healthcare – THE ENGLISH CODE

Why Trump Won 2016

… and can he win again in November?

I got to thinking about the most notorious leaders in today’s dictatorships: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, King and Mohammed bin Salmon of Saudi Arabia, Bashar al-Assad of Syria, Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran, and China’s Xi Jinping. Not one of them is caught saying I grab women by the p*ssy because I’m a star and they let me do it. Trump’s total lack of class, even among dictators, uniquely stands out. And sometimes his crassness is touted by media as an attribute for his “fans”.

What was arguably the biggest gaff in presidential election history bounced off Trump’s back water off a duck’s back. And people began to think that people in flyover over country liked this locker room talk stuff – that it was an attribute for Trump. But that’s too easy. There is more to understand, and to slough it off on Trump’s garish style truly misses the mark.

Americans have endured eight years of Republicans fighting with Democrats during our first not-pure-white president’s terms; then four years of a president who never though a day in his life about serving anyone but his own self, then covid, inflation finally leaving us with high interest rates in a nation with too many debtors.

And to make matters worse, all of these crises are left to be dealt with by a seemingly intentional do-nothing Congress. This is why the flyover country developed an appetite for a guy like Trump in the first place. It was not about trash talk and Trump’s divisive American vs. American hate speech. Many people were just weary and sick of the people in Washington DC for years of ignoring their needs and taxing them in so many ways, while giving back the bare minimum.

DC is skimming our common wealth. It is corruption. That was the first gripe of middle America. It is still a valid gripe. The meme is: all politicians are corrupt so what is the difference. We hear of the Big Lie. Well this is the Big Gripe. It stretches back to the Reagan meme that the government is the enemy. It is why Biden does not get credit for being a better man and president than Trump.

And the corruption exists on both sides. We all know politicians – no need to mention names – whose family members reap benefits from advance knowledge of government dealings. That is corruption, and to make it legal is to day its is okay to be corrupt and that fuels an appetite for a new kind of politician – which Biden is not. Trump, in many ways, just does the quiet part of corruption out loud. In some ways, it’s less sneaky than what Biden does.

We have endured about forty years of government officials governing by the greed is good mantra. MAGA folks were unified in one thing; hating the people in our government, and the way government treats them. They wanted something that felt like change. Trump gave them that hope. But he had four years to drain the swamp, and instead it just got swampier.

Polls tell us the Democrats want change too. I do.I was one of the first to recognize Trump was allied with Russia because I knew him from AC NJ, and there was a Russian mob component active there in that “carney” town in the 80s. He fell in love with Putin during the Miss World pageants in Moscow. Everyone who knew him knew that. Atlantic City is a small town. Everyone knew what Donnie was up to.

2024 presents voters with the starkest contrast between two agendas since the Civil War. Biden is trying to preserve the functioning of the institution of free and fair elections – of people deciding who should make the laws we all must agree to live by. Trump is fighting for his life to stay out of jail, and says he will create an agenda to run America a new way. But most Americans know he is running to keep himself and his family out of jail for life.

I stand with the MAGA people on their complaint that we need a change. Most Americans do. Right now, I have a gripe against the “establishment” because I got stuck in an ARM mortgage that floated up after Putin attacked Ukraine, which instantly changed the world’s economics. If I sell my home to have no mortgage, which is normal for people by age seventy-five, the first thing I must do is pay a huge capital gains tax. But is that really a capital gain, or is it just that the dollar has depreciated via inflation and so it takes more dollars to “buy” the home? Is this why Biden leaked “inflation is a good thing”?

I have my gripes against the way the US government favors the corporations too. That however does not cloud my assessment of Donald Trump. I know him too well to believe he cares about anyone but himself.

I also don’t think high interest rates are a proper way to fight inflation anymore. It worked decently in the 70s, but back then people had almost no credit card debt because credit cards themselves were relatively new. Mastercard began in 1966. The parents of the baby boomers often owned their houses with VA loans. College was relatively inexpensive. The Fed is advertising that high interest rates are needed to curb inflation, but today, a high interest fate fuels our inflation more than it fights it. Landlords must raise rents to pay off their loans; and mortgages and college loan costs take up much more of a family’s income.

Economic justice should count as much as criminal justice; in fact more so because criminal behavior involves a small percentage of Americans, but economic justice involves us all. Equal justice under the law is basically a lie. I like to think of the original meaning of words. The word tax is a form of the word take. If a billionaire pays a lower tax rate than a working person, how is that equal justice under the law?

It’s not the institutions themselves that Americans disrespect. No one is going around saying free and fair elections is a bad idea. What we are all saying is that the people in government don’t work for us much anymore. And the the voices of the fully honest politicans are downed out by the chorus of corruption that has existed in DC since anyone living can remember.

We know there is a better way. It starts with ending corruption. It does not start with making a president immune from criminal prosecution. The way out of this mess is to make Americans proud of the people in their government again. That begins with qualifications for holding office being upped and careful vetting of any candidates financial ties and past work ethics and experience. That cannot begin with a more authoritarian government.

We must never forget one of Trump’s first acts as president was to lower corporate taxes, which forces working people to shoulder a larger percentage of the expense to run a government.

Biden can function fine as the gateway to a new America. Unlike Trump, he knows he is mortal and takes pride in turning the wheels of government over to a new generation. Then it will be up to the new generation to fix what is broken for working people in this country.

If they stay with “greed is good” we are doomed. But I am hopeful the sheer unchristian ugliness of the Trump campaign and the spewing of his hateful, vengeful, divisive words will get Americans to wake up when it counts the most, in November.

Relevant Previous Posts

Women United to Save American Democracy

“Cyber” is the New Way to War and Putin is Cyber Warfare’s First Master

Strategies to Preserve Democracy and Save the Planet

Will Justice for Trump Cure Our Ailing Democracy?

The Donald has one last chance to save himself and he may be about to play that card out of necessity.

Jack Smith has evidence of Trump saying something close the following to Brad Raffensperger “Just find me the 11,780 votes, and leave the rest to me and my GOP allies in Congress. “ That last part is what Trump’s congressional allies really fear. They may fear his base, but they fear the Donald more.

Though we know Trump is not a realist and lives inside a movie in his own mind, some part of Donald must know this time it’s different, just like a person has to accept he has a cancer to begin to fight it.

There is no easy way out of this January 6th coup mess for Donny. It was a bridge too far. Too many have died to defend our American democracy to let it slip away to a gangster. America is not just like Russia, in spite of what Putin told Trump. We have a 250 year-old tradition of free and fair elections. It is our national heritage and in a real way, our national treasure. The real powers that be in the USA study history and they know in an authoritarian state, big businesses often get seized by the fascist dictators, – especially media. Big business is also fine with things just the way they are in the USA – a semi-democratic, plutocracy – where uber rich can buy favors.

