiving to them being dead to me. I will shun and dismiss some from my life for their uncaring behavior toward other human beings. But when they harm and destroy with impunity then it is when my soul turns away and a darkness descends where my care should have been.
     Both putin and trump get nothing but hatred from me. They both deserve my hatred as I only unveil it as a final defense mechanism to protect mine and others' lives. Both are also not worthy in my mind of another breath in this existence. At this point I don't question the how and why of their mental disease, that is for others to diagnose. What I do wait for though is their demise. That is not easy to admit but I would be lying if I said otherwise. I know that for justice to prevail we need to have a fairness and currently our form of government is failing us on that process. So me just hoping that fate or karma will have their way is about all I can hope for at this point. Me hoping for death is not a good healthy option but here I am.
     In a democracy all are welcome to participate but when some harm as their participation then a response is required if the democracy is to survive. In these two cases when justice is not served then a greater justice beyond our societal norms is required. Our lives are so intertwined with each other that the pain of one is often felt through the fabric of our environment. As one hurts we all hurt and that cannot be allowed to continue when we are not yoked to the pain. I am not red eyed and lusting for vengeance but that is still an option should everything else fail. Both putin and trump could just stop their terror and I would find that as a saving grace but realistically that at this point isn't even close to a likely possibility.
     

(#6323) I am not willing to give up civilized society!

      One of the things I will fight like crazy to preserve include keeping our civilized society! I actually am proud that most of us understand the social contract we implicitly expect. Within our civilized society are our human rights to do much more than exist. We have autonomy over our own existence and although we don't give women that more complete explicit right as of the moment it is one of the rights I will be willing to fight to bring about. When I say fight for I mean actually throw punches if necessary. There are too many out there who believe they can control our rights with their power. I won't accept their diseased egoism!
     As a human being I have hopes and dreams that stir me to action and emotion. Yet my ability to maintain my own space and keep my intentions within boundaries of acceptable behavior is paramount to being civilized. I have no deserves nor want any. I don't dream or hope for advantages that aren't the same for everyone. I just want to live my life in a way that has purpose and opportunity. So should we all have such ambitions. Not the ambitions that harm or marginalize others for gain. So as we all here in the States contemplate our reality we should remind ourselves that we are better than what we currently have choking around our necks.
     The failure of the right wing political machine to maintain virtue and honor as principles is disheartening and as well alarming. We cannot count on the noble logic of truth and facts to guide us when the republican powers that be can only formulate within the framework of gaining more power. Gone is the illusion of their care and wonder. It is replaced with a decivilized concept of displacement and condescension. There is no honorable pride in their achievements only gain for some and waste for all the rest of us. How we tear out the roots of this uncivilized growth is still to this writing an ambiguous process without a method. Such is where we are in trying to maintain our civilized society!

(#6322) trump cannot run for a 3rd term!

      The 22nd Amendment to our Constitution states that only two full terms or less can be held by any person in the presidency. So even if trump were to fulfill his 2nd term to completion he would not be eligible to run for president again. We have heard so much talk about him being in office in 2032 but that is just nonsense. A constitutional amendment cannot be changed without 2/3rds majority vote in each chamber of Congress, and ratified by 38 states. The 22nd Amendment cannot be overruled by the supreme court either. So for trump to think he can run again in 2028 is just another delusion or fantasy he is living under.
     If he wants to overthrow our government then he can claim to be a king but he will never legally be able to run for president again. Now there are, in theory, some scenarios where trump could force himself back into the office of the presidency. The republican supreme court majority could rule that the 12th Amendment wouldn't cover a 2 term president running as a vice president and then inheriting the job due to an unforeseen or not incapacitation by the person who actually won the presidency. That would be a gross injustice of the intent of the 22nd Amendment of our Constitution which is to limit any person from being elected president for more than 2 terms.
     Another theory being considered is for trump to be voted in as Speaker of the House since he wouldn't need to be a Congressperson and then the two candidates for president and vice president resign thus allowing the Speaker to become the president due to line of succession rules. Again this theory butts up against the intent of the 22nd Amendment, Even the loyal republican majority on the supreme court would be hard pressed to logically explain their break from the intent of the 22nd Amendment. If the supreme court would hold trump eligible for another term in the presidency then the backlash facing trump, our constitution, and the courts legitimacy, would be a chaotic crisis never witnessed in modern American times.

(#6321) Most all of us want a better future not what trump and his ilk is giving us!

      I am a firm believer that the pursuit of happiness is a right under any governance. If we, all of us humans, are not allowed to pursue our happiness then we are not free human beings. Of course our pursuit of happiness cannot be a harm to others. But most pursuits of happiness do not harm others as a rule they just satisfy our own purpose with honor and noble intent. Why anyone would attempt to deny people a pursuit of happiness speaks to their own failings as a human being. These such people should never be allowed positions within our self governance. As is historically clear, life is not eternal. So living up to the hopes and dreams we individual and collective humans aspire to is our true destiny.
     When I look around me in various parts of the world I see too many who do not ascribe to the pursuit of happiness unless only for themselves. These such humans do not need to be in charge yet too many of them are in charge of different societies on our planet. The process of governing is still chaotic within this current time frame but the evidence of it is clear and prime for being addressed. We have the technology and ability to understand the difference between leaders who put people first and leaders who put themselves first. It is unmistakable the difference between the two and no amount of confusion nor chaos can keep us blinded to that fact.
     None of us needs to be a political scientist to understand the difference between a caring leader and a dismissive one. We just need to be attune to our own honorable and ethical meters. Good people do good for all people. Not good people only do good for themselves and/or their necessary conscripts. Like I said you don't need to know a lot of complex theory to realize good from not good. Being honest with ourselves is the first step toward finally getting to our pursuit of happiness. A purpose of happiness that brings joy and accomplishment in its service. Living the better and best lives we can should not be contingent upon the whims and fantasies of leaders who are nowhere as good as the rest of us!

(#6320) We must push harder...

      Those forces in the world that need to end are not going anywhere unless we make a greater effort. They have  no conscience. They only know brute force! Now they will go to any length to apply brute force to keep their privileges and advantages. So we who are not them must move from our civilized efforts into aa realm of not anything goes but more than what we are currently doing. We are not them nor should we practice and exemplify their methods. However we are not strong enough to usurp them without a strength beyond our own individual ability. Collectively though we do have enough strength and now is the time for summoning up the courage to apply it!
     If you hold dear our constitutional democratic republic then you must move past either your ambivalences and nodding approvals and get in the streets with the rest of us. There cannot be only a small percentage of us willing to lay it all on the line for all of us! There has to be all of us willing to lay it on the line for all of us! The time is now for we the people to act together! There will be no tomorrow or another day to fight if trump and his republican bootlickers retain power after the midterms. You may think we are doing enough with the evidence of a continued blue wave election but there are nefarious tricks and deceptions ahead that will nullify our one person/one vote reality unless we all act!
     We the people cannot go about our lives going forward like nothing is wrong and everything is okay. It isn't okay nor will it ever be if we the people do not combine our efforts to put an end to the manipulations of republicans to twist our society into a hateful, fearful, poverty stricken, uneducated, third world country. In case you have been living under a rock, the republican party has no policies to better the lives of the working middle poor class. Yet they do want to start wars, decrease work opportunities and allow epidemics to flourish among us. A simple recipe for extinguishing us under the guise of class genocide. If you are not ready to commit to fighting for your very freedoms and liberties then maybe you better have a think about whether you deserve human rights!

