Context is Everything

The dog whistles turn into bugle calls as the beat towards Civil War goes on. Trump has never been more than a paper tiger in this battle. A necessary distraction as the real enemies coalesced, mobilized and fortified undetected. A marionette to amuse the masses with stories of greatness and possibility. A pawn to sacrifice in the battles ahead as the grand masters calculate their next moves; position their knights, and prepare to dethrone their enemies.

Context is everything. To properly evaluate a leader’s effectiveness one must consider their agenda and mission. This is separate from a job performance which is tied to one’s role and responsibility. Though you would hope the interests align, it is possible for a leader to still be effective in advancing their mission, even while simultaneously failing in their job responsibilities.

Take Donald Trump for instance (please). It is clear to most that Donald Trump has failed in his role as President of the United States. He makes no effort to advance the collective interests of our citizenry and in fact takes glee in alienating those who don’t support his cause. He has weakened our national security interests and eroded cultural and societal norms.

As our nation’s Chief Diplomat the President is not supposed to intentionally and with purpose alienate our allies, antagonize foes, leak national security photos and briefings, attack our intelligence agencies or place active foreign agents and known security risks in charge of our National Security Agency. Yet this is exactly what has occurred under Trump’s watch.

Scan the headlines and observe how far the boundaries of acceptability have stretched domestically. Calls for Civil War! Accusations of treason! Demands to out an anonymous whistleblower. Forget the quid pro quod with Zelensky, the layovers at Trump owned resorts and kickbacks to nearby fueling stations! Talk of a second round of tax breaks, permanent cuts to entitlements, escalation of ridiculous trade wars, all new innovations that benefit the oligarchy at the expense of the worker. That advance the agenda of Donald Trump and those he serve. Immigrants and refugees turned away at our borders to ensure the whitening of America. All roads lead to Jerusalem anyways.

Understand Donald Trump has been a successful leader in that his agenda has never been that of a traditional President. His agenda is not to advance the cause of ordinary Americans. Donald Trump seeks to advance the interests of Donald Trump and those he may benefit from, regardless of party or nationality. In this regard, Trump’s presidency has been a rousing success. If that requires the nation be divided and dissenters cleaved from the whole, so be it. All is fair game and potential collateral in the art of the deal.

Suck it Up, Buttercup

Listen, I get it. It sucks to be duped. To get your hopes up believing that someone is the real deal. That they are going to fight the rigged system they got rich off of to level the playing field for the common man. It’s easy to believe in hope when it’s packaged correctly.

Don’t feel bad. Young and old, rich and poor, black or white all of us are susceptible to a good con. It’s truly one of life’s great equalizers that knows no prejudice. As for Trump, well he is the ultimate con man. He identified a weakness and took advantage of it. Spun a yarn and sold America a big heaping turd of a promise to make us great again.

Now is the time to face reality though. It may sting a bit, but suck it up buttercup. We’re at that point of the show where the buffoonish villain has overstayed his welcome. Pull on your big boy pants and get out of the grift now.

Before we lose everything.

Understand Donald Trump is not on your side. He’s never been on your side. He’s not even a real Republican. Without regards to morality or values he simply follows whatever path he believes leads to the most power and money

The Shaggy Defense

But she caught me on the counter (It wasn’t me)
Saw me bangin’ on the sofa (It wasn’t me)
I even had her in the shower (It wasn’t me)
She even caught me on camera (It wasn’t me)
She saw the marks on my shoulder (It wasn’t me)
Heard the words that I told her (It wasn’t me)
Heard the screams get louder (It wasn’t me)
She stayed until it was over

The ridiculous denials of Deranged Donald to the Ukraine allegations really do parody the old Shaggy song about infidelity, “It Wasn’t Me.” Heck even Trump’s good buddy Chris Christie nearly choked when he learned of the “transcribed” confession.

Imagine the hubris to openly do Putin’s bidding yet somehow believe cries of “Witch hunt”and “Presidential Harassment” will shield your actions from scrutiny. Why is it that our so called President feels and acts like he can shoot someone in the face in broad daylight and get away with it? Who does he think will believe the obvious manure he peddles?

The truth is Trump knows that so long as he continues to advance the primary interests of his supporters they don’t care that he uses the office of Presidency to advance his own self interests. That was the deal that put him into the office in the first place. He’d advance the agendas of the Raptureheads, Russia enabled military hawks and racist status quo dependent deplorables in return for their undying pledge of loyalty. Welcome to the Don the Con’s Crime Syndicate.

