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Saturday, October 31, 2020: It's The Day After Tomorrow - What Will The Great Trumpkin Do?
This is the weekend before one of the most critical elections in our history and much is being written about what will happen after the result is announced. I don't think that there is any doubt about what will happen to this county if Trump wins. Simply, we will become a fascist state.
If Biden wins, there is going to be a period of chaos and disruption. Trump will insure that is the case. The only question is how much chaos will he incite. Like all pathological narcissists, he will not go quietly and will likely use his power and his remaining time in office to do as much damage as possible. He may also more overtly encourage violent actions from the various domestic terrorists like the QAnon and the Proud Boys.
According to a report from Homeland Security, "The primary terrorist threat inside the United States will stem from lone offenders and small cells of individuals, including Domestic Violent Extremists (DVEs) and foreign terrorist-inspired Homegrown Violent Extremists (HVEs)" and not from foreign actors." The October 2020 threat assessment report from Homeland Security concludes that:
"Violent extremist media almost certainly will spread violent extremist ideologies, especially via social media, that encourage violence and influence action within the United States.
- Violent extremists will continue their efforts to exploit public fears associated with COVID-19 and social grievances driving lawful protests to incite violence, intimidate targets, and promote their violent extremist ideologies.
- Simple tactics—such as vehicle ramming, small arms, edged weapons, arson, and rudimentary improvised explosive devices (IEDs)—probably will be most common. However, lone offenders could employ more sophisticated means, to include advanced and/or high-consequence IEDs and using crude chemical, biological, and radiological materials.
Some DVEs and other violent actors might target events related to the 2020 Presidential campaigns, the election itself, election results, or the post-election period. Such actors could mobilize quickly to threaten or engage in violence. Violence related to government efforts to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic and amidst otherwise ongoing lawful protests has exacerbated the typical election-season threat environment.
- Some DVEs have heightened their attention to election- or campaign-related activities, candidates' public statements, and policy issues connected to specific candidates, judging from domestic terrorism plots since 2018 targeting
individuals based on their actual or perceived political affiliations.
- Open-air, publicly accessible parts of physical election infrastructure, such as campaign associated mass gatherings, polling places, and voter registration events, would be the most likely flash points for potential violence.
Among DVEs, racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists—specifically white supremacist extremists (WSEs)—will remain the most persistent and lethal threat in the Homeland. Spikes in other DVE threats probably will depend on political or social issues that often mobilize other ideological actors to violence, such as immigration, environmental, and police-related policy issues.
- WSEs have demonstrated long-standing intent to target racial and religious minorities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, politicians, and those they believe promote multiculturalism and globalization at the expense of the WSE identity.
Since 2018, they have conducted more lethal attacks in the United States than any other DVE movement.
- Some WSEs have engaged in outreach and networking opportunities abroad with Another motivating force behind domestic terrorism that also poses a threat to the
Homeland is anti-government/anti-authority violent extremism.
- These violent extremists, sometimes influenced by anarchist ideology, have been associated with multiple plots and attacks, which included a significant uptick in violence against law enforcement and government symbols in 2020. This ideology is also exploited by hostile nation-states, which seek to promote it through disinformation campaigns and sow additional chaos and discord across American society.
- Anti-government and/or anti-authority violent extremists are likely to be emboldened by a perceived success exploiting otherwise peaceful protest movements and concealing violent tactics. These violent extremists are increasingly taking advantage of large protest crowds to conduct violence against government officials, facilities, and counter-protestors.
- We also remain particularly concerned about the impacts from COVID-19 where anti-government and anti-authority violent extremists could be motivated to conduct attacks in response to perceived infringement of liberties and government overreach as all levels of government seek to limit the spread of the corona virus that has caused a worldwide pandemic.
- Ideologies driven by such DVE's often are reinforced by a variety of online content, including conspiracy theories and political commentary they view as controversial. Current events that DVEs perceive as infringing on their world views often contribute to periods of increased ideologically motivated violence, including recently during the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide lawful protests."
This is our government telling us that our fellow Americans are currently the greatest terrorist threat. If that doesn't scare the crap out of you, nothing will.
If Biden wins, his administration will have to be to prepared to move swiftly and decisively to quell any violence that erupts. Whether that is done with local or federal law enforcement, we cannot let this country deteriorate into a state of anarchy. And yes, law enforcement may have to pry their assault rifles from their cold dead hands. If Trump wins, you need to seriously consider expatriation.
Wednesday, October 28, 2020: Vote As If Your Life Depended On It – Because It Does!
