It's Not Fair, I've Been Cheated My Whole Life

 

Image by Wolfgang Eckert from Pixabay

Okay, it's almost the end of 2020 and I'm really pissed. I've been cheated all my life and I'm not going to take it anymore!  I've had it and I'm going to do something about everyone who has cheated me out of what is rightfully mine.

First of all, I'm going to retroactively sue my parents for not leaving me an inheritance of millions of dollars.  How is one to survive on anything less?  I'll get a good lawyer.  Maybe Rudy can take up my case.  Then I am going to sue God and the hospital where I was born for allowing me to be born with asthma and allergies. I shouldn't have had to put up with all of those breathing problems!

Then there was this insult when I was in high school.  I'm going to sue my high school because they let someone else graduate as the valedictorian of my class.  It's not going to stop there.  Next, I am going to sue Harvard for not accepting me into their prestigious institution. I didn't apply, but that's not the point.  I deserved to be accepted.  They should have begged me to attend.

Perhaps the biggest indignity of my entire life is that I've had to actually work my whole life until I had to retire.  I wasn't cut out to work.  That's for losers and suckers. For my entire life, someone else took those cushy jobs that were meant for me.  Many of those who stole my dream jobs were minorities or immigrants.  It wasn't fair.

Do you realize how many times I've won the Mega Millions jackpot?  Every time I won someone changed the winning numbers and gave the money to some loser who really didn't know what to do with the money. Even when I buy scratch tickets the clerk, who sells them to me, purposely takes my ticket from the losers' bundle of tickets. Every damn time!  Even the machines that dispense lottery tickets are rigged against me.

Oh yeah. I forgot about the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. I don't know how many times I sent in my entry and followed all the rules, but to no avail.  I've sat for hours looking out my window waiting for the prize patrol to drive up to my front door.  It has to be rigged against me.  I haven't even won the Irish Sweepstakes, and I'm half Irish!

I really become angry when I see these losers driving around in beautiful red Porsche Boxters! I should be driving one! That's my car!  Just because I can't afford one doesn't mean I shouldn't have one. It's not fair.

Now that I am retired I have to live on government handouts like Social Security and my pension.  Who does that?  Where the hell is my slush fund.  People should be giving me money for no other reason than I deserve it. Maybe I should go to Deutsche Bank and take out a loan for a billion dollars. I can use my name as collateral. Or I can run for president. I hear anyone can. 

I'm psyched right now about getting everything I deserve. Now that I know that my failures have not been my fault, but someone else's, I can work to right these wrongs.  And I have that wonderful role model and benevolent human being, Donald J. Trump, to thank for enlightening me. We're not losers, are we Don?

Shared from my blog Stephen Sovies Blog

Will SCOTUS Steal the Election for Trump?It’s not impossible!

Image by John Hain from Pixabay

With the election just a few days away my fears about the outcome are becoming more realistic. The normal headline-grabbing “October Surprise” never happened, but maybe an “October theft” did happen.

The Supreme Court in the past couple of days ruled that absentee ballots in Pennsylvania and North Carolina must be accepted after November 3rd. The media declared the rulings as victories for the Democrats. The Democrats openly rejoiced. And others declared a victory, not for the Democrats, but democracy. But the rulings could be a victory for Trump.

The Supreme Court rulings may, in reality, be a short term victory for voting rights. The dissenting justices, Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch implied that the decision could be revisited up to 3 days after election day and possibly invalidate those ballots. Newly seated illegitimate justice Barrett didn’t vote at this time saying she had not read the arguments in the case. We all know if there is another vote after the election, and it is apparent that Trump is losing by a small margin in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, she will vote to invalidate the late ballots.

Merely by intimating that SCOTUS could reconsider their decision, it is a clear sign that some justices are ready, willing, and able to nullify the results of the election if it becomes apparent that Trump will lose. Unless Trump is losing in a landslide there is a strong possibility that once again he will steal the election. This time with a corrupt Supreme Court.

It’s too late to vote by mail, so anyone who hasn’t voted yet need to place their absentee ballots in a dropbox, vote in early voting, or vote in person on election day. The fate of our democracy is at stake. If Trump is allowed to steal our votes, God knows what else he will steal from us.

VOTE

Originally published in Rogues' Gallery on Medium.com

It Suddenly Hit Me. What am I going to write about after the election?

 

                                                                    Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

 

 

I don’t write for a living, to supplement my retirement income, or necessarily to make money, so I don’t write regularly. I primarily write to express my opinion or feelings about what is important to me. And that usually leads to me writing about politics or social issues. Because Trump, his enablers and supporters, are in direct opposition to the values I hold dearly and even my own existence as a gay person, I write a great deal about politics. With the election less than 3 weeks away I suddenly realized that this could all change, depending upon who wins the election.

If Trump wins a second term there definitely will be much I will disagree with and write about. But this may change. With Trump’s known disdain for dissent, criticism may not be allowed. With his own personal fixer, Attorney General Barr, Trump has already proven he will attempt to silence his political foes or anyone who criticizes him. We all know how much he hates the media when they tell the truth about his corruption, lies, and misdeeds. If he wins the election he will see it as a coronation of his perpetual leadership. Freedom of the press and freedom of speech will be only a memory.

If Biden wins the election I will at least feel safer, with the government in the hands of a sane and rational leader who has the best interests of the country at heart, instead of using the country as his own piggy bank. I will feel better knowing that Biden and Harris share the same values as I do in regard to equality, civil and human rights. If the Democrats take over the Senate I will feel even better realizing there may be some hope that the damage Trump has done to our country can be reversed.

With the now certain confirmation of Amy Comey Barrett as the replacement for Justice Ginsburg, I know I will have a lot to write about, in fighting to preserve my marriage, as she is an avowed opponent of same-sex marriage and has even spoken in favor of not only eliminating LGBTQ rights but also criminalizing homosexuality. Aside from how her nomination affects my personal life and future, there are going to be disastrous consequences for women’s reproductive rights, voting rights, civil rights, climate change, separation of church and state, and other constitutional rights. I certainly will have a lot to write about — if I’m allowed.