But there is still one potential escape plan for Trump, and I think Donny may be thinking about it about right now. When Jack Smith unveils his full evidence against Trump, and Trump knows he cannot survive politically, his GOP allies are going to be forced abandon him. They already are to some small degree, but we can tell they wish they could go all the way. Trump’s only viable way to defend himself, beyond stalling, which is finite, will then be to turn on his allies in Congress. And he has the dirt on them and they know it. This is also why they are afraid to turn on him just yet. The evidence is not released yet. They’re still praying for a miracle that’s not likely to happen.

But when you think about it, right now Trump’s allies in Congress are more dangerous than Trump himself. They are actually in our government. Trump is just a citizen, and I doubt he will be president of anything ever again. When the abandonment accelerates, when the evidence is clear, Trump’s vengeance will be directed against his GOP allies who will be denying culpability in the fake elector schemes – to save themselves! It is sort of inevitable.

So what would you rather have, Trump found guilty alone, or the rest of the complicit GOP out of our government? Don’t you think Putin has recordings of the interplay with the GOP at their 2016 convention? He would have needed those to know what was going on, and weigh in on the negotiations. Trump tapes recordings too. That’s basic to his gangster ways. There is going to be a war – Trump vs the GOP. It’s coming and likely soon.

Trump can turn on enough active GOP Congressmembers to rid ourselves of the cancer he caused in the GOP. I hope Jack Smith is thinking about this. I would not be against letting Trump stay free, but of course be unable to hold any postion in government or speak to crowds of people ever again, if he would turn state’s evidence on ten of his allies. That seems about fair trade. And Trump, who could not stand one day in the army, will be happy to do this, as long as he does not go to jail.

Then the cancer Trump caused to befall the GOP will die in the 2024 elections in all three branches of government. -And we can begin to rebuild our beloved USA. That seems to be the better outcome for all Americans.

Donald could also just decide to form a third party if the GOP abandons him. They know that too. He’s got the base and the funds. That would be another avenue to try to escape justice, which is all Trump cares about now, with those walls of justice closing in on him. And that would wreck the GOP without jailing his GOP Congressional allies.

I can also imagine this ends like Scarface; like what befalls many gangsters, drunk with power, who never learn the simple lesson “no man is an island”*.

*This saying comes from a sermon by the seventeenth-century English author John Donne. It was taught in high school when Donny was 17. He never studied then either.

Joseph Aronesty

Trump’s his classmate. Wharton 1968, in one class – International Finance.

I would not be against letting Trump stay free, but unable to hold any postion in government nor speak to crowds of people ever again, if he would turn state’s evidence on ten of his Congressional allies.

Our Representative System of Government Is Broken

The majority of Americans want common sense gun reforms. The majority favors taking military style assault weapons out of the hands of the public. Americans also want a woman’s right to choose to be a decision made between her, her family and doctor. Very few Americans think it’s okay to have the state literally monitoring private bedroom and family decisions.

But nothing gets done and it seems like since forever. Why is that? It’s easy to blame mental health for gun violence and not the guns. Honestly I get that, though I don’t interpret the constitution as saying Americans inherit a right to own assault weapons due to the 2nd amendment. The 2nd specifically mentions a need a need for guns related to war with other countries, because we had no army back then, so we conscripted citizens with theor own guns to fight wars.

What is supposed to happen in representative government is: people tell their reps what they want to do about an issue, and the representatives re-present the ideas of the majority of their constituents during Congressional voting sessions. That is why they are called re-presentatives. We the people present, they represent. And these days, with social media and polling, it’s very easy to find out what people want. “The majority of Americans want common sense gun reforms” is a fact.

However,what happens in reality is that too many representatives ( aka lawmakers, because they make the laws we have to live by ) don’t vote for the things their constituents want; they vote for the laws that favor people who pay them to vote the way the bribers want. Lobbying is just a euphimism for bribing in a world where our supreme court had ruled ( because they had to ) that corporations are people and money can legally remain “dark”. With respect to gun laws, the NRA has a stake in arming the USA to the nines, so they lobby ( bribe ) mostly GOP congresspeople to vote for thier business to stay alive, as they see in many countries the guns per capita rate is much lower than in the USA. The whole thing adds up to America becoming a place where innocent people, are mowed down at one of the highest rates on the planet. And that is sad, scary and fixable, – but only one way on the fixing. ( More on that later . )

The same can be said about a woman’s right to choose. Almost no young woman wants to be forced to carry a child that she does not want to love and raise. But “lawmakers” in many states and in Congress are being paid to vote against the wishes of the majority of American citizens.

When questioned about this, Lauren Bobert, representative from Colorado, said the quiet part out loud: Boebert: “We’re not a democracy. So quit with that. Maybe that’s where you’re getting it wrong is saying we’re a democracy. We’re a constitutional republic.”

She is right about that. But what is a constitutional republic? It implies adherence to a constitution, regardless to what the majority of people want. There is nothing in the constituon about abortion.

In reality, the key difference between a democracy and a republic lies in the limits placed on government by the law. Both forms of government use the representational system. Citizens vote to elect politicians to represent their interests and pass laws that reflect their wishes. In a “pure democracy,” the majority imposes its will on the minority. In a republic, a constitution protects certain inalienable rights that cannot be taken away by the government, even if it is wanted by a majority of voters.

Right now, women have a right to have an abortion in the USA as per Roe v Wade. But many Republicans in Congress want to take that away.

So that line about the USA not being a “pure” democracy is correct. But Bobert and many lawmakers use that line to defend their right to vote against the collective will of their constituency and vote for what is good for their own pocketbooks. Selling your vote to the highest bidder is not any part of a constitutional republic. It’s congressional corruption. That’s why I often refer to Congress as Coingress. We end up with the best government money can buy.

This will not change until we change the qualitfications for holding office in the USA change. And no one is talking about that on either side of the divide. To be president you just have to be thirty-five and a citizen born here. Donald Trump can run from jail if he so chooses. We vet our babysitters better than our presidents and representatives. Prior public service is not required. It should be. As a result of this low bar for qualification, many in Congress are there for self service, not public service.

It takes millions to win office these days. As long as the uber rich are paying for political campaigns, the uber rich will choose representatives that promise to vote their way when the chips are down.

And then there is the 14th Amendment which clearly says no person who have taken part in an insurrection, aided an insurrection, or even “comforted” those who have taken part in an insurrection can be in office, state or federal. The entire GOP has at least comforted insurrectionists. One judge on the Supreme Court is married to an insurrectionist caught in the act. But we do nothing about this as well. Democrats know all this and do nothing. It must be because they have some dark sold out secrets in their closets and are afraid to shun 50% of the Congress.

People are the same over time. Their toys and environments change, but being a human is pretty much the same as it was since forever. We are born. We rely of help from adults to become an adult. We procreate ( or not ) and then, we move out of the way as all living things do. That’s what one has to navigate as a living human. We all prey on each other in one way or another during our journey through life. Some fare better than others. Some are larger predators than others. Some find ways to help others as they serve them. Live and let live seems to be the best philosophy.

It seems to me humans are not the right beings to be trusted to care for the masses when their instinct will almost always be to put themselves first.

I wondered if AI would do a better job of government, so I asked it “what are the best ways to curb gun violence in the USA?”. This is what I got in a few seconds.

