What Does “Christian Nationalist” Really Mean?

As the far right tries to convince us that we are a “Christian” nation and that they are “Christian Nationalists” we need to look at just what they mean and what they want. It is never too early to educate yourselves since we have a major election next year that will decide the future of our nation and the lives of you and your children.

As you can see above, the idea of “Christian Nationalism” is nothing new. Authoritarians all over the world have used religion as a hammer to gain power and rule instead of governing. They try to appeal to religious zealots in order to gain their vote and support.

We have seen the former guy use wording directly from Hitler in his most recent rants and cries of victimization. He has used words like “vermin” to describe anyone who opposes him. He has called for “the government to come down hard on MSNBC” and accuses them of being anti-trump. He forgets to mention Fox News who according to his own definition does the same thing to President Biden.

The hate and vitriol that comes out of his mouth can be found in the same language that Hitler used in order to gain power. He is not fooling anyone except his own base that doesn’t even want us to be a democracy. He is only interested in being the “Dear Leader” as his counterpart Kim Jung Un.

Then we have the most outspoken so-called “Christian Nationalist” the wacko woman from Georgia, MTG. In a recent post trying to keep Republicans from voting for military aid to Ukraine, she used a known Russian propaganda outlet as her reason not to vote for the aid. She posted an article from a Russian Propaganda source that has been named such by our government.

Yet, she proudly posts this lie in order to gain headlines and help her other hero Putin. Remember, she gave a speech to a far-right wing white supremacist gathering this year to chants of “Putin, Putin”. She praised the Russian leader as being a “great man” and a “great leader”. Similar words used by the former guy more than a thousand times.

The real danger in all of this talk is the very loud silence from other Republicans, especially those in Congress. The only bill MTG is interested is an attempt to impeach the current President. Of course, they always fail to mention that THEIR OWN WITNESS who testified in the House Oversight Committee on the subject said “there is no sufficient evident for impeachment”.

The year they have been trying to find proof of Biden’s “wrong doings” and have shown nothing. There has been nothing that suggests that Biden in his long career has done anything wrong. This week his son Hunter agreed to testify before the committee but only if it is public. The Chair of the committee refused that request because he only wants the testimony behind closed doors.

The reason for that is so he can twist the testimony to look nefarious just like that botched “proof” of a check from Biden’s brother to pay back a loan that the President gave him when he was NOT in office. I guess if a Democrat pays back a loan that is controversial. Of course Republicans not paying back loans is not so controversial.

As I wrote the other day, that tragic traffic accident at the border near Niagra Falls was quickly reported by Fox News as a terrorist attack. Several member of the Republican party echoed that claim in order to foster more hate against Muslims. The report was false and Fox knew it before it went on air.

We are hearing the former guy talk about “rounding up people” and putting them in “camps” before they are deported. We keep hearing him preach that the only truth is the bullshit coming out of his mouth. He wants to “destroy” his enemies anyway he can. He has named names who he believes should be put in jail just because they don’t support him. He has threatened to use our military to do his dirty work.

As all of this hate speech is spewing forth from his, MTG’s and other’s mouths, Republicans say nothing in condemnation. They are actually “lapping” it up and cheering it on by their silence. Somehow they believe that if they win and the authoritarian government emerges, they will be safe from their dear leader. They are wrong.

If we get that authoritarian government, you can bet that Congress will become a puppet of their dear leader. If anyone in Congress dares to go against that leader, they will most likely be imprisoned just like his other “enemies”. That is how authoritarianism works.

This is exactly what these so-called “Christian Nationalists” want our country to become. They want to follow their dear leader to the total destruction of our nation. You hear it coming out the mouths of every Republican today. All that talk about Democrats being all “communists, marxists, liberals” etc is just mimicking authoritarianists to demonize anyone who is not on their side.

Let’s be honest. There are only three forms of government in the world. There is authoritarian governments, monarchies, and democracies. Any label placed on people are simple words trying to separate authoritarians from their enemies. Communism is a authoritarian form of government. Countries like Russia with only one party rule is an authoritarian form of government. The Theocracy of Iran is an authoritarian form of government.

It is this that Christian Nationalists are trying to make our nation. Instead of Islam as the ruling religion, they want to use their phony Christianity as their ruling religion. I say phony because that is exactly what they are trying to sell to you. Hitler started using the phrase “Christian Nation”, but then quickly turned to old pagan religions to justify his rise to power. Hell he even created his own religion and demanded everyone follow it.

Christian Nationalists are no more Christian than the Ayatollah in Iran. They use the term to get gullible people in the Evangelical movement to follow them. But, Evangelicals who oppose their dear leader will be persecuted just like others will.

Their leader has made it clear that if he wins next year’s election, he plans to remove us from NATO and form an alliance with Russia and North Korea. He thinks this will give him the help he needs to eliminate China and Iran. He fails to realize that China and Iran are the biggest supporters of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia will never go after their current backers.

In summary, Christian Nationalism is nothing but Authoritarianism. It is a front used for talking points in order to gain power. Once that power is achieved, no one is safe from its evil tendencies. They use the “blame game” to scare you. They play “victim” to gain your sympathy. They use religion to gain your support.

But, if you seriously look at what they are saying, they prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they are not Christian. They are anti-religion, anti-democracy and anti-American. This cult is trying to take power for their own personal profit and do not care about you, your children or our nation.

In my view, Christian Nationalism is no better than Naziism. The language used by trump and his followers comes straight out of Hitler’s mouth. There is no way to deny it anymore.

This Is Where Hate Brought Us

The State of Georgia announced more indictments against the former president and roughly 18 of his cohorts. These indictments are all felonies including racketeering. In all the former guy has been indicted on roughly 100 felony crimes this year.

A lot of people are happy over all of this. Some people are angry over all of this. Personally, I am of a double mindset on it. On one hand, I am happy that he may finally be held accountable for his misbehavior. On the other hand, it is troubling that we need to go to these lengths to save our democracy from a demagogue.

As all of these indictments come out, almost everyone is talking about them and what should or should not happen to trump and his cronies. What no one is talking about is just how did we get to this point in our history where we need to look into possible crimes committed by a president.

