Friday, July 20, 2018

Who is patriotic the NFL or the players that take a knee? Who is nationalistic?

Not easy to decide, is it? May even feel torn by having to decide. Might even hurt to decide. So which is it?

The NFL is a plutocratic organization interested in profits. How many families have box seats with children in them? How many black families are in box seats?

How many owners were interested in the freedom of speech of the players? There was at least one that I recall.

Is there a real issue? Did President Trump take the concern of the players seriously or did he simply break down the issue into the contract and “You’re fired!”?

Are the players interested in playing football? From where I sit they love the game. They not only love the game they love those who love the game, right? Their fans.

Are there serious issues of racism and inequality in the USA? You betcha. 

So, who is patriotic the NFL or the players?

Who is worried about the country?

The players are patriotic and conflicted about the pressure they are under by contracts and the fans and a country in a world of hurt due to racism. The players often grew up as young black men with parents that warned them about their skin color and making it home safely. The players know it is real.

I was never a big fan of “W,” but, remember the steroid issue? “W” didn’t let it fester in the country and let young athletes of any ethnicity fall into the trap that would take the best years of their lives. What’s wrong with Trump?

Most of the NFL owners and $5 million Roger are nationalistic. They have money on the line and that is what matters to them. Their next fearsome foursome might be shot unarmed in the streets tonight, but, they do not care. They wave the flag regardless of the representation of the fans in the boxes or the kids with  love in their hearts for the game and their favorite players. They just want to sell tickets. Ruthless business men. I don’t think there is a woman owner, is there? I could be wrong about that.

The fact of the matter is that there should be no daylight between owners of the football team and their players. What concerns the players should concern the owners. $5 million dollar “never above fraud” Roger let politics into the game. Why not, he’s probably a Republican.

Donald Trump is failing this country and unarmed black men are dying and getting shot in the back and Black parents are still giving them the lecture about their skin color and making it home safe.

The players are patriots and President Trump is nationalistic. $5 million Roger is a lost cause that defrauded fans.
Russia, if you’re listening we need the emails of Judge Brett Kavanaugh!

Kavanaugh is not a friend to women. He stands to the right of Justice Scalia on guns and opens up danger in domestic violence. Vice President Biden is always the champion for women and domestic violence. He always speaks for women when it comes to responsible gun ownership and the dangers women face with guns and domestic violence. A woman is five times more likely to be killed by their domestic partner (man or woman, married or unmarried) if there is a gun in the house.

After colluding with Russia to bring money for Republicans in the 2016, the NRA has no moral authority to speak for anything American.

Americans have always agreed background checks are vital to responsible gun ownership, but, President Trump has taken that little bit of sanity away from us. He has drastically cut funding for the office that conducts background checks and they can’t keep up. Guns are now being sold lawfully without background checks because there is a maximum length of time a purchaser has to wait for the background check to be completed; i.e. Dylan Roof.

EIGHTY PERCENT of people killed by an intimate partner by firearms are women. That may seem like an obvious statement to some, but, fifty-three percent of intimate partner murders are by firearms. Fifty three percent of domestic deaths, MORE THAN HALF, are with guns. Got that? 
Fifty-three percent of domestic violence deaths are with guns and Trump has cut funding for background checks.

Women need to stand up for women’s right demanding more protections from domestic violence and tell their US Senators right wing extremism is killing women. Justice Scalia knew guns kill and people need protections. We cannot allow a right wing extremist judge to become a member of the US Supreme Court. US Senators need to take the extreme decisions of Judge Cavanaugh regarding guns seriously and vote no.

I am kind of curious about the issues with McDougal and the National Enquirer. What kind of relationship does Trump, the Trump Organization and Donald Trump, Jr. have with National Enquirer? 

I find it odd that Michael Cohen has a recording of Trump about a payment to Ms. McDougal and supposedly it did not take place. Then McDougal turns up at the National Enquirer with a payment of $150,000 for an article that never ran that would have exposed Trump. Unless, of course, their was a payment made by Trump, but, there would have been a non-disclosure agreement that would have prevented the National Enquirer from entering into the contract.

I find all those dynamics strange. Why was it never published? This is the National Enquirer that followed John Edwards around. What gives? How many other files does the National Enquirer have they haven’t published? The GOP carry a big subscription rate? Giuliani?
What is the difference between patriotism and nationalism?

