Do You See Domestic Terrorism?

Do You See Domestic Terrorism?

Do You See Domestic Terrorism?

Alternate Title:

Do You See It When You See It?

Editor: Follow this link to watch some really ugly stuff that ICE is doing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOXOWAhFz0A

By Vajra Ma

Don’t you know that waking up in the middle of the night to the deafening roar of a helicopter over your home–that is not domestic terrorism?

Don’t you know when dozens of masked men in military gear smash your windows, break down your door and point their assault rifles at you–that is not domestic terrorism?

Don’t you know when they take you and your children at gunpoint from your home onto the street–that is not domestic terrorism? And when you are forced to stand there for hours, barely clothed or even naked–that is not domestic terrorism?

Don’t you know that when your children are taken from you, zip-tied and held corralled in a van for hours–that is not domestic terrorism?

Doesn’t it make you feel better this is happening to all the other 140 people in your five-story apartment building?

Don’t you know you are not experiencing terror? You are experiencing protection. Protection from the “mass invasion of hardened, foreign criminals.”

One of those criminals might be behind one of those 140 doors! That’s the only reason masked men smashed your windows, broke down your door, dragged you out of bed and separated you from your children–to protect you from the domestic terrorism of criminals.

The violence you experienced is protection.

George Orwell said it long ago. War is peace. Hate is love. And if I hold up four fingers you’d better say you see five.

What do you see?

But it’s more than that. If I hold up four fingers you must believe you see five.

What do you believe​? Do you see four, or do you see five?

 

Part 2-Trump Racism is Bad for America

Part 2-Trump Racism is Bad for America

Part 2-Trump Racism is Bad for America

 

By T.K. McNeil

Trump Racism is Bad for America. I ended Part I of Trump Racism Is Bad For America by wondering aloud if we were about to return to the dark days of death squads, concentration camps, and gas ovens. Trump racism is obvious for anyone with eyes, ears, or an X account. We are rocked out of our beds daily by angry and racially inflammatory 2 a.m. Tweets. Trump uses a practiced, coded language of dog whistles and red meat taunts that he pitches regularity to his MAGA hatted support base. The intent, an obviously planned effort to keep them agitated and ready for action. If nothing else, Trump’s base seems willfully ignorant and obsessed by fear. If Trump senses any ebbing in support he orders an extra rally, or maybe two; re-news attacks on the press; berates everyone from Rachel Maddow to Zelinskyy; but most notably, he intensifies attacks against immigrants, NFL players, entertainers like Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen, threatening “major investigations.” That’s how Trump works.

Trump racism dressed as law and order. Have people forgotten Trump opened his 2016 campaign with an unprecedented tirade against Mexican “criminal, drug mules and rapists?” Trump has revived nativist themes that have not been heard aloud since George H.W. Bush. In 1988 HW supporters used the image of a black killer/rapist Willie Horton to effectively sabotage his opponent Michael Dukakis. Until now, that ad campaign was considered a true low point in political racist tactics.

Jump to today. In a similar tact Trump is replacing the face of black man Willie Horton with the brown face of an illegal immigrant, and convicted cop killer, Luis Bracamontes. Hammering the anti-immigrant theme Trump claims that Democrats will open the country to criminals. Trump’s vitriol is toxic, but Trump is convinced that it was just such rhetoric that secured him the presidency the first time. Instinctively, he keeps pushing the limits of what passes for barely acceptable political discourse toward an ever-darkening place.

More evidence of Trump racism keeps emerging.  Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney for over a decade and a convict for three years, opens up about Trump racism. On Friday 11-2-2018 Vanity Fair published a damning portrait of the president. According to Cohen, Trump made frequent racist comments, most particularly against blacks. Cohen claimed that Trump frequently used the N word and other demeaning statements made about black people, their intellect, their abilities, their communities and even their countries. Cohen confirmed to Vanity Fair writer Emily Jane Fox that language reported by Omarosa Manigault Newman in her book, “Unhinged An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House” was typically Trump. So, Trump doesn’t limit his hate; he hates everybody that isn’t orange.

Keeping the fire hot.  Trump has never stopped his campaigning. He has never become president of all the people. He is president of a core base and his goal is to keep them frightened and angry. He wants them fired up ready to attack whenever and wherever he points his accusatory finger. Trump racism is emerging more clearly as time progresses. Trump’s inflammatory language, reckless “otherism” and dehumanizing xenophobic attacks are clearly designed to divide the country.

Fear and Loathing is part of the performance.  It’s no surprise that we as a country have a scrubbed and shiny public face and a secret horrific Dorian Grey face.  That hidden-self, locked in the basement of our national identity is trying to come out of its imprisonment. All the while Trump, our Mad Hatter conductor, has had us on a head spinning ride of public debauchery, corruption and criminality. Trump careens from truth to delusion, to conspiracy theory, and back to racism all in blink of an eye.

