dailykos--2020-10-12--Chapter 3 of the serial

Chapter 3 of the serial

THREE : THE APPARENT SUICIDE OF A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE “ So what makes you not think it 's suicide ?
” Chandresakar said .
“ I do n't think it 's not suicide , ” said Charley Hillbender , the chief detective for the D.C. murder squad .
The Chief of Police himself was outside .
So was the Commissioner .
Hillbender was down on one knee , examining the corpse , or what was left of the corpse .
Most of the top of the head was splattered on the library shelves , on rows of leather-bound books @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opened and many of which had not even yet had their pages slit apart ) .
On the shelves and the books and the carpet the shelves sat on .
You could see the direction the slug had taken , tumbling at an angle after it left the skull , blowing brain and bone before it , a fan of bloody garbage .
Hillbender got to his feet complaining .
“ This is harder than it used to be , ” he said , putting the flat of his palm to the small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harder than it used to be , ” Chandresakar said .
He changed the subject .
“ It aint every day you see a guy like Bragaldi eating his gun.
” Charles Preston Bragaldi—at least a thing that had once been Charles Preston Bragaldi and was no longer , was now a headless lump of dead meat—had been a goon , easier to imagine as a tackle playing semi-pro football than as a lawyer , a heavy-set square bruiser with dim , close-set eyes , drooping lips , and too much hairy nose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No eyes either .
And in fact , he had n't practiced much law , except for defending his goon friends on occasion .
Hillbender , frowning down at the corpse , gave Chandresakar a sidelong glance .
“ It 's his gun .
We already found the permit .
It 'll have his fingerprints on it and nobody else 's .
You can see the gunshot residue on his sleeve from here .
There 's the note .
” “ Bragaldi was a thug .
He would stomp a baby to death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easy money .
He 's a rapist and a drunk.
” “ Yeah , I get it .
You 're probably glad he 's dead .
You do n't make it easy , do you ?
Could we just let the politics go for once ?
” “ A guy like Bragaldi does n't blow his brains out .
He 's got no empathy , no remorse , no conscience .
There 's no way he would say the stuff in the note .
There 's no way he would feel guilty about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alone confess to quashing the investigations into those rapes.
” “ I would have said he was highly focussed .
Intent on clearing his name with regard to a bunch of unproven allegations .
A man who did what had to be done and did n't worry about whether people liked it or not .
A stellar appointment to the court .
A lawyer who understood the true rough and tumble of political life and did n't let it hurt his feelings .
How would you feel if you were accused of rape @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
If you knew there were people out to destroy your political career just because you were n't on the same side they were ?
” “ It 's fun , in a perverse way , to watch you try to believe that shit .
Nothing like finding out your compatriots are all assholes to convince you of the righteousness of your cause .
That 's why he turned red when the women challenged him .
The false accusations .
Almost busted a blood vessel , right there in front of Congress and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look , then looked back down at the body .
All he said was “ I do n't believe it 's not suicide.
” “ But yes , same difference .
You 're right .
There 's no way he would have offed himself .
He had what he had always wanted , and he thought he deserved it .
The note is a scam .
It has to be .
“ Plus the timing .
Coming right when it does.
” “ Yeah .
It looks suspicious .
Things could get nasty.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Why did you call me ?
” “ We have to get on top of this .
We have to get on top of it fast .
We have to prove it , one way or the other.
” “ Yeah .
A big one .
There 's no way it could have been anything but suicide .
That 's his signature on the confession .
Forget about forgeries .
That kind of stuff only happens in mystery novels.
” “ What about that trough on his cheek ?
” “ Maybe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know , maybe he pulled the gun away at the last minute.
” “ And maybe somebody was showing him they meant business .
Showing him what would happen for sure if he did n't write the note.
” “ And sign it .
I suppose you want me to operate in the dark.
” “ Nobody can know .
Not even the Chief .
If he finds out , I could lose my job .
He does n't even know you 're here .
He has n't noticed you yet , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in .
Go out the back way , okay ?
” The Chief of Police was a vehement Demagog .
He hated Bilaly .
