inthetrunkroom

  • QUE FAIRE

    It was the nineteen sixties. Am certain you see throw back photos of those days on your Face Book page. On the West Coast, the girls left their bras at home, eased up on the eye liner and the cut off jeans were really cut off – way off. And then there were the guys who stopped with the shoes and went to sandals and those weekly visits to the barber shop came to an abrupt halt.

    Things were just a little different on the East Coast. The atmosphere was more political in nature and there was a real push to spark political action on several fronts. One of many major protests against the Viet Nam war was held at Columbia University where students took over and occupied buildings on campus. There the mobilization in Washington, DC. —-all to protest the war. But there was another war going on and it was here at home, in the South ,  and it had been on going for a long time but came to a head in the mid sixties. A key event was the March for Civil Rights from Selma to Montgomery Alabama, culminating in  the Bloody Sunday confrontation on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

    While all this was on going, there was finally a movement in Washington to answer the protests and demands for civil rights and in July of 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed in to law the Civl Rights Act and, of equal importance the following year in August of 1965, he signed in to law the Voting Rights Act – a singularly most important piece of legislation.

    Over the decades, the Voting Rights Act has been a barrier against the games political parties play in order to skew elections. Of particular utility was Sections 4 and 5 of the Act which required states to submit to DOJ and the Office of the Attorney General for review and approval any changes on their election processes or procedures, including redistricting. Under this rule and based on their long history of irregularities, nine states were specifically named to be covered by this requirement.

    Over time, there were numerous court hearing and, in response to those review requirements, rulings which focused on election integrity. That, however, was all  about to change. 

    For a curious rationale and what many believe is an explanation of a decision that clearly demonstrates that SCOTUS was out of touch with reality,  in 2013, in a 5-4 decision , the Supreme Court struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which set the requirements for review in Section 5. In an explanation of the majority opinion, Chief Justice Roberts made the comment that conditions in the country had changed and the rules for review and oversight were “ outdated “ and he left it to congress to pass new legislation. It was like he was saying that discrimination in voting procedures didn’t exist any longer. Of course, to date, congress has failed to meet that challenge.

    This decision paved the way for a later decision which has had near crippling effect on voting rights.

    In 2025, the court – now packed with GOP / Trump loyalist justices – ruled to strike down Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act which forbade denying access to voting based on color or race. In Louisiana v. Calais, the court ruled against intentional creation of a majority-minority voting district. It’s a tricky ruling on a tricky issue, particularly considering the demographics of many voting districts. What this actually accomplished was to open the door to massive gerrymandering and the elimination of voting districts which did, probably , have minority majorities based on census data.

    Within the hour, states began to enact the gerrymandering of GOP_ favoring districts and virtually eliminating many districts which were heavily African American in demographic. This was especially notable in some of the very states that were required to submit plans to DOJ under Section 4 noted earlier.  Plainly, in many legal opinions, this was discrimination in its composition with the intent of eliminating a generally democratic voting populace. Indeed, many go as far as to call this what it is – the blatant rigging of the upcoming mid term elections and the 2028 presidential general election. And it is safe to say, the MAGA loyalists led by the current regime, are a key force in this design.

    So, where are we at this point, one must ask. We have a less than credible court system, including SCOTUS. We certainly cannot depend on congress to do their job , i.e. govern, with the current composition. And, while the GOP is running ragged over this country, the democratic party continues to stand by, hat in hand,  waiting for the next crisis to which they can react and, with certain notable exceptions, is miserably failing not only with messaging but with a serious lack of messengers.

    The question then remains, what do we do about all this. There is an old saying about learning  from history and one expects that we are called to remember and learn today. In the sixties, it was the massive demonstrations by the people that was a key factor in ending a long twenty year  war in Southeast Asia. It was demonstrations and marches in the streets that was a key factor in the enacting of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. 

    Today, there is a contagion in the oval office and this disease has spread  to the full GOP. While one can accept the alleged power of thoughts and prayers, it will be the showing of popular actions and demands for accountability that will bring about reform and perhaps even reversal of the recent insanely regressive court rulings. People must all band together and loudly make known that  “WE THE PEOPLE “ need to have our democracy back and that fascism has no place in our country and rampant corruption has no place in our government.

    We do not usually spell out, based on the topic at hand, specific tasks and objectives for our readers to follow. Our goal has been,  is and will continue to be to offer our opinions based on reliable research and factual accounts and allow for our readers to further engage in discussion and debate from which to learn. However, these are indeed quite different times and the more that one points out strategies, the more likely the success in achieving our goal of rescuing this nation.

    Join a group and demonstrate on that corner, communicate to your local and congressional elected officials, write on social media or with letters to the editor of local publications…..make it widely know that we abhor authoritarianism and expect a government of, by and for the people….not just for that top ten per cent. AND ABOVE ALL – remember to VOTE and vote like your RIGHTS  DEPEND on it, because they do. 

