Since Mainstream Media is clearly afraid to tell America about White Christian Nationalism, here’s an update on the Seven Mountains Dominion Mandate and Project 2025

 

Before I begin, I need to correct something I’ve repeatedly said about these and related topics: The Dominionists and Christian Nationalists working to turn America into an Autocratic Theocracy are not operating in the shadows. They are all out in the open front and center. They are telling their audiences what their intentions are and have for decades.

The loudest people promoting the NAR and Project 2025 agendas are charismatic personalities, celebrities and politicians. Not in secret meetings but in front of audiences. They want everyone to know what they have in store for America so that later you can’t say you didn’t know.

I left this out of the post I made about Corporate Media the other day but the Dominionists are taking advantage of the fact historically, the media has long gone out of its way to avoid even sounding critical of any religion–especially a Christian-based faith–for fear of being accused of violating the target’s Freedom of Religion.

This is one of the big reasons organizations like The Heritage Foundation and The Family have made it a point to register themselves as a “Church” organization to shield themselves from media, government and even public scrutiny. This in turn allows them to operate openly while keeping their agendas a closely guarded secret. It also allows them to endlessly fundraise openly and more so since they have tax-exempt status.

It’s an abuse of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit designation but I’ll get to that a bit later in this blog post.

 

In recent weeks, Project 2025 (or Projecr ’25 for short) has been all over social media. The media referring to it as “Trump’s vision for America” is laughable given it’s not Trump’s idea. This is a plan that’s been almost 70 years in the making. It’s also not accurate to call it a “Far Right Conspiracy” because it’s only being co-opted by the GOP.

Go to their website and see for yourself. Project 2025 is basically the endgame plan Dominionists have for the American Democracy once they are able to get a Republican president aligned with their interests in the White House. Trump is the Republican nominee and is a useful idiot. He already gave them the Supreme Court and Mike Johnson, who is an unapologetic Dominionist himself is the current Speaker of the House. They have one and a half branches of the federal government under their control and they are going all in to take the White House this Fall.

Here’s a short list of what Project 2025 plans to take away or resrict at the national level should Trump (or another Republican) get in the White House:

 

• Abortion (currently outlawed in almost half the country)
• Women’s Reproductive Healthcare (currently restricted in states where Abortion is outlawed)
• Contraceptives
• IVF (See the previous blog post!)
• Gestational Surrogacy
• LGBTQ+ Rights (Overturning Obergafel v. Hodges is a top priority)
• Government Assistance Programs (SNAP/Food Stamps, SSI/SSDI, WIC, etc.)
• The Affordable Care Act (What’s left of it anyway)
• Freedom of Religion (They want to make Christianity the State Religion)
• Freedom of Speech

 

That’s just a short list and again, they are being open about this from now. See and listen to what they are telling everyone yourself. Again: They are playing for keeps.

With Trump’s campaign clearly imploding, it’s obvious they are working on some contingency plans of their own that will either help get Trump back in the White House or in the words of Mike Flynn, ensure there isn’t an election in November.

The third party candidates Trump was riding on taking away enough votes from Biden for him to win by default have so far proven to be unviable. There is ongoing litigation from the last time Trump’s campaign tried to use fake electors so that’s clearly not a viable plan this time.

That brings me to THE option Project 2025 would happily capitalize on should it happen: Armed conflict. I’ll get into that at the end of this article but what I will say for now–and I’ll say again later–is people should probably start stocking up from now. We did it when the Pandemic broke out so…yeah.

 

 

Now here’s an update on the NAR’s Seven Mountains mandate. I’m not going to do these in the same order shown in the image above but I will cover all of them.

Before I forget, the name and theme of the Seven Mountains Mandate comes from Dominionists’ twisted interpretations of a few Bible verses:

• Daniel 2:44: It’s actually the end of a very long explaination about the four empires that directly impacted ancient Israel (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome). This is referenced again in Revealation. Dominionists have cut out this verse by itself and use it to mean a Christian America will stand forever.
• Revealation 17:9: It’s actually the beginning of a long description of what the First Beast Power is and its characteristics (Rome and the present day Roman Catholic Church). Dominionists have cut out this verse by itself and interpret it this way: The woman is America and the Seven Mountains are Seven Mountains of American Culture.
• Mark 11:23: Dominionists use this verse to reinforce the Seven Mountains Mandate.
• Isaiah 45:2: Dominionists use this verse to reinforce the Seven Mountains Mandate.

 

The first two being twisted and repurposed by the NAR is easy to see through for anyone who knows their Bible. Not the ones who only open it in church but those who take the time to read through the Bible. Sadly, it IS a fact most Christians don’t know the Bible as well as they think they do. This is a fact ALL Charismatic Evangelists–most of whom support Project 2025 and the Seven Mountains Mandate–are aware of. Naturally, they also know how to rile up their audiences as well.

I know those last two verses might not seem like much but in the context of Dominionism, they matter. Project 2025 is their endgame plan for after they have conquered the government on that note. Remember: In their minds, they are doing God’s will. Emphasis on “In THEIR minds”.

Ok here we go. As a reminder, keep ALL of the following in mind:

 

1. The root causes of the societal and cultural problems in America are as the Dominionists see it because “America has turned its back on God” and “lacks strong Christian leaders”. By that they mean they want elected officials who are willing to be partial to their religious beliefs even when it means disenfranchising others.
2. The “solutions” Dominionists have come up with and plan to implement are largely either based on their own interpretation of certain Biblical passages–often intentionally misconstrued or out of context–OR to disenfranchise certain populations. Or a combination of both. Basically, it’s the typical “Only our solutions matter” so prevalent in Autocracies and Dictatorships.
3. ALL of these seemingly unrelated “mountains” are part of the much larger plans that they have in store for America. We should never EVER forget the Dominionists played the long game with Roe v. Wade.
4. The Dominionists are working in tandem with White Nationalist Militia and Foreign enemies (Russia, China, etc.). They all have the same core desire: Ending the American Democracy. Period. That’s what unites these three factions.
5. Even the GOP is WELL aware that it’s a Federal offense to have a second but separate Federal government running at the same time. It would automatically be considered treason. It’s why they and Dominionists are very careful in their public statements in making sure their talk of turning America into a Theocratic Autocracy is “future tense”. Make no mistake they have already built the infrastructure and personnel to “flip the switch” should Trump or another Republican willing to work with them gets in the White House.

 

Now that you understand a bit about what’s driving the Dominionists, let’s get to those Seven Mountains.

 

Family

 

No area have the Dominionists given such a focus than the family. I’m sure most of you remember 20 years ago Evangelists started harping and crowing about “Traditional Marriage” being “under attack” by Same Sex Relationships, a rising interest in the occult, women’s reproductive rights and…contraceptives. Yes, really.

The centerpiece of the Dominionists’ plans largely involvesl legally making women second-class citizens and the property of their husband. In other words, just how it currently is in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India, Sudan and Saudi Arabia. Womens’ Sufferage was sparked in the UK 100 years ago and it has since become an integral part of all Democratic societies.

It’s interesting to note the Bible points out in various places–and is often intentionally ignored–God created Man and Woman equally. Men and Women have their distinct reproductive functions obviously but they were always intended to treat each other equally.

Not to the Dominionists. They think a man’s wives are or should legally be the property of their husbands for life. They believe husbands can and should be able to physically, emotionally and sexually abuse their wives as much as they want without legal repurcussions. The problem is that’s anathema to the teachings of the Bible on how married couples should treat each other.

What about Divorce? Only if the husband wants it. In fact, you can’t get divorced in some states without the husband’s signature. No exceptions for documented cases of domestic violence or domestic abuse either. I’ve talked to a lot of people in recent years who fled abusive relationships but found someone else. Since they’re still legally married ot their abuser, they can’t get married again and the new relationship becomes a common law marriage.

The Bible gives two allowed grounds for divorce which Jesus himself clarifies. The first is if there is an affair. The offended partner can elect to forgive the affair but if not, they are allowed to get a divorce. The other is if two unbelievers get married, one of them converts and the other doesn’t want to convert. In that case, divorce is allowed.

Everyone 35 and older might remember that time in the early 2000s when Brittany Spears and Justin Timberlake got married…and divorced within 2 hours of each other. They were both drunk and got married in Las Vegas. It was after they sobered up and realized what they did that they immediately got divorced. The incident made national headlines and pissed off conservatives nationwide. I don’t don’t fault them for realizing they made a mistake when they were intoxicated personally.

That aside. The rise in domestic abuse–between heterosexual married couples to be clear–since the late 1970s has made it necessary for laws on divorce to be relaxed in some U.S. states to make it easier for predominantly wives to get away from their abusers. I’m sure everyone’s at least heard of some local stories involving husbands murdering their wives or at least trying to without a second thought.

I have met women who came out of abusive relationships missing fingers or often wear dark glasses to hide the black eye(s) their abuser gave them. They literally had to flee for their lives, often with their children. In some cases, their abuser is arrested or imprisoned–as they should be–but more often than not they simply find another woman and repeat the cycle.

If the Dominionists get their way, all of the nonprofit safety nets created to help women trying to escape their abusers would likely be shut down overnight. This is to say nothing of contraceptives and abortion both being banned nationwide. It’s all about basicallt turning all women/wives into Broodmares. For those who are not familiar with that term, it’s a female horse used for breeding. If that reminds you of A Handmaid’s Tale, it should.

 

Business

Here we have one of the areas that attracted the Dominionists to Trump. To be clear, it’s not that they thought Trump was a good businessman. I’m pretty sure they knew his history as a conman, a cheat and a swindler. What attracted the Dominionists to Trump in 2016 was the public perception he built via his celebrity status that he was a wealthy businessman. He fit the criteria they were looking for in a presidential candidate.

Anyone who’s ever visited or attended a church that’s being led by a wealthy pastor probably already knows this but they amassed their wealth by scamming their congregations. Only a very small fraction of the “donations” they collect every week actually goes to community outreach and missionary work. The majority of it goes right into the pastor’s pockets with kickbacks to church members who are in on it. They do set aside just enough money to keep the church open though.

It’s a blatant abuse of the 501(c)(3) tax exempt status places of worship and religious organizations enjoy. More problematic than that is even when the fraud is exposed, more often than not the offender just moves somewhere else and starts over.

This brings me to why Dominionists have such a vested interest in this “mountain”: Money. They want the legal right to defraud people without pentality. In the aftermath of Shinzo Abe’s assassination, Japan started passing legislation aimed at stopping the Unification Church–in reality, it’s the Moon Cult–from blantantly scamming unsuspecting Japanese citizens.

Basically, the Moon Cult used spiritual blackmail to get mostly elderly Japanese citizens to give them the equivalent of thousands of money. The former Prime Minster was assassinated by a man who thought Abe was affiliated with the Moon Cult. The assassin’s mother had been scammed and he thought Abe was connected to them in some way. It turns out Abe’s mother once worked with the Moon Cult when he was a child but not Abe himself.

All that said. Dominionists are all for deregulating everything as long as they get kickbacks. It would basically be a combination of the Properity Doctrine and Trickle-down Economics but scaled up. The Prosperity Doctrine means “God wants you to be Financially wealthy” and “Rich people were blessed by God”. Trickle-down Economics–also known as Reaganomics means all the wealth is concentrated to a small handful with the hope some of it will “trickle down” to everyone else. Ronald Reagan championed it in the 1980s.

If you think poverty in America is bad now, just look at countries like Haiti, Nigeria and The Philippines where 70% to 85% of the population lives in extreme poverty. A little known fact about The Philippines is it’s one of the top five countries in Southeast Asia where many people sell their organs to the Black Market. Yes, really.

THAT’S how bad and depserate things could get in America overnight should the Dominionists seize control of the government. What about Unions? They hate Unions. Don’t even get me started on Unemployment and Severance Pay either. They will get rid of all of those.

“Those who don’t work, don’t eat” as far as they’re concerned. What’s that? You can’t work because you’re hurt, sick, pregnant or have a preexisting condition? “Suck it up get lost” as far as they’re concerned.

 

Education

This is one “mountain” the public knows more about than they realize largely thanks to Republicans’ overt efforts to gradually kill Public Education in recent decades.

Why do Republicans hate the idea of “education for all” so much? Wanting a population dumb enough to control is just a part of it. The bigger reason is they feel they have a political mandate to reintroduce segregation in schools based on race and religion. They already succeeded in killing a major part of Affirmative Action several years back.

As for why Dominionists have a vested interest in education, having taxpayer-funded Christian Schools and reintroducing Bible Study in Public Schools are only two parts of it. The rest we’ve started to see in the experiment phase in Texas and Florida in particular. I’m talking about the book bans at not just school libraries but public libraries too.

To understand why the Dominionists are lockstep with the GOP on Behavior, Information, Thought and Emotional Control–yes, I just referenced The BITE Model there–all you need to do is turn back the clock to The Dark Ages. For nearly 1,400 years, The Roman Catholic Church essentially ruled Europe with an iron fist. Whatever the Vatican didn’t approve of or understand was dismissed and branded as heresy or witchcraft. Anyone who dared to challenge The Vatican’s power and authority head-on was branded as a heretic and had the full weight of the government they had influence over brought down on them.

For the overwhelming majority of Americans who don’t know the history of European Politics from the early rise of the Roman Catholic Church to The Enlightenment in the late 18th Century, it’s this: For almost 1,400 years the Roman Catholic Church literally and metaphorically held the keys of life and death for generations of people in Europe. Free thought was discouraged while superstition abounded among the common people. The rich and privelaged who could get a formal education helped reinforce the class system of “Commoners” and “The Noble Class” of people.

One of the reasons Education is held in such high regard in Europe now is because they know their history. For centuries, economic disparaties barred most of the population from even learning how to read and write their own language. This is to say nothing of the Roman Catholic Church barring the Bible from being printed in any language except Latin (“Who but The Church  and clergy could read and understand The Scriptures?”).

Education is the way to combat ignorance and superstition. Dominionists are well aware of this and it’s why they’ve spent decades working to weaken and dismantle Public Education in the U.S. In addition to this they have joined forces with the purveyors of conspiracy theories in attacking and discrediting experts, historians and scholars.

In order to get as many people as possible to buy into the worldview they have to offer, they attack all other views or ideas as “misinformed”, “deceptive”, “evil”, “worldly”, “woke”, “demonic”, Satanic” and so on. In order to be able to brainwash and indoctrinate people en masse, Public Education and the profession as a whole needs to be dismantled and ultimately be replaced with “Christian” Education.

I’ll get into this in a separate post but as a former Educator, I have become very concerned by the fairly recent–I mean with the last 10 years–propaganda campaign from not just Dominionists but mainline Protestant denominations pushing families to pull their kids out of Public Education and home school their children if they can’t afford to send them to a Christian School.

The four biggest reasons they push for this are as follows:

1. To teach your childen “Biblical Values”
2. To shield your children from “Mainstream Propaganda”
3. To be “free” of Vaccine Mandates
4. To not have your children exposed to “Mainstream Propaganda”

 

The first one is the big thing Dominionists feel they have the political capital to pull off with little resistance especially from older Americans who remember when Bible Study was still in Public Schools. Before Roe v. Wade in 1973, there was Schempp v. Abington in 1963. The Schempps were Unitarians who sued the district saying requiring all students to read 10 Bible passages every morning and to recite The Lord’s Prayer violated their First Amendment Freedom of Religion. Their case was escalated to the Supreme Court which ruled 8-1 in their favor.