“ So this means that even if I do get results , I get no credit.
” “ You get the gratitude of a former fellow officer .
You get to call in a few favors when you need them .
Like you have n't been doing exactly that .
Like you do n't already owe a lot more favors than you give.
” “ We 've been friends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once .
I know you .
I know you have a knack .
You notice things most of us miss .
Odd little details that do n't seem to mean anything to anybody else.
” “ It is n't flattery .
This is too much for me .
I know my limitations .
The evidence is perfect .
And I ca n't go beyond the evidence .
But something is squamous here , and I have to know what it is.
” The way Hillbender used the word “ squamous , ” you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , fishy , corrupt , disgusting , suspicious .
He knew better .
He knew it referred to a layer of skin cells .
But he insisted it sounded like it meant greasy , fishy , corrupt , disgusting , suspicious , oozing with pus .
So that was how he used it .
“ You 've told me that before .
Will you help ?
” Agamemnon Bilaly Chandresakar looked down at the body .
Just at the moment , he did n't see any of those odd little details Hillbender was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a loser .
Probably would be .
But if it was n't suicide , it was murder .
Probably political .
Probably some idiot had gone off the rails and killed Bragaldi .
Lord knows he had fantasized the act often enough himself .
He had a hard time believing it was suicide , though .
He had a hard time believing Bragaldi was capable of that much conscience .
If it was murder , and if he proved it , the murderer would most likely be an Anticrat .
The Demagogs would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , helping out the Demagogs .
But the truth was the truth .
And murder was murder , and was never justified .
Maybe morally .
Such questions were beyond his competence .
But not legally .
All he had , all anybody had , was the law .
Third Interlude : Randall B. Cuttlebone got to his office early , as he always did .
It was 7:30 .
He had been up since 4:30 .
He had gone to bed slightly past midnight .
He liked to brag that he only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He only needed four hours since he had neither imagination nor morals , and as a result , did n't need dreams very much .
But he played it as if it meant that he was a hard worker .
He was a hard worker , if by work you meant using your money to make more money and your power to make more power .
Not if you meant contributing anything to the well-being of others .
He would have told you he was a “ creator.
” A “ job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
All he could “ create ” was more of the same .
And if making sure you had as much money as possible and others had as little as possible was considered work .
The two real reasons he liked to come in to work early were a ) to get the drop on the markets and b ) to check how much money he had .
If it had been possible to have a money bin like Scrooge McDuck , he would have had one .
He would have happily gone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was electronics .
It was all numbers , registered in offshore bank accounts , safe from the tax man , unreported .
He liked to pull up his secret accounts , one by one , revel in the billions he had stashed away .
He liked to indulge his day-dreams , imagine what he could do with all that cash .
After a while , even the wildest dreams of drugs and sex would n't do it for him .
They were too easy .
He could have any kind of woman he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of drug he wanted , too , though he found he was n't really interested in any drugs but cocaine .
He went through cocaine like a weasel through cream .
The only thing that really got him off any more was fucking with people .
Fucking with people still set off alarms in whatever vestigial shreds of conscience he had .
Which mean adrenaline .
He could violate people with impunity .
Ruin their lives , and they would never know why .
Disappear them .
Have them tortured .
Have the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could access .
It was wrong , which meant nothing .
Nothing would happen to him .
He was beyond the law .
But there were still a few twinges , deep inside there somewhere .
He could still get the old adrenaline going .
He limited his daydreams .
He knew if he let them have their head , theywould pull him under , like they were pulling that idiot Pludd under .
So he gave himself thirty minutes , early in the morning .
Just to start the day .
Just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Then he would settle into his “ real ” job .
The torture videos first today , he thought .
Then he would spend fifteen minutes looking over his offshore accounts .
Soon , mildly sweaty and nicely energized , he shut down the videos and called up the first of his accounts .
He sat there staring at the screen a while .
It didn ’ t make sense .
What the fuck ?
What the fuck was this shit ?
The account was showing zero dollars .
What the fuck ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was , he brought up the other accounts .
Zero .
Zero .
Zero .
Zero .
Zero ?