We haven’t had this problem since Watergate. And, then Richard Nixon resigned his position and left office quietly. We have had almost 250 years of democracy and we have never seen anything like this. We have never had anyone claim that he won an election he obviously lost by over 3 million votes.

So, it is appropriate to ask how the hell did we get here? Well, I believe that we got here because one of our political parties determined that in order to win elections they needed to cheat and foster hate among our people. They went out of their way to demonize the poor, the elderly, women, immigrants, young people and LGBTQ.

This turn towards hate did not start with trump. It has been going on for almost 40 years. It started slowly and then turned into a steamroller determined to ensure power, not governance. Things that were rule of law were overturned by state legislatures and a conservative supreme court. Voting rights were and still are under attack. Roe was overturned and states started passing restrictive abortion laws without any regards to the health of the woman.

The LGBTQ community has been under increasing attacks. Transgenders are now the favorite target of so-called conservatives around the country. The party that says they “won’t get between a patient and their doctor” is doing exactly that. They are passing laws making certain medical procedures illegal not on any medical science, but on personal opinions about certain groups of people.

The poster child for all of this hate and bigotry is donald trump. From the day he rode down that escalator to announce his campaign for president back in 2015, the hate spewed out of his mouth time after time. And, his followers lapped it all up like some rabid dogs looking for a treat.

White supremacy raised its ugly head again because he made it “legitimate” to hate others and say whites are better than everyone else. Violent attacks against Asians, immigrants, women and LGBTQ increased dramatically during his presidency and has risen even more since he lost the election.

When he lost his reelection bid, it wasn’t because the people did not want him, it was because of some phantom “rigging” of the election. And, what everyone seems to ignore, is that the states that supposedly “rigged” the election were all controlled by Republicans. So, what he and Republicans are saying is that Republicans rigged the election against their own candidate.

The hate has not stopped since he left office, it has gotten worse. Every single right we are supposed to have under our constitution is under attack. Education is under attack. Voting rights are under attack. The right to live our lives as we deem appropriate is under attack. We are under threat from right wing fascists who want to rule over us and tell us what we can and cannot do.

These indictments are the result of a man who does not love America. Rather he hates America unless it is based on the imaginary power he believes he should be anointed with having. He is not interested in helping the average American, he is interested in destroying our great nation and making it his private domain where he can get richer off of our backs and help his rich cronies get richer by not paying their fair share of taxes.

He has placed himself above the law for personal power grabbing reasons. He has no sense of decency. He has absolutely no integrity. He has no morality. He is only interested in pretending to be god to rule over us like the old Greed Gods. In other words, he is a destroyer not a builder.

This can be proven by his supposed “defense funds” he is setting up to grift off of his followers. Just how can someone who claims to have $10 billion need help in defending himself against crimes he is accused of committing? Why would anyone with a brain keep giving him money for these phony defense funds when most of it goes directly into his own pockets? It is because the culture and the cult of hate is huge among his followers and the Republican party.

The concept of “conservativism” in the Republican party has no definition anymore. The party has morphed into a fascist party only interested in ruling. The whole idea of conservativism has been trashed by this party and made a complete joke among real conservatives. That is why so many conservatives have abandoned the party.

The new cry is “Christian Nationalism”. However it is clear there is no Christianity in anything they are proposing. The turning to hate has made a huge difference in many aspects of life. Attendance at church services has declined dramatically. Mostly because of the hate these so-called Christians propose as the “real christianity”.

The party that hailed itself as the party of business and patriotism and for equal rights for all citizens has turned itself into a party of hate, anti-rights and white supremacy. They want only white people to have rights. Except not all white people can have those rights, only those who follow their perverted doctrine of hate and bigotry.

One of the most stupid defenses of trump over the latest indictments came from that moron Lindsey Graham. He said that “this should be decided by the voters”. How rich. This is all the result of the voters deciding they no longer wanted trump as president so he and his cohorts, including Graham himself, tried to overthrow our government. The real sad part is Graham said that with a straight face.

You can love or hate all of the indictments against our former president. You can hope he gets off or goes to jail for a very long time. But, don’t forget just how we got to this point in our history. We have allowed right-wing nut jobs led by trump take over a branch of our government. They then determined they were the “rightful power” in the nation. When they got beat, they refused to acknowledge that defeat and tried to tear down our nation. They are part of the white supremacy movement that wants the old Jim Crow laws brought back an put non-whites in their “place”.

The Republicans brought all of this down on us with their desire for power and their desire for total control over our lives. They have used hate, bigotry, victimization, and vitriol in order to bring the white supremacists out from the woodwork and vote them into office.

Once they got there, they refused to leave peaceful like everyone before them and tied to overthrow our government. Now we see the real fruits of their attempts. The good news is that the system seems to be working, even if it is slow.

These indictments hopefully will keep another demagogue from trying the same things to destroy our nation. If guilty, the accused must spend a long time in prison. That is where traitors belong.

This is proof that those who refuse to learn from history is doomed to repeat it.

Indicted – This Time It Is Very Serious And Potentially A National Security Threat

We learned last night that the former president has been indicted for his alleged criminal behavior and mishandling of classified material. These charges are being made, as far as we know, under the Espionage Act. The actual charges are still under seal and we won’t know exactly what they are until Tuesday when trump has been ordered to appear at Federal Court in Miami.

Some people are jumping up and down. Some are “hopping mad” that the investigation revealed crimes against the former president. They call it “weaponization” of the DOJ. Others are jumping up and down with glee that this guy was indicted on the charges.

I firmly believe that this is a good day for the rule of law. But, I also realize that this is not a good day for the country. How can a former president being charged under the Espionage Act be good for the country? Then there are those who are rabid followers of trump and we don’t know what they may or may not do.

Hopefully this will go down the same as it did in New York when he was indicted in the hush money case. Very few people showed up at the court house to protest his indictment. But that was NYC. This is Florida and who knows what will happen.

