Truth and the Consequences of Ignoring it

In an extremely serious and autocratic move (something we’ve seem much of these days), Venezuela’s President, Nicolas Maduro, recently disconnected all Venezuela’s access to CNN’s Spanish feed.

The banishment was a result of the report generated by the CNN affiliate, after more than a year’s investigation conducted by CNN and Venezuela’s legal adviser to the Venezuelan Embassy in Iraq, Misael Lopez.  Together, they exposed Venezuela’s Vice President’s links to selling fake passports at their embassy in Iraq; to people including Hezbollah.

Very troubling events paralleling Caracas and Washington DC lately; rather than becoming concerned about the serious allegations arising from the investigation, President Maduro blamed CNN instead.

And; the familiar bell-rings right here at home, where, rather than digging deeper into the traitorous connections between his campaign personnel and Russia, our very own autocrat has just blamed the “leakers” and damned the press who, in Trump’s narrow perspective, “always present a negative light” on Trump’s behavior.

Don’t get me wrong here; I would never suggest, either in a bigly way or a smally way, that Maduro and/or Trump have reason to kill the messengers.  I would never suggest that they’re trying to destroy the press in the eyes of the public.  And most importantly; I would never consider either man a serious danger to freedom of the press and to democracy.

Nope.  For; not just a suggestion, I am screaming the warning at the top of my lungs.

And now a word from the writer; “I FUCKING TOLD YOU SO”.

In Maduro’s response, one more country south of our border is telling the U.S., in no uncertain terms, to pound sand up our collective asses.

First Mexico, then the majority of Muslim nations, much of Europe, and now Venezuela.

The dominoes are falling, and are doing so in rapid succession.  Hell, even Russia is now pushing the Trump Clown buttons and for some “unexplained reason”, Trump’s not pushing back.  Rather; he continues to s
y “we should try to have good relations with Russia.” 

A very unstable man at the helm of the US nuclear arsenal, one has to wonder; will he?  And, the answer is a resolute; “Hell-fucking yes he will; in a heart beat”.  Among all the others concerns we have about him, we need to worry about both, Trump’s and Putin’s commonalities.

Massively (even YUGELY) narcissistic, severely ignorant to most things outside their own ego-driven minds, and worst of all, insanely impulsive.

“America's nuclear force is based on the nuclear triad, a concept that baffled Trump when he was asked about it during the campaign. The "triad" means the three delivery systems — land-based, launched from silos; air-based, delivered by strategic bombers; and sea-based, launched from submarines…….

Once launched, these missiles cannot be recalled or diverted. The second worst danger is that they could be launched in response to a false alarm or a technological glitch. The worst danger is that they could be sent on their way by a president who, in the pre-dawn darkness, opts for the nuclear trigger over a tweet.” The Chicago Tribune

Now, my final thoughts on the past two days:

“The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!”

“The enemy of the people?”

Hell! The press is the ONLY thing standing between you/me and complete autocracy.  

Many, far more intelligent than Trump could even hope to be, have even referred to the media as “the fourth branch of the government.”

Unfortunately, the dictator in the making (and his puppet, Trump) is quickly accomplishing what his intentions have been all along - to destroy confidence in the very thing that sets us apart from autocratic rule - freedom of the press.

There is no coincidence in the fact that one autocrat, President Maduro, ripped a giant hole in free speech and in the fact that another autocrat, Donald Trump, is in the process of doing the very same thing. 

This is a concern of epic proportions, for two reasons;

1. El Salvador is, as I said, accustomed to perceiving the direction of their government and developing work-arounds to authoritarian rule.  They also stand up against what they see as corruption and authoritarian rule.
2. The United States, on the other hand, is filled with naive, foolish, closed-minded xenophobes who, not only don’t care that the train is derailing, they happily support the equally foolish, closed-minded, xenophobe, Trump, in his efforts to destroy the rails upon which the train is traveling.  Trump is doing precisely what Maduro is; but on a much grander scale (and yes., a BIGLIER scale), by demonizing ALL the media outlets which inform us of the government’s behaviors, be they honorable or nefarious. 

