No expectations no let downs! (#4017)

     What others do is on them. Like the republican party in the senate. If they are chickenshits and can be easily threatened to act in a certain way then that is on them. We should be grateful in a way that these cowardly republicans have shown their lack of mettle. I think back about John McCain, who I was at odds with in most all his policy positions but at least one time he voted his conscience and then faced down those who would try to bully him. There is no one like that now since McCain's death in the republican party. All the rest of remaining republicans in the senate are weak and of no courage.
     To do what is objective and correct is sometimes a hard thing but it is a hard thing that must be done, however with these republican senators there is no principled honor with any of them. They are the cowering weaklings that no honest person would ever vote to have represent them. Yet we have a majority of them in now in this exposed corrupted political chamber. I never expected the republican party to hold trump accountable because they are like trump, power hungry and uncaring human hollow souls. They are actually doing what I expected of them to protect trump regardless of any malfeasance or crime he commits. Rest assured here, trump is a criminal.
     So as the majority republicans vote to acquit him in the senate it is just what we expected and now we get to do what we want. Call it for what it is and then hit them some more with the truth of things. The only way to get beyond a bully and his cowards is to stand up to them and hit them with the truth as many times as necessary for them to back down. We must hold them accountable and we will come November. There will be no time for dissent in the ranks as it relates to whomever is our nominee because we will have only one shared goal. To stop the trumps and republicans from having any further relevancy in our American politics!

11 years completed today (#4016)

     It was 11 years ago tomorrow that I started my first blog post. It was short and without direction but I was feeling upbeat because Barack Obama had just received his oath of office 10 days earlier in 2009. I had been looking forward to explaining the nature of what it is to be a human being and nothing in life over the last 11 years has changed on that front. However over the last 3 years since trump came into his appointed position as president I have seen not the best of who we are as a species but instead the worst we are as a species.
     The difference between Barack and trump is stark. If light was Barack then darkness is trump. Barack gave all of humanity the respect of its life whereas trump is nowhere to be found when it comes to all of us. So although this blog site started out with an upbeat optimistic tenor, it has found itself over the last many years as a protest to the worst of what humanity has become. My protestations will only get more amplified as this election cycle comes to a close on November 3rd. At that time the hope is that the trump reign of illegitimate power has come to an end the new beginning with majorities everywhere with democrats seize the next ruling paradigm.
     Because humanity is an amazing complexity of compassion and curiosity. We all are like separate space probes with whistles, buzzers and bells to announce our uniqueness. We have memory both long and short term. We have sensors that give us incredible understandings when we apply them. We have individual mobility and physicality that allows for our movement without much restriction. We have the mind of a calculator who can not only reason, analyze, and conclude but we can distinguish between cause and effect. If someone was to build a god like creature they would certainly do well with humans in our pure form as examples. We do bad things because we choose to not because we have to. With the trumps gone the good will come back as the primary motivation of human behavior.

Keep building on our blue wave (#4015)

     As republicans do their part in disgracing themselves we democrats need to do our part and highlight what we want to accomplish. Giving voters a clear and stark contrast between a civilized society and a out of control reckless one. Do not be surprised that republicans are immune to absurdity because they have power and are determined to maintain it, regardless of truth or fact. So it is the middle segment, the independents, that we must convince of our worthiness. We have to be able to show that our democratic policies are not wasteful nor inefficient.
     Modernity is the key and explaining how modernity improves and saves lives is our starting point. We are no longer the wild west days of yore we are beyond that evolution despite the republican pressure to return our nation to those lawless times. Our world has had enough of world wars and devastating policies that destroy lives instead of enhancing them. So we democrats must push the narrative of innovation and creativity in order to progress with our modern societies. While we are doing that we must scream at the top of our lungs about the horrible effects of climate change, income inequality, and racial discrimination.
     There is a simple path forward for we democrats to capture the majority of the vote coming in November but we have to be up front and clear about our intentions and coming actions. We can take back the White House and Senate, but we need to focus on the problems in our nation and our responses to them. We cannot be in fighting when the out fighting is key to making all the fighting go away. We have to be strong in our convictions and be ready for the extra judicial actions of trumps and republicans when we whup their asses in the fall. The republican party will not go quietly in their defeat and we have to be ready to remove them beyond their unwillingness to accept their coming reality.

Which stain? The big one or the littler one? (#4014)

     Senate republicans are going to be stained forever on the conviction vote regardless of which way they vote. However there is a choice as to the depth of the stain that they can consider. If they vote in lockstep with mcconnell and give trump a pass for his criminal acts then they will be stained widely and deeply. If however they allow for witnesses to be called in a fair way, then their stain is limited to a more superficial spotting. Because they have already voted to not allow for witnesses and for that they cannot undo. Yet they can change their minds and allow for witnesses if they so choose. It is up to them if they want the larger stain from trump to tarnish them for the rest of their lives and fall onto the heads of their families.
     Because make no doubt, history will not be kind to those who think and act as if they are immune to truth. The trump era will end and its narrative will be written with all those who allowed him the escape from justice he so absolutely deserves. Those who enabled him during this time will be called out not as patriots to democracy but as traitors to democracy like Benedict Arnold was during the Revolutionary War. I have come to know our nation over my lifetime and although we are a selfish uncaring lot at times we are also above all that fear and condescension. There is a rot here in America that has festered into a cancerous pustule. But we have the political cure for that cancer and its manifestation and over some time will remedy the underlying rot that caused it.
     So what will those republican senators do? It seems that the unknown today is any one's guess and I am not going to guess myself. But either way they go they are going to pay a price and given that they are capitalist republicans the presumption is that they would want pay the least price possible. The trump appointed presidency is coming to an end on November 3rd. so their allowing themselves to be stained in a deeper larger way for a few months and given that they will then be subjected to the greatest threat to their own reelection campaigns makes for a scary challenge for them. The worm has turned on republicans and they are the ones who are now desperate to maintain a tantrum laced presidency in the face of a fierce and punishing opposition.

We must all stop pretending (#4013)

     We are human and as such we are very capable of making mistakes aplenty. So when we do we need to fess up and then improve our condition from the ashes of the mistake. It isn't some "one off" it is what we do on a daily basis if we would just be honest with ourselves. The same with religion. Many of us in our early formative years were captivated by a supreme being and the afterlife religion promised. But as we get older and more aware to reality we see that the early pacifier of religion was just that, a pacifier to get us through our fears. So even with religion we must move on and then accept our role as an amazing living being in an objective world.
     It is okay in that the many of us realize this and are unmasking the shadows in our lives. Like the chapter "Allegory of the Cave" in Plato's Republic, the real world exists and the make believe shadows are the subjects that tie us to the pretending. I have learned to live by making mistakes. I often say that the school of hard knocks is my constant enemy/friend. I have learned over time as well that using logic can help me avoid many hard lessons just by rationalizing the past, present, and future. It is what a learned society should not be afraid to admit.
     I had to learn the hard way so as to know the preciousness of learning the easy way. A comparative narrative as a method to improve. So there is no more pretending in my life. I face the tough decisions with the same approach as I do the simple decision. I don't lie about myself to others nor do I lie to myself about who I am and what I had learned to become before I was in control of my own growth. So facing my inner troubled foundations is my responsibility and then fixing them with the correct foundation is my goal. I have not arrived at being the human I want to be but at least I know that I am trying and won't give up on becoming the person I always thought I would be.

Whomever the Dem nominee is will be my champion!!!!! (#4012)

     I know we are in the rabid battle for our nominee and the emotions are high over who should be our nominee. But I refrain from all the bullying and threats by simply saying I will vote for whom I think will serve us best and then when the votes are counted and the primaries are done we will have a nominee regardless of my own personal opinion. Whomever that candidate eventually becomes to be as our nominee will get all of me despite any misgivings I may have on a few or many policies. All policy differences with any democratic nominee will be dwarfed by the insanity and democracy crushing trump and his sheep.
     So you see how it is with me. I am just going to vote for my preferred candidate at the time of our primary and then let the chips fall where they may. I am not so much focused on destroying our democratic party over me personally not getting my preferred candidate. This is the wrong time in history to take our eye off the ball in making sure trump is only a one term appointed president. Given the fact that our democratic candidates are all decent caring human beings they automatically ascend miles above anything trump ever wished he could be given his despicable nature. Not only is our democracy at stake here but our planet is screaming for us to care for her.
     So when we go through the primary season maybe take the edge off of demanding or threatening an outcome or you will not participate in saving our planet. Such childish tantrums are really beneath our political party of caring concerned adults who take responsibility for our actions. Instead if you are going to wade into on interparty difference do it with dignity and a logical policy explanation that cannot be disputed in highlighting your candidate against someone else's candidate. No more threats or demands! Let us go about the business of dismantling the republican party and what it represents, with unity and then when we have this danger behind us we can focus on the more subtle differences we would all like to see prevail for the betterment of our society.

