Freedom

Freedom Of Speech


POST 1105

From the First Amendment:

“Congress shall make no law  .  .  .  abridging freedom of speech  .  .  .”

To be clear, that has nothing to do with whether the owners of social media sites or newspapers can keep us from speaking on their platforms. They can. That has everything to do with whether the government can muzzle us, keeping us from speaking truth to power. It can’t.

So, Trump can bray his idiocies and judgements, like claiming that Biden is the worst president in history. The government can do nothing to stop that. But he is still subject to the laws regarding defamation, a concept that even his massively expensive losses to E. Jean Carroll don’t seem to have gotten through to him. Just think about all the people he’s defamed and who could file actions against him, like his lies about Haitians eating dogs, cats and geese and his various claims about sexual improprieties, like those aimed at Kamala Harris and other successful women. Those are abhorrent, but it would be far worse if he or any of us were prohibited from speaking truth to power.

From Professor Timothy Snyder’s post of September 19, following his meeting with Volodymyr Zelens’kyi:

The notion of “free speech” has become very inflated, used all too often just to mean the right to offend someone or cause disruption by knowingly telling lies, often from a place of power and wealth.The reason why we care about freedom of speech, though, is that we want to protect the dignity of the individual and protect the individual from the powers that be.  Freedom of speech is protected so that we can speak our truths to power, not so that power can force its lies on us.  It must be a right, in other words, because truth is risky.

  • – Prof. Timothy Snyder
  • Satire of the Week

Link through to Andy Borowitz’s explainer,

Trump Says He Will Be Too Senile to Debate in Late October
.

You will instantly understand everything and you’ll thank your lucky stars for the free speech that gives Borowitz the right to speak his satire about a would-be dictator.

Many thanks to JN for directing me to Borowitz’s piece.

Melania

In 2018 First Lady Melania Trump visited a detention center for children who had been ripped from their parents’ arms by Melania’s husband. She wore a trench coat on which had been written in bold white paint, “I Really Don’t Care. Do U?”

She was about to see infants and children crying in cages and she wore that coat with that message. Most of us were stunned seeing that, but now Melania claims the message was aimed at Ivanka. Right. Sure. Truth be told, I really don’t care about her claim. Do U?

This is the same Melania who, unlike most first ladies for a long time, championed nothing for we common folk. When we did see her it was clear that the only thing that was important to her was to be seen as glamorous.

She is the same Melania who couldn’t be bothered to attend the ceremonies on 9/11. Instead her husband was accompanied at Ground Zero by his new hate monger, 9/11 denier and current bimbo, Laura Loomer. I use that term “bimbo” because it’s his word for Stephanie Ruhle and so many other women. Melania was nowhere to be seen at the ceremonies. I guess she’s right: she really doesn’t care.

So, tell me why we should care about her new book, other than wondering if parts were plagiarized from Michelle Obama, like she did in her speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention. She’s promoting the book now and has the same right of free speech as the rest of us. I won’t be buying a copy, though, because, hey, I don’t care about Melania. Do U?

Quote of the Week

From Jimmy Kimmel:

“Sorry to break your cold little heart, Donald, but I endorsed Kamala Harris for president.”

I like Jimmy Kimmel and heartily approve his endorsement, but he got one thing wrong. Trump doesn’t have a heart.

Okay, that’s just a little fun, but there is a serious issue embedded in all of this. It’s about how we will exercise our freedom of speech, how we will make our voices heard. We must make them heard because, as Professor Snyder cautions us, “truth is risky” and we have to take that risk if we are to keep our freedom of speech.

One of the risks is that if we were to fail to exercise our freedom of speech by telling the truth, we could lose our right of freedom of speech entirely. Some strongman would come along and snuff it out, like a candle going dark – or a democracy going dark.

Look at the countdown timer below and you’ll see that we don’t have much time left to do what we can do, what must be done.

You can write letters to the editor, if you still have a newspaper.

You can post your comments – your speech – to these Disambiguations.

You can connect with a voter call operation – find one at www.JoinTheUnion.us

You can meet some nice people while canvasing for Democratic candidates in swing states.

You can write postcards to voters in swing states.

You can post a yard sign in front of your house.

You can attend rallies and cheer for what you know is right.

You can talk to your neighbor Bubba and ask why he plans to vote for Trump, when Trump would rather see his daughter die than get the help she needs for her rape-caused pregnancy. Okay, maybe that’s too in-his-face.

You can kick in a few bucks to help a Democrat win election in a swing state.

You can vote – and bring some neighbors with you to the polls – see below in RED.

All of these are exercising your freedom of speech, specifically to protect and defend our democracy so that your children and grandchildren will have that same sweet wine. And U care deeply about that.

While you’re deciding which actions you’ll take, watch this post from Steve Schmidt.

Voting and getting out the vote reduce the risk of unwanted presidencies!

.
It’s not the vibes and it’s not the polls: it’s the votes. 
Are you registered to vote? Check it out on any of these websites:
.

https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/

https://www.usa.gov/confirm-voter-registration

https://www.rockthevote.org/how-to-vote/am-i-registered-to-vote/

“Friends do not let friends vote forcon artists.”
  • – Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), 2016


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    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine.
    5. Book links to Amazon are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore, even if that makes them a few bucks more expensive. That will help to keep them your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    6. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

Eventually, Trump Will Go Away – But


POST 1102

Congratulations To The Crazies

Donald Trump said at the presidential debate,

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in [Haitian immigrants], they’re eating the cats, they’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

Rolling Stone reported on Thursday,

“’City of Springfield received a bomb threat that has prompted an immediate response from local and regional law enforcement,’ the city wrote on its Facebook page. “

Authorities found no bomb. What they did find was a verbal trigger from Trump and Vance, both jolting a shot from Trump’s extremist supporters.

Consider this bomb threat following Trump’s vile statement, in the context of what follows.

There Is Far Worse Than Trump To Fear

Trump will go away, either by death at the polls, imprisonment or death from Big Macs and fries. But what will not go away are the millions who follow him, some of whom worship him, many of whom respond as reliably as Pavlov’s dog, only violently.

Trump has little power that is his own. His power comes from the consent of his MAGA hordes and he wields it with stunning cruelty, capriciousness, selfishness, ignorance and a lot of other words you yourself can append to this sentence.