  • POSSIBLE ?

    POSSIBLE ?

    Usually, on this site, we present something of an open topic and trust it spurs discussion. This time, the topic is rather focused though we are still purposed that it will spur not only discussion, but also some action.

    Some time ago, while engaged in one of many arguments about the elections in this country, there was brought to the table the question of how to contend with, if not the vast array of items on the discussion agenda, at least what most felt were the issues of major concern.

    In every election, there is always the element of turn out. All parties and their candidates suffer serious hand wringing when the numbers fail to reach the level necessary to win – be it either an office ,  a ballot measure or a change in legislation. Turn out has always been an issue, in the mid term elections especially. In one state, the last mid term election turn out was less than thirty per cent and look what we got. Bad enough what was sent to congress, but in that state, at least two under indictment were sent to the state senate. That has to do with turn out but also the failure of messaging on the part of all parties.

    Anyhow, getting back to that discussion, there were some interesting ideas put forth, some completely out of the realm of possibility, some preposterous but there were some that found a surprising level of agreement and that was interesting. The basic focus was on the mechanics of the election itself, including the choosing of candidates. The rest were part and parcel to that.

    So, allow me to out some of this here for your consideration. Think about it, talk about it and if so, take some steps to raise the public awareness in order to get some not only major but what is felt to be critical changes made in the way we do the business of electing our political leaders.

    The one concern that we all seemed to agree upon, aside from educating a pathetically ignorant voting population, was the compelling concern regarding the Electoral College and how it functions.  For the election of a president, it is  based on congressional representation in each state and the votes cast actually do not vote for the candidate, they vote for the electors. They, in turn, vote for the candidate they’re pledged to. It is all very convoluted. And the curious thing is, while we would think the popular vote would seal the deal, so to speak, there have been at least twice in the recent past where the candidate who actually won the popular vote, lost the election. This was true in 2000 and in 2016.

    In 2016, Secretary Clinton 48 % of the popular vote, nearly 2.9 million votes more than Trump and yet, the Electoral College vote gave Trump the edge. This is, what most people who understand this contend, is simply  “ not what we voted for “, so to speak. It is fair to say that the historical premise on which the Electoral college process was based is now irrelevant and we ought to be moving full speed ahead toward a one person, one vote, popular vote majority wins. It is well past  time to dissolve the Electoral College.

    In a moderately close second place, accepting that all elections must have a mail in ballot capacity, are the issues of how elections are conducted and who controls the election procedures.

    We are a nation of some fifty states  ( forty -six states and four Commonwealths, if one is to be accurate ) and they represent a patchwork of how things are done. Some require all votes to be in by end of Election Day . Some have a five day grace periods for mail in ballots, particularly those from, say, military serving over seas.

    As for control, a similar patchwork prevails. In some states, the elections are controlled by the Secretary of State, who is appointed by the governor. In three states, the Secretary of State is elected by the legislature. In other states, the Secretary of State is elected by the voters. In turn, the elections are overseen by that Secretary of State or, as in other states, the oversight is done by the legislature or, as in others, it is done by an independent commission.

    What is needed, especially in this era of continual allegations of voter fraud – allegations for which there are NO bases or findings ( note numerous audits and forensic audits, over sixty court cases after the 2020 election and an in depth study by the Heritage Foundation ) is uniformity across the states. Our position on this is that in every state,  elections should provide for mail in ballots, end of week grace period for receipt as long as the post mark is prior to or on election day and the oversight of elections should be conducted by an INDEPENDENT COMMISSION, elected by the voting public, ultimately  accountable to the Secretary of State.

    Next in line for reform focuses on time and money. 

    Here in the states, there does not seem to be any limits on either the amount of money spent on a political campaign or identifying whence the funds. There also does not seem to be any limit on the  time a candidate, or a candidate hopeful engages in campaigning for an office. In fact, it often seems that some start campaigning within weeks of winning the current election. This is definitely true for those elected to the U S House. And thanks to the Supreme Court and the Citizens United decision, those conditions remain. It is now time to place some limits on not only the expenditures but also the amount to time seeking office.

    An interesting example might be the United Kingdom.  In brief, there is a limit on the amount of funds spent on a campaign – £ 54.010 per contest – meaning office – and, here’s one for the books, there is a time limit of six weeks between when the Prime Minister calls for an election and the day to cast votes.

    Might be really difficult for our system to place such a short time limit on a campaign but infinity will not do either.

    Reform here means first and foremost, the repeal of the Citizens United decision, which clearly fosters influence peddling to historic levels, as we currently see. Following that, limits on expenditures would have to be negotiated but the multi millions currently would  definitely have to be reined in considerably. We should be well tired of elections being paid for like being at an auction.  As for an allowable time frame, would propose six months should be sufficient to plead ones case to be elected.

