Are you watching any part of this World Series of Major League Baseball? This is my 70th World Series. First Series I can recall anything about was the 1953 Dodger vs Yankees series. I remember watching Brooklyn players like Pee Wee Reese, Gil Hodges, Duke Snider and Jackie Robinson, with his exciting slides. I was a Yankee fan only because in Miami, where I lived when five, the local TV station broadcasted only Yankee games.
My family was from Brooklyn and they rooted for the “bums”, as they were called. The Yankees had a legendary dynasty during that period of time, one that traced back to the days of Babe Ruth. I recall the Yankees won, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle hit home runs, and Whitey Ford was their best pitcher. I remember baseball ended the first week in October.
Baseball is a slow game, but the final minutes of a close final game in a World Series can include some of the most dramatic and exciting moments in all of sports. The winning play is often determined by just a few inches. Imagine that. Six months of games, perhaps 175 games played – and it all comes down to a matter of inches.
This is one thing no one can remember in the last 75 years of World Series matches. Not once did a losing team challenge the results of a World Series. Sure, they may have had gripes with some of the umpire’s calls. But when the last out was recorded, the losing team always conceded defeat and their managers started planning to do a little better next season.
Without an agreement that declared winners are indeed the winners, there is no format for a sports contest, is there? There would be no defined end to a contest either. One team could go one saying they really won. There would then soon be no World Series, nor MLB as well.
So you who are inclined to believe election deniers, please know this. Without an agreement to concede defeat in US elections, – perhaps after one legal challenge, if there is hard evidence of malfeasance, – there is no democracy and there is no therefore no USA as we have known it. And those who continue to state they won an election that they lost on record are spoiled sports and a danger to the survival of the tradition of whatever contest they lost.
Be careful when considering going down the road of post-election results denial. You would not want it is baseball. So why is it okay for our USA elections?
Without adhering to pre-determined rules, no contest can end peacefully.
I am very concerned that the dictators of the world do not unite in this Israel Hamas war. Then WW3 is on the doorstep.
This seems to be the obvious best path. Posting with the hope it gets all the way to the top – to Netanyahu and the IDF. Sending to many others now.
A. Israel announces it will give the Palestinians a two-state solution, but there is a condition.
B. The Palestinians must begin to rid themselves of Hamas . They agree to be Israel’s ally in this effort.
C. Israel is going to engage Hamas in Gaza of course, but now they have allies that live there. They can help with logistics, expose hiding places, turn in names, poison their food. We all realize they dont have much in the way of weaponry. That does not mean they cannot help.
D. Once that Hamas is out of Gaza with heroics from Palestinians, a conditional Two State Solution with stated terms automatically begins.
Israel: Enroll the Palestinians on your side and this will be over much sooner than without that alliance. Give them what they want for their cooperation. .And they will deserve it, but only if they ally with Israel NOW.
ANNOUNCE THIS PLAN LOUD FOR THE WORLD TO HEAR!
Then, no one will be able to blame Israel for not trying, and that alone is a huge win for Israel and the planet.
ISRAEL’S TREATMENT OF PALESTINIANS DID NOT CAUSE THE HAMAS ATTACK, BUT FAILURE TO FIND A TWO STATE SOLUTION FACILITATED IT.
I am not going to pretend to have the solution for people who have been pushed so low in life that they find their inner strength only by hating and murdering. But ask yourself this, no matter what you do to make a living; can you imagine making the choice that the best thing you yourself can do to get by in life is to be paid to kill people ?
I hear some people saying that the Israelis “had this coming” for their poor treatment of Palestinians. Certain students at Ivy League schools like Harvard and Berkeley are on record for blaming Israel for expecting to get away with mistreating Paelstinians for decades. I get that argument to some degree. You push people down, they eventually rise up. It’s human nature. Maybe they should have expected an uprising. But the way Hamas is striking back is inhumane and not forgiveable.
However the Hamas mercenaries are not the resident Palestinians. They are rogue men who have been trodden so low in life that they are living for the glory of an afterlife they have been taught will be blessed because they kill people who do not believe as they do. They mingle among the families in the Gaza strip. It’s going to be difficult and costly to weed them all out.
Mercenaries have always existed. This is not new. Iran and Hamas are sponsoring this genocide, but they are not the good or normal people in Palestine who are also caught in the crossfire.
