PREPARATIONS FOR REPARATIONS, SEPARATIONS FROM REALITY

Most of us can remember a past where Senators Ted Kennedy, John McCain, and Lindsey Graham respectfully associated with each other, sharing their differing views without heated rancor. Aldous J. Pennyfarthing in a Daily Kos essay lays into Senator Lindsey Graham after the Atlanta Journal-Constitution interviewed five members of the grand jury looking into Donald Trump’s election tampering. A.J. says, “Graham presumably once had a soul before Trump covered it in a pony keg of Magic Shell and a soupçon of snackin’ lard and inhaled it like a stoned pelican running loose in a Long John Silver’s.” Early in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, Graham had criticized The Donald with intensity, but once the die was cast he succumbed along with the rest of the GOP into the void. However, hearing one juror’s statement regarding Lin’s grand jury testimony has led Pennyfarthing to say, “We now have confirmation that Lindsey still has a brain,” as he testified that Trump would have believed that aliens came down and stole the 2020 election had he been told so!” Whoops…no more golf games with Ex-Prezi Pampers!

Of course, DJT was listening to earth-aliens Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell, who still can’t seem to come up with any evidence about election rigging. The grand jury also was presented with a previously unpublicized phone call made by Donald to the late Georgia House Speaker, David Ralston, who recorded Trump’s request for him to convene a special session of the Legislature to overturn Joe Biden’s Georgia victory. As jurors reported, “Ralston basically cut the President off, saying he would do everything in his power that was appropriate.” A stumbling, mumbling Trump could only say, “Well, thank you.” Pennyfarthing maintains that if Ralston “actually got Trump to eat his dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets and go down for a nap,” he was an amazing person. He ends with, “Trump can fool some of the people some of the time, but apparently he can’t fool a grand jury – or the legal system. And in the end, that’s all that really matters, now isn’t it?”

At this writing, we are anxiously awaiting Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s dropping of the indictment hammer on Trump – fingers crossed that it occurred! Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, has testified for countless hours regarding the Orangeman’s escapade with Stormy Daniels and possible campaign finance fraud as it relates to the hush money paid to the porn star, and other women as well. No public announcement was made regarding the possible indictment, but Horatio Combover claims to have obtained confidential information that Tuesday, March 21 is/was the fateful day and that his army should “PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!” Taking a clue from the January 6 Insurrection in D.C., law enforcement officials are taking necessary precautions to deal with any possible violence – which the former prez seems to encourage.

Violence would seem to be the watchword within Representative Matt Gaetz’s office, having just hired a new staffer who wasted no time in showing his misogynistic, pathetic, and sick hatefulness. Andrew Kloster described himself as a “raging misogynist,” who once tweeted, “I need a woman who looks like she just got punched.” With Gaetz’ history, Andy should fit right in, especially since he is facing a Class A misdemeanor in Texas for causing bodily injury toward a woman. To this he answers, “I’m a 100% women respecter precisely because I’m a raging misogynist. I’m so kind you’ll want to kill yourself and die, which is the goal.” Candidates for jail seem to be prime candidates for political office in the GOP nowadays.

Prisoner-in-waiting Trump, on the third front of his many defenses, courtesy of DOJ Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, continues to play victim, going ballistic all over his Social Media network, and accusing Smith of “intimidating” his defense lawyers. Smith remains silent and keeps on truckin,’ comfortable in his role while ignoring or removing the claimed attorney-client privilege from the equation, while turning the Prima Don’s defense team into star witnesses against him. Smith’s experience and résumé gives him the expertise to avoid the political blowback that Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team of prosecutors floundered within while investigating the Trump-Russia connection. Handling high-profile cases has given him the breadth of experience to weather the scrutiny and make tough judgement calls quickly and bravely, which led to his appointment as Chief Prosecutor at Kosovo Specialist Chambers where he served prior to his DOJ appointment. The International Criminal Court located in The Hague in the Netherlands had him, since 2018, investigating and prosecuting war crimes during the Kosovo War.

It is said of Smith that if he doesn’t see a valid case, there will be no prosecution, and if it moves to the next level it’s because the evidence and facts exist, and he will see it to the end. Two prominent cases in his past involve Representative Tom Delay of Texas, where the evidence was slim, and so the case was dropped; the other was against Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards for alleged campaign violations to hide an extramarital affair – is there an echo in the room? Anyway, a deadlocked jury resulted in the DOJ dropping that case. Success hit its mark against a former president, however, who still languishes in jail in The Hague – the case of Kosovo’s Hashim Thaçi, accused of countenancing atrocities including mass rape, murder, ethnic cleansing and other crimes against humanity. Had Smith not injured his leg in a cycling accident, afterwards spending time in recovery, he might have been devoting efforts toward laying out the criminal case against Vladimir Putin, which came to light last week, but the call to take on the DOJ case against Trump in November was one for which he is highly qualified.

Prosecutor Smith would definitely be classified by Republicans as a ‘woke’ individual who is taking things too far, a progressive who wants to tear down their golden orange idol for the crimes they refuse to recognize. The conservatives have stolen a term originating in African American vernacular which meant ‘awake to injustice and racial prejudice’ but has now evolved in some progressive circles to have a broader meaning – with the word ‘enlightened.’ Unable to come up with their own original term to heap division and hate upon the libs, the GOP purloined a peaceful word and made it into a dog whistle for bigotry and a term of ridicule for a person who is too sensitive. The efforts by Republicans to stop progress and change to ‘make America great again’ seems to be the perfect impetus for us to reclaim the term and become ‘woke‘ to the nth degree!

We can rest assured that San Francisco’s city-appointed 15-member reparations committee will be thrown into the ‘woke’ pile after proposing that every qualifying Black adult should receive payments of five million dollars, accompanied by the elimination of debt and taxes, with a guaranteed annual income of at least $97,000 for 250 years and homes for the family priced at one dollar. The draft reparations proposal with over one hundred recommendations was released in December, but unsurprisingly, has encountered pushback from a wide spectrum of critics. The plan seeks to atone for centuries of slavery and systemic racism, and recently upon reviewing the outline for the first time, the S.F. Board of Supervisors gave their support, many believing that cost should not be a hindrance to doing the right thing. No cost analysis has been done so far, but critics say it is financially and politically impossible, with Stanford University’s Hoover Institution estimating a cost of around $600,000 for each non-Black citizen of San Francisco. Some analysts say that reparations should not subject the taxpayers in municipalities which never enslaved Blacks with payouts to those who were not enslaved. A final committee report will be released in June, in which the body can approve, reject or change the various specifics of the plan as they also keep an eye on the stratagems being developed by other cities and states across the country. Evanston, Illinois was the first city in the country to fund reparations, with Boston’s City Council forming a task force to do a study.

The delusional GOP Representative George Santos of New York, under the grinding weight of investigations by the House Ethics Committee, a county prosecutor in New York, and with the country of Brazil reviewing charges made from his short residency there, continues to show up for short speeches on the House floor and has filed paperwork for a possible run for reelection. Among the many lies about his background fed to the electorate during his campaign was his claim of being from a Jewish family of Holocaust survivors – a falsehood he later admitted to spreading. But keeping all his irons in the fire in the event he has to give up his House seat, either through resignation or being unseated by his colleagues, rumor has it that he will move to San Francisco, identify as Black and get in line for the reparations when they become available. Luckily for Santos, somehow Ancestors-‘R-Us.com found that he comes from slaves who became sharecroppers after their forced servitude in Mississippi, never receiving their ‘forty acres and a mule.’ So, let’s all agree we that at the least he deserves a donkey as he fights the windmills of his delusions?

“Government is the Entertainment division of the military-industrial complex.” – Frank Zappa

RINGLEADERS AND KNOW-NOTHINGS BEARING BEAR SPRAY

Representative George Santos of New York, who is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee for misconduct and unlawful activity in his congressional campaign, has been recognized by a Brazilian man who pleaded guilty to credit card fraud in 2017, identifying Santos as the ringleader of the Seattle-based scheme. Gustavo Ribeiro Trehla recognized the credit card skimmer-in-chief from TV appearances, as Anthony Devolder, the alias he was using at the time, as the one who taught him the skimming technique and how to clone ATMs and credit cards after they met in 2016 in Florida. Reconnoitering later in Seattle, they implemented their plan, which resulted in Trehla’s arrest, and deportation, ending their scheme for a supposed 50/50 split of the take. After the Brazilian’s arrest, Santos visited the jail, threatening him if he squealed, and stealing his bail money, as anybody could have guessed, of course. A lawyer for Santos had no comment regarding investigations into potential financial crimes by both US state and federal agencies, and Brazilian authorities. No word yet of any Kevin McCarthy involvement in this arrangement.