The sad reality is each denial Trump brazenly utters, each tweetstorm he ignites, is done not to clear his name, but to reinforce the art of the deal. His enablers don’t actually believe his denials. They don’t need to. Cognitive dissonance is a powerful force and so long as 45 provides them a few sound bites, conspiracy theories and alternative facts to afford them plausible deniability, this caravan of criminal and coconspirators will bury their head and move on to the next scandal unfettered.

Trump uses the Shaggy Defense in response to each scandal not because he thinks the majority will believe him, but to troll the deep state and his opposition. He takes the opportunity to delight his enablers with reminders of promises kept and platitudes of even greater things to come all while knowing he is untouchable.

Put Putin aside for the moment and ignore the real life implications it would have if Trump was indeed a Russian asset. Consider instead that Trump was placed into power by puppeteers like Preacher Pence, Bishop Pompeo and Brother Barr, the leaders of the American Taliban. Fine patriots who openly admit their allegiance is to God before country, and who seek salvation in the creation of a new world order. In Jesus’s name, amen.

It’s no coincidence that between his cries of “It wasn’t me!” Devout Donald made a sudden appearance at his recent press conference. Took the stage long enough to preen about being the first President in history to host a U.N. meeting on religious persecution and the need “to promote American values…I’m so surprised…I spoke to Franklin Graham about that. I can’t believe it…on protecting religious freedom and liberty for people around the world.”

The literal golden calf, but a means to an end.

Glance backstage and watch his other handlers pull his strings and openly applaud the “deconstruction” of our democracy. The merry bannon of American deplorables who tune out all fake news media sources and get their news direct from Fox News or funneled straight from Twitler’s Twitter stream. Take in the conspiracy theory laden memes, overt dog whistles and alternative facts spewn to enrage the dark underbelly of American society. Pieces of red meat tossed like bait to entice the Proud Boys and nationalist militias out of the shadows and into service. Each sardonic cry of “it wasn’t me!” echoing as a rallying cry for the masses to rise up in an insurrection against the party elites, and drain the swamp of anyone who dares interfere with the mission to make America great (white) again!

Democrats cannot take their foot off the pedal for even one second, let alone two weeks, on this Impeachment inquiry. They must seize the narrative and drive the daily headlines from here on out. Choke our so called President of the oxygen he needs to deliver on his promises and treat him like the clear and present danger he is. The point of no return is here. You can’t just poke at a cancer, you need to remove it and burn everything in its vicinity.

This time do not accept “Witchhunt” and “Presidential harassment” as legitimate defense. Stay on the story until it’s conclusion. Stop falling for false narratives and manufactured storylines. This is all a carefully orchestrated reality shit show. It’s called “America’s Dictator – A New World Order.” Instead of a rose ceremony each episode seems to ends with another facet of our democracy engaging in a dramatic round of Russian Roulette. The longer we allow this game to continue the greater the odds that a bullet will fire and strike at the very heart of our democracy #ImpeachNow

Scared Schiffless

Initiation of an impeachment inquiry is not a political decision. A sitting President has torn the Constitution into shreds and sent the scraps to our immigrant camps so the inhabitants no longer have excuse to complain about the lack of toilet paper and menstrual pads.

Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats must demonstrate to the world that America remains on the side of morality, law and order. They must seize the daily headlines and shine light on all of the crimes and corruption that trickle down from the caravan of greedy oligarchs, religious fundamentalist and white supremacists that comprise the whole of today’s GOP.

The Democrats need to choke the oxygen that feeds this cabal. Take control of the narrative and sensationalize the crap out of an impeachment inquiry. Make it a spectacle each and every day. The purpose is not conviction, heck the majority of the Senate jury, are defendants in the inquiry; architects of the entire coup. The purpose is transparency.

The only way to defeat a bully is to face it head on and let the world see how weak it really is. To strip it of power you must first publicly expose the naked emperor so the world sees its insecurities. Laughs at its own naïveté and moves on to better things

The Case of the Ukrainian Shakedown

There’s no real mystery to this Ukraine story. It has all the nuance of a classic Scooby Doo episode. Right down to the unmasked bumbling villain.

Donald Trump is a transactional leader. He has no real agenda beyond his own self interests and approaches each situation as if there is a winner and loser. He cares not for the collective well being or long term impacts on our country or citizenry. For him it is all about being on the winning side and immediate gratification. Past alliances, traditions, procedures, laws, or precedent be damned! Whatever chips necessary to close the transaction and come out on top is what the art of the deal demands he include.

Trump does not think or act like a public servant. Traditional checks and balances are ineffective against an unconventional threat such as he. The only way to hold him to account is to starve him of the attention he seeks and take him out of the game. To change the rules of the game and draw a playing field that effectively neuters him. To defeat Trump you must place him in a defensive position and cut off his access to the two things that sustain him and keeps him afloat, unlimited resources and a devoted audience. The necessity of an impeachment inquiry is to do just this. Regardless of what the Senate may do, House Democrats must seize the daily narrative away from this merry bannon of criminals and corrupt enablers and force them to spend all resources and efforts in defense of their freedom.

