(#6288) Today is trump's last hope to keep his monopoly!

      The early vote is done and now the same day vote begins. This has world implications! Not only here in our Congress but to our allies and enemies. This vote in Virginia today will decide whether trump has a hope to save the House of Representatives with a republican majority or not. The vote outcome today does not guarantee either side will win the House but it will tell a continuing narrative of democratic overwhelming momentum or it will tell a tale of republican resurgence. Either way today is a day that can justifiably begin writing the history of trumps last 2 years in office. This vote has been close enough to being even that no one can for sure predict the outcome.
     Redistricting is not a subject that excites democrats because we know the inherent injustice it brings. However, republicans have no such qualm about redistricting if it brings them victories. Which is why we democrats must put aside our disgust with gerrymandering and employ it as a weapon to fight against republicans who are using the same weapon against us! Like the gladiators of old who are thrust into battle and given equal weapons, the fight will be one sided if we democrats refuse to use our weapon. So with moral indignation overcome, we grab our weapon and fight like hell to survive. Such it is with this vote today in Virginia. The democratic conscious must allow a temporary gerrymander to counter what trump will do to us if we don't.
     It isn't just here in the States. The world will be a worse place if we don't have a check on this incredibly ruthless president who holds little value or respect for the rule of law or democratic principles. We the people through the democratic party and our independent allies must restore dignity to our government before the chance to do it is gone. Today in Virginia is one of those make or break moments that will ultimately decide whether our nation and the world has a good chance of saving democracy as the guiding principle for life on Earth. Today won't conclude that but it will be a long stride forward or backward for our democracy, and we cannot afford any more steps backward!

(#6287) Redistricting vote in Virginia tomorrow

      The attempt to gerrymander red state districts is being met with resistance! Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina, and Texas, gerrymandered their maps in 2025 to give republicans a favorable extra 9 districts for the House of Representatives. So California decided to gerrymander their map in order to give democrats 5 favorable extra seats. The California gerrymander will only last until the next census in 2030, then it reverts back to the independent commission to draw the maps. Currently Virginia is about to finalize a vote on doing the same with their districts. If passed the Virginia maps will only last until the next census in 2030.
     The republican party started this attempt to give themselves more opportunities to pick up congressional seats so California and hopefully tomorrow, Virginia will counter the republican move. If Virginia does pass then their 4 plus the 5 from California will cover the previous gerrymanders of Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, and Missouri. There is still one other red state voluntarily working to change their maps and that is Florida. They could pick up between 1 to 5 favorable districts through their effort. Other states are under judicial review over their maps and some may change one way or the other. But those who are voluntarily changing their maps still give republicans at least a few favorable options.
     For me this is why the temporary redistricting in Virginia being voted on tomorrow is so important for democrats. The republican party started this mid decade gerrymandering in order to protect trump's majority in the House instead of letting the people decide. Democrats wisely countered that move to try to negate the attempt. We all know this midterm gerrymandering is not fair but if one side is going to use it to oppress us then we have to counter their move to thwart their attempt. There is no high ground here only survival. The republicans will go scorched Earth to hold onto their power and we the people had better be ready to go scorched Universe to stop them!

(#6286) As we get closer to the midterms democrats are still building momentum!

      When this political cycle began last year aimed at gauging the sentiment of trump and his return to power, the ebb and flow of how the trump reign would sustain or diminish began to show. The ebb has appeared to be the result as trump's victory tide is receding while democrat's resurgence is flowing in. This year in the battle for the Senate the republicans currently control a majority of the 100 seats with 53. They also have a sympathetic ally in democrat fetterman. So for the democrats to retake the Senate they would need somewhere at or above 5 seat addition that on the face of it appeared unlikely last year.
     However, with sentiment growing for democrats and against republicans the once unthinkable outcome of a democratic majority coming out of this midterm election is being reevaluated. In more traditional times the republicans would be picking up seats given the advantage they have in these many red state Senate elections this cycle. But the ebb is working against the republicans now and as their popularity has diminished so has their chance of adding to their majority. Instead of leading in states they have recently won they are running behind and falling further back with each passing week. What was a strong map for them this midterm has instead become strong for the democrats.
     So now instead of democrats actually starting to lead in percentages to retake the Senate, they are closing in on much more. Lean republican Senate seats are now into lean democrat Senate seats. Even more troubling for republicans is that likely republican Senate seats are on the verge of becoming tossups with months to go before voting starts. So not only are democrats poised to win the majority back in the Senate by that 5 seat necessary total, they are looking at possibly a much higher seat addition. All indications were that the republican party was in trouble for the midterms early on and that trouble is still growing into something akin to a blowout election for democrats. It is still early in this cycle but the momentum is clearly growing for democrats!

