Pushing Donald Trump Over the Edge

 After the latest ABC/Washington Post/IPSOS poll was announced, President Donald Trump took to (where else?) social media. He wrote, "They are negative criminals who apologize to their subscribers after I WIN ELECTIONS BIG, much bigger than their polls showed I would win, loose (sic) a lot of credibility, and then go on cheating and lying for the next cycle, only worse."  

Obviously, it doesn't take much to push El Donald over the edge, but what was it about those numbers that drove him into such a rage? Maybe it's because the President's overall approval rating was at, 39% which is a six point drop since the same poll was taken in February. That number is the lowest first 100-day approval rating in the 80 years such polls have been conducted. It might be in the details. Only 21% of respondents said they, "strongly approve," of his job performance, while 41% said they, "strongly disapprove." 

When asked about the administration's claims of activist judges interfering with the President's authority, 62% said no, the judicial is simply enforcing existing limits on Presidential power. 67% said federal judges should have the power to block Mr. Trump's executive orders until a trial is held to determine if those edicts and proclamations will, "harm people, or are illegal."

In addition, 59% said they believe Trump and his pal, Elon Musk will go too far in reducing the size of the federal government.  That's while 52% said health and public safety will be put at risk by Musk's chainsaw and Robert Kennedy's brain worms. 

There was more bad news for Brother Don. By a 49% to 34% margin the people polled said Trump's current foreign policy will weaken America's world leadership capabilities, rather than strengthen it. 

No wonder Trump also posted, in part, "THEY ARE SICK, almost only write stories about me no matter how well I am doing (99.9% at the border, BEST NUMBER EVER) AND ARE TRULY THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE."

That's right, someone get me Kristi Noem on the horn. We need to ship all these crazy liberal bastards off to El Salvador.  

Well, it had better be a pretty big plane. 

According to their latest poll results: Rasmussen shows Trump's approval/disapproval rating stands at 47% to 51%, Quantus 47.7% to 49.8%, Economist/YouGov, 43% to 55%, RealClear Polling 46% to 51.%, and finally, the latest Fox News poll showed Donald Trump's approval rating at 44% while 55% disapproved. (On the single issue of border security, the Fox poll did show Trump above water at 55%, although the last time we checked that's nowhere near 99.9%)

Yes, the honeymoon, if there ever was one, is over for Donald Trump. It appears he overestimated the number of Americans who didn't pay any attention during their 8th grade civics class.

The bad news for Trump, however, may mean even worse news for the rest of us. At least one MSNBC contributor, Rachel Maddow, believes the tanking numbers will drive the Mango Mussolini even further down the authoritarian rabbit hole. Any normal President, under these circumstances, would take his foot off the gas. Unfortunately, as we all know far too well, this guy isn't normal--and despite what others say and he might hint at, there isn't going to be a third term.

In other words, for Donald John Trump and the twisted legacy he wants to stick us with, it is now, or never.

4-29-25

Vlad Plays Chess While Don Plays Checkers

 Donald J. Trump has an uncanny ability to slow down time. Days seem to stretch into weeks and even months, while just a few months feels like years. Take what he said about ending the war in Ukraine while on the campaign trail. He repeatedly promised he could end that war within 24 hours. At one point he even declared he would end it before he was even inaugurated. He knew Vladimir Putin well, he told us, he knew Putin wanted peace and once a deal was struck the Russians would abide by it. 

Somehow all that bloviating nonsense seems like it happened decades ago. It almost feels like ancient history. However, it has only been seven, or eight months. At the time, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy told everyone who would listen that Trump's line was hokum. He said, in effect, "It will take me only an hour to explain to him why he won't be able to." Trump, his supporters, and his propaganda machine ignored Zelenskyy completely. Possibly because they believed the Ukrainians shouldn't be involved in stopping a war in Ukraine. You know--this was a job best suited to hot shots like Donald Trump and his close and personal friend, Vladimir Putin.

Indeed, some people simply become unreasonable when they get invaded, their cities are bombed, and their civilians murdered. 

Although he missed that self imposed 24 hour deadline to end the war, last week Trump posted on social media that all parties were, "close to making a deal." When he wrote it he was either on his way to Rome, or already there for Pope Francis' funeral. Zelenskyy was also there, along with scores of other world leaders. Missing was Vlad Putin. It's a little tough for him to travel to Europe these days because there is a warrant out for his arrest. An international court has accused Trump's pal of committing war crimes in Ukraine. 