If Trump’s followers continue their rage against all things different; their blind and completely unfounded hatred for all those they now call “snowflakes”; seeking some ill-conceived need for retribution learned at the behest of partisan politics, they will literally be aiding him in destroying the very values upon which this country was built, beginning with freedom of the press and speech.

I can promise them; the trump apologists will fall much harder than those snowflakes, now among the millions of others who are different than they, and for whom they've suddenly developed unfound, venomous hate.  For, at least those snowflakes see it coming and can brace themselves for the impact.

The Antithesis of Democracy - Partisan Politics

I’m always completely amazed at the incredible foresight the Founding Fathers had and, even though it occurred through much dissension, often anger and always debate, finally formed the governing bodies of the United States in three separate functions - the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches.

What a perfectly amazing understanding of human behavior, philosophical foresight and perspective these people held in their minds!  That there are some human beings who could possess the philosophical genius and debate adroitness they grasped is extremely inspiring to me.  What it must be like to have such capabilities!!!

With a few exceptions, these were men who would, and absolutely should, be ashamed by all who hold positions within the Executive and Legislative branches of government today.

I will no doubt, at the very least, annoy some of my fiends and family, some of whom are devout members of either the Democrat or Republican Parties with this statement.

However; if you simply take a few moments to think; to truly consider the nation’s needs outside the confines of your respective commitments to partisanship for a moment, and even take an hour or so to read some of the links I provide throughout this post, I honestly think you will realize just how detrimental; to the nation, to you, to me, and even to the entire planet, partisan politics is and has been for centuries.

Partisanship is a leach upon the Republican form of government the Founding Fathers envisioned.  In fact; the scourge the Founding Fathers sought to avoid completely, is destroying the nation from within.  And, due to the sheer momentum of human behavior, that plague is being inhaled, not only willingly, but with the vigor and intensity with which thirsty horses seek a distant pond.

But, that pond is rank with with disease and contamination, brought to us shortly after the formation of the Constitution, by Alexander Hamilton; a very member of those Founding Fathers who knew just how quickly it would garner power for himself. 

In George Washington’s farewell address, he warned us of the real dangers political parties posed; “The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism.”

The rantings of all history’s seers; from the Bible’s “Revelations”; Platos “Oracle”; or Nostradamus, are nowhere near as clear as those of George Washington’s warning.  

The warning that, given today’s political environment, were beyond crystal clear as they’re being played out today in such clarity, in “full, living color”, his words could very well have been spoken this morning.

To make my case, by the current numbers: The 115th Congress is comprised of 54 Republicans, 46 Democrats and 2 “Independents” in the Senate.  And 241 Republicans and 194 Democrats in the House of Representatives.

Now let’s really stretch the imagination and make a claim that not one single citizen in the United States, outside our elected officials, is either bigoted, racist, authoritarian, warmongers, or hold any other negative human trait; that we’re all, to very last soul humanitarian, loving and live by their professed code of honor; you know, all that bullshit like “love thy neighbor as thyself”, etc.; I’m the ultimate humanitarian and all my efforts are pure and wholesome.

Now that we’ve established our perfection, and keeping this in mind, consider two vitally important questions; 

1. How many of today’s partisan politicians absolutely (without exception) epitomize those very same positive human traits you hold dear? 
2. How many of those partisan politicians have supported YOU and truly fought for YOUR efforts to advance humanity above themselves, just as you do, in other words precisely what a “republican government” is to do?

If you’re even slightly honest with yourself, that answer will be, unequivocally ZERO.And two last questions;

1. Considering that all of you are now striving to be the best you can be; how many of you, simply in order to vote for someone they SAY will support those human traits you hold dear, have had to commit to a specific political party, just to take part in a process the nation is founded upon - to elect one’s own government?
2. And; how many of you truly believe that those political parties actually embody that character trait and have given you an individual who will fight as hard as possible to maintain that embodiment in their elected positions?