(#6319) Of course trump spins that he will be in our White House in 2032

      For those of us who have been sounding crazy to you all these years warning about trump this is just another example of what we have been trying to tell you. He believes that the con he has spun on the rest of you is so strong that he can now do whatever he wants. He is incapable of admitting truths only ultimatums. If you still think he is just trying to piss democrats off and really isn't staying beyond his constitutionally mandated 2nd term limit, then why is he so adamant about building the ballroom with of course a bunker beneath it? He knows putin has one in the Kremlin and that allows putin to remain in power when he is under siege.
     I am no genius but even I can see far enough into the future where he has his not supreme court rule that the 22nd Amendment to our constitution is void. It is the one that sets the limit for serving as president to two elected terms. Instead of being honored to serve our nation as president trump is only interested in remaining in power until he finally does die. For a couple of reasons obviously. First because he is a narcissist who feels like he deserves to be a ruler and secondly because when he does leave office which he won't let happen, he will be tried for his many crimes and spend the last years of his life in courtrooms and prison.
     When many of us heard this yesterday our retorts back included never! If trump was trying to demoralize us with his ambition to be in the White House in 2032, he did the opposite. His negativity among us is already abysmal but now it is even worse as we the people are even more determined to stop him. When the boiling point of our anger spills out then will he be sure that he is no longer worthy of the air we all breathe. He has done this to himself with all his decisions to treat human beings as his servants or cannon fodder. He has no bunker now nor an east wing of the White House. He got no funding for it either yesterday. He may think he is going to be president in 2032 but what most of us know is that given his penchant to disrupt we the people he may not even be president next year.
     

(#6318) Unless billionaires like bezos are raising wages they can shut the fuck up!

      Let me say this much, there are some, not many, but some billionaires who are trying to do the correct thing about the disconnect between our government and it's democratic principles. But there are still way too many who are either silent or complicit in trying to deceive we the people into believing they are worth their enormous profits at our expense. Since 2009 the federal minimum wage has been at $7.25 an hour. Here let me say that again, since 2009, the federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour. We democrats have not been able to convince republicans that they need to help us raise it to match current price increases in those last 17 years.
     No one in their right mind thinks $7.25 an hour is fair at this point but you will hear republicans defend the current rate nonetheless with very pretzeled illogic. Knowing this background about the federal minimum wage it is easy to see why bezos offered his opinion about the lower half wage earners not having to pay federal income tax. First, bezos and his ilk have been  notorious about killing union talk and efforts at Amazon. Secondly he pays his employees less than livable wages. Thirdly the idea that not paying federal income taxes sounds initially like a good idea here is the reality. When we don't pay our taxes governmental good and services become more difficult to fund. The common good of government in effect shrinks, which has been a lifelong goal of republicans.
     When the lower half of wage earners are not contributing to federal taxes it is easy for republicans to argue that we are not part of the common good but just moochers. Opening the door to disenfranchising us later with other nefarious intentions. All the while bezos and his ilk keep making profit hand over fist. What we the people need to do is instead force billionaires to raise pay to meet living standards and we the people continue to fund our government through being taxed. That is how our society will heal itself when the billionaires aren't able to kill our government and they are forced to compensate their workers fairly. Anything else like this latest childlike ploy by bezos to make himself and other billionaires look like decent folks is just hogwash!

(#6317) So trump still controls republicans but democratic turnout remains high!

      The incumbent trump kept his grip on the republican party and what that means going forward. The democrats kept surging in turnout and what that means to trump. First off let me say right off the top that trump is the incumbent but he is also an incompetent. He forced a strong opposing Kentucky republican from an election while also endorsing a miserable senatorial candidate in Texas. I felt going into this primary election last night that trump would come out of it with some wins and losses. But I didn't think he would make Texas so vulnerable to the democratic blue wave.
     Despite the outcomes last night the general election is being set for an unconventional outcome. Democrats are encouragingly enthused to get out and vote while republicans are much less so. Even in states like Texas and Georgia the democratic turnout has been invigorating to behold. There can be better turnout numbers for democrats and that is still a work in progress but nevertheless well done to this point democrats. With republicans their enthusiasm is not encouraging. They are infighting over morals, ethics, economic issues among others and the lack thereof which is a physical and emotional downer for them. Many of the previous republican voters are scuffling to even cast a ballot.
     The republican party is not a majority party with voters, even though they have achieved majority rule. Despite the cause of their manipulations, they are not an attractive alternative to objective voters. Which signals a decline as time goes by and with a resurgence of appreciation for liberal/progressive policies the democrats are reaping the benefit of the chaos of the republican party. So trump can wrest a stronger grip onto the republicans but the rest of us are just as determined to end his reign of bullying and deception. We the people of America have decided that the only way to end the republican crippling of our democracy is to show up and out at the voting booth and that is still happening with just five and a half months to go before the next general election.

(#6316) Big day today for primary elections in the US.

      Today will give all of us a new data point for seeing how the blue democratic wave is faring. Will it continue to drive turnout for democrats? There will be enough elections around the country to see if indeed the trend to drive democrats to the voting booths is still with momentum. The republicans on the other hand are fighting amongst themselves over their degree of loyalty to trump. There focus has been intraparty politics not inclusionary ones. It is a strange dynamic where one party, the democrats are reaching out to all citizens for inclusion and the other party, republicans. are not interested in what the majority of Americans want or need from their candidates.
     I know the trump administration is arrogant and condescending but how can they not know that outreach is their only hope to win if they don't work to achieve it? My guess is that they don't know or don't care because something else is afoot. I will continue to support the concept that the trump administration still thinks that the average American still supports him and he doesn't need to press them or encourage them to continue that support. Anything beyond that would be nefarious and even though I wouldn't be surprised by such an eventuality I mostly doubt it. So tonight will be a snapshot going into summer just how the mood of the nation has evolved.
     There will be two narratives I will be waiting to see. Will democrats and independents supporting democrats continue to turnout in record numbers; and will republicans oust the most vocal against trump and instead install more trump friendly candidates. With democrats and like minded independents the continued growth in voters actually voting is huge if the trump administration is to be curtailed. The greater the turnout for democratic friendly voters the better chance the republicans will be reduced into the minority in Congress. As to the republican purging of anti trump candidates, I suspect it will occur but with mixed results. Either way with republicans though they will not have much luck come the general election in November if the democratic blue wave is still riding high!

