Both Sides Now

Oops. I did it again. I got blocked after another Twitter exchange. I must be quite the ornery, disagreeable old cuss.

This time I was blocked by a socialist guy.

I guess that puts me in good company.

Kamala gets it from both sides. “Harris will defund the police!” “Harris is a cop!”

Turns out neither is true, but truth is an orphan in most parts these days.

It also turns out, yours truly has been getting it from both sides too. Sort of like an inside-out-both-siderism. Last time I was blocked by a Proud Boy after a Twitter dialogue. This round features accusations from the opposite end of the spectrum. 

A Left leaning fellow calling himself “Cloudy Architect” posted a piece from “Law Enforcement Today”.

“Report: Joe Biden’s family members have prior arrests for drugs and drunk driving. Why no jail time?”

Well, one could suppose Law Enforcement Today to be an unbiased source of information. After all, they even had a tweet from GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel to bolster their piece on the Biden family crime spree.

Beyond Joe’s brother’s DUI and a couple non-violent drug possession cases with his kids, the real target was revealed. The Godfather himself.

In Law Enforcement Today’s “Just the facts, Ma’am”, style, a few interesting phrases were included: 

“The impeachment charade”... “a so-called ‘whistleblower’...  “President Trump is getting impeached for what? For a phone call to the president of Ukraine about possible illegal activities by Joe Biden and his son Hunter? For asking President Zelensky to ‘look into’ the activities of the Biden’s?”... “so-called Russia collusion”...  “Joe Biden, is reportedly the subject of ‘multiple criminal investigations’,” and “The claims against Biden relative to the fraud, money laundering and counterfeiting schemes were made by a Florida-based private investigations firm, D&A Investigations.”

Sounds pretty “fair and balanced” to me.

Washington Monthly clarified that last bit in “Anatomy of a Disinformation Campaign”.

“The documents they are referring to were filed by a Florida-based private-eye firm, D&A Investigations, and were almost immediately dismissed by the judge because they had nothing to do with the paternity case. Nowhere in the documents did D&A name the agencies behind the purported criminal probes of Biden.”

Somehow FOX(R) OANN, and Law Enforcement Today omitted that key point as they ran with the smear campaign. It’s almost as if the Right will make false accusations without any evidence.

And as for “Law Enforcement Today”, Media Bias/Factcheck wrote:“We rate Law Enforcement Today far-Right Biased based on story selection and editorial positions that align with the conservative right. We also rate them Mixed for factual reporting due to the use of poor sources, lack of transparency, and failed fact checks.”

Whodathunk? A socialist relying on far Right propaganda to attack Biden. And me. Trump would appreciate that.

With that setting and framework in place, let’s get to the drama of the day.

Replying to

@CloudyArchitect

 

DD:

Oh, the outrage, small time crimes not committed by the candidate. How about sex offenses, breaking campaign finance law, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, soliciting foreign help in elections, and interference with mail? If re-elected this major criminal will walk free.

CA:

DINO/you excuse all things as long as you get your immoral policies pushed through. i.e rigging elections and rape of staff. Obstructing justice, witness tampering is how he kept his trash family out of prison. Should have had free and fair elections if so afraid of Trump.

DD:

In your worldview, wanting justice for Trump's crimes is being DINO? And they're MY "immoral policies" of rigging elections and rape of staff? And I'm a DINO for standing with Bernie and Chomsky? I've been accused of less crazy crap by MAGAts.

CA:

That is not a world view. Being DINO is overlooking what your candidate and the party has done while demanding the other team faces consequences. Clearly, Bernie and Chomsky have changed quite a bit since the orange scare tactics have been perpetuated. Endorsing a racist/rapist

DD:

If you worked in a post office, had kids in cages, saw all the vote suppression, the hate, lies, and racism, your tune would be different. Your worldview is Bernie, Noam and I are DINOs. How is that a unifying position? It will be Biden or Trump. "Neither" will not be elected.

CA:

You listed everything the Dems have done as well. Obama tried to cut 12k postal jobs after the first time they turned a profit. Who built those cages and separated kids and sent a record number packing, Dems. And now your argument is that since the ancients caved, I should too?

