Tuesday, October 31, 2017

OUT OF DEFERENCE TO OUR PRESIDENT

Out of deference to our President, who continues to aver that there has been no collusion with Russia, we should, henceforth, stop all usage of the term, and use, instead, its synonym, "conspiracy".

Please do not say that "the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians to steal the 2016 election".  That is disrespectful.  Instead, say, "the Trump campaign conspired with the Russians to steal the 2016 elections".  See how much more elegant that is!

Monday, October 30, 2017

NOTHING TO GAIN

It is, unfortunately, undoubtedly lost on Trump supporters that even if his calls, for investigation of Hillary Clinton, were heeded, it would not in any way exculpate Donald Trump.

His investigation would go on; his trials, if any, would go on; the further investigation of Hillary will not make an iota of difference at the bar of justice, for either.

In the meanwhile, Hillary has withstood hundreds of hours of investigation, including an 11-hour stint where the combined might of the Republican caucus was unable to make a single crack in her defenses.  

By calling for investigation of Hillary, Trump has nothing to gain, and she has nothing to lose.

Sunday, October 29, 2017

ASSUMPTION OF GUILT

On the day before the possible revelation of the identity of someone who has been indicted, by a Grand Jury, I, too, am trying to guess who it will be.  Although  I think that the most probable candidate is Paul Manafort, on a charge unrelated to the Russian conspiracy matter, the thought has occurred to me that it could also be Donald, Jr., who by virtue of releasing his emails, has provided a prima facie case, for attempted collusion, to Mueller, in which case he may be tempting Trump to exercise his pardon power thereby  assuring legal assumption of guilt if Junior accepts the pardon.

Saturday, October 28, 2017

GUEST POST

New post on The Octogenarians

Exploiting dinosaur discoveries in Utah,bird,bear,and reindeer sanctuaries in pursuit of coal oil ,gold and lithium.POTUS the pariah rides on.

by daedal2207
There is method in the madness of this ruthless exploitation and destruction of wildlife past and present.Aside from giving more to the wealthy through their corporations,the opening up of federal reserved territories releases development monies which will serve to plug GOP budgetary shortfall as the budget( national) is developed.Borrowing from Peter to pay Paul comes to mind. So if unsuccessful at stealing money from health care subsidies( and the effort still goes forward),Trump and the ignoble congressmen and women followers will take their best shot at robbing the next generations of intellectual and spiritual property.There is no shame and little empathy.Democrats are having their own problems with party unity and view of the future but so far are holding firm in opposition.
CNN announced the first Mueller indictment( grand jury)maybe the mega cynical theft and exploitation can be slowed.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

A LITTLE RECOGNITION

There can be little doubt that, little by little, Trump is learning self-discipline at his new job as President.  When Russian flags were thrown at him, by a protestor, Donald successfully resisted placing his hand over his heart in a reflexive gesture of respect and loyalty. 

A little recognition of his progress and growth in office might well be in order.

Sunday, October 22, 2017

VETTING OUR CREDITORS

Lately, I  have been receiving a fairly large number of Russian produced memes, purchased by Republican groups for distribution in our social media.  Most of them deal with terrible life in countries living under Socialism.

The problem, however, is that many of the  "Socialistic countries" also lend us money.  Borrowing from these countries is a slippery slope and we should be extremely careful of which countries are permitted to loan us money.

"INDEMNIFY MY LOSSES AND GIVE ME A TAX CUT, TOO"

Under our last Republican President, Wall Street received a trillion dollar gift when the U.S. Government covered the gambling losses of the financial sector.  Since the election of another Republican President, Wall Street is tingly in anticipation of another gift from the U.S. taxpayer.  The stock market began to edge up, in advance of promises of more goodies, and indeed, Wall Street has even warned that, if they don't get it, there will be a market retraction that could affect our economy.
 
During the Bush Presidency, a precedent was set that executives of businesses that were too big to fail had to receive their Christmas bonuses no matter the economic circumstances of the rest of the country.  Now not only do they expect the Government to indemnify their losses but to enable them to increase the size of the bonus.

Saturday, October 21, 2017

JOBS FLEEING THE U.S.

Despite  Trump's promises to bring back jobs that have been sent to other countries, evidence is mounting that more and more political memes  that Republicans like to send around, are originating in Russia.  Now we have reports that even Republican bumper stickers are being made in Russian owner factories in Macedonia. Looks like another initiative has gone down that drain. 