Here are some of the best ways to reduce gun violence:

Universal background checks: Implementing universal background checks can help ensure that firearms are not sold to individuals who are prohibited from owning them, such as those with criminal records or mental health issues.
Red flag laws: Red flag laws allow law enforcement to temporarily confiscate firearms from individuals who are deemed to be a threat to themselves or others.
Stricter gun control laws: Implementing stricter gun control laws, such as bans on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and bump stocks, can help reduce the number of mass shootings and gun-related deaths.
Education and awareness: Educating the public about responsible gun ownership and safe storage practices can help prevent accidental shootings and reduce the number of firearms stolen and used in crimes.
Mental health support: Providing accessible and affordable mental health services can help individuals with mental health issues get the help they need and reduce the risk of gun violence.
Community-based violence prevention: Investing in community-based violence prevention programs can help address the root causes of gun violence and provide support to those who are at risk of being involved in gun violence.

It’s important to note that there is no single solution that can completely eliminate gun violence in the USA, and addressing this issue will require a multifaceted approach that takes into account the complex social, cultural, and political factors that contribute to gun violence. End AI report.

It all makes perfect sense to me but almost none of this will get done because unvetted humans, many of whom can be tossed out tomorrow by the DOJ via the 14th, still have their seats and their secret bank accounts.

It seems to me that the two warring party system will eventually, and perhaps soon, bring the USA to its knees or into a state of live civil war. ( We are already in a cool cyber civil war – a war of words. )

All I can fathom as a solution, one party needs to get complete control of the government and clean house. If it happens at the ballot box in 2024 that would be great. But I don’t think the uber rich are going to let that happen. They killed two Kennedy’s to stop the people from having a real champion for justice in office. And now, another Kennedy, RFK Jr., is getting ready to run.

Dems have shown they are willing to eat their own. I did not agree with ousting Al Franken but at least dems have shown they have standards. This GOP has shown they are okay with criminals, rapists and traitors to the constitution in high office. They seem to prefer it. Romney is shunned. And that’s because a good boy scout will rat on the sold out in Congress so it’s better if they are all sold out. Thick as thieves is the GOP’s secret mantra. And I am sure there is a percentage of Democracts that are okay with protectting lawmakers right to stuff their pockets and work against the people they are supposed to represent.

The USA’s greatest threat to survival come from the sold out in Congress and two men named Vladimir and Rupert. The majority of Americans know which of our warring two parties is the lesser of two evils. It is the party that gave tax breaks to bilionaires, is okay with 18-year olds owning assault weapons and wants to end Social Security, Medicare and a woman’s right to choose.

The only solution left is for one party needs to get complete control of all three chambers of government and clean house. 2024 is closer than we think. The vast majority of Americans will fare better if the crazy party that is aligned with billionaires, Qanon and the NRA is put out to pasture. A split Congress will not police itself nor advance any meaningful reforms to better life for working Americans and thier children.

Speaking of children, the active shooter drill generation is being groomed right now. When they come to power in 20 years, well – you tell me what you think they will do. I think they will reject both parties – if these parties still exist. The will reject the GOP for letting so many kids die, and the Dems for being too scared to take the steps to even try to end the madness. And I will be with them, if I am still around.

Photo from the NRA Convention 2023. Grooming much?

Why Joe Biden Must Create a Modern Version of FDR’s Fireside Chats Now

In 1933, Franklyn Delano Roosevelt, aka FDR, began a historic series of Fireside Chats via radio to all the American people. You can view the topics of the Fireside Chats and even listen to them here. ( I highly recommended that you, at least, peek in. )

They were about 30 minutes long with focus on subjects of national interest to all Americans – the New Deal, drought, unemployment, judiciary crisis and war in Europe were among the topics.

Right now, Joe Biden has the unique opportunity to do this better than FDR ever imagined. With live TV and social media Biden can not only inform Americans about what his administration is doing, he can address a few questions directly from Americans on “both sides” at the end of every presentation, being careful questions from right and left leaning voters. He can even get back directly to the person asking, and televise the repsonse. He’s going to look very engaged, caring and not sleepy at all – all directly opposite to the GOP way of addressing their base.

Since it is clear Biden’s administration is not going to stop congresspeople who aided and comforted insurrectionists from serving, as per 14th, something I have long advocated for, the only life line left for democracy to prevail resides with the voters. I don’t favor this passive strategy against a force I consider to be a greater menace to democracy than Bin Laden’s 911 attack ever was.

But if Dems are committed to let the voters have the option to vote for fascism, then by god, they need to start convincing MAGA voters – not their own – they are voting against their own interests. He can do that best by asking Americans “what can my administration do to make your day-to-day life better”.

I suggest these “Presidential Chats”, which should be carried by all news broadcasters*, be held every three weeks, about the pace of FDR’s btw, and on Tuesday evenings to instill a sense of civic duty and voting on Tuesdays.

FDR had it harder than Biden. He became the most popular president ever because of these chats with the American people. For Biden to not learn from history would be a huge error. I can imagine him asking for americans to talk about solutions for gun violence, taxes for billionaires, our proxy wars, the border, healthcare and abortion, police violence, voting, gerrymandering – the list goes on.

And this is something no GOP candidate can do. This would be excellent use of the bully pulpit, especially since Biden seems to be allowing the public to vote for insurectionists instead of removing them from office as per the 14th.

If you have connections to Joe Biden, or know those that do, please pass this upwards. Presidential Chats will make the difference. It’s going to be harder to paint Biden as a sleepy bad guy if the public sees him in action twice a month. The fireside chats averaged two per month. Once week was deemed too much, once a month too little. Roosevelt was a very smart person. Follow in his footsteps. The times are not that different.

*The chats will be groundbreaking. I would insist that any so-called new station be forced to air the presidential chats. If they worry about advertisers, there’s no need to worry. There will be plenty wanting to advertise in those spots, even if they are on Fox, etc.

……..

January 6th was the Biggest Present Ever Given to a Democracy Under Attack from Within

Democracy was more or less invented by the United States in 1776. Iceland had a rudimentary but effective democracy long before the USA. Read t his a bit to catch up on Iceland’s 1100 year-old democracy.

But in the recorded history of mankind, going back to Egypt, democracy is both new and an outlier among the forms of governance. Autocracy or dicatorship and kingdoms have been the main way countries have been ruled since civilization began. Look at the map. Yellow is democracy. Red is autocracy. Orange is democracy challenged or under attack, which any student of history would use to describe the USA today. Ukraine is under physical attack, not from inside their government. Brazil is a lighter orange than the USA, as they have actually rejected their facsict party. The USA has not used its constitutional amendment to bar insurrectionists from holding office. If they do not, democracy is not the favorite to prevail in this struggle.

“Cyber” is the New Way to War and Putin is Cyber Warfare’s First Master

Joe Biden Can Declare War On Any Who Would Attack Our Democracy

The Real Reason the GOP Wants to Ban Abortion

In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled in Roe vs Wade that a person had the right to choose an abortion until a fetus becomes viable, based on the right to privacy contained in the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Viability was defined as the ability to live outside the womb, which usually happens between 24 and 28 weeks after conception.