Social Fears Are At The Root Of Trump’s Methodology.  That said, we all know that there is a portion of the American psyche that hates and fears immigration, that hates and fears the blacks, that hates and fears Jews, that hates and fears POC, that hates and fears the changing demographics of America, that hates and fears tomorrow, that hates and fears the unknown. Those societal fears are what Trump racism feeds on.

The foes of inclusiveness. The ability to whip the mentally susceptible and the White Supremacist extremist fringe into a frenzy of violence is easy to imagine. The increased racial and ethnic violence will become a growing problem as he continues to demonize the “others” in our society. This man has the biggest bully pulpit in the country and he is using it to inflame the worst elements of our society. He is using his position to promote fear and racial tensions as he divides the country with his Trump racist white supremacist agenda.

Continue reading

This is Not Normal

This is Not Normal

I raised my sign and held it right above his head

This is Not Normal

By John Curran

So, my girlfriends down at the Pole Dance Club bet me that I’d never do it. Well, that’s all it took. They should know me better than that. They sure never thought I’d get elected to Congress either, but here I am tonight to take on the fight, as best a little ‘ol ex-stripper can do. And, yeah, I was even warned about what they might do, if I actually carried out my plan. But c’mon,  they don’t really torture do they. No, fear will not be an issue and the opportunity is just too perfect to let it slip away. See, I’m new to this place and they don’t know me yet.  They just figure I’m gonna just do my small part as a so called “placeholder.” I’m s’posed to just stand here and act as a balance to the makeup of the receiving line for ‘Big D’, meaning, I’m young, female, white, of course, and over there, on their side, is old, male, white-as-white-is an we like balance it.  That’s the idea, anyway. D won’t be shaking my hand, actually, I wouldn’t let him, but he’ll  be busy with everybody else’s so…the timing is perfect.

The sign is small and innocuous, but the printing is large enough and quite clear.

And….the door is opening and here they come. If you’ve ever done the running of the bulls in Pamplona, well this is like that a bit; only it’s a lot slower and there’s only one bull and he doesn’t have horns, but somehow the smell of it is the same. A smell of excitement mixed with a tension like something could surely happen at any moment, and must not. A heavy sort of testosterone-like overlay as if the damn guns could be drawn any second.  A heavy vibe. Meanwhile, Big D’s coming down the aisle all shit-faced ‘n grinning, shaking them hands like crazy; and let me tell you this next little step was the easiest stunt that I have ever pulled, certainly of this damn magnitude.

The cameras followed Donald and me. No one got it, for the longest time. I just followed along behind him like I was s’posed to be there. I am so close I coulda’ touched him ‘n he’s not seeing me at all. Finally, this little old bald-headed white guy catches on and yanks my sign and it goes up in the air in pieces. And later it was obvious all the media was trying to ignore it, like it never happened, but it did. All my girl friends down at the Pole Dance Club  assured me, “You killed it, girl. It was the funniest thing ever, and you can have your old job back here too, anytime, ’cause we’s just so proud of you, Tiger.”

Editor: This is a fantasy based on some facts.

OPINION: “All Evil is Done in the Name of Good”

OPINION: 

“All Evil is Done in the Name of Good”

It's good to have a lawless president

Editor: First, I’d like to welcome a new writer to the Calamity fold. Welcome, Vajra Ma. I thought this might be a good time to remind readers if you have something to say about life, politics, healthcare, UFO’s, conspiracy theories, or anything else for that matter, just send it to my direct email: ditchawk@aol.com and I swear I will at least read it.  Please print SUBMISSION in capital letters on the reference line. If you want to get paid the standard $20, you must have a PayPal account for Calamity to pay you.  Additionally, I am the editor. I edit and reserve that right with all submissions Once a submission reaches my in box I decide on changes when and where I think they ARE needed. Thanks, happy submitting.

OPINION: 

“All Evil is Done in the Name of Good”

By Vajra Ma

The question: – What is your reaction to writer, teacher, New Thought pioneer, Emma Curtis Hopkins’ statement that “all evil is done in the name of good,” and compare this to Ernest Holmes’ observation that, “We shall have to learn that evil is neither person, place, or thing of itself, but is an experience which we are allowed to have – because of our divine individuality.

It’s Good

It is good that the United States has a president who will make America great again.

It is good that the current US president has revived the slogan “America First” otherwise this inspiring slogan of the 1940s movement, headed by Minnesota Senator Ernest Lundeen, to support Hitler in WWII might have fallen into the depths of obscurity.

It is good that the U.S. has a president who repeatedly tells us he will make America great again, and by the way, don’t ever forget, “he is the only one who can fix it.”

The Hand of God?