DD;

I'm not telling you to cave. I'm telling you it will be Biden or Trump, like it or not. Trump's crimes are greater, and obvious. Biden's "crime" is an allegation from a less than reputable and inconsistent person. Ask Ukraine to investigate. That's PC these days.

CA:

Posted: "However, the drive to privatize the USPS is not solely an objective of the Republican Party and the Trump administration. The Democratic Party, the other wing of the capitalist political system, is equally responsible". From World Socialist Web Site

DD:

I don't need a lecture on corpo-dems. They're almost as corrupt as the fascists in the Trump Cartel. If you think Trump is better for the country, fine. You don't have to do anything to stop him. Attacking Bernie supporters won't validate your cause. Attacking Biden helps Trump

CA:

Rape is serious, getting your coked-up son a commission in the navy is also a crime and is also serious. You being a rape apologist and claiming the allegations against Biden are false is exactly what I thought you would do. Quite the progressive Biden supporter you are.

DD;

Is a single unproven allegation of rape in an open hallway from a person of questionable reputation as serious as the numerous allegations against admitted offender Trump? Quite the progressive Trump supporter you are.

CA:
Take your rape apologia packing. See ya.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Blocked again. 

Such is my just punishment from a person, by all appearances, qualified to be cop, prosecutor, judge, and jury for Tara Reid. And he don’t need no stinkin’ proof.

At his Twitter home page, Mr. Architect has a banner of Nancy Pelosi’s challenger, Shahid Buttar. And wouldn’t you just know it, Mr. Buttar has been accused of sexual harassment.

If only Buttar’s accuser had Mr. Architect for cop, prosecutor, judge, and jury, her case would be proven as well.

Promises Made, Promises Kept

I had a recent twitter exchange with a proud, white, “not racist” Trump supporter. He scorned me for being duped by “fake news”.

He was proud of “white culture”, and what white people accomplished. He praised his fellow white people for all the advances in science, engineering, industry, agriculture, etc.

I pointed out that people of color contributed to all of those fields as well. But, hey, what does it matter?

He blamed Obama for the rise in racism. 

He declared he was not a “white nationalist”, even though he admitted he was a Proud Boy.

I informed him of Roger Stone flashing the white power hand sign with some Proud Boys.

His final praise for Trump was “Promises made, promises kept”.

I was happy to show him a few promises not kept. But I went further. It was probably too much for him to process my last message.

1. Racists blame Obama

2. White nationalists flash the white power hand sign

3. Proud Boys flash the white power hand sign

4. Only far Right true believers believe far Right media

5. The beliefs are indoctrinated

6. Racism is not racism to racists

7. You cannot grasp this

He blocked me soon after I posted this.

Rewarding as that was, I thought I’d expand on his theme of “Promises made, promises kept”. A fair standard, as such, albeit less than fair promises were in the mix.

Anyway, here’s a handy guide to those promises.

Promises Kept:

 

Tax cuts for the rich

Raised import tariffs

More Healthcare for veterans

Stopped TPP

Defunded Planned Parenthood

Cut Education Department

Limited legal immigration

Broke Iran Deal (Brink of war assassination and retaliation)

Canceled Paris Agreement (Deny global warming)

Deregulated polluters

Installed unqualified theocratic/corporate judges

 

Promises Not Kept:

 

Showing his tax returns

“Balance the budget fairly quickly”

Repealing Obamacare

$550 billion for infrastructure

“Bring back manufacturing”

Prosecute Hillary

6 months paid maternity leave

Allow deductions for health care premiums

Cuts in food stamps for 700,000 (Blocked by judge)

“Won’t cut Medicare” (Payroll tax cut)

“Won’t cut Medicaid” (Added work requirement)

“Won’t cut Social Security” (Proposed Payroll tax cut)

“Eliminate wasteful spending”

“Better cheaper healthcare” (Downplayed Covid pandemic)

Reducing the debt (“Eliminate in 8 years”)

DACA? (Then: “I love the dreamers.” Now: “Deport the dreamers.”)

"Build the wall"

Mexico paying for the wall

Ending the wars

“Bring back waterboarding”

 

And last, but not the least promise not kept:

“Law and order”

Hmm. Let's see here...

Admitted history of sex crimes.

Campaign cronies met with and shared info with Russian agents.

