Month by Month: 2023 in the Rear View Mirror

 2023 has been a long and strange year. And while it would be easy to blame the weirdness on Donald Trump we can't give him all the credit. No, there have been plenty of other players involved as witnessed below.

January: In November of 2022 republican, Soloman Pena ran for the New Mexico state legislature. He lost to his democratic opponent by 47 points. Being a republican Pena declared the election was rigged. No one believed him. In January he was arrested for shooting into the houses of various democratic legislators. It shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone. Mr. Pena had previously done nine years in prison on charges ranging from burglary, to receiving stolen goods, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was also present on the mall in Washington D.C. the day of the failed insurrection.

February: A huge white balloon of Chinese origin made its way across the continental U.S. driving the media and republicans in particular into a frenzy. Rumors of electronic surveillance and worse, flew about on cable news networks. The Chinese claimed the ballon was conducting, "civilian," scientific research. No one believed them and the U.S. military shot it down once it had reached the Atlantic. For a week or two afterward unidentified balloon sightings came on what seemed like a daily basis, but as all things American do, they soon faded from the news cycle.

March: Fox News host, Tucker Carlson used his nightly slot to show highly edited clips from the January 6th, 2021 insurrection. In an Orwellian attempt to rewrite history Carlson claimed the hand picked moments proved the pro Trump rioters were as well behaved as your average tourists and the stories of violence and destruction were wildly overblown by the liberal media. Scenes of the tourists smashing windows, doors, and the heads of cops were carefully deleted.

April: Speaking of Tucker Carlson....Fox News fired him, although it wasn't because of the aforementioned reshaping of the obvious facts. The reasons were never specified, but one suspects it was because he sent out an email calling the woman who runs Fox a cu-t. Well that and the network owed nearly a billion dollars to Dominion Voting Machine company for defamation.

May: In Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, Jesse McFadden murdered five children, his wife, and himself. McFadden had received an early release from prison on a rape conviction even though he had been charged with possession of child pornography and solicitation of sex with a minor while still in the joint. Evidence proved he had sexually assaulted at least one of his underaged victims before killing her. During a search of his house authorities found hand cuffs, dog collars, chains and wall mounts suitable for sadomasochistic rituals.

June: Friction between the Russian army and Yevgeny Prigozhin's merry band of mercenaries, the Wagner Group boiled over on the Ukranian frontier. Prigozhin ordered his troops north to Moscow in order to straighten things out. They were less than 150 miles from their target when a sudden truce was achieved and Prigozhin and Vladimir Putin seemingly kissed and made up The Wagner boys were told to go home, unarmed, and Prigozhin went to Belarus. A little while later, to no one's surprise, a plane carrying Prigozhin and some pals blew up, killing everyone on board.

July: Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ryan Walters told a group of patrons that while the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre was a terrible thing, perpetrated by bad people, Oklahoma teachers should not link it to skin color. In effect he told the gathering race has nothing to do with race riots. Despite the whole thing being on tape, Walters later said the media had misrepresented and twisted his words. 

August: Six of eight so called republican candidates for president pledged to vote for Donald Trump if he was the party nominee. All six agreed Trump had been a great president. Meanwhile the Trump himself was booked into Fulton County Jail, becoming inmate P0113508009. He is currently free on $200,000 bond and tee-shirts bearing his mug shots are being sold by his campaign.

September: Congresswoman Lauren Boebert took a date to see a road company production of the musical, "Beetlejuice." She was kicked out for behavior unbecoming not only a member of congress, but adulthood. Besides vaping, taking flash photos, and groping her companions crotch, she went out of her way to insult a pregnant woman seated behind her, telling the woman, among other things, she led a sad existence. 

October: The Gaza based terrorist group decided to wage war on Israel. Not on their military mind you, but music festival attendees and residents of a couple of nearby kibbutzs. The succeeded in killing nearly 1,500 people, raping scores of women, and taking nearly 300 hostages. Most of the terrorists, if not dead already, are currently cowering in crumbling tunnels praying worldwide antisemitism will save their asses.

November: Ultra rightwing anti-abortion forces were shocked when voters rejected their extremist bullshit nationwide. No matter how it is spun women's healthcare is proving to be a fatal issue for them and they just don't seem to get it. The disaster at ballot boxes was so great it trickled down to Moms For Liberty, the group who loves to ban both gays and books. Their favored candidates were beaten so badly so many times the outfit deleted all their online endorsements. Later things went further downhill for Moms For Liberty when one of their cofounders confessed to being a willing participant in what the porn trade calls a, "FFM bi-sex scene," along with her husband.    

December: On Christmas Day former President and leading republican candidate Donad J. Trump posted on social media a holiday greeting of sorts to his political enemies, real and imagined, "MAY THEY ROT IN HELL," he wrote. 

Ah, yes, quite the messenger of peace and love that Donnie.

And there we have it ladies and gentlemen. The Year of Our Lord, 2023. As you might have anticipated, the bar is open.

12-28-23  

Everybody Might be Right About Colorado

 No person shall be a  Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office , civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive, or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged  in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.

Section 3 of the 14th amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. 

Actually there is one more sentence in section 3. It says the only way to get around the rule is for both houses to approve an exception by a two thirds majority. And as we've seen the only person who can get a two thirds majority lately is George Santos.

A number of months ago Laurence Tribe and J. Michael Luttig started reminding everyone about the 14th amendment.  Tribe taught constitutional law at Harvard for close to 50 years while Luttig is a retired federal judge. He is considered such an expert on the constitution Mike Pence asked for his advice when Don Trump started telling everyone the Vice-President could do whatever he felt like when it came to electoral college results. 

Both men had come to the conclusion that the amendment applied to not only long dead confederates, but also to former President, Donald John Trump. As they pointed out there was ample evidence showing Brother Trump leading, or at least inciting an insurrection and continuing to comfort and aid  those who did his dirty work that terrible day in January, 2021. 

This past week the Supreme Court of Colorado, citing section 3 of the 14th amendment, took him off the republican primary ballot there. It only took a few moments after the news was announced for the MAGA mob to react like we all knew they would. 

One post on Truth Social read, "Kill judges. Behead judges. Roundhouse kick a judge into the concrete." Another urged, "Slam dunk a judge's baby into the trash can."  Others posted the justice's office addresses, their emails, and phone numbers. A few called for a second civil war. Marjorie Taylor Greene even rekindled her call for a, "national divorce."

Psychotics aside, others have reacted with support of Trump, doubt about the legal decision's viability, and dark assessments that the ruling will, in the course of things, help him. Tribe and Luttig have called the decision not only correct, but the only possible interpretation any court could make. Others have said the U.S. Supreme Court, chock full of Trump appointees and souls owned by billionaires, will never uphold the ruling. One, overly optimistic school of thought, says the ruling has trapped conservative justices like Kavanaugh, who have previously written the constitution should be taken as literally as evangelicals take the tales in the Old Testament. Finally, there are those who say it should be up to the voters to decide Trump's fate rather than the courts. (Blithely ignoring Ohio republicans who are busily trying to subvert the will of voters who passed a pro abortion amendment to the state constitution--their reason: sometimes voters make, "immoral and evil," choices.")

Oddly, everyone could be right, at least in part. The Colorado Supreme Court has just proven to every Trump devotee the deep state is out to get him. It is all a great conspiracy. On the other hand the crazy fucker did inspire and with his words lead what can only be called an insurrection. He took an oath to defend the constitution and then tried to destroy it when things didn't go his way. Yes, it will add fuel to his increasingly violent rhetoric. However, the Colorado decision might inspire other state supreme courts to follow suit. Maybe conservative U.S. Justices won't turn out to be political hacks and hypocrites, but maybe they will. 

All we know for sure is Donald John Trump did attempt to overthrow the government of the United States of America and the Constitution of the republic says because of it he should never be allowed to hold public office again. What we don't know is if any of that matters in the 21st century. 

After all, the man has spent nearly eight decades on this blue ball and he has always gotten off the hook no matter what sort of awful shit he has pulled.

12-21-23

Sometimes it Isn't Just the Hypocrisy

Sorry I was mostly in for her.

Text message to Christian Ziegler, Chairman of the Florida republican party, from an unidentified woman who was backing out of a menage a trois involving Ziegler, his wife, and her.

Although Bridget Ziegler had participated in at least one previous three way sexual encounter she had let her husband and the woman know she couldn't be there that day. Perhaps her duties as a Sarasota, FL schoolboard member, or her work on the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District kept her away. We will probably never know for sure, but her absence obviously meant a lot to the other woman involved. 

Apparently Christian didn't take the news well. He allegedly showed up at the woman's door shortly after receiving the text with his little head fully engorged and entirely in control of his big head. The woman has accused him of rape while Ziegler, an architect of Florida's notorious, "Don't Say Gay," law claims the sex act was consensual. 

Other than admitting to the cops she had done the group grope the year before, Mrs. Ziegler, the mother of three, hasn't commented on the incident. 

Everyone else has and  is though. The blow back, so to speak, has been massive. Florida republicans, including Ron DeSantis have demanded Christian Ziegler resign his $120,000 per year job as state party chair. So far he has refused. The Sarasota school board voted 4-1 to ask Bridget to resign. (Her vote was the lone dissenting one) 

How long either of the can hang on is up in the air. It has been reported Chris Ziegler told the state party he would go away if they paid him $2 million. He denied it, but then he has been denying a lot of shit lately. Yesterday the Grand Pooh-Bahs of the state party voted to strip Ziegler of all his power and lowered his salary to $1 buck a year. The word is at their next meeting in early January if he isn't gone they will fire him.

Bridget can't be fired by the schoolboard. This being Florida, only DeSantis can do that. The Governor is currently too busy losing the GOP presidential nomination in Iowa to worry about local schoolboards. Moms for Liberty, the book banning radical right group she cofounded, (she dropped out of it a year after she helped form it) has also remained strangely silent. Who knows why. Could it be large portions of the membership are out experimenting with each other as these words are being written? After all, those closets in some conservative households are starting to look pretty damn deep.

