The Fall of Donald Trump?

I’m a bit of an old-fashioned hot head. I thought an election campaign crime like paying hush money to a porn star was more than enough grounds for impeachment.

How silly and naive of me. So I watched. And I waited.

It was just last Monday I was griping about waiting for a real impeachment inquiry. The wait was becoming as endlessly long as waiting for Godot.

Then suddenly this week turned out to be different.

Hey, the squeaky wheel, amirite?

It’s been a long, long wait from back when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “Impeachment is off the table”. Finally on Tuesday September 24, 2019 the Speaker arrived. "The times have found us. The actions taken to date by the President have seriously violated the Constitution. It is for this reason that the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry." 

We remember it all started when the guy who wanted to build Trump Tower Moscow said, “Russia, if you’re listening...”

Russia listened, all right. And they offered their help. And their help was eagerly welcomed.

And he got away with it.

We’ve recently learned more about Trump’s private Oval Office party with Russian agents. He seems to have told them he had no problem with their interfering in the 2016 election. This was proven later in Helsinki, when Putin’s Puppet sided with his Kremlin master in denying the same interference that he openly welcomed. We already know he bragged about ending the investigation of Russian election interference by firing Comey.

So Mueller investigated. He found lots of friendly contacts between the Trump people and Russians. He listed case after case of Trump’s witness tampering and acts to obstruct the Russia investigation.

And he got away with all of that too. Astoundingly, no impeachment inquiry was initiated, even after the Mueller Report.

Immediately after the Great Mueller Testimony Fizzle, the emboldened Con-Man-in-Chief proceeded to the next round of his campaign crime spree with, “Ukraine, if you’re listening."

After all of the crime, corruption and yes, collusion with Russia, it finally came down to Don the Con making the squeeze play, "I will say that we do a lot for Ukraine... I would like you to do us a favor”.

This episode was a classic gangster shakedown by the Mob Boss President.

This sleazy crime against democracy would still be hidden if not for a very brave American’s loyalty to our Constitution and truth.

Thanks to a patriotic whistleblower, we know about his latest crimes: Seeking foreign assistance in an election, and covering up the evidence by hiding the communications where only national security secrets are kept.

We can only imagine the shady, self-serving, crooked deals he has going with dictators like Putin, and Kim Jong Un, or with family friend and fellow gangster Saudi dictator Mohammed bin Salman.

We can only hope justice eventually shines its light on these yet to be revealed betrayals and treacheries.

By now I’m wondering. Do any rational people still think impeachment will boost Trump's reelection odds?

The Fall of Donald Trump could be more imminent than we think. There are cracks in the dam. The process has begun. Witnesses are being subpoenaed. More testimony, facts and evidence will be presented to the American people.

Don the Con is coming unglued. More rats are leaving the sinking ship. Smart Republicans are having to decide quickly if they don't want to go down with him. 

At this point, abetting high crimes and misdemeanors should be seen as a losing position. At minimum, any remaining support for the Big MAGAt will reveal the extent of corruption within the Republican Party.

This will be their last call to reject or embrace the moral rot of Donald Trump.

The long sordid tale of treachery and betrayal is winding down. There will still be inglorious acts of Republican sycophancy, along with presidential tantrums, or even further acts of destruction upon our democratic republic. 

This chapter in American history is one of fear, loathing, and presidential crime and corruption. It won’t be entirely over for another long wait, and after an even longer recovery.

The cult of Trumpism and white nationalism will still be around. It may disperse or go underground, but it will seethe and stew in its hate as long as we have racism’ and ignorance in the nation’s white population. The ugly extremism of white nationalism will always be in our far Right authoritarians.

But we are making steps to remove at least one of those authoritarian leaders. This is good.

It’s been a grinding and degrading course of events for our country, from “Russia, if you’re listening”, to “Ukraine, if you’re listening”. After his latest blatant crime, this long dark chapter of American history might finally be reaching its end.

I’m willing to be optimistic for a change. But then again, I’ve been silly and naive before.

