Category: Personalities

The Trump War Against People Of Color

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War Against People Of Color

By D. S. Mitchell

“White is something, just like black is something.  Everybody born on this earth is something, and nobody, no matter what color, is better than anybody else.”  Mildred DeLois Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1976)

Rhetoric Galore

The ‘Muslim ban’, ‘the wall’, ‘make America great again,” have receptive listeners. Such rhetoric is part of Donald Trump, Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller’s war against people of color.  If it was just about terrorists we would look north. The Canadian border however is no concern because to Trump because it separates two predominately white countries.  If it were really about illegal immigration there are other issues besides our southern border. Why hasn’t the president called for a sweep to pick up of all the Irish visitors who have  over stayed their visas?  Statistics show that most of the illegal immigrants are here after over staying legally obtained visas. These visa abusers flew into the country, they didn’t walk across our southern desert.

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TRUMP SHELL GAME

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Trump Shell Game

By D. S. Mitchell

Putin Land

Calamity News and Politics doesn’t want you to grab the pitchforks and torches yet, but that could become a necessity. The noise around the Trump White House and it’s growing descent into Putin Land is quite alarming. Just because I’m a liberal. I’ve noticed red-necks are always quick to label me a “red” or a “commie.” Strange considering I’ve never even met a Russian. Since Trump began his campaign, the United States political scene has been dominated with Russians. Unheard of in American political history.

A Long Time Here

I’ve been around the U.S. political scene for a long time. I was born in 1946, I was small, but I remember Truman as president. The campaigns of Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Carter, Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, Obama and now Trump are still vivid. Not once, did I ever hear any of these men, until Trump, espouse a Russian dictator as a great leader. Putin is a criminal who is known to kill his political enemies. And Trump thinks Putin is  “an amazing leader”. Peculiar to say the least.

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Basement Hideaway?

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Basement Hideaway

By D. S. Mitchell

Here at Calamity Politics I try to be proactive. In that sense of proactivism, I wrote the following letter to Mitch McConnell on the subject of health care:

3/2/2017

Dear Senator McConnell,

If you have a new health care plan, let us see it.  It’s our lives, our health care, that is on the line, not yours.  You by reports, have great health care. If it is a respectable bill, show it.  If it is a worthy replacement of for the Affordable Care Act, bring it out into the light.  Don’t hide in a darkened room in the Senate basement.  Show your work.  Let’s talk.

Sincerely,
D. S. Mitchell
www.calamitypolitics.com

Let’s see if I get an answer. I have my doubts, that I will receive a response from the leader of the Senate. He prides himself in being the “grim reaper”. Unfortunately, on health care that is a sad and sickening title. I am ready to talk. Lets stop all the political bantering and have a real discussion. I don’t want to hear McConnell’s typical rhetoric. I want to hear real discussion, real bi-partisan discussion. Health care is a right. Everyone deserves to be healthy. Health care should not be tied to the size of your wallet or the quality of your employer’s health care plan. Let’s fix this broken system. Let’s move toward Medicare for all.

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SESSIONS RECUSES OVER KREMLIN-GATE FIRESTORM

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Sessions Recuses Over Kremlin-Gate 

D. S. Mitchell

A Progressive Agenda

I am admittedly a Liberal-Progressive. Calamity News and Politics is a known progressive political blog. Calamity has a serious agenda. My agenda is to put Democrats and Independents in office at all levels of American government. I am working to make that a reality in 2018. And, maybe, that is why I find the Republican trash that keeps blowing up in my face, really irritating. Such as: Paul Ryan had the guts to say, “the Dems have their hair on fire for no reason.”  Ted Cruz says, “It’s a nothing burger.”  “Keep moving.  Nothing to see here,” advises a grinning Mitch McConnell.

A Thing Of Interest

It seems many high-profile Republicans just can’t figure out why the people of the United States are interested in finding out the facts.  It has come out that  Attorney General Jeff Sessions, despite sworn testimony, had at least two meetings with the Russian Ambassador while he was acting as a surrogate for the Trump campaign. That information is big news, only to those outside the Republican party.