And as long as there are huge gaps in the powers that people may acheive in our relatively insignificant lives, there will always be people who decide that killing is the thing they can do best to fulfill a perceived purposes of their lives. We rarely see people who have paths to financial freedom and happiness in this life make the choice to be mercenaries.
To the Israelis, I get that you want to wipe all of Hamas off the face of the earth. But unless you are also into working to eliminate the vast wealth gaps that currently exist on planet earth, can’t you see their will always be people who will decide to get paid to kill and therefore eliminating all your enemies is not possible? Do you understand that the environment that allows people to decide that killing for a living might be cool will always be feasible if there a huge wealth gaps? Don’t you see that if people have a path towards a happy satisfying life they will rarely choose to become merceneries?
Income inequality drives most of the hate on the planet. Them that have versus them that don’t. We see it here in the USA as well. We have to learn to share better. I wrote a song about it. Best I can do.
And when you yourselves feel the need for vengeance for the unspeakable atrocities you have witnessed – and I am not denying or making light of that – do you not think that the very same feeling of a need for vengeance exists in the Hamas mercenaries carrying out these truly senseless murders?
So there is no military solution for this crisis. There may be temporary ceasefires, but eventually, even if it’s twenty to eighty years later, the cycle repeats.
What is the way out of this? In a world with nuclear and biological weapons, having any people, or even one person , that thinks killing for a living is the best they can do – is a recipe for Doomsday – the end of the world as we know it.
Strange as it seems to say, I wonder what percentage of people would be surprised if the planet was thrown into World War 3 by 2025. How much of a long shot is that in your mind right now? It feels like about eight to one against to me.
If there is no amount of vengeance killing that will end this cultural crisis, then why even start with vengeance killing? I get that the Israelis cannot afford to come as docile sheep; they would have been erased from the map long ago if they did not develop the best militia in the Middle East, which they have. I agree Israel must strike back on some level at least as large as Hamas struck Israel. I believe an Israeli strike should be carried out without intentional killing civilians and children. But after the vengeance killing, which I hope will be over soon, what is the next step?
The way I see it, it is deprogramming. One of the ways Middle Eastern desert people differentiate themseves is by the gods or religions they were thrust into at birth. It’s like we need a 21st century prince of peace right now, is it not? Myself, I was born into the Jewish faith, but my adult self no longer believes in anything I cannot see, hear or reason for myself. In fact, I don’t beleive in believing in things. I have a scientific brain that way.
I wish all people would find the inner strength to renounce all gods and just make life choices based on what is good for themselves and their family, and without hurting others or doing so as little as possible. There’s the golden rule right there, right? It can be done, and done easier without gods than with a struggle for whose god is real. None of them are. I don’t want to nickname this philosopy “the golden rule” or “do unto others, blah blah” because I want people to make that decision as a conscious thought for themselves, not because “their god” says it’s good, or holy, or you’ll go to heaven if you do and hell if you do not. That decision can only be sincere when it is made because one realizes that we are all the same, temporary human spirits, the progeny of a long line of fathers who have all passed on, as we will one day, sharing this earth together.
Jesus Christ is known as the Prince of Peace. His teachings, if followed, would cure the Israeli/Palestinian problem. But that’s not happening any time soon. Ironically, some of the most intolerant and racist people are self-professed followers of Christ. If only Jesus knew whay was carried out in his name over the years. If only Muhammed knew. If only the Hebrew God knew, well – that veangeful god might create a great flood again..
All these gods are all human constructs. They exist inside the minds on mortal flawed humans – and only in that space. Dogs, birds, dolphins, lions, – they see the world for what it truly is. Somehow humans, who are clearly more intellgent than all these animals, do not see the actual reality of life. Us humans live in our minds. And our minds can be twisted and ruled so easily by words, laws, customs, friends, opinions, fake news, and religions – which sort of combines all those things.
Well, let’s leave it there, with longing for a true Prince of Peace to lead us out of the eight to one shot that we self destruct as a species in the next few years. And let me close with a song I have almost finished about this situation we find ourselves in as a species. I say almost finished because I know some of the verse lyrics need to be re-wriiten – and frankly I wish someone else would help me get this right. Two constitutes reality.
