News Ticker Shock

Nikki Haley supporting Trump…”I will be voting for Trump.”

Justice Alito caught flying another flag outside his home supporting insurrection

60% of Americans think that we are in a recession (poll)

“United Reich” wording posted to a video on Trump’s Truth Social media account

RFK Jr. VP pick Nicole Shanahan profiled as drug user and adulterer in NY Times article

Putin ‘launches space weapon’ while his forces carry out nuke drill near Ukraine

Daily marijuana use outpaces daily drinking in the U.S., a new study says

RIP Democracy?? 11/5/2024

Democracy may be dead. 50/50 that this November’s elections results will not be accepted by the losing party.
Donald Trump, MAGA, Fox News and the Republican Party are holding the bloody knives in democracy’s demise or in Kristi Noem’s case, the smoking gun. There is also huge crowds cheering this on.
My sense is that our current political culture and craziness could not have taken place 50 or 60 years ago. Back then, anyone who had a whiff of scandal would not be electable and would not have a political future.
To have a viable and working democracy, there needs to be a majority of smart people, large enough to suppress dumb people. That does not exist today. Not even a majority of reasonable, intelligent voters can offset the rising number of dumb ones.
The end of democracy actually started after the election of Barack Obama when the Republican party decided to strictly become a party of obstruction. They were determined and largely successful in stonewalling Obama’s agenda for eighth years. Remember when the Republican party blocked the nomination of Merrick Garland as a Supreme Court Justice in 2016?
The Democratic Party shows absolutely no spine. There are times you have to fight as dirty as your opponent and the Dems have failed to do that.
Most of my intellectual life, I have been a student of Nazi Germany. I have been fascinated by the rise of Hitler and how the German people largely supported him. Maybe soon I will get to experience a similar government and dictatorship here in the U.S. that existed back in 1934 Germany.
There is too much influence of religion in politics. Religious people tend to believe almost anything, especially those claims not grounded in fact, truth, or science. Easily manipulable, religious people are the least tolerant and the least likely to be persuaded by evidence or reason.

How to Fail a Job Interview(s)

Just when I though Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene had locked up the crazy vote, then comes along…

Tim Scott, the Republican senator from South Carolina, was asked five times on a national news broadcast, if he would accept the election results this November. Five times, Scott, obfuscated, spun, and flat out refused to give a yes or no answer. I think there is a huge character flaw in anyone who wants to be Donald Trump’s vice presidential candidate. However, give it to Scott, he gave a great audition to Trump on how little personal integrity he had and would do and say just about anything to be on the Trump ticket. However I question whether hard-core MAGA supporters would vote for a black man, no matter how many times he prostrates himself in front of his leader.

Another reputed candidate to be Trump’s running mate is South Dakota’s Governor Kristi Noem. Kristi is already in hot water for her admission in a book she wrote that she killed a puppy because she felt it was untrainable. She has stumbled publicly in trying to justify her abhorrent behavior. This weekend, she was also asked on a national news program, whether she ever met with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un as she claimed in the same book. Again, Miss Noem, spun, swerved, and refused to answer the question after being asked it a number of times. Miss Noem makes Sarah Palin look like Condoleezza Rice in comparison. There are already Saturday Night Live and comedic skits about Miss Noem, and there would certainly be a lot more if she was the vice presidential nominee.

No News is Good News

Every local newscast starts off with stories of violence, shootings, stabbings, murder…I wait till the second half of the telecast to catch Sports and Weather.

No matter how wrong or warped your vision of the world is, there is some venue or fool that will feed you misinformation and further your delusions.

We are verbally and visually assaulted by lies, exaggerations, and rampant stupidity that we have become inured to them. You can’t shock me anymore by a news host or politician saying something incredibly stupid.

A President of the United States has the right to assassinate his or her rivals?? This craziness was actually discussed as a serious matter in the Supreme Court!

2020 may have been the last Presidential election that was legitimate. And despite its proven legitimacy, maybe a 1/3 or more of this country’s voters still feel that it was rigged., based on nothing but an old man’s rants as he faces prison.

On CNN: Kaitlan Collins interviewing Bill Barr about his support for Donald Trump.

KAITLAN COLLINS: “So just to be clear, you’re voting for someone who you believe tried to subvert the peaceful transfer of power that can’t even achieve his own policies, that lied about the election, even after his attorney general told him that the election wasn’t stolen. And as the former chief law enforcement in this country, you’re going to vote for someone who is facing 88 criminal counts.”

No Debate about No Debates

Reports suggest that the five major broadcast and cable news networks are advocating for televised debates between President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump ahead of Election Day. However, it’s time to reconsider the value of such debates, particularly involving Trump.

Let’s be frank: a debate featuring Donald Trump tends to resemble a WWE event promo more than a substantive political discussion. His approach lacks preparation and substance, often devolving into insults and misinformation. The 2016 debates between Trump and Hillary Clinton showcased this stark contrast in demeanor and knowledge. While Clinton demonstrated a grasp of issues, Trump stumbled through with little coherence.

The 2020 debate between Trump and Biden was a debacle, failing to offer meaningful insights into policy or voter concerns. In fact, it only served to highlight the degradation of presidential debates into spectacles of theatrics rather than platforms for informed discourse.

One might argue that the last truly substantive presidential debate occurred between JFK and Richard Nixon in 1960. Since then, debates have become increasingly staged, manipulated, and divorced from genuine discussion.

In today’s political landscape, debates are marred by handlers, opportunities for misinformation, and outright falsehoods. It’s understandable why networks may view them as entertainment, but for voters seeking genuine insights, they offer little substance.