We need to try to put that all aside. This is not a case of “going after” anyone. This is a case of the government indicting a man for deliberately stealing, keeping and lying about classified material. One of the charges being reported is that it deals with the “retention of defense classified material”.

The irony is that none of this had to happen. Once the National Archives told trump that they were missing documents, all he had to do was say something like “okay. Why not send someone down to look at what I have and take back anything I shouldn’t have”. But, no, trump being trump and believing he is above the law basically told the National Archives to “go pound sand”.

I worked with classified material for 20 years. So far, all of the arguments coming from his defense lawyers are total bullshit. This isn’t about the Presidential Records act. This is about the Espionage Act. That means this is a very serious matter.

It would take pages of writing to discuss all of the “arguments” he and his team are offering up as to why this isn’t a crime. But, I will try to enlighten you as to how this is all supposed to work.

First, he claimed that he “declassified” everything before he left office. He even said he could declassify things “just by thinking about it”. That is total bullshit. There is a very long process that must be followed to declassify any material. No one, including the president, can declassify anything on their own. This process is necessary to ensure the safety of our intelligence gathering methods, the people who may have helped us get that material and protect our national defense.

He has been heard on tape that “I took the documents because they are mine”. Wrong again. Those classified documents are property of the U.S. and not his personal property. He has no more right to take classified material than I do, and I don’t have any right to take any classified material.

The other night, I heard the defense lawyer who quit his job with trump just a couple of weeks ago ask “are they original or are they photo copies?” He was saying that if these documents are “photo copies” it was okay to keep them. That means he believes that photo copies are not classified. Again, wrong.

It is the information contained on a piece of paper that carries the classification, not the piece of paper. In communications centers we always made copies of classified material if it was needed. However, we and those who received the copies were required to handle, maintain and store that copy the same as if it was the original. And, all copies carried the same classification as the original. So, it doesn’t matter if it was the original or a photo copy. It was still classified and he had no right to remove it from the White House and keep it for himself.

Then we have the recording supposedly him talking about “war plans” against Iran that the DOD supposedly made up. On that tape he was heard saying “here is my proof. I cannot show it to you because it is classified”. The tape also appears to have “rustling” paper while he was talking. In this instance, he not only admitted to possessing classified defense material, but was supposedly waving it around to people who had no business being anywhere near that material. Time will tell if that is true or not. But if it is true it is really damning.

This case is not about anything political as Republicans want you to believe. It is about a single man who thinks he is above the law and can do whatever he wants with any classified material because he claims “it is mine”. These charges come from a Special Prosecutor appointed to look into the matter and determine if any crimes were committed. Apparently that Special Prosecutor convinced a jury that crimes were committed. It was the jury that brought the indictments against trump. We all need to remember that FACT.

You will hear all about how this is the Democrats trying to take down a political rival. You will hear that this is a “witch hunt” or what is now being used a “box hoax”. Those claims are untrue. According to the laws concerning Special Prosecutors, the Attorney General does not “approve” any indictments coming from that investigation. According to the law, he can void any indictments and then must report to Congress why he voided the indictments. So, the Attorney General DID NOT sign off on the indictments because he isn’t allowed to by law.

Special Counsels are designed to be as independent from DOJ as possible. In this matter two different grand juries were formed to look at the evidence. One in Washington, D.C. and one in Florida. It was the Florida Grand Jury that indicted trump for these potential crimes.

You will hear about how “others” did the same thing. But, the difference is that when the material was discovered, it was turned back without needing a subpoena to search for it all. If trump had behaved the same way, none of this would be happening right now. I actually understand how this can happen. I can understand how material can be accidently taken. Moving out of the White House is chaotic at best. So, mistakes can happen. But there is no excuse for anyone to lie about having classified material and trying to hide the fact he has it.

I am not surprised by these indictments. donald trump has always believed he was above the law. He was found guilty of sexual assault. His company was found guilty of fraud. He has been indicted in the “hush money” case. Now he has been indicted for keeping and lying about having sensitive classified material. Yet too many Republicans keep rallying around him. Why?

Instead of screaming about “weaponizing” the justice system, maybe Republicans should be asking themselves why he kept the material. Maybe they should be asking him what he planned to do with that material. He didn’t take it just because he could. He took it for some reason we don’t know about, yet.

It is going to take months for this case to actually go to trial. This is not gong to be quick. I wish it would be for the sake of the nation. If the allegations in the indictment are true, then he should be forced out of the race to become president. If these allegations in the indictment are true, how can we trust him to “defend the constitution” and to “defend our nation” from our adversaries? How can we trust anyone who believes that “I can declassify it by just thinking about it” with our nation’s most sensitive secrets?

These indictments are very serious. These are crimes that could potentially place our national security at risk. This is no laughing matter, nor is it a political dirty trick. This man has been indicted under the Espionage Act which means he is a threat to our nation by illegally possessing sensitive classified material. And, we still don’t know what he planned to do with those docuents.

Remember, most “spies” in our country betrayed their country for money. We know that trump owes hundreds of millions of dollars to various creditors. Did he plan to sell these documents and the information contained in them to clear his debt? I don’t know, but maybe that is a question Republicans should be asking themselves and him.

I don’t know anything about what is in the indictment than anyone else. I don’t know what evidence the Special Prosecutor has to prove his case beyond a reasonable doubt. I will let the system play out and see what happens. However, from what I do know from tapes of his bragging, in my opinion, he has committed very serious crimes. That opinion is based on 20 years of working in that field.

Don’t Worry It’s Just A Coincidence – GOP Insanity At Its Best

The cry about fraud and waste in our federal spending is one common thread we hear from Republicans over and over and over. Yet, somehow, that doesn’t seem to resonate with the legislation they are passing in the House.

In 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan Democrats earmarked $2 billion to the Department of Labor. That money was used to implement an important cross-checking system to catch fraudsters who apply for unemployment in one state while receiving income in another.

One of the biggest unemployment schemes is to be paid a salary in one state and receive unemployment insurance in another state. With remote work being a growing part of our economic system, this is probably going to get worse not better.