(#6315) The not supreme court may have to put up or shut up!

      So the redistricting case from Virginia that the not supreme court didn't bother to rule on had one argument to it that said the voting, vote by mail, had already begun so the process for allowing the redistricting vote to stand was nullified. That was a big piece of the Virginia not supreme court to rule the vote illegal. Our US not supreme court obviously found no contradiction with that part of the ruling otherwise they would have heard the appeal and made a ruling on it. So now in Louisiana with early vote by mail already in play, and part of the election halted, the high court may have to hear this case where the Louisiana redistricting of a black district into a diluted one was done after early voting had already started. Exactly like in Virginia.
     Do you stop Virginia democrats and the will of it's people and then allow republicans and their political leaders a pass on a point of contention? The chief justice roberts has said that the court is not political yet contrary to his statement that is all the court appears to be. Even now the republican justices are now refusing to recuse themselves from cases they are integrated with and more so now are using false data to justify their votes. Most all of us already know that the court is biased so proof of it is just another justification for knowing their bias. We can't do much about it now as the political power is resting solely in republican hands. But time is on our side. There will be an election in November and the outcome will surely shock republicans!
     Until then though the clusterfuck chaos in Louisiana will have to be dealt with judicially. We will see the US not supreme court either pretzel more illogic or come back home to sanity. Either sanity by choice or resignation, sanity it will have to be if they want to preserve any credibility. If not then the democratic wave election 2028 will for sure have an expansion of the court by 4 more justices. It is my hope that beginning in 2026 and culminating in 2028 we the people, through two huge blue wave elections, are finally able to rid and prosecute republican politicians, justices, and donors who put party and nefarious acts first before the survival of our democracy!

(#6314) trump is using extrajudicial means

      The Justice department has always been independent of the presidency until trump! Now he is using it as his own attack dog on ordinary citizens and opposition political and social leaders. He truly is a tyrant in the making and the idea that it is acceptable to too many is enough to break with tradition. There cannot be any tolerance of the destruction of our democracy. As trump uses extrajudicial means so must those who will not let him triumph. He is not a democracy loving president, he is on the contrary a despiser of democracy because democracy allows one citizen one vote. The trumps want to end that!
     His ilk are of the mindset that anyone not rich, powerful, and republican, shouldn't be allowed to vote. He is a wannabe elitist who is so absorbed into his own mind that he cannot nor will not allow anyone to disturb his fictional reality. So he is now using the Justice department to round up those who he feels have slighted him without regard to the facts. He is out of control and those powers within the not supreme court that allowed it are as culpable. The midterm elections are coming and trump can see the writing on the wall. So he is amping up his terror campaign within our society so as to keep us from denying him his current control in November.
     What is our recourse? For the most part the lower courts have been stalwart in denying trump complete control of our society but they are often undone by the not supreme court. The legislative branch is also majority republican and as such mostly neutered. We the people have been the lone bright spot for our democracy as we have withstood the cruelty of trump to this point. But the stakes are rising and so it the pressure. Time is not on trump's side so he will increase his activities to crush the will of we the people. The exact opposite of what a democracy loving president would do. As trump applies more pressure on us so must our response be to him. The good of the many is greater than the ego loving good of trump in every reality imaginable!

(#6313) I will never stop fighting for democracy which is why I oppose trumps

      It has taken me a bit of sitting here at my desk to come up with some kind of topic today mainly because I am so tired. My mind and especially my body is worn down and there is little left in reserve. All I want to do this morning is sleep but not before I write a post. So it is about why I keep fighting and not just stop fighting and relax like nothing is wrong. My mind knows that our democracy is under assault here in America and the likelihood of it ending is greater than since the Cuban missile crisis. We Americans have allowed an incompetent creature who would rather be a king lead our nation and it is the destabilization intent of his agenda that is so dangerous.
     Obviously he could not do this alone which makes the republican party his accomplices. They allow for his acts and behaviors to go unchecked by our democracy guardrails. First off his republican coconspirators allow him to use our justice department as his own defense attorney. They allow him to usurp congressional oversight since both chambers of Congress are majority republican. His coconspirators or not just legislative they are also judicial. The current not supreme court is majority republican and I will add heavily majority republican. So much so that they don't recuse themselves when in conflict with decisions they make and they use faulty data to defend their twisted arguments.
     None of this is secret or new. We who will remain objective know what is happening and doing nothing about it is really not in my wheelhouse. So tired or not I will continue. What is refreshing and satisfying is that there are many more like me who are also tired to the bone but still fight like our lives depend on it. I know maybe not all our lives depend on it but I will say that all of our democracy does! The drip drip drip of water torture is how trump operates. He thinks he can outlast us with constant attacks on our democracy. He hopes to demoralize us to the point of resignation. What he doesn't get is that we who are being ground down are not going to reward him for his efforts. Instead we are going to keep fighting until his day of reckoning is at hand.

(#6312) There is no honor in letting trump play out his destruction!

     The bite the bullet concept may work with some things but not with trump! Allowing him to destroy our rights as we watch and do very little is to me dishonorable. I can only imagine that those who think of some greater good of our society is to let a petulant unfeeling creature such as trump have some leeway for his efforts is negate and degrade our natural, ethical, and moral will is a bridge too far for me. I know I am not alone in my thoughts about this but I will just use my own perceptions. His total disdain for anyone not as sociopathic and narcissistic as himself is evident yet the powers that be seem to be okay with it. Not all powers that be but too many who keep him in a safe harbor.
     If his "handlers" master plan is to try and control him and hope enough time runs out of his 4 year term then they haven't been paying attention. He will not go anywhere if his term is over. He has made that clear that our White House is really his shrine and no amount of arguing with him will ever change that. I can hear it now from his followers. He will leave when he is done. Yet they too are not being in reality. He is so obvious in his intent but one little word of fabrication from him fuels their no doubt about him meter. He is trying to build an opulent ballroom onto our nations capitol building for criminy sakes. He is going nowhere unless we put him out. I am even saying using force.
     So there is no doubt about his character, he cannot be shamed for any act he perpetrates. His narcissism is so ingrained that he is the epitome of righteousness as any person ever born. So it is left to we the people to change the direction of our nation if we are to survive the self idolization of trump. A big tell in that will come in November when the midterm elections should be held. If they are held and a resounding uprising against him occurs then so be it that will neuter his intent. If not then the last resort of we the people is us. We have to stop him at all costs regardless of the pain and suffering some or many will endure. All I know is that America is at a crossroads in November. What path will we be taking given our possibilities?