The Schempp ruling actually came down a year after the Supreme court ruled in a similar case. The Engel v. Vitale ruling in 1962 brought an end to school school-led prayers. The Engels, who were Jewish sued the district saying the mandated schoolwide prayer violated their religious views. The SJC ruled in their favor 6-1. The Schempp case happened the following year in 1963.

Combined, both cases were supposed to have ended the practice of Bible reading and prayer in public schools. Notice I said “supposed to have ended” there. Anyone who lives in a conservative community knows that these ruling are ignored and in many cases are not stopped in such places until they’re sued. usually by or with the assistance of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). A ruling in 2000 was supposed to have banned school-led prayer at high school football games but it’s a fact that it is still openly practiced in many places.

The Dominionists and their allies in the current SJC will move to throw out those two rulings at the Federal level like they did Roe v. Wade. They’ll then mandate Bible reading and prayer in schools which sounds really nice to well-meaning Christians who’ve said for decades “everything was better when Bible study and prayer was still in Public Schools. At least kids learned morality and the fear of God”. Last I checked, the Bible makes it clear that’s the PARENTS’ first and foremost. Not their teachers’ job and certainly not the government’s job for that matter.

 

Moving on. By “Mainstream Propaganda” they largely mean the influences of the LGBTQ+ community. Those are the three big reasons they push and the intention is largely to have a generation of children who are indoctrinated to only have one worldview. THAT is what the Dominionists want for ALL of America.

There’s also what I mentioned earlier about Education being a privilage for children of the rich and well connected for centuries. These decades-long efforts from the GOP to defund and dismantle public education are entirely toward that end goal. More so after openly attacking the Desegregating of Public Schools became politically toxic by the mid-1970s.

Before I forget. These efforts to whitewash U.S. history by the GOP–literally and figuratively–plays into narratives pushed largely by white nationalists and their allies in the GOP. They allege efforts being made to teach grade school kids America’s WHOLE history–including the lows such as The Trail of Tears, the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, Jim Crow and the bombing of Black Wall Street–is “reverse racism” or “teaching (white) kids to hate America”.

As a former educator, I am personally offended by those assertions that have since been championed by the likes of Ron DeSantis. To an extent, these assertions have also been co-opted by many Black Republicans in recent years who present themselves as outspoken proof “America is not a racist country (anymore)”. The problem is the facts say otherwise and they know it but I’ll get into the topic of Black Republicans in a separate post.

 

Arts & Entertainment

We saw a pretty good preview of what would happen here when the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan a few years ago: Freedom of Expression, Free Thought and Creativity died immediately. People rushed to paint over murals in public displays and remove advertising displays they knew the Taliban would have deemed offenses punishable by death. In Iran and other Islamic Theocraric governments, non-Islamic books are required by law to have a sticker indicating they do not promote Islamic values.

In China, the government reviews all foreign movies and TV shows for content they either disagree with, is critical of their values as a country or makes portrays the country in a negative light. American movie studios and American companies going out of their way to not piss off the Chinese government has become a big topic of conversation in the entertainment industry and pro sports over the last 10 years.

In Russia, you can be arrested or worse for saying anything critical of Vladomir Putin or government policies even if it’s said during a comedy show or in a satire. Yes, really. During Trump’s presidency, Alec Baldwin played Trump in Saturday Night Live. Baldwin got weekly death threats from Trump supporters because of it. Then the Rust shooting incident happened. Many Trump supporters saw the legal trouble Baldwin was in as payback for his work playing Trump on SNL. While the incident was clearly nothing more than a tragic accident, that hasn’t stopped some Republican politicians from pressuring New Mexico investigators to take prosecute Baldwin largely to “punish” him for his SNL work.

Creative Expression has actually been under attack from Conservatives since at least the mid-1970s. Coincidentally, that was also when the modern rise of Liberalism in the U.S. really began. In the backdrop of the U.S.’ messy exit from Vietnam, the end of the miltary draft, the end of Jim Crow and the massive popularity of Rock & Roll young adults felt empowered to step out of their parents’ shadow and live for themselves.

The older generations didn’t take what they viewed as “counter-culture” among young people very well to say the least. In the minds of Dominionists and Christian Fundamentalist groups, anything that prevented them from controlling or  manipulating others was “evil” or “Satanic”. That’s basically anything other than what they want people to focus on.

The irony is the Bible promotes free thought and the freedom to choose for or against its teachings. I won’t digress further though.

 

Media

Like I said in a recent post, the Fourth Estate (The Media) has fallen. It corrupted itself after Reagan got rid of the Fairness Doctrine and let media outlets start cannibalizing each other. We got a pretty good look at how the Dominionists plan to weaponize the media during Trump’s term.

It was no accident or coincidence Fox “News” was a part of the Trump Administration’s Media kit. His relationship with Fox “News” soured when they preemptively but correctly called Arizona for Biden during the 20202 election. Trump went to OAN and Newsmax for a bit and Rupert Murdoch finally had woke up to the fact Trump was insane.

The only reason Fox “News” as well as Mainstream Media outlets are still doing everything they can to prop up Trump as a “legitimate candidate” to the public–behind closed doors, they know he willl not win in November–is entirely self-serving: For ratings and ad revenue.

Contrary to popular belief–and I haven’t outright said this on this blog until now actually–both the mainstream media outlets AND the Right Wing media outlets in the U.S. are NOT owned or controlled by the U.S. government. They are all 100% privately owned, operated and financed.

The mainstream outlets are subservient to special interests and sponsors while the Right Wing Media caters exclusively to people who identify as largely Conservative and/or Evangelical. While it is true that until very recently CNN and MSNBC largely catered to people who identify as Liberal and/or Progressive, they’ve both started catering heavily to those who traditionally watch Fox “News” since mid-2021.

Some of you may remember shortly after the Pandemic shut the world down ads by Franklyn Graham and other Evangelicals suddenly started airing daily on all the cable news media outlets. That was no coincidence. Neither are those “Jesus Gets Us” Ads that have been airing on occaision during sports games broadcast on TV. Dominionists are behind it and they are setting the stage for what’s to come once they are in power.

Why build a new media ecosystem when you can simply take over and repurpose that one that already exists? Basically, we’ll have what Putin has in Russia: Propaganda and ONLY propaganda 24/7. Any journalist who dares to speak the truth in Russia is declared an enemy of the state. We saw this in the early weeks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. One journalist was charged for holding up a message critical of the Russian government but she managed to flee the country.

Even more terrifying than that would be the media being weaponized by Dominionists like it was in Rwanda 30 years ago. In fact, we already know the seeds are being planted in the Right Wing Media ecosystem in terms of a nationwide propaganda machine categorizing and dehumanizing minority populations (Immigrants, LGBTQ+, Democrats, Atheists, etc.).

The genocide museum in Rwanda stresses this point: People didn’t just wake up one day and decided to start butchering their friends and neighbors out of the blue. That happened after years of propaganda from political figureheads who one day said “The time has come, start killing the people from this tribe and any who aids them”.

When the Rwandan Genocide finally ended, it wasn’t just the survivors of the extermination campaign who were traumatized but the ordinary people who participated in the killings. They had been told they “had a duty to cleanse the nation of filth” and show no mercy to the other side. I recently talked to people whose parents, aunts or uncles participated in the massacres. Their relatives told them it couldn’t control themselves but they knew what they were doing.

The Far Right in the U.S. been ramping up their genocidal rhetoric in recent months and it has crossed into the mainstream media outlets. Dominionists would likely just use the media to tell people–especially their base–that they have the legal right to discriminate against people who are not like them.

 

Religion

I almost made this the last one but changed my mind.

This is the one “mountain” that may actually be the Dominionists’ downfall and more so when there is serious infighting which is pretty likely. The reason is simple: There are many different Christian denomimations. There are at least a few dozen in the U.S. alone.

The Dominionists and their allies in the GOP underestimate how strongly Christian faith leaders across all denominations who oppose their plans will mobilize their congregations to resist them for as much as possible and for as long as possible. I’m seeing signs on Xitter, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms right now that tells me a growing number of faith leaders are starting to speak out very forcefully against Christian Nationalism. Not just in the U.S. but especially in the U.S.

Why? Because REAL Christians not only know and understand Jesus himself opposed the idea of forced conversion but they recognize the damage these anarchists using Christian vernacular have caused for decades. The advent of the internet and social media have made it far easier for Christian Fundamentalists and Charismatic faith leaders to indoctrinate millions a day for free.

Honestly, I’ve become VERY concerned with the political apathy that has set in among Christians in America over the last few decades. I know most of the talking points like to focus on Trump in 2016 to now but the modern Christian Fundamentalist movement goes back decades. They were simply waiting for the right people to come along and help them advance their agendas. They got it in 2016 with Trump but clearly they are looking to get rid of him at the earliest convenience at this point but I’ll get into that in separate post.

All that said. It’s not hard to see the Christian Nationalists will silence and imprison dissidents as soon as they seize power. I’m not speculating or being hyperbolic. They’ll simply say any Christian denomination that doesn’t pledge support of them is apostate or heretics. Not just people or churches but whole denominations. It will be about asserting power and dominance over any who might challenge their authority.

They’ll also have the backing of a very powerful ally in Europe: The Vatican.

It is conspiracy fact that The Vatican has wanted nothing more than to have political influence within the most powerful country in the history of the world for over 200 years. Should America become a Theocracy, watch how quick The Christian Nationalists become The Vatican’s lapdogs. How so?

Simple: “One God. One Faith. One Nation. One Church.”

Suddenly, it won’t just be non-Christians anymore but Christian denominations such as the Seventh Day Adventist Church that will be aggressively persecuted by the Theocratic America.  They’ll be jailed and worse for refusing to compromise their beliefs for the sake of “unity”.

I’ve been open about this on this blog but I was raised as an Adventist so I can speak a lot to this particular topic. One of the core things Adventists are taught and made to understand has to do with a certain prophecy highlighted in Daniel and Revealation. Basically, there will come a time when Church and State become one in America and certain religious mandates will be imposed on Americans.

The idea of America becoming a Theocracy was laughable let alone unthinkable just 20 years ago. Not anymore.

Adventists are often accused of Legalism for observing the original Sabbath known today as Saturday. Most of the Christian world observes Sunday despite the fact there is no Bible passage the explicitly notes a change. This is to say nothing of a passage that notes “some will think to change times and laws”. Coincidentally, only one of the (original) Ten Commandments is both a time and a law: The Fourth Commandment and it is not only the longest but begins with the word “Remember”. I won’t digress further on that point.

Do I think that will come if the Dominionsts seize power later this year? No and more so given the massive resistance they will face for just trying. I’ll get into this in the next and final section but the Dominionists’ hostile takeover will not be taken lightly or quietly as they’re hoping.

 

Government

In order for the Christian America House Speaker Mike Johnson wants to see to rise, the existing government must fall.

Remember the imfamous admission at CPAC a few weeks ago: They want to end the American Democracy.

Over the last few decades, they’ve made a lot of progress in that endeavor. I went over a lot of the big ones over the last 6 sections. Let’s go over some more, many of which you likely noticed and may have thought to yourself “Is this just politicking or is there more to this than we realize?”

First, let’s review the fact the Dominionists and their allies in Congress are intentionally only allowing short-term spending bills when a Democrat is in the White House. They push a wedge issue such as Immigration, the boarder, crime or some trivial matter to justify holding the country hostage until they get the political win they want.

As for the Supreme Court, its standing as an apolitical branch of the government was shattered when they decided the 2000 presidential election (Bush v. Gore). Well, it turns out Al Gore actually did win that election but by the time that was confirmed it was already too late. The Right turned on the SJC when they ruled in favor of Obergafell in 2012, legalizing Gay Marriage nationwide. Then Trump packed the SJC with three justices whose main job was overturning Roe v. Wade. We all know how that turned out but I won’t digress further.

For the second time in eight years, one of two very unpopular candidates will win the presidential election this fall. One is the former president who’s prepared his base for a repeat of the aftermath of 2020 when he loses again.The other is the current president who has not only been largely uninspiring but has also been taking a lot of heat politically–largely unfairly on that note–over the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The media is largely omitting this but so far, voter turnout has been low in the primary elections to date. In 2020, the election was decided by about 150 million votes. This coming November, I’ll be shocked if it’s two thirds that number. As in I am expecting even less people to vote than in 2020. Low voter turnout is exactly what countries that run sham elections like Russia and Venezuela use to justify rigging the system in the autocrat’s favor.

The Dominionists will control who is allowed to be a political candidate at all levels. Whoever they don’t approve of is not only not allowed to run for office but is threatened and pressured–along with their loved ones of course–to withdraw. Political theatre with the illusion of choice won’t be that hard to present since the media has had decades of experience pushing false equivalencies and bothsidesism.

The literal definition of an Autocratic Leader is someone who can’t be voted out of office. We have one political party–the GOP–that is all about installing people who will have their position for life and prettymuch can’t be removed unless they die or resign. I refer to Supreme Court Justices and Federal Judges on that note but if they get their way, this will also legally apply to people who occupy the other two branches of government too.

 

…America is in an extremely vulnerable state politically right now to say the least. It’s also the biggest reason why myself and others have been saying on Xitter in recent weeks Political Apathy has set in.

Churchill said this quote in regards to America entering World War II two years after it formally started. America got involved in WWII after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 but the war had actually begun two years earlier.

After WWI, America adopted a strict isolationist policy. This is actually where the phrase Trump coiled “America First”–code for “America Only”–first came from on that note. After WWI, Many Americans believed America had no business getting involved in Europe’s problems militarily. More so when the Great Depression happened. Ironically, it was WWII that helped turn America into the world’s first Super Power. Not just militarily but economically and culturally.

It’s worth noting in the 1930s and even through America’s involvement in WWII, some Americans were smitten with Hitler and Hitlers Xenophobic ideologies. This is also where the idea of the American Nazi Party first came from. It’s since morphed into the Neo Nazi Party, a political movement all White Nationalist groups past and present subscribe to at least partially.

The Dominionists oppose everything America is about including the Constitution and especially the very idea of there being a separation of Church and State. You just finished reading through this entire post which highlights in detail how they plan their plans for a hostile takover of the government and what they have in store for everyone here. This is not conspiracy theory but is conspiracy fact.

With everything going with the U.S. politically and mainstream media largely ignoring these threats in plain sight, it falls to ordinary Americans to educate themselves on what is going on.

On that last point. DON’T assume just because your favorite news media outlet isn’t talking about something that “it’s nothing” or “not something to be concerned about”. Like I said earlier as well as in a recent post, The Fourth Estate (the News Media Industry) has largely fallen. Unfortunately, the only thing the Mainstream News Media industry learned from social media is to lean hard into clickbait headlines and sensationalism but I won’t digress further on that.

Getting back to Churchill’s quote and in closing. All I can really say is times have changed. The social and political apathy in America didn’t just happen overnight. It happened over the course of decades. I’m talking about over half of registered voters in America who will be staying home in November largely in protest of both candidates.

