21 Reasons to Smile, in Spite of Donald Trump

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COMMENT:

21 Reasons to Smile

By D. S. Mitchell

I sat down with computer in lap and began writing my 441 www.calamitypolitics.com post

Another Post

I sat down with computer in my lap and began writing my 445th post to www.calamitypolitics.com.  Before I started this blog, I worried that I wouldn’t have enough to write about. I mean, it even occurred to me that I might exhaust all my grievances against the Mango Menace within a couple of weeks. I was so innocent. So naive.

TV Has-been

Who would have thought that a TV reality show has-been, would be elected to run the White House like a New York slumlord. How could any of us; with our limited historical perspective, ever imagined the extent of perversion, fraud and corruption that this grifter president could bring to Washington. My God, reporters have an average of a scandal, or two, a day, to choose from. In fact the scandals and corruption news is coming so fast and furious that we have to literally bob and weave to stay clear of flying falsehoods and denials.

Breaking News Feed

In fact, on a really good Friday afternoon two or three of the juiciest scandals in American history will explode on the CNN Breaking News feed.  Yes, every Friday. Like clockwork. I just said American history. It is the most mind-spinning administration of graft and compromise in U.S. history. What other administrations in memory could, in one week, produce more scandals than the Obama, Bush, and Reagan administrations combined.

Hold On

I recommend you hold on to that safety strap. I expect the tempo of the legal battles are about to pick up speed. Subpoenas will be flying out of the House. My “trouble coming” antennae are quivering. We are on a perilous ride, created by the megalomania of Donald Trump.

Choice of Vices

Now it’s time to open a bottle of wine, roll a doobie, or grab a box of chocolates, whichever be your particular vice. Then find a comfortable chair sit back and just breathe. While savoring your wine I am going to share with you some positive and uplifting energy.

Here are 21 Reasons to Smile: In Spite of Donald Trump

  • Astronauts
  • Sunsets over water
  • Wraparound sunglasses
  • The Science Channel
  • Getting the perfect selfie
  • The Muppets
  • Touching toes under the covers
  • Blowing the wrapper off the straw
  • Winning at Monopoly
  • A dog’s cold nose
  • Warm apple cake
  • Winning at Monopoly
  • Old jeans that fit just right
  • The clatter of skis being loaded
  • Drawing a Royal Flush
  • The rumble of a train as it passes
  • The imagination of a six-year-old
  • Your lover’s voice
  • A friend’s hug
  • Daddy’s wisdom
  • Lady Gaga
  • Old yellowed family photographs
  • Denim and plaid

Have another glass of wine. We’ll connect again.

Darlene

Oh, The Places You’ll Go! (With Nepotism)

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OPINION AND COMMENT:

Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

(With Nepotism)

By Ross Turner

In The Moment

Nepotism is having a moment right now.  Arguably, this moment never ended, but it has found renewed vigor in the presidency of Donald J. Trump.  Nepotism simply means favoritism towards relatives, usually expressed by their appointment to unearned positions.  The word stems from the Latin nepos, meaning nephew, which during the Middles Ages became nepotismo in Italian. Nepotismo referred to the tendency of Popes and bishops to assign relatives to positions of power.  Since they took vows of chastity and had no sons of their own, these assignments often fell to nephews.  The word may be medieval, but the practice is as old as mankind.  We are biologically hardwired to favor our kin over strangers, but this doesn’t mean that family is always fit for the job.

The Nepos Scale

History is rife with examples of nepotism that highlight its often disastrous consequences.  From the formation and collapse of the Roman Empire, to countless mad kings lording over the realms of Europe, much bloodshed and tumult has occurred as a result of incompetent kin who never should have held power in the first place. Nonetheless, families can’t seem to help themselves and keep on appointing each other to run their businesses and countries (into the ground.)  So, in the spirit of family, let us survey the Trump clan and see how far nepotism has taken them.  To assist in our appraisals, I’ve developed a highly scientific metric called the “Nepos Scale.”  Zero nepos is billing your toddler for diapers; five nepos is promoting your toddler to Director of Operations.

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Too Rich For Jail: The Case of Paul Manafort

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Too Rich for Jail:

Manafort Case: Sentence Disparity

By Quinton Reed

Sentence Disparity

Idiomized, you may hear the term as a “slap on the wrist”. As an adjective, a justice system might be described as “two-tiered” or “hybrid”; a lawyer may be accused of upholding “double standards”. These phrases are used to describe situations of sentencing disparity. Sentencing disparity is defined as: “a form of unequal treatment that is often of unexplained cause and is at least incongruous, unfair and disadvantaging in consequence”.

Across the Spectrum

Sentencing disparity is rampant in the US Judicial system. Discriminatory sentencing in the courtrooms occur on the basis of gender, race, immigration status, religion, sexuality, and economic status. For the sake of providing thorough commentary, this article focuses specifically on classism. Particularly how obvious it was in the most recent case of Paul Manafort. That is to say, the last sentencing on Manafort’s case–especially as compared to other, similar cases–and the attitude surrounding that ruling–is intrinsic in the discussion of sentencing disparity on basis of class.

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Trump’s Cowardice vs McCain’s Heroism

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Opinion:

Cowardice vs Heroism

By David L. Shadrick

Personal Bias

Please be warned of the following issues I harbor so you can remove my personal bias’ from the narrative.  I’m a Veteran living in transitional housing.  I work helping the homeless through legislation and litigation.  My focus is on the 85% of the homeless population who have a diagnosed mental illness.  I’m extremely annoyed a non-vet has the cojones to attack a vet, especially after his passing.