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Trump’s Tuesday Speech

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Trump’s Tuesday Speech

D. S. Mitchell

I gave myself a couple days to digest what the ‘teleprompter’ president said in his speech to the joint Congressional Session on Tuesday.

The most as a political observer that I can say in his favor is that, Trump did lower the volume, he dropped some of his inflammatory rhetoric, and whoopee, he mostly stuck to his prepared speech.   It is obvious, the bar has been set so low by this huckster, that him sticking to a topic, evokes cheers.  How quickly we abandon quality for showmanship.

Nothing has changed.  Trump and his buddies intend to break all the toys, and then have Daddy buy new ones.  I guess that’s what a school yard of billionaires does for fun.  Steve Bannon clarified his “deconstruction” of the government plan last week, to a wildly cheering C-PAC crowd.  Trump this week, has just refined the presentation, and legitimized it, by a speech before Congress.

Here’s what’s coming.  The White House crew, and the Republican ideologues in the House and Senate will break the backs of all the government departments, ravage health care, destroy Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

I don’t know about you, but it takes my breath away.  Simply put, these spoiled billionaires don’t care, or understand, that millions of people’s lives are affected by their every action, and the action of these government departments. I know a lot of folks that depend on the services of the government and it saddens me to imagine the potential results of their actions.

I believe, a great individual is a person that can easily imagine himself in the other person’s shoes.  That’s the foundation of empathy.

Come on, guys.  Put on the other guys shoes, if he’s got any, and wear them for a day, or a week, or a month. There was a remarkable book written by John Griffin, Black Like Me which was published in 1961 that recounted his trip across the deep south, after he had his skin tone darkened, so he could effectively pass as a black man. His vivid memory of the white man’s “hate stare,” was painful. I truly believe, if each of us lived another man’s life, if even for a short time, we would quickly find compassion and respect.

Watch Calamity Politics for the latest political news and discussion.

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Dar

Trump Writes Last Chapter of ‘1984’

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Trump Writes Last Chapter Of ‘1984’

D. S. Mitchell

If you have failed to notice, Calamity Politics is a Progressive-Liberal political blog and Michael Moore is my favorite ragamuffin film maker activist. Recently, Moore was on Hardball, doing a segment with Chris Mathews, where he sarcastically described a new last chapter of ‘1984’ being written by Donald Trump.

In this new imagined chapter, apparently, Donald Trump convinces the populace, that up is down, and down is up.

I laughed, but I knew that doublespeak was now part of the accepted political rhetoric. Love you Michael. If as a reader you want to do something to help the resistance, check out Michael Moore’s website. He offers several suggestions to help you make your voice heard, and lists scheduled events that might tickle your need to RESIST and PERSIST.

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Dar

Bannon Blocks Out the Light at C-PAC 2017

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Bannon Blocks Out The Light At C-Pac 2017

By D. S. Mitchell

Steve Bannon is that dark shadow behind President Trump. We, here in the blogosphere, probably will never know the depth of Bannon’s impact on the President’s policy development, but he is a noted white supremacist, a chaos creator, a “de-constructor,” and former owner of Breitbart, the right wing conspiracy theory rag.

Calamity Politics has been watching Mr. Bannon. Bannon is big on the political news scene right now. However, there isn’t anything I’ve seen yet, that has in anyway, convinced me this man should even be allowed close to the seat of power. I don’t want this guy influencing ANYTHING related to the United States government.

Government is about stability. People depend on stability. People depend on government service. My analysis of Bannon from a purely political stand point, is get rid of this guys ASAP. Bannon will do everything within his power to push Trump to the farthest corner of the right political hemisphere and will argue for de-funding departments, cutting services, building walls, and instituting Muslim bans. Furthermore, I believe in the current political environment in the United States anyone could successfully argue that Bannon will agitate any situation he is involved in.

This week’s annual C-PAC meet has been a head shaker.

It is obviously time for these folks to rethink their name.  Looking at the  speakers list and the political direction they are advocating, its obvious that conservatism is dead in the Trump Party.  They should plan a funeral and bury that tattered old conservative label.  Truthfully, I’ve never seen a bigger collection of mega-spenders in my life.  Throw out the budget, throw out taxes, throw out regulations!  Let the robber barons ride again!