The Dominionsts are WELL aware of this and in their minds, it justifies the Minority Rule that they are all about setting up. They’ve already rationalized it to their base and their allies by basically saying “Divine Right” but with many more words than that. This is exactly why people like that should NEVER be allowed anywhere near the levers of government.

…Unfortunately, the table is being set in plain sight as we speak for their hostile takeover. Trump is less important than the people behind him or no longer see any value in letting him or his base think he can get back in the White House. They know Trump has no real chance of winning the election but letting his supporters continue to think his becoming president again is a foregone conclusion suits their interests for the time being.

…It will make his exit from the stage that much more beneficial to them and I’ll get into that in the very next post.

 

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

It can no longer be denied: The American News Media Industry is doing everything it can to help domestic chaos agents destroy America

The New York Times dropped this article online and they have rightfully been taking a lot of public backlash over it.

For context, over the weekend Trump publicly said if he becomes president again he will pull the U.S. out of NATO. That’s not even the worst of it. He later doubled down and said Russia should attack NATO countries. Yes, really.

This morning, he said the U.S. shouldn’t “give” money or aid to other countries but should give loans instead. Trump said this in reaction to the backlash the media is largely downplaying over his comments about NATO countries and U.S. allies around the world.

As a reminder, the whole world is and has been following the political situation in the U.S. very closely for some time. Most of the world celebrated Biden’s victory in 2020. Do you know who wasn’t happy to know Biden would be the new president in 2021? Putin, Xi and Kim Jong Un.

Biden made it a point to publicly tell America about a private interaction he had with Xi when they were Vice Presidents of their respective countries several years back. Xi views the American Democracy as the biggest threat to China culturally and politically more than anything else. That’s because people in China want the same freedoms we take for granted in the U.S. and other democracies. This is to say nothing of Russia’s Alexei Navalny.

As for why the media is deadset on pushing the idea “A second Trump presidency might not be so bad” lately, it’s because for all the hate he directed at their industry, he wasn’t “boring” for them to cover. Biden is boring for the news media to cover because unlike Trump, Bush 43 and Clinton, he’s not “exciting” or “edgy” and neither is his cabinet.

Obama was exciting for a while but by 2013, they started their pressure campaign to push Trump run in 2016. Then when they eventually got what they wanted–and regretted it behind closed doors–they dedicated almost all of their airtime to Trump. Despite everything Trump did as president–and especially during his exit–the media STILL wanted him back.

This is also why despite the fact they know Trump’s White House bid is now legit dead–I’ll get to that later–they’re still talking about him as if he still has a viable shot at winning the election. Not just Right Wing Media but most grievously, mainstream media outlets.

The whole news media industry needs to tell people the truth and the WHOLE truth. Decades of clearly biased reporting and spin is why we now have a generation of young people who don’t watch or read the news. They don’t watch or read news media largely because in their minds, what they see shared on Social Media is either more up to date or more likely to be true. I don’t just mean politics but news in general.

 

 

This brings me to Western societies feeling largely overwhelmed by daily headlines saturated with often rapid-fire negative news stories. We’re talking things from Mass shooting events to natural disasters to acts of violence to some conflict-triggered humanitarian crisis somewhere in the world.

Eventually, people get apathetic and numb to what’s going on. That’s exactly what started happening in the U.S. in particular over the last 30 years. People will then naturally look for escapes from reality. Escapes the entertainment and leisure industries in particular were all too happy to provide.

“Live in your world. Play in ours”.

A sad irony is we now have at least three living generations of people Democracies who want someone or something else to do all the thinking and decision-making for them. I mean in general, not just politics. People don’t want to think for themselves. People want to be told what to think and what to believe without having to put in the effort themselves because it’s “easier”.

And the media is explioiting that. Even more so now.

Before I move on, at this point it’s probably fair to say we need to build a new media industry. One built on facts, fact-finding and impartiality. Those who are on the side of common sense and speaking truth to power no longer have a place in Corporate Media. It’s beyond redemption at this point as a whole and especially in the area of politics. Enough’s enough.

No more billionaire-controlled media outlets. We need to go back to the smaller regional media organizations that built their credability and reputation on facts and integrity. More so given too many sold out in the name of money and influence in recent decades.

When it comes to politics AND current events, NONE of the existing media outlets can be trusted at face value. Not CNN, not MSNBC, not the New York Times, Not the Washington Post and certainly not Fox “News”. Social media platforms–especially Xitter–are no exceptions.

 

For the majority who probably don’t know, Right Wing Media predates the rise of Fox “News” in the early 1990s. It predates Rush Limbaugh’s radio show which started in the 1980s.

The concept of a separate news media ecosystem that specifically catered to Conservative Politics came about in the 1970s by those who felt “their” ideologies and values weren’t being represented in news media outlets. More so in the aftermath of the Civil Rights era and Roe v. Wade. So, they spent decades building the Right Wing Media and now Social Media ecosystem we see today.

I’ve said this before and it’s become much more obvious now: There is and never was a Left Wing Equivalent to the Right Wing Media ecosystem.

For almost 30 years Conservatives and Republican talking heads long accused the Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC and the New York Times of being “Leftist”. Ironically, now they all look no different from Fox “News” in terms of how they characterize coverage of people from both political parties.

At this point, Corporate Media or Mainstream Media (MSM)–they’re both the same industry–is beyond redemption. What some call Fourth Estate and what others call the unofficial Fourth Branch–in reference to the American media industry–has fallen. It’s more than fair to say that now.

America is heading to a very dark place and the media is not covering it. To be more specific, it’s avoiding talking about it. Why? Because of conflicts of interest first and fear of violent retaliation from the Right second. Don’t take my word for it on that second one. Just ask CNN.

 

All that said.

It is a fact people are being manipulated by the media. I learned about media literacy back when it was still being taught at the high school level about 24 years ago.

Now would be a good time for people to educate themselves on the ways mass media can and does use undue influence, mild hypnotism, redirection techniques and the power of suggestion largely for financial gain. THAT is what makes the news media so powerful…and dangerous when it utilizes everything it has to misrepresent and mischaracterize people they decide they don’t like.

That’s also what makes political Bothsidesism by the news media so dangerous. By pushing a false equivalency to appease one side, the media by extension given itself permission to not talk about the clear, present and active threat White Christian Nationalism is to America right now.

Most sane Americans have NO CLUE–NONE–we may be in the final 9 months of the American democracy. Why? Because the news media collectively decided years ago you don’t need to know what’s coming. I haven’t said this in quite a while but this is conspiracy fact.

Fortunately, there are people who are willing do the media’s job for them. I am one such person. Another is The Young Turks (YouTube). More recently there’s The Lincoln Project and MeidasTouch. Even the Hacktivist group collectively known as Anonymous is on the move. These, other grassroots movements and many people world wide and stepping up to try to give people a chance to prepare for what’s coming later this year.

I am well aware that I’m starting to sound conspiratorial at this point. The problem is unfortunately, failure of imagination is why America is in its current situation. The American traitors working to destroy the country from within are out in the open and they want everyone to know what they’re doing as well as why. They’re openly telling everyone.

If you want an idea of what we are up against, follow Jim Stewartson (@jimstewartson) and Steve Hassan (@CultExpert) on Xitter. Those two would be real good starting points. Dr. Hassan also has a popular podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube called The Influence Continuum on that note. I strongly recommend checking it out.

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Developing Story: 15 GOP states jointly announce they are supporting Texas in its dispute with the Federal Government over Boarder security

 

“All the Civil War talk is being overblown” indeed. Well, now it’s here.

Why the news media IS STILL downplaying the fact we are in a national crisis RIGHT NOW defies ALL logic. It’s not and should not be surprising though since Corporate Media went out of its way to downplay and normalize the last 8 years of political dysfunction in particular.

For the second time in four years, Donald Trump has incited armed rebellion against the Federal government. This time, sitting members of Congress are openly joining in including House Speaker Mike Johnson. Right Wing Media Outlets are characterizing it as Texas “Exercising its right to defend its boarder from ‘invasion’.”

First of all, Texas isn’t the only state on the Southern Boarder. Second, NONE of the other three states–California, Arizona and New Mexico–are making noise about the boarder. Third, Arizona and New Mexico–both GOP-controlled states–are not offering help or support to Texas. That should tell you everything you need to know about what is really going on.

Look at the second map above. 14 states announced they will be sending their respective national guards to Texas to assist the Texas National guard in its efforts to “defend the Southern Boarder” but more concerningly, to “stand up to the Federal government”.

Yes, really.

The GOP is literally pushing for armed conflict with the Federal government on Trump’s orders first, they along with Right Wing Media outlets are all about making decades-long anti-government narratives reality second and third, they think what they’re doing will ultimately be good for them politically.

Unfortunately for the GOP AND their allies foreign and domestic–but especially domestic–they’re going to find out sooner than later how badly they fucked up.

Speaking of, President Biden released this official statement Friday evening via Social Media:

Biden and Kamala Harris have recently started to step up their respective presences on Social Media platforms. The White House announced they are giving Texas until midmight to remove barbed wire and let Federal Agents inspect the boarder.

The Senate passed a bill that will not only provide boarder funding but will also give Biden emergency authority to shut down the boarder if it becomes overwhelmed and as noted, he will exercise that power immediately. In response to this, House Speaker Johnson said the bill will be “dead on arrival” in the House. Why? Because as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell admitted in a press conference the other day, Trump wants to run on the boarder “crisis” so the GOP in Congress is basically not allowed to pass anything that will “make Biden look good”.

Again: Yes, really.

Signs are everywhere this time, all their carefully laid plans and grifts are backfiring HARD. Don’t believe the noise coming from Corporpate Media or Social Media about Biden’s chances. It’s obvious by now he’s gonna smoke Trump AND anyone else in General Election at this point.

It’s gonna be a LONG 10 months for the GOP and more so now that MAGA is finally playing their hand with this Texas boarder standoff shit. Honestly and no joke, Greg Abbot needs to be impeached. NOW. I know it won’t happen since the GOP controls the state Congress in Texas but at the very least he should pay a steep price legally and politically.

This to say nothing of the idea most of the same 378 cops who were afraid of a SINGLE mass shooter in Uvalde two years ago thinks they can take on the ENTIRE U.S. Military. Don’t believe the Malinformation being aggressively spread via Xitter, Telegram and Discord by MAGA: U.S. Military personnel stationed in bases in Texas are NOT secretly OR openly negotiating defecting to the Texas National Guard. That would be a MASSIVE demotion first and we all know Abbot doesn’t have the money to pay them second.

Most importantly, Biden already called the GOP’s bluff and exposed them to the world–and more importantly sane Republican voteras–as the contrarian obstructionists they’ve always been for decades. They have no interest in actually governing. They want to rule, not govern.

 

I almost posted this before last weekend but I held off on it so I could look into the various Right Wing and Christian Nationalist factions that are on their way to Eagle Pass, Texas which is the boarder town on the U.S. side of the boarder in Texas.

They plan to hold a rally on Saturday in support of the state’s governor but more importantly, “Texas’ sovreignity”. It’s worth noting local sherriffs have repeatedly told the so-called “Take Back Our Boarder” Convoy via media interviews “DO NOT COME TO TEXAS”.

Why?

Because they know the same thing everyone knows about these unapologetic anarchists’ REAL intentions. They are going there specifically to provoke a shootout with federal officials. Their hope is in doing that, they will have the public and political excuse they want to openly engaged in armed conflict against the U.S. government.

They believe doing this in an election year works to their advantage–or rather is a disadvantage to Biden–but the truth is it will simply give those who oppose their nonsense who may have stayed home good reason to vote for Biden in November. This is to say nothing about Trump literally and publically begging for an act of terrorism before the election. Yes, really. He he started doing that at campaign rallies after finding out last week that he has to pay E.G. Carroll $83.3 Million in damages from her defamation lawsuit.

That reminds me. Mike Flynn has started crowing more loudly and sharply about his doubts on America having an election in November. That tells me he may have something planned for this coming weekend. Like I’ve said on Xitter, Flynn will likely make his move sometime between March and August of this year. We’ll have to wait and see.

 

It’s become almost impossible for even Right Wing Media to ignore the fact Trump’s campaign rallies are getting smaller and emptier. This is to say nothing of the fact people are leaving as soon as he starts ranting and raving about past grievances. It’s as Joe Trippi has been saying since the 2022 Midterms: Trump is FAR weaker politically than people think even with the help of Left of Center Media outlets.

Corporate Media has been doing everything it can to amplify the issues Biden is dealing with while downplaying Trump openly stating he will get rid of Democracy itself if he gets back in the White House.

Enough’s enough.

It’s already bad enough the overwhelming majority of the current generation of young voters source their news from social media platforms. This was an issue almost ten years before Trump became president though it is true he normalized attacking the unofficial fourth branch of the government when he became president.

Mainstream Media’s public trust deficit across the entire political spectrum in particular being through the basement is entirely their fault and it was built up over decades. I’ll get  into this in a separate post but Corporate Media’s systemic flaws were what provoked the creation of the Right Wing Media ecosystem several decades ago.

Getting back on topic though. At this point it’s become pretty apparent Trump himself has started to accept the reality that he is fucked politically as well as legally obviously. This is the real reason he is now pushing for his followers and allies to burn the U.S. government to the ground. It’s the only real card he has left to play at this point. He knows he lost–again–and wants to cause as much chaos and destruction as he can on the way down.

Right now, Trump is holding a proverbial gun to the country’s head . He’s once again trying to bluff his way out of the hole he dug himself into over just the last 8 years and this time he’s playing for keeps. More dangerous than Trump is of course the various anti-government groups who greatly benefited from Trump keeping the media distracted since 2012.

Mike Flynn is now openly talking about having Trump permanently removed from the stage. As in have him killed, likely publicly and in front of the media’s cameras. Trump’s served his purpose and has likely outlived his usefulness at this point. If Flynn’s ready to get rid of Trump at this point, clearly he’s ready to move on to the next phase of whatever he’s planning and it will not be good.

With everything going on with Steve Bannon legally, it’s looking more and more likely he’ll be going to prison in the near future. Trump and Bannon tried to run out the clock but now the long arm of the law has caught up to them and many others.

 

Before I end, I feel the need to point out there is a presidental election in Venezuela right now. The incumbent Nicolas Maduro used the levers of government to bar his popular challenger from running against him. Now the Biden Administration is threatening to cut aid and reimpose crippling sanctions if he does not allow his challenger to run against him.

In response, the Venezuelan government is accusing the Biden Administration of trying to is blackmail and election interferance if they give in and let Maduro’s challenger run against him fairly. Why that accusation against the U.S.? Because everyone knows that if the Venezuelan government allows the Maruro’s challenger to run against him, there WILL be a (much needed) regime change.

For both U.S. Government and Venezuela’s next door neighbor Guyana, a regime change will solve a whole lot of problems. For the U.S.–and by extension the rest of South America and Latin America–most of thr Venezuelan migrants who fled the country over the last few decades may actually WANT to return home. That’s the big one.

That aside, it’s no secret Maduro is a close ally of Russia’s Vladomir Putin. Putin has a vested interest in keeping Maduro in power so he has a reliable ally close near the U.S. If there is a regime change, the new president knows she would have a powerful ally in the U.S.