“The patriot is proud of his/her country for what it does. 

The nationalist is proud of his/her country no matter what it does.”

By Sydney J. Harris

It is the proud difference between Americans and Russians
What promise did Putin make to Trump? Surrender? Like General Lee. Trump says he will hard on Russia if Putin breaks his promise. What promise is this? Something in the secret meeting? This is ridiculous. Putin is saying Russia and the USA are locking arms in Syria to fight the war together. Hm? USA with New Syrian Army and Russia Assad. How does that work exactly? Trump surrendered to Putin after disclosing the rest of USA secrets we held dear for National Security? When is Congress going to get the testimony of the translator to get the details on Trump’s surrender?

Was there a date specific the USA takes down the blue field of fifty stars to fly the Russian flag? Putin is coming to review the troops to the tine of more than $12 million dollars. Is the Russian flag going to be flying?

Does that mean Putin will shut down the Texas oilfields to solely sell Russian oil? Just wondering how far the 2 plus hour meeting went to bring Russia on as
the USA BFF?

Trump was making all kinds of promises he stated after the cozy meeting, how far did Trump go?
So. It seems as though Michael Cohen was Mr. Fix-It for Donald Trump. It begs the question how many times has Michael Cohen acted to fix it?

President Trump can no longer deny he had affairs he tried to conceal. The idea a payment was never made doesn’t really matter. There was an understanding from the conversation alone that Trump had a lawyer that happens to Michael Cohen to cover-up his affairs. This isn’t about Michael Cohen, it is about Trump’s character. He had none. 

Michael Cohen was right to record the conversation, This is the first time Cohen actually has a backbone with Trump. He did the right thing.

Taking a knee.

The NFL players hold all the power. Go on strike. The Miami Dolphins 4 day fine proves the owners are seeking to profit off vital issues that are expressions of Freedom of Speech. The locker room REGULATION is oppression of Freedom of Speech.

The problem of police shooting of unarmed black black men still happen as recently as two days ago In Vineland, New Jersey.

The NFL is not a legitimate organization. They fix games and pretend the championship is a real challenge. It isn’t and hasn’t since Roger Stokoe Goodell has been at the leadership of the organization. The owners don’t care. The only people that care about the professional sport are the players and the fans. It seems to me that relationship is sacred and Freedom of Speech protests are all part of that relationship.

Something real has to exist between the players and fans.
There here is inadequate weather reporting if the storm front was a surprise in Brandon, Missouri where there are 13 people dead. There has been a great deal of turbulent weather the last few days across the USA. Then water vapor satellites I looked at shows stronge storm fronts moving through the area, both leaving and arriving. Just because there might be a sliver of sunlight doesn’t mean the weather won’t change in the next few minutes.

The people weren’t weary life vests, but, the water I saw there was no reassurances life vests would have prevented the deaths. But, regardless, the life vests should have been worn anyway, especially for children. Missouri doesn’t have standard laws to protect children? Why? Because they leave it up to insurance rates to dictate the precautions businesses take? Governor Parsons should be ashamed of himself if basis precautions such as life preservers are not required when in a boat, especially a commercial boat. How many of those people knew how to swim? There were at least a few and yet the state sees no reason to impose regulations to protect lives.

The Branson Duck Ride needs to be shut down permanently because the owners cannot conduct the attraction safely and Missouri needs better laws and regulations to protect consumers. 

EVERYONE is at fault!
President Trump has pledged to accept 45,000 Syrian refugees per year. Under the previous administration the USA accepted 85,000 Syrian refugees per year. but, that has dwindled to 16.230 as of June 30, 2018. The refugees have been settled throughout the USA waiting and working toward their green cards. The families are extremely grateful to be rescued from the danger they faced in Syria, Their is an article today in the Chicago Tribune about the Haj Khalaf family. The Trump Administration needs to resume their commitment of accept 45,000 Syrian refugee resettlement per year.

Interestingly, Chicago has housing and job opportunities set aside specifically for refugee resettlement. In mostly all cases refugees that enter the USA are well vetted and become contributing members of society. They also bring their culture to the American melting pot to strengthen the diversity the USA is proud that has made the country great.