When I share my fears, thoughts, and feelings about those social issues that are dear to me I don’t receive a great deal of attention. After all, I’m “preaching to the choir” in most instances. For many people, who suffer from a phenomenon called “I don’t want to get involved” my writings go unnoticed. I wrote about this last year in an article of the same name. You can read it here if you’re interested. I don’t think much will change for some people after the election. Hopefully, I won’t.

So if Biden wins the election I’m sure I will continue to write about politics and social issues. I will continue to speak up for my rights and those of others. If Trump wins, I will definitely be in a state of deep depression and unable to write anything for a long while. Then there is a real possibility I won’t be able to express my opinion at all if it is in any way critical of Dear Leader.

VOTE!

 

Originally published in Rogues Gallery on Medium.com

Sometimes I Feel Like I Just Don’t Belong

 

                                                                     Image by Alain Audet from Pixabay

 

For me, and probably most Americans, 2020 has been an emotional roller coaster ride. It’s not just the pandemic. It’s the slow descent of our country into fascism. The country I was born into is on its last breath, thanks to Donald Trump and the Republican party.

I now experience feelings I haven’t felt in many years. Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and of not belonging. The same feelings I had to deal with coming to the realization I was gay and fighting to accept that fact.

The memory of that evening when my father passed away is coming back to the surface, as vivid as always. As the doctor informed us of my father’s passing both of my brothers joined their wives in standing by my mother’s side. I was left alone. I felt as though I didn’t belong. I had to deal with my loss alone.

This memory kept eating at me because I knew that being gay I would never have the freedom or the right to have someone that I loved at my side. Those were the years when gay people felt as though they had to hide. To choose between a loving partner or a family. At the time of my father’s death, no one in my family knew I was gay.

With my father dying of cancer I couldn’t add to the stress of my family by coming out. The society that I grew up in and the church I worshiped in (more like forced to worship) condemned me for being me. I was sad, hopeless, and alone. I didn’t belong.

Shortly after my father passed away I came out to my family. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, even though my mother constantly prayed to St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes, and let me know about it. I can remember telling her one time that if she didn’t accept me for being gay I would cut off all ties with the entire family. Slowly she accepted the fact that I was gay. Or maybe it was the dementia that made it easier. It took me many years to feel part of my family though.

With the Supreme Court decision in 2013 making same-sex marriages legal in all 50 states, I finally felt secure in my place in this world. Strangely I was living openly with my partner, now husband, in Malaysia, a Muslim country at the time. Since I was a foreigner, with money, our relationship was accepted. It was impossible for us to be together in the United States prior to 2013.

In October, following the court’s decision my partner and I were married in New York State. In February of 2014, we moved to the United States to live, together. Finally, we could live together as a married couple. My husband, for the first time, could live openly as a gay person and I felt as though I belonged. And then came Trump!

We live in a conservative Republican suburb in upstate New York and have been accepted by most of our neighbors. We have developed very close relationships in our neighborhood, but we don’t talk politics. Many of our friends here get their news from Fox News and have absolutely no idea of what is happening with the corruption, racism, and lawlessness in Trump’s administration.

Hell, I have a neighbor who refuses to believe Trump was impeached! I can see our country falling apart, little by little, every day, and I can’t even discuss this with people I’m with. I miss the days, living, and working in Boston, where I felt as though I was among my own kind.

I’m still reeling from the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and alternately angry and depressed with her passing. I feel hopeless and helpless. The people I am surrounded by haven’t even mentioned her passing. And I’m sure they only see her contribution to society as being one of the persons on the Supreme Court allowing abortion to be legal. The good Christians in my area only see abortion, and not the denial of women’s rights, voting rights, LGBTQ rights, civil rights, or immigrant rights or 200,000 COVID deaths. My friends don’t even see the possibility of my marriage being declared illegal.

My thoughts tend to wander from finding another country, with freedom and equality, in which to live, to standing and fighting the bastards who are attacking my right to exist as a gay person. The feeling of not belonging has returned, just as strong as ever. That feeling has metastasized to other aspects of my life, including my activities on Medium.

I have always expressed my thoughts, feelings, and emotions through writing. I have considered writing as a form of therapy to blow off steam or share my thoughts with other like-minded people. Writing was something I did, not something that defined me.

But lately, I feel I am farting into the wind.

I’m not the only one who fears for their rights and freedoms, I’m sure. My articles are falling by the wayside though. I guess people would rather read and write about how Medium has helped them put their children through college or how they make a full-time living writing here. The more articles, in my opinion, trash, are published here the more I feel I don't belong here either.

The closer we get to the election the more my emotions will fluctuate. I am trying to look at the bright side and not be so pessimistic about what happens after the election or Ginsburg’s replacement on the court. But, to be honest, I don’t trust the intelligence of the American people. Regardless of what happens, I have to continue to express myself, if free speech is still allowed. I may not feel as though I belong, but I still feel I have the right to exist, regardless of what anyone else may think.

 

Originally published in The Top Shelf on Medium.com

The Coming Storm

 

Image by jplenio from Pixabay

The long-range forecast is foreboding. Not the weather forecast, but the election forecast. The polls show Biden winning, even in most swing states, but the election is still a little under 50 days away and anything could happen. Anything disastrous and unprecedented that is. Trump is like a cornered rabid animal who will stop at nothing to win. He has to win to ensure that he, his family members, and his enablers will not end up in prison. He will risk your life, my life, and the lives of countless other Americans to achieve his victory.