Just The Facts

“Watching this from Germany. America taught us democracy after WWII and now... your institutions struggle to handle a situation that destroys them. Frightening and unbelievable!” - Martin Behle

Yes, it IS hard to believe and it IS frightening. What happened in NAZI Germany IS happening here. Minorities are scapegoated and slaughtered. Detention camps are multiplying. Educators and journalists are demonized as enemies of the people. There is no functioning opposition.

The state of the Republic decays under an authoritarian, corrupt, and criminal administration supported a loyal party of authoritarian accomplices.

The nation’s people of conscience and understanding watch helplessly as the opposition can’t even find a way to unite against the greatest threat ever to America’s founding ideal of democratic representation.

David Leonhardt lays out the facts in the New York Times:

~~~

Donald Trump vs. the United States of America

Just the facts, in 40 sentences.

Sometimes it’s worth stepping back to look at the full picture.

He has pressured a foreign leader to interfere in the 2020 American presidential election.

He urged a foreign country to intervene in the 2016 presidential election.

He divulged classified information to foreign officials.

He publicly undermined American intelligence agents while standing next to a hostile foreign autocrat.

He hired a national security adviser whom he knew had secretly worked as a foreign lobbyist.

He encourages foreign leaders to enrich him and his family by staying at his hotels.

He genuflects to murderous dictators.

He has alienated America’s closest allies.

He lied to the American people about his company’s business dealings in Russia.

He tells new lies virtually every week — about the economy, voter fraud, even the weather.

He spends hours on end watching television and days on end staying at resorts.

He often declines to read briefing books or perform other basic functions of a president’s job.

He has aides, as well as members of his own party in Congress, who mock him behind his back as unfit for office.

He has repeatedly denigrated a deceased United States senator who was a war hero.

He insulted a Gold Star family — the survivors of American troops killed in action.

He described a former first lady, not long after she died, as “nasty.”

He described white supremacists as “some very fine people.”

He told four women of color, all citizens and members of Congress, to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came.”

He made a joke about Pocahontas during a ceremony honoring Native American World War II veterans.

He launched his political career by falsely claiming that the first black president was not really American.

He launched his presidential campaign by describing Mexicans as “rapists.”

He has described women, variously, as “a dog,” “a pig” and “horseface,” as well as “bleeding badly from a facelift” and having “blood coming out of her wherever.”

He has been accused of sexual assault or misconduct by multiple women.

He enthusiastically campaigned for a Senate candidate who was accused of molesting multiple teenage girls.

He waved around his arms, while giving a speech, to ridicule a physically disabled person.

He has encouraged his supporters to commit violence against his political opponents.

He has called for his opponents and critics to be investigated and jailed.

He uses a phrase popular with dictators — “the enemy of the people” — to describe journalists.

He attempts to undermine any independent source of information that he does not like, including judges, scientists, journalists, election officials, the F.B.I., the C.I.A., the Congressional Budget Office and the National Weather Service.

He has tried to harass the chairman of the Federal Reserve into lowering interest rates.

He said that a judge could not be objective because of his Mexican heritage.

He obstructed justice by trying to influence an investigation into his presidential campaign.

He violated federal law by directing his lawyer to pay $280,000 in hush money to cover up two apparent extramarital affairs.

He made his fortune partly through wide-scale financial fraud.

He has refused to release his tax returns.

He falsely accused his predecessor of wiretapping him.

He claimed that federal law-enforcement agents and prosecutors regularly fabricated evidence, thereby damaging the credibility of criminal investigations across the country.

He has ordered children to be physically separated from their parents.

He has suggested that America is no different from or better than Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

He has called America a “hellhole.”

He is the president of the United States, and he is a threat to virtually everything that the United States should stand for.

~~~

And now there's "Ukraine, if you're listening..." and whatever the next crime or betrayal of our country will be.

Those are the facts. The country has fallen into the hands of liars, cheaters, and criminals. 

The Democratic Party is having no more of it. Their message is loud and clear.

