Silence = Consent

Posted on May 10, 2019 by admin

This just in: Congress has the DUTY of oversight. They are an equal branch of government with the president and a big part of their job is to keep the president from wrong-doing such as criminal activity or ignoring the Constitution. In fact, this is exactly why they are a “co-equal” branch.

However, it appears that the Republican presence in Congress is nothing more than a bunch of Trump puppets.

For example…

Republicans remained silent as Trump decided to spend money on a border wall. Congress gets to control the spending in our government but the president can do so in an emergency. Apparently, a bus load of children and single mothers is an emergency.

Republicans are remaining silent as Trump is refusing to cooperate with subpoenas from Congress. These are legally enforceable requests from Congress. In this case, they are following a pretty obvious trail of criminal obstruction that leads directly to Trump.

Republicans are remaining silent as Trump’s Treasury secretary illegally decided to not provide Trump’s tax records. The law says that these records MUST be provided. This demand is being ignored.

Republicans remain silent as Trump laughs with a supporter about shooting immigrants.

Republicans have remained silent as Trump imposes 25% tariffs on China. These are tariffs that are actually paid by the American public. These are also tariffs that Trump is imposing by saying “National Emergency” when all he is really doing is trying to hurt China (completely ignoring the fact that these really hurt Americans, not the Chinese).

Republican have not only remained silent, but actively worked with Trump to keep the full Mueller report from being released to Congress.

Republicans are silent when Trump actively supports the idea that taxes should be avoided if at all possible.

Republicans have remained silent as Trump’s words and actions scream “I am a racist!”

Republicans have remained silent as Trump’s words and actions have screamed, “I think women are sex object and nothing more.”

Republicans have remained silent as Trump reneges on one treaty or trade agreement after another.

Republicans have remained silent as Trump opens up the United States lands to exploitation by oil companies.

Republicans have remained silent as Trump passes the 10,000 lies mark at just over 2 years into his presidency.

Republicans have remained silent as 15 school shootings this year.

Republicans have remained silent as the NRA is investigated for campaign contribution crimes as well as associations with Russia.

Republicans have remained silent (at the very least) when they actually let Russian sanctions be lifted on a Russian who immediately turned around and invested $200 million in Mitch McConnell’s state.

Republicans have remained silent as Trump has unsupervised and unrecorded meetings with Putin while he is being investigated with regards to his relationship with Putin.

Republicans have remained silent as their tax cut for the very, very rich continues to add $trillions to our national debt.

If Trump wants to do something that the president is not allowed to do, he just claims “National Emergency.”

If Trump doesn’t want to do something that he is legally required to do, like provide requested documents to Congress, he says, “Executive Privilege.”

The the Republican Party, through their complete silence, is allowing this to happen.

I think I could go on and on.

In my view, the Republican Party = Trump. This should scare everyone.

Up, up and away…

Jim

My Recipe for Fascist Pie

Posted on July 25, 2018 by admin

This just in: Fascism (/ˈfæʃɪzəm/) is a form of radical authoritarian ultranationalism, characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and control of industry and commerce, which came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe.

That sounds way more familiar than it should. The question of the day is “How did we get here?”

The following is my own recipe for Fascist Pie

Ingredients…

1 Cup of sifted, unlimited, anonymous, campaign contributions
2 Handfuls of a gullible population
1 tablespoon of greed
1/2 Pound of propaganda machine
A dash of racism
1 stick of Russia funded NRA
3 chopped Evangelicals
A dash of anti-fact
1 Orange (comb-over is optional)

Mix all of these together and them plop them into an oven set on “FEAR”. Cook for one decade.

In short…you can’t make a pie with just an orange. There are a lot of reasons we are becoming a Fascist nation and only one of them is named Trump.

Unlimited campaign contributions are probably the main ingredients here. However, all this money would have no impact if we didn’t have a political party that willingly takes the bribes and then does the bidding of those that paid them, instead of those that voted for them. This is a symbiotic relationship. Citizens United would not exist without the Republican Party and they would not exist without unlimited finances from special interests.