Are we too civilized? (#4011)

     We are being destroyed as a society and a nation by the trumps but we are doing very little to stop it. Even our protests are muted with restraint. It is as if the numbing of our sensibilities has left us frozen in time and space. It isn't from fear that we are numbed, it is from incredulity. So we must move on from our dumbfounding and act as if our society and our nation are precious to us. I know that being civilized is the first act before all acts but there comes a point where the loss of the very reality of civility is threatened and we must then move to a paradigm where civilized is only a suggested restraint not an unbreakable absolute.
     I know my breaking point was passed since early evening on November 8th 2016. I knew our nation and our liberties were in jeopardy. Yet even I was numbed to the actual reality of trump and his questionable agenda. Well it didn't take but a few days for that numbing of mine to turn into actual disgust and anger. I have restrained myself in order to let the process of karma and legal procedure to have it's way but it seems that the destructive depth of the trumps and their acolytes knows no floor. So instead of being civilized about my own protests and angers I am mobilizing my own counter to trump's with efforts beyond my normal dissent.
     I am trying mightily to keep my thoughts within the paradigm of civility but it is proving difficult. I am so spitting nails angry at the way our nation is being torn apart by the very factions that America should be instantly against that my need for a solution for an immediate ending of this outrage is growing. I am not promoting any extra judicial response to the trumps but I am seeking all ways of thoughts and actions that prove to be at least partially successful in ending the trumps destruction of our free and open society. Is there some way that we can end this wakeful nightmare and still hold our heads high with pride in succeeding in a political way to nullify trump and his boot licking followers?

The soulless republican party (#4010)

     This morning my younger cat was not among the others when I got up and it was a bit startling. He is always there with me as I get up and the other animals stay in their comfy sleepy spots. But no Arthur at all. So I went about my morning routine and then settled in at my desk and then realized again that Art was nowhere to be seen. Then I got a bit worried and went out back into my big backyard that borders the creek and called for him and searched with my flashlight. Still no (Art the Bartholomeow). Then I went our front and called for him in case he was up the street where he doesn't belong. Still nothing.
     Then as I was back in my seat in front of the computer thinking not so good thoughts about him being lost, he does have a chip, or worse. Nonchalantly he comes strolling in through the back doggie/cat door like no big deal. Well I wanted to hug him and scold him simultaneously and that is what I did. First off because the immense relief I felt at not having a missing loved one as well as making sure he knew I was not happy with him carousing. lol. This is what having a soul and a heart is. Worried for life regardless of its species and then actually feeling that worry when it is triggered. I cannot see this with the republican party.
     All I see with the republican party is a group of people who would harm without the effect of that harm penetrating them. Soulless is how I see it. Because if you are not an emotional being when appropriate then you are not a fully functioning human being. There is something off about you when your ability to empathize or care about others is lacking. These types of people are not what we the rest of us who are human in the most basic of ways need to be our leaders. They need to be led by others who can show them what a real human being is and does. The republican party is not only now showing it's lack of a soul but it is also showing it's inability to logically form intelligent thought. How on Earth do we survive these republican people?

The cult republican party is in the last gasps (#4009)

     What a display of outright creepiness. The republican party is so entwined by its lies that they cannot muster any rationale for why they are doing what they are doing in the face of what reality is telling us. What reality is telling us is that they are turning themselves into a petty group of criminals in order to protect a high crime criminal. It is just so obvious to those of us on the outside watching this unfold. The republican controlled senate is a mockery to the world right now with its lack of respectability and it's not so subtle ulterior motive of protecting trump from his proven crimes. This has to be one of the lowest points in American history, and not only that one of the most shameful periods of a total lack of honorable governance.
     I am here as an American and as such can see the republican party for who they are. They are the minority party here but they are the majority in our public administrations. How is this possible? The first answer of several is that they are not above doing dirty tricks and cheating when possible. They have a standing directive within their structure to turn away the voting public. They are consistent in denying the right to vote to those who would vote against them. Second is that they manipulate their message to disguise the fact of their cruel agenda. They trumpet their lies at all times in order to keep ahead of the fact checkers who cannot possibly stay abreast of their non-stop propaganda. Third, they have gerrymandered themselves into districts that make the minority, the majority in too many states.
     But the worst of all the nefarious reasons republicans are in power when they are the minority cult party is that they use outside influence and dark money from their donors to overwhelm honest and decent democratic candidates. The connection to foreign influence centers on the republican party. They are able to keep the smoking gun evidence from coming into the public square, so they just deny the accusations and continue to subvert our democracy. So do not, and I mean do not ever expect a republican to put America first when it conflicts with them putting the cult republican party first. Because there is one ideal within republicanism and that is to maintain power through any option, even to betray not only their oath to their constituents but to the oath they give to support and defend the democracy of our American Constitution.

No god exists but we humans do! (#4008)

     I began writing this blog because I wanted all of us to know that despite there being no god, we humans have within us the nature of powerful good. Actually twin natures of curiosity and compassion. Together they merge to create within us what it is to be human. We want to know what is around us and we care about who we are. The idea of family and community is a human one that is not only our trait but it is the trait shared by most all living beings. Our need to know is fueled by an insatiable desire to understand. Our curiosity is at the core of what it is to be human and no amount of disassembling will ever change that.
     So the idea that we would need a god in order for us to be human is a manufactured illogical premise. I don't need the idea of heaven or religious morality to be a good person. I am already a good person who works to stay that way. There are many temptations for me to deny that would take from my principled life and because I am a human being I can choose not to become susceptible to temptation. I have tried temptation on a smaller scale and the temptation had always left me hollow and discouraged. A short term advantage for a long term misery. Learning from my mistakes has been an invaluable lesson for me and although I wish I would avoid trial and error it does teach its lesson.
     So if compassion and curiosity are my two pillar human traits why is it that I am mean and angry at times? It is because I choose to be. I don't have to be but I obviously choose to be. It isn't who I am but it seems that as a human I forget what is best about me when I get outside my own nature. Surely others who have no moral or ethical compass trigger in me these "outside" attributes and it is understandable to become lesser than myself when faced with cruel and brutish behavior. I do have a survival instinct that requires me to fend off attacks of brute force or manipulated narratives that threaten my existence yet only as a survival mechanism is it natural to leave the state of my compassion and curiosity if it means I will no longer survive in the face of such anti life affirming destructions.
     

Every waking day it is the same, stop trump! (#4007)

     There is no long weekend nor day off in defending against what trump does to us next. He is a wrecking ball that is out of control and we who have to live in the path of his carnage can never take our eye of the ball. So anyone who thought that we could skate through the trump appointed presidency is only fooling themselves and trapping the rest of us. Because if we democrats and majority independents don't keep working to support each other while rebutting the trumps we may well end up with another four year term for the wannabe king. That scenario would be devastating for we Americans. There will be no telling what kind of horrible future awaits any of us.
     So as I drag my sorry ass out of bed and check the latest news I am reminded that there may well be no relief from trumps until the election on this coming November 3rd. Short of him retiring or expiring or being driven from office by the republican senate, none is a real possibility it seems. So we have what we have and for the next less than 288 days we have to keep putting up our dukes and slugging it out as best we can until that final bell rings. We can win this battle but only if we keep our heads up and protected with the facts and truths of our offense and defense. We must not under any circumstance self inflict wounds upon ourselves. We must inflict the wounds on the body politic of trump and make him hurt for the deserve.
     It isn't easy for me now being in my middle sixties with a lifetime of hard labor under my belt but the fight in me is still alive and the cause worthy of my efforts. So each day I rise with the single purpose of preparing myself and our society as best I can with the knowledge and effort to improve our destiny during and beyond the trump era. It is okay to make a mistake but the trump mistake will cost us dearly as it is and the idea he would be around another 4 years literally tears at the fabric of my existence. Which is why no matter whom wins our democratic nomination they will get everything I have to support them. I and many other like minded souls need a break from this daily fight to secure our democracy and a long weekend will be due when we end the trump/mcconnell traitorous cabal.

Post #4295 will be a delightful one on the next day after the election (#4006)

     Unlike last time when most of us were caught in a nightmare as trump manipulated his way into the presidency. This time we are ready to end his appointed reign with our eyes wide open. No more trickery or sneaking up on us as he will be defeated and we will celebrate like we should have in 2016. Post number 4295 will be an overwhelming mix of happiness and relief. We will have a new government being formed as the Senate will change back into democratic hands and the House will grow even more democratic. Of course I am optimistic but one thing I am not is caught out unawares.
     Yet as I see our nation moving away from the despot wanna be trump I also see his last gasp flailing to hold onto power. He will try to overrule the election and force himself on us as a lifetime putin example. But we are ready for that as well. Our mobilization if needed to help restore democracy is always an option and we who know the nasty nature of trump expect him to undermine the rule of law and the nature of our democratic politics. Nothing he can do though will surprise us so his utter disdain for democracy will be countered by our dearness for our democracy.
    What I will write on the momentous day will be both a reflection on our futures as well as our struggled lives of the past 4 years. The destiny of trump is uncertain at this moment but by then we will have a good idea as to his deserved fate. Never in the history of our nation has a stain on our way of life been so deep and painful. The trump era will be marked by the paradigm of what not to do. His total lack of intellect and care for the human experiment has wakened within us a resolve to never let such an experience happen again and new laws protecting our politics from the likes of trump and mcconnell will need to be enacted. 289 days from now post #4295 will be a culmination of the triumph of our reestablished American spirit.