On July 27th, 2016, in Doral Florida, Donald Trump said “Russia, if you are listening, I hope you are able to find the 30,000 emails … you will be mightily rewarded by our press”.
Broadcasting an invitation to a known foreign enemy state to influence America’s free and fair elections should have been dealt with as a violation of the Espionage and Sedition Act and an attack on democracy. But it was not. The thought was Donald Trump could never win. But by ignoring that dog whistle to Vladimir Putin, a fascist dictator was invited to be a large influential player in United States 2016 election. And we are still paying the price for that oversight.
That night, Putin launched a Cyber War against the USA. And it was essentially deemed fair play by Obama’s DOJ. Not shutting down “Russian if you’re listening” meant more of this traitor talk would be okay on broadcast media, Facebook, and etc. Russian was “allowed” to deploy Fancy Bear on our social media, affecting public opinion and swinging the close finish that usually describes our presidential elections for Trump.
America is more than just the sum of our communal land, people and resources. Our country is primarily our way unique way of governance. We let our citizens choose their leaders wtih free, fair, unhampered, unhacked, accurate elections. Without that, we are no different than China, Russia or Iran. Our soldiers have fought and died to protect that unique institution. Inviting a foreign enemy to affect any American election is trading with the enemy – treason vs. our Constitution. Our soldiers are not suckers, as Trump once said – they are heros.
It is now 2023, seven years after the original infection. Our government is suffering with the cancer that began when we allowed a candidate for the highest office on the planet to invite a known enemy to have a voice in our sacred elections . And though the seeds of that cancer were sown as far back as Trump’s dalliance in Russian beauty pageants, where he first learned to admire Putin, the cancer has metastasized and is much more dangerous that it was in June of 2016.
Donald Trump is not the brains behind this attack. Anyone who knows Donald personally knows he does not think chess moves ahead and he was never a student of politics or history. I was his classmate at Wharton. I know him that way. This was planned by someone who had done this before and wanted the benefit of having his own loyalist in the most powerful position on the planet, Vladimir Putin.
Evidence of VP infecting our government was also present at the 2016 GOP convention. There were Russian nationals there. That was also an act of treason. These emmisaries all report to VP. It’s logical to think there would have been tapes made by the Russians so Putin could review how his reps were doing and hear was being discussed and with whom. What would you think of our WW2 generation if they had allowed Germany or Japan to send reps to our political conventions? – They would not have allowed it, would they? And if they had, maybe this post would be in German today.
Our WW2 generation would have declared that Facebook was acting treasonously when they allowed Russian bots to masquerade as US citizens, something they could have controlled easily. The greatest generation would have shut Facebook down and/or taken away their license, and/or forced them to sell. The famous movie, Aviator, depicts the US government suing Howard Hughes just for wasting money on a huge plane, the Spruce Goose, as it was called.
A great spirit of pride in our government existed during WW2. Sadly, it has dissipated. VP knows this. He thinks of Americans as spoiled and weak. He’s a bit right on that. We are certainly weakened by the division in our politics. A country under attack cannot afford to be divided. VP and the MAGA GOP know that too.
Evidence of Trump’s treason was glaringly visible in Helsinki. If you study Trump’s posture as he walks on stage, well – he’s not that good of an actor. It wreaked of subservience, which up until that moment I dare anyone to find a moment or screen shot of Trump cowering to anyone. It does not exist. In Helsinki, VP finally showed Trump how much he had on him and the GOP from the 2016 convention, and what both Trump and the GOP owed VP for his election help. And I am sure he said things like “together we can rule the world” – which would be music to Trump’s ears.
It just now occurred to me that Prigozhin was discovered to be the architect of the misinformation campaign of 2016, and now that trail (in case it could have been used against VP) is permanently buried. VP has always been the strategist.
Women United to Save Democracy and Preserve Bodily Autonomy in 2024 * Men Welcome
I propose that field offices be opened in key cities of swing states and make civics and patriotism “sexy” again, the way it eventually became during WW2. Laying low and waiting for the election is NOT a plan.
Women is a group that does not belong to a political party. They’ve shown solidarity on resisting our new Roe vs Wade issues. These offices do not say Democrat or Republican! Neither party is popular really. The Trump movement is all about politcians being unpopular, and frankly, they earned that judgment, both sides, by not putting people over profits for the last forty years at least.