It is good to have a man of great leadership and character in the White House. MAGA followers believe God chose him, a man:
Who has been convicted of rape.
Who has been accused of sexual assault by two dozen women.
Who brags about grabbing women by the pussy.
Who had sex with a porn star while his wife was home with their new baby.

Surely, it will be such a man that can make America great again.

Big Lie Histrionics

It is good this man declares the 2020 election was stolen, even though:

…he lost 60 court cases trying to prove it.

…he was convicted of 34 felony counts of his election fraud (euphemistically called the ‘hush money’ case).

…Fox News paid the slandered Dominion Voting Machines $787.5 million in settlement for defamation AND  acknowledgement that FOX had knowingly broadcast false statements about Dominion. (In other words Fox News lied and the election was not stolen.)

…in the Jan 6 Congressional Hearings our strong man’s campaign manager and White House lawyer (and several other Republican supporters) testified that the election was not rigged and that they told Trump so and he was even caught on tape admitting he knew he had lost; but it is good that the Big Lie continues.

Stolen Elections

It is good to say the election was stolen because he is making America great again.

“…in the Big Lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods.

“It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying.”
— Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, vol. I, ch. X.

Noble Tweets

“He who saves his country violates no law.” This is another noble truth and it is good the U.S. president recently tweeted it. Otherwise this guiding principle might have disappeared into obscurity after self-proclaimed neo-Nazi Anders Breivik used it to justify his 2011 slaughter of 69 youth in Norway and injury of 41 more. Breivik himself revived this truth from obscurity after studying Hitler and Napoleon.

It is good to pardon those who responded to the 2020 stolen election by storming the Capitol on Jan 6th

-wherein 174 Capitol police officers were injured wherein four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months.
-wherein damage caused by attackers exceeded $2.7 million.
-wherein the mob built a gallows and chanted “Hang Mike Pence.”
-wherein they shat on the carpets and smeared in on the walls.
-wherein the “MAGA shaman” wearing red, white and blue face paint and animal horns prayed to God and Jesus in the Congressional chamber after the members of Congress fled for safety.

Strong Man Heroes

It is good the strong man tweeted that day:
“These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long”. Then, “Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!” [emphasis added]

Pardoning all those who were tried, convicted and imprisoned for these crimes is good because it makes America great again.

It is good to have a president who admires and openly praises dictators: Orban, Putin, and Duterte. And exchanges “love letters” with brutal North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un; but its all good.

Tracking Lies and Falsehoods

It is good that during his first term the strong man spoke 30,000 lies or misleading statements (fact-checked and published by the Washington Post) because he is making America great again.

It is good Trump recently kicked the Associated Press out of the WH pressroom because they refused to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. This removal of AP puts America First and helps make America great again.

It is good the president of the U.S. votes at the U.N. in alignment with Russia, China, and Iran and against Europe and Ukraine. It makes America great again.

It is good to say Ukraine started the war. It makes America great again.

It is good to make Canada into the Fifty-first State of the United States.  It makes America great again.

It is good that Greenland should belong to the United States, “We strongly support your right to determine your own future. And if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America. We need Greenland for national security and even international security…And I think we’re gonna get it—one way or the other, we’re gonna get it.  [emphases added]  Congressional Address March 4, 2025

It’s Good to Have Trump as President

It is good that anyone reading this consider it fake news because even though these items are a matter of record, it is good to have this president.

Why?

Because it’s America First!
The election was stolen!
He is making American great again!

Back to Divine Individuality

In alignment with Ernest Holmes, American citizens are free to elect such an experience because of our “divine individuality.” Free will, as he says, is either our bondage or our freedom, depending upon what we choose to believe. Holmes also said, “Humanity has suffered enough.” Have we?

The time is coming when we (humanity) will collectively realize we have suffered enough and evil will disappear into the bloated nothingness it is. Meanwhile—as inherent and necessary part of that disappearing process—I call out the lies.

And so it is.

Let’s Get Off the Couch

Let’s Get Off the Couch

Let’s Get Off the Couch

By D. S. Mitchell 

 

One to the Solar Plexus

Trump’s 2024 election victory hit me like a Mac truck. I wasn’t just physically devastated; I was psychologically traumatized. All those rallies, all those meetings, all those phone calls, all those yard signs, all those donations; all for nothing. Quite truthfully, that first week after the election I huddled on the couch with my Teddy, a soft blankie, and a fifth of Johnnie Walker within easy reach. What now? I worried.

BS and Bluster

I didn’t have to wait long for my answer. It’s clear, Trump’s solution to high meat and egg prices is to seize Greenland, annex Canada, institute tariffs on our two biggest trading partners Mexico and Canada, send American troops to secure the Panama Canal, from what we are not sure of, and then Trump’s desire to take over Gaza from Israel. With billions in investment capital and an army of bulldozers Trump states he will turn the rubble of Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. Of course the displacement of the 2.14 million Palestinians is illegal and Trump himself admits that  U.S. military intervention may be required. Before the uproar over that absurdity quieted down, Trump told Ukrainians that they needed to be ready to guarantee the supply of more rare earth metals in exchange for our continued support in their fight against Putin.

