Category: Voting

Why Your Vote Is So Important

  By , , , , , , , , ,

Why Your Vote Is So Important

Why Your Vote Is So Important

By D.S. Mitchell

 

The 2024 Election

I talk to people; lots of people everyday, and I am sad to tell you folks that a surprisingly large group of my friends, neighbors, co-workers, and even my favorite barista did not vote.  I’m genuinely surprised. I thought it was just someone else, somewhere else that did not vote. How could it in fact be people I know, lots of people I know. Usually, a federal election brings the voters out, but not in 2024. I’ve heard the low voter turnout related directly to Trump winning.

Staying Away From the Polls

When I asked each of them why they hadn’t voted the answers varied. Several people said they were busy and totally spaced it out. What? How is that possible? I don’t believe them. But, why are they lying? A handful of others said they didn’t vote because politicians are all a bunch of crooks just with a different party affiliation. So why bother? A few commented that the whole election system was rigged. One woman even told me she was “protesting” by not voting. How can not voting be a protest against anything; you are doing nothing. Several said they didn’t like any of the candidates. And finally the last half a dozen people I quizzed said their one vote didn’t make a difference. How could it; its just one of millions.

What Can I Say?

To those who said they had been “too busy” I can only say, shame on you for not taking the few minutes required to vote. We have few covenants with our democracy;  the principle one is that we vote. Regarding the “all politicians are crooks” belief is understandable. Lobbying is a bad practice and weakens our system. However, it is up to us to demand our officials are accountable for any misdeeds in office. Some ways that is accomplished is with term limits and strict ethics rules, but most importantly a vigilant electorate. The rigged election ‘reason’ is based on a politically motivated attack on our independent state voting system by powerful people with loud voices and a significant bully pulpit. Even a lie, told repeatedly will find believers. As far as not liking either candidate; do a little research and I bet you discover there is a huge difference between the candidates and you might find you really do like one better than the other. The last and most often stated reason people didn’t vote was because they believed that their one vote doesn’t make a damn bit of difference. This last reason I am going to spend some time on. Just like the late Reverend Jesse Jackson I know enough of history to know that one vote has changed the course of history more than a few times.

When One Vote Changed History

  • One vote made Oliver Cromwell Lord Protector of the Commonwealth and gave him control of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1553 until his death in 1558.
  • One vote caused Charles I, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland to lose his head.
  • One vote kept Aaron Burr (later charged with treason) from becoming President of the United States.
  • One vote made Texas part of the United States and led to the Mexican American War and the acquisition of a lot of real estate, including, California, New Mexico, and Arizona.
  • One vote changed France from a monarchy to a republic.
  • One vote per precinct would have elected Richard Nixon rather than John Kennedy as president in 1960.
  • One vote in the German Reichstag in 1933 gave Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers and launched catastrophic global upheaval and led eventually to WWII.
  • One vote maintained the Selective Service System only 12 weeks before Pearl Harbor.
  • In 1920, Tennessee became the final state needed to ratify the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. The state legislature was deadlocked on the issue, and a single vote—cast by Harry T. Burn—secured its passage.
  • The acquisition of Alaska from Russia, commonly known as ‘Seward’s Folly’ was approved by a single vote in the Senate in 1867.

The Rigged Game

  By , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Rigged Game

The Rigged Game

Editor: The Jan-Feb 2026 edition of Mother Jones published a scathing indictment of the sitting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, and the actions that have directly led to the “corrupt and abusive Trump reign”. What follows are direct quotes (with large parts of the article left out because of copyright issues) from that brilliant article by Pema Levy and Ari Berman. All items within parentheses are added by this writer for clarification. Please subscribe to Mother Jones and support its 50 years of fearless journalism; it’s definitely worth the money. Call 1-800-438-6656 for subscription information. Sign up for newsletters at motherjones.com/daily-news-D.S. Mitchell, aka “Calamity”.

Excerpts from “Blame John Roberts for Everything”

By Pema Levy and Ari Berman

 

“Today, as the Robert’s court rewrites the Constitution in the image of Trumpian autocracy, it’s become clear that Robert’s promise (when he was testifying to the Senate at his confirmation hearing) to be a neutral umpire was a lie. We are watching a rigged game, and Roberts set it up.”