The Trump Travel Ban does not prohibit refugee resettlement. The reduced numbers of Syrian refugees are causing increased numbers in Turkey’s refugee camps. The Turkey refugee camps have about 2.5 million Syrian refugees. Turkey’s camps are well run and encourage trans-Atlantic resettlement. Refugee resettlement is part of the USA’s reality and has been for a long time. It is time Mr. Trump live up to his commitment and increase those numbers again.

Thursday, July 19, 2018

A day doesn’t go by without Russia attacking the USA or allies.

For all the morons that continue to state Trump cannot be treasoned because the USA has to be at war with Russia; what news to you read or listen to;

A. Russia threatens Western Europe with nuclear attacks daily,

B. USA ships in the Black Sea and near the Balkins are assaulted by Russian jets
     regularly

C. 200 Russian mercenaries in Syria were on their way to kill Americans, but,
      instead were killed by the Americans they set out to kill.

D. The USA’s elections in 2016 were attacked by Russia and when the Facebook
       Effect, the vast amount of Russian money enter the formula it changed the 
        course of the election.

What has to happen to define the USA is chronically at war with Russia? 

Donald Trump is committing treason in every way possible and in every definition.

What comes first your country or your President?

It is time for the USA military to re-engage war games, including South Korea.

And cancel the parade! It is suppose to be November 10th the same time Putin is suppose to have his sorry ass in town! Trump planned this.

Did Trump know Butina was a bottomless putt of money?

VOX: Maria Butina met with Donald Trump, Jr. and lived with a Republican consultant.

As of yesterday McClatchy reported the FBI was investigating whether Alexander Torshin, Deputy Governor of Russia’s Central Bank, who is known to have close ties to Putin and the NRA illegally funneled money through the NRA to help Trump win the presidency. It is highly illegal for foreign MONEY to buy elections and that is exactly what occurred with the election of Donald Trimp. Why is it looking more and more as though Clinton was underfunded due to illegal sources of money funneled to the Republicans through the NRA. Why would Donald Trump be interested in better relationships with Putin?

One of Torshin’s plans with Butina was to influence REPUBLICANS TO BE FRIENDLIER TO RUSSIA. 

CRIMEA and the return of the USSR.

President Trump is doing the business of Butina for Torshin. 

This is all known and Russian Alpha Bank Executive Brian Benczkowski was still placed as Assistant Attorney General. Trump nomineed him. I dare anyone to say he is not a treasonist.

Once Butina was in place as a lobbyist the money she could hand out in cash and otherwise was unlimited.

Holy Shit, Butina met and talked to Donald Trump, Jr. WITH Torshin AT A NRA dinner!

I wonder who the five people are Mueller is seeking immunity for. Seems obvious to me. The traitors in the White House. This is nothing the USA should be consenting to. Trump is undermining the democracy of the USA. OMG! 

Butina helped the Trump Campaign communicate with Russia. She was the connection. The reason Donald Trump used his own money to run for President is because the election coffers were being back filled by Russia through the NRA. I guess the National Education Association would have turned them down.

I have no sympathy for any of these people. It is time to put Pence in the White House. At least his blood runs true blue American.

NATO needs to shore up their relationships with Australia, Japan and South Korea.

Trump is untrustworthy.

The USA has a real mess to clean up. The immediate future is uncertain. I believe most Americans will seek out to remove Republicans from office if the law enforcement agencies are caught between a rock and a hard place. The intelligence agencies need to talk. The central power core of the USA was been corrupted past immediate correction. The people will win out eventually, the time line is unknown.

Russia can control Trump, but, it cannot control the people. RUSSIA GO HOME!

Just a reminder about Dan Coats...

Dan Costs was a former Republican lawmaker in the US House and US Senate from Indiana. He was a US Ambassador to Germany. He is now the 5th Director of National Intelligence. In 2014 he was banned from traveling to Russia for calling out Russia about Crimea. He has continued his opposition to Russia’s occupation of Crimea until he took his current position with the Trump Administration. 

Dan Coats is respected in this country and that is not going to change. There is only one American that does not respect Dan Coats. That same American does not respect the country and it’s allies. That one American is Donald Trump who has STILL not disclosed to the Director of National Intelligence of the USA the missing two hours between Trump and Putin.

Trump is employed by the USA. Security of the USA is not an option and right now Putin has more knowledge of those 120 minutes than Dan Coats does.