His campaign has apparently run out of money and has been forced to remove television advertising from crucial states. He knows that he has a slim chance of winning in an honest and fair election. He needs Putin and Russia now, more than ever. He also needs his fixer, Bill Barr, to attack and discredit his opponents and to prevent a fair vote. His Postmaster General toadie has already started to cripple the postal service to hinder mail-in voting. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There is going to be a subversion and a perversion of the legal system to support Trump’s re-election. There are going to be all kinds of attempts to block Black people from voting, especially in the South. The closer we get to November 3rd the more attacks on our elections and legal system will be realized. You can bet your bottom dollar that Bill Barr and Trump’s Justice Department have already formulated the “October Surprise” to favor Trump. Whether it is a fake Covid-19 vaccine or a fake investigation of Obama for a “Trumped-up” imaginary charge, rest assured it’s coming. We should also be prepared for violence erupting in our major cities, especially those run by Democratic mayors. We all know how Trump loves to foment chaos.

Most of us look forward to November 3rd as the day of deliverance from the evils of the Trump crime syndicate, but most likely we will be far from delivered from the hate and cruelty of Donald Trump and his cult of supporters. Election day is going to be just the beginning. Hopefully, it won’t be the beginning of the end.

If Biden wins, even by a landslide, Trump will not give up. And his supporters won’t give up. Even with the knowledge that Trump has trashed and dishonored our veterans and war dead and the tapes of Trump admitting he purposely downplayed the seriousness of Covid-19, his followers are still firmly behind him. They refuse to believe anything negative about their Fuhrer. These people only watch Fox News and are totally unfamiliar with the truth, or anything resembling it.

Trump, knowing that his defeat may be inevitable, has begun floating the idea that the election results will be fake and signaled his refusal to accept the results. Many political veterans believe that Trump may refuse to leave the Oval Office on January 20. Trump has often stated that he “deserves” a second and even a third term. He has stated, “that the only way he will lose the election is if it is rigged”. He is preparing his lemmings for his defeat. He has also encouraged people to vote twice, only because he then can call the election invalid.

Roger Stone, convicted felon and Trump friend, and supporter whose sentence was commuted, recently called for Trump to declare martial law if he loses and to arrest Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, and the Clintons. Trump’s assistant secretary of Health and Human Services has warned of “an armed revolt” if Trump loses. As the Daily Mail has reported, “Donald Trump says he will put down ‘INSURRECTION’ if he is declared the winner and there are riots on election night”.

While a majority of the country may be hoping and planning on celebrating a Biden victory, small, albeit violent extremist elements of Trump supporters are planning on bloodshed. Who will be the targets? Everyone they perceive to be Trump’s enemies. In other words, anyone not a white supremacist.

Trump will not think twice about destroying the Constitution, the Country, and the lives of Americans to remain in power. Be prepared for horror yet to come.

This story was originally published by me in The Militant on Medium.

It is What It Is!

Wikimedia Commons

Over 156,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 since March and over 1,000 people are dying each day from the Trump virus. And Donald Trump calls this fake news.  Is it fake news for those families who have buried their fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, and grandparents, without being able to say good-bye?  

Trump mocks those medical professionals who are trying to save American lives while touting ineffective treatments and conspiracy theories.  His supporters refuse to social distance and to wear masks to protect themselves and their fellow Americans from the virus.  One of his staunchest supporters who also refused to wear a mask and called the pandemic a hoax, Herman Cain, recently died for his ignorance and loyalty to Trump. Did Trump care? No.

Now Trump is pushing America's children to sacrifice their lives for him and return to school, while his own son's private school will continue online learning. In a few weeks, teachers and children will suffer and die because of Trump's ignorance, arrogance, and refusal to accept his failures. Does he care?  No.

When asked in an Axios interview about the numbers of people who have died and who are dying every day, he responds: "it is what it is".  You can watch the full interview here.

That my fellow Americans is the psychopath we call our president!

Maybe It's Time to Cull the Herd. Could this be why we now have the Covid-19 pandemic?

Image by Shutterbug75 from Pixabay

Okay, I don’t consider myself to be an expert in epidemiology, even though I spent my life working in the medical field. But I think I possess a good measure of intelligence and the common sense that if I don’t know something I will seek out information from experts who do know something. That includes the coronavirus.

I know that if I see someone with a cold, that person is infected by the virus which causes the common cold. I also know that unless I want to cough and sneeze and feel miserable for a week to ten days I should stay away from that person. Of course, we are not always conscious of who around us is suffering from a cold and we don’t always take precautions to prevent getting that cold. Sometimes we throw caution to the wind and don’t take any precautions and are willing to suffer the consequences.

During the autumn and winter months of every year, most of us become a bit more cautious because this time of year is commonly called the flu season. A high number of people receive the flu vaccine in hopes of not contracting the flu or at least getting a less virulent form of the flu. Most of us also are more aware of those around us who are showing symptoms and try to avoid those people. If a person has symptoms of the flu we know they can infect us and we can avoid contact with them. Not this coronavirus though.

Even though the seasonal flu can kill those in high-risk groups, such as the elderly, the immunocompromised and those with chronic respiratory conditions, such as asthma and COPD, the flu virus is not as highly contagious as the coronavirus. A person with the flu can spread the virus during the first day before exhibiting symptoms up to 5–7 days after becoming sick. So generally we know who to avoid to prevent being infected. In most cases, a completely healthy person will not spread the flu virus. If we cover our mouths when we cough and sneeze into our elbows when we sneeze we can help prevent spreading the virus. Of course as always, during cold and flu season and all seasons we should frequently wash our hands.

The coronavirus is deadly different. The CDC estimates it to be twice as contagious as the seasonal flu, which means that for the flu each sick person will affect 1.2 people, whereas the coronavirus will affect 2 to 2,5 people for every person infected. According to the CDC 1 in 1000 people die from the seasonal flu, whereas 10 in 1000 people die from Covid-19, making it 10 times deadlier.

supporting conservatives demonstrated against the stay at home orders given by Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Protesters wearing MAGA hats and waving MAGA flags and other Trump paraphernalia assembled in a tightly packed crowd in defiance of social distancing rules demanding their freedom. The scene was more reminiscent of a scene from the Zombie Apocolypse than a peaceful gathering of intelligent citizens practicing their freedom of speech.

