I could not agree more...

...the increase in hate crimes in the country is testament to it. "W" and Cheney galvanized the permission to lie as if truth. Iraq was a huge lie. The idea Trump could top or even what to top that lie, just to prove to everyone the power he holds is all too tempting to him.

Trump has a narcissistic value to his life. He chronically wants to show one upmanship to everything. It doesn't matter what it is, if there is a challenge to the understanding he is in any way inferior to others; he has a drive to prove them wrong. He has NO sense of humor. Got that? He has no sense of humor. He has a sense of entitlement. 

Lies, by nature, serve the ego. Lace that with the power of money or should I say the promise of money and people will follow. The followers are the concern. A narcissist in this case admires his own ability to control masses of people. The rallies are proof of that. Trump's behavior before the election and now are not different, EXCEPT, the rallies now will garner more supporters because he is a winner. The rallies are intended to build more followers than he had before. It is a worry and not a political worry. It is all too easy to call any difference with anyone simply politics.

As much as it would be nice to have someone to agree with from time to time, I don't think it is wise or even possible. His estrangement of so many from solid American values is all to clear and too potent considering his agenda. The followers are willing to suffer for his ideology, already.

Russia is backing him. I think Mitch McConnell is competent enough to guide the country away from such agendas. McConnell is not stupid. I don't trust Ryan, he is nothing more than putty.

Trump's eager acceptance of a White Supremacist in the White House is outrageous for all the right reasons, yet, he views it as diversity. Hideous. Add to that he will not expose his income tax returns and other materials, the American people no nothing about his passions.

December 19. 2016
By Robert Reich

Donald Trump (click here) has just finished the last of his nine post-election “thank you tour” rallies. Why did he do them? And why is he planning further rallies after he becomes president?

One clue is that Trump conducted them only in the states he won. And most attendees appeared to have voted for him—overwhelmingly white, and many wearing Trump hats and T-shirts. When warm-up speakers asked how many had previously attended a Trump rally, most hands went up.

A second clue is that rather than urge followers to bury the hatchet, Trump wound them up.

“It’s a movement,” he said in Mobile, playfully telling the crowd that in the run-up to the election, “You people were vicious, violent, screaming, ‘Where’s the wall?’ ‘We want the wall!’ Screaming, ‘Prison!’ ‘Prison!’ ‘Lock her up!’ I mean, you were going crazy. You were nasty and mean and vicious.” He called his followers “wild beasts.”...

If the roads can't be cleared, then close them.

I think Baltimore was lucky, this has the potential to be far worse than it was. Tankers of flammable liquid? They should be parked  until the roads were safe again. Tow trucks don't explode. Tow them off the road if the drivers don't comply.

The trucks should not have been dispatched in the first place. The clean up would be not be as costly if it didn't happen at all.

Drivers of trucks and cars want to arrive alive.

2 Dead, Dozens Hurt In Icy, Multi-Vehicle Crash on I-95

Baltimore (WJZ) — A crash involving dozens of and a tractor-trailer (click here) shut down Interstate 95 in South Baltimore Saturday morning. Emergency Management calls this the worst accident in Baltimore’s recent history, considering the sheer number of people involved.

Maryland Department of Transportation says 67 vehicles and one tanker were involved in the crash near the exit for Washington Boulevard on I-95 North just before 5 a.m. Authorities say the tanker went off the bridge and fell down to the street below.

At least two people were killed and dozens were injured in the icy pileup–at least seven of those seriously.

Roads are now open, but cleanup is still far from over.

Let the infighting begin.

December 19, 2016
By Reuters

A Koch Industries-funded report (click here) warned on Friday U.S. gasoline prices would rise if Congress passed a Republican proposal to adjust U.S. corporate tax rates to favor exports over imports, escalating a lobbying battle over the measure.

The report by energy consultant Philip Verleger surfaced a week after the private conglomerate, controlled by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch, predicted the Republican measure called "border adjustability" would devastate the economy.

The actions are unusual for the Koch brothers, who spend heavily in elections to support Republicans and conservative policies. They are part of the early lobbying salvo by a range of industries that hope to eliminate the measure as President-elect Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress edge toward agreement on a tax reform agenda for 2017.

Analysts said the specter of higher gasoline prices could prove embarrassing for Trump, who supports the energy sector and has nominated prominent industry advocates to top cabinet positions, including Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State....

In case Democrats and Independents were wrapped up in some kind of masochistic analysis, they missed an important fact; Republican unity ain't all that. I really am jealous of the fact, someone was able to gather the "Good 'ole boys' club" for a family portrait.

Ya did hear about Murdoch's new marriage, right? (click here)

The naked truth of the GOP. It is still the establishment vs the terrorists.