The walls should be a timeline of branded images and videos, much like a museum’s historical timeline installation. It starts with Russia if you’re listening, the firing of Comey, Helsinki, procedes to January 6th and Trump’s divisive campaign rhetoric.
But the big idea is to encourage women to get involved to get their communities united to fight the fascism of a Trump presidency. Men Welcome serves to get men involved, and perhaps attracted to the stated non-partisan movement. Yes. Non-partisan. They could be open to GOP candidates but only if they refer to January 6th for what it actually was – an attempted coup.
If we don’t understand we are at war, just as if we were being bombed, we run the unnecessary risk of putting democracy on the ballot and losing that election. I frankly think the current Republican Party should be barred from having candidates in 2024 unless those candidates openly state that Joe Biden is the duly elected president and that January 6th was an attempt to end the peaceful transfer of power. I also think organized election meddling should be treated as a crime of treason, with serious penalties.
Treating January 6th as a Gift for Curing Our Political Cancer
One unexpected present Trump gave the Democrats was January 6th. Because of the 14th amendment, any congressperson, judge or state official who even comforted insurrectionists, is disqualified to serve. That kind of event never happened before in US history, except during the Civil War. There’s really a lot of self-declared insurrection supporrters and comforters in the MAGA wing of the Republican Party. It is an opportunity to clean house and end the cancer that began in 2016. They can all be declared unfit to serve. No trial is needed. A person under 35 does not need a trial to run for president does he?
Their desks can be locked up tomorrow, and the DOJ can declare that there will be special elections to replace insurrection comforters. All they really need is what is recorded on media and the nerve to use it. I argue that the Supreme Court also has at least one insurrection comforter; Clarence Thomas comforts his wife Ginny, who has comforted insurrectionists herself.
This is how metastatic this VP/DT cancer has become. Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene is one of the GOP members they plotted with insurrections. She visited them in jail and said good things about them. That’s comforting insurrectionists. Anyone who says they would pardon Trump or insurrectionists does not belong in our government another day. Representatives Paul Gosar of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Mo Brooks of Alabama, and Louie Gohmert of Texas can easily have their seats locked up by a DOJ that knows we are at war and what tools we need to use to end this scourge.
Look at the map at the top of this post. Ask yourself what chance the rest of the free world has to keep their democracies if the US succumbs to Trumpism, which is clearly fascism. If we let Trump, or someone from his MAGA GOP party become president again, democracy is dead here. And soon enough after the rest of the planet will fall to the dictators. Then, climate change will not be addressed, the wealth gap will widen, and we will enter a modern version of the Dark Ages. The human species will not survive long in a world run by dictators with the kind of weaponry we have today.
It seems the Joe Biden and the Democrats are not going to have the nerve to use the tools they have to defend democracy. I hope I am wrong. But they are proceeding slowly and not so surely. There is a good chance 2024 will be Biden vs Trump, still, which totally ignores the 14th. Lincoln would not be proud.
The smarter tactic is to declare war versus our enemies, foreign and domestic. The war is already on. Our enemies know what they are fighting for while Dems in Congress seem incapable of admitting we have Senators and Congresspeople who are aligned with Putin, and are basically fascists. Denying election results, without solid, visible, concrete proof, is a fascist act.
We have some powerful tools to fight fascism, but we have to use them. Let me list some of them. End the Filibuster. Rebalance the Supreme Court. Use the 14th to disqualify any insurrection “comforters” from holding office.
In a cyber war, which is what is being waged against us by Putin and his allies, we don’t see bombs. Putin knows he could never beat us with bombs. But with words and with allies within our Congressional halls, Putin can get his man back in the White House. And if that happens, the planet, and our children and grandchildren – will never forgive us.
It’s time for Joe Biden to rise up and realize he is a war president. He needs to declare war against anyone who attempts to silence the voice of the majority of Americans.
Kamala Harris Is Biden’s Achilles Heal and He Does Not Know It
I have nothing against Kamala Harris as a person or public servant, but she is one person even Trump can beat. Trump, Putin and the MAGA GOP know this.