Columnist Dana Milbank of the Washington Post accuses McCarthy of being as boastful of his ignorance as were the adherents of the Know-Nothing Party of the 1850s, because he has no answers to any questions directed toward him…he hasn’t read it, seen it, or heard about it. After giving FoxNews‘ Tucker Carlson the video security footage from the January 6 Insurrection, who then aired select portions on his show to falsely claim the day was “mostly peaceful”, Kev asserted, “I didn’t see what was aired.” Senator Mitch McConnell rebuked McCarthy for his contribution, calling Carlson’s presentation an “outrageous, false and offensive portrayal of the insurrection,” but, McCarthy “didn’t see” Mitch’s blast. Trump’s provocative January 6 speech on the Ellipse sending his followers to sack the Capitol? “I didn’t watch it,” says Mac. When Representative Andrew Clyde of Georgia called the rioting rampagers a “normal tourist visit”? “I don’t know what Congressman Clyde said…I didn’t see it,” sez Mr. Mac. The bipartisan agreement to form a commission to probe J6? “I haven’t read it through,” parrots the Macster. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s harassment of fellow reps? Little Mac missed that – doesn’t “know what happened.” Asked by CNN’s Manu Raj if he had regrets after turning over the J6 footage to Tuck-Tuck, he replied, “No, look, each person can come up with their own conclusion.” Own conclusion about what? The stupidity of releasing the videos to a fascist wanna-be, or the fiery, anarchist, speech of The Don to launch the attack by his ignorant horde?

Milbank says, “At best, McCarthy’s willful cluelessness is just a dodge. But this week, McCarthy’s see-no-evil approach was just plain evil.” Several other Republicans spoke up calling Carlson’s presentation, “Inexcusable b.s.,” ,”whitewashing,” “dangerous and disgusting”; however, there were those who claimed the show “demolished the Dems dishonest narrative”, even appearing on the show to congratulate him on his deceit. Rupert Murdoch, Fox Corporation chairman, has voiced that perpetrating The Big Lie should have had more restraint, since the truth was known within the walls of Fox. Senate Majority Leader Schumer charged McCarthy with making “our democracy weaker,” preferring to put himself and his repulsive hangers-on before the security of the country. Milbank concludes with ,“And McCarthy isn’t finished with his depredations. (Marjorie Taylor) Greene, given a position of influence and respectability by the speaker, is launching a probe, complete with a field trip to a D.C. jail, into the “inhumane treatment” allegedly suffered by the accused insurrectionists awaiting trial. McCarthy has also given the green light to a new probe designed to challenge the conclusions of the J6 Committee. The man who will lead that panel, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) declared this week that Americans “didn’t see the other side” of the insurrection. “I think the truth is going to be somewhere between the violent videos and the supposedly peaceful actions there,” he said.”

“No. The only truth is that J6 was a violent attack on the seat of American democracy. There was nothing peaceful about an armed insurrection attempting to overturn an election – even if some people there that day weren’t themselves violent. But that truth – and this democracy – are threatened by a dangerously weak speaker of the House, who has concluded that the only way to preserve his own power is to support Fox News in its sabotage of this country.”

Charles P. Pierce in Esquire admits to feeling a bit ashamed about his initial reaction to the Carlson/McCarthy video deal saying, “Holy hell, was it funny. He apparently culled every piece of January 6 video he could find in which nobody does anything and then used it to suggest (and I quote): More than 44,000 hours of surveillance footage from in around the Capitol have been withheld from the public, and once you see the video, you’ll understand why. Taken as a whole, the video does not support the claim that January 6 was an insurrection. In fact, it demolishes that claim. The crowd was enormous. A small percentage of them were hooligans, they committed vandalism…but the overwhelming majority weren’t. They were peaceful, they were ordinary and meek. These were not insurrectionists, they were sightseers.”

“I know that every time I get on the sightseeing trolley on the National Mall, I bring along my bear spray. Just in case Tucker Carlson shows up in G.I. Joe cosplay. I mean, it could happen! The extended farce on Fox is going to go on for awhile, and the rest of us are obligated to poke as much fun as we can at the ruined tree on which Carlson has hung the bleeding carcass of his professional career.” 

Politico says, “Indeed, polls show that there just isn’t much of a constituency in the GOP primary for anyone criticizing Trump on January 6. More than two years after the riot, the share of Republicans who disapprove of Trump supporters taking over the Capitol building has fallen to 49 percent, from 74 percent in 2021, according to a recent Economist/YouGov poll. And even if Republicans didn’t like what they saw that day, a majority of them don’t blame Trump.” Pierce ends his piece with, “There wasn’t a single actual patriot in that hall. The Fifth Column now stretches into the distance, out of sight.”

And trying a bit harder to gain some traction in his lead-up to a presidential bid, former VP Mike Pence delivered his strongest rebuke yet of his former Orange Boss, criticizing his role in the days leading to the J6 riot to overturn the election and rewrite history. In a Saturday night speech before the journalists of the annual Gridiron dinner in D.C. – no TV cameras, so he could be daring…ooooh! – he said Trump was wrong about his sidekick’s ability to overturn the election before the assembled Congress, and that history will hold the former prez responsible. History? We don’t need no stinkin’ history – we need the courts to act…NOW! Pence still holds a grudge about the dangers that he and all those present in the assembled chamber, including his own family, faced on that day, yet he still refuses to appear before the grand jury investigating the invasion of the Capitol to testify under oath.

The Gridiron is generally a lighthearted event, with sketches, comedy bits and parody songs by the press corps, but Pence ended his segment saying there is one topic he would not joke about, “The American people have a right to know what took place at the Capitol on January 6th, but make no mistake about it, what happened that day was a disgrace, and it mocks decency to portray it in any other way.”

Social media comments bloomed following his appearance, none too complimentary: Coward needs to testify!; Too little, too late!; Said not out of duty, not out of patriotism, nor love of this family, but as a political tactic in his quest for power. Sad; A Faustian character lurking in the shadows of the Capitol corridors in his under-the-table manner, believing Trump is dog meat in 2024…so much for his soul; A crock! He previously hemmed and hawed when asked about J6, refusing to criticize his boss, kissing his butt for his own sake; No one likes you, Mike. Go home!; Say what you want, Mikey. You’re still a loathsome, intolerant Bible-thumping windbag; What?! And wake up tomorrow next to a bloody horse’s head? No way! Better a live chicken than a dead duck!; If Pence was any more amorphous he’d end up in a lava lamp on ‘Mother’s‘ prayer commode! Or, as a car lot dancer!

We all know the symbolism of snowflakes contained in story and legend, their delicate beauty being rendered in art as jewelry or other art forms, perhaps in psychedelic art. So who could refuse to accept a gifted piece of framed art bestowed by an admirer in Iowa, a state that knows snowflakes well. The recipient was none other than Florida’s GOP governor, Ron DeSantis as he paid a visit to that state to gauge his popularity as a possible presidential candidate. He smilingly posed for photos holding up the shiny gift for all to see, a gift that had also been presented to Iowa’s GOP governor Kim Reynolds. Only later was it revealed to have a secret message (times six), each of the six branches of the hand-crafted snowflake decoratively spelling out the word ‘Fascist’. Right-wing broadcaster Laura Loomer, tweeted, “DeSantis got trolled in Iowa. Read the snowflake…,” to the one million plus viewers who viewed it across the media. “If the snowflake fits…,” tweeted Connecticut senator Bob Duff.

Glitch number two for the DeSantis visit occurred when a video truck appeared outside the event, playing clips showing his earlier conflicting statements on social security from which he has since attempted to distance himself. Privatization of the program, along with raising the retirement age were espoused, but with public opposition and the GOP trying to calm the waves have brought him more in line with the prevailing trend. And, he couldn’t escape without Mocker-in-Chief Trump’s commentary, “Very small crowds for Ron DeSanctimonious in Iowa. He’s against farmers, Social Security, and Medicare, so why would people show up – other than fake stories from fake news!” Give that man a red snowflake baseball cap!

And there we have it! The battle of dunces has started in which there can only be one winner between these two losers. Matt Lewis, a conservative columnist for The Daily Beast, says that if DeSantis is serious in his quest, he must disclose everything in his past that Trump might weaponize against him. If we know Blitzkrieg Bozo, he already has an arsenal of cudgels ready to go, so Lewis says to head him off. This won’t end well, however, because, as we know, each contender is ‘smarter than anybody else.’ The best scenario will have Trump, who is going down anyway, take DeSantis down with him. And, ‘Mother‘ is telling Mikey to just keep his mouth shut from here on out.

CHARIOTABLE RUTS ON THE CLIFF ROAD

Twenty percent of the seats were empty, and The Trumpster failed to get enthusiastic responses to his calculated applause lines at times, but the ballroom crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) gathering outside D.C. in Oxon Hill, Md., managed to give him a 62% showing in the straw poll against other possible GOP presidential nominees. He declared, “In 2016, I declared I am your voice. Today I add: I am your warrior, I am your justice – and for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution. I will totally obliterate the deep state.”