Remember, we’re being honest with ourselves, so I’m willing to say that that number is still ZERO.

The reason for this?  You know as well as I do; it is that they fight for the party’s stance, the partisanship they, themselves, had to commit to, just so they, in turn, could, ostensibly, take your commitment to humanity to their seat in government.

Certainly it’s literally impossible, back here in reality, to unequivocally represent 100% of every person in 100% of their human perspectives.  But, that isn’t the point.  My point is, that partisan politics restrain every United States citizen to two and only two positions, when there are literally unquantifiable numbers of perspectives.  

TWO!  Just two parties who claim to be THE representative government for that the vast majority of U.S. citizens; partisans who, you know as well as I do, are so utterly corrupt and self-serving, they’re beyond anything any of us remotely consider valid representation.

Be you a conservative, or a liberal individual or any one of millions of in between, these “entities” are neither capable, nor even interested in standing up for you and/or me.

Partisan politics has overridden the very Republic the Founding Fathers created and, despite Washington’s warnings, the nation has done precisely what he warned against. 

Immaterial to whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, the very definition of “Republic” and the Constitution by which our government is bound, tells us that the power is to lie with the people. There’s absolutely no mention, in either the definition of, or the wording of the Constitution of the United States, that political parties determine who we vote for.

Yet; that’s exactly what we have today.  Through deceit and power garnered by the few, the political parties represent theirs and only their political views.

Consider the constraints of a two-party system. The single most important aspect of which limits us to two choices, Republican or Democrat.  Partisanship in which the majority of states REQUIRE submission to in order to participate in “government by the people”. 

The primaries of these two parties; where two individuals are singled out, courted, and financed and in every sense of the word “limits” our choices to who THEY select.  And if you doubt that, try running for an elected office without “joining” one of the political parties.

Bernie Sanders is a prime example of this.  A very well known and very qualified Senator from Vermont, had to abandon his lifetime commitment to being independent of political parties to run as a candidate in the Democrat Party.  Yet; the Democrat elite turned their backs on him when he was, arguably, the better candidate between he and Clinton.

This is a perfect example of the iron grip partisanship has on the Republic.

Extremely limited, if not impossible, opportunity for any non-affiliated potential candidates to speak to the electorate; extremely limited choices for you and me to hear those alternative perspectives.  And the very distasteful, limited outcomes as a result of and created for that very reason.  

Limits placed upon us to control, both by whom and how we’re governed.  This does not, in any manner whatsoever, define the republic from of government.  In fact; it’s inarguably the precise opposite of republican government.

Aside from outright coup and dictatorship, it is the ultimate power scam.  A scam in which government by the rich and powerful, is literally forced upon the rest of us.  The very idea of partisan politics is nothing more than manipulation of you and me to obtain and hold the power to govern, as we are fooled in to abandoning the very conceptualization and definition of The Republic in which we live.

But the flame of democracy is still burning, in every state in the nation, as people are beginning to wake up to the deception perpetrated by partisan politics and the leach that is partisan politics is losing its slimy grip on our skin.

In record numbers, the electorate is choosing to opt out of partisanship as the numbers of non-affiliated voters rise rapidly, stripping the two main political parties of their grip on the nation.

Non-affiliated voters now outnumber both the Democrat and republican parties in substantial numbers: Independent (non-affiliated) = 39% of the electorate while the Democrat and Republican numbers shrink to 32% and 23% respectively.  In some states, such as Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Rhode Island non-affiliated voters are either in the majority or very, very close to being so.

 Graph courtesy IVN.US

 Graph Courtesy Pew Research; Credit Danielle Kurtzleben/NPR

It’s long past time that we ALL stand up in opposition to partisan politics and return us to the Republic we were intended to be.

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty. George Washington in his Farewell Speech

The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Trump Truth

As an adult, I’ve made a habit of always questioning my own convictions. Introspection is vital to mental health and in evaluating one’s own decisions.  Ignoring the potential that your thought processes may be flawed hinders personal growth; it can also be dangerous as an adult, for making decisions based upon faulty perspectives almost always ends in faulty outcomes.