(#6311) Russia's desperation is showing about their invasion of Ukraine

      Previous to the all out attack on Ukraine by Russia in 2022, the world at large considered Russia as a formidable foe. What we didn't know back then that when Ukraine was part of the soviet union it was the true hidden power within Russia's mystique. Now after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reemergence of nations previously within the soviet sphere, we see nations like Ukraine for their real ability. Moscow had thought that Ukraine as a much smaller nation would be a cake walk enterprise to conquer again. What Moscow and the tiny minds in the kremlin didn't understand is that Ukraine is not just some rag tag outfit unable to think for themselves on the global stage.
     Today we see the brilliance of the Ukrainian people. Together they banded together their strength and minds to defend against the much larger Russian army and their leaders. Not only did previous to the 2022 invasion, in 2019, did Ukraine elect what turns out to be a master politician, they also got a fearless leader. With Zelenskyy at the helm, and his highly motivated colleagues intelligently dispersed to carry out the functions of state and military, Ukraine is becoming a force in the world few can replicate. Certainly not Russia and it's incompetent arrogance. Which is why after 4 years, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a quagmire of attrition for Russian blood and treasure.
     So much so that now after most of Russia's reserves are depleted they are trying to involve their allies. Russians already have North Korean soldiers fighting in Ukraine but are now trying to get Belarus to stage another attack on their northern border with Ukraine. By building up it's forces on the 600 mile border Belarus shares with Ukraine the threat is noticeable. Russia cannot break out from their stalled invasion so they are trying to divert Ukrainian forces to the northern border to weaken existing western border defenses. The Russian pawn Belarusian president lukashenko has so far been able to keep Belarus out of Russia's invasion of Ukraine but that may well be coming to an end. All I know for sure is that Ukraine will outsmart the simpletons in the kremlin no matter what desperation they attempt!

(#6310) Destroying things, then trying to fix them is not praiseworthy!

      In human history in my limited time, I have never seen anyone who breaks things, tries to patch them together again and then wants adulation for his effort. Never! So in that sense trump is a new experience for me. That he is in the position he is in our government is not a good reality. He is constantly putting we the people in positions of incredulity with his ego oriented ideas. He tears into our White House eliminating the East wing of it and then decides he wants an expansive ballroom as a replacement. First with private funds and now with taxpayer funds. He bombs Iran and then decides he can fix Iran. Yet all he got there was a closed Strait of Hormuz. We the world got higher gas prices for his in effect horrible idea.
     When asked if the American citizenry were part of his considerations in determining his actions with Iran he said no. Not one bit! He instead said that the only thing he thinks about is Iran not getting a nuclear weapon. Which they didn't have before he bombed them. They had already signed a nuclear deterrent agreement with President Obama. Yet because Obama signed the agreement trump tore it up and instead wanted to force Iran not to build a nuclear weapon with an agreement with his signature on the document. We the people are left with trump not caring about the consequences of his acts, he only cares about being idolized for his fascination with him being some sort of a demigod.
     If it isn't obvious that trump is using our federal government to harm us and promote himself then explain to me why he has eliminated our virus control safeguards. Why he has eliminated our extreme weather safeguards for hurricanes and tornados. Why he has vastly reduced food credits for the poor. Why he has reduced health care while increasing funds for his ice thugs. Women have lost federal rights of autonomy over their bodies. His medical advisor tells folks not to vaccinate themselves  nor their children. He sits in the White House and manipulates the stock market that only benefits him and his close confidants. His childlike need of put his name on money and/or public buildings or his picture on passports is the same fever he applies to the statues of himself where he can. Go ahead and tell me!

(#6309) What a mess republican voters created!

      First off the wealthy and republican political leadership are the ones who devised this plan to usurp our democracy and make the votes of we the people irrelevant! The blame for this idea is all theirs. However, they could not have implemented it without the consent of the republican voter. They were the key to activating this despicable strategy. Even now as the results are showing the obviousness of the destruction in progress they the republican voter are still either on board or ambivalent to the continuing process. It is as if they were conned into supporting the death of our democracy and now most are just shrugging it off as an oh well.
     What really disappoints me is that they don't seem to comprehend the effect they are causing. The loss of human rights to the many of us so that a few wealthy and republican political leaders can have way more than they should. The equation is so one sided that you would think the republican voter would say hey wait a minute we want more out of this arrangement, yet they don't even do that! They just quietly avoid the reality and continue on with their lives like nothing filthy is going on. Albeit some republicans are coming around as we see the polling and special election results raise some eyebrows. Yet overall, the outrage from their republican base is practically nonexistent.
     We democrats and independents for our part are trying to stand up to the republican powers that be but they are so ingrained and rule with majorities that our fight is difficult to say the least. What we need is what is left of the intelligent republican party to join us in bringing an end to the whole failed experiment. We do that through strikes and marches. We show an overwhelming sense of anger and tenacity to stop the further destructive processes trump and his conspirators devise daily. We say at any time and everywhere that we are not going to allow this to continue! When we do that we will begin to address where to start in cleaning up this unfortunate, unnecessary democracy threatening mess!

(#6308) According to republican leadership we the people of the working middle poor class are parasites!

      As technology continues to find ways to replace we the working middle poor class the giddier the republican party and their wealthy donors become. Because they are tired of all of us who are not wealthy and dog eat dog like them. They think of themselves as the privileged class with advantages as normal. The rest of us are for now a necessary burden for them. However long that lasts is still debatable but the truth of the republican party and their wealthy donors is that they see us as parasites. Leeches who take and give nothing back to them. For the republican party they are of the mindset that they are the only ones who deserve everything and the rest of us, for them, should just not exist anymore.
     What is the saving grace in this moment for the we the people of the working middle poor class is that technology cannot replace most of us as of yet. So the republican party will have to keep many of us around and believing their promises to us. What you have to understand is that their promises, of which historically they most always break, are just illusory. They still think of us as parasites while glad handing us to get our votes. Their hypocrisy is livable to them as they have a higher priority. Stay in power long enough to wipe out any opposition to themselves. Because they know that if we the people get our democracy back they will be summarily charged for high treason crimes.
     Now I will tell you why we the people are not parasites. Parasites attack like locusts, coming from another place to devour and destroy all that is good, We the people are not coming from another place. We are here paying forward with our taxes to set up a life of inclusion and safety. Parasites don't do that. Now lets look at the republicans and their wealthy donors and see how they align with parasitical examples. The current iteration of republicans and their donors want to come in and devour our economic security and destroy our national health care. They want to take what we the people have built for all of us and eliminate it as a safe harbor. That is parasitic behavior. So who is the real parasite here?

