I don't blog here anymore because...

...I've realized that either you get what's going on already, or you never will.

Trump hasn't just divided the country.  He's pointed out that there's a large segment of the population that bases their beliefs on ideas that are not connected to reality.  Those people can't be reached through logical argument.  As Trump knows, they can only be reached by appealing to their emotions...

Segregated Chicago

If Chicago can lead the way in sustainable green technology, why can it not lead the way in de-segregation?  It could, if there was enough will to get it done.  There should be.  It's a serious problem that needs a systematic solution.

Rotting

From the top, down.

Scott Pelley

is covering the President.

The buck doesn't stop

This is a very nicely done article on Trump's current circumstances.

Oh yeah!

A stunning defeat.

More reality warping

Cutting poverty programs is "one of the most compassionate things we can do".  Or not.  It didn't take long for me to actually yell at the screen while watching this video.

When will rich people recognize that they get all the benefits in our society?  They don't need more.  On top of that, hurting poor people will eventually hurt the rich too.  Having a middle class keeps society balanced.  All rich and all poor will lead to pitchforks.

For evidence of wiretapping

We'll be waiting...

Trump's budget

This budget is an attempt to eliminate a huge portion of the government.  If this passes, people are going to be really surprised about all the important things that the government does for them.  But it will be too late then.  Pay attention now.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised

Trump isn't the only idiot we've grown here at home.  This guy's not bright.  Iowa must be proud.

Update.

It might be easier to start counting the things that the President says that are actually true

"My name is Donald J. Trump."  True!  He got one!  "Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower".  Dang.  We'll have health "insurance for everybody".  Double dang.  (This bit could go on for a really long time, but it's already old, so I'll stop now.)  Well, at least he got his name right.

Zaphod Beeblebrox for President!

I don't care where the stuff is made, but his hypocrisy is astounding.  Why can Trump just say whatever he wants, without consequence?

Before Trump, the President was restricted by unstated rules of decorum.  This President refuses to follow those rules and apparently, there's nothing that can be done about it.  If he wants to lie, he can lie.  If he wants to elevate his own interests above the interests of the people he was elected to serve, he can do that.  We need restrictions in place that require certain modes of behavior from the office of the President.  This is embarrassing, pathetic, and destructive.

This is sickening,

not funny.  More important than fighting his specific policies is fighting his attacks on truth and on what is considered acceptable for a President of the United States. This is how we get a dictator in control of our government.  At first, he's getting away with being absurdly hypocritical.  Next, he's changing the meaning of words. Finally, he's controlling every part of our lives.  Laughing at this is no laughing matter.  He must be fought, not coddled.

Breaking the government

Authoritarianism, here we come!  Consolidation of power in the hands of the few.

Can you imagine

being a member of the military and knowing you might get sent to war by this President, who can't even accurately read the reports of his own intelligence agencies?

If he watched Fox News because he's a conservative and wanted a conservative perspective on an issue, I could understand that (although, as the President, you'd think he'd be capable of forming his own opinions.)  What I have a hard time understanding is how the President of the United States doesn't understand that his intelligence agencies are where he's supposed to get the information that informs his decisions, not Fox News.

It's truly frightening.  What if Sean Hannity comes out with "information" that Mexico is planning on attacking the U.S.?  Would Trump push the red button?  Is he really that unstable?  If so, he needs to be removed from office.

43 days...

In 43 days he's become so famous for saying completely unsupported things that all of the world ignored him when he said former President Obama had his house bugged.  That's hard to imagine.

It's just too overwhelming...

Fox News has been a mess for as long as I can remember

But I will never forget that Shepard Smith has stood up repeatedly to the Trump administration about the honesty and reliability of the press.  This is the type of action that can save our country.  When non-conservative news sources say the same thing, people write it off as "whiny liberals", but what are they going to say when one of their own is saying it?  Remember this man's actions:

This man is so broken

The lies he tells about things that don't matter almost concern me more than the lies that he tells about things that do matter.  When the things do matter, at least there's a reason for the lie.  But he just lies about things that don't matter at all on a regular basis.  This says that he's fundamentally broken and truly does not understand the importance of telling the truth.

Rumi Quote

"Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world.  Today I am wise, so I am changing myself."

Trump's war on the media

It's the most upsetting thing he's done so far.  When Fox News and prominent Republicans are calling you out, there's a real issue.  If you don't understand why Trump's media attacks are such a tremendous problem, you really need to educate yourself, and soon.  This is a good place to start:

If Fox News is saying this, maybe we're getting somewhere

Shepard Smith.

Deconstructing a comparison

Norman Rockwell's "The Problem We All Live With"

Glenn McCoy's version

Conservative cartoonist, Glenn McCoy attempted to make a statement about our country with a cartoon.  I think he did a good job of that, but I don't think it was the statement he intended to make.  The artist had this to say:

"My cartoon was about how, in this day and age, decades beyond the civil rights protests, it's sad that people are still being denied the right to speak freely or do their jobs or enter public buildings because others disagree with who they are or how they think," he said in the statement. "I'm surprised that some readers see 'hate' in this cartoon when I thought I was speaking out against hate."

So, for anyone who doesn't know what's going on in the two pictures, a synopsis:
The original art depicts Ruby Bridges as she desegregated a New Orleans school in 1960.  The second version depicts Betsy DeVos as she prepares to start working as Secretary of Education.

People on the internet are upset with the comparison.  There are multiple difficulties with McCoy's depiction, but for me, the main issue is the comparison itself.