WHAT the MOTHERFUCKING what ?
Oh , let 's make a long story short .
He spent the next hour in a state of increasing panic , trying to nail down the source of the problem .
It was hard to do , because of the security on these accounts .
There were n't many people who even knew about them , much less any problems they might be having .
He got the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That fellow was as baffled asCuttlebone .
He got the presidents of all of the banks .
They were no help .
What was worse , he could hear their attitude toward him changing .
No money ?
If he had no money , what did he matter ?
In a desperate rage , he pulled up all his accounts , both the legitimate ones and the hidden ones .
There was no money in any of them except his personal checking account , which had a balance of $ 9,781.16 .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an early lunch , at which he could not seem to stop himself from downing martinis , five of them in all .
Over the next 24 hours , he discovered that neither he nor anyone he could hire for what little money he had left could seem to get a handle on what had happened .
He worked in a frenzy , unable to sleep , for days and days , trying to find the cause of the “ mistake , ” raging at various former “ friends , ” and not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ You know who I am , ” he told them .
“ You knowI have the money.
” It did no good .
Nobody believed him .
They believed the bank records .
The checking account ran low .
Soon his balance was under $ 500 .
Nobody would take his calls .
Somehow word of his disaster had leaked out .
His credit rating had cratered , as he discovered when he tried to take a loan for $ 100K , a loan that would have been automatic , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days before .
To have no electronic record of your money was to have no money .
It was a matter of less than a week before he found himself , drunken , unshaven for days , psychotic with sleeplessness , in a dingy motel room , the last charge on the only credit card he still had a balance on .
He had one last massive blast of coke to sustain him .
A couple of rows , both of them twice as fat as usual .
He snorted them down , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and cold .
The next to the last charge had been a revolver , and a box of ammunition .
Not that he was going to need all of the ammunition .

THREE: THE APPARENT SUICIDE OF A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE
“So what makes you not think it's suicide?” Chandresakar said.
“I don't think it's not suicide,” said Charley Hillbender, the chief detective for the D.C. murder squad. The Chief of Police himself was outside. So was the Commissioner. Hillbender was down on one knee,examining the corpse, or what was left of the corpse.
Most of the top of the head was splattered on the library shelves, on rows of leather-bound books (none of which had ever been opened and many of which had not even yet had their pages slit apart). On the shelves and the books and the carpet the shelves sat on. You could see the direction the slug had taken, tumbling at an angle after it left the skull, blowing brain and bone before it, a fan of bloody garbage.
Hillbender got to his feet complaining.
“This is harder than it used to be,” he said, putting the flat of his palm to the small of his back.
“Everything's harder than it used to be,” Chandresakar said.
He changed the subject. “It aint every day you see a guy like Bragaldi eating his gun.”
Charles Preston Bragaldi—at least a thing that had once been Charles Preston Bragaldi and was no longer, was now a headless lump of dead meat—had been a goon, easier to imagine as a tackle playing semi-pro football than as a lawyer, a heavy-set square bruiser with dim, close-set eyes, drooping lips, and too much hairy nose.
Well, no nose now. No eyes either. And in fact, he hadn't practiced much law, except for defending his goon friends on occasion.
Hillbender, frowning down at the corpse, gave Chandresakar a sidelong glance. “It's his gun. We already found the permit. It'll have his fingerprints on it and nobody else's. You can see the gunshot residue on his sleeve from here. There's the note. ”
“But.”
“ButI know we don't agree politically, but—”
“Bragaldi was a thug. He would stomp a baby to death for fifty dollars and laugh about the easy money. He's a rapist and a drunk.”
“Yeah,I get it. You're probably glad he's dead. You don't make it easy, do you? Could we just let the politics go for once?”
“But I agree with you.”
“You do?”
“A guy like Bragaldi doesn't blow his brains out. He's got no empathy,no remorse, no conscience. There's no way he would say the stuff in the note. There's no way he would feel guilty about raping the women he raped, let alone confess to quashing the investigations into those rapes.”