(#6285) Will California democrats fight for consumer tariff relief?

     The California governor debate is coming April 22. One question I would like them all to answer is if they would fight to get Californians consumer tariff relief if elected. Now I want all American consumers to get tariff relief but this question of mine is specific to Californians who are getting ready to vote in the governor primary. In a nutshell, this decision by the not so supreme court allows for importers to apply for tariff relief even though they mostly passed on the cost of the trump illegal tariff. Whom did they pass on the cost to? We the consumer is whom. So the importers have pretty much had the trump illegal tariff cost to their finances made whole by consumers.
     So what the not so supreme court did is give the importers another way to recover their costs even though they have already recovered their costs. So bonus money is coming their way. Must be nice to be a big business in this political climate since double dipping is now made law. However, we the consumer, who paid extra for our goods are left with no recourse to recover our extra expenses because of the trump illegal tariffs. The importers have no plans to pass on their windfall to whom really deserves it, we the consumers. The not so supreme court didn't even consider our plight when we bore the bulk of the trump illegal tariff cost. I am seriously flabbergasted at this dismissive attitude from the majority republican not so supreme court.
     I say flabbergasted but in reality I am enraged! The republican party has been working hard to disenfranchise the working middle poor class to favor those who sit at desks making money moving paper. They the republicans in all public and private leadership don't care about the hard working muscles we the working class must exercise in our daily work duties to actually create the things around us. As far as business models go for republicans, the consumer is not a value, only a necessary evil they wish to control, not honestly collaborate with. Which of these California governor wannabe's will fight for we the working middle poor class?

(#6284) We the people want the peaceful times before trump and his bootlicking republicans!

      I am so done with being on edge about most things in life under trump and republicans. I know I am not alone about this because it is human nature to pursue our happiness not our fears. What we have instead is a nonstop daily attack of stupidity that well may harm us all. This stupidity takes the form of hatred through misogyny, racism, and disrespect for life forms that don't adhere to the imaginings of a demented nearly 80 year old and his succubus attendants. I can honestly say without any equivocation that the only time I ever felt impending fear when a democrat was the president was during the Cuban missile crisis in the early 60's.
     Since then I have felt not only relaxed with democrats leading our nation but I also felt hopeful, invigorated, and proud of our nation as a whole. Under republicans from nixon on through to the despicable trump I have always at minimum felt an unease. With shrub and trump I have been far more unsettled in that both caused great harm without clear evidence of the necessity. The republican party likes to provoke our perceived enemies with destruction aimed at the citizenry. That is not statesman/womanship nor diplomacy, it is barbarism that undercuts our argument against cruelty. yet republicans thump their chests as if they are kings of the world.
     We democrats damned sure will fight when the fighting time comes but not as a ploy to force illogic! The republican party does not get that and can only incorrectly make their point by harming others. They are the bullies of the world and seem to only ally with other world bullies. There is only one option for we the people who believe in democracy. That is to vote the republicans out of office in every coming election. We have started doing that for the most part in the early special elections of 2025 and 2026. We know the intent of republicanism and in no way shape or form can it be masked as anything other than disruption for ego and power. It is time to go back to peace and the pursuit of happiness and that will come when democrats are the leaders of our nation!