And, it apparently has worked. Republican House member George Santos was indicted on unemployment insurance fraud for receiving a large salary from a company in Florida while collecting unemployment insurance from New York. Without this program in place, he just might have gotten away with his fraud.

So, in order to make sure we know just how serious Republicans are about waste and fraud, they passed a bill in the House to go after unemployment insurance fraud. This legislation would give prosecutors more time to bring fraud charges against bogus unemployment claimants and create stronger incentives for state workforce agencies to claw back bogus benefits.

Okay, that sounds very good. Except, as with all bills introduced by Republicans, there is a catch. This bill would take back the remaining money from the Department of Labor’s system that is working in order to “pay for” this bill.

In other words, Republicans want to pass a law that basically places everything at the feet of the states and take away money from the Federal Government which proves that intra-state fraud is real and needs to be stopped. They want the federal plan to stop and will ensure that happens by stripping it of all the money they need to continue the program.

The U.S. Labor Department said in a February letter that repealing the money would “throttle essential, ongoing efforts to strengthen and protect the UI program from fraud.” Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) says “nonsense”. He says the bill “should incentivize states to go after more fraud,” not less. Just how that is going to happen without the aid of the federal government is anyone’s guess.

But, we must not forget that this bill was passed just two days after George Santos was indicted on 13 federal and state fraud cases including unemployment insurance fraud. And, here is the ironic part, he was actually one of the co-sponsors of the bill. I guess he figured if he stripped the feds from using money to catch intra-state fraudsters like him, he might get away with it.

And, Smith also said this about the bill and the Santos mess. “It just shows that unemployment fraud is real, and this is why we need to pass this.” That statement could be taken two ways. One way is that we will catch more fraudsters like Santos, or we will catch fewer fraudsters because the feds won’t be able to continue their fraud catching system.

Only Smith can say which way he meant that statement. I am all in favor of catching unemployment insurance fraudsters, whoever they are. These fraud cases take away money from people who really need the help and the fraudsters must be caught.

However, I cannot understand how repealing a federal program that helps states find fraudsters is going to make it easier to catch them. Republicans can’t answer that question either. I guess that is why they refuse to even acknowledge the hypocrisy in their bill.

Chalk up another insane piece of legislation from Republicans intended for headlines not actual action. Sorry, George, despite their efforts to help you, this bill passed the House too late. It probably won’t pass the Senate anyway. So, keep that Champaigne cork in the bottle. You still must face the charges against you.

Republicans Can’t Get Anything Straight

The latest mass shooting in Texas shows us exactly just how pathetic the Republican Party has become. Because of this incident, we have had a spotlight placed on the absurdity of Republican talking points about three different issues. And, we need to take this massive chaos seriously.

First the starting point. There was a mass shooting where five people were killed in their own home, including a nine year old boy. The incident happened after the residents went next door to ask the person there to “stop shooting his gun from his porch” because they were trying to get their baby to sleep.

The gun toting person went next door with an AR-15 gun and shot and killed five people including that boy. Two other children were found alive when it was discovered that two women had lain on them to protect them from the shooter. The suspect is still at large along with his AR-15.

But, this is where it gets real interesting. The first tweet sent by Governor Abbot said this was “tragic” but sort of dismissed it because the victims and the shooter were “illegal aliens”. Just exactly why he needed to add that is still not known except we know that he hates immigrants and is spending taxpayer money to actively engage in “human trafficking” by bussing immigrants against their will to “democratic” cities.

Next up is Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX). He appeared on Fox News and complained about how this is the “perfect example” of just how loose our southern border is. He claims this would not have happened if we had a “secure border” and it won’t stop until we do. He failed to mention that only about seven percent of mass shootings in our country are committed by people of Hispanic decent. And, most of those are citizens. On the other hand, over 70 percent of mass shootings are committed by white citizens.

But that isn’t the real point. Chip Roy also voted for the bill that the House just passed in order to raise the debt ceiling. In that bill, there are several cuts to federal agencies and “discretionary” spending by the Defense Department. There is a lot of arguments going on right now about what these cuts will actually mean. And, we know this bill will not be the final one.

Even with that known fact, let’s take a look at just what they are proposing. First of all they want to roll back spending to 2022 levels and only increase the budget by 1 percent per year over the next 10 years. However, they won’t touch defense spending. And, after the outcry about cuts to veteran’s benefits, they claim they won’t touch that either.

The actual cuts to various agencies varies depending on who you listen to. But, we know that if defense spending is allowed to grow at the 5.2 percent per year, like it has over the last five years, that means cuts to other agencies would be over 22 percent. If you include the “promise” by Republicans not to touch veteran benefits, those cuts to other agencies would start out at about 33 percent.

In one analysis it was figured that would mean $2.8 billion cut from the FBI meaning 11,000 agents and staff would be cut. Along with the cuts to the FBI there would be massive losses to Customs and Boarder patrol. According to the analysis, 2,400 border patrol agents would be cut. I haven’t seen any figures about how much the U.S. Coast Guard would have to cut from its budget. The Coast Guard is not part of the Department of Defense, it is part of the Department of Homeland Security which would face the same huge cuts. Since the Coast Guard is a military branch, any major cuts to its budget and manpower would have major impacts on our national security as well as other functions the Coast Guard performs daily.

But, in context, let’s look at this. Governor Abbott says the shooter and victims were “illegal aliens”. Rep Roy says that this would not happen if the border were secure. Republicans are always trying to claim the border is not secure. Yet, in their debt ceiling bill, the number of Border Patrol Agents would be cut by about 2,400 agents.

That is not all. Republicans are constantly complaining about “illegal drugs” poring in the country. There are three agencies in our federal government who are responsible to stem this flow of illegal drugs. They are Customs and Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard. All three of these agencies are facing huge cuts to their budgets meaning potential loss of manpower as a result.

Are you beginning to see the obvious conflicts here? On one hand, the governor says we shouldn’t worry too much about the killings because after all they were “illegal aliens”. A Republican Representative from the state says we need to “secure the border” so this type of crime won’t happen again. And, that same Representative along with his Republican colleagues just passed a bill that would cut the number of border patrol agents at that same “loose border”.