Google On

Until this week, lawmakers, even Democrats, have been telling us to please just relax, Trump won’t be able to do any of these things; it’s just the old guy hyping the unpredictable and outrageous to keep us all off balance and unsure of what to do in response to his reckless disregard for our laws and our institutions. Well, Google took him seriously, and so have the oligarchs in waiting. Google announced it will change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The richest people in the country are lining up to give financial support to the Orange One. Talk about bending the knee and kissing the ring. What I’d say, we have here is bending of the knee and kissing the ass. I don’t think we have time to sit back and wait, they are moving through the government departments with a wrecking ball.

Critical Action

Get up off the couch, drop the Teddy, put the bottle of Johnnie Walker down and start calling your friends and neighbors. It’s up to us to form an effective response to Trump’s lawless approach to government. Let’s get moving, we have a democracy to save.

24 Things to be Thankful For

24 Things to be Thankful ForJust because Trump was re-elected we still have much to be thankful for.

24 Things to be Thankful For

By Cate Rees-Hessel with Wes Hessel

A Sad Day

Thanksgiving 2024 was a very sad day for so many of us. It’s unbelievable that Donald Trump has once again been elected president of the United States. But despite that despicable result, we still have many things to be thankful for. I was heartbroken hearing a favorite and familiar hymn being sung by right-wing conservative fundamentalists, when Trump received the number of electoral votes to win the election.

Blasphemy

I do still question the legitimacy of this outcome, and intend to fight back by joining in any and all peaceful protests against “The Donald” and JD Vance. As a devout liberal Christian of Jewish heritage, I found the singing of this hymn for Trump’s “win” to be blasphemous.

In This Storm

I do find comfort, however, in the lyrics of one of my favorite Christian contemporary songs by the very talented CCM recording artists “Casting Crowns”. For almost the past two decades “Praise You in this Storm” has brought me comfort. I am not sure where this band stands politically, but the music brings me hope. “Although my heart is torn, I will praise you in this Storm”. I do believe that God is in control, but I will always vehemently disagree with anyone supporting the orange monster, even those I care about.

24 Reasons

But there are things to be yet thankful for in the holiday season. I want to offer encouragement to our saddened world this holiday season, so here are my twenty four things to be thankful for in ‘24…

  1. I am thankful for loved ones, including my furbabies.
  2. I am thankful that while we celebrate the conclusion of this year that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are still in office.
  3. I am thankful for the Lincoln Project.
  4. I am thankful that we can still put a turkey on the table this Thanksgiving before we have one in the White House again. My spouse feels calling Trump a turkey is an insult to the mean, cantankerous, stupid fowl, but it’s a far less insulting term than the ones I usually reserve for the Donald.
  5. I am thankful for Harris-Walz, and the honest campaign they ran.
  6. I am thankful for Democrats and our fight to retain democracy against the “dictator from day one”.
  7. I am thankful for certain Republicans like Liz Cheney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and others that actually voted against Trump.
  8. I am thankful for Mary Trump.
  9. I am thankful for feminist pride.
  10. I am thankful for every woman that did not die from miscarriages and lack of health care before the extremist “anti-abortion” laws, and I am broken hearted for those who perished at the hands of the tyrant Trump.
  11. I am thankful to currently live in a free democracy.
  12. I am thankful for the right to vote, and hope to continue living in our nation as I pray it remains a free country.
  13. I am thankful for necessary government programs that benefit the disabled, children, and seniors, but will I be able to say this next Thanksgiving? I hope so, but I am not holding my breath.
  14. I am thankful for those willing to fight for our freedom – our military will never be “suckers” or “losers”, no matter what the immoral orange haired monster calls them.
  15. I am thankful that I live in a state with a very strong Democratic governor.
  16. I am thankful for the many women that I have stood with over the years that fought for equality – we still won’t go back.
  17. I am thankful for COVID vaccines that President Biden made available after the Donald wrecked our economy and cost thousands to lose their lives with the mishandling of the pandemic.
  18. I am thankful the pandemic is over and we can finally manage COVID, thank you again to the Biden administration, as well as Dr. Fauci and all those who worked tirelessly to slow down and stop the pandemic.
  19. I am thankful for my neighbors that have immigrated to our nation in hopes of a better life or to be with family, but will they be deported?
  20. Although I am not diabetic, I am thankful for insulin being capped at $35 for those who do need it.
  21. I am thankful that no one’s cats or dogs were actually eaten – that rumor was started by a racist crazy man whose lemmings voted him unbelievably into office again.
  22. I am thankful that I am a childless cat lady that proudly voted for Kamala Harris and will continue to show my love for children and furbabies in my own ways, joining the many women who although are not mothers per se, are vital and strong without the approval of Mr. Vance.
  23. I am thankful I don’t use any of JD Vance’s hair products – I thought Brill Cream went out in the 1960’s.
  24. I am thankful that I won’t be purchasing blasphemous books that I simply can’t refer to as God’s Word signed by Trump (the Bible in no way needs his endorsement), or the bevy of Trumpy souvenirs this holiday season. My fireplace just isn’t big enough for MAGA hats and hideous gold sneakers, or worse yet Trumpy Bear (and burning those hats, sneakers, or “bear” would be toxic)…