A total of eight GOP governors have refused to issue stay at home orders to protect their citizens from the coronavirus for reasons ranging from self-quarantining being a matter of personal choice to issues of state’s rights. Interestingly these eight states were states that voted heavily in favor of Trump in 2016 and the ones he hopes to carry in 2020. The governors have chosen to please Trump instead of protecting the citizens of their respective states. And those morons are okay with that.

The state in which I live, New York State, has a Democratic Governor, Andrew Cuomo, who has, in my opinion, done a far better job of leading during this pandemic than the Moron-in Chief Trump has done. However, I live in a heavily Republican community where nothing a Democrat does could ever be seen as good. And this situation is no exception. Because these people watch Fox News they think Trump has done a fantastic job, while Cuomo has been trying to take their rights away. There were even rumors spread that Cuomo was sending busloads of dying Covid-19 patients from NYC to upstate New York so they could infect the people there. This is the way Republicans up here think!

For the average somewhat intelligent person it is difficult to understand how some people can be not acting in their best interest. I not only get annoyed and angry at their stupidity, but I also get fearful of their actions. I could give a shit if they become infected and die, but I do care that they could infect me or my loved ones. They’re not only being stupid they are being negligent and are possibly committing assault or even murder. If a person wants to kill himself by jumping off a tall building that’s okay with me, but when they jump and land on me, that’s a different story.

Other than the danger of these fools infecting myself and others there is the ever-present danger that these fools will again vote for Trump, after not realizing that he made the pandemic much worse. If we look at what types of people comprise Trump’s base we may look differently at how we feel about what they are doing in defiance of the know facts and logic regarding this pandemic.

Trump’s supporters include white supremacists, misogynists, religious bigots, homophobes, racists, Nazis, and the miscreants of society. Or as Hilary called them, “deplorables”. All of these people together managed to elect this sorry excuse of a human being. This happened because so many people did not vote, thinking that it would not make a difference. Even though these deplorables are sadly outnumbered their votes counted. And it could happen again.

As this pandemic continues to change the way we live and work, or not work, the same people will resist what is good for themselves and the general population. Those same ignorant fools will gather in large numbers in their Red states without masks in defiance of the experts. They will continue to join their MAGA neighbors in the bars and the churches, while the rest of us continue to social distance. They will continue to scoff at science and belittle the healthcare workers risking their lives to save us all. And then, little by little, or big by big, they will begin to get sick and die off. Trump’s base will be decimated, saving the rest of our society. They will never listen to reason, so maybe they should be left to their fate.

Warning! MAGA hats are not PPEs!

Wikimedia

While New York and California are battling an uphill battle against the coronavirus, led by Governors Cuomo and Newsom, both Democrats, Red state governors are sitting by with their thumbs stuck up their asses and lips firmly planted on Trump’s ass. They are following the lead of their fat bastard leader and rejecting sound medical advice from specialists like Dr. Anthony Fauci, who know what the hell they’re doing.

As the virus was attacking New York City, Chicago, California and Washington state, and other states that happened to be Blue states, those governors ordered stay at home or shelter-in-place rules to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Red state governors, like the asshole in Florida, Gov. DeSantis, welcomed spring break revelers to the beaches of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and other beach resorts. Republican government officials in Kansas scoffed at preparing for the pandemic saying “we don’t have many Chinese people in Kansas”. Hey if Trump said the threat would be over in a few days, what’s the worry?

As Trump ignored warnings about the coronavirus, for fear of it hurting his re-election efforts and his financial holdings, the virus gained a stronghold in New York City and Washington state. For over two months Trump and his cohorts in the administration lied about the seriousness of the virus and downplayed the dangers to the American public. He placed the most incompetent and unqualified people in positions of organizing and directing the government’s response to this deadly disease. The only task he gave them was to kiss his ass at every opportunity and to praise his woefully inadequate handling of this crisis during the daily press briefings.

Now that both the number of cases and the deaths are increasing at an alarming rate, a few of the deplorable Republican governors are starting to wake up. Those who took joy in seeing Gov. Cuomo beg for life-saving supplies now realize that Covid-19 does not discriminate between Republican and Democratic states. Because they put all of their faith in a greedy con-man, who has little use for science and truth, they soon will be overwhelmed by the virus. Their cult-like devotion to Trump will cost the lives of hundreds or thousands of their constituents. But many, still stay silent.

We are finding out that Trump sent millions of dollars worth of supplies, that could have been used here, to China and Thailand. Trump has refused to use the powers of his office to enact the Defense Production Act to force industries to manufacture the supplies and equipment so desperately needed by those on the front lines of this fight. He has refused to recommend a nationwide stay at home order for every state as he arrogantly believes it will not spread from the hot spots to other areas of the country. As the virus ravages states such as New York and California, Trump denies much-needed supplies to them, instead, sending them to states that as yet have not been affected simply because they voted for him.

Yesterday at his campaign rally/Covid-19 update it was announced that 200,000 masks were being sent to New York City. Good news? No. they are being sent to private contractors who will auction them off to the highest bidders, American or foreign! Yesterday Trump’s son in law, Kushner said “our” strategic stockpile of supplies did not belong to the states and that they should get their own supplies. Today we learned that Kushner has directed that millions of dollars of supplies be sent to the states, but only the ones whose governors spoke with Trump. Whatever happened to the “United” States of America?

Today, on NBC, Dr. Anthony Fauci said, “I don’t understand why all states are not under stay-at-home orders”. Only 39 states thus far have issued such orders, while the rest are in denial waiting for the big orange turd to tell them what to do. Not having a nationwide shutdown, as someone anonymously said, “is like having a peeing only section of a public swimming pool”! There are too many Trump supporters, especially in Red states or in rural pockets all over the country who have been brainwashed by Trump and Fox News to believe there is no threat to them. They go on with life, as usual, laughing at the rest of the country, believing Trump will keep them safe.