“Twenty years ago, John Roberts promised (the Senate, the country and the media) that as chief justice of the Supreme Court, he would be like an umpire, calling balls and strikes. The delusion was so powerful that for two decades the media defaulted to portraying him as a moderate institutionalist.”

“The Robert’s court has spent Trump’s second term not applying the law so much as clearing it out of his (Trump’s) way. In a matter of months, the court’s 6-3 GOP aligned majority has permitted a long list of lawless actions, including firing independent agency commissioners, using racial profiling in immigration sweeps, disappearing immigrants to authoritarian and war-torn nations, and defying Congress’ power of the purse.”

(This didn’t start yesterday,) “Robert’s has been embedding white-dominant authoritarianism into the country’s source code for two decades. It is impossible to imagine today’s crisis without the Robert’s court having first undermined the foundations of our democracy.”

“(Representative) Democracies are built on the right to vote and choose representatives. The United States finally recognized this right for all people with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (and 1982).”

“As chief justice (Robert’s) has helped craft a string of rulings knee-capping (the Voting Rights Act of 1965 & 1982) laws, starting with his 2013 Shelby County v Holder. The decision overruled Congress and freed states with histories of discrimination to change their voting rules, spurring the creation of 115 voter suppression laws in more than 30 states. Many were inspired by Trump’s election lies.”

“After oral arguments in a Louisiana redistricting case, observers expect Roberts and the GOP justices to declare that the districts drawn to preserve representation for voters of color are either unconstitutional or subject to insurmountable barriers. It’s a decision that would turn the 14th and 15th Amendments-passed during Reconstruction to give formerly enslaved people citizenship and equal rights-on their heads, and turbocharge Trump’s gerrymandering push.”

“Such redrawn (gerrymandered) maps could shift up to 19 eats to the GOP in 2026 and runs the threat of creating a permanent GOP control of Congress.”

Continue reading

Every Morning

  By , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Every Morning

Every Morning

 

By D.S. Mitchell

 

With Morning

Every morning I wake up, praying it’s not true….but, it is; Donald Trump is president, and the nightmare continues. Day after day, Trump continues his consolidation of power. Any restrictions that limited his accumulation of power during his first term have been removed. He has surrounded himself with yes people; and as such, Trump has, since the 2024 election, been on a single minded pursuit of supreme authority.

No Limits

Donald Trump has for years made no secret of his total disregard for limits on his power and during his 2024 campaign said more than once that he was going “to be a dictator on day one,” following up with, “a lot of Americans want a dictator.” No one seemed to be listening, pretending Trump was “joking” around. From what I’ve seen this last nearly 10 months, supports the idea that he was as serious as a nuclear meltdown.

It Was Predicted

During Trump term 1, officials surrounding him suggested, not so quietly, that he wanted to politicize the military, using it to target Americans, and potentially using those troops to hold onto office. Currently, Trump is going well beyond what looks like any legal authority to militarize the streets of America by declaring imagined emergencies.

For Example

In recent days alone, Trump has taken major steps on this front. He federalized the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and has deployed the National Guard to the nation’s capitol to deal with his fabricated, “out of control crime.” The federalization of the D.C. police department has been called “unprecedented” and the deployment of the National Guard is “extraordinary,” because the NG is usually called up for widespread, violent rioting, not some agitated president trying to distract from a building sex scandal. After sending the Guard into Chicago, Los Angeles, D.C. and Memphis, now has set his sites on the “Little Beirut” of the Pacific Northwest, my beautiful, beloved hometown, Portland, Oregon.

I Better Like What You Say

Whether you’re Jimmy Kimmel or the Commissioner of Bureau of Labor Statistics, if Donnie Dumb-Ass doesn’t like what you are saying, expect to get fired. As a further politicization of federal information and data he fired BLS Commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, calling her reported July jobs report, politically “rigged.” Rather than reassure financial markets that they would be able to trust data he replaced McEntarfer with a presumed MAGA loyalist, William Wiatrowski.

Demanding Investigations 

It’s been a long summer of Trump demanding one investigation after another of all his political opponents-and his demands keep growing louder screaming that everyone from Hillary Clinton to John Bolton will be investigated and jailed. First of the big opponents to be dragged into court is, holy crap, James Comey, former FBI Director. Mr. Comey has been indicted and charged with making false statements and obstruction of justice. I personally believe it’s more about Comey posting on his Instagram account the now infamous image of “8647” made of sea shells on a beach somewhere.