It’s a constant internal struggle I deal with, an endless process I can't turn off.  I even find myself wondering if my endless introspection is itself an unhealthy obsession.

But as I watch this new so-called “president" I cannot find one reasonable alternative with which to argue against my current perspective, for every time I give him the benefit that he and I may simply have a difference of opinion, I hear him speak; I see his words; I see what he’s doing to the very foundation of our nation.

And it all brings me right back to the same conclusion.

In simple terms; he’s a repugnant, delusional, self-absorbed, ignorant, human being who has no business sitting in the chair he’s in.

Any person who wanders into the CIA, desecrating the very hall they view as hallowed beyond holiness and says; “I know you all voted for me, but but I will not ask you to raise your hands if you did”.

Then again, this very day, he repeated the same words, this time in a room full of military personnel; people who are required to obey his orders; people who die at his command.  To hear it once is disgusting; twice is absolutely repulsive and unconscionable, especially among those with whom he’s speaking.

Oh, he tries to make it appear that he’s joking with them, but he is not joking, he’s deadly serious and he’s piss-poor at hiding his phony-ass “humor”.  

He is completely and hopelessly obsessed that someone, even one person, in this country didn’t vote for him.  Although he’s sitting in the chair he sought, he’s still so completely preoccupied with the thought that someone out there had the misplaced balls to vote for someone other than he.  So much so, in fact, that he’s signed yet another one of his unread burning bush decrees to begin an investigation**, a very expensive investigation, into fraudulent voting.  Three million frauds need to have their voting privileges removed.  Hell; who knows?  Maybe they’ll be his first prisoners at the renewed Gitmo, or one of the other black sites he’s reopening. 

Was it you?  Yes; I am most certainly one of those who derailed the ego of a man who shouldn’t even be outside a mental institution, much less sitting in the office he now occupies.  I know I’m unrepentant in this, but; who else, I ask, would have such unmitigated, spineless gall to vote for someone other than Trump??  How can we, the three million plus (he so damned stupid, he hasn’t even considered the fact that there are far more than just the three million of us) even live with ourselves, whomever the rest of you are?

For the shame of it all!!

** He’s really very good at spending other people’s money - it’s precisely how he became a billionaire, ripping people off and filing bankruptcy until he accumulated everyone else’s money. 

This, his past behavior, his never-ending tirades against any who hold a different view than; “Trump is the light, the truth and the reality of all things” clearly, indisputably is all the proof one should need to come to the same conclusion I have.

For, everything that so much as implies differently; the “dishonest media"; The fake negative polls; The laws of this nation are all wrong; all things true must come from him and only him, for he is the only purveyor of truth, the light of lights; intelligence reports from the people who are pros at intelligence reports are useless, unless it comes from Trump’s mouth (and, of course, unless he’s face to face with those who put their lives on the line for those reports); the judges, especially that one, you know, the one in California that misinterpreted his intent.  After all, he’s not a bigot; how dare they even suggest such a thing?  Judges are all corrupt and shouldn’t be trusted, especially when they interfere with the almighty’s view; the government agencies who gather data, REAL data, are useless liars and do nothing but promulgate hoaxes. The EPA is full of lying scientists; the Department of Interior and National Parks Services employees can no longer speak their minds, for they don’t speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the Trump truth.

Oh, and somehow, in just two weeks, he’s turned the entire economy around and has saved hundreds of thousand of jobs, hell; maybe millions for all we know - all because the Trump Almighty is now holding court in the Oval Office and issuing decree after decree to right all the horrific wrongs perpetrated against those who did truly vote for him. Obama was lying about the jobless numbers, numbers that, in truth (his truth), were closer to 42%, numbers that through some Trump-inspired miracle, in the span of two weeks, have dropped from 42% to 4.7%.  My god!!  He is indeed the miracle-worker.  If you don’t believe it, just ask him.