    And now, perhaps a word or two regarding the candidates and their held office. In a time where character does not seem to matter one iota, we, as a  nation , must return to the time when it did. Over the recent decades, the ruling body – congress – seems to be lacking in not only character but also the ability to govern. While one can and should respect the so called “ common man “ , the position – the job as it were, must be manned by individuals who not only are sufficiently vetted but must swear to be loyal, not to any person but to the constitution and in addition, sign a “ Contract with the People  “ which states that they will execute the duties of the office according to the rule of law,  the rules of decorum and the rules of congress  and to represent faithfully the concerns of their constituents . 

    Candidates for an office must have significant experience in the skills to govern and manage, especially as it relates to governing, be it either in the public or the private sector and simply being a lawyer should be deemed insufficient. 

    Speaking of law, the candidate – unlike the current occupant of the oval office – cannot have a criminal record or a felony conviction for at least the previous ten years and, if elected as a representative, must live in the district they are elected to represent for a minimum of five years prior to the election. 

    And finally, there is more and more compelling indication that, for both legislative and judicial offices, term limits are a critical element to the survival of democracy.

    One proposal on the proverbial table is that for members of congress in the House,  the office holder would be limited to four terms, or eight years . For members of congress in the Senate, the limit would be for two terms, or twelve years. On the state level, terms in many states are  already currently limited. For example, in one state, members are limited to four consecutive two year terms in each House.

    As to judges, – speaking of federal judges -, it was proposed that they be limited to ten years, eliminating all current life time appointments. This would also apply to the Supreme Court, but for them., be limited to twelve year terms.

    In these recent times , probably more than ever, massive reform measures are demanding to be enacted. This applies to not only government on all levels but also in the private / financial sector as well. While the list is extensive, we have tried to address, in brief, some of the issues that directly affect our every day lives. Take the message to heart and take up the demand to make them happen.

  • ABOUT THAT HIATUS

    Somewhere back in the annals of our writing time, say about 2024, there was a period of empty weeks, or even months on this site. At that time, it was actually all about technology, the failure of communication and the total rebuilding of the site.

    Well, my friends and followers, it seems there has been another lapse in the flow of things. This time, however, one cannot blame the convoluted world of technology. This all had more to do with a world full of, as they say, intervening variables – some medical  matters which needed recovery time and also, a world of chaos and confusion which made it difficult to focus on a single topic requiring discussion.
    And so it is but we are making a genuine effort to return to the tasks at hand and bring to the floor what are pressing issues in a time the likes of which we have not seen in decades , if not longer. So, here we go.

    Somewhere back in the annals of our writing time, say about 2024, there was a period of empty weeks, or even months on this site. At that time, it was actually all about technology, the failure of communication and the total rebuilding of the site.


    Well, my friends and followers, it seems there has been another lapse in the flow of things. This time, however, one cannot blame the convoluted world of technology. This all had more to do with a world full of, as they say, intervening variables – some medical  matters which needed recovery time and also, a world of chaos and confusion which made it difficult to focus on a single topic requiring discussion.

    And so it is but we are making a genuine effort to return to the tasks at hand and bring to the floor what are pressing issues in a time the likes of which we have not seen in decades , if not longer. So, here we go.

  • 60 MINUTES !

    Gentlemen, ladies, friends and all those who care abut the future of this country :

    Recently there was an incident with CSBS news and the program 60 minutes, a long time source of credible, to the point news stories and interviews .

    It seems that the newly acquired Editor-in Chief, one Bari Weiss, decided that  a compelling piece regarding the CECOT prison in El Salvador and the Trump regime’s use of it for political purposes – a story by Sharyn Alfonsi – was spiked. In layman’s terms, it means it was removed from the schedule and not to be shown at its scheduled time slot.

    According to Ms Weiss – a well known Trump supporter, and a strong proponent of the BIG LIE that the 2020 election was rigged,- the story was “ not ready for the public “.

    The correspondent on the story protested that the decision was political, which Ms Weiss denies.Her reply said the story was not ready and she wanted, in order to make it ready for prime time, to bring in Stephen Miller for an interview and get his take on the story.

    The video of this episode somehow found its way out to the public and can be found on You Tube and possibly selected news outlets. In the course of this segment, you will see pictures that will disgust you but more important, you will hear the truth about the Trump regime and its fascist mode of conducting the Trump version of government, that being much closer to how crime families do business. Listen closely to the comments by Lee  Gelernt of the ACLU and the specifics on criminal status data by the interviewer, Cecillia Vega . How, of all those sent to CECOT, only 20 % had a criminal record of any kind and none were afforded a hearing or had any sort of probable cause, other than their ethnicity – pure bigotry and racial profiling  at its worst.

    For the record, the regime is clearly in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment and is guilty of ignoring several court orders.

    And again,  for the record, the Alien Enemies Act of 1789 does allow for removal of non citizens DURING WAR TIME……we are not at war, we are not being invaded and the only national emergency we are suffering from is the Trump regime itself. And again, for the record, that same Act which is forming the basis for all this insanity does REQUIRE DUE PROCESS for detainees.

