politics

Bending Over A Dollar…

by MyBaconPress

I was at the VA the other day. The thing I was most struck by on that particular visit was how openly they’re discussing concerns about ongoing funding for medical care for veterans. I hope their concerns are unfounded. I suspect their concerns are well founded.

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I hear Melania is not going to be living at the White House. I guess, again. She didn’t spend much time there during the first Trump maladministration. I ALSO hear (it’s pure rumor, though) that she has a lover who works in the building right next door to Trump Tower. It makes more sense that she would stay with her boyfriend, whom she likes, instead of her husband, whom she does NOT like. She DOES like the money, though. She kind of has the best of both worlds. Why the hell would she move to DC?

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There’s an old phrase, ‘Bend over a dollar to pick up a penny.’ It refers to overlooking serious savings in favor of some nickel-and-dime savings. Do you want to talk about fraud, waste, and abuse in government spending? Do you want to look at government corruption? Don’t look at social services programs. IF you find anything at all, it will amount to a few hundred dollars someone scammed. Look to the Pentagon. Those guys are defrauding, wasting, and abusing government spending in the millions and millions of dollars.

Yes, I know I started this column with a comment about the VA being concerned about their funding. And isn’t that exactly the way? It’s not health care for vets that’s wasting the money. It’s operations of the Pentagon. Active conflicts, sure, but “black programs” nobody – not even Congress – can look at? Are you aware that the Pentagon has never once passed an audit? Not ONCE. That’s not responsible and quality spending. That’s just downright wasteful.

Think of it as being in a small boat. There’s a tiny leak in the bow, and a two inch hole in the stern. Sure, you can spend all your time focused on the seepage in the front, but if you do, you’re going down. Your focus is in the wrong place. That’s how I feel every time I hear about some “welfare queen” who stole even a few thousand dollars. No, it isn’t right and I’m not defending that. I’m just saying that focusing on THAT and not paying any attention to what goes on at the Pentagon is working the seepage and not the two inch hole.

There are too many examples we all know about to highlight here. But I’d bet a dollar nobody will look at or even mention the Pentagon. No one dares…

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I can’t decide if it’s sad or funny, watching the left float various ideas for how to contain Trump and his incoming maladministration. Maybe the ACLU will do something. States have a plan. Maybe (the Republican controlled) Congress won’t confirm so-and-so.

Sorry folks. I don’t mean to be dark but you’d better plan ONLY for how you survive this. Don’t look for someone else to step up and do the right thing. The left has NO power. The right has no shame. They’ll do what Trump tells them to do. Even if they grumble about it, they’ll do it.

Did you see where RFK, jr came out publicly and criticized Trump’s diet? Truthfully, I thought Trump would pull his nomination over the criticism. Instead, we were treated to a photo of RFK, jr munching down on McDonald’s with Trump. RFK, jr said Trump had a terrible diet (this from the guy who brags about eating road kill), and so Trump made RFK, jr eat that same food… and be photographed doing it…

Funny, it didn’t look like McDonald’s so much as crow…

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Well, it looks like Trump really IS going to let Elon Musk lead a task force to make government more efficient – I guess because he did that for X? Since Musk bought X – back when it had a more memorable name – the value of that site has dropped 80%. Did you know that? 80%!

Musk gets a LOT of credit for a LOT of things he never really did. Musk didn’t invent the Tesla. He just took the company over – and pushed out the guys who DID invent the Tesla. (Musk later got a “co-founder” status in court.) Do you believe it was Musk, himself, sitting at a drafting table, working out the engineering details of catching a rocket returning to Earth? No, that was his team. But we HAVE seen Musk at work with X.

Musk took a fully functioning website that was very, very popular (though not very profitable) and managed to KEEP it not profitable while also making is as UNpopular as it had once been popular – all while crashing the value of the company. Yeah, I’m feeling very good about this. After all, what could go wrong?

Ethics? Decency? How Quaint…

by MyBaconPress

Ever since I tuned into the reality that mainstream media is working overtime to smooth the ruffled feathers of the left by telling us all the various and sundry ways the Dems lost, it’s harder to watch than normal. Nobody seems to know, for sure, what Trump will do once he’s back in office but there IS a general consensus that it will try to benefit the wealthy and harm everybody else.

And, who owns that very mainstream media that wants everyone to just simmer down and “understand” how the election went against America? Why, the very wealthy people who own and operate all of that beautiful, misleading media. Wow, what a coincidence.

No matter where you look, the talking heads on the television are trying to convince us that, no, really, Hispanics came out in droves for the guy who insists they’re all criminals and garbage and promised to deport their loved ones and co-workers. Who wouldn’t?

But if I’m being fair, I can see an angle where that makes sense. Incoming immigrants from south of our border really ARE taking jobs from Hispanics, right? Brown people taking brown jobs. Maybe the brown people already here are just trying to protect their own livelihoods. Yeah, maybe.

Now try that with black people who supposedly trust the man in the white pointy hat MORE than the black woman to understand the black community. No, explain the women first. You know, the people in this country whose lives and livelihoods are on the line every day, now, because of Donald Trump. Of COURSE they supported him more than they supported the woman who has the lived experience.

All right, sarcasm aside, there really IS a single thread that might run through most of these people: they don’t believe him. I know, it’s kind of amazing, but they really don’t. Now, from that, I could make the case that they have no idea what Trump will do or what he stands for because they don’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. They voted for him anyway – all while bitching that Kamala didn’t detail her positions enough for them. I guess she should have stuck with mere “concepts of a plan.” THAT, they understand in detail. (Likely because they fill in the details.)

I continue to interact with MAGA in various ways. I hear it a LOT. “Oh, that’s just Trump.” I watched the most recent episode of Real Time with Bill Maher and someone suggested he was just spitballing and the conservative person on the panel eagerly agreed – yes, that IS what he does. I see him tossing out every idea and then letting his listeners pick and choose those they like best. But once he’s in, he’ll only DO those things HE wants to do.

It’s a tough call as to how he’ll deal with the small folk who supported him. On the one hand, he doesn’t need them anymore. He has the power he sought, thanks to them, and now can toss them aside. BUT…he loves the adulation. He might keep pandering to them because they’ll come to his rallies and scream their love for him. More likely, he might keep pandering to them because they keep sending him their money – and the only thing he loves more than money is his own visage in the mirror.

I really wish I had the code. I wish I could tell when Trump was seriously threatening America and the American way of life and when it’s all just a gag to be laughed at and dismissed. Because I lack the key, I believe the words he says. And he scares me. I guess I’ll have to listen to the mainstream media and just…get over it…

Or will I?

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“If you’re in trouble or hurt or need–go to poor people. They’re the only ones that’ll help–the only ones.” – John Steinbeck, ‘The Grapes of Wrath’

See? I’m not alone in my belief that the higher one looks on the economic scale, the LOWER the moral standards of the people one finds there. Over time, I noticed a pattern and then developed a rule-of-thumb I call the ‘Third Generation Rule.’ (Yes, there ARE exceptions. That’s why it’s a rule-of-thumb and not an axiom.) It goes like this:

The first generation of the process is the person who amasses the wealth in the first place. This is often accomplished before the person has kids of their own and that’s the cleanest model for measuring but, occasionally, there are people who get rich later in life. The reason it’s important is this: THAT person usually has worked in their lifetime. They know the value of a dollar and they understand hard work. (Often, it’s someone else’s hard work they’ve exploited but still, they had to get their own hands a bit dirty.)

The first generation tries to instill that appreciation for hard work in their own offspring, the second generation. They try. But because the first generation struggled so mightily, they tend to make life easier for the second generation – while STILL trying to instill the qualities and attributes that came from the struggle. At some point, the second generation realizes they’re being asked to work as little more than a test of some kind. Generally, they vow they won’t do that to THEIR kids. And, usually, they don’t.

The third generation comes up pampered and sheltered and showered with their every desire. NOTHING in life is difficult for them because they have the money to buy themselves out of most situations and they’re surrounded by people who watch out for them. It looks like a pretty sweet life, doing only what you want, when you want. The thing is, it lacks challenge and without challenge there is no character. No, that’s not just MY opinion. Here:

“Not only so, but we[b] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3)

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened…” Helen Keller

“Nothing is harder to direct than a man in prosperity; nothing more easily managed than one in adversity” Plutarch

“Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.” Horace

Many years ago, we started hearing Republicans in Congress suggesting that if we want the best people in Congress, we have to pay competitive wages with the private sector – and Congress started raising their own pay. A LOT. Since that started, the quality of the people in Washington has gone down. A LOT! It’s the Willie Sutton thing.

Yeah, you know the story. A bank robber named Willie Sutton was asked by reporter Mitch Ohnstad why he (Sutton) robbed banks. Sutton replied, “Because that’s where the money is.” He didn’t HAVE to add, “Duh!” It was implied. As salaries went up in Congress, it became a choice opportunity for poorly developed people to get in there and get their beaks wet, as the saying goes. Criminals go to where the money is.

After a time one begins to realize that the people we glorify for their wealth are not the best among us. In fact, generally speaking, they’re usually the worst. Only a person of limited character could do the kinds of things necessary to gain that kind of wealth. At it’s worst, people used to BUY human beings, work them – literally – to death, then just…buy more and put THEM to work. Those are NOT moral people and we would be fools to pretend it wouldn’t still happen if it was possible. Outside of entertainment, one very rarely hears of someone becoming wealthy through completely honest and honorable means.

The Kennedy’s, for example, supposedly got their wealth running moonshine during prohibition – a criminal enterprise. Granddaddy Drumpf got rich through human trafficking. He ran prostitutes – often women who didn’t want to be prostitutes. Granddaddy Bush got rich selling Zyklon B gas to the Nazis during WWII. (His company was convicted and fined.) One sees it over and over and over again. It’s almost stunning in it’s predictability.

But the movement to get as many wealthy people into government as possible has been going on for some time now. Our Congress has gone from solidly middle class to all rich, all the time and the quality of that government has been in steady decline ever since. Consider, our first Congress got paid only eight dollars a day and set up the entire nation. Today, Congress critters start at $174,000 a year and can barely keep the government open. By and large, they’re a sad and useless lot.

This most recent “election” has put the dot at the end of the sentence. We’re about to be ruled by some of the worst, least developed human beings in history. Hey, did you know? That has a name: Kakistocracy – and we’re about to live in one! Kakistocracy is “Government by the least qualified or most unprincipled citizens” or “Government by the worst men.”

I’ll tell you this: It’s going to be a very rough ride for those of us who still believe in ethics and decency…

So, What Happened To Cheaters Never Prosper?

by MyBaconPress

I’m told we hurt their feelings. They had no choice but to vote for Trump because people on the left said they were acting like fascists and Nazis – and all because they were acting like fascists and Nazis. Now, in fairness, they may not have KNOWN they were acting like fascists and Nazis. One would have to know what a fascist or Nazi IS. But not knowing doesn’t mean not doing.

Still, we “called them names?” Like they never call the left names? Really? Okay, I get it. When the right calls the left names, that’s just good politics that MUST happen. When the left calls the right names, that’s just big ole meanie pants stuff that forces them to vote for hatred, racism, and evil. I mean, obvs.

What a bunch of snowflakes…

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Apparently, Trump chose Matt Gaetz for his Cabinet of Destruction and some Republicans are unhappy with the choice. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas (soon to labeled too far left by the right) is opposed to Gaetz in view of the charges Gaetz faces for sleeping with underage women. Gaetz, apparently, like’s ’em young, just like Trump and Trump’s good friend Jeffery Epstein. I guess it’s no wonder they get along.

I saw an article from ‘The Federalist’ attacking Cornyn. The article simply dismisses the charges against Gaetz. The House was JUST about to release a report into Gaetz’ questionable activity when Gaetz got nominated and then stepped down from Congress. Now the Congressional investigation has no authority so the report was shelved. Cornyn wants the report released anyway.

Cornyn’s position is that Gaetz is going to have to go through a show confirmation and it would help to have that report on Gaetz. Do we really want an AG that sleeps with underage women? And, listen, apparently, it’s common knowledge around the halls of Congress. Word is, he used to like running around showing videos of the girls he slept with.

MAGA Mike Johnson clearly stated that the Speaker has no role in Ethics Committee Actions. He said that was true for “many important reasons.” Then he said maybe he DOES have a role in protecting Gaetz from scrutiny. He said releasing the report would only “open a Pandora’s Box.” Now, reading between the lines, that sounds like the report is NOT a favorable finding for Gaetz. There would BE no Pandora’s Box if the report said, “Nope, he didn’t do it,” so the one thing we can know is that the report does NOT say he didn’t do it.

Remember, this was ‘The Federalist’ I was reading. They manage to repeat standard conservative canards all while suggesting Gaetz was probably not so guilty. That woman who testified under oath that he did as accused? What does she know? Hell, she was too young to know the law at the time. (No, the story did NOT say that. They just implied it. I clarified the language.)

This “article” simply dismissed the investigation into the allegations as Democrat fodder and pretends that, of course, the Republicans would release the report if it had found anything “so damning they warrant review.” Uh-huh. Because honesty and full disclosure are hallmarks of conservatism, yes? Oh yeah, and about halfway through that article, Cornyn was pronounced a “swamp creature.” Then, ‘The Federalist’ simply dismisses the charges against Gaetz as a hoax – even as the House Ethics Committee keeps their report secret because it would open a Pandora’s Box.

It’s a little bit funny, watching Republicans realize what they’ve done. Apparently, Cornyn didn’t expect Gaetz as AG when he voted for Trump. I’d say that was foolish of Cornyn. I learned a long time ago – and from practical application – always expect the very worst of Trump – and then be amazed when he goes even lower…

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Yeah, prices ARE too high. It’s one of the excuses being proffered by corporate media as to why Trump won. Prices are too high, as though Biden is personally running around the country during the night with a price gun in his hand, raising prices just for fun. (Those are actually corporate decisions and corporations are greedy, greedy, greedy.)

Still, I really, honestly, do not understand how voting for the guy who promised, over and over, to make prices even higher was a better move…

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I don’t know. Maybe it was just hope, springing eternal. More likely, it was denial. But as the shock has faded, I’ve gotten more down to earth about whether MAGA will start to see the error of their ways with application of what they’ve done. I became increasingly aware that thinking they might start thinking was just a desire, devoutly to be wished.

Then, I was reminded by a friend of Covid-19. Oh, yeah. If Covid-19 didn’t get them to see reality, nothing will get them to see reality. “Wait until if affects them?” Covid-19 was killing their friends and family, too, yet they maintained their wrongheaded position throughout, without a moment’s hesitation or reticence. They haven’t faltered since.

These guys are SO into ‘owning libs’ they would do anything to themselves – or allow anything to be done – just to claim the prize. Once a person has contracted MAGA, it’s very rare to see a recovery. MAGA tends to be forever, with no known cure. That’s going to make our future even darker, if you can believe that possible…

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I thought Serrano won. This part won’t make any sense to you if you didn’t tune in the Tyson/Paul fight on Netflix. Curiously, I didn’t watch Tyson/Paul. As bad-to-the-bone as Tyson was in his heyday, he’s 58 now. Jake Paul is 27. I expected Paul to win, and he did. The actual only fight I saw was the under card, or the so-called “Co-main event.” A title fight between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor.

Taylor cheated. There’s no other way to say it or interpret her head butts. Yes, buttS! Not one. Not two. Not even three. FOUR times, Taylor headbutted Serrano. The ref finally deducted one point over it. He should have stopped the fight and awarded the win to Serrano.

Serrano out-fought Taylor, if the rules are important to you. One of Taylor’s cheating head butts tore open Serrano’s eyelid and from that point forward, she couldn’t see very well. She STILL put on a great show. The decision should have gone to Serrano.

Weirdly, I’m not a fight fan. I haven’t watched boxing or MMA or anything of the like for decades. I find it rather brutal and barbaric. I appreciate the skill but it seems a super high price to pay for entertainment, so I don’t know why I watched even the part I did. But I did. The first fight I’ve tuned into in YEARS and it ended like this? The cheater gets the reward?

MAN, cheating is on a roll these days, isn’t it?

Is My Hair On Fire?

by MyBaconPress

Corporate media keeps trying to offer up excuses as to how Trump won. He cheated, that’s how he won. Corporate media keeps telling us it was this failure or that failure but none of it makes any sense. Corporate media is trying to hide inconsistencies and get everybody to believe this was a fair and honest race. It was not.

Am I going to attack the Capitol? No. My plan is to let Trump be Trump. I believe certain things about him. I’m told by his acolytes I’m wrong, but I don’t think I’m wrong. I think Trump can’t contain himself and who he is will surely come forward. His last administration was disastrous, despite the lies the right (and apparently corporate media) want you to believe. And that was when he had some grown-ups around him, holding him even a little in check.

Now? No guardrails. No voice of reason. He’s going to do what he wants to do, when he wants to do it. How long do you think it will be until people – ALL people – are up in arms? The right has been carefully manipulated with lies they accept, believe, and defend. But those ARE lies. Sooner or later, the lies will fail and the scales will fall from their eyes. At that time, we’ll STOP being Americans vs MAGA and we’ll become the masses vs the would-be masters.

I mean, look. There are only two possibilities, right? Either I’m right about Trump and disaster is about to befall every one of us, MAGA included. Or MAGA is right and the world is about to become a utopia, perfect in every measurable way. Only time will tell which side was right about this whole thing so I intend to wait and watch. And listen, I actually HOPE I’m wrong. It would be awesome if he was even half as good as they think he is. But I’m a pretty good judge of people and I feel quite comfortable with my assessment of him. We are in very great danger.

One more thing. Despite hearing MAGA claim it was a beautiful, wonderful success, after four years of his last “effort,” medical facilities were piling bodies in refrigerator trailers as makeshift morgues. He had lost 2.7 million jobs. Unemployment was 6.4%. The number of people who had lost health insurance rose by 3 million. The Federal debt had jumped from $14.4 trillion to $21.6 trillion. (That’s $7.2 trillion dollars – in four years.) Oh, and he had an approval rating of just 34%, which, I suspect, will be FAR lower four years from now…

I’ll tell you this: that doesn’t sound like Utopia to me…

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When a person joins the military, they take an oath to protect and defend the CONSTITUTION of the United States. Not any one person, the Constitution. According to the Guardian, Trump’s advisors are considering a ‘Warrior Board’ to determine which officers are not loyal enough to TRUMP and remove them.

By that standard, every officer should be removed. NO officer should be more loyal to Trump than to the Constitution. An officer who is seen by this board as “acceptable,” according to MY thinking, would be in direct violation of their oath and unfit for their role.

And, what happens to the officers who are deemed “unacceptable” because they continue to respect the Constitution more than an individual and get purged? I think they’ll continue to have a role in protecting this once-great nation. The truth is, I suspect true Americans are going to need them to lead whatever fight is coming.

Yep. This is going to get ugly…

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As I watch Trump fill out his Cabinet of Destruction, I find myself wishing I could be a fly on the wall in the various planning rooms of the countries we once understood as our allies. They must be in quite the panic. They KNOW that Trump is a direct conduit to Putin, so they can’t share good intelligence anymore. Worse, they see the clown car filling up and, likely, know better than to trust anything coming from American sources as well.

EVERY non-MAGA on the planet expects the US to withdraw support for all things good and align themselves with the worst on the planet. All hail Putin, for example. How do our allies respond to THAT? They’ll have no choice but to withdraw themselves. I’m guessing they’re hoping that’s the LEAST of what they’ll have to do but there must be some planning going on for the kind of ‘worst case scenario’ the US is about to become.

As a metaphor, the United States is about to become the equivalent of a three-year-old waving around a loaded firearm. Pure danger. Not just to themselves but to anyone around them. I wish there was some positive spin I could put on this but…I just don’t see any. We the people are about to become the most dangerous place on Earth.

At this point, the next office betting pool should be about what’s going to destroy humanity first. There are SO many possibilities. Invariably, the fight comes down to this: what’s best for humanity vs profits. Sadly, this country has been answering ‘profits’ for far too long and now there’s going to be a focus on MORE profit at whatever cost. Sadly, humans are the cost.

Are you going to lose your health care? Yes. Of course you are. Will THAT kill you? It will certainly kill some. You lose the health care you’ve got when they repeal the Affordable Care Act – promising a “better” option any day now – and then can’t get replacement coverage because you have preexisting conditions.

Will it be pregnancy? For some, yes. I guess the dudes are safe on this one, but fertile women are in great danger. Sure, most pregnancies work out just fine. Many do not. Women just have to hope their own pregnancy goes well because doctors won’t be able to help, should the worst occur. If I was a fertile woman, I think I wouldn’t risk it and that means I’d close my legs – to men, anyway…

Medication? Do you take things? The FDA is about to become essentially useless and the pharmaceutical companies get to do what they want. I guess we’re all just supposed to rely on their professionalism and innate compassion. Remember Oxycontin and how they lied and lied and lied, addicting and killing thousands of people? THAT was what they wanted. Well, they didn’t necessarily want people to die. They wanted the profits. But IF people died? Hey, they got the profits. Feel free to use that as your model as to how corporations, in general, are going to respond to lack of regulation.

Will it be poverty? For some, for sure. Poverty DOES kill, and a society built around supporting an insatiable greedy few at the expense of the masses will certainly see increases in deaths – just not among those insatiable greedy few. And with the canceling of various programs designed to help people financially, poverty is sure to go up at an unimaginable rate.

Will it be societal instability? That’s surely around the corner, as desperation increases. John F. Kennedy warned us, “When you make peaceful revolution impossible, you make violent revolution inevitable.” We’ve seen the various plans they have to make peaceful revolution impossible. YOU make the leap. The dangers I’ve listed ahead of this one will LEAD to this one.

I suspect most people will try the ‘go along to get along’ route for as long as they can. But as the attacks on the masses continue, one after another, anger will rise. Do you remember the ‘Arab Spring?’ Egyptian cops had gotten quite comfortable beating people up to make their point and people just accepted it – until one video of a beating went viral and suddenly, they didn’t anymore. That’s how it happens. To be clear, I’m not advocating societal violence. I just expect it. That’s likely to kill a LOT of us.

My money is on climate change, though. With everything I expect from this incoming group, I think climate change is going to get a turbo-charged boost. Humanity was already in great danger and now the US is being led by people who think climate change is some kind of scam, best ignored lest it interfere with any of those blessed profits. But, while facts CAN be denied, they can NOT be ignored. Climate change is happening and is about to burst forth with all new power.

Since it’s already moving faster than originally expected due to feedback loops, turbo-charging the process is about the dumbest thing humanity could do. So, of course, look for MAGA do cheer wildly and insist on doing even more, even faster. In THEIR mind, they’ll be “proving” how wrong scientists are – right up until their house floods or burns or falls down in an earthquake caused by fracking.

Yeah, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be dark, here. I see exactly two options in viewing the upcoming disaster. One, you can try optimism. Two, you can be realistic. I strongly recommend ‘realistic.’ Simply sitting back and hoping for the best is likely to get you killed…

Don’t Help The One Percent…

by MyBaconPress

No, you’re right, I didn’t post anything yesterday, even though I normally do on Sunday. Why, you ask? (No, we didn’t.) Well, I took a tumble and broke two ribs. Yeah, that sucks. It’s going to suck for a while. But just to put a cherry on top, my computer decided on Saturday it never wanted to boot again. I’m capable of opening the thing up and seeing if there’s anything I can do to correct the situation but, because of the ribs, I can’t move it to get it somewhere I can work on it. It has NOT been a great weekend for me…

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I keep seeing calls from my lefty friends to separate themselves from their MAGA, where ever MAGA might be. I would like to ask you to please reconsider that decision. I continue to believe MAGA is deceived. I continue to believe that, having achieved the goal for which they fought so hard, they’re about to find out, the hard way, what they actually voted for.

Consider this: the day after the election, the three most popular searches on Google were: ‘Can I change my vote,’ ‘Did Biden drop out,’ and ‘What are tariffs?’ Now, the ‘Did Biden drop out’ thing could be people trying to see if Biden dropped on his own or was pushed out. But I seriously doubt any rational Americans wanted to change their vote TO Trump and, for my money, ‘What are tariffs?’ tells a great deal of the story.

We have started hearing, for example, about companies letting their employees know they will NOT be receiving expected Christmas bonuses this year. Sure, it could just be an excuse for corporations to avoid bonuses. Of course it could. But the story is, in anticipation of Trump’s tariffs, companies are using bonus money to, instead, try to stockpile materials and supplies as much as possible.

When the workforce complains that the foreign company pays the tariff (like Trump said), the CEO has to explain that, no, the seller will pay the tariff and pass the cost on to the consumer. Sure, MAGA can lie – or express their honestly held but mistaken belief that the foreign company pays the tariff. But prices – and inflation – are going up whether MAGA acknowledges it or not.

I’ve heard MAGA say they don’t care if the Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”) gets repealed because they have “Oregon Care” or “Covered California” or whatever name their state gave their program. They’re going to be very surprised to find their health care gone and no protection for preexisting conditions back on the table.
“Wait, I get my insurance from Covered California, not the Affordable Care Act.”
“Covered California IS the Affordable Care Act.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Yes, it is. You lost your health insurance because YOU voted to lose your health insurance.” Doing ‘your own research’ AFTER the election? Too late..

I could point out these kinds of details all day and half of the night but MAGA isn’t going to believe it until MAGA lives it. It IS a bummer that ALL of us have to live it while they learn but that’s the way it is. By now, many people realize that the true fight is NOT left and right. It’s the One Percent vs the rest of us and, for the moment, the One Percent has won.

MAGA is about to discover how important they really were to Trump. He doesn’t need them anymore. He’s going to do what he wants to do and he’s not going to give two figs for what his small folk supporters think, want, or prefer. Sure, he will probably still hold rallies for awhile. He LOVES the adoration. But I suspect that as MAGA realizes what he’s doing to them, the crowds will get smaller and smaller and the rallies will come to an end.

The One Percent won this fight using a lesson Lincoln tried to tell us. A lesson HE got from the Bible, so I’ll go straight to the source. “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” (Matthew 12:25) Turns out? Jesus was exactly right about that. So, the One Percent went to a LOT of trouble to divide our “house.”

They set up “Stink tanks,” like ‘The Heritage Foundation,’ The American Enterprise Institute,’ and ‘CATO,’ (among others) to intentionally feed misinformation to the masses. They used Fox Not-News. They didn’t care who bought the false message, just so long as people started buying the message. They funded seats in colleges in order to spread “the conservative message.” But it wasn’t the “conservative message.” It was the “One Percent message.”

In short, MAGA is deceived because the One Percent WANTED them to be deceived, thereby dividing the house against itself, and using that division to seize power. I’ve got to say, so far, it has worked brilliantly. BUT… in achieving their “victory,” they have effectively eliminated the opposition. EVERYTHING that happens because of Trump’s installment will clearly BE Trump’s doing. No more blaming others.

The thing is, conservative media won’t stand down. In fact, I would guess they’re going to double down. I suspect they’ll continue to blame others even though there are no others to blame. I think they’ll need to ramp up their message in order to keep people in the fold. But even MAGA will start to understand reality as it invades their world, and many will turn away. That will be an opportunity to reunite the house.

To be sure, some MAGA will stay loyal. There are always true believers. But some people who supported Trump are already feeling the betrayal and more and more will every day. The only way the One Percent can maintain their current standing is to KEEP us divided. If you distance yourself from your MAGA, you’re doing exactly what the One Percent want – no, need – you to do.

Don’t help the One Percent keep control. This is going to be an ugly fight. We’re going to need every person we can get – and that includes reformed MAGA. If we all retreat into our own little bubbles, we’ll never come back together and that, I fear, really will be the end…

What’s Real?

by MyBaconPress

I don’t expect good things, with this. Gavin Newsom is out there making a big show of ‘Trump-proofing’ California, as the Guardian called it. Is he, though? I mean, he’s trying and I appreciate that. But here’s the deal. Federal law supersedes state law. California has access to abortion enshrined in their constitution. It means nothing. Several states had outlawed abortion in their constitutions and Roe v Wade rendered those provisions inactive. That’s why they were ready when Roe was overturned.

I appreciate Newsom’s efforts. At this point, I’d like to see California (and, perhaps the rest of the west coast) secede from the union and form a new, better country. That won’t happen, though. Remember the Civil War? There’s no provision for secession.

If you want to register protest, you have to do it where they live. Close your wallets. I mean that. Don’t buy anything you don’t absolutely HAVE to buy. That will be difficult, of course. If such a concept was successful, many people would lose their jobs as factories shut down. (If nobody is buying, nobody is selling, so there’s no need for manufacturing.)

The people refusing to buy would feel the pain along with everyone else. Then again, we’re all about to feel the pain anyway. It might offer some small comfort to have at least a modicum of control over how the pain spreads.

Think of it like that movement women are embracing. They’re beginning to go with a movement in which they refuse to sleep with anyone (well, any men) until women’s rights are restored. I think that’s solid thinking. It’s called the “4B movement.” It originated in South Korea and the “B’s” in question are Korean words that basically mean women are keeping themselves TO themselves so long as they don’t have bodily autonomy. Yeah, everyone feels that. The question is, who feels it first and who feels it worst?

Newsom’s efforts are inspiring but they will amount to nothing in the long run. Federal law supersedes state law. Truthfully, closing our wallets is the ONLY thing I can think of to defend ourselves…

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

Here’s irony. One of the ways Trump scared hell out of his acolytes was to tell them Kamala was “going to start World War III.” Okay, so, it wouldn’t be Kamala in the first place. We’ve enjoyed the BIDEN administration, not the Harris administration. Two conflicts HAVE started, but the actions I expect from Trump will only inflame them.

Trump withdraws US support for Ukraine. Europe steps in to make up the shortfall. The US withdraws from NATO. Putin feels emboldened to respond to European “interference” and all of Europe is engulfed in war.

Trump tells Netanyahu to go ahead and finish off the Palestinians. The Middle East isn’t going to just sit around and watch that happen. Suddenly, THAT entire region is burning and fighting and killing.

It sounds, to me, like TRUMP is about to start World War III by encouraging the growth and escalation of the conflicts…

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

Not that it’s going to make any difference, but the more I think about it, the less I believe it. I mean, look, we had several states working feverishly to eliminate as many Democratic votes as they could, but along with that, we KNOW the Russians were calling in bomb threats all over Georgia. No, not “all over.” In expected Democratic districts. We have no idea how or where else Russia might have intervened and now that corruption is the rule of the day, we’ll never know.

But it turns out ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ was ‘Real, Real, Real,’ after all…

Bummer…

by MyBaconPress

Well, that was…disappointing. Depressing, even. I hesitate to confess that because I know that MAGA takes great pleasure in lefty depression, but what the hell, right? It’s their day. They get their celebration. I suspect it will be short-lived. Whatever it is they’ve chosen to believe, reality will invade, and soon. So, congratulations, MAGA. The whole world is going to reap as you’ve sown and I genuinely believe it won’t be the utopia you’ve imagined.

I’ve got to say, I don’t really believe it. I mean, I’ll accept it. To be clear, I have no evidence of any kind of chicanery and I’m not leveling any charges. I just don’t believe it. It’s only a personal opinion. But I suspect Trump got a boost from his good friend and handler, Putin, who will now enjoy unfettered access to the American intelligence apparatus. I don’t think the machines are inherently corrupt – so stow your lawsuits. I just think they’re vulnerable to MAGA mischief. Something like, say, connecting the machines to the web early, allowing the Russians to dial in and “adjust” the outcome. It’s just an opinion, but it’s a firmly held opinion. And I should say, it’s possible I simply can’t accept that so many people could be so blind.

To me, the GOP “victory” just doesn’t pass the smell test, and I’ll tell you why: he “won” the popular vote. See, it has long-since been a political reality that large turnout favors the left. It always has – before this. And this wasn’t just “large” turnout. It was the second highest turnout in history. Yet, suddenly, huge turnout means nothing and Trump wins both the electoral college AND the popular vote? And he did that by pulling in large numbers of people from groups he promises to oppress, deport, or otherwise vilify?
“You suck, it’s all your fault, and I’m going to punish you!”
“Oh, you’re my guy. I’m voting for you.”
Yeah, that’s how people work…

See, Trump has NEVER won the popular vote before, and the left has mentioned that fact a time or two – or three or four or… When anyone mentions anything that might be viewed as a vulnerability, he needs to do something to prove it’s not true – especially if it is. Remember how hard he worked to convince people that nobody ever left his rallies, even as we all watched video of people leaving his rallies?

So this time, he doesn’t just arrange to “win” the electoral college. THIS time, he needs to “win” the popular vote, too. But winning the popular vote has a second, more sinister, motivation. It sets up the claim that they HAVE TO do the terrible things they want to do. They have a “mandate.” (True, someone had to explain to them that a “mandate” wasn’t two guys grabbing dinner and a movie, but still…)

At this point, the only thing I can think of that might serve as even a glimmer of a bright spot, is actually the success MAGA has enjoyed. What I mean is, now there are no Dems to stop them, assuming the GOP lead in the House holds. The GOP OWNS anything and everything that happens going forward. (Yeah, it ain’t much of a bright spot.) They’ll have no one to blame. The only place to point their fingers will be the mirror.

Maybe, just maybe, as things crash – and things will crash – the scales will fall from MAGA eyes and they’ll see what they’ve done – to themselves, if nothing else. Might the MAGA win be the beginning of the MAGA undoing? Maybe. Meanwhile, the only thing that remains for the left is the “neener, neener” factor. That is, we get to say “We told you so.” That’s small comfort, though. It’s like having the ocean lapping at your ankles on the deck of the Titanic and seeing someone you don’t like fall into the water first. Yeah, you can point your finger and laugh, but you’re headed for the drink, too. Small comfort.

Besides, I don’t think we should. The 2024 outcome is the culmination of decades of work by the One Percent against the rest of us. It has been slow, but it has been steady. It has been relentless. MAGA hasn’t been the driver, they’ve been the tool. As the scales DO fall from their eyes, I think we should welcome them back to the fold of humanity. We, the people, are going to need to work together to overcome what the One Percent has done to us.

As of now, they have us right where they want us – back to before FDR saved the country in the 1930’s with the New Deal. It was a good time to be rich back then. But it sucked for everyone else. It was the New Deal that made America great in the first place. We don’t make America great again by scrapping the New Deal…

Good Luck…

by MyBaconPress

Well, here we go, eh? I mean, I know voting started a while ago. I, myself, described the start of Trump’s coup attempt as being a few days ago. But today? Oh, today is the day the battle is joined. Everything has been theoretical until today. Now it’s real. Very, very real. Today is the day we begin to determine if MAGA gets the authoritarian dictatorship of their dreams, or if Americans can save what’s left of our democracy-on-the-brink.

There HAS been some attempted rigging but, so far, it has all come from Republicans. They’ve been flooding the information sphere with fraudulent polls to make it seem as though Trump is doing better than he is. Virginia started purging Democratic voters from their rolls as close to the election as possible (supposedly against the law but the SCKCOTUS said it was okay just this one time) so there was no time for the disenfranchised voter to correct the challenge.

Georgia even tried to make a rule that if the certification board didn’t like the results, they could just declare that vote invalid and substitute their preferred outcome. (Fortunately, that one didn’t make it.) But the most basic part of the rigging? Shouting about all the “election irregularities,” which MAGA has been doing since, well, 2020, right? Can you believe it? It’s about to get LOUDER!

As of now, the polling places are open on the east coast but not yet anywhere else. Has Trump declared victory yet? We know he’s going to. It’s part of the plan. Also as of right now, because of early voting, Kamala has a lead. She’s leading in all of the swing states and she even appears to have a lead in Nevada and Iowa. (Wow.) But, again, that’s the early, blue wave. We all know about THAT, too, and it has happened.

Now, today, comes the red wave that’s supposed to gain ground for Trump. The very moment he perceives he has pulled ahead in some state, he’ll declare victory. He’ll be lying and, because we all know the plan (I’m writing about it right now) we all expect it – and we’ll KNOW he’s lying. EVERYBODY will know it – because we all know the plan this time.

Bear in mind, this is not like the last time. The last time, MAGA was able to pretend (and convince themselves) that what happened was just a series of natural, spontaneous events that, unfortunately, spun out of control by January 6th. This time? Everybody knows the plan and cons who repeat the big lie will be active, knowing, co-conspirators. It was one thing to go along with the coup attempt when there was some possibility to convince oneself events just got out of control.

THIS TIME, everybody will know it’s just a part of the plan. MAGA will know – and be unable to deny – MAGA is actively attempting to overthrow a legal election because they didn’t get their way. I wonder if knowing they’re actively attacking the Constitution will dissuade any of them. These are NOT naturally occurring events – it’s a plan. MAGA is being used as the puppets to carry out the coup – and THIS time, they absolutely know it…

Frankly, I’ve been concerned about this election from the point of view of how the result will affect me. Yeah, a little selfish, I guess, but we’re supposed to vote our own interest and I expect a Trump win won’t be good for me, personally. But then I realized, if Trump “wins,” the result will be seriously bad for the vast majority of Americans. Even MAGA. We ALL suffer.

But then I thought about how that outcome affects Ukrainians. We all know Trump will tell his good buddy Putin to just have at it. That will be very bad for Ukraine. The US will cut off all aid in an effort to help Putin and it will be up to Europe from there. But…oh, yeah. Europe.

Trump, himself, said he had no idea what NATO was before becoming President. Now he wants us to leave NATO because, like most things, he doesn’t understand it. NATO has been the main stabilizing organization between nations in Europe. Trump thinks we should leave. And he plans to.

THEN, I thought about the Palestinians. I expect Trump to just tell his good buddy Netanyahu to have at it, too. Do what he wants. Go ahead, wipe out every Palestinian from the river to the sea. A Trump victory will be very, very bad for the Palestinians. But, oh, Jeez, I almost forgot.

The world. The whole, effing world. Trump wants to eliminate regulations, in general, but environmental regulations in particular. We, the species are already on incredibly shaky ground when it comes to climate change. With NO guardrails, Trump will put climate change on steroids. We’ll hit each tipping point in no time at all – until finally, most of humanity just…tips over.

So…good luck. Yes, to me. I don’t WANT to end up in a gulag for expressing my opinion.
Good luck to you. I presume you like the country as much as I do.
Good luck to every American (this obviously excludes anti-American MAGA) because most of us would suffer under Trump. (Hey, just like his wives and girlfriends!)
Good luck to Ukraine. You don’t deserve what Trump will allow Putin to do to you. In fairness, Trump, likely, won’t have any choice. He DOES as Putin tells him to do.
Good luck to all of Europe. You deserve better than an intellectually incurious imbecile like Trump, who only recently discovered there’s a thing called NATO.
Good luck to Palestinians. Your situation seems to be spiraling out of control and Trump simply doesn’t understand. Maybe, he just doesn’t care.
Good luck to the world. Please understand, we the people, the true American people, are doing what we can to stop this from happening. But there has been MUCH corruption inflicted on our once-great nation by MAGA and I really can not say if we can hold. I can only promise, we’ll try.

Good luck…

This Coup Brought To You By MAGA…

by MyBaconPress

Trump is running a campaign ad in California. It’s probably just a national buy since there’s no reason for him to waste money in the Golden State. Too many of us are FAR too smart. The thing I noticed, though, is that even his ad is chock full of lies. There’s only one I would like to address.

The ad says something to the effect of “Kamala broke it, and Trump will fix it.” Two lies in one. First, even if it HAD been this administration, this is the BIDEN administration. Kamala has been the Vice-President, not the President. We’re ALL pretending the VP is way involved in decisions made in the Oval Office.

The left is pretending in order give Kamala credit for work she hasn’t done, but it makes her look like she’s more ready to be President than she maybe is. The right is pretending in order to blame her for things Biden did. But we all know, and we have all long-since known, the Vice President is more of a placeholder.

The second lie is bigger. It was TRUMP that “broke it,” not Kamala OR Joe. The Biden administration has been working to fix it and they’ve done an amazing job. I know MAGA doesn’t know it, but it’s true. The reality is, we have an economy that Trump would be taking credit for if he were in office, but he isn’t – so he’s attacking.

The catalyst for the economic damage was Trump’s incredible mishandling of Covid-19. Not the illness, itself. We had a plan in place for exactly that eventuality and the Trump administration dismantled the program – to save money. THEN, when we DID get hit, Trump went into wish mode and tried to wish the thing away. Over a million Americans died.

That’s HOW Trump broke it. He left the nation in a shamble. Biden fixed it. Kamala will keep Biden’s economic programs and add her own. I’d rather have Kamala, who can do it, than Trump, who clearly can not…

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

There’s an article in the Guardian, this morning, titled, ‘What if Trump’s campaign is cover for a slow-motion coup?’ Well, duh. It hasn’t seemed like Trump cared, much, about the election for a while, now. A person running for office who, nevertheless, doesn’t care about the campaign is likely more focused on his after-election coup. He just NEEDS the election to happen so he can pretend horrible things happened. It’s not just cover, it’s catalyst.

They’re ALREADY screaming about problems in the election and lawsuits have already been filed. It suggests to me that Trump KNOWS he’s not popular enough to win an election on merit. He KNOWS he’s losing this thing but can not afford to lose this thing, so he has moved into desperation mode. I wouldn’t worry too much about it, except that so many deceived MAGA are right there with him.

Truthfully? I’ll never understand WHY so many people believe in this person but they do. Many of them are deceived. Their information sources have presented such heavily massaged “information,” they genuinely don’t know the facts about Trump. They honestly think THEY are the people defending the Constitution, even as they support the person most likely to destroy the Constitution.

Many would actually LIKE to have a dictator. These are not the brightest among us and they don’t grasp the reality of a dictator. They don’t understand what made America great in the first place. They think a dictator will be more efficient. They are comforted by the easy answers Trump promises (but never delivers).

The election is tomorrow but the actual fight starts Wednesday. We know Trump will declare victory early. Hell, maybe he already has. It’s part of his plan. The GOP flooded the media landscape with false “polls” intended to make Trump look competitive, if not actually winning. (He’s neither.) We ALL know how this thing proceeds. The only question is, do we let it?

My whole life, worries of the people have been addressed with the same answer: vote. Most of my life, that answer has been solid. I have voted. Most people I know have voted. We’ve DONE that part. We’ve been holding our collective breath trying to get to November 5th to put this debacle behind us, but November the 5th is a start, not a finish. It’s the start of Trump’s next coup attempt.

MAGA will tell you ‘no.’ MAGA will SCREAM ‘NOOOOO!’ MAGA will insist I’ve lost my mind, my perspective, my reason. Why, Trump would never, NEVER do anything like that. MAGA is wrong. Trump IS doing that, right now, in real time. MAGA is making it possible.

I have a friend who says he thinks when Trump loses, again, the GOP will be finally done with him, once and for all, and kick him to the curb. He thinks they’re just waiting for the election to play out, then they’ll collectively turn on Trump. I think my friend is overly optimistic. The GOP has had plenty of opportunities to dump Trump. They simply will not.

It’s going to be interesting to see how it plays out. We ALL know Trump is working to steal the election, even before election day. It’s plain and obvious. MAGA will deny it, but they know it, too. (Hell, they’re counting on it.) Americans are supposed to have that “revolutionary spirit.” WILL we fight for our country, or just tune in to the next episode of whichever program we’re into in the moment.

Allow me, please to state the obvious: I never thought I would find myself in this position. I’m guessing I’m not alone in that observation…

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

Win or lose, I hope Joe Biden pardons Hunter after the election. Hunter got caught up in a campaign event. He became a political pawn for the right and could end up in prison for it. Even the conservative prosecutor intending to smear Joe via the vindictive prosecution thought Hunter’s crime was not worth prison – until a conservative outcry. At the very least, Biden should do something about that…

…And So It Begins…

by MyBaconPress

Well, he’s starting already. I know, it can be hard to tell when his whining about the election being rigged “starts” since he never stopped lying about the LAST election. So, I’ll draw an imaginary line and say it “started” with his Mar-a-Lardo presser a few days ago. He OPENED with this, “I want to start by saying it’s going very well. Uh, there’s some bad spots in Pennsylvania where, uh, some serious things have been caught or in the process of being caught…” So there it is. We’ll just agree, that’s the opening salvo in THIS year’s coup attempt.

You see, it’s a lie. How can you know? His “reports” will always be generalized. He CAN’T present any details because details can be followed up. He wants to stir up his base so they’ll make all the right noise when he tells them to, so he lies. But if he provides specifics, there’s a risk – an infinitesimally small risk, but a risk nonetheless – that some MAGA might realize he’s lying.

So, he’ll tell you all about the problems (“…some serious things”). But he will NEVER define the problems in detail. He’ll mention a general region, even a whole state, but he’ll NEVER specify exactly where. That’s because he’s lying. There haven’t been any problems with voting in Pennsylvania. In fact, I’d say that the people kicking Donald to the curb are exercising excellent judgement and should be commended.

This kind of ambiguous lie is the same tactic the GOP has been using to deceive and terrify MAGA since long before MAGA was an identifier. Remember when they told the story about illegals coming across the border and cutting off farmer’s heads? That was a good, scary story until they got too specific about where. THEN, a reporter checked the facts (dammit!) and found the whole story was… wait for it… a lie!

So, cons get “Pennsylvania” instead of a detailed location. Pennsylvania is a big place. It’s hard to pin down “some serious things in Pennsylvania.” But I’d bet his supporters have already started to feel the outrage they’ve nurtured for so long. They’ve been training for this moment for years. They can summon up fear, anger, or outrage on demand the way an advanced Yogi can stop and start his own heart. It takes focus and years of training. They’re about to get outraged over something that’s not even happening – and calling the LEFT “delusional” and “deranged” the whole time…

I mentioned the “risk – an infinitesimally small risk, but a risk nonetheless – that some MAGA might realize he’s lying.” I say it that way because I’ve come to realize the most MAGA simply don’t believe Donald Trump when he says the things he says. They think he’s just riffing. They laugh and cheer because they can’t imagine he might actually do the things he’s promising to do but, they wonder, wouldn’t it be great if he did? (It wouldn’t. And the lower one is on the economic ladder, the less great is going to be.)

But it DOES happen. There are a LOT of Republicans out there who once supported Trump but have turned their backs on the guy and in most cases, it’s because something happened that caused the scales to fall from those people’s eyes. They, too, had been laughing and cheering at rallies – and then something like J6 happened and, despite their best efforts, they were just unable to pretend it was something else. For some reason, they saw what really happened and suddenly, they knew. This guy isn’t kidding. These aren’t jokes. He’s unstable. He’s dangerous to democracy.

Truthfully? I was kind of struck by the number of people. (They’ve formed a club.) I have long-since believed that one thing MAGA has in common is that, as a group, they’re deceived. Then I see all these Republicans who are STILL Republicans but intend to vote Harris because they see how dangerous Trump is. THESE, I believe, are true Americans. People who put country over party. It tells me that people can recover from MAGA. Yes, it’s a serious, life-threatening condition, but people CAN recover.

Unfortunately, there are still FAR too many people suffering from MAGA these days and he’ll get lots and lots of help from them in spreading his lies. Ask your infected MAGA for details. Demand details. Point out that they can’t provide details because there ARE no details. Keep pressing. Try to break through the delusion. If it’s true, there MUST be evidence that will hold up in court.

It’s going to be unpleasant. MAGA damages perspective. You’ll be seen, and treated, like the enemy. But they MUST see the lies to be freed. If you can make them understand that he’s NOT just riffing, he’s serious, and you can make them understand that the threats he’s issuing are real, you might succeed in purging the MAGA from their minds. Become a lifeline back to reality for MAGA. Help them see what they cannot see for themselves…