This pisses me off because they are not only risking their own lives but the lives of everyone in this country. They think they’re immune to the disease and probably Trump is too. I’ve got news for you. You’re not immune and neither is Trump. (He might be though since as far as I know the virus only affects humans.). Trump supporters, of all people, should be scared shitless because they are most likely to be the ones who don’t have health insurance or the money to pay their medical bills. They don’t realize that Trump doesn’t give a shit about them and the Republicans in Congress will not adequately take care of their needs.

If the Trump administration doesn’t admit failure and hand over the response to the experts, instead of his toadies and family members he won’t have to worry about his re-election. There won’t be enough live Trump supporters left to vote for him.

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People Are Dying, It’s time to end Trump’s reality show!

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It’s shocking and depressing to wake up each morning to the news that the numbers of positive cases of the coronavirus and the number of deaths from it are dramatically rising. I can’t help but think that one month ago the leader of our county muttered these words, “and again when you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that’s a pretty good job we’ve done”. Now thanks to Trump’s inactions and incompetence we have 75,665 positive cases and 11,000, and the numbers are still rising!

Every day the Moron-in-Chief appears for his daily briefings. People expecting to hear about life and death information, and how our government is helping them, hear nothing but lies, misinformation, conspiracy theories, attacks on his enemies and the press and self-aggrandizing pronouncements. We are put through a sickening parade of the sycophants in his administration kissing his ass, in order to keep him happy and keep their jobs. Even when the two medical experts are allowed to speak, Trump contradicts them if they tell the truth, as dire as it may be. Instead, he spouts irresponsible and dangerous information, offering false hope to his supporters.

At a time when the leader of our country should be uniting us and giving honest emotional support he, instead, continues to divide the country with his racist remarks and failing to take responsibility for his failure to meet this emergency head-on. Instead, he blames Obama, China, Europe, Democratic governors, the press, and anyone else he can think of for his disastrous response to the pandemic. He still believes the pandemic is a conspiracy to ruin his chances for re-election.

Americans are suffering and dying because of him and it’s going to get worse. Enough is enough. This is not a Trumpian reality show! It’s not about him. It’s about us and our country. It’s time for this shit show to end. The more he talks, the more people will die. His cabinet will never dare correct or criticize him, so we can’t depend on them to do the right and moral thing. The GOP members of Congress are either terrified of him or are complicit in his reign of terror and will do nothing to remove him.

Take the fat son of a bitch off the briefing stage and put his ass on a golf course with all the KFC and Big Macs he can eat and leave him there until this thing is over. He can’t harm us there. Then put Dr. Fauci in charge of a panel of experts and have them give the daily briefing to the American public. This will save lives.

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Mainstream Media, You're Doing It Again! Stop airing Trump's mini rallies!

Yahoo News

When Trump ran for president in 2016 most people thought he was a joke, including the mainstream media who saw his campaign as a way to boost their ratings. Every time Trump as much as farted the media were there to cover it. Every word, every action, every appearance was covered, at the expense of the rest of the candidates of both parties. All of this free media coverage of a supposed billionaire, who could well worth afford to pay for it. Every time you turned your TV on there was Donald Trump. His opponents in the Republican primary were summarily ignored, as well as was Clinton, in the general election. They were complicit in allowing Trump and the GOP to demonize Clinton with all matters of lies and conspiracy theories. Shockingly Trump won the electoral college vote, while Clinton won the popular vote. Thanks in part to the MSM we now have a narcissistic, racist, misogynist, homophobic, xenophobic, amoral, incompetent, and dangerous bully as a president!

Up until recently, the MSM has refrained from reporting Trump’s obnoxious and oftentimes illegal actions. They have referred to his incessant daily lying as him offering mistruths or misinformation. His staff even coined a new word for his lies, calling them alternative truths. All the while Trump viciously attacked the press and individual reporters for reporting something that he viewed as unflattering to him, the media did little or nothing. I must note here that I am not referring to Fox News as being a part of the MSM, as it is merely the propaganda arm of the Trump regime and does not cover any factual news regarding Dear Leader.

Now that we are amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the media has slithered back into their pre-election coverage of Trump. Whether it is fear of Trump or plain stupidity they are allowing him free reign of their news coverage. Since Trump’s election, he has not stopped performing at his MAGA rallies, holding them regularly, to stoke up his moronic followers and wallowing in their cultlike adoration. That is until a few weeks ago. Because of the coronavirus, large gatherings have been canceled or forbidden to stop the spread of the disease. These actions have taken away Trump’s only source of Trump’s much-needed validation. At his rallies, he can behave as racist and disgusting as he wants, attacking minorities, immigrants, the handicapped, non-Christians and anyone who doesn’t dote on every Adderal infected word he mutters. He has no shame and his followers aren’t intelligent enough to care.

Not one to be discouraged by a national public health concern, Trump has found a way to rally his deplorable supporters, without holding a public mass rally. Instead, he is holding daily press briefings on the status of the government’s response to the pandemic. He is not addressing the American people with these briefings. He is addressing his supporters by injecting racism into his remarks and calling the coronavirus the Chinese virus. Instead of being presidential and a real man he is blaming Obama, the Democrats and anyone else who doesn’t profess their undying loyalty to him. When he was asked to speak to those people who were afraid of getting sick and dying he attacked the reporter for asking a “nasty” question. He rambles on and on giving false hope and false information, openly disagreeing and contradicting medical experts standing on the podium with him. He is even touting unproven medicines with dangerous side effects a possible cures, just to make himself look like a hero.

Daily he stands, shoulder to shoulder, with his team instead of maintaining a safe social distance, carrying on with a reality type of shit show for his supporters. He shows no concern for those who are suffering from the virus or the families of those who have died from it. Instead, he lies about how many tests are available and how masks and ventilators are being delivered to the hotspots. Perhaps more annoying than his lying is how each member of his administration has to preface their remarks about telling how grateful they are that Trump is doing a tremendous job in meeting this crisis. He never mentions the first responders, the nurses, the truckers or the little people dealing with this crisis.