Trump was okay with Hang Mike Pence. VP was okay with killing his enemy in a plane crash. If anything were to happen to Biden that stopped him from being there in the last months before November 2024, who among you think that this racist, mysogynist country would turn out in droves to elect Kamala as POTUS?
Kamala Harris as POTUS candidate is the one way the Republicans cannot lose. She probably knows this too. We are not ready for this yet as a country. We will be soon enough. We see it in the eyes of our young. But first, we have to get to soon enough. And right now, she is not the right person to be next in line to a 80-year-old man who is doing a great job, but also has enemies who would welcome and perhaps “mightily reward” harm done to him.
I’m sure you heard “Nikki” Hailey say she does not think Biden will survive. I am 100% sure that steps are being considered and dog whistled about how to make Harris the candidate at the last minute, post-convention.
The smartest thing Biden can do is to reassign Harris, right before the convention, and announce someone for that position who could get even more votes than Biden. There are plenty of people in our government who fit that bill. The other thing to watch for is Trump’s many trials. If Trump becomes inelibible or a pariah due to what is discovered, a younger GOP candidate will emerge – and then, Dems need to be free to pivot to a younger candidate.
In WW2, we all did our jobs with teamwork. If Harris wants to be president, her desire to “be potus” is currently a danger for the USA. By placing a person who could beat Trump in the VP position, it renders our enemies’ “eliminate Biden” hope, plan or plot, a non-starter tactical consideration.
Given that we are at war with Putin, who has agency and power with one political party, the GOP, we must act as if we are at war. Punishments for bad behavior that endagers Americans and American office holders, CIA or military must now be swift, since we are in a war. Does anyone think if Trump got into power he would not use his powers to silence his opponents? Trump just said General Millie should be executed! And we do nothing because we are not offically at war?
Biden Should Declare War Against the Enemies of Democracy
We are actually in a war now. There are no bombs being dropped. The weapons are words and controlling the votes. The smart solution is fast, easy and painless. Declare war against the enemies of democracy. We know who they are. Rigging an election is an act of war against democracy, is it not? So say so! People will appreciate it – on both sides.
I told my representative, Ted Lieu, these same words six years ago because I knew Trump personally and knew where this had to go. Ted thought using the word “war” would be incendiary. I know he meant well. But he did not grow up with monsters like Trump. I did. Once Biden declares war versus the enemies of democracy, his presidential war powers can be used swiftly to protect all Americans by arresting the enemies of democracy. And that means anyone who threatens a poll worker or connives to stop minorities from voting too.
I, myself, wish Kamala had been given Merrick Garland’s DOJ post. Maybe that’s not too late. That would send shivers up Trump’s spine.
I want to light upon the investigation and of Biden and Hunter and the public declaration of impeachment which the GOP has declared 9/12/23. There is a proper counter investigation which a Senate committee can start to counter this. That is the investigation of Jared Kushner and his two-billion-dollar gift from MBS. I believe this is directly tied to the documents case that Jack Smith has vs Donald Trump.
James Raskin recently announced he is investigating Kushner about why he got two billion from MBS. This has to be only one thing. Payback. Not charity; not an investment; payback for things done for MBS by Kushner/Trump.
For this we ask, what happened good for MBS during the Trump administration? NBC News -11-4-2017 | That post details that eight months into the Trump administration, the ultra-luxurious Riyadh hotel became a prison for hundreds of Saudi royals, billionaires and senior government officials were detained in a power play by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aka MBS. The prisoners were told they had to sign away large chunks of their assets to be released. The detention involved both psychological abuse and torture.
These billionaires knew they were being hunted for years. They all had security, burner phones, WhatsApp and their own jets. Further, many were protected by our CIA. And yet they were all caught in a relatively short time and brought to one place to sign away their fortunes or die there resisting.
Our CIA kept tabs on these Saudi billionaires for our purposes here in the USA. And those connections would be listed in top secret documents that the new president Trump had access to. Trump went to MBS first chance he got to leave the USA. Is this adding up to you yet?
This is why Trump would not surrender the documents. He had already learned how to monetize them. Pinching Jared will reveal this and more – a lot more than this investigation into Hunter Biden.
Creating Order at the Border Would Greatly Lift Biden’s Popularity
I had reason to have a one on one discussion with a Republican congressperson from New Mexico, near the border. She’s one of those reps who actually focuses on her constituency. They want order at the border more than anything. And she told me a lot of her constituents would vote for Biden if he made it a priority to create what the average person would deem as order at the border. And yes, without the hate.