Maduro actually did win the last presidental election in 2018 but it was largely considered rigged by Maduro just like Putin does in Russia. To solidify his power as president, Maduro reshuffled the legislative and judicial branches by replacing them with people loyal to him. This time Maduro is refusing to allow his challenger to run against him largely because he knows he will lose and lose badly.

Putin did the same kind of thing to Alexei Navalny as a reminder. As of last month, Russian state media reported Navalny has gone “missing” from the penal colony Putin banished him to. My guess is Navalny has either died from illness or was killed in prison and the Russian government is covering it up.

All that said. You wanna see what a country with rigged elections REALLY look like? Look at Russia. Venezuela, Hungary, Belarus or Turkey. All are countries that rig elections and manipulate votes. In The Philippines, no one will vote for you unless you bribe them but that’s more of a societal problem than anything else.

This is to say nothing of countries like China that have had single party rule for decades now. There ARE other political parties but the Chinese Communist Party has absolute power at all levels of government. That is what the current Republican Party wants here in America and has wanted since The Red Scare of the 1950s ironically.

….Whew. I spent two weeks working on this one post. I have updates on a few things I covered but I’ll get to them in a separate post.

 

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Some end of the year political hot takes; New Xitter feeds and Podcasts to come by the end of the month

I’m gonna make this my last post on this blog for 2023.

Barring Breaking News, this will also be the last post until Spring 2024. I originally planned to put this blog on hiatus two months ago but then the conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out.

If I do break my planned 4 to 5 month hiatus, it would be for one of the following kinds of breaking news:

• Trump dies
• One of the remaining Republican Presidental Nominees goes on offense against Trump
• Major update with the conflict in Ukraine
• Major update with the Israel-Hamas Conflict
• Major update with the Venezuela-Guyana situation

 

Those would be the big things. Outside of one of these things happening, don’t expect another post after this one until April or May 2024. The main reason for the long hiatus is I have 11 other blogs.

I’ve spent more time writing for this blog than the other 11 blogs combined over the last almost five years. This is the biggest reason I’m putting this blog on hiatus. Another reason is burnout. I need to take a long break especially with all the heavy topics I’ve had to cover in detail. Depending on a variety of factors I may extend my hiatus until the Primaries over the Summer. That would actually be my preference so we’ll see.

I do have two big housekeeping announcements to make. The first is the blog/newsletter Bitter Realities will likely be hosted on Substack, Mastodon or Patreon. Or a combination of all three. We’ll see. Google disabled the Gmail email address I set up for Bitter Realities so instead of fighting that, I’ll just make a new one with Yahoo or Outlook (FKA Hotmail). I am pushing back the setup to the Summer of 2024 though.

The other big housekeeping announcement is most of the Xitter Feeds and Podcasts featured on this blog will be replaced with new Xitter Feeds and Podcasts by the end of this month. The Mea Culpa Podcast recently joined the MediasTouch Network so I’ll need to look into updating the embed link related to that. Mary Trump seems to have discontinued her podcast several months back and switched to a email newsletter so I’m going to take her podcast embed down.

Coming in soon will be the Xitter Feeds for Malcolm Nance, Jim Stewartson and MeidasTouch. I also plan to add the podcast embeds for Joe Trippi and The Lincoln Project. Michael Cohen’s Xitter Feed will remain on that note. So will Stephen A. Smith and Steve Hassan’s respective podcasts and Xitter Feeds. I plan to have all this done by the end of the month. I don’t expect the changeovers to take that long personally.

…Now that all this is done, let’s get to some Political Hot Takes.

Nikki Haley has started to emerge as a legit alternative to Donald Trump for the Republican nomination in recent weeks. Republican mega donors are backing her and now Republican politicians such as New Hampshire’s governor Chris Snunu are publicly endorsing her. The bigger question is will her momentum snowball into her openly going at Trump head on. It’s unlikely unless he loses the support of most of his base which also seems unlikely.

One scenario I will not discount personally is the very real possability Haley cuts a deal with Trump: In exchange for dropping out, he names her as his running mate. Let’s not kid ourselves, the mantra for most of the year has been “everyone’s auditioning for second place or a cabinet position”. This is why so far, only Chris Christie has gone on offense against Trump. I wouldn’t put it past Haley basically betraying her sponsors like that personally.

Christie is the only sane one but at this point it’s clear he has no real shot at challenging Trump or Haley. Both he and Ron DeSantis as trying to stay in the running for a long as possible hoping Trump will not still be in the running by June. With the help Trump is getting from Congress, that’s unlikely.

Speaking of.

One Republican member of Congress said the quiet part out loud on an open mic when asked by CBS News when asked the impeachment investigation against Biden is really about: Helping Trump get reelected.

Do they know they don’t have a real legal case against Biden? Of course they know. The intent of this and Hunter Biden’s legal issues are to distract and redirect attention from Trump as much as possible but the media is largely refusing to take the bait.

Speaking of Hunter Biden. The GOP wants to hold a Congressional hearing with him but the weird thing is they want it behind closed doors. The problem with that is the preliminary hearing is supposed to be open to the public and the media.

As a reminder, Hunter Biden is ths son of the current president. The difference is unlike Trump’s children, Hunter Biden is not and never was a part of his father’s cabinet. He does not and never did have access to sensitive or classified information. He just happens to be the son of the current president AND has legal issues they’re looking to exploit. As a reminder, Hunter Biden’s legal issues have absolutely nothing to do with his father and they precede his father running for president.

Getting directly involved with Hunter Biden’s legal issues and the impeachment investigation–by the way they’ve already admitted they have no evidence Biden actually did anything wrong–is part of the GOP’s calculation. They don’t care what the political cost they take is as long as they get what they want.

I said this before several months back but Trump’s GOP allies in Congress want one of two things to happen if they push hard enough. One is they’re hoping if they apply enough pressure, Biden will get directly involved in his son’s legal situation and more so now that they’ve started whispering in the judge’s ear.

Originally, the prosecution and Hunter Biden’s attorney cut a deal to get him a light sentence. GOP Congressmen protested this and a mistrial was declared shortly afterward. Biden’s not getting involved. Period. He likely knew the GOP would pull something like this the moment he ran for president. Most importantly, Hunter Biden probably knew as well. He’s not gonna let the GOP use him a political fodder and has called them out on wanting a closed door Congressional hearing with him.

The other thing the GOP is hoping for–more insidiously–is for Biden to get so stressed from the impeachment investigation that Biden’s health suddenly fails or worse. They’re not afraid of Kamals Harris who would succeed him if Biden becomes incapacitated. Don’t even get me started on the fact current Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is a Christian Nationalist and wants America to be a Theocracy.

All the said. The GOP knows these effors are fruitless. The intent is for them to be distractions. Unfortunately for them, the media’s largely refusing to bite.

 

This isn’t getting anywhere near as much attention as it should be but the new American Dream now appears to be leaving America. Yes, really and I mean regardless of politics. The two biggest reasons behind this being cited for people leaving the U.S. are the costs of living and the political situation.

I’ve been pretty open on this and two other blogs about wanting to leave the U.S. myself largely for those two reasons. With everything that’s been going on in the U.S. over just the last 10 years, now might be a good time for people with the means who’ve been thinking of leaving the U.S. to consider trying to leave before the 2024 election. The reason is because if a Republican win the 2024 election–especially Trump–it may suddenly be very difficult to get passport and visa applications approved. More so if you didn’t vote for the Republican president.

I can easily see a scenario especially with Trump back in the White House in which you’re required to get permission directly from the government to leave the country. They’ll claim it’s for “national security” or make up some other arbitrary reason. More so if there’s an indefinite nationwide martial law imposed. Hopefully we don’t have to find out in January 2025 but I digress.

Getting back on topic. For those who currently don’t have the means of leaving the country, try to get the means ASAP. Apply for a passport and pay the extra money to expedite your application. For those who don’t know, it currently takes 4 to 6 months for your Passport application to be processed. The reason it takes that long is because of severe staffing shortages in the U.S. State Department. If you pay extra to expedite the process, it will be done in 2 to 3 months though.

Once you’ve decided on what country you want to move to, do as much research as possible on the immigration process. Here’s a few things to consider depending on your reasons for leaving the U.S. behind:

• Extradition Treaty with the U.S.: About half the world’s countries have an extradition treaty with the U.S. Basically, it means if the U.S. puts out a warrant for your arrest and the country you go to has an extradition treaty with the U.S., the other country can arrest and send you back to the U.S. to face those charges. And vice versa. Even if a country doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the U.S., they can still arrest and send you back at their own discretion. More so if the country already has friendly relations with the U.S. and other factors such as having a criminal record in both countries.
• Costs of Living: This is something to take into consideration and more so if you are bringing a family with you. U.S. Currency will still get you a lot in most of the world but careful planning is still important to make sure you can take care of yourself once you’ve made the move. That means being able to generate income, be self-sufficient or both in the country to move to. Like the U.S., most countries will expedite the immigration process for you if you either work in or study in an exceptional field. You want to make sure you’re not relying on wire transfers to survive.
• Building a Social Network: Easily the second most important thing and more so if you’re moving to a country where English is not widely spoken by most. You’ll likely run into a lot of people who are fluent in English but it’s still a good idea to learn the local language to better blend in. Unlike most of the U.S. in recent decades, it’s actually a real good idea to get to know people in the new country especially in the area where you plan to live. More so given most of the world is not as ignorant of what is going on in the U.S. as many Americans think.
• Dual Citizenship: Yes, you can keep your U.S. Citizenship while being a citizen of another country. It’s called having Dual Citizenship. Maintaining your U.S. Citizenship while living abroad allows you to vote in elections and also entitles you to the full services of the U.S. Embassy in the country you live in. While you can live outside the U.S. indefinitely and still keep your U.S. Citizenship, you should still make it a point to return to the U.S. for brief periods of time. More so if you’re living in a country with an unstable political situation is a war zone or is dealing with some kind of nationwide crisis. If you don’t provide the U.S. State Department with regular updates or keep your intent to return up to date, you will be declared as having abandoned your U.S. Citizenship. You will then have a short window with which to appeal that decision if you can provide reason you did not keep in touch with the State Department but I digress.
• Cultural and Political Differences: This is a big one especially if the country you go to has vastly difference cultural beliefs or political differences from the U.S. For example, ancestor worship is a thing culturally in most of Southeast Asia. It’s also still a thing in parts of South and Latin America but not as much due to the blending of Catholicism with Paganistic Beliefs. Some parts of Northern and Eastern Africa are VERY hostile to Westerners in general. I mean so hostile, international aid organizations can’t operate.This is to say nothing of language challenges even if we’re talking about a country where English is widely known or used. For example the UK. Certain words are spelled differently or have different meanings from American English.
• Developed vs. Developing: This probably the biggest factor to consider and more so given America has a consumer-driven economy. Ask anyone who’s spent a week or two in a country like Ghana, Nicaragua, Haiti, Vietnam,  Tanzania, The Philippines or South Africa. Certain things like free Wi-Fi, clean drinking water and paved roads most take for granted in the U.S. are a rarity in those and most other counties. This is to say nothing of food shortages and food scarcity with no social, religious or government safety nets. I haven’t even mentioned the undeveloped or in many cases virtually non-existent healthcare systems in most of the world. That last one’s the biggest reason to hold on to your U.S. Citizenship if you go to a developing country. It would make more sense to return to the U.S. to get  medical treatment if need be. On the other hand if you go to a developed country like the UK, China, Japan, Australia or most of the Middle East it will just be a matter of being as self-sufficient as possible for the most part. Most of the conveniences you enjoy in the U.S. you will find in other developed countries.
• Leaving Family/Friends Behind: This can be pretty difficult and more when your family either views your decision to leave the U.S. as abandoning them or abandoning America. Worse–and more so these days–you may have some try to say you hate America. People don’t need to like or accept your reasons for wanting to leave for another country. I’ll just put it like that.

Those are all the major stuff to be mindful of.

I don’t think it can be denied any longer the new American Dream for new generations has become leaving the U.S. The overwhelming majority of people who are leaving the U.S. are in their 20s, 30s and 40s.

The main reason most people are leaving the is purely U.S. economical. No where in the U.S. can you hold a 1-bedroom apartment on a single entry-level salary. The national average on montly rent is between $1,200 and $2,000 though in places like Boston, San Francisco and New York it’s as high as $3,000 in a growing number of cases.

…Yet some want to downplay the looming homelessness crisis in plain sight.

 

Before the weekend, Vladomir Putin held a primetime town hall-style press conference in Russia. With military aid from the U.S. stalled in Congress and the European Union coming up short in a vote for additional military aid, the timing for Putin publicly celebrating makes sense. More so given his eyes and ears in Western Europe and the U.S. have helped largely ensure World War III happens. Because Putin will not stop with Ukraine. China is going to go after Taiwan Militarily. And who knows what else.

Yet the isolationists in the Republican Party who just want to focus on turning America into an Autocratic Theocracy could care less about what’s going on with Ukraine. This is to say nothing of far right politicians in Europe who are so afraid of WWIII, they don’t want to look like they’re helping Ukraine even indirectly.

Well, WWIII is for sure going to happen if Ukraine falls to Russia. Putin has already repeatedly said he wants to annex the Baltic States since invading Ukraine. Enboldened by the U.S. and NATO letting him take Ukraine, he will go after Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania next. He won’t care about them being NATO countries by that point.

As a reminder, this is exactly how WWII started. Europe let Hitler take Austria but he didn’t stop there. It wasn’t until after Hitler invaded France that the world realized the only way to deal with a warmonger is with force. Putin has been nuclear saber rattling to keep the U.S. and Europe out of Ukraine but all bets are off if Putin goes for the Baltic States after taking Ukraine.

This time, America likely won’t be there to bail out Europe regardless of who the president is after the 2024 election. It won’t matter because whoever the president is after the election will likely be dealing with major problems before, during or right after the election. Or a combination of all three.

Over the weekend, the UK finalized a deal with Rwanda that has rightfully angered Human Rights Organizations and aid groups that adovcate for migrants and refugees. According to this new agreement that has already been challenged in both the UK’s Supreme Court and the United Nations, people seeking assylum in the UK will be sent to Rwanda where if their assylum petition is successful, they will live in Rwanda forever. In exchange, the UK will give Rwanda $5 Billion.

For those who might not know or remember, there was a genocide in Rwanda in 1994. Next year will be the 30th anniversary of that. Rwanda is a very small developing nation and is about twice the size of New Jersey. Rwanda became the second country after Mozambique to join the British Commonwealth with no historical ties to the UK in 2009.

It is a fact that Rwanda lacks the infrastructure let alone the resources to take in the tens of thousands if not hundredss of thousands of Refugees the UK (and possibly other European nations) will be sending their way. British burocrats who pushed for and brokered this arrangement insist they will provide Rwanda with the necessary money and resources but let’s be honest, that’s highly unlikely to be sufficient.

There is also no ignoring the overt racist and xenophobic overtones of this arrangement. Why? Because the overwhelming majority of refugees trying to get into Europe are coming from the African continent. The European Union gave Turkey half a billion Euros and overlooks the Turkish government’s human rights violations in exchange for being a “Bulwark” against Refugees trying to get into Europe. Refugees from the Middle East and Africa.