(#6307) Reality is settling in to ordinary Russians

      After all the bluster and threats from putin, we are now seeing the truth of putin's actions with Ukraine! As Ukraine is able to fly pretty much anywhere and attack Russia's military infrastructure, Russia is unable to stop the destruction. Russia's economy was already pretty bad with all the sanctions that caused dwindling supplies but now with electricity, natural gas, and fuel being interrupted the shock of the truth concerning invading Ukraine is clearly awakening Russian society. As if losing more than 1.3 million Russian lives in Ukraine wouldn't be enough, the recent onset of fear and the cost of living in Russia is becoming unbearable.
     The once untouchable putin is now in real jeopardy of being displaced. The propaganda can only work when there is enough confusion about reality. But now the propaganda is unable to fool as reality is front and center in most of ordinary Russian life. Burning fuel depots, burning military bases and equipment, air sirens all over Russia. Now we even see the usual mighty Russian May 9th parade spectacle as a shadow of itself. There can be no other explanation to the Russian people that their leader putin has failed to achieve his boasts. he said he would conquer Ukraine in 3 days. It has been 1,538 days since that boast of putin and there is no end in sight for a now improbable victory.
     Although putin said he would conquer Ukraine in 3 days he is now into his 4th year, 2nd month and 18th day with not being able to conquer Ukraine Instead Russia could well likely be defeated in their invasion. No one expects Ukraine to conquer Russia but reclaiming their land from the 2014 initial Russian annexation of their land is highly possible now. As things are currently going Russia may well have to cede back the land they stole from Ukraine and feel lucky Ukraine doesn't want more land from them! One mans ego, putin's, has done so much harm to Russia that they will be hard pressed to get back to where they were before the vain arrogance of putin cost them so much in blood and treasure!

(#6306) The republican plan is simple, steal districts!

      The republicans are winning the redistricting wars as of today. However those are just lines on a map. They are not votes! So how do we defeat the lines on a map? We show up and vote with every one of our like minded democratic and independent voters. We overwhelm the election with votes. After all, no district can be won without votes. Too often our American elections are decided with about 50% of eligible voters showing up to vote, and by the way at 50% the republicans usually do better than democrats. The reasoning is that republicans are much more reliable to vote in every election. Thus their minority often becomes the majority of the vote.
     We democrats and independents are less inclined to vote in every election. For myriad reasons but the outcome usually leaves us at the mercy of republican agendas. The only way we democrats and independents can regain majority representation is for us to understand that our vote, is the most important device we have in pursuing our happiness. When we democrats and independents vote with passion and determination we win big. With the redistricting now heavily favoring republicans we won't win as big as we could have but win we still will. If we vote, in record breaking numbers, the redistricting advantage republicans currently hold will easily be offset.
     The republican party doesn't have many more voters rallied to their agenda this cycle. Which means we democrats, who will align with a massive amount of independents, are on course to break the 60% to 65% voter share threshold. At that level we win big not only at the federal level but at the state level everywhere. We see the republicans, their wealthy donors, and their aligned public office holders doing their part to give republicans advantages they don't deserve. So the only way we the people will ever get our democracy back is for us to vote. We need to vote, every one of us. This coming election is our last hope to save our democracy so what other reason to not vote can their be?

(#6305) The republican party can go to he..

      Well the will of the people be damned when it comes to republicans. The conservative not supreme court in Virginia just handed down their verdict in the redistricting case they have been sitting on for the last 16 days. They struck down the vote on subjective reasoning that disfavored the will of the people of Virginia. Personally I figured that this case should have been decided almost immediately and when it wasn't I then figured that time was likely being paused so the court could try to find a way to discount the will of the people. This case has always been about the will of the people and the powers that be on the not supreme court in Virginia wouldn't let power slip back to we the people.
     Now that the dirty deed ahs been done to favor republicans what will we democrats do to ameliorate the act? We could appeal to the US supreme court but that is also discouraging as the conservatives on the national not supreme court cannot be trusted to consider the appeal objectively. Which really leaves only one option now. In previous elections the democratic party has only turned out about at most a little over 60% of our eligible voters. When we turn  out about 65% of our voters we do pretty good. We need to do more than pretty good this time. We need at least 80% or more to turn out all across the nation.
     If we get to that threshold of 80% or more and independents join us it won't matter how the redistricting of our national districts goes. The republican party will still be crushed by our huge blue wave! So from today forward we the democratic party must make our greatest mission going forward momentum to drive out our voting base! Every eligible voter must find the will and time to vote in these upcoming elections. From the remaining primaries straight into the general midterm election. There cannot be any reason for not voting! None! All of we the people who want to keep any semblance of our democracy alive will require all of us to vote no matter any obstruction or inconvenience!

(#6304) I am still amazed at our human being potential

      It is easy for all of us who live separately from others to think we know quite a bit. But once we are exposed to a larger group of folks we begin to see how much we don't know. On some issues we are very good at understanding and other viewpoints are less about new information and more about less logic. while on the other hand some of our conclusions are illogical and more about the easy comfort that brings.. Overall though, for the most part, most of the beliefs in our own understanding is less logical and in need of more input. Which is why the diversity of opinion is so important. We cannot discount thoughts by others simply because we think we have heard it all. Which here in the States seems to be a real problem.
     Most of us know what being ethical and honest is. Most of us know our own morality when it comes to our own behavior under the rule of law we live within. But what all of us don't know is everything. So we have to keep an open mind to ideas and opinions that at least jostle our own perceptions into an awakened state. When words on paper take on the form of three dimensions full of emotion and inspiration we are this transformed from who we were previous to who we just became. Words on paper from thousands of years ago suddenly strike deep within our hearts and minds as relevant to today. Our human being species is not perfect nor never will be but one thing we are absolutely is evolving.
     We may at times repeat history and it's often terrible outcomes but we also avoid what history has taught us and move to a different response. Our lives are more on a straight line than encaptured within a circle. We may take steps backward at times but we always return to move forward. The evolution of our current species started approximately 7 million years ago. About half a million years ago we controlled fire. We have been evolving to get to our current species since our beginning. With each step forward we are learning that there is much more we need to understand. Thus the beauty of our species. Never learning it all but always learning more.