As usual, Republicans seem to think that if you cut money and agents, they will somehow magically “strengthen the border”. Just like their idea that cutting revenue will somehow magically cut the deficit.

This is just completely NUTS! One thing neither of these two wonderful Republicans have explained is just how that “illegal alien” was able to get ahold of that AR-15 in the first place? Who sold him that gun? Was it purchased legally? Everyone knows that Texas has some of the most lax laws when it comes to gun ownership. Hell, they are an “open carry” state. And, typically, they won’t talk about how this supposed “illegal alien” managed to purchase the weapon used.

What all of this boils down to is the simple fact that Republicans can’t get anything straight. On one hand they complain about a “loose border” that needs to be “secured” and on the other hand they pass legislation that actually cuts the number of agents needed to “secure that border”.

The Republican Party shows us on a daily basis that they are completely incompetent to hold public office. The are very willing to bitch and bitch about everything, but they are too cowardly to do anything about the problems. In typical Republican failed economics, they expect to secure the border with less money and fewer border patrol agents. They expect to stop the flow of illegal drugs by cutting the budgets of the three main agencies who work to stop that illegal flow.

If you can find any logic in these beliefs, please let me know because I don’t see it. Just more reasons they need to be voted out of office next year. We cannot afford their complete stupidity anymore.

Republicans – Cry About “State’s Rights” – But Only Under Conditions Defined By Them

The far right wing of the Republican Party always screams about state’s rights. They argue that only the state can determine if abortion access is legal. Only the state can determine if trans minors can receive medical treatment they need. Only the state can determine what books are allowed in libraries and schools.

This argument about state’s rights has been a major platform in the Republican Party’s agenda for decades. But, we must also remember that this idea of state’s rights can only be wielded if Republicans agree with what the state wants to do.

We have seen it over and over. We are in the midst of a battle over medical abortion. One Judge in Texas, with absolutely no scientific background or any medical training, has determined that one of the medical abortion pills should not have been approved by the FDA. He then said that this pill “cannot be sent via mail” to patients wanting it.

On the same day, a Judge in Washington gave a completely opposite decision. The Appeals Court rejected the idea that the pill was not approved properly and is therefore legal, but it hasn’t stayed the ruling to keep it from being provided by mail. So, if you live in a state where abortion is legal, this one Judge is blocking you from receiving the drug that your state says is okay to use and to receive it through the mail.

State’s rights only matter if Republicans decide that something is good or bad and every other state must follow their “right” and forget about their own “rights”. That is how Republicans use state’s rights arguments.

In another attempt to take away state’s rights, the fringe members of the House has decided that it is illegal for a state to prosecute a former president for breaking state law. We are watching this political dog and pony show play out right now.

But, the political antics of Gym Jordan and his cronies is just the beginning. The problem isn’t that they believe a former president shouldn’t be charged with crimes they committed, it is they don’t want Republican former presidents charged with crimes they committed. They especially don’t want a state with a Democrat majority indicting a former Republican president.

So, they think they have come up with a great idea. Even though the crimes were “state crimes”, they say the state cannot try the case. No, they claim that a former president who is charged by a state with crimes against that state must have that trial moved to federal court.

Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC) is claiming he is going to write a bill that would prohibit state prosecutors from charging former presidents and that all such cases would be moved to federal courts. According to this lawmaker, with the full support of Gym Jordan, states don’t have the authority to prosecute former presidents for crimes committed in their state.

He claims that such prosecutions are “politically motivated” and therefore cannot take place. I am willing to bet that if a Democrat former president was charged with crimes in a state like say, Texas, there would be no push from this crowd of autocrats to stop such a prosecution. Instead they would be screaming about state’s rights to justify that prosecution. But, since it is their dear leader who has been indicted, then “state’s rights” do not exist in this matter.

Let me be clear about this, Republicans are not interested in state’s rights unless it helps them reach their goals to control our lives. The only states that have rights according to them are the ones they control.

We must ask who will they protect next? All of this nonsense about state crimes not being prosecuted by the state is just another attempt to protect their dear leader. There are more possible indictments coming down the pike including an election tampering charge from Georgia.

Just remember, when you hear a Republican cry about “state’s rights” they are really saying “the rights we determine to be valid” and nothing more. They are hellbent of creating an autocratic society and they will change any law they want in order to make that happen.

This is just another step in their march towards autocracy. This is no accident, it is on purpose and has a real end game. To make our country just like China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. One person in power and one party as the politburo to rubber stamp everything. They intend to be that politburo and they don’t care about you or your family or your rights.

P A N D E M I C!

There is a gun violence pandemic in our nation and it is the fault of Republicans and so-called conservatives. That is a simple fact of life and there is no denying it anymore. There are simply too many mass shootings killing us all off and Republicans refuse to deal with the problem or even talk about it in a meaningful manner.

I refuse to listen to all of the bullshit about guns and gun violence anymore. I am sick and tired of seeing innocent people mowed down by people with guns for no apparent reason. I am sick and tired of Republicans telling us that it isn’t a “gun problem” because all of these mass shootings have involved guns of some kind or the other.

The lack of action by Republicans is killing our children. The lack of action by Republicans is killing our citizens by the thousands each and every year. There is only one common denominator in all of the mass shootings. That is easy access to GUNS!

We live in a nation that makes up about 4 percent of the world’s population. But, we also live in a nation where 47 percent of all guns owned by private citizens is owned right here at home. There is roughly 320 million people who live in our nation. There is roughly 350 million guns on our streets right now. That is more guns than people, and that is quite frankly insane.

This love affair about guns by Republicans is not about “protecting the second amendment”. It is not about freedoms or liberties. It is about MONEY! Specifically the money Republicans receive yearly from the NRA for their election campaigns. One of the biggest reasons Republicans refuse to do anything about this gun violence pandemic is because they are afraid to piss off the NRA because they might not get their big campaign checks if they do something.

They try to change the subject every time we see these mass killings. They change the subject to something as stupid as “the government is coming for your gas stoves”. Or, “the government is coming for your pickup trucks”. Or, the newest one “the government is coming for your toilet paper”.