On the day of the funeral Mr. Putin might have made the prosecutor's case a tad easier. Russian launched a strike carried out by an estimated 150 drones. Reports are saying at least four people were killed by the attack. According to Donald J. Trump the timing couldn't have been worse. Yeah, especially for those who were killed, Mr. President. Then he posted he was beginning to doubt if Vladimir Putin really wants peace.

Well over a half century ago at old Herbert Hoover Jr. High in Oklahoma City such a revelation would have been met with the response, "No shit, Sherlock?"

Yes, it would seem our man, Donald is shocked a guy who he admires for his ruthless accumulation of power and riches, not to mention land grabs, is--well--really ruthless. What did he expect, honor among thieves? That's right, Donnie. Vlad Putin isn't one of your merry band of corporate greed heads who spend their weeks making millions and their weekends on the golf course or the ski slopes. Vladimir Putin is a fully functioning expansionist dictator. The man is out to restore what was once an empire which encompassed not only the former Soviet states, but a big chunk of Eastern Europe. And while you're terrorizing immigrants, legal and otherwise, academics, journalists, fellow republicans, and the judicial, Vlad Putin is doing the same to an entire continent.

The brutal truth is, the only reason Donald Trump gives a rat's ass about peace in Ukraine is he is obsessed with winning the Nobel Peace Prize. He has to have it because Barrack Obama won it. Vladimir knows it and is using it to fulfill his, let's say, darker, ambitions. The longer Trump jabbers on about peace the better. The more he screws with Europe the better. It's a chess match and Trump, thanks to his ego, is playing checkers.     

So, here we are, 100 days in. And while the current President of the United States thinks Americans are suckers and easy marks--and many of us are--the Russian President knows Donald John Trump is one.

4-27-25

April 18th: Three Eves of Three Storms

 On April 18th, 1775, the British military commander in Boston sent out a patrol into the nearby countryside. It was a precursor to a much larger operation scheduled for that night and the next day. The patrol was primarily looking for a couple of the leaders of what was called the Massachusetts Provincial Congress. One was John Hancock (now days most remembered for his bold signature.) The other was Samuel Adams (who has a beer brand named after him.}. The only thing the patrol really accomplished was to alert the colonists and their militias that something was up. Later that evening the suspicions were confirmed when Paul Revere, Samuel Prescott, and others spread the word British troops were departing Boston via the waters of the back bay.

218 years later, on April 18th, FBI agents outside of Waco, Texas made plans to end an armed standoff at a heavily armed Qusai-religious commune known as Mt. Carmel. It was being run by a guy named, Vernon Howell. Since Vernon Howell didn't really have any spiritual snap, crackle, or pop he had previously changed his name to David Koresh. His little corner of theology was known as the Branch Davidians. The name similarity was a happy coincidence. .  

Two years further along, on April 18, 1995, 230 years after British troops launched their boats, Tim McVeigh and his pal Terry Nichols were assembling a bomb in the back of a rental truck in the Kansas outback. It was a big bomb--a really big bomb. Later that day McVeigh and Nichols would drive in tandem to Oklahoma City so he could drop off a getaway car in an alley near the Alfred P. Murrah federal building. Once the escape car was deposited near what was then the central branch of the YMCA both men high tailed it back to Kansas and the truck. 

On the morning of April 19th, 1775, 700 British regulars were on their way toward Concord where they believed the colonial militias had stored weapons, artillery, and ammunition. They were under strict orders from General Thomas Gates to destroy the supplies, but not to loot, burn, or do unnecessary harm to the locals. In today's terms it was an order not to fire, unless fired upon.

Down in Waco, FBI agents were also ordered not to open fire, unless fired upon by members of the Branch Davidians--something the G-Men knew they were quite capable of. Back in February during the initial attempt to search the compound that month four ATF agents were killed and 20 wounded.

Unlike the British, and the FBI, Tim McVeigh was under no such constraints as he drove back to Oklahoma City. It is reasonable to assume that other than successfully getting away afterward the only thing on his mind was, as Big Bill Shakespeare might say, "murder most foul."

Shortly after dawn the British column reached the Lexington town green. They were met there by a small militia force. There was a moment of silent tension as the two groups faced each other. Then a shot was fired. To this day no one knows who pulled the trigger first, or if someone's musket had simply discharged by accident. The battle of Lexington didn't take long. Five American militiaman were killed and one British soldier was wounded. The militia took flight, and all the King's men marched on to Concord. 