Make no mistake, it’s not impeachment that scares the bejeezus out of Deranged Donald. It’s the loss of his freedom and the knowledge that the Trump family brand will be permanently and irreparably destroyed that makes him so desperate to stay in power. He’ll do anything to ensure that remains the case. Cling to the shield of the presidency like a an orange moth to a cocoon.

If not for that meddling whistleblower, he may have gotten away with it too

America’s Choice

Donald Trump is a man of flawed character. The embodiment of the 21st century American dream. A child of the 1% with no discernible talent, skills or virtue beyond that of self promotion. A self aggrandizing narcissistic sycophant with an unhealthy obsession for celebrity and fame. A self hating man child who overcompensates for his shortcomings by bullying, intimidating and surrounding himself with “yes men.”

A man in constant need of validation because deep down he fears he will never live up to daddy’s expectations, never be truly loved. A man with an ego so fragile he can’t deal with dissent or opposition. Who spent a lifetime avoiding accountability and consequences by silencing critics with bribes, quid pro quos and empty promises. Who justifies his deplorable behavior through incredible displays of cognitive dissonance; scapegoating, and otherwise shifting blame to the underprivileged, the disenfranchised, and those less able to defend themselves.

Like most bullies our so called President stands for nothing. He is driven by vengeance, looking only for the next score to settle, fight to win. Rules of the games do not apply, traditions and protocols be damned. All he knows is how to marginalize, belittle, conflate, de-legitimize and, when necessary, squash dissent and opposition. This allows him to continue presenting alternative facts, only now without the alternatives. Lies then become truth, and perception reality.

We As a country are at a crossroads. All Americans need to carefully consider their next move. Will it be impeachment or appeasement? Reflect on your history. Get informed. Ask yourself; when has the leader who ruled through fear, intimidation, propaganda and slogan been on the right side of history?

I’ll spare you the research.

The answer is never.

Impeachment or appeasement? Choose wisely #HistoryHasItsEyesOnYou

The Power of Impeachment

Those who continue to support our current POTUS understand this. All you are doing is publically identifying yourself as a dinosaur. Painting a scarlet letter on your sleeve that your way of thinking and very belief system will soon be relegated to the history books.

Pelosi’s announcement of an overdue impeachment inquiry will set off a chain reaction. Awaken the majority of this country from its long slumber and national nightmare. Accountability is infectious. Publicly shame and expose a bully and it is only a matter of time until the masses will turn on it, no matter how popular they once seemed. New and unexpected alliances will soon form to unite those who have longed to stand for virtue and defend the vulnerable. Make no mistake, morality has no color, creed or political allegiance.

In every corner of America you will find shared values and identity. The impeachment inquiry will be the alarm that finally awakens the majority of our citizenry. Republicans, Democrats and Independents, young and old, Muslim, Christian, Jews, atheists and other, scientists and clergy, gun enthusiasts and gun control advocates, men and women who wish to stand for the American dream, defend our immigrant nation.

The right to a free and independent press. The right of assembly. The right to be free from religious persecution. The necessity of checks and balances with 3 equal, though often inept, branches of government. The realization that we are the great melting pot. That diversity IS the American identity. We can’t change that anymore than a tiger can change its stripes. A list of all the great contributions immigrants and refugees have made to this country would dwarf a list of their misdeeds a million times over.

Americans are waking. We know who we are. And we like it that way. Our days of passiveness are done. We will demand transparency. We will proactively seek the truth, engage and speak out against false equivalents. No longer will we be intimidated or bullied into silence.

This is not to say we should let our guards down. Far from it, the resistance is just getting started. Dinosaurs fight hardest the nearer to extinction they are. We must brace ourselves for whatever Trump and his merry bannon of criminals and corrupt enablers plan next. Even domesticated animals grow unpredictable when desperate and afraid; when the inevitability of their predicament grows apparent. In the case of Deranged Donald, extinction is near and #ImpeachmentIsComing; for progress knows but one direction #Forward

Age of Rationality

Death and destruction are at our doorstep and it’s time to remove the Welcome mat. The challenges of the future will not be solved with nationalism, faith and walls but will require coalitions, common sense & compromise. For humanity to survive the impacts of climate change, overpopulation, antibiotic resistant pandemic and drought will require we as a species to collaborate and cooperate.