    What we are seeing here is clearly censorship on the part of the regime and its loyalist, Bari Weiss. For her to say the segment was not ready is pure nonsense and that she wants Stephen Miller to be available to respond and offer his opinion  before releasing for air time is proof positive – Miller, the house neo-nazi who is on the record as saying that “..cruelty is the point ..”   of the regime’s immigration policies, the policies which he no doubt designed.

    What we are seeing is a beginning of the Trump regime’s effort to control the media and its coverage of his insane efforts to completely destroy our government. It is now up to us, the people, to DEMAND that congress do its job. It is time for congress to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove this traitor and his associates and rescue the country from this wave of destruction.  To quote Albus Dumbledore, dark times are ahead and we all must choose between what is right and what is easy  !

  • A STERN WARNING

    A STERN WARNING

    Come the first of November, the authorization for SNAP benefits to millions, almost half of whom are children, will end and forty-one million people could find themselves food insecure. A sad state of affairs in one of the richest countries in the world.

    Combine that with the fact, as reported, that over four thousand deliveries of emergency food to food banks sent from the U S Department of Agriculture to food banks across all fifty states and D C, have been blocked by the trump regime.

    On the other side of town, the occupant of the oval office and the chronic drunk at the Department of Defense have ordered that by January 2026, there will be installed in every city a “ Rapid Response Unit “ highly trained in quelling of not only riots but also protests. This from the guy who at an earlier time thought shooting protestors in the legs was a good idea.

    A couple of things will happen between now and the 2028 election. there will be more and more protests similar to the No Kings Day in October. There will be many families who will be trying to contend with food insecurity, a circumstance created by design by the trump regime. There will also be a mid term election in which the current majority party could conceivably lose considerable if not complete hold over congress.

    These events could well all bring out protests in the streets, large crowds of voters, and candidate rallies for both sides of the aisle – all of which have the potential for disruption, especially if the trump regime wants it to happen, as they did on January 6th. Bring in the military .

    This whole “ Rapid Response Unit “ thing has a nasty smell to it. It is almost like we are being set up for a violent take over of our cities by the fascist to the core and his 100 proof side kick. If you do not have a crisis, create one . If you don’t have an emergency, create one. Then, with the help from a cadre of maniacal sycophants,  carry out all those fantasies of being a great dictator.

    Acknowledging that this may or may not happen or happen to a more or lesser degree, the long history of this malignant narcissist and his close advisors lends more to the possibility of it seeing reality.

    We all must be aware and wary, stay informed and stay vigilant and above all, understand the fight for the rescuing of our democracy is now joined and if you care, be a part of it.

  • IT’S NOT COMING , IT’S HERE

    As noted earlier, there is so much chaos and dysfunctional nonsense floating all about us, it is difficult to focus on any one item that is compelling and deserving of our full attention. However, this is one of them.

    For the record, we will stipulate that the current occupant of the Oval Office, elected by the slimmest of margins and by virtue of over ninety million registered voters who didn’t bother to show up, is a convicted felon, adjudicated sexual predator and as emphatically said by General Mark Milley, “ fascist to the core..”.   That designation is supported by  looking at the cast of totally questionable loyalists now composing the cabinet.  This strange cast of  loyalists include the following : a chronic drunk ,an anti-vaxxer and heroin addict, a snake oil salesman

    a conspiracy theorist and Russian asset ,a hypocritical  whore for the party

    a conspiracy theorist and January 6th riot supporter , an affirmed neo-nazi , 

    an extreme bigot , a wrestling promotor ,a former policy advisor to a Texas MAGA devotee , a pathetic liar as Speaker of the House

    and an architect of Project 2025.

    As a direct result, we have been and continue to be witness to all sort of back room tactics, blatant power grabbing and overreach with perceived authority and all of this with no consequence or accountability. The MAGA CULT has, in effect, taken over the government and anyone who has the backbone – and there are scant few – to take a stand, will be attacked and / or summarily dismissed. In the face of astounding executive orders – many totally illegal – we are seeing mass resignations on the part of career professionals who choose to remain true to their code of ethics rather than succumb to the political pressures levied by the White House. With all of this chaos, there is one item which, for the most part ,  has been neglected. It is important and needs to have a flood light  shone upon it, not because of its impact on the world of economics but rather on the world of civil rights. It is about a most central right, spelled out in the FIRST AMENDMENT  which is now under unfathomable  attack. It is all about freedom of the press, of assembly and of expressing greivances

