The Truth, The Truth, You can’t Handle the Truth

And, nobody died in the Holocaust either. That’s the truth. It should happen. Six million Jews should die right now cause they cause all the problems in the world. But, it never happened.”
Roseanne Barr

“COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately,” COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.”“We don’t know whether it was deliberately targeted or not but there are papers out there that show the racial or ethnic differential and impact.”
RFK Jr.

“That [the war in Ukraine] does nothing to protect our borders, and that’s your hard-earned tax dollars. We’re funding them with equipment, we’re funding them with ammunition…Biden’s war in Ukraine, a proxy war with Russia, has depleted our military. Our military is the weakest it has been in decades and decades.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene

“Millions of illegal aliens have stormed across our borders, it is an invasion, like a military invasion. Our rights and liberties are being torn to shreds. Your country is being turned into a third-world hellhole, run by censors, perverts, criminals and thugs.”
Donald Trump

“Rosa Parks didn’t sit in the back, and neither am I gonna sit in the back.”
George Santos

Years, maybe it was decades ago, politicians, public officials, commentators and celebrities were much more circumspect in their public comments and behavior than their counterparts currently. It seems that chronic stupidity and ill behavior go unpunished. Instead, it gains you more poll points from your party’s voting base, gets you invitations to speak on talk shows and can be a stepping stone to having your own talk show or podcast.

In today’s media, stupid is overwhelming smart. Politicians, political commentators and many news organizations lie with impunity. Very few liars and incompetent people are punished or lose their jobs. Maybe the last time something like that happened occurred with Sarah Palin in 2008.

Today we have Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lisa Boebert, Matt Gaetz, Tommy Tuberville, Tucker Carlson, Jim Jordan, George Santos and countless others who are free to lie, slander and exaggerate. The public does not punish them. In many cases, a good portion of the public supports “a narrative” that gives weight to their slanted political, religious, cultural and prejudicial views.

I’m not sure the exact date when public discourse died but I’d say life support was pulled around 2016. That’s about the same time that the political IQ of this country fell into mid two digits. It’s still plunging…

Six Quick Observations about Trump Indictment

In the United States judicial system, it is customary to presume innocence when someone is charged with a crime. However Donald Trump is an exception to this presumption of innocence. He does a bad job of hiding his transgressions, personal, business, political and legal. He has a big ego and a bigger mouth. The weight and breadth of the evidence against him in the documents matter are overwhelming. My God, 37 counts!!!

Are there any stupider people than those who defend Donald Trump? They ignore his traitorous behavior, financial malfeasance, greed, allegations of him committing sexual assault and rape, and general ineptitude. As a leader, he is Barney Fife. I have no respect for the opinions and judgement of those who support Trump just based on this criteria.

If I had could question Donald Trump I’d ask: Do you think that you are a good role model for your son Barron? Would you want Barron to grow up and act like you? Would your wife Melania want Barron to grow up like you?

Laurence Tribe, the Constitutional scholar, said he was profoundly disappointed that the American people elected a man who was so bad at protecting national security and the American public. Tribe uses the word “sad.” I am furious that voters elected and support Donald Trump, a con artist and a “small man.”

My previous thinking was to offer Trump a pardon if he pleaded guilty to several counts and promised to withdraw from politics and public life. I’ve changed my mind. There would be no greater example of justice in our system that Trump going to jail for a long time. No pardon! Trump’s conviction and incarceration would serve as a great deterrent that no man is above the law.

I intend to avoid any Trump news. I don’t want to hear from him. I certainly don’t want to hear from anyone defending him.

Quick Analysis of the News

  1. Despite the announced agreement between President Biden and Speaker of the House McCarthy tonight, I would not be surprised that the agreement does not pass in the House and/or Senate. Neither Biden or McCarthy provide a lot of leadership or guidance.
  2. Can a candidate who has been found liable for at least one sexual assault, fomenting an insurrection and violence at the Capitol, mishandling or hiding sensitive government and intelligence documents and pressuring Georgia politicans to change vote tallies actually get his party’s Presidential nomination?
  3. Does Ron DeSantis actually make Donald Trump appear as a moderate and less dangerous?
  4. 2024 will be a national referendum on whether we still want to be a democracy, respect the rule of Law and respect the rights of all citizens. I am very pessimistic as to the answers.