The Sarasota police are still trying to sort out the facts from fiction in the rape allegation. Christian Ziegler has yet to be charged. In addition no one has accused Bridget of anything other than what could be best described as felony hypocrisy. 

And there in lies the rub, as Big Bill Shakespeare used to say. If Christian and Bridget hadn't spent their entire careers screeching about what other people do in private--the rape allegation aside--no one would give a rat's ass what they do there.

Indeed, sometimes it isn't just the hypocrisy. Sometimes it is the sheer scope and arrogance of the hypocrisy. 

12-18-23

Introducing Oklahoma State Senator Elect, Dusty Deevers

 How long, oh Lord, how long?

Oklahoma State Senate District 32 is situated in the southwestern part of the state. It encompasses most of Commanche county and a sizable chunk of Lawton. Included in its precincts is the town of Elgin, the birth place of Southern Baptist Pastor, Dusty Deevers. Deevers graduated from Oklahoma City University and seven years later from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has a wife and six kids.

Back during the Covid pandemic Brother Deevers began to be interested in politics. To use a favorite word of his, he was outraged that the government mandated masks should be worn by everyone and churches were urged to pause their services until the plague could be brought under some semblance of control. Mass vaccinations further fueled his anger and he compared all of it to the Nuremburg Laws. Those were the statues enacted by Nazi Germany to oppress Jews and kick start the Holocaust.

It is unclear if the mandates negatively impacted the Pastor's cash flow, or not, but one suspects he was as much concerned with shrinking donations to his church--and therefore his pay--as he was with any political philosophy.  

This past Tuesday there was a special election for the seat of Senate District 32. Dusty Deevers was the republican nominee. His campaign promised he would fight tirelessly to end, "no fault divorce," (an apparent fetish of his) and pornography. He has also stated he wants to, "abolish," abortion. You know--all of it. We're talking, no if, ands, buts, or coconuts. No more of this, if the woman's life is in danger shit.  In other words, hey, bitch, you fucked him, it's your fault if you die.  

That's right. Dusty Deevers describes himself as a proud, abortion abolitionist. He even cut a video for the web site of, what is known as Abolitionists Rising. The site has 200,000 subscribers. The Guardian reports another Abolitionist site, a YouTube account owned by Apologia Studios has over 500,000 subscribers. 

So, you might ask, what is it that abortion abolitionists want besides the no exceptions thing? Well, for one they want any woman who gets an abortion to be charged with a felony. A felony as in murder. Leading abortion abolitionist Jeff Durbin told the New York Times last year, "I do believe that the (penalty for the} unjustified taking of a human life, if provable, ultimately, justly, ought to be capital punishment." 

To prove they aren't hypocrites the Guardian story says, abortion abolitionists, "openly disdain the label, pro-life."

And in order to establish his abolitionist street cred, candidate Deevers' web site featured a statement which read in part, "Babies are being murdered in pro-life Oklahoma...Oklahoma has the fifth fastest growing rate of self-managed abortion." He went on to warn voters evil, anonymous liars in the pro-life movement who slandered his, "good brothers in Christ," in previous elections abolitionists lost might come after him also.   

Tuesday Dusty Deevers received a little over 54% of the votes cast. His latest title is Senator-elect. To celebrate the occasion he went on social media and posted, "Here in Oklahoma, it is time to abolish abortion, abolish pornography, abolish the state income tax and give power and equal representation back to the people!"

One assumes Reverend Deevers is referring to people just like himself. Because he certainly can't mean people who are in places like Kansas, Ohio, Michigan and others. In all those locales abortion rights, when put to a vote of said people, were resoundingly passed and have become enshrined in state constitutions. 

Perhaps he feels those elections were rigged. Such beliefs are not out of line with the awful rubes he will be caucusing with in the near future. 

Obviously, those of us in Oklahoma have one more problem right now. We are stuck with this crazy bastard for the next few years. Unless, of course, we can catch a break and he and his wife get nabbed doing the Christian and Bridget Ziegler thing. I wish I could be optimistic, but somehow that sems just too much to hope for. 

Let's face it, Elgin, Oklahoma isn't a sin ridden, Gomorrah like Sarasota, Florida. At least as far as we know.

12-14-23

    

Kate Cox vs. Ken Paxton and the State of Texas

Wikipedia describes Trisomy 18 this way:

Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards Syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of a third copy of all, or part of chromosome 18. Many  parts of the body are affected. Babies are often small and have heart defects. Other features include small head, small jaw, clenched fists with overlapping fingers, and severe intellectual disability. 

Kate Cox, a 31 year old mother of two recently found out her fetus has the disease, which in this case includes a spinal abnormality. In the 21 weeks she has been pregnant she has made four different trips to emergency rooms with severe cramping and fluid loss. Doctors have told her chances of the baby surviving the pregnancy are slim. In addition, if her condition goes sideways even more than it already has there is a significant possibility she will die during the delivery. They've also told her if she does survive the odds are she will be infertile the rest of her life. 

Tragically, Kate Cox has another health problem. She lives in Texas. 

Thanks to Texas law, which in effect bans all abortions, Ms. Cox went into court last week to plead for an exception because her physician has said her life could be in danger if she doesn't terminate her pregnancy. Such a petition is allowed under the law. The judge, took a look at her circumstances and ruled in Cox's favor. The ruling was personal. It had nothing to do with any other woman from Galveston to Amarillo and El Paso to Tyler.

As narrow as the ruling was, though, it was too much for Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton.   

Paxton is one wild and crazy guy. He is such a Trump worshipper that after the 2020 election, he led the charge to throw out legitimate election results, not in Texas, but in places like Pennsylvania. The Don thought so much of him, Paxton helped rev up the crowd in Washinton the day of the violent coup attempt.

On Thursday, Paxton asked the Texas Supreme Court to delay the exception and put any medical care for Kate Cox on hold while he tried to come up with an excuse to endanger her life further. At the same time the AG wrote letters to three Houston area hospitals where Cox's doctor has privileges, threatening all manner of legal actions if they allowed Cox to receive an abortion on their premises. Being very Trumpian indeed, he also issued a statement saying he'd prosecute any Texas Doctor who performed--you know--what had become a legal act thanks to a judge. For good measure he accused the jurist who had issued the ruling of being, "a social activist."

Late Friday night--these sort of things always seem to happen when no one is looking--the Texas Supremes ruled in Paxton's favor.

It is unclear where any of these dirty old men, Paxton included, got their medical degrees. However they all seem convinced they are far more knowledgeable in the field of obstetrics and gynecology than anyone currently billing Kate Cox for care and treatment. Perhaps we are witnessing another example of the Dunning-Kruger Effect. Or, maybe they're just a bunch of sadistic ass holes.

The highest court in Texas didn't t rule Kate Cox definitely can't get an abortion there, at least not yet. But as one analyst said the clock is ticking. Each day of delay brings her closer to a medical emergency that puts her life at risk. And all because the ultra right wing wants to control every aspect of a woman's health and behavior from birth to the grave. It is the ultimate fascism.

And it is who they are.

12-10-23

Marjorie Taylor Greene's Twisted Three Way

 Before she ran for congress, Marjorie Taylor Greene fancied herself as a journalist. According to Wikipedia she wrote nearly 60 articles for a conspiracy website called, American Truth Seekers. In 2017 she was a frequent contributor to Law Enforcement Today, which Wikipedia describes as a pro police fake news site. By 2018 she was a heavy hitter for what was called The Family America Project. She moderated, to use the word loosely, the outfit's Facebook group which routinely contained death threats against democrats, vile, racist attacks directed at the Obamas and various conspiracy theories. 

Given the content of some of her rants back in those days we might well call this period, MTG's Jewish Space Laser phase. 

Taylor Greene still dabbles in far right phobias and conspiracies on occasion. The other day she left a social media post for, "Moms and Dads," telling them not to be offended by physicians who disapprove of parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. She went on to assure her audience she never hesitated when it came to not allowing pediatricians to vaccinate her own children. She even declared, "Kids aren't at risk for COVID but they face risks from COVID vaccinations." 

The Congresswoman failed to mention what those risks are, but as she no doubt learned during her Pizza Gate reporting for American Truth Seekers, details will often ruin a deliciously lurid story.

Despite these brief flights into conspiratorial paranoia, these days Marjorie Taylor Greene is more focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The short version is she thinks the invasion is great and apparently hates Zelenskyy. 

It isn't entirely clear why Congresswoman Greene is such an avid fan of Russian aggression. One suspects it is multi layered. It may have started when she realized the guy she'd love to give a BJ to, Don Trump was happily doing the same thing to Vladimir Putin. Indeed, there might be fantasies of a twisted three way fueling her obsessive attraction to the two. 

Zelenskyy's refusal to manufacture dirt on Hunter Biden for Trump certainly has something to do with it. Anyone who refuses to do Trump a favor automatically becomes his enemy and therefore Marjorie Taylor Greene's enemy. We can only imagine Trump's fury when he saw his carefully crafted plans to gut NATO fall apart when Joe Biden rallied the alliance from the brink of extinction and unified it like it hasn't been since the cold war. Big Don's rage had to have filtered down to Greene.  

Late last month the congresswoman posted on social media, "Anyone who votes to fund Ukraine is funding the most corrupt funding scheme of any foreign war in our country's history. And forcing the American people to pay for it." To back up her accusation she provided a link to what is called the Strategic Culture Foundation. Sounds impressive, right? The SCF as it is known has been identified as a propaganda arm of the Russian Foreign Ministry. It has been sanctioned by the U.S. government for deliberately spreading disinformation and interfering in American elections. The first real splash it made was during the COVID crisis. The SCF ran with a story which claimed a COVID vaccine being developed by Bill Gates would contain itty bitty tracking devices the government would use to keep tabs on you and everybody else.