WHAT'S UP WITH KELLEY

I have been asked my opinion as to what has happened to John Kelley.  Nearest I can make out is that he is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING FEDERICA

Some might think that Trump's continued attacks  on Congresswoman Wilson are frivolous and just another example of Trump craziness, are wrong.  Trump is being extremely serious.  He is well aware that should there be a turnover in either House of Congress, he and/or Tillerson are in for the mother of all hearings over the Niger affair, with revenge for Hillary's Benghazi hearings not being a prime motive.  There is enough negligence there and questions about the travel ban on Chad to fuel several years of hearings.  Trump is desperate to  divert attention from the substance of the issues to any hand.

MANY OF THE SAME PEOPLE

Many of the same people who strongly criticise athletes for their lack of patriotism, by kneeling when the national anthem is played, think they, themselves are being very patriotic when they help distribute Russian propaganda designed to subvert our democratic institutions.  

Friday, October 20, 2017

LACK OF EMPATHY

Trump, it is said, categorically rejects recent criticism leveled at him, by Obama and Bush on the grounds that they lack sufficient empathy to appreciate what he has to go through working in the Trump Whitehouse.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

TAINTED ARBITERS, INDEED

Although a jury has yet to be asked to decide whether the Trump campaign actually conspired, or colluded, with respect to the hacking of the 2016 elections by the Russians, we do have prima facie evidence, in the form of emails, that the campaign, in the person of Donald Trump, Jr. tried  to collude with them.

 Donald Trump, Sr., by virtue of defending the actions of his son, has approved of his son having solicited the Russians to assist them in winning the elections.  The foregoing notwithstanding, the Trumps have decided to become the arbiters of what is and what is not patriotic behavior when it comes to NFL athletes.  So it seems, asking Russians to interfere in our election is A-O.K., but a Constitutionally protected activity, per Supreme Court rulings, is not.

The Trumps are tainted arbiters, indeed!


PERHAPS TRUMP HAS A POINT

Perhaps Trump has a point.  What right do blacks have for respectfully kneeling, in protest of the police shooting their unarmed children and brethren, at the singing of the national anthem?  They should be out looting and vandalizing businesses as they are supposed to.

Sunday, October 15, 2017

THE LAST GLIMMER OF HOPE

The last glimmer of hope for a nuclear detente with North Korea, that had resulted from negotiations with the Clinton administration, went out the window with the invasion of Iraq by George W. Bush.

From the viewpoint of North Korea, nothing demonstrated the perfidy of the United States than when Bush ordered U.N. arms inspectors, who were not finding any nuclear weapons, out of Iraq, and then invaded the smaller country for reasons of policy.

Their distrust was reinforced when Gaddafi, who had given up his nuclear ambitions, was bombed into submission by Western Powers, in Libya, during the Obama Administration.  The nuance that the West was trying to avoid a genocide by Gaddafi, was lost on the despotic leadership of North Korea.

With the Iran agreement now in jeopardy, it is doubtful that the United States will ever, ever again, be able to single-handedly broker and act as guarantor to any agreement between other nations, as in the past.  


Saturday, October 14, 2017

IN NEED OF DONALD AS A MENTOR

Harvey Weinstein is just in the wrong line of business.  If he were a star performer, as Donald Trump, could have told him, he could have groped all those starlets, with impunity.  If he had emulated Trump and ran for President, all those accusations of sexual harassment would have been met with a ho-hum from his adoring voters.

Harvey would be well advised to try to get Donald for a mentor.

Friday, October 13, 2017

WALLOWING IN SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS

Because some liberal supporters have been found to be sexual predators, some of my so-called "Conservative" friends have been gleefully wallowing in a puddle of self-righteousness.  

Forgotten are the Roger Ailes and Bill O'Rileys of their own party. Their President,  the Chief Executive of the nation, whom they faithfully follow,  a thrice-married philanderer and self-admitted sexual predator has been absolved of any sin by a Hollywood Liberal who has strayed.

Thursday, October 12, 2017

AD HOC TRUTH

I think that I may have figured out what Trump's problem is.  For practical people, like Trump, "Truth" is something to use to win the particular argument of the moment.  It exists for that moment and then disappears and should not be subject to recall.  If someone is so crass as to remind people that that old truth once existed, the new "truth" is that the old truth never existed, therefore, it is "fake news"

The constant referral to old truths by a group of people collectively called "the Press" is a constant distraction to an elderly gentleman set in the ways of  New York real estate developers.

Another thing is explained by the foregoing.  Trump is probably not angered by Tillerson calling him a moron; he is angry because Tillerson did not lie when asked about it.  If Truth is of so little worth, what is the value of a lie?  Why wouldn't Tillerson just be like a normal Trump person and just deny he had said it?