In Conclusion

I would be very thankful to see Trump sentenced to prison for his 34 felonies this week. That would be a holiday miracle to benefit the greater good. Yes, our hearts are certainly torn up for sure, but we must not give up hope. Happy Trump-free holiday season for everyone. In closing, thanks to our current Biden Harris administration for the second year in a row the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner cost less than in previous years. Be blessed and stay safe everyone…

 

Trump’s a Convicted Felon-Now What?

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…

No Other “President” In History

No Other “President” In History

Trump established many new firsts most of them bad, destructive and downright reprehensible

No Other “President” In History

 

By Cate Rees-Hessel & Wes Hessel

 

First Failure

I vowed when Trump took office to never call him “president”. For the sake of this article, I will loosely refer to him as such. “The Donald” is the first world leader to do many things but none of them are positive. Read on about Trump’s dubious “firsts”, and then vote blue:

No Other “President” In History

  1. First U.S. president to promise to be a dictator. America is a democracy, a republic technically, but still – our forefathers are spinning in their graves at this conduct.
  2. He is the first to want a military parade – not to honor our veterans but to seal the fact he wants to be a dictator.
  3. Refused to attend the inauguration of the newly elected President Biden – first president to not attend his successor’s inaugural ceremony in 152 years.
  4. Claimed the election was stolen from him because he lost, when in fact President Biden received 81,283,098,  a record number of popular votes.
  5. Trump was the first president to claim his predecessor (Obama) was not born in the United States and as such was disqualified from even running for the office.
  6. Has never released any tax returns – the first president in 45 years to have kept them secret.
  7. Lost party control of the House, Senate, and then his own office – first time in 89 years.
  8. Trump was the first president that failed to achieve at least a 50% approval rating at any time during his 4 years in office.
  9. Trump is the first president to openly support ”Christian Nationalism” – a.k.a. “white supremacy”.
  10. The first president ever indicted for crimes; paying off a porn star, mishandling classified documents, election law violations, etc., trying to hide behind an invented presidential immunity claim. At last count Trump had at least 88 felony charges against him, and in the words of Curly in “City Slickers”, “Day ain’t over yet…”
  11. First president to cause a foreign nation to issue a warrant for his arrest.
  12. Invited an insurrection – obviously first (and hopefully only) president to incite violent action against our government.
  13. Promises a national “bloodbath” if he loses the 2024 election.
  14. First former president to run for election after already losing his bid for a second term – first president in 28 years.
  15. Trump is the first former president to hawk bibles and gold painted high top sneakers to a weary late night television crowd.
  16. A Godless man using the faith of other to get votes, selling expensive Bibles to fleece far right wing supporters. Holding a Bible (upside down) he does not read, outside a church he does not attend, to get votes.
  17. Brought the first centerfold “first lady” into the White House.
  18. Insisted on visiting Pittsburgh after the synagogue shooting in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Trump disregarded the Jewish mourning process to sit shiva for the deceased, showing disrespect for the Jewish community.
  19. When Trump entered office he dissolved the Infectious Disease Task Force which was put in place by the Obama-Biden administration, to quickly address communicable disease issues. That action crippled the response to the COVID-19 pandemic leading to the death of 1,200,000 (or 120,000 depending again, on your source) in the U.S. He was the first president in a 120 years to preside over a crippling nationwide pandemic.
  20. Trump took credit for vaccines that President Biden was actually responsible for.
  21. Claimed in letters to Americans that he personally was responsible for the  first stimulus checks, when in fact it was the House of Representatives led by Nancy Pelosi that was responsible for the checks.
  22. First president to deliver fumbling, bumbling remarks about Easter, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War with such iron pyrite nuggets such as, “Gettysburg, what an unbelievable battle that was. The Battle of Gettysburg, what an unbelievable-I mean, it was so much and so interesting, and so vicious and horrible, and so beautiful in so many different ways.”
  23. Another first when the former bragged about, “Grabbing  ’em by the p____” .
  24. A serial adulterer during each of his multiple marriages while claiming to be a Christian man.
  25. The first to  brag about overturning established legal precedent. Roe v. Wade was 50 years of established law when Donald’s Supreme Court overturned it. We now have chaos and confusion. leading to dangerous  pregnancy complications going untreated.
  26. Trump wants to see programs for children eliminated. He supports childhood poverty unless they’re white males.
  27. Encourages the repugnant practice of trophy hunting.
  28. Trump is Putin’s puppet – the first president believed to have won election  aided by a foreign power.
  29. Wants to destroy Social Security for seniors and disabled Americans.
  30. The first to mock and make fun of a disabled journalist
  31. Trump appointed Postal Service hater Louis DeJoy to head the USPS. With DeJoy in office, our mail arrives late in the day, if at all. The plan was to line his and wealthy supporter’s pockets with service outsource contracts by privatizing the Postal Service.
  32. The first candidate to advocate for the elimination of Obama Care, Medicare, and Medicaid, effectively making healthcare only for the rich, and the white.
  33. The first candidate who’s election speeches are more like a bad comedy act, threatening retribution and poking vicious “fun,” at the deep state, yet not once giving legitimate reasons to vote for him.
  34. Trump is supporting turning back time on women’s, LGBTQ, children’s, and minorities’ rights.
  35. The first to refuse to allow White House cleaning staff to clean specific areas of the WH, leading to a rodent infestation – of course, Trump is the biggest rat of all.
  36. Claimed victory for an election he didn’t win before all votes were counted – the first president to not concede their loss.
  37. Trump called soldiers “suckers” and “losers”, refusing to go to honor their ultimate sacrifice in WWII.
  38. His policies added nearly 8 trillion dollars to our national debt, the most by far of any president.
  39. Trump was impeached twice, the only president to be so distinguished.
  40. Also, the only president whose own party member voted for his impeachment conviction.
  41. Of all the presidents, he is the first to not sleep in the same bedroom as his wife.