(#6283) Self destruct mode for trump

      We may be getting near the end of trump. Not through his supporters realizing they have been duped or deciding they don't want to support racism and lascivious behavior, but through trump actually physically breaking down. He has been nonstop destructive since he came back into office and that alone for the nearly 80 year old has been taxing on him. but the signs are there for all to see. He is not only looking rather worn but his mind sees to be rudderless even more than usual. For one thing his memory is unstable. I expect that from someone who cannot hold truths in his head at the same time with all the lies. they interact together to create fiction instead of reality.
     Some see his blundering statements as a strategy to keep everyone off balance but I don't see it that way. He is cognitively unwell and those around him keep trying to protect this fact by opining statements that confuse and dismiss his decline. Soon it won't be him at the helm of our nation ship but his underlings managing his appearance of it. He can still go out into public for a bit and give his off the cuff remarks with impunity since the national media for the most part is subservient to his overbearing threats to them. However, he cannot hide his inability to reason when confronted with questions outside his shrinking bailiwick.
     We have been at that moment where he is not sure of his own responses and then goes into ramblings to deflect the fact. Logic dictates that we reason, analyze, and conclude to get to validity. That trump doesn't follow that path we know that his mind is not capable or less likely he is purposely evading. Either way the act of disjointed thought processes is indicative of a problem the leader of the United States cannot continue. However, the republican party is not prone to being honest about behavior that harms their power structure. They would rather create a lie,  no matter how absurd and/or harmful and stand by it, than admit there is a problem that could cause them to lose money or votes.

(#6282) Dummy shitzpants and his band of incompetents

      The only possible way we are surviving trump is because he is a incapable of complex thought. What really makes this so bizarre is that he has surrounded himself with advisors that are just ass clueless as he is. So when he blusters some big outrageous threat it usually means he is bluffing his ass off. For some reason he imagines things going a certain way without understanding any of the complexity that is involved in making it so. He just assumes that we are all on the same page with him and he doesn't need to explain anything about what he thinks we need.
     For years I had worried that he would actually follow through with his hints and controversial statements about taking our nation anywhere he wished. But I have come to realize that his reality only exists inside his head. He has the worst of humanity surrounding him because they are weak coward types who are like suckerfish to get anywhere they need to go in the world. So getting advice from them is like trump looking in the mirror and asking himself for help. They just repeat what he needs to hear and then go about acting like they are statesmen/women. It is so obtuse that it would be comical if it wasn't so dammed serious.
     One thing is for certain though we cannot rely on trump to fuck up his own agenda every time. We have to keep fighting him on every foolish idea he thinks is brilliant. We have to make a record of those who do try to help him so that when this disgusting period of time ends they are held to account as accomplices. Every cabinet post that has been infected with trumpism needs a thorough cleaning. Tribunals need to occur in order to root out those who will try to hide within after his leaving. I don't worry so much anymore about our species survival because one thing I have noticed is that cowards back down, just like bullies, when they are confronted with action for their threats.

(#6281) Come November we democrats are going to overwhelm!

      In the spring of 2018 when trump was facing his first midterm elections I was cautiously optimistic that we democrats would take back the momentum that we somehow lost in 2016. I still don't get that election. Be that as it may be it happened and I have moved on. But the harm of it lingers in my soul like an unwanted reminder that even the ridiculous cannot be dismissed. Such is the lesson of expectation, however logical. In this year of 2026 with roughly the same dynamic at play the feeling is similar but different. Back in 2018 there was a desperation of the unthinkable unknown about us and as cautious as we were getting to that election, we were still determined.
     Now it is not only the similar but this time we know the what was then unknowable. The factors are all exposed with only the unwilling to think as obstacles. There is a wave of momentum that is consistent in every respect. Since his first few months of what the fuck is this eye opening unwelcome incredulity, the turn back toward democrats has been abrupt. Those who had no opinion on many things are now engaged against the obviousness of harm happening. Even those who did have opinions on things they thought would be redeemed are now stewing in their illogic. They realized to their and our detriment that they got played. Many are still trying to justify their loyalty even though they cannot do it with logic. But the vast majority of us are not amused nor pleased.
     Which is why so many state and federal races are tipped on their head from the 2024 election. The bitterness of the betrayal by this federal administration is palpable. Democrats are either winning everywhere or overperforming by double digit percentages. Now that the link to tyranny and republicans is evident the mood in our nation is swinging violently toward democrats in resolutely manifested steps as we head to November. Even Europe is experiencing an awakening to democracy that is in it's occurrence, a rehabilitation to we here in the States. Still 6 months to go to that beautiful day in November and the momentum keeps growing toward a rising impenetrable blue wall of a new bright day.
     