Campaign cronies welcomed Russian help.

Cronies lied to Congress.

Pardons and commutation for cronies.

Broke the law by paying off porn star.

Up to 10 counts of obstruction of justice on Mueller investigation.

Witness tampering.

Solicited foreign help for election.(Russia, Ukraine, if you’re listening)

Assault on lawful protesters for photo op.

Vote suppression: 18 U.S. Code § 594: "Whoever intimidates, threatens, coerces, or attempts to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any other person for the purpose of interfering with the right of such other person to vote or to vote as he may choose".

Obstruction of mail: "knowingly and willfully obstructs or retards the passage of the mail".

(U.S. Code § 1512.Tampering with a witness(b)Whoever knowingly uses intimidation..

52 U.S. Code § 30121. It shall be unlawful— to solicit- from a foreign national--money or other thing of value-- in connection with a Federal election.

~~~~~~~~~

The complete "law and order" list would be much longer. We'll probably never know of all the crimes committed by the Trump Cartel.

Unity From Division

There’s no denying the hardship, suffering, and death across the covid-plagued America that Trump’s malfeasance, ineptitude, negligence, and ignorance has wrought.

There's no denying the rise in white nationalism, and the erosion of decency, rule of law, and checks and balances. 

It wasn't that long ago we saw the neo-Nazi hate in Charlottesville, that killed an innocent woman. Right wing white nationalist terrorism wasn't finished. It was going to be far worse.

The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting on October 27, 2018 left 11 people dead. 

The El Paso shooing on August 3, 2019 left 23 people dead.

However, there’s a faint light beyond the doom and gloom of Trump America. 

The dark cloud of 2016 is lifting. Something is different in 2020.

Droves of former Republicans and former Bush people are declaring their support for Biden. 

The Lincoln Project and 45 Alumni For Joe Biden are two of the most active groups of conservatives who have a conscience.

Of course, conservatives of conscience are summarily dismissed as disloyal “anti-Trumpers”. 

During the sham impeachment trial, Mitt Romney was the lone person of conscience among Senate Republicans. Among all the Trump toadies, Romney alone stood on the right side of history.

Stuart Stevens, the chief strategist for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential bid has a new book titled, “It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump”.

He understands what we mean by the right side of history.

From:
The Republican Party Is Racist and Soulless

“Stuart Stevens says he now realizes the hatred and bigotry of Trumpism were always at the heart of the GOP.”

“A lot of us in the party liked to believe the dark side was a recessive gene, but it’s a dominant theme,” Stevens, a seventh-generation Mississippian who was named for Confederate Gen. Jeb Stuart, told me. “And it’s all about race. The Republican Party is a white party and there still are more white people than non-white people.”

“When there was rising anti-Semitism, isolationism, and pro-Nazi sentiment, why did the US not become fascist?” Stevens asked. “Because of FDR. Leaders matter, and the GOP has now completely abdicated its role.”

“This is the complete moral collapse of a governing party of a major superpower...”

The Republican Party has become nothing more than an obedient, loyal, and servile band of stooges bending the knee to an authoritarian bigot. They are a cult following a despotic sociopath who declares Democrats hate America, protesters are terrorists, journalists are the enemies of the people, and he alone can make America great.

“Holy Hitler, Batman!”

And speaking of history, here is how Hitler duped the people:

“The National Government will regard it as its first and foremost duty to revive in the nation the spirit of unity and cooperation. It will preserve and defend those basic principles on which our nation has been built. It regards Christianity as the foundation of our national morality, and the family as the basis of national life.” – Adolf Hitler “My New World Order” – Proclamation to the German Nation, Berlin, February 1, 1933

