Monday Night Massacre - A Question Of Loyalty And Obeying Orders

Donald Trump takes a page out of the Richard Nixon playbook. On Monday night he fired Acting Attorney General Sally Q. Yates for refusing to follow an order she deemed unlawful. Yes, he fired her for performing ethically and taking her responsibilities seriously. He fired her for upholding our Constitution.

Trump signed an Executive Order on Friday night that was really a ban on Muslims entering the country. Former New York City mayor Rudy W. Giuliani explained, President Trump wanted a “Muslim ban” and requested he (Rudy) assemble a commission to show him (Don Donald) “the right way to do it legally.”

Giuliani elaborated by saying, “And what we did was, we focused on, instead of religion, danger - the areas of the world that create danger for us,” Giuliani told Pirro. “Which is a factual basis, not a religious basis. Perfectly legal, perfectly sensible. And that's what the ban is based on. It's not based on religion. It's based on places where there are substantial evidence that people are sending terrorists into our country.”

Uh, the ban covers immigrants from 7 predominately Muslim countries where Trump has no business interests. Hmmm, the fact is that no terrorist has ever come to this country from any of those 7 countries. Uh, Uh, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Azerbaijan were not among the 7 countries on the list. Uh, Uh, Uh, Trump has business interests in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Geez, 15 of the 19 terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 and took down the World Trade Center and smashed into the Pentagon and crashed a loaded passenger plane in Pennsylvania and killed almost 3,000 of us came from Saudi Arabia. Oh God No, in 2011, Trump called Saudi Arabia the "world's biggest funder of terrorism."

Remember Mathew 7:15. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."

Yes, Trump dressed his Muslim ban in sheep's clothing and tried to pass it off as an "immigration ban". Trump's ban caused pandemonium at our airports. People with Green Cards and Visas were illegally detained and turned away.

Demonstrations erupted here and around the world. On Saturday, a federal judge signed an order blocking part of Trump's ban on Muslim immigration. Other legal challenges ensued, and other judges also signed similar orders.

After spending the weekend reviewing all this and taking into account what the ban was truly about, on Monday, Acting Attorney General Yates instructed the department not to defend the administration on this. She wrote, "At present, I am not convinced that the defense of the executive order is consistent with these responsibilities, nor am I convinced that the executive order is lawful."

So, of course, Trump ordered Sally terminated. End of story? We'll see.

Trump expects loyalty above all else. Is this so unreasonable?

Holy Moly!

Stephen And Kellyanne And Joseph And Leni - A Modern Remake - Everything Old Is New Again

Joseph Goebbels was the Reich Minister of Propaganda of Nazi Germany. Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a German filmmaker and leading Nazi propagandist.

Joseph and Leni promoted Hitler. They propped him up. They glorified him. They were the ultimate cheerleaders for Hitler.

Today we have people like Stephen Miller and Kellyanne Conway performing those services for Donald Trump. Kellyanne said she's "... the face of Trump's movement."

Stephen worked for Senator Jeff Sessions. He is now Trump's Senior Advisor. He wrote Trump's Republican Convention Address and helped write Trump's Inauguration Speech.

Stephen and Joseph

Kellyanne and Leni

The more things change, the more they remain the same. Do you believe in reincarnation?

Holy Moly!

And Here's To You, Stephen Bannon - Wo Wo Wo

You have to give Steven Bannon credit. He is probably the ventriloquist controlling the Trump dummy.

Bannon was one of the authors of Trump's inauguration speech. His fingerprints are all over Trump's Executive Orders. He is credited with removing all references to Jews from the White House's statement on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Bannon is Trump's Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor. These are all phenomenal accomplishments. There are very few people who get Bannon's kind of access to an American President.

However, Bannon's coup de grace is being appointed to the National Security Council. He not only did that, but he displaced the Director of National Intelligence and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the process.

Bannon is to Trump what Ernst Julius Günther Rohm was to Hitler. Rohm was a co-founder of the SA, the Sturmabteilung. He helped bring Hitler to power. His Storm Detachment was the muscle behind Hitler.

Bannon was the Executive Chair of the Breitbart News, a mouthpiece for the alt-right movement, the voice of white supremacists and other despicable people.

Holy Moly!

Moved By The Spirit - Slap, Kapow, Boom

Yesterday was a bummer. Reports were coming in from around the world of people being detained at airports and denied entry and sent back to their place of departure because Trump had signed another Executive Order. This one banned Muslims from entering the country from 7 particular foreign countries. It didn't matter if they had a green card or a visa or if they were returning home to the United States from a visit abroad.

When I first heard about this, I was watching the news. I went on the internet to confirm it and there were reports and pictures and videos. I was shocked and, eventually, I called an old friend in Florida to see what his take was. He said, "Oh yeah! Annie woke me up saying that things were getting crazy and we were starting to act like Nazis."