85 percent of American voters, men and women counted, think abortion should be legal in some or all circumstances. It would be even higher for women alone.

So why do far-right Republicans want to ban something that most of their own voters want to have access to? The answer lies in the GOP’s ultimate goal and an old meme called the slippery slope.

The GOP is a party that has sold out to certain big businesses. One can figure that out because they continually support the NRA, block gun control measures, and are okay with automatic weapons in the hands on eighteen-year olds even after all the mass shootings we have witnessed. It’s clear that money in their pockets is favored by GOP over American lives. They saw the kids mowed down by automatic weapons in their classrooms. This abortion ban effort is not about saving precious children’s heartbeats.

The GOP also supports Trump’s tax breaks for billionaires, increasing the tax burden on average Americans, reducing Social Security and Medicare and countless other measures that favor those with big money over working class Americans. GOP national policies are very unpopular in America on both sides.

The GOP’s media ally, Fox News continually creates and broadcasts social issue memes like “Stop Woke” and “White Replacement Theory” which keeps a portion of voting Americans voting for them. But the GOP voting raw numbers are dropping every year. So, in their calculations over time, they know they can’t win fair presidential and Senate elections. They favor less voters not more.

The GOP still can win State and local elections but have now real difficulty winning presidential elections. That is because even GOP voters don’t trust GOP politicans for the big issues, but are okay with them having control of local issues.

Abortion rights have been a unique right since 1973 because it is a medical procedure that can only be done on 50% of Americans. But there is more math to consider here. A women’s birth window lasts for about one-third of her life. And even though most women continue to have an interest in the rights of other women after they reach menopause, it’s harder for them to feel the urgency of the matter once they pass the time when they can become pregnant.

The same cannot be said about tax laws but it does apply to Social Security and Mediare, which applies to both sexes but for a shorter window of life. These three issues can be advanced without strong resistance from all voting Americans. I know its strange that young people don’t realize they wil be old one day. But it an economy where young people have more diffulty acheiveing the American dream they can be influences to come to view money given to older people as money taken from them. Frankly, these efforts are outgrowths of the act of bullying the weak. You see it also with anti LGTP legislature and the voting laws in many GOP states that disproportionately affect racial minorities.

The goal of the GOP is to chip away at people’s rights starting with the smaller sections until they are generally completely down-trodden and don’t have the time or energy to fight the GOP at the voting booths. Ultimately the voting booth won’t count at all once enough power is in GOP hands.

The current GOP needs to get to a fascist state to survive long run. That way, they can stay in power, regardless of the will of the people, just as we all saw Donald J Trump try to do in 2021, on January 6th.

So banning abortion, is a test case for the GOP. If they can do it with help from their Trump appointed judges, they have proven to themselves they subjugate a segment of Americans by removing one long-held right. Then they can procede banning the next sets of rights on their list – rights Americans pay into and look forward to collecting on in their senior years, Medicare and Social Security.

This is why all Americans, women and men of all ages, must unite and vociferouly reject the the banning of the abortion pill. It is safe and effective and farnkly it is not the state’s business unless that state is indeed a fasicst state.

Post Script.

It’s been this author’s postion since 2016, that Trump did not think up these efforts to subjugate the public by himself. We saw Russian nationals at the GOP Convention in 2016. That meant Putin sent them there. Putin does run a real fascist autocracy. Russia had been a democracy under his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin.

Putin used methods similar to what we see now with the GOP, including aligning with the religious right, fixing elections and installing purchased judges to overpower his people. I believe Putin proved to the world that a free people’s spirit in a large country can be subjugated in a post interent world with certain steps. Those steps include segmenting the public into groups based on sex, age, color, religion and bullying the smaller groups to acheive a fascist state.

I still think Putin gave dictator lessons to Trump in Helsinki and that’s why Trump famously ripped up the notes. It would have been just like Trump to marvel at Putin for his absolute power – for his ability to “do anything because I am the president”. And he would have asked Vlad, in a personal way – so how did you do all this?

Enforcing the 14th Amendment could prevent all of this. I get that it would be nice if the voting public voted out the GOP at every level. But its a heck of a bad gamble. There’s so much more to lose than win.

Merrick Garland’s Refusal to Enforce the 14th is Endangering Our Country

Joe Biden Can Declare War On Any Who Would Attack Our Democracy

War is Not Defined in the Constitution

In 1971, President Nixon declared a war on drugs. It was a racist-oriented policy decision, but indeed he enrolled the FBI, DOJ and police departments to act on his declaration of war. Reagan declared a war on drugs again in 1982. Presidents have the power to declare war on something other than another country.

It is a well-known fact that war is not defined in the US Constitution. This makes some sense because what constitues war changes over time as technology evolve. So President Biden, using his war powers as Commander-in-Chief can declare was on “attacks to our democracy”, just as Reagan and Nixon declared on “drugs”. He can also enroll the FBI DOJ and police departments to seek out those who would undo our democracy by force or any other means.

Democracy is America’s Founding Principle

What would America be without democracy? Can you even imagine a formally fascist or oligarchal United States? The 911 attacks took the World Trade Towers and 3000 lives, but democracy was very strong that year. The danger Isis posed seemed dangerous back then, but that danger pales in comparison to the dangers we face today with the attacks on democracy that are being attempted here by sitting members of Congress.

The Effort to End Democracy Is Not Confined to the USA

Most of the people on the planet live under the thumb of autocrats. Autocracy goes back to the city-states of Babylon 8000 years ago. Democracy in 250 years old. I have colored countries whose democracies are under attack orange, which is half yellow and half red. Hungary, Ukraine, Brazil and sadly the United States are experiencing serious attacks to their democracies right now.

Now look at the red countries to think on who might want these attacks on democracies to succeed. There are two very large autocracies. China and Russia. But China has experienced tremendous growth over the last 50 years by making products the sell in the well-to-do democratic countries and especially the USA. That leaves Russia and Putin as the person with the largest stake and motive to end democracy on the planet.

Evidence of Partnership Between Putin and the Republican Party

Putin cheered the night Trump won the election in 2016. He aided Trump tremendously by using a new type of warfare – cyber war. Instead of bombs, or airplanes flown into buildings, he used Facebook, Twitter, Trump and the GOP to get a partner into our White House. This was the single most successful attack on the USA in its history. Those who cared about democracy could feel that on Nov 9th 2016, but too many were afraid to say it – including our then president Barack Obama, who permitted a man who invited Russia to leak information on his opponent in the election to continue on as a candidate. Yes, “everyone” thought Trump would lose, but that was not a proper consideration. Principles matter and we paid the highest price ever for that cowardice or smugness. We still are paying and wil continue to pay until we out the offenders from our government.

We must also not forget that Putin was present at the GOP Convention in 2016. He sent his men there and indeed Trump directed a change to the GOP party platform on Ukraine support. There was and still is an unwritten partnership between the Republican Party, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. I call it the Russo-Republican Agreement. This is how the Russian mob always operated even back in the 80s. Now they’ve graduated to using cyber technology and have infiltrated our Congress. There is no other thing more dangerous to our survival as country than allowing partners of Vladimir Putin to have power in our Congress.