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

RAISING THE BAR

I am glad that Donald and Rex have raised the bar by engaging in an I.Q. contest instead of one that other little boys engage in to prove their superiority.

I doubt that any actual contest will ever occur, even though Mensa has offered to provide tests, because Trump guards his actual I.Q. number as secretively as he does his tax returns, and Tillerson, by virtue of having agreed to become Donald's Secretary of State, to begin with, has self-doubts about his own I.Q.

Sunday, October 8, 2017

TWITTER REACTIONS

In response to a  Trump twitter accusing Sen. Corker of  being cowardly, by not running for re-election to the Senate,   the Senator came back with a twitter saying that the President had turned the White House into an adult day care center.  Trump supporters have roundly criticized Corker for having. needlessly, personally attacked the President, in the twitter exchange.

Trump supporters  are also saying that they are waiting to see whether Democrats will react to Corker's comments, in the same way they so strongly reacted to Trump having mocked a reporter with a disability.   

Friday, October 6, 2017

LIBERALS ATTACKING TILLERSON FOR CALLING TRUMP A MORON?

Liberals, it is said, are furious about Tillerson calling Trump a moron.  They claim that it is a blatant attempt to upgrade Trump's intelligence status, and they will have nothing to do with it.

PUTIN'S RETURN ON INVESTMENT

Putin can, hardly, hope for no greater return on his investment in getting Trump elected President than having him abrogate the agreement with Iran to stop work on a nuclear bomb.  By doing so, Putin will have placed the first wedge in a system of alliances that the U.S. has successfully crafted over more than 70 years of hard work.

Not only will Trump have probably ruined, forever, the use of sanctions as a weapon to enforce agreements, in the long term, but will ensure that Iran joins the nuclear club, in the short term.  Who will be willing to cooperate in imposing sanctions with an inconstant partner, in the future?

The thought of engaging in a conventional war with Iran, a country with 2.5 times the population of North Korea and 10 times the size, is ludicrous, considering that such a war with the latter is inconceivable given its costs.

Thursday, October 5, 2017

HARD AT WORK

Tump detractors who are highly critical of all his visits to his property when they feel he should be working are ignoring the fact that while he is at said properties, he is working hard to increase revenue for them.

Every vacation Trump has taken while President has been a working vacation for the family breadwinner.  He deserves praise and recognition for his hard work.




WHY DON'T THEY SAVE THEIR MONEY?

The N.R.A., through  their influence on a group of Congressmen in Washington, have managed to prevent any legislation, regulating weapons, on a Federal scale.  Local regulations, as in Chicago, are thwarted by the fact that any resident of Chicago can cross the street to another jurisdiction and purchase any quantity he or she chooses.

The situation is little different in other States; it might be more convenient to take a vehicle to another jurisdiction to purchase one's weapons.

Even though it is the very actions of the N.R.A. that has rendered Chicago's efforts to control the availability of guns useless, the N.R.A. uses Chicago to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of  any legislation whatsoever.  

The question should be asked is, if Federal gun control legislation is ineffective, why does the N.R.A. spend millions, each year, in buying legislators?  Why don't they save their money and pass those ineffective laws?

Monday, October 2, 2017

THOUGHTS ON THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION

Despite the impatience of many Liberals, I,  personally, do not expect  the release of any report and/or indictment prior to the fall of 2018.  

I do believe that it is obvious, to Mueller, how, if High Crimes have been committed, the importance of the 2018 elections especially  he is in favor of impeachment which require a political vote from the House of Representatives.

A SINGLE GUNMAN WITH THE HIGH GROUND

I am sure that it will be lost on gun enthusiasts and N.R.A. supporters that the largest single weapon related massacre, in the history of the U.S., took place in the state with the laxest gun laws.

All those concealed carry good dudes were powerless against a single bad guy gunman with the high ground.  

THE N.R.A. AND NOISE ABATEMENT

The N.R.A., as we speak, is sheparding a bill through Congress which will lift restrictions on the sale of gun silencers.  Despite the meritorious work in noise abatement, critics, of the bill, offer petty arguments, like the fact that victims will not even know they are under attack, until they see people dropping around them, if silencers are used.  The N.R.A. says that the rights of the audience to hear the music undisturbed outweigh those of the victims.

Sunday, October 1, 2017

THE LAST REFUGE OF A SCOUNDREL

The question as to why a man, who has demonstrated a complete lack of patriotism, obtaining 5 deferments from  military service and bragging about not paying his taxes, and beset by charges for actions approaching treason to his country, suddenly becomes interested in patriotic symbols, was answered by Samuel Johnson, more than 200 years ago.  Johnson defined patriotism as the last refuge of a scoundrel.