After the mandatory ass-kissing, the members of his team, except for Dr. Fauci, go on to repeat his useless information. At times Dr. Fauci has stepped up to contradict Trump with the medical facts on the spread of the virus, much to Trump’s dismay. Mysteriously Dr. Fauci has disappeared from the latest briefings. No doubt Trump will fire him soon, for telling the truth to the American people.

Only a couple of weeks ago Trump called the pandemic a hoax orchestrated by the Democrats to hurt him. Naturally, Fox News and the GOP went along with his paranoic lies and conspiracy theories. He was afraid that if the number of cases rose, the economy would tank, along with his re-election chances. He was and still is more concerned with the economy and his businesses along with those of his millionaire friends than the health of the American people. He reluctantly went along with shutting down businesses to slow the spread of the disease, but as of today, he says he wants people to go back to work. He lyingly stated that more people will die from suicide due to the economy than will die from the virus.

Usually, Trump will attack the press, the Democrats in Congress and the governors who have criticized his handling of the health emergency. He attacks his opponents personally and complains about how much money he has lost while serving as president. ( So why doesn’t he quit?) Recently when he was informed that Mitt Romney had tested positive for the virus, he smirked and said, “that’s too bad”. He is incapable of showing any empathy, in comparison to New York Governor Cuomo in his daily briefings, for which he is receiving national bipartisan praise for his leadership.

With each one of his unhinged diatribes masquerading as Covid-19 briefings, the major news networks have aired them without any concurrent fact-checking. This activity has drawn strong criticism on social media, such as Twitter and Facebook. For the first time today, his self indulging appearance was only broadcast on Fox News as a virtual town hall meeting. This is where he announced that he will most likely disregard the advice of medical experts and have people go back to work, by April 12, Easter. He announced that he wanted the churches filled on Easter Sunday! Trump’s death wish for the American people!

Hopefully, today was not a one-time event with the major news agencies not airing his mini rallies. The mainstream media must step up to protect the American people from the dangerous deranged psychopath’s attack on the truth and the health of our nation. Fox News will certainly not step up to the plate to help save lives, but eventually, after the number of deaths skyrocket, they may do their humane duty. Don’t hold your breath though. They will defend Trump to our deaths.

We had our chance only a few months ago to remove this inept excuse for a human through his impeachment, but the cowardly, fearful and greedy GOP reneged on their oaths of office and refused to remove him. For the health and safety of each and every one of us, Trump must somehow be removed from office. Either through another immediate and speedy impeachment, the use of Article 25 or his institutionalization to a psychiatric facility. This article from Yale University is very interesting and addresses this issue.

We’re only just at the beginning of this pandemic in this country and we have a long and treacherous way to go. We need advice and guidance from medical experts and others involved in infectious diseases if we are to have any hope. We need the truth. We need information that is not watered down to meet the narcissistic needs of the moron in the White House. We must be able to trust and count on our news media to save our lives and our country.

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Knew He Was a Disaster, But you enabled him anyway

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Like most people in this country, I’m aware of Covid-19 and have been following the government’s reaction to it. Unlike many people, I have not panicked or started hoarding toilet paper. Sometimes though I think I should start to panic and prepare for the worst.

I am a member of the high-risk population as I am 72 and suffer from both asthma and COPD. I cannot help but remember how much I suffered from the flu almost one year ago today. I was hospitalized then and I thought that was going to be the end. I fear that if I get the coronavirus I will not survive. With those thoughts still fresh in my mind I admit that I have a healthy fear of this pandemic. But it’s more than fear. My fear is accompanied by shame and downright anger!

The world has known about this virus since December, but because of the coverup of the Chinese Communist government, nothing was done, until the virus had taken hold in the population. The United States was aware of Covid-19 and how dangerous it had become in mid-January but did nothing. Our government had its own coverup. The stable genius in the White House dismantled the team of experts whose task it was to address epidemics such as this one, solely because of his jealousy and hatred of President Obama.

As the virus spread to Europe and Asia, China moved into high gear to address the epidemic. When South Korea was hit hard by the virus they acted quickly to test those exposed to the virus and protect their citizens. South Korea and Germany developed their own Covid-19 tests and offered them to the United States, but our CDC arrogantly refused them and instead chose to develop or own tests. This action put the United States way behind the rest of the world in dealing with the virus. The United States, which once was at the forefront of worldwide disease prevention and control was now lagging behind third world countries, all because of a childish, narcissistic moron who is incapable of carrying out the duties of his office. What a frigging shame!

As the virus was introduced into our country, instead of meeting the public health threat head-on, Trump and his ignorant sycophants, led by FOX news called the virus a hoax manufactured by the Democrats to hurt Trump. Time and time again Trump downplayed the dangers of the virus, worrying more about how the stock market losses would affect his businesses and his reelection chances, over the health of the American people. Every statement he made in January and February and even now in regards to the virus and its danger to the American people has been a lie. And still, The Republicans do nothing except bury their heads in the sand.

As Italy has literally shut down in hopes of containing the virus in the face of increasing numbers of cases and deaths, Trump has done nothing, but brag about how “perfect” his response to the virus has been. South Korea has managed to test approximately 210,000 people since testing began while the United States has managed to test a little over 8,000 people. South Korea is showing what a competent reaction to the health crisis should be, while the President of the United States is golfing and blaming others for his incompetence.

As the Republicans continued to call Covid-19 a hoax and downplay its dangers to the American public, members of Congress have themselves been exposed to the virus while attending CPAC, a mecca for conservatives. While the average American cannot receive a Covid-19 test, because of the unavailability of tests, these special friends of Trump have easily and quickly been tested. It is now known that Trump, himself, has had exposure to the virus from his contact with these people, as well as from his meeting with a representative of the Brazilian government. As of this writing, Trump has not been tested and refuses to be tested. I guess the captain wants to go down with the ship.

