Monthly Archives: June 2018

You just might be a Republican if…

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This just in:  I was a Republican once…from the age of 18 to about the age of 45.  When Bush made up stuff so we would go to war, I realized that the GOP had changed.  The truth didn’t matter any more.

Today, there are no “Republicans” as I once knew them to be.  Instead, there are people that support Donald Trump.  That’s it.  You either vote Republican and thus, support someone that will support Trump, or you vote against them.

Since the GOP has been in such a great state of flux over the last 15 years, I thought I might point out some traits that, if they apply to you, may mean that you are a Republican (or Trumplican if you wish).

You just might be a Republican if you think it was okay for Mitch McConnell to not allow Obama to pick a Supreme Court Justice and wait until the next election AND you think it’s NOT okay to keep Trump from picking a Supreme Court Justice so we can wait until the next election.

You just might be a Republican if you think we should lower the national debt AND approve the latest TAX bill which is sending the debt into the stratosphere.

You just might be a Republican if you think we should outlaw abortion but not provide family planning services to young women or food stamps to children born into poverty.

You just might be a Republican if you think our allies should be Russia, North Korea and Turkey instead of the E.U., Canada, Briton and just about everyone else in the free world.

You just might be a Republican if you think tariffs are not going to raise prices in the United States while costing jobs.

You just might be a Republican if you think climate change is a hoax.

You just might be a Republican if you think it’s okay to separate mothers from their children at the border and think “If they don’t want to lose their kids, they shouldn’t try to enter our country.”

You just might be a Republican if you think America should be a White and Christian nation.

You just might be a Republican if you are an evangelica that believes God just told your favorite TV minister that he needs a new jet.

You just might be a Republican if you live in rural American, depend on government assistance and vote against your own best interests in that regard.

You just might be a Republican if you think coal and steel are growing industries in the United States while Green Energy is just a passing fad.

You just might be a Republican if you think most media outlets knowingly propagate fake and misleading news (92% of Republicans think this)

You just might be a Republican if you think the rest of the world has greater respect for the United States now that Donald Trump is in charge.

You just might be a Republican if you think Trump understands Healthcare, Taxes, Diplomacy, Warfare, Trade, Economics, Alliances or Science.

You just might be a Republican if you think deporting illegal aliens will help you get a better, high paying job.

You just might be a Republican if you think Donald Trump having a 2-hour meeting with Kim Jong Un solved the North Korean nuclear threat.

You just might be a Republican if you are evangelical or a white supremacist.

You just might be a Republican if you think the investigation into Russian interference in our elections is a witch hunt.

You just might be a Republican if you think giving tax cuts to corporations will cause them to give raises to their employees.

You just might be a Republican if you think giving tax cuts to billionaires will cause them to create more high paying jobs.

You just might be a Republican if you think we should end environmental regulations intended to protect our environment.

You just might be a Republican if you think China isn’t playing Trump like a fiddle.

You just might be a Republican if you think corporations should be allowed to make unlimited campaign contributions and hide the fact that they do this.

So…I am not a Republican.  I believe in facts, science, history and experts.

I like limited money in politics and clarity as to the sources of money.

I like honesty.

I like thoughtful government that works towards the betterment of ALL Americans.

But hey…that’s just me.

Up, up and away…

Jim

 

The Flash Mob Cure

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This just in:  I have to admit that there is a part of me that must like being pissed off at Trump. How else can I explain my need to embrace this anger on a daily basis.

But there is a cure and it’s call Flash Mob.

For those of you that don’t know what a Flash Mob is, it’s an event that starts with seemingly random people coming together to act out a clearly rehearsed performance in a public location.

So, imagine you are at an airport waiting for a flight.  There are people everywhere…then one of them starts to sing.  Others join in. Instruments suddenly appear.  There is dancing etc.  It becomes clear that all of this has been carefully planned in advance.

The only reason I can see for this is to bring happiness to others.

There are a lot of these on YouTube.  I was watching them this morning and several thoughts passed through my head.  I’ll list a few of them here…

  • The children are fascinated by the entire performance.
  • The performers are selfless.  They perform for the applause and often fade back into the crowd when it’s over.
  • The entire performance and the crowd reactions make me realize where the true beauty lies in this world.  It’s within us.  It’s us sharing what we love with others.  It’s being in the moment.
  • Trump seems trite and irrelevant.

Take away food stamps.  Turn against our allies.  Be a racist.  While I’m concerned about all of this, I can watch a Flash Mob and know that someone as small as Trump and his minions will soon pass. They will become a footnote that reads, “For a short while, America lost its way.”