Greed tells the Koch brothers that they need more money. Greed of Republicans make them willing to take Koch money to pass a tax law that harms our economy. Greed makes Republicans take Russian money, via the NRA, and then not address gun control

Racism, along with Evangelicals are the special spices of this mix. Both want America to return to some imagined White, Christian nation. They don’t know it but they are acting as if a White, Christian, Fascist nation is what they prefer.

To keep the population at bay, they must be fed a steady diet of “don’t look behind that curtain in the corner.” Fox News and the NRA provide this mis-direction. For example: If there is a mass shooting by a white guy…”send thoughts and prayers”. If there is a mass shooting by a non-white then “Terrorism strikes the homeland.” This sustains the racist and evangelical votes. Trump tariffs are starting to hurt the economy so, let’s do a show about an ugly dog contest at a county fair.

Gullibility is hard to under-estimate. Here are 2 examples. (1)George Bush is president and the gas prices are high. Fox News reports that the president has no control over gas prices. Then, Obama is president and gas prices are high. Now Fox News reports that these high prices are the president’s fault. (2) Obama, the candidate, said he would meet with North Korea without preconditions. Fox News blasted relentlessly for this. Trump then says the same thing and Fox News praises him as a man of action. In both of these instances, the gullible watched Fox News and nodded in agreement.

Note: If you have not read 1984 in the last 10 years, I recommend you have another go at it.

The orange, Trump, is the cherry on top of the pie. That pie would exist without him but it would not be nearly as perfect. Trump is without shame. He has a complete disregard for any facts that don’t suit him. For example, right now, his new plan is to act as if Russia did interfere but what they really want is for Democrats to win. Now, in front of the world, Putin said in Helsinki that he wanted Trump to win. Today, the White House transcripts and video of Putin saying that have be wiped clean of Putin’s statement. We all saw it but Trump is acting like it never happened. Fox News will back him up on this and the gullible will nod in agreement.

The result is a big fat heaping of Fascism Pie. If you don’t like it and would prefer something else…then change the ingredients. Vote in November.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

And the simplest answer is…

Posted on July 19, 2018 by admin

This just in: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” – Upton Sinclair

Yes, there are two sides to every story and every coin. Yes, we have differing opinions and you are certainly welcome to yours. Yes, they all do it.

However, don’t be fooled into a false equivalency. Both sides of an issue are not necessarily equal in merit.

For example, if I point at a rock and say, “That is a rock” and you point at the same rock and say, “That is the Eiffel Tower,” one of us is wrong. Just because we are equal in number and welcome to our own perspectives, we are not necessarily equal in the truth of what we say.

This, and the opening quote, are all intended to set up the following statement…

Congress and the president are offering convoluted explanations to justify their actions; explanations that fall far short of the lowest believability threshold.

My belief is not that they are stupid. My belief is that they pretend to believe certain things because their “salaries depend on it.”

Let’s take climate change. The scientific community is in one voice about this. It is real. However, Republicans and the President, who are largely funded by the fossil fuel industry, find it hard to believe in it. Big oil pays then to not believe in it.

How about “trickle down economics” which is the widely disproven idea that if you give tax breaks to the rich, they will create more jobs. The Republican Party is a huge fan of unlimited campaign contributions from the very rich. These “very rich” pay the Republicans to believe that tax cuts for the rich actually work.

The Russian funded NRA pays Republicans to believe that gun proliferation has nothing to do with the 35,000 annual gun deaths in the United States. Republicans believe this because they are paid to believe it.

Now we get to Donald Trump.

Why does Trump have a hard time saying, “I believe Russia is continuing to hack our elections.”? He has perfect information available to him. He must have an absolute certainty that this is the case; and yet, he denies it.

Why?

Trump’s job depends on his not believing that Russia is interfering in our elections.

His job depends on it because Putin told him so. Which, in turn, says that Putin has the ability to end Trump’s presidency.

I absolutely believe this. However, if you pay me enough money, I might be convinced to believe otherwise. A lot of money…

Up, up and away…

Jim

Putting the pieces together…

Posted on July 17, 2018 by admin

This just in: Our Constitution’s system of “checks and balances” is not working. The three branches of government are not keeping each other in check. Now I think I know why.

