Saturday, April 28, 2018:   From Swamp to Cesspool
Frankly the stench coming out of Washington has gone from rotting vegetation to putrid human waste. I wake up every day dreading the news of the day. Just when it appears that we have hit a new low, Trump and his minions are able to find a way to dig an even deeper hole. Their approach to every problem is "ready, fire, aim" with little or no apparent thought given to either the long term or for that matter, short term consequences of their actions. Everything is based on emotion, prejudice, ego, or the demagogue in chief's latest appeal to his ever-diminishing base.

The complexity of today's world requires a calm and thoughtful approach to every issue facing this county. Whether it is trade, human rights, nuclear arms, poverty, jobs, taxes, drugs, or peace in war torn countries, solutions must address both short and long term impacts. Leadership is not striving to be the biggest bully in the schoolyard.

Unfortunately, Trump seems to have taken the Teddy Roosevelt "walk softly and carry a big stick" to a new low. His version seems to be "stomp around the oval office and whack a mole (or two)."


Sunday, April 8, 2018:   Will We Stop Trump Before It's Too Late?
Below are excerpts from an April 6, 2018 opinion article in the New York Times by Madeleine Albright. It is so well written, that it is worth repeated publication and represents why we need more female leadership in the world. If Hillary Clinton was sitting in the Oval Office today, I can assure you the article would never have been written.

"If freedom is to prevail over the many challenges to it, American leadership is urgently required. This was among the indelible lessons of the 20th century. But by what he has said, done and failed to do, Mr. Trump has steadily diminished America's positive clout in global councils.

Instead of mobilizing international coalitions to take on world problems, he touts the doctrine of "every nation for itself" and has led America into isolated positions on trade, climate change and Middle East peace. Instead of engaging in creative diplomacy, he has insulted United States neighbors and allies, walked away from key international agreements, mocked multilateral organizations and stripped the State Department of its resources and role. Instead of standing up for the values of a free society, Mr. Trump, with his oft-vented scorn for democracy's building blocks, has strengthened the hands of dictators. No longer need they fear United States criticism regarding human rights or civil liberties. On the contrary, they can and do point to Mr. Trump's own words to justify their repressive actions.

At one time or another, Mr. Trump has attacked the judiciary, ridiculed the media, defended torture, condoned police brutality, urged supporters to rough up hecklers and — jokingly or not — equated mere policy disagreements with treason. He tried to undermine faith in America's electoral process through a bogus advisory commission on voter integrity. He routinely vilifies federal law enforcement institutions. He libels immigrants and the countries from which they come. His words are so often at odds with the truth that they can appear ignorant, yet are in fact calculated to exacerbate religious, social and racial divisions. Overseas, rather than stand up to bullies, Mr. Trump appears to like bullies, and they are delighted to have him represent the American brand. If one were to draft a script chronicling fascism's resurrection, the abdication of America's moral leadership would make a credible first scene."

"We should also reflect on the definition of greatness. Can a nation merit that label by aligning itself with dictators and autocrats, ignoring human rights, declaring open season on the environment, and disdaining the use of diplomacy at a time when virtually every serious problem requires international cooperation?

To me, greatness goes a little deeper than how much marble we put in our hotel lobbies and whether we have a Soviet-style military parade. America at its best is a place where people from a multitude of backgrounds work together to safeguard the rights and enrich the lives of all. That's the example we have always aspired to set and the model people around the world hunger to see. And no politician, not even one in the Oval Office, should be allowed to tarnish that dream."

And to this I say, Amen.


Friday, April 6, 2018:   If His Lips Are Moving, He's Lying - The Fake News President
Trump continues to rail against the legitimate press. His continued attacks on CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post are all designed for one purpose – undermine a key pillar of our democracy. Trump calls every piece of information he does not like "fake news". He then spews or Tweets a cesspool of lies as the "real truth". The disquieting aspect of his bullshit tirades is that the asshole seems to be succeeding in shaking trust in the press and in other institutions that are crucial to our democracy just through the force of his daily verbal and twitter assaults.

But Trump is only part of the problem. His co-conspirators include Fox News, Sinclair Broadcasting, and a whole host of hyperpartisan, right wing media outlets and news sites that peddle outright falsehoods to a swooning Republican base. How can we claim to be a world leader if truth is not a guiding principal for our country?

You can use the truth to influence, but once you start spouting lies, it is pure manipulation, and manipulation is the sole purpose of Trump and his co-conspirators.

My wife is a former middle school English teacher. As we have found with the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Students, our children often have a better grasp of right and wrong that we adults. Here is a poem written a number of years ago by one of her students.

Truth
Truth is what really happens.
You can lie,
lie all you want,
and maybe you'll be believed, maybe you won't,
but that doesn't really matter,
because you can't lie,
to yourself.

Truth is the way something happens,
not the way you want it to happen,
but the way it happens.
A lie is like changing the odds in your favor,
maybe those odds will stay changed, maybe they won't,
but that doesn't really matter, because you can't lie,
to yourself.

Truth is saying what you know,
not what you wish you knew.
It's better to be true to yourself,
than lie to everyone else, but most importantly,
to yourself.

By Prescott Murphy


Thursday, April 5, 2018:   How Does One Not Get Discouraged?
Recent conversations with friends and family have focussed around their desire to just tune out. The shear volume of stupidity generated by Trump and the Republicans is depressing and people can only take so much before they say "ENOUGH ALREADY". Clearly the Republicans in the House and Senate are not going to act in the best interest of our country and rein in Trump and it is highly unlikely that any amount of protest is going to change that situation. So the cycle of discouraging news is not going to end anytime soon.

Frankly, rational Americans are tired of the continuous news cycle highlighting the destruction of our environment, our judiciary, our economy, and our democracy. It will not be until the elections later this year that will be any hope of turning the tide against the Republican rape of our country. The key will be to get out the vote and run these assholes out of Washington. In the mean time, it is probably not irrational to cover your ears and start singing "NAH, NAH, NAH, NAH.....".