It was lauded by many as ‘Woodstock for Conservatives’, and even dubbed as ‘TPAC’ – “It’s Trumpism – it’s Trump’s party!” GOP activists, lawmakers, donors and other known right-wing movers and shakers attended the event, but it was ignored by several prominent GOP hopefuls, such as Ron DeSantis and Mike Pence who are hedging their bets on declaring their intentions so far. But VP hopeful Marjorie Taylor Greene was there…and Ted Cruz…and Matt Gaetz…and Lauren Boebert…and Ron Johnson…and Jim Jordan…and DJT Jr. – not a ‘woke‘ bunch by any means, just a bunch of whiners! Fewer college Republicans attended the conference this year, and Fox News was a no-show. Thursday night found DeSantis at a fund raiser in Florida organized by the Club for Growth, after which he departed for a GOP rally in Texas on Friday, and then on to California’s Reagan Library for a Sunday speech.

CPAC was graced by aspirants Nikki Haley, an announced candidate, and Mike Pompeo who is still putting out feelers for a possible run. Following Haley’s speech, she was heckled by Trump supporters shouting, “We love Trump!” as they waved their signs, banners and red caps in support of the beloved, but disgraced former president. A Yahoo News/YouGov poll released last week has Trump being favored 45% to 41% over DeSantis, a reasonably commanding path forward for the Retributionator. Such news is a disturbing factor to most Senate Republicans who doubt that their Agent Orange can upend Biden in another contest, and besides, what happened to predictions that his star would fade in time? It seems that his base is the unyielding white, uneducated, working-class conservative evangelicals, and rural voters, leaving DeSantis’ moderates and Never-Trump voters hard-pressed to make any inroads into that lead. GOP strategist, and former Senate aide, Brian Darling, says, “It’s clear that Trump is the front-runner and Republicans in Washington need to get used to that idea,” even though it gives them “a case of heartburn.”

Ron DeSantis is working feverishly to stay in the news cycle, and his method seems to be proclaiming his state of Florida as the last bastion of human freedom in the country, all while banning books, attacking the Disney Corporation, and passing the ‘Stop W.O.K.E.’ Act, the Parental Rights in Education Law, and House Bill 1467. Classrooms in Duval County had 176 titles removed last year, and 1.6 million book titles are under review by a ‘certified media specialist,’ prompting some teachers to cover book collections or remove them for safekeeping. The vague ‘Parental Rights’ law, which critics named the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ statute, reads, “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.” Perfectly tailored to have people on the ground err on the side of not talking about the subject at all!

The State College Board has been forced to change the curriculum for AP African American Studies, echoing DeSantis‘ claim that the course lacked ‘educational value’ for covering subjects such as queer theory or the prison abolition movement, and that it is historically inaccurate, violating state law on teaching of race issue. The ‘Stop W.O.K.E.’ act asserts that “schools are teaching Whites that they are evil racists and Blacks that they are morally superior to White counterparts,” resulting in this legislation calling for strict penalties. The never-ending social force of race is now forced out of the classroom, and according to PEN America is likely unconstitutional since it applies to public colleges and universities.

This DeSantis attack also pushes for tenured professors to come under ‘review’ every five years, even as he pushes for more frequent reviews by a board appointed by himself. Since the point of tenure is to protect teachers from retribution (that word again!), this move will affect what educators can teach and how they conduct research. That’s hardly tenure, Mr. D!”

Conclusion: Horse’s asses control everything. To wit: The US standard railroad gauge, distance between rails, is 4′ 8.5″, used by the English engineers who designed our first railroads. This measurement was adopted because the same people built the wagon tramways, using the jigs and tools for their vehicles’ wheel spacing. The old rutted roads of England tended to break any other spacing, so that gauge worked well inside the ruts. Those rutted roads were built by Imperial Rome for their legions, with war chariots forming the initial ruts, so the Romans and the English had to follow the ruts to preserve the integrity of their conveyances. The widths of the chariots were determined by the haunches’ width of two horses – bureaucracies never end!

The above was posted on Quora by Dasha Taran, who adds: The two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the fuel tank of the Space Shuttle were made by Thiokol in Utah. The designing engineers preferred that they be made a bit wider, but shipping by train through the mountain tunnels to the launch site wouldn’t allow a wider load, accommodations roomy enough only for a Roman war chariot pulled by two horses. A Greek solution with a Pegasus or two might have solved this dilemma!

And speaking of horses haunches, Chairman Rupert Murdoch of News Corp. and its ASSet Fox News, acknowledged in a deposition as part of the lawsuit against Fox by Dominion Voting Systems, that hosts on the network promoted the false narrative that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Cadet Bonespurs and the Tin Foil Hat Brigade by a secret algorithm in their machines. Hosts Sean Hannity, Jeanine Pirro, Lou Dobbs and Maria Bartiromo were pinpointed as endorsers of this fake news, about which Murdoch “would have liked us to be stronger in denouncing in hindsight.” With a $1.6 billion defamation suit staring you in the face, we have to believe you, Rupe! Dominion has built a trove of evidence to drill home its central allegation: Those running the popular network knew The Don’s claims of voter fraud were wrong but chose to broadcast them anyway. Murdoch could have kept the Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani interviews from airing, but chose not to do so. A Delaware judge has scheduled an April trial start, which should be a real drama as Fox tries to justify its ratings and profit motive over being truthful to its viewers.

The backlash by viewers in response to Fox being the first news source declaring Biden the winner in Arizona, with a projection that he would win overall, saw a shift to other conservative news outlets, causing Fox’s move to overcome the exodus with its lies. That the show hosts offered no pushback and little discussion to the lies of their guests makes the cry for First Amendment rights seem a bit outside the ruts. Many observers are predicting that either Hannity or Dobbs, or both, will be offered up as sacrificial lambs in this fiasco, but let’s hold out for adding Tucker Carlson, who is not on the ‘list’ and is the ratings king, to this lineup! No reason we can’t have a troika pulling this broken chariot over the cliff!

February 26

RIGHT-WING REWRITES, EDITS AND REASSESSMENTS

Rhode Island Representative and ranking House Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, Seth Magaziner, says he is deeply disturbed that House Speaker McCarthy has given sensitive security surveillance footage from the January 6 D.C. insurrection to Tucker Carlson of FoxNews…“because it was promised.” A group of news outlets have enlisted the help of attorney Charles Tobin to request of congressional leadership all closed-circuit camera footage recorded both inside and outside the Capitol on that day be given to them, saying, “The incredible public interest in understanding what transpired on January 6 crosses party lines.” McCarthy has previously said reviewing the tapes would “let everybody make their own judgement.” So what are we to think if a photoshopped Joe Biden and Jimmy Carter are exposed as they carry a banner bearing an ANTIFA message? Or if Hillary is seen with Nancy Pelosi ripping up Trump posters?

The approximately 41,000 hours of footage will allow Carlson’s team to reassemble it in such a way to allow him to continue questioning the significance of that event, as well as carrying on with attacks on the House Select Committee investigation and its conclusions. Senate Majority Leader Schumer slammed Mac’s decision, accusing him of “needlessly” exposing the Capitol to further security risks by giving information to those who are planning future attacks. Attorney Tobin cited a federal appeals court case that found the government cannot selectively exclude certain outlets from information which might otherwise be available to the public. His letter to congressional leaders McCarthy, Scalise, Jeffries, Schumer and McConnell claims, “Without full public access to the complete historical record, there is concern that an ideologically-based narrative of an already polarizing event will take hold in the public consciousness, with destabilizing risks to the legitimacy of Congress, the Capitol Police, and the various federal investigations and prosecutions of January 6 crimes.” Tobin also sent an expedited request under the Freedom of Information Act on behalf of ten news organizations, as well as The Associated Press and The New York Times.

Announcing a lawsuit against McCarthy because his pillows were evidently over-fluffed, perhaps left out in the rain, is Mike Lindell of MyPillow fame. He let Steve Bannon know of his plans, and of his anger at the House leader for daring to favor Tucker Carlson by bestowing such a gift, claiming he is “injured” that Fox was selected over him, as Mac curries favor with the propagandist, and now he wants his due! So, maybe for once we can agree with this goofball…for our own reasons? Let’s also roll our eyes around a few times – as even the GOP seems to be doing.