An Authoritarian Turn 

With all this going on, it’s as good a time as any, to explore the most recent significant and consequential power grabs by Trump and his inner circle. With the help of dozens of media outlets I’ve put together a list of 7 actions that Trump is using to expand his authoritarian control of our government. Is this how we, after nearly 250 years of sovereignty, lose our democracy; to a fat, demented psycho, signing illegal executive orders? Is this our crossing of the Rubicon, that moment that can’t be reversed? I guess only time will tell. But the kamikaze attack Trump is carrying out against our institutions is alarming. This is looking, scary, folks. So, here is my 7 point list:

1. US Military On US Streets

I guess in Trump’s shriveled mind, all you need to do is declare an emergency and then call in the military. Wahoo! Not so fast, it looks like he wants to militarize the county, at least all those cities and states with duly elected Democratic officials. J.B. Pritzger, (D) Governor of Illinois said he thinks Trump wants to make it common place seeing soldiers on the streets of our great cities, so when elections begin in 2026 Trump’s storm troopers will be available to  intimidate, harass, and even arrest citizens  as they attempt to vote.

The primary legal reason that the U.S. military generally is not allowed to occupy American cities is the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. This federal law prohibits the use of armed military forces for domestic law enforcement purposes, based on a long standing belief that military interference in civilian affairs is a threat to democracy. Furthermore, the 10th Amendment to the Constitution is the pillar to state independence and the foundation for state sovereign immunity, which declares that powers not delegated to the United States are reserved to the states or the people. Reinforcing the federalist principle, ensuring the federal government’s powers are limited; and that states retain significant autonomy over their own affairs.

2. Tariffs

Now this whole ‘effin tariff game is just another Trump power play. He is, of course, far exceeding any presidential authority. The U.S. Court of International Trade has said so, but we haven’t gotten to the Supreme Court and he seems to have neutered them, right along with the Congress, and is currently running around like a dictator, changing the terms and tariff amounts willy-nilly in some schizophrenia bargaining strategy. The end result, is an ever shifting and changing level of taxation on American citizens and businesses.

It may not seem like it now, but the Congress does have the power to slow this wanna be tyrant down, but the GOP controlled Congress has no interest in stopping or even slowing down their party’s standard bearer. What a sad display of weak kneed cowardice for the world to see.

3. The “Enemy Within” Investigations

I’m sure you have heard Trump say, at multiple rallies, “I am your retribution.” Well, he was not talking about “your retribution,” he was talking about going after his own enemies. He’s pushing for investigations against key figures that headed four high profile efforts to scrutinize Trump in his first term; the Russian investigation, his first impeachment, the January 6, 2021 riot investigations, and those leading his personal criminal and civil cases. The retributive nature of using the Justice Department to bring charges against his perceived enemies, is to say the least, a break with historical practice. At the beginning of Trump term 2 he signed an executive order explicitly demanding the investigation of Miles Taylor (a Homeland Security official in Trump 1) and Christopher Krebs (a top cyber security official in Trump 1) both well-known and vocal Trump critics.

Even if the investigations fail to produce indictments, they subject the targets to large legal fees, politically motivated threats against their health and welfare, and public embarrassment; sending a clear message to anyone else who may be thinking of blowing the whistle on Trump’s actions, that they better not. If you question him, he and his political attack dogs will come after you. That’s a powerful recipe for keeping people quiet.

4. Loss Of Independent Functions

Trump’s actions with the Bureau of Labor Statistics could have big time implications. Here again, its all about the message it sends to others who might deliver bad news for Trump. And although his nomination of E.J. Antoni, to replace fired BLS commissioner, Erika McEntarfer,  was withdrawn due to sharp bipartisan criticism, the nomination was an obvious effort to undermine the expectation of independence from such officials.

Trump has a long history of trying to fire nonpartisan government officials and watchdogs. Just look at his continued attacks against Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell, attempting to force him to lower interest rates, by repeatedly threatening to fire or investigate him. President’s aren’t supposed to do this kind of shit. Well, until Trump that is. Trump’s active and very public, often by tweet, threats against the Chairman should be alarming. Such political pressure in apolitical government functions is reprehensible.

5. The Disregard of Due Process

In order to ramp up those lawless deportations, Trump and his advisor, the ever shrinking, “4’10” Stephen Miller”, have made some serious power grabs. Most notably; by just ignoring the due process clause of the Constitution and the rule of law.  Trump invoked a wartime authority-the Alien Enemies Act-to quickly deport undocumented immigrants, which in itself is quite a stretch of authority.