    Case in point. In the  not too distant past, there was movement in the entertainment / tech world about a possible merger between a Silicone Valley  video games/entertainment company named SkyDance and Paramount, the long time entertainment / television / movie company. There were some objections to the merger but eventually it went through and SkyDance will now be named Paramount Skydance Corporation. You ask, so what. Just another corporate merger. Well, not so fast. Paramount also owns CBS and CBS news, including 60 Minutes. And therein lies the rub, so to speak.  Trump has had a beef with 60 minutes for years and currently the upheaval was over  allegations of a filtered broadcast of an interview with then candidate Kamala Harris which stirred up a real hornets nest, The GOP did not like it, as it must have put Trump in an unflattering light and so Trump sued Paramount and pending the outcome of that action  would, through his allies on the FCC, block the approval of the merger with SkyDance. After months of Cowardly Capitulation ( a term used  by FCC Commissioner Anna  Gomez ), Paramount settled with Trump, paid him sixteen million dollars and got its merger approved . There was another thing about Paramount that Trump didn’t like which was the constant  razzing  at the hands of  late night show host Stephen Colbert. In  the process of the corporate merger,  Colbert  had his show canceled. CBS executives responded to questions about that stating it was a purely financial decision. If this sounds a lot like a quid pro quo, there can be no doubt. However, there is an hidden  agenda item  here that should scare the hell out of everyone and it is not so much a quid pro quo as it is a plan for extortion and blatant censorship. Encased in the terms  of the merger was an agreement with the Chair of the FCC ( and co-author of Project 2025 ) , no doubt in consultation with trump, that CBS  news would be monitored by an “ ombudsman “ to insure that the news programming is aligned with “ the FCC’s efforts to eliminate invidious forms of DEI discrimination “…The Chair continued in his statement, claiming that legacy – a.k.a. main stream – news cannot be trusted to be fair and accurate and he will insure that their news will embody “  a diversity of viewpoints from across the ideological spectrum “ One of the things that has always not only haunted but seriously irritated the occupant of the oval office is the presence of anyone who listens to facts and, on whatever level, speaks truth to power. He simply cannot abide the truth on any subject on any level. He has lied so much, he actually believes half of what he says and sadly, his CULT FOLLOWERS believe damn near all of it. And so, a primary item in his revenge agenda is the control of, if not the obliteration of any source of truth, be it social media, main stream news media or, perish the though, the White House press briefing room. This is for certain the beginnings of not just censorship but a pattern of accompanying extortion levied against anyone who seeks to make the public aware of the truth and with the FCC in the person of one Chairman Brendan  and having the DOJ geared to providing a team of enforcers, the regime will no doubt succeed.  Soon, Fox, Newsmax and OAN will not be the only propaganda machinery for the trump regime .  The plan is to extend that status to news outlets of all types – broadcast, print, and social media. It will, as we are already seeing, also control the White House Press Corp, who is allowed in , which questions will be answered and which will be ignored .  Again, the level of corruption  in the trump regime is beyond comprehension. The level of chaos instigated not only across the nation but around the world is likewise. Unfortunately, none of this is by chance. It was all well planned and orchestrated by key actors going back as far as 2013. It smells of the long term plan of Putin to destroy or at least  deconstruct as many of the democracies of the world as possible and especially the United States.

    There is much that the trump regime has enacted, altered or otherwise ignored the rule of law to perpetuate his revenge agenda and the agenda handed to him by the Kremlin years ago. This has or will soon impact voting rights, access to health care and access to higher education to name a few. To have underlying all of this with limiting if not eliminating access to factual reporting  and information is a cornerstone of it all. A cornerstone of our very democracy is in survival mode right now. Perhaps instead of reading “..We the people…”  we should be reading “…When in the course of human events…”. EVERYONE who care MUST TAKE A STAND

  • MUST BE SAID -NO APOLOGIES

    It has been a struggle of late to find a way to focus on any one single matter of  deep concern or blatant egregious violation of constitution or law  in the first one hundred plus days of this regime. Nonetheless, though there are many,  certain highlights must said.

    We will stipulate that the current occupant of the oval office is the only one who tried to rig an election , has a long history of cheating, fraud, blatant bigotry, is clearly suffering from MNPD and is a convicted felon.

    There was a  maxim floating around for years that stated fear and ignorance would win every election. Today, you can add arrogance, bigotry and stupidity, making for a rather dangerous cocktail. What we are now witnessing is a all out attack on our very system of government, orchestrated by a emerging dictator and a cult following that jim jones would be proud of . The agenda at this point are the dismantling of federal agencies, the alienation of allies and the destruction of the safety net for millions of people. We are witness to the  weaponizing of agencies against the very people they were instituted to help and a cadre of MAGA lunatics running those agencies into the ground, both fiscally and in terms of policy.The administration, or rather regime as it should be called, in its reckless profusion of executive orders, is clearly guilty of violating several amendments to the constitution and numerous laws, particularly the emoluments clause and blatant contempt of court.

    Among the many elements come to light in this regime, some stand out as being particularly repugnant.

    The first is the blatant disdain for anyone who is Middle class or of lower income. You can gauge this by the number of programs and policies that are being dismantled which directly focus on assisting or, as mentioned above,  providing a safety net to millions of people. His attacks on such programs such as Head Start, Medicaid, Social Security, USAID and FEMA, just to name a few, are a clear indication of a special type of bigotry.

