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.

"Hateful Things"

Last night, I went to a local public library to view a traveling exhibit and hear a talk. It was called "Hateful Things".  The topic was racism.  The theme was "Using Objects of Intolerance to teach Tolerance and Promote Social Justice."  It was presented by Dr. David Pilgrim, the founder of the Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University.

It was well done.  Dr. Pilgrim is a lively speaker with many important things to say. One of the more important of those things was that this is not just a historical problem.  The objects he has displayed in the exhibit and at the museum are still being created to this day.  So it's an on-going problem.  Especially in our current political climate, this is something about which we all need to be aware.  I intend to visit the full museum.  You should check it out.

The first paragraph of the article says it all

Holy cow:

Retired US Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey slammed President Donald Trump's defense of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, calling it "the most anti-American statement ever made by the president of the United States."

If there's a hell...

then this man is going to burn there for all of eternity for his role in justifying torture during the George W. Bush administration:

And even he thinks President Trump is going too far.

Oh, my gosh

Donald J. Trump 

✔@realDonaldTrump

Any negative polls are fake news, just like the CNN, ABC, NBC polls in the election. Sorry, people want border security and extreme vetting.

7:01 AM - 6 Feb 2017

This is truly upsetting. Where is the rest of the media right now? Every legitimate media source on the planet should be calling this out today.  "Any negative polls are fake news"?  Are you kidding me?

Yes, a picture really is worth a thousand words

Much credit goes to the creators:  Cynthia Sousa (@theamat) and Sam Machado (@samscenarist).  See more of their art at http://www.cartoonmovement.com/p/38690

Hate will not win

It's little events like this that give hope about the next four years.

Gregory Locke, on Facebook:

"I guess this is Trump's America," said one passenger. No sir, it's not. Not tonight and not ever. Not as long as stubborn New Yorkers have anything to say about it.

Americans Against Hate!

This President is ignorant and dangerous

Our President wrote this about a federal judge appointed by George W. Bush:  "The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!"  "So-called" and "ridiculous" are clear attempts to undermine the authority of a federal judge.  It is unacceptable behavior from the President of the United States.

As people around the world march in protest of President Trump's Muslim ban, Patrick Leahy, a senior Democratic senator from Vermont, called Trump’s comments "embarrassing" and "dangerous".  He also said, "he seems intent on precipitating a Constitutional crisis," adding that the judge was under attack merely for "having the audacity to do his job".

Update:  I guess the judge wasn't "ridiculous" after all, since another federal judge agreed with him.  I can't say that I'm surprised.

Because the rich people of the world don't have enough money

Let the corruption run rampant:

"'It should be lost on no one that in less than 48 hours, the Republican-controlled Senate has confirmed the former head of ExxonMobil to serve as our secretary of state, and repealed a key anti-corruption rule that Exxon Mobil and the American Petroleum Institute have erroneously fought for years,' Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland said, referring to the oil industry's trade group."

U.S. Navy SEAL dies in Trump's first military operation

It appears that preparation for the mission was not done properly.

A positive development

A federal judge from Seattle blocked President Trump's Muslim ban today.  Let's see what happens now.

She just made it up

At about the 2:50 mark in the video in the link, Kellyanne Conway says a complete lie because it supports her argument.  It has no basis in reality.  It did not happen. This is a spokesperson for our President.  Will she come out and apologize for spreading lies?  I won't be holding my breath.

Huh?

Not a man to be taken lightly.

So either the President of the United States and his Press Secretary don't know who Frederick Douglass was or maybe this is some twisted attempt to remove him from history, as they recently did with not mentioning the Jewish people who suffered and died in the Holocaust on Holocaust Remembrance Day?

Why am I in a position to even have to wonder about this?  What is wrong with this country?

Frederick Douglass is one of the most important people in the history of the United States.  If you are somehow as ignorant of him as our President apparently is, please educate yourself.  This will be a decent start.  Enjoy.

Concerned yet?

From an article on Yahoo that's talking about how he's making sure there's no paper trail: "One Bannon quote making the rounds this weekend: 'Lenin wanted to destroy the state, and that’s my goal, too. I want to bring everything crashing down and destroy all of today’s establishment.'” Yep, that's the President's Chief Strategist, strategizing about how to destroy our country. This might be a problem.

Surprise!