(Thanks to Dan Kunz at the Coeur d’Alene/Post Falls Press for his article highlighting many of these inauspicious firsts.)

Be True Blue

It is imperative we vote blue – we need reelection for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris; the alternative is unthinkable. Racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism are out of control in our nation. Once the orange haired monster got a taste of power, the floodgates of hate and insanity were opened wide, and it’s very difficult but not impossible to stop the storm. Should “The Donald” be elected for another term, things will be even worse than his first horrific term. Trump is out of control and we just need to send him a clear message that he will never enter the Oval Office (or any other part of the White House) again.

Hasn’t Got a Prayer

Franklin Graham (no stranger to scandal) is demanding we pray for Donald Trump, but he has no right demanding anything. This is the typical arrogant, lemming-like behavior of Trump’s supporters. I pray that the orange monster is convicted of the crimes that he committed and goes to prison. I pray our nation will be finally be rid of him, once and for all. Here are some ways to get involved and ride the blue wave:

  1. Offer to make election calls for Democrats.
  2. Donate what you can to the Democratic election efforts – if you can’t financially support campaigns, give of your time.
  3. Bumper stickers, yard signs, t-shirts, etc. – we can display these things for Democrats with far more dignity and class than MAGA’s in their red hats and gold metallic gym shoes.
  4. Offer your home for Democratic events such as meetings, watch parties, envelope stuffing, postcard writing, and so on.
  5. Don’t engage with MAGA’s – ignore the insanity they spew; it would be a battle of wits with an unarmed person. Let’s concentrate on a Democratic victory in November.
  6. Offer to transport people to the polls.
  7. Volunteer to register folks in your community to vote.
  8. Post on social media positive things that Democrats are doing, and the negative things Republicans are up to.
  9. VOTE!
  10. Do pray that President Biden and Vice President Harris are reelected, and the orange haired monster is convicted of his crimes.

We can do this, together and united we stand for democracy…

Resources: www.democrats.org, www.lincolnproject.us, www.facebook.com/p/Mary-L-Trump-100076207187060/, www.taylorswift.com.

 

No Worries. Are You Kidding Me?

No Worries. Are You Kidding Me?

 

Worry is my middle name and I have good reason to be worried

No Worries. Are You Kidding Me?

By D. S. Mitchell

 

Closet Worrier

I never considered myself a worrier; however I have  probably always been a closet worrier. I was the one that would call twice to confirm a reservation and of course I made sure that we always took two of everything (just in case). Now that I’m an elder, and retired, I have found an abundant amount of time to worry and an endless supply of issues to worry about. I have thrown off my shackles and emerged into the light as an admitted worrier.