We talked/commiserated for a bit. Before I got off he said, "I've lived all my life and now I am worrying that someday I will be part of a roundup of people deemed "enemies" by Mr. Trump. I said I knew the feeling and he told me that "1984" was now topping the charts on the New York Times book list. Well, at least people were reading.

As the day progressed, I dozed off on the couch as I and countless of other seniors are wont to do. I was woken be a very hard slap to my face. I sat bolt upright and no one was there. I said, "Who" and before I could say another word I was slapped again. I said, "Hey" and kapow! When I turned to defend myself and boom! I was in a Batman TV episode from the 60s. I could see the words appearing in the air above me with each blow.

I stopped moving. I said, "Holy cow!" A voice responded, "No, Holy Moly!" It was the Spirit like never before. The Spirit was knocking me about like a rag doll. I knew better than to say anything else. I listened and the Spirit proceeded in a kinder and gentler manner. It said, "Take notes."

Here is the gist of what the Spirit said to me:

1. "You were just lying there feeling lost and dejected and hopeless. Your energy and optimism were gone. You were certainly not behaving in a manner consistent with someone I have chosen as my prophet."

2. "So the immigration ban has got you flummoxed. I suppose you regard it as the icing on the cake of a tumultuous week and you are in despair."

3. "Well, who told you any of this would be easy? While you are curling up all fetally, there are people suffering and dying all over the world. This is nothing new. It has been going on as far back as anyone can remember. Yesterday was the 72nd anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Your President may have forgotten about that. He may have forgotten about Hitler's "final solution" for the "Jews" and issued a statement without mentioning "Jews", but you remember it, don't you?" I nodded.

4. "So what did you expect? The idiot appointed Steven Bannon as his Chief Strategist and Stephen Miller as a Senior Advisor and Michael Flynn as his National Security Advisor and Kellyanne Conway as his Counselor and the Face of his (Trump's) Movement and Jeff Sessions as his Attorney General. Who do you think you are dealing with Gandhi? You're dealing with an aberration. A totally whacked out freak who wrested the Republican nomination away from the Republican Party and then won the election and became the 45th President of the United States. You ain't dealin' with no light-weight son. You is dealin' with the latest threat to world peace. Got that!" I nodded.

5. "Your job/mission is to communicate your thoughts and feelings about this as they relate to your understanding of what I am about." The Spirit had me cold. In a moment of weakness I had lost my way. I was disoriented by Trump.

6. "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Yeah, I know you heard this from Mike Tyson, but hey, it's profound. It's right up there with Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Gandhi, King, Mother Teresa, Abe Lincoln, etc. If Tyson understood this, I expect you can too."

7. "After basically hijacking the Presidency from the Republicans, Trump has set out to dismantle the United States. The Republican leadership thinks they can control him, but they can't and they'll find that out all to soon."

8. "Trump is not like George W Bush. George was a genuine Republican who won the election. His Presidency was hijacked by Dick Cheney and the neocons. George was asleep at the wheel while the world was taken to the brink of economic collapse. The Middle East was totally destabilized and things were looking real bad. Remember that?" I nodded.

9. "Okay, so Trump is fundamentally different from Bush. Trump is the hijacker. He is simply going about his business. Everybody knows exactly what kind of a douchebag he is. They have known for years. It didn't matter. The American people went crazy after 9/11 and they never recuperated. They can't take a punch. Well, Boston and New York City and some other places can take a punch, but a lot of you can't. The people seized on Barack Obama and fell into a kind of lull. They thought Barack would lead them to the promised land while they found better things to do. You were all caught sleeping while the Tea Party sprung up and slowly took over the House. When your government was brought to a virtual halt for 6 years, you people forgot what you had learned from the Bush meltdown. You started buying guns. You were lured by the simplistic, facile, imbecilic rhetoric of people like Palin, Bachmann, Cruz and an endless host of Cretans spewing meaningless, mindless, mendacious, misogynistic and misleading muck. Hell, you're now being spoon fed "alternative facts" by Trump and his minions." I sighed.

10. "So here we are. Spread the word. Stop this sulking. You got a job to do. Don't let me down. You ain't the first. Remember Jonah and the Ninevites? Hell boy, this idiot is strikin' up a deal with Putin. He's dismantling NATO. He's destroying your country's relationships with its allies and trading partners. He's gonna wreck your healthcare system and hasten the end of the world. Wake up! Get to it! Chop, chop!"

So here I am writing as fast as I can. I'm sorry for sinking into a funk. It won't happen again. I'm in this for the duration. What about you?
Here's what the Spirit wants you to know. The only thing that will bring this madness to an acceptable end is our Congress. Pray for them. Call them. Pester them. The battle line must be drawn in our Senate. The Senate is the key. Let your Senators know they need to act in a bi-partisan way to stop Trump and get this country back on track.
Don't curl up on your couch and nod out for the next four years. Make a call! Make a difference!

Check this out:

http://echothroughthefog.cordeliadillon.com/post/153393286626/how-to-call-your-reps-when-you-have-social-anxiety

Holy Moly!