March 20, 2015
By Frank Rich

In mid-July of 2015, (click here) a month after Donald Trump announced his presidential run, I joined a gaggle of political junkies in a clubby bar four blocks from the White House to hear a legendary campaign strategist expound on the race ahead. Our guest’s long résumé included service to Mitt Romney and two generations of Bushes. Not speaking for attribution, and not having signed on to any 2016 campaign, he could talk freely. The nomination was Jeb Bush’s to lose, he said. Scott Walker, the union-busting Wisconsin governor then considered something of a favorite, had no chance because he was just “too stupid.” And Trump? Please! Trump represented every ugly element that was dragging down the GOP in presidential elections. But our guy wasn’t fazed. The good thing about Trump, he said, is that he would finally “gather together all the people we want to lose” and march them off the Republican reservation — though to what location remained undisclosed....

These are human rights violations committed by the police no matter where they came from.

Many of these protesters are Native American Indians protecting their water supply. This is the first recognition that police came from outside the North Dakota jurisdiction to act against the Native Americans.

Police watch over dozens of protesters in frigid waters of a creek as remnants of pepper spray waft over over the crowd last month near Cannon Ball, N.D.

December 19, 2016
By George Hesselberg

The 17 Wisconsin State Patrol officers (click here) sent to the protests over the Dakota Access oil pipeline in October believe they should drop the use of name tags in favor of badge numbers to protect privacy, employ a videographer or body cameras, and upgrade helmets and protective vests.

The troopers’ suggestions, which also included setting some physical requirements and finding more comfortable footwear, come in a report assessing the unit’s response in the Oct. 9-15 deployment in North Dakota.

The State Patrol’s “Mobile Field Force” was joined by smaller groups of two to 13 deputies from four county sheriff’s offices, including Dane County.4

There were 43 officers from Wisconsin....

Sincere sympathies to the Russian people. There is no way to guard from such a well orchestrated assassination.

This was very well organized. It is a worry. This is a police officer. He was off duty. The only measure that could have been taken is for the the police department to provide assignments expected at the museum. In that is the idea someone from the museum and/or in cooperation with a Russian representative takes a roll call, if you will, to determine who was assigned and who was not. 

What bothers me is how this police officer was recruited into this violence? Was he known to be a radical sympathizer? Such people are dangerous in several ways. This obviously was a sad reality at his ability to migrate into a museum to kill. Also, he is a police officer. He could be carrying out covert activity to facilitate attacks by looking the other way to such activity. He is a very big worry. He has official capacity he could use to cause deaths in several ways.

Not to increase the prowess of this one man, but, there has been an attack in Germany within the same hour as this occurred. Such reality leads me more strongly into questioning how this man was recruited into violence.

December 19. 2016
By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Umit Bektas

The Russian ambassador (click here) to Turkey was shot in the back and killed as he gave a speech at an Ankara art gallery on Monday by an off-duty police officer who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo" and "Allahu Akbar" as he opened fire.

The Russian foreign ministry confirmed the death of envoy Andrei Karlov, calling it a "terrorist act". Relations between Moscow and Ankara have long been strained over the conflict in Syria, with the two support opposing sides in the war.

Russia is an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its air strikes helped Syrian forces end rebel resistance last week in the northern city of Aleppo. Turkey, which seeks Assad's ouster, has been repairing ties with Moscow after shooting down a Russian warplane over Syria last year....

"The Independent" is reporting the gunman was saying "We die in Alleppo, you die here." (click here) 

I do not believe this assassin acted due to a failed coop. It obviously is linked directly to Syria. 

This is not a time to criticize Russia for it's support of President Assad. Any hope of divisiveness lends itself to strengthen Daesh. This should be an obvious outcome to the ability of Daesh to carry out it's charismatic movement in Turkey and in Europe generally. The world has resolved to stand together to end this murderous regime and that should be part of the reality here as well. 

My understanding is that buses have been moved to near Syria or within Syria to accept refugees. That should go forward in peace to prove to Daesh they have no right to kill in a world that values life.

This is not a NATO plot. This is a sympathizer with Daesh. The idea this police officer was recruited and became a willing assassin is more than a worry; it speaks to the ability of Daesh to enlist people from all walks of life. Police officers are investigated before they are provided such level of trust. How did Daesh receive loyalty from this man? This should not be politicized as it will lead to false information and ultimately to have all of this happen again!

The Clinton campaign did not run a bad campaign; they ran the campaign available to them.

December 19, 2016
By Leah Barkoukis

Bill Clinton (click here) still can’t accept that his wife lost the election to Donald Trump. But rather than acknowledging she ran a bad campaign, set up a private email server while secretary of state, and ignored places like Wisconsin and Michigan, Clinton placed the blame squarely on FBI Director James Comey.