This latest post follows others by MTG which have promised American sons would be sent to die in Ukraine, and Americans were paying for a war the Ukrainians couldn't possibly win. Not to mention a couple which said that by funding the Ukrainian military we are causing needless death and suffering in the entire region. 

All of which tends to ignore one paramount fact. There wouldn't be any death and suffering or need to finance the Ukrainian military if Russia hadn't invaded the fucking place to begin with. 

Ah, once again those damned details.

At this point the only real question we should be asking about Marjorie Taylor Greene is how much are the Russians paying her and where is all the cash being stashed? Well, that and what charges should a member of congress face when she, or he becomes an agent of a foreign power? 

12-5-23

The Dunning-Kruger Effect and Others

 The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities. 

Well, this sums up George Santos, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Lauren Boebert's special kind of crazy.

A post on what was formerly Twitter by a user with the screen name, September.

Maybe, but one suspects there is more to it than that. We can probably invoke the Joe McCarthy axiom, "Always accuse the other side of being communists. (Or in Don Trump's case, Communists, fascists, leftwing radicals, Marxists, lunatics, and vermin.) And finally, what I've coined as Howard's law, of 21st century politics, "He, or she who blows the most smoke and makes the most noise wins."

To quote Thomas Jefferson who was writing in a different context, "...these truths are self-evident."

Indeed, how else can you explain a congress that contains people like Santos, Greene, Boebert, and even the cartoon character, Butt Head doppelganger, Matt Gaetz? 

None of these terrible rubes understand how the legislative process works, nor do they care. They aren't in Washington to actually govern. They are there to throw juvenile tantrums and convince their constituents to reward their reprehensible behavior through campaign contributions. 

That's undeniably the case with Gaetz. After leading the charge to sack Speaker Kevin McCarthy because he negotiated with democrats, Gaetz immediately began to fund raise off his actions. Of course things got a little awkward in the following weeks when republicans proved they are such a fragmented, hateful bunch they can't even get along with themselves, much less anyone else. But hey, it all worked for people like Gaetz and Boebert who believe chaos is far more preferable than a functioning government. It certainly worked for Santos. As long as no one was in charge he couldn't be kicked out of the place--a drama which could well happen shortly.

Marjorie Taylor Greene on the other hand has succumbed to delusions. When she isn't talking about the DOJ, or CIA, or maybe even Joe Biden himself spying on her through her television set she seems convinced Donald Trump will pick her as his running mate for 2024. Who knows, she might be right. They both really like Putin and perhaps Don thinks she can find those 11,0000 plus votes n Georgia he has been looking for all these years. 

What we know for sure is of the four, Greene appears to have the most ambition. Santos is on such shaky ground he'll be happy just to stay out of jail. Gaetz is hated by everyone and for all we know that includes his family. And Boebert is too busy being the trailer park skank to focus on the job at hand. 

Greene, however, took charge of the house a couple of times when McCarty was out trying to save his ass. Her only problem was her reputation as a barn burner. When she brought down the Speaker's gavel the first time and called for the House, "To come to order.," the entire floor erupted in laughter. The notion of Marjorie Taylor Greene wanting order in the house was just too hilarious for the membership to handle with any hint of decorum.

Yes, this could all be one big dark comedy, except it is real. These fuckers are in office and Donald Trump wants back in. And for those of you who doubt what will happen if Greene, Boebert, and Gaetz remain in congress and Trump regains the White House there is one more axiom worth sharing, one Donald Trump might even use on the campaign trail between now and next November:

If we have power we will never give it up again unless we are carried out of our offices as corpses.

Jesseph Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda. 

11-29-23

A November Day in 1963

 Thanksgiving Day came late in 1963. On the 22nd of November 60 years ago it was still six days away. In Oklahoma City, OK the 22nd, a Friday, started out mild and unseasonably warm. So much so all that was needed for the bicycle ride to Herbert Hoover Jr. High, located on the north edge of town, was a light jacket. Hoover was in the 2nd year of its existence that year and those of us in the 8th grade were proud we would be in the first class to attend there for a full three years. The school colors were green and gold and our mascot was a hawk. The entire student body as well as the faculty and staff were white. On paper Oklahoma City's public schools were integrated, but in reality integration was still over a half decade away.

I was so unaware of national affairs back then I had no idea, John F. Kennedy, the President of the United States had traveled to Ft. Worth the day before and would be in Dallas later in the day. On the other hand I was enamored with President Kennedy. It was mainly because my parents, especially my father, were admirers and there was a tenuous family connection to him. My Dad was a childhood friend of a guy who knew Kennedy and had some dealings with him. 

This was so long ago Oklahoma's entire House delegation and both U.S. Senators were democrats. However, even then democratic control of Oklahoma politics was starting to show cracks. An omen of things to come had played out the year before when the state elected Henry Bellman its first republican governor. 1964 would be the last time a democratic presidential candidate would carry the state.  

Since the assassination of Jack Kennedy there has been a lot of speculation about what he would have accomplished, or at least would have tried to accomplish in a second term. Domestically there was civil rights legislation in the works, but whether anything would have become law, was questionable at best. Anything at all to do with civil rights drove southerners into violent rages. They might still be democrats in name, but the idea of some Yankee president from Massachusetts forcing them to accept Black Americans as equals was anathema to them. And, to be honest, considering their overt racism, John F. Kennedy probably didn't have the ability, or the willingness to strike what was going to be the necessary bargains to get anything of the sort passed.      

When it came from foreign policy it is popular among progressives to believe Kennedy would have ended the U.S. presence--which was mainly advisory at the time---in South Vietnam. Of course we'll never truly know what he would have done about Vietnam, or Southeast Asia in general, but we all do know too well what happened there after he was gone. 

The truth is these days progressives like to portray Jack Kennedy as a shining example of liberalism. Perhaps, back in 1953 he was, but these days he would be considered barely center-left, Just as his projected opponent in 1964, Arizona Senator, Barry Goldwater would now be sneered at as a treasonous RINO by the MAGA crowd.

Some time between 12:30 pm and 1:00pm the students at Hoover Jr. High in Oklahoma City were told President Kennedy had been shot. TV's were rolled into classrooms that didn't already have one. Personally I heard a commotion at the front of the room, then a girl sitting next to me looked at me with a strange look of excitement--a sort of bizarre smile. "The president has been shot," she told me. My exact words to her were, "You're crazy."  

Around 2pm, maybe a little later, we found out the president was dead. For many of us there that day the news was too stunning to be real. I kept thinking this was all wrong, that something like this couldn't happen. That any minute it would turn out to be some sort of waking dream.

No one at Hoover was allowed to leave early. We all stayed to the final bell at 3:30 pm. By the time we got out what had started as a beautiful day had turned rotten. The temperature had fallen considerably, the sky was filled with battleship gray clouds and a cold, stiff, wind was howling out of the northwest. Yes, there was a metaphor there, or at least some heavy duty symbolism, but I was too cold to take notice of it. The ride home on my bicycle couldn't be over quick enough. 

By the time I entered our house I felt half frozen. As soon as I hit the living room I complained about the wind and cold. My father, who had come home early, glared at me. I immediately knew to shut up and went into my room. to listen to my radio. There wasn't any music though, just more bad news out of Dallas. 

Sometimes it seems like it hasn't stopped since.

All that happened on this day six decades ago. A teacher back then told us when we became old we wouldn't remember much about our 8th grade year at Hoover Jr. High. However, until the day we die, he said, we would remember exactly what we were doing and where we were on November 22, 1963.

He was right. Such is the nature of trauma.

11-22-23

Tough Guys in the Capitol Building

 In May of 1856 South Carolina Congressman, Preston Brooks used a walking cane to beat Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner nearly to death on the senate floor. Two days before the attack Sumner had delivered a fierce anti-slavery speech which included some barbs directed at slave owners who were members of congress. 

Brooks' attack was so savage it took Sumner three years to recover before he could return to the senate. He was considered a martyr in the north and a prime example of the south's hatred of free speech.  Brooks delivered a speech to the house saying, "he meant no disrespect to the senate of the United States." He was proclaimed a hero in the south and won reelection. A couple of years later he died of natural causes. Not long afterward the American Civil War began and neither side used canes. 

Obviously, all that crazy shit happened a long time ago. We are a lot more civilized these days, right? 

Right.

In a Senate hearing on Tuesday of this week Oklahoma junior Senator, Markwayne Mullin read aloud a tweet from Teamster's President, Sean O'brien. It had been posted after the two had a confrontation during a prior hearing back in March. O'Brien had written, "Greedy CEO who pretends like he's self made. In reality just a clown and fraud. Always has been, always will be. Quit the tough guy act in these senate hearings. You know where to find me. Anytime, Anyplace cowboy."

Mullin, facing the Teamster's head once again, then told O'Brien, "Sir, this is a time, this is a place. You want to run your mouth?? We can be two consenting adults. We can finish it here."

Ah, quite the statesman that Markwayne Mullin. It was at that moment things went all schoolyard.

O'Brien: "Okay that's fine, perfect."

Mullin: You want to do it now?"

O'Brien: "I'd love to do it right now."

Mullin: "Then stand your butt up then."

O'Brien: "You stand your butt up."

Mullin, who ran a couple of campaign ads while wearing a tee shirt which read, "Stilwell High School Wrestling," then rose to his feet.

Luckily neither man had brought in canes, or given what goes on these days, worse. The committee chair, 82 year old Vermont Senator, Bernie Sanders yelled at Mullin, "Stop it! No, no, sit down! You know you're a United States senator!"  Like a duly admonished grandchild, Mullin sat down.

On the other side of the capitol, Rep, Tim Burchett (R-TN) accused former House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) of intentionally elbowing him in the kidneys. According to Burchett the blow was in retaliation for his vote to oust McCarthy. McCarthy denied he hit Burchett and told the media, "If I had kidney punched him he'd be on the ground." 

Yes, it would seem the republican party is a macho bunch, willing to put up the ol' dukes at the drop of a hat--or in Mullin's case, a months old tweet. 