As if the toxic East Palestine, Ohio train derailment wasn’t bad enough, The Former Guy felt the need to show up at the site last week, and it proved to be toxic to the ego of Mr. Trump. After the visit he did his usual braggadocio of what a success it had been, as he handed out Trump-labeled bottles of water along with McDonald’s delicacies. On Truth Social he crowed that his visit was seen by 180 million viewers on both social and traditional media…“numbers off the charts!” Interesting to note that NO major stations carried his visit. Your major coverage is coming, however, Donny! He added, “The visit meant a lot for the people of East Palestine and the surrounding communities. The trip gave them hope and raised awareness needed to combat the incompetence of the Biden Administration.” He failed to mention that relaxation of rail regulations during his term likely led to the unfortunate accident. No word on the number of paper towel rolls he tossed to the assembled for use in sopping up the mess.

The former prez is by now realizing that the DOJ Special Counsel, Jack Smith, is heavily into pursuit of indicting him in a criminal case, especially after three of his attorneys have testified against him before a grand jury. Now it turns out that an aide of Trump’s brought a box of additional classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after being stored at a leased office elsewhere in Palm Beach. With headlines screaming about the discovery of classified material at M-a-L, who or what figured the coast was clear enough to bring another stash to the scene of the crime? Malice, extreme negligence, or stupidity? Smith will have to make that determination, but somebody squealed, and it indicates that DJT’s people are cooperating with DOJ, with him squarely in the viewfinder.

Compounding this issue is discovery that the documents were found on a laptop recovered from the aide, according to attorney Danny Cevallos, a giant problem for Trump because the information could be transferred easily to thumb drives to serve whatever purpose Traitor Trump had in mind. The aide, not an attorney, was working for Trump’s favored Save America PAC, and being a governmental outsider is a clear national security issue. The hard copy classified documents were distributed among miscellaneous papers, such as schedules, McDonald’s menus, ketchup packets and napkins, but it is noteworthy that they were scanned with a phone by the aide upon being instructed to do so, then transferred to the laptop. Special Counsel Smith now has the documents, the laptop and a thumb drive, plus testimony of the aide. Get your popcorn, peanuts and Cocolas, ready!

The Save America PAC is The Don’s favorite, in particular because the actual name should be the Save Trump PAC, as we discover that more than ten million dollars of the sixteen million dollars spent on legal-related expenses went to the Former Guy’s legal bills in the two previous years according to filings. Some of the money was paid to lawyers representing witnesses in investigations related to Stop the Steal efforts, but about $10M went to law firms repping for Trump in a series of investigations and lawsuits…some related to Trump, Inc. So, who says Mr. T refuses to pay his attorneys? However, this poses the question about whether he can get away with this as a presidential candidate. “Payment by a PAC that exceeds the contribution limit are contributions to the candidate and are unlawful,” reports Jason Torchinsky, a campaign finance expert with Holtzman Vogel. For the current two-year political cycle, donation limits are set at $3,300.

Pomeranian Margie T. Greene yapped out her criticism of Joe Biden’s sneak visit into Ukraine recently, barking, “Put America First!!!” Calling Ukraine the 51st state, she has long denounced the billions in aid sent to that country in its battle against the Russian invasion. Referring to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “the shadow president” when he appeared before Congress, she called the visit “absurd,” with many in the far-right wing of the GOP in agreement. Malcontent Marge, in her brazen self-pity, laments her “low” congressional salary and the fact that the job is “practically year-round. Becoming a member of Congress has made my life miserable.” Po’ li’l thang! Folks, do we know a better way to spend $174,000? You bet! Let’s work on it!

Speaking of complainers…we find cartoonist Scott Adams, along with his long-extant ‘Dilbert‘ comic strip, may have hit the wall with his extreme-right wing comments calling Black Americans a “hate group, and White people should get the hell away from them.” He is well-known for his ideologies and Trumpist conspiracy theories, but became upset after reading a Rasmussen poll that found a thin majority of Blacks agreed with the statement “It’s okay to be white.” On his YouTube show, the 65-year old Adams blamed Black Americans for not “focusing on education. I’m also really sick of seeing video after video of Blacks beating up on non-Black citizens.”

This outburst prompted many newspapers to cancel his comic strip, and if Adams‘ prediction rings true, he will be down to “zero distribution by Monday,” suggesting he had done irreparable harm to his career…“There’s no way you can come back from this.” Darrin Bell, ‘Candorville‘ cartoonist, the first Black artist to win the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning, said, “His racism is not even unique among cartoonists,” and compared him to having views held in the Jim Crow era. Upon cancellation of the ‘Dilbert‘ TV show, Adams in 2020 claimed, “It’s the third job I lost for being White,” and in 2022, he tweeted his intent to “self-identify as a Black woman.”

Recently dropped by the San Francisco Chronicle, ‘Dilbert‘ had “stopped being hilarious, to being hurtful and mean,” according to editor-in-chief, Emilio Garcia-Ruiz. “Very few readers noticed when we killed it, and we only had a handful of complaints.” Looks like R.I.P. (Reprints In Podunk), ‘Dilbert‘!

Oops! Texas and a gun in the news again! The elementary school superintendent in a school district near Abilene has resigned because a third grader found his forgotten pistol in a school bathroom. Robby Stuteville’s three decade service in the district, two years as the super, came to an end with “a grave mistake,” as he pointed out. In an interview he admitted the permitted gun was left unattended for about fifteen minutes before being found. “There was never a danger other than the obvious,” Stuteville claimed. Adding, “Guns (are) a considerable danger,” and that the child had done well “to be on the lookout for any unusual placement of a weapon or anything out of place.” Anybody else think Robby is unclear on the concept? Approval to carry guns came about after the Uvalde school shooting to ensure protection of students, terming it a ‘reassessment.’ Time for a ‘re-reassessment!’

COVID-19 pandemic is over!?! So, hopeful travelers are jamming the phone lines and websites of the airlines and ticket agents to plan getaways, plaguing the air carriers with a growing, four-wheeled problem in the form of – wheelchairs! A dramatic increase in wheelchair requests and wheelchair assistance has arisen. Is it that more passengers with physical limitations are flying? Or is it crafty, deceitful passengers attempting to be among the first to board a flight? Short-staffed airlines are having difficulties at handling such an abundance of requests for those seeking perks, which can result in late departures, and a resultant reduced operating profit in some cases. As the industry becomes more aware of this problem, many of the trips are called ‘Jesus Flights’, as the limitations seem to be ‘healed’ during the flight, wheelchairs are cast aside, and the passenger skips down the steps to the tarmac into their vacation site. Air carriers are reducing the number of summer flights, meaning sold-out flights, and a wheelchair issue coming to prominence, so prepare for delays and discomfort – and whatever your travel plans, don’t get on a plane transporting Margie or Scott, for sure!

February 20

Whoa, hold the presses…oops too late! This line from my February 8-14 Musings in BrattonOnline  submission had a glaring typo that simply can’t stand: ‘Former Trump personal attorney, Michael Cohen, recently appeared for testimony in the Manhattan DA’s probe into the $13,000 hush money paid by Trump to Stormy Daniels for her silence in their affair during the 2016 presidential campaign.’ Dropping that critical ‘0’ from $130,000 made it sound like chump change for DJT, though chump change it is…in many ways!

Manhattan District Attorney Bragg leaked to the media several weeks back that he was presenting a criminal case against The Former Guy, after dragging his heels for about a year. According to Trump’s former attorney, Cohen, he has given testimony on at least sixteen different occasions in this case, and in several interviews with Nicolle Wallace on MSNBC he has made clear he believes things have finally gotten serious, having given very specific details to the DA of his activities under Trump’s employment.

Cohen wholeheartedly endorses the legitimacy of the investigation, and in his best-selling book, ‘Revenge’, he was overtly critical of various prosecutors for not doing their jobs properly, and with zeal. He expects Trump and others, who he declines to name, will be held accountable not only in this $130,000 campaign fraud case, but in a more extensive range of charges. He says this with a radiant and gleeful demeanor, not wishing to blemish the progress…’revenge’, indeed!

Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith has marked successes in persuading three of DJT’s attorneys to testify for several hours before the grand jury – Evan Corcoran, Christina Bobb, and Alina Habba. The whole story needs some clarification evidently, as Smith is going through a court process to force them to come back for additional questioning. The DOJ has done some heavy persuading to the courts to let such a thing happen, indicating that Smith and Justice are succeeding at removing attorney-client privilege roadblocks, and molding The Don’s legal phalanx into star witnesses toward his indictment. As expected, Trump exploded on his Truth Social network, that Smith is using intimidation on his team with “never seen antics.” He is assuming that the attorneys sold him down the river, and now victimhood is in order. Light, medium or dark toast, Donnie?

Several weeks after requesting the transcripts from the January 6th Committee’s closed door transcripts, the DOJ is putting its foot down with a demand that they be turned over. The committee was waiting until the public hearings were completed to prevent any leaks, but now the time is ripe as Justice appears to be determined to prosecute those criminal targets who previously refused to give testimony to the DOJ.