When Turkey closed their northern boarder to refugees, most switched to using makeshift rafts and leaky boats to enter Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea via Greece and Italy. Refugees–those who survive the crossing of course–then head for either Germany or the UK. Germany is still welcoming refugees but the countries surrounding it do not. When the UK still openly accepted refugees France, which has a rail and road tunnel link with the UK did not. This created some political issues as E.U. member nations struggled to figure out how to deal with the influx of refugees from Africa and the Middle East.

During the Pandemic, I watched the 2017 documentary film Human Flow which is on Amazon Prime. I urge everyone who lives in North America and Europe to find a way to watch it and more so now. The documentary film does a masterful job of trying to make this key point: We do have a moral obligation to those who are in need. Especially those who who fleeing war or pursecution in their homeland.

All these efforts by right-wing politicians in the United States and Europe in particular to basically criminalize not just being a refugee but being poor and/or homeless betrays how morally bankrupt they truly are. As the old saying goes, treat people the way you want to be treated. When you treat people like trash, you’re telling others it’s ok for prople to treat you in kind.

More importantly before I move on. Many Op Eds in Europe have been saying in recent years there is a general understanding in Western Europe in particular that they are morally responsible for the refugee crisis they are now facing because of their imperialism from centuries earlier. Africa, the Americas, Southeast Asia and China were plundered and exploited by Europe’s empires between the 1500s and mid-1900s.

Globalism and the Internet have shrunk the world in many regards. It’s also made it much harder to not see the plight of people in developing countries in particular.

 

In what should shouldn’t be breaking news but is, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Donald Trump is disqualified from being on the ballot due to his role in the Capitol attack on 1/6/2021. The Colorado Supreme Court cited the 14th Amendment as its reasoning in a 4-3 decision. Trump’s campaign has promised to appeal the decision with the Supreme Court.

I actually originally planned to add former Republican and former Congressman Joe Walsh’s Xitter Feed and Podcast embed to this blog later this month but after hearing his views on the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling, I changed my mind. Largely because between him proudly proclaiming he is a Zionist after the events of October 7 in Israel, I no longer felt comfortable giving his Xitter feed and blog that exposure on my blog.

Walsh was exiled from the GOP for speaking out against Trump but outside of that, he’s made it clear to me he still retains a lot of the views that has his former party on its current path. When people show and tell you you who they really are and what they really think, believe them the first time.

I listened to his interview with Michael Cohen on Mea Culpa a few weeks back. At the very end of the interviewed, I got annoyed when Walsh decided to “correct” Cohen and say Merry Christmas in response to Cohen, who is Jewish saying Happy Holidays to him. That came off as not respecting the fact Cohen has different religious beliefs from him and it was hard to miss the intentionality behind it.

That aside and getting back to this ruling out of Colorado. I wasn’t surprised to hear the other GOP candidates blasted this ruling. Some Far Right actors are now saying if the Supreme Court doesn’t overrule Colorado’s ruling, there will be a Civil War. Mind you, other states are also looking into disqualifying Trump based on the 14th Amendment.

Many anti-Trump Republicans–and former Republicans like Joe Walsh–say Trump should be kept on the ballot “to be fair” and taking him off under these circumstances is more political ammo for the GOP and Trump. That’s funny coming from a party that has admitted in recent years they can’t “play fair” because they can’t win elections otherwise.

I do think when more states start following Colorado’s lead–and this should have started right after Trump entered the 2024 presidential election–it will be much harder to make the arguement there’s some elaborate conspiracy against Trump by the Democrats. More so given most of the states currently looking into taking Trump off the ballot via the 14th Amendment are either purple states like Colorado or Red states like Arizona. Again, this should have started the day after Trump declared last year.

Anywho, if the Supreme Court decides to pick this up they would need to make a decision before the Republican Primary next summer. More so assuming Trump officially becomes the Republican nominee. Joe Walsh and others think this ruling from Colorado is political ammo for Trump but realistically speaking it means by default, Trump can’t get the electoral points from states he is not on the ballot in.

That means other GOP candidates now have a realistic shot at getting the nomination instead of Trump. This is what makes their shared support of Trump on this issue–Chris Christie included–so suspect to me. They know they can’t beat him head-on. Colorado is helping them get the nomination and they refuse to take the hint. I mean I get it, they fear Trump’s base but it still makes no sense for ALL of them the back Trump unless they want Trump backi n the White House.

If the Supreme Court decides not to hear this case, it would open the floodgates to other state Supreme Courts making similar rulings. If the Supreme Court does decide to hear this case–no doubt Trump is telling his three appointees to pressure John Roberts to pick this up ASAP if he hasn’t already–a ruling would have to be announced before the primary because of implications it could have assuming Trump secures the Republican nomination. More so if other states take Trump off the ballot before a ruling on Colorado is announced. By default, Trump would not be able to win the election in November.

Again: It’s funny to hear Republicans rage over Colorado’s Supreme Court “overstepping its bounds” with this decision when they’ve always been the ones to talk about wanting States’ Rights to supercede the Federal government–when a Democrat is in the White House of course–for decades.

As for if the current Supreme Court would help Trump, he will be surprised and disappointed to find out the answer is likely (hell) no. The Christian Nationalist movements that helped him get elected in 2016 no longer need Trump now that they control the Supreme Court. He’s no longer useful to them and they want someone who’s firmly on their side in the White House instead of Trump.Of those remaining, DeSantis makes the most sense despite him being third behind Trump and Haley. Some Evangelical leaders threw their support behind DeSantis early on and that hasn’t changed which tells me they likely have a plan in place to ensure Trump doesn’t get the nomination if need be. Many Republican mega donors have been backing Nikki Haley in recent months which tells me we might indeed see a DeSantis/Haley or Haley/DeSantis Republican ticket.

Everyone should keep this in mind regardless of where they lean politically or who they plan to vote for at the local, state and federal levels: Don’t believe the media’s polls. I mean ANY of them.

Why? Because officially, they mean NOTHING. Even worse is they’ve been consistently proven wrong over the last 20+ years now. Remember that imfamous Red Wave predicted by Republican talking heads and pollsters for months in 2022? It never happened. The GOP did in fact regain control of the House of Representatives as expected but it wasn’t by the super majority polls told them to look forward to for months.

That brings me to the polls on Trump and Biden: Ignore them. They don’t account for a lot of variables. I mean either way.

What the other side is forced to admit is it doesn’t matter if the election was today, next week or next month. It also doesn’t matter that Trump is facing 94 indictments at the Federal and State levels: Barring the unforeseeable, Trump WILL lose to Biden head to head. Full stop.

Notice I said “barring the unforeseeable”. I mentioned earlier GOP policymakers have recently started publicly admitting they have to rig elections and disenfranchise minority voters because they know they can’t win elections fairly otherwise. Not saying all Republican politicians feel that way but many are starting to publicly admit this in Right Wing Media.

When Trump refused to concede after the 2020 election, you couldn’t help but look back to Gore v. Bush. As a reminder, the Supreme Court chose the 43rd president of the United States. Not the American people but the SJC. What if Gore refused to concede despite that which many felt he should have? Even worse is we would find out months later in 2001–several months before the September 11 attacks–after a recount that Gore had indeed won the election after all. Whoops!

Just 20 years, five presidental elections and two presidents later, an incumbent president refused to accept the will of the American people who voted for change. This opened the floodgates to Republican candidates like Kari Lake–who lost her bid to become governor of Arizona last year–telling voters in advance their opponent cheated if they didn’t win the election.

“Trump should be get special treatment despite everything he’s done and everything he’s vowed to do if he gets back in the White House” indeed. The truth is the truth is the truth. It must be proclaimed like it or not. One truth about the 2020 presidential election is only half the country voted. 80 Million people voted for Biden and 70 million voted for Trump. What about the other 150 Million+ eligable voters who chose to stay home?

Honestly, I worry about elections being decided by low voter turnout more than anything. Even more so these days. This is a problem unique to the Democratic Party on that note. Republicans only need to tell voters who to vote for and when. Democrats need to beg voters TO VOTE every single election.

Don’t even get me started on Democratic Voters who’ve already said they’re not voting for Biden for one reason or the other. As long as he’s on the ballot and still alive come Election Day, I am voting for Biden. As much as I would prefer to vote third party, now isn’t the time for that. From what I’ve been hearing, serious third party contender are not planning to enter the race because they know that if they do, they’ll likely end up helping Trump get back in the White House. They want to avoid that at all costs despite how much they’d like to challenge Biden or Trump head-on.

I want to end with this largely because it’s hilarious first and I got recent confirmation yes, they are in fact paid actors.

By now, most of you have at least heard of the political entity or group known as Blacks for Trump. Well, it’s been confirmed–but long presumed–they are in fact paid actors. They are paid by a combination of Trump PACs and his campaign to appear at his events to give the illusion Trump has a large base of Black supporters. As for why Trump is not paying them himself, he is a cheapskate as a reminder.

Oh and similar groups such as Hispanics for Trump and LGBTQA’s for Trump are all paid actors as well. If you ever wonder why you see the same handful of people at every rally and public event, this is why. Mind you, the arrangement is mutually beneficial. They use the publicity to sell T-shirts and other merchandise. I won’t pretend to know if Trump ever gets a cut of their profits but with his mounting legal bills, he might want to ask at this point!

All that said and in closing.

This will be the last article on this blog for at least the next 4 to 5 months, hopefully longer. Honestly, I’m going to work hard to forget about this blog for a while. I want to focus on most of my other blogs next year THAT much. All the updates I said I would do at the beginning will still happen though.

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Ukraine’s President Zelensky makes a second wartime visit to the U.S. as the Kremlin celebrates the deadlock in Congress

Continuing where the previous article left off, military aid to Ukraine is the only thing keeping Russia out of Europe. Most don’t understand that but they will should Ukraine fall to Russia. If Russia succeeds in annexing Ukraine, this will set off a chain reaction around the world and in the U.S.

For one, China will go after Taiwan military and they will go hard. U.S. Intelligence admitted shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine that if China decided to take Taiwan militarily, they’d be able to take the island within 72 hours. The silver lining is China likely wouldn’t be able to hold the island indefinitely and more so once western allies blockaded it.

Second, I just told you about Venezuela making plans to invade Guyana in the previous article. They’ll likely time their invasion to happen when the U.S. is busy responding to China invading Taiwan. I forgot to say this in the previous article but Putin likely gave Venezuela certain assurances, among them being once they conquer Ukraine China will be too busy with Taiwan and the conflict in Israel to respond quickly enough.

Third, there’s the political situation in the U.S. I’ve spent the last almost four years talking about. Some far right politicians and talking heads are already working to spin Russia beating Ukraine as a “win” for America. They foolishly believe Russia will stop with Ukraine. They genuinely believe if they let Putin have Ukraine or up to half of Ukraine, that will prevent World War III. Europe thought that way about letting Hitler invade Austria in the 1930s. Guess what ending up happening: World War II that’s what happened.

All appeasing war mongers does is encourage them. You CANNOT show ANY weakness to autocrats and despots like Putin Xi Jinpi and to a lesser extent Trump. History has repeatedly made that clear. Most Americans regardless of politics know and understand that fact. The problem is we have Republican politicians and Far Right talking heads mostly on Right Wing Media platforms telling people the war would have ended a year ago if Biden pushed Zelensky to cede half of Ukraine to Russia. Yes, really.

Ukraine is buying the western world time at the very least. They’re actually doing much better than they’re letting on and this is why military aid needs to continue if not be ramped up. Zelensky is looking to retake Crimea and after Russia’s counterattack came up short, it’s become much clearer they could actually get that done by the 10 year anniversary of it getting annexed by Russia back in 2014.

All that said. Putin has clearly made the calculation if military aid to Ukraine from the U.S. can be stalled until next summer, the American public and media will be too busy focusing on election season to care what he does in Ukraine. If a Republican other than Trump becomes president, they’ll want conditions in exchange for military aid. If Trump gets back in the White House, he’ll stop all military aid to Ukraine and likely tell Xi he can have Taiwan among other things.

The next 4 to 7 months are sure to be very interesting to say the least.

 

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Mike Johnson, architect of legal efforts to decertify the 2020 election becoming speaker is the ultimate failsafe to ensure Biden doesn’t win the 2024 Election

Conservatives have a 6-3 Super Majority in the Supreme Court and now they have a Speaker of the House who will ensure no Democrat is certified as the winner of the 2024 Presidental Election. The GOP is pulling out all the stops a full year in advance ensure this time, history does not repeat itself.

It doesn’t matter if it’s Biden, Dean Philips or a third party candidate. The only votes this Speaker of the House will certify are the votes for a GOP candidate even if that candidate lost both the Electoral College and Popular Vote counts. It won’t matter to Johnson. The media has finally started saying this but this Republican Party’s only concern is breaking the system of government and remaking it to their liking. By any means necessary. We are witnessing a bloodless coup before our eyes. That’s what the GOP is doing not just in Washington but at the State and Local levels.

This is also why Civil War is inevitable. The Democrats are not taking the threat as seriously as they should be as usual.  The GOP wants to rule, not govern. Johnson made it clear in his remarks after being sworn in his priority is turning America into an Autocratic Theocracy. He believes the GOP has the political capital to do it and that is also why I’m saying Civil War is inevitable.

I am not opposed to the idea of reimposing national standards on morality as long as there is a separation of Church and State. I don’t see that being possible anymore unfortunately. Evangelists are no longer trying to hide the fact they want to impose theology via the government. Based on what I’m seeing, they are going to get their wish sooner or later.

On that note and in closing. I planned to save this for a post sometime next year but I’ve made up my mind on something. Once I have the means and am financially stable, I plan to travel to a few countries. The world is watching what’s going on in America with great concern. The world needs to know and understand America is no longer The Promised Land most of the world regarded it as for 200 years.

I’ll be turning 40 next year and naturally I don’t plan to go to every single country out there. I’ve narrowed things down to Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Vietnam, Cambodia, The Philippines, Panama, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Tanzania and Mexico as potential destinations. If not for the conflict in Ukraine I would’ve included it on my list of places to visit. Hopefully I can add it to my list sooner than later.

I have connections in some of those countries–as in I know people who live in some of those countries–so it makes the most sense for me to hand pick those countries to visit. I’m looking to start a trend. Americans need to educate the world on what life is really like in the U.S. Most especially those who are willing to risk their lives to travel to the U.S. People around the world need to know and understand the political situation in the U.S. Not just nationally but at the state and local levels too.

 

America lost its status as The Promised Land in the eyes of the world over the last 20 years, most especially during and since Trump’s time as president. It’s become a nation where identity politics are the most important thing to too many people. Being Christian. Being Athiest. Being LGBTQ+. Being Heterosexual/Straight. Being Conservative. Being Liberal. Living in a rural area. Living in an urban area.

Putting aside social, religious and political differances is no longer considered “acceptible” to almost half of Americans. As a reminder, Kevin McCarthy was removed as Speaker of the House by his own party simply for working with the Democrats to buy a 45-day extension to a potential government shutdown. Said shutdown will likely happen in a few weeks and it will likely last more than the last one did. Why? Because both sides are going politicize it that’s why.