    Secondly, there is his constant attack on the news media – specific news media – the ones which tell the truth, criticizing him and pointing out his complete failure as a president. He cannot stand the stories in print or the pointed questions at press conferences. He runs them more like a  reality television show, complete with name calling, summary denial of facts and continually falling back on the BIG LIE about the 2020 election.

    Thirdly, this total disdain for government and all those hard working GS workers  manifest itself in a most frightening way, dismissing thousands of staff on all levels without cause, as is required by law, and then allowing a mentally deranged megalomaniac named Musk and his team of college drop out coders full and unfettered access to the personal data of  millions of citizens at the IRS and Social Security.

    And finally, at least for here, is his complete and deep seated disdain for the Rule of Law. 

    This is the richest country in the world and yet, twenty per cent of children live in poverty and are food insecure, one in ten children will experience homelessness sometime in their lives and millions of seniors are living with a meager social security cheque as their sole source of income support. We look now then at what a lunatic cult ,not to mention those ninety million who didn’t think voting was important have put in the oval office and the cruelty he and his cadre of liars and grifters are showing , How could we allow this to happen and what MUST we do to recover from this colossal walk down the wrong path. It is time to WAKE UP PEOPLE and fix this.

  • THE SHIP OF STATE

    In 2024, ninety million voters did not think voting was important any longer. Seventy million others would rather elect a known grifter, pathological liar and convicted felon to the  oval office than elect a highly educated, highly skilled woman, let alone a black woman.

    As a direct result, we have installed a singularly unqualified imposter in the Oval Office –  a convicted felon, confirmed bigot, pathological liar , malignant narcissist and one who clearly suffers from narcissistic personality disorder. In addition, he has brought a cadre of unqualified, far right loyalist types along to dismantle our government agency structure, utilizing the infamous Project 2025 as his playbook. His allies and enablers in the senate have passed through and confirmed a chronic drunk to head Defense, an addict to head Health and Human Services, a WFTP to head Justice, a far right conspiracy devotee to head FBI, and a Russian Asset to be DNI, just to cite a few of the more notable.

    His personal agenda, formulated and promulgated by a Russian dictator , was to further that dictator’s agenda of destroying democracies around the world by destroying our democracy from within and we have seen the clear evidence of this agenda .The key strategy here was to create a plutocracy where the top ten percent rule, are above the law and will bring to an end any and all public involvement in the betterment of our society

    In order to accomplish this, a CULT, known as MAGA was, over time , orchestrated and developed by capitalizing on wide spread outlandish xenophobic fears  and the pervasive political ignorance  of a significant portion of the voting population . This process ,  aided by the complete and blatant failure of congress and particularly the senate , as well as the colossal failure of the DOJ and the then Attorney General, to do what should have been done, puts us now where we find ourselves, in a perilous circumstance . 

    The agenda was to completely take over and then virtually eliminate our constitutional republic form of government and replace it with an authoritarian dictatorship while completely restructuring the existing world order. It will happen quickly and with no regard for the damage wrought. It is a lesson we should have learned from the 1930s in Berlin.

     Sadly, all those who could have the power to , if not stop this insanity, at  least call it in to question and slow down the damaging before both the congress and the courts, having been reluctant to step up to the task –  and that is being polite – wake up to the reality that is right before them.The Ship of State is in turbulent waters and is, indeed, in peril of sinking.  While we may disagree – in fact we may vehemently disagree – on the vote choice in the past election , we should and must agree as to what we all are seeing and what is happening inside the beltway and that it is a dangerous and  critical cause to the detriment of our very form of government. Our democracy, while it has its flaws, remains the best choice for people across the board and it is worth fighting to preserve.

    _________________________________________________

    The above discussion was written a month or so ago while the outcomes of that ill fated election were still in the formative stages, so to speak and we  were as yet, in a  wait and see  frame of mind. However, in frighteningly short order, we have been witness to the near collapse of our democracy and the evidence is clear that the global agenda of the Russian dictator has become the agenda for the world’s newest fascist dictator right here inside the Washington beltway.We have a dictator in the oval office who is seriously out of touch with reality surrounded by a cadre of die hard loyalists who will lie about everything in order as long as it supports that dictator as  they join in the quest to dissemble the government and any institution which dares to countermand its cult manifesto. 

    We are seeing the posture of scoff law taken to the extreme .                

    Universities, the arena where free thinking and honest debate  historically are conducted, are  being attacked for who they are, whom they hire, what they teach and what  social issues they research. The regime is likewise targeting individuals who dare speak truth to power, especially law firms, educational institutions and non profit organizations. 

    At least one top research scientist at he National Institutes of Health ( N I H ) has left because of hard line censorship levied against his research findings, reportedly because they do not conform to the Secretary’s warped ideas about foods and processing  – this being the Secretary cited above.