I think we all know by now that Trump works for Russia. I can go through the list but it comes down to two facts: (1) Trump is actively working to break apart NATO and (2) Trump sided with Putin over America on global television.

So this issue is settled.

Now, this would normally be dealt with by Congress. They would say, “Hey! Trump is a traitor. Let’s get rid of him right away.”

But that’s not going to happen. It won’t happen because the Republicans that control Congress are also working for Russia.

Here is why I say that…

First of all, they behave as if Trump favoring Russia is no big deal.

Secondly, they are actively trying to stop an investigation into Russian interference in our elections. All I can say about that is that if this investigation is a Witch Hunt, they sure are finding a lot of witches.

Thirdly, and this is complicated, it has been shown that Russia funnelled money to the NRA. It has also been shown that the NRA used that money to pay off Trump and a variety of Republicans. The NRA is currently under investigation over this issue. A couple of days ago, a female Russian operative was arrested for working with the NRA and trying to use that organization to influence Republicans in ways favorable to Russia.

In short, Russia owns the president and has significant power over the Republican Party.

In my view, the NRA is also the perfect place to find gullible Americans. Who else would believe gun violence is not related to guns or that gun control only means bad guys have guns. These people are soft, willing minds, that gobble up Russian created memes about Hillary running a pedophile ring out of a pizza shop. These people love hating NFL players for being unpatriotic…because a Russian meme told them to.

These same people will watch Trump sellout America and find a way to make that right in their minds.

Trump’s Putin Summit was both a disaster and a blessing.

It was a disaster because it showed that he works for Putin. It was a blessing for the same reason.

There should be not more talk of “witch hunts” and “no collusion”. If someone stands by Trump now, they might as well wear a sign saying, “I too have sold out the United States of America.”

Up, up and away…

Jim

Trump – Putin’s Santa Clause

Posted on June 9, 2018 by admin

This just in: This entire Russian thing seems to be about, not collusion in and of itself, but rather…was there a Quid-Pro-Quo? Did Russia help Trump get elected in exchange for Trump favors later?

Let’s take a look at a few things…

First, understand that Russia’s main income comes from the exporting of oil. When oil prices are low, the entire Russian economy goes down the toilet. Putin would love for oil prices to be high. This includes squashing any alternative energy source that may cause people to use less oil.

What has Trump done? Several things. First of all, he dropped out of the Paris Climate Accord citing some nonsense issue about being treated “unfairly.” This has a double impact. First, it allows the United States to use more oil without consequence and it also separates the United States from a forum where they should be the World Leader. Trump has also squashed nearly every anti-oil regulation he can find. This includes eliminating fuel efficiency on cars. In other words, he is allowing us to go back to the gas guzzlers of yesterday. Americans only benefit from better mileage. It’s good for the pocketbook and for the environment. However, Russia wins when we use more oil since that drives up the price.

Trump also pulled out of the Iranian deal. This is causing uncertainty in the Middle East and we are feeling it at the gas pump; just as Putin is feeling it in his fattening wallet.

Second, Putin wants to be relieved of all the sanctions put on Russia for their bad behavior over the years. Obama put on sanctions. Congress overwhelmingly approved even more sanctions. Trump has fought these all along. For some reason, he knows more about Russia and their intent than the rest of the world as well as our National Security Agencies. In fact, he continues to fight to lift sanctions on Russia whenever possible.

Third, Putin wants to be brought back into the G7. It was a G8 until Russia was kicked out over annexing Crimea. Just yesterday, out of the blue, Trump said he wants Russia back in. He gave no reason. The remainder of the G7 voted unanimously to keep Russia out.

Fourth, Putin wants to separate the United States from the rest of the world. On nearly every front, Trump has given him this gift. We are no longer the Climate leader. We are no longer the Moral leader. The G7 says they will become the G6 since Trump does not want to contribute. Trump has put tariffs on our closest allies and is threatening to no longer trade with our longest standing and largest trading partners. In just over a year, Trump has caused the United States to step back from every leadership position we have held since WWII.

This list could go on. There is the push to enrich the wealthy at the expense of the poor. There is the war on science and the war on education. Every day Trump does the exact opposite of what is proper.