They rail against LGBTQ community as being immoral, yet they sit back and allow people to be shot and killed by a total stranger. They rail about abortion being so bad and then sit back and allow our children to be slaughtered while sitting in a classroom in school.

In less than a week, we have had two mass shootings in Tennessee, one in Kentucky, one in South Carolina and one in Florida. The governors of Tennessee and Kentucky both said they “knew one of the victims”. Yet, they refuse to address the problem that killed people they know. Why?

The day after the school shooting in Tennessee, the Ayatollah DeSantis signed a bill in Florida that removed all restrictions for carrying a concealed weapon. That bill makes it legal for someone without a license or training in handling a weapon to carry a concealed weapon whenever they want. That made Florida the 26 state to pass such insane laws.

In Tennessee, the state House evicted two Democrat members of the House because they participated in an anti-gun protest in the chamber. The only rules they broke were supposedly “decorum” by not being recognized to speak. But, the real reason was because they were young black men who were arguing against lax gun laws.

I don’t care where you live. I don’t care if your state has strict gun laws. The fact is that because so many states have such lax gun laws, anyone can get a gun anytime they want simply by going across the state line. Republicans are trying to make it illegal to cross a state line to have an abortion, but refuse to discuss the same practice to get around sound gun control laws.

According to Republicans, abortion is murder. But, having your child’s head blown off by an AR 15 in school is “just one of those things”. A Tennessee lawmaker actually asked a group of students protesting for reasonable gun control legislation “what type of gun would you prefer to be shot with”?

Republicans claim that the problem is “mental health issues” yet they refuse to pass universal background checks to keep guns out of the hands of those people. Hell, in 2017, the Republicans in Congress actually passed a bill that allows people who have been declared mentally incapable of taking care of themselves to be able to purchase a gun!

Recently, a conservative site said it took the President one paragraph to blame Republicans for the gun violence in our country. I guess I beat that because I put it in the first sentence! More people have to come to the realization that all of the talk about the second amendment is bullshit. All of the talk about guns not being the problem is bullshit.

State after state controlled by Republicans have made it easier for anyone to murder their fellow citizens. They have removed reasonable gun controls. They have passed laws like “stand your ground” as a “self-defense” measure. In reality it is a license to murder someone on the fake grounds that you were “afraid”.

That is on full display in Texas. There a man was convicted of murder by a jury of his peers for an incident that took place during the BLM protests in Austin. Even though the jury found the man guilty, the governor wants him pardoned for murdering someone in cold blood. The reason is the Texas “stand your ground” laws. 12 people unanimously found the man guilty of MURDER and Texas Republicans say “tough shit, he should be pardoned”.

We must stand up and start telling Republicans either do something about this gun violence pandemic or you will be on the unemployment line. This has gotten completely and totally out of control. We cannot allow just anyone to walk around carrying guns. We especially cannot allow just anyone to walk around carrying weapons of war like the AR15.

I am to a point where the next time I hear a Republican spout “our thoughts and prayers are with the family and victims” that I want to punch them in the mouth and tell the to f..koff!

As a nation, we must take a stand up to stop this madness. We must take a stand to stop the NRA and gun manufacturers from “buying” politicians to vote for more lax gun laws. We need to have reasonable gun laws to restrict ownership of guns to those who should not own one.

The fact that the answer by Republicans to our gun problem is “more guns” and “more lax gun laws” is helping and abetting every mass murderer in our country. Every state with lax gun laws are leaders in gun violence, not less gun violence. They are telling us that being shot and killed is not that bad. After all, we have their “thoughts and prayers”.

On one hand Republicans say they are pro-life because they want to ban abortion. On the other hand they say they are in favor of multiple mass shootings and mass murder by allowing such lax gun laws.

The new Republican campaign slogan should be “Save the Fetus. Shoot and Murder the child”! That has become their platform!

Republican “Culture Wars” Are Not About Culture – They Are About Them Controlling Your Lives

Republicans across the nation are claiming to be waging “culture wars” against everything they consider “woke”. They claim they are protecting us against ourselves. They claim to be protecting our children. They claim that they are protecting our Constitution.

However, if you look at all of the laws they are passing in Republican controlled state after state, the real target of these so-called “culture wars” is them controlling how we live and behave. There is nothing wrong with having discussions about the differences between left and right ideas, but there is something very wrong when one side dictates how we live our lives.

This battle is raging all across the nation. Republicans are trying to dictate what is right and what is wrong. If you disagree with their definitions, you are labeled as “un-American” or a “socialist”. It is their way or the highway.

The first casualty in this battle was a woman’s right to choose. The Republicans have decided that only they can decide when or if a woman can have access to a safe abortion. Only they have the right to determine just when human life begins. It doesn’t matter what beliefs you have, you must obey their rules and their beliefs.

According to this party, they are the supreme beings in our nation. They and only they can determine just what actions a woman is allowed to take or have. They and they alone must “dictate” what is best for every woman in this country. If the woman doesn’t have the same religious beliefs about abortion as they do, the woman’s rights are taken away because only Republicans know what is best.

They claim they are trying to protect children. They have passed laws directly affecting the rights of transgender children and their parents. They claim that we cannot have universal health care because that would put government between a patient and their doctor. Then turn around and put the government between a patient and their doctor if that treatment doesn’t agree with their narrow mindset.

They refuse to discuss reasonable gun reform after children are killed in school by a mass shooter. They claim to be protecting our children all the while letting them get slaughtered in school by people with guns. They claim that “each school should have armed guards” present to prevent these shooting. Yet, almost every school that has had a mass shooting take place DID have armed guards who did nothing to stop it.

They claim to be protecting our children, then turn around and say anyone can carry a concealed weapon without a license, training on proper handling, or any other restrictions. They are openly allowing people with criminal records and violent tendencies to carry concealed weapons because they keep stripping requirements to do so. How is that “protecting” our children or us for that matter?