Another story which is getting increased coverage (and should be shouted from the proverbial rooftops), thanks to the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against FoxNews, is the discovery that the big names at the network are nothing but a pack of liars, all the while knowing that their reporting about failures of Dominion’s machines in the 2020 election was false. Yet, they chose to interview the likes of Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell who made outrageous claims that the election had been stolen from Trump and the Republicans. The $1.6 billion suit has been strengthened by obtaining FoxNews internal documentation that reveal executives and news personalities knew what they were doing, with page after page of quotes by Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, Rupert Murdoch himself, and FoxNews Media CEO Suzanne Scott.

The case is so strong, that a motion for summary judgment has been filed, where a judge could rule that based on evidence and material facts that a trial is unnecessary. By going this route, the question of damages would not be settled, and in fact, a summary judgment is usually desired by a defendant; but, in this case it is Dominion that is asking for this ruling, since defamation suits are difficult. RonNell Andersen Jones, at S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah says, “It gives a powerful preview of one of the best-supported claims of actual malice we have seen in any major-media case.”

Fox knew its reporting and interviews were total poppycock, but they had their base viewers who expected their messaging, and they had Newsmax and OAN to fear as alternative sources for the crazies. Tucker Carlson is quoted saying to his producer, “Sidney Powell is lying by the way. I caught her. It’s insane. It’s unbelievably offensive to me. Our viewers are good people and they believe it.” Laura Ingraham tells Carlson and Sean Hannity, “Sidney Powell is a bit nuts. No one will work with her…ditto with Rudy.” And, Rupert Murdoch calls it, “Really crazy stuff.” Trump supporters were already incensed that Fox called Arizona for Joe Biden on election night, so the network had to offer them a bit of what they wanted in the form of fake news. On January 5, 2021, Murdoch suggested that the Big Three should announce that the election is over with a Biden win, trying to stop the Trump myth of the Big Steal. CEO Scott privately warned him about making viewers angry, so the lies went forward about Dominion machines stealing the votes with appearances by Powell and Giuliani for weeks. Lou Dobbs had Powell on his show with her fraud and algorithm lies, after she had filed her infamous ‘kraken’ lawsuits, with Dobbs calling them “complete b.s.” Carlson, however, was not ready to capitulate to the truth, saying, “It’s measurably hurting the company. The stock price is down. Not a joke.”

Carlson’s worries about the stock prices may have been influenced by Pillow Man Mike Lindell who came on his show to further denigrate Dominion, as a top advertiser for his pillow empire. How did Fox let this suit reach such a point, with all the damaging evidence being publicly aired and presented to the court? And, still the main messenger about a stolen election is Mr. Carlson! Even billionaire Murdoch was doing all in his power to assist Trump in his Georgia election escapade, all the while keeping an eye on the competition’s ratings in order to hold their business model together…more concerned about ratings than the truth. Anchor Bret Baier punctuated the behind-the-scenes messaging, writing, “There is NO evidence of fraud,” to one of his bosses. During a November 9 broadcast, Neil Cavuto cut away from a live briefing by White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, saying, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Unless she has more detail to back that up, I can’t in good countenance continue to show this,” as he warned viewers that she was making unsubstantiated claims of fraud.

As they plodded forward, later that month Fox showed the complete news conference of Powell and Giuliani as they outlined their case for election fraud, a performance that Murdoch called “really crazy stuff and damaging.” By now, as Fox host Dana Perino warned of a lawsuit from Dominion, CEO Scott directed that the crazies shouldn’t be given an inch. She acknowledged a breach of trust with their viewers which could be fixed, “but we cannot smirk our viewers any longer.” For the first time in twenty years, the network saw its ratings fall below those of CNN and MSNBC. One thorn in the side of Fox viewers was the belief that anchor Chris Wallace had pitched unfair questions at Trump during one of the debates with Biden, along with the later prediction that Joe would take Arizona in the election. Sean Hannity wrote to Carlson and Ingraham that these two incidents had “destroyed a brand that took 25 years to build and the damage is incalculable.” “It’s vandalism,” Carlson responded.

Truth and democracy? Meh! Respecting an audience who has an appetite for lies, and executives who care about ratings and their stock portfolios, while keeping the audience tuned in and outraged over falsehoods and conspiracy theories…that’s the ticket! Achieving expanded ballot access to include mail-in voting, and ensuring that every voice is heard and that every vote counts make up the elements we must defend as we move forward to the next voting cycle to retain our democracy.

DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed former VP Pence to testify about the events leading up to the J6 Insurrection, but Pence intends to fight having to do so with a claim of executive privilege, or by using the Constitution’s ‘Speech and debate clause.’ This clause was used Senator Lindsey Graham to avoid testifying before the Fulton County Georgia grand jury, to no avail, because it covers only questioning regarding legislative acts. The reality is that Indiana Mike will only be delaying the inevitable as he puts up a fight to appear strong to Trump’s base, a base he will need if he expects to get any traction in his feeble attempt to gain support in a run at the presidential nomination… to be announced. Pence can only hope that Trump is deeply mired in the morass of court cases, or better yet, tucked away in an orange jumpsuit at the proper time.

Laurence Tribe and Dennis Aftergut wrote in Slate, “Pence is trying to have it both ways legally. He invoked the separation of powers to wrap himself in executive branch garb so as to avoid testifying before Congress’ Jan. 6 committee, and now he is invoking a privilege designed to protect lawmakers to wrap himself in legislative branch garb so as to avoid testifying in a grand jury. Heads, he wins; tails, the law’s search for truth loses. His purpose is transparent. It’s not to protect our legal institutions but to protect himself and his ambition to run for the White House.” They go on to say that Pence should know he is making a novel, but legally frivolous claim, and that we can count on him to produce high-minded public statements about how his goal is to preserve and protect the Constitution…a pick up line from George Santos without the grandiloquence? All the while, ‘Mother’ is holding the cue cards.

And speaking of Mr. Santos, is it possible that the Flaxen Klaxon, Marjorie Taylor Greene, was outfitted in her Pomeranian outfit at Biden’s State of the Union speech, by Santos and his Friends of Pets United organization? Perhaps Rupert Murdoch and his staff can throw some light onto this rumor.

The Fulton County Georgia grand jury report has been released in part, without naming names on possible indictments which will come later. Significantly, the report did say that some witnesses likely committed perjury, leaving no doubt that the process left no escape for any of The Don’s cohorts to slide on by. There was an extensive list of Trump people called to testify, despite court battles to fight doing so – if called, you appear, if you refuse you are held in contempt. False testimony results in indictment by the prosecutor…slam dunk! As one Twitter user said, “Lindsey Graham has either perjured himself or threw Trump under the bus. Can’t have it both ways.”

Now the waiting game, with the judge in the case assisting DA Fani Willis in keeping the relevant parts of her report under tight control as she exercises the necessary legal procedures for bringing the indictments. So, legal peril or dump on Trump? That’s how this works for the those under subpoena, and it’s doubtful we will see any magic tricks to shield Trump and his co-conspirators.

Unless…unless…the scandal-rocked Supreme Court manages to stay together long enough to muddy the waters. We all know the ethics violations perpetrated by Justice Thomas and his wife, Ginny. Now we learn that Chief Justice Roberts‘ wife, Jane, has been paid millions of dollars in commissions by law firms who have had cases before the high court – one alone having argued 125 times in those hallowed halls of justice! We only know this from a former coworker of Roberts, and not because there is legally binding code of ethics by which the court can govern itself. Who can doubt that the funds flowing into their coffers is an effort to influence rulings? We won’t mention Ginni Thomas and her income from the Heritage Foundation, Liberty Central and other tea party-type organizations. The Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act was introduced by the House and Senate Judiciary Committees which would create a means of investigating misconduct in the Court, to strengthen recusal standards and disclosure rules, and mandate a binding code of ethics. All other federal judges are expected to follow a code of conduct, but the Supremes exempt themselves…because they can! To see this to a satisfactory conclusion, it will take public support to overcome the right-wing Federalist Society’s influence in our governmental bodies. No more pillow-talk for the Thomases!

Let’s close with the old favorite descriptions of Ayn Rand’s novel, ‘Atlas Shrugged.’ The first says, “This is a novel not to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.” The other reads, “There are two novels that can change a fourteen-year old’s life: ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Atlas Shrugged.’ One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.” And, surprise of surprises, George Santos was revealed to be a ghost writer for Ms. Rand! Who’da thought?