The Vietnam War

John McCain’s heroism during the Vietnam War is well recorded.  Simply speaking, there were four major choices young men faced when their draft number came up.  Some of the men decided to go to Vietnam and serve their country.  Others moved to Canada, leaving behind their lives in protest.  Some took their chances in court and risked going to prison.  Finally there were those that received a deferment of some kind.

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Deadly Effects of Deforestation

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People cut down trees and never replace them.

People cut down trees and never replace them. Deforestation is directly related to climate change.

Deadly Effect of Deforestation

By D. S. Mitchell & Michael Leonard Douglas

“Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make land available for other uses”-Wikipedia-“Deforestation causes extinction, changes climate, creates deserts, and displaces indigenous populations”-Wikipedia.

From Then Until Now

Of the over 6 million original square miles of rain forest earth has lost over 4.5 million square miles. This incredible loss is due to human activity and naturally occurring deforestation events. In addition to human activity millions of trees are lost to wildfires and those losses are not effectively replaced. The pressures of constant logging make it impossible to preserve forests within a reasonable time frame. Indonesia and Malaysia are the world’s leading producers of palm oil. This fact makes them two of the world’s greatest deforestation culprits.

Deforestation

For a well-balanced relationship of organisms in the ecosystem, there must not be any interference with the natural processes. However, man has entered the picture and his activities are negatively influencing the natural balance. Over the last two decades the rate of deforestation has increased exponentially. The increased demand for timber products and the clearing of rain forests for developing palm oil plantations are two leading drivers of deforestation. Human beings are creating a dramatic imbalance in the eco-system that may be irreversible.

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Save The Orangutan Project

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Orangutans will most likely only be found in zoos within the next decade.

Orangutans will most likely only be found in zoos within the next decade

THE ORANGUTAN PROJECT: DEFORESTATION HURTS

Deadly Effects

We @calamitypolitics are deeply concerned about deforestation and the deadly effects it is having on the planet. Rain forests are important because they are home to thousands of unique animal species, some not even identified yet. Calamity Politics contributor, Michael Leonard Douglas, has written a compelling article explaining the hazards of deforestation. Please watch for it.

Palm Oil

One of the worst offending industries in the deforestation calamity is the palm oil industry  “Deforestation, habitat degradation, climate change, animal cruelty, and indigenous rights abuses in countries where it is produced, because land must be cleared for development and planting of the palm oil plantations,” The Orangutan Project.

Video

Please take the 3-4 minutes to watch this video from the Orangutan Project. The loss of habitat is leaving many of our close cousins homeless and afraid. Deforestation hurts. Join the effort to stop palm oil atrocities and other devastators of our precious and rapidly disappearing rain forests-Darlene

Cory Booker: A Candidate Close-Up

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Cory Booker: Close-Up

By Amaya Oswald & D.S. Mitchell

Intro To Cory Booker

As of February 1st, 2019, Cory Booker is officially running for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination. As of March 20, 2019, he now makes up one of sixteen Democrats running. And there are at least 2-3 other hopefuls still on the sidelines, including former Vice President, Joe Biden.

Middle Class Cory

Cory Anthony Booker was born in 1969, in Washington, D.C. His parents were among the first black executives hired at IBM. Cory grew up in a strong middle class home in Harrington Park, New Jersey. His family was religious. It is easy to imagine. Sometimes when he is giving a stump speech you can almost feel the revival coming on. All we need is a little foot stomping to make it happen.

Education

Cory Booker seems to be a bit of an overachiever in my eyes.  Cory was a damn good student and a damn good athlete. He was good enough in football to be named to the 1986 USA Today ALL-USA High School Team.  He continued to play football and was a tight end for Stanford. Even in this more competitive environment Cory was named to the PAC-10 Academic Team. Additionally he found time to be elected class president, at least once.  He earned a Bachelor’s in Political Science and a Master’s in Sociology. He got a Rhodes Scholar appointment and received an Honors Degree in U.S. History. And he topped all that off with a Juris Doctorate in 1997, from Yale Law School. WOW. That deserves some respect.

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Serial Killer Saudi Prince: The Death of Jamal Khashoggi

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The Death of Jamal Khashoggi

By Michael Leonard Douglas & D.S. Mitchell

Who was He?

Probably one of the most talked about stories of 2018 was that of  Jamal Khashoggi. His story is one tragedy that no one saw coming. At the age of 59, Jamal Khashoggi was a well-known Washington Post journalist. His career spanned more than 35 years, back to the 1980’s.

Early Years

Jamal Khashoggi was born on 10/13/1958 in Medina, Saudi Arabia. He was born to a well-connected Saudi family. Jamal was the nephew of notorious Iran-Contra arms dealer, Adnan Khashoggi who had an estimated wealth in 1984 of over $4B US. His first cousin, Dodi Fayed made headlines in 1997 when he was romantically linked to Princess Diana. Fayed and Diana were both killed in a car accident in Paris that same year. Jamal Khashoggi’s grandfather had been the personal physician to King Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Education

Khashoggi attended elementary and high school in Saudi Arabia. He came to the United States for his college education and went to Indiana State University, graduating in 1982 with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He married his first wife while in college and they later would have four children. Two of the children are American citizens.

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The Eternity of Now: Beto 20XX

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COMMENT:

Eternity of Now: Beto 20xx

By Ross Turner

The Eternity of Now: Beto 20xx

Only three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and Beto O’Rourke’s commitment to eventually make a decision about whether to run for President.  The three-time House Representative has been touring through the Southwest like a tumbleweed and has displayed an equally impressive sense of direction.  Will he run?  Won’t he?  Only one man knows.  He has yet to be found.

Political  Rock Star

Today, the winds of chance have carried the political rock star to another dusty, nameless pueblo in the heart of Texas.  Arriving on his unicycle with a small but zealous flock of supporters and reporters, O’Rourke stopped to speak with Calamity Politics.

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