Rodrigo Duterte is who we thought he was:  A murderous thug, bent on the destruction of his own people.

Are we on the same path?

Muslim ban fact check

From Alicia a. Caldwell, Associated Press:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In the face of widespread criticism, President Donald Trump and other member of his administration have staunchly defended his order temporarily banning refugees and nearly all citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries. But in a statement Sunday, tweets Monday and comments Tuesday, Trump and others misstated the facts or offered contradictory statements multiple times.

What Trump and others said and how it compares with the facts:

___

SEAN SPICER: "Well, first of all, it's not a travel ban," the White House spokesman said during his daily briefing Tuesday when asked about Trump's executive order halting travel to the U.S. for people from seven majority Muslim countries.

JOHN KELLY: "This is not a travel ban; this is a temporary pause that allows us to better review the existing refugee and visa-vetting system," the Homeland Security secretary told reporters Tuesday.

THE FACTS: That's not what their boss said Monday. Trump defended the order and its immediate implementation in a tweet by saying: "If the ban were announced with a one week notice, the 'bad' would rush into our country during that week. A lot of bad 'dudes' out there!"

Spicer also called it a ban Monday at George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs, saying "the ban deals with seven countries that the Obama administration had previously identified as needing further travel restrictions."

___

TRUMP: In a White House statement Sunday, he said, "My policy is similar to what President (Barack) Obama did in 2011 when he banned visas for refugees from Iraq for six months."

THE FACTS: That's not exactly what happened. According to State Department data, 9,388 Iraqi refugees were admitted to the United States during the 2011 budget year. The data also show that Iraqi refugees were admitted every month during the 2011 calendar year.

The Obama administration did slow processing for Iraqi nationals seeking refuge in the U.S. under the government's Special Immigrant Visa program for translators and interpreters who worked with American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. That happened after two Iraqi nationals were arrested on terrorism-related charges. But that year, 618 Iraqis were allowed to enter the U.S. with that special visa.

Government data show that during the 2011 budget year, more than 7,800 Iraqis were allowed into the United States on non-immigrant visas, including tourists.

___

TRUMP: In the same statement, he said, "The seven countries named in the Executive Order are the same countries previously identified by the Obama administration as sources of terror."

THE FACTS: That is misleading. The Republican-led Congress in 2015 voted to require visas and additional security checks for foreign citizens who normally wouldn't need visas — such as those from Britain — if they had visited the seven countries: Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. This was included in a large spending bill passed overwhelmingly by Congress and signed by Obama.

As the law was enacted, the Obama administration announced that journalists, aid workers and others who traveled to the listed countries for official work could apply for exemptions. There were no special U.S. travel restrictions on citizens of those seven countries.

___

TRUMP, also in Sunday's statement: "To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting. This is not about religion — this is about terror and keeping our country safe. There are over 40 different countries worldwide that are majority Muslim that are not affected by this order."

THE FACTS: Trump is right that there are many majority-Muslim countries that have not been included in the travel ban. But he's also being misleading. The executive order signed Friday does not specifically say Muslims can't visit the U.S., but it does create a temporary total travel ban for citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries. It also indefinitely bans Syrians.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani recently told Fox News that Trump had asked him to create a plan for a Muslim ban that would meet legal tests. Giuliani said he ultimately made recommendations that focused on security and what countries posed security threats.

___

TRUMP: The president also tweeted: "If the ban were announced with a one week notice, the 'bad' would rush into our country during that week. A lot of bad 'dudes' out there!"



THE FACTS: The immigration system doesn't allow the kind of "rush" Trump is describing. There are 38 countries, mostly European, whose citizens can visit the U.S. without a visa. But they must be approved for travel in advance by supplying background information to the U.S. government. Any other foreigner looking to visit or move to America for school or work has to get in line for a visa and be subjected to a variety of background checks, including reviews by federal law enforcement and intelligence. Before Trump's executive order was signed, some people were eligible to skip an in-person interview if they met a variety of requirements.

And the U.S. can always stop a foreigner from boarding a U.S.-bound flight or cancel a visa upon someone's arrival. A visa is not a guarantee that a foreigner will be allowed into the U.S.

Letter of Dissent

There is currently "a State Department dissent cable, asserting that President Trump’s executive order to temporarily bar citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries would not make the nation safer" traveling through American Embassies all over the world.  This article makes it clear how many American officials feel about the Muslim ban.  In case you aren't sure:  They are not in favor.