February 13

Dale will return next week

February 6

TRIAL BALLOONS AND PORKER INDICTMENTS

As the country looks up to the sky searching for more Chinese surveillance balloons, the accident rate remains pretty much unchanged from the days when everyone looked down at their cell phones. The balloon’s trip across the USA resulted in ripples in the fabric of international relations, as well as a domestic brouhaha in Washington, DC. The PRC called the balloon a civilian craft, a weather balloon that the US had no business destroying, and precipitating a cancelation of the planned visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China. Speculation that the ill-timed launch of the balloon was done by the hard-line component in the Chinese military as a poke in the eye to US…or maybe it was simply done in error through non-communication within the governmental departments. Intelligence has determined that the PRC has a ‘fleet‘ of thirty to forty of these spy craft, and that they have been tracked around the world, notably, at least three sailing over this country during the Trump administration. The Donald responded, “The Chinese had too much respect for me to do that…I know nothing of the kind!” Of course, you don’t, Donnie Dotard! Why would you, never having read any of the daily intelligence reports?

The Republican contingent tried to make hay over Biden’s allowing the balloon to cross the continent before taking it down over the Atlantic where it fell into shallower waters, allowing for retrieval of the fallen elements. Left unsaid was the attempt to take down an unidentified balloon over Wyoming, which drifted toward the Dakotas and the Mount Rushmore area. Later, a yellow Baby Trump Balloon was found draped over the outsize nose of a stony-faced George Washington…not a pretty sight and one incident to surely put a lid on. There was no evidence that the ‘mothership‘ was dispersing smaller devices, but as the real balloon drifted toward Missouri, a takedown was ruled out just in case a similar incident fell upon the St. Louis Gateway Arch. Senator Marco Rubio says China is telling the world, “We can do whatever we want and America can’t stop us.” Senator Ted Cruz told CBS, “I think this entire episode telegraphed weakness to President Xi Jinping and the Chinese government,” as he exited a wintry Texas for parts unknown. Count on six more weeks of winter for Texans!

An official with the Department of Defense speculated the balloon’s capabilities did not appear to be “over and above” those of Chinese satellites and other methods of surveillance, though better granularity is provided with lower altitude imagery. President Biden opted to have the balloon shot down over open water to minimize the unwarranted risks of injury to Americans and their properties had it been dispatched over populated areas. Ohio Representative Michael Turner, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, compared Biden’s decision to “tackling the quarterback after the game is over.” Because the remnants of the destroyed interloper fell into water, resulting in a softer landing, they should remain reasonably intact, allowing intelligence to examine and reverse-engineer the Chinese systems, with Pentagon officials hoping that this country gains more information than did The PRC. Biden’s reticence as the airship traversed the country, rather than making threats to destroy it, may have prevented the Chinese from triggering a self-destruct mechanism, which could have endangered citizens, and finally prevented the military from finally making a recovery attempt, not to mention any data resulting from our observations in its travels.

It remains to be seen if Biden picks up any ratings points from this Chinese incursion, but regardless, voters have little enthusiasm for a Biden/Trump rematch in 2024, both of whom are the current leaders in their respective parties. In fact, neither engenders a high preference quotient, and Americans overall would feel let down or irked if either one wins the general election. Biden at this point has not formally announced a run, nor does he have any challengers; Trump, on the other hand has made his early announcement and can expect a handful of challengers, the first speculated to be Nikki Haley in the coming days. Another eight or so are biding their time as they quietly explore any support lurking in the wings, with Ron DeSantis being the most prominent in early polling. The President has a 31% preference in his own party, but WAPO/ABC polling finds that 58% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents prefer another nominee.

Republicans and Republican-leaning independents want someone other than Trump with 49% expressing their inclination, countered by 44% who are hanging tough with the Former Guy. Neither the midterm’s elections success of Biden and the Dems, nor the classified documents investigations of both men has changed the overall judgements of the two. Trump’s whining and droning on and on with false claims about a stolen election has grown tiresome, with many Republicans blaming him for the poor midterms results as they attempt to come up with a believable agenda. Biden and the Dems are looking for a boost following the State of the Union address to overcome a 53% disapproval rating among voters, 42% of whom disapprove strongly.

Radio host John Fredericks, who has been a rabid supporter of DJT, has taken issue with the former Commander-in-Tweet over his “petty media feuds and grievances.” His message to Trump is, “Nobody cares!” He feels that political issues are being ignored as attention is focused on far-fetched lawsuits and rants about “fake news.” Fredericks was also dissatisfied with the former prez’s support of Ronna McDaniel as she won the re-election for the RNC chair, expressing his views that The Don “should have stayed out of it and let the chips fall where they may… the same with the House Speaker chair.” Far-right GOPers supported conservative activist Harmeet Dhillon, who lost by a wide margin, but beating MyPillow guy Mike Lindell who only got four votes. Fredericks goes on, “I’m telling you, folks, I’m just telling you. Nobody cares. I mean, they just don’t care. I just don’t care!” We get it, John…if only it would soak in a bit deeper!

Trump’s 2016 campaign will have to void hundreds of non-disclosure agreements to settle a suit brought by a former campaign aide, a settlement providing $450,000 to campaign workers for abusive treatment, and opening up the way for them to speak out regarding events about the 2016 election. Jessica Denson alleges the campaign tried to quiet her when she went public over her treatment, being abused by another worker, for which she was awarded $25,000. Hundreds of other workers and volunteers are now released from their NDAs, as attorney David K. Bowles announced, “The Trump NDA is invalid and unenforceable, and the campaign workers should never have had to live under its shadow.” Now, what about the NDAs that the Trump Syndicate forced people to sign reaching back years, and into his presidency? May the floodgates open wide!

‘Imminent.” We keep hearing that word in connection with all of Trump’s legal troubles, and it popped up again last week as Georgia’s Fulton County District Attorney Willis said her probe into DJT’s activities were advancing, putting him squarely into being criminally charged in three different jurisdictions in 2023. Bill Palmer in his The Palmer Report says, “Once Donald starts getting hit with these indictments, we’ll hear about how ‘unprecedented’ it is that a former President of the United States is being put on criminal trial. But that’s not the story. Not really. The real story is that a career criminal, who should have been put in prison several decades ago, who managed to steal the presidency and use it as part of his lifelong crime spree, is now finally facing criminal justice. The only reason Donald Trump never went to prison during his lifelong crime spree is that he was never indicted. Now he’s being indicted by three different sets of prosecutors, likely on a wide variety of criminal charges. The odds of him being fully acquitted of all charges, in even one of the three jurisdictions are infinitesimally small. Trump is going to prison. It’s the only fate he was ever going to face once he was booted from office, and now he’s facing it.” Best prediction of the week!

Former Trump personal attorney, Michael Cohen, recently appeared for testimony in the Manhattan DA’s probe into the $13,000 hush money paid by Trump to Stormy Daniels for her silence in their affair during the 2016 presidential campaign. At this juncture, it only indicates that the office is close to making a decision about charges against the Former Guy. Cohen is slated for further questioning, in addition to others, and in his mind, “I don’t believe they would have called me in at this stage if it was merely for show.” Cohen has already served time for some of his activities under Trump’s employ, so if Cohen is guilty why wouldn’t the same apply to Trump? During an appearance on MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace program, Cohen stated, “You know how they say a grand jury would indict a ham sandwich? In this case they’re gonna indict the whole pig!” Sounds like the real deal…oink, oink!

GROUNDBREAKING WORK WITH IMAGINARY NUMBERS

With all the publicity being generated by the discoveries of classified materials in the possession of former government officials, many politicos are waving their hands to the FBI to be raided next. To date the agency has found that some of the relinquished folders, documents, and envelopes have been stamped with a commonly available ‘Classified‘ rubber stamp from OfficeMax, Amazon.com., or from one of the many gag gift websites. Some say that Donald Trump has been quietly offering some of his stash to the highest bidders, but has limited the sales to insure that he will be the record-holder in both quantity and quality in the final synopsis. At the same time he is looking askance at Mike Pence’s newly discovered document trove and wondering if there is anything his VP took that was ‘rightfully’ a Mar-a-Lago trophy.

Former VP Mike Pence was quick to jump into the melee, seeking to boost his flagging, but still undeclared 2024 presidential nomination effort. As The New Yorker satirist, Andy Borowitz, writes, Mike had to defensively shield his face from fawning women with classified documents when dining alone in restaurants. ‘Mother‘ had suggested he have his attorney suddenly discover and announce that forbidden documents were found in his files at their Indiana home, while being quite agitated that Biden had scored a coup in beating him to the punch. With classified documents recently being found in Biden’s various haunts, in dribs and drabs over several days, in addition to those found prior to the midterm election, Joe has practically had the press at his beck and call. Pence hopes that his earlier televised interviews denying that he had removed important documents, and his denunciation of Biden’s indiscretions, will get repeated airplay to keep his face before the electorate in the run-up to 2024.