 Yesterday I cast my ballot for this year's presidential election. I voted for the first time in my new city and state of residence – Maryland. I stood in line for one and half hours with 200 of my fellow citizens. Despite the crowds, I was impressed with the way the election was being handled. The biggest challenge for most was finding a place to park. The county was using an old office complex and the parking was limited. Despite those challenges, the line moved at a fairly consistent pace. The poll workers were vigilant and showed genuine concern for the elderly and the infirmed. At one point a worker came and escorted a 98 year old, who was obviously distressed, to the head of the line over her protests. Like many of her generation who were taught the concept of fairness, she didn't feel it right to move ahead of everyone else. When she finally agreed, the crowd cheered.
There were clearly both Biden and Trump voters in the line. Some of the political leanings were obvious (standing in line not wearing a mask) others not so much. We live in 'Trump Country", so there was likely a good representation of Trump minions. But I think the incredible turnout for early voting is a sign that most eligible voters think this election is important – important enough to stand in line for a couple of hours in the hot sun or pouring rain.
I tell this story because for the first time in over 50 years of voting, I was truly and sincerely humbled by the experience. I felt that I truly understood to my core, the gift of democracy and the power of the ballot box. Voting is our constitutional right – exercise it my friends, or you may lose it. Republican's have made it clear that they want to take away that right from everyone but those who keep them in office.
Tuesday, October 27, 2020: It Is Past Time To Restore The Balance Of Power In Our Democracy.
 In Ancient Chinese philosophy, yin and yang ("dark-bright", "negative-positive") is a concept of dualism, describing how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. This world we live in needs balance to survive. Imbalance breeds chaos and that is what we are on the verge of experiencing in America. As I have said in a previous a post, chaos is the caldron in which evil thrives. The Coney Barrett appointment to the Supreme Court is one more dead canary in our political coal mine. It is another wake up call to all Americans interested in restoring a truly representative democracy.
In a two party representative democracy, the concept of balance is even more critical than in a multi-party system. What the Republican cabal has been able to accomplish over the last 25 years is the systematic shift of our state and federal governments toward the extreme right of the political spectrum. This has created an imbalance that has to be corrected. The imperative is clear. Correct the imbalance by electing democratic candidates or face the possibility of American becoming the fascist state. It is really that simple.
Monday, October 26, 2020: The New Abnormal
The most significant consequence of the corona virus pandemic will be a quantum shift in the way society interacts. Covid-19 will not be the last virus to spread globally. As we cope with this new reality, we have to change the way we function as a society or face the consequences and impacts foisted on us by an enemy invisible to the human eye. The real question for us as Americans is whether we continue to ignore the experts and follow the Trump course of action, which is do nothing, or finally wake up and fight this monster. The challenge is that there will be no leadership coming from the Federal government. Trump has effectively neutered all of the agencies whose role is to help fight pandemics.
For Trump minions and their obsession with individual rights, it is more likely that they will hold fast to their so-called individual rights. Rather than change their behavior and adapt to the new reality, they will blindly go about their business while the latest viral outbreak wreaks havoc on our population. The rest of the world will continue to see us as a threat and as a country we will become weaker and more isolated. Canada's continued border closures to Americans and Europe's ban on Americans entering the EU, are just the beginning. If I were Canada, I would start building a border wall now.
If the Trump nationalists have their way, it will be "live free AND DIE" and in the end we will pry their guns from their cold dead hands and throw them into mass graves – done in by an enemy they can't shoot with an assault rifle.
Saturday, October 24, 2020: Zombie Apocalypse Has Started
The classic definition of a zombie is a fictional undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse – in other words, a Trump supporter. Trump realizes he is in trouble, so the call to arms to his minions has begun. Watch for his zombies to show up at the polls – probably armed to the teeth (at least in Michigan). Unfortunately, the time tested method of killing a zombie – blowing their brains out – won't work on a Trump zombie as they don't have a functioning brain cell between their ears. The ideal solution might be to drive them all into one of the red states and then build a wall around the state. Walls seem to be the only thing they understand.
Granted, voter suppression by zombie is a last resort, but the Trumpster is getting desperate. He continues to hold his pathetic rallies even while he sheds the COVID-19 virus, but with each new poll, his support wanes. Let's face it, he doesn't have many arrows left in his quiver. I do have to admire his stupidity or maybe it is just his pathological narcissistic personality. How many people would continue to lie with abandon and act like a total jerk while continuing to slip in the polls.
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