(#6280) Democracy triumphs in Hungary

      I have been looking forward to writing this post. It is always smart to temper excitement with alternative possibilities but inside me I knew from the build up to the election that the people of Hungary had had enough of orban and his putin bootlicking. They saw that hitching their horse to the failed policies of putin, only a miscarriage of their pursuit of happiness was inevitable. So yesterday and into the evening Hungarians swarmed the election booths and made known their desire for a change far beyond anything orban had shown possible. Peter Magyar, the newly elected prime minister is not perfect nor will he be but he is a good man who will lead with his people as his highest priority.
     I am ecstatic for the people of Hungary and for the countries that Hungary is aligned with. The European Union and NATO. As well as Ukraine who is also defending itself from the Russians who were being helped by orban. Now that orban is removed, Ukraine will get more help to deter the invading Russians and keep Russia back within it's own borders. Not only is a contentious relationship with Europe gone overnight but a strengthening of that relationship with Europe is its replacement. The mood in Hungary is joyous and the mood in Europe is nearly as such. Even here in the States we many Americans are well pleased that a wannabe Hungarian tyrant has been removed.
     This victory by the Hungarian people has to be a shock to the forces that are trying to end democracy. As well it should be because the power of we the people is greater than their petty imaginings. People yearn for freedom, liberty, and justice as a foundation for their lives. None of us wishes to be yoked to the desires and wishes of someone else's dictates! We have our own pursuits of happiness while doing no harm to embrace. This is what democracy avails us and in a no doubt way Hungarians showed the world that nothing short of democracy is their combined pursuit! We, who as of yet are not as victorious as the Hungarians are today, are inspired to join them as quickly as we can. To cast out our own tyrants into the abyss in order to claim the equality of our own democracy!

(#6279) Even orban is better than trump

      As the election in Hungary is in full vote mode today I was hesitant about what would happen if the polling is correct. The polls showed Peter Magyar's Tisza party winning comfortably over orban and his Fidesz party. What concerned me most was how orban would react if he was to lose the vote. Since he and putin-trump are such bosom buddies would orban disrupt the election results with the same dirty tactic that trump attempted and is still crying about. That being claiming fraud, despite there being no evidence, and disavowing the results from today should he lose. But it appears that not even orban is willing to go that far out of bounds and instead says he will accept the results whatever they may be.
     That used to be the normal even when it was close races. But trump has turned our world upside down with his claim of fraud even when he was soundly defeated in 2020. So sometime today before or after 2pm here on the west coast of the US we will know the results. That would be today about 11pm Hungarian time. If the polling is accurate the outcome will not be in question. The Tisza party has a sizeable momentum coming into this election day and nothing has changed over the last few days to change that momentum. Peter Magyar should be feeling hopeful as the incredible turnout is voting in throngs. The Hungarian people have been waiting for the right moment to undo the mistake of orban and it may well be today that it happens.
     As bad as orban has been to democracy he is still not as bad as trump. Both putin and trump are the last large obstacles to democratic life on our planet. Both trump and putin are feeling the push back on their quests to subjugate people at their behest. Ukraine is bleeding Russia in unbelievable ways and with some help today from the Hungarian people that bleeding will continue to grow. Meanwhile every where trump tries to harm Americans we are not taking it lying down. So come the midterms trump is going to get a rude awakening that will neuter his further ambitions to become a king. All told today is hopefully the first step off the cliff of authoritarianism for orban and then putin/trump thereafter.