"James Comey cost her the election," Clinton told the editor of the Bedford-Pound Ridge Record Review after running into him at a local bookstore in a Westchester town....

Russia definitely had a deliberate effect on the elections. There is motivation for Russia to conduct hostile attacks against Hillary Clinton in the way of hacking computers and passing it to Wikileaks. Assange didn't want Hillary Clinton in office either, so the circle is complete.

However, even with all the poison in the politics of the USA this year, the final act that caused the Hillary Clinton campaign and the DNC campaigns to lose the election was Comey's nonsense announcement about Weiner's laptop. There was no purpose to Comey's announcement. He only walked it back days later. By then, the damage was done and it not only effected Hillary Clinton, it effected the down ballot elections as well. It was palpable.

Why is this important? Because it clearly demonstrates a FBI Director that has little concern for the people. He played with the countries politics. Match that with a man in the Oval Office that could not care less to hear anything from the intelligence agencies and what is left is anarchy. There is every indication the USA intelligence agencies will be autonomous agents of the country.

Comey knew what he was doing. If it is determined that Comey was witless in his position at the top of the domestic security agency, then he is incompetent and needs to be removed. His agency personnel is best to speak to that. That is a congressional committee behind closed doors. The investigation has to be conducted. It is obvious.

Those that voted for Trump expect enormous spending, including a trillion dollar stimulus that reaches back in time to favor cronies. Trump also wants to build a wall at the USA southern border and begin policing that removes the Undocumented from their USA homes. Based in the fact Trump is not willing to receive daily intelligence briefings there is no justification for his wall, vigilantism or a policing no different than the SS. Yes, the Schutzstaffe who went door to door to remove specific ethnicities to concentration camps.

It is blatantly wrong to carry out construction of any kind that is meant to be punitive based in racism and hatred. The same goes for the Trump SS.

China's "Global Times" is correct and Mr. Trump should be treated as a novice by domestic and international authorities.

There is sincere danger in PRETENDING Donald Trump is nothing short of unprepared to lead the USA. I sincerely believe anyone voting for him did not expect this level of deceit. Donald Trump is walking away from any, if not all, his campaign promises. The fact is the American people do not know who he is and won't until he starts his administration and we witness a run away White House that facilitates extremism in the Congress. 

Vice President Pence is no different. He is an extremist with a religious biased agenda.

Neither of these men should be in the Executive Branch of the USA government. Their extremist agenda speaks eons to the reckless power now in their hands. It would be ludicrous to expect this administration to act responsibly or even educated to the dynamics of governing. They are populist extremists that carry values into office foreign to the well being of the American people and to it's allies.

December 19, 2016
By Jason Silverstein

Surprise surprise: (click here) China’s state-run newspapers are not in love with Donald Trump.

An editorial Monday in the Community Party-controlled Global Times blasted the President-elect of the United States as a man with “no sense of how to lead a superpower.

”The scathing piece arrived after Trump’s series of shakeups with American-Chinese relations — including a typo-tinged tweet from the weekend.

“Trump is not behaving as a president who will become master of the White House in a month,” the editorial said.                    

"Morning Papers"

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

November 17, 2016
By Kelly Bostian

A Hillary Christmas (click here) would have been crazy, a repeat of Obama 2008 — on steroids — but the Trump Christmas season is quite reasonable, though some of that calm may be attributed to a decline in oil production.

That’s the story from gun shops around Tulsa this Christmas season, where the focus seems to have shifted from last year’s panic purchases of AR-style rifles and ammo, which people feared might soon be banned or highly regulated, to more practical purchases aimed at concealed carry and home defense.

“It hasn’t dropped off, from what we can tell, but the election was right before the holiday season, and it’s always busy,” said Sports World manager Chris Floyd. “It has shifted more toward these, though,” he added motioning to glass cases filled with handguns....

"Good Night, Moon"

The waning gibbous

20.2 days old

69.1 lit

December 18, 2016
By Brinke Guthrie

It seems that Nancy Carlson (click here) of Inverness, Illinois spent $995 to buy a small, rather innocuous looking “lunar sample return bag” at an auction held by the U.S. Marshals Service. No problem there, right? Go shopping, place the winning bid, pay the amount, have a nice day. Ah, but there’s more to the story than meets the eye.

Houston, we do indeed have a problem.

According to the website collectSPACE.com, the bag came to be at the auction after it was “forfeited along with other artifacts found in the home of Max Ary, a former curator convicted in 2006 of stealing and selling space artifacts that belonged to the Cosmosphere space museum in Hutchinson, Kansas.” Ary spent two years in prison and was fined $132,000....

Mark your calendars for 2017.