Here is a sample of a Flash Mob…

I know this is what beauty is.  I know because it makes me cry.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Longing for yesteryear…

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This just in:  Trump’s “Make America White Again” crusade has grabbed the world’s attention.

In Iran, they don’t post signs saying “Death to America.”  Instead, they just post pictures of the United States imprisoning 4-year-old kids taken from their parents at the border.

Fox News sides with the president saying that many of these kids will grow up to be gang members.

The Sinclair Broadcasting Group, a Republican leaning organization, is forcing its outlets to air pro-Trump propaganda with regards to taking kids from their parent.

Trump called the immigrants and “infestation.”

But it was not always like this.

I grew up in a world where one of the main lessons of World History was that the United States is made up of immigrants.  It was something to be proud of.

On the Statue of Liberty is says,

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” – Emma Lazarus

Yesterday, Trump wanted to only let in the elite.

In other words, it looks like we are no longer taking in “huddled masses yearning to be free.”  We only want college educated people that can code.

Now, when I say, “Look at what we have become,” I am really saying, “About 25% of all Americans are white supremacists and Trump has made this okay.”

It’s not only Trump, the Republican Party backs him completely.

So remember, when you vote this November, if you vote for a Republican, you are voting for Donald Trump.  You are voting for racism.

Up, up and away…

Jim

 

A Republican Strategist Leaves the Republican Party

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This just in: Long time Republican strategist, Steve Schmidt, has renounced this membership in the Republican Party.  The following is a compilation of his tweets with regards to his leaving the party and what he thinks of those that remain.

“29 years and nine months ago I registered to vote and became a member of The Republican Party which was founded in 1854 to oppose slavery and stand for the dignity of human life. Today I renounce my membership in the Republican Party. It is fully the party of Trump. It is corrupt, indecent and immoral. With the exception of a few Governors like Baker, Hogan and Kasich it is filled with feckless cowards who disgrace and dishonor the legacies of the party’s greatest leaders. This child separation policy is connected to the worst abuses of humanity in our history. It is connected by the same evil that separated families during slavery and dislocated tribes and broke up Native American families. It is immoral and must be repudiated. Our country is in trouble. Our politics are badly broken. The first step to a season of renewal in our land is the absolute and utter repudiation of Trump and his vile enablers in the 2018 election by electing Democratic majorities. I do not say this as an advocate of a progressive agenda. I say it as someone who retains belief in DEMOCRACY and decency. On Ronald Reagans grave are these words. I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph and there is purpose and worth to each and every life. He would be ashamed of McConnell and Ryan and all the rest while this corrupt government establishes internment camps for babies. Everyone of these complicit leaders will carry this shame through history. There legacies will be ones of well earned ignominy. They have disgraced their country and brought dishonor to the Party of Lincoln. I have spent much of my life working in GOP politics. I have always believed that both parties were two of the most important institutions to the advancement of human freedom and dignity in the history of the world. Today the GOP has become a danger to our democracy and values. This Independent voter will be aligned with the only party left in America that stands for what is right and decent and remains fidelitous to our Republic, objective truth, the rule of law and our Allies. That party is the Democratic Party.

Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen is responsible for executing this immoral child separation policy. Where exactly is the line she would be uncomfortable crossing? She was not jeered out of that restaurant because of TSA pat downs but rather because of her complicity in evil. Evil has always been abetted and enabled by moral midgets and bureaucrats like Nielsen. One day when this vile era has passed and her shame and deeds are etched into our national consciousness she will no doubt say something like this: there is a need to draw a line between the leaders responsible and the people like me forced to serve as mere instruments in the hands of the leaders. I was not a responsible leader, and as such I do not feel myself guilty (Adolph Eichman). She is no Eichman but represents an archetype found throughout history and always present at moments where the dignity of the human spirit is assaulted by corrupted power. She is the loyal and obedient factotum who cannot distinguish between right and wrong. The soulless bureaucrat most interested in the perks of power; motorcades and planes while breastfeeding babies are taken from their mothers and locked up in internment camps. She was booed out of that restaurant because, as all of the complicit enablers will soon discover, the public spaces where decent people gather will keep getting smaller for all who serve this venal administration and vile President.” – Steve Schmidt

Up, up and away…

Jim

Disastrous week for Trump…and it’s only Tuesday

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This just in:  Every day now, for over a year, I keep asking myself, “Can Trump’s American get any worse?”

The answer is always, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!”