This isn’t about politics, it’s about the sustainability of the human race. There are fanatics on all sides. No political party, religion, race, nationality or creed has a monopoly on crazy. To progress requires we push those voices to the perimeters for the time being. Ignore divisive rhetoric peddled by those who seek to advance personal agenda or religious prophecy.

To innovate for the future we need to look past our differences, cast aside tribal instinct and lean on compassion and empathy. Those who cling to the naive notion that it will never be your child; karma will take note of your hypocrisy. Your children will bear the scars. It may be unpleasant but Mother Nature does not discriminate.

To protect everything dear requires a paradigm change. To prepare for what is to come we must flip our perspective and begin to wonder “what if that was my child” as you take note of the fleeing refugees, observe the destructive force of fire, flood, wind and ice, and the tangled bodies of those left in her wake.

To preserve the dream, America needs to lead the world into an age of rationality. One where science, reason & logic triumphs over faith, bigotry & fear.

Remember 9/12

“Never forget,”they say. As if anyone who experienced the sights, sounds, stories and unbearable sadness of that day ever could. The horrific events of that mornings are seared in my memory. The indescribable anguish that results from the realization of helplessness; with the knowledge that you are powerless to save and protect those you love and care for, is not easily erased.

While most remember the events of 9/11 what seems to have been forgotten are the lessons of 9/12 and the days that followed thereafter. The days in which regardless of party, race, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or social class, citizens young and old gathered in community centers and town squares to lean on each other for support and comfort. They cast aside petty differences and coalesced around the values that unite us, the freedoms the terrorists attacked that fateful day. Grief and terror do not discriminate and the firsthand tales of tragedy and heroic self sacrifice made that clear to all Americans in those mid-September days.

Americans recognized what the terrorists attacked that day and from coast to coast swore to never let them win, never let extremists change who we are. We understood diversity to be the American identity and that a list of all the great contributions immigrants, minorities and refugees make to this country dwarfs a list of their misdeeds a million times over. We rallied around the American Dream and the great experiment in self government and individual freedom that birthed this nation. Inspired by a desire to prove their efforts futile, within days America, and NYC, was back on her feet determined to continue undeterred in the pursuit of life, liberty, and justice for all.

The words of Lady Liberty having already been disavowed by this caravan of criminals and corrupt enablers who now control this country it is difficult to imagine how much has since changed. Just tonight, on the anniversary of that fateful night, the Supreme Court ruled that immigrants who travel through Mexico may no longer claim asylum in this country. The national security risk outweigh the inherent freedoms granted within our Constitution.

Consider why terrorists wish to do is harm in the first place. Understand that it is because of the very way in which we govern. That is the great threat to the terrorists way of life.

A successful America is what the terrorist fears most. An America where individual freedoms are guaranteed and people are able to speak freely, assemble in opposition and worship as they please. An America where a free and independent press allows no man to escape accountability and all citizens to make informed choices. An America where no man, party, religion or corporation is mightier than the Constitution. Where an intricate system of checks and balances protects the basic inalienable rights of all men, women and child.

America, our ideals, our values, our system of governance is what terrorists seek to destroy. It is also why the illegal alien risks everything to come live within our shores. That this administration seeks to be complicit in the destruction of that system and to do so in the name of national security is shortsighted and dim witted at best.

That they more likely wish to do so in the pursuit of absolute power and enrichment. Well that would be nothing short of treasonous.

Never Forget

Prior to the ascension of Donald Trump I had never used Social media as a platform, but consider me an alarmist. The only thing I ever learned in Hebrew school was “never forget,” and I haven’t. We all have a responsibility to speak out.

All of America is faced with a simple choice, #Resistance or #Appeasement.

America has a long history of standing up to bullies and Nazis. The vast majority of us teach our children that name calling and excluding other kids on basis of race, gender or religion is not okay. We take pride in the melting pot that is America. Recognize that diversity IS the American identity. We can’t change that anymore than a tiger its stripes. A list of all the great contributions immigrants, minorities and refugees have made to this country would dwarf a list of their misdeeds a million times over. Americans are waking. We know who we are. And we like it that way.

This is not about politics. Look at Trump’s words. Log into twitter and review his timeline of tweets. It is repulsive. You’d be ashamed of your child if that was the method they used to become class president. He is a man of flawed character. He does not share OUR values and we must stand up together and punch him in the nose.

All in #GOP, including the so called “moderates” who serve this administration, need to declare yourself an independent, a freedom fighter or whatever heroic name you wish to give yourselves. Find the courage within you. Make clear to the Divider in Chief that you stand for the people and the constitution and he will have trouble if he continues to mess with either.

This shitshow has gone on long enough. It’s time to cut commercial and bring the adults back into the room.We can no longer afford to play Russian roulette with our values, our democracy or the lives of our future generations