"This time we’re serious and the president’s behavior cannot be ignored. If Trump continues to commit crimes against the country, humanity, and the planet, the Democratic Party will be forced to issue stern warnings and statements of disapproval."

The cavalry can arrive any time now...  Oops. They're going to protect a Saudi dictator's oil industry instead. 

And so our nation's opposition party decided we're better off to sit and act like we're waiting for Godot. 

There is no time to wait for another dark age to pass. This is how it all ends. Or has it already ended? Only Godot knows.

Never Forget

FOX(R) News

9-11-2101

Never forget.

Today we solemnly mark the 100th anniversary of September 11, 2001.

On that terrible day America changed, and thousands died.

But heroes arose.

At the same time we commemorate 9-11, we celebrate the greatest hero of 9-11, our Father of Greater America, and President-for-Life Donald Trump.

Ignoring his throbbing bone spurs, Saint Donald sprinted all three miles from Trump Tower, (about to become the tallest building in New York,) to the burning towers of the World Trade Center.

Again and again, our Father of Greater America dashed into the inferno, rescuing his fellow New Yorkers, carrying one man, or two women, at a time.

His selfless bravery inspired and rallied the first responders. He Alone, through heroic efforts, rescued hundreds of victims of the terrorist attack launched by Saddam Hussein and the Democrat Party.

And there’s even more heroism to celebrate. It was our Dearest Leader’s keen observation of thousands of dancing democrat Muslims in New Jersey that guided us forward. From that day on, He Alone would tell us who to blame for hating America.

Let us now offer our prayer of gratitude to President Donald Trump IV for officially naming FOX(R), and sister company Sinclair Broadcast Group, as the only news outlets in Greater America.

All the news you need...and to never forget.

Fascism: With It, Or Against It?

They blamed foreign "invaders" and “terrorists”, of course. This September 1^st marks 80 years since belligerent white nationalism chose its inevitable course of action.On September 1^st, 1939 Hitler’s Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht invaded Poland, igniting World War II. In the following two years, many more countries would be invaded, ravaged, and occupied.

The war on belligerent racist nationalism, known as fascism, would eventually claim over 70 million human lives.

The death toll would have been even greater had the Allies not united to defeat the armies of fascism. The US, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union understood cooperation was best for all parties of the alliance.

By May of 1945 the German Nazi Regime was defeated, but racism and fascism would continue to simmer in the dark souls of white nationalists. After the Second World War Bertolt Brecht warned:

"Don't yet rejoice in his defeat, you men!

Although the world stood up and stopped the bastard,

The bitch that bore him is in heat again."

Eighty years after white nationalist Nazi aggression spilled blood across the planet, the same evil has risen again. The US now has a president who openly praises dictators, while demeaning the black president as a foreign usurper. 

His is the face of the rising white nationalism. And he has legions of angry fanatic followers.

Germans lost the power of their vote after Hitler took power. He promptly divided the people into the “us v them” foundation of nationalism. 

Humanity was divided between the Master Race and all others.

The Right has already largely accomplished this goal of division here. Racial tensions are stoked while the press and non-MAGA Americans are "enemies of the people". Now they are set to seize more power to divide us further, reward the rich, punish the poor, poison our planet, and destroy the rule of law.

That is exactly what the Republican Party and its far Right base will do if we let them.

Voting is all we have to defeat the powers of white nationalism. Decent Americans need to find the way to unite against this rising fascism, even if it means voting for a corporatist candidate. It means voting for EVERY candidate that can defeat ANY member of the Party of Trump. 

By all means, vote for Bernie, or anyone you like in the primaries. Then we must vote for the persons on the ballot that can defeat Trump and his extremist party.

This isn’t just an emergency. It’s a national crisis. The 2020 election may well be the final resistance we have against white nationalism and the Trump crime family.

Just remember in the national election, disunity, third parties, and other acts of political purity only enable Trump.

It should be obvious the struggle against neo-liberal corporatism is only more certain to fail under fascist authoritarianism, so this priority needs to be clear. Just as we needed Stalin to defeat Hitler, we damn well need Democrats to defeat Trump and his crime abetting henchmen.