Well at least they can do something. It's just too bad that something isn't being responsible representatives of the people and actually doing their jobs--you know--like governing the republic. 

11-17-23

Moms For Liberty in Oklahoma and Ryan Walters Save the Children from Books

 In Oklahoma and across the other 49 states an outfit commonly referred to as simply Scholastic is a major vendor to school districts. They publish children's books and provide all manner of school supplies to districts, both urban and rural. They also conduct book fairs across the country so educators and parents can see what is in their current inventory. They've been hosting the book fairs in Oklahoma for a little over 40 years.

On Friday the Oklahoma chapter of Moms for Liberty announced they want Scholastic run out of the state on a rail. According to a press release by the organization, "Scholastic, once a trusted company that happens to be one of the one of the top publishers of children's books, now appears largely focused on indoctrinating youth with radical viewpoints and sexual ideologies from a very young age at an increasingly rapid rate."

The press release prompted one local media outlet to ask a Moms for Liberty spokesperson to provide examples of these radical viewpoints and sexual ideologies that are fanning the flames of commie perversions within Oklahoma's children. The answer was basically, "We will have to get back to you."

Translation: Moms for Liberty doesn't have any proof. It doesn't matter though, in their collective heart of hearts they know it is out there.... somewhere. 

Prior to last week's elections Moms for Liberty--recently awarded the status of right wing extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center--backed slews of candidates for school board seats in a number of states. The most polite way of describing what happened is they got their asses kicked. So much so the group deleted newsletters containing the names of their preferred stooges, presumably not to incriminate them any further.

Unfortunately for those of us in the Sooner state the local version of Moms for Liberty didn't take the hint and is plowing ahead. Luckily for them they have an influential ally. The state Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ryan Walters thinks they are his kind of women. He even spoke at one of their national gatherings a while back so he could tell them how great they and their 1600's Salem like hysteria is. 

As soon as the press release was--well--released one of his mouthpieces told the media there would be an immediate investigation of Scholastic. According to spokesperson, Dan Isett, "Superintendent Walters is always concerned and vigilant about eliminating woke indoctrination in the classroom."

Of course he is. And now that he is on the lookout he will no doubt find all that radical viewpoint and sexual ideology shit Moms for Liberty haven't been able to track down.

Still not wanting to offend anyone, Scholastic's response was pretty bland for people being slandered. "Scholastic is committed above all to supporting every child's journey to learn to read and love to read, in its partnership with schools and families," they said. Like many they don't seem to realize crazed rubes like Moms for Liberty are perpetual victims and once they go after you any attempt at a civil response is considered an admission of guilt.

Moms for Liberty plan to protest at the next Tulsa School Board meeting while they demand Scholastic be banned from book fairs in the state. According to them the board should seek out other vendors. It is unknown at this time whether they have a list of preferred ones, or if they had to delete those from their newsletters too.

In any case it is clear the only people around here trying to indoctrinate children with radical viewpoints are Moms for Liberty and Ryan Walters. 

But that, of course, is understood. Or at least it should be. 

11-14-23

The MAGAs Charge into a Minefield

 Even though the hard core right wing might not have figured it out yet, it has become obvious to everyone else all those MAGA dominated state legislatures, not to mention scores of statewide and national candidates have finally pushed their extremist act too far. Not everywhere, of course, the bellicose lunatic fringe maintained the status quo in Mississippi during Tuesday's elections, but no one ever expects anything sane to happen there in the first place.

In Ohio, Virginia, and Kentucky however the public proved it was tired of putting up with the MAGA's notion that political hacks know more about health care than physicians--that they, not the patient, should decide what medical treatments should be pursued, no matter what the circumstances, or risks.  

In truth, republicans should have known it was coming. A little over a year ago the voters of Kansas rejected an amendment to the state's constitution allowing for prosecution of anyone involved with abortions. The outcome wasn't even close. Nearly 60% of the voters went pro choice.

On Tuesday nearly 57% of Ohio voters approved a measure which guarantees reproductive rights, including abortion, in the state constitution. It was the second time republicans got their heads handed to them on the issue. The first was when state conservatives tried to pass a measure that would require a 60% majority to enact the law. In other words they knew the amendment would pass so they tried to rig the outcome through minority rule.

How oh so perfectly Trumpian of them.

Across the river in Kentucky the incumbent governor Andy Breshear, by all accounts a popular guy, despite being a democrat in a solidly red state, won re-election by a shade over 5%. His opponent was republican state AG and anti abortion advocate, Daniel Cameron. Cameron had the support of Donald Trump, proving as one wag said last night, not everything in America is about Donald Trump, or Taylor Swift.   

In Virginia democrats flipped the House of Delegates giving them control of both houses of the state legislature. Republican governor, Glen Youngkin had campaigned extensively for delegates while promising he would push for a, "compromise," abortion ban. Voters weren't in the mood to believe his, "compromise," as democrats pointed out repeatedly Younkin's bill left the door open to more extremist laws in the future. 

The collective results Tuesday inspired liberal euphoria and pronouncements that Joe Biden isn't doomed next year despite what recent polls might indicate. Well, maybe, or maybe not. Exit polling revealed democratic voters outnumbered republicans by 2% in Ohio. While it doesn't fully explain a 13 point margin of victory it does mean democrats, at least on this issue, are more energized than republicans. That remains to be seen when Donald Trump is actually on the ballot. 

As former Ohio GOP governor John Kasich pointed out in presidential elections the economy is almost always the deciding factor, not health care. The democrats can't rely on abortion rights alone and keep the White House. 

Meanwhile, last night five republican presidential hopefuls came together in Miami for a debate. The affair proved two things. First, the only plausible reason for any of them to still be running is in case Donald Trump keels over after eating one order of fries too many. Second, Vivek Ramaswamy is the single most obnoxious asshole on the face of the planet. 

And given Marjorie Taylor Greene's presence on this blue ball that's quite an accomplishment. 

Let's face it, after this week, there is no predicting what will happen next. The variables have become too many and too complex. Only one thing is certain. When it comes to women's health care the republican party has charged into a minefield it can't escape from. And the weird thing is, a sizable chunk of them are so brutally nihilistic they actually might not want to.

After all, self destruction is the one true dynamic of extremism.

11-9-23

The All Unknowing Trumps

 Ken Lay was the founder of an outfit named ENRON which was based out of Houston, TX. The CEO was named Jefferey Skilling. When ERON, a massive corporation, turned out to be an over rated, wildly over appraised, monument to greed, ego, and fraud the initial defense used by Lay and Skilling was, "I didn't know anything about it, I was trusting others, I was just the CEO." No one in their right minds bought it.

Lay was convicted on 9 counts, but died before he was sentenced. Skilling was found guilty on 19 counts and got 24 years. 

Not quite a couple of decades later Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have dug Skilling and Lay's unique excuse out of the attic and dusted it off, perhaps hoping no one remembers how things went for the two Enron grifters. According to both, yes, they were in charge, yes they certified the grotesquely bloated appraisals, but no they didn't have any idea the figures were wrong. 

That's right. Dad's apartment might be 10,000 square feet instead of 30,000, but to be fair we never measured it. And it looks really, really big.

In other words the signs on Junior's and eric's desks apparently read, "The Buck Stops in Accounting." Man, what a cushy job. All you have to do in order to collect a big ass paycheck is sign your name to shit you don't understand. 

Fortunately for them, none of the Trumps are going to jail--at least in the New York case. However, there is a huge amount of money on the line along with the Trump Organization's ability to do business in the state. In addition the judge has already ruled fraud was committed, it is just a matter of how much the whole enterprise will have to shell out. Pleading abject ignorance isn't going to help their argument.

Of course there is a lot of this sort of thing going on in Trump world right now. Yesterday in Colorado, Amy Kremer, a January 6th organizer was testifying on behalf of Don Sr. in a 14th amendment trial set to determine whether her idol can even be on the ballot in that state next year. 

During her testimony she said she and others believed the 2020 election had been stolen. So, naturally an attorney asked her, who stole it? Ms. Kremer's response was, "We don't know who stole the election. I mean it happened in a number of states and we don't know." When asked if it was, "shadowy figures," who pulled off the crime, Kremer testified, "I can't speak to that. We don't know." 

Is it just me, or does Amy Kremer sound like she fits right in with the Trump Organization. One can only wonder why the HR department at Trump Tower hasn't recruited her as a VP in charge of something, you know, like the Hooker Denial Division. 

Obviously the Trumps and those who are serve them are complete dolts. They willingly sign documents without knowing what they say, and make accusations without a shred of proof, or even the slightest notion who might have committed the imaginary crimes. We don't even have to speculate this is the case. The stupid fuckers have just admitted to it in in open court--under oath. 

And surely they wouldn't perjure themselves before God and everyone. After all, honesty is the best policy.

11-3-23     

Another Day, Another Lunatic, Another AR-15

 How long, oh Lord? How long?

Robert Card's commanding officers in his army reserve unit knew he was nuts. Robert Card's family knew he was nuts. People in his hometown of Bowdoin, Maine knew he was nuts. In fact the only person in the entire state of Maine who apparently didn't know Robert Card was nuts was the person who sold him the AR-15 style weapon back in May of this year. Although in truth, that salesperson might not have cared one way, or the other. 

Hey, this is America. Everyone gets to buy an assault style weapon, right? It is in the by God constitution. Well actually it depends on your interpretation of the document and as we know, just like the bible, the constitution says whatever the reader wants it to say.

The question of gun control has been with us for a long time. So has restrictions on guns. Old Wyatt Earp wouldn't let you carry a piece within the city limits of Dodge. In Tombstone, AZ the gun fight at the OK Corral was precipitated, at least on the surface, by an attempt to enforce laws restricting carrying weapons in the town.

A few of us might even remember that late November day in 1963 when Walter Cronkite wondered on air how a nation could allow the mail order purchase of weapons without any restrictions, or questions asked.  He was moved to ask the question because the President of the United States had just had his head blown off thanks to a rifle bought through the mail by a guy named Lee Harvey Oswald.  