House Speaker McCarthy is fielding requests from the likes of Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, and Marjorie Taylor Greene to work his magic with the former president to give at least a token number of low-key classifieds to each of them to play show-and-tell with the press. And, Mac is pedaling as fast as he can to keep the hostage-takers from pulling the trigger on his tenuous speakership position. Newbie George Santos mockingly announced to them that he already had his collection started, finding a short stack on his office desk following the swearing-in ceremony, along with a wad of cash secured in a g-string. Some people have all the luck!

The George Santos adventure continues with McCarthy appointing him to two committees: the Committee on Small Business, and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology. Congressman Bill Foster commented, “As the only recipient of the Wilson Prize for High-Energy Particle Accelerator Physics serving in Congress, it can get lonely. Not anymore! I’m thrilled to be joined on the Science Committee by my Republican colleague Dr. George Santos, winner of not only the Nobel Prize, but also the Fields Medal – the top prize in Mathematics – for his groundbreaking work with imaginary numbers!” Foster is only adding to the many kudos that fraudster Santos has bestowed upon himself with his wide array of campaign claims. McCarthy and the House GOP are still fully embracing Santos in order to hold their fragile caucus together, even as the NRCC looks to be ready to dump him by 2024, with the snake-oil promoter asserting he will run to hold his office.

Every story that Santos has concocted has more holes than the proverbial sieve, and CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski has, at last count, found at least eight names that he has gone by in his illustrious career. Satirist Andy Borowitz in the New Yorker quotes Rudolph Giuliani saying, “It’s time for Republicans to pass the torch to a new generation of liars. I get why some Republicans are knocking the kid – they are envious of his raw talent…he could turn out to be the Michael Jordan of lying…personally, I can’t wait to see what he does next. Just put him out there and watch the magic happen.”

Attention has started shifting from his questionable credentials to questionable finances, with more serious revelations that he has probably violated campaign finance laws, posing civil penalties, criminal prosecution, or expulsion from Congress. Santos‘ claim that he had loaned his election campaign funds of over $700,000 from personal accounts doesn’t ring true as his personal situation is examined, with local and federal investigators delving into his finances. A financial disclosure form filed in 2020 says he made $55,000 from LinkBridge Investors, with no other listed assets, income or liabilities. He has disclosed little, except to say that his referral fees connecting wealthy buyers and sellers have resulted in high commissions. One of his positions was with Harbor City Capital, which the Securities and Exchange Commission designated as a Ponzi scheme and the business was shut down in 2021. The case is still open, Santos has not been criminally charged and he claims to have no knowledge of any wrongdoing.

Columbia Law School professor Richard Briffault, who specializes in campaign finance said any loans to the Santos campaign may be consequential pieces from a criminal standpoint, especially if they are found to have been “an illegal means of disguising illegal contributions.” Further, he says, “If it turns out that this was a device for donors to funnel money to the campaign, that itself is illegal – Santos would be a ‘straw donor’ falsely claiming he provided the money when it really came from someone else.” The legal limit is $2900 per donor per election cycle, and the case would be compounded if donors were corporations or foreign entities, which could result in a felony charge if Santos knowingly accepted this scheme. Also being scrutinized are filings of dozens of campaign expenditures of $199.99 – no proof of purchase needed unless $200.00 or more!

All this scrutiny led Santos to resubmit his campaign finance report, unchecking the box indicating his $700k was from personal funds, and changing the name of his campaign finance treasurer – which is not illegal, but forging the electronic signature of the new treasurer is a no-no! The name of Thomas Datwyler, a veteran campaign finance treasurer, resulted in Datwyler’s denial that he had ever been treasurer for the Santos campaign. Serious trouble on the horizon, with two broken federal campaign laws, a maximum sentence being five years in prison with a guilty conviction. What is the 118th Congress to do? Losing Santos would result in a third New York district election, and who in that district will vote for the GOP candidate? Bye, bye Speaker McCarthy! Kev knew about the Santos campaign problems, as did Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, and they could have headed off problems early on, but now the chickens have come home to roost. Can you say, ‘Speaker Matt Gaetz?’

One event that will pass Santos by is the visit to the White House to be congratulated by the President, a tradition for all newly elected Congressional members. The holdup being that he doesn’t have a verifiable birth date – no birth certificate!? He needs to get Trump’s crack team of people who can search this out for him – if he wants to share that info. The team at last contact was still in Hawaii on the Obama record hunt. Santos also lacks a social security number, so lacking these two bits of documentation won’t allow the Secret Service to approve a security clearance, so poor George will have to miss this glorious part of his Washington initiation.

The Federal Election Commission had started an investigation into irregularities but was told to hold off on any enforcements by the DOJ, signaling that it has started its own criminal investigation into the matter. DOJ also asked FEC to provide any relevant documents as they move forward. A former FEC commissioner, David Mason, indicates that the DOJ doesn’t need two sets of investigators tripping over each other, or having the possibility that the FEC, a civil agency, complicates the process.

The Former Guy in the meantime is attempting to ease into his reelection campaign, making two recent appearances, and posting videos to his Truth Social site despite the many ongoing legal problems lined up on his docket. Upon hearing the rumor that Mars, Incorporated was introducing an M&M for Tucker Carlson, he immediately felt he also deserved one – “Where’s mine?” So can we expect an orange-coated nut to be marketed in his honor? Mrs. Betty Bowers aka Canadian comedian Deven Green, after viewing a recent Trump video, says, “Always match your liquid foundation to your skin tone, not your handbag.” And, Aldous J. Pennyfarthing adds, “Granted, he always gravitates toward earth tones when he unsheathes his makeup trowel in the morning, but lately it looks like he’s trying to match his skin tone to his toilet so he can sit on it all day unnoticed.”

The National Review’s Charles Cook seems to think Trump is “deteriorating.” He says that the latest rants on Truth Social are “ranting like a deranged hobo in a dilapidated public park.” Can Marjorie Taylor Greene be far behind?

FUN, FUN, FUN ‘TIL DADDY TAKES THE STINGRAY AWAY!

The fun continues at the Biden Delaware home with FBI searches turning up more classified documents from the president’s Senate and VP stints, along with some written notes which were also removed. While the prez has assured us that “there’s no there there”, he has concern about his ’67 Corvette Stingray which got a thorough going-over by the squad of investigators who revealed, to Biden’s complete consternation, that the turn-signal lever is from a ’68 Corvette Stingray! His car club buddies are now considering disciplinary action for this deception, but in light of the discovery are taking it seriously enough to examine their own autos with more rigor. Now that’s thinking ahead!

Biden’s poll numbers had been riding a bit higher following the midterm elections, and many Democratic Party leaders had generally positive feelings toward his pending announcement for running again in 2024, but the classified document stashes have lowered the poll ratings and party stalwarts are having second thoughts about a second term in office. Chief of Staff Ron Klain’s resignation takes some of the shine off the administration’s reputation and is viewed as a major change in the fortunes of the incumbency. Attorney Klain gained traction serving under VP Gore and VP Biden, and had maintained a TV presence in the years before joining up with Biden again. His successor, Jeff Zients, part of the transition team leading up to the inauguration, has held several jobs stemming from his business acumen, rather than a political background. He gained prominence when he took charge of correcting the bungled HealthCare.gov website release under the Obama administration, which led to Biden’s appointing him as coronavirus response coordinator. His executive and management skills make him the wealthiest member of Biden’s coterie.

Overall, party loyalists feel Biden has done a good job, has made competent appointments, and should be able to run again as is his prerogative. Despite the advantages of incumbency, can he beat Trump, or a Trump-like candidate, a second time. Many feel that Joe should step aside and let a younger candidate step up due to the difficulties and pressure in the job, the big question being ‘who?’  Should the GOP put up a younger candidate, the issue of age will loom large.

The laid-back Trump campaign has gained a foothold with Biden’s classified materials fiasco, but the first campaign swing into South Carolina reveals complications as they find support for his early candidacy to be less than enthusiastic. Efforts to drum up endorsements or attendees to the event are lacking, with calls for a more competitive nominating process. Complicating the issue are former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley who has serious plans, as well as Senator Tim Scott, both seeking to possibly challenge Trump. It is expected, of course, that Senator Lindsey Graham will maintain his loyalty to the former president, as will Governor Henry McMaster, but Trump’s dominance has taken a hit. As Dave Wilson of the Palmetto Family Council, a prominent evangelical group, says, “There is more than a little bit of softening in Trump support in South Carolina,” many being turned away by comments made by DJT, questioning the loyalty of the evangelical crowd.