Traditional legislators who caved to Trump didn’t do it because of his power. They caved because of the power of the voters, who gave Trump their consent and he primaried those who wouldn’t bow down to him. The power lies with the 30 million who follow Trump.

Trump will go away. He will find a new calling as a full time criminal defendant and then change professions and relocate from Mar-a-Lago to a prison cell. But those angry, aggrieved, temper tantrum MAGAs will not go away. Someone will take Trump’s place to prey upon their willingness to be manipulated.

So, the question is not how to get past Trump. We’ll do that on November 5. It’s how to deal with 25% of the 30 million angry MAGAs who think their threats of assault and their violence are good and appropriate acts of patriotism. They are people who want to tear it all down, like a kid who lost a game of Monopoly and is throwing tokens, money, Chance cards and the game board.

For nine years the focus has been on keeping power from Trump. Books have been written, podcasts have been podded, political blabbers have blabbed, but I have not heard much about how to deal with the angry people who still will be here after Trump is gone.

They get cattle prodded regularly by right wing hate mongers, know nothings and liars, so the fire of their anger gets replenished constantly. They wave the flag and believe that they are true patriots – maybe the true patriots, which means that they believe that you aren’t. They will not go gently into a Trump-less night.

The radicals’ obsession with controlling women’s bodies, their plan to impose a 13th century patriarchal tyranny upon us and the sometimes entertaining but most often infuriating weirdness of Trump and Vance are huge turnoffs for millions of non-extremist righty Americans. Perhaps good sense is slowly bleeding into our political reality.

Keep in mind that Project 2025 extreme tyranny isn’t repulsive to the MAGA far right. With or without the White House or Congress, they will still want to impose that domination on all of us. Even after Trump is just a horrid chapter in the history books we will be left with that long term challenge. It is a citizen-made fire stoked by long held resentments over both real and imagined wrongs and insults, disrespect and broken promises. That has to be dealt with in an effective manner or the consequences may be terrible.

Meanwhile, the first step is to do what is necessary on November 5, because

Trump Must Never Get His Hands On Any Power Greater Than The Flush Handle Of A Prison Toilet.
.

Eventually, Trump will go away, either by death at the polls, imprisonment or death from Big Macs and fries – but.

We’ll still have big work to do, because while the dogs and cats in Springfield, OH are safe, we are not.

From the “What Trump Hath Wrought” Department

1. From STAT:

ONE BIG NUMBER
1,104

This is the number of U.S. counties in which there is not a single birthing facility or obstetric clinician, according to the annual March of Dimes report on maternity care deserts, released yesterday.

Think: Anti-women, crazed politicians. Votes to criminalize doctors, nurses, hospital executives and drive them away, leaving vast maternity care deserts.

They claim to be pro-life, but that’s a lie. They’re for capital punishment and weapons of war in the hands of anyone. They’re against programs to benefit our vets and IVF, against programs to help poor children and pregnant women at risk of disease and death, and they’re for programs that limit and warp children’s education.

2. Here’s reproductive life to come, if Mississippi, Louisiana and Idaho are our models – from the Lincoln Project:

Click me

3. And just in case you still think there isn’t grave risk:

Click me

Sane-Washing

It’s what our print and electronic media do when they treat Trump’s bumbling rambles and nonsensical idiocies seriously or when they attempt to translate the babble.

Read David Corn’s explainer. Sane-washing is a journalistic lunacy, like whataboutism and both-sidesism. It is a voluntary surrender to insanity, an effort to translate gibberish into something meaningful. It’s like man-splaining misogyny or explaining racism by contorting the words of Jesus.

Helpful Quotes For Our Undecideds

An idiocy metaphor.

To put [undecideds] in perspective, I think​ of being​ on an airplane.​ The flight attendant comes​ down the aisle​ with her food cart and, eventually,​ parks​ it beside my seat.​ “Can I inter​est you in the chick​en?​” she asks.​ “Or would​ you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broke​n glass​ in it?”

To be undecided in this elect​ion is to pause​ for a moment and then ask how the chick​en is cooked. [emphasis mine]

― David Sedaris, author, humorist

Speaking to traditional Republicans who refused to stand up to Trump:

I have a simple message to all those Republicans I helped elect. When your careers are studied, this is what you will be remembered for. You failed a test as Americans. Shame.

― Stuart Stevens,  political consultant and former Republican

Actions

With early voting now underway, join Focus for Democracy’s next event as they reveal the most effective programs to reach swing state voters. Connect this Sunday, 9/22, and find out how directing your support to these programs can have an outsized impact on  the election.

  • Sunday, September 22nd

5:00pm PT / 8:00pm ET

Registration link: https://bit.ly/F4D22Sep
It’s not the vibes, it’s not the polls: it’s the votes. 
Are you registered to vote? Check it out here:
.

https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/

https://www.usa.gov/confirm-voter-registration

https://www.rockthevote.org/how-to-vote/am-i-registered-to-vote/

“Friends do not let friends vote for con artists.”
  • – Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), 2016


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    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine.
    5. Book links to Amazon are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore, even if that makes them a few bucks more expensive. That will help to keep them your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    6. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

Here’s The Thing


POST 1098

Tyranny and Freedom

We are continually faced with self-serving declarations from over-lord wannabees about some thug patriotism and manipulative, fantabulous claims of victimhood designed to move us to support their un-freedom hell. (Insert here your personal nightmare image here.) Saying this less delicately, there’s a lot of crap being spewed by people hoping to enrich themselves in various ways, none of which are good for you. What’s a thinking American to do?

I gave advice on that very thing as recently as March 20 of this year, writing,

See Note #5 below

Prof. Timothy Snyder teaches history at Yale and is the author of On Tyranny and other books. If you have not read this brilliant, pamphlet-sized book (rather like The American Crisis by Thomas Paine), do so immediately.

As far back as February 7, 2021, less than a month after the Trump storm troopers killed cops and vandalized the Capitol Building in search of politicians to murder, I wrote about this in a slightly different way:

This is how democracies die. A cult leader exhorts fanatics, the thugs terrorize all opposition and incrementally people surrender to death threats and violence. And that’s advanced when 199 of our legislators give a standing ovation to the conspiracy nut case spewing fascist hatred. Yes, fascism can happen here in America.