By making the comparison, McCoy shows he doesn't really understand what's going on in the original artwork.  It's a painting that shows a courageous young girl standing up for what's right, with the whole culture fighting against her, even though she's done nothing wrong.  This is where the comparison to DeVos breaks down.  DeVos is a person of wealth and power who has consistently worked against public schools and kids like Ruby Bridges.  That's a very good reason for people to be upset with her.  DeVos is no victim of hate.  She's actively working against the very system that gave Ruby the right to an "equal" education.

Further, McCoy states that it's sad that people are "being denied...because others disagree with who they are or how they think".  Ruby Bridges was being denied for who she was, a young, black girl.  That's not acceptable.  Betsy DeVos isn't being denied anything, but she's being spoken against for how she thinks, not who she is, because how she thinks leads her to actions that many believe are not in the best interest of this country.  It's exactly what Americans are supposed to do when participating in democracy.

Further again, most of the African Americans I know could break all that down for Mr. McCoy in about one minute.  That's because living with this reality of racism brings it home in a way that not living with it does not.  Watching white people who have never dealt with these issues of race in any meaningful way comment on topics that they've clearly spent very little time trying to understand, is offensive. The next time Glenn McCoy wants to talk about race in America, he should educate himself first, so that what he has to say isn't so ignorant.

A bad day for Trump

is a good day for the rest of us.  More good days, please!

Consequences

The Trump administration is angling to delay one of their court cases on the Muslim ban because they want to take that case to the Supreme Court and they want their nominee to already be seated on the court, so that he'll sway the outcome in favor of allowing the President to do what he wants, Constitution be damned.

If that happens, Trump will be in complete control and our country will be in serious jeopardy.

Something to remember.  This goes back to President Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court after Antonin Scalia's death and Congressional Republicans refusing to consider his nomination for a whole year for political reasons.  Had they done what was right and what was normally done, Garland would be sitting on the bench for the Supreme Court right now and our country would be in a much safer position.  So never forget that this sickening human being bears an incredible amount of responsibility for our current troubles:

Mitch McConnell

This is concerning

If the counterintelligence community doesn't trust the President, is that bad?  I think it might be.

Be aware of this man

Senior Adviser Stephen Miller

His ability to lie without concern for the consequences will bring him to our attention again very soon.

Watch this video!

It's at the end of the article.  Yes, that's top policy adviser, Stephen Miller, again making unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud.  He also said, "we're going to protect innocent men, women, and children from violent, criminal, illegal immigrants that need to be removed from this country".  I'm pretty sure that this administration has enough people who are willing to lie for it already.  We don't need this guy too.  Unbelievable.

Surprising Update:  It's not surprising, I was joking.

The Muslim Ban

From the Washington Post article and the court:

The administration made the argument that the case was not even reviewable, despite ample precedent from the George W. Bush years. In its most memorable line of the opinion the judges held, “There is no precedent to support this claimed unreviewability, which runs contrary to the fundamental structure of our constitutional democracy.”

From the article:

This is a humiliating defeat for the White House, revealing just how amateurish the president and his advisers are. The frightful part is that if they cannot handle a simple executive order, what makes anyone think they can handle far more difficult challenges?

"The Blessed Ban"

Wow.  ISIS is calling Trump's Muslim ban, "the blessed ban" because they believe it "proves that the West is at war with Islam."  Great job, Mr. President.

How to act

President Obama's photographer is making a point, or 10.

Quote: Rosie Ayliffe

"This vilification of whole nation states and their people based on religion is a terrifying reminder of the horror that can ensue when we allow ourselves to be led by ignorant people into darkness and hatred," said Rosie Ayliffe, a woman whose daughter's murder was falsely claimed to be an act of terrorism by President Trump.

Maybe she should be heard

Dear Senator Thurmond:
I write to express my sincere opposition to the confirmation of Jefferson B. Sessions as a federal district court judge for the Southern District of Alabama. My professional and personal roots in Alabama are deep and lasting. Anyone who has used the power of his office as United States Attorney to intimidate and chill the free exercise of the ballot by citizens should not be elevated to our courts. Mr. Sessions has used the awesome powers of his office in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly black voters. For this reprehensible conduct, he should not be rewarded with a federal judgeship.
I regret that a long-standing commitment prevents me from appearing in person to testify against this nominee. However, I have attached a copy of my statement opposing Mr. Sessions’ confirmation and I request that my statement as well as this be made a part of the hearing record.
I do sincerely urge you to oppose the confirmation of Mr. Sessions.
Sincerely,
Coretta Scott King

Senator Elizabeth Warren was prevented from reading this on the Senate floor during the nomination debate of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.  What's wrong with this country?

Update:  "She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted."

Never forget these names...

In a few years, the damage they've done will be more clear than it is now.  Truly shameful.

Today 50 freely elected Senators showed us who they were. They demonstrated, unequivocally, that they value campaign contributions over schoolchildren. They approved a person who plagiarized part of her responses to their questionnaire, who was not familiar with the most basic issues in education policy, and who is comfortable with guns in classrooms to lead the Education Department. These Senators ignored thousands of constituent calls, the advice of experts and the pleas of educators to vote against the confirmation of Betsy DeVos. They deserve no peace until their next election. This is wrong, and a generation of children may suffer for their cowardice. We need campaign finance reform now. Cabinet posts should not be for sale.  Gretchen Whitmer

Read this article

Don't let this happen to us: "Whataboutism at home, just like whataboutism abroad, could slowly but surely exhaust and frustrate the American public until we just throw up our hands."  Be on the look-out for "whataboutism".

When a president regularly and purposely obscures the lines between reality and fantasy, that president can not be trusted to lead the American people and needs to go.