By the time they arrived local militia forces were pouring into the area from surrounding towns. As they destroyed what few military supplies they could find the British troops found themselves in a dicey situation. Pissed of colonials seemed to be appearing out of thin air. Both sides began to take casualties. The British were forced to retreat. When they got back to Lexington a relief column of 1000 additional troops was there to greet them., Despite this dramatic show of force, the colonists continued to grow in number and the fight intensified. A tactical retreat was ordered and the British troops withdrew back to Boston, under constant harassing fire the whole way.

In Waco the FBI came under fire from members of the Branch Davidians who, as children of Christ, had armed themselves to the teeth with semi-automatic assault style weapons. Using an armored vehicle the agents launched tear gas into the main building. It didn't take long for multiple fires to break out. The FBI claimed then and still does the members of Koresh's group set the fires themselves in order to go out in a blaze of glory. It was certainly a blaze alright, but there wasn't any glory to it. 70 plus members of the commune, including women and children and ol' Vern himself perished. 

Before he got to the Murrah building Tim Mc Veigh literally lit the fuse to the barrels of ammonium nitrate fertilizer and fuel oil mixture. By his own account he sweated out a traffic light while the fuse burned down. He parked the Ryder rental truck in a loading zone in front of the federal building, only a few feet away from the day care center located inside. He abandoned the truck, ran across the street and walked quickly toward the YMCA not a block away. The bomb blew before he got to his stashed car. 

The blast killed 168 people.(although it might be 169 since they found a single leg that didn't readily fit any of the other bodies) 19 of them were children. 

Within a year of the battles of Lexington and Concord the 13 American colonies declared their independence from Great Britian. A few years later, thanks in large part to the French, the revolution was won and The United States of America came into existence.

The nightmare in Waco remains a source of controversy. What could have been done and what should have been done will be debated for years to come. 

McVeigh was popped by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol the same day of the bombing. He was stopped for not having a license tag on his escape vehicle. (to this day it remains unclear whether the car never had one, or it was stolen overnight parked in that alley.) He was also charged with carrying a concealed weapon during the stop. On April 21, 1995, minutes before he was to be released from a county jail on bond he was arrested by the FBI.As he was being taken away the local Bail bondsman told a reporter, "That boy needs a lawyer worse than anyone I've ever seen."  

He got one, but it didn't help. Tim McVeigh was executed a few years later. His buddy, Terry Nichols is currently doing life in a federal prison. 

So here we are once again, April 18th, by an ongoing act of fate which has stretched out over two centuries, has served as the eve of something monumental, something horribly tragic, and something inhumanly murderous. 

Who says God doesn't have a sense of irony?

4-18-25

The Madness, the Duck, the Strategist, and the Rube

What a way to run a railroad.

Daffy Duck Esq. 

Indeed. The only constant in the last week or so has been chaos and something akin to panic. Well what do you expect when the administrations current geo-economic policy was devised by an ex-con and an imaginary expert. That's right, Trump's fixation on tariffs began around the time he read a book written by economic advisor, Peter Navarro. In the book, Navarro repeatedly cited a mysterious, "expert," named, Ron Vara. Vara was the source Navarro based his, "slap 'em with tariffs until they scream," plan on. He sold the plan to Donald Trump in a big way. It turns out, Ron Vara is nothing but a mish mash of Navarro's last name. In other words the expert who Peter Navarro said was his greatest influence was himself.  

 So now, thanks in large part to some ego driven piece of fiction, the stock market has gone completely bipolar. So much so that last week, during the middle of tanking, all it took to start a rally was for a rumor to hit the floor that tariffs would be postponed for 90 days. A short time later, when the rumor proved to be false, the ship began taking on water once again. 

Trump and his people didn't seem to care about the stock market circling the drain, but when people started to dump their government bonds a real delay arrived almost immediately. Except for the tariffs on Chinese goods--you know practically everything you buy in a Wal-Mart, or Target, not to mention the local phone store. 

This news caused a run on I phones and other electronics. The administration now seemingly, as the movie titles reads, became, "Dazed and Confused." An exemption was granted to things like smart phones, laptop computers, and semi-conductors. The nation took a deep sigh of relief, then Sunday Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick announced the exemptions were temporary. Then Trump sent things further into a spin by saying in effect, "Yes, we have no exemptions."

In the accident injury business this is known as, "whiplash." Trump propaganda mills, like Fox, News Max and others declared it was all a real time display of Trump's, "Art of the Deal." However to a lot of us it looks like Trump and his administration simply doesn't know what the fuck they're doing. 

Or maybe they do.

