Chaos Masks Corruption

 

The Donald seems to be trapped in his own world of alternative facts. He is surrounded by yes-men (and women) types who hate each other as much as anyone who dares to say “NO!” The whole thing is a  Greek tragedy but with much more madness and insanity. The whole circus is nothing more than a giant grift and it will take years to  unravel its depths. Everything coming out of this Administration is dubious at best. The corruption is both national and international. Should we dive in?

What's with the weird crypto?  He's hosting million dollar dinners at the White House to sell some opaque crypto scam.  I can only assume our lovely Supreme Court will consider this official duties of the president. Sure, that's totally normal! I'm sure  pardoning past officials convicted of corruption is also totally normal. That's just three right off the top of my head!

But wait there's more! International corruption is also off the chain. Vietnam is now fast tracking a hotel property for the Trump organization. We are now officially extorting Ukraine to help them. Who knew they had so many minerals? Sure, luxury 747s are cool and all but I find the claim of a gift dubious and you should too. These are just a few examples, here are a hundred more. Monitoring, control oversight? Who needs those? That's just the Deep State!

We don't need guardrails to slow down making America great again! Hell, let’s get rid of ALL regulation and taxes (for billionaires)! This must be done at all costs  according to the Republican Party. Screw the old people, the disabled, the poor and anyone else who may need help! Surely, no sane person thanks cutting our social safety net so billionaires can have a tax break is a good idea. Everything about this reeks of criminality. Unfortunately, that's just where we are right now. Ready for the good news?!

This insanity is unsustainable and like all storms this too will pass. There's an important question we need to ask. How bad are we going to let it get first?  I'm encouraged by the number of people willing to stand up against what is going on. Every week there are protests all over this country and more and more people are starting to ask questions. Who are we willing to sacrifice for more yachts, more luxury homes and fatter offshore bank accounts for a few? That’s what this amounts to. Some courts are trying to put the brakes on this nonsense. It’s going to take more. Protests are going to have to keep growing exponentially, maybe to the point of mass general strikes. Will the American people be up for it?

One last point I'd like to make is that the cult of MAGA will dissolve with the cult leader's death. His health is not looking so good. All the backbiting, leaks and in-fighting tells me the whole thing about fly apart anyway. Buckle up friends, this is going to be one wild summer!

Good News May 30, 2025

 

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Where to Even Begin?

 

That's right, don't let them steal the flag! 

All of the winning! I don't know how much more I can take! Let's have a quick review of Felon 47’s short time in office so far…

Tariff chicken anyone?

 Here we see felon 47 only going after the mythical monster of trade deficits. This reflects his antiquated thinking from the 80s about a problem that's not really a problem.  No one owes anybody anything. Rather we buy more goods than we happen to sell overseas. Tariffs are not some magical way to “re-shore” jobs. They are however, a great way to create uncertainty and instability- two key ingredients for recessions and depressions. Um no, Walmart cannot just eat them. Like any corporation, they are legally bound to maximize profits for shareholders. Supply contracts have already been agreed to  and cannot be changed on a whim overnight.  I don't know about where you are but here the companies that sent their jobs overseas in the first place no longer possess factories here. They have been sold off and turned into something else or torn down long ago. The workers have either passed away or moved into different jobs long ago.  To really re-industrialize would actually take careful planning, retraining a workforce and building out the power grid to run everything. You know actual planning and time. That's assuming automation doesn't replace most workers. Playing tariff chicken also damages our reputation on the world stage. Who wants to do business with a bunch of yahoos who make up the rules as they go along? Again, this is unstable and unsustainable.

Let's destroy our Global credibility!

Felon 47 has no grasp of how geopolitics works. Feeding people via USAID not only saves countless lives, it also creates goodwill. Throwing a wrench into it not only causes avoidable suffering and many deaths, it also destroys countless farmers here. Apparently Felon 47 did not bother to read the document he swore to uphold and defend.  Congress controls the money and how it is spent, not the president. He cannot just decide what programs he likes and what he doesn't. His job is literally to carry out the will of Congress. Don't like USAID? Ask Congress to remove that agency.