Mike Morrell, acting director of the CIA states Dan Coats is correct about the fact Russia conducted covert activities to effect the election of 2016, placing Trump in office and is still conducting that same initiative to undermine the elections of 2016. 
Let’s get this out of the way; anyone set to Russia for any reason, be them Investigator or Ambassadors or Secretary or cleaning person would never return to USA soil once they were in Russia. End of discussion.

Vladimir Putin is not welcome to the USA!

He needs to be limited to the United Nations! Putin can stay at Trump Tower. 

What more intelligence is Trump going to hand Russia? The Russian Prime Minister didn’t get enough. Or maybe he just wants to pick up his 29 year old mistress.

When is Trump going to be arrested for treason?

Google vs. Europe

Google is a magnificent service and there really seems there is no better.

I have a suggestion:

Google needs to offer either free ads to its competitors for a period of time and/or offer to allow customers a trial subscription for a week or so to another internet service in Europe BEFORE being allowed to use Google. This way it gives customers a flavor of other platforms before settling on Google. I think those are reasonable solutions to the lawsuit in Europe.

The Republicans pit one group against each other with moral superlatives.

The moral dilemma is always at the center of Republican politics.

Dilemma number one: The moral conflict of the disabled vs. the working poor. 
The American with Disabilities Act is suppose to break barriers to opportunity including going to the ball park to see his/her child play in a game. It demands church access and access to doctor’s appointments. The Act can provide to modifications to employment but it makes no judgement about ability to work. One of the first things a new recipient states is, “What do you mean I don’t get Medicare for two years. Most if not all people do not receive anywhere close to their earned salary in a monthly payment. The recipient has paid into disability all their working life. There is nothing to be angry about, the benefits are their for everyone if needed.

The Democrats need to defuse anger and address real issues. One of the first concerns for any Democratic majority is the debt and deficit and the future viability of the country. That should be part of the talking points for the November elections. Add to that the economy and losing trade even to other allies. Japan and the EU began trading in the face tariffs. While Japan needs a share of that, where does it end? Charts showing the trade deficit and its potential growth along side a growth federal deficit and ultimately national debt should be a real teaching moment. Truth before rhetoric and how lies are hiding the truth.

Go, Dems, Go!

The disaffected American that can be reached are women. That has always been the way; Telephone Workers of America; Barbizon factory workers.

The reason the Underserved American continues to vote for the Republican Tea Party are innately fears of big government and the idea a real tea party can rise again. They believe their guns are going to keep them safe. To some extent the Russian spy seeking power in becoming a NRA lobbyist was also poisoning the well in that those guns would never be taken from them because even Russians recognize the need to defend against government AND that is what is missing in countries like Russia.

Many of these Americans are Red State voters. They may or may not have a high school education and some are caught up in the idea education does people no good because they attended advanced education schools that took their loan money and never provided an education that served them well. While President Obama changed the law to protect them and litigated against them the people may still be burdened.

The multiple jobs they have are always tenuous in Red States. North Carolina employers can fire you for having the wrong color eyed and it upheld. The state unemployment is something like 12 weeks now. One of the brochures handed to the unemployed is Uber facts and where on the net to sign up. North Carolina and most if not all Red States don’t care about people. They care about money. 

The State of Texas’s flag should have an oil barrel in the middle of the single star because it is the only economy it can manage, Oklahoma has chronic earthquakes and regardless oil and natural gas and fracking lives on to provide the largest tax income to the state. Look at the deaths and ill health in the petroleum industry. Why?

The Red State politician offers no alternatives. The petroleum industry pays the best, so does coal. When those product demands fell and continue to fall in the USA as a measure the Republican leadership didn’t take it in the chin as a win against GHG pollution they passed legislation to export it. They don’t care about the people to even instill a sense of well being. The Red State politician offer investment in cancer research and liver transplant protocols so people can continue to to support what is left of the tobacco lobby and drunkenness. 

Texas doesn’t try to change it’s immorally. It doesn’t care. It has a handicapped Governor as example of compassion and morality AND the best part is the Americans with Disabilities Act to prove there is a way to return to work no matter the problems.