(#6303) June 2nd is California's primary date

      What is happening in California's primary is that only the top 2 can move onto the midterm general election on November 3rd. It seems kind of crazy that with about a 2/3rds majority the democratic party may well be shut out of the general election. That is because there are still too many democrats vying for the governorship. Which dilutes democratic votes and gives republicans a real chance of having their only two remaining candidates left in the race a viable opportunity as the most vote getters come June 2nd. Today is May 6th and for the candidates who don't have enough time to surge anymore they need to drop out today. Then endorse a candidate with a real shot at making the top two in the primary.
     For me I am doing my part. I have my mail in ballot but will hold off until nearer June 2nd to make a choice. Hopefully by then the democratic field will be winnowed down to 2 or 3 candidates. I do not want to waste my vote if a candidate does not have a chance of getting into the top two. What each candidate must ask themselves is if their own personal ambition is greater than losing the governorship of California to a trump loving republican? I suspect that none of them does but they also don't want to give up on their dream. Well all but one of them will lose eventually so getting to that point where they see the best opportunity to drop out really helps the democratic party and we the people by extension should be the greater priority.
     If on the other hand none or just 1 or 2 drop out leaving democrats vulnerable to being shut out then those remaining will pay a price for that. Effectively ending their political careers and tying an albatross around their own necks. What happens if we the people have no democratic candidate on the ballot after June 2nd? What would need to happen is that the California legislature would need to pass a 2/3rds majority bill to allow for a write in candidate in the general election. If that happens then a grassroots effort in the name of one of the democratic candidates needs to begin and then despite 2 republicans being on the ballot the write in candidate will have an excellent opportunity to win the election.

(#6302) For whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee!

      I have been considering causse and effect lately more than usual. We have all seen the polling lately and it is going backwards in popularity for trump. Not that he would admit of course and that is another reason I see some hope on the horizon. He won't admit that he isn't the most popular person on the planet. Now if he could acknowledge reality then he would know for a fact he is if not the most unpopular person in the world at least in the top two, along with his pal putin. My hope stems from his inability to assess reality concerning his agenda to upset and unsettle our democracy. His ineptitude to me is the only thing keeping the many of us as yet safe.
     As morbid as this may sound another reason is his advancing age and the problems that accumulate with that advancing age. He is less his usual incompetent self and that is good for we the people in that he cannot sustain his dislike for we the people very long and is easily distracted due to obvious mental difficulties. So when I first thought about what this post was going to be about the bell tolls idea immediately popped into my mind. Of course Ernest Hemingway entitled his book with the phrase. But like all good literature it lives on past it's initial story. To me the bell is time ticking down on a creature too obscene to be called a human being. I know that is harsh but so is his dislike for we the people!
     In my own life I know that decisions I made back in my earlier life were eventually going to have a determination as to my time at the end of my life. We are all witnessing the effects of trump's decisions in his earlier life come full circle. He is decaying before our eyes and his time is tolling. What will he do to we the people before he can no longer punish us with his condescension? Will we be able to put the brakes on his final attempts to force his will on the rest of us? The answer is coming soon and I for one am ready to stand against any and all of his flailing throes no matter how much he desperately tries to grind us down like with a pestle and mortar!

(#6301) The underbelly of America is exposed with trump

      Most of us are not part of the underbelly but enough were fooled into supporting it for trump to come into power. So what does that tell me about the moral and ethical persuasions of not only the crass underbelly but those fooled into supporting trump? It tells me that the core of the underbelly is decayed. It has no honor or nobility to it. The decay is void of logic and common sense. Yet what it does have is emotion. Misplaced emotion but emotion nonetheless. The emotion takes the form of hatred and condescension backed by rhetoric. I cannot find logical sequencing with it is what I mean.
     For decades too many of these lazy souls did not want to learn for themselves. Instead they relied upon the voices on the right that seemed understandable to them. False arguments pitting some in the working middle poor class against others in the working middle poor class. These false arguments served to create chaos among we the people instead of where the real problems lay. At the feet of the wealthy and their republican political party. The wealthy and the republicans have had a long run in convincing the lazy learners in our society that everyone else is either a liar or a crook. For these lazy learners these stereotypes work as a backstop when they are confronted with their own inadequacies and cognitive dissonance.
     So trying to have a debate or civil argument with the lazy learners can never begin because the lazy learners do not accept the rules of logic as a common fact finding exercise. They dismiss evidence as false and their own opinions as fact. No bridge can span between the two opposing concepts. So all that is left to do is keep trying and hope that some within the lazy learners will evolve and/or just move on without them. Sadly it is what I have done personally as I have no more patience left when wasting my time over and over again. There has been one silver lining in all of this and that is that trump is so clueless in his administration that he exposes the the right wing viewpoints daily as illogical and false.

(#6300) If only this was the calm before the storm!

      For me, this time feels like a term used in baseball. The dog days of August. Where all the teams are weary from a lot of games played and the temperatures are hot to boot! This political climate is similar to me in that I am weary and it is still just May. We have 6 months to go before we can change the dynamic of this horrendous time. Then two months after that before we actually get to implement our change. The usual framework for our national politics is the candidates are well into their strategies for winning. Yet not this time when so much is still up in the air as to district boundaries all over the nation. The Virginia case as a prime example.
     As the high court there continues to mull a decision about the legitimacy of a vote to change district boundaries, the candidates are left in limbo. Where now also the United States not supreme court has opened the door to racial gerrymandering many republican states are now changing their district boundaries to exclude minority vote. To keep up with this advantage republicans sought, democrats must also consider changing boundaries so as mot to get bushwhacked by this republican abhorrence. Too many candidates for federal office are not even sure where or if they can run for office. The republican party has turned our natural election season into a clear clusterfuck! So no rest there!
     It is bad enough that trump spends everyday attacking the working middle poor class, minorities, women, old folks, children, our allies, and even his own supporters. I feel like everyday I am inside a clothes dryer on a cycle set to infinity! Yet I am a survivor! Whatever it takes to keep breathing and moving forward while keeping my honor and principles intact is my charge. Because each day I wake up and he is still punishing us is another day behind us that we have survived. He is running out of days to break us. Even though he is grinding us down as he can he is also grinding himself down from the sheer volume of his recklessness. I yearn for the calm to return. But it can't return until the time of trump is diluted or stopped.

(#6299) Our political future has to get greater than our sports teams.

      I know how tough it is to put anything above our sports that we follow with passion. I get it that not even our political future is as capturing as our hope for our teams to win win win! Yet in the big picture these teams we so fervently identify with are not really ours. They belong to very wealthy people who make money off of our devotion. It is difficult to see that way because of our investment of time and energy into a lifelong sense of a pseudo community ownership. Truth is I haven't been able to afford tickets to see any of my favorite teams for quite a long time.
     If it is difficult for me to prioritize expenditures on entertainment how much more difficult is it for those who have fewer resources than me? Which I presume is not a small circle of folks. Anyway, not so much about the cost of supporting my favorite teams is the cognitive dissonance of putting them above my and others' general welfare. Our politics is the most important element in our future. Politics decides which people live easy and which ones live hard. At the moment the ones living easy are the wealthy and the ones living hard are the working middle poor class. That dynamic is turned on its head as it should be the wealthy living less easy and the working middle poor class living a lot easier.
     We the people have allowed this to happen by not engaging in the priorities of the day. We listen to our favored speakers whether they speak truth to power or not. We tell ourselves that we are just one person unable to make a difference so we turn away from the struggle. We go about our day still putting the hopes we have for our sports teams on a higher priority than our actual day to day living. We don't consider as much the value we have to leave for our children so that when they are faced with horrible conditions in their lives they won't know how to fight back for a better world. They will only see that sport outcomes are more important than an honorable fairness in life.

