So…have you heard the one about the Russians paying Taliban insurgents bounties to kill American soldiers?  Apparently, neither has Trump.  Or, at least, that’s his claim.  That’s his explanation for why he never took action against Russia.  He didn’t know about it.  (It’s funny to me how the hands-on, got-it-all-under-control so-called “President” never seems to know what’s going on around him…)  Also, it wasn’t credible.  He didn’t know about the thing that wasn’t credible so no action was taken.  Got it.  But that’s not quite right, is it?  He DID take action.  He invited Russia back into the G7.  Russia pays bounties on the lives of American soldiers and Trump rewards them?

I believe Trump is a Russian “asset.”  I really do.  There’s no other plausible explanation for why he’s so deferential to Putin.  If you think you can defend his feckless lack of response, I’d like to hear it.  As part of the exercise, though, please include your service dates.  I suspect that if I hear any defense of Trump’s failure to act at all, it will come from people who couldn’t be bothered to serve because they had “other priorities…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I guess nobody should be surprised to find that Covid-19 cases are resurging, particularly in the “Screw you!  This whole thing’s a fake” states.  And yet, some people still are – surprised, that is.  This latest surge was as predictable as sunrise.  More people are going to die, just because American business interests wanted workers to get back to work.  I mean, how are the Capitalists supposed to pad their wealth if workers aren’t producing revenue for them to steal?  And what, after all, are a few hundred thousand worker lives when it comes to maintaining the bloated lifestyles of the few?

Fortunately, America has a “President” who is right there working as hard as possible to take away what little and crappy access most Americans have to health care.  So, let’s try our hand at Fox “News” spin.  Workers aren’t “dying.”  Instead, they’re creating new job openings for other workers.  My, how considerate…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow.  Facebook finds itself in an advertiser revolt over such a little thing as allowing unchallenged lies on it’s platform in an effort to boost Trump.  Predictably, Zuckerberg is doing as little as possible while talking about everything he’s doing to address the problem.  I think Zuck knows the lies benefit Trump and Zuck likes Trump.  But Zuck likes money, too.  So, how much money is Zuckerberg willing to pass up in order to support his preferred candidate?

Inquiring minds want to know…

Well, I’m a bit surprised but pleased to report that Trump’s little Nuremberg in Tulsa was a flop.  As usual, Trump “helped…”

On the right, this photo (without the Sharpie additions) will be dismissed as having been taken before or after the rally.  Still, there are FAR too many photos of the arena no more than two-thirds full.  The trump team had to pull down the outside venue that had been set up for the overflow – because the “overflow” never materialized.

I don’t mean to make too big of a deal about it.  The best explanation is that, despite what they’ll tell you in public, even conservatives were too aware of the risks of Covid-19 to take such an unnecessary chance.  Sure, for a haircut, yes.  But to listen to an old, washed-up TV guy riff on his “greatest” hits?  Why?

Alternately, I’ve heard that huge numbers of young people signed up for tickets they had NO intention of using as a joke, which is what caused the campaign to believe – and announce – that the rally was going to be a huge success with overflow crowds and people STILL being turned away.

I’ve looked at many photos of the event.  I found a few masks.  That surprised me.  For political reasons, conservatives have been conditioned to disdain the masks.  I didn’t expect ANYBODY to wear one at such an event.

I’m expecting Fox “News” to start – today – taunting people who still accept science with the idea that – as of today – there are no new cases of Covid-19 attributable to the rally.  Of course not.  There’s an incubation period.  Let’s see what happens to the infection rate starting in 10-14 days.  I’m guessing Fox will be silent on the subject by then…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don’t care about Bolton’s new book but I DO think he has a point about how badly the Democrats handled the impeachment.  The Dems are insisting that he should have testified and perhaps the process would have gone better.  It would not have.  The Dems insisted – insisted – the process must move forward at breakneck speed; so fast they didn’t even have time to collect and collate all of the information.  But they DID have time to sit on the Articles of Impeachment for something like three weeks.