Equal rights for women! (#4005)

     The passage of The Equal Rights For Women Amendment in Virginia this last January 15th makes for a total of 38 states that have ratified the Amendment to our Constitution over the last 47 years. Hawaii was the first state to ratify the amendment on March 22, 1972. Since then 37 other states have ratified the amendment, https://www.equalrightsamendment.org/era-ratification-map. Although this ratification map still does not include Virginia it is representative of who is left that has not ratified the amendment and when the other states did ratify the amendment.
     Curiously it is a majority of southern states that have not wanted to let our women be equal partners in our society. The trump and republican strongholds that work hard to deny rights to not only women but to people of color when it comes to voting. It should be obvious to all that the republican party and it's representatives are the ones who are undercutting democracy at every turn so long as their privilege and advantage system maintains the status quo. For the more than half of the American citizenry who reside in America this is unacceptable. Southern men and surprisingly too many southern women are against the idea that we are all created equal.
     This is just unacceptable to the many of us who live in the reality of modern and innovative thinking. So although it took 47 years for the ERA to pass the required 3/4 state minimum it was under a time limit then of 7 years to complete the required 3/4s. Yet as has been shown, Congress can adjust or wipe out the time limit if it chooses and is on firm legal ground to do so, https://www.equalrightsamendment.org/pathstoratification. The states part of the ERA ratification has now been attained. It is just the time limit question that needs to be addressed by Congress. Now is the time to act on this amendment and hopefully all congress persons who have a Mother, sister, daughter, aunt, cousin who are women will see the necessity of making it embedded in our constitution that women are of the same equality as we men!

Today's women march (#4004)

     I am not all that well yet but I am well enough to get out today and march for our women's rights. I can think of no better usage of my time on this day than to stand up with other like minded souls and say quit treating our women like they are not equal to we men. These women are our mothers, sisters, daughters etc.. so why wouldn't we want fr them at least what we men have? Why wouldn't we? We need more men to join the ranks of women protesting for their rights guaranteed by the very nature of being human. What the hell is wrong with us men that we are not able to defend those whom we hold most dear? It says a lot about who we are when we cannot find it within ourselves to demand justice when it involves our women!
     I am confounded by the idea that our women need to be seconded to we men when we men are an awful sorry lot. We cannot even find our hearts when it is in competition with our pocketbooks. Whereas our women are as fair to their hearts as they are to their own survivability. There is so much we men could learn from our women if we would just unstick our heads out of our asses! We men are so proud of our chest beating strength when alone but we are like the crying little boys in public and cower from fights of integrity. The time to invest our strengths and energies into promoting our women beyond the idea of them being only subservient to us is here and today once again we get to show it.
     When you stare at yourself in the mirror this morning you should be asking if this is the kind of world you thought you would be living in when you were a young person just starting out in life. I know it isn't the one I envisioned and in fact it is nowhere near that vision of mine. We went to the moon when I was nearly 14 and since then our lives have just about gone backwards. You know me and I lay most all the blame on republicans because they are the party of greed, division, and condescension. Today's Women's march is our chance to reverse the effects of republican dominion over our lives. If we care and love our women then this really is a no-brainer! Get out and march today and let your feet and your voices support our women!

What is left for trump, round up us dissidents? (#4003)

     My dreams last night were of trump attempting to take over our government with a coup. It felt so real because for one it would be something many of us would not be surprised if he tried. Second it is almost necessary for him now that all the Ukraine evidence is slowly but surely leaking out. There are not many scenarios left for trump in order to avoid becoming a one term appointed president. But to be able to pull off his coup he would need his people in place in his what is loosely called his administration. That he pretty much does have on the civilian side.
     However on the military side he is not so well placed. Most of the military likes that he is continuing a ballooning budget but they don't like what he stands for as a human being. Even at that the rank and file level of the military, they are not a bunch of gangsters ready to kill Americans. The state, local police, and guard forces may be of some help to him but my guess is that they as well would rebuff any overture by trump to destroy our democracy. That leaves some form of Marshall Law he may try as a way to start a campaign to usurp power and then find a way to consolidate it.
     But for now it seems that trump has no way to continue his ill gotten appointed presidency with extra judicial methods. He is either going to be convicted in the senate, which is unlikely given the collusion the majority there republicans have shown, or he will be disposed at election time when the vast majority of us will not let him bully his obnoxious brand of leadership any further. That trump is a criminal awaiting his due when he is thrown out of office is more the impetus for his desperation to hold onto the presidency than any sense of leading with the guise of integrity. We will survive the trump reign of despair and for what he has done to us he will be the one who is rounded up and given his well deserved due!

What do you do now republican senators after the Lev Parnas revelations? (#4002)

     Most likely the absurd head in the sand approach will be maintained but there will be a cost that too many of them will pay this close to the election. It is with some sense of foretelling that maybe the republican senators will realize that their jobs are more important to them than protecting a criminal appointed president who will be defeated this coming November. That is the calculus here with me and I suspect with many of we democrats. There are a lot of republican senators up for reelection in 9 months and they are the vulnerable ones.
     Even moscow mitch is up for reelection and if he doesn't quite grasp yet that his time as majority leader is coming to a close he will soon find out. I do think that the slimy mcconnell will come to the rationale that he cannot protect trump without losing his status. I also want to see justice here in what I hope isn't a sham trial in the senate but regardless the real conviction will come in November when democrats and a majority of independents will render our verdict of guilty and toss the Manchurian candidate posing as the appointed president out on his ass! The weight of the lies from the trumps is a mighty heavy load today for republicans so let's see if they stumble and drop the load of shit right on the steps of the White House.
     Not since the day before the election in 2016 have I felt this good about our future here in America and in the world. The end of trumps is now for me going to happen. All that remains is how it will actuate itself. If come November he is still the candidate then so be it and as such his days will be numbered by the lame duck period he has to try to pardon himself. Yet he cannot escape all justice nor can he alter our constitution to buy himself more time in the executive branch like his mentor putin. Today is a wonderful day for those of us who have been worn to the bone by the incredibly noxious trumps. Here is to a return to normalcy on the horizon.

The acceptance of trump's illegal acts (#4001)

     Already the trump by default doctrine of doing anything to get elected is infiltrating our American politics. The first republican in my era to play dirty with illegality was the republican nixon. He worked behind the scenes of his presidential run to thwart the Johnson peace initiative with North Vietnam so that he could use the continuing war as a campaign strategy to his eventual successful election, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/31/opinion/sunday/nixons-vietnam-treachery.html. Killing off our youth so that he could be president is as bad as it gets and now trump is trying the same tactics with the obvious assassination of the Iranian general.
     Trying to start a conflict with Iran is the impetus of putting our troops on the ground to be slaughtered for the political gain trump will get from it. He and his acolytes have made the calculation that a war footing is better strategically for the trump reappointment narrative. Like nixon, the betterment of our nation is not the purpose, having power to enrich themselves at the expense of the American people is. The problem here is that we the American electorate are the ones who are allowing this outcome of trump's presidency to become normal. We are not all out in the streets clamoring for his head because we are somehow numb or profiting from it.
     As we may be thinking that we are against trump we are not showing it in action. We like those whose words are as of chafe are no different. It isn't enough to gasp and say that trump is wrong, we need to make him stop with an overwhelming force of protest that cannot be ignored nor changed in narration. As time keeps going by and trump is still around to make the Earth tremble with trepidation, we Americans are digging further down our own graves. We are the worst of what it is to be a free and equal society. Soon that won't be the case either since we are about to lose our freedom and our equality because we could not muster the will needed to act to defend it.