My 2024 Political Crystal Ball

  1. While I think that Joe Biden has done a very good job under very difficult circumstances, I don’t think that he should seek re-election. His greatest contribution has been to bring back dignity and decorum to the oval office.
  2. My suspicion is that Donald Trump will withdraw from seeking the Republican presidential nomination primarily as he will be in significant legal jeopardy.
  3. I don’t view Mike Pence as a serious presidential contender. Pence did show some integrity and even some courage on January 6, 2021. But he was basically a toady during the Trump administration and he was very inept during the coronavirus crisis.
  4. I am not sure why Kamala Harris is being buried as a potential presidential candidate. It does not appear that she is being taken seriously by members of her party. Her only chance would come if she needed to assume the presidency in the event that Joe Biden is unable to complete his term.
  5. There has to be a more capable woman than Nikki Haley in the Republican Party to run for president!
  6. My concern is that no moderate or at least rational candidate will come from the Republican Party. I would even view Chris Christie as a welcome candidate for 2024.
  7. I think that there is a good chance that the handling of the coronavirus crisis will be an issue for 2024. I’m not just talking about the various lockdowns but the necessity for vaccine mandates given some of the medical information that is now filtering out.
  8. I view with growing concern the decline in support of Ukraine in their war against Russia. I also see that being a critical issue in 2024 if the war is not over.
  9. It is so easy to manipulate and fool not only the American public but also the American press. The 2024 election may all be about which propaganda campaign will win.
  10. Please, no celebrity candidates! No Rock. No Matthew McConaughey. No Oprah. However, I might like to see some successful business CEOs choose to run. I am not talking about Elon Musk!

Not Recommended for Prime Time

Around this time before the elections, newspapers endorse candidates who they feel are the best qualified for legislative and executive offices. Listed below are 15 GOP candidates who I believe are unqualified for office. They all share endorsements from Donald Trump which I think is disqualifying by itself.

However here is a list of election deniers, racists, intelligence challenged, mediocre, language mangling, lying GOP candidates.

1.Herschel Walker Senator Georgia

2.Marjorie Taylor Greene House Georgia

3. Doug Mastriano Governor PA

4. Kari Lake Governor Arizona

5. Mehmet Oz Senator PA

6. Tudor Dixon Governor Michigan

7. Blake Masters Senator Arizona

8. J.D. Vance Senator Ohio

9. Ron Johnson Senator Wisconsin

10. Mike Lee Senator Utah

11. Lauren Boebert House Colorado

12. Matt Gaetz House Florida

13. Jim Jordan House Ohio

14. Sarah Sanders Governor Arkansas

15. Kristi Noem Governor South Dakota

If more than five of these idiots win, democracy will be on life support.

Reading Between the Lies

If you’re smart, you believe half of what you hear. Brilliant is when you know which half.
Robert Orben

In my younger years I had a friend who was a great storyteller. He spun stories of his various adventures in travel, career and financial success and seducing women. His stories enthralled many a stranger or new acquaintance. My friend’s tales were entertaining and always showed him in a positive light. The sad part was that my friend was starting to believe in his stories. He could not differentiate between truth and fiction. He believed in his lies.

Lies and exaggerations are the verbal currencies of politics, business, advertising, culture and social media. The more outrageous and fanciful the lie or exaggeration, the more likely it is to spread and to be believed. Indeed, in politics, many campaigns spin fake news in order to stoke contributions and support.

Followers of professional wrestling are labeled as “marks.” Marks totally buy into the character branding of the wrestlers, the contrived storylines and rivalries and that the match results are not scripted. They have not understood that pro wrestling is entertainment, not sport. Great athletes performing choreographed feats of strength, agility, strikes and body slams.

Politics also has “marks.” They are known as “Trumpsters.” Donald Trump has worked with World Wrestling Entertainment in the past. He has participated in a Wrestlemania storyline and his casinos sponsored Wrestlemania events in the past. One of Trump’s Cabinet appointments was Linda McMahon who along with her husband Vince owned the WWE. January 6, 2021 was Trump’s political version of Wrestlemania. Trump promoted the event and his “marks” thought that they could overturn the results of a fair election process. Just like a “battle royale,” Trump’s followers battled Capitol police and even used not so hidden foreign objects just like “heel” wrestlers do to cheat in their matches.

George Washington purportedly said in his youth, “Father, I cannot tell a lie.” There is very little evidence that Washington ever said those words. It’s part of the myth around our first president. Sadly, no modern day politician could ever say that phrase with a straight face.

I have picked on politicians and their lies. However the business world is replete with lies, exaggerations and spin. One cannot trust the accuracy and integrity of quarterly corporate results, CEO guidance, product and service capabilities, mission statements and denials of corruption, regulatory malfeasance, sexual harassment and mismanagement.