There was never a problem with building a wall at the border, or gates, checkpoints, and/or ways of controlling and measuring the influx of immigrants. The problem was the hate that Trump spewed and spread towards Mexicans and Muslims, and people from “sh*thole countries“. Democrats are fine with order at the border. I love that meme. Let’s amplify that to Joe Biden.
Finally, look for Russian oil prices to rise in 2024. The Fed had best make an effort to keep interest rates falling in 2024, regardless of “economic theory”.
2024 has to be approached like a war effort, or we risk losing it all.
I emailed Melania five days after January 6th. (below) I tried to be respectful and hoped he would give up on politics. I was wrong. I still think the GOP alliance with Putin, who basically installed Trump as president, is behind the continued cry that the election was stolen. That divisive cry, dubbed the Big Lie, more than anything else, must end.
Russia's ongoing war versus democracy was part of the coup plot
There is also a real risk that Putin recorded damning dirt on Trump and key GOP during the election process of 2016. What were Russian nationals doing at the Republican convention of 2016? Are the GOP actors who played ball with Putin afraid he will release the dirt? Is that why they cannot ever stop following his marching orders? Are Trump, and many top GOP still suborned (compromised) by Putin. Is this why the GOP in Congress continue to say the election was stolen? Is this why the GOP are not fully committed to aiding Ukraine or to protect democracy worldwide?
A proper strategy for the House Dems is to launch an investigation into what transpired between the GOP and the Russian nationals at their 2016 convention. It’s certainly more relevant to Americans than the Hunter Biden investigation.
Proper Punishment for Donald Trump
As to Trump’s proper punishment for his plan to overthrow democracy, the big idea should be “the public good”. We are witnessing hate crimes carried out daily, many of which are traceable to Trump’s hateful rhetoric. That must end.
Trump, once found guilty, must of course go directly to jail. Although the minimum jail term in Georgia RICO cases in five years, I would make this exception, because this alone will put America back on a path to healing.
After some minimum time, Donald Trump can be released into the public if, and only if, he does these things:
Donald Trump must publicly and apologize to the American people and especially to his base. He must tell them he never had hard evidence that he won the election, and that Biden was the duly elected president of the United States on January 20th 2021. He must tell the American people he knows he can never serve in the government, as per the 14th amendment, and that he has permanently retired from politics.
Trump must release the books of all of his enterpries during his candidacy and presidency, and up until the date he makes the apology statement to the public. That will assure Americans that his true nature will be understood in time.
When those two things are done, Trump can be safely released from jail. if he continues to make poltical statements, he can be sent back to jail to serve our his full term. Until these things are done, he should remain in jail for the safety of the general public. ……….
My Email to Melania five days after January 6th 2011
I was aware that Donald Trump was not likely to hear or take any cool-headed advice but it was clear how this would end if he did not. So I sent this to Melania, whose email I have had for twenty years, for reasons I cannot ethically share.
melania********@aol.com
Jan 11, 2021, 12:05 AM
Melania,
I’ve written to you a few times during your FLOTUS term. You always knew your FLOTUS days would end – and said so publicly. Donny, who I knew from Penn and Atlantic City, is, as you know, a sort of dreamer lost in the drama playing out in his mind.
This insurrection thing went too far. I am not sure Pence will even exonerate him now, especially after Trump supporters were calling to hang Mike. Self pardon will not work.
This plan will work however.
#1 – Donald must show he is very sorry for what happened. He must tell his base that Joe Biden will not only be your president, but that you want them to trust Joe Biden and support him the way you supported me now. He must say Joe is going to try to rebuild America and he’s going to need your help. Biden wants to be president for all Americans, and that includes you. So ask Joe how you can help him rebuild America. I am asking you to bury the hatchet, give Joe a chance and give our democracy a chance to work together.
If Donny does that – or something close to that – he will show he is sorry for what happened and the usual protection given an ex-president has a better chance of being there for him.
He must also give up politics. Ask him to go back to hoteling, which was always fun for him anyway. He gets that life is about having a good time. It’s one thing I agree with him on. But I add – not at the expense of others. — I think you do too.