Let’s look at the leading stories today…

Trump is abusing children as leverage to get a wall that will be a monument to himself.  Meanwhile, Fox News calls the crying children “actors” and “future gang members” that should be separated from their parents.  Keep in mind, we are talking about 4-year old kids.

Trump has sold over $100,000,000 in properties to Russians who paid in cash.  Paying is cash, while not illegal, is a Big Red Flag for law enforcement looking at money laundering.

Republican owners (aka the Koch Brothers) are squashing public transportation projects across the country because they, the Koch Brothers, are heavily invested in gas consumption and asphalt (used to make roads).  In other words, they will have fewer billions if people get out of their cars.

The United States has 4% of the world’s population and 40% of the firearms.  However, we are way, way ahead of everyone else when it comes to “thoughts and prayers.”

Trump claims immigrants are “infesting” our country.

Today, the United States is withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Trump has involved the United States in a trade war; us against everyone else in the world.  It’s not clear why he is doing this other than he has no idea how economics works.  So far, the trade war has wiped away all the gains of 2018.

Trump is in potentially big trouble for using his Charitable Foundation as his own personal piggy bank.  Trump often claims to donate to charities but many that have researched this have yet to find any instance of such behavior.

And for the biggest news: As Trump trashes American morality, as Trump trashes international relations, as Trump trashes our economy…the Republican Party acts as if nothing if going on.

Vote these anti-Americans out of office.

Help to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

 

There is no Republican Party. There is only Trump

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This just in:  It has been demonstrated that if you are a Republican and Trump does not like you, he will trash-talk you in the primaries and a different Republican will take your place.

This is why Republicans fear Trump.  His base is devoted to him and if he tells them to pick a different Republican…they will without question.

Now…pay attention to the next statement very carefully.

The next time you vote for someone with an (R) by their name, you are not voting for a Republican.  You are voting for someone that will blindly support Trump.

The Republican Party has left the room.  The old-school Republicans that favored balanced budgets went bye-bye with the tax cut that is adding trillions to our national debt.  The Republicans that wanted to improve healthcare instead have created a healthcare system that is rated last place among industrialized nations.

The Republican Party that pretended they favor family values has been exposed as they support Trump’s ripping children from families that are seeking a better life.

There is no Republican Party.  Trump took the name and made it his own.  If you are a Republican, then you are Trump.

Speaking of The Man Who Would Be King…

Our fearless leader had a 2-hour meeting with one of the nastiest killers alive in the world today.  After the meeting, Trump had nothing but praise for this killer and announced that he, Trump, has just solved the North Korean Nuclear Crisis.

Of course he didn’t but he thinks he did.

Our fearless leader is right this very moment, allowing children to be taken from their parents and used as a political lever to get Congress to build him a wall.  A wall no one other than Trump wants.  He doesn’t care that a wall won’t work. He only cares about a 2,000 mile long memorial to his reign.

I think this guy is one of the worst human beings the world has ever seen.  If he had his way, we’d live in a country where I would be shot for even thinking that previous sentence.

If you vote Republican…then you are voting to keep this person in power.

Just so you know…

Up, up and away…

Jim

The Ugly-fication of America by Donald Trump

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This just in:  If you follow a bad guy…you eventually become the bad guy as well.

I feel like I shouldn’t need to write about Trump since all new media is filled with stories about him.  Aside from Fox News and a couple of minor players…Trump is a lying coward.

Yesterday he was claiming that Democrats were responsible for the children being taken from their parents at the border.  When confronted with this obvious lie, he just repeated the claim.

It’s as if you held up a cheeseburger that had a label on it saying “This is a cheeseburger” and Trump looks at it and says, “Nice penguin.”

Today, I read that the United States is going to pull out of the U.N. Human Rights Council.  The reason is because everyone in the United Nations keeps insisting that Israel quit killing unarmed protesters at their border.  A couple of weeks ago an Israeli sniper killed a nurse as she tended to a wounded guy.  She was dressed as a nurse, was unarmed and was offering aid to a dying man when the sniper killed her.  Israel then got caught doctoring footage of the woman so it appeared that she was a terrorist.

The U.N. rightfully frowns on this.  In Trump’s America, we say, “Fuck the U.N.”

The U.N. also recently published a report that said Trump’s economic policies were creating millions of more poor people in the United States.  They cited the only reason these policies existed was due to politics.

Trump: “Fuck the U.N.”

The U.N. also published a report that called our recent actions of taking kids from their families at the border “inhumane”.

Trump: “Fuck the U.N.”