There are Two Tools to Undo the Malice in Our Congress

The 14th Amendment which says no one who took part in an insurrection, or aided or comforted those that did, can have any office in the USA. Why Biden has not used this tool yet is beyond me, but I can only think he is afraid of something. To that, I quote FDR. There is nothing to fear but fear itself. True then, True now. The circumstances are amazingly similar. New enemies. New weapons. But the desire of our enemies is the same: ending democracy.

Why is China okay with our democracy, but not Putin? It can only be that Vladimir is just a crook at heart. Stealing is what he knows best and it has worked for him. His country sells very little to the rest of the world and he’s not trying to change that. It’s all about him. Sound familiar? It should. Trump once said on the campaign trail in Iowa in 2016 “Of course they love me, they love money”. Putin and Trump share an inferiority complex that makes them seek money so furiously that nothing else matters to them.

The other tool is actually our presidnet declaring war on those who would end democracy in the United States. That effort would involve asking members of Congress if they believe the 2020 was stolen and publicly declare that they do not ( or present evidence for their beliefs to the contrary in real time. ) Anyone who won’t make that declaration is fostering anti-democractic sentiments in their constituency, and hence are on our enemies’ side in this war. Do we really want Congressmen who state our president stole the election – hence demoting his power in the eyes of many Americans to serve? The effect of that aired sentiment, and the cries that can be heard on Fox News is that sixty percent of Repubican voters still think Trump won the 2020 election. Fox can be asked to stop spreading election lies as part of this war to preserve democracy. This proposed war to preserve dmeocracy effort can be tied to the 14th Amendment as well because the rallying cry of the insurrection was “stop the steal”. Congressmen who say the election was stolen are comforting insurrectionists.

By using the 14th and declaring that we at war to defend democracy in the USA we can clean house of the insurrectionists in our midst. They intend to do us no good. And they are still getting help and support from the man who started this war on democracy, Donald Trump’s mentor, Vladimir Putin.

I will leave you to ponder ask your representative to use the 14th to unseat the insurrectionist supporters in Congress and with this image. Fill in the thoughts that are in their heads at this precise moment.

We have been attacked, with far more consequences than 911.

Trump cowers as Putin gloats – Helsinki 2018

Prior post:

Merrick Garland vs Donald Trump – Malice vs Cowardice

Amplifying Biden’s Speech on Autocracy vs Democracy

(4 min ) If there was anything missing from Biden’s fiery Labor Day speech in was this visual. If our president is finally trying to reach people lost in right-wing information silos, kudos. But he needs to use techniques perfected by ad agencies: images, branding and repitition – to be most effective.

Look at the map. Red is autocracy; yellow is democracy; orange is democracy under attack. There are more people ruled by autocrats than governed by democracies. There is more land held by autocrats as well. And let’s face it, autocratic rule has been the norm on planet earth since the city-states of Babylon – 8000 years and going. Democracy is the newcomer in this struggle. If it were not for the USA’s nuclear arsenal and military superiority, I dare say the autocrats would have taken the entire planet by now. That is the autocrats’ goal, more so now than ever before. (The internet has something to do with that.)

The map was more yellow (democratic government) only five years ago. Brazil, Turkey, and Hungary have effectively flipped without shots being fired. Their governments went from democratic to oligarchal autocracy via their own people unwittingly voting in the oligarchs, much like we did here in the USA with Trump. And though Trump is on the ropes, American democracy’s functionality is still under attack by most GOP Congressmen. This phenomenon is global. Social media companies and soldout corporate media are fueling this fire … for profit.

Putin’s military aggression towards Ukraine is part of a grand plan. Putin knew he could not beat the USA with bombs. So he employed thousands of Russians to infiltrate our social media in 2016. There were Russian nationals present at the 2016 GOP Convention. And now, as we approach midterms, that alliance of the GOP and autocracies have midterm candidates who have openly said they will overturn democracy – the will of the people – if they don’t win.

The 14th Amendment Section 3 clearly says no one who was in an insurrection – or even comforts an insurrection can be in government, state, federal or judicial. The issue with the amendment seems to be that the last sentence says they can be removed by a 2/3 vote in Congress. But they did not anticipate that 50% of Congress would some day be insurrection supporters. I’ve long said a those who will not openly disavow the Big Lie and speak openly against the insurectionists do not deserve a vote in their own trial by 2/3 Congress. Where in law do we allow accused crminals to sit on their own juries?

The current United States administration, along with NATO countries, Australia and the other few remaining democratic countries rightly figure Putin’s grand plan is to help take the entire planet for the autocrats. That is the only way dictators can survive long term.

And make no mistake about who is the alpha-male in this brotherhood of dictators. That station is always taken by the most powerful in the group, just as it is with wolves. And though Russia is not a large force financially, Putin himself is worth hundreds of billions by virtue of him seizing the largest businesses in Russia. Putin’s vast wealth was one of the prime reasons candidate Trump never said one bad word about him.

And of course, after Trump won the 2016 election with much help from his Russian ally, Putin made it clear there was a debt due him. That’s how financial criminals operate. Financial criminals know they can totally escape prosecution by seizing their government. Payback due Putin, and possibly others, is the most logical reason Trump took top secret documents to Mar-a-Lago. I hope the DOJ knows that. Trump knew the risks. He knows what happened to the Rosenbergs. He does not need money so badly to risk his life or freedom. It figures he iisin a pinch, the way Manafort was when he did his crimes. it figures that Donald Trump was compromised and had classified documents. Trumpism is a national security issue now. It always was. The Biden administration knows it now. Good. Much better late than never.

The Russian Mob from the 80’s

I had business in Atlantic City New Jersey in the 80’s and became aware of an association of people known as The Russian Mob. Trump had many associates with Russian accents introduced to him by his first wife, Ivana. Some of them became my clients. Melania Knoss (Trump ) eventually became a client too.

The Russian mob had their fingers into basic crimes like store robberies, truck heists and, in time, they moved up the ladder into real estate fraud. Russian mob profits and booty were mostly taken back to the countries they came from. The Russian mob players were here in the USA to pillage, much like the Vikings did a thousand years ago. Most people don’t know that the first Russian king was a Swedish Viking named Rurik. (862 AD) . The lineage of the kings and queens of England also began with Vikings. William the Conqueror was from Normandy, France, but his grandfather was a Viking who was given Normnady by French aristocrats so he would not seige Paris. Vikings were rightfully feared. When they toolk a country, the killed the ruling men and forceably took their wives and children.

Autocrats are money launderers in their own ways. They need cooperation from foreign governments to provide safe harbor for their stolen booty because the people being robbed are citizens of their own country. That’s why Russian oligarchs own real estate in New York. They are keeping those assets safe, just in case the people ever regain power in mother Russia. And vice-versa. That’s also why Trump owns hotels in Turkey, and why his banks are rarely American. It’s why we use financial sanctions of autocratic rulers when they get out of hand. There is an informal association of autocrats based on their common goals. I call it “Dictators United”.