(#6298) The longer it takes for the Virginia Supreme Court to rule on redistricting the benefit goes to Democrats!

      I, Like many, are every hour looking to see if the ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court on the referendum on redistricting voted on by Virginians last April 21 has been published. It to this moment has not. Oral arguments were last Monday, 4 days ago. There were several points of contention offered by the Tazwell judge so obviously each needs to be addressed. But that isn't all. There were other lawsuits filed by republicans that are being folded into how the final decision will be adjudicated. Simply corralling all the complaints and addressing all the concerns will take a bit of time. However, there is another factor at play here and that is timing.
     The longer it takes the Virginia high court to weave the logic of their decision the more the opportunity for the new maps from the vote to stand. Even if later they are found to be unconstitutional. The reasoning here is that there is a vote about to take place that affects each district in this case. So time is critically short to getting to a decision even though it takes time to get all of the contentions correctly cured. So as I wait for the decision to come I am not overly anxious because by default the outcome may well be a good thing for democracy if the wait time is extended.
     My sense is that the high court understands this as a factor and are diligently working to complete their task of ruling one way or the other. They may have already completed their decision and are just working out the textual nuance of writing it. Yet to get to a decision they would already have the general concept of their reasoning at hand. For me I am leaning toward them still not at a final decision because they have not incorporated all the available evidence they need to rule with wise intent. If it does seem to be the case that they need much more time they could well rule that the new maps apply for this 2026 election with a decision coming later as to any future election under the new maps.

(#6297) Our survival isn't about emotion it is about determination!

      Being afraid of what is happening now and what could be ahead isn't how I roll! Being resolved to keep an egalitarian society is my only focus! Admittedly, the setbacks are like a long lasting gut punch that lingers for too long in my soul. But again, I don't fear the gut punches I absorb them and categorize them into a compartment that stays out of my way. Because regardless of disappointment, Like someone who is forging ahead while taking direct hits from metaphorical bullets, I am white hot laser focused on an outcome that is greater than any fear or pain! Our opponents are unaware that the human condition is one of survival not acquiescence!
     Similar to what is happening in Ukraine. Ukrainians are willing to die for each other to obtain their egalitarian society. The verdict on that being the current American mission is still debatable which is unfortunate. Coalescing around each other for the greater good is the most honorable trait of an evolving species. That we human beings are still struggling for the greater good speaks to the rottenness within our species that not only still exists but is powerful enough to threaten our species survival. So me being angry is not the strategy, me being in the mindset of geared up and ready to start however is where I get to use my being and determination most successfully.
     When we the people have that calm but explosive steely eyed gaze when confronted is when I know we the people will prevail against any and all creatures of demented ambitions. We the people have to think of ourselves as the shield of human survival. Yet we are also the spear ready to march forward with a resolve that will only end when our opponents are vanquished. We the people are no different from our ancestors who also made choices to live with their heads held high. We the people when confronted must not get emotional. We must already be prepared to stare down our opponents with a determined, unwavering look of a species willing to die for our right to be freely exist!

(#6296) The Virginia Supreme Court redistricting decision hinges on one rather non complex interpretation.

      It has been 2 days now since the oral arguments in the Virginia redistricting court case. In essence there is one point the Tazwell judge made that is at the crux of his stopping the vote as unconstitutional. That being that two legislative sessions on either side of an election has not been met. He contends that the first legislative session didn't happen before the actual election was held. The republicans contend that since early voting had already started the definition of election had already begun. However, collecting votes that had not been tabulated for any candidate could hardly be considered an election. The actual date for electing was after the legislative session.
     Yet this Virginia Supreme Court is taking it's time in deciding if the Tazwell judge is correct or the fact that election day was after the legislative session. To me it is clear that the legislative session was held before the election. If the justices are trying to say that the process of the election is a mitigating factor then they are over reaching in that the word election actually assumes vote counting. Merely collecting the ballots early does not add one vote either way to any candidate until that vote has been counted. I would agree with the Tazwell judge if the votes were being counted but they weren't so the Tazwell judge was opining his own subjective definition on what constitutes an election.
     What is certain in all of this is that the Virginia Supreme Court will decide what an election means. As to their decision in practical terms they will either allow the vote to be certified or they will reject the vote for having violated a pretzeled logic they will provide. Either way the vote will be certified for this coming 2026 midterm election if the justices let it stand or for the 2027 cycle when another legislative session will be held. Redistricting will occur regardless, it is just whether it is this year or next that it comes into force. My personal opinion is obvious but as well obviously I am in no position to matter.
     

(#6295) The daily lies from the corruptible trump are wearing thin!

      I despise having to write anything about this creature trump but he is front and center in most of our lives. His deceptions, lies, and demented ambitions are a constant onslaught that we the people are growing very weary from being subjected. I for one am so very tired of having to spend every day either defending democracy on micro and macro levels from our own American government administration, as well as attack the lack of ethics this administration is without! I knew when he was first elected, trump would be a hot mess. But this second time was going to be even worse. Because he learned from his first time what to do for the second term and it is without the many restrictions he had the first time.
     There are no serious guardrails to keep him from his domination of our society. He has no intention of improving our society he only wants to control it. If you do not recognize this then you are his sheep just following along hoping he loves you. Spoiler alert! He only loves himself! Not his children, nor his wife, so certainly not the citizenry of our nation. I am finding that as each day passes I have to dig deeper within my guts to find the strength to keep fighting against him with all I am able to muster. I am only a single voice but a voice that knows his dishonorable intent. He doesn't fool me or many like me but what he does is try to wear us down with a continual series of abrasive discontentment.
     My best regeneration comes from the near future. My hope about actions we have taken, awaiting resolution, to deny the creature trump his intent. I think about elections that are nearing and hold tight to our combined resurgence to overwhelm him and his ilk at the ballot box. I listen to those who are rising up and speaking truth to power for inspiration. I gain extra strength in the knowledge that we the people are not his flock but instead a conscience he is incapable of possessing. We are the force of nature he cannot capture and in that we have him by the short hairs. We just have to maintain and grow our belief that he is not forever, just a blip in the big scheme of time. We will survive him and then we will reclaim the noble honor of which he has grifted too much from all of us!
 

(#6294) The Virginia Supreme Court will reverse the error by the Tazwell judge and reinstate the redistricting vote!