In the heated rush to deport the undocumented there have been numerous wrongful deportations and attempted deportations. These actions in some cases have been blocked by the lower courts. In one case, in total defiance of court order, the Trump administration ignored the court order to turn around planes carrying migrants headed to prison in El Salvador. It seems the lower courts have stepped up to check Trump, while the Supreme Court continues to bend over backwards to indulge whatever perverted whim strikes our demented leader. The power struggle continues with dire prospects for democracy.

6. Ignoring Congress/Tik Tok

Trump has no intention of heeding the will of the Congress; and his acquiescence to his every demand is growing dangerous and increasingly alarming. A great example is the legislation regarding Tik Tok. The legislative branch passed a bipartisan bill requiring the social media giant to divest from its parent company ByteDance or be banned, with lawmakers citing urgent national security concerns. The bill was later unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court. But Trump, until last week, seemed to be intentionally ignoring the legislation, giving ByteDance (Tik Tok) multiple extensions, despite him having no authority under law to take such action.

On 9/25/2025, Donald Trump, by executive order, of course, approved the deal to sell Tik Tok to American investors, Oracle Chairman, Larry Ellison, Fox Corp Chairman Emeritus, Rupert Murdoch, and Dell Technologies CEO, Michael Dell. With concerns for free speech and privacy in the forefront these names should light a fire under all of us. In case you didn’t notice, these men are all close Trump allies.  Per the agreement, ByteDance will retain 20% ownership. Furthermore, under the agreement, Americans will hold six of the seven seats of the US Tik Tok Board of Directors. The takeover of the U.S. media by a few MAGA individuals leaves me and a whole lot of others deeply worried. There was good reasons that the Founding Fathers protected free speech and a free press in the Constitution as essentials to a free functioning country. Pretty soon these rich guys will own all the media outlets in the country. A real time for thoughts and prayers.

7. Dominate Media, Colleges, and Law Firms

The media, the universities, and many of the most high powered law firms in the country have made unexpected and quite remarkable concessions to Trump’s demands. It seems that many have made the calculation that it is better to stay on the fat guy’s good side, than to resist. New precedents are being set and those precedents could negatively impact other institutions and further embolden Trump and his supporters.

A gleeful Trump during an interview at the White House in March of 2025, said, “You see what we’re doing with the colleges, and they’re all bending (the knee) and saying, ‘Sir, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Nobody can believe it, including law firms that have been so horrible, law firms that, nobody would believe this, just saying, ‘Where do I sign? Where do I sign?'” I don’t believe a word that this delusional guy says, except in this case, I do believe he has humbled the mighty and just as with every other move he has made the intent is to silence those who would oppose him and his authoritarian actions.

 

***Mark  October 18, 2025 on your calendar and commit to join the growing army of anti-Trumpers and hit the streets with sturdy shoes and inspirational signs. The NO Kings event is revving up as we get closer to 10/18/25. Please come out and visibly display your hatred for kings and oligarchs. My sign says: NO CROWNS for CLOWNS with a big crown and below it a clown riding a unicycle. I know you guys are smarter than me and can come up with something better, just do it!

References: Union and Labor Standards, Wages, Incomes, and Wealth, the Perkins Project, the New York Times, Mother Jones, The New Republic.

Donald Trump: It Should Have Ended Then and There

  By , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Donald Trump:

It Should Have Ended Then and There

Trump is a destroyer not a builder

Donald Trump:

It Should Have Ended Then and There…

By Cate Rees-Hessel and Wes Hessel

  1. When Donald Trump announced his original run for the White House; June nine years ago, and we all thought it was a joke, it should have ended then and there…
  2. When he got the nomination in 2016, it should have ended then and there…
  3. When the Donald made fun of a disabled journalist, it should have ended then and there…
  4. When Trump bragged he “grabbed ‘em by the p_____”, it should have ended then and there…
  5. When Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, it should have ended then and there…
  6. When the orange haired monster talked about a military parade that only dictators do (of course, it was just one more thing the Donald didn’t follow through on), it should have ended then and there…
  7. When the Donald completely mismanaged the pandemic causing catastrophic loss of life, it should have ended then and there…
  8. When he told the nation to drink bleach, it should have ended then and there…
  9. When the orange buffoon touted the unproven and ineffective anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine for COVID, it should have ended then and there…
  10. When he promoted ivermectin, a drug primarily used to deworm animals like horses and is unsafe for humans, it should have ended then and there…
  11. When he said the windmills cause cancer, it should have ended then and there…
  12. When Trump claimed the Continental Army “took over the airports” during the Revolutionary War, it should have ended then and there…
  13. When he held a Bible upside down outside of a church that has he does not attend, it should have ended then and there…
  14. When he began selling autographed Bibles and a bevy of of other merchandise to his loyal followers, it should have ended then and there…
  15. January 6th, it should have ended then and there…
  16. When he was impeached twice, it should have ended then and there…
  17. When the orange marmalade was indicated, it should have ended then and there…
  18. When he was convicted on thirty-four felony counts, it should have ended then and there…
  19. When he claimed to be better looking than the beautiful (soon to be our next president) Kamala Harris, it should have ended then and there…
  20. When he “took a bullet” and only wore a bandage during rallies but not while golfing, claiming that his getting shot proves he is not a threat to democracy (Does anyone else stand with me that the bullet he took was a set up? Adolph Hitler faked his own assassination attempt…), it should have ended then and there…
  21. When he orchestrated the overturning Roe v. Wade, it should have ended then and there…
  22. When he bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade while woman are bleeding to death in their cars from miscarriages, it should have ended then and there…
  23. When he ran again after losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden, it should have ended then and there…
  24. When he got the Republican nomination despite being a convicted felon, it should have ended then and there…
  25. When he promised a “bloodbath”, it should have ended then and there…
  26. When Donny boy insisted Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, who are legally in the United States, are eating dogs and cats, it should have ended then and there…
  27. When he chose JD Vance as his running mate, it should have ended then and there…
  28. When he refused to release his tax records during his 2016 campaign, it should have ended then and there…
  29. When he claimed the 2020 election was stolen from him despite a record number of votes against him, it should have ended then and there…
  30. When Trump, the oldest candidate to seek the presidency, is slurring his words, speaking completely out of his mind more than usual, it should have ended then and there…
  31. When Project 2025 came to light, it should have ended then and there…
  32. After Trumpty Dumpty was not reelected but was giving Putin confidential pandemic information, it should have ended then and there…
  33. When the boxes of classified information were found in the bathroom at Mar-A-Lago, it should have ended then and there…
  34. The fact the Donald lies more than he breathes, it should have ended then and there…
  35. When we learned his abnormal and horrifying fascination with dictators, it should have ended then and there…
  36. When he made a promise to be a dictator from day one if he were to get another term, it should have ended then and there…
  37. When Trump told MAGA right wing “Christians” they will never need to vote again, it should have ended then and there…
  38. When conservative Republicans began to jump ship, it should have ended then and there…
  39. When he called our military members who made the ultimate sacrifice “suckers and losers”, it should have ended then and there…
  40. When The Donald tried to take credit for the $35.00 monthly insulin Biden and Harris arranged for seniors, it should have ended then and there…
  41. When he said “Do you want the black president or the white president, I think they want the white guy”, it should have ended then and there…
  42. When Trumpty Dumpty said black people can relate to him because he is now a felon, it should have ended then and there…
  43. When his plan is to tax ninety-five percent of the middle class more and give billionaires a tax break, it should have ended then and there…
  44. When the “My Pillow guy” and Elon Musk are his buddies, it should have ended then and there…
  45. When he called the intelligent and mentally astute former prosecutor and Vice President Kamala Harris “retarded” and a “low IQ individual” at one of his recent fundraisers, it should have ended then and there…

It will finally end with a vote for Harris-Walz on November 5th, 2024. The Mango Mussolini’s reign of terror will finally end, and despite what the MAGA say, America will continue to be great. Every woman, man, non-binary gender, LGBTQ+ community member, other minority, each of those in drag and childless cat ladies must vote. Racism and bigotry must end, antisemitism must end, gun violence must end – hate will finally begin to end. Democrats and Republicans alike must vote and vote blue. Thank you, Joe Biden, for all you have done to heal our nation and bring us our next president – our first female VP and soon our first female biracial president. We are not going back. When we fight, we win. God bless America…

Walz In With Harris

  By , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Walz In With Harris

Harris and Walz are igniting the Democrats

Walz In With Harris

By Wes Hessel with Cate Rees-Hessel

 

A Man of Service

 Our Madame President candidate has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her Vice Presidential partner. The two-term leader of the Land of 10,000 Lakes is also a retired National Guard veteran, a former factory worker, a high school social studies teacher and football coach, and a six consecutive term Congressional Representative. He is originally from the northwest part of Nebraska, then moved with his family to far north central Butte, NE, where they were closer to relatives, after his father’s lung cancer diagnosis. Mr. Walz would graduate from Chadron State College with a bachelor’s in social science education.