The Internet Changed Everything for Autocrats

In 1996, the internet began connecting the world at a blinding speed. I’m old enough to remember something called “The Iron Curtain”. This was a physical and communicative wall placed between the USSR and the NATO counties of Europe. The Berlin wall was part of that Iron Curtain.

Autocrats prefer their people be kept blind to the status of citizens in countries that offer a better standard of living for their citizens. People cannot seek better, if they don’t know better exists elsewhere. The internet has made keeping people blind to the status us other countries nearly impossible – though Russia, China and North Korea still do quite well at it.

Joe Biden’s speech on September 1 2022, finally made it clear that he knows what’s at stake. It’s six years late, but there is still time to save our democracy. ( I had wished Obama had made this speech at “Russia, if you’re listening”. )

But words alone are not remembered easily. That’s why advertisers use images and jingles to keep their products easily recallable. It’s the coordination of two senses that forges a pathway for better memory. Lyrics without a tune don’t stick in the brain. And words without an image are easily forgotten.

So if there’s one thing I want the Biden administration to do with all the blogs I have written over the last six years, it’s SHOW THE MAP. Fear is a great motivator. We need to feel afraid – as we did in WW2. US voters will know what’s at stake – at last – once they see that map over and over again. And yes, this will stick with MAGA voters that have not got totally lost in the rabbit hole of misinformation. Recreate the map if need be. Many don’t know what autocracy means – but everyone can identify with a Risk board.

Autocrats want America to go fascist more than any other country. Look at the map again. If the USA flips, they will roll over the rest of the world quickly and easily. Putin is trying to show the other dictators this strategy right now in Ukraine. He must be stopped. Trump must be stopped. None of this will change until they these two men are stopped.

That’s all I wanted to say today. SCOTUS Justice wife, Ginny Thomas, recently said “there are no rules in war”. We must recognize we are at war. The enemies of democracy are playing for keeps, as if this was a war. If we fail to do the same, I cannot yet imagine how the USA will still be a functional democracy after 2024. Time is not on our side. Midterms must be about democracy first.

Joseph Aronesty

How Biden Can Get Americans What They Want- without Congress

Urgent Advice for Joe Biden from His Largely Ignored Democratic Base

“Cyber” is the New Way to War and Putin is Cyber Warfare’s First Master

How Biden Can Get Americans What They Want- without Congress

Two days after the 2020 election, Donald Trump fired Mark Esper. That told me Trump was not quitting his effort to become POTUS for life. Normally, when a candidate loses, they stop doing new appointees and go into transfer of power mode. But Trump knew the full extent of his crimes vs democracy and was rightly afraid that once out of power he could be found guilty for treason.

So Trump’s 2022-2024 political rallies are back on. He needs to make sure his base still has his back, because he knows that relationship is the sole source of political power as a private citizen.

Joe Biden should be doing the same thing right now. As a seated POTUS he has huge advantages over Trump in this strategy, but he must recognize the opportunity and not be a “low energy” campaigner. Look at this diagram:

It’s clear Congress is broken by design. They don’t even vote for what their constituents want because their constituents can’t pay them as well as the big donors and corporations. That is corruption, but it’s been going on a long time.

The 6:3 Supreme Court is broken as well. Further, the public does not connect to the Supreme Court. The SCOTUS is an isolated chamber by design.

However, the voting public is aware who is the president and they are generally aware that the US Constitution outlines and protects their rights. That is why you will hear the GOP base cite the first and second amendments to protect their freedom of speech and their right to bear arms. The relationship between the public, the constitution, and the president is tweakable.

FDR had to deal with a divided public in the WW2 era. In 1933, he began to campaign to Americans in what was known as “fireside chats”. Radio was the media employed. It was a hugely effective tool . The fireside chats were a series of evening radio addresses given by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, between 1933 and 1944. … On radio, he was able to quell rumors, counter conservative-dominated newspapers and explain his policies directly to the American people.

Trump is banned from Twitter and Facebook. Biden is not. Biden has the internet, social media, TV, radio, and the bully pulpit as tools to begin a new series of public awareness campaigns. This stacks up as a huge advantage for Biden but only if he uses these tools with great energy.

His current 33% polls disclose he is not garnering confidence from the public. He needs to fix this just the way FDR did, but with today’s technology. He can do better than FDR if he just sees the opportunity. Trump clearly sees the importance of campaigning to his base. Biden must do the same, better, and to all Americans with special attention given to Trump voters.

Biden can open a two-way channel between the voting public and his office. A simple email form can be created asking the public how they want their government to address the top ten issues* of our times. (*List is my own.)

Voting Rights -Who should vote? How do we count votes to makes sure they are accurate? Should Gerrymandering be a thing? etc.
Healthcare – How do we want to treat pre-existing conditions? Do we want Medicare for all or a combination of two systems? How do we rein in prescription drug prices? What do we do when people don’t want healthcare?
Taxation and Income Inequality – Income inequality is a world-wide issue. Should there be a cap on what SEO’s can make? Should the tax breaks given to big corps by the Trump administration continue, expand or be scaled back? Do we need a more progressive tax system the way it was in the 1950’s? etc.
Gun Laws – Do the majority of Americans want background checks? Checks on automatic weapons? Better protection in schools? etc.
Border Security – What do the majority of Americans really want here?
Infrastructure – American infrastructure is falling behind the pace set in modern countries like Japan. Where and when do we start catching up?
Money In Politics – Do the majority of Americans like Citizens United and lobbying? Should government reps not be able to serve unless they show their taxes? Should dark money be legal in the USA? Should Congressmen be above legal reproach?
Internet and Social Media Regulations – What does the majority want?
Climate Science, Environment Protection and R & D – The planet’s #1 issues need to be addressed by our collective and focused energies.
Education – We are falling behind in all age levels when it comes to education. How do we turn this around? What are the public’s ideas. Do they support free college for anyone? etc.

Joe Biden can create a form and ask the voting public to weigh in on these top ten issues. He should start campaigning more heavily in Trump country. A simple email address can be advertised. whatdoyouwant@potus.gov Ask people to weigh in with their solutions and ideas on these top ten issues. And yes, ask them what party they identify with. Multiple choice. Democratic. Republican. Other. None. Not eligible to vote. Knowledge is power.

On the first Tuesday ( create good civics habits ) of every month Biden can update the results of the survey. He should make a special point of highlighting what GOP voters really want. This is crucial because this writer is pretty sure both sides pretty much want the same things on all of these issues. He can also make sure the voters in WV and AZ get special attention.

This is how he heals the divide – and fast. This is what FDR did in the 30s with his fireside chats. FDR unified the country over the things we all wanted.

Biden should immediately start quoting the 14th Amendment, section 3, to the voting public. The 14th sec 3 states people who took part in insurrection, or even “comforted” those who did – cannot be in our government. Joe! People on both sides respect the Constitution. You know that. But the only amendments most people know on both sodes are the first, second and the fifth. LOL.

The 14th Amendment, sec 3, – verbatim:

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.