The bottom line is this. One real choice is going to be on the ballot. 

Fascism: Yes, or no?

Moral Weakness

The racist president smeared his feces again. “It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep.Tlaib to visit. They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds. Minnesota and Michigan will have a hard time putting them back in office. They are a disgrace!”

A disgrace? Why? For not “going back where they came from”?

Yes, and it would show a great moral weakness if the Israeli far Right leadership share the fascist racism and bigotry of the American Tangerine Tyrant. 

Netanyahu’s regime took the bait and slammed the door on the Black and Muslim American Representatives. 

Senator Bernie Sanders echoed my thoughts. “If Israel doesn’t want members of the United States Congress to visit their country…maybe they can respectfully decline the billions of dollars that we give to Israel.”

Israel’s Haaretz news outlet also condemned the affront to decency. “The wannabe authoritarian tag-team of Netanyahu and Trump has committed a reckless, racist, contemptible act.”

From his dark corner of Hell, Adolf gloats triumphantly “Wunderbar, Bibi! Just what I would have done!” Satan smiles as he serves the Nazi white nationalist his ice-water. "Authoritarian nationalism triumphs again!"

It comes down to this. The Democratic Representatives were “punished” for being hated by Trump. 

They were condemned by corporate media and demonized by white nationalists as “anti-Semites” for having the gall to criticize AIPAC and the Israeli government. Their support of #BDS only further infuriated the radical Right. The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement “works to end international support for Israel's oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law.”

In an irony of arrogance, the act of bigotry and marginalization of political opposition by the Trump/Netanyahu regimes just gave #BDS its biggest boost by far. The Netanyahu regime’s flagrant intolerance is highlighted, showing the world their authoritarian essence, as they serve as minions and enforcers of Trump’s hate.

The Big MAGAt dumped a pile of stinking crap, and Netanyahu stepped right into it. Now his smeared shoes leave stains and odors like the rest of the MAGA Cult.

Speaker Pelosi sensibly responded, “Israel’s denial of entry to Congresswomen Tlaib and Omar is a sign of weakness, and beneath the dignity of the great State of Israel. The President’s statements about the Congresswomen are a sign of ignorance and disrespect, and beneath the dignity of the Office of the President.”

Even AIPAC needed to implement damage control:

“We disagree with Reps. Omar and Tlaib’s support for the anti-Israel and anti-peace BDS movement, along with Rep. Tlaib’s calls for a one-state solution. We also believe every member of Congress should be able to visit and experience our democratic ally Israel firsthand.”

Face it. Neither country presents a good face for democracy. But I’ll allow the possibility that good intentions were embedded into AIPAC’s frantic response to minimize alienation of the Democratic Party and millions of Americans.

Representative Omar spoke out for real democratic values in her statement:

 "It is an affront that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, under pressure from President Trump, would deny entry to representatives of the U.S. government. Trump's Muslim ban is what Israel is implementing, this time against two duly elected Members of Congress.

As a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, it is my job to conduct oversight of foreign aid from the United States of America and to legislate on human rights practices around the world. The irony of the 'only democracy' in the Middle East making such a decision is that it is both an insult to democratic values and a chilling response to a visit by government officials from an allied nation."

Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri offered permission for Representative Tlaib of Michigan to enter the country on “humanitarian grounds” to visit her grandmother, after she "committed to accept all the demands of Israel to respect the restrictions imposed on her in the visit, and she also promised not to advance boycotts against Israel during her visit."

The conditions and demands mean she is still banned from visiting as a member of the US Congress.

Representative Tlaib didn’t take the bait. "I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in--fighting against racism, oppression & injustice.... I can't allow the State of Israel to take away that light by humiliating me & use my love for my sity to bow down to their oppressive & racist policies."