Easy Come, Easy Go - The Art Of The Deal - Don Donald Trump - Dunce Trump

Donald Trump had a summit planned for next week with President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico. This was an important meeting and Mr. Trump decided to set the stage for it on Twitter.

President Donald Trump: "If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting." 1/26/17 Tweet

President Enrique Peña Nieto: “This morning we informed the White House that I won’t attend the work meeting scheduled for next Tuesday with @POTUS.” 1/26/17 Tweet

I'm impressed. I'm so impressed, I'm breathless. I'm so impressed I'm taking Xanax.

Mexico is our third largest goods trading partner. Don Donald decides to make them an offer they can't refuse and they promptly refuse it.

I read "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo. I saw all "The Godfather" movies. I even read "Fool's Die" by Puzo. I enjoyed the books and the movies. Did they teach me anything about international politics? No, but I am sure that if Donald dons the role of a Don and sets out to represent the United States, he won't do very well.

The Italians actually have a few words for this. They are "asino", "somaro" and "ignorante". You could also use, "sciocco", "stupido", "fesso", "buffone" and "imbecille".

Oh yeah, after playing the fool (fare il buffone), Don Donald follows up by pretending that the decision to cancel the summit with Mexico was "mutual". Sei veramente cosi stupido? Quanto stupido si può ottenere?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/25/politics/mexico-president-donald-trump-enrique-pena-nieto-border-wall/

Holy Moly!

Heeeeeeee's Back - Gozer, Downey, Trump

In a New York Times article written by Michael M. Grynbaum, Stephen Bannon, Trump's White House Strategist is quoted as saying, “The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while.” and “I want you to quote this, The media here is the opposition party. They don’t understand this country. They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the president of the United States.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/business/media/stephen-bannon-trump-news-media.html?_r=0

Mr. Bannon is a vulgarian. He is the perfect matching book end for Kellyanne Conway who is clearly a Siren from Greek Mythology. This pair appears on either side of Donald Trump. Bannon wants to silence the press and Conway wants to bring it crashing down by going into extended, irrelevant rants every time she is interviewed.

This is scary in itself, but it is terrifying when you consider just what it is they are propping up. Donald Trump is possessed. He is channeling Morton Downey, Jr.

Morton Downey, Jr. appeared on TV in the 1980s. He may be singularly responsible for ushering in the era of trash talking television and radio hosts that are everywhere today.

Downey's show lasted all of 2 years on television before it flamed out. What originally transfixed the audience became distasteful. Too much of Downey left you feeling ugly inside and needing to puke it out of your system. I suspect that is exactly what will happen with Trump.

Simply put, Downey was an offensive, antagonistic, abusive, ill-mannered, uncouth, sexist jerk. He was a media born virus, a public health hazard. Sound familiar?

Downey was replaced on radio by Rush Limbaugh. In New York, Downey lived in a building developed by Donald Trump. Prior to the cancellation of his TV show, he was involved in an incident, considered a hoax, at San Francisco International Airport. He claimed he was assaulted by Nazis in a restroom.

Remember Ghostbuster's Gozer?

Here's Downey.

Here's Trump.

Holy Moly!

Hoopalong Trump

Until Donald Trump took office, I had heard of Executive Orders, but I had never actually seen one being signed. Now we are treated to them everyday. They all end with Donald Trump surrounded by a few people. He is signing a paper mounted inside a portfolio. When he finishes signing, he holds the document up to the cameras for a photo-op.

In fact, almost everything Mr. Trump does is orchestrated and videotaped. His actions generate a lot of press coverage, but I'm not exactly sure what else they accomplish, other than freaking me out.

In 2006, Congress passed legislation to build a wall on our Mexican border. The Secure Fence Act was then signed into law by George W. Bush on October 26.

So where's the wall? Well, the cost of building the wall was never fully funded by Congress and so it wasn't really built. There was enough wall built for the press to take pictures, but the wall never materialized. Some fencing was put up.

Uh, so what's changed now as a result of Trump's Executive Order? Hell if I know. Unless Congress appropriates the funds, the wall will continue to exist on paper and in the minds of those who are susceptible to door-to-door vacuum salesmen.

If, by chance, Congress should actually fund this project, then a wall might eventually go up. The cost of said wall is debatable. Everyone agrees that $15,000,000,000 is the least it might cost, but the smart money is on costs that could top $25,000,000,000.

Twenty five billion dollars!?

I need to clarify what I said 2 paragraphs ago. The "smart money" I referred to is actually "dumb and wasteful money". It would be dumb and wasteful to build such a wall, because it would do little to stop illegal immigration, but it might make for yet another Trump photo-op.

So what is going on here? What's all the hoopla about? Well, like much of what Trump does the hoopla is about the hoopla. Trump is big on hoopla. In fact, Trump is hoopla.

What is really happening is a dog and pony show that has not been rivaled since Catherine the Great (Catherine II) of Russia decided to take a tour of her country to see what was really happening.