(#6278) The calm before the storm

      Tomorrow we will know the election result in Hungary. To say that it is a big deal is to under emphasize the reality. It is beyond huge for everyone in Europe who hopes for democracy to win out over authoritarianism. With a win for the populist Peter Magyar, the European Union becomes much stronger. As well NATO is reinforced in a critical geographical location. As to what it does to putin in Russia is wipe away an inside mole in orban who kept putin apprised of the inner workings of European considerations. What it does for the people of Hungary is reinvigorate their principles of democracy tenfold.
     These last few hours before the polls open in Hungary, approximately 9 hours ahead of me here in California, 6 hours ahead in New York, are the calm. All the rallies and concerts are finished and now it is the time for preparing to vote. We know who is on who's side and who isn't. There will be no muddled message coming out of this vote. Either Hungarians want to keep the authoritarian orban and his too close alliance with putin or they want a nation ruled by democratic values. They have had orban and his thugs for 16 years so they know what he represents. What they haven't had is democracy during that time in which their representatives worked for them and not the other way around.
     From all the polling and excitement coming out of Hungary to me there is little doubt that the opposition candidate is creating all the momentum. Magyar has captivated his people with policies aimed at their improvement. What orban has been offering, ties to Russia and threats, isn't playing as well. Even orban, the sitting president, has talked about interruptions to the vote in order to instill fear into his countrymen/women. The difference between the two men is polar opposites. That is what is showing up in the polling. The Hungarian people are showing they are not about staying with a leader who diminishes them instead of uplifts them. That is what we all would want which is why Peter Magyar is the side I am rooting for to win. We will know by tomorrow midday how this is going to go.

(#6277) I came in by myself and will go out by myself but what I do in between that matters!

      The cycle of life does not change for anyone! I know this because we all have a start and an end. The difference between all of us is what we do with that time in between. Those of us who survive to an older age realize that the formative years were a mixed bag of what we could have or should have done but the years after are the most valuable. Then is when we decide our own fates every second of every day. For me there was a lot of selfishness and trial and error. But even more there was a lot of good stewardship in a lot of ways. I struggled for quite sometime with my inability to master what was really important to me but I eventually found the answers I needed.
     One of the answers I found is that I don't need anyone to validate my life. Another was that I am not here for anything other than my own expectations. I follow along with commonly held themes of expectations of society but they are not necessarily my hierarchy of priorities. My expectations of myself is the magic of who I am. Within those expectations is logic and reality that keeps me grounded to my possibilities but in no way are they restrictions on what is possible. In other words I am mature enough to accept reality from fantasy. I am also mature enough to show that I am my very own person who is not dependent upon another to coddle me or vanquish any demons I may have.
     I am at a plateau though where I had hoped to move on from. It isn't my emotions that need advancement but my mind and it's yet untapped unknowns. I am at the point of winding down my life yet at the same time still trying to expand my life between my ears. It is a unique place I find myself in where what little I have gained is dwarfed by my own expectations for more. In a very simple childlike term, I am the little engine that could yet has yet to succeed. My life between being born and then dying is still being experienced but the clock is ticking. What possibly irks me most is that I am spending a lot of my precious time still fighting against the simple who will not allow themselves to enjoy complexity.

(#6276) For our European allies in particular, trump has inadvertently reaffirmed their commitment to democracy

      At the end of the Biden administration the European nations were somewhat lethargic in their commitment to Ukraine. There were instances of some dissent from some areas within the European Union. The slog of war and Russian propaganda was having some effect. But once trump came on the scene the mood changed and a realization that democracy fighting was not going to have a reliable partner in the form of the United States, that lethargy from some, suddenly became alarm. The Europeans realized that trump was now aligning with Russia and that the democracy Europe has was not as secure. logically they saw Ukraine as their true ally and a force that needed protecting.
     At first it was just trump trying to be covert in his action and behaviors to decouple the US from the war in Ukraine. His disrespectful hosting of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House spoke volumes about how trump would not partner with Ukraine to destabilize Russia's invasion of Ukraine. So Europe decided that without US leadership they would have to band together to reinforce their union to protect their democracy but also the NATO alliance to prepare for a worse case scenario should Ukraine be overrun by Russia  forces. The European Union acted quickly to pull their alliance tight with the exception of Hungary who was well situated with Russia despite being a EU and NATO member.
     So as the EU and NATO have resolved themselves as a separate force beyond the United States they have coalesced nicely. In 3 days the election in Hungary should bring that country back into the good graces of both the EU and NATO. What trump has done inadvertently is create a stronger force out of the EU and NATO than he had envisioned. He thought they would fold like he does when faced with difficulties. Thankfully democracy is revered beyond the US, and for us here in the US who still love democracy I couldn't be more proud of our European friends. Once we democracy loving Americans retake our leadership here at home we will be back with beaming pride for our European allies who are now unequivocal in their support for our shared values!