So yes, I think Trump works for Putin. I don’t think this is all a repayment for winning the election. I actually think Trump expected to lose the election. I suspect this is to repay some ongoing debt such as the billions of dollars Russian banks lended him when no one else would touch him back in 2008-9.

Trump works for Russia. But don’t forget, he is able to pull this off because Congress is controlled by Republicans that work for the handful of billionaires that are profiting off of Trump’s moves. The GOP tolerates Trump’s Russia because it is profitable for them.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Said in my best “not fake news” voice

Posted on May 17, 2018 by admin

This just in: I saw some responses from Trump supporters when they were asked about the Mueller investigation. They used terms like “witch hunt” and “fake news”. In spite of the fact that there are about 20 indictments and 5 guilty findings so far, people seem to think this is all about nothing. My guess is that they watch Fox News. However, I watch other stations and maybe I’m being influenced as well.

So, I thought that I would report some facts and leave out the commentary. This will let you, the reader, make up your own mind without my influence.

Here we go…

Trump Lawyer Cohen set up a company that has received millions of dollars from other countries and businesses based on Cohen’s promise of access to the president.
A mysterious source of banned CFC emissions has been discovered coming from East Asia. These are the banned ozone-destroying chemicals.
Trump wants to help China save 75,000 Chinese jobs by helping a telephone manufacturing company that the United States has found to be a danger to national security.
China is providing $500,000,000 to a Trump-linked project in Indonesia. (Note: The announcement about this money and Trump saving China jobs came within about 2 days of each other).
Canada is pissed that Israeli snipers shot a Canadian doctor at the Israeli border with Palestine. The doctor was in Doctor Garb and helping a wounded man at the time he was shot. 60 Palestinian people died that day for protesting at the border. Note: Some protesters threw fire bombs at the fence/border.
Japan is planning on a $400,000,000 hit on U.S. Goods in response to Trump’s tariff.
Senate investigation concludes Russia wanted to help Trump win the election.
France complains to U.N. about Israeli killings of Palestinian protesters.
European Union President warns world the U.S. President is “A bad friend who acts with capricious assertiveness.”
Ebola outbreak in Congo
E.U. is willing to block U.S. sanctions on Iran.
Trump lawyer asked Qatari government for $1,000,000 which he claimed would be passed along the Trump family.
North Korea calls South Korea “incompetent”
Without evidence, Trump claims Obama put a spy on his campaign.
Two more women claim Trump paid them “hush” money.
China buys record amount of soy from India as they drop U.S. suppliers because of Trump tariffs.
13% of Americans consider Trump honest and trustworthy.
FBI head warns about Trump deal with China company ZTE.
The UK agrees with France and Germany that they can uphold the Iran deal without the U.S.
Ex-Secretary of State warns of “alternative realities” with Trump administration.
Steve Bannon asked Cambridge Analytica to help suppress minority voters.
Trump eliminates job of national Cyber-Security Coordinator.
Trump calls some immigrants “animals”
GOP lawmaker says oceans are rising because “rocks are falling into the water.”
The senate narrowly passed Net Neutrality Bill. 100% of those that voted against it were Republicans.
North Korea says it will not hold talks with U.S. unless concessions are made.
There are 186 things Donald Trump Jr. can’t remember of doesn’t know about the meeting with Russians in the Trump Tower.

So, there you have it. These are the top headlines for today. Just the facts. Make your own decision. For example. North Korea did say what the headline says. This is a fact. No speculation about what this means.

However, if I might be so bold as to notice some things….

It looks like Trump and Russia are wearing the same pajamas.
The world does not like that the U.S. reneged on the Iran deal.
Also, the world is against the U.S. tariffs.
China understands that Trump can be bribed.
North Korea looked like they were going to make it easy for Trump…but then changed their mind.
The GOP doesn’t believe in a lot of things that they are paid to “not believe in.”
Trump is a racist that thinks immigrants are “animals” and Africa is a “shithole.”

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Iran: Manufactured Crisis/Diversion

Posted on May 9, 2018 by admin

This just in: Yesterday, Trump pulled the United States out of the Iranian Nuclear Deal. On a completely unrelated note; Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen, took in millions of dollars from Russia, AT&T and a Pharmaceutical company. He took it in through a shell company and speculation is that he was selling influence and access to Trump.