 Attacking our allies and defending our enemies may not be the best way to manage national security. Swallowing Putin's talking points on Ukraine without questions does nothing to help our security and hurts our allies, including Ukraine. Most sane Americans would have to agree Felon 47’s treatment of President Zelenskyy was a national embarrassment. 

There is one unintended bright spot from all of this. Europe seems to be taking their own security more seriously as we have earned the unfortunate label of “unreliable ally.”  

Who needs due process?

Actually, we all do. Without due process the whole notion of freedom basically falls apart. Here the Constitution does not stutter, it says all persons. There are no exceptions, not even for those who have entered the country illegally. Rounding up people, putting them on airplanes sending them to dreadful foreign detention centers / prisons is completely unconstitutional. Rather, this is the old practice of extraordinary rendition. If you happen to support this in any way shape or form, your 8th grade civics teacher slap the living shit out of you! I cannot think of anything more un-American. I think these are the worst crimes of this regime so far.  

I'll save talking about the record-breaking and breathtaking corruption for another time. Don't worry friends, Fellon 47 is not going to completely take over this space. He sucks up entirely too much oxygen as it is.  I think it's important to keep in mind this regime will not last. Sooner or later, Justice will come calling. The clean up from all of this will take years if not decades.

Good News May. 22, 2025

 

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Learn how to Respond, not React

 

                                                Let the flag fly for all! 

I learned this idea from one of my favorite YouTube channels, Beau of the fifth column or as it is known now Belle of the Ranch. The idea is pretty straightforward, when a crazy news story breaks, don't react to it right away.  so called breaking news is often incomplete and inaccurate. Slow down, step back and breathe. I'm one who believe the truth will come out sooner or later. It may take a few extra hours, days or even years but sooner or later the truth will come out. I think this advice can be extremely helpful over the next few years.

  Felon 47 is hell bent on spreading chaos, fear and confusion to hide his main goals of self-aggrandizement, self enrichment and unchecked power. That's a way to explain the blizzard of executive orders, old man yelling at clouds statements and political theater reduced to nothing more than a WWE production. Most of the executive orders will be easily forgotten within a few months, having been shot down in court, forgotten or ignored. Most likely so will his talk of retaking the Panama Canal, making Canada a state or invading Greenland. It is mostly just craziness to sew further confusion and division. Let's be clear, Felon 47 is already causing a lot of harm.

 Deporting the people who pick our food  does nothing to make our streets safer,  much less bring down inflation. Pardoning the rioters of January 6th is a bad move with potentially disastrous consequences ahead. It will likely embolden his most rabid followers to commit acts of terror in his name thinking they too will get a pardon.  sowing uncertainty about government programs, the status of many federal workers and the reliability of the United States on the global stage  will have consequences we cannot even imagine yet.  And just think we are not even a month into his term yet! 

Don't react, respond.  We respond by pointing out the bullshit, organizing and putting a better worldview forward. Make the liars uncomfortable by pointing out inconsistencies, logical fallacies and lacking evidence. I think BLM is still around as well as ANTIFA. There will soon be numerous others taking to the streets and in our communities. Pointing out what is wrong, is never enough. There must also be a better alternative.  

These next four years can create a path to a much better America and World if we make it happen. I for one am hopeful Felon 47 is nothing more than the death rattle of Conservative Boomerism. Yes, the damage will be real and we are free to get it wrong.  Our roles (those of us that want a better world for all) are to limit the damage as much as possible and lay the groundwork for a just future. It's not going to happen by changing a picture on Facebook, arguing with internet trolls and endless doom scrolling. If we want a more just future, we are going to have to work for it. Remember two things:

Don’t react, respond.

Giving in to despair is the best weapon for our opposition.

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