You have more power ( if you want it of, course ) with Donny now than ever before. He is alone without you now. So maybe you can ask him to step down but without a script – ( that’s important too ) speak to his base and tell them to end the civil war and give Biden your support.
If he does that, Joe’s good nature will keep him from going after you guys.
I hope you come out of this okay. I hope Donny decides to step down and announce he is giving up politics. Public service is not his thing. There is nothing wrong with that. But if he continues to be a problem for the new admin and America, they will have no reason to go easy. That’s just human nature.
Link to the Espionage Act Five minute read. Jan 7th, 2017.
It's good to hear some people in government and media finally talking about using the 14th Amendment as a potential means to bar Trump from being a presidential candidate ever again. It is seven years late, but better late than never. I wrote this post after candidate Trump's infamous "Russia, if you're listening" request. I thought that malicious inquiry should have disqualified his candidacy via another statute.
January 7th, 2017
On July 27th, 2016, in Doral Florida, Donald Trump said “Russia, if you are listening, I hope you are able to find the 30,000 emails … you will be mightily rewarded by our press”. I hold that broadcasting an invitation to a known foreign enemy state to influence America’s free and fair elections was a violation of the Espionage and Sedition Act. This is why. It had better have not be okay, or this democracy will not long survive.
9/2/23 Trump and Putin tested the media and the Obama administration that night in Doral. Trump and Putin had no way of knowing how far they could push the national election conversation. So Putin asked Donnie to signal him that way so they could measure the response.
The lack of response meant this was all okay, – fair game. Maybe the DOJ thought Trump would never win, and so what if he asks for Russian help in an election? I blame Obama and Hillary for that. They thought Trump would lose.
America’s World War 11 generation would never have permitted this sort of dialogue from a presidential candidate. Not shutting down “Russian if youre listening” meant more of this would be okay on broadcast media, social media and Facebook. That led to Fancy Bear being deployed on social media to affect public opinion which affects our US elections. Putin’s cyber war versus democracy began that night in Doral.
But the discussions would have already taken place. The electronic data of Jared “back-channel” Kushner would be the best place to look for traces of candidate Trump’s communications with Russia. Jared would be the only person Trump would trust with crimes of treason.
James Raskin recently announced he is investgating Kushner about why he got two billion from MBS. If they drill down to the truth – this has to be only one thing. Payback. That’s how this new international political mafia operates. Not charity. Not an investment, though they will try to sell that.
So for this we ask, what happened good for MBS during the Trump administration?NBC News -11-4-2017 | That post details that eight months into the Trump administration, the ultra-luxurious Riyadh hotel became a prison for hundreds of Saudi royals, billionaires and senior government officials were detained in a power play by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aka MBS. The prisoners were told they had to sign away large chunks of their assets to be released. The detention involved both psychological abuse and torture.
These billionaires knew they were being hunted for years. And they all had security, burner phones, whatsapp and their own jets. Further, many were protected by our CIA. And yet they were all caught in a relatively short time and brought to one place to sign away their fortunes or die there resisting.
Our CIA kept tabs on these Saudi billionaires for our purposes here in the USA? And those connections would be listed in top secret documents that the new president Trump had access to. Trump went to MBS first chance he got to leave the USA.
Is this adding up to you yet? This is why Trump would not surrender the documents. He had already learned how to monetize them. And Jared was much cooler to deal with than the actual president for these things. Pinching jared will reveal this and more. Two billion. It had to be payback.
Putin may not have gotten his payback yet. Maybe it was Ukraine. But look to the Russians at the GOP 2016 Convention. Putin gets recordings. I think the GOP has been suborned since 2016. They sure act that way.
Though much of the Espionage Act seems to refer to communication technology we rarely use any more, and focuses on acts committed during war times, the heart and soul of the act applies today’s times. War is not defined in the Constitution and the nature of war has changed since WW1, when the Espionage Act was written into law – particularly since the A-bomb. Cyber war against countries that have the bomb is replacing wars with bombs.
Putin is the world’s pioneer and the leading expert in modern cyber war – a war where words are the weapons and installing loyalists into foreign governments can get him the nearly same result he might desire from a physical wars. Russian malware called Fancy Bear has been targeting governments and military organizations for years, especially NATO states like France and Germany.