    Included also is, by virtue of the whim of a brainless billionaire who has no concept of government and how it works, the wholesale firing of federal employees with the goal of  saving funds in order to pay for the expected exorbitant tax cuts benefitting the upper ten percent of the wealth spectrum.  And let us not forget the blatant attack on Social Security, and SSI with its millions and millions of beneficiaries. Millions of senior citizens, millions of children and millions of survivors will suffer under the now fascist agenda, bringing to a possible end the quest of the GOP since 1936.

    And outside the beltway, persons here either legally or illegally are being rounded up and deported, without any semblance of due process, to a foreign prison with no hope of rescue. We will not even discuss the threat by this dictator of actually arresting citizens off the street or in their homes whom he might think are engaged in criminal activity, a.k.a. protesting against his agenda.

    All the firewalls are down and the oval office has become the center of a fascist regime. This is what over seventy million people voted for and make no mistake,  for whatever reason or whatever twisted rationale, it is exactly for what they voted. Now they may awaken and see the reality of authoritarianism in action and perhaps come to understand that what they got is what they wanted but what they wanted, uninformed and misinformed as it is, is unfortunate, mostly illegal, certainly unconstitutional and downright  unAmerican.

    Again, the war . and it is a war . is on and what is at stake is nothing less than the existence of the republic.

    These are indeed the times that try men’s souls and it is likewise thee time that we, the people, must take whatever steps we can to stem the tide of this extreme lunacy and bring some level of sanity back to inside the beltway.

  • WONDER WHY

    WONDER WHY

    In the not too distant past, a colleague was taken to the Emergency Room at a local hospital. It was all about a kidney stone. Painful indeed but not life threatening. While sitting in the waiting area after check in and initial triage, he observed an interesting phenomenon – one not unusual by any means – of people coming in to the ER with what seemed to be rather NOT ER conditions. Mostly they were young couples with a very young child who was being bothered by some malady or simple injury. Of course, one of the first questions asked in the process was about their insurance status and many of them had no insurance  coverage at all and, while an ER is obliged to accept patients who come to them for treatment, one had to wonder why come  there rather than an area Urgent Care or even a Family physician. The answer was simple. They could not afford medical insurance.

    About that time, my colleague was called for treatment and was ushered back to another part of the ER and his treatment began. Now, to clarify here – he did have insurance – general coverage as well as emergency medical coverage so there was no concern here. At least, not at that point.Treatment completed, pain eased, follow up suggested. Hours later, time to exit and go home.

    And then the proverbial you know what hit the fan. Sifting through the mail, my colleague found an invoice from a  specialty medical group of some sort. Not recognizing it, but noting that it was a medical invoice, he opened it and found an invoice for over nine thousand dollars – yes, that’s $9,000. It was for medical services rendered at the Emergency Room at the hospital where he was treated a while back. Must be  a mistake, he mused and then contacted his insurance carrier. What came out of that discussion was  concerning. The insurance carrier acknowledged the invoice but reported that, while they had  a contract with the hospital, they did not have a contract with the Emergency Room – a fact which revealed that Emergency Rooms are not necessarily part of the hospital in which they operate. Makes one wonder just how all this impacts on most people. Hospitals, Urgent Care and Emergency rooms are the site of usually serious medical situations.  Costs for treatments are most often covered by insurance policies, though, as we have seen, not always. There are issues around networks and contracts with providers  and geographical locations and the like. 

    Accessing medical care here in the United States is not quite as readily available as one might think . Considering the United States is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, one would think access to medical care and coverage for its costs would be high on the national agenda. Unfortunately, this is simply not the case. While the passage of the Affordable Care Act did relieve some of this issue, it was incomplete from the start, thanks to the GOP blocking significant elements in the Act. It still functions to this day but it is a constant fight with the far right MAGA republicans as they chip away at the ACA provisions , their agenda for that being the topic for another time.

    What is the more underlying question remains being why this, as one of the wealthiest nations in the world, does not have a more universal coverage mode of health care. In fact, the cost of health care to the consumer in the U S is one of the highest in the world, averaging over $13,000 per person. By comparison, the average cost in most other wealthy countries is less than half of that.

    In the U S, the well off can afford medical coverage. Those below a certain income level also have opportunities through Medicaid. It is the millions of people in the middle that have to contend with those high costs. Many people do have coverage through their employer but it is not free and a chunk of their wage is deducted in order to participate in those plans. It is the part time wage earner that gets hit the hardest and , again, as the ACA does help many, there are still major costs associated with medical coverage.

    Here is where it gets interesting. Most of the  industrialized countries around the globe have what we title Universal Medical Coverage provided “ free ”. OK, it is paid for in various modes, usually through taxes and government contributions, but consider the alternative.  Clear thinking people would much rather pay a higher tax level than have to pay high medical costs, especially costs for  catastrophic medical events which would certainly exceed their tax burden for coverage.

    So, the question remains, why or better still, WHY, or better, WHY NOT. 