4 thousandth post today (#4000)

     Well now, milestones are just markers in time but some have a more significant achievement. Not that anyone post by number is better or more important than another but it does give this writer and and any reader a sense of continuity for purpose. This is one of those times. Doing anything with intent over 4000 times, without doing damage to our sensibilities, is encouraging in that commitments matter even through tough times. Of which it has been both tough and easy to write in this forum. Lately tough, especially with trump and his ascendancy. Yet it is because of trump that I didn't stop in my own final analysis.
     There were times when I thought "what is the point of this" when we cannot find it within ourselves to be who we are destined to be instead of who we are not. But those of us who fight because we know that we will not be part of what is destructive to the overall good, is why we fight. I remember after trump was appointed that surely my blog post and others of more fame would come under attack and elimination by the ruthless and brutish nature of trump. But like other media we have not found ourselves at the sharp end of his stick and may likely avoid that grave consequence.
     Instead we muster our grit and write with the flourish of a Shakespeare, at least in our minds we do. Because to let go of our voices is to let go of our will. Not even the dastardly trump has that kind of power to take our will and spit on it. I know for me it will be with my own demise before I give the worst of who we are the reigns over who the best of who we are. So today as I enjoy a little milestone marker in time I also reflect back to all the other 3999 posts that got me here. There has been no major revelation coming from me except one. That our natures of dominance are our curiosity and our caring. These two impetus' are the foundation of humanity and for humanity to survive, the knowledge of our existentialism must always be at the forefront of our behavior.

Our collective numbing orchestrated by trump (#3999)

     The continual absurdity from the trumps has us all overwhelmed by the mind numbing despicableness it presents. It has been nearly 3 years since trump took his oath to defend our constitution as our appointed president. Yet his oath seems to have been like most decent things in his life, absent! The mountain of unencouraging actions and words he has forwarded has us at a point in most of our lives where we actually lose our feeling. A sort of collective numbing he has perpetrated on our vigor and hubris.
     Instead of being excited by the prospects of our nation sharing it's vision of equal opportunity, fairness and justice based upon democracy to the unimaginative world, we are faced inward toward defending our constitution from trump and fortifying our chances to actually survive him and his acolytes. Little time is being spent by trump to keep our current alliances while much time is being spent undermining them. The logic of trump and his policies has us questioning whether the sky is actually up. That nonsense is the rule of the day replacing the rule of law we are confounded so much that our heads ache from the illogic of it all.
     Yet when you think about it the sense of it all through trump's eyes, it is to dominate through the disassembling of our logical understandings. He has lied thousands of times and will continue to do so as he pushes his narrative of always being correct. The destruction of our democracy so that he can rule America as a king is always the motive and the vehicle to doing that is his tapping into the wealthy whose greed can be controlled by him. We the regular folks of America do not figure into his calculations except to steal or deny our votes. Otherwise we are just pawns on his game board of chess that is being played under his ever changing rules.

Nothing good to post today (#3998)

Nothing to see here. Well at least worthy of anything informative. I suppose I could write about my day. I went early this morning to pick up some odds and ends pieces of furniture from a friend who likes to give me her excessive furniture. Funny how life is that way and sometimes I actually keep some pieces she gives me but otherwise I just pass them along to anyone who can use something. I got back home from that little adventure, actually I always feel like the Beverly Hillbillies who have a truck loaded up with "belongings". I still need to pull half the items off my truck but that will be for tomorrow.
     I also found out today that my Mom who was in the hospital for falling and breaking a bone in her back that was not a spinal bone is being transferred to the nursing home so that she can do some rehabilitation before going home. And my Dad is in the Veterans Hospital with the real possibility of having some of his foot amputated as a result of diabetes. A very difficult week for my parents and by extension a very emotional week for me. I have some respiratory distress so I cannot go and see them without chancing them being susceptible to my contagion. So at home I stay except for this morning going out to get this furniture.
     I totally forgot to post a subject this morning so tonight as I get ready to go to bed I am writing this post so that I can keep my daily blog daily. I am almost done and that is good because I am so tired right now all I want to do is lay down. So that is the end of this and thankfully it won't be published in my usual forums. to weak a post to have it out there so in blogger it will stay. lol.

The junkie president (#3997)

     I am now wondering if trump will even make it through to the election. He seems to be addicted in a way where no intervention can help. He has removed any real check on his personal health and certainly he has removed any brave enough soul in his inner circle to call him out for his addiction. For our sake he had better back himself off his slide into an irrational state that may have limited opportunity for him to recover from. Not only on his own person but the fate of our nation is resting on a precarious precipice given his already delusional conclusions.
     He spends his time on ridiculous notions as it is and any further fall into the absurd may well prove fatal to the whole of our planet. Like with the Iranian assassination, his judgment is impaired given the press conference he gave the next day. If he is already too far gone then those around him are doing the propping up and are also a threat to our democracy for not following the correct protocol for such situations. It is clear to me that trump is already afflicted with some type of disease and is hiding it to maintain his status without interference.
    This whole trump era is beyond the normal in most all respects and though his followers love his attacks on the most vulnerable in our society their support is dwarfed by those of us who despise his petty vile nature that wishes to harm more than help. The junkie nature of trump is of no help and as he gets older by the day and keeps his nose to the mirror we all had better resign ourselves to being on guard for the last of the days until the election. His irrational and delusional behavior will no doubt become increasingly more apparent and as such it is incumbent upon us to put a stop to it at the earliest possible opportunity.

Every human being is unique (#3996)

     This didn't take me long to realize. I got to meet some very different types of folks growing up and each one was a revelation to me. I realized my own insignificance when measured with initially how great I thought I was. I have never forgotten this valuable lesson in life. Never assume to be able to walk in anyone else's shoes. I have enough of a hard time just trying to put my own shoes on! Then once I do it is always difficult to walk as I would want myself to walk. This is the force behind my own personal conviction that we need all of us at all times.
     It is impossible to know who just might be the next person to deliver to our society some life saving event or creation. We don't know the value each of us gives to society at any given moment. None of us is able to say who is better than whom so why do we still try? It isn't just prejudice that separates us there is also an ignorance to each of our own capabilities. We let our easily persuaded minds tell us that some are better than others based upon faulty data and incomplete information. It is typically those of us who fail to interact nor educate ourselves about life either generally or specifically that become the prejudice and ignorance that is presently dividing us.
     Ask each individual how valuable their own life is and they will command with defiance a narrative that there is no one on Earth like them self. Yet everyone else in their own defense says the same thing. Why do we believe our own self and not anyone else? Does the inculcating process of our own group not allow the same honor and principle for others? Apparently so since too many cannot move beyond their own inner societal differences. Let me be perfectly clear here. None of us is more perfect, beautiful nor intelligent than any other so stop highlighting the prejudices and ignorance of antiquity when the foundation of our morality didn't have a floor. Get with the firm fact of truth and treat each one the same as each one should be treated, measured by our own idea of how we should be treated.

299 days until the election (#3995)

     I have just only been mildly interested in who eventually ends up being our democratic nominee because all my focus has been on making sure that anyone but trump is elected. So there is no infighting coming from me about who will eventually claim our party's leadership. Simply put even tulsi gabbard is a better choice than trump and I have no good feelings for her that I can find. Yet if we were to somehow win our nomination I would be one of her most vociferous backers. Because although she is not in line with most of the policies that I see as necessary for our American electorate, she is not the traitor trump who is all about destroying American democracy and becoming a lifetime ruler.
     I have little doubt that tulsi will not be our nominee so it is even better as a probability that a candidate who is more in line with my own vision will be nominated making our lives after the election that much more happier and safe. What doesn't change though is my absolute determination to support our nominee with all that I have. Hell, I would even support a cactus plant if it were our nominee. That is the determination I have in my soul to make sure that trump is not reappointed to the presidency. It would be better for all we democrats if we got the most coveted candidate as our nominee and then ride those coattails through to taking the Senate and holding onto the House.
     The perfect candidate is not out there at this moment so it is unlikely some perfect candidate will come along and enter the race although I am still holding out for Jon Stewart. Regardless though, When the primaries are nearly finished come the first part of May we should be focused on our nominee. Then all of us, no matter which candidate we wanted, must support the chosen one. We must do this if we are to erase the national stain of trump and step away from the disgrace he unfolded on us. This is very important and cannot be stressed enough. We must unite behind whomever comes out on top of our primary season and then make damn sure that person is the next President of the United States.

300 days until the election (#3994)

     Well it seems that the bone spur appointed leader has found his moment to back down. Thanks to Iran for taking into consideration the overall welfare of our nation despite trump. I am liking the logic from the Iranians in this instance as they were able to save face and give the dolt trump a path to sanity. I wasn't sure trump would take it but apparently the cowardice is strong within him and we are all fortunate for that. Now that we have put the edge of this confrontation behind us, although not entirely off the edge, we can begin to work our minds toward the coming election and ousting this upsetting excuse for a human being.
     300 days is not very long as we get closer to the primaries beginning. By the end of march we will have had over 50% of our caucuses and primaries decided so the beginning of a very busy time beginning on February 3rd's Iowa caucus is approaching. Before you know it we will have our democratic candidate and nearly less than 150 days before the election. As long as trump doesn't kill us all playing at being a military man, remember the bone spurs? Anyway, hopefully this Iranian saga is done and we can get back to the impeachment of an idiot who is less a commander and chief and more a wannabe criminal mob boss.
     300 days until we can officially oust the worst president ever to have held office in our nations long history. Each president serves in office for 1,461 days per term, so in comparison the 300 days left are minimal. Yet the danger is still real especially since trump is not above causing a war in order to help his election chances. He has little empathy for those who are not him and although his base loves that about him we the majority of Americans do not. So when we get to November 3rd it is my hope that the damage to our nation is less than what it could be and he is ushered out of office through losing the election and then removed from our nation's White House.