According to some, everything from annexing Canada and Greenland to talking about a third term, and perhaps now the tariff chaos is all an elaborate ruse. Their number includes democratic strategist, James Carville who claims Trump is a master at distraction. That he wants everyone in an uproar over these things so they will ignore that consumer prices--despite the campaign promises--are still going up. That services, vital ones, are being slashed and a bunch of really rich wankers are about to get richer at our expense. Not to mention, for the first time in memory, a President of the United States is defying every federal judge in the land up to and including the Supreme Court.  All of which is setting us on a course toward a Russian style autocratic kleptocracy. 

Whether you call it distraction, or misdirection, Donald Trump is awfully good at it. He had dinner the other night with one of his harshest critics, Bill Maher. Maher came away saying Donald Trump listened to him, laughed at his jokes, and was generally a charming and reasonable guy. "He isn't," Maher said, "the man you see on TV." 

It would seem P.T. Barnum was right. 

A handful of republican Senators have signed on to a measure that will restrict Trump's tariff powers. It's unclear how long the Senators will stick to their guns. As soon as someone tells the Mango Mussolini about them he'll put the screws to the whole bunch and they will cave. Besides, no republican in the House will ever go along with it.

Yes, we're all headed down hill now. We bought the ticket and there is no stopping the ride. The lunacy will continue at breakneck speed for the foreseeable future. And the only real question we have to ask ourselves is, who is right? Is it Daffy Duck and his assertion this is a case of mass incompetence and stupidity? Or is it James Carville and his dark conspiracy? At the moment all we can be sure of is Bill Maher is just another rube who bought into a con hook, line, and sinker. 

4-14-25

Kilmar Abrego-Garcia Disappears

 According to a report by Newsweek, Kilmar Abrego-Garcia was born in San Salvador, El Salvador in 1995. His mother ran a business selling flat bread which was fried on a flat iron griddle. Apparently, the business did well, because it attracted the attention of a gang known as Barrio 18. They went to the Mom and demanded that either she pay them protection money, or let them make her older son Cesar a member. Kilmar's mother paid the gang, but knew they wouldn't leave Cesar alone, so she sent him to the United States to get away from them. As far as anyone knows he is still here.

The gang, however wasn't done with Abrego-Garcia's family. They shifted their focus to Kilmar. When the threats and attempts at intimidation became too great, the family also sent him north--to the land of the free. Sometime around 2011, or 2012 he arrived and, allegedly, crossed the border illegally. At this moment, it is the only law Kilmar Abrego-Garcia has ever been accused of breaking.

Abrego-Garcia met and moved in with a woman named Jennifer Vasquez-Sura. She had two kids by a previous relationship and a third by Abrego-Garcia. They were later married. All three children have special needs. When things began to go sideways in 2019, they were all living in Maryland. 

He and a couple of other guys were popped by local police outside of a Home Depot where they were looking for day labor work. Abrego-Garcia was grilled by the Beltsville, MD cops about any gang ties, which he denied time and time again. (Which he still does.) The police didn't believe him, so they handed him over to Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents and into detention he went. 

ICE ran him in front of a judge and accused Abrego-Garcia of being a member of the gang, MS-13. They didn't have any evidence of it themselves, but they cited the Beltsville PD evidence. That evidence was based on the word of a paid confidential informant and--you've gotta love it--the fact that when Abrego-Garcia was picked up he was wearing a hoodie and a Chicago Bulls hat.  

During the hearing Abrego-Garcia made a compelling case not to be sent back to El Salvador because the Barrio 18 wise guys were still out to get him. The judge, perhaps because of the hat and hoodie thing, decided, Kilmar Abrego-Garcia was indeed a member of MS-13 and ruled he could be deported. But, and this is a big but, he also ruled the defendant could not, under any circumstances be deported to El Salvador. In other words the U.S. government could ship him off to anywhere in the world, except El Salvador.  

For reasons known only to ICE and the judge Abrego-Garcia was then released and has been living in Maryland with his wife, kid, and step kids ever since. He hasn't broken any laws and in fact the Newsweek report says he periodically checked in with ICE to let them know where he was and what he was doing.

Well, right now what Kilmar Abrego-Garcia is doing is sweating it out in a massive prison known as CECOT which is located smack dab in the middle of the one place the U.S. government was forbidden to send him to, El Salvador. The current administration says he is there due to a clerical error. They also maintain that since he is now in a foreign jurisdiction they and the all powerful President who ordered this and hundreds of other, let's say, arrests, sans any hint of due process can't get him back. 

Yes, it would seem that when it suits him and others, like Stephen Miller, Donald Trump's executive power is limited. 