The last one happened right after the 2018 midterms and did not end until February 2019. Trump was cool with letting the government shutdown continue until someone told him he would be blamed for it. At the time, two regional conflicts were not happening elsewhere in the world. The stakes are MUCH higher but just like five years ago, the GOP doesn’t care what price they’ll have to pay as long as they “own the libs” first, create a ruling class second and make voting ceremonial third.

In private, most Republican politicians will tell you to your face they have to rig the system and publicly insist elections are rigged because they know more often than not, they can’t win an election fairly on policy. So, they make their campaign about identity politics and create narratives that claim Democrats worship demons, want to turn your kids Gay and worse to give a few examples. Keep in mind all of it is intentional to create an alternate reality in which “GOP = Good, Democrat = Evil”. Not just politicians but VOTERS and that’s the part that should scare everyone. That’s their intent among other things. To instill fear and intimindation in the populations they are specifically dehumanizing.

The only votes they want to count are the votes for their side. Period. THAT is why Civil War is inevitable. 1/6/2021 was nothing more than a dress rehearsal for next time. Next time is next November. We may be the final year of America as we know it. Even worse is most won’t realize it until it’s already too late.

It’s human nature to wait until things are underway to realize and recognize a problem in plain sight. That’s what foolish people do and I’m no fool. As a courtesy, I share my insights and observations through my blogs.

 

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Senator Cory Booker’s interview with Stephen A. Smith is a must-watch for every American voter; Republican Mega Donors are desperately looking for a new Candidate

If you have not seen or listened to New Jersey Senator Cory Brooker’s interview with Stephen A. Smith, here it is in full:

 

It was a pretty honest conversation to say the least.

Senator Booker is a lot of things to say the least. An idealist and an optimist but he is clearly grounded in the reality of our current situation. He didn’t hesitate when Smith asked him the question pundits and progressive Dems alike have been asking with increased frequency in recent months: Why is the Democratic Party relying on a man who will be 82 years old next year to deny Donald Trump the White House?

California Senator Diane Finestein died at the age of 90 the other day. She did announce two months ago that she would not seek reelection but her age at the time of her death is a reminder of what could happen between now and the election next year with Biden…or even afterward. Vice President Harris suddenly starting to make a lot of media appearances and interviews tells me they may be planning for the real possability she will need to succeed him either before the 2024 election or if Biden secures a second term.

I did predict near the beginning of the year if Biden is forced to step aside due to health issues, he would do everything he can to prepare Harris to step in as President. If that transition happens before the Primary Election next summer–and this is a BIG IF–she wouldn’t have a hard time beating whoever wins the Republican nomination. More so if she decides to name someone like Stacy Abrams, Beto O’Rourke or Gavin Newsom as her Vice President. It would be a match made in hell for the GOP if she chooses either of them as her Vice President but I digress.

Getting back to the interview though, Senator Booker is right to say the Tribalism our country has devolved into will destroy us quicker and more completely than any foreign power will. Political Reconciliation needs to happen ASAP and that also means having some painful but necessary and honest conversations.

As Americans, we have more in common than differences. If we allow our various differences to keep us divided, we will only succeed in destroying ourselves as a country before long.

 

Did you watch the second Republican “Debate”? No? Neither did I. Let’s just say things went really, REALLY badly for all parties involved including the media outlets who moderated the “Debate”. Things quickly devolved into a shouting match as the moderators made no effort to rein anyone in.

Between that and Trump rumored to be preparing to go to prison, a group of Republican Mega Donors are desperately looking for someone to bring into the race and unite the party. One name I’ve been hearing from reliable sources that is reportedly a priority of this group of Republican donors to recruit is Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin.

Youngkin lied his way into office and has mostly kept out of national politics since he became governor mostly for that reason. Youngkin, who is a Trump supporter kept his mentor at arm’s length during the campaign long enough to fool the media into thinking he was no longer a Trump ally. Republican donors plan to pay him a visit very soon to see if he might be interested in entering the Presidental race while assuring him he will have all the money he needs if he wants to do it.

This says a lot about how major players in the GOP feel about not just Trump but the other candidates as well. The rest of the Republican field of candidates made the calculation early on to avoid publicly attacking Trump at all costs to avoid drawing the wrath of not just him but his supporters. Now they are paying the price for that.

The mega donors were initially behind Ron DeSantis and were grooming him to succeed Trump but he’s done so poorly in polling, it’s no wonder they want someone new now. Youngkin’s not strong enough to beat Biden or half the other GOP candidates. I’ll just put it like that. The mask he wore to become governor of Virginia will not work on the national stage.

This just speaks to how desperate major players in the GOP now are to not just back a legit contender against Biden but more importantly, deny Trump the Republican Nomination. I do think that second point is their main priority which means any electable Republican is on the table. Barring the unforeseeable, as of now Biden will easily win the 2024 presidental election simply by being alive next November. I know the election is 13 months away which is why I said “barring the unforeseeable”.

 

 

Getting back to Trump though. According to reliable sources who know Trump who have been speaking about his state of mind publicly, he is VERY scared of going to prison and doesn’t see a way out of it before the 2024 election. He is facing 91 federal and state charges and more are likely to come. The Georgia trial has begun and it is being televised for the sake of transparency.

Two more trials are expected to start a few months apart early next year and in early summer respectively. Based all this, Trump is no longer a viable candidate. Ignore the polls and pundits in the media pretending Trump is still a contender. He’s not and honestly he should be on suicide watch. Not just for that reason but there are some in the Far Right who have implied they want to have him killed to provoke his base to violence. I’m sure the Secret Service is at least aware of those rumors but is security detail should be increased as a precaution.

On a somewhat related note. I do want to comment on RFK Jr.’s recent request for Secret Service Protection. He vaguely claims there are credible threats against is life. He claims because of that and his last name his request for Secret Service protection should be granted ASAP.

Outside the sitting president and vice president, Secret Service protection is typically only granted to former presidents OR the nominee of the other party during a presidential campaign. Visiting heads of state are typically offered Secret Service protection while in the U.S. as well.

By the way the last sitting president to elect not to seek a second term was Lyndon B. Johnson. He chose to retire mostly because the pressures of the job were becoming too much for him. For those who might not know or remember, LBJ became president after JFK was assassinated. A few years later, RFK was assassinated. A few years after that, the late Ted Kennedy almost died in a plane crash.

The Kennedy Family’s dealt with a lot of tragedy over the years between the assassination of the Kennedy Brothers and the untimely death of JFK Jr. in the early 1990s. I won’t say his name but I briefly met a member of the Kennedy family in the mid-2000s. He was in the City Year program in Boston which I previously worked for myself. I didn’t find out who he really was until several months later but I could tell he was a man of great integrity and felt a strong sense of duty to our country. It made sense when I later learned that he was a member of the illustrious Kennedy family.

The Kennedys’ main estate is in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Ted Kennedy, who became a political lion in Congress for decades as a Senator led the family through decades of darkness. RFK Jr. has long been regarded as a pariah of the family due to the conspiracy theories he has embraced. The family has repeatedly publicly denounced him these and other views but at this point an intervention is needed. I mean he needs to be taken in for a mental health evaluation because he’s clearly losing his mind.

As it happens, RFK Jr. announced just before the second GOP Debate he plans to run as an Independent. He originally ran as a Democrat to challenge Biden but given the DNC rightfully refused to take him seriously and now Trump is in serious legal trouble, he’s doing his own thing now. It’s unlikely he will get enough votes to impact the outcome of the 2024 election though I can easily see conspiracy theorists try to build him as a dark horse.

…This is the first of the four posts I mentioned at the end of the last mailbag I will do for the rest of 2023 before I put this blog on hiatus until early 2024. I will put this counter at the bottom of the next three articles to help readers keep track.

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Even without Trump, the 8/24 GOP debate exposed how out of touch with voters the Republican Party is

 

Honestly, I planned to watch the GOP debate live in its tirety. In fact I got a few minutes in. I had to stop after the moderator polled the candidates with this question: “Would you still support Trump as the Republican nominee despite his four indictments?” Everyone but Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson raised their hand and that was when I had to stop watching.

That was why Trump knew he didn’t need to be there. That was why everyone knows Trump is and will be the Republican Nominee. That was nothing more than a confirmation everyone on the stage as well as the four who weren’t there are running to get the Vice President nomination or cabinet positions. One or the other.

As of last night, Trump is unofficially the Republican Nominee. I know a lot of Dems are hopeful about his mounting legal issues stopping him but let’s be honest, even if he’s convicted today Trump is not going to prison. I’ll just put it like that. Every legal scholar regardless of their political views saying so know what they are talking about like it or not.

This then raises the obvious question for Republican Voters who don’t like Trump and don’t want him back in office: “Where do we go from here?”

Vote Blue. Vote Blue. Vote Blue.

Priority right now needs to be denying Trump a 2024 election victory at all costs. We know the Far Right has been saying there will not be a 2024 Presidential Election if they have their way but we went through this in 2020 already when COVID-19 was still killing thousands a day.

We will not and cannot allow the death cult, Christian Nationalists and White Nationalists to have their way because they are making plans for armed conflict across the U.S. right now. They are counting on the government distrust they are helping to sow to justify their hostile takeover of America.

This Republican Party is openly planning and plotting to turn America into a Theocratic Autocracy. They want to rule, not govern. It’s time for new political parties to rise up since the Democrats running everything indefinitely is not a good idea either. We cannot and should not have single party rule and we also need to have more than two political parties.

Those who’ve been Republican voters for generations and hate Trump are probably thinking by now “Why do I have to leave my party? Why don’t all these lunatics go form their own party?” Both questions have the same answer: They own the Republican Party now. It’s theirs now and there is NOTHING you can do about it.

So, the best thing for you and yours to do is separate yourselves from what the GOP has become over the last 10 years. Many people are leaving the party mainly for that reason. The only people staying or joining the party are those who have bought in or are buying into turning America into a Theocratic Autocracy built on hate and chaos. They are being open about their intentions and want everyone to know it too.

 

As of this post former president Trump has been indicted for the 4th time, this time in Georgia. In a recent post on his Truth Social platform this past weekend, Trump let it slip he is considering fleeing to Russia. Yes, really. Like I said to a few people on Xitter, I hope the FBI and the Department of Justice are paying attention to things like that because his passport was never confiscated as a condition for all of his indictments. I’ll be surprised if it’s different for the Georgia indictment personally.

On that note. It goes without saying Donald Trump has been getting special treatment with all of his indictments to date. Warrants for his arrest were never issued. That is a fact. He was never handcuffed during his indictments publicly or otherwise. That is a fact. Trump has openly and repeatedly violated some of the terms of his paroles and has not suffered any immediate legal (yet). That is a fact.

…Yet his base, the entire Republican Party and others want you to believe Trump is being treated unfairly. Emphasis on “want you to believe”. That doesn’t make it true though.

I get those who like to talk about personal responsability in regards to those from the 1/6 attack on the US Capitol doing time in prison. I’ve talked to some of them and most of them rightfully tell you it doesn’t make sense that they were held legally responsible but the person they did it for suffered no real legal, political or social penalties.

THIS is why Trump being held legally responsible is so important. For the system to turn a blind eye to Trump’s role in just that, everyone prosecuted for 1/6/2021 would be able to rightfully make the case they themselves were denied justice. Yes many of them admitted in court to wrongdoing but it doesn’t change the fact they were manipulated into doing what they did.

…This is why a mass public education campaign on Undue Influence is so important for America.

 

That brings me to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment which has been recently going viral online again.

For those who might not be able to see the above graph, it basically says anyone who held public office at any level, served as a judge or served in the military AND engaged in or helped with an insurrection or rebellion against the government is disqualified from ever holding office ever again.

…Donald Trump did just that on 1/6/2021. That is indisputable.

A growing number of Conservative legal experts are loudly saying based on this, Trump is disqualified from running for president. It’s the law and has been since the end of the Civil War. It also cannot be challenged by a sitting president, Congress or the Supreme Court. Further, they say it should have been enforced after he left office. Not Liberal/Progressive legal minds but Conservative legal experts, many of whom I’m sure voted for Trump.

That then begs two questions:

1. Why isn’t it being enforced right now?
2. Why isn’t the media telling America about this?

All I can really say is we need to demand the media talk about this and educate the public. It is the law, it’s very clear and it’s not debatable. More importantly, we need to tell our elected officials to enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment ASAP as they should have over the last 3 years.

Trump has repeatedly made it known if he gets his way, he will rewrite the constitution. If that vow is not a good enough reason to enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, I don’t know what is.

 

One thing all the GOP Candidates reminded Dems in particular is they not only weren’t interested in discussing real policies but they were more interested in debating memes, promoting Far Right talking points they likely pulled from Xitter or (Un)Truth Social and parroting Christian Nationalist ideologies. They also reminded Republican voters who don’t like what their party has become that ALL of them are disconnected from reality.

Did anyone “win” from the debate? The Dems will say Biden won the debate by default–despite not being there in person–while Trump’s base will say he won simply by not being there. I can say this for sure: America LOST. Again.

I get those on both sides saying “now is not the time to talk about third parties” but enough is enough. The American people WANT different. The American people NEED different. The American people DESERVE different. I mean an end to the Political Duopoly that had ruled America for over 100 years now. Enough is enough.

I know the Dems in particular are wary of the emerging Forward Party but it’s probably safe to say at this point the Forward Party is not going to put a candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election. Their current focus is on local and state politics though they are watching the presidental election. They want to break the Political Duopoly but unofficially, they are backing Biden for the 2024 Presidental Election.

…Whew.

These are some pretty uncertain and dangerous times in American politics. I mean even more than 2020 was. It’s also very interesting timing with the Hollywood strikes likely pushing new TV and movie content into mid 2024 the earliest. It’s quite a time for people to unplug from entertainment media and actually go outside for a change.

I’m going to use a word the Black Progressives have allowed the GOP to quickly hijack and weaponize but people need to get Woke. People need to get Woke to what is going in our politics right now. First and foremost, we need to take our word back. That’s the reason I used it just now as intended.

They want to scare us into silence. I will not be silenced. Even if WordPress takes my blogs away, I have hard copies of everything. Not saying that’s been threatened or anything but I like to be prepared.

Bitter Realities–I mean the blog I announced–will be coming before the end of the year on that note. More info to come. Before that, I’m planning to do an end of the summer Mail Bag. Should be fun =)

 

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Could Ron DeSantis’ Presidental campaign be over already?!

The Florida governor was involved in a traffic accident Tuesday morning but neither he or anyone else involved was hurt. This came the night after media reports the DeSantis campaign has started to cut back on its campaign staff which is typically a sign things aren’t going well.

Ron DeSantis entered the race on June 1 after almost three years of speculation and has failed to make a dent in Trump’s massive lead that has only grown in recent months. Trump has been fundraising off his indictments is what’s going on. It speaks to what’s wrong with Trump’s supporters more than Trump at this point. He’s pulling the same grift and has them under his thumb.

All that said, Trump is NOT unbeatable in the Primary. All the field needs to do is hold on for now. Eventually, Trump wear his base out. It’s unlikely he will be convicted and sentanced from ANY of his pending and future trials before the election and that’s fine. All that matters is that those trials happen. They will be even more effective than the 1/6 hearings were and those did quite a bit.