But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. …………….

Please note: Congress cannot vote to “remove such disabilities” if they are not already seated in Congress. Though this add-on sentence at the end of the 14th sec 3 seems to run counter to the spirit of the amendment, it does not apply at all to Trump, who is not in Congress.

The 14th says the many Secretary of State candidates the GOP are supporting because they back the Big Lie, which is part and parcel of the Jan 6 insurrection, cannot be in office. Hence they cannot even run and neither can Trump. But no one says this. Even if this amendment lacks teeth (as heard from lawyers ) , if the public gets behind the 14th, it can grow teeth. Biden needs to learn the power of active populism and fast.

Unifying the public over what they really want from their government will expose Trump’s and the GOP’s election lies for what they really are: an attempt to keep the US citizenry divided so that none of what Americans really want and need to succeed in the 21st century will come to pass.

Prior Post: Urgent Advice for Joe Biden from His Largely Ignored Democratic Base

Urgent Advice for Joe Biden from His Largely Ignored Democratic Base

Delay Is Not a Friend in the Cyber War Being Waged Against Democracy

Time is not a friend when fighting metastatic enemies.

Strategies to Defeat Trumpism Before Midterm Campaigns Take Root

Midterm campaigning will begin early in 2022. If Trump is not been indicted by by mid-July, he will remain the assumed leader of the GOP. Trump will then set the norms and talking points for GOP midterm candidates and the Big Lie and slow-moving coup attempts will continue through the midterms.

Why Timing Trump’s Indictment Matters

If Trump is indicted before July, it is possible that DeSantis will jockey himself to the front of the GOP power struggle. The timely indictment of Donald Trump will function like a grenade tossed into the GOP foxhole. A surprise early indictment will force the GOP to at least examine the idea of choosing other leaders to head the party during midterms. That then offers the real potential to end Trumpism before midterms. Indicting Trump no later than July is the easiest way to end Trumpism without an election or new laws. An un-indicted Trump will serve to further normalize Trumpism and distrust of the election results of the 2022 midterms, and chaos will be free to reign in 2022.

An un-indicted Trump will also serve to divide the Democrat Party during the midterms. We’ve just about had it. It’s getting to the point that many dems think Biden and his DOJ are either not up to the task or in on the status quo. The real reason Joe Biden’s polls are down is that after one full year there are no substantial indictments in the globally televised coup vs. the US democracy.

We must hold Biden responsible for the actions or inactions of his AG. By not indicting Trump by February, Biden will be strategically complicit in dividing the pro-democracy party and unifying the pro-fascist party. How is that supposed to work out for we the people?

Recognize Your Enemies and Defend Accordingly

About six years ago, candidate Donald Trump asked openly asked Putin to help get him elected. “Russia, if you’re listening” was a tell. Trump had to know Putin was listening to say that. There would have been no reason to even bring up Russia unless he was actively signaling an ally. No side of the American electorate likes Russia. Trump had a reason to say those words and only one reason makes sense. I called it an act of treason because inviting a foreign enemy to take part on our elections should have been viewed as an invitation to attack our most sacred institution. That’s treason. Benedict Arnold treason. Allying with our enemies to destroy and institution (fair elections ) is treason. The GOP is the party of treason now.

And there were Russian nationals at the GOP Convention in 2016. That means Putin was effectively there. And that means some sort of alliance was formed with other GOP in Congress. We saw it play out in the 2016 election with Russian disinformation campaigns, a phrase that was basically unknown until 2016.

I posted a democracy vs autocracy map (below) shortly after that statement. Joe Biden finally got around to stating that the world is deciding which form of government will prevail in the 21st century. Biden knows the stakes. But if he does not act as if he is at war, (cyber war is a war of words not bombs) the enemies of democracy will prevail even though their conventional war efforts could never be successful. That is Putin’s genius. I wrote about it here.

I still believe our Department of Defense should defend vs attacks on elections as they take an oath to defend our nation from all enemies, foreign and domestic. The DOD has an intel department. Why are they not even asked to help on the Jan6 Committee investigation into an attempted coup?

The Jan6 Committee should immediately ask DOD intel to join the effort to get to the full truth on the Jan6 coup attempt. It will inform all Americans – and our own internal enemies of democracy – that we are serious abo0ut defending free and fair elections in the United States. If DOD intel coud help with Jan6, even on the perimeters, it sends the message to the Big Lie supporters in Congress that attempting another coup is not such a good idea.

Why am I the only one showing this map? Pictures speak louder than words, especially these days. People may not know what *autocracy* means. But we all know what a RISK board looks like. I am asking Biden, Pelosi and democracy friendly media to amplify a version of this map ASAP.

Bust the Filibuster

Harry Reid first invoked the nuclear option November 2013, when the Democratic Senate Democratic used the procedure to eliminate the 60-vote rule for presidential nominations, other than nominations to the Supreme Court. In his honor, Democrats should unify to bust the Filibuster so that progress can be made for the American in our intentionally dysfunctional Congress.

Democrats should also know this. The right-wing base unified behind Trump because they felt ignored by both sides of Congress for years. Fly-over country was indeed ignored by Congress which has been functionally sold out to corporations since Reaganomics. Ask yourself this simple question. How is it that the billionaires and corporations who made most of the financial gains during the pandemic – while the working class struggled – still pay the least percentage of taxes to our government? This is evidence of corruption at work – and the citizens on both sides know it.

If Coingress (misspelled intentionally ) remains stalemated and dysfunctional in early 2022, it will create room for a new party to emerge. Vegas now says there is a 7% chance a third party could win the 2024 election. You can bet real money on it. Perhaps a new US labor party could be restarted here in the USA.

Busting the Filibuster is not new. Democrats did it first. Democrats should know if the GOP regains power they will bust the Filibuster to bust our democracy. How ridiculous that will be. Democrats would have created the tool and then allowed the enemies of democracy use said the tool they created to destroy the United States as we know it.

Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act or Use the 14th Amendment

The John Lewis Voting Rights Act is designed to set standards for fair elections that states cannot ignore national contests. We clearly need some form of regulation to ensure the midterms and the 2024 elections are fair and the results accepted by the American people at large. I hope they pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, but it’s going to require a united Democrat party and that is not how things are due to Manchin and Sinema.

The 14th Amendment was created after the Civil War exactly for times like these. I’m tired of hearing lawyers tell me “it has no enforcing mechanism built into it and so has no teeth”. Can I remind such wusses that the 2nd Amendment clearly states gun ownership is a right “in order to maintain a well-functioning militia”. The GOP does did let a few words stand in their way. They’ve essentially let teenagers carry AK-15’s and fire them into crowds. They sell that amendment to the hilt and ignore its enabling clause. And once they had their base behind the idea of gun rights as constitutional right, it became a reason to vote GOP. We can create memes that get citizens to vote too.

This is the 14th Amendment, verbatim:

But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. …………….