Growing Louder

What used to be occasional whispers in my busy working mind have grown louder now that I am free of the time clock. I worry about the mutating COVID virus, and do I need another booster? I worry that I forgot to rotate my tires at 5,000 miles. When did I last check the air pressure, I fret. Did I remember to send my forever best friend from high school a card on her birthday? Then there’s climate change, and the rising ocean levels, Russian aggression in the Ukraine, the rape and murder of Israelis on 10/7,  the death of 33,000 Palestinian civilians in Gaza. And we can’t forget the threat of nukes in space, the Chinese on Mars, the speeding up of the Jet Streams, an alien invasion, an AI takeover, nuclear war, and the possibility of an asteroid impact. And what about all those conspiracy theories; are they all wrong; or just partly wrong? Will we ever find Jimmy Hoffa’s bones?

Did You Hear?

Did you see that there was a massive die off of honeybees in the United States in 2023, killing over 51% of the honeybee hives. Furthermore, in case you missed it on the news, the biggest iceberg in history is now floating somewhere in the open ocean south of Australia. I have at my disposal an endless spool of worry; replaying events over-and-over in my head; each exchanging their places in turn, as I worry about each new threat.

I Love Joe

I have recently begun transferring all of these concerns to an off planet storage facility-I think its called the cloud. I want to have plenty of space in my head for election year worries. Don’t misunderstand; there isn’t a single day that goes by that Joe Biden doesn’t prove he’s a better man than Donald Trump ever thought of being. Not one day of Donald Trump’s life, has he ever thought of anyone but himself. As General John Kelly confirmed, Trump “is the most flawed person (I’ve) ever met.” Unfortunately, for the United States, Trump is once again being allowed to run for president; and with the Electoral College system he could easily win.

Not Long Ago

There was a time in the recent past when a candidate for the highest office in our land was not a criminal, a grifter, or wanna-be tyrant; that was of course before Donald Trump came on the scene. Since Trump’s  emergence as a right wing demagogue he has been setting law breaking records; amazing even those who know him best. I realize there are many in the electorate who may have forgotten the list of outrages this one man crime wave has committed. For those amnesic individuals I offer Seth Meyers.

Early to Bed, Ready to Worry

I go to bed early, so, sadly, I miss all the late night comedy shows. But, this is 21st century America and I have YouTube. A recent Seth Meyer’s monologue turned up the heat on my worr-ia-tor. Listen folks, a quick review of the recent past is reason enough to worry about what criminal tactics Trump will use to guarantee his winning the 2024 election. That’s right, folks, I truly believe Trump and his crime associates will try to once again overthrow an election. That would be two in a row. The loss of public morality is shocking and should be a worry for all of us who haven’t been drinking the Kool-Aid or who aren’t looking for a Mango Mussolini to worship.

Seth Meyers Made a List

After coming out on top as the presumptive Republican nominee for president Trump was eviscerated by Late Night host, Seth Meyers. In a near two minute opening monologue, Meyers reeled off a list of outrageous things Donald Trump has done, or has been accused of doing.  Here in Seth’s own words: “Presumptive GOP nominee for president, again, for a third time, despite the fact he is a twice-impeached, four-time criminally indicted and racist who’s been found liable for fraud and sexual abuse. Banned from doing business in the state of New York for three years. Owes over half a billion dollars in fines and judgments. Took millions from foreign governments while he was president. Tried to extort a foreign country to interfere in the 2016 election and encouraged another to help him win in 2020.”

No Stopping Him

Meyers, however, did not stop there. Trump “actively undermined our nation’s response to a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and let a deadly disease spiral out of control. (He) is about to go on trial for breaking campaign finance laws by paying hush money to cover up an affair during the 2016 campaign. He orchestrated a months-long coup attempt that culminated in a violent insurrection to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power and install him as an unelected dictator. (Trump) stole classified documents and obstructed attempts to get them back. (The man) has never won the popular vote and has been routinely rejected by a majority of Americans in election after election.”

There’s More?

At this point you may think Meyers had covered it all, but that’s when he reminds us of many other bizarre Trump moments. Meyers called Trump “the single weirdest, most off-putting human being on the face of the f****** planet. Trump spews deranged conspiracy theories about everything from climate change to immigration, from vaccines to windmills. Stumbles on three syllable words, two-syllable words and one-syllable words, cheats at golf, calls our dead soldiers suckers and losers, forgets who he’s running against.” At this point, Seth brings up a screen in the studio displaying  examples of Trump’s spelling errors.  “(He) can’t spell his own name, his wife’s name (or even remember it), the words “indicted,” “education,” “unprecedented,” stolen,” “Denmark,” “Kentucky” or “tap,” all spelled wrong, and many more.

Gamer Vocabulary

Myer’s summed up Trump in the following manner, “I’m sorry, but this guy is not a real person, he’s a glitching, (stumbling) NPC from a video game,” Meyers declared. **For the non-gamers out there; Seth’s reference to “NPC” (“Non-Player Character”) is used by him as a metaphor to describe someone he perceives as lacking independent thought.