I continue to believe that the job of the Democrats in this charade of a Republic is to lose.  They’re supposed to put up something that appears to be a “fight” but lose.  Rank and file Democratic and Progressive Americans offer all kinds of ways to win.  The Republicans offer misery and suffering to the masses and nothing else.  It should be easy for Dems to pull off victory after victory but they scrupulously avoid any path that might actually lead to a win.  It’s always true: actions speak louder than words…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I guess the PG&E bankruptcy is moving forward.  I had a conversation with a PG&E employee who thought that the recent decision by the company to move it’s headquarters to a cheaper location would benefit rate-payers.  I laughed.  (He’s young.)  I explained that PG&E executives would benefit from the move; not the rate-payers.  Literally two days later?  PG&E was back at the trough seeking rate INCREASES…

It seems there’s NOTHING in this once-great nation that works in practice as described in the brochure…

I’m glad they’re taking down statues of traitors and I think they should rename the military posts named after traitors, as well.  I know.  BOLD, controversial stance, right?  For me, the question isn’t one of slavery.  Slavery is America’s original sin.  We’re stuck with it, that history, like it or not.  We can – should – learn from it and try to do better.

It seems like some people want to try to “solve” racism by pretending slavery didn’t exist.  When a statue of a confederate soldier, general, their “President” or whichever traitor they happened to be comes down, many suggest the Washington or Jefferson might be next because they owned slaves, too.  I would not support the removal of statues of Washington and I doubt that black Americans would want that, either, despite the fact that he owned slaves.

But people who took up arms against the United States of America?  People who actually fought battles against and killed US soldiers?  Why would any American want to celebrate someone like that?  Do these same people want a statue of Osama Bin Laden in their hometown squares as well?  After all, he attacked America, too.  How about Emperor Hirohito, the leader of Japan on December 7, 1941.  No.  Not them.  Just the guys who took up arms against the United States in a failed (perhaps “failing”) effort to keep slaves.

Racists are all proud that their team refuses to surrender even though a) they lost and b) they were completely wrong in every measurable way.  Sadly, racism is alive and well in America.  I just don’t think we should erect or maintain statues in it’s honor…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now might be the time to remember that slavery is all the proof anyone needs that the Capitalist class will do anything – ANYTHING –  in the name of profit.  Left to it’s own devices, unregulated Capitalism will literally kill people for money.  It’s really quite insane that any civilized society would continue to trust the Capitalist class to “do the right thing.”  They won’t.

I oppose so-called free market Capitalism for that very reason.  I also know Communism can’t work, has never worked, will never work.  So?  What’s left?  Regulated Capitalism that heavily taxes the highest incomes to prevent hoarding.  In short, the New Deal.  FDR was smart to call it that.  Far too many Americans just crap their britches when they hear the word ‘Socialism’ so the whole ‘Democratic Socialist’ name becomes a non-starter.  Some will just scream ‘Communism’ and run.  End of conversation.  I would like to call it ‘Social Capitalism.’  First, it’s a better description of what is, after all, an economic system but second, it prevents those who would distort from shifting the conversation.  After all, ‘Capitalism’ is still right in the name…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Conservatives are STILL working to rig every “election” in this once-great nation, all the while screaming about liberals rigging the elections.  The tactics of voter suppression are so blatant, so old they’re not even hidden any more.  Minimal voting machines in places you don’t want people voting?  Done.  Removal of names on voter roles – perhaps because they “sound too black?”  Done.  Hell, cheating voting machines in the first place?  Done.

Now we have the mail-in ballot “controversy.”  In truth, there IS no controversy.  Mail-in ballots have been used in this country since the civil war.  They’re safe.  There’s somewhere between little and no evidence of statistically significant voter fraud with mail-in ballots.  One has to specify “statistically significant” because, in point of fact, there ARE cases of people voting more than once from time to time.  Inevitably, they’re conservatives.  This killer ex-cop, Dickhead Chauvin I think his name is, apparently voted illegally in Florida – twice.  But his extra votes – along with Ann Coulter’s and Rush Limbaugh’s – are hardly going to turn an election.

There’s only one party that works SO HARD to cheat in elections: the Republicans.  Sure, they constantly scream about how the Dems are trying to cheat.  They pretend that Democrats literally bus illegal aliens from precinct to precinct so they can cast illegal ballots and boost the Dems to victory.  Pure, unadulterated bullshit.  Quite simply, there are more liberals and progressives than there are conservatives in this once-great nation.  When we come out to vote, we win.  But that’s their story and they’re sticking to it.

I say, the fact that conservatives are working so hard to prevent people from voting on paper is all the proof one needs that voting on paper is the correct choice…

Okay, so the headline is ‘Barr says he didn’t give tactical order to clear Lafayette Park protestors.‘  But inside, if you read the story, there’s this: “He said he attended a meeting around 2 p.m. Monday with several other law enforcement officials, including Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham, where they looked at a map and decided on a dividing line. Under the plan, the protesters would be moved away from Lafayette Park and federal law enforcement officials and members of the National Guard would maintain the perimeter line, Barr said.”