Sadly for Catherine, her ministers built false sets along her route and hired people to populate them as she rode by in her coach. The people were all instructed to be "happy". Catherine got to see her "happy" subjects.

We've actually seen some of this with Trump. People have been sent to some of his events to applaud and cheer. Catherine never caught on and I don't think Trump has either. If you applaud and cheer for Donald Trump, he thinks he is doing something that makes a difference.

Meanwhile, Trump's Republican handlers are busy behind the scenes readying real legislation for him to sign. Legislation like tax cuts that will mostly benefit those already far too wealthy for our own good.

Maybe Trump is a reincarnation of Catherine. That would be something. The other thing Catherine was known for was having a voracious sexual appetite. Rumor has it that she did not restrict herself to humans when she indulged those appetites.

Catherine reigned in Russia from 1762 to 1796, which is a good thing, because there was no possibility of her antics being videotaped.

Holy Moly!

Was Trump Right About Voter Fraud?

Apparently there may have been at least one person who was registered to vote in 2 states and Steve Bannon may just be that person.

Yes, Steve Bannon, Donald Trump's trusted advisor is being accused of just that. He is registered to vote at a vacant house in Florida.

Could the other 3,499,499 to 5,000,000 people Trump has claimed are engaged in voter fraud also be members of Trump's administration? Did Trump learn about this from them?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/steve-bannon-registered-to-vote-in-two-states-despite-trumps-cries-of-voter-fraud/ar-AAmeM2p?li=BBnb7Kz

Holy Moly!

Shortly after I posted this, more information came out on people who were registered to vote in 2 states. Tiffany Trump, Trump's daughter, and Steven Mnuchin, Trump's nominee for Secretary of the Treasury, are also registered to vote in 2 states.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/316146-tiffany-trump-is-registered-to-vote-in-two-states-report

Holy Moly Redux!

Wow, now it turns out that Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner is also registered to vote in 2 states.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/it-turns-out-trump-son-in-law-jared-kushner-is-also-registered-to-vote-in-two-states/ar-AAmhpvk?li=BBnb7Kz

Holy Moly Redux, Redux!

Rude, Crude With Attitude

Donald Trump is no gentleman.

On Inauguration Day, when the Trumps drove to the White House to meet with the Obama's before going to the inauguration, Trump got out of the vehicle and left his wife to fend for herself.

The Obama's came to her rescue and helped her up the steps.



I think this says something about how Donald Trump will govern. He seems to always take care of himself first, leaving it to someone else to take care of his responsibilities.

I think this also says something about how he regards women.

Holy Moly!

The Numbers Don't Lie

Yesterday Donald Trump hosted a White House reception for our congressional leaders. He began by telling them that he had actually won the popular vote by between 3 and 5 million votes. He blamed it on voter fraud. He had no proof. He made it up.

When he addressed the CIA the day after the Inauguration, he told them that 1.5 million people came to see him take the oath of office and that the press was lying about the amount. He had no proof. Once again he was making it up.

Later that day, Press Secretary Sean Spicer, made the same claim and also accused the press of "deliberately false reporting". The next day a contentious Kellyanne Conway defended "falsehoods" by saying they were "alternative facts".

Mr. Trump, you won the election, but you lost the popular vote by almost 3 million votes. Less people turned out to see you on Inauguration Day than did so on President Obama's Inauguration Day. The press is not conspiring against you.

Alternative facts are falsehoods. Liars use alternative facts. Everything is not a competition. Governing is about taking care of the country and its people. You and your minions are not bringing people together with these actions. You are creating dissent. Give it a rest. Stop exaggerating your numbers.

Does this have anything to do with what Stephen Colbert was talking about last March?

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/watch-stephen-colbert-size-up-donald-trumps-penis-comment-at-debate-20160308

Holy Moly!

Kellyanne Is The Woman In The Ring - Don't Watch Her!

"The Ring" first appeared in theaters in 2002. It was a supernatural horror flick about a cursed videotape. If you watched the videotape, you died. The video was of a weird woman climbing out or a well and coming toward the screen.

What was farfetched entertainment then, may be a national security threat now. Kellyanne Conway may be the contemporary version of this horror story. If you watch Kellyanne being interviewed by the press, you won't die. If you voted for Trump and see Kellyanne, you may start talking like her and responding to others as she does in her interviews.

Yesterday, Kellyanne explained how the Trump team uses "alternative facts". The team not only uses these "alternative facts", it uses them to refute actual facts. In an interview with Chuck Todd on Meet The Press, Kellyanne went beyond her normal filibustering and when confronted by a persistent Todd, she told us all about "alternative facts".

To his credit, Todd made a valiant effort to get Kellyanne to answer a simple question and when she finally did, he almost seemed speechless. Where others might have said, "You mean lies.", Todd chose to label what she was saying as "falsehoods".

Chuck is not alone in tolerating Kellyanne's now standard filibuster responses to questions. Nobody seems to be willing to call her up short and tell her to either cut it out and answer the question or stop her filibuster before it mesmerizes the audience and disorients everyone who hears it.