That's all ancient history now, but the problem still plagues us. That's because politicians like Ted Cruz believes it is disrespectful to debate gun control while the families of people killed by such weapons are still mourning. Unfortunately, thanks to our never ending supply of violent cranks and guns someone in this nation is always mourning. This years mass shootings have come, on average, every 66 days. 

Cruz isn't the only one with a cheap excuse. Senator Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana told reporters after the massacre of children in Uvalde, TX that AR-15s are needed to kill feral pigs in the central part of his state and therefore shouldn't be banned. 

South Carolina's Senator and brown noser in chief, Lindsey Graham wondered why the military didn't alert everyone they had a Sgt. 1st class who was hearing voices and threatening to shoot up his reserve training center. When Robert Card was on active duty this summer it was the army who had him locked away in a mental facility for two weeks. It wasn't their fault some quack let him out.

In any event Card had already bought the murder weapon before being temporarily hospitalized. At that point it was up to his family to report his growing insanity to the authorities in order to kick Maine's yellow flag law into effect. Obviously, they didn't do so. It isn't something most families are willing to do. 

The search, at this moment, is continuing for Bobby Card. Nothing has been seen, or heard from him since that terrible night in Lewiston. Odds are he is the bottom of that murky river that runs through Lisbon, ME where they found his car. At this point we can only hope he is.

And we can only hope someone in congress will address the root of this uniquely American problem. Screw the mental health laws, no one is going to fund improved mental health programs. No one is going to simplify statutes which allow authorities to confiscate a weapon no matter how crazy the owner is.

No, the first step is right there if we'd just take it. Stop selling AR-15 style weapons and the high capacity magazines now. Right now. Ban all that deadly shit. It won't stop every violent criminal in this nation, but it will slow them down. And, despite what some might tell us, such a ban does not violate the constitution.  

Besides, if nothing else, we need to give those Louisiana feral pigs at least a sporting chance. 

10-27-23

The Only Things Republicans Hate More Than Themselves

 Word reached us only moments ago that the new republican nominee for Speaker of the House is Tom Emmer of Minnesota. 

HUZZAH! Praise the Lord and pass the gavel. Let us celebrate the end of chaos and insanity. Maybe we can actually see some governing around here for a change.

Oh were it only so. Unfortunately, as we've seen over the last three weeks getting nominated for the speakership doesn't mean squat. Even Don Trump's hand picked boy and fellow insurrectionist, Jim Jordan couldn't get 218 of these right wing clowns to vote for him. At today's republican caucus vote the gentleman from the great state of Minnesota was 101 votes short of the number he needs to lead the house. And that's doesn't even count democrats who have been unanimously opposed to everyone the republicans have put forward.

The count this afternoon was 117 for Emmer, 97 for Louisiana's Mike Johnson, 5 for other candidates, and 1 present. You know, present as in, Yeah, I'm here, but I really don't give a damn anymore. Any way you look at those numbers it would seem Representative Emmer is still a long way from the big chair in the front of the room. 

In truth no one has been near it since Matt Gaetz and his neo rock septet, The Destroyers, along with a big boost from democrats, canned Kevin McCarthy. The democrats were on board because after making an agreement with McCarthy he blamed them for everything up to and including the buffet served to the Donner party. Gaetz did it because McCarthy dared to make the deal in the first place and frankly, just because he likes to blow shit up.

Therin is the real problem for this twisted version of the republican party. A number of them are fine with this paralysis because they don't want the government to work.  They think it is why they've been elected, and tragically, thanks to the MAGA cult, maybe they are right. Unfortunately what the yokels living in the western end of the Florida panhandle want isn't what the rest of the country wants, or needs.

It certainly isn't what Ukraine, Israel, or Taiwan needs. Just ask them. Vlad Putin is licking his chops right now as he watches this vile nonsense. So is the leadership of Iran and China. No matter how well the Israelis and Ukrainians fight, once they're out of bullets and artillery shells, the end for both is near. The same is true for Taiwan.

Of course a lot of republicans haven't like the Ukrainians ever since Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to go along with trump's extortion attempt involving Hunter Biden. The Israelis are a problem however. Evangelical Christians who are a large part of their base have traditionally supported Israel to the hilt. Cutting them off might be a bit tougher to justify. Especially when the main source of American support for Hamas comes from students at all those Ivy League schools Evangelicals loathe so much. 

But hey, you can't be a real nihilist without pissing a few people off.

And that is where a large chunk of the republican party is right now. How else can you explain the phone calls threatening the spouses and families of house members who refused to vote for Jim Jordan. Or the derisive laughter at Trump rallies when their man makes jokes about Paul Pelosi's medical condition. Or when the leading republican presidential candidate flirts with contempt by posting salacious lies online about court officers during proceedings against him. Those aren't the actions of a legitimate political party, but rather a mob of thugs run amok on meth.

Indeed, it has become obvious to all of us, when it comes to republicans these days hate is all they know. And they hate themselves only slightly less than they hate democrats. 

Well, that and democracy.

10-24-23

It Isn't Joe Biden's Wall

 First off, walls don't work. Oh, they might stymie some for a while, but whether they are meant to keep someone out, or in, people will find a way to get past them. They go over, under, or as we saw not quite two weeks ago. they will go straight through them. Walls, at best, do nothing more than slow the less determined down. At their worst they provide a false sense of security that in some circumstances can turn out to be deadly. 

Walls can also be symbolic. As in, " Hey, look what I'm doing to stop all those Spanish speaking fuckers who are coming here to replace all us white people." That sort of xenophobic political philosophy works particularly well with yokels who wear red hats and T-Shirts that say things like, "Donald Trump is GOD."

On the other hand, the notion of such a wall built for that purpose doesn't play well to those on the left side of the aisle. In fact supporting the construction of a border wall could get you run out of the democratic party just about everywhere except maybe West Virginia. 

Last week, before the Hamas nightmare in southern Israel began, it was announced a new section of Southern U.S. border wall would be constructed. Some news outlets even ran with a lead that read something like, "Joe Biden's New Wall." 

Progressives everywhere gasped, fainted, and bellowed. The word appalled didn't even begin to describe the reaction. It was every liberal's nightmare come true. See there, I told you that old man was a closet conservative.

Biden's defense seemed weak at best. "I can't do anything about it," he said.

Sadly, while it might sound weak, what the President said was true. Unlike the would be King of Orange, Joe Biden understands the powers of the President of the United states are limited. You can't do anything you want while you sit in the Oval Office.

Way back in December of 2019 the Trump administration got congress to appropriate the money, specifically, to build this new section of border wall. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 makes it illegal for the money to be spent on any other project unless congress reappropriates it. That disjointed band of miscreants in the republican majority came together in the House just long enough to turn down Biden's request to do so. 

In other words, unless Joe Biden wants to pull some sort of Trumpian power grab by ignoring the law of the land we are stuck with at least one more useless monument to populist nativism.

Many of us might not like it, but we certainly should not blame Joe Biden for it.

10-17-23

Dead Men Walking

 When a military attacks they have an objective in mind that's the focus of their movements. When the russians entered Ukraine, they were headed toward, Kyiv. All the murders, rapes, and pillaging were by products of that terrible misadventure, but they did have a place they wanted to capture.

Of course no one has ever accused Hamas of being an army. A real army doesn't swoop down on a music festival and massacre the attendees. No, Hamas more closely resembles a run amok biker gang nominally fronted by a few rogue politicians the likes of which haven't been seen since 1930s Germany.

When they roared into Israel Saturday it wasn't clear what their objective was--actually it still isn't--unless the objective was nothing more than rape, murder, and kidnapping. It might be. That sort of thing certainly seems their style. Some of them claim they want to trade their hostages for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, but that seems a tad altruistic for this bunch of barbarians.

They certainly haven't cared about the Palestinians in the past. They have received scads of money from places like Iran over the years and have never spent any of it on infra structure, or anything else which would benefit the Palestinian people in the long term. They have, however bought lots of weapons. Lots and lots of them.

If they are trying to prove to the Palestinians they can defeat Israel they will fail. It took them what has been reported up to two years to plan this whole nightmare and as a result they have overrun a couple of kibbutzes, destroyed a few police stations, and killed nearly 1,000 mostly civilians. They have caused chaos heartbreak, and horror. But all that bloodthirsty mayhem isn't defeating Israel. Their actions have however, caused most people in the world to look on in disgust and pissed off the most advanced military in the region to no end.

Yes, it would appear Hamas has made the same mistake a lot of people have made in the past. When you kill and terrorize civilians you can make them cower in fear, but you also cause them to hate you more. In the end, maybe that was their objective. If so, they achieved it. Everyone with a sense of common decency and humanity, if they didn't before, now hates them and everything they claim to stand for.

Indeed, Hamas might have won in the short term, but their, "troops" such as they are and their leadership aren't long for this world. Whether they know it, or not, they are--each and every one of them--dead men walking,

And where will their victory be then?

10-10-23

Schedule F, Still in the Mix

And. for those who have been wronged and betrayed I am your retribution.

Donald Trump, speaking to a crowd, but in reality, talking to himself. 

In January, 2019 a Trump administration official named James Sherk went to work on a problem that was eating away at the then president. It seemed there were some career civil servants who were dragging their feet when it came to implementing some of Big Don's more, let's say, ambitious ideas.

One of those light bulb moments included gutting civil rights acts and protections in order to make it tougher for black kids to get into places like Yale University. They were taking up spots that could be filled by white and Asian students and that seemed pretty darned discriminatory, especially if you are white, or Asian and don't think much of black people to begin with.

 The major problem was a lot of those uncooperative civil servants were protected by law as career government employees and they couldn't be fired on a political whim.  

These things take time so it wasn't until early 2020 that Sherk's plan, "Schedule F," was ready to go. Unfortunately for the Donald there were further delays thanks to the Covid pandemic.  By the time he got around signing the executive order implementing Schedule F all the focus was on the 2020 election campaign. Schedule F appointments would have to wait until after Trump was re-elected.