Section 2 of Espionage Act (parentheses are mine)
Whoever, with intent or reason to believe that it is to be used to the injury of the United States (affect free and fair elections, hence subvert the will of the American people must be defined as an injury to the US ) or to the advantage of a foreign nation (Putin’s Russia), communicated, delivers, or transmits, or attempts to, or aids, or induces another to communicate, ( Trump asked on national TV for a known enemy to hack his opponent’s computer and release what might be found. He also suggested that person would be mightily rewarded. ) deliver or transmit, to any foreign government, or to any faction( a would be hacker ) or party or military or naval force within a foreign country, whether recognized or unrecognized by the United States, or to any representative, officer, agent, employee, subject, or citizen thereof, either directly or indirectly and document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blue print, plan, map, model, note, instrument, appliance, or information relating to the national defense, shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than twenty years.
Since Donald Trump invited Russia to hack a presidential candidate’s computer on national TV, I believe he is guilty of espionage. I believe our DOJ can and should act immediately, citing the Espionage Act of 1918, and indict him for an committing an act of sedition or espionage.
The main counter-argument I hear on media so far is: what Trump did was all okay. It goes something like this:
All Trump said was that he hoped Russia could find emails that Hillary Clinton deleted from her private server. He only wanted to get his opponent, Clinton, in trouble, which is fair game. Say what you will about Trump’s tactics, he wasn’t looking to harm the U.S. or benefit Russia.
I argue that inviting a foreign enemy to affect an American election does indeed do harm to the USA; that America is more than just the sum of our communal land, people and resources. The USA is also our way of governance. And the bedrock of our government is free, fair, unhampered, unhacked elections.
Further, an invitation to hack a presidential candidate’s computer is tantamount to an invitation to open the back door to a home to commit a robbery. Sure, you might invite a robber to “only take stuff that belongs to my opponent”. But in fact, once that back door is open, anything may be robbed and actions may spiral up to violence or even murder. So, the person who invites that robbery is both complicit and indictable. An invitation to commit a crime is, and must be, a criminal act for the rule of law to prevail in the USA. I like to remind people that Charles Manson did not commit murder; he encouraged others go after his perceived enemies, and he got life for doing that when his cult members committed crimes.
An invitation to hack any political election is a criminal seditious act that does real harm to the United States. Free and fair elections define our democracy. They are more important to the United States than say, the Twin Towers were. Fifteen years went by, and NYC is rebuilt. But should we lose free and fair elections, the USA (and the world) will never be the same.
Will a district attorney or senate member please look into this and address it ASAP? We don’t have to let this happen to us.
Joseph Aronesty
Added January 13th 2021, one week after the January 6th insurrection.
The 14th Amendment also says people who are involved in insurrection, – or even comforted an insurrectionist, cannot serve in our government. Look here: 14th Amendment.
The 14th certainly makes Donald Trump unqualified to serve, as he was the central organizing figure of the Jan 6th insurrection. It also renders Marjorie T Greene and many others in the GOP, unqualified to serve. It could even disqualify Clarence Thomas, as he comforts an insurrectionist every day, his wife, Ginny.
Of course, all this will end up at the Supreme Court. And maybe that is why the Dems are afraid to pursue the 14th – because they allowed it to get stacked six to three against democracy. But if we are afraid of our SCOTUS, our democracy is already lost. Removing Thomas from the SCOTUS and/or rebalancing the court may be necessary to preserve our democracy. Time is running out for bold actions.
If waiting to see what happens in 2024 is the Dems plan. I, for one, am not happy about that “strategy”. This is a war. It is an extension of the cyber war Putin began in the 2000’s and we need to be pro-active strategists. Let me remind everyone that Putin was at the 2016 Republican Convention and one of Trump’s first acts as president was to reduce sanctions against Russia.
This autocracy vs. democracy map has been at my blog for nearly four years. Trump as potus was part of the struggle you see in the map that resembles a RISK board. I do wish others would post a map like this so more people would get a visual on what is at stake. Pretty sure even MAGA people won’t like their lives better in a fasict state.
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.
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?
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 this 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.
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 anythingbecause I am the president”. And he would have asked Vlad, in a personal way – so howdidyoudo 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.
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.
THE ENGLISH CODE 