They pass laws that allow one parent to have books banned from public schools and libraries just because their twisted view of the world makes them think something is pornographic or it will make them “feel uncomfortable”. Thousands of books have been banned by Republican controlled states. And, it only takes one moron to complain before the book is banned. So much for the First Amendment and our free speech.

In Missouri, the government is looking to pass a bill that will literally defund public libraries. This law would cut funding to the Missouri Library Association. The reason for these cuts has nothing to do with libraries or what is in them. It is because when the ACLU filed suit against a bill that allows book banning as unconstitutional, the MLA joined the suit. They aren’t paying for the suit, the ACLU is paying the bills, but because they have the temerity to go against Republican censorship laws, they must be punished.

In honesty, most public libraries in urban areas would be hurt, but not as much as libraries in rural areas. Funding for libraries is not just a state matter, it is public and private. Rural libraries across the nation already have fewer books and research materials than urban libraries. Additionally, many people use libraries to search for jobs and apply for jobs on computers for library users. If a rural library is forced to close because of this overreach of government, then the entire area will be negatively affected. But, Republicans are only interested in punishing those against their dictates.

In Florida, the party that has claimed to be “business friendly” is waging a war against Disney. That war is ongoing because Disney had the temerity to say something negative about the Ayatollah’s “don’t say gay” bill. According to this Ayatollah, if a business doesn’t fall in line with his dictates, then the government needs to “punish” them for that sin.

In Texas, the new move is to force every public school classroom in the state to post the Ten Commandments. They are trying to force their religious beliefs on everyone else just because they believe they can. They don’t care what you believe. They don’t care what your beliefs are. They MUST indoctrinate your children to their way of thinking. That is all that matters.

As you can see, there is nothing “cultural” about these “culture wars” being waged by Republicans. They are simply an attempt to usurp the rule of law, our Constitution and our freedoms in order to make them the supreme rulers of our nation. We must, according to these laws, live our lives the way they want us to. We must abandon our own beliefs in favor of theirs. We must behave in a manner they deem proper or “right”.

According to everything they have passed so far, and much more is on the horizon, we are not to enjoy our freedoms. We may not enjoy the freedom to think for ourselves. We may not decide how to raise our children or determine what is best for them.

These actions by Republicans are telling Americans we don’t have the right to think, the right to religious freedoms, the right to decide our own destiny, the right to pursue happiness, the right to the determine our children’s health care or the right to live in a society where we don’t have to worry about our children being slaughtered attending school.

If you think this is straight out of 1930s Germany, well, you may be right. The battle is not about culture in America. It is about the Republican’s desire to establish an authoritarian government with them in charge telling us how we must live.

And, the shirts keep marching along!

INDICTED: Let It Play Out In Court As It Should

Yesterday a NY Grand Jury indicted the former president. We don’t know exactly what his supposed crimes are because the indictment is still under seal. This is not unusual. Indictments are usually kept sealed until the suspect is arraigned in court. So, we have no idea of the seriousness of the potential crimes he is accused of committing.

There are reports, all of them speculative, that says up to 34 counts of crimes are included in the indictment. If that is true, I cannot believe this just about the hush money case. I am guessing that during the grand jury investigation, other crimes committed by him and his company were uncovered. But, that is also speculative because I haven’t see the indictment.

We are hearing all of the pundits talking about how this is unprecedented in our history. We have never had a former president indicted before. Of course that is because Ford pardoned Nixon for his crimes in the Watergate scandal. But, it is not the first time a politician has been indicted for possible crimes.

Just this year alone, there have been indictments against politicians across the nation. The only thing different in this case is the indicted has the term “former president” in front of his name. Charging politicians with crimes has not been political or anything else except the rule of law.

Republicans are all crying about this indictment. They are claiming that it is a “witch hunt” propagated by a democratic Attorney General for political purposes. What they fail to tell you is that it was a Grand Jury of about 23 citizens who voted for these indictments, not the Attorney General.

They claim that it all because trump is a “dangerous” candidate to Joe Biden in the 2024 election and that this is “election interference”. Well, I have three words for them. In 2016, the entire Republican Platform settled on three simple words. They chanted “lock her up”. And, Kevin McCarthy even bragged how the umpteen investigations by his Republican House “hurt Hillary Clinton’s chances to win in 2016”. He admitted that the entire investigation process against Clinton was “political”.

But, none of that really matters here. In this case, an Attorney General took evidence he had to a Grand Jury of citizens. That Grand Jury looked at all of the evidence the Attorney General presented, they listened to witness testimony, they even questioned the witnesses directly, they got together by themselves and reviewed the evidence, then they voted to indict the suspect. That is how the system works. This indictment was handed down by citizens against another citizen.

To be honest, if it was anyone else, this would be a very boring process. It usually takes about a year before a trial begins in just about any case, but especially one as complicated as this appears to be. There would be headlines for a few weeks, then things would quiet down until the trial actually begins.

But this isn’t just anyone. This is an ego-maniac who needs to see his name in the headlines on a regular basis. This is a man who lies with every sentence that comes out of his mouth. A man who thinks that if anyone says anything against him that person is on a “witch hunt”.

This is not the first time he will have to appear in court. And, remember, this is a man who took the fifth amendment over 50 times during a divorce case! He has a very long history of breaking the law and getting away with it. He always claims he will “fight to the death” then eventually gives in and settles his cases. We only need look back to the “trump university” case. He swore that he would never settle, then he settled.

Despite what many may think, I am not overjoyed with the indictment of a former president. However, I am overjoyed with the thought that our Justice System is doing what it is supposed to do. Hold people accountable for their actions regardless of who they are.

There may be more indictments coming down the pike for trump. He is still under investigation in Georgia and by a Special Prosecutor. There are still three potential cases he may have to face. That says more about the lack of integrity and morality of the former president that it says about our justice system.

This man was raised with the idea that he is above the law. That he can do whatever he wants and get away with it because he comes from a wealthy family. He has no moral compas that is comparable to the average person. He believes he is special and therefore we are all to bow down to his magnificence. Well, he is now learning that he is not above the law and must face consequences and possible jail time if he is convicted of these crimes.