 A Teacher

After a year as an instructor in Guangdong, China, through WorldTeach, his first teaching job in  the U.S. was back in northwest Nebraska at Alliance. Here he met Gwen Whipple, a fellow teacher, marrying her in 1994. Together then they helmed an organization called Educational Travel Adventures, arranging high school student educational summer trips to China, until 2003. In 1996, the couple relocated to Mrs.’ Walz’s home state of Minnesota, settling in Mankato. Tim received his educational leadership masters there in 2001.

A Veteran

In the meantime, Mr. Walz had been in the National Guard since he turned 17. In 2001 he reached 20 years of service and intended to retire, but re-enlisted after the September 11 attacks. As part of Operation Enduring Freedom, he deployed to Italy with his unit for a posting as part of the European Security Force. Command Sergeant Major Walz was for a short time the senior enlisted member of his 1st Battalion of the Minnesota National Guard’s 125th Field Artillery Regiment. He retired in May 2005 with the rank of master sergeant.

A Six-Term Congress Member…

His 2005 retirement was in anticipation of his run for Congress. His decision to run for office came after he worked as a volunteer for the presidential campaign for John Kerry. In February 2005, Mr. Walz filed to run for Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District House seat. In 2006,  Walz beat six-term entrenched Republican Gil Gutknecht  and was off to Congress. Tim Walz was the highest ranking (retired) non-commissioned service member to ever enter Congress.

Multiple Significant Committees

One month into his first term, Congressman Walz became a member of the Agriculture Committee, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. This required a special waiver from then-Speaker Pelosi, exempting Tim from the rule preventing most freshman representatives from serving on more than two congressional committees. Later that same year he added the Armed Services Committee to his responsibilities. After twelve years of service as a member of Congress, he was the ranking member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, where he was continually working hard for our veterans.  It was then that Walz returned home to Minnesota and throw his hat into the governor’s race. In 2022, he beat his Republican opponent by nearly 8 percentage points.

A Governor

During his most recent term as Minnesota’s governor, he signed into law bills which provided students with free lunches (a program he wants to make national), instituted universal gun background checks, codified abortion rights, and implemented free college tuition for low-income families. His policy positions have been described as ranging from moderate to progressive.

A Family Man

Personally, Tim and Gwen have a daughter Hope, who is a social worker for a homeless shelter, and a 17 year old son, Gus, who has, as they told People Magazine, “…a non-verbal learning disorder, ADHD and an anxiety disorder — all conditions that they call his ‘secret power.’” Mr. Walz has been a hunter since high school, and is a gun owner, but is a strong advocate for gun control.

An Awesome Vice Presidential Candidate

Walz is a stellar candidate for the office of Vice-President of the United States of America. We all need to strive to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz this coming November. Vote Blue.

Trump’s a Convicted Felon-Now What?

  By , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

OPINION:

Trump’s a Convicted Felon-Now What?

Trump faces numerous civil lawsuits and DOJ criminal indictments.

OPINION:

Trump’s Finally a Convicted Felon – Now What?

By Cate Rees-Hessel

 

Time to Serve? Just like my previous article pointed out Mr. Trump has done many things no other “president” in history has done, now we can add being a convicted criminal to his list of sins. Finally, “the Donald” is a convicted felon – thirty-four counts – but what does it mean for the presidential election in November? Some legal experts feel Trump will not get jail time – if he does not do a stint at Club Fed, that’s totally unfair. Other celebrities such as Martha Stewart and Lori Laughlin did their time for far lesser crimes than the orange haired monster. No one is above the law, including a former “president”. He has not been pardoned as former president Nixon was by his Vice President Gerald Ford when he took office after Watergate.