Something has to break (#3993)

     Either we will find ourselves in the most precarious and dangerous war we have had since world war 2 or trump will be dealt with in a way that ends his reign. Something has to give and for now it seems that we Americans are going to be the pawns in trump's game of death. If somehow cooler heads prevail then we may survive this debacle but if not then trump will have set us all up for a colossal failure. He has been held in check for the last 3 years but he seems now fully intent on creating a disaster as a way to protect his appointed presidency.
     Our American experiment had been chugging along with some success until the last several decades. With nixon and reagan beginning the end for us; the bushes and trump are finishing us off with the annihilation of our democracy. All these presidents, elected and appointed, have been hammering nails in our coffin but it has been trump who is now setting fire to the coffin. His total lack of honorable conviction is just the latest effort on his part to burn the whole planet down if he can get away with it and survive. He has no allegiance to America nor to any country that would restrict his ambitions.
     If we actually make it to November it is my understanding that he will be voted out in record numbers but with him he may thwart any election if he wants to keep his appointed office. There is no doubt in my mind that he would institute Marshall law and discontinue our constitution as a lever to initiate his continued rule beyond the 2020 election. He is a megalomaniac when it comes to protecting himself from the rule of law so suspending it and giving himself sole power to decide the fate of the world is more expected than improbable. something has to break and hopefully it will be that trump is removed from office and our world can get back to the caring evolution of civility and modernization.

US arrogance will be our undoing (#3992)

     The worst type of appointed leader to be representing the United States is the arrogant appointed trump. Not only is he his own gift to the world he is as a god in his own mind. Such is our dilemma. With strategically positioned republicans protecting him the chance that we can just replace him is small. The republican party finds within itself that having him remain as the appointed president outweighs his arrogance and through that a cutting edge danger to all of our lives. The republican party apparently is fine living on the edge of insanity as long as they can maintain control over the executive branch.
     With republicans it is a right and a deserve that they are in power. It isn't based upon anything democratic, oh no. It is based upon their condescending natures and the advantage and privilege they hold dear for themselves. Which in many ways makes obvious that their arrogance is not only real but it is nondiscriminatory to whomever would challenge their presumptions. Yet the sample size of republicans is dwarfed by the rest of us who are trying mightily to remain within the rule of law and justice. That we have almost made it through the trump appointed presidency is a crowning achievement and a curse.
     With only a handful of months left until the next election we hopefully will survive until then as we go long and hard at replacing trump with an elected president. Taking all the lessons we have learned about how devious and corrupt an appointed president can be and safeguarding our executive branch from anything similar going forward. The crowning achievement is our forbearance in not losing our minds through this last term and the curse being the inhumane hardships and intentional denigration of our democracy that trump has actuated. With the finish line of trump right up front in our view now we can find the extra strength to close out this time with a flurry of energy to dismiss the appointed one and his most ardent republican enablers.

Clodhopping trump (#3991)

     The oaf in the White House is not capable of making complex decisions. Most of us know this so hopefully the Joint Chiefs are limiting his options for apocalyptic responses. At the risk of denying him information. It is indeed a mess and real possibility that trump will trip his way into making most of us targets because of his ineptitude. this is the scenario I had hoped we would escape but it seems that trump got desperate and decided to kick in his campaign strategy to get reappointed.
    Starting a war with Iran has got to be the most insane strategy since nixon continued the Vietnam war. Not only will trump's ill thought out strategy fail to achieve his stated objective but it will quagmire the world into an unnecessary death spiral. This isn't a world sanctioned necessity, it is the desperation of a fool who would sacrifice many of our lives for his own political ambition. Somehow it must not be allowed to continue and for the life of me the previously sycophant republican party must find it within themselves to cut ties with this embarrassment and deadly devolved inhumane entity.
     The writing is on the wall and no amount of pretzeling the narrative of a righteous assassination can be truthfully forwarded. This is a hapless time that is also the most grave in our recent history. trump has made enemies everywhere and the idea that America is on the right side of history in this debacle is ludicrous. Our allies will not support our rogue demand that they kneel to trump's ambitions. This mess is our mess and those who actually enabled trump to design this. How we get out of this without a world war emanating is still up in the air. Yet never before in my time on Earth has America's position in a world shaking event been so clearly wrong!

The trump brand is now a scourge (#3990)

     As trump continues to malign all that is sensible and reasonable his destiny is also being written. Fame is not what he will be remembered for, but for infamy. His acts and words have him alongside some of the most despicable human beings ever to have been afforded a soapbox. The deviousness of his mind is constantly showing us it has no bottom. If it can be thought into reality trump has the dark side covered. The fictional character Darth Vader looks similar in deeds yet by far with a greater mind than trump. That trump acts like he is ordained by himself to being infallible, the truth is that he is a bumbling oaf who cannot get past his own brutishly cruel nature.
     Yet he sees himself as a savior of sorts in his mind even though the only saving he is doing is to his own pocketbook. His debt to putin is obvious although we don't have the absolute truth of the nature of that debt, the effect of it is as clear as day. His allegiance to wealth over humanity is unquestioned and although he and his surrogates never stop lying about the truth of that they continue to act in accordance with it. I am not sure how history will remember me or if history will even bother, but I know that my life has been better than it has been worse yet there is no way trump can say the same.
     His story will be remembered regardless of how he tries to shape it as his days are lived. There are too many of us who know his story of debase and cruelty. His mark on time in the history of human life will not be one of admiration. It will be one of the dark moments in time and although he thinks he is above the reckoning that all of us are due, his will come with no less than a deserved footnote as how not to be like as a human. He has not only let down the American people but he has let down all of humanity. He will not be the cruel leader he is for long and when his time comes for his epitaph it will be written by those of us who were made to suffer his curse.

Another trump betrayal of his oath of office (#3989)

     Assassinating a foreign general from a country we are not at war with is beyond the pale. Much like the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor before a declaration of war by Japan against the United States, this is criminal. Why on Earth would trump sanction such a devious attack? Well his poll numbers are crap and he has said many times that President Obama would start a war with Iran to help his reelection. Well trump is in a bind on his reelection so starting a war with Iran seems to be his hole card to possibly get reelected. First trump scraps the US/Iran nuclear prohibition treaty and now he provokes a first strike against Iran in a brutish and illegal fashion.
     As this day plays out the Iranian position is clear. they need at least a proportional response as a measure to "save face". that is the minimum response we can expect. a more likely response will be an escalated attack by Iran to show their strength in the face of trump's illegal and dangerous gambit. I don't know how this day will play out but it is my hope that the diplomats who are in charge of explaining this fiasco can somehow convince Iran that this has more to do with the insecurities of trump than any anger we Americans have against the Iranian people. The trumps of this world don't really care about anyone but themselves so this attack by trump is wholly just an election ploy with vastly dangerous consequences to our world peace.
     A mediation is now needed very badly and hopefully cooler heads than the ones in the trump administration will take charge of this and ameliorate it as best as possible. The world now has shifted its sympathy to the Iranian people because a lawless act against them is a jolt to our world's sensibilities. That trump is proving to be a non law abiding world actor is now obvious for the world to see and I suspect he is getting an earful now from all ends of our planet. He should well be getting more than an earful from our own citizenry. We need to make sure that trump does nothing more to escalate what could be a world crushing war that would likely involve the nuclear capabilities of so many nations who have that option.

Once again, the media portraying a close election, don't believe it! (#3988)

     I saw something yesterday where the media has the presidency at too close to call. It about confirmed to me what the republican strategy is, to deflate the democratic wave coming in November. Like I have said numerous times before, do not buy into what the print or television media is saying about how this election is to be. We democrats are too wary of it by now given the ownership of media and the money republicans are spending to deny the democratic blue wave. We the democrats need to be mindful that our message is getting out as well and keep our momentum toward defeating the worst political party ever presented in American politics.
     When we democrats all vote there is no way republicans can win, and I mean no way. The avalanche of votes would deny republicans in most political races. There are a few safe havens for republicans but in the contested areas republicans will get beat if we democrats keep our eye on the ball of voting to defeat trump. I do not care who our nominee is and no matter whom it is I will be doing everything I can to get that person elected. So should all the rest of our democratic party. There will be no time left to lose on infighting over nuances when the other option is trump who will begin to destroy what is left of our social safety net while stacking the supreme court with his nefariously unqualified candidates.
     Why do I care about this? Because it is happening on my watch and nothing as politically rotten to the core as trump and his acolytes will be allowed to rule while I still breathe air. I may fail in my attempt to end the political reign of trump but it won't be because I didn't try with all my might. In the big picture it is the survivability of our democracy I am fighting for much like the forefathers and mothers of our past generations did in revolutionary, civil and world wars. This is a fight for the right to remain a democracy and if that isn't enough for all of us democrats to rally behind whomever is our nominee then we will not only lose this coming election but we will have been collaborators in our own defeat!