Listening to Kellyanne's responses is like listening to the Siren's Song. If you are listening to her answer a question while you are driving a vehicle, you run the risk of crashing into something, just like the sailors in Greek Mythology came to ruin on the rocks.

What we now know, thanks to Chuck's persistence, is that it is possible to stop the filibuster, but he has not shown us how to deal with what follows - the "alternative facts" gambit.

Personally, I would suggest throwing a pail of water on her like Dorothy did to the Wicked Witch of the West in the "Wizard Of Oz". You should throw the water on her as soon as she starts her filibuster. An "alternative method" would be to drop a house on her. Dropping a house on the Wicked Witch of the East was also a very affective method of neutralizing a witch.

The failure of the press to either dose Kellyanne with water or drop a house on her has led to the security threat we are now facing. When viewers see Kellyanne doing an interview they are cursed. They start emulating her in public discourse on Facebook, social media and blogs. Kellyanne is "The Ring" actualized.

One Kellyanne has proved too much for our entire news media. Millions of infected Kellyanne sycophants is like a nuclear reactor meltdown. Remember Chernobyl? Remember "The China Syndrome"?

Holy Moly!

Pathetic, Dangerous, Nasty Man

Trump's speech at the CIA headquarters yesterday has to be seen and heard in its entirety. You can do just that by going to the link below:

https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000004886212/watch-live-trump-at-the-cia.html

It's hard to know where to start when you experience something like this. His inauguration speech was a jaw dropper. It was inappropriate, hostile and stupid. It was a disgrace, but it was only the opening act for what he did at the CIA.

He is speaking in front of a wall memorializing those agents who have died in service to our country. It is a place for solemn reflection. It is a place for dignified, reverence. It is not a place for stand-up schlock or political campaigning or narcissistic fugues.

After having compared our intelligence service to Nazis, it would have been reasonable to go there to apologize and try to make amends. It would have been reasonable to say, "I'm sorry." Not Trump, Trump denied ever having denigrated our intelligence services and blamed the news media for telling lies. He is impeached by his own Tweets. His lies are washing over him as he makes these false claims, but he is unfazed. He is an unabashed liar.

Donald Trump seems impaired to me. He does not seem to know what is acceptable and what is not. He is insensitive to others to an overwhelming degree. He is reckless and you can easily imagine him causing a national or international incident. He is beyond disgraceful, he is a threat to our well being as a people.

We are not only at risk of being humiliated by Mr. Trump, but we are also at greater risk of foreign leaders experiencing him and judging the strength and resolve of our country based upon his performances. They apt to conclude that our country has become a loose cannon on the international stage.

Trump is worse than the leader of a banana republic. Trump is the leader of the most powerful country in the world. Yet, he is behaving like Kim Jong-un. He talks with all the grace and poise of Idi Amin. He has all the panache of Muammar Gaddafi. He is channeling Professor Irwin Corey.

In less than 24 hours into his term, Trump is demeaning the Presidency.

Holy Moly!

Nasty Woman

I watched the inauguration of Donald Trump yesterday. I saw him take the oath. I listened to his speech. I became disoriented and confused. Doubt crept into my heart.

Today I went looking for some news. I wanted to see what the women were doing in Washington, DC and elsewhere. I stumbled on a live feed just as Ashley Judd took the stage. I listened to her in awe. Once again the Spirit came over me and I was renewed.

Holy Moly!

The link below will take you to a video of Ashley Judd's rendition of Nina Donovan's poem, "I Am A Nasty Woman".

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ashley-judd-womens-march_us_58837ceae4b096b4a231f193

Watch as the Spirit inspires Ashley and be inspired.

Trump's election may just be the catalyst for a whole new generation of activists and advocates, true American patriots who believe in freedom and equality. His inauguration may be the beginning of the end for the Tea Party and the religious and alt right fanatics who have held our government hostage for the last 6 years.

Thank you Ashley.

Holy Moly!

A Response To Trump's "Make America Great Again" From Bertram Gross Written In 1980

I think I understand the kinds and roots of false patriotism today. Some years ago Francis W. Coker of Yale University put his finger on the divisive and exclusive patriots who “insist that the country must always be set above the rest of the world” and “in the name of patriotism conduct a virulent propaganda against economic and political measures of which they disapprove,” including the admission of “undesirable” foreigners but also the free expression of dissident views in schools, churches or the media. ¹³ In his Militarism, USA, a sober critique based on years of experience in the U.S. Marine Corps, Colonel James A. Donovan identifies the dangerous patriot: “the one who drifts into chauvinism and exhibits blind enthusiasm for military actions. He is a defender of militarism and its ideals of war and glory. Chauvinism is a proud and bellicose form of patriotism … which identifies numerous enemies who can only be dealt with through military power and which equates the national honor with military victory.” With an insider’s gift for telling detail, he relates this kind of dangerous patriotism to the vested interests of the “vast, expensive, and burgeoning military-industrial-scientific-political combine which dominates the country.” ¹⁴ In The Reason for Democracy, published after his death in 1976, Kalman Silvert of New York University provided another pungent description of false patriots: “People who wrap themselves in the flag and proclaim the sanctity of the nation are usually racists, contemptuous of the poor and dedicated to keeping the community of ‘ins’ small and pure of blood, spirit and mind.” ¹⁵ The people described by Coker, Donovan, and Silvert are the kind of scoundrels Samuel Johnson and Ambrose Bierce were referring to— and anyone acting in the spirit of true democracy should be prepared for opposition from them.