After all this, I ask but one simple question.  A question anyone could answer, IF they don’t have their eyes and ears shut down; IF they aren’t afraid to see the reality, that this guy, who is truly just a moment away from nuking the entire planet, not if, but WHEN he finds there is someone out there who is not subscribing to the Trump Truth.  The simple question is; how can any human being with even just one brain cell still functioning not agree that this guy is mentally unstable and needs to be removed from office before he creates a real truth - there is no more democracy in the United States?

Or even worse - there is no more planet Earth, for the lunatic pushed the button because he got mad at some lying scientist, government employee, media outlet, judge, pollster, CIA agent, or one of us fraudulent voters who saw through his shallow charade the day he opened his mouth.

I'm kind of wondering myself too; when is he going to replace the god he professes to believe in?

The Rise of the Fourth Reich

Photo courtesy Daily Kos

To use the already excessively, however misquoted “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it” attributed to the philosopher, George Santayana, all rolled into one eloquent eleven word phrase which, in its true form; “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” denotes a far more sinister and dangerous impact. A horrifying thought now becoming a terrifying reality in the newly elected Reich Chancellor Trump.  With the help of course, the prodding and poking of the most extreme politician we’ve seen in the US since the Joseph McCarthy era, the new fascist propaganda master, Steve Bannon, we have created an almost unstoppable phenomenon, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the rise of the Third Reich.

Ian Kershaw’s “Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris”, the purpose of which was certainly not to be prophetic, but has done exactly that, warning us impending disaster, reminding us of points which many, including historians, philosophers, and politicians alike are either ignorant to, or simply haven’t taken the time to truly consider.  The fact being that Hitler did not “rise to power”.  Rather; Hitler was propelled to power by the very people who, in turn, were persecuted and destroyed by the most unlikely of all politicians.

“That power derived only in part from Hitler himself. In greater measure, it was a social product – a creation of social expectations and motivations vested in Hitler by his followers. This does not mean that Hitler’s own actions, in the context of his expanding power, were not of the utmost importance at key moments. But the impact of his power has largely to be seen not in any specific attributes of ‘personality’, but in his role as Führer – a role made possible only through the underestimation, mistakes, weakness, and collaboration of others.” Kershaw, Ian. Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris . W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition. 

And that power, to which any with a second grade education can attest, was both the rise of a despot and the downfall of a nation whose advancements in flight, construction, manufacturing, mathematics, social construct, etc. was far in advance of any other nation.  It, likewise, was the physical and social destruction of most of Europe and Russia, not to mention the deaths of more than three percent of the world’s population; deaths ranging anywhere from fifty million to eighty million human beings.

All on the words of one of the most despotic egomaniacs the world has known.

Up until now.

The similarities in which this catastrophe we now find ourselves are indisputable and, unless you’re one of those who insist upon the existence of “alternative facts” to justify your blind devotion to such a bigoted, hate-filled regime, they are utterly inescapable.  For those with whom we’ve placed our faith to protect us from such an atrocity, with the exception of a very small and vociferous group, have but one concern on their minds: “tell me precisely how much fellatio you require from me to keep my job”.

Despite the likes of some truly good people, such as Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Al Franken, and the sole Republican, Lindsey Graham and perhaps a few others who ever so quietly oppose him, the nation, now under the despotic rule of a man hellbent to destroy the very people who put him into power, we find ourselves in precisely the same scenario Germany found herself in; a disaster unfolding before our eyes.

Mr. Trump, in his efforts to destroy his predecessor’s steps to at least level the playing field somewhat, is behaving as the 1930s child he models himself after, seeking retribution for a personal attack; a non-existent attack which, if it were reality, should be of utter insignificance to the billionaire.

Hitler behaved much in the same manner, throwing tantrums whenever things didn't go as he expected.

Just as with Hitler; we don't speak in terms of rationality when we speak of Trump.  Rather, a replay of an old game built by many who came before him with intellects far superior to his utter void of the same.

And again, as with Hitler in 1930’s Germany, Tump is exhibiting the same absolute intolerance for others who are not of the same pasty white bigoted, racism; “his people”, who, to the very last one, subscribe to the dogma he promotes.