Check A Mirror…

Trump has already rudely commented on Hunter Biden’s conviction, but allow me to point out, Hunter is the son of our president and not running for office himself, not to mention he was convicted on three charges, not thirty-four. The only time a previous president did not attend the inauguration of their successor – no peaceful transfer of power – and then he incited the January 6th insurrection. The Donald promises if the horrific should happen and he is elected into the Oval Office, he will be a dictator from day one. A democracy has no room for a dictator. The United States is the land of the free and the home of the brave, dictatorship has no place here.

All the King’s Horsing…

Unfortunately, the Republican party and Trumpy Dumpty’s followers still want him to run again for the presidency. Ironically, convicted felons lose their rights to vote, so how in the world can one be president? We all learned the basics in civics classes that in order to be elected president, one must be at least 35 years old and born in the United States but what about felonies? I suppose it never came up before because the Donald is the only individual with enough nerve to seek the presidency when he is in the midst of being on trial for 91 felony charges.

Doesn’t Know Which Way is Up

He had the audacity to claim President Obama was not born in the United States. Apparently, old Grumpy Trumpy is also as inept at geography as he is at American History or Biblical knowledge. The imbecile that told the American public to drink bleach as a way to prevent COVID, and that windmills cause cancer, wants once again to soil the Oval Office with his hatred and chaos, this time as a convicted felon. A slap on the wrist is not good enough here. Trump belongs behind bars for a very extended period of time. Lock him up and throw away the key. Lock him up. Lock him up.

Got to Run…

Will he flee the country to avoid jail time? Perhaps his good buddy Putin will give him a place to stay. The orange haired cult leader had to surrender his passport to the court, however his brain washed followers will consider it an honor to help him escape. Would these deluded folks try to break him out of jail, also? Many questions to ponder, but most important is the issue of his being on the ballot for president of the United States as a convicted felon. Will individual states remove him from the slate? A couple have tried and failed due to our MAGA Supreme Court.

Same Song, Second Verse (And Third…)

And what is going on with the Donald’s other trials? What is actually happening in Georgia? Putting off the hearing until the last day of the session for this term seems like Donald is getting preferential treatment, now doesn’t it? Will he face the music in other states? Who will follow in New York’s footsteps and get him on trial for his many crimes? We need to see more convictions, not just for hush money to pay off porn starlets, but for election fraud and his part in the insurrection of January 6th, 2021. An insurrection verdict would allow the Fourteenth Amendment to be invoked. Will right wing “evangelical Christians” the ilk of Robert Morris still canonize the man that is convicted of election fraud and paying off a porn star?  They supported his “locker room talk” when he “grabbed ‘em by the p—-“. My prediction is that they will.

Book ‘Em…

I am a very devout left wing Christian with a Jewish heritage and I see no fruits of the Spirit in Mr. Trump, especially not humility or compassion, and my spouse agrees, and so do most of my friends, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV) “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:4 NIV) “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV)

Support This?

This is more than bad morals – Donald Trump is a 34-count convicted felon, completely corrupt, with many more charges against him, yet his followers are still going to vote for him. Claiming he is hated by liberals and loved by his country, the latter is simply not true. If America loved this evil man, President Joe Biden would not have beat him with a record number of votes. Trump is losing favor finally, held in contempt of court, convicted, and recently booed at the Libertarian convention.  Sometime soon might Scott Baio, Roseanne Barr, and Kelsey Grammar may be his only followers? Doubtful but some of his former fans are wising up to his manipulative narcissistic ways.

Let Justice Roll Down

Of course, the gun lobby through the NRA endorsed him shortly before his conviction. His meeting with big oil had Donald making promises to support them should he be elected – nothing has changed. Trump is worse than ever – he is in no way a better man. Will Trump have to pack up his “My Pillow” for a staying in federal prison? It seems only time will tell. The truth has not set him free, but will his freedom be taken from him for his criminal behavior? The questions remain which way the scales of justice will swing. I applaud the jury of his peers that found him guilty, the presiding judge that held him in content for violating the gag order, and the prosecuting counsel. Will the man be in handcuffs, shackled, and incarcerated, we ask ourselves these questions? His conviction is a step in the right direction, but how can we assure he never sees the oval office again? There is only one way: pray, vote, and take political action by volunteering for the Democrats – www.democrats.org.  What can we do? Vote blue…

The Electoral College Stinks

  By , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Electoral College Stinks

If we want real democracy in this country we need to get rid of the Electoral College

The Electoral College Stinks

Support the National Popular Vote compact, it makes sense if you believe in democracy.