I’ve exhorted readers to see what Vice President Wallace had to say about fascism in America. If you believe in democracy and have not yet read his essay, please read it now.

These violent, angry thugs won’t simply melt away if Trump disappears or if this current insurrection fails – and no, it isn’t over yet. You can expect acts of terrorism, including mass shootings and bombings and perhaps political assassinations over the coming years, as highly armed, angry, hateful, bigoted, self-righteous thugs continue their war against America.

See Note #5 below

We face an existential crisis – as in: threatening our existence. Stopping the political and street thugs isn’t a sprint. This is a marathon which will wax and wane but will never be ended because there will always be people who want to dominate others, who want to steal from others.

Which is why it’s time to return to Timothy Snyder. His new book is On Freedom. It will be released on September 17, so obviously I have not read it yet. Nevertheless, I’m recommending it to you because I believe in, I support and I demand freedom for all of us. Professor Snyder is a fine teacher and I have complete confidence he has valuable marching orders for all of us who believe in freedom. That belief started with the Founders. Lack of freedom, after all, was the trigger that started this whole thing.

Here’s a link to a transcript of Bill Maher’s interview of Professor Snyder on March 2, 2017, shortly after Trump took office. And here’s a link to talks Professor Snyder is doing on his upcoming book tour. He’s a most informative presenter, notably easy to listen to and learn from. Go and listen.

For clarity about the threats we face and will continue to face, find out How It Works.

“It’s time to end the MAGA era. It reaches peak stupid every five minutes .  .  .”

– Steve Schmidt

Are you registered to vote? Check it out here:
.

https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/

https://www.usa.gov/confirm-voter-registration

https://www.rockthevote.org/how-to-vote/am-i-registered-to-vote/

“Friends do not let friends vote for con artists.”
  • – Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), 2016


  • Did someone forward this post to you? Welcome! Please subscribe – use the simple form above on the right. And pass this along to three others, encouraging them to subscribe, too. (IT’S A FREEBIE!) It’s going to take ALL OF US to get the job done.

    And add your comments below to help us all to be better informed.

    Thanks!

    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine.
    5. Book links to Amazon are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore, even if that makes them a few bucks more expensive. That will help to keep them your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    6. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

A New Take On Rights


POST 1096

First, A Few Takes From the DNC Convention

I’ve never seen anything like that. Nobody else has, either. We saw,

An IVF baby, now a young man, clapping and jumping, tears streaming down his face, pointing at the vice presidential nominee, yelling, “That’s my dad! That’s my dad!”

A daughter introducing her dad with such love and tenderness that when the President of the United States came on stage he was dabbing at his tears.

Oprah Winfrey being – what else? – Oprah Winfrey, and exhorting everyone to love and fight for freedom.

Obama brought her husband and each blew the roof off the United Center. When she was about to leave the stage, he held her hand a little longer and invited the crowd to applaud her. He is what a role model should look like. The country craves their clarity, their steadiness and their hope. Gawd, I miss those people.

Ever-present at the Republican convention but notably absent from 4 nights of the Democratic convention were:

cruelty

cynicism

exclusion of any class of Americans

Click me, if you can stomach seeing this

copyright infringements of anyone’s music

Lee Greenwood, his music and any inference of chest thumping superiority

muscle-bound domination of others or demonstrations of primitive masculinity

promises to strip away freedoms and end our democracy

lies about history, rights and freedom

No worries. The Republicans are completely caught up on all those awful things, so they aren’t going away any time soon.

There was great emotion throughout the Democratic Party convention, but it seems to me that the most powerful thread was a sense of the restoration of a long absent hope. It was the next step in the ending of a dark and terrible night, with the sun now shining on the horizon, promising a better tomorrow.

Reagan was just an actor reciting someone else’s words, so I will paraphrase those words now because at last they will be true.

Once again it will be morning in America, with the sun shining on the city on the hill.

The American spirit is coming out of its slumber and awakening once again.

CAUTION!

The right wingnuts have already begun their cruelty, blasting Tim Walz’s son. There will be more cruelty to come from them, more playground brat meanness and outright lies. Expect it to continue at least until November 5 because it’s all they have. Where appropriate, call out the lies and the hatred. And always,

DO NOT LET THE BASTARDS GET YOU DOWN!

Now, About Those Rights

Jon Meacham’s reminder and warning (scroll to “Critical Quote”) that “The forces that broke into the Capitol and threatened the lives of our elected representatives, including the Speaker of the House and the Vice-President of the United States, are still very much abroad in the land,” is a crystal clear statement of the danger we face. Those forces intend to strip our rights from us.

I wrote recently about rights in the context of Gov. Tim Walz’s admonition to Republicans to mind their own damn business. Here’s a bit more about our rights.

  1. When my wife and daughter – any of us, really – consult with our doctors, we have a right to evict all Republican politicians from the exam room, the doctor’s office and the entire building. Permanently.
  2. We are free to travel to any state at any time for any reason without fear of prosecution from deranged Republican bullies aflicted with Severe Self-Righteousness Syndrome. It’s a legal thing, thus sayeth the Constitution.
  3. My children and grandchildren have a right to be taught actual, full-story history that is unpolluted by Republican revisionist propaganda.
  4. All users of schools and libraries have a right to have books on the shelves available to students without interference from hyperbolic, ignorance loving, self-righteous Republican literature vigilantes.
  5. The Constitution says that we have gun rights. It also says that our 3rd graders have a right to not get shot dead in their classrooms by a wacko with “issues” carrying an AR-15.
  6. All Americans have the right to not go bankrupt due to the hideous cost of treatments for major medical events. Healthcare is not just for the rich, thus sayeth the Bernie.
  7. Citizens have the right to see accountability meted out to wrongdoers, regardless of whether the perps are shameful senators, representatives or any others like them who think there should be no accountability, even when their psychopathic bestie loses and breaks the law four different ways to regain power.
  8. We have the right to grab a beer at the Minoqua Brewing Company even though the extremist Republican (is that redundant?) county judge and the owner of the local newspaper don’t like the pub owner’s politics.
  9. We have a right for “No one is above the law” and “Nation of laws, not of men” and “The rule of law” to mean what they say and that nobody gets a free pass to commit crimes. Ever. Including the president. Especially the president.* And “guilty” means “guilty” for anyone who is guilty.
Best Reads, Because You Want To Understand

The Republican driven reinstatement of the Robber Barons that has been going on since we were tricked by Reagan’s woeful economic idiocy is crushing millions of Americans and inviting the purchase of our government by the ultra-wealthy. That’s not an accident. It is the result of decades of hard work by selfish, power and money greedy cannibals and it has prevented you from getting what you want (see the list above). And it has put us face-to-face with this MAGA and Heritage Foundation attack on our democracy. Read Thom Hartmann’s excellent explainer here.