Photo by Joshua Miranda: https://www.pexels.com/

We’re Toast

Coronavirus has killed over 1.01 million Americans. 74.2 million people voted for Donald Trump in 2020. What’s the greatest national tragedy? At least, we have developed vaccines and other medical protocol to control a pandemic. The Trump plague will be with us for decades and will not just affect us but future generations too.

After his testimony at the January 6 Congressional hearing on how Trump pressured him to appoint phony electors, Rusty Bowers, the Arizona House Speaker said a truly remarkable thing. He said that he would vote for Trump again.

Really?

You’ve just testified how Trump tried to override an accurate and legal election result plus you witnessed the storming of the Capitol fomented by Trump and you would vote for him again?

For a man who has witnessed 70 years of American history, these are very depressing times. While advances in technology, medicine and science have largely been mind boggling positive, our national politics, culture, civility, judgment and educational systems have remarkably declined.

We are a country that cannot agree on facts, science, history, truth and the meaning of decency. Civil conversations today? How? We are cursed liked the workers on The Tower of Babel, unable to communicate civilly or constructively. No greater example of this is to watch a session of Congress or a political debate. Or better yet, postings on social media…

So now there is a “wailing and gnashing of teeth” about this week’s Supreme Court rulings? Did you really expect the wisdom of Solomon to emanate from men and a woman appointed by a failed businessman, corrupt politician and reality star? Democrats, liberals and journalists expecting a different result are as naive as the stupidity passed on by the Court.

While I appreciate the calls to vote out pro-life politicians and pack the Supreme Court, to quote Carole King, “And it’s too late, baby, now it’s too late.” You are now at the mercy of a noted judicial scholar and husband of Ginni Thomas and at least four or five others who have an agenda to roll back social and racial justice progress for the past seventy years.

My guess is the current furor over the abortion rights decision will sadly dissipate. There may be some demonstrations and continued expressions of anger and grief. Do I think abortion rights will be the focal point of a national referendum? Maybe. Our national memory is very short. We’ve already largely forgotten the young children massacred at Uvalde. As their dust was scattered in Texas, so was our national attention.

Congress congratulated themselves for passing a paltry gun control bill that was quickly offset by the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down laws limiting guns in public places. So the Supreme Court is taking us back into the 50’s. No, not the 1950s but the 1850s.

I have read a number of books about Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. What strikes me is the utter denial of the German people as to what was going on particularly as it related to the inhumane treatment of European Jews and the curtailement of civil liberties for many groups. We seem to be in a similar state of denial. There is no unity. There are very few principles that we agree upon. Very few shared sacrifices. We are led by old people with their old ideas and prejudices. I keep waiting for new leadership by a younger generation.

Until this happens, We’re toast!

Winter Ponderings

Stupidity has spread faster than omicron in this country. Omicron is transmitted by air, stupidity spreads generally by social media and right wing blogs and networks.

Omicron’s ill effects are mild and short term (for the vaccinated). Stupid’s effects are long term and spur many and various variants, most uncontrolled and impervious for remedy.

January 6, 2021 is a metaphorical “Fort Sumter” on the current civil war in the United States.

Does anyone think long-term today? Companies and their shareholders don’t. Politicians don’t. Sports franchises don’t. We live in an era of instant gratification. Many if not most of the public demand instant results. A first year coach in any sport gets critical comments from his team’s fanbase if the wins and losses aren’t to their exaggerated expectations.

My description of a woman I know: “She is as cold as a blizzardly blustery late January sundown in Buffalo…”

At age 69, I should have developed an immunity towards being disappointed and hurt. I have not. While I am more philosophical about experiencing those emotions, I have not developed an antibody for the sadness I feel.

Observations that I have read and found worthy of repeat…

Having been retired for about three years, I look back on my “career” in various positions as defining a job as an inconvenient interruption between weekends. Phil from Philadelphia (comment on NYT article Public Displays of Resignation: Saying ‘I Quit’ Loud and Proud)

“It is simple: depending on others is misery; depending on yourself is power.”
—Robert Greene, The Daily Laws

“To keep Trump and his epigones away from high office, it isn’t enough to have the moral high ground. It’s like something Adlai Stevenson supposedly said once when a voter told him that every thinking person was on his side. “I’m afraid that won’t do,” he replied. “I need a majority.” Democracy needs a majority.” (Bret Stephens NYT Covid 3.0, Biden 2.0 and Trump Number …1/10/22)