The real problem this all causes is not that a former president has been indicted. Other democracies around the world have indicted and convicted leaders and presidents for their crimes. Right now in Israel, the Prime Minister is under indictment for fraud and corruption. That is why he is trying to “take over” the courts to get out of his jam.

The real problem we face at home is what will the wackos do because of this indictment? Furthermore, how many of them will heed the call by trump and show up with violent intentions? Will we see the so-called MAGA crowd let the process play out, or will they incite violence in the misguided belief it will cause the trial to stop?

There is one thing we know will happen because it happened before. The dear leader of MAGA will grift his followers. He will beg for money to “defend myself” and then pocket the vast majority of that cash. And, his blind followers will gladly hand over their money even if they know he will pocket it for himself.

To me, this is a big deal because it is the first time a former president has been indicted. Other than that, it isn’t any different from when other politicians are indicted for crimes. This clown’s politician status gives him no special treatment or immunity from his suspected crimes.

I am going to watch what happens. I am going to let the process play out just like any other case. If the evidence is sufficient, he will be convicted of his crimes. If the evidence is not sufficient, he will probably be found not guilty. That is how it is supposed to work and hopefully, that is how it will work without violence caused by his rabid followers.

It is that potential violence by his rabid followers that is the real danger and the real threat to our country. Not the indictment. That is simply the rule of law being played out.

I suggest that everyone just watch what happens. In our country, everyone is “innocent until proven guilty”. Even cretins like trump.

Is Israel A Blue Print For An Extremist Takeover Plot?

There is a lot of trouble brewing in Israel today. This isn’t one about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. This is about a potential takeover of the country by right wing extremists. Only, people in Israel are not happy about it and are protesting is vast numbers.

A little background. A year ago, Benjamin Netanyahu gained power again after four elections in five years. Netanyahu gained power even though he is actually on trial for corruption. There are at least three different trials concerning the Prime Minister for corruption and other crimes. Still, since the Prime Minister isn’t really elected by the people, he was able to gain power when his party became the majority party in their legislature.

In typical right wing extremist behavior, one of the first things he wanted to do was “overhaul” the Judicial system in his country. Three major parts of this so-called “overhaul” would make it so only the governing coalition would have the power to approve judges, would allow the Knesset the authority to overturn decisions from their Supreme Court and limit judicial review of laws.

In other words, they want to have total control over what the court system in Israel can and cannot do or which laws they have the power to rule if it is constitutional or not. It is no coincidence that this “overhaul” comes when their leader is under criminal prosecution for fraud, taking bribes and other crimes. How better to stop these trials than change how the judical system works?

The Defense Minister of the country came out and said that this “overhaul” should be stopped. He was immediately fired from his post by Netanyahu. That led to thousands of people taking to the streets in protest of the overhaul and the minister’s firing. And, as usual for right wing extremists, the only defense is to call the protesters “anarchists”.

The situation in Israel is worth watching. Not because it is bad, which it is, but because it is possibly a preview of what would happen in this country if the extremists in Israel are successful. Today we have an ex-president under investigation for several crimes. Including hush money payments, inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection, election meddling and election fraud and stealing classified material when he left office and then hid the truth and tried to obstruct justice.

That ex-president is also an announced candidate for the nomination of his party to run again. And, Republicans are very loudly trying to attack our own justice system because of these investigations. We constantly hear about how they are all “political” and not “really crimes that deserve investigation”.

We have three chairs of different committees in the House that are demanding the documents and evidence that the New York Attorney General has gathered in his investigation in order to disrupt the investigation and even try to kill it. Naturally it is an overreach by these Republicans in order to try to sabotage a local prosecution Congress has no oversight authority over and defend their own dear leader.

We have Republicans trying to make heroes out of those who have been arrested and even convicted for crimes they committed during the insurrection. The very same people these Republicans hid from in the basement of the capitol on that day of insurrection out of fear for their own safety. Now they are trying to play down the insurrection and call it a “peaceful protest”.

Over a thousand people have been arrested for their actions during the insurrection. Hundreds of them have been convicted for several crimes up to and including “seditious conspiracy”. Over 140 police officers were injured during the insurrection and five later died, and even one insurrectionist was killed during the riot.

Yet, Republicans are calling these criminals heroes and “political prisoners”. They are saying that the ex-president is above the law and should not be indicted. Not because he did nothing wrong, but because he is an ex-president and therefore no one can touch him for his crimes.

These are all the same kinds of things being said in Israel. The majority is determined to keep Netanyahu out of prison for his actions and his crimes. At home we have a political party trying to keep their leader out of jail for his crimes and actions.

The scary part is we don’t even need that ex-president to win the election in 2024. All we need is for Republicans to take control of both houses of congress before we see similar actions to “overhaul” our justice system.

We have talked here in the last ten years about “preserving our democracy” and the rule of law. Today, in Israel, we are hearing the people saying the exact same thing about their own government and country. They openly say they are trying to avoid the move to autocracy with their protests and demand this overhaul of the justice system be stopped.

As you can see, the fight for democracy is not just in our country. It has become an international problem. One hundred years ago, and through most of the last century, the fight was to stop “communism”. That led to some nations falling under fascist control.

As we can see clearly, this time the danger and the threat is not coming from the left. Instead the threat to our democracy is coming from the right and especially the right wing extremists who are seeking power and not a better nation. Israel is trying to “overhaul” the judicial system to favor the extremists. It is hard to control a nation if you don’t control the justice system.

With all of the bad behavior, the extremists talk, and the violent threats against the judicial system here at home, how can expect that these extremists from the Republican side of the aisle won’t try to do the same thing if they gain power? We can be certain they will try and our democracy will be in more jeopardy than it already is.

One final point. We haven’t heard one Republican say anything about this blatant overreach by the Netanyahu government into the judicial system. None of them have condemned this hostile takeover of the judicial system in Israel.

I guess they are just watching and hoping Netanyahu is successful. That will give them a precedent for their own actions should they gain control of both houses and possibly the White House in 2024. We cannot afford to let that happen. They must be voted out in vast numbers to save our country from their power grab.