      After having reviewed the points of contention by the Tazwell judge, it is clear he is grasping at straws to make his argument. He claims the redistricting law did not follow constitutional procedure. Yet in each instance he is shown to be incorrect. I will list his points here: 1. Virginia House joint resolutions were violated; of which they were not. 2. The Virginia Constitution was violated upon no intervening general election between 2 parliamentary sessions, of which he is again incorrect. 3. Virginia code violation on the 2nd assembly vote not being effective, which once again he is incorrect! 4. Submission clause violations of language, timing, and singularity, all of which is incorrect.
     This Tazwell judge plays fast and loose with definitions that are neither correct nor constitutional. The Virginia Supreme Court will be quick to see through these inherently wrong opinions and deliver to the voters of Virginia their rights per their vote. It isn't surprising to me that this Tazwell judge who is a trump nominee has taken on validity of the redistricting vote. It isn't from legal concern given his insufficient arguments and one can only presume it is for political favor. When looking at whether the constitutional law was followed to the correct timeline is obvious. What is also clear is that this Tazwell judge interpreted his opinion at best out of a clear lack of logic.
     The decision in this case could come as early as the Virginia Supreme Court Justices decide to issue it because there are no complex considerations at play here. The Tazwell judge will be reversed and the people of Virginia will be redeemed. No constitutional law was broken here. The wisdom of the law is debatable on a few levels but the process to attain the law is unbroken and correct. Which is all the Tazwell judge should have been more keen to notice. Instead he let his distaste for the final outcome overcome his ability to be a fair and impartial justice of the law!

(#6293) Lately politics as usual is a real circus act!

      The way the trumps operate is to daily, and I mean daily, create some sort of chaos or deflection from chaos so that we the people are in a constant state of mind boggling numbness. That way we can never pin him down for his reckless unlawfulness. That he is not independent from the justice department means that he controls what is an oversight with them. Certainly not himself as his bootlicking cronies are too busy burying his crimes instead of exposing them. He also has some help from the not supreme court when it comes to his immunity for his numerous felonious acts.
     Last night is just another in a long line of distractions that keep us focused on the trick and not the substance. Yet he is at a disadvantage with many of us since we won't let go of the epstein file narrative  no matter his ploy to get us to do just that! Yet as his little tricks keep coming out to distract at the right moment for him his base gobbles it up. Just when his base is starting to turn a bit from him he becomes the victim of some questionable scenario that brings them back to him. Either he is the luckiest guy in the world or, he is adept at foolery to a crowd of folks unable to distinguish the fact of it. Either way the reality of his time in office is against him and no matter the distraction we always quickly come back to his failures.
     If he were a younger man I would be more concerned but seeing him try to play his part in this drama he has created gives me hope that mortality is beckoning him. He truly is an empty suit now only given life by his handlers. He can still feed himself but not much more. I have no doubt that the next few months are going to be bizarre. He is for sure hanging on until June 14th for his birthday because getting to 80 is no doubt important to him. Once past that then his likely thought process will center around his looming end and how he wants that to evolve. Possibly taking all of us with him or if fate is just and good he will just not wake up the next time he goes to sleep. Somewhere in between more than likely though.

(#6292) When putin failed to conquer Ukraine in 3 days his fate was sealed!

      I will never forget putin and his 3 day claim to conquer Ukraine! He had 250,000 soldiers with equipment on the Ukrainian border to unleash hell on Ukraine if they didn't surrender to his invasion. What happened next was Ukraine saying fuck you to putin and gearing up even further for the onslaught that was being threatened. As putin deliberated his decision to invade, Ukraine was making last minute preparations for the invasion. As we saw putin invaded shortly after his demand that Ukraine surrender and his 3 day boast of conquering Ukraine was shown to be folly. Not only has Ukraine survived the invasion for more than 4 years, Ukraine is showing the world how to successfully adapt to fighting above it's obvious numerical limitations.
     What we learned almost immediately is that the President of Ukraine was no coward! In fact he has shown himself heroic! The stuff of fables in my opinion. Instead of leaving Ukraine with a plane full of treasure he vowed to stay and fight putin for every square inch of Ukraine! The people of Ukraine are no less daunting. They have endured the horrors of the horde from Russia and kept their wits about them. The people of Ukraine have developed technology that is cutting edge on the battlefield and they are systematically cutting through the tremendous Russian advantage in troops and military equipment. From my seat here on the other side of the world I am in awe at the magnificence of the people of Ukraine!
     Seldom in history are modern stories like this told of the will to achieve when insurmountable reality is advancing to annihilate! Yet the Ukrainian people have found their gumption in the gravest of situations. They didn't bend a knee to putin instead they extended a finger to him and told him to fuck off! Ever since they have been nonstop under attack while being nonstop in creating conditions that now favor them on the battlefield. The will to remain free from tyranny is an age old one as we know but nothing like this in Ukraine can be compared to any modern story. Ukraine is the high achiever here because they simply want to be free. The Russian attack has been stabilized and is now being eroded. Ukraine will survive and this Russian invasion will not remove an independent Ukraine from the maps of the world!

(#6291) Will the Virginia Supreme Court allow the redistricting vote?

      On Monday, April 27th, oral arguments are to be heard before the Virginia Supreme Court about the reasoning of the state judge for blocking the redistricting vote. On the surface, the idea that this trump backed judge has outthought the Virginia Supreme Court, seems ridiculous. The Virginia Supreme Court just last month approved the continuance of the vote for redistricting. For this trump judge to immediately after the disastrous to trump result to have found some logic that vindicates his blocking the legal vote is again beyond reasonable. For me and most Americans, this block by the judge is just a desperate attempt to delay the inevitable.
     We will see how this plays out come Monday morning when oral arguments are made to deny the citizens of Virginia their voice. In my minds eye I can picture the skepticism of the Supreme Court Justices as they sit and listen for any nugget of wisdom from the ruling of the trump judge. Not liking the outcome of the vote is not the same as the process of the vote and that has been deemed constitutional. I can confidently tell you that this trump judge would not have found the vote unconstitutional if it had been defeated. Which should tell you what this is really all about. Crying over spilled milk and making the whole nation watch the crying over spilled milk. I won't say how this is going to go but I do know the Virginia Supreme Court is not foolish.
     As to when we will learn what the court decides after the arguments on Monday I can only say that the sooner the better for everyone. Having a quick resolution over this gives everyone enough time to adapt to the ruling. In less than 7 months the midterm election will be held and getting an orderly participation is absolutely required for a just and fair election. Gerrymandering to me is not how politics should be sorted but since the republicans want that as a baseline then the rest of us had better be prepared to do the same if we are not to be put at a political and societal disadvantage. I will say this, the Virginia Supreme Court wouldn't necessarily allow the vote to occur and then somehow change it's mind and say that the process of the vote is unconstitutional. I will leave it at that.