To understand the ossified MAGA fascist brain, read Ed Gurowitz’s explainer, Growth vs. Stagnation.

Some Good News

1. Look at this headline:

Translation: Boeing, in the midst of all of its international and extraterrestrial fumbling, is going to be saved by international embarrassment Elon Musk. Feel free to chuckle or moan over any part of that.

2. Look at this chart from Gallup:

You’ll definitely want to read the source doc. Just click the pic.

Given our national history of discrimination, this is stunningly good news!

Final Takeaways From the Convention (click the pics)

“And we made sure that every kid in our state gets breakfast and lunch every day. So, while other states were banning books from their schools, we were banishing hunger from ours.”

– Gov. Tim Walz – Acceptance speech to the DNC, August 20, 2024

  • .

“I want to know, who’s going to tell [Trump] that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?”

– Michelle Obama, Address to the DNC, August 20, 2024

  • .

“America, let us show each other and the world who we are and what we stand for: freedom; opportunity; compassion and dignity; fairness and endless opportunities.

“We are heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world. And on behalf of our children and our grandchildren and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment.

“It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done, guided by optimism and faith to fight for this country we love, to fight for the ideals we cherish, and to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth: The privilege of being an American.”

  • – Vice-President Kamala Harris, Acceptance speech to the DNC, August 22, 2024

Yes, Sarah Palin, it’s that “hopey, changey” thing coming back to our doorstep. And it’s a stake in the ground that no person and no party holds an exclusive on the red, white and blue.

As Steve Schmidt says,

“We won’t get the years back, but we are going to get our country back.”

The real America, this nation founded not on royalty or privilege of the rich or on contortions of the law, but on the idea of democracy, is coming back. Dictator lovers, stand aside.

_______________________________________________

* Especially, because the president can do far more harm to America and Americans than any other individual.

Are you registered to vote? Check it out here:
.

https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/

https://www.usa.gov/confirm-voter-registration

https://www.rockthevote.org/how-to-vote/am-i-registered-to-vote/

“Friends do not let friends vote forcon artists.“
  • – Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), 2016.


  • Did someone forward this post to you? Welcome! Please subscribe – use the simple form above on the right. And pass this along to three others, encouraging them to subscribe, too. (IT’S A FREEBIE!) It’s going to take ALL OF US to get the job done.

    And add your comments below to help us all to be better informed.

    Thanks!

    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine.
    5. Book links to Amazon are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    6. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

20%


POST 1095

First, Existential Reality

In a stunning wake-up call to Americans, as reported by Jamie Gangel and Gregory Krieg of CNN, Constitutional scholar and retired U.S. Appellate Court Judge J. Michael Luttig, who has never, ever voted for a Democrat, wrote,

“In the presidential election of 2024 there is only one political party and one candidate for the presidency that can claim the mantle of defender and protector of America’s Democracy, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law,” Luttig wrote in a statement [read this] obtained exclusively by CNN. “As a result, I will unhesitatingly vote for the Democratic Party’s candidate for the Presidency of the United States, Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris.”

They go on to report Luttig writing,

“In voting for Vice President Harris, I assume that her public policy views are vastly different from my own, but I am indifferent in this election as to her policy views on any issues other than America’s Democracy, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law, as I believe all Americans should be.”

Get your mind right. It’s time for just one thing: to protect and defend. That is what Luttig is telling us.

However heartfelt, until November 5, every single issue, no matter how critically important, is nothing more than wistful self-indulgence. Keep your eye on the prize, because without it, all of the critically important things will never be ours.

Read the linked source articles and watch reporter Gangel’s short video recounting a bit of her conversation with Luttig.

Now, 20%

Anthropologist Margaret Mead wrote,

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Thom Hartmann has quoted Mead often, claiming that it would take roughly 20% of the population to make the changes we need to get back to sanity, changes that have been so vitally needed since Reagan began to strip our country bare. That 20% notion was the logic and the strategy.

Hartmann’s math was about right, but sadly, the destination now is far different from what he imagined. A small minority of Bible thumping, Bible misusing, manipulative White extremists has secured minority control over large swaths of our American government and of our citizens.

That’s right: the restoration of sanity that we hoped for has instead gone 180° wrong. I guess the experts are right, that hope is not a strategy.

Critical Quote

From Vanderbilt University Professor Jon Meacham’s Reflections of History podcast for January 13, 2023:

The vote in the House on a single article of incitement to insurrection was 232 to 197. Trump would be acquitted in the Senate a month later, with 57 senators voting for his guilt and 43 against. The tally failed to reach the Constitutional threshold of two-thirds.

The farther we move in time from the terrible events of January 6, 2021 the harder it can be to recall just how close the United States came to overturning a free and fair election.

I raise this today because, as the 18th and 19th century trope had it, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” It would be a mistake, one that I fear many Republicans are making or are at risk of making, to see the insurrection and its aftermath as exculpatory instances of American resilience.

Yes, the republic is resilient and the republic did survive, but only barely. And the forces that brought us to the brink, the forces that broke into the Capitol and threatened the lives of our elected representatives, including the Speaker of the House and the Vice President of the United States, are still very much abroad in the land. [They are the 20%.]

Representative Liz Cheney put things succinctly 6 days after the insurrection. She said,

“The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the president. The president could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There never has been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath of office and to the Constitution. I will vote to impeach the president.”