Mr. Bannon, eulogized the current world order. Bannon proclaimed it was going to be a “daily fight” with the press, identified as the “opposition.”  His rhetoric brought cheers and foot stomping from a friendly crowd.  With the crowd hanging on every word, he dazzled them with a series of big words. The most striking to my ears, was when he said,  “deconstruct the administrative state.”  “Administrative state?”  The “administrative state?”  Wow, that’s scary.  How did we let such a thing happen? What are we going to do?

No, worries, Bannon cajoles the C-PAC attendees, “Trump is maniacal.”  That of course drew a huge round of applause.  Strange, very, very, strange.

I’m still chewing on Steve Bannon’s “deconstruct the administrative state.”   Wait a minute.  Is he advocating deconstruction of the government?  Well, hell yeah, that’s what we ought to do!  Deconstruct the government.

Holy shit!  How far do they intend to “deconstruct”?  Until we are another, Mogadishu?  The biggest outlaw bully winning every round? Sounds scary as hell, to me.

I object, and I will continue to object.  One of the reasons we have the exceptional life we have in the United States, is because of government.  We need the stability that government provides.  Get real folks, we should be embracing government.

Government IS NOT a dirty word.   Government is our roads, government is our schools, government is our postal service, government is our fire fighters, government is our policemen.   We need to protect these benefits of a civilized society.  We need to build, not deconstruct.

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Dar

Yoda Speaks To Steve Bannon

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Yoda Speaks To Steve Bannon

By D. S. Mitchell

 

It’s been a long time since I took my young son, and stood in a very long line to see the first “Star Wars” movie, in 1977.  After, seeing it, I had to admit the movie did a good job of promoting solid basic values. I never thought, writing a political blog, would bring me back to that great movie series that has kept entertaining, educating and captivating young people for 4 decades.

There’s a lot going on in U.S. politics and today rather than do a political analysis of the current events cycle I am going to let Yoda speak quietly to Steve Bannon and let his wisdom be my political comment of the day.

You know, that weird-looking guy you see schlumping around in the background at Trump functions?  The one that looks like he slept in the subway.  You know who I mean?  The guy that’s the real president of the United States.  Anyway, President Bannon, told the NY Times that he likens himself to the “dark force of Star Wars”.  In fact, “all my friends call me Darth.   Darkness is good.  Dick Cheney.  Darth Vader.  Satan.  That’s power.”

Yoda, warns Bannon is wrong, very, very wrong. The legendary Jedi Master, from the movie series is very wise and extremely powerful.  He is small but stronger than most due to his intense connection to the Force. He trained Jedi Knight for over 800 years, and unlocked the path to immortality.

His message to Steve Bannon is, “No, no, no.  Quicker, easier, more seductive, but not stronger.  Fear is the path to the dark side…fear leads to anger…anger leads to hate…hate leads to suffering.”

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Merkley Method Sets a Fire

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Merkley Method Sets A Fire

By D. S. Mitchell

Paradise

Another day in paradise, truly. When you are fortunate enough to live on the Oregon coast you have reached Valhalla. Thank God, there’s only a few of us here. Many advantages for a writer. Quiet, incredible beauty and very little political discussion in my little corner of the United States.

Lifetime Of Writing

The foundation of Calamity News and Politics/Calamity Politics began the evening of November 8, 2016. I have been a writer since childhood. I have been writing the great American novel for the last decade. So, writing a blog, seemed a natural response to this devastating event.  November 8, 2016 as everyone knows was the night misogynist and white supremacist Donald Trump won the presidential election. I have never had such a visceral reaction to a U.S. presidential election in my life.

Physically sick

I became physically sick watching the returns flow in. Devastating to any progressive person. Truly, not just the progressive but, most citizens of the United States. If you are on Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, ACA, need VA services, if you are a person of color, if you want clean drink water to drink, or want clean air to breath, President Trump’s extreme right-wing agenda will most likely have a negative effect on your daily life, and the quality of that life.

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