As for DeSantis, he still has PLENTY of time to turn things around. I’d at least about 8 more months though he won’t need that long. Trump’s grip on Republican voters will weaken enough by next Spring to give DeSantis and maybe a few others a real chance if they’re willing to hold on that long. As a reminder, the biggest advantage everyone still has is Trump doesn’t consider the rest of the GOP field to be a threat to his bid to reclaim the Republican nomination. Once the trials begin–and they will likely be televised–they will help weaken his campaign enough for others to catch up. The scales on the eyes of many will fall off as they realize what exactly they were supporting and funding in some cases for almost 8 years.

Trump aside, DeSantis is probably the third-strongest of the rest of the field behind Chris Christie (#1) and Mike Pence (#2). As a reminder, Pence has ties to Christian Nationalist movements and it’s why he was paired with Trump in 2016 in the first place. The Christian Nationalists–who the media incorrectly refers to as “Evangelicals” which they love–initially backed DeSantis as soon as he entered the running but now there seems to be a split as some have gone back to Trump who they presume will get the nomination despite his obvious baggage.

Pence’s ties to Christian Nationalist Movements is why I rank him so high despite his obvious lack of presence. Whoever secures the Evangelicals’ vote secures the Republican Nomination and often the White House. Right now it’s a three-way between Trump, Pence and DeSantis for Evangelical voters. Most legit do not want Trump back in the White House but they will back him if they have no other option. Pence or DeSantis would be the ideal GOP nominee for most Evangelicals. Especially DeSantis who is viewed as Trump without the baggage by many pundits.

I didn’t forget about Christie. He’s obviously the most sane of the three but his viability rides on Trump being weakened signicantly and DeSantis not getting too strong after that. Christie knows what to from there. Pence could sneak ahead if DeSantis flounders and Trump is removed from the field though. The other candidates are jockying for Vice President considerations and they all know it. I think we’ll start to see some people drop out closer to the end of this year on that note. Those who drop out sooner know they stand a better chance of being in the running as VP for the eventual winner.

Who would Trump pick as his VP this time? Marjorie Taylor Greene is the most likely to get it BUT I would not be surprised at all if he decided to pick Steve Bannon or Roger Stone to reward their loyalty to him. Christie would probably pick Pence, Haley or Scott. DeSantis would pick Pence, Scott or Haley on that note. Pence would pick Scott, Haley or a faith leader. No one would pick Trump because everyone knows Trump would not accept being a VP.

Meanwhile, the GOP-controlled Supreme Court and House of Representatives are doing everything they can to try to make Biden and the Democrats between look weak beetween now and the 2024 presidental election. Their hope is to weaken Biden enough to make him an easy win for whoever the Republican nominee is. It’s literally all they have because the Republican Party has no real plan otherwise. And they know it.

All this nonsense you keep seeing in the news media are distractions designed to keep attention away from issues people REALLY care about that the GOP doesn’t care to talk about. There’s also the fact this Republican Party’s only concern is getting power by any means. This foolish and ill-advised “crusade” by many high-ranking Republicans to interfere in Hunter Biden’s ongoing legal issues is being done to present the false equivalency Trump wants to project compared to his own legal issues.

It’s a plan that will and is backfiring HARD for a few obvious reasons:

1. Weather you like Biden or not–let’s be honest, most Democrats are loathe at the idea of having to vote for him again BECAUSE OF HIS AGE but will vote for him in 2024 because the alternative is could be the end of Democracy as we know it–Most of America can empathize with his situation as a father from a pure human standpoint regardless of where you lean politically. 9 in 10 American families have at least one familiy member who struggles with some kind of drug addiction or substance abuse. 100% of the country knows someone who has that struggle. Biden has never shied away from that either.
2. Republican pundits and politicians are setting a VERY dangerous precident the Democrats almost did 2008 with Sarah Palin. At the time, Palin’s then teenage daughter became pregnant during the presidental campaign. This came during a time Republican pundits were blaming the Democrats for teenage pregnancy in America. Then the teenage daughter of the Republican Vice Presidental candidate became pregnant. It was the ultimate irony and the Democrats wanted to weaponize that news but Obama not only refused to go there but urged his base to back off. He understood all too well if he went THERE, his then young daughters were fair game. Obama knew it was a moment he had to meet and in the three presidental elections that followed (2012, 2016 and 2020), both sides had the unwritten understanding targeting the children of candidates was off limits. I don’t see Trump or DeSantis being willing to honor that in 2024.
3. Most importantly, Hunter Biden’s name isn’t on the ballot. Some Republican pundits have a theory they’re trying to see tested. They believe if they can get a judge to give Hunter Biden the harshest sentance possible, Biden will get involved in some way on behalf of his son. They believe he won’t be able to resist as a father. THAT is what these vultures in the GOP are riding on so they can turn around and say Biden is using his position as president to help his son. The thing is, Biden knew before he decided to run for president he had to be fully prepared to politically sacrifice his son if need be. Hunter knows this all too well and it’s why he was trying to get a plea deal in the first place.

In the time I spent writing most of this article, the judge presiding over the case announced she could not accept the plea deal due to consitutional concerns over the nature of the plea deal. The timing is pretty convenient given the judge was appointed by Trump.

Things are gonna be on hold for the time being as clearly the judge is trying to do Trump and the GOP a favor at the point. Everyone thought things would be over today and the judge picked now to pull this stunt. The GOP wants this to be drawn out and go a certain way. That much is obvious.

Meanwhile, Democratic pundits and anti-Trump Republican podcasts like Lincoln Project and Meidas Touch keep spinning Trump’s legal issues while also admitting at the end of the day, most people have more pressing things to focus on than Trump’s legal issues. That’s my point and it’s the biggest reason why I’ve stopped giving the back and forth so much attention on this blog. At the end of the day, the media is complicit in this nonsense going on for at least 25 years now. In exchange for focusing on political theater and politicians getting caught doing or saying things, the media is not giving enough time to genuine need to know topics. Instead, they want you to care about useless topics because they want ratings.

Giving media coverage to actis of violence, natural disasters and conflict is important but when it becomes a days-long week in and week out thing people will eventually become numb and indifferent to it. I was recently reminded of why I had to cut back on my broadcast and premium news media consumption about 7 years ago late last year.

I started utilizing the streaming apps for ABC News, CBS News and NBC News late last year and I noticed they all had the same fatal problem CNN, Fox Media, MSNBC and etc. all have: For 24/7 networks, they choose to only focus on 3 to 8 headlines at a time a day. They recycle those same headlines through the day and sometimes for several days in a row. That’s a terrible use of airtime time and more so given ALL of them offer on demand streaming for free. After a block has aired once on a streaming app, they reair it two or three more times later in the day. Overnight is just reuns of the previous day until around 6AM when they start the process over.

…Yet they wonder why people in America stopped watching the news about 10 years ago. They STILL don’t understand that the way the news media industry has chosen to conduct itself is a huge part of the problem.

Changing topics though. The Democrats, meanwhile have clearly started to pivot in some areas. They are focused on showing and explaining the MANY good things Biden has done so far while also challenging people to ask Republican politicians what they’re actually doing to improve the lives of the people they’re supposed to be representing.

I’ve said this a few times already–and I’ll go into a bit more depth in the article following this one–but I’m seeing signs even some of the most Progressive and Libertarian voters alike are now open to publicly easing up on their support for the LGBTQ+ lifestyle and culture. The writing’s on the wall at this point. The Dems met the moment almost 20 years ago after Massachusetts became the first state in the U.S. to legalize Gay Marriage back in 2005–it was a moment that shocked the country for different reasons–and gained the backing of the LGBTQ+ Community as a result.

Almost 20 years later, the same faction the Dems viewed as a valuable asset is now a political liability. It’s a bit ironic now that a growing number of Americans–not just “Evangelicals” and Conservatives–have found their voice and the courage to speak up and voice their opposition to the LGBTQ+ community’s efforts to indoctrinate children as young as 3 in public schools on their views. I’m speaking from personal and professional experience.

Outcry from Democratic voters to the LGBTQ+ Community’s efforts to indoctrinate public school children has started as a growing number of people who long considered themselves allies of the LGBTQ+ community have started to realize what is really going on.

Even the most progressive Democrats will have no choice but shift positions on this if they don’t want to be voted out of office. People need to see and hear their elected leaders say it’s not appropriate for kids under under 14 to be learning about gender identity or sexual orientation. It’s NOT appropriate for children under 10 to be referred to as anything other than Male or Female. It’s certainly not appropriate to tell children under 6 they can be whatever gender they want to be. Those would be good starting points.

That aside. Teaching kids about those things should be left to their families, NOT educators. Certainly not without a family’s knowledge or consent. THAT would be indoctrination and overstepping boundaries. Some nonprofit organizations with good intentions that work in public schools like to preach and promote “It takes a Village”. That’s true but the problem is when they take it too far and make it seem as if kids have as much power as or more power than their parents. Then we wonder where some kids got the idea of lying on their parents and falsely saying their parents abuse them at home.

Before I move on, I want to say this. Many Democrats dismissed Republicans’ claims the LGBTQ+ community was obsessed with making people learn “new” Gender Pronouns. Turns out it wasn’t just Republicans who were concerned by that. Local media outlets have recently started covering stories involving students getting suspended for making political statements around affirming there are only two genders. As a reminder, almost 10 years ago the LGBTQ+ Community wanted to lobby to basically have anyone saying anything negative about them considered Hate Speech. In other words, they wanted special protections and privileges.

Thankfully, most Americans disagree with that. Not on religious grounds but on moral grounds. It’s not about hating the LGBTQ+ Community, about being factual about basic biology. They want people everyone to believe genders don’t matter. Basic biology has proven otherwise for centuries.

 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell froze in the middle of a press conference Wednesday afternoon, raising questions about his health and possible future in Washington. McConnell recently returned after suffering a fall at home las year.

The 81 year old Republican Senator from Kentucky has made no commitments beyond his current term which ends in 2026 and has not yet said if he will seek relection in 2025. If I’m a Democrat in the Lousiville area, I’m planning to run against him right now.

That reminds me of another issue in American politics that isn’t getting as much attention as it should be: Political candidates winning elections unchallenged. When Boston native Ayanna Pressley ran for her seat in Washington, she had no Republican challenger for example. This is to say nothing of people running and having no competition from within their party running against them.

There have been increased efforts by both parties to basically discourage party members from running against each other in recent decades. In districts and counties where one party has a super majority, the other party just doesn’t bother trying to run at all. It’s a different story in states and counties where the difference is smaller. Stacey Abrams and Beto O’Rourke are two such examples. Despite losing their respective bids to become governor twice to a Republican incumbent now, they still command a lot of political influence in their respective states.

These efforts by both parties to have complete control of the Executive and Legislative Branches at the state level is largely why both parties fight for control of the White House and Congress every 2 to 4 years. Two thirds of the states are majority controlled by one party or the other. Then we wonder why the country seems–emphasis on SEEMS–so polarized along party lines but I won’t digress further.

Getting back to McConnell’s health scare. Some in the media have FINALLY dared to say what both parties have largely avoided seriously talking about because they don’t want to step on any toes: Should elected officials over a certain age have term limits and/or have to prove they’re fit for the job?

Personally, I would say yes to both obviously. I would also add a cutoff age for State and Federal judges as well as Supreme Court Justices.  Once the set age is reached, they must retire that year. People may be living longer now but that doesn’t necessarily mean they can and should keep working in the government.

One of the reasons industries and now some countries are looking to raise the retirement age from 65 to 67 is mostly because people are living longer on average. The problem is this presents a false sense of security. Just because people are living longer does not mean they are not still experiencing cognitive and physical decline due to aging.

At the same time, notice I did not give a cutoff age. I do think after age 60, elected officials at all levels and those who work under them should be required to undergo annual wellness checkups ascertain their ability to do the job. Those 70 and over must do it twice a year. The assessments need to be honest and if they’re still in the job after age 72, they should be guided toward retiring by 75 if they’re not already. Age 75 would be the hard “You’re done” for all elected officials. They can still work doing other stuff but at 75, they’ve aged out of Office.

THAT needs to be one of the lessons both parties take to heart with the upcoming 2024 presidental election. In recent decades, “They have years of experience and that’s always better than an unknown newcomer” has been used by both parties to keep much younger people out politics. That needs to stop and more so given America’s democraphics have changed a lot since the 1960s coast to coast.

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Years of low U.S. Military recruitment has some calling for The Draft being brought back

It’s been coming up in the news in recent years because of how critical the situation has become. As someone who was enrolled in my high school program’s JROTC program for four years, I do have a bit of insight into the matter. Though I did not enter military service myself, I did give two years of my life to national service via Americorps and City Year.

Before I finished high school, I was on the phone with a military recruiter for an interview. Without going into all the details, concerns around some of my health issues disqualified me from military service. Americorps still made it possible for me serve America though. Had my health issues not been what they are, I probably would have enlisted after I finished my time in City Year.

One of the perceptions many so-called “Experts” and talking heads like to present and have for 20 years now is young people have no interest in serving their country. That’s simply not true. They like to present a false equivalency with America’s responses to the Pearl Harbor Attack and the 9/11 attacks. The day after Pearl Harbor, America’s Military Industrial Complex went into overdrive as hundreds of thousands of Americans lined up outside of recruitment centers to enlist.

After 9/11 where more Americans died in comparison, there was no such rush of Americans lining up to enlist. Yes many did enlist in reaction to what happened but not on the same leval and scale as after Pearl Harbor. This is where the false equivalency comes into play. When Pearl Harbor happened, World War II had been going on for two years already. Japan’s actions pulled America into a global conflict already in progress. Everyone understood it was a war we had been provoked into and was now a war we ultimately could not afford to lose.

This is also why the U.S. Military focused most of its efforts on the European Theater first. The UK was barely holding on and it was thanks to Germany turning on Russia that the U.S. was able to plan and successfully execute the largest amphibious assault ever attempted in human history. Even with most of its efforts focused on Europe, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marines were not alone in the Pacific Theater. They were backed by The Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, China and other Southeast Asian countries.

Before 9/11 happened, you have to remember George W. Bush became president because of the Surpreme Court’s intervention. That divided the country. This is to say nothing of the rampant Islamophobia that flared up after 9/11 as well. In short, America was divided politically when 9/11 happened and that event polarized some even more.

All that said. I do agree with those who’ve said the low recruitment numbers are a national security issue. At the same time, we already know based on certain metrics a Draft is not an option. How so? The Obsesity epidemic from the turn of the century. The Pentagon did a written press release a few years ago sharing concerns around most Americans being obsese or overweight. In other words, a Draft would be pointless.

Poor eating choices and sedentary lifestyles aside, a big point that more and more people are taking note of is the connection between childhood obesity and the lack of regular exercise during the day. It’s not a secret recess and Physical Education along with other elective classes were sacrificed in exchange for more time in the classroom. You can’t do something like that and not have long-lasting consequences. You shouldn’t need to do research studies to know what was common sense for centuries: Regular exercise is important for everyone of all ages.

That aside. The political situation from both 20 years back and 7 years back are also factors in the record low military recruitment numbers. I am mentioning this because the loss of public support for the Vietnam War is the reason the Draft was ended in the U.S. A growing number of the generation of young men who were graduating from high school during that era didn’t want to throw away their lives in an unwinnable conflict that was growing increasingly unpopular domestically. The media’s nightly reports of what was going on also helped shift perceptions and more so given the conflict lasted almost 20 years.