The question for all of us moving forward is whether a single person or a single party’s dominion is worth undoing the constitutional order that has served us for nearly two and a half centuries. There is nothing inevitable about American democracy. We’re the exception in world history, not the rule, and when the interests of the strong willed are allowed to overcome the rule of law, the end is near.

For now, we stand. But we must stand with our eyes and our hearts open.

There are very dangerous and unpatriotic things going on in an effort to overthrow our government, to end our democracy and our way of life. It has only taken about 20% of our citizenry to put us in such peril. It’s the collection of political bullies and the angry, disaffected citizens who comprise MAGA and who want retribution for whatever disrespect and suffering they believe has befallen them. They want to tear down all that we hold dear. The bullies and fascists are coming to take away the promise of America. They are coming to take away your freedom and every hope you have for your children.

So, put a lantern in the belfry-arch of the Old North Church. Listen and you’ll hear the hooves of Paul Revere’s horse clacking the cobblestone in Concord once again. We’re being warned. We must be eternally vigilant and always ready to fight for our liberty. Today, right now, is the time for that fight. Stand up and stand fast.

“We Must Say No”

From Steve Schmidt’s post on August 15:

Trump has made a hideous deal with a hypocritical wack pack of theocrats and weirdos who want to impose control and take what they want, when they want in the name of God and the state. It’s a terrifying proposition, and every American woman should appreciate the degree to which their freedom is on the line.

When the freedom of one American is threatened, the freedom of all Americans is in danger.

This is why Trump must be defeated.

He tried to take something that wasn’t his to take.

He tried to steal something that wasn’t his, but rather belonged to 330 million Americans.

Trump tried to steal our present by betraying our past and taking our future.

We must say, “NO!”

We need a new 20%. It starts with you and me.

_______________________________________________

* We are at a choice point:

“The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” ― John F. Kennedy

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Are you registered to vote? Check it out here:
.

https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/

https://www.usa.gov/confirm-voter-registration

https://www.rockthevote.org/how-to-vote/am-i-registered-to-vote/

“Friends do not let friends vote for con artists.”
  • – Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), 2016.


  • Did someone forward this post to you? Welcome! Please subscribe – use the simple form above on the right. And pass this along to three others, encouraging them to subscribe, too. (IT’S A FREEBIE!) It’s going to take ALL OF US to get the job done.

    And add your comments below to help us all to be better informed.

    Thanks!

    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine.
    5. Book links to Amazon are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    6. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

“Mind Your Own Damn Business”


POST 1092

The Democratic VP Rollout

The best secret pick in politics kept the focus off Trump and Vance for a week or two and kept us energized and filled with hope. Then we found out Harris’ VP pick was Tim Walz and much of the country sang out a heartfelt chorus of, “Who?”

If you watched the rollout of this campaign duo, introduced by Gov. Josh Shapiro, you now know who. After VP Harris took to the podium to introduce him, Walz gave the fiery speech of an impassioned Midwesterner, a former teacher, high school football coach, Command Sergeant Major of the Army National Guard, congressman and governor. If you watched, you felt the heat, you saw the light and you became fired up with hope. That is what has been sorely lacking. Having hope once again feels so good.

Gov. Tim Walz told us the Golden Rule in small towns like where he was raised. It’s “Mind your own damn business.” The crowd cheered him as he connected that to:

Republicans sticking their noses into your doctor’s office as you are in a hospital gown being examined.

Republicans, mind your own damn business.

When extremist parents and extremist elected officials tell you what books your children may not read.

Republicans, mind your own damn business.

BTW: Here’s the newest – a statewide book ban in Utah. I guess the geniuses in Salt Lake City think they know better than all the moms and dads in the state. I think they should mind their own damn business.

When extremist politicians tell you that you may not bring water to people keeping the faith on a hot day, standing in long lines so they can vote

Republicans, mind your own damn business.

Republicans came up with the term “nanny state” years ago and have long used it to rail with phony indignation and self-certain puffery over programs designed to help people. They thought we should take responsibility for ourselves and that the government should butt out of our lives. Instead, now they intrude into our lives with the idiocies listed above and more. It’s crazy, I know, weird, even, but it’s possible that they might be hypocritical. I think they should

Mind their own damn business and get the hell out of ours!

You do, too.

Quotes From The Night Of The VP Rollout

From David Hogg, survivor of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, FL) mass shooting and co-founder of Never Again and Leaders We Deserve:

Young people are fired up like I’ve never seen to vote in this election, and Governor Walz is turbocharging that.

More from Hogg .  .  .

It’s such a breath of fresh air to feel hope.

Yes, he feels it and millions more of us do, too, including our X-ers, Ys, Millennials and Gen-Zs. That’s very good, because we look to them for the courage to see and make the repairs this nation needs. The starting point is to banish the fascists.

Hey, “Banish the Fascists” – pretty good election slogan. Not as good as “Mind your own damn business,” but still pretty good.

Fighting Back Against the Fascists

Kirk Bangstad is an activist and the owner of Minoqua Brewing Company in Northern Wisconsin. He is fighting an ongoing battle against far right wingnuts who are trying to put him out of business, this solely because of his activism. Like Trump and MAGAs everywhere, they are using our system of democracy to destroy freedom and democracy itself.

Bangstad is a prolific chronicler of it all and recently offered an interesting perspective. Here it is, slightly edited for brevity.

I’ve tried a couple of Kirk’s brews and they’re terrific. A portion of the proceeds of beer sales goes to fighting those who would destroy our democracy. You know: the fascists. So, if you’d like to help Kirk fight the good fight, then get into some good trouble, as John Lewis advised. You can raise your fist against fascism and raise your beer stein in a fine toast at the same time. Click here.

To the right is one of Kirk’s activist efforts, this one in Milwaukee. He spends the money from beer sales wisely.

Document of the Week

You know about Project 2025, Trump’s users guide to demolish democracy and institute fascism in America with him as dictator. Because it’s 922 pages are too long there have been quite a few offerings to simplify its horrors – here’s one.

Now we have this document. The affected population counts and a few other things in it are particular to Florida, but if you are in one of those states controlled by MAGA psychopathic legislators, the principles apply to you, too.