307 days until trump is thrown out! (#3987)

     I remember when it was over 500 days left until the next election and I was starting to feel like we might survive the trumps and their insanity. Well it is just over 300 days and I am feeling even more hopeful. In less than a year folks we will finally be relieved from the nightmare of November 8th 2016. Every day will be excruciating from here until then but we have shown the mettle to withstand him. Now we need to get through our own nominating contests without tearing each other apart and then finally unite behind the eventual candidate.
     At this point in our history it won't matter too much who our eventual candidate is as long as we can wrest control of the executive and senate from republicans while holding the house. The key here is to get control so that the retiring supreme court justices have honorable replacements. Second it is to get legislation through that actually makes our working middle class stronger and more vibrant. We need a healthy working middle poor class in order to generate the type of momentum needed to combat the worlds troubles and create exceptional opportunities. Our nation is still the most adept at being a leader of the world if we can get republicans out of the way.
     307 days until the trumps are kicked to the curb and for that I will celebrate with a fervor not seen in my last 3 years. Reversing the trumps executive orders will come quickly and then legislation aimed at revitalizing the we neglected working middle poor class will follow. Although the stock market did well under trump the only beneficiaries who saw real gains were the wealthy who have always been the full agenda of the republican party. The time after trump will be about the working middle poor class and that is long overdue. Getting back to some parity with the wealthy will seem almost like a welcome dream instead of the current wakeful nightmare we are currently experiencing.

A forgettable year (#3986)

     Now that 2019 is in its last day I can honestly say that it was a regrettable one. Sure 2018 brought us a defense against trump in the form of the democratic led House of Representatives but that was 2018. 2019 has been trying and a hardship on all of us who still believe that democracy is the way forward. The trumps have shown they are not believers in democracy and have been making no secret of it. The reality of our times suggests that they are not alone in this narrative of hate and arrogance. The british people showed that they too are more racist and demeaning as a society with their vote to keep the conservative tory party in power.
     As my life winds down I suspect that if we do not overwhelmingly defeat the conservative republican party here in America that the future for those who survive me will be as bleak as I see the possibility of it. Which is horrendous and a disgrace. The hope for a world that punishes prejudice and greed is waning if we democrats do not win this next election with a powerful conviction to stop the madness of a survival of the fittest scenario. Our human race is at stake and the future habitability of our planet at risk.
     So goodbye to 2019 and for all that it wrought in its wake. The dawning of 2020 is still yet to be written but it begins tomorrow with a bang and that bang has to be a loud and clear awakening of the Democratic spirit that drives us forward into the day when no more shall a man or woman feel ashamed or angry because of their skin color. No more shall a man or woman feel ashamed or angry because they were treated differently solely on the class of people they came from. No more shall a man or woman feel ashamed or angry because they were denied an advantage or privilege others were given freely. No more shall we accept that republicans aren't anything more than the worst of humanity and summarily boot them out the back door of our ever evolving, forward moving, modern social, political, environmental, and economic mix.

Live to work, work to live, that is not right! (#3985)

     I am beyond those days now that I am much older, but growing up into my adulthood and beyond I remember that the angst of life was always with me. For those of us who were not gifted into really great families the path to find our way was so very hard. Being less well off  with a large struggling dysfunctional family kept us from achieving any continuity toward improving our statures through traditional avenues. The school of hard knocks were our teachers and the lessons were often hard pressed. We, a few of us managed to survive the hard knocks and actually made something of ourselves that resembles a bit of success, yet not without a cost to our souls.                                                If anything we may have a better perspective on life but the anger at the unnecessary struggle often clouds our serenity. We like to say that some troubles are Cadillac problems and some are down to earth horrible problems and though they are different they are often considered in the same vein. They should not be. Not having 5 pairs of shoes to choose from is not the same as having to wear the only ill fitting shoes one has. That angst I mentioned earlier was very real and although it caused much emotional disarray within my soul it did provide me with at least a silver lining. It made me produce when producing was hard. I used it as a catalyst to move forward into life instead of letting it tear me apart.
     Now that I am older I am still reminded of that angst and the idea that it was good for me is so profoundly ignorant at a minimum. No child should have to be raised without the nurture and care all lives deserve. The hardships notwithstanding, it was the demoralization and constant embarrassment that poverty and condescension afforded through peer pressure and our own sense of burgeoning doubt as to our own self worth. It is hard enough to begin life on a even keel but to have to do it from the bottom of the ocean is unimaginably cruel and shameful to the way our society is structured.

Ending racial prejudice will happen when we let our youth lead our society (#3984)

     Everyone who has a platform for ears to hear should be advocating for the end of racial prejudice. If I could I would make it so difficult for racists to practice or collude in racial prejudice that they would suffer the worst of penalties for it. No reasonable sentence would be harsh enough to convict people of hating other people solely on their skin color. It appalls me to even have to talk about this subject as it is so debasing and ignorant. A modern society does not have this type of problem within it that can be cannot quashed with extreme punishment.
     Which is what our society needs to do to end the vile dividing nature of racial prejudice. What our society also needs to do is to actively engage in our politics. There should be no less than maximum participation in our electoral process. We need to teach civics in our schools year round so that our children our brought up recognizing the value of their vote. The voting age should be lowered to 16 so that our children in school can begin to formulate their best ideas about how our government can better serve society while they are still in school. Children at 16 can already drive our highways and be legally married in most states so the idea that they are not informed enough is a bad opinion.
     We who are older should already know better but it seems that we are still being influenced by old paradigms. Our fears leave us as failures when it comes to discarding old nefarious traditions. Our youth are not as chained to bad choices as we are as the world in front of them is theirs to form and giving them the right to help shape it with some of our best information available in their schools will only make our society grow much more quickly into it's already albeit slowly emerging modernity. There are so many bright caring young people who need to have their hope turn into practice and we who are holding them back should be ashamed for not helping them attain their dreams.

Another year coming to a close (#3983)

     I cannot tell you how much I care about this year ending. It means that we will be starting the last year of trump being our appointed president. Sure he still gets to be president for 20 days into 2021 but he would have lost the senate by then. He will truly be a lame duck who is awaiting criminal proceedings. So in a few days the 2020 election cycle will begin with earnest. The primaries will start to begin over a period of several months and then we will have our nominee to run against the worst of a human being ever appointed to our highest office.
     On January 1st the countdown to the November 3rd. election begins. 307 days until that election date and for all intents and purposes the end of trump as we knew him. He will not go quietly and with all indications that he will attempt some sort of coup, but we are still bound by our laws and he cannot break them without penalty. He will likely be hauled off the White House grounds in disgrace but that is his due. Our votes in 2018 saved us from a cruel and brutish dictator and for that we are joyful. Yet trumps have caused so much damage and his enablers have been accomplices. They must go from government as well and with the likely blue tsunami coming they, most of them anyway, will be swept out of office too.
     So as I begin to look back on this year I am soothed by the fact of our great victory in 2018 and the brakes we put on the trumps and their democracy busting agenda. As well as the judicial investigations that showed trumps to be more Russian than American. The price for all of this will come due soon to trumps but it will not happen in 2019. In 2020 maybe, but for sure in 2021. Then the real celebration of American deliverance form the clutches of the greedy traitorous republican party will be fulfilled.

Sports, the elixir that keeps us drunk (#3982)

     No need to go any further in trying to figure out why we Americans don't get more involved in our own politics. Because sports both amateur and professional keep us from focusing on the bigger picture. We can get 100,000 people into a stadium every Saturday or Sunday but not to protest and march for our own rights. We would rather root on a team to victory than to protect our rights and the rights of our children. Is that messed up or what? Especially since our teams charge us ungodly amounts to even see them play. Do we get any benefit from our teams winning? No, but somehow we are gratified.
     The owners and the players do pretty well although the owners do much much better than the players. Just to keep it honest here our cities are actually paying these teams to play in them as an added benefit. Sure there are residual revenues that come in because of the successful teams but the cost to our society is much more than just thumping our chests like cavemen. Now let me be clear here also, I am a sports fan and follow all the major sports leagues both amateur and professional and having this conversation is a bit like kicking my own behind. But the fact is that we the sports fans are giving sports too much of our allegiance while sacrificing our democracy to a bunch of crooks.
     So how do we keep both our joys of sports competition and our democracy? We find a balance that gives both the attention they deserve. I know it is hard since our American sports are spaced out to being year round but we cannot afford to lose our democracy which is also a year round endeavor. Remember also that sports is used to divide us as a society and that isn't within the spirit of competition. We should be united despite our sports preferences and teams. There is only one highest priority in our society whether we want to admit it or not and that is our democracy. Everything else is attributable to having a free and egalitarian structure to allow us the choices we like and need to make.