Oops.

When Mr. Trump lost---by a lot---he went a little funny in the head. He was too busy plotting to overthrow the government of the United States to even think about it.

So, you might ask, what is Schedule F? When Donald Trump signed that executive order he removed the civil service protection for tens of thousands of career government employees. They could now be fired at will and replaced by political appointees with no thought about their actual qualifications. You know, yokels who don't know an FDA lab from a public restroom, but are all damn loyal to Donald John Trump. 

It was still there for Joe Biden in January, 2021. Fortunately for all of us President Biden believes government jobs should be held by qualified individuals not a bunch of political hacks and toadies. One of his first acts in the Oval Office was to get rid of Schedule F. 

Ah, but hope springs eternal in the dark hearts of those who prefer a Putinesque form of government. In an interview with Jeffrey Tucker of the Brownstone Institute, Sherk pointed out Schedule F remains ready to go. If Trump gets back to the White House he already has the blueprint from which to work.

To that end, Axios has reported conservative groups devoted to all things Trumpian have been out there, vetting scads of candidates who would replace career federal employees should their man regain the White House. Axios also reports sources have told them, the next Trump administration, "anticipates needing an alternate labor force of perhaps as many as 10,000 personnel." And each and every one of them would be utterly committed to Donald Trump. 

As early as last year, Axios reported the Heinrich Himmler wanna be, Stephen Miller (the guy who came up with the idea to kidnap the children of immigrant families) has been assembling a cadre of, "general counsels."  They will be on board immediately These lawyers will be there to, "aggressively implement Trump's orders and skeptically interrogate any career government attorney who tells them their plan is illegal or can't be done." 

That's right, next time around there won't be any naysayers. Donald gets to do whatever he wants with no questions asked. 

That's how it works in a dictatorship.

10-3-23

Last Night in Simi Valley and the Madness of Donald Trump

 Last night on Fox seven republicans who are running for the party's presidential nomination  gathered on a stage at the Ronald Reagan library in Simi Valley, CA. The bizarre tableau could have been titled, Donald Trump and the Seven Dwarfs, except, of course Trump wasn't there. He was off in Michigan somewhere lying to some workers and it turns out hand picked shills at a non union auto parts plant. He was there at the behest of the plant's management team in order to explain why collective bargaining agreements are evil. Not surprisingly though he spent most of his time, talking about how great and wise he, Donald J. Trump, is. 

The former president appeared to get through the speech without any of the mishaps which have recently plagued him. You know, like telling the crowd he defeated Barack Obama in 2016 and Joe Biden, if re-elected, would start World War II.

Perhaps El Donald is due a little sympathy. Earlier the same day a New York Judge ruled he and one of his kids had committed fraud when they and the Trump Organization had over valued their properties by delirious amounts to secure loans. The decision could directly lead to the Trumps forfeiting huge chunks of property and the right to do any business in the state of New York.

All these legal problems seem to be wearing down Trump's mind. Nearly 100 different felony charges will do that. It is obvious the man began to unravel as soon as the results of the 2020 election came in. The criminal charges have apparently hastened the syphilitic like deterioration of his brain. So much so he doesn't even pretend to be pro-democracy any more. All those inhibitions have been eaten away and only God knows how far he will go now.

We do have some hints though.

Late last year he posted on his private social media outlet, "...Massive fraud of this type (the election results) and magnitude allows the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the constitution." 

We could, I suppose, ask the ghost of James Madison its opinion of that statement, but it's too busy spinning in its grave to respond.

Last week, after promising his justice department would investigate and prosecute NBC and its holding company, Comcast Trump posted this about retiring Joint Chief of Staffs, General Mark Milley: "This guy turned out to be a Woke train wreck, who if the Fake News reporting is correct, was actually dealing with China to give them a heads up on the thinking of the President of the United States. This is an act so egregious that in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH." 

What Milley did was call his Chinese counterpart after the failed coup of Jan. 6th to reassure him an increasingly unhinged Donald Trump wouldn't launch an all out nuclear attack on his country. Milley also called all the pertinent American commanders and told them if they got some, "strange," orders directly from the White House to let him know before they did anything. It is the same thing DOD officials did during those chaotic days before Richard Nixon gave up and resigned. It is called, making sure no one does anything stupid if the old man becomes completely unglued.

Yes, that is how crazy Donald Trump was then. Just think how far his madness has progressed by tow. 

 Meanwhile back in Simi Valley we did learn at least one fact last night. That is, as one wag posted, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone loved you as much as Nikki Haley hates Vivek Ramaswami?"

Well yeah it would, but some things are just not possible. 

9-28-23

The Further Adventures of Rudy Giuliani

 Dear Rudy:

Our law Firm, Davidoff, Hutcher, Citron has represented you in legal matters the past several years. These matters include a federal  investigations into your now defunct foreign lobbying venture, investigations and charges brought against you by the Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney, and the investigations of Special Counsel, Jack Smith regarding the January 6th, 2021 insurrection in Washington D.C. Our records indicate we have received payments totaling $214,000. Your outstanding balance for services delivered is now, $1,350,196. That amount is currently OVERDUE. It is time to pay up, you dead beat son of a bitch. WE WANT OUR FUCKING MONEY!!!

Sincerely

Davidoff, Hutcher, and Citron LLP

Well, Davidoff-Hutcher didn't put it exactly that way, but their message was clear the other day. There are no more free rides for Rudolph Giuliani. He owes them a huge wad of cash and they are going to court in order to collect.

The man who used to be called, "America's Mayor," issued a statement which read, "I can't express how personally hurt I am for what Bob Costello (Davidoff-Hutcher partner who represented Giuliani in court) has done. It is a real shame when lawyers do things like this, and all I will say is that their bill is way in excess to anything approaching legitimate fees."

Rudy knows these guys are serious. The firm and Costello in particular had represented that outlaw fascist, Steve Bannon when he was hip deep in legal trouble. After Bannon tried to stiff them, Davidoff--Hutcher sued and won a $500,0000 judgement. The judge ruled Bannon had read and signed a retainer agreement with the NYC based firm and didn't object to any of their invoices when they were actively representing him. He just chose not to pay them when they were done.

In this latest action brought against a former client the suit points out Giuliani had read and signed a similar agreement and, like Bannon, had never objected to the amounts on any of their invoices. At least not until now. It's unclear if Rudy-Toodie thought Davidoff--Hutcher would write off the fees--a sort of personal gift from his old pal Costello, or he actually believed Trump and others would pick up the tab. 

If the latter was the case he should have known better. Hell, Donald Trump doesn't even pay his own lawyers, There is no way he is going to foot the bill for some groveling toady like Rudy Giuliani. No, if the Mayor is looking for help in that direction he is going to have to settle for those rare moments when the big man is bored enough to throw him a fundraiser. 

Of course the problem Davidoff, Hutcher, and Citron has is exactly the same one faced by Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. Unless there is a secret account, or two tucked away in someplace like the Cayman Islands, Rudy Giuliani is tapped out. Right now his main asset is the upper eastside apartment he owns in New York City. It has been on the market since late July with an asking price of $6.5 million. The way he is running through lawyers and bail bondsmen right now there is no telling how much of that will be left to split, even if he gets his full asking price. 

Indeed, it might end up that Freeman and Moss, not to mention Davidoff-Hutcher  have to settle on cuts of Giuliani's income after the state of Georgia employs him in the license plate shop at the state prison. It won't be much, but it beats nothing at all. 

Meanwhile, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson has accused Giuliani of making unwanted and utterly crude, sexual moves on her in the VIP tent the day of the failed coup. The details of the alleged assault are contained in her new book which will be released next week. She also claims a co-conspirator in the insurrection, Trump attorney du jour, John Eastman served as lookout/voyeur during the incident. 

No one knows if Ms. Hutchinson will back up her allegation with a civil action against Mr. Giuliani, but if she does she needs to hurry. The slices of that pie are already extraordinarily thin and the line is long.

There is also no telling where all this will end up. All we do know at this point is things are grim for Rudolph Giuliani. And even if he doesn't end up in either federal, or state prison the odds are increasing his next residence will be at best a maintenance shed at Mar A Lago, or at worst, a crate beneath an overpass somewhere. 

Such is the fate of those who devote their lives and fortunes to The Cult of The Big Orange Guy. 

 

9-21-23

Congresswoman Gone Wild: Lauren Boebert at the Theater

 I was a little too eccentric. I'm well known for having a very animated personality.

Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert describing her ejection from a Denver theater in an interview on the OAN cable network this past weekend.

Totally embarrassing bimbo.

A social media post by conservative commentator, Ann Coulter which included a photo of Boebert vaping in the audience during the play.

In truth, there was a little more to it than being," too eccentric," that weird night in Denver. Lauren Boebert was also accused of being verbally abusive to the pregnant woman sitting behind her, singing and waving her arms as if she was at some rock concert, and behaving like a teenager gone wild on ecstasy. 

Actually a tab of MDMA would explain a lot. You know like the sudden disappearance of all inhibitions which led to the vaping and what some have described as crude, mutual groping between her and her male companion. Not to mention repeatedly using the flash on her phone to record videos and take photos of the performance of the musical, "Beetlejuice." 

She will no doubt deny she has ever used that drug, or any other, but hey, we all know she is a congenital liar. Up until Boebert was shown the security camera footage of her doing it, she had denied vaping. Even now she maintains she has no memory of vaping. Since I've never tried ecstasy myself (it wasn't around back in the salad days, when pharmaceuticals and various herbs and fungi were on the table}I cannot testify to its memory impairment capabilities. 

I do know, however, completely unhinged behavior and memory loss almost always involves some sort of outlaw drug wildly bubbling in your brain. Well, either that, or a complete psychotic break of profound proportions.

Unfortunately with some people you can never tell the difference. Take Boebert's rival gang leader, Marjorie Taylor Greene, for instance. She is still claiming people are using her TV to spy on her at home. Is it paranoid delusion, or the dreaded brown acid that plagued Woodstock attendees? Who knows?