By D. S. Mitchell

Losing While Winning

I believe whoever wins the most votes should become president of the United States. Unfortunately, with the Electoral College system that is not what happens. Twice in the last five elections the candidate that became president of the United States lost the popular vote. Donald Trump, won by less than 80,000 votes in four key electoral college states. He simultaneously lost the national popular vote by nearly 3 million votes. That means the guy who came in second was elected in 2016 (Trump), 2000 (Bush), 1888 (Harrison), 1876 (Hayes), and 1824 (J.Q. Adams), thereby altering history. Does anyone doubt that a Hillary Clinton presidency would have looked very different than the Trump presidency that we got.

The GOP Solution

The Electoral College system has become a powerful tool for the Republicans in their effort to lock in one party control of government. Elie Mystal, in an Editorial from a couple of years back, in The Nation magazine, wrote the GOP’s ultimate solution to the country’s changing demographics is to “forge a new theory of government where the rule by a white minority can withstand the popular will.” The nature of that effort was clear during Trump’s first impeachment trial. Republicans desperate to acquit Trump married themselves to a group of discredited legal theories, perhaps appropriate in a banana republic, but certainly not fitting for one of the world’s longest surviving democracies. The Senators embraced a view of executive power and privilege, that ultimately denies our democracy and anoints a king; which coincidently meshes nicely with Trump’s “permanent immunity claims.”

Continue reading

What’s Going On In Grants Pass, Oregon?

  By , , , , , , , , , , ,

What’s Going On In Grants Pass, Oregon?

If you live within the city limits of Grants Pass, Oregon, ballots should be landing in your mailbox in the next few days. Remember to mark NO on the RECALL and return your ballot BEFORE 9/12/2023.

Be sure to vote No on recall. Vote by 9/12/2023

What’s Going On In Grants Pass, Oregon?

By D.S. Mitchell

 

Republican Headquarters

A group, who lists their address as the Republican Committee headquarters, is trying to *recall independent Grants Pass mayor, Sara Bristol. The first line of the recall petition, filed by Suzanne Barber, states, “City of Grants Pass mayor, Sara Bristol, does not represent the conservative principles of the majority of her constituents.”

Full Stop

Whoa. Full stop. Sara Bristol was elected by a majority of Grant’s Pass voters; voters who wanted an independent voice at City Hall not a rubber stamp to controversial or extremist policies. I don’t believe this group of haters should be allowed to recall a mayor who’s only failure is not being “conservative” enough.

Disgust

It’s evident that hate, vitriol, and dirty tricks are alive and well in our community. Is this what we really want? I say, no, and I believe I am not alone in my disgust for this full-frontal attack on independence. Vote NO to the recall.

Mostly, I Talk

Yoo-hoo. According to the Grants Pass city charter the mayor can only vote to break a tie. Sara, explains, “I mostly get to talk, issue vetoes, and sign paperwork.” Despite petitioners complaints of “too many vetoes” the facts dispute that assertion. After two and a half years in office, Sara has issued only two, let me repeat that, two vetoes.

Court Order

Also, let me make it clear, Sara Bristol is not responsible for the homeless situation in Grants Pass, Oregon, but the city council is. Aside from not being “conservative” enough, the petitioner(s) are trying to hang the problem of homelessness around the neck of the mayor. Admittedly, homeless encampments in Grants Pass parks are a hot button issue. However, citizens need to understand that the city is under a court order preventing removal of the homeless encampments.

Place The Blame

Removal of the homeless from Grants Pass public parks could take place if Grants Pass could offer “low barrier” shelter.  It’s time for the Grants Pass city council to step up and do their job. Grants Pass needs a “low barrier” shelter, and we needed it several years ago. Time to stop the excuses and start the process. Don’t blame the mayor for what the council has failed to deal with.

Vote No On Recall

I’m asking Grants Pass voters to ignore the partisan hate speech and misinformation campaign being waged against the mayor and vote NO to the recall. If you feel like getting involved, please join Sara and her supporters at several local events.

Support Sara Bristol Events

Friday, August 25, 2023: Anne Basker Auditorium at 6 pm

Saturday, August 26, 2023: Josephine County Courthouse @ 12 Noon

Tuesday, August 29, 2023: Fruitdale Grange at 6 pm

 

*Recalls are the process by which an elected official can be removed from office via a public vote.