Getting out of the Iranian deal basically tells the world that the United States does not feel obligated to hold up its end of the bargain. I’m sure North Korea is watching this carefully.

I would like to make three points.

First, Iran has been in complete agreement with the accord. They have been off the nuclear threat map since the deal was cut.
Getting out of the deal is not the United States breaking a deal with Iran. We are breaking a deal with all of the participants of the deal which includes the UK, France, Germany, China and Russia. All of these countries told the United States to stay in the agreement.
The deal was cut with Iranian moderates. That is to say, we were able to sit at a table with the less-crazy people from Iran and eventually cut a deal. Now, we will be dealing with hardliners who would just as soon nuke Israel as not. Getting out of the deal has strengthened the position of these hardliners who have said all along, “The United States cannot be trusted.”

There is virtually no support for this move. It hurts U.S. credibility abroad. It hurts U.S. relations with its allies. It allows Iran to once again become a nuclear threat to the world.

Furthermore…there is no Plan B. We have no plan on how to deal with Iran outside of the agreement.

So…why did Trump do this?

Two reasons: First, his National Security Advisor and fellow draft dodger, John Bolton, has always wanted to go to war with Iran. Secondly, If we are looking at Iran, we might not notice that the Mueller Probe is starting to look like it will result in Trump dying in prison.

So, for no clear reason, Trump has made the world a more dangerous place.

Why? Who knows. It could be a distraction. It could be that he is just not that smart.

I suspect both.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

A short list of Trump’s Troubles

Posted on March 20, 2018 by admin

This just in: I was wondering about what Trump thinks of as he starts each day. What are his priorities? His goals? Then it occurred to me that he must have very little time to do anything other than Damage Control. I would like to think “Poor Trump. He tries so hard and yet the world is against him.” However, I think that most, if not all, of his troubles are of his own making.

Let’s take a look at them…

Colluding with Russia during the 2016 election has to be high on his list of troubles. This is not an illegal thing unless there was a Quid Pro Quo; unless he promised them favors in exchange for their help.
The Mueller investigation seems to be expanding. Mueller has the ability to investigate anything that arises as a result of his initial investigation into Russian Collusion. This has given birth to a whole family of problems.

Trump’s extensive Russian connections are being discovered.
Trump’s finances are being investigated.
Trump’s daughter and son-in-law are being investigated.
Money laundering comes up a lot
Dealings with Russian banks is a constant; especially when they found ways to loan him money when normal banks would not.
Several of his closest associates have been indicted including his Senior Security Advisor and his campaign manager. It’s as if everyone Trump worked with in his campaign is associated with Russia.
Obstruction charges are likely to be brought simply because Trump has and is actively trying to stop the investigation. This includes firing the head of the FBI as well as constant pressure to get his Attorney General to quit.

But wait…there is more outside of the Russia stuff…

Trump has dropped the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord, leaving our seat at the head of the table empty, until China stepped in.
Trump has dropped the U.S. out of the Trans Pacific Partnership, leaving our seat at the head of the table empty, until China stepped in. (China is not part of the TPP but is suddenly a major player in the regions economics and will likely join the TPP soon).
Trump has pissed on Canada and Mexico by trying to renegotiate NAFTA even though he apparently has no idea what that means.
Trump lies constantly which really highlights “Oh what a tangled web we weave.” He seems to have overcome the burden of remembering his lies by simply not caring about them. However, his international credibility is shot; especially since he recently announced he intentionally likes to Canada’s PM.
The EU is putting together plans to ramp up a trade war after Trump fired the first shot with needless tariffs.
The Deficit is starting to shoot up and out of control following the recent tax plan; a plan that gives billions to the richest among us and virtually nothing to the poor and middle class.
The mid-term elections are shaping up to be a runaway for the Democrats if recent special elections are any indicator. Republicans are being dumped right and left as the country observes their complicit behavior when it comes to Trump’s misdeeds.
An analytical firm that played a very major role in Trump’s election was recently outed as a company willing do just about anything to get their client elected. Just by being associated with this company has cost Facebook $50 billion in the last 48 hours. Trump, Russia, Bannon and Kershner all have their thumbs in this toxic pie.
A pornstar is about to spill the beans on Trump. Watch 60 minutes this Sunday.
Trump got tens of millions of dollars from the NRA who is now being investigated for taking money from Russia and passing it along to Trump. The is made worse by the fact that a bunch of teenagers noticed that the NRA is apparently a terrorist organization.
Trump is under criticism for his “brilliant” plan to fight the opioid crisis with a combination of commercials and death sentences.
Trump’s cabinet is experiencing the highest turnover in modern history with insiders describing Trump’s organization as being “in chaos.”