Florida is a special case of citizen abuse by authoritarian wannabees. Indeed, clarity about this was ignited by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ extremist mania, including some of the “Mind your own damn business” abuses listed above. That prompted me last year to declare that Florida is the canary in the democracy mine. It’s only a half step ahead of our entire nation if the fascists get their hands on the controls.

Read the 2-page document. You won’t like what it says. Then ponder what to do about it.

If you’re in Florida, contact Floridians For Democracy and you’ll find a bunch of clear-headed folks like you. They know what to do about what those dreadful documents threaten. FFD is a fine place to get into good trouble.

Smack Down

For an explanation of Tim Walz’ military retirement and a smack down of JD Vance and his reprehensible attack on Walz’ service, take a listen to what Lt. Col. (Ret.) Adam Kinzinger has to say. Vance’s dishonor makes the possibility of his having influence on policy or exercising national power absolutely unthinkable.

Are you registered to vote? Check it out here:
.

https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/

https://www.usa.gov/confirm-voter-registration

https://www.rockthevote.org/how-to-vote/am-i-registered-to-vote/

“Friends do not let friends vote for con artists.”
  • – Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), 2016.


  • Did someone forward this post to you? Welcome! Please subscribe – use the simple form above on the right. And pass this along to three others, encouraging them to subscribe, too. (IT’S A FREEBIE!) It’s going to take ALL OF US to get the job done.

    And add your comments below to help us all to be better informed.

    Thanks!

    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine.
    5. Book links to Amazon are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    6. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.

    Click me

    JA

 


Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

Havin’ a Li’l Fun


POST 1091

From The Onion, of course. Click the pic for the story.

About 12 prisoners, wrongly incarcerated, have been swapped for several Russian thugs. Among those freed is Paul Whelan – at last. And Trump told us only he could do that. Now, that’s fun! Click the pic for the story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like “YES WE KAM” better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Trump’s speech at a rally in Philadelphia, June 22, 2024, confirmed by Snopes:

No water in your faucets. You ever tried buying a new home and you turn it on? They have restrictors in there. You want to wash your hair. You want to wash your hands. You turn on the water and it goes drip, drip. The soap, you can’t get it off your hand. So you keep it running for about ten times longer. You’re trying. The worst is your hair. I have this beautiful, luxuriant hair, and I put stuff on. I put it in. Lather. I like lots of lather because I like it to come out extremely dry because it seems to be slightly thicker that way. And I lather up and then you turn on this crazy shower and the thing drip, drip, and you say, ‘I’m gonna be here for 45 minutes. What?’ They put restrictors and they put them on in places like here where there’s so much water you don’t know what to do with it. You know, it’s called rain. It rains a lot in certain places. But, now their idea, you know, did you see the other day? They just, I opened it up and they closed it again. I opened it, they close it, washing machines to wash your dishes. There is a problem. They don’t want you to have any water. They want no water.

There’s a strong similarity between this psychopathic idiocy and Trump’s “sharks vs. batteries” dementia demonstration. View the video here, but only if you have time and life to waste.

Click me for The Union

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is no spoof – it’s real.
Click the pic for the Washington Post story.

.


“Hannibal Lector is not
the guy you want
running your country.”
Click the pic and READ THE POST!

Quotes of the Week

From What This Comedian Said Will Shock You. by Bill Maher:

“The average American doesn’t think that we have to completely tear down the system and remake it. There are a lot of persuadable voters and  .  .  .  a lot of Democrats  .  .  .  who just want to see things make sense. They just don’t want to see the crazy stuff.”

And from the unstoppable voice of John Lewis, our national conscience. His voice is still echoing in the Capitol Building and in our ears. From July 17, 2021:

“Speak up, speak out, get in the way. Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.”

.
.
Many thanks to all contributors!
“Friends do not let friends vote for con artists.”
  • – Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), 2016.


  • Did someone forward this post to you? Welcome! Please subscribe – use the simple form above on the right. And pass this along to three others, encouraging them to subscribe, too. (IT’S A FREEBIE!) It’s going to take ALL OF US to get the job done.

    And add your comments below to help us all to be better informed.

    Thanks!

    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine.
    5. Book links to Amazon are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    6. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

Let There Be No Doubt


POST 1090

Trump Must Never Get His Hands On Any Power Greater Than The Flush Handle Of A Prison Toilet.

_____________________________________________________

Stop The Steal

Don’t let the semi-coherent and fraudulent Republican rants and their phony patriotism mislead you. Any reasonably conscious person with only minimal critical thinking skills can interpret their corrupt, unscrupulous, anti-patriotism claptrap and then label it what it actually is.

We have been informed and cautioned about what these extremists are promising. There are many exposés of the diabolical Project 2025 plan to end our democracy and clues come directly from Trump at most of his rallies. Here’s an example from July 26.

“Christians, get out and vote! Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years. You know what? It’ll be fixed! It’ll be fine! You won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians. I love you, Christians! I’m a Christian.”

When you have stopped gagging over Trump’s stumbling awkwardness and sickening faux-religious fervor, you’ll recognize that that isn’t just a clue. It’s a plain language announcement that if he wins the November election it will be the last free and fair election in America. Democracy will be over. Dead.

That is what Trump and the extremist right wing schemers of the Republican Party are promising you. It’s a plan of destruction and robbery that is in plain sight.

So, let there be no doubt. This un-American, anti-Constitutional cabal of thieves is planning to take away all of your freedom and your rights. Not just your right to vote for your leaders – as in: democracy, rule by the people – but all of your rights, because voting is our check, our protection for all of our other rights. Plus, of course, their detailed plan to destroy our democracy lays out plainly how you will be subjugated into powerlessness.

This is not satire. There is nothing exaggerated in my words. There is no hyperbole. It’s all in the open, in plain language, from Trump promising no more elections to the 922 pages of Project 2025 that provide detailed steps for the legalized neutering of your rights and your freedom.

Should you do anything they don’t like, the organized crime ring planning to run the future dictatorship won’t promise your safety in any way. They would be sad to see you suffer, they would tell you, so you better get in line. That’s what organized crime does as a first step. You would not like step 2.

We have only 96 days to stop the grand larceny, the theft of all you hold dear.

