Follow the Leader

Trump’s latest abhorrent tweetstorm in which he accuses Adam Schiff of treason, seeks to confront the whistleblower and encourages a second Civil War with cries of Witchhunt and accusations of coups proves once again that he’s unfit to be elementary school President, let alone the so called leader of the free world. If our Comrade in Chief wants to talk about “enemies of the state,” or protect against a clear and present danger I suggest he take a hard look in the mirror.

Analyze those essential attributes that the greatest leaders share. Compare his own actions against past leaders to examine how he stacks up in history. Is Trump destined to be a cautionary tale of how absolute power corrupts absolutely or does he behave and exemplify the behaviors of those champions of freedom? The wisest of kings, leaders and community organizers who acted with singular purpose and are remembered for contributions that advanced human civilization and individual freedoms. Make no mistake. Such leaders share easily identifiable behaviors from which to compare your own leadership style;

They safeguard open communications and transparency. They do not obstruct investigation or silence and threaten whistle blowers and leakers. They protect anonymity by offering hotlines and access to independent arbiters.

They emphasize collaboration and inclusiveness. They do not fear diversity. They embrace it.

They welcome opposition. They do not suppress feedback or dissenting opinions. They listen and learn from them.

They build a shared vision of the future. They do not think perception is reality. They rely on facts, science and logic to shape perception to match reality.

They own their actions. They do not finger point, blame predecessors or deny accountability for their decisions. They understand that once empowered the buck stops with them. Period.

They problem solve. They do not act a prisoner of circumstance or play the victim. They innovate and experiment with new paradigms to limit or remove obstacles.

They prioritize knowing their people. They do not view empathy as a weakness. They know it to be a virtue.

They extend kindness. They do not bully. They nurture.

They encourage teamwork. They do not ostracize, belittle, or build walls. They promote commonalities, break barriers and build bridges.

They lead with hope. They do not rule by negativity and fear. They grow consensus through transparency and communication.

They create opportunity for all. They do not close doors or instill artificial barriers to entry. They rely on objective measures to reward and promote all those who merit consideration.

In the course of history there have been countless examples of leaders who chose to rule otherwise. Who ruled through fear mongering, authoritarian accountability and slogans. Who preyed on the weakness of the disenfranchised to promote their own agenda. Who gave voice to the extremes.

But riddle me this. Has such a leader ever been on the right side of history? Have they ever progressed our collective interests? Brought us closer to that more perfect union our founders dreamed of?

The answer is obvioua

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 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

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

Why?

More than the obvious personal enrichment, conflicts of interests, or obstruction there’s one unanswered question that keeps me up at night. That hints at something more than mere Russian influence or collusion to help elect Trump. That if taken to its darkest logical conclusion suggests actual Russian control. It’s a simple question that Annie Lennox asked best, “Why?”

It is an established fact that Vladimir Putin actively worked to influence the US election in Trump’s favor and that he continues to do so. That millions in Russian resources have been devoted specifically to maximize the probability of a Trump victory. That these efforts began not just against Hillary, but against the entire GOP field. There was only one candidate the Vlad endorsed. That’s important. It’s one thing for Russia to be anti-Hillary. That makes all the sense in the world.
It’s a whole other can of worms that Putin and his henchman were actually pro-Trump.

So the only question that remains unanswered is why? Why did Vladimir Putin, a former KGB agent, a dangerous mind with a ruthless reputation, why would he care who defeated his Democratic foe? Why was this man of high intelligence who has never before acted with America’s best interests in mind be suddenly motivated to make America great again? Why would a man who hijacked Russia’s emerging democracy to orchestrate his own rise to absolute power in ways that would make Frank Underwood blush care what happened here on our shores? Why the sudden change of heart towards our collective well being?

The answer appears to be obvious. Donald Trump is best case working in cahoots with and worst case compromised and controlled by Putin and Russia. The implications of either choice is so terrifying it’s almost beyond comprehension.

If true it suggests that Trump knows and will continue to act with the knowledge that he has the might of the world behind him. That he may willingly use whatever means necessary and proactively use all the powers of his office, regardless of optics, to squash any attempts to legally remove him from office. That so long as he formally remains Commander in Chief of the most powerful military in the world, he will be the one to resist any effort to bring him down regardless of tradition or precedent; just as Puppetmaster Putin did in his ascension.

When you continue to play the scenarios out they only get more and more horrifying. It’s not hard to see how a new world order emerges. A global oligarchy controlled by a fascist few. An international caste system of haves and have nots in which the world’s most valuable natural resources are controlled by the world’s most powerful nations. The many working for the few. A permanent military state in which any remaining illusion of individual freedoms would be just that.

When viewed through this prism almost all of Trump’s forreign policy decisions suddenly make sense. The wag the dog drama, escalated rhetoric, and ensuing peace agreements with traditional hostile nations a fait accompli. Russia (Iran) and China (N Korea) in control of their rogue pawns as they formalize their growing international influence through negotiations. Traditional allies pushed aside to make room at the table.

Like the skilled reality show stars they are, our Comrade in Chief and this caravan of criminals and corrupt enablers seem to create new storylines weekly; generate so many sensational new questions each day that it is impossible to focus on story continuity or consistency. So in the words of Julie Andrews, “let’s start at the very beginning. It’s a very good place to be.”

It is undisputed that Vladimir Putin sought to aid in the election of Donald Trump. We can no longer afford to be distracted from seeking the answer to the only question that truly matters,

“Why?”

The Birth of the Birther

Donald Trump has had a noose around his neck from the moment he rode down that escalator. The problem is there’s never been a hangman strong enough to pull the rope.

Trump knows what is at stake in the days ahead. Is well aware that if his finances are fully investigated he’s cooked. His family name, his fortune, his legacy, his freedom, perhaps even the same fate met by Jeffrey Epstein. The very things he promised his daddy he’d never let be taken away. That he’d do anything to protect.

You need look no further than his past to understand the depths Deranged Donald would sink to remain relevant. You know the stories of the flamboyant alter egos who served as his own PR men. The nonstop Page 6 antics and over the top personality. The willingness to pay millions to accountants simply to avoid paying even one penny more in taxes than legally required. The lack of philanthropy. The refusal to pay contractors. The slum lording. That was Donald Trump in the good times. Even then he refused to go away or act in the public’s interest.

Consider what he’d do when he actually feared he may lose everything. When after filing a 6th bankruptcy the self proclaimed tycoon found himself broke, over leveraged and with nowhere to turn. A hard luck loser who learned the hard way that the house doesn’t always win. At least not the one’s with the word “Trump” in their title.

To make matters worse Barack Obama had recently been elected and in one of his first acts delivered what must of seemed like a groin kick to any dreams Dear Donald had of making a comeback. You see the passage of Dodd Frank and other regulations made it impossible for Donald to take a loan from any domestic financial institutions. The over leveraged real estate speculator directly in the crosshairs of the legislation.

So with nowhere else to turn what was Donald to do? We know the rest. Enter Deutsche Bank. The direct link to the Russian oligarchs who would go on to direct the ascendancy of Trump’s political career. The art of the deal; the hangman’s rope for the marionette strings. Who cares who controls the strings. You live to see another day. The birth of the Birther complete.

The fight ahead isn’t political, it’s moral.