Republican state party chairman, Drew McKissick will not be attending the January 28 rally as he goes to California’s RNC meeting, Representative Ralph Norman, ally of both Haley and Trump has a prior commitment. Hope Walker, executive director of the state party, was offered a job on the Trump team, but turned it down to remain in her current role. Other party lawmakers in the state have disclosed that they will be unable to attend despite Graham’s arm-twisting and warning to get onboard now for the likely nominee. It appears that Florida’s Governor DeSantis has support equaling that of The Donald. Former Trump secretary of state Mike Pompeo has filled Facebook with his ads, with promises of helping “principled conservatives in South Carolina restore the American Dream!” And, Mike Pence has shown his smiley face, especially to church leaders in the evangelical-heavy state. The word is out, “Gentlemen (and gentlelady) – start your engines!”

The US Extreme Court released its report last week revealing that after the months-long investigation into the leak to the press of the Alito draft opinion in the Dobbs v Jackson/Roe v Wade decision, no leaker was identified. The report concluded that it wasn’t hacked, while it laid out steps taken to arrive at a more conclusive result. No relevant information was found on court-issued computers or mobile devices among personnel, or in call and texts records examined from those who had access to the opinion. Nearly 100 employees of the court were interviewed to solve this “extraordinary betrayal of trust” with Donald Trump calling for the jailing of the Politico journalists who exposed the document “until they reveal their source(s).” Most critics of the unresolved report lay the problem at the feet of the court’s marshal, Gail Curley, who had no business ‘investigating’ an internal problem, even though Michael Chertoff, former head of the Department of Homeland Security declared it to be a thorough investigation, and having no suggestions of useful measures that could have been undertaken.

Employees were threatened with losing their jobs if they refused to answer questions, so were the justices themselves questioned – dismissal not being relevant here? Ahem, Justice Alito! He is under heavy suspicion as being the culprit, having reasons for doing so, with a previous incident hanging over his unrepentant head. ‘Cover up’ is the watchword since the ‘investigation’ was not done by an arm of the law or the FBI, and Curley’s bosses are – the supreme court justices! So, the report is a standing joke for the masses, regarding a body which is too embarrassed to expose one of their own. It has marked the court as incompetent and afraid, being involved in a dirty business. A possible solution for Roberts and his henchmen could have been hiring a retired FBI agent, but, darn! –  a likely contender was just arrested. Former official Charles McGonigal of the FBI’s counterintelligence division in New York was found to have taken payments from a Russian oligarch to investigate one of his rivals. Probably could have worked for the Supremes pretty inexpensively since they know all the angles for absolution of guilt. Pity!

The court’s Roe v Wade decision gave wings to the pro-life movement over the weekend with marches and speeches around the country to celebrate their victory. In force also were pro-choice demonstrators showing their dissatisfaction with the court’s leanings. As satirical character Betty Bowers, the creation of Canadian comedian, Deven Green, says, “Texas doesn’t have a hotline if you see a man go into a kindergarten with an AR-15, but it does have a hotline if you see a woman go into a Planned Parenthood parking lot with her car.” Where is George Santos when you need him?

January 16

SMOKESCREENS AND SPIRITS IN THE DARK

The documents marked ‘Secret’ and ‘Top Secret’ are proliferating by the minute in Joe Biden’s stashes, and it is rumored the team from the “French Connection” will be removing the door panels from his ’67 Corvette Stingray in search of more. As another batch was discovered, Jimmy Kimmel joked that America is “one episode of ‘Storage Wars’ away from finding out who killed J.F.K.” And now House Speaker In Veritate, Matt Gaetz, sees another hostage situation to sate his appetite for involvement in embarrassing situations after his successful fifteen-episode pummeling of Kevin McCarthy.

While it is believable that Biden is in the dark about how and why the documents were found in his possession, at least he hasn’t whined that they were ‘planted’ by the FBI, or that he had performed a mind-bending performance in declassifying them, or that they ‘obviously’ belonged to him since they were in his files. Perhaps a better choice of words could have allayed some fears when he said, “people know I TAKE classified documents and classified material seriously.” This turn of events has provided a goldmine of fool’s gold for the GOP to begin their game of performance art. Fake investigations will be launched as they begin yet another version of pretending righteous indignation, as they lie their way toward tarnishing Biden and the Democrats on the way to 2024.

In order to ward off the anticipated howls about unfairness to the Former Guy’s “persecution,” Attorney General Garland announced the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Hur to look into the document brouhaha, but also to signal that he too takes the discoveries seriously. With new blood on the floor the press corps has unmercifully pounced on Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in her outings for the daily briefings, and Biden has been silent, ignoring shouted questions in recognition of the sensitive investigation. Of course, the MAGATs will never be satisfied – they are perpetually angry about everything. “If Trump had done what Joe Biden did with the recovered classified documents and contacted the National Archives right away, he’d be in the clear. Republicans should know that pointing to Biden doesn’t create an equivalency, it just highlights what Trump did was wrong.” – Brian Tyler Cohen.

The successes of the Dems in the mid-term elections, the declining rate of inflation, the consumer economic improvements, the Republican infighting, and the eclipsing popularity of Trump even as Biden’s ratings slowly climbed were seen as positives for the coming months – with momentum now being blunted, the golden ring just out of reach, as the Prez prepares his announcement for reelection. GOP strategist Susan Del Percio said the revelation of the documents was a gift to Republicans. “If Biden wanted a reason not to run, this is a pretty good one,” Del Percio said. “He’s not going to want this kind of campaign … if you’re explaining, you’re losing.” Washington’s press corps will have none of it however, as they slip and slide in the slime provided courtesy of the GOP. Does this signal another go at Hillary’s emails? Senator Ted Cruz made a joke about Hillary’s server being found in Joe’s garage – a clue? And will Bill’s files be subject to a search? Surely, Obama is on that list although Trump’s crack-team of investigators are still lost among the palm trees in Hawaii as they search for a missing birth certificate.

Faux House Speaker Kevin McCarthy addressed the possibility of expunging the two impeachments of Trump, a subject which came up in the previous Congress but got no traction, saying that he understands such a move and “we’d look at it.” “It is outrageous that Speaker McCarthy would consider expunging Donald Trump’s impeachments,” wrote Noah Bookbinder, the president of watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, in a tweet Thursday. “Trump incited a violent insurrection and tried to overturn an election he lost. Congress should have barred him from office.”

The unhinged Clodwork Orange, in a radio interview, had a meltdown about Special Counsel Jack Smith assigned by AG Garland to investigate the former president. First, he suggested that ‘Smith’ is a fake name, is an “unfair savage,” and then accused him of being a “terrorist”, after which he attacked Smith’s wife and her sister for being “Trump-haters.” Observers have concluded that he has realized he is going to be indicted, and is powerless to prevent it, hence the ‘poor me’ whining act.

In another of the countless cases against Trump, where he is being accused of a mid-1990s rape by writer E. Jean Carroll, a federal judge rejected efforts by Trump’s lawyers to keep sealed a portion of the transcript of his Mar-a-Lago deposition. The papers show the accused making persistent comments, insulting Carroll, her attorney, President Biden, and whining about “hoaxes” of false claims about him. Trump denies her claim, and says that in an interview she had indicated that “she loved it,” a total misstatement. Despite his infamous ‘Access Hollywood’ braggadocio of grabbing women and kissing without consent, he denied he had ever done so. “It’s a false accusation. Never happened, never would happen,” he says. “I will sue her after this is over, and that’s the thing I really look forward to doing. And I’ll sue you too,” he fumed at Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s lawyer. Kaplan also represents Trump’s niece, Mary, who is also suing him for swindling her share of the family’s wealth. During the deposition he was asked about a post on his social media site – “Ms. Bergdorf Goodman case is a complete con job. She completely made up this story that I met her at the doors of this crowded New York City department store and within minutes ‘swooned’ her.” Trump confirmed the post saying, “Great statement, yeah. True. True. I wrote it all myself.” Kaplan asked if he had talked to anyone about the content of his post, with Trump answering, “No, I didn’t need to. I’m not Joe Biden.”

The MAGATs in the newly-constituted House of Representatives are ranting about impeaching the LIBs, launching retaliatory investigations and other childish actions as they prepare to fight over the budget and the debt limit. They will continue to erode a woman’s right to choose, and make efforts toward reducing social programs though McCarthy has refused to comment on any of the closed door sessions that have taken place. The current smokescreen for hiding any unpopular decisions involves railing against the report that natural gas stoves are endangering our health by giving off gas emissions even when not in use. Many municipalities have already specified the installation of electric stoves in new construction, prompting Trump’s former White House physician, Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas to proclaim in a tweet, “If the maniacs in the White House come for my stove, they can pry it from my cold dead hands. COME AND TAKE IT!!” And, Ron that may be exactly what will be necessary, but in the meantime, we can tell you where to stick it.

The rumor mill never stops: Mars, Incorporated is said to have added a Tucker Carlson M&M to its candy line. They’re all-white, extra bitter, and will melt down when mixed with multi-colored M&Ms. Don’t be the first on your block to try them!