Gross, Bertram. Friendly Fascism: The New Face of Power in America (Forbidden Bookshelf) (Kindle Locations 9150-9164). Open Road Media. Kindle Edition.

Holy Moly!

Inauguration Day

Holy Moly!

1 Day To Go

This picture comes to mind when I think about tomorrow.

 A young man who was born in June with the initials DT is riding in a limousine with the family that adopted him. His adoptive father is the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. The child is the “beast” prophesized in the Bible.

He manages to kill his adoptive parents and in the end he is taken in by the President of the United States. The child is Damien Thorn and his future as U.S. President is implied.

Tomorrow we have a real life DT, also born in the month of June, being sworn in as our 45th President.

“The Omen” was released in 1976. It was modern horror film. Was it also prophetic?

In 1984, Hollywood treated us to “Ghostbusters”. It was a comedy. It became part of our culture. It's a modern classic. Its title song included the lyrics:

“If there's something strange in your neighborhood
Who you gonna call?"

"If there's something weird and it don't look good
Who you gonna call?"

After tomorrow, who you gonna call?

Holy Moly!

2 Days To Go

So what exactly is Trump's agenda?

Trump appointed Steve Bannon as his chief strategist and senior counselor. Bannon will be one of the most influential people in Washington. He will be in Trump's inner circle. He will be Trump's policy architect.

Here's how Bannon identified himself to a writer in 2013, “I’m a Leninist. Lenin wanted to destroy the state, and that’s my goal, too. I want to bring everything crashing down, and destroy all of today’s establishment.”

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/steve-bannon-will-lead-trumps-white-house

Before Trump someone espousing Steve Bannon's views could not have been considered for a top position in the Executive Branch of our government. A candidate recommending such a man could not have gotten a major party nomination, much less won the election, but things are different now.

I can't imagine any scenario in which someone who wanted to renovate their ancestral home would hire a general contractor who said he wanted to "bring everything crashing down" and "destroy" it.

Yet, this is exactly what those who voted for Trump have done. They've elected a man who is proceeding like a wrecking ball. A man who has appointed a "Leninist" as his chief strategist and senior counselor.

In the last few days, Trump has put the NATO alliance in jeopardy while demeaning our greatest trading partner, the European Union. He has trashed the United States' security agencies and compared them to the Nazis. He has nominated people to head agencies who are on record wanting to end those agencies. He has needlessly antagonized China while embracing Vladimir Putin and Russia.

Trump reminds me of Pol Pot. Under Pol Pot's leadership the Khmer Rouge destroyed Cambodia. They literally brought "everything crashing down".

Holy Moly!

3 Days To Go

Remember the Tacoma Narrows Bridge?

The Trump transition is almost complete. I think the following video pretty much captures what we have to look forward to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-zczJXSxnw


Gallopin' Donald is coming to town. Nothing will be the same after he gets here.

Holy Moly!

4 Days To Go

Donald Trump is Rosemary's Baby!

What else could possibly explain what he is doing and saying?

NATO is obsolete?

The EU doesn't matter?

He trusts Putin and Merkel the same?

John Lewis is "All talk, talk, talk - no action or results."?

One China policy up for negotiation?

Remove sanctions on Russia?

"Health insurance for all."?

Holy Moly!

5 Days To Go

The whole world knows that Russia played us in the last election. It hacked political party computers, it disseminated information, it altered some information and released totally fictitious information. It conspired with Assange, Snowden and Manning. It had contacts with people working on Trump’s election.

Russia had contacts after the election with Michael Flynn, Trumps National Security Advisor. Trump has nominated Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State. Tillerson is a great “friend” of Russia, he’s made deals worth hundreds of billions of dollars with Russia, and he’s advocated for the United States to remove sanctions placed on Russia after the invasions of the Crimea and the Ukraine by Russia.

It’s worth mentioning that our FBI Director, James Comey, also did his part to compromise our elections by raising questions about an investigation into Clinton’s emails a few weeks before the election.

For his part, Donald Trump has likened our security agencies to Nazis and accused them of conspiring against him. He is also engaging in a bromance with Putin on Twitter and during his press conference.

Now Russia is conducting peace talks with Syria and Turkey, a NATO ally. We are not involved in those talks but Russia has suggested it may invite Trump to the table.

The country is divided. The world thinks we are nuts and that our elections are compromised and meaningless – game, set and match go to Putin.

