D-Day, June 6th, 1944…

by MyBaconPress

I suspect most thinking Americans know that Donald Trump’s relationship with God is, um, non-existent. He avoids questions on the topic by talking around them. At one point, he refused to name even a single favorite Bible verse because, he claimed, it was “too personal.” What horse-hockey. I’m a freaking atheist and I have a favorite Bible verse! But MAGA lapped it up like a kitten at a cream bowl, just like they always do.

Oh, MY favorite verse? It’s Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 5. You know the one. It’s the one where Jesus tells his followers not to be hypocrites. You’re not going to look it up, are you? Okay, it goes, “Thou hypocrite,” – I like the King James Version for fiery rhetoric – “first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

After his Felony criminal conviction, he was asked on a softball ‘Fox and Fiends’ Interview, “What’s your relationship with God like, and how do you pray?”
“OK, so I think it is good,” Trump replied. “I do very well with the evangelicals. I love the evangelicals. And I have more people saying they pray for me ― I can’t even believe it. They are so committed, and they are so believing…”
He thinks he has a good relationship with God because he does well with evangelicals? I’m not sure that’s how it works. He’s the living embodiment of the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Avarice, Wrath, and Sloth. I suspect those aspects of his reality would go FAR further in God’s thinking – along with the actual acts of stealing, lying, sexually molesting, adultery, and even having a God before God (himself, of course) – than whether evangelicals vote for him…

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You know those movies about high school where there’s some pampered bully who runs roughshod over everything and everyone in sight, often by instigating others to do his evil bidding? He usually stands opposite of the star, who eventually overcomes the abuses of the bully. I have no doubt in my mind that Trump was that bully in high school, just like he’s that bully now. Where, I wonder, is the hero who eventually overcomes the abuses of this bully?

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Today, June 6th, is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of Europe that was the beginning of the end for the Nazis in Europe. As the United States hurtles toward our own Authoritarian Fascist destruction at the hands of those “so believing” MAGA, I’m reminded of the 80 year rule. History repeats in roughly 80 year cycles. (No, it’s not perfect. It’s an average, but it’s a solid average, one you can trust.)

My own thinking for why the 80 year cycle is, that’s how long it takes us, collectively, to forget. Those of us who are interested have seen the film of the destruction of Germany and Japan. We’ve read the books and learned a lot about that war. But we had to make an effort. It didn’t just come to us. And since so many people do not pursue that kind of history, they never really understand it, hence, they forget – and then humanity has to do it all over again.

The Nazis were not good for Germany. MAGA is not good for America. In the 1930’s, thinking Germans found themselves overrun by foolhardy followers. In the same way, in the 2020’s, America finds itself overrun by the same crowd. People in Germany couldn’t stop Hitler from coming to power. If we’re not very careful, Americans are not going to be able to stop Trump from coming back, either. Germany was decimated. ALL of it, whether one supported the Nazis or not. If America continues to follow the same path, America will be decimated, too. ALL of it, weather one supported MAGA or not.

The people who COULD have stopped Hitler in Germany, the wealthy and powerful, decided, instead, to try to use him to their advantage. Other people, the day-to-day workers, weren’t concerned enough about Hitler, thinking yes, he’s a demonstrable buffoon, but he can’t do much damage due to the structure of the government.

I used to try to imagine and understand their shock as the realized they couldn’t control him and he didn’t give two figs about the structure of government. He just dismantled said government and did what he wanted to do. Sadly, I no longer have to try to imagine how the thinking people in Germany felt. I’m feeling the very same way, most days, as far too many Americans embrace the once-unimaginable in ‘Hitler 2, Donald Trump.’

I’ll tell you this: It’s really ironic as hell. This is the anniversary of the day Americans fought and died to put a stop to Fascist Authoritarians, occurring at a time that the US is falling into the clutches of Fascist Authoritarians…

Just More DJT BS…

by MyBaconPress

“The “sentencing” for not having done anything wrong will be, conveniently for the Fascists, 4 days before the Republican National Convention. A Radical Left, Soros backed D.A., who ran on a platform of “I will get Trump,” reporting to an “Acting” local judge, appointed by the Democrats, who is HIGHLY CONFLICTED, will make a decision which will determine the future of our Nation? Our United States Supreme Court must DECIDE!”

That’s an actual post by…guess who? Oh, c’mon, pretend it was a hard question. The ONLY bit he got right was that his sentencing IS scheduled for 4 days before the Roepublicon Convention. The cons have taken to calling the left Fascists, even though Fascism is a far-right ideology and there is no greater living threat of Fascism gripping a nation than Donald Trump. (He has had an equal, but that guy is no longer alive.)

Oh, hey, as a completely random and out-of-nowhere aside, there’s a fascinating article in the Guardian, this morning, comparing the rhetorical styles of Trump and a guy named Adolf Hitler. It’s called, ‘The Reich Stuff – What does Trump really have in common with Hitler?’ Turns out, they’re twinsies – at least in rhetorical style. It’s really worth the read…

Alvin Bragg is hardly “Radical Left” and he’s not “Soros backed” any more than any other left-leaning thing the right likes to ascribe to the left. He didn’t “run on a platform of “I will get Trump,” either. Nor is he “HIGHLY CONFLICTED.”

A Trump speech is like a drive-by shooting. He points his words at a given target and just sprays everything around him. It’s some rapid-fire stuff, too. Topics get hit quickly and then the shooter speeds away. There are never any details in any of the charges he makes. He doesn’t need them. None of the cons give two figs about the details or even if he’s telling the truth. They’re having fun and they feel like they belong to something. It’s that second part, the feeling of belonging, that makes them tenacious – and dangerous.

The part that bothered me most, though, was the part where he called on his most effective legal team to help him out. “Our United States Supreme Court must DECIDE!” There’s no mechanism for the Kangaroos to stop the sentencing, as far as I know. They have to wait for the appeals to reach them, which, might be difficult. The defense has to come up with some Federal violation during the state trial. Or pretend to. They just have to get the case to the Roos and let his defense team of RATKG&B do the rest.

For their part, MAGA is out there pretending to be a Sheryl Crow song, “Lie to me. I promise, I’ll believe.” They will, too…

Slowing the Gouging…

by MyBaconPress

People seem to be closing their wallets. FINALLY! We keep hearing about “inflation,” and the cost of living IS going up. A LOT! But it’s not structural inflation, it’s greed and price gouging. The core drivers of the “inflation” are housing costs – being driven up by Wall Street investors – and fuel – as always, driven by greed.

But people have been spending anyway. They got used to easy credit and easy debt. The recent rate increases seem to be having the desired effect. That debt ain’t so easy any more and people are getting worried. Where I live, the wine industry is, well, pretty much everything these days. They’re suffering. People are eschewing the wineries (and their prices) for off-the-shelf stuff. I heard ‘Target’ is going to cut prices on something like 1,200 items. That’s an indicator. People aren’t buying. Spending is down, revenues are down. Now, in a natural turn of events, prices will start coming down, too.

But not in housing and not in fuel. As long as Wall Street can buy the houses, the cost will continue to skyrocket. Gas companies just gouge. It’s what they do. Prices at the pump here in California were making their way steadily to $6.00/gallon but the state legislature passed a law, here, that allows them to look into cost increases – and punish the companies if such a look finds the increases were just based in greed. So, as the prices started going up and up, a state politician said, out loud, ‘maybe we should look into those gas prices.’ They dropped the next day. Funny how that works…

Now there’s an entire movement out there, a “no-buy year,” in which participants buy only essentials. I doubt such a thing will go widespread in our consumer society but it won’t take a lot of people for an impact that can make a difference.

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Trump called Robert De Niro a failed actor. De Niro is anti-Trump and makes no bones about it. He spoke outside the courtroom where Trump’s criminal trial is under way. Someone tried to heckle him and he shut the guy down. Trump claimed De Niro had run into a “force far greater than the radical left – MAGA!” I saw the exchange. I thought De Niro won the moment. Just one opinion, though.

Donald J. Trump is the thinnest skinned snowflake I’ve ever even heard about.

I keep getting new favorite bits of this process. The most recent was when a spokesperson for Trump came out in front of the press, complaining that the left was trying to turn the trial “into a campaign event.” Let’s just ignore how the trump campaign has raised money off of the trial and used the press draw as free advertising where the defendant in a criminal trial is allowed to hold court and speechify on nearly whatever topic enters his diseased mind.

Trump claims he wants to be on the campaign trail. In my view, Trump IS on the campaign trail. So, of course MAGA is pointing the finger at Democrats. But, as always, with MAGA, every accusation is a confession…

Sold…

by MyBaconPress

Trump sold a plane. Not the big one, a little one. But he sold it to raise money because of his legal expenses. That came from an article in the Guardian. It’s not that big of a deal, really. People sell assets to pay expenses sometimes. Most of us don’t have hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees and fines to pay so we’re not selling our private planes.

A paragraph from the article caught my eye: “…Trump has paid more than $100m in legal fees for the cases that have put him in court. While Trump has mostly used donations into political action committees, known as PACS, to pay the fees, the money has been running out, and Trump’s legal bills continue to rack up.”

The PACs have been paying his bills! No, it’s legal, I’m not leveling charges. But it means he really has been using donor contributions to pay his bills and hasn’t dipped into his seemingly non-existent “fortune” very much. Instead, he’s dipping into MAGA’S wealth. What’s left of it. But there’s that other bit: “the money has been running out…”

Apparently, there’s not enough money coming from MAGA to sustain his trials, his campaign, AND his lifestyle. This from a guy who famously, or infamously, doesn’t pay his bills. I can’t say I’m surprised. He lives VERY high on the hog, even if he can’t afford it. He has massive legal bills from his various and sundry crimes. Political campaigns are expensive. I know there are a lot of MAGA but they’re mostly working class schmoes. How long could they carry the genius businessman?

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Ignorance is the most dangerous thing in society – and it’s deadly to Democracy…

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Donald Trump is a terrible, terrible human being. He just is. MAGA seems to be supporting him, mostly, BECAUSE he’s a terrible human being. I think that says a LOT about MAGA. Supporting a person because they’re the lowest lowlife ever to slither across the landscape rather betrays one’s personal standing with ethics and honor, or complete lack thereof, in the case of MAGA.

Donald Trump’s message to MAGA has been simple: I give you permission to exercise the very worst instincts of humanity – all the terrible little character traits religions and philosophies have been trying to eliminate, or a least manage, for thousands of years. Instead, Trump invites them to be – like him – the very worst human beings they can be, proudly.

You can be respectful, or you can be MAGA…
You can be decent, or you can be MAGA…
You can be honest, or you can be MAGA…
You can love the Constitution, or you can be MAGA…
You can have empathy, or you can be MAGA…
You can try to help make the world a better place, or you can be MAGA…

I’ll tell you this: To me? The very worst part is how many Americans enthusiastically signed up. I genuinely thought we were better than this…

The Verdict Is In…

by MyBaconPress

Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!

No, I’m not celebrating. That’s just what 34 guilty verdicts looks like.

The trial happened where the crime happened. Prosecutors didn’t “shop” the venue. Merchan – who is NOT “conflicted” – bent over backwards to be fair to Trump. The verdict did NOT hang on Cohen’s testimony. Cohen just tied everything together. He received a fair trial. Biden had nothing to do with this. This is an action by the State of New York. It’s not even Federal.

Yeah, sure, this is the first time in American history an ex-president was convicted of crimes. But that’s because this is the first ex-president in American history to commit a bunch of crimes so blatantly – and so stupidly.

MAGA is already out there, whining about the verdict. Who can be surprised? What DON’T they whine about? But their whining is ALWAYS based on lies and misrepresentations. They’ve ignored his theft of funds from his kids with cancer charity. They’ve ignored his confession that he regularly sexual assaults women. They’ve ignored the defamation loss. There is not a single, vile thing he has done they give two figs about. They’ll happily vote for the felon. (MAGA is showing themselves to be terrible people.)

Trump walked out of the courtroom, more than any “normal” American would be able to do. He’ll remain free pending appeal. He’s not even being sentenced until July 11 and I continue to doubt he’ll be tossed in prison over this crime, though he should be. He will continue to splay his evil around our once-great nation.

Donald J. Trump is a felon. 34 times.

Closing Arguments…

by MyBaconPress

To honor the fallen on Memorial day, Trump sent out hate mail. Again. Apparently, that’s how he sees holidays, as a way to hate on his “enemies.” He wrote, “Happy Memorial Day to All, including the Human Scum that is working so hard to destroy our Once Great Country…” And so on and so forth for a rambling while. Hate, anger, revenge, and lies ruled his post, and presumably, his day. In fact, from what I’ve seen hate, anger, revenge, and lies rule his entire life.

It’s not the first time he’s used a holiday to attack people, showing none of the respect the holiday deserves (“Happy Memorial Day?”) and none of the decorum decent human beings expect of those around them…

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Well, closing arguments happened. For hours and hours, they happened. The defense was pretty quick. There’s not much to say when there is no defense.
“That guy’s a liar!” the Defense said, pointing at Cohen. “Don’t trust him.”
“Yeah,” answered the prosecution, “but he’s Trump’s liar. Trump hired him because of the things he’d do. And we’ve shown you corroborating evidence for all of it, remember? There was this and this and that and those and this and that and more of those. Why would you have to rely on Cohen? He just tied it all together for you.”

Did you see how much longer the prosecution’s answer was? That represents how the closing arguments went. The Defense was quick, with nothing to say. The Prosecution took a long time, reviewing the entire case for a jury that had taken a week off between trial and closing.

At one point, the defense got in trouble with the judge, yet again, by asking the jury if they really wanted to send an ex-President to prison. It was an effort to either induce sympathy or produce guilt. Either way, it was a cheap, emotional manipulation. The thing is, the jury doesn’t send anyone to prison. The judge determines the sentence – and I doubt Merchan will give Trump jail time, special treatment being what it is.

Merchan told us as much when Trump kept violating the gag order. Merchan said, out loud, “Mr. Trump, it’s important to understand that the last thing I want to do is to put you in jail. You are the former president of the United States and possibly the next president, as well.” He’s SUPPOSED to be a normal citizen, subject to the same laws as anyone else.

MAGA keeps pretending that it’s special treatment that keeps getting in Donald’s way, but it’s really special treatment that has kept him out of jail up until now. So don’t get your hopes up on the whole jail thing. He ain’t going. Merchan has already (kind of) said as much. Still, he’ll be a convicted Felon, unable to vote for himself in November…

The case got to the jury Wednesday, the 29th. They worked on it for several hours. As of this writing? Crickets. Nothing. Nada. (In fairness, it’s been less than one day.) There will be more deliberations today. I presume the jurors want this over with as much as anyone so they’re, likely, not mucking about…

Quick question: will it affect YOUR opinion? I know I’ll accept the verdict, either way. But one way (acquittal or hung jury) will irritate me and the other (guilty) will satisfy me. I would not want to see an innocent man go to jail. Ever. Even the guy promising to destroy the country, if he didn’t do the crime for which he stands accused.

I think the evidence supports the charge, but I’m not in the courtroom. I ALSO think nobody’s opinion about Donald Trump will change one iota. He has already poisoned MAGA’S mind on the matter, pretending Joe Biden is secretly orchestrating the whole thing, which he most assuredly is not. But on the left, we’ve pretty much decided, too. I suspect nothing will change the voter’s positions one little iota.

There’s no amount of evidence one can bring that will change the mind of a MAGA. They don’t WANT to see it so they will NOT see it. (The “NOT sees?”) So, they’ll happily vote for the Felon, if convicted. Hell, by Friday, his conviction will be a badge of honor among MAGA. “I ignored his conviction before anybody else!” Yeah, you did. Hey, we see you…

The Descent Continues…

by MyBaconPress

Wow, Trump’s paranoia has really ramped up recently. Have you heard the one about the paranoid ex-president who claimed the current president tried to have him assassinated? Yeah, there’s no punchline. That’s just Trump’s current, insane message.

See, in MAGA world, the raid on Mar-a-Lago was NOT a legal process to retrieve stolen government documents. It was a big, evil RAID in which, apparently, FBI agents were supposed to kill Trump.

Now, it could be that Trump is just lying to his base. His whole shtick is that he’s some kind of warrior and that everybody – and I DO mean everybody – is out to get him. The perception he wants to leave is that, because he’s still around, he must be a great warrior and nobody has been able to get him. The fact that nobody has even tried never enters into the conversation.

But I’m of the opinion that when you actually and honestly believe that everybody around you is against you and out to get you, that’s paranoia. So, he’s either lying through his lying teeth or he’s suffering from paranoid delusions.

During the execution of that warrant, the FBI had followed a standard use-of-force policy. It prohibits the use of deadly force except when the officer(s) conducting the search has a reasonable belief that the “subject of such force poses an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to the officer or to another person”. In other words, if someone threatens a law enforcement officer while the officer is executing a warrant, the officer can defend himself.

But you DID catch that bit in there, didn’t you? The part where it prohibits the use of deadly force except to defend themselves. THAT means the FBI wasn’t going in “locked and loaded” as Trump lies and they were specifically NOT “authorized to shoot” him – unless he attacked them first. Interestingly, if his thoughts about perfect presidential immunity were anywhere near true, he wouldn’t be able to stop them if that’s what they were told to do. The FBI is FAR more efficient than Donny’s letting on.

Trump wasn’t even AT Mar-a-Lago the day the warrant was executed and that was by design. Their whole process had been coordinated with the Secret Service. If their goal had been to kill the guy, that’s some terrible planning.
“Hey, we have orders to go to that guy’s house and kill him.”
“When?”
“Sometime when he’s not home seems best…”
“I’ll set it up.”

But, of course, his paranoid rantings could put the lives of FBI agents in danger if some MAGA-minded moron decided to act on Donny’s delusions. So, Jack Smith’s team has asked the judge in the case, Aileen “Loose” Cannon, to stop Trump from making those claims, in view of how false they are and the danger he now poses to FBI agents.

In their filing, they wrote, “Trump’s repeated mischaracterization of these facts in widely distributed messages as an attempt to kill him, his family and secret service agents has endangered law enforcement officers involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case and threatened the integrity of these proceedings.” Cannon pretends she doesn’t understand things so she can make rulings favorable to Donny, so the prosecutors added, “A restriction prohibiting future similar statements does not restrict legitimate speech.”

The problem is, Cannon was nominated to the bench by Trump and she dearly, desperately wants to protect his paranoid, snowflake self. I doubt she’ll grant Smith’s request but it’s yet another log on the fire of her appearance of incompetence. Sooner or later, Smith has to move to force her recusal, and this decision will be part of that action if she ignores reality in favor of her preferred paradigm…

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I really DO NOT like moving house. It’s a LOT of work. One comes face-to-face with all kinds of things one meant to get to, but hasn’t yet. It’s very disruptive to the daily routine. It takes months for life to settle back to some semblance of “normal.”

Nevertheless, that’s what I’m doing. Moving house. Yes, again. The last one was less than two years ago. Some of those boxes were still not unpacked. (That turns out to have been a blessing at this point.) This, of course, is all the result of out-of-control housing costs. We’re combining resources with one of our kids to make life more livable for all of us.

The reason I mention it is, it will likely affect my ability to publish next week. I can’t say for sure. If all goes well, the move might seem seamless (to you) but I have…concerns. So, I’m letting you know that if I don’t publish next Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, it’s because of that. Stay with me. I’ll be back…

Faith…

by MyBaconPress

Okay, sorry about yesterday. On the one hand, I think I wrote a solid assessment. I think it’s solid enough that, obviously, I fear it. On the other hand, it was pretty depressing. Well, unless you’re MAGA. If you’re MAGA, the looming specter of the fall is your goal, so the transition to dictatorship is good news to you. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, right?

But then I got a ray of hope. Did you see what happened to Trump at the Libertarian convention? Oh, MAN, did he get booed. By conservatives! And the energy wasn’t tepid, either. The crowd shouted him down – and he had a microphone (and, likely, a teleprompter)! He didn’t expect it. MAGA had tried to pack the audience so the Libertarians couldn’t get to their own seats in the convention hall. The idea was, MAGA would cheer everything Donny says, like they do, and leave the impression that Libertarians love trump, too.

But they don’t seem to. MAGA moved in early, to steal the seats (because MAGA will steal anything) but it was a bit TOO early. The Libertarians caught on to what was happening and came in and a confrontation began. The Libertarians wanted their seats. MAGA wasn’t moving. The Libertarians finally just created a human wall in front of MAGA and blocked their view – and shouted as loudly and long as they could.

I’ve seen video of the event. When the booing started, Donny looked shocked. He tried to talk to the crowd but they weren’t interested in any of his lies and just kept shouting and heckling. So, Donny did what Donny does. He got aggressive. He tried to shame them into compliance, like he does with so many Roepublicons. He tried quoting an article that suggested that Libertarians should vote for Trump and the house erupted again in jeers and boos.

So, he went to his stand-by; ridicule, “Only if you want to win. Only if you want to win. Maybe you don’t want to win. Maybe you don’t want to win. Only do that if you want to win. If you want to lose, don’t do that. Keep getting your 3% every four years.” His face got redder and redder. He smiled, but his tone was clearly not happy and his face was deep red. His anger was clear.

In fairness, the crowd quieted a bit after Donny promised to commute the sentence of Lance Ulbricht, an on-line drug dealer who created a web presence called the ‘Silk Road’ and was sentenced to life in prison. (Besides, all that shouting is tiring.) He lied to the crowd about things he would do for them. He said he would put Libertarians in his Cabinet. He pandered to them about a couple of their other pet priorities and they listened. But then he asked again for their support and the chorus of boos came flying back in his face.

After the speech, people in the crowd indicated they knew he was lying. One guy was quoted as saying, “He’s full of shit.” Nobody in the crowd bought his bunk and they know the list of his failures as well as anyone. In fact, the thing that seemed to distinguish MAGA from Libertarian is that the Libertarians seem to be better informed conservatives. Corporate media focuses so heavily on MAGA, I didn’t even know there were informed conservatives…

I found it… heartening. Many in the crowd who define themselves as MAGA, today, once defined themselves as Libertarian. Now there’s a clear schism and the Libertarians seem to have caught on to Donny’s game. I’ll tell you this: As I indicated yesterday, odds seem long but, hey, maybe MAGA can learn, too. Hope springs eternal, I guess…

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Have you heard that in Louisiana, MAGA has passed a law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in every classroom? Sure, it’s a violation of the Constitution’s separation of church and state but they don’t care and if it gets to THIS SKCOTUS (Supremely Kangaroo Court of the United States), anything might happen. Those clowns don’t give two figs about what the Constitution says. They rule on their “feels” – and payments received, of course.

So? The Ten Commandments in every classroom. For the LIFE of me, I can never understand why so many American pseudo-Christians put their faith in Jewish law over Christian teachings but, by now “Christian hypocrisy” seems like a redundancy. (I mean, you DO know the Ten Commandments come from the Jewish Torah, right?)

In my experience, most of the people in “love” with the Ten Commandments don’t know the Ten Commandments and I’ve realized – even if they haven’t – they’re in trouble with the very first one. The first commandment isn’t “Thou shalt not kill.” That’s the sixth. Seems like it should have a top priority, to me, but to God, it comes in sixth.

Number One? “You shall have no other gods before me.” Uh-oh. What about Donny? He makes the very same commandment to his acolytes – and they comply. EVERY time. (Have you heard Nikki Haley has caved also?) So, how do they reconcile that? TWO deeply insecure, emotionally messed up entities vying for the loving eyes of their devotees could create confusion.

I suspect the pseudo-Christian MAGA would push back, “We don’t think Trump is God.”
“Really? Wow, you sure act as though you think he’s God. You treat him as infallible. You treat him as all-powerful and all-knowing. Isn’t that Yahweh’s shtick?” I guess they’ll have to put God and Donny in a cage and let them fight it out. (You’d think whichever one actually IS “all-powerful” would have something of an advantage…)

If I was a teacher in Louisiana, I would, of course, comply with the unconstitutional law. (Hey, lighten up. I’m a school teacher in Louisiana. I’m likely struggling financially and can’t afford to lose my job on principle.) But in MY classroom, right next to the Jewish Ten Commandments, I’d put an equally prominent display of the Christian Beatitudes.
“The what?” The pseudo-Christians ask.
“The Beatitudes. Um, the teachings of Jesus? Blessed are the poor? Blessed are the meek? Blessed are the pure in heart? Does any of that sound familiar?”
“What are you, a commie?”

The Bahá’í have a similar list of beliefs. I’d post THAT, too. I’d put ’em ALL up. Those kinds of collections of ideas, regardless of the source, tend to have positive messages so I know my students would be okay. My problem would be the parents, of course, but I’m not sure how they would criticize the display. The Ten Commandments are there. That’s what the law said I have to do, that’s what I did. (Hmm, maybe I would lose my job on principle…)

I guess I’ll just have to hang on to, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5: 1-12, NKJV)

MAGA Success…

by MyBaconPress

I continue to be distressed at the success the conservative movement is having around the world. Do you know there are Nazis in Germany again? NAZIS! It’s illegal because Germany makes a great effort to remind everyone of what happened and what that was like. They’re there anyway. It’s happening all across Europe, too, conservatism on the rise. Bear in mind, all of it – ALL of it – is based in lies and falsehoods. But it doesn’t matter that I know that. It matters that THEY do not. Donny has said out loud, to their faces, “I love the poorly educated.” (Dear MAGA, do you know WHY he “loves” you? You’re easy to manipulate – because you’re poorly educated.)

Here, in this once-great nation, you can’t pry a MAGA away from trump no matter what. They don’t really know or care if he’s guilty or not. They think they’re defeating the “libtards” and that’s good enough for them. If they don’t get their way? They’ll burn the whole place to the ground! You know, because they love America enough to destroy her. My mind continues to boggle at the idea that Donald J. Trump is still a viable political player, let alone that he leads in many polls. The idea that the Republican Party still has any credibility after all of the stupid shenanigans they’ve pulled just doesn’t make sense to me.

For every charge Americans can level at MAGA, MAGA has been given an “offset,” a story intended to show “both sides do it.” The differences in the stories are legion. Those of us who get information from journalism sources get information based on demonstrable evidence. Those who get their information from MAGA media, get information based on opinions, twists of reality, and scary sounding things. For example, MAGA is currently crapping their collective panties over the idea that Joe Biden “had Donald Trump on a hit list, targeted for assassination!” Pure bullshit, of course, but purely terrifying to those who believe it.

It’s the internet, of course. It’s being used by well-positioned people to distribute propaganda to those willing to accept it. In days gone by, one had to stand out on a street corner, handing out leaflets detailing their conspiracy theories to any who might take one. It was not very efficient. Nevertheless, there’s a direct line from a few ostracized, brown-shirted outcasts, standing on corners handing out leaflets to the horrors of WWII.

These days, one can dress up a corner of their garage to look like a legitimate news source and spread harmful propaganda to millions of people for hours a day – and countless people are working hard to do exactly that. It’s the equivalent of having a person standing on EVERY corner in the world, handing out leaflets. Most won’t take them. Of those who do, many will not believe them. But many will. Enough, as it happens, to create a movement, a mass of people working against their own interests and never even realizing.

I’m a student of history, amateur but ardent. I like to think about how historical events affect the people who live through them. I’m often amazed at the developments that take place and wonder how it happened. How did this or that influence your average Joe? How did they feel?

I think often of how the Nazis came to power in Germany in the 1930’s. It was a slow process and many people saw it coming. I think about all the newsreels showing the triumphant Nazis marching into one city after another. People line the roadways, waving the Nazi flag and cheering. Many are crying. Of course, we know, now, that many of them were required to fall out and wave flags enthusiastically or face the consequences.

Sadly, thanks to MAGA, I now know exactly how the Nazis came to power – AND how people felt watching their beloved republic twisted into something unrecognizable at the hands of self-interested, wealthy people, supported by people too uninformed – and too frightened and angry – to understand how they were being used. Nazis then and MAGA now are the same side of the same coin: the power of angry, uninformed people in large groups.

But we all know what happens when a mob gets rolling, don’t we? Reginald Denny gets a cinder block to the head by a mob of rioters. Rodney King gets beaten nearly to death by a mob of cops. A crowd of loyalists attack their own Congress because they don’t like the results of an election. But a mob on the national level? 14 million people get murdered in concentration camps.

I’ve been watching a eerily similar path being followed in the US. In the 1920’s, no German thought anything like that could happen there. We the people had no idea it could happen here, either. The Nazis moved slowly, carefully, just like MAGA has done. The Nazis infiltrated the legitimate halls of power quietly, downplaying their worst impulses, pretending they were interested in “saving Germany.” Sound familiar? MAGA started out as Libertarians. They quietly infiltrated – and then took over – the Republican party, downplaying their worst impulses, pretending they’re interested in “saving America.” Wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Hitler presented himself as the only possible savior for Germany. Trump presents the exact same message. Hitler promised to make life better – but only for the “right” Germans. Trump promises to make life better, too – but only for the “right” Americans. Hitler promised glory under the “Third Reich.” Trump’s team recently posted a message promising glory under a “Unified Reich.”

Today, as most Americans sit stunned watching trump roll to success after success, in defiance of logic and all we’ve been taught, we’re discovering, to our horror, that MAGA is everywhere. They’re in all levels of government. They have far more control and influence that most people realize. Hell, they’ve stolen the Supreme Court and turned it into a national embarrassment – but a national embarrassment with real power. Wrong or not, MAGA has real power up and down the line.

The election is important but not essential to MAGA. If Donny loses, they have a plan to install him anyway. It requires GOP control of the House of Representatives, which they have. It requires a person loyal enough to trump to betray his own country, which they have (in MAGA Mike). After falsely claiming “voting irregularities” – which they’re already claiming – they simply follow the remedy as directed in the US Constitution!

The reason for that deep roiling in the pit of my stomach is that there’s no way to stop them that I can see. The motivating lies are in place. The candidate is in place. Enough loyal toadies are in place. The plan is in place. The only chance America has of changing the course, now, is predicated on the notion of a Republican with honor, doing the right thing. (A couple of Republicans in the House would have to resign with immediate effect, giving power to the Democrats. That’s literally, the only way.)

So I sit here, day after day, depressed and upset. I feel like I’m tied to the tracks and I can see the train coming. The outcome seems inevitable and there’s nothing I can do. I’ve tried for 40 years to help people see this. Either they already know and don’t need me or they don’t know and they effing don’t WANT to know.

But I’ll tell you this: the train is coming, like it or not. It’s not some theoretical idea off in the distance and difficult to understand any more. We can all see it now and it seems unstoppable…

Thought police, anyone?

by MyBaconPress

So, do you think it helped or hurt the case when defense witness Robert Costello threw a temper tantrum in front of the jury? Is THAT how we’re supposed to offer defense? Throw a fit? Should he have spit at the judge, punched the bailiff, and called the jury ugly, too? I guess decorum is too much to ask from MAGA.

The way I see it, the case was built around Michael Cohen. Cohen is what you might call a “problem witness.” He’s essentially a rat. But that’s how these cases break. Rats run with rats. One of the rats has to turn on another – but they’re still rats. So the prosecution didn’t ask the jury to take Cohen’s word for anything. The prosecution showed the evidence. They brought in supporting witnesses to detail the crime. THEN, they brought in Cohen.

But they didn’t just introduce Cohen. First, they made clear that Cohen has done many terrible things for trump and has lied and lied and lied some more. Prosecutors told the jury they didn’t have to trust Cohen. He was just there to tie all the loose ends together on the evidence the jury had already seen.

The defense has gone with the “he’s a liar and a rat” argument anyway. You can’t trust Cohen, they say, he’s a liar. But the jury knows that. AND they know they don’t have to “trust” Cohen. The evidence was proven before he even took the stand. Tearing at Cohen’s already tattered reputation doesn’t seem like it’s going to do much good.

But as it turns out, Costello wasn’t a genuine witness. He was a stall. By leaving open the question of whether or not Donny would testify (he didn’t) and by having this “witness,” the defense sort of tricked Judge Merchan into setting the closing arguments for next week. Had they NOT brought on their disastrous last witness and been honest that Donny wasn’t going anywhere NEAR that stand, closing arguments could have been THIS week. The jury could have had the case by Friday. Donny could have been a convicted felon by this week’s end.

It got weird right at the end, though. Costello was supposed to show that Cohen was a liar. Instead, the prosecutor managed to prove Costello, himself, lied on the stand during his testimony. Quick question: Costello is an attorney, at least ostensibly. Courts might let a lie go from Joe Citizen, but for an officer of the court to knowingly lie, under oath, in court? Do you think there will be charges coming?

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Have you heard that MAGA Mike and other extremist House members have made it against the rules to criticize Donald Trump on the House floor? They enforce it even if one makes a statement of fact that doesn’t particularly shine brightly on the trumpster. (Which is just about any verifiable fact that can be made about him…)

Full disclosure, the rule is actually that no one is allowed to criticize a current candidate for President on the House floor. Do you think MAGA will enforce the rule if another MAGA gets up and criticizes Biden? Have you not been paying attention? Hypocrisy is MAGA stock-in-trade. This rule is about protecting Donny’s soft, snowflake self.

From Rolling Stone: ‘On Tuesday, House Republicans voted to strike down comments made by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) during a floor debate. What was McGovern’s great parliamentary offense? Pointing out that the former president is facing a myriad of criminal indictments, and has already been found liable for sexual assault in a civil fraud trial. 

“We have a presumptive nominee for president facing 88 felony counts, and we’re being prevented from even acknowledging it,” McGovern said. “These are not alternative facts. These are real facts.” 

McGovern went on to list out several of the criminal and civil cases against Trump, including that he is currently “on trial for sending a hush money payment to a porn star to avoid a sex scandal during his 2016 campaign, and then fraudulently disguising those payments in violation of the law,” and that he’s also charged with conspiring to overturn the election and stealing classified material, and that “a jury has already found him liable for rape in a civil court.”‘

He was admonished. As he tried to push back – the First Amendment being what it is and all – MAGA snowflake Rep. Erin Houchin (R-Ind.), terrified of facts, swooned and, while dramatically rending her garments, demanded that McGovern’s statement be taken down and stricken from the record. That’s a sanction and it prevented McGovern from speaking on the floor for the rest of the day. Who can be surprised that the party constantly whining about some imaginary threat to their Constitutional rights would be the people lining up to take rights from Americans?

I’ll tell you this: the rule should chill you to the core. Only being allowed to say nice things about ‘Dear Leader’ is VERY North Korean. These guys KNOW their guy is indefensible – so they just make it against the rules to say anything they might want to defend against. Thought police, anyone?