So, basically, Barr is saying he didn’t say “1,2,3 go!”  He just “looked at a map and decided on a dividing line” with other law enforcement officials and then waited for it to happen.  He even got irritated it didn’t happen sooner.  That is one tiny, little fine hair he’s splitting…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The NFL has reversed course on players kneeling in protest.  It’s the correct move.  (I wonder if Colin can get a job again now…)  It was never about the flag or disrespecting the National Anthem.  It was always about police abuse, especially toward people of color.

There’s a certain orange individual who is angry about someone making a good decision.  (That’s just his way.)  But look at the bright side: if Trump doesn’t like it, you know you’re doing the right thing…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So…BOTH candidates oppose Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.  Trump because Twitter exposed some of his lies, Biden because other platforms won’t expose lies.  I support Twitter and what they did so I guess I’m with Biden.  I think the other platforms should at least fact-check data on their platforms.

Conservatives always complain that the process is used to block conservative positions.  Well, kinda.  Conservatives these days dwell in a world of opinions, assertions, and anecdotes.  In short, a world where true and false fall second to personal preferences.  This, of course, means that many, most, perhaps ALL conservative posts would have to be flagged.  But that doesn’t happen because they’re conservative.  It happens because they’re false.

I recognize conservative’s right to embrace falsehood.  I reject the idea that their choice to embrace falsehood means I have to accept it as well.  Yes, you have the right to be wrong.  I have an equal right – and a higher responsibility – to be right.  But here’s the most important part:  in a democracy (or a constitutional republic) accurate information is the life blood of the society.  Allowing anybody to post whatever bunk that pops into their wrongheaded little brains without challenge is actually harmful to America!  For clarity, I say post it but flag it.

I really don’t care if conservatives say it makes it harder for them to lie.  Good!  That’s the point.  ANY position that depends upon lies for it’s defense doesn’t deserve to be defended…

Trump wants his supporters to believe he only went to that bunker to “inspect” it.  They will, too.  Hell, they’ll believe anything he tells them.  My experience of Donald Trump is less…fictitious than theirs.  MY guess?  The minute someone told Trump there were protestors outside, he went into a blind panic.  Suddenly, and to the surprise of the Secret Service, it was a foot race to the bunker, Trump bowling over Melania and Barron in the process.

“Get them out of my way!” Trump screamed as he ran.  The Secret Service pretended he just said, “Get them” and brought them along.  They caught up just as Trump was trying to slam the bunker door shut – just in time to get Melania and Barron inside.  It was close, though…

I can’t really say it’s his fault.  Sheer terror is a bitch of a taskmaster.  Sheer terror has caused people to burn down houses trying to kill a spider.  Sheer terror causes people to run blindly into trees trying to escape a rattlesnake.  Sheer terror caused the so-called “President of the United States” to hide in a bunker because there were some people outside his house…

But fear passes.  As he sat down there in that bunker, likely hoping people wouldn’t notice the spreading dark spot in the front of his trousers (they did but didn’t say anything), he realized his base might get the wrong impression – in this case, factual accuracy.  In the best Trumpian tradition, he needed an excuse.

The thing is, the Secret Service already HAS an excuse they use; “We made him.”  I was going to write, ‘Trump isn’t the first President to face danger’ when I remembered: he wasn’t IN any danger.  He was just scared.  Okay, so Trump isn’t the first President to be scared, maybe.  But do you remember 43 after 9/11?  He ran and hid for hours after the attack.  But the Secret Service trotted out their  excuse; “We made him.”

“Oh,” they’ll tell you, “the President (or in this case, Trump) WANTED to be at the helm of the ship of state but in order to protect him, we FORCED him into a protective environment.”  The great thing about it is, nobody can say for sure that it’s not true.  The President can crap his panties and the Secret Service will cover for him.  But Trump didn’t even have the capacity to take advantage of the existing excuse.  He had to create his own.

He just HAPPENED, he says, to choose that particular moment to inspect the bunker and it was all just a magical coincidence that the “inspection” lasted exactly as long as the “threat.”  It’s a weak story – stupid, even – but his tales don’t NEED to make sense.  He just needs something for his base to regurgitate.  Then, just to make sure they do, he showed his “strength” – by gassing peacefully protesting Americans so he could take a quick walk and commit sacrilege at a local church.

But that’s just a guess…