From David Frum in The Atlantic:

If [Harris] does secure the Democratic presidential nomination, then she becomes the only hope to keep Trump out of the White House for a second term. She becomes the only hope for Ukraine, for NATO, for open international trade, for American democracy, for a society founded on the equal worth and dignity of all its people. Anyone committed to those principles and ideals, whatever his or her past or future political affiliation, now has everything riding on the chances of the nominee chosen by some 4,700 Democratic delegates in Chicago next month.

Did I mention that we only have 96 days to stop the grand larceny? We only have those same 96 days to keep alive our hopes, our ideals, our principles and the promise of the American dream, your vision for your children and their children.

Let there be no doubt.

Resources Of The Week

I always thrill to people’s brilliance of clarity and communication and we have a pair of “don’t miss” offerings here.

Heather Cox Richardson is a professor of history at Boston College, much to the benefit of her students. This week she lays out the record of the ongoing fight for democracy – the “protect and defend” thing – that puts our present moment into brilliantly clear focus.

Next, do you have any idea what Christian nationalism really is? It turns out that the labeling is grossly dishonest in ways you might not yet fully appreciate. Put on your Sunday best and listen to James Tallarico’s sermon. I promise you’ll get a lesson about the dangers we face and the rank deceit of those who want to twist religion to benefit themselves.

Thanks go to Dave Lindgren for pointing me to this talk.

Quote Of The Week

From Steve Schmidt:

Trump tried to hang his last vice president, and now his new choice for VP is going to hang him in November.

Just For Fun

Here is a demonstration of why Pete Buttigieg is always the smartest person in the room.

And .  .  .

Me, too.

Pic by PY

“Friends do not let friends vote for con artists.”
  • – Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), 2016.


  • Did someone forward this post to you? Welcome! Please subscribe – use the simple form above on the right. And pass this along to three others, encouraging them to subscribe, too. (IT’S A FREEBIE!) It’s going to take ALL OF US to get the job done.

    And add your comments below to help us all to be better informed.

    Thanks!

    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine.
    5. Book links to Amazon are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    6. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

Freedom and Dr. Seuss


POST 1088

Reality Check

Since Trump was shot, the Republicans/MAGAs are making noises about being kinder, losing the divisiveness and their cruelty. These are the people whose convention featured presenter after presenter engaging in world class divisiveness, faux masculinity, accusing Democrats of exactly the awful things righties have been doing. They had giant piles of MUGS (Made Up Gross S**t) designed for divisiveness and cruelty that had attendees foaming at the mouth.

Still, they made noise about how after the shooting Trump had torn up his speech in order to craft one designed for unity. That triggers a

POP QUIZ!
.

1. Try to remember the 2016 campaign, as Trump was making blisteringly phony accusations, taking credit for things he couldn’t even spell, much less create, telling lies and inciting hatred everywhere he went. We were assured by pundits that Trump would pivot and become presidential once in office and the gravity of presidential reality settled upon him. Check all that apply.

[  ] A. Trump “fixed” our immigration challenges by ripping thousands of infants and children from their mothers, caging the little ones without the staffing or supplies to care for them and with absolutely no way to reunite children with their parents. He explained that the cruelty was the point.

[  ] B. Trump knew more than the generals and people in the Intelligence agencies and ignored the President’s Daily Brief, blew off allies, embraced dictators and imperiled our safety by showing our top secrets to enemies. He promised our middle class great benefits, including massive new job opportunities and increased wages. Instead, he gave away $2 trillion, 87% of which went to already rich people and corporations. No new jobs were created and middle class income remained stagnant.

[  ] C. Trump did a turnaround and grew into the job of president, becoming a promoter of the Constitution and our democracy and transitioning into a world class statesman.

[  ] D. Trump can’t be believed when he says things like “kinder and gentler” or “unity,” nor when he denounces violence. That’s because if he is breathing, he is lying. Unity? From Trump, the Retribution King? Seriously?

Answer key: A, B, D. Trump couldn’t even understand answer C.

His aggrieved followers willingly support terminating the Constitution and then call themselves patriots. They’re easy marks for sales of Trump’s snake oil.

From Adam Kinzinger, June 26, 2024:

Today, we face an election about a singular, monumental issue: the very essence of our democracy. The question before us is clear—which of the two Candidates will stand unyielding in their commitment to preserve, protect, and defend our Constitution and strengthen our Democracy?

Kinzinger is right about the essence of the election. The answer to his question is: Anyone But Trump. As boyhood pal and occasional commenter to these posts Kirk Landers said, he’d sooner vote for Biden’s dogs, either the mean one or the nice one, or even a pet rock than for Trump. Kirk is a smart fellow.

Trump must never get his hands on any power greater than the flush handle of a prison toilet.

Up and down your November ballot,

Every one of the Democratic candidates will be on the right side of gun safety.
No Republican will.
.
Every one of the Democratic candidates will be on the right side of healthcare.
No Republican will.
.
Every one of the Democratic candidates will be on the right side of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and forgiveness of crushing student debt.
No Republican will.
.
Every one of the Democratic candidates will be on the right side of supporting our allies and opposing our adversaries..
No Republican will.
.
Every one of the Democratic candidates will be on the right side of the rule of law.
No Republican will.
.

The Republicans, the ones who hurl racist slurs at Kamala Harris, the ones who spew bizarre Biblical quotations that nobody understands, the ones who criticize her over plastic soda straws as though she is killing kittens and puppies – those Republicans – at night they come out from under the bridge where they live just to be cruel. They intend to be our overlords. That’s all they offer our country.

Yes, this election is that dangerously binary because

Freedom is Under Attack!

.

Other than strong nominees, our job is to defeat tyranny and preserve your rights, including your right to women’s healthcare; protection of things you already paid for, like Social Security and Medicare; plus the right not be be shot to death by a homicidal maniac brandishing combat weapons.

We must energize the electorate to vote for our country. I’m thinking of the 40% who don’t bother to show up on election day. Recently, I wrote about the need to light a fire under them. Insightful opinion writer Steve Sheffey agreed with me in his July 7 post. He must be very smart.

That energizing of the stay-at-homes requires our feet on the street to motivate and mobilize them. That way we get to keep our democracy and have a free and fair election in 2026. And another in 2028. Plus, we get to not get shot.

See Note #5 below.