On October 10, 1936 Heinrich Himmler created the Reich Central Office for Combating Homosexuality and Abortion, or Special Office (II S), a sub-department of Executive Department II of the Gestapo.

Hitler would have clinched support of American Evangelicals and other conservative Christians by this measure alone. He won support of big business by relentlessly blaming “Marxists” (his term for socialists and communists) and Jews for the nation’s ills.

Don’t be deceived by the American Right. Hitler was not a socialist and NAZIs were not a socialist party. They were 100% nationalists, with racial purity and bigotry as their foundation. Their rise to power was not that dissimilar to Trump’s rise to power through his racist birtherism, selective harsh treatment of Muslims, demonization of brown immigrants, and other appeals to white nationalism. And of course, anyone not with him is a “Marxist”.

Trump’s former wife reported the only book she knew he read was the one he kept in the bedroom. It was “My New Order”, a book of Hitler’s speeches. Very interesting choice for a guy who doesn’t like to read books.

Hitler declared:

“The German state is gravely attacked by Marxism....The main plank in the Nationalist Socialist program is to abolish the liberalistic concept of the individual and the Marxist concept of humanity and to substitute for them the folk community, rooted in the soil and bound together by the bond of its common blood.”

All we need do is substitute “America” for “German state” and “Republican Party” for “National Socialist” and we have the essential message of the Party of Trump.

It's not a difficult task to show a number of other parallels between Trump and Hitler.

Incremental expansion, and unchecked abuses, of power are notable common indicators. Appeals to racist nationalism is the other similarity. It’s all about who to hate and blame, stoking anger and division, and telling you anyone who disagrees with them is a commie. 

Joseph Goebbels, Reich Minister of Propaganda, gave us a preview of how Trump would use fascist projection:

“The English follow the principle that when one lies, one should lie big, and stick to it. They keep up their lies, even at the risk of looking ridiculous.”

 The far Right’s primary Big Lie is “liberal media” in their war on journalism. Journalism has always been seen as a threat to totalitarians and authoritarians.

The German Nazis used the term “Lügenpresse”, or lying press, in their campaign to destroy journalism. Now American fascists cry “liberal media” and “fake news” when the truth threatens their agenda.

These are the authoritarian fanatics of the fascist Right that have risen to frightening levels of influence in their war on our Constitution’s regulation of commerce and provision for the general welfare. They actively suppress voter rights, democracy, a free press, science, education, unions and minorities.

Their goal is nothing less than a democracy-suppressing one-party dictatorship.

In the United States of America, Constitutional checks and balances, racial equality, democracy, and the rule of law are being viciously destroyed under Trump. 

Defeating America’s Hitler and his authoritarian white nationalism and unchecked abuses of power is the first of many objectives in our struggle to reclaim our democratic republic. 

An important step is uniting with decent and sane conservatives and former Republicans. Trump has unwittingly forged the most unusual political alliance. Let's hope it works, and maybe this can become a foundation for building a more perfect union. 

"Great Health Care"

A Short History of Great Health Care

2016: "You’re going to have such great health care, at a tiny fraction of the cost — and it’s going to be so easy.”

2017: Crickets

2018: Crickets

2019: Crickets

July 19, 2020: “We’re signing a health-care plan within two weeks, a full and complete health-care plan.”

August 6, 2020: Crickets

The Reply Someone Doesn’t Want You To See

Our white con-servative buddy Darrell has been stewing lately. For reference, I’m going to post his diatribe of anger, resentment and hate.

Of course my reply will never see the light of day at his blog. And I won’t bore the reader with my broader reply to the nasty tone of his piece.

I’m just going to break down and respond to the first paragraph to underscore the dense concentration of inaccuracy and dishonesty in this angry and reactionary flow of effluent.