As America was preparing to leave Vietnam in disgrace, you have to keep in mind many of the young men who went to Vietnam were the sons of those who fought in World War II and the Korean conflict. There was a generational clash as older Americans were angered by the nationwide protests by younger Americans who they felt “Didn’t understand how good the have it” or “Feel entitled”. Doesn’t that sound familiar?

The anger turned to outrage when younger Americans pushed for and got The Draft ended. The Pentagon endorsed the idea of transitioning the military to all-volunteer mostly in an effort to appease both sides. They assured older Americans this would not impact their ability to recruit and they were proven right very quickly. They assured younger Americans they could stil serve if they want to with all the same benefits as before which was and still is true.

One of the reasons the Pentagon was so confident was they knew they could count on longtime military families urging a few people from each successive generation to enlist. Most of the U.S. Military’s enlistees have traditionally come from families with a long history of military service.

It’s interesting to note in recent decades, the number of Black and Hispanic military families has been growing. The U.S. military recently relaxed some of their dress code policies around permitted hairstyles commonly used by Black Americans such as allowing braided hair, beards to a certain length in men and allowing hair length for women to go to the shoulders in some cases. Dreadlocks are still banned due to the fact they are high maintenance. For those who need it spelled out, the reason for the restrictions on hair length is a matter of life and death. If you have long hair or a long beard, it could get caught in something. That could be fatal if you’re under attack but I won’t digress further

Getting back on the topic of military families. In early 2017, the esteemed General Wesley Clark wrote an article in a prominent magazine for military families and vets urging them to tell their family members not to enlist or otherwise discourage them from doing so. Why? Because he recognized the danger of incoming President Trump that early on. His son Wesley Clark Jr., who is also a vet himself being targeted for a Psy Op also likely had something to do with it.

The point is he was so deeply concerned for what Trump would order the military to do not just internationally but domestically, he took that drastic step. That was his way of saying “THIS president cannot be trusted.” This is a coincidence but it was after Trump’s disparaging remarks about fallen servicemembers during a visit to Arlington National Cemetery that he lost a lot of public support from military families. Many of those who took offense to Wesley Clark Sr.’s article realized he was on to something.

It was shortly after Trump’s disturbing comments about fallen servicemembers that he and many Republicans started calling the military “too woke”. This is quite interesting given the Pentagon fought on a weekly basis to keep Trump from using the military as a political prop. More so given the GOP has long used the military as a political prop. Without naming him, they were actually referring to Wesley Clark Sr. who still holds some influence and commands respect in the military.

What does this have to do with America’s military response to 9/11? Let’s not kid outselves, an entire religion was demonized overnight. This is to say nothing of the convenient timing that the incident happened. As a reminder, Bush 43 became president under controversial circumstances just 10 months earlier. Al Gore conceded despite pressure not to and caused a political rift nationwide. Then boom, 9/11 happens. It’s not a secret throughout history, the leaders of most countries can count on conflict to unite their people. After all, it worked with Pearl Harbor and not as many people died there compared to the 9/11 attacks.

Note what I said earlier though: The circumstanceds were different. When Pearl Harbor happened, we were already two years into World War II. When 9/11 happened, America wasn’t engaged in a war with Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan or Iraq for that matter. There wasn’t a reason or need for a nationwide call to arms and everyone knew it. Despite that, Bush 43 pushed for armed conflict with Aghanistan and then Iraq. It’s heavily rumored he wanted to attack Saudi Arabia too but was basically told the chain reaction that would set off for a symbolic fist-pump would not have been worth attacking the Saudis militarily.

What kind of chain reaction? Oh, just the entire Islamic world declaring war on the U.S. overnight. Even Jordan and Kuwait.

I still remember hearing 20 years ago about many in the Middle East wondering if the U.S.-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan were the start of a new era of Crusades. The last one was over 800 years ago but the Islamic world never forgot the history. Some felt it would be long overdue and more so after the Ottoman Empire captured Constantinoble and renamed it Istanbul centuries earlier, changing the world forever. What was then the world’s largest Cathedral became the world’s largest Mosque under Mehmed II.

Much of the tension from 20 years ago has since eased fortunately but it’s no secret the families of those who died on 9/11 are rightfully demanding the Saudi government be held accountable since most of the people who carried out the 9/11 attacks were Saudi nationals. The Saudi government has long disavowed itself from any responsability for the events of that day. They have gotten help from presidents of both political parties in the U.S. which have largely blocked the families of 9/11 victims from being able to sue the Saudi government for damages.

There is STILL a lot of anger from most of the families of the 9/11 victims 20 years later. More so given neither Bush 43 or the three presidents that came after him–Obama, Trump and now Biden–have allowed them any options for recourse. I can only assume in the case of Trump his cabinet warned him not to even think of getting involved with the Saudis militarily. The Saudi government giving a giant middle finger to the U.S. last year over OPEC may be an opportunity for Biden if he wins a second term.

I know it sounds like I’ve veered way off topic but like I said earlier, the GOP has a long tradition of using the U.S. Military as a political prop. I would not put it past ANY of the Republican candidates to greenlight an attack or even a full-scale invasion of Saudi Arabia. They’ll make up a pretense like Bush 43 did with Iraq. Most likely they’ll say the Saudis are helping to fund Russia’s war against Ukraine or the Saudis are morally responsible for 9/11. They will say whatever they feel they must to get the Military Industrial Complex going.

That’s just one area. Another area that is a legit reason and cause for the U.S. to ramp up its military recruitment effort is of course China. Last year, some military analysts forecast war with China in the very near future. Given China is clearly preparing for war, America has a vested interest in being able to contain China’s PLA (People’s Liberation Army, that’s the name of the Chinese Military) at the drop of a hat if need be.

More so now than after World War II, there are a LOT of things one can do in the U.S. Military without even being on the front lines, on a ship or on a plane regardless of which branch you’re in. Most Americans are well aware of this too. I’ve heard a growing number of med students are enlisting since medical training would be free of charge for them.

Anyway, there are four issues I’ve noticed that are factoring into the worsening recruitment numbers:

1. Politics: The U.S. Military is only Apolitical by design, it’s set so a Civilian–the President–is the Commander in Chief of the entire military. War can only be declared with a 2/3 vote from Congress BUT the President does have the power to direct the U.S. Military aside from that. Military policies do undergo some changes depending on the party that controls the White House. More so in recent years there’s been growing concerns by many high-ranking military officials over politicians looking to use the military as a political tool or to resolve political disputes. All they can do is ask politicians to leave them out of political disputes.
2. Low Visibility in Neighborhoods, Towns and Cities: These days, the only time the public really sees the military is at public events or on TV somewhere doing something. That’s assuming they don’t have family members in the military. This includes cities and towns that host or are near military bases. This isn’t to say service members don’t walk around in public in uniform. More so now than in the past, most service members change out of uniform unless they’re only on leave for a few hours or are going to an event of some kind. It’s a matter of preference is all.
3. The Military’s Depiction in Entertainment Media: The U.S. Army developed a video game that they were hoping to use to recruit people for years. The game, which was called America’s Army was a Free to Play game where you did similated missions. The game did get a notable fan following but very few of those gamers were willing to enlist because of the game. The project went offline two years ago due to decling usage and was considered a failure in its main objective as a recruitment tool. That aside, the modern military is often depicted in movies and TV Shows as either dabbling in black projects or having their elite units like the SEALS or Delta Force doing the heavy lifting.
4. Inconsistent and often lackluster support for Veterans: This is the biggest and #1 reason most young adults are hesitant to enlist. Promises were made 20 years ago when the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq began that they would be taken care of when they returned. Not all the promises were kept and more so in areas of Housing and Healthcare. For the overwhelming majority who came back physically whole but mentally shattered by what they experienced and saw overseas, they had to contend with a broken VA system and a society that still to this day doesn’t take mental health as seriously as it should. It stands to reason most young adults would be hesitant to enlist knowing promises made to them will not necessarily be kept.

These are all fairly understandable issues but are not barriers. I know with #3, studios have shifted to hiring vets instead of dealing with the Pentagon directly to work as military consultants with military movies or tv shows. It helps there’s tens of thousands of military vets nationwide in their 20s, 30s and 40s who’ve spent time in the field to choose from.

One promise that was made 20 years ago that was kept was unlike Vietnam Vets, vets returning from The Middle East weren’t demonized. It was arguably the number one concern some Vietnam vets had given how controversial and politically loaded the so-called “War on Terrorism” was domestically. The difference was this time, most Americans understood those going overseas had no say or recourse in where they were ordered to go or what they were ordered to do. This is also why even today the U.S. Military is held in a higher regard than law enforcement by ALL Americans.

 

I’ve spent a lot of time talking about the difficulties and challenges. Now I’m going to talk about possible solution. This is a complicated issue and there is no one fix. Multiple steps and options should be undertaken to help turn things around ASAP.

Here’s a few ideas I have:

1. Bring ROTC programs back to Public High Schools: About 17 years ago, Anti-War protesters succeeded in pressuring Congress and the Pentagon into phasing out high school ROTC programs. Contrary to what the opposition claimed, kids were not being indoctrinated or brainwashed by the Pentagon. At the High School I went to, our NJROTC instructors were retired Naval and Coast Guard vets. My senior year, one of the Naval Instructors retired and was succeeded by a Coast Guard vet. All of them were 60+ and decades removed from their Vietnam military service. For high schools to lose ROTC programs when they did was a travesty and it robbed successive generations from learning from vets who were involved in the conflicts in the Middle East. The learning works both ways. The Vets learn from younger generations as much as the younger generations learn military tradition and history from the Vets. No active duty service members work as instructors in high school ROTC programs.
2. Increased visibility for Local Military Recruitment Centers: I’ve noticed in recent decades the local recruitment centers in the Boston area have really blended in with where they’re located. Much of that has to do with the recruitment centers trying to be neighborly and not having anything or anyone outside of their doors. Recruitment Centers actually ARE staffed by active duty military on that note though. I also know you can choose which branch of the military you would like to enlist in regardless of the type of recruitment center you go to. For example if you go to an Army recruitment center you can enlist in the Navy or Marine Corps.
3. Community Engagement: The U.S. Navy maintains the U.S.S. Constitution in Boston’s Charlestown Navy Yard. It’s the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel. Three centuries later, it was never decommissioned though it hasn’t seen combat since 1855. I’ve been on it several times while it was docked in Charlestown. Due to its significance to American history, security protocols were installed after 9/11 for all vistors and staff. That is handled by the U.S. Navy and the Department of Homeland Security directly. The ship and where it’s docked are federal property. While the adjacent WWII Destroyer Cassin Young is decommisioned, you must pass through the same security checkpoint to access it. All that said, Boston has access to two pieces of military history along with Castle Island in South Boston and Fort Warren on George’s Island. The same is true of other military sites, monuments and vehicles from across the U.S. The point is they all encourage community engagement. More of this needs to be going on nationwide.
4. Transparency on the importance of boosting Recruitment Numbers: This is a matter of natioal security at this point. It takes time to properly and thoroughly train new recruits for whatever their role or tasks may be. I mean months to years depending on what they may need to know for whatever they do. This is why increasing recruitment numbers NOW is so important. Every time a service member dies in training, it’s not just devastating for their family but for the military branch they were in because replacing that person is easier said than done these days. Not to mention having to train the replacement. This is to say nothing of needing to train people to train people in the military. The instructors themselves need to be well-versed in what they teach to say the least.
5. Invite the public to observe and/or participate in training exercises: This would probably be the biggest marketing tool the U.S. Military could use and more so if this is done a few times a year. The media vaguely announces when the U.S. does joint-training drills with another country or two somewhere in the world every now and then. Doing training exercises domestically makes more sense now with looming threats both at home and abroad. People need to see their military in action to get a better appreciation for why they do what they do and vice versa.

 

On that last point. For most of America’s history, its military has engaged in conflicts abroad. Doing domestic training exercises would be a good reminder for White Nationalist militia and other typess of folks to see up close and personal why even now, the U.S. Military is still considered the best in the world overall.

Of course, China is trying to threaten that in their own ways. In order for America to be able to check them militarily, our military needs to at least become quadruple its current number of about 1.4 Million. Why? Because the PLA is around 5 Million right now. Its army alone is over 2 Million on that note. Yes, really. China also has the biggest military in terms of personnel overall. We could easily exceed that with a combination of the ideas I proposed above VERY quickly.

That said, I’ll put it like this: The only thing keeping China from seriously considering an air or amphibious invasion of America is the military retaliation they would take in response. Specifically a Hydrogen Bomb being dropped on a few Chinese cities. America is the only country that has ever used nukes and though about two dozen countries have their own now, they don’t hold a candle to ONE H-Bomb. I’m talking about a weapon 1,000 times mroe powerful than an Atomic Bomb.

America’s military is far from a paper tiger but like Russia, it’s no secret it’s relying far more heavily on its arsenal to make up for the lack of available military personnel. An H-Bomb hasn’t been used yet but based on the tests done in the 1950s, one will ERASE whole cities. What happened with Hiroshima and Nagasaki was devasting not just because of the initial blast but the years of radiation sickness and cancer thousands died from in the years that followed.

Imagine waking up to the news a city somewhere is just GONE. As in no longer exists after an H-Bomb is dropped on it. The nukes that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki reduced the cities to ruins. An H-Bomb would leave nothing behind but a smoking crater. The only solice is everyone killed wouldn’t feel a thing for more than a moment because they would be vaporized by the intense heat. There would be no survivors in the blast zone and anyone outside of that who does survive would never be the same again injured or not.

One of the two big reasons the U.S. nuked Japan to end WWII was because in the minds of the decision-makers, it would show the world America had a new weapon it wasn’t afraid to use that could decisively end a conflict. The other reason was because of the likely human cost to America that would need to be taken if an invasion of Japanese soil was done. We’re talking an estimated minimum 500,000 U.S. military casualties that would have been taken and an additional 6 to 12 months of conflict . So, yeah the Pentagon had a vested interest in avoiding that amount of losses if possible. I’ll stop there since I plan to write a separate post about Oppenheimer–that’s the physics scientist who created the Atomic Bomb–in a separate blog post.

 

Politically, both major parties agree that the low military recruitment numbers is and has been a problem for some time. Another problem is unfortunately, neither side is in a hurry to do anything to boost recruitment for separate but political reasons. The Dems and most of the country are rightfully concerned with the GOP’s embrace of Fascism in recent years. On the other hand, the GOP is wrongfully convinced they need to keep the U.S. Military weakened while a Democrat is in the White House at all costs for fear the Dems would use it agaist them.

China, Iran, Russia, North Korea and other such countries are WELL aware of the inherent distrust within the U.S. They have separately launched disinformation and misinformation campaigns to further divide the country politically. Why? Because they rightfully fear the power of the U.S. Miltary and more so one with the strength of a united America behind it.

The same is true of domestic threats as well. They know the best way to weaken the U.S. Military is to sow as much political discord and distractions as possible. That’s what has been going on in recent decades. As was the case in the past, it will take a sudden happening for most Americans to realize how badly they’ve let things become. It’s just a matter of when and what.

 

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.