Of course the Congresswoman from Colorado's 3rd district has never been one for rules of any kind. In 2017 her two restaurants, Shooters Grill and Smokehouse 1776 jointly operated a food outlet at the local county fair. Because such things are for non-patriots Boebert didn't secure the required permits. Apparently all those pesky safe food handling requirements were another sign of government over reach. By the time it was done 80 fair patrons had come down with food poisoning thanks to her, "pork sliders."

Beyond her distastes for rules, Ms. Boebert also blamed her behavior on her, "public divorce," earlier this year. In other words the break up with her husband made her, "too eccentric," and pushed her, "animated personality," into overdrive. 

Personally, given the choice between mental instability and drug use, I would have gone with the ecstasy defense. You are in Congress for God's sake. A little substance abuse is expected every now and then.  Besides, you can always tell your constituents you've kicked the habit, but only the most devoted cultists will believe you have become uncrazy.

Last November 327,000 people voted in Colorado's 3rd congressional district race. Lauren Boebert's margin of victory was 546. That doesn't leave much room for fuck ups like the one in Denver the other night. Her 2024 democratic opponent, Adam Frisch has already seized the moment to launch attacks saying in part, "She even lied about her lies."

Well what do you expect? She is, after all, a Capo in the MAGA crime family. Only in her case she might be dumbest of the lot. How else can you describe someone who plays crotch grab between tokes on a JUUL Pod in public. 

It's either that, or as her fellow republican Meghan McCain posted, "Lauren Boebert is trash."

9-18-23

Republicans in Wisconsin Go All Vlad Putin

 Janet Protasoieicz was born in Milwaukee and raised there. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin and then the Marquette University school of law. She spent the next 26 years of her life working in the Milwaukee DAs office. The only reason I bring this all up is to let you know she is no stranger to either the state of Wisconsin, or its politics.

On February 21, 2023 she ran for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in what was supposed to be a non-partisan race. It was her second political campaign. Ten years earlier she had lost when she ran against an incumbent circuit court judge in her home town. She won the primary this time around, but didn't get the 50% needed to secure the seat. In April there was a run off between her and the runner up, Daniel Kelly.

That April election was also supposed to be non-partisan. It was anything but. 

Daniel Kelly had been paid around $120,000 after the 2020 election for legal advice by the Republican National Committee and the Wisconsin GOP. The republican state chair, Andrew Hitt admitted he and Kelly had, "extensive conversation," about appointing a second set of Wisconsin electors which would change the outcome of the presidential election and give the state to Donald Trump. This scheme, like all the others failed. In addition Mr. Kelly was steadfastly in favor of an 1849 Wisconsin law which forbids all abortions in the state unless the mother's life is in danger.

Janet Portasiewicz was up front about her support of women's health care rights, LGBTQ rights, and her belief the republicans had blatantly gerrymandered the state voting districts in order to perpetuate their legislative majority. 

Money and, "volunteers," on both sides came pouring into Wisconsin from all over the place. The super pac, Fair Courts in America, a hard core right wing outfit alone spent $1.8 million on ads supporting Kelly. The national media went into a frenzy and called the election a referendum on abortion rights. 

When the smoke cleared in April, Protasiewicz had won by a little over 11%. Kelly, being a republican, told the press, Protasiewicz was, "Not a worthy opponent to which I can concede. " He also claimed she was a, "serial liar who had demeaned the judiciary." Refreshingly, what he didn't say was the vote had been rigged.

However, within a month of the election some state republican lawmakers were floating the idea of impeaching the new justice. Now that particular notion is gaining steam. And, thanks to that gerrymandering Protasiewicz has objected to, they have the numbers to do it. Republicans currently hold 64 out of 99 seats in the house and 22 of 33 state senate seats. 

But, wait, you might justifiably say. What will the charges be? What high crimes, misdemeanors, or judicial misconduct has the newly minted Supreme Court Justice committed? 

Well, as near as anyone can tell, Janet Prottasiewicz's most grievous offense is that she's a liberal who beat their right wing Trumpy boy like a gong. That and she's for a lot of the stuff they hate. 

The truth is these clowns aren't even pretending there is any malfeasance on Protasiewicz's part. They are simply trying to overturn a legal election because they don't like the results. Even at the height of their power, those hard drinking, cigar chewing Irish lads of Tammany Hall never pulled shit like this. At least Trump claimed the election was stolen before he tried to overthrow the government. No one in the legislature has even hinted at that. The impeachment of Janet Protasiewicz is an unabashed and brute power grab. Indeed, fuck Trump's cheap lies, not to mention over a million voters. Republicans in Wisconsin have gone all Vlad Putin on the people of the state.

The republic for which we stand can't survive when its politicians begin to discard the will of the people in order to remain in power. Places like Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio, and Texas are leading us down a road which ends in a dark, ugly place. A place where elections are irrelevant and the people are held in utter contempt by legislative whim and a horrifying cult of personality.  It is a place that has nothing to do with liberty and self determination, but everything to do with a dictatorship.

sic vita est

9-12-23

A Brief Criminal History of Enrique Tarrio

Make no mistake. We did this.

A social media post by Enrique Tarrio on January 6th, 2021.

Enrique Tarrio's first time in court was when he was 20 years old back in 2004. He was charged with theft and found guilty. He was sentenced to community service, three years probation, and ordered to pay restitution. According to Wikipedia a little while after that he moved from Miami to northern Florida in order to run a poultry farm. While this might sound like an unusual move by many, it is not without precedent. Before he got involved with the Nazi party and ended up head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler was reported to be a chicken farmer.

Alas, just as it did with the late, unlamented Himmler, chicken farming didn't agree with Enrique Tarrio. He returned to his home town of Miami where he was accused of another crime. This time prosecutors said he was involved with a scheme to rebrand and resell stolen blood glucose test strips. Even though he turned state's evidence on over a dozen others in 2013 he was sentenced to federal prison for 30 months. He got out after serving 16. 

Ah yes, a promising political start. No wonder he and Roger Stone are best buds.

More recently Brother Tarrio did 160 days in the Washington D.C. jail after he pled guilty to vandalizing a couple of black churches and burning a Black Lives Matter banner he stole from one of them. He was arraigned on those charges on January 4th, 2021. He was bailed out the morning of January 6th on the condition he leave Washington and not come back unless it was for his trial, or to consult with his lawyer. It's why he was sitting in a Baltimore hotel room coaching from the sidelines instead of being in the thick of the action when the capitol and democracy in general was attacked that terrible afternoon. 

Well, that and it is a fact of life commanding generals don't lead the way during frontal assaults. James Longstreet may have planned Pickett's charge at Gettysburg, but neither he, or Pickett went marching up that long slope with their men. 

After being released early for the glucose testing strip scam court records show Enrique Tarrio became an informant for federal and local authorities. (Another sign of political acumen) Among other things, his information is credited with helping them bust three green houses full of illegal marijuana plants. 

The former Proud Boys leader vehemently denies he has ever been, as they say in the parlance, a rat. Who can blame him? He just got 22 years in the joint, The last thing you want in a situation like that is a title which becomes probable cause for a shiv in the liver. Hey, let's face it, two plus decades is a long time to keep your head on a swivel. Not to mention letting the soap stay on the shower room floor if it slips out of your hand. 

9-6-22

Rudy Giuliani and the Great American Loophole

Donning a cloak of victimization may play well on a public stage to certain audiences, but in a court of law this performance has served only to subvert the normal process of discovery in a straight forward defamation case.

Judge Beryl Howell

In other words, your bullshit might work on MAGA rubes, but it doesn't mean squat in a federal court. Just to prove it, Howell followed up his statement with a default decision in a suit brought against Rudy Giuliani by Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, two Georgia election workers.

In the weeks and months following the 2020 election Giuliani accused Ms Freeman and Moss of being master criminals out to steal the election from Donald Trump. He also repeatedly claimed they were a couple of drug users who openly passed around a vial of either cocaine, or heroin as they rigged the vote. His attacks led his keeper Don Trump to announce that Ruby Freeman was, "a professional," in the field of voter fraud. 

We have yet to hear either man speculate on how much, "a professional," in such matters is paid, or whether they earn a flat fee, or a commission. Or how they can keep their heads screwed on tight enough to pull the scam after a few toots of coke, or smack.

As we know, Guiliani said and still says many things. A lot of them render his credibility about the same as those who claim they see lizard people eating babies. After the 2020 election he ran around the country making all sorts of wild claims about fraud.  However, when it came to providing proof he dodged, ducked and weaved as if he was in a boxing match. Tragically for them, Moss and Freeman were caught in his maelstrom of lies. He couldn't come up with a single name out of all those thousands of dead voters he claimed had cast ballots, but he did identify two black women counting votes in Atlanta.

There is video of Rudy Giuliani admitting he lied about Freeman and Moss. His original defense was lying was protected by the first amendment due to his representation of Donald John Trump. This week when questioned he denied he had ever made such an admission. It is unknown if this case of memory loss is temporary, or permanent.  

Attorneys for the maligned mother and daughter had repeatedly requested documents for the purpose of discovery from Mr. Giuliani. The judge had ruled each of the requests reasonable and instructed, "America's Mayor," to comply on several different occasions. Giuliani, hiding behind constantly shifting and questionable excuses, never came up with the material. 

Earlier this week Howell's patience ran out. Now, thanks to hubris so run amok it cannot be accurately described, Rudloph Giuliani is fucked. 

Oh, there will still be a jury seated in the defamation case, but they won't be there to decide if Rudy Toody defamed Freeman, or Moss. Beryl Howell just ruled he did. Now the panel's only job will be to decide exactly how much Giuliani has to shell out to them and their attorneys. And one would suppose if he has to mow the lawns of Freeman's and Moss' expansive new homes. 