~~~~~~~~~~~

 The Video Chairman Nadler Doesn't Want You to See!

New York Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of course, has claimed that the protests throughout our nation are generally peaceful and it is a "myth" to characterize them otherwise.  Of course, this "gentleman" also previously denied the existence of the fascist group Antifa. This blatant lie regarding the "peaceful protests" is further promulgated to the ignorant public by socialist Democrats in the main stream media.  They want you to believe that any violence being done is by police on peaceful protesters simply exercising their constitutional rights. 

Nowhere does the U.S. Constitution or common decency allow arson, physical attacks, looting, running over people with vehicles, and the destruction of public and private property.  That should be obvious, but I know real civics is no longer taught in school these days so I figured I'd address this as a public service announcement.

I think that the brave law enforcement officers that are trying to protect people and property have been exceedingly patient and very measured in their responses to the horrific violence perpetrated against them and public/private property. 

This small but very vocal minority of mainly snot-nosed white millenial rioters has been allowed to go on for way too long.  The vast majority of silent Americans will eventually stand up and do something about it.  I pray that this includes capturing the House, Senate, and Presidency in less than 100 days.

This inexcusable rioting should now be met with all necessary force, including reciprocal lethal force as required, to shut it down in Portland, Seattle, and wherever else it occurs.  When industrial fireworks are launched at property with people inside and the doors are blocked intentionally by rioters like what has been done at the Mark Hatfield federal courthouse in Portland, this alone amounts to lethal force on the rioters behalf.  This is not protesting and if you don't know the difference between that and rioting, then you are part of the problem.

In related news, Somalia, Afghanistan and Venezuela have issued travel warnings for the former United States.

~~~~~~~~~

I don’t know about you, but I need a shower after wading through all that crap.

I also have to wonder if cons can’t tell the difference between cops choking, clubbing, gassing and assaulting non-violent protesters from actually serving justice.

I’m sick of the Right framing all protesters as violent. Protesters protest. Vandals vandalize. Almost everyone denounces the vandalism. Not that the radical Right allows this truth in their bubble. Their vision is clouded by hate and anger.

You don't hear a damn peep of condemnation or even recognition, of the fact Trump-supporting thugs and white nationalists have instigated vandalism to escalate tensions.

First, the title: “The Video Chairman Nadler Doesn't Want You to See!”

Why on Earth would Mr. Nadler WANT anyone to see a dishonestly edited propaganda video sponsored by House Republicans?

Obviously the highly edited video with missing context was a big hit with Darrell.

Now we’ll examine the opening paragraph.

“(Nadler)...the protests throughout our nation are generally peaceful and it is a "myth" to characterize them otherwise.”

True. The great majority of protests and protesters, were peaceful. Nobody denies the vandalism.

“(Nadler)...denied the existence of the fascist group Antifa.” 

Correct. There is no such thing as the “fascist group Antifa”.

The fact is, “Antifa” stands for Anti-Fascist. They have no leader, no organization, and no agenda, apart from opposing fascist/racist hate groups like the Proud Boys, 3%’ers, neo-Nazis, the Klan, and other white nationalist Trump supporters.

“This blatant lie regarding the "peaceful protests" is further promulgated to the ignorant public by socialist Democrats in the main stream media.”

Utterly false, with an abundance of evidence showing literally hundreds of peaceful protests around the country. And unnamed “socialist Democrats” is a meaningless claim or outright lie. Unless he is talking about AOC, he’s just proving his ignorance of the fact the Democratic Party has almost as any corporate donors and string pullers and the Republicans.

“They (mainstream media) want you to believe that any violence being done is by police on peaceful protesters simply exercising their constitutional rights.”

No mainstream news organization denies the vandalism. Again, there is an abundance of evidence showing police gassing, clubbing, and shooting peaceful protesters with rubber bullets, sending people to hospitals. There is no evidence news media “want you to believe” anything but what is happening. Right wing media, Trump, and Republicans on mainstream media, and our own Darrell, are the ones promoting lies like these.

There.

We have established the tone and nature required to support the Republican propaganda video that Rep. Nadler cares not to see.

Since it takes longer to debunk lies and misleading, demonizing words than to state them, I’ll conclude with Darrell’s prayer mission:

“The vast majority of silent Americans will eventually stand up and do something about it.  I pray that this includes capturing the House, Senate, and Presidency in less than 100 days.”

I have to note the reference to Nixon’s “silent majority”. Trump’s oldest and closest friend and advisor Roger Stone has a tattoo of Nixon on his back. If that alone isn’t enough to shout, “I am a racist!”, then maybe the photo of him flashing the white power hand sign with Proud Boys makes it “perfectly clear”.

Darrell has chosen to disregard that overt racism. Or he condones it. Neither reveals an active conscience.

I won’t join in Darrell’s prayers to keep racists in the White House, or in the Senate, or in the House of Representatives.

Most Americans have determined Trump is a racist and pathological liar. Qualified psychologist and niece Dr. Mary Trump understands he is a sociopath.

I pray the sane and compassionate people of America overturn the Senate, retain the House, and boot the sociopaths, white nationalists and racists out of the White House.

For those curious about my full reply, it will be in the comment thread...here, not over at Darrell's blog, naturally.