Acting Attorney General, Sally Yates

She's refusing to defend Trump's Muslim ban in court.

Before I could finish and post this, I read this:  "Trump fires acting U.S. attorney general after she refuses to enforce immigration order".  So much for that.  But this is what needs to happen.  Remember this woman for her act of conscience. Congratulations to you, Sally Yates.  There will be a better job for you somewhere.

The country is standing up!

Some of the best recent protest signs from the internet:

I also saw these on-line:  "Twitler" and "Make racists afraid again", both of which I thought were fantastic.

As if we're not being confronted with enough sickness right now

The woman at the center of the Emmett Till case has admitted that she made up her testimony.

From The Guardian

"Donald Trump's executive order means he is now officially gunning for Muslims",
by Moustafa Bayoumi

Update:  He might be gunning for them, but he won't get those Muslims.

Please support the ACLU.

YES!

Good people (and COUNTRIES!) still exist.  Hooray for the Netherlands.  This is a great response to Trump.

Pretty reasonable statements

Iran:  "While respecting the American people and distinguishing between them and the hostile policies of the U.S. government, Iran will implement the principle of reciprocity until the offensive U.S. limitations against Iranian nationals are lifted," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

"The restrictions against travel by Muslims to America... are an open affront against the Muslim world and the Iranian nation in particular and will be known as a great gift to extremists," said the statement, carried by state media.

What will your response be?

President Trump has placed a ban on immigrants from several Muslim countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen).  Immigration officials have detained people at airports who were already on flights from the countries on the list.  What's next?  What if what's next is "detainment camps"?  Are you prepared to sit by and do nothing?  The people of Germany largely claimed ignorance about what was going on in the concentration camps.  Are you prepared for history to view you in the same way?

We may be on the doorstep of the most dangerous moment in American history. Are you prepared?

So, can we bury her now?

'Cause I'd really like to be done with her brand of ignorance.

I can't wait until the adults are back in charge again.

It's going to be a reeeeaaaally long four years.  "If I bully everyone, they'll think I'm strong!  That'll cover up for the fact that I actually feel very weak."  No, it won't, President Trump.  There are plenty of people with the psychological skills necessary to see right through you.  This is pathetic.

Common ground creates space for healing

The police chief of LaGrange, Georgia has apologized for the police force's failure to meet their responsibility in the death of an 18 year old African American man in their custody in 1940.  By taking responsibility for that failure, he has given the family and the community the ability to heal more fully and the ability to trust the local government.  This is the type of action required to heal our entire nation.  We have a long history of injustice in this country that hasn't been accounted for.  My hope is our cultural institutions will continue to take responsibility for their actions and that will allow African Americans and other minorities to come more fully into the mainstream of American society.

This is very good

William Saletan of Slate wrote an article about how reporters should handle Kellyanne Conway.  It's short and highlights just how broken that woman is, which is important, because we need to understand the stakes.

Twitter doesn't want me

I tried to sign up for Twitter, so that I could follow these new rogue U.S. government agencies written about in this article.  But Twitter doesn't want me because I don't own a cell phone.  When I tried to confirm my account, it told me my number was unsupported.  So I guess I won't be doing that, but you can!  And you should!  The list in that link could be a very valuable source of information.  I highly recommend it.

At war with the truth

Our President lies.  We're in deep trouble, people.

We are not alone

Resist!

Not a quote I'm excited to hear

"We're watching the dark cloud of Mordor extend over federal service," said the executive director for the advocacy group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Jeff Ruch, as President Trump hobbles the EPA. If you're not a fan of "The Lord of the Rings", just know that it's not good.

Journalism has never been more important

And it's currently under attack!  Recognize what is happening around us.  The pillars of our society are being shaken.  Don't be caught unaware.

All right, Americans!

Hey, you people must be paying attention to what's going on!  Excellent.  You need to be, because Big Brother is watching you.

With apologies...

I figure I might as well start now with apologizing to people for the behavior of our soon-to-be President, Donald Trump.

Let's start with Mexico.  That seems like a good place to start.  To the people of Mexico, I apologize for our President-elect's racist statements about you as well as this.