Let’s face it, in less than 18 months, Trump has taken us from “Leader of the Good Guys” to one of the low-life gangs that every other country turns its back on.  We are Russia.  We are Turkey.  We are North Korea.  We are the Philippines.

We are not the leaders of the worlds.  We have a rapidly declining economy.  A recent study found we have the worst healthcare in the industrialized world.  We have an elite class of super rich that rule over the other 99% who are poor.  We look at human rights perpetrated by other countries and say, “Fuck the U.N.” or “That Kim Jong Un is a strong leader.”

I want to be clear about something.  The Republican Party is terrified of Trump and will do nothing to stop him.  If you vote for a Republican this November, you are voting for another person that will support Trump.

So, what are you going to do to save us from this monster?

I plan on voting.

Up, up and away…

Jim

A Day in the Life of a Stable Genius

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This just in:  I’m a news junkie in that if I have a spare moment, I’m either reading or watching the news.  I watch local, national and international news.

Today, there is so much “Trump” news that I thought I would list some of the headlines and sources.  Remember, this is just from today….

“New York files suit against Trump, alleging his charity engaged in “illegal conduct” – Washington Post

“North Korea state TV airs footage of Trump saluting North Korea military officer” – The Hill

“Trump claims parents of Korean War veterans begged him for help during the campaign.  They’d be at least 100.” – theweek.com

“Trump’s bizarre story about parents of Korean War vets illustrates just how effortlessly he lies.” – thinkprogress.org

“Trump’s campaign to discredit Michael Cohen is already underway.” – Washington Post

“The much-hyped IG report about the Clinton email investigation backfires on Trump.” Thinkprogress.com

“Trump: I could solve Syria Crisis by asking Putin to do me a favor.” – Newsweek

“Panel: Trump is doing what Russia wants America to be doing.” – MSNBC

“The Trump Foundation treasurer didn’t know he was the treasurer until investigators told him.” Theweek.com

“Trump thinks groups like the G-& rob us.  Actually, they’ve made us rich.” – The Washington Post

“DOJ report confirms that the president is a dishonest conspiracy theorist.” – NYMagazine

“President Trump’s flip-flop on coverage for preexisting health conditions.” – The Washington Post

“Donald Trump is using his power to dehumanize people who aren’t white.  It can be fatal.”-  USA Today

“DOJ watchdog is about to remind us that the FBI hurt Clinton, not Trump.” – Huffington Post

“Sessions cites Bible in defense of breaking up families, blames migrant parents.” NBC News

“These Republicans waving Confederate flags won their primaries.” – Vice.com

“Trump used his charitable foundation like a personal checkbook, NY Attorney General alleges.” -Thedailybeast.com

“Some Canadians boycott American goods and travel after Trump’s insults.” – CBS news

“Trump has turned his back on every fundamental American value.” – Washington Post

“Kim Jong Un did better than Donald Trump at the Singapore Summit.” – The Economist

“Trump takes his party back to the 1920’s.” The Atlantic

“Trump uses the Comey Report to cover up his guilt in the Russia Scandal.” – motherjones.com

“Trump is a genius at touting nonexistent achievements.” – Washington Post

“Trump reportedly claimed to leaders at the G-& that Crimea is part of Russia because everyone there speaks Russian.” – Business Insider

“Trump dismisses Kim Jon Un’s atrocities: He’s a tough guy.” Thedailybeast.com

“Trump’s real trade policy: Make China Great Again.” Salon

“As detention centers hit capacity, Trump eyes tent cities on military bases to jail migrant children.” Democracynow.org

“Senate GOP leaders have no objections to Trump’s defense of Kim.” – CNN

“State Department advisor keeps a list of employees who are loyal to Trump.” – Axios

“Bob Corker worries GOP is becoming a cult.  Don Jr. likes the idea.” – newrepublic.com

“Paul Ryan is doomed to finish out his political career in a hell of his own creation.” GQ Magazine

“More than 88,000 people could die if EPA rolls back regulations, scientist say.” – Newsweek

“Most Americans’ wages have actually declined over the past year.” NY Magazine

“Trump tags U.S. media as nations “biggest enemy” after summit.” – Washington Post

Whew!  My typing fingers are getting tired.

Please note that I did not filter out the ones saying positive things.  There were none.  On Reddit, the 6th largest site on the internet, readers fact check and down-vote articles that are seen as untrue or propaganda. For this reason, almost nothing from Fox News is ever in the top 100 article on politics.

Now, for a moment….remember Benghazi.  The issues were (1) Did Hillary rightly or wrongly call this a terrorist attack and (2) Hillary should have allotted more money to protect this one single embassy.