Don't fall for the propaganda of republicans (#3981)

     The republican party wants to hurt average Americans to make life easier for the wealthy. That is it in a nutshell. Do not be persuaded by their attempts to turn us against each other. Republicans hate those who are not wealthy and even though the rules of society are against those of us who are of little wealth they still deem us unworthy. There is a fundamental flaw in the republican ideology that doesn't allow for the truth of things to filter through their lenses. They only see that they have "made it" and the rest of us as inconsequential.
     Instead of being champions for the human race republicans are instead only concerned with the wealthy and certain races of people. It is an abhorrent political party that puts race and wealth above the dignity of all of humanity. Yet we have too many ignorant and greedy citizens who cannot nor will not justify respect for humanity over their own comfort. I can understand making life a safe harbor for our families but not to the point of letting other families fall to extinction. There is enough to go around for all to be comfortable enough so as not to put others at risk to a human lottery of survival of the fittest.
     This ancient behavior of letting die those who are not strong enough to fend off all attackers is a miserable existence in a modern society. I cannot for the life of me understand how we the many are not able to rise above our own pettiness to throw off the chains of privilege and advantage. I get that some work hard to earn a greater share of value in the commercial world but not so much as to exclude others of basic necessities. I am embarrassed by our human species and it's inability to capture a moment in time where life can be so much better for all. If we cannot correct our present course of hatred and ambivalence then we deserve the bleakness our future will surely become.

Just another day for this atheist (#3980)

     I wish all of you who celebrate this time of year for whatever purpose a most peaceful experience. Most all of us know that we humans should have many days of quiet reflective reverie. I am one of those who believes that we all deserve a lifetime full of happiness and honor. Yet too many on our planet do not even get a moment of reflective peace and pride in their environment. I do not admonish anyone who is not like me instead I celebrate our differences with as much vigor as I defend my own perspective. Yet only if our differences do not intrude onto one another in the public square.
     I am an atheist because I am one who puts his faith in knowledge and the will to discover the unknown. In all of my lifetime I have not seen the hand of any super being prevailing on our societies with the nurture of a creator. Nor have I seen any human uphold the structure of dogma that they prevail onto others. What I have seen is the attempt by too many to take dogma and pretzel it into a narrative that gives them advantages and privileges. So for me the idea of a religion based upon faith is more to do with control for some less than honorable strategy than it is to do with attaining a spiritual plateau.
     Yet there are some who keep to their religion not as a cudgel but as a salve to strengthen their own resolve. For that I give a thumbs up and recognize that just because I don't hold to their belief they have the right to do so when their faith in some being is not determinative in how my life is fulfilled within our democratic system. My complete embodiment of this physical and soulful state is entwined with what I learn of logic and science and the application thereof of those paradigms. I care for my fellow honorable humans just like anyone else but I don't attribute it to some higher calling. I attribute it to my nature. I am curious and I care. This is who I am and as such will always be who I will be.

trump needs to stfu (#3979)

     I am no particular holiday celebrator yet even I enjoy a break from the daily grind. So now when most are partaking of the holiday spirit we still have the loud mouthed appointed president making such ridiculous noises from his innards that most of us cannot enjoy a little bit of quiet. This holiday is purported to represent peace on Earth yet there is no peace with the small minded petulant one being his normal crass and incoherent self. I try to tune out his gravely concerning nonsense but I cannot in good faith to being a warrior for a truthful and rational society tune out his blathering.
     The time isn't quite right yet to be feeling more secure when so much is triggering his incomprehensible behavior. So apparently no rest for those of us who would love some rest. I suppose I do get to find out just how much punishment of his I can take which is some small silver lining but of no good usage for me going forward. Because when the voting time comes this next November 3rd. he will no longer be a source of constant consternation. We will have a president who was actually elected beginning the transition into our, since trump, unholy White House. It will be good to think of our nations house with a bit of reverence again.
     So to think that trump would be quiet for a couple of days while the rest of us recharged our inner batteries was ill fated to begin with. The trumps know no decency nor respect for the nature of our society. They only want what they want when they want it. So staying on track and rebutting the orange colored buffoon is a never ending job for now and getting a little bit of peace will have to wait until he is actually settled dust beneath our feet.

The incoherent trump (#3978)

     What is wrong with trump? As time goes by it is becoming clearer that there is a real problem that isn't being discussed with trump's inability to function as a human being. His erratic language and physical quirks are now as troubling as ever. He won't take a real physical with a real doctor and release those findings so we don't know what is going on. Now I say what is wrong with trump as a prelude to his physical being, I already know that he is a disgrace to normalcy and compassion. His inarticulate physical nature though is even more confusing.
     The time is now for us to now what the heck is going on with his physical health. We cannot as a country let him run our nation with so many important functions to attend. As well his being in charge of emergency situations that may arise if he is not physically capable of making life and death decisions. He is already a cruel and despicable person but to leave unchecked any debilitating mental functions within him would be like us playing russian roulette. The diabolical senate leader mcconnell is so down with anything trump does that he mcconnell cannot be a deterrent to a disintegrating trump.
     What we the American people are left with is a rambling incoherent appointed president that has too many backers without regard to his mental or physical health. This time right now leaves we the American people vulnerable to a whacked out president who may start something out of fiction that the many of us end up paying ultimate prices for. The other republicans in the senate need to either force mcconnell to put our nation first or they need to remove him through several options such as defecting from the republican party. Whatever it takes to get trump out and mcconnell out of the way has become increasingly a priority as trump continues to deteriorate before our very eyes.

The misrepresentations are coming (#3977)

     This is how the republican party is going to attack our blue wave. They are going to misrepresent, or in plainer language, lie about what we democrats have accomplished. While also lying about what they didn't accomplish. So the trick is to doubt anything that they say and then before reposting things you haven't actually read or fact checked yourself, do read and fact check first. The only way we don't win a blue wave tsunami election is if we get lazy and let doubt set in. Because that is exactly what republicans want, for us to doubt ourselves thus lessening our enthusiasm to get all our voters to vote.
     Republicans will do their part in suppressing the vote while also working hard to confuse we the electorate. The only opportunity they have to win is to make stuff up and make it hard for us to vote. They, the republicans have no policies for us nor a track record coming into the election they can point to and say that they are behind the working middle poor class. They have nothing but suppression and confusion as their working model for winning. So when you see some article that attacks democrats make sure you are careful about the intent of the article. I know we democrats are far from perfect but politically we are the only political party fighting for the working middle poor class.
     It isn't even 2020 yet and I see some normally intelligent people who are democrats starting to post articles of dubious authenticity because they are not as thorough in their fact checking as they should be. It is a shame that we democrats at times can be our own worst enemies by becoming complicit in the republican war on truthful information. None of us would intentionally do this but by not making sure our posts and words are actually factual we fail each other and those who would be like us. Like I said, the republicans have 2 narratives as strategies, one to suppress votes and the other is to disseminate inaccurate information attacking our democratic policies and positions.

The weariness of my mind (#3976)

     It seems unreal to me at times when I cannot even seem to put one word after another in a cogent and thoughtful way. Instead of thinking that I am getting oldtimers or something physically impairing like that I just remember that I am weary of both mind and soul occasionally and it reflects in my ability to be informative and yes, even witty. The last several years have been very hard on me in terms of just trying to keep up with the lunacy and cruelty of trump. Having to digest the illogical nature of the past few years has been pulling me down to a place of bone weariness.
     I am not as young as I was earlier in my life so the fact that I get tired and less able to discern the cutting edge of life is more difficult with the insanity of trump. I do however have a stored bank of information that will never depart my decision making and for that I do applaud the time I took to make myself self aware. Yet, I know I could be doing more to enlighten not only my own mind but to share new information in ways that attracts other learners. My biggest problem is that I am just flat out worn out! I hurt from the physical things in life that keep occuring and from the natural aging process because I fail to address my not being young anymore in my movements and actions.
     Although I am weary and less focused as I would wish to be I am nonetheless convicted as a martyr for a good and respectful democracy. Trudging forward is sometimes all I do, but do I will. Nothing in this life right now is more important than fighting with all I have to end the trump reign, and be part of a new day for American politics. So if you see me failing in areas where I could naturally be passing, then remember to give me a break and hope that I can find some time to recharge my soul back into a tireless relentless warrior for fairness and justice.