My anger and hopelessness came to a head with Trump’s address to the nation last night regarding his plan to manage the virus. His plan includes giving the virus a nationality. It is now officially a “foreign virus”. He also formulated a travel ban, barring people from flying into the US from Europe, except for the UK and Ireland. The asshole doesn’t realize that people can fly from anywhere in Europe to the UK or Ireland then fly to the US! It is also interesting that the two countries excluded from this ban are those countries housing Trump’s failing golf resorts! Any question where his sympathies lie?

His speech to the nation did not address testing at all. There was no acknowledgment of the shortage of tests and if and when mass testing will become available. He did say that his administration is working on a plan to deal with the financial implications of the pandemic, but no mention of anything concrete. His statements regarding an economic stimulus plan were directed towards business and shoring up the stock market, instead of assisting those families having to deal with the illness and the hardships suffered by the uninsured or underinsured, those without sick leave, those without childcare and those living from paycheck to paycheck. In other words, he showed no concern for the health and welfare of the average American.

Since his speech, it has become apparent that this country is in serious trouble and people like me are in very serious trouble. From time to time during the average day, my breathing becomes difficult. I dealt with it as always, but now I can’t help but think “is this it?”. Could this be the beginning of the end? Even though I live in a county with only one positive case of coronavirus, so far, I can’t help but be concerned. I know there are many people in my situation and there are many more in extremely serious conditions throughout the country. I know there are scientists, doctors, technicians and healthcare workers working 24/7 to bring this pandemic under control. At the same time though I see Trump put my fate and the fate of our citizenry in the hands of Jared Kushner, who has absolutely no qualifications to do anything. It’s now up to Kushner to decide whether or not a public health state of emergency should be declared!

As I listen to the reports that the NBA and MLB have canceled or delayed their seasons, and colleges and universities have closed campuses and initiated online classes I can see the lives of Americans changing. I know my life will begin to change, as the virus will become more prevalent and hits closer to my community. At the same time, I see these changes I see that the Republicans are not changing. I see that the Democratic House of Representatives has unveiled a plan to help workers cope with the financial effects of not being able to work due to being infected by the virus. The plan includes paid sick leave for those who have none. I also see that the Republicans are vehemently opposed to the plan. Nothing here has changed.

There have been many comments made regarding politicizing the coronavirus threat, mostly from Trump supporters, but that’s a lot of bullshit. When it comes to my life and the lives of my family and my friends I am going to place the majority of the blame for the coronavirus threat not being handled competently and in a timely fashion squarely where it belongs. On Donald J. Trump and the Republican party! As Trump’s presidency rolled out we all could see how much of a racist he was. We all could see how corrupt he was. We all could see how vindictive and narcissistic he was. We could all see how incompetent he was. We also could see how much of a liar he was. We all knew, deep down, that Trump would destroy our country, one way or the other.

We had one chance to stop this destruction, with his impeachment and removal from office. But Republicans failed their party, their oaths of office and their country. They were terrified to vote against him for fear of being the targets of his vile vindictive retaliatory tweets. Or they were willing participants in his rape of the American taxpayer, or they too were beholding to Putin. The GOP is remarkably standing with him in the face of disaster. Before this pandemic is over there will be economic pandemonium and worse, many lives lost. If nothing is done the GOP will forever bear the responsibility of this apocalypse.

It’s time for Congress to get rid of Trump. Utilize the 25th Amendment or impeach him as soon as possible before he can cause more damage and more deaths. We can’t afford to wait for the election. We need a credible and competent government now!

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The Third Reich -Trump the sequel!

“Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it!”

We’ve all heard that quote many times. I’m sure. Guess what? It’s happening again. Right now. There’s a different set of characters but the actions and goals are the same. Instead of The Fuhrer, we have President Trump.

Heinrich Himmler was the head of Hitler’s Gestapo who enforced Hitler’s will with an iron hand. Today we have William Barr, Trump’s lackey serving as “his” Attorney General. Today Barr announced all investigations of the President and The White House must go through him. Our own SS.

Joseph Goebbels was Hitler’s Propaganda Minister who disseminated lies and disinformation to the German people to convince them how their Fuhrer was helping them make their lives better. Trump has Sean Hannity the rabid purveyor of lies and disinformation on behalf of Trump’s propaganda machine, FOX News.

 Adolf Eichman, a top officer in the SS, was Hitler’s architect of the Holocaust and was responsible for the deaths of over 6 million Jews. Trump has Stephen Miller who is his senior advisor overseeing immigration. He has been a strong proponent of white nationalism.

Hitler’s final solution included the concentration camps scattered all over Germany and German-occupied lands. Trump’s Homeland Security operates detention centers on our southern border with Mexico.

The descent into authoritarianism!

Hitler was allowed to rise to power because the German people let him. He strong-armed his way to power by demonizing his enemies and using Jews and other minorities as scapegoats for everything that was wrong with Germany. He believed that the more you repeat a lie the more likely people will believe it. His propaganda was directed at the uneducated, as he believed they would not know how to differentiate facts from lies. He used his propaganda to divide Germany, racially. He told his people that the elite, the press, the educated and the members of academia were all Jews or were influenced by Jews. Sound familiar?

Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany in 1933 as part of a coalition government. He was considered a demagogue by the majority of politicians in the Reichstag, but they thought he could be prevented from doing any serious damage in this position. However, Hitler used his position to eliminate his opposition in the Reichstag and eventually, by the use of conspiracy theories, he managed to proclaim himself Fuhrer of the Third Reich in 1934. After this, he continued to solidify his power by eliminating his opponents or anyone who might question his authority.

On February 5, 2020, the Republican-led U.S. Senate acquited Trump of both counts for which he was impeached in the House of Representatives, thus removing any obstacles to his ascent to dictatorial power. Already Trump has moved to eliminate any opposition through Barr’s announcement as noted above. He has already started his purge of those individuals who have truthfully testified against him. And this is only 2 days after the Senate action! He has vowed revenge on anyone who took part in his impeachment, including Sen. Mitt Romney, a member of his own party, and anyone he has perceived as having not been loyal to him. It’s only just beginning.