But Donald Trump is not currently in Congress. He does not have to be voted out. And those secretary of state candidates who are Big Lie supporters and insurrection comforters are also disqualified by this constitutional amendment. Why on earth am I – a citizen with no real connection to government – the only one who sees the 14th Amendment for how it reads? Why does not out AG declare that those who support the Big Lie cannot run for office? Take that to the Supreme Court if need be. Because if it is okay to do that, then this place we call a democracy is doomed to fail. If we cannot pass new laws, we can use the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution to defend our elections.

And you know who respects the constitution the most? Trump’s base! So frankly, I think it’s better than the John Lewis Voting Rights Act ( John Lewis is not a hero to racists ) to defend democracy. Section 1 of the 14th states: No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States. Does someone want to tell me how making voting harder for select groups is not abridging a privilege of citizenship?

We will soon know if Congress, Joe Biden, Merritt Garland and our DOD are up to the task of defending democracy. If I see neither Donald Trump indicted nor voting rights protected by new laws or the 14th Amendment by Feb 15th , I will conclude the democrats are okay with the status quo. This citizen, who voted for Biden in 2020, will then be looking for new people to support in the midterms and beyond.

Odds We Lose The Democracy in 2024 are Posted in Vegas – sort of.

There is a 42% chance we lose the democracy in 2024 according to Vegas pollsters. Let that sink in. And since Vegas takes money on bets, they have this number more correctly than most politicians. That’s 3 out of 7. It’s like a we are in the World Series down to our last game and winner takes all. Of course, all Vegas is saying is the GOP has a 42% chance of winning the POTUS election in 2024. But come on. With this GOP – that would mean democracy has died here. And Trump is the favorite to be the 2024 candidate, still. A 42% chance of having Donald Trump be president again is what Garland is riskingby not being pro-active. That’s a gamble no American shoul dbe willing to take.

All That Changes If We Indict Trump Before Campaign Season

We need a war room. Our enemies have war rooms. They know they are fighting WW3 with cyber weapons – words and laws. Biden’s AG must indict Trump soon. Summer will be way too late. We have the power to stop this now, but that power will wane dramatically if we lose seats in the midterms. And the GOP are willing to cheat to win because the guy who is in charge of the GOP spent a liftetime cheating to win. He gets off on cheating to win. Trump would rather win by cheating than win fair and square. Fair and square seems dumb to Donny.

Let me end this rant with a link to an article I found yesterday online. Germany already learned their lesson about allowing hate speech. I fear we will have to lose all to learn that lesson – and then it will be too late. 42% is not good enough for me.

Joseph Aronesty – New Year’s Eve 2021

Why You See Swastikas in America but Not Germany

https://www.vox.com/world/2017/8/16/16152088/nazi-swastikas-germany-charlottesville

Why 2022 Can Be America’s Best Year in a Long While

It bodes well for 2022 that Omicron spreads fast but is not as deadly as Delta. This is the virus figuring out its own best path to survive. It’s learning to co-exist with humans to some degree. Many vax resisters are figuring out it’s to their own advantage to get that free vax or booster. When people stop crowding the hospitals, the crisis will wane and Spring 2022 should feel like spring at last. All this makes 2022 potentially the best year in a long while for Americans and a good year to be ambitious. *

The year 2021 can be viewed as a beginning for ambitious projects in the USA. We convicted two policemen, Derek Chauvin and Kim Potter. There used to be a protective shield that guarded police from prosecution. We took that shield away in 2021. And they were found guilty in a Trump state because a jury of people in that Trump state chose to speak truth to power. It tells me that Americans, right and left, are sick of letting the powerful run over us.

My wish for 2022 is that we continue to trust what we see with our eyes and speak truth to the powerful criminals that have long been entrenched in our government. It won’t be easy because government officials makes the laws and rules. But like Chauvin and Potter, we the people have seen their crimes and we can do it.

We Need More than Words from Biden and the DOJ

If Garland does not start prosecuting the criminals in our government, we will need to get out in the streets and demand it. The activist phase can wait for the holidays to pass and for the pandemic to peak which is supposed to be in January. But midterms dictate we can not wait further than mid- February to see indictments of the higher ups involved in the televised January 6th insurrection. In terms of a crime, we all saw the most egregious crime ever committed in US history on that day. If Jan6 had been successful, we would have lost what we fought to protect in both world wars. No robbery or mass shooting could have done more damage to America than what was attempted on Jan 6, 2020.

Sadly, if DOJ indictments of higher ups do not start by mid-February , it will be time to campaign against Biden/Garland and Trump – at the same time! There will be an opening for someone or some team to unify the right and left in a campaign to exact justice from the corrupt wherever they are found. The GOP clearly has no desire to clean up the corruption in government. They will plead the 5th and hope to deny justice by delaying it and fixing the 2022 midterms. But it is possible the Democrats in Congress also do not want accountabilty. They may have skeletons in their own closets. We will know soon. An independent effort or party may be necessary if the Democrats don’t show us they mean business by mid-February.

14th Amendment sec 3 – Google it

As written, the 14th Amendment sec 3 precludes Trump and any Big Lie supporters from running for office, especially if they are not already on office. That includes those secretaries of states that are being chosen for loyalty to Trump and the Big Lie. If candidates have even comforted insurrectionists, they are disqualified via the 14th. That creates a window to protect democracy without new laws. And again, since Congress has the power to makes new laws, or stall them forever, if Biden and Garland are in that “we in Congress are above the fray” fraternity, we will need to do this ourselves.

The Far-right Base was the Canary in the Coal Mine

The right base has long known there is a corruption problem with government officials. They were being ignored in fly-over country both by Democrats and Republicans in office. Donald Trump, a life-long charlatan and grifter, made believe he cared about their issues and fooled them into voting for him and even sending the Trumps their hard-earned money. It’s time to forgive the decent among the Trump base and work with them to make the United States better for all of us. I think they will be okay with it, if we address this properly.

Both sides now recognize we are treated like cattle by big businesses when they put their profits over the people that they serve. The door is wide open for someone to unify the right and left on speaking truth to power in business, government and wherever injustice and corruption exists. That’s the ticket for 2022. Whoever figures this strategy out will win the midterms.

The corrupt within our government are going to put up a fight in 2022. We must not waver. We will soon know if Biden is up to this task. We like Joe as a person. But we’ll need to see action – not just words – soon. Biden is on notice now. Rest assured, Joe Biden will see this post*. And Joe should know the real reason his polls are down is because a substantial number od Democrats think he is not up to the task of indicting Donald Trump and his cronies. He could not be at a 43% approval rating if he had all of the Democrats’ approval.

Finally, we will need to speak truth to one of the greatest powers on planet earth – Mother Nature. Both sides have witnessed first-hand what ignoring climate change can do. But to address that problem, we have to get the sold-out among the politicians that run our government out of power. We may need a new team with a new agenda to do that. We will know that by February.

We must also stop fighting among ourselves and be very suspect of those that encourage that division. Without togetherness, no country can survive.

Joe Biden says Build Back Better. I think the next big meme needs to be Build Back Together.

Joseph Aronesty

I have emailed this to the White House and to many others in government. Post this to your social media and amplify this message. I don’t care who you voted for in 2016. Together we can do this. Thank You.