(#6275) It still felt like a tough loss last night in Georgia

      I know all the arguments for why it was a very good night for democrats last night with the election being so close, but for me not close enough. Only losing by less than 12% is statistically a real gain for democrats in this district and does show a changing mood in one of the deepest red congressional districts in the country. But what has me irked is that there should have been more kick back from republicans as a warning to trump that he is a disgrace and needs to stop his presidency. But no! There was some of that in the voting last night but not nearly enough to get the message to trump that his reign of stupidity and dishonesty must end!
     The republican majority in this district last night could have sent a clear warning if they had just put their country above their republican party. But as is the case with republicans at large, they are not as true to our constitution as they are to other less honorable traits. How any of them could keep a demented creature like trump and his favored candidate in power is beyond anything sensible to me! But here we are. Some inroads were made and I thank those who moved on from republicans and gave the democrat Shawn Harris their vote. Harris lost this race in 2024 by 29% points in 2024. Tonight he lost it by about 11.8%. An improvement from 2 years ago of about 18% points. Yet to me still disappointing!
     Despite the failure of republicans in Georgia's 14th district to hold trump accountable, Wisconsin fared much better in that regard. Wisconsinites overwhelmingly reversed their support for trump and his politically aligned candidate. In 2024, trump won Wisconsin in a very close race by about 1% point. In 2025, a state wide supreme court race was held and the democrat won that by about 10% points. Last night another state wide supreme court race was held and the democrat won that by more than 20% points. Even though Georgia is showing the blue wave momentum, Wisconsin is doing the same but going a step further by not electing republicans that help trump and his disastrous agenda!

(#6274) Voter momentum will be measured today

      In Hungary on April 12th we will get an idea as to how important democracy is there. But today we here in the States will see how important democracy is to us. In Wisconsin there is a state supreme court race that will either give democrats a 5-2 split or a 4-3 split. The likely outcome is a 5-2 split and the numbers that portray that outcome will be my focus. These state supreme court races in Wisconsin have gone both ways in the last decade or so but the irrepressible blue wave momentum has held now since trump showed his true self to everyone immediately after his election. Which is why this race may well go to we liberals.
     Another race that is being decided today is Georgia's 14th district where marjorie greene stepped down. This district was one of the reddest districts in America and should have been a gimme for the republicans to hold. But with our blue wave still riding high the outcome could end up being a surprise. The republicans carried this district under greene with 64% in 2024. Yet we democrats have been overperforming in elections all around the country by at least 13%. So you could see how close to even this race will likely be if that trend continues. I expect it will and this race in Georgia will be a nail biter to the end. I have no illusions about the final outcome but I am also optimistic that republicans will not be enthused to get out and vote for a trump sycophant as he was trump's pick to run.
     There will be many local races voted on today all over the US but these two, the state supreme court race in Wisconsin and the congressional race in Georgia, will be highlighted. For a scenario of democrats getting to 217 House seats before the midterms, we would need to win tonight, then on April 16th in New Jersey and then again on August 4 in California. Should this happen and democrats sweep these 3 special House elections then republicans will have the slimmest majority possible with 217 House republicans and 1 newly switched republican to independent who will caucus with them. It all starts tonight with the Georgia special election.

(#6273) Next No Kings rally on May 1.

      I have heard that the next No Kings rally was to be on trumps birthday, June 14th. But I see a general day of strikes has been called for on a Friday, May 1st. I prefer the strikes because they cause everyone to take notice who are not part of our movement. The Indivisible and 50501 movements are coordinating these events so those are the folks I look to in order to get out ahead of when our next rally on the streets will take place. If our next rally is on May 1st then I look forward to it. I will be attending all No Kings rallies until trump is gone and then I will be dancing in the streets. He is the existential threat to our democracy that many of us have been yelling about.
     I am not sure how a general strike will be received by the many of us but I do know this much. If we aren't essential to our work schedules then we should participate in the strike. If we are essential to whether others have jobs Monday morning then please do work. We don't want to put people of of jobs unless it is trump and his cabal of bootlickers. Otherwise we need everyone who loves the idea of freedom and equality to find a way to show up and be counted. This is really important for our society because if we cannot persuade trump that enough of us are ready to end his democracy destroying reign then that is exactly what will happen and there won't be any chance left to rectify that mistake.
     I don't need to be an alarmist. I could just sit back and live out the rest of my life without the pressure of still having most of my life ahead of me. I am nearing the end of my life and what happens after me is not going to matter to me once I am gone. Yet I prefer to stay and fight for you. So do me the courtesy of fighting for yourselves as well. You are the ones in jeopardy of becoming cannon fodder to a madman who thinks he is king. Now that you understand that we older folks don't need to fight when our time is nearing an end then maybe you will see how we see your future and why we fight for it when we don't need to fight anymore!