Louisiana after the BP Deepwater Horizon had oil all over it’s beaches and into its wetlands and streams. There were children playing in the mess. Twenty years the incidence in cancer will tick up. The federal government has to maintain the Medicare and Medicaid into that state to maintain health care for the generations of children effected. As a country we can’t turn our backs on them because their culture of innocence and godliness is exploited by their government.

There is nothing godly about Red State governments. The TONE of religion suits them. Sacrifice and hard work will get them into heaven. The reason there are disaffected Americans is because their wealth has been removed from them and what they get in return is suffering for being the fool to the politicians that demand to do more with less.

Republican tax cuts forces more suffering on the Middle Class in years to come because there are more of them so the US Treasury will receive more from tax deductions. Go ahead, explain to them they have been robbed of their wealth. Go ahead, see what comes out of THE FACTS/THE TRUTH. Oh, yeah, the rhetoric on Fox is there more tax cuts coming for the Middle Class authored by a retired  former US Senator Coburn. Sure, it is a great punch line leading into November.

The USA takes care of its own while the Trump tax cuts registered a trillion in deficit spending today from the beginning of the year. How long can the USA take care of it’s own?

Devin ”The Devil” (666) Nunes is campaigning on Fox News that the FBI wants the Democrats to win. You know the reason Democrats will win is because Fox News puts Republicans like Numes on the air screaming the sky is falling. How often can Nunes scream the sky is falling and be taken seriously. He certainly is carrying “The Don’s” message stating the FBI is doing great work. 

I didn’t watch “Hannity” last night because when I am looking for facts in the news on cable it is either local, MSNBC or CNN. But, it had to be laughable on Hammity he is dressed with expressions like “The Godfather” and one of the blonds, I think it is Ingram, is dressed to match his persona. It really is Fake News.

Dear God the Curvy Couch consents to foreign governments hacking Democratic political structures. Huckabee thinks with all the investigations on the left (which one is that because the Democrats haven’t been able to get theirs to the hearing rooms) there will be a huge Republican backlash. Well, Huckabee doesn’t know what is going on either, he has been spending too much time with the President.

There is a reason Fox doesn’t get my loyalty and it is the idiocy they allow as content of the programming. There was one decent observation by the lady with the tight dress in the middle of the two men said the missing two hour visit with Putin could cause problems for the elections. I suppose that is true if the Democrats are able to get an interviewer with the translator. 

Trump is a really lousy President that continually compromises the USA. The EU is now contracting with Japan for goods it has to pay tariffs on. I am happy for Japan and that trade should have existed long before Trump “the buffoon” took the White House with assistance of Russians. Japan’s economy can use some strength and I hope all goes well for the EU and Japan.

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

The Russian hacking of the 2016 elections was known by US national Intelligence since January 6th, shortly after New Years, 2017. I remember news reports stating that because of the investigation into the DNC hacking. Yet, today July 18, 2018 the American people need to be reminded of that fact.

There is some really sad propaganda that comes out of Fox News on a regular basis. One of the blurred lines about that is the idea Trump would still be president if the Russian hackers were not at work, They hold tightly to the fact there were no votes changed in any of the states without cyber -security such Illinois. 

That is true, HOWEVER, Fox News conveniently forgets about the Facebook Factor. See, the issue with Comey as the frosting on the cake would not have had the same impact if all the lies and deceptions and false news of Facebook hadn’t done all that initial work, That initial work was by the Russians. So it is not just the vote count that mattered even after security breaches, it was the momentum of all the false stories that took a toll on the Clinton campaign.

In my opinion, the wrong person is in the Oval Office and Trump knows. If it weren’t for the entirety of the Russian meddling the Clinton victory would have been admirable. No one will change my mind.

The fact Donald Trump is operating way outside standard protocols and simple decency and patriotic loyalty to the USA, is all him. He has no one else to blame. Russia has something on him and it was his own doing. Unfortunately for the country, it is being lead by a man unable and unwilling to govern and only now when treason is showing through with threats to ambassadors do people realize how dangerous he is.

The Mueller Investigation has to reach completion.
I am looking forward to Mitt Romney in the US Senate. His mannerisms can be comical sometimes but he has moral center. He will an asset to the Senate and we already know he steps up to tackle difficult circumstances for the country without a second thought. I look forward to his leadership for all the right reasons.

I just home his policy positions are more like the Romney of Massachusetts rather than the presidential nominee nutcase.