    Sadly, while there are several factors working here, there are, we submit two stand out. One is the failure of congress and legislatures on the state level to take requisite action to make it happen. The overwhelming reason there is the highly successful lobbying efforts conducted by, for example, the pharmaceutical companies. The other  is the concept of profit margins being more of  a priority than the health of the nation’s people It is time to rein in corporate America and bring it around to adjusting their business  strategies.

    It is time for  working partnerships between government and corporate interests. Now I know that to some this may sound like socialized medicine and a case may be made for that. However, while one can still be alright with capitalism and still move toward this goal. It is the unfettered capitalism  at the expense of the populace that is destructive and needs to be checked.

    It is time to take aggressive legislative action and implement what every other industrialized nation has already done. In taking a serious look at tax code revisions, cost analysis and other factors and come to realize that the insane amount of the cost of health care in this country must be brought under control and in such a way that all benefit with access to quality health care across the board.

  • WHISKEY TANGO…

    Whiskey Tango

    Over the decades, and actually centuries, we have marked the demise of certain persons who have had significant impact in one way or another on the world in which we live. There was Socrates in 399 BC , Edgar Allan Poe in 1849, John F Kennedy in 1963, Mark Twain in 1910, Bertrand Russell in 1970, Albert Einstein in 1955 and Carl Sagan in 1996. And now, we will mark 2024 as the year that perhaps marks one of the most significant deaths – the death of democracy in the United States. While this may be a bit premature, the seeds have been sown and the proverbial die has been cast.

    Sometime back in about 1974, there was an article in the American Educator written by the esteemed scholar and statesman, Daniel Patrick Moynihan. The article was titled  “ Defining Deviancy Down”. Based on several theories in the world of criminology, the article lays out how, after a point, with so much criminal behavior swirling about, the behavior becomes tolerable, even for some, the norm. Can you understand how this is relevant to today and how certain elements of the fringe now have what can be described as permission for their conduct.

    Moving forward, Moynihan’s observations continue to be relevant and are picked up by Yale professor, Timothy Snyder who warns, in no uncertain terms, about how movements like the Third Reich took over a country through first manipulation of and then controlling of the messaging throughout the country, all the while stifling any and all resistance to its singular way of thinking. Paired with scapegoating a specific ethnic group for all the country’s ills, the movement grew and grew and, well, the rest is history and the question remains, have we still not learned from it all . In fact, we are facing much the same scenario .

    Professor Snyder updates the warnings, particularly regarding the messaging flow, by pointing out the dangers of our wholesale surrendering to social media, whether  the content is based in fact or not.

    But, while the eminent Yale professor in plain talk, has presented a warning for us all regarding our politics fate, there is one whose commentary on the politics and governance of this country and its fate, is not only as compelling but reiterates a warning that many have been laying out there for decades, yes, decades. Which segues in to what’s to be, in our opinion, a discussion of what is a primary causal factor contributing to how ew ended top in this ever intensifying state of chaos.

    Twelve years ago, retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter was interviewed by Margaret Warner of the PBS News Hour, the focus of the  discussion being his observations on the fate of our democracy. The interview was held at the Capital Center for the Arts in Concord, New Hampshire. The discussion went per usual but then Ms Warner, based on  comments earlier in the discussion, probably asked the Justice what keeps him awake at night. His reply was irrefutable in its compelling scope. He quoted Benjamin Franklin’s admonition about democracy struggling to survive “ too much ignorance” and then proceeded. 

    To paraphrase, Justice Souter laid it out. I don’t worry about losing the republic to a foreign invasion, nor to a military coup. He continued .. and I quote here – “ What I worry about is that when problems are not addressed, people will not know who is responsible. And when the problems get bad enough….some one person will come forward and say “ give me total power and I will solve this problem”.  This show the Roman republic fell. This is the way democracy dies and if something is not done to improve the level of civic knowledge, that is what you should worry about at night.

    Clearly, the honorable Justice was stating what many have said over the decades. Fear and ignorance will win nearly every election and will precipitate the collapse of the nation.

    The MAGA cult has been given its permission slip. That one person has been put in the most powerful position in the world and  the list of possible cohorts to be joined in that power is frightening indeed . As the New York Times post election analysis noted in a two sentence paragraph that summarizes it all,  this was a conquering of a nation not by force but with a permission slip. Now America stands on the precipice of an authoritarian style of governance never before seen in its 248 year history. ( Lisa Lerner, NYT 11/06/2024 ).

    A virtual crime family has secured power by capitalizing  on the widespread , mostly unfounded and baseless fears and the likewise  wide spread civic ignorance of the voting body politic.  It has happened,  as it is  and now we, assuming the citizenry will awaken to realize  the value of a democracy, must engage in a war of recovery before the inevitable damage becomes irreparable.

Archives
Authors
Michael Saunders's avatar

Michael Saunders

Recent Posts
Pages
Calendar
June 2026
S M T W T F S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930