(#6272) Our next president needs to be a woman!

      You heard me! I am sick and tired of men thinking they are the only ones who can lead a nation! Women have been forever leading families while men have claimed the success of it. Look around the world now and you see so many women who have been elected to lead their countries and they are a shining example of wisdom and action. To even think that trump was somehow better than Clinton or Harris is a virtual distortion of logic. The reality is that either Clinton or Harris would have been remarkable presidents who put democracy and the health and welfare of the working middle poor class first! Which is exactly what we need since the billionaire class is more than well off!
     I am so ready to elect a woman to our leadership because in most all examples in my life the women have been the strongest to defend matters of the mind and heart. Which is what our society thrives on. Women encourage curiosity as well as compassion. They live and breathe to see all offspring advance into a better life. Not all women are honorable as we have seen with the trump ascension and then discarding of women he put in charge of some things. But putting those creatures aside, 99 percent of women are sentient souls who would defend and die for lives before hiding themselves from danger. In my own life I saw my mother of 8 children go without so many times and endure hardships because it was better for her children.
     You cannot measure the care and heartfelt actions of women every day in almost every situation known to reality. Yet it is there for all to see. I know this, if Hillary runs again I will vote for her. If Kamala runs again I will vote for her. Either woman should already be leaders of nations and their absence from the presidency is all of our loss! I am a man who has seen the effect of most men in the world. We are not built to be both smart and caring, with exceptions. Yet women are built to be smart and caring and that is what a great leader has in abundance. We men are arrogant because our body types are prone to being larger than women but that is about the only area of difference I can see and it isn't much of an advantage when all is considered.

(#6271) I keep waiting for most all of us Americans to say, enough!

      Each and every day more evidence of trump's criminality and mental deficiencies present themselves and each day we Americans keep going about our business like everything is okay. I don't get it? Are we so immune to what is happening in real time right in front of our noses that we are incapable of responding in the appropriate way? People's lives are being harmed and destroyed because we Americans are unsure of what to do! Well here is a suggestion, speak up and then demand change even if it means stopping what you are doing and screaming from the rooftops! Short of that we need to stop and just do nothing in order to shut down our commerce.
     I am convinced that if we have just one day of doing nothing commercial then the effect on trump will be overwhelming. He won't know what to do but we will! We demand his removal. He can either take off himself or be escorted out of our White House in cuffs! His criminality is beyond the appearance of it, it is fact! So bringing him up on charges will be the easiest part. But the best part will be his absence as a disrupting force in America and the world at large. He will still have his cult but they will be silenced by the vast many more of us when we show the evidence of his numerous crimes. Not all of them but enough of them to quell any major disruption to transitioning away from his agenda of a democracy destroying reign!
     Like any change that is forced out of honor the debacle of it will need to be addressed. Never again should we Americans have go through this type of self inflicted wounding as a right for the decrepit wound causer. Our Constitution is a work in progress, especially when the work is exposed as this dangerous one by trump is now. But within the framework of our Constitution we are able to advance and evolve to a better and more perfect union. But to get to that point the danger must be eliminated so the healing and betterment may follow. This trump paradigm must end now not later so hopefully we Americans will stop allowing this absolute horror show of trump to persist!