All that is in theory, of course.  Before everything is said and done, Rudy Giuliani will no doubt take full advantage of the Great Civil Law Loophole. All he needs to do to escape this mess is declare bankruptcy.  Hey, your lies have already caused them to be the targets of every MAGA psycho in the nation, forcing them to live in terror behind shuttered windows and locked doors. Cheating them out of financial compensation for their pain and suffering should be expected. It is, after all, The American Way.

Sic Vita Est

9-1-23

 

Fools and Sycophants on Stage and a Perfect Portrait of Inmate #P01135809

 There are several words which can describe the behavior displayed by eight republicans who claim to be running for the GOP presidential nomination on Wednesday night. Embarrassing is one, humiliating is another. The term nauseatingly subservient also comes to mind. 

By the night's end only one of the eight, Nikki Haley seemed to understand what the debate was actually designed for--a forum for candidates to display their views and policies, All the while explaining to the public why they should vote for them, not the guy who wasn't there. 

A couple, most obviously, Vivek Ramaswami, appeared to be on stage only to audition for the absent Donald Trump's running mate. Ramaswami probably did score some points in that regard by declaring if elected his first act would be to pardon Donald Trump of all crimes he might be convicted of. He also claimed global warming was a deadly hoax, (more people have died from EPA regulations than have because of global warming) and if president he would stop all aid to Ukraine. Finally he announced Donald J. Trump was the greatest president in the 21st century. Which, of course, begged the question no one thought to ask, if you think that Vivek then why are you running against him?

In a test of their non existent courage the panel was asked to raise their hands if they would support Trump if he ran his campaign from a jail cell. In a slavish, stomach turning, display of servitude all, but two raised their hands. Only Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson distanced themselves from the cult.  The braying crowd went wild. In that terrible moment any credibility Nikki Haley had managed to craft evaporated. 

Indeed, by the end of that undignified shouting match they had all proved themselves to be nothing more than fools or sycophants. There wasn't a president among the bunch.

The road is now clear for The Big Orange Guy. Short of Donald Trump's plane going all Yevgeny Prigozhin nothing can stop him from grabbing the republican nomination. 

And then came Thursday. Yesterday evening Trump made an appearance at the Fulton County Jail. He is now inmate #P011358009 and is currently free on $200,000 cash bond, secured through a local bail bondsman. His mug shot was available for public viewing almost immediately after his booking.

Today Trump started selling tee shirts with his jail; photo on the front, just above the words, "Never Surrender."  The irony of it seemed to be lost on him, and his fans. The shot was available only because Donald J. Trump had surrendered himself to the Fulton County authorities. Trump's campaign stole the catch phrase from Ron DeSantis, but that's okay. The Florida governor won't be suing it much longer anyway.

MSNBC's Lawerence O'Donnell believes the mug shot shows a fearful Donald Trump. There are those on the right who see his face reflecting tenacity and courage. I see none of those things.

Looking at that instant frozen in time now forever, all I see is rage and hatred. And as far as I'm concerned, in the end, it is the most perfect portrait of Donald John Trump that any of us will ever see. In that horrible mug we witness the antithesis of everything America is and should strive to be. 

It is the photo of an absolute, unrelenting, monster.

sic vita est

825-23

Clint Dixon vs Some Sort of Leftist Celebrity

 Down in Georgia this coming October the Prosecuting Attorney Qualifications Commission will convene for the very first time. The commission was created by an act of the Georgia state legislature. The measure was signed into law by republican Governor, Brian Kemp. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the commission is empowered to, "Sanction, or oust prosecutors found to be neglecting their duties, or responsible for an array of other violations." 

That, "array of other violations,: caused a problem for democrats in the legislature during the debate over the commission's establishment. As did the sneaking suspicion the commission was being set up mainly because Fulton County DA, Fani Willis was investigating one Donald John Trump, among others, for attempting to overturn the 2020 Georgia's election results. Many democrats pointed out the legislature already had the power to impeach DAs. However, supporters of the bill claimed the power of impeachment wasn't enough, it didn't have enough teeth, and was too slow of a procedure. 

That's right, baby. If she indicts the chosen one we need to move quickly. Don't let the democrats bog us down with debates and rules. Nip it in the bud. As Hunter Thompson used to say, "Cut off the head and the body will die.'

Yesterday state senator Clint Dixon issued a statement which said that as soon as the Prosecuting Attorney Qualifications Committee goes into session he will file a complaint against Fani Willis. He was inspired to file the complaint, he told the Journal-Constitution because of Willis', "unabashed goal to become some sort of leftist celebrity." 

Dixon wrote on social media, "Once the Prosecutorial Oversight Committee is appointed in October, we can have them investigate and take action against Fani Willis and her efforts to weaponize the justice system against political opponents. This is our best measure and I will be ready to call for that investigation."

In other words, Don't worry Don, we'll stop her before you ever get to court.

It would seem the democrat's suspicions were well funded. The republicans in Georgia are now trying to do exactly what everyone predicted they would when the motion was still pending. The words legislative overreach has yet to come up, although they should.

As should the term, blatant political power grab.

Trump has said he will show up at the notorious Fulton County jail to be booked on Thursday. Since the jail is open for bookings 24-7 at least one NSNBC analyst is predicting he will arrive there the night of the republican debate in order to steal coverage from it. It wouldn't surprise anyone if he did something like that. The man just can't stand it when he isn't the center of attention. Personally I have my doubts though. Knowing Trump he will want a crowd outside cheering for him. After all, when you disappear into a dank dungeon rife with body lice and buggery, even for less than an hour, morale is everything.

Until that unknown and inauspicious date does arrive what we do know for sure is that Donald Trump will get booked. That goes for the 18 indicted con-conspirators also. We also know if Trump, or any of the rest fail to surrender themselves by noon Atlanta time on Friday warrants will be issued for their arrests.

And finally we know with absolute certainty is there isn't a thing the former president, Clint Dixon, or some two bit committee of right wing hit men can do about it. 

It is the law.

8-22-23

Abagail, Travian, and Reverend Steve: Law and Order MAGA Style

 Hey you stupid slave n...er. You are in our sights, we want to kill you, and if Trump doesn't get elected in 2024 we are coming to kill you, so tread lightly, bitch.

Part of the voice mail left for Federal Judge Tanya S. Chutkan by Ms Abagail Jo Shry of Alvin, Texas.

Ah yes. Law and order, MAGA style. Ms. Shry also threatened the Judge's family, but that first line pretty much captures the spirit of the entire message. When asked why the right wing of the GOP hates American law enforcement so much, one wag on MSNBC said,  "They still support the police, FBI and the court system, but only when they are after other people."

For those wondering what this has to do with Donald Trump, Shry's charming voicemail came one day after Mr. Trump posted this on social media. "You come after me, I will come after you." As always, the former president is always an inspiration to millions of his adoring fans.

This isn't anything new of course. We are all aware of the whole bloody affair of January 6th, 2021. However the brute mobster type behavior goes even further and happened beneath the radar, at least until now.  

Included in the list of conspirators filed by Fulton County DA, Fani Willis are two names only a few were aware of. Travian C. Kutti and Stephen Clifford Lee have mad the big time, along with Trump himself and sycophants like, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell , and Mark Meadows. It is reported by the Chicago Sun Times Lee is a pastor at a suburban Chicago Lutheran (Missouri Synod) church. Kutti was a publicist for Kanye West. 

Willis has both of these clowns on tape aiming to convince Atlanta election worker, Ruby Freeman to admit to crimes she didn't commit. In other words they wanted Ms. Freeman to confess that she was involved in a massive democratic plot to rig the election in Georgia by counting fake ballots. 

Reverand Lee showed up at Freeman's door, a number of times prior to Jan. 6th. She wouldn't let him in. He then would sit in his car in front of her place, apparently waiting for her to leave. Ms. Freeman, who had never seen him before finally called the cops. When questioned by an officer Lee claimed he was there to do, "pro bono, work" for her. 

After it dawned on him Freeman wouldn't talk, Mr. Lee called Harrison Floyd, the leader of an outfit called, "Black Voices for Trump." Pastor Lee told Floyd, Freeman wouldn't talk to a white guy, so Floyd then recruited Kutti who flew to Atlanta on January 4th, 2021. 

Travian Kutti had not only worked as a publicist for Kanye West--she had previously been a publicist for singer, song writer, and convicted sex criminal R. Kelly, so she fit right in. Freeman refused to talk to her also. When a neighbor asked Kutti what was going on the publicist told her she was a, "crisis manager," there to help Freeman. She still claims that's what she was doing.

Later Kutti got Ms Freeman on the phone and told her she was in danger. Freeman called the police again. Both of them ended up in a room at the station where Kutti spent an hour telling her she was there to help and Freeman needed protection because she was a "loose thread," in something a party was trying to tidy up. In addition Kutti told Freeman if she didn't confess--actually perjure herself--she would go to jail within 48 hours. 

Thanks to the courage of Ruby Freeman none of this went any where. However, because of a couple of police body cams it did land Travian Kutti and Stephen Lee in some very deep shit.

Lee is represented by a lawyer named David Shestokas. He was a member of Trump's legal team in Pennsylvania when Big Don challenged the 2020 election results there. He has yet to comment on the case. It is unclear if Kutti has an attorney at this time, but she wrote on social media that she is appalled by the charges. She ended the post with a quote from Kanye West which read, "The media is trying to crucify me like I'm Christ." Ye, nee Kanye West issued a statement saying Kutti was not associated with him when she was putting the squeeze on Ruby Freeman. 

Hey, even the rats know when to abandon hip.

Abagail Shry told Home Land Security Agents that yes, she did make the call to Chukan, but she didn't have any plans to travel to Washington. It didn't make any difference. She was arrested and is now represented by a public defender.

And just think, I haven't even mentioned that the names and addresses of the Atlanta Grand Jury members that indicted Donald Trump and the rest are now circulating in MAGA chatrooms across the internet. 

Given what has and will go down you have give Donald John Trump his due. The man does know how to destroy a republic.  

8-17-23