 

Its Disgusting and Shocking

I worry that any group of people that would support a criminal and insurrectionist as their presidential candidate are likely to break any and all laws to get him back into the White House. Perhaps even “terminate the Constitution.” Bad actors, like Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea are lining up to run misinformation campaigns against Biden and the Dems. Sounds like criminals and thugs sticking together. The fact that the Republican Party is willing to hand over power to a man of  such obvious low character as Donald Trump is both outrageous, and demoralizing. Make no mistake the GOP will be running a ‘dictator for life’ candidate not a presidential candidate.

****

If you want to see the original Seth Meyers rant go to YouTube and put in Trump crimes-Seth Meyers on the search bar and you can watch Seth eviscerate Trump in a two minute rant. Everything he says is alarming and we should all be worried as hell.

A Trunk of Trump Junk

A Trunk of Trump Junk…

Donald Trump seems to have an endless number of items he likes to attach his name to. Here are a few parody samples

A Trunk of Trump Junk

 

By Cate Rees-Hessel and Wes 

China Sin-drone

Until Donald Trump no other presidential candidate or former “head” of state has ever hawked made-in-China, dime store quality, over priced rubbish.  For starters, we’ve got the Trumpy Bear, the MAGA hat, a Chia pet, and My Pillow. On this next one my dog would lift his leg: the ugliest gold high top never surrender sneakers ever created. I’m surprised there is no fake vomit or whoopee cushions in this collection of no-class trash. For those who missed it on The View, Rita Moreno made us all smile when she described a Trump sandwich, seen on a menu at a New York City deli: two slices of white bread (presumably all crust and likely stale), full of baloney, with a very small pickle; darn, it ruins gherkins for me. In case, Trump needs some ideas for a new grift product; I’ve come up with at least 36 ideas for Trump merchandise (with a smidge of input from the spouse…)

36 Ideas For Trump Merchandise

  1. A Trump mug shot, with double bonus autographed photos of Kid Rock and Roseanne Barr.
  2. MAGA hair tonic – turns hair neon orange while destroying any remaining brain cells Trumpsters might have.
  3. Putin’s Puppet – Trump on a string.
  4. Melania Botox in a box – you too can look like a washed up plastic Hustler centerfold.
  5. Melania Barbie – NOPE. NO WAY, NO HOW. (after all, Mattel has excellent taste – they brought us the Barbie movie-and decades of fantastic characters (toys).
  6. Grumpy Trumpy doll – voodoo perhaps…
  7. The Donald Disinfectant spray for when you grab ’em by the p—-.
  8. Big Mac erasers – I was just wondering if we could erase his face?
  9. American History for Dummies book.
  10. Trump motion lotion – just ewwwwww…
  11. Box set of The Apprentice on VHS.
  12. Trump toupee – it speaks for itself, complimentary mango orange tan cream included.
  13. Robe and slippers from Trump Hotel – likely made by child labor…per Melania’s instructions.
  14. Trump face dart board – now this I would buy; bullseye!
  15. “Steal the Election Game” – because it never happened in real life.
  16. Recording of “Fail to the Chief” – this should include a bonus track of the late Helen Reddy’s “Ain’t no Way to Treat a Lady” and “I am Woman” (hear me roar…)
  17. Revolutionary War-era airport parking permit.
  18. Trump kitty litter – because he is full of it.
  19. Trump Bobble-head toilet bowl brush – enough said…
  20. Trump toilet paper – maybe not, don’t want it touching my rear end.
  21. Trump deodorant – because he stinks.
  22. Poster of all American Presidents photos with a question mark in 45’s slot.
  23. Trump Troll doll.
  24. Trumpy election flask – because you have to be drunk to vote for him.
  25. Trump orange suit – for that matchy, matchy look…I understand there are matching sandals.
  26. Trump-monopoly – go straight to jail, do not pass go.
  27. Trump hemorrhoid cream – because, some have said, he is a significant pain in the rump.
  28. Humpty Trumpty puzzle – sat on a wall, had a great fall, and all the king’s men would not put him back together again (my spouse commented that this isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and he wouldn’t shell out for it).
  29. Interchangeable photo cube – choose the faith of the book he carries upside down, outside of a house of worship he never attends.
  30. Well, there is no way we can produce a Trump pet rock because his followers would throw them at the Capitol building.
  31. MAGA mixed nuts gift pack.
  32. An inflatable life-size Trumpy – pull his string and the government shuts down.
  33. This year instead of a Vote for Trump yard sign-go all in with his new twelve foot tall inflatable Trump balloon; great for your front yard.
  34. Trump’s Chumps T-shirt (my husband came up with this one).
  35. Melania ball and chain silver plated jewelry set.
  36. President Biden doll pushing a dumpster containing all this garbage…