(#6270) "It’s a new world, it’s the same Constitution"-John Roberts

      In some ways the very essence of our Constitution was under attack by the trump administration. They tried to argue that circumstances change and the Constitution should change with those circumstances. In some ways I agree if it were an intent of our founders to enhance our Constitution toward a more equal and free society. But in this case the republicans were trying to take equality and freedom away from our society and it was clear once the trumps argued their cause. The justices at the Supreme Court are not rubber stamps for trump even though they do try to go out of their way to give the trumps the benefit of the doubt. Yet in this case of birthright citizenship republicans went a bridge too far!
    The legal term "Stare decisis" is Latin for letting things stand that have already been decided. In Roe v. Wade the republicans on the Supreme Court did not follow Stare decisis and reversed settled law. For many of us the audacity of the court was exposed as they pretzeled their logic to go against tradition and equality to make things less democratic for our society. So with that knowledge embedded in my mind the idea that the republicans on the Supreme Court would find a twisted way to reverse birthright citizenship was for me more than plausible. Especially when trump announced he was going to attend the Supreme Court birthright citizenship argument in person.
     On the day of the argument before the Supreme Court on the birthright citizenship question trump was there to oversee the proceedings in a way that seemed to many as intimidation. What he found out is that although the Court may have aided him in Roe it was not the same with this case. The 49 years Roe was the law of the land couldn't withstand a reversal. But the birthright citizenship clause in the 14th amendment has been around for nearly 158 years. There has been no decision yet in this case but from the tone of the justices and their questions the idea that they would again go against Stare decisis is to me not going to happen. The intent of the birthright clause is clear and any altering of it would expose a nefariousness no justice should want attached to their legacy!

(#6269) The trumps will not break us!

      One thing we know is that trump is relentless in his ambition to overthrow our constitution with his own sense of what is good and bad. He literally shows us every time he submits an executive order and then is rebuffed by the courts. Instead of following the court decision he keeps going like the court is just a speed bump to him. I don't listen or watch him in any form as a show of resistance but the media does and they daily outline his bluster as if it is fact. He may say or write things but there is no law that gives him absolutism over our constitution. So although he may think he is above the institutions that govern our society he isn't and a time will come when he steps beyond his current protections.
     That is the light at the end of the tunnel for me and those like me. I would have thought the epstein files would be his undoing but it seems that he has redacted what has been released significantly enough to avoid charges to this point. Eventually though the truth will out and that is another guiding light to lay my hope on. There are enough opportunities to stop the madness of trump including his own ineptitude. But in the meantime we are going to go through some hell for allowing him back into our Oval Office. I wish we had a constitutional mechanism to call for elections once the unpopularity of a president reached a high threshold but we don't. All we have is the next election to display our anger at the current danger in chief!
     7 months until the next election and it looks to be a rising momentum of an unstoppable force against trump! Which is exactly as it should be. The House will return to democrats in a huge way and the senate is currently still republican in opportunity but those opportunities seem to be faltering for them. Enough so that in my mind we are taking it back also with at least a 51 seat majority. Upsets will have to take place but in this current climate upsets of republicans is the new normal. In the meantime we the people will continue to wake up each day with a resolve that no matter what the worst president in the history of our nation does we won't back down from his dishonoring our democracy!

(#6268) "Subject to the jurisdiction thereof"

      Section 1 in the 14th amendment stating that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." The clause in that section, "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" is the one piece of the amendment republicans are trying to use to dismiss children who aren't born of citizens.
     The problem with that is the clause itself was inserted into the 14th amendment by it's author, "Defining Jurisdiction: Senator Jacob Howard, who introduced the clause, clarified it was intended to exclude only those foreigners or aliens belonging to the family of ambassadors or foreign ministers and not otherwise subject to U.S. laws."-Google. This wording came after some debate as to what the intent of subject to the jurisdiction thereof should mean. What seems the intent is that persons who owe allegiance to another power are not granted birthright citizenship nor children born from foreign diplomats. the intent of the clause is clear here and has been interpreted as such for more than 150 years.
     Now republicans are trying to pretzel the logic of the 1866 14th amendment away from it's original intent toward their own narrative of only applying to former slaves. But the intent was to give birthright citizenship to all who are born or naturalized citizens including former slaves. The republican party is a scourge looking to apply it's plague upon we the people who have been here on this land for millenniums. Instead of trying to entice our votes because of policy they are instead trying to winnow down the voting pool so as to keep power. They are not about we the people and instead are about power and control over we the people!