Unfortunately for us all, they’re playing the fool of fools in a game even they are destined to lose, for it is not the dogma in and of itself that Trump seeks to rain down upon our heads.

Indeed, the facade he’s creating; this bigotry, hate, and insanely over-amplified nationalism is working perfectly to hide his true intentions.

He’s succeeded in fooling many, but Trump is focusing on his remedial game of checkers, as he attempts to match wits with a master chess player; that player being Vladimir Putin, a man with skills far superior to those of his own in political manipulation; skills Trump could never achieve due to his absolute ignorance of anything outside his life-long protective bubble.

That attraction is beginning to turn the U.S. inwardly, dividing us as a nation and into a pariah, even amongst our best allies, as he informs each and every one of them, that he has no intentions of watching their six.  In fact; his behavior has served them all with notice; “the U.S. is neither interested in being your protector, nor even an ally”.  A message received loud and clear from many of our once inseparable friends.

The absolutely impossible-to-build wall of shame with which he’s attempting to appease the racists in this nation has completely alienated Mexico.  A checker which is the first of many checkers to be taken out by Putin’s masterful manipulation of the fool who sees nothing outside his maniacal ego.

And for no reason whatsoever, but for the false belief that Mexico is encroaching upon our soil.  A belief firmly discounted by the fact that these "encroachers who rob us, murder us, rape our women" as trump claims, have been at the lowest level since 1969. Not to mention the reality that "illegal aliens" are responsible for a proportionately low rate of crime in the U.S. and contribute, in Trump's words "bigly" to our economy.  

Yet; the bigots who put him into office refuse to accept fact, for they much prefer to bolster their racism and hatred with "alternative facts" in the from of fear-mongering rhetoric.

Just the sheer logic of it should send the racists to their closets in shame, if they would stop bleating like the sheep they are, long enough to consider even simple logic.  Think about it.  Would you, if you were seeking a better way of life for yourself and your family, take the associated dangers and risks of getting here, just to rob, murder and rape?  Such an argument makes no sense whatsoever. Especially if you consider the ease of which such conduct is carried out where they already live.

So, as the puppet on the end of Putin’s strings, Trump is playing into the masterfully played game of high stakes, million-dollar chess pieces, and Trump is betting this entire nation on his dim-witted and futile game of remedial checkers.

The United States, after Trump has alienated the entire planet, will be standing alone.  And although we most certainly have the largest, most capable military ever conceived, it will be of no consequence.

For; rather than building the necessary infrastructure to support our own extreme consumption habits; an infrastructure that has long ago been left behind to rot, before he alienates all we depend upon, he, as he always has, made his moves backasswardly - alienating all we depend upon before we can possibly provide for ourselves.

Putting is claiming Trump's checkers as rapidly as Trump is issuing his absurd executive orders.  Yet; in his all-consuming, unearned arrogance, he is blind to even his own ignorance.

Like Hitler, he’s completely incapable of seeing rationality, or even a glimmer of reality, for his ego is the singular guiding light he follows; not the sacrifice of office who so many before him have committed themselves to; not the sanctity of humanity; not even a morsel of decency and care for the rest of humanity.

id is he; id is an Adolph Hitler who now sits in his “Eagle’s Nest” demanding absolute, blind allegiance and takes it to the completely irrational and juvenile level of a personal attack if that order is not obeyed in lockstep manner.

id, the likes of which the only difference between Trump and Hitler is a mere 81 years of history; history already forgotten by all those who fell in love with a maniacal game-player who’s destined to lose it all.  Again.

And that loss will surely not effect himself; rather it’ll be all the members of this society, even those of us who refused to select him as the next Führer.  Those who, despite clear warnings to the contrary, propelled him into power through their own fascist hate and bigotry.

Their very own id

"The Nazi assault on the roots of civilization has been a defining feature of the twentieth century. Hitler was the epicentre of that assault. But he was its chief exponent, not its prime cause." 

Kershaw, Ian. Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris . W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.