Will the Supreme Court uphold the rule of law? (#3975)

     We do know that the 4 liberal/progressive justices on the 9 person court will do the but the other 5 conservative justices are not likely to give the rule of law its due deference because of trump. However, the Chief Justice John Roberts may break from the other 4 more disrespectful members and vote with the 4 liberal/progressive justices. I say that because as the chief justice, Roberts has a much more telling legacy to preserve. He can be a partisan hack like his fellow conservative jurors or he can rise above the partisanship and join those who are for maintaining the separation of powers written into our constitution.
     The other 4 conservative justices will pretzel out some logic in their defense of denying equal power to all branches of government, even as they are in one of the 3 branches if it means protecting trump from certain guilt. But Roberts may not be inclined to do so. At times, like when he preserved Obamacare, he has shown he can rise above the noise of the illogical. In fact I am somewhat expecting him to on the trump issues now before the court. Because for one thing setting new precedence that all branches of government are not co-equal undercuts his own power going forward as well as making the next president more powerful than any other president in history.
     So when they decide the trump cases in the present they are also deciding the expanded role that presidents will inhabit in the future. To actually rule against what our constitution clearly prescribes will take some kind of audacity to begin with and I do not think Roberts will allow that. What I do expect is that Roberts and the 4 liberal/progressive justices will compromise to protect trump a bit but also deny his claim for complete immunity from any ongoing investigation. If this conservative majority Supreme Court were to side with trump and allow him to essentially change the presidency into a kingship then not only will our democracy be undercut in such as way as to cripple it permanently but it will spark an anger within our society that will not dampen nor hold back its anger.

Respect is owed the honorable office of the presidency, not the dishonorable person occupying it! (#3974)

     Yesterday, for what should have been the third time in my life, nixon included, a sitting president has been impeached. Although only two presidents were actually impeached, nixon resigning from office to avoid the impeachment investigation, all three count towards the total for me. I will say that the Bill Clinton impeachment was not about a betrayal of country. The nixon impeachment was about the Watergate break in of the democratic headquarters by the (creepy) band of republican operatives to steal information related to nixon's reelection. The trump betrayal was about using power and money to coerce a foreign power to dig up dirt on a political rival for trump's personal reelection campaign.
     Both nixon and trump used the high office of our presidency to attack political rivals as a weapon in the complete disregard to our constitutional protections and safeguards. The office of the presidency is our most cherished public office position and for both nixon and trump to have weaponized it to gain an advantage for themselves personally dishonors them not our office of president. That is what the impeachment process was devised for, to protect our democracy from an out of control executive branch leader.
     So now both nixon and trump are stained with the disgrace of having sold their loyalty to themselves and selected others; and not to our democratic republic. This is the distinction going forward, that there is nothing wrong with our form of government just the people who occasionally occupy positions of leadership within it. There are no wholesale changes coming to how our government operates but there will be some tweaking of it to make sure that a sitting president must always answer constitutionally for any violation that is a nefarious action. There is no immunity to charges when the act rises to the level of impeachment. No obstruction is to be allowed when an equal branch of government is doing its constitutional duty.

No time for ignorant obnoxious people (#3973)

     The time in my life left for stupid hateful people is over. I will not be told or have demanded of me to be helpful. If someone was hat in hand to come to me and ask a favor then I would be willing to negotiate some response that is helpful, otherwise there is no time left to give. I had in the past been able to be bullied in doing the bidding of the bully through guilt or some other sense of duty. Yet no more. I see that as enabling the bully to keep on bullying for their own sake. No more. When you are a carefree happy go lucky kind of guy that deep down in my soul I am then some of those who know that have a bad tendency to use that to their advantage.
     When I make a decision now I am fully behind it even when it disrupts all that others may deem undisruptable. I make no apologies. In fact when it comes to family there is no delineation as to my principles. What was once family is not anymore because the old saw that blood is thicker than water is loyalty to shared interests not disparate ones. I will never recognize any family member who supports republicans and trump. The line there is drawn in cold hard concrete and will not be crossed until the support for such bad things has been disavowed. I will not compromise on the idea that helping to hurt people is excusable.
     Then there are those whose very being is about being a spoiled child grown into an adult figure whose life is nothing more than superfluously shallow at best, who think they can at their whim cause the actions of others to be theirs. Some are painfully obvious like trump and others are more inconsequential like a family member. Either way neither will prevail with me. I am a grown man given to doing what he sees as correct without demands or unasked for guidance. If others cannot find it within themselves to act within civilized behavior then to dust to them as far as I am concerned, which is no concern at all from me.

The pied piper trump (#3972)

     The lemmings in the republican party are following their leader right off the cliff of insanity. They have to because they are all in on him. They listened to the music he played and now cannot stop from its siren call. So to expect that republicans have a floor from which they will not go below is naive. They are going to follow the sound of their master no matter what any reality dictates. There a very few republicans who are breaking free from the lethargy of their trance but not enough to even put a dent in the march to the great fall down.
     Even they though are not examples of greatness only of fear for their own. Which is no noble or honorable position. So we who are immune to the greedy racist call that trump is trumpeting must keep our diligence and unending perseverance in denying trump the following he adores. The music he plays is deranged and demented but it feels so right to his ardent followers. They are unable to distinguish facts from fiction when all they ever hear from him is that only he is telling the truth. They have to accept his narrative because he is the only one who justifies their own hatred for others and greed as uncompromising.
     The pied piper trump is heading for the cliff and not even he gets that the great fall is to his doom. He is triumphant in his march and cannot see the end as real. Those of his most precious followers cannot nor will not see the end as well and with trump they will march of the cliff unawares of the grave peril. They are in delirium over their leader and cannot do anything that resembles an honorable stand for their own species. We who are not mesmerized by trump are the only obstacle to becoming his victims so the onus is on us to do all we can to end the reign of trump regardless of what happens to his acolytes. We have to save ourselves and not worry about those who will not save themselves. Such is the era of trump.

Intentionally letting immigrants die is murder. (#3971)

     I don't know what statutes we have on the books that would address this specifically but morally there is no question that willful, with intent to let a person die when under restraint, is murder. Playing god with human beings with no ability to protect themselves should be murder when death is the objective. There is no doubt now that letting those who are prone to becoming sick to die when a remedy is available is an act of murder. Now that may not be a legal definition but who in their healthy mind would argue against me? No one who has any belief in human rights for all.
     Yet there are those like the trumps who have no regard for the sanctity of human rights for all. Who think they are the masters of those who are weak and/or vulnerable. Not giving the free flu shots to detained migrants when already some of the migrants have died from the flu is intentional and murderous. These detained folks who are just trying to come to America and build a new life like all of our ancestors did are not able to go get their own flu shots. They are incarcerated indefinitely and are dependent upon the trump jailers for life maintaining options. That the trumps refuse to allow free flu shots to immigrants when they know that certain death awaits some of them is a calculated cruelty that has no place in a democratic society.
     Therefore the trumps who are not applying democratic principles and values to its policies are therefore not democratic. Let that sink in for a moment. How much longer are we to allow the unelected, appointed trump to kill people with impunity? The disgrace to America really does pale in the face of the murder that immigrants are experiencing but nonetheless is a mirror to the face of America for allowing it to continue. We the American people are all accomplices to this and for that we will never be able to shirk our responsibility. What comes for us after this era of trump has passed will no doubt be deserved. No longer is America the shining city on the hill. Instead we are a scourge on the world body politic that has no correct claim to decency nor courage.

trump isn't the tail that wags the dog, he is the flea that infests both (#3970)

     The American dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all is an illusion in the days of trump. There is no American dream, only an American nightmare. Yet as time goes by and the symptoms of the virus become normalized we Americans are losing our minds to the fever. Much like in Great Britain where the too many majority were at ease with a brutish cruel political party in the tories. It is as if the nature of the human being is not striving to be better instead it is falling back into what we should hate most about ourselves, being greedy selfish beings.
     In the context of trump being an agent outside our body it is obvious that he has some ties to humanity but the ties are not humane. Instead they are ties that feed off of humanity like a virus needs a body to attack in order to survive. As the virus trump increases his chances to survive, the human species is made less whole and well. I suppose I should have alluded to trump as being a mosquito who spends its life sucking the blood out of the host human, yet the virus metaphor is much more appropriate. It attacks with a ferocity that belies any remorse or compassion. It has one purpose in life, to destroy all that is in its path.
     Whether you see trump as a flea, mosquito, or virus, it is the effect of all of them that best defines the nature of trump as he sets about to take from our healthy body and leave the waste of his gluttony. The very idea that we would allow this scourge of a human form to stay in office is beyond any reasonable argument. Yet it is the lack of courage from our body politic that has been his foundation. We know trump loses all arguments in the paradigm of democratic rule yet we don't seem to be able to act on the information in a proper human way. Instead we fall into a normalization of his continued bad acts and become immune to his daily despicableness.