There were 4 Republican led investigations into Benghazi and every one found … NOTHING,

Now, take a look at any one of the above articles.  The Republicans would have had a fit over any of them.  The same Republicans that praised Trump for meeting Kim Jong Un without preconditions.  The same Republicans that threatened to impeach Obama for even mentioning that he would meet Kim Jong Un without preconditions.

Vote in 2018…you’re our only hope.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

 

Houston – We have a problem

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This just in:  When you have a president calling the Free Press the biggest enemy, you have a problem.  When you have a president that praises ruthless dictators in Russia, China, North Korea, Turkey and the Philippines, you have a problem.  When you have a president that trashes our decades old relationship with our nation’s allies in Canada, Mexico, Europe and the UK…you have a problem.

We have a problem.

Trump is rapidly becoming the American Dictator; someone above the law that wants to rule with an iron fist.

But wait!  Surely Congress will stand in his way.  The Constitution has a balance of power built into it.  This “balance” will keep Trump in check.  Right?

Wrong!

The Republican Party is terrified to speak out against Trump.  If they do, Trump will give them a nickname (“lyin Ted Cruz” or “Little Marco Rubio”).  If he trashes you, his faithful will vote you out of office; at least in the primaries.

How can this be?  Most Americans hate Trump.

True.  However, most Republicans, which makes up only about a fifth of Americans,  think Trump is doing great things (They like the path backwards to white, christian America).  In most primaries, only Republicans participate in choosing the Republican candidate.  It Trump says you are a problem, these faithful will follow his lead and vote you out at the primary level.

But wait!  The Mueller probe will almost certainly come up with something.

Perhaps.  However, if the Republicans control Congress when Mueller’s report comes out, it won’t matter what is in it.  Even the Justice Department is afraid of Trump so don’t expect anything from them.

If we want to stop Trump…we need to do it in 5 months.  We need to vote out the complicit Republican Party and put in people that will restore a balance to our government.

Vote in November.  Tell everyone you know to vote in November.  If we don’t, the Republicans will retain power and Trump will continue to remake our nation in the image of the world’s worst dictators.

We all need to vote if we are to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Sensory Deprevation

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This just in:  A couple of days ago, I went to a “float spa” and spent an hour in a Float Tank.  I thought I’d share my experience here.

A Float Spa is basically a giant clam shell filled with very salty water.  The idea is that you will float in the darkness and have minimal external sensory input. These were once called Sensory Deprivation tanks.

There was a movie out about 50 years ago called Altered States.  In this movie, the sensory deprivation somehow brought out the animal in the subject.  I can’t remember much beyond that.

So, I show up for my session.  I take a shower being careful to wash my hair and all body oils off.  I then go to the tank.  You take off all of your clothes, put in some wax earplugs (optional if you want to keep water out of your ears).  Climb into the tank and there are 3 buttons.  One button cuts out the soft background music.  Another button cuts off the lights.  The third is an intercom you can use to communicate with the front desk.

So, I climbed in and pulled down the lid and turned off the lights and the music. There is so much salt in the water that you float about halfway out of the water.

I spent some time getting a feel for things.  How hard did I have to push down so that my arms when under water and touched the bottom? The water was about a foot deep.  How far would I drift around?  I’m 6 ft tall and my outstretched arms could not touch the sides.  What could I hear and feel?  I could hear my breathing but the sense of touch is almost non-existent unless I actively feel fo the sides or bottom.

So there I floated…basically wandering if I was going to turn into a monster or have some sort of enlightening experience.

It was very comfortable.  The water temp is set to match normal skin temp.

After an hour, the lights came back on along with the music.  My hour was up and I was still just normal old me.

But afterwards…

I was to meet my wife for lunch.  Instead of driving there from the Float Spa, I elected to walk the mile.  I felt very healthy.

At lunch I told my wife “This is the best calamari I have ever eaten.”  A bit later…”This is the best dessert ever.”

Overall, the rest of the day, I felt very unburdened.  It was as if the float made me feel physically healthy and mentally cleansed.

The next day at an Art Festival…Best corn dog ever.  Then…best turkey leg ever.

So…am I being more mindful or just more appreciative or…is the food suddenly better everywhere?

My plan is to go back.  The cost for a single visit was $89 but drops to $69 if you become a member and go once a month.

So, there you have it.  I think it was a good enough experience to make me want to go back.  I have yet to see the downside (other than it’s not for free).

Feeling much better about saving the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim