Millennials and elections

Are you between the ages of 18 - 35? Congratulations, you are a millennial.

But why am I asking this? Why should I or you care?

I am 55 years old. I am a baby boomer/gen X. (Boarder baby) I vote. In fact, I have not missed election since 1982.

Again why should you care about this old fart? You are probably thinking that we have nothing in common. Not true, but that is the subject for another day.

You need to care because it is people like me that are going to decide your future. We will be choosing your healthcare choices, your job choices, and even your tax burden. We will leave you the problem of climate change, cyber security, and Mideast intervention.

You see, this rant is about you going out and voting. Telling you that you have to make a choice. Because if you don't, I and people like me will make it for you. Do you want that? Or do you want grab the future and make it your own?

Then on November 6, go and vote.

Troops and the Southern Border

In military terms, a division is 10,000 - 30,000 troops commanded by a 3-star general. The 82nd, 101st, and the Big Red One are all divisions. The number of troops in Afghanistan is divisional strength.

15,000 troops. This is the number that President Trump has said he will increase the troop level to on the border with Mexico. This is effectively puts the country on a war footing.

War.

War with Mexico.

4000 desperate men, women, and children fleeing violence and corruption. Fathers carrying their children, mothers caring for babies, and children crying in fear. This is your invading army.

And it is shrinking in size every day.

At the time of this writing, it is 800 miles from the border. That is approximately the distance between Chicago and Memphis. And they are only traveling at most, 20 miles per day.

Today (Nov 1), the President has ordered the troops to shoot people if they throw rocks at them. He has stated that he feels that "getting hit in the face with a rock is the same as a rifle."

Regular military and National Guard are very well disciplined. They are not likely to shoot. However, the nut job militias will shoot. Consider the bloodbath that will result.

Dead kids and babies on the evening news.

Are you ready to see that? Really?

And now let's add the fact that it is a direct violation of Posse Comitatus. This is the law that passed in 1787. (It was revised and renewed in 1981) This law says that Federal Troops cannot be used to enforce domestic laws. And immigration laws are domestic.

Are you ready to have that happen? If he does it there, where is the next usage? A Woman's march on the national mall? An anti-gun rally lead by high school kids?

You have to decide, here and now. Do you want the President to start using the Army for political purposes? Do want to wake up to see tanks in the middle of town? This is the slippery slope we are now on.

The only way to stop this is on November 6. Changing the Congress will put a check on his action. Don't you dare sit at home and bitch about political parties being the same. Decide. Your future and those of your children and grandchildren hangs in the balance.

Bombs and the attack on Democracy

On October 24, our democracy was attacked. That is not hyperbole. This is as real as it gets.

6 explosive devices were sent to 6 leaders of the opposition. The FBI, ATF, and other government agencies have stated that it appears more will be on the way. Think about that.

More bombs.

More violence.

Understand this. Bombs are not targeted weapons. They are designed for mass carnage. These were packed with glass and shrapnel. The bomber wanted to inflict mass death and injury.

Is this what we as a country want? Is this making America great again? And yes, I just took a rhetorical shot at the Trump administration.

All 6 intended victims are all people that this administration has targeted with rhetoric during rallies and tweets. From "Lock her up" to "I'll pay for your lawyer," this administration has encouraged attacks on those that oppose him. And now somebody has taken up arms in response and solidarity.

Now think about what this means. One of the intended targets was CNN and former CIA chief John Brennan. This was an attack on the free press and free speech rights that are the cornerstone of our democracy. This was an attempt to stifle the voice of opposition.

The voice of criticism.

The voice of the American ideal.

So what does this administration do? Do they denounce it in loudest and sternest way possible? They go out and complain about the rhetoric of those being targeted. Heck, an e-mail was sent out criticizing CNN as the police were defusing the bombs. And now (Oct 25), the President tweets that the Main Stream Media is responsible for these attacks. He admits to no responsibility that his own rhetoric may have added to it. In fact, at the rally, he started joking about how well behaved he was. You know who does that? My 5-year old.

And now, as I am writing this (Oct 25), 2 more bombs have been found. (Robert De Niro and Joe Biden)

This great democracy has survived over 240 years. We survived a war with ourselves. We survived great social upheavals. We have survived the greatest technological changes in the history of man. We can survive this, but only if people understand and use their Constitutional rights. We have to, no we must understand what is at stake here.

Those such as myself, who have opposed this President, have started looking at what we write, where it goes and the response it gets. I have joined the political discourse late in life and only recently. I have found myself nervous about even posting this. And this is what those bombs are intended to do. To stop people from talking and terrorize those that do.

After talking to my family, I will continue to add my voice to the discussion. I am but one voice and not a very loud one. But I refuse to stop being engaged. I refuse to stop using my Constitutional rights. And I refuse to walk in fear of another.

This is my country too. And I will be damned if I let anybody stop me from raising my voice. So bring it on, I'm ready for the fight. Are you?

A Fake Tax cut promise

Well, the President has promised a new middle class taxes cut by November 1 or sooner. I have to wonder if he thinks the American public is stupid or just his supporters.

But let's for a second assume that this is serious. There are a number of problems that any intelligent person can see.

The first issue is the timeline that he stated when is was going to be rolled out. He was on the White House grounds and announced it yesterday (Oct 21.). That means he has had at most, ten days to put it together and present it to the American people. The fact that this is such a blatant attempt at a voter buy off should in no way surprise people. Whenever he says that he will be announcing something 2 weeks’ time that is code for it never happening.

The next issue is the last tax cut. It went to businesses and the public got little to no tax savings. In fact, according to latest surveys, most employees did not see the pay increases that this administration promised would happen. The old now defunct trickle down economic theory.

To make matters worse, the great economic growth this was supposed to create, didn't happen. In fact, it has cause the US deficit to balloon to almost a trillion dollars. Yep, you read that correctly. That puts the US debt at over 22 Trillion dollars. So much for being solved in 8 years.

Now for the final point. Congress is not in session. They are on recess for the elections. They will not return until the week afterward, then take the Thanksgiving week off. Finally they work for the next 3 weeks. Then it is a new Congress. Not enough time to even think about a major bill like this, let alone pass it.

So why this announcement? This is a political strategy known has throw everything against the wall and see what sticks. Clinton used it just before the 94 election and we know how that turned out. Also, this is a way to drum up support for his base. He says what they want to hear, they show up and vote for his people on November 6.

If you are a supporter of the man, stop buying the lies and false promises. Your lives are not better off under this man.

Not supporter? Then you had better get out and vote. Are you under 30? Vote. Or people like me or the Trump supporters will determine your future. This is the time to seize your future.

Vote on November 6!

Are you better off than 4 years ago?

Today, Senator Thom Tillis (R-SC) asked if you are better off economically better now than 2 years ago. A fair question for politics and life in general. Let's look at the numbers.

Gas prices are up. And they are now going to continue to increase due the increasing problems in the Middle East. Natural Gas prices are starting to rise. This is the chief fuel for heating and power generation.

Food prices are up. Don't believe me? Grab a receipt from last year and compare it to this year. And they will continue to go up due to gas prices. And farmers are suffering and watching their crop rot in the fields. (Can't get workers due to immigration crackdown)

Those wonderful tax cuts? A majority of them went to executive pay and stock buybacks. Simply put, your CEO got a pay raise and the company bought the stock to artificially raise the price (which gave your CEO an even higher pay raise). A lot people did not get a tax break or a pay raise. And over the next two years, expect your taxes to go back up, unless you are an one percenter or a company.

Prices for cars and electronics are rising due to the tariffs. And more are on the way. After the first of the year car prices are going up by 2000-3000 (Ford has already lost $1 billion and will be laying off a lot of people. ).

Because of the end of Net Neutrality, expect your internet access to increase in price. That means your streaming service will need to raise prices to get to the top of the heap. Social Media will now be selling more commercials.

Now all these price increases have a name.

Inflation.

And with that, the fed is raising the interest rates. That means credit card rates, mortgages, lines of credit, car loans, and general loans will start going up. The market will start (and has started) to drop because of it. And when it does, there goes your 401k.

The budget deficit is increasing at an alarming rate. When this happen, the value of the currency declines. Don't believe me on this one? Look at the economies of South America for the last 30 years. With that devalued currency, look for the increased prices in imports. And it is already happening.

So Senator Tillis, in response to your question, no we are not better off than we were two years ago. We are worse and are head down a economic hole. I will be voting against your party. You have proven that you party does not care.

November 6 is Election Day. Make the time to vote.

Rape and the numbers

On another person's wall, the owner posted a meme about girls having to protect themselves versus teaching boys to respect girls. It immediately devolved in a series of complaints on false accusations.

So, let's get some facts out there for the knuckle draggers. But it won't matter. They appear to think that every report of sexual assault or harassment is a false accusation. But I'm going to place the fact out there in the faint hope they might learn something.

81% of women have reported being harassed. Look at that number. For every 5 women in your life, 4 of them have been harassed. Cat calls, unwanted advances, touches, and sexual threats are just some of things these women have had to endure.

Now let's take it to the next step. Out of those 5 women in your life, 1 of them has been the victim of sexual assault. Simply put, rape.

An ugly thought isn't it. Let's make it even worse. For every 5 victims, 4 of them were raped before the age of 25. Not ugly enough? Alright, how about this. Of those 5 victims, 2 of them were below the age of 18.

Think about those numbers for a minute. That means that I guarantee that you know somebody who was either harassed or assaulted.

Now the President and his supporters have you would have you believe that every accusation is a false one. But let's look at the real numbers.

Out of 100 reported assaults, 3 are proven false. 97 are actual assaults.

97.

So, what is the real problem?

Men need to teach their sons respect for women. Men need to support women when they report these crimes. That means being witnesses to the police and at the trial. They need to stop other men and report crimes to the police.

Yes, allegations need to be thoroughly investigated. Thoroughly. That means no comments about her dress or drinking. No asking why it took so long to report. No old boy network. No investigators, prosecutors, or judges with links to the accused.

Men are not under assault. Women are. Time to wake up and realize that.

The President and hurricanes

OK, raise your hands if you remember Donald Trump complaining (via Twitter) about Obama going to a rally while Hurricane Sandy was hitting New Jersey and New York?

Now guess where the President is tonight?

Bueller? Bueller?

Yep, he is at a rally in Pennsylvania. He claimed that he didn't have a choice. He said that people had lined up overnight to see him. Nobody could find a single person that had waited in line.

Hey Trump! You are the freaking president. Try thinking about the people in the path of a natural disaster. Stop stroking your ego.

And you wonder why the country doesn't like you.

Impeachment (Part 2)

OK, I have been reading on many people's pages about impeachment. There is this mistaken belief that impeachment is a magical thing that will remove Trump and Kavanagh.

Let's first talk about what impeachment is. (The process later) Impeachment is the Congress indicting a political figure of high crimes and misdemeanors. What those crimes are is a political decision. It was left purposely vague.

Impeachment is not, I repeat, not the removal somebody. That requires a trail by the Senate. Two Presidents (Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton) and an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court (Samuel Chase - 1804) were impeached but not removed.

The founders believed that impeachment was the avenue of last resort. They wanted Congress and the Judiciary to be a check on a runaway Executive, with the voters removing the Congress and Executive if they going against the will of the people. They never planned on the courts and the Legislative in league with the President.

Now the process for removal is straightforward. A committee (or subcommittee) recommends an article of impeachment. The entire House votes for impeachment. A simple majority is needed. It is then sent to the Senate. A trail is held. 67 Senators must vote guilty for removal.

There is the key to this entire discussion.

67 Senators.

67.

In the current environment, do you honestly think any of the Republicans would even think about removing Trump or Kavanagh? Do you really?

Think about this. Historically, the party that brings it about suffers in the next election. The Dems talk a good game, but they will not bring an impeachment process. The real strength will be blocking appointments, controlling the purse strings, and having subpoena power to investigate. Impeachment is fraught with political dangers.

Want the blue wave to happen? Well you got 30 days do something and then Election Day. So, what to do. Give some monies to your favorite candidate. Got no money? Buy the cheap coffee for the next few weeks and give the money saved to the candidate. Put a lawn sign up. The money for buying the sign goes to the candidate. Tell your friends about your candidate. Heck, tell the people that don't like you.

On November 6, go and vote. Have friends that can vote but can't get to a polling place? Offer rides to friends and neighbors. Little things add up and turn into big results.

Do you want to look into the eyes of your children and grandkids to tell them which side of history you were on? Then make the right choice.

Vote!

Streaming, Broadcaster, and the future

Just finished reading an article in the NY Times about the 20th Century and Disney merger. One of the big points that came out is that everybody is betting on streaming. With viewers of broadcast and cable down, there is a business case for this view.

But here is what struck me. As more broadcasters start to fail/go out of business (see the more rural areas of the country), an interesting thing will develop. As with radio stations having the same problem, what happens to the bandwidth on the radio spectrum.

Now for those you that don't what this means, please allow me to explain some (but not all) points. In the United States, the radio band is leased to radio stations, television stations, and cell phone providers. Government/military get certain spots that the rest of are not allowed to touch. There is more about this, but you get the general idea.

When a station goes belly up, ownership of the bandwidth is up for grabs. Recently, cell phone companies have been snatching these up. At some point, they will reach a point that won't need anymore. Hence ownership will become too expensive, they will either let them lapse or try to sell them. (If no one buys them, they will lapse)

So what then. Will nobody use it? Or will we see a return to pirate stations? Radio broadcasting is fairly easy and cheap. I was the voice over person for a pirate station in the 1980s. Technology has gotten cheaper, smaller, and more powerful.

If everything goes on-line (entertainment and news), will the government even care about the pirates like they did in the 1980s and 1990s? There is plenty of dystopian fiction concerning this future. But we are on the edge of this now. Time to re-start your thinking.

Judiciary Committee and the FBI

In 1991, Anita Hill came forward with allegations concerning Clarence Thomas. The reason that I have brought this up concerns the use of the FBI.

In 1991, the White House order an investigation of Judge Thomas. In was completed and delivered to the Judiciary Committee in three days. Senator Orin Hatch (R-Utah) stated how grateful he was that this was completed and delivered to the committee.

Fast forward to the last few days. Senator Hatch is stating that the FBI can not and should not investigate Judge Kavanagh. Senator Grassley (R-Iowa) has stated that there not enough time to complete an investigation.

So, what is the problem here? Think about this. The last time something happened, it took 3 days. What are the Republicans afraid of? Is the White House afraid of what they will find? Are they hiding something? With only 4% of Kavanagh's papers released to the Committee and the public, you have to wonder.

To the White House and the Republican Committee members, do the investigation. If there is nothing, then you win. But, you won't you do it. You are trying to ram this through before the midterms.

With the President calling the FBI a cancer on society, he has boxed himself in. How will he be able to politically get an investigation? If he does, there goes his fight against Sessions and Mueller.

The optics are going to be perfect for the Democrats. From a purely political viewpoint, how is it going to look when 11 old, white men harass and berate a woman who came forward as a survivor of sexual assault?

So, what is going to happen? The hearing on Monday, may or may not happen. But it will go to the floor of the Senate. He will become the next SCOTUS justice. All of the Republicans will vote for him. I expect that at least two Dems will vote for him too.

I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

Justice and Trump

Dear Mr. President,

Just read some of your Tweets concerning the prosecution of two Republican Congressmen (Collins & Hunter) and the FISA processes. Time for another round of education. Class is now in session.

First concerning the indictments. The Attorney General and the Department of Justice are not at your beck and call. They enforce the law. They are a non-political part of the government. Justice for all.

The indictment of Representative Collins stems from events that occurred in 2017. In fact, by cross referencing video and text messaging, they caught him performing the insider trading while on White House grounds, during one of your events. Right under your nose! The people that are prosecuting him are those that you and your administration appointed. How is this an Obama era investigation?

Now Congressman Hunter's problems did indeed take place when Obama was president. However, a campaign finance violation does not really come to light until after the election and usually after the swearing in of the Congress. And to add some more to this, the people that investigated and indicated Mr. Hunter were again, appointed by you. Are you starting to see a pattern here?

Let's add a little fun factoid. The Congressman claimed that it was his wife's fault. That she was unaware of campaign finance laws. However, I don't think that she was going to pay off 4 of the Congressman's mistresses. Unless of course, he learned it from you.

You are also complaining about the FISA warrant against Carter Page. Listening to Judicial Watch shows your lack of understanding of the legal system. First, warrants never require a hearing. The prosecutor has to show probable cause that a crime has been committed. In most courts this is done in person or over the phone. In a FISA court, an extensive amount of paperwork is required. But never a hearing.

Now let's add another point here. All four times that the warrant has been approved and extended, the judges were Republican appointees. In fact, they still are. This not a Democratic plot, no matter how much you claim it was.

Finally, the great "Deep State" conspiracy. In another of your Tweets, you proved it was baloney. How? You commented that the FBI tried to get Putin loyalists to flip as far back as 2014. This is before you announced that you were running for office. This is part of their job as created by Congress in 1908. Hence, the "Deep State" does not exist. So stop saying it is conspiring against you.

If anything, the "Deep State" are members of your own cabinet and administration. The infamous New York Times Op-Ed is proving this. How do we know? Look at the denials. While they all denied have written the piece, nobody denies what was in the editorial. Other reporting (even from FOX News) has confirmed this.

The Steele Dossier (which you are always complaining about) was started by one of your opponents. Yes, Hillary's campaign did in fact complete it. However it was not used to get the FISA warrant. Congressman Nunes' memo proved that.

Mr. President, let the justice department do their job. They are not there to prosecute your political enemies. They are not there to protect you either. You have a personal lawyer and a White House Counsel for that job.

You have already gutted the State Department. Do you want to kill Justice too? You are acting like a guilty MOB boss. In the end, all of them get caught and are punished. Just ask Whitey Bulger.

You claim that you are a big supporter of law enforcement. I have yet to see it. A majority of the Sheriffs that you have surrounded yourself with (and pardoned) when you first started talking about the Op-Ed, have all had problems with the press and the law. Time to find new friends.

The wheels of justice are consistently turning. They may turn slowly, but they are turning. Let the system work, Mr. President. Or find yourself under those wheels for obstruction of justice. Your choice.

Signed,
An Informed Citizen.

Keeping up

Today. First, Trump creates a security crisis for the country. He does not back the country's 17 intelligence agencies. Instead he backs Putin in the election meddling. If you don't think that is bad, leave the country. Even the folks at FOX news were horrified.

Next, Maria Butina was arrested. She had strong ties to the NRA. She worked with John Bolton. You know him, he is the President's National Security Advisor. Why was she arrested? Turns out she’s a foreign agent for the Russian Federation. In other word, she is a spy for Putin. She will be in court on Wednesday. Lots will be shown.

Also happening today, Manafort's first hearing was delayed for week. This court is known to move trials along. After the fiasco of Trump's press conference, the general thought is Manafort is looking to make a deal. Not sure I buy that, but with the craziness of today, who knows.

Finally, a number of the Republicans appeared to have found their backbones. Will this lead to something? I doubt it. They are still afraid of Trump and his base.

Social media has, of course, gone crazy. Those on the left are calling for impeachment, while the right are screaming Trump's line about servers. Just a note to the Trump supporters: the DNC completely cooperated with the FBI. Also, Podesta was Hillary's campaign manager, not in charge of the DNC. Every conceivable theory is currently fly around. My personal favorite is the Moon landing is somehow involved in all of this.

So, will there be an impeachment? Nope. There is still too many people that believe in Trump. Will there be any repercussions to the President? More than likely not. Ryan and McConnell are still running the House and Senate. But more things are coming out faster than we thought. But I'm not waiting. I'm getting deeper involved and you should too.

With everything moving so fast, I'm finding that it is getting too hard to keep up. What about you?

FEMA and presidental messages

On Thursday, every person with a cell phone in the United States will be getting a text from the President. This is a test of a new FEMA communications process. THERE IS NO OPT OUT.

Think about the possibilities here. Yes, the positives are obvious. The need to communicate to the citizenry quickly during a national emergency and disasters is the intended outcome here. When with more people cutting the cord on phones and power outages, something had to be thought of.

Now the negative. OK, I really don't have to. But let's talk about a few of them anyway.

What are the rules for this usage? Now as many of you that have read my posts and blog, know that I am not a big fan of this administration. But I hoping some solid rules are in place.

Imagine a president suddenly sending out a message declaring an emergency and asking Americans to take action. And that is the problem. What action? Some messages will be considered benign, but intrusive. Now visualize the president calling for Americans to take up arms against not only their fellow citizens but parts of the government. Too extreme? Then imagine him sending political posts. The president endorsing candidates or instead of tweeting, you're now getting those post to your phone.

This is a dangerous proposition. In 1948, a little book was written about the intrusiveness of the government in our lives. I think you've heard of it, it was called 1984.

Now at this point some of my critics will start laughing and pointing fingers at me because of my previous liberal stances. Well they really don't understand me very well then. And I will explain this in a later post. But even the most die-hard bleeding heart liberal can see where the danger of this process is. And conservatives should be standing right next to the Liberals on this one.

Will this be a good and wonderful thing for emergency preparedness and Communications? Or will this be a propaganda tool? Time will tell. But we, the citizens, will need to be ever vigilant. That is the responsibility of Liberty.

Note: due to Hurricane Florence, the test has been pushed to Oct 3.

Loyalty Oaths, Lie Detector Tests, and Trump

Senior Rand Paul suggested that cabinet members and senior members of the Trump administration take a polygraph test. I find this especially amusing. Why? Rand Paul has a medical degree (optometrist), so he would know that polygraphs don't work. If you are nervous or a medical condition, it can look like you are lying.

The White House is also looking at having people sign swore affidavits that they did not write the op-ed piece. Sound familiar? It should. This is very similar to the Loyalty Oaths that people had to take during the height of the Cold War. Know what that led to? Paging Senator McCarthy.

Is this what we have come to? Back to the bad days of the country? Will posts like this and others that I made get me Blackballed for security clearances? Will we see hearings where the question will be "are you now or have you ever been a liberal?" Who knows.

There is an old Chinese curse. "May you live in interesting times." We are indeed cursed.

Some Responses:

Karl: Anyone with a shred of actual leadership capacity looks at a disloyal staff and starts by identifying what practice of their own is doing the damage.
Only someone utterly ignorant of every last principle of leadership thinks that loyalty pledges will address the problem.

Daniel: When this evil era is over there will be a lot of people trying to distance themselves from it. When we note who the collaborators were, let's not forget that Rand Paul was one of the worst.

Ken: Deep Throat.............................Mark Felt denied he was Deep Throat. Years later we found he was. What makes Trump think this will be different?

OP-Ed and Control

We have a president not in control of the White House. The Military and Secretary of Defense are not obeying orders. Members of the administration conspiring to prevent the president from signing executive orders. Papers being stolen from his desk.

Welcome to a Constitutional Crisis. At this point, we as a nation have to determine what we are going to next. Do we care about democracy and the rule of law? Do we care for Madisonian democracy (The Constitution)?

This is the time for Congress to prove they are a true co-equal branch of the government. The Democrats have started how they feel. Will the Republicans stand for the country? Or are they so enthralled with power that they will let a President stay in office who cannot control his staff? Are they the party of Lincoln or spineless dupes willing to be led around enjoying the trappings of power?

It is at this time that 2 things can and should happen. First, if the person who wrote the Times Op-Ed is indeed a senior official, then they need to start involving the 25th amendment. If however, this was a kitchen coup d’état, then Congress needs to start real investigations and steps towards impeachment.

What the Times Op-Ed has shown is that unelected individuals are running the country. We do not know what their agenda is or who among them is in charge. Who is the first among equals in this group? This is how juntas start.

Are you, the citizens, willing to stand for the country? Time for you to get educated and make a stand. Time to put aside your cynicism of the country, the press, and fellow citizens. Time to ask what you believe and what will you leave your children. History and posterity will judge you.

Tomi Lahren and impeachment

Tomi Lahren thinks that you can't impeach Donald Trump because he won the election. Think about that for a moment. So based on her flawed logic, Bill Clinton should not have been impeached. (The Clinton Impeachment is a subject for another day)

Ms. Lahren really needs to read article 1, sections 2 & 3 of the U.S. Constitution. You see Ms. Lahren, a President can be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors. What exactly are those? Well, the founders that you love so much left that intentionally vague. They wanted Congress to make that decision. This is because impeachment is a political process, not a legal one.

Now Tomi does bring up a good point. During her diatribe on Fox & Friends against Sean Penn, she commented that you need a reason. And that you shouldn't be talking impeachment just because your candidate lost. (I wonder if we should remind her of what she said about Obama? Nope, don't want to slip into whataboutism.) However, there are enough scandals to warrant serious hearings for the current President.

Unless the Dems take 18 seats in the Senate, they are going to need Republican help. Again, that was intentional. The founders did not want one party removing a president because they did not like what he was doing policy wise. They wanted it for an extreme reason. Don't like what he is doing, vote him out or have the Congress act as a check. Yeah, I don't think they saw the 21st century coming either.

Ms. Lahren, like many others, feel that actors, singers, artists, etc. should not be talking about politics or impeachment. Well, she is wrong. The impeaching of a president is so serious that every American should be discussing and debating its merits. And those entertainers are Americans too.

Ms. Lahren, let me close on a final note here. You are very good at acting the angry white conservative. But you keep getting things wrong. A little research first might help you in the long run. And when discussing federal politics, understanding the Constitution is a good start. I hear you can get a copy from Amazon for a buck. Or you can have mine.

Korea and experts

Dear Mr. President,

Once again you are showing that you have not been listening to the experts. Those experts would be in the Defense Department and State. Please let help you.

You have stated that we should not be having the joint South Korean/U.S. war games. Why? Cost? Baloney! North Korea wanted it as part of the "deal?" Stupid! You got nothing in return.

Now you are talking about having the ability to start it again on a moment’s notice. And that it would be bigger than before. Both are showing you did not listen to the experts.

At this point Mr. President, I have to ask an important question. What did they teach you at that military school you went to as a kid? Even the lowest private knows and understands the concept of logistics. For those that don't know, logistics is the movement and supplying of troops and equipment.

Logistics can make or break a battle. Even a war game. The ability move tanks is limited. An M1 weighs about 60 tons versus the WW2 Sherman that weighs 30 tons. Troops require tons of food, clothing, and other supplies. And let's not talk about other weapons, spare parts, and vehicles. All required to be move where they are needed. And the United States have been prioritizing transport ships or cargo planes.

You have been talking about moving the 7th Fleet from the theater. This fleet has 70-80 ship, 140 aircraft, and 40,000 personal. You can't move this on a dime or instantaneously. Fuel and supplies alone takes days to load.

Now this promise of stopping the exercise that was made to North Korea came as part of your "deal" during the "summit." What did you get for it? Good will? Shortly afterwards, North Korea restarted processing uranium for more weapons. They didn't stop missile testing because of your threats. They stopped because their testing had proved them with the information they needed. Heck, current leaked satellite photos and intelligence briefings have shown production of the missiles continuing.

A real deal maker would not have given a single thing of significance without getting something in return. And that something had to be verifiable. Yes, you can give something for good will. It is usually small and cheap. The meeting/summit should have been that alone. Instead, you have given just about everything they want.

Don't believe me? Look at the treatment of the Secretary of State every time he tries continue the negotiations with Kim Jong-Un and his government. Name calling and cold shoulders. You gave them everything they wanted. Now they are done with you and are not afraid of your threats. They are even trading with Russia and China.

And what of our allies in the area? South Korea and Japan are wondering about our commitment to them. We don't even have an ambassador to South Korea. And what about the country nobody is talking about, Taiwan?

Mr. President, you need to stop tweeting and start listening to the experts. They know more than you do. A good manager/leader is aware that he does not know everything. Can you be that leader or are you going continue down this road of failures. The world is laughing. You still have time to correct this. Or you will have done more damage to our standing in the world than any person before. You choice, Mr. President. Leader or dupe. Help history make the decision.

Signed,

An Informed Citizen.

Change

Consider the latest news about the Mueller investigation. Senator Lindsey Graham has stated that he believes that President Trump will fire AG Jeff Sessions after the midterms. His reasoning being, so that he can take control of the investigation. The fox guarding the henhouse.

Now think about what that means. The person being investigated will be in charge. Will the Republicans step up and protect the country and our democracy? Current evidence says no. Will the Democrats do anything? They can't unless they take control of either the House or the Senate. And not until January.

What about the courts? Well, McConnell is going ram through Kavanaugh's nomination. So, SCOTUS will be packed by conservatives that believe the Executive branch has almost unlimited power. They will not stand up against this president.

And the American public? Well, that is going to be a tricky issue. First is to let your voice be heard. Let every elected official from Dog Catcher to Senator know that are unhappy with this situation. The louder, the better.

Now comes the hard part that is really easy. You have to vote. You have get the GOP out of office. If the Dems take control, they will have subpoena power.

But why is this so hard? Simple. A number of you are stuck with the misguided notion that your vote for the Green party or Libertarians will be some great protest. That you don't want and are tired of voting for the lesser of two evils.

Well, suck it up sunshine. In this election you have two choices. Trump's America or not. It is time to look at the bigger picture. You need to stop saying both parties are the same and start paying attention.

You want to build that 3rd party. Go ahead. Leave things the way they are now and you won't even get a chance. Build your party after the midterms.

This is for the marbles. Do you want an economy for the rich, a country for only white males? Or are you ready to stand and say "This is my country and I want it back from the racists and the Nazis!" You can tell me on November 6. The World and I will be watching.

Cohen and Campaign laws

Dear Mr. President,

Just watched your interview. Let me educate on a couple of things.

Obama's campaign "crime" was being late in filing a report on who small donors were. This is an administrative error, not criminal.

Conspiring to make a payoff for someone to directly affect the election is Criminal. And guess what Mr. President, it is a crime. It does not matter if the money came from the campaign or not. It impacted the campaign.

All the things that Mr. Cohen admitted to are indeed crimes. He is a lawyer, so he and his counsel should know which things are crimes. The judge knows what crimes are. He would not accept a plea of guilt for something that was not a crime.

Finally, Mr. President, as the head of the executive branch of the government, you have the power to fire Sessions and Rosenstein. If you don't like what they doing, you can fire them for cause. But there will be political consequences. And you won't get a confirmation hearing until next year.

My advice to you is the advice my father gave me many years ago. When you find yourself in hole, stop digging. Interviews on FOX and tweeting is just digging your hole deeper. In this case, if you keep digging political, the hole eventually turns into a grave.

Signed,

An Informed Citizen.

SCOTUS and Impeachment

The Mueller investigation has brought up a couple interesting things about the Constitution. One of them is impeachment.

The left talks a lot about impeaching Trump. Yet they seem to not understand the basic mechanics of the process. They talk about Nixon and completely ignore Clinton.

The right is currently going on about impeaching Rosenstein. Heck, Nuenes was caught on tape talking about plans and timelines for an impeachment.

Impeachment is just another word for indictment from the House of Representatives. It does not remove the person from office. For that, you need 67 Senators to vote guilty after a public trail. Not going to happen in this current environment unless something outrageous is shown.

Than why is Nuenes and his buddies trying to impeach Rosenstein? It is a PR stunt and a way to provide cover for the President. If Rosenstein is impeached, this gives Trump cover to fire him.

Trump and crew have been trying to find a way to shut down Mueller since the moment it started. Yet to do so without some serious charge would be political suicide. Impeaching Rosenstein would be that "serious" charge. A lack of confidence by the Oversight committee and the House would provide that cover, as thin as it may be.

But now a new wrinkle has been added. See Nuenes just got caught on tape discussing their plans and the reason why. Can he and his colleagues still go forward with the plans? He talked about need to get the SCOTUS nominee through first.

What purpose does this serve? Distraction. The Republicans are hoping that with the fight over SCOTUS, the American public will forget about Mueller. Especially with the midterms happening shortly thereafter.

It is truly sad that the supposed party of Law & Order, is so afraid of justice. They appear to have forgotten that the American public has learned how to multitask. By not letting the investigation run its natural course, the Republicans are showing a complete lack of faith in the Constitution and the American people.

Manafort

Dear Mr. President,

Mr. Manafort is sitting in jail for tampering with a witness. He got his day in court concerning this crime. He lost. He is not in solitary confinement. In fact, he got moved to be closer to his lawyers and the court.

"He only worked for me for a short time." What a bunch of bologna. He joined the campaign as a delegate wrangler in March 2016. The man worked as your campaign manager from June 20 to August 19. He was in the infamous Russian meeting in Trump Tower on June 9, 2017.

So, from March to the end of August, he was with your campaign in one form or another. Heck, he even lived in Trump Tower. You even sang his praise just before the Convention.

You hardly knew him? Again with the bologna. Roy Cohn (a man you admit to admiring) introduced to him to you in 1980. You were his firm's first customer. You met him again in 1988, at the Republican Convention. In 1993, you are on record about how loyal Manafort and his company were to you. You knew him and knew him well.

Paul Manafort got to live in his house while waiting for the trail. He was quit comfortable. Al Capone had to sit on jail like the common criminal he was. How is he being treated worst?

One final point, Mr. President. The entire investigation started when a drunk Popadolis was in a London bar and started bragging to an Austrian Ambassador about the "dirt" they had on Hillary. The Steele dossier had nothing to do with the beginning of the investigation. Whether or not it was used does not matter. Evidence is evidence, not matter where it came from.

Paul Manafort is getting his day in court like any citizen. If he is found guilty, there are processes to appeal that conviction. Stop interfering in the due process of a trail and the defendant, and get to the business of the country. The American people are waiting.

Signed,

An Informed Citizen.

Groceries and IDs.

Dear Mr. President,

Time for another bit of education.

I know that you have been rich your entire life. And I know that you have not done things that that the average person does on a daily basis. One of these things is buying groceries.

At your rally last night in Florida, you complained about the need for a picture ID to buy groceries. Watching the speech, I noticed the blank look on your followers face.

This the educational part. You don't need a picture ID for groceries. I just spent $150 and never once did they ask for an ID. Any person, legal, illegal, rich, or poor, can buy the products and nobody cares.

Now if you want to pay by check, you have to give ID. Yet this has been happening for decades. Yet most people use a debit card. Which is not an ID.

Stop saying this stupid stuff, Mr. President. By doing so, you are showing how out of touch you are with the American public. And that didn't work out so great for Bush the Elder.

Signed,

An Informed Citizen.

Streaming, broadcasting, and the future.

Just finished reading an article in the NY Times about the 20th Century and Disney merger. One of the big points that came out is that everybody is betting on streaming. With viewers of broadcast and cable down, there is a business case for this view.

But here is what struck me. As more broadcasters start to fail/go out of business (see the more rural areas of the country), an interesting thing will develop. As with radio stations having the same problem, what happens to the bandwidth on the radio spectrum.

Now for those you that don't what this means, please allow me to explain some (but not all) points. In the United States, the radio band is leased to radio stations, television stations, and cell phone providers. Government/military get certain spots that the rest of are not allowed to touch. There is more about this, but you get the general idea.

When a station goes belly up, ownership of the bandwidth is up for grabs. Recently, cell phone companies have been snatching these up. At some point, they will reach a point that won't need anymore. Hence ownership will become too expensive, they will either let them lapse or try to sell them. (If no one buys them, they will lapse)

So what then. Will nobody use it? Or will we see a return to pirate stations? Radio broadcasting is fairly easy and cheap. I was the voice over person for a pirate station in the 1980s. Technology has gotten cheaper, smaller, and more powerful.

If everything goes on-line (entertainment and news), will the government even care about the pirates like they did in the 1980s and 1990s? There is plenty of dystopian fiction concerning this future. But we are on the edge of this now. Time to re-start your thinking.

Helsinki and Russians

Dear Mr. President,

It appears that I have to give you another lesson on how the real world works. You seem to think that the American people don't have a memory or know how to use modern tools, like the internet.

At the Helsinki press conference, Vladimir Putin stated point-blank that he wanted you to win the election. We all heard it and can show you the video to prove it. But you did a couple things that insulted our intelligence.

First is a tweet you stated that the Russians want the Dems to win the midterms. An incredibly laughable statement. The Russians love what you are doing.

The second is your speech that you gave today to the VFW. You told the members in attendance they should not believe what they are seeing and hearing. They should only believe what you are telling them.

Finally, in the White House transcript of the Helsinki press conference, you or aides left out the question where President Putin was asked if he wanted you to win.

Why do I bring up the transcript? This is where I have to educate you about the modern world. You see the video of that event is not only in the hands of the media, it also all over the internet. And in case you have forgotten, once on the net, it is out there forever. It can never be forgotten, only slightly misplaced. But it will be found. Again and again and again.

You can try to remove it via legal means or other ways. And guess what, it won't work. You see the internet was created by the Defense Department to survive a nuclear war. There are servers all over the world holding data. This includes videos. You can't get to them all.

Stop trying to gaslight the American public, Mr. President. We won't stand for it. The evidence is too easy get and to show you and your supporters where you are wrong. Deal with it or face the voter’s wraith come 2020.

Signed,

An Informed Citizen.

Security and Clearances

The White House wants to revoke the security clearances of 8 critics. All of them are former national security officials. The funny thing is that 2 of them already don't have security clearances, thanks to Rand Paul.

But the reason as to why is truly laughable. They are accused of "monetizing their public service and security clearances." What does this mean? The President and hanger-on’s don't like the fact that these people went for jobs that were based on past experience. They also wrote books about their experiences and analysis of current situations. Finally, they are getting paid for making speeches.

It seems that they don't like others making money. They only want it for themselves. But making monies off your past experiences is how you get new jobs.

But why did they still have them? Basically, it was for continuity of control and information. The new people need to know what was going on before them and sometimes that information is not in reports. They also need to know about the personalities of the people being dealt with. You can only get this by talking to your predecessors.

Why remove these clearances, now? These people have been critical of the administration pretty much since it began. Two reason jump right out. First is the political disaster that the last 2 weeks were. The NATO meeting and "summit" with Putin even scared the Republicans. Look at how much was spent on Trump spent on the trip to Scotland. Monetizing public service is something this administration does very well.

The other reason is the Mueller investigation. Every time something new happens or is about to happen, this administration creates some disaster or stupid policy change. Manafort's trail starts next week, Cohen is announcing he has tapes, and the Russian spy trail starts tomorrow. All things that Trump does not want the American people and media talking or thinking about.

What this group of cutthroats and misfits seem to have forgotten is that many know how to multitask. And with this thing called the Internet, nothing ever disappears from modern history.

But the real question here is about free speech and the right to make a living. College kids are encouraged to go get a government internship, just to get a security clearance. This now practically a requirement for upper level jobs in corporate America. Now the Administration wants to eliminate this from its critics. Does this mean that everyone that says something that is not in lockstep with the President and his cronies will lose their clearance?

It is starting to look like that. What is next? Shutting down media outlets, webpages, or midnight raids? We know where that leads. History has shown it. And where will history place us?

Investigation processes

One of the questions that I have for Trump and his supporters concerns the Mueller investigation. The current claim is that it is a witch hunt, that it is taking too long, and that some of the charges deal with pre-trump campaign.

The question is do you not understand how these investigations work? The basics are really quite simple. They look at a potential target(s) and they start following leads. If a crime is found along the way, they either prosecute or trade for information.

Now these things take time. Writing the documents alone for the court takes days if not weeks. People have to be interviewed and interviewed again (they compare stories against other people). Evidence has to be examined and re-examined, usually by several experts. This is not an episode of Law & Order, where it is over in 47 minutes.

Now most of us are not lawyers. I'm not one and I don't play one on TV. But you can pick up the basics by looking at things that have happened before. The most obvious one is Watergate. Yet another one is the investigations and convictions of organized crime figures.

In those types of investigations, they stated with the small fry and worked to the bigger fish. This is why mob chauffeurs and low level people get next to nothing for testifying against the made men. This is the tried and true process that has worked for decades.

The Mueller investigation is unique in that nobody is leaking information or people being investigated. Members of Congress and the White House are in a near panic to know something. They are threatening several members in the DOJ with a number of things.

One of the people that making the biggest noise is former U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani. This later mayor of New York City was one of those that went after the Mob. He especially should know that these things take time. Yet, now it is coming out that he too is being investigated.

Now I bring this this up because he and people in the White House are acting like a guilty person trying to distract those doing the investigation. Yet they constantly say there is nothing there. Heck, almost every other phrase utter by the President is "There is no collusion."

So, to the Supporters of the President, if you have nothing to fear, then why the rush to shut it down? What is it that's making you lose sleep? These are Republicans running the investigation, appointed by Republicans. They are your people. Or is it that deep down you know they are guilty and don't want to look bad for supporting them? No matter what happens history will judge.

 

Nato and Trump

One of things that people had against Obama was this false idea that he was constantly having to apologize for Bush the Younger and his actions. People believed that Obama was given the Nobel Prize simply because he was not Bush. The height of this was a speech in 2009 entitled "A New Beginning." This was the speech that told the Muslim world that the United States respect their faith and were not at war with them. People lost their minds.

The last 7 days have shown a President that attacks our allies (NATO) and trading partners (EU). A President trying to destroy our special relationship with Great Britain. And then to side with Russia concerning the meddling of the 2016 elections.

This president has been systematically been destroying our standing in world. He has ceded the leadership role that the United States built up for the last 70 years. This role has always come at a price (gold and blood). But this President appears afraid of that.

Sooner or later, there will be another president. That president will be the one that will actually have to apologize for the actions of their predecessor. But the damage will have been done. The trust has been broken and can never be repaired.

It took 70 years of blood and sweat to build up that leadership. We will not have it back for a very long time. Hard decisions and actions will be needed. But first we have to apologize and make amends to those we have hurt. We can only hope that they will forgive us. If not, you just saw the world change in a most negative way. Our children and grandchildren will curse us.

Keeping up

Today. First, Trump creates a security crisis for the country. He does not back the country's 17 intelligence agencies. Instead he backs Putin in the election meddling. If you don't think that is bad, leave the country. Even the folks at FOX news were horrified.

Next, Maria Butina was arrested. She had strong ties to the NRA. She worked with John Bolton. You know him, he is the President's National Security Advisor. Why was she arrested? Turns out she’s a foreign agent for the Russian Federation. In other word, she is a spy for Putin. She will be in court on Wednesday. Lots will be shown.

Also happening today, Manafort's first hearing was delayed for week. This court is known to move trials along. After the fiasco of Trump's press conference, the general thought is Manafort is looking to make a deal. Not sure I buy that, but with the craziness of today, who knows.

Finally, a number of the Republicans appeared to have found their backbones. Will this lead to something? I doubt it. They are still afraid of Trump and his base.

Social media has, of course, gone crazy. Those on the left are calling for impeachment, while the right are screaming Trump's line about servers. Just a note to the Trump supporters: the DNC completely cooperated with the FBI. Also, Podesta was Hillary's campaign manager, not in charge of the DNC. Every conceivable theory is currently fly around. My personal favorite is the Moon landing is somehow involved in all of this.

So, will there be an impeachment? Nope. There is still too many people that believe in Trump. Will there be any repercussions to the President? More than likely not. Ryan and McConnell are still running the House and Senate. But more things are coming out faster than we thought. But I'm not waiting. I'm getting deeper involved and you should too.

With everything moving so fast, I'm finding that it is getting too hard to keep up. What about you?

Liberals could lose

Dear Progressives, Liberals, and Democrats,

Congratulations. You are on course to lose the mid-term elections. Yep, you read that right. But why, you ask? There are some obvious and simple reasons, but they’re not something that you are going to want to hear or like.

The first is 2016. Time to face some hard facts. Based on our system of government, you lost. Trump is now President. At this point, a number of you are going to start writing what a terrible person I am. Some of you will rant about Bernie, Hillary, the DNC, or even the Russians. Go ahead. Write all you want. But you are just going to prove my points. Instead, wait until the end. You might like what I have to say.

Back to 2016. The leaked Dem’s e-mails implied (they never actually said so) that the game was rigged in Hillary’s favor. Yep, it probably was. But I want you to consider for a second, this; State governments run the Primaries/Caucuses, not the national party. The DNC was limited by what they could do. If the DNC was the Bond villain organization some of think it is, then Bernie would never have gotten as far as he did.

There is still some serious bad blood on the left side of the aisle over 2016. A number of you were claiming that you were either going to form another party or never vote for the Dems again. Stop being stupid! In an upcoming post, I will explain the current stupidity of 3^rd parties and how they can become viable. Furthermore, if you don’t vote for the Dems, then you get more Trump and his ilk. Like it or not, that is currently how it works.

What you really need to do is change the Party. How? There are two long terms solutions and one short term. The short term is easy and legal, however there are some rules that need to be followed. Get your friends and yourself to donate monies together. Give up that expensive coffee and latte once a week. That money can then go to the candidate of your choice. One of the ways to give the money and not get lost in the shuffle is called “bundling.” This is where one of you, take the checks from all your friends and hand them to the candidate at some event. (Hence, in a “bundle.”) People who do this get influence. Heck, in the past, some even get appointed to some positions. Great way to change things and it’s legal.

The first of the long term solutions is to vote in the candidate you support and keep them there. The longer they are there, the better positions they get. Chairmanships of committees get to set tones, investigate/subpoena, and kill/pass the bills on to floor votes. The Judiciary committee gets give the thumb up or down on Supreme Court nominees.

The other way is to join the party and take it over. Once you and your friends are in charge you can make all the changes you want. But that takes commitment. You have to know who the movers and shakers are in your district, state, and nationally. This is a long fight, not just one or two election cycles.

The next problem is a voter problem. Not the one about showing up. We will talk about that later. The problem here, in a word, is “Purity.”

Since the 2016 election, a number of Progressives and Liberals have all stated the need for a level of absolute purity on an issue/background or they won’t vote for them. Issues are varied and so are the backgrounds. There was, and still is, a lot of justification of this with people claiming that they don’t want to vote for the “lesser of two evils.”

There is something to be said about this. In times that are more civil, the conversations less heated, and less extreme, this is considered admirable. But these are not those times. And quite frankly, they won’t be for a long time to come. In this environment, you are going to have to make some compromises. Compromise is at the very heart of the Legislative branch of government. There is an old saying that “Half a Loaf is better than no Loaf.” That certainly applies now.

What has to be noted here, is that there is no such thing as a pure or perfect candidate. Everybody has said something insensitive in their youth or invested in a company that is currently out of favor. The question is did the candidate learn from that moment (or events)? Have they changed and become a better person because of it? Events and comments need to be looked at in their total context. Judging based on sound bites is never a good idea. However, if they say something insensitive now, that is just plain stupid. And knowing about criminal activity, like sexual abuse, then all bets are off.

Another problem facing the Dems and their allies is messaging. In 1992, Bill Clinton was famous for the phrase “It’s the Economy, Stupid.” Trump and his allies have latched on to this and it is working well. Currently, the market is doing great and unemployment is low. Now before you start getting into facts, figures, and details, know that the average American does not care. If they have a job and their 401K is doing better than a few years ago, your argument has no meaning. The Dems need to stand for something more than just anti-Trump. They need ideas that will resonate with Americans. Fortunately for the Dems, the Trump Tariffs will really start to bite just as most Americans are starting to get interested in the mid-terms.

Tip O’Neil was famous for saying that all politics are local. In a lot of cases this is true. Just look at the New York 14^th Congressional District. However, this year, the mid-terms are a definite referendum on Trump and the Republicans. Messaging will be key. One of the things that this means is that people like Pelosi, Schumer, and Waters will need to take a lesser role in the national discussions. The general populist are tired of seeing the same old faces for the last 30 odd years. They will be looking for the new generation. So, the next generation of leaders are going to have to step up to be seen and heard.

Finally, we come to voter turnout. Before going any further, we need to look at some hard numbers. These come the Pew Research Center. There are 69.2 million Millennials, only 49.4% voted (up 3% from 2014). The Boomer population is 69.7 million and 68.7% voted (down 1% from 2014). White America were up by 5% and African Americans were down 6%. See a problem?

Based on the above data, the problem here is that Millennials and African Americans did not vote. Millennials are now at parity in population to the Boomers. Simply put, if the Millennials want, they can now take charge. The Boomers are dying off, hence their numbers are starting a rapid decline and so is their influence.

Now here is some other facts. Evangelicals are 17% of the population, yet they counted for 25% of the voters in 2018. Their numbers are dropping, but they are maintaining their influence. Why? They got out and voted.

And that is the biggest point of the entire rant. You and your friends have to get off your butts and vote. No excuses will be allowed. Polls are usually open for about 12 hours (some states are longer). The excuse about work does not hold. In the 36 years that I have been a voter, I have never had an employer prevent me from needing a little time to go vote.

Can’t get to the polls due to transportation issues? There are plenty of organizations that can and will help you. Call a friend that is registered to vote and normally doesn’t. Daycare issues? Take the kids with you.

Check your voter status now. SCOTUS just ruled that states can purge the voter records of inactive people. Make sure you are not one of those people. If you are, than re-register. Hard to register due to bizarre state laws? Start now.

These are the problems that the Dems and Liberals will be facing. There is slightly less than four months until the midterms. Right after Labor Day, the American voter wakes up and sees that there is an election coming. This is the time to get engage, when voting infrastructures need building, finishing, and manning. This is the time to get people registered to vote. This is the time to start talking about the issues and the candidates.

In the words of Jim Wright (Stonekettle Station), “If you want a better country, be a better Citizen.” Mr. Wright is correct. Now is the time to be that better Citizen.

Brett Kavanaugh

President Trump has chosen Brett Kavanaugh for the next Justice on the SCOTUS. He clerked for Justice Kennedy, worked for the Bush the Younger, and helped write the Ken Starr report. He was a lead investigator in the Vince Foster suicide.

First he believed that Presidents could be subpoenaed. Then over the years he changed his tune to be opposed to it. Think about what that means for the upcoming fight with the Mueller investigation.

But the biggie is going to be the change to Roe. In about 18 months you could see a total roll back of a woman's right to choose. The day after the Inauguration was the Women's March.

A friend posted that they did not know what they were marching for. This person believed nothing was going to happened. They were wrong. This is what could and is happening.

With 6 consecutive justices you can see the roll back on a number rights. There is already talk in conservative circles of not only overturning Roe, but also Marriage Equality, labor laws, environmental protections, and government protections.

Don't look for the Dems to be able to do much. They are in the minority and three of them even voted for Neil Gorsuch. For the Dems to stop this, all them must stand firm and convince just one Republican to join them. To be honest, I don't expect that to happen.

So, what can you do about it? Not much. There are two things that you can do. First is contact every elected official you can. The more voices there are, the louder they become.

Next, you must vote on November 6. Changing the Senate means changing who will get picked. And guys like this will not get nominated.

Time to stand and let your voice be heard. It's up to you. History will judge how well we did at this point.

Trade War, part 2

<Beep, beep, beep, beep> Good Evening Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea. Flash: Washington D.C.

On Thursday, May 31, President Trump fired the first shot of the Trade War. Was it at the acknowledged enemy, China? No. Instead, in a surprise move, the President shot our trading allies and friends. Not only did this catch them off guard, but the White House staff was not aware of it until he tweeted about it.

Which allies you ask? Canada, Mexico, and the EU. Notice that China, Russia, and other “enemies” were not targeted. Granted there are still some tariffs going back and forth between the U.S. and China, but the Steel and Aluminum tariffs were not implemented there, only on our allies. Could this be because Trump rolled back the Sanctions on telecom giant ZTE (“Concerned about Chinese jobs”), while the Chinese invested a half Billion for a Trump Tower in Indonesia? You decide. I think it was a flat-out bribe and a violation of the Emoluments clause.

But let’s get back to the Trade War. With any war, it is a good idea to figure how it started, why, and who has the authority to do so. We know how (see above). Trump has been agitating to do this for months. Why now? This is what is driving everyone crazy. At this point, I and others can only speculate but let’s give it a go.

Welcome to the Mid-terms, boys and girls. This is a twofold move. First is to energize the base. “Look at what those terrible countries have done to our poor industries.” Forget the fact that these industries have been in decline since the 1970s and automation has killed more jobs than anything else, the base wants their Boogeyman. Get a good Boogeyman and support more candidates like you and Poof! you hold the House and Senate.

The other is negotiating tactics. Trump has stated that he is re-negotiating NAFTA with Canada and Mexico on an individual basis. Cause a little pain, some concern about local industry, and try to panic the politicians. He also has this mistaken belief that we have a trade deficit with Canada, when we really have a surplus.

But how can he do this? You see, there is this little clause in the Constitution that states that Congress has the power “To regulate commerce with foreign nations…” (Article 1, Section 8, clause 3). This is referred to as the “Commerce Clause.” Thus only Congress can determine Trade and trade issues (see Smoot-Hawley Act). So, why is the President able to implement the tariffs?

In 1962, it was the height of the Cold War. Congress was looking to let the President raise or lower tariffs as a way of dealing with National Security issues. Thus was born the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Then it was passed (and signed), and 5 days later started the Cuban Missile Crisis. (Some believe it was this act that was quietly used that got the Organization of American States to vote unanimously against Cuba during the Crisis.) This is the stated excuse for the Tariffs. That the Canadian Steel and Aluminum mills are a security threat to us. Think about that. The one country that has stood by us in just about every military action since the First World War is now a security threat. (This threat being stated as the need for in-country production.)

Now what are the impacts to Canada? The U.S. Media does not talk about much about this, but there are some easy ones. The most obvious is the Steel and Aluminum workers. They export nearly 90% of their steel to the U.S. That is only 16% of U.S. steel imports. But let’s not forget that 42% of Aluminum imports come from Canada. And of course, the Canadian autoworker. The price of cars is going up.

Of course, the Canadians responded with some targeted tariffs of their own. A lot of them have to deal with manufactured steel and aluminum: bars, rolls, wire, and ingots. It is the other items that are getting the most press. They include strawberry jam, ketchup, mayo, salad dressings, whiskies, and paper products. There are more, but I have only a limited time and space.

Who will they affect here in the United States and how? The one that I have been thinking about the most is whisky, mainly bourbon. Most of the bourbon manufactured in American comes from the great state of Kentucky. We’ll get why this is important later.

The largest producer is Jim Beam in Clermont Kentucky. The impact on the Jim Beam company is obvious. More tariffs, less profits, and less exports. With less Exports, that means there will be a whole lot of bourbon sitting around in warehouses. You are probably thinking, “Great! Lower prices.” Not so fast. Like most companies, they will just pass the cost onto the customer. But it is the future you should worry about. You see it takes a minimum of two years for bourbon to be made. A lot can happen in two years. Now the company execs will have to make some hard decisions. Do they plan on the tariffs being long term or is this just a blip?

Either way, they will be more than likely be cutting back production. Less production means less people needed at the distillery. They will not need as many White Oak Barrels, so less people at the Cooper. And of course, less corn and wheat. Think about the impact on the local farmers. And don’t forget the truck drivers who deliver the raw materials and the finished products.

Now why is this important that it is impacting Kentucky? If you remember at the beginning, we talked about how Congress is supposed to set the trade policy. During the beginnings of this war, Congress has been largely missing. Who are the two Senators from the great state of Kentucky? Why Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul.

A major industry and the supporting businesses are about to be negatively impacted and the Kentucky Senators have said nothing. Want to bet that Jim Beam and the local farmers will not be donating to their re-election campaigns?

So, what do we have here? From the previous post about a Trade War and this one, we are seeing that the countries that are targeted by the Trump administration are responding in kind and aiming at his base. This Trade War is going hurt the Rust Belt and the Farmers of the Midwest. And by doing so, hurt the rest of us and send us back into a recession.

More has happened since I started writing this Rant. Too many other things pulled me away. But let me tell you about a few of these events. Harley-Davidson is moving some production out of the country. (Trump claims that they will get taxed heavily.) Soy Bean prices are down 15-19%. Mid-Continental Nail Company, the largest U.S. nail manufacturer, has had to lay off 10% of its work force and announced that they could be out of business by Labor Day if the tariffs aren’t lifted. Finally, GM has announced that they will have to lay people off and raise the price of cars on average by $5500.

There are more to tell, but I think you get the idea. Now let’s add some more “fun.” On July 7, this administration will impose $30 Billion worth of tariffs on China. China has stated that they will respond in kind. Make no mistake here. A lot of businesses and people are going to get hurt here. Prices across the board are going to go up and layoffs will happen. There goes the great economy and jobs numbers President Trump has been touting.

The benefits you think you are getting from the tax cut are going to be gone. The corporations will lay off more people. Congress and the Trump Administration will panic and propose another tax cut bill. Heck, they are already starting the process to be passed in September (Remember those mid-terms). But no matter what, you are going to be paying more for everything.

Is this how we “Make American Great Again?” By killing the economy? How is he going to blame the Dems and liberals? This is all Trump’s doing. And how can we stop this? You can’t. Not until November 6. You will have to change the House of Representatives and the Senate.

But will you? Will this be the thing that gets you to say: Enough!? Will people vote the bums out, like they are always screaming about? We will know on November 7. Until then, tighten your belt and water down the soup. It is going to be a long hot summer.

North Korea, part 2

Dear Mr. President,

A couple days after you came back from the summit with North Korea, I warned you that you got played. And now the evidence has come out proving that truth.

For those of you that have missed it, let me inform you about the latest events. Intelligence officials (and satellite imagery) have reported that Kim Jong-un has started enriching uranium at several secret locations. He has also resumed manufacturing solid rocket fuel. This is used in ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles). These missile can hit the major sections of the 7th fleet at Guam, the Hawaiian Island, and most of the continental United States.

And now, your national security adviser, John Bolton, claims that you and him have a plan to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, within a year. Would you care to share that plan with the American people, Mr. President? We would love to see it. But knowing your history, you will announce that you plan to let us see it in a couple of weeks (or shortly/soon). Then something else will happen, usually caused by you, and you will hope that we forget all about it. Sorry Mr. President, it won't happen.

Congratulations, this is the results of gutting the State Department. You still have not had your South Korean Ambassador nominee, Harry Harris, a conformation hearing with the Senate. You have no real diplomatic advisers or lines of communications with the Koreas. And to add insult to injury, the entire set of sanctions that both you and President Obama setup, have now collapsed. North Korea is trading with other nations like it is Black Friday.

On you June 13, you tweeted that America could sleep well after your little summit. I and most Americans have not had a decent night sleep since then. But you really don't care do you? You are all excited about the next meeting with Vladimir Putin. Heck, you're ready to concede the Russian annexation of Crimea.

What is your foreign policy, Mr. President? The American people want to know. You have been President for over a year and half. You must have some idea. Care to share? I'm not going to hold my breath while you try to figure it out. Neither will the American people.

Signed,

An Informed Citizen.

Immigration Court

I want you to think for a moment. For the parents reading this, what was your kid like when they were between 2 - 10 years old? What were you like?

Did you understand complex legal terms and processes? How did you deal with people in authority? How well did you communicate with language, let alone a foreign one?

I ask this due to the latest news of the problems happening at the immigration courts. Imagine if you can, a 3 year old standing in front of a judge. This 3 year old has to understand why they are there and defend themselves against a federal prosecutor.

You see, there are no guarantees of legal representation in Immigration Court. Unless you can afford one, you are on your own. You have to an understanding of the complex immigration laws that will determine you fate.

Now I don't remember much about my early childhood. I have vivid memories from about 6 years old and beyond. I can tell you that understanding complex concepts like Asylum, judicial procedure, and confrontational defense were way beyond my understanding. I'm betting they were beyond yours.

At the age of three, my daughter had a hard time speaking certain words that we take for granted. Now imagine her having to answer in complex terms about why she should be granted asylum. Let alone understanding what it means.

This is why we don't try children without a parent or a guardian. But this is what the Trump administration wants. Heck, they want to eliminate the entire concept of due process.

If your argument is that "too bad, they came here illegally" then you need to check a few things. First, SCOTUS has ruled that everybody, citizen and alien alike, are due equal protection under the law. Thank you 14th Amendment. This means that no matter your legal status, you are due your day in court.

The other thing you need to check is your humanity. A child is an innocent. They were brought by their parents or other family members. Most of these kids were removed from their families. We must treat them with care and love.

So, how to end this rant? I could go on about the court ruling that say all kids under 5 have to be returned to their parents within 14 days or that all kids must be back with families in 30 days. (2 days have already have passed.)

Instead I will say this, is this the country you want to leave your children or grandchildren? Is this how you want to be remembered? Or do you want to leave the country and the world in a better place than you found it? You decide.

Immigrant Children

I’ve been thinking about the immigrant children situation over the past month. I have been thinking about my feelings over this situation and of those ordering this situation. Also, I have been examining what can be done to change the situation.

First, a little transparency... I am the father of a 5-year old daughter. That is all you need to know about me. Anything else from politics to religion does not matter where this is concerned.

For those living under a rock for the last few months, let’s review how we got here. On April 6, 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced at the border that the United States would be taking a “Zero Tolerance” stand against illegal immigration. He also announced that he was sending extra federal prosecutors and immigration judges to try people for a federal crime. Normally this is a misdemeanor. As a federal crime, you can’t apply for a visa or legal immigration status, and it hurts your asylum request.

On May 6, AG Sessions stated in speech in San Diego, that they would be making it miserable for people to come here. He also stated that the government would be separating children from their parents, if they crossed the border illegally. Now to be honest here, most people thought that this was nothing more than hyperbole. Speaking to the base. Boy, were we wrong.

Between April 6 and now, the President (and his mouth pieces/supporters) kept claiming that the harsh enforcement was due to a Democratic laws and they were just obeying it. This is wrong. There is no law that states this rule of enforcement.

Unfortunately, the separation of children from their parents did not start getting noticed until social media picked up on the missing 1500 kids. Officially, they are not missing. The people caring for them just did not answer the phone when HHS called to check on them. Right, and I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale too.

Of course, this woke up the politicians along with the media. The video of the Senator trying to get into the private detention center has made the rounds. Senator tries to get in with camera crew; gets told to go away; police are called; and Senator gets a ticket. It would be funny if wasn’t so concerning.

Before we go any further, let’s talk about why people are coming here. In Central and South America, there is a wave of violence and crime. People are facing violence at unprecedented levels since the 1980s (Remember the Death Squads in El Salvador and Nicaragua?). Drug cartels, gangs, revolutionaries/terrorists and even some government officials. These are what people are fleeing from. Extortion, murder and rape are just a number of the reasons people are coming here. They are asking for asylum. They are not coming here illegally.

Now the law state that people seeking asylum have to present themselves to the authorities, make the request, and wait for an immigration judge/official to make a ruling. Nowhere does it state that children are to be separated from their parents.

Now think about the kids for a minute. The children range from 18 months to 12 years old. Think back to when you were a kid. How old were you on your first sleep over or trip without mom or dad? Did you get homesick? It has been reported that some of these kids have been separated for up to 4 months. Some parents have committed suicide over the despair and belief that they will never see their children again.

As I have stated earlier, I am a father of a 5-year old girl. She has a strong personality and will. But even so, to the parents reading this, can you imagine the terror in your child’s face if they are taken from you? How would you feel? What about when your child is asking for you? What is the answer that is given? I know that if someone were to try to take my little girl, I would be in jail right now for a variety of violent charges.

Small children need adults to interact with them. Talking, touching, and just plain play. The Trump administration has admitted that the current facilities are overcrowded. How many people are caring for the children? Infants and toddlers need more care and attention then pre-teens. And what about the long term psychological effects on these kids? Will the government aid with mental health needs? I doubt it.

With the overcrowding and more on the way, the Trump administration has announced that they are planning to create tent cities on military bases in Texas and New Mexico. For those that have served, you know what those tents are like when they are not air conditioned. Do you think that infants, toddlers, and preschoolers should be in that type of environment? And let’s call it what it really is. They are Internment Camps. Ask people like George Takei about their memories of these camps. (I won’t call them concentration camps, but it is getting damn close.)

Thursday (June 14), the AG started quoting from the bible that it was OK to separate the children. In case you are wondering what verse it was, check out Romans 13:1. Shortly thereafter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, at the daily press briefing claimed “It is very biblical to enforce the law, that is actually repeated a number of times throughout the Bible.”

As a daughter of a Minster, I would think that Ms. Sanders would get this right. And yet she screwed it up. It only appears in the bible three times. The first we have mentioned. The others are Titus 3:1 and 1 Peter 2:13. But as a government official, she should know that there is a strict separation between religion and the government. Using the Bible as a justification to imprison children is nothing short of what a ruler in a certain warm place would do.

The next question is: where are the family values Republicans and evangelicals during all of this? Is this what Jesus would do? Are the current batch of Republicans so afraid of being primary-ed out that they refuse to stand up against an evil? It would appear so.

What can you do change this situation? There is only one way. You have to contact your elected representatives. Call the Capital switchboard, they will connect you to your Senator or member of the House. The Phone number is (202)224-3121.

But that is not all you have to do. You have to call your Governor, your reps in your local statehouse, and your city/town leaders. Every elected official needs to get a call from you. Don’t sign some on-line petition or send an E-mail. Those have a nasty habit of getting lost or deleted. But jamming the phone lines gets their attention, especially if they can’t call their bookies, mistresses, or campaign contributors. Have your friends do the same thing.

In the end only you, the American citizen, are going to change this. Are you going stand against an evil or are you going let this slide with some lame excuse? What you are going tell your grandchildren when they ask about this time in history? And what will you say to that person in the mirror every morning? Time to decide.

Korean Summit

Dear Mr. President,

I have been thinking a lot about your summit with Kim Jong-un. I have been thinking about what you said. I have also been thinking the
deal you made.

Mr. President, you got played. Yes, it was a historic meeting. There is no deny that. But what did you get out of this? Nothing.

Mr. President, lets look at what you promised. You promised an end to the American-Korean war games. These games are to help the American soldiers and Korean military learn to work together in case the North invades again. Your lame excuse about saving money does not pass the sniff test. And agreeing to stop flights of B-52s and B-1s from Guam for the same reason shows a complete lack of understanding of military power.

You also agreed to visit their capital and invited Kim Jong-un to the White House. Congratulations, you have just given this regime the one thing they have wanted since the invasion of 1950. Legitimacy.

By having this photo op and summit (with the ceremonial handshake), you have de facto given the regime political recognition. Kim Jong-un, thanks to you, is now a player on the world stage.

And what did you get? A binding deal of inspections and inspectors? An inventory of their bombs and their locations? Information on how much plutonium and uranium they have along with data about their centrifuges?

Nope. What you got was a vague promise about nuclear disarmament. Nothing binding. In case you missed the history lesson from the briefings you skipped, North Korea has made these type of promises before and never kept them.

Where was your much vaunted deal making skills? Instead of making a deal in the best interest of the United States and the World, you were looking for person enrichment. When does the new Trump Tower open in their capital?

No, Mr. President, you will not be getting the Noble Peace Prize. There was no peace treaty. Maybe you should have let your diplomats set up the treaties before you rushed in to show how much smarter you are than everybody else. Too bad it didn't work.

Signed,
An Informed Citizen.