A federal judge and appeals court disagree. Both ruled that since the administration not only fucked up, but admitted they did, they must get Abrego-Garcia back. They even set a deadline of midnight last night. The feds went to the Supreme Court yesterday asking for a delay. Chief Justice John Roberts granted it, but ordered both sides to present arguments by 5pm today. The U.S. powers that be, through this entire chaotic merry-go-round ride have maintained Abrego-Garcia is a dangerous criminal gang member. The attitude appears to be, yeah, we screwed up, but the guy looks dirty, so let him rot. 

As tragic as Abrego-Garcia's situation is it is just a small part of what is unfolding on the streets of the United States. The President of this country has ordered people to be arrested, in effect convicted, and sentenced to indefinite incarcerated in a foreign land without any charges being filed, any trial taking place, or any legal representation offered, or allowed. When Augusto Pinochet was running Chile, they used to call this sort of thing, "disappearing."

For those wondering there are reports the President's people are negotiating with other countries to provide prison space. Other reports say Donald Trump has, on occasion, casually joked about someday summarily deporting American citizens to exotic locales such as Africa, Asia, and the Middle East without the fuss of due process--you know, one minute you're here and the next you're, "disappeared."

In 1946, a year after getting out of a Nazi concentration camp, German Lutheran cleric, Martin Niemoller wrote a sermon which included these words:

First they came for the socialists and I did not speak out--because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out--because I was not a trade unionist. 

Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out--because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me.

4-8-25

Elon Musk's Money is No Good in Wisconsin

I'll get you anything my friend

if it makes you feel alright.

Cause I don't care too much for money.

For money can't buy you love.

Paul McCartney/John Lennon 

In the state of Wisconsin, it also can't buy you votes, at least not enough of them. The mad South African, Elon Musk found that out the hard way last night. Over the last few months Musk, through his America PAC, dropped somewhere between $22 and $25 million on, not a key Senate, or House race, but rather a campaign for an open state supreme court seat--proving once again the MAGA party believes if it is to thrive on a national level it must control all aspects of state governments. After all gerrymandering congressional districts and screwing with voter rights begins locally.

Dane County District Judge, Susan Crawford defeated former republican state AG and current circuit court judge, Brad Schimel by about 10 points. In a terse concession speech, Schimel told reporters, "I knew I had to put my all in, but you gotta accept the results." It turns out, Schimel's, "all," included an endorsement by the current President of the United States and Musk's millions. It even featured a personal appearance by Musk himself. He showed up a couple of nights ago, apparently deep in the midst of an ecstasy bender, jumping around on a stage, while wearing a hat which looked like a wedge of cheese. Luckily for all involved he forgot to bring along his chainsaw. 

After performing the raucous dance number from, "Billionaires Gone Wild," Musk handed out two checks for a million bucks a pop to a couple of happy MAGA campers who signed his petition condemning, "activist," judges. Activist being the current code name for liberal, or any jurist, no matter their party affiliation, who might clog up the republican headfirst dash into an utterly corrupt oligarchy. 

This morning MSNBC personalities were absolutely giddy with the outcome. There was speculation the worm had finally turned on republicans in general and the President in particular. The fact that republicans won three out of what they said, were four important races didn't dampen the enthusiasm. In Florida, two congressional seats were up for grabs. One had been occupied by the drug addled pervert, Matt Gaetz. The other by the Signal App aficionado turned National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz. The democratic candidates in both races lost by at least 15 points. 

It didn't matter. Analysts and House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries declared the losses as moral victories. Their reasoning was that back in November Donald Trump carried both districts by 30, or more points. In reality, all the losses proved is that democrats can't carry those rwo districts even when Trump isn't on the ballot, or anywhere around. Back in Wisconsin on the same day Susan Crawford won, a republican backed state constitutional amendment requiring voters to present photo ID at polling stations easily carried. 

The truth is, if losing three out of four elections on a single night is all it takes for democrats to claim the MAGA tide is ebbing, then everybody running for office who is to the left of Mitt fucking Romney is in trouble.

No, what happened last night in Wisconsin wasn't the voters saying no to Donald Trump. It was them rejecting Elon Musk. Not to mention his crass scheme to buy their votes. Indeed, It was the good people of Wisconsin telling this multi-national clown, we aren't as blindly stupid as you think we are. 

The feeling here is Susan Crawford's win last night wasn't the beginning of the end for the Teflon Don. On the other hand, when it comes to his political influence outside of the White House, to paraphrase Joseph Conrad in his novel, Heart of Darkness, "Mr. Musk, he's dead."

4-2-25