There is only one way to stop Trump from becoming the type of dictator he so lovingly admires, as he has exemplified in his relationships with Putin and Kim Jung-un. And that is by defeating him in November’s presidential election. This election probably will be the most controversial, profane and perhaps even the most violent in history. He will use any means at his disposal, either legal and most likely illegal to remain in power. The country will be torn apart even worse than it is now leading to election day. If he does indeed lose the election, he will not leave office willingly and I fear what the consequences will be. But we have to save our country before it descends into the second coming of Hitler. We cannot be fooled and we cannot be silent.

(All photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Originally published in The Militant on Medium.com

Speak Up and Speak Out

Image by ArtWithPam from Pixabay  

As some of you may know I am an active contributor to Medium.com.  Recently,  with another writer Sherry McGuinn, we started a new publication on Medium called The Militant. This new publication is for people to speak up and speak out about what Trump is doing to our country and how he and his Republican sycophants are destroying our Constitution and Democracy.

At a time when remaining silent is the same as aiding and abetting Trump installing himself as a dictator reigning over a fascist state, we are asking people to read this publication and/or submit your own articles for publication.  Please help us defend our democracy.

About

The Militant

There’s a time and a place for outrage. The time is now, the place is here. Stop “taking it on the chin.” Our country, our world, our very lives hang in the balance. Politics. Healthcare. Ageism. Sexism. The environment. Animal rights. Sound off and fight back.

Note from the editor

There’s a time and a place for outrage. The time is now, the place is here. Stop “taking it on the chin.” Our country, our world, our very lives hang in the balance. Politics. Healthcare. Ageism. Sexism. The environment. Animal rights. Sound off and fight back.

RIP American Democracy

                 Born July 4, 1776, died January 31, 2020

Image by John Hain from Pixabay

Today our Founding Fathers are crying, Lady Liberty is broken and weeping and those veterans who gave their lives in all of our wars fighting for democracy lay in their graves having died in vain. This afternoon the majority Republicans in the U.S Senate voted 49–51 to refuse to hear the truth from witnesses in the impeachment trial of our country’s most dishonest, treasonous and corrupt President.

Even though a number of those Republican senators admitted Trump was guilty they still refused to consider the overwhelming evidence that was presented to them. They refused to hear from first-hand witnesses who observed Trump’s illegal behavior, even though one of those witnesses volunteered to testify. They chose to deny the truth and they defied their oaths to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

I can say that I am not really surprised that our Republican Senate chose to legitimize and crown a dictator. I’m sure that the vast majority of them are either terrified of Trump or complicit in his criminal activities and enriching themselves from his affiliations with Russia and our own oligarchs. They have chosen money and party over country. Now there is nothing we can do to them, or Trump, except for destroying them at the ballot box this November.

What does surprise me and pisses me off royally is the stupidity, laziness, apathy, and cowardice of the American people. While Trump’s team has been locking up children at our southern border and ripping them away from the arms of their parents there has been mostly silence. While Trump is rolling back or killing regulations protecting our climate and environment there is silence. While Trump is destroying our long time alliances with those countries we stood shoulder to shoulder with, in defending democracy there is mostly silence. While the rights of our fellow American citizens are being attacked there once again is only silence.

I can remember in my youth protesting an immoral and illegal war in Vietnam because we felt it was our duty. We did not stand for our government sending our fellow youth to fight and die in an unjust war. We protested en masse for our beliefs. We protested who we thought was a corrupt and immoral President. Eventually, Nixon resigned before he was impeached because Americans made their voices heard. Recently I have witnessed tens of thousands of residents of Hong Kong marching for pro-democracy, risking arrest, injury and even death. They were protesting for something they wanted and were willing to die for, and that was democracy.

Since Trump took office in 2017 there has been a steady erosion of the values and beliefs I grew up with. The United States I knew and loved is changing. We are going backward. Backward to the days when straight white Christian males ruled with an iron hand. Non-Christians, people of color, LGBTQ people and immigrants were not considered equal. Women were considered property. All of these people were considered inferior.

As this country continues this downward trend I ask where are the people? Where are the Americans, descendants of immigrants who shaped this country? Where are the sons and daughters of the greatest generation who fought the Nazis so that we may be free? Where are those Americans whom the world became to know as generous, empathetic and welcoming to those less fortunate? Most of them are sitting on their fat asses because they don’t want to be involved! They are content with the financial scraps Trump has thrown them in the guise of a “tax cut” that only made the rich richer. Hey, the stock market is doing great, even though they have to have three jobs to pay for housing and can’t afford decent healthcare. Marie Antoinette’s words, “Let them eat cake” sounds appropriate here!

During this impeachment trial, in which our democratic form of government is being destroyed and our Constitution is being shat upon, there is little resistance. One would think people would take to the streets in protest, but they haven’t, at least not in large numbers. Admittedly there have been protests but the media has managed to look the other way. Oddly, the media is partially responsible for Trump’s rise, but now even as they are being viciously attacked by him, they remain silent.

Not only haven’t Americans not demonstrated to take their country back, but they are reticent to even engage in a discussion of what is happening. On sites such as these people are afraid or are unwilling to have an opinion or take a stand. You don’t see very many articles about resisting Trump’s activities garnering many views or notoriety here. I guess that’s because that would mean they would be getting “involved”. How many times have I heard the phrase, “I don’t like politics”! What bullshit! These people are the same as those people in Germany who looked the other way during the Holocaust.!

I know I am not the only one who feels this passionate about our country and what Trump and his fascist cohorts are doing to destroy it. I hope there will be more intelligent and patriotic people who will take their heads out of the sand and join me and the founder of this publication, Sherry McGuinn in fighting for our democracy and all that this country stands for. Don’t be afraid to voice your concerns and stand up for yourselves. We have so much to lose! Standing together WE CAN save our freedoms.