Could we possibly do anything else to jeopardize our standing in the world? Yes, we could accept a Russian invitation to get involved in the Syrian peace negotiations. We could be Putin’s bitch.

Holy Moly!

6 Days To Go

Are we to be grateful to Russia for inviting us to the party?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/first-sign-of-enhanced-us-russia-relations-under-trump-an-invite-to-syria-talks/ar-AAlQOQy?li=BBnb7Kz


This is all unfolding like a 1950's grade B movie. The script has all the sophistication of "Plan 9 From Outer Space". The acting couldn't be more ridiculous.

We have been given a national, standardized intelligence test. Our score is 46. We are "idiots". If you factor in the non-Clinton voters our score is 52. We are "morons". Either way, it is not a good sign.

Everything since the election points to an entitled, mean spirited, ignorant, sadistic new President. When will people who supported him allow themselves to see him for what he truly is? How much damage will have been done by that time?

I fear we might be following in the footsteps of Wile E. Coyote. We will run off the cliff and there will be a moment, right before we plummet, when we realize we have gone too far. There are some things you can't recover from.

Holy Moly!

7 Days To Go

It appears as if our President Elect is coming apart at the seams. His morning Tweets are getting more and more hostile. If you thought that was not possible, you are wrong. Trump keeps finding ways to go lower into the slime.

Check out this report:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trumps-6-am-tweetstorm-lashes-out-at-intel-clinton/ar-AAlPMDO?li=BBnb7Kz

Trump's new National Security Advisor has also been busy. Michael Flynn was communicating directly with the Russians in December.

Check out this report:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-adviser-took-call-from-russian-ambassador-in-december-trump-aide/ar-AAlQkdt?li=BBnb7Kz

So with a week to go, Trump is escalating his hostility toward our intelligence agencies and his National Security Advisor is making sure that Trump personally speaks with Putin right after his inauguration.

I don't understand Trump's priorities. He trashes our intelligence community and uses statements from Russian agents to support his version of reality.

Donald is also proving to be an equal opportunity trash talker. He blasted both Republicans and Democrats today. He Tweeted, "It now turns out that the phony allegations against me were put together by my political opponents and a failed spy afraid of being sued ... Totally made up facts by sleazebag political operatives, both Democrats and Republicans - FAKE NEWS! Russia says nothing exists." At least, he trusts what Russian politicians have to say. His paranoia is selective at the moment.

He referred to himself in the third person during his press conference. He also said, "I will be the greatest jobs producer that God ever created." His delusions of grandeur have not diminished.

Remember when Napoleon crowned himself emperor in 1804? Perhaps Trump will administer the oath of office to himself on January 20th.

Holy Moly!

8 Days To Go

Rex Tillerson never held public office – no problem.

Rex Tillerson has zero diplomatic experience – no problem.

Rex Tillerson was making billion dollar deals with Russia and Iran – no problem.

Rex Tillerson lobbied Congress not to impose sanctions on Russia after it invaded the Crimea and Ukraine – no problem.

Rex Tillerson is given the Russian Order of Friendship by Vladamir Putin – no problem.

Rex Tillerson says he never discussed Russia with Donald Trump – no problem.

Rex Tillerson is nominated by Donald Trump to fill the Secretary of State position – no problem.

So what’s the problem?

If the Senate votes to confirm Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, we have a problem.

Holy Moly!

9 Days To Go

Today’s press conference was a sight to behold. So many things happened. Let's see.


Trump likened our intelligence agencies to Nazis.

He decried “fake news”. Yes, the man who singlehandedly championed the birther movement and nominated a man for his National Security Advisor who posted a story about Hillary Clinton’s involvement with a Washington, DC pizza parlor that was running a secret child sex slave operation is complaining about “fake news”. The vast majority of things that Trump has said have been proven to be false.

Trump seemed disoriented. He kept talking about Clinton and how he beat her. It’s as if he either doesn’t know the election is over or doesn’t have a clue what to do now that it is over.

With piles of paper on display on a table next to the podium, he and his representative proceeded to explain that he is not covered by conflict of interest rules and why turning things over to his sons to run is a legitimate “divestment” of his business interests.

Not to be undone by himself, he said that he was going to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act simultaneously. Has anybody told Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell?

He also explained how he was going to build a wall, not a fence, across our Mexican border using our taxpayer monies. Apparently, we are going to pay for it.

Trump denies all connections to Russia and Putin while blasting our intelligence agencies and using statements from Russian leaders to prove his point. I’m sure the Russians wouldn’t lie to us about anything they did to interfere with our elections.

The man I saw today could not handle a press conference. I can’t imagine what he might do at an international summit.

Holy Moly!

Prepare For Blastoff

I remember waking up on 9/11 and turning on CNN. A plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center and nobody had a clue. Close-ups showed fire coming from the floors hit by the plane.

I stayed rooted to the TV for hours. When the second plane hit, I saw it live and I, along with everyone else, knew this was no accident.