1/13:  To people of good conscience everywhere, I apologize that our President-elect is believed to have engaged Russian prostitutes and performed or had them perform "golden showers" so as to defile the bed that President and Mrs. Obama slept in.  If this turns out to be untrue, then I apologize that the United States has elected a man that it is so easy to believe he would do this.

I can't keep up!

1/24:  To women, I apologize that our President has reinstated the global gag rule on abortion.

Our President lies

And for no reason other than to appease his fragile ego.  Right now, it's just pathetic.  At some point, this behavior will truly matter.  Be prepared.

Update:  He is sticking with his lie, despite multiple sources refuting it.  Extra: Look for Mitch McConnell's quote at the end of the article.  That guy wouldn't know the truth if it ran up and humped his leg.

Support the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)!

This kind of stuff is hard to believe.  Isn't this the United States of America?  The time to fight is coming up on us.

People are funny

Humor helps.  I love this:

Regarding the dishonest media, to quote Melania Trump, "When they go low, we go high." Period #SeanSpicerFacts

This woman might be more frightening than Trump

Her ability to unabashedly twist words is Orwellian.  She is leading the charge toward fascism.  How long before she starts saying things like "altfacts"?  Big Brother is watching you.

Pop on Trump

Gregg Popovich is a man of character.  He makes the valuable point that because Hillary won the popular vote, that means that most people aren't buying Trump's act.  That's important to remember.  It's upsetting to feel like the country thought Trump would be a good president.  But the country didn't really think that.  He just got elected anyway.

I can't decide which one is the worst

Is it that the new White House Press Secretary is clearly lying about the size of the crowd at the inauguration?  Or is it that he's taking the press to task for their reporting on it?  Or is it that he's discussing the size of the crowds at all?  Wow. The world is in trouble.

It happened today

Today Donald Trump has become President of the United States.  I can not even imagine what the world will be like in four years.  I think it's time for a good movie.

Dismantling Democracy

Reince Priebus, President-elect Trump's chief of staff is intimidating Walter Shaub, the head of the Office of Government Ethics.  He is intimidating the head of the Office of Government Ethics!  Shaub has stated that President-elect Trump needs to avoid conflicts of interest by divesting himself of his businesses. President-elect Trump doesn't want to do that, so he's attacking.  Priebus said, “The head of the government ethics ought to be careful..."  It really doesn't matter what comes after that.  It's a threat and it's inappropriate.  He then attempted to marginalize him by saying, “So I'm not so sure what this person at Government Ethics, what sort of standing he has anymore in giving these opinions.”

This is the President-elect's administration, removing the barriers to it's unethical behavior.  This is a problem.

Divide and Conquer!

President-elect Trump is using his bully pulpit to tear people apart.  We're going to have to learn how to see people as people, not enemies, if we want to survive these next four years.

What a loss

What a stark contrast to our President-elect.  In the years to come, I believe we'll look back on President Obama and recognize how valuable his leadership was, much more so than any political accomplishments he made.

I am so ashamed of this country.

I just can not believe that Americans thought electing this man could work out okay.

How are these accusations of an "extensive conspiracy" between President-elect Trump and Putin not evidence of treason?  He allegedly worked with Russia to subvert the democratic process.  As President-elect, he has deals with the President of Russia that are not in the best interest of the United States.  What is going on?  I understand that there needs to be verification of this information, but I don't understand why this isn't a bigger news story.

And I don't understand how this man is about to be POTUS.

With apologies...

I figure I might as well start now with apologizing to people for the behavior of our soon-to-be President, Donald Trump.

Let's start with Mexico.  That seems like a good place to start.  To the people of Mexico, I apologize for our President-elect's racist statements about you as well as this.

1/13:  To people of good conscience everywhere, I apologize that our President-elect is believed to have engaged Russian prostitutes and performed or had them perform "golden showers" so as to defile the bed that President and Mrs. Obama slept in.  If this turns out to be untrue, then I apologize that the United States has elected a man that it is so easy to believe he would do this.

I can't keep up!

1/24:  To women, I apologize that our President has reinstated the global gag rule on abortion.

Good job, Minnesota.

This is what our country is supposed to be about.  Congratulations to her and congratulations to Minnesota.

Happy New Year!

I would say that 2017 can't be much worse than 2016, but 2017 is probably going to be much worse than 2016.  Sorry.  Here are some political cartoons that really nail it.  Enjoy.