So, he wakes up to Russia, to money laundering, to questionable associations, to a world now led by China and to at least one pornstar.

Which of these are not of his own making.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Connecting a Few Dots…

Posted on February 16, 2018 by admin

This just in: Sometimes completely unrelated things happen in such a way as to appear that there may be a relationship, where there is not. Here is a website that is dedicated to such things. This is really interesting and I recommend you check out the link.

Now…

At other times, things that appear related may actually be related.

I want to take a minute to look at a few of these relationships.

Of course…this is all about Trump.

Trump has clearly worked with Russia to get elected
There appears to be a payback to Russia for their help when Trump refuses to implement sanctions against Russia
Russia funnelled money to the NRA who in turn, gave it to Trump
The NRA is one of the major funders of the Republican Party
Only NRA funded Republicans, and NRA funded Trump appear to feel there is no solution to gun violence other than “thoughts and prayers”
Russian bots immediately started posting fake news (gunman was a secret muslim) about the Florida shooter.
Trump, in a message about Florida, didn’t even mention the word “gun”
Fox News supports all things Trump and Republican

So, if I was to make a bed and fill it with members of the same team, that bed would contain: President Trump, Russia, the NRA, Fox News and the entire Republican Party.

It’s nice for them to all be in same place. I can, at a glance, look at who I want to vote out of office later this year. (Trump in in until 2020 but a Democrat Congress will kick him out sooner).

Vote in 2018 and save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Republican = Russian…and they don’t even know it

Posted on February 13, 2018 by admin

This just in: Congress overwhelmingly passed sanctions against Russia last year to punish them for influencing our elections.

Trump has refused to implement these sanctions based on the idea that “The Russians have learned their lesson.”

At the exact same time, every national security agency is saying loud and clear, “Russia has not learned any lesson and is already trying to influence the 2018 elections.”

On a completely unrelated note: Collusion between Trump and Russia to influence the last election is not a crime UNLESS….Trump offers Russia something in return for their help. Something like….refusing to implement sanctions.

On the Fetish Page…

Somewhere in my youth, I heard the word “fetish”. This is a term that I somehow have come to associate with the idea that some men find women’s feet particularly sexy. Interesting. I don’t get it but interesting none-the-less.

Today, “fetish” to me is a reminder that we all have secrets. We all have these little things we keep to ourselves, about ourselves because we have determined that we are ashamed of them.

I don’t have a problem with this and my guess is that I’m about average when it comes to “dirty little secrets.”

However, there is a class of “dirty little secrets” that has become rather transparent.

That class is “Trump Supporter.”

When someone supports Trump, I immediately assume that several of the following “dirty little secrets” apply to them:

They are too lazy to educate themselves about facts.
They are gullible.
They are fearful.
They are bad at math and the sciences.
They are selfish.
They are short-sighted.
They are racist.
They are evangelical.
They are poor (and will be taken advantage of)
They are rich (and willing to take advantage of others)
They watch Fox News.
They are excellent at mental gymnastics needed to justify Trump’s actions.
They are white, male and over 55 years of age.
They believe in conspiracies.
They believe that their failure in life is due to someone else.
They gobble up Cherry Picked data that supports their position.

These are all things, that if they belonged to me, would be filed in my “dirty little secret” box. I would be ashamed to let you know these things about me.

But…when someone says, “Gotta get me some more Trump!” They are spilling this secret box for all to see.

And I pity them for it.

Up, up and away…

Jim