Rhymes Of The Week

From Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss:

  • You have brains in your head
  • You have feet in your shoes.
  • You can steer yourself
  • Any direction you choose.

So, steer yourself to:

  • register voters
  • canvas in a swing state
  • write post cards reminding people to vote
  • phone voters with wake up calls about the threats to their rights and their freedom
  • donate to candidates who will preserve our democracy (Democrats only, because Republicans are extremists or suck ups to extremists)
  • invite neighbors to a discussion about what they want and how they’ll get it
  • post a sign on your lawn
  • volunteer as a poll watcher.

Steer yourself to action, because,

  • You have brains in your head,
  • You have feet in your shoes.
  • You don’t want to go cry
  • Lost Democracy Blues.

Passivity just won’t do if you want rights, freedom and safety. So, get going.

“Friends do not let friends vote for con artists.”

  • – Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), 2016

Our governance and electoral corruption and dysfunction and our ongoing mass murders are all of a piece, all the same problem with the same solution:

  • Fire the bastards!


  • Did someone forward this post to you? Welcome! Please subscribe – use the simple form above on the right. And pass this along to three others, encouraging them to subscribe, too. (IT’S A FREEBIE!) It’s going to take ALL OF US to get the job done.

    And add your comments below to help us all to be better informed.

    Thanks!

    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine.
    5. Book links to Amazon are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    6. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

BOOM!


POST 1087

Definitions
IED:
An improvised explosive device (IED) attack is the use of a “homemade bomb and/or destructive device to destroy, incapacitate, harass, or distract.” IEDs are used by criminals, vandals, terrorists, suicide bombers, and insurgents.
Judicial IED:
A Judicial IED (J-IED) is a judicial decision that is a Constitutionally unmoored attack, a “court-made bomb and/or accountability ravaging decision designed to destroy, incapacitate, harass, or distract the rule of law.” J-IEDs are used by judges and justices to eliminate equal justice under law and are aided and abetted by lawyers, extremist activists, politicians, insurgents and demagogues, often to support, allow or encourage illegal activity and/or the elimination of rights and freedom.
JaxPolitix Judicial Review

Living in a Judicial Crisis

J-IEDs

Embedded in the Trump stay-out-of-jail-free Court decision guaranteeing immunity from prosecution for his breaking the law while president is a provision saying that in “dividing official from unofficial conduct, courts may not inquire into the President’s motives.” In other words, in any action against Trump for presidential criminality, like sending SEAL Team 6 to murder his opponents, Trump’s motives for his criminal action cannot be examined. Effectively, that prevents prosecution for nearly every obvious crime. Very handy for a presidential felon to make our legal constraints go

BOOM!

And there’s more.

Trump-appointed Judge  Aileen “Sitting on the Scales of Justice” Cannon dismissed the case against Trump for his refusing a subpoena, lying to federal agents, theft of classified documents, showing them to unauthorized persons and other various and obvious violations of the Espionage Act.

Lemming

Judge Cannon lemmingly agreed with Trump’s lawyers in their claim that Jack Smith was improperly appointed, saying that means that he has no power to indict. Claims like this have repeatedly been thrown out of court, but that didn’t deter plucky Judge Cannon from jabbing a stick in the spokes of justice.

BOOM!

The case is dissolved for now and Trump gets away with it – temporarily. He didn’t even need the immunity thing. Stand by for Jack Smith’s appeal and a reprise of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal’s smack down of incompetent Judge Cannon.* That will then be appealed to the Supreme Court by Trump’s lawyers, where obstructionist Chief Justice Roberts will sit on it until next summer.

That’s in follow up to the six black robed, black-hearted, Republican appointed justices conspiring to declare that Trump has immunity from justice for the crimes he committed as president. It’s great to be the king where “above the law” has real meaning. For the rest of us it’s

BOOM!

Now Trump can get away with anything and escape accountability, just as he’s done for most of his grifting life.

Do you see the pattern? Trump appoints judges. Trump commits crimes. The Trump judges stop prosecutions or delay them forever. Your country – your democracy your freedom and your rights – are being stolen from you and the crime is happening in plain sight.

The Future Looks Bright For Presidential Criminality

Trump asked for immunity via his lawsuit, Trump v. United States, his un-American bid to become The Orange Tyrant King, a despot, and he got it. That fascism generating decision will be the legal foundation for the Project 2025 authoritarian take down of our democracy (see this post) if Trump is re-elected. It will be the beginning of officially sanctioned tyranny in America. Watch Chris Hayes’ explanation of this Supreme Court July 1 take down of our democracy here.

This Court’s encouragement to Trump and his extremist right wing to pursue criminality stands and will continue to stand until Congress does something to erase it, a process which will require a Democrat in the White House and Democratic majorities in both the House and Senate and with fascists nowhere. We will all be at terrible risk if we don’t send Trump and all Republican extremists packing on November 5, because they will do the criminal things Trump has said he’ll do – and worse. Everything will go

BOOM!

We are at great risk.

IEDs blow up more than Humvees. They blow up your rights, your freedom and the Constitution. They kill people and they kill nations.

Apathy

There is a reason why I and so many others come back to a message urging voting and activist support. It is because we live in a nation beset by apathy over serious things.

We’re full of passion for our sports teams, the backyard barbecue and the next Netflix series. But for about 40% of us our eyes glaze over when the subject is how we decide to be governed and what we’ll tolerate.

Our government is legitimized only through the consent of the governed** – you and me. When we sit out the big game in November or tolerate the intolerable, we tacitly forfeit our voice, our hopes and dreams, and even our values to those who will not “protect and defend our Constitution and strengthen our Democracy.” Instead, they will steal everything from you and me and our apathy will have made us complicit in the theft.

The reason you and I will vote and get active to inspire others to vote is because we need to make sure nothing else goes

BOOM!

____________________________________________

* In a recent satire piece by Andy Borowitz he wrote,

In a positive development for Judge Cannon, a GoFindMe has been established to send her to law school.

Many thanks to JN for the pointer.

** From the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed .  .  .” [emphasis mine]

“Friends do not let friends vote for con artists.”

  • – Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), 2016

Our governance and electoral corruption and dysfunction and our ongoing mass murders are all of a piece, all the same problem with the same solution:

  • Fire the bastards!


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