When the first of the towers fell, I was horrified. Time seemed to slow down. There was pandemonium in the streets. When the second tower fell it was like a slow motion replay.

People were covered in pulverized concrete. The human misery was palpable.

Reports continued to come in as 2 other planes went down. One hit the Pentagon and the other crashed into a field. There were also erroneous reports of shootings in Washington.

By the end of the day, I was emotionally depleted. I thought this is what it must have felt like when people heard about Pearl Harbor. I wanted to help, but I had no idea how.

In the months that followed, things changed. By the time we invaded Iraq, I believed we had completely lost our way and our leaders were not being honest with us. That proved to be true.

We became mired in a senseless war and our economy was on the verge of total collapse. Thousands more Americans were dying. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were dying. The Middle East was exploding while Iraq imploded.

When Barack Obama was elected, it was like oxygen was pumped back into the air. Things slowly started to turn around. The war ended. The economy rebounded. The troops came home, but the Middle East continued to crumble.

On the home front, the Republicans brought Washington to a halt. The political corruption and war profiteering that took place during the Bush administration was put on hold. It was in suspended animation. People worked hard, out of sight, in the background waiting for Obama's final term to end.

I could not believe Donald Trump was actually on the ballot in 2016. The thought of him was both ridiculous and terrifying. I didn't stay up to see the final results on election day. When I woke up the next morning, I turned on the news and went on the internet and found out Trump had won.

Since the election, I again feel like things are unfolding in slow motion. It all seems surreal. It's like the shock of 9/11 all over again with one notable distinction, Donald Trump will be our next President.

The confirmation hearings on Trump's appointees started today. We are in the final countdown. 10, 9, 8 - you know the drill. On January 20th we blast off.

We are a divided people. We are witnessing a modern day version of Sherman's march to the sea. The Trump juggernaut is unfolding before us and I don't think we will recover from this one.

This last election cycle is unprecedented. No one had a clue. We are scurrying to come up with a rationalization for what happened so we can pretend that the Earth is still maintaining its orbit, when, in fact, we are hurtling to an increasingly unknown and alien future.

The orbit we are now in is just as apt to crash us into the Sun or take us into a black hole.

Holy Moly!

Kellyanne Conway Deciphered

What Kellyanne Conway is basically saying in every interview she gives is, "What are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes and ears?"

Scroll down and watch the video.

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/everybody-can-see-it-cnns-chris-cuomo-fights-kellyanne-conways-denials-that-trump-mocked-reporter/

Holy Moly!

How The Carnival Geek Became President

The Russians didn’t steal the election for Donald Trump. The Russians did their best to inject chaos into our election process and damage Hillary Clinton, but they didn’t steal the election.

Nobody stole the election.

You could say Trump stole the Republican nomination, but only from the perspective of having taken the nomination out from under the noses of the Republican establishment in broad daylight with the whole world watching. That should tell you something about how stupid the Republican leadership really is.

It’s not a case of they could not walk and chew gum at the same time. They could neither walk nor chew gum. Years ago they sought to bolster party membership by welcoming in imbeciles and fascists.

In 2016, a perfect storm resulted in Trump the nominee.

The real question is, “Who is Donald Trump?” Personally, he is a wealthy, pathetic, aging, ignorant, demagogue. He is a living, breathing caricature of modern degeneracy. Politically, he is a media creation. He is the ratings buffoon that was never meant to be taken seriously. He is a bad choice run awry. He is the beneficiary of billions of dollars’ worth of free publicity. He is the political equivalent of the Kardashians. Unexpectedly, he may be a tool of Putin.

Trump rails against the Main Stream Media in much the same way the monster railed against Dr. Frankenstein.

We have already gotten an idea on how Trump plans to address and formulate policy. Consistent with his Frankenstein monster persona, he goes back for more juice every chance he gets. That’s what his “Thank You” tour was about. That’s what Tweeting gives him.

The adulation of ignoramuses is of little worth or desirability to an intelligent man. It is everything to Trump. He literally can’t live without it.

When Trump tweeted, “It is time for Republicans and Democrats to get together and come up with a health care plan that really works - much less expensive & FAR BETTER.”, he showed us exactly how he planned to govern. He plans to govern by fiat. His most recent fiat is for someone to come up with an anti-hacking plan in 90 days.

Trump wants a wall. He wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He wants to reset relations with Russia and make a new "deal" with China. He wants all these things, but he hasn't a clue how to bring them about other than by using Twitter to issue fiats. He is like a Moslem cleric issuing a fatwah.

Hole Moly!

Trump's Godfather Moment

Do you remember the scene at the end of The Godfather when Michael Corleone is in church becoming the Godfather for his sister’s child? During the Baptism ritual, he is taking the oath as the child’s godfather while his men are out assassinating all of his rivals.

Take a look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CDlBLvc3YE

So what is Donald Trump orchestrating on Inauguration Day? Who is he getting rid of?

Take a look:

http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/05/us/politics/trump-ambassadors.html?_r=0

Holy Moly!