(Idea and initial content drafted by Eric Burleigh, edits suggested by AI)

Sitzkrieg and other Political Observations

On September 1, 1939, following the German invasion of Poland, both England and France declared war on the Hitler government. From September 1939 to May 1940, there were few major battles, and the period became known as the Sitzkrieg or “sitting war.” Similarly, in the United States, we find ourselves in a metaphorical “sitzkrieg” amidst our political, religious, and cultural conflicts. While January 6, 2021, might be considered a minor skirmish, it could be a precursor to more significant events. Former President Trump has hinted at potential chaos if not re-elected, suggesting a looming “bloodbath.” Comments like that are like lighting a match in a gas filled room.

I would prefer to read about the current political and cultural discord in the U.S. from a future vantage point, rather than experiencing it firsthand. It’s plausible that future generations will perceive this era as a “Dark Age” in American history.

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, struck by a cargo ship yesterday morning, serves as a poignant metaphor. Just as the bridge crumbled into the river, so too may our democracy face deterioration in the wake of collisions spurred by divisive ideologies.

Who Will Pick Up the Pieces?

The United States has morphed into fragile pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Events are moving towards the pieces separating and falling scattered to the floor. Sadly, there will be no one with the ability or consensus to pick up the pieces and put the puzzle back together again.

Trump’s Allies Ramp Up Campaign Targeting Voter Rolls

Nikki Haley Ducks and Weaves on Trump Endorsement, I.V.F. and Jan. 6

Trump Drops an All-Time Whopper at Rally, Claims 82% of the Country ‘Understands That it Was a Rigged Election’

Voters Doubt Biden’s Leadership and Favor Trump, Times/Siena Poll Finds

CVS and Walgreens to start dispensing abortion pill in states where it’s legal

Tennessee National Guard deploying to southern border as Biden admin ‘fails to act,’ GOP gov says

Republican senator blocks bill to protect IVF access after Alabama ruling

Unholy Alliances 2024

Trump-focused Texas border rally blends politics and religion

Alabama justice who quoted Bible in IVF case often invokes religion

Newsom calls out Alabama IVF ruling as part of ‘war on women’

Anti-abortion extremists in the US are waging a holy war against women

Trump: ‘Crazy’ for any Christian to vote for Democrat

The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta (Book Review)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I believe everyone, regardless of their religious or non-religious beliefs, should read this book. Its importance and critical insights extend far beyond the confines of any particular faith or ideology. What is being preached in many white evangelical and Christian churches holds significant implications that reach beyond their walls.

“In the year after Trump left office, polling repeatedly showed there was one demographic group most likely to believe that the election had been stolen, that vaccines were dangerous, the globalists were controlling the US population, that liberal celebrities were feasting on the bloods of infants, that resorting to violence might be necessary to save the country: white evangelicals.”

The author starts off the book by describing events that took place at his father’s funeral services. Alberta’s father was a respected minister and many of the people who were at the services were longtime friends and associates of the family. Instead of his father being respected and the family comforted, Alberta was castigated for writing articles that certain members of the church felt were derogatory towards Donald Trump. Alberta was accused of treason.

So unlike many other authors who could’ve written this book, Alberta had “skin in the game.” I think that he wrote the book as fairly as he could given the topics, the people involved and the consequences to not only religion but to our country.

Alberta was able to draw portraits of both Jerry Fallwells Senior and Junior, Ralph Reed, Stephen Strang, Paula White, Robert Jeffress, Charlie Kirk, Herschel Walker and Doug Mastriano to name a few. He describes the changes that have taken place at Liberty University. Sadly most of those changes have had deleterious effects on both students and teachers.

Donald Trump has assumed an almost godlike status within the white evangelical movement, despite his controversial behavior and moral character, including multiple marriages and allegations of sexual misconduct.

Alberta also describes the efforts of various ministers and politicians who are attempting to separate religion from politics. The tide has certainly been running against them. Many ministers who attempt to focus on Bible studies and religious topics without introducing politics into their sermons find that many parishioners leave and gravitate toward politically charged sermons. Funding dries up and churches close that just preach the word of God.

This book has been described as the best nonfiction book of 2023. It is a long book, 452 pages in hardback, but an interesting and informative read from cover to cover. This will be one of the books that historians 30 years from now will read and review critically in order to understand the fraught intersection of politics and religion in our era.

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Review: The Harding Affair: Love and Espionage during the Great War by David Robenalt

The Harding Affair: Love and Espionage during the Great War by James David Robenalt

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The affair between Warren Harding and Carrie Phillips was actually very boring. Evidently there were lots of love letters and correspondence between the two. And I do mean boring love letters and boring correspondence. I pretty much skimmed over those that were published in the book. The book contains some interesting history about Republican politics in the years of Taft and Theodore Roosevelt. Harding found himself caught in the middle of that political squabble. There is also some interesting history and commentary regarding the United States entering World War I. Just like World War II, there was great antipathy on the part of the American public to be involved in the war. In addition, there was a great deal of sympathy for Germany.

Based on the book, Harding appears to be a capable senator, hard-working and capable of compromise. He was a very good speaker and in demand for his abilities. However the shameless way that he pursued Mrs. Phillips does not present him in a good light. Given that his wife was constantly in bad health, one could understand his need for female companionship. But Mrs. Phillips was a needy and manipulative woman. The book covers allegations that she was a spy for Germany in World War I. Based on the book, it appears the only certain thing that could be alleged was that she was very sympathetic for the German cause and attempted to persuade Harding towards that end.

I slogged through the book more for the historical morsels around the time of World War I than for the less than sordid details of Harding’s affair(s). This book did provoke an interest in reading a book written about the Harding presidential administration.

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