Meanwhile, unmentioned by Republican bigots and their white nationalist leader in the White House, American Jews of conscience were confronting their extreme far Right evil first hand:

~~~

Video captures horrifying moment prison officer drove into Jewish activists protesting ICE

Jewish activists and allies with Never Again Action were staging a peaceful protest outside a Rhode Island detention facility that jails immigrants for the federal government when a man in a truck, reportedly a corrections officer at the facility, drove straight into the group and sent several to the hospital. “Local police officers working at the protest did not intervene,” activists told The Washington Post, “and the driver eventually walked into the prison after other guards pepper-sprayed the protesters.”

As dozens of activists sat peacefully on the street outside the Wyatt Detention Facility, a driver sped up into the crowd while blasting his horn. Activists screamed as others chanted, “Shame!” But the driver only kept pushing into activists, continuing to drive several feet even as they were clearly standing right in front of the truck. “The whole world is watching!” others chanted. “5 people went to the hospital,” Never Again Action said in a tweet, “including 2 who were hit by the truck.”

...Never Again Action’s Amy Anthony told Newsweek, “We have confirmed that the person driving the truck is a correctional officer who works for the detention facility. The driver was in his uniform when he hit the protesters. His rank and name were embroidered on his shirt and he was wearing a badge at the time."

~~~

But it’s not all bad news.

At least there are still many Americans free to visit Israel, unhindered by Netanyahu or Trump and his racist cult. These privileged Americans would be the tiki torch wielding Trump supporters who chanted, “JEWS WILL NOT REPLACE US!”

They get a pass, for they have gained presidential approval as “very fine people”.

The New “Aristocrats”

Stop me if you've heard this one.

Aspiring to break into show-biz, the family had just finished their audition for the talent agent. Their act was filled with vulgar, vile, and nasty routines involving incest, excrement and violence. 

After they finished, a sanitizing crew was called to clean up.

Upon returning from a hasty dash to the restroom, the nauseated agent asked, “What’s the name of your act, anyway?”

The father replied, “The Trumps”.

Better Blame ANTIFA, Amirite?

The slaughter continues unabated. The body count racks up more double digit death tolls.

And the violence is unaddressed by the Party of Trump and the NRA. In fact, the racist Big MAGAt doesn’t see a growing problem with white nationalist domestic terrorism. In fact he has dismantled efforts by federal law enforcement to address domestic white nationalist terrorism.

This violence has only increased during this vile reign of evil. That evil flows from the hateful rhetoric from the White House, from the rallies that foment racist hate like the Nuremberg rallies of the last century.

The Big MAGAt asked, “How do you stop these people?”  Someone replied, “Shoot them.” The Evil One chuckled and responded with, “That’s only in the Panhandle you can get away with that stuff.”

So...

Hell, yes, I blame Trump. He is evil. Period.

Hell yes, I blame white nationalists. They are evil. Period.

Hell, yes, I blame the NRA.They are evil. Period.

Hell, yes, I blame the manufacturers of weapons.

Hell, yes, I blame the racist MAGAt culture.

And hell, yes, I blame Hitler.

Trump, like Hitler, inflamed racism and hate.

White nationalist terrorism is directly inspired by the racist in the Oval Office. His bigotry is reflected, and his name is invoked, by the cold-blooded racist killers. The Party of Trump sees no blame in their ideology and in their leader.

No wonder they need to project their hate and terrorist threat unto ANTIFA, even though they have killed nobody.

If this evil is not defeated, our nation is absolutely finished.

Trump fuels hate for the press, liberals, Muslims, and minorities.

Trump is a pathological liar. Trump is a racist. Trump is willfully ignorant and indifferent to human suffering. Trump is fond of dictators and extra-judicial killings.

Hating minorities, Muslims, and the press, and even liberals, is evil.

Pathological lying is evil.

Racism is evil.

Willful ignorance and indifference to human suffering is evil.

Dictators and extra-judicial killings are evil.

Trump is evil.

Those who support Trump wittingly, or unwittingly, support evil. 

Every Nazi, Klan member, and white supremacist is a Republican and/or Trump supporter. 

How COULD they ALL be wrong?