“I would have said he was highly focussed. Intent on clearing his name with regard to a bunch of unproven allegations. A man who did what had to be done and didn't worry about whether people liked it or not. A stellar appointment to the court. A lawyer who understood the true rough and tumble of political life and didn't let it hurt his feelings.
How would you feel if you were accused of rape but you hadn't done anything wrong? If you knew there were people out to destroy your political career just because you weren't on the same side they were?”
“It's fun, in a perverse way, to watch you try to believe that shit. Nothing like finding out your compatriots are all assholes to convince you of the righteousness of your cause. That's why he turned red when the women challenged him. The false accusations. Almost busted a blood vessel, right there in front of Congress and America.”
Hillbender gave him a hard look, then looked back down at the body. All he said was “I don't believe it's not suicide.”
“But.”
“But yes, same difference. You're right. There's no way he would have offed himself. He had what he had always wanted, and he thought he deserved it. The note is a scam. It has to be.
“Plus the timing. Coming right when it does.”
“Yeah. It looks suspicious. Things could get nasty.”
“You don't think they're already nasty?”
“Bill.”
“So why am I here? Why did you call me?”
“We have to get on top of this. We have to get on top of it fast. We have to prove it, one way or the other.”
“But there's a problem.”
“Yeah. A big one. There's no way it could have been anything but suicide. That's his signature on the confession. Forget about forgeries. That kind of stuff only happens in mystery novels.”
“What about that trough on his cheek?”
“Maybe it was a first attempt. You know, maybe he pulled the gun away at the last minute.”
“And maybe somebody was showing him they meant business. Showing him what would happen for sure if he didn't write the note.”
“And sign it.”
“And sign it. I suppose you want me to operate in the dark.”
“Nobody can know. Not even the Chief. If he finds out, I could lose my job. He doesn't even know you're here. He hasn't noticed you yet, but he will, if he comes back in. Go out the back way, okay?”
The Chief of Police was a vehement Demagog. He hated Bilaly.
“So this means that even if I do get results, I get no credit.”
“You get the gratitude of a former fellow officer. You get to call in a few favors when you need them. Like you haven't been doing exactly that. Like you don't already owe a lot more favors than you give.”
“Hmmp.”
“We've been friends a long time. We were partners once. I know you. I know you have a knack. You notice things most of us miss. Odd little details that don't seem to mean anything to anybody else.”
“Flattery's not gonna help you.”
“It isn't flattery. This is too much for me. I know my limitations. The evidence is perfect. And I can't go beyond the evidence. But something is squamous here, and I have to know what it is.”
“That isn't what 'squamous' means.”
The way Hillbender used the word “squamous,” you would think he thought it meant greasy, fishy, corrupt, disgusting, suspicious. He knew better. He knew it referred to a layer of skin cells. But he insisted it sounded like it meant greasy, fishy, corrupt, disgusting, suspicious, oozing with pus. So that was how he used it.
“You've told me that before. Will you help?”
Agamemnon Bilaly Chandresakar looked down at the body. Just at the moment, he didn't see any of those odd little details Hillbender was talking about. This one might be a loser. Probably would be.
But if it wasn't suicide, it was murder. Probably political. Probably some idiot had gone off the rails and killed Bragaldi. Lord knows he had fantasized the act often enough himself.
He had a hard time believing it was suicide, though. He had a hard time believing Bragaldi was capable of that much conscience.
If it was murder, and if he proved it, the murderer would most likely be an Anticrat. The Demagogs would make hay.
He would hate that, helping out the Demagogs.
But the truth was the truth. And murder was murder, and was never justified. Maybe morally. Such questions were beyond his competence. But not legally. All he had, all anybody had, was the law.
“Yes,”he said.
Third Interlude: Randall B. Cuttlebone got to his office early, as he always did. It was 7:30. He had been up since 4:30. He had gone to bed slightly past midnight. He liked to brag that he only need four hours of sleep a night. He only needed four hours since he had neither imagination nor morals, and as a result, didn't need dreams very much. But he played it as if it meant that he was a hard worker.
He was a hard worker, if by work you meant using your money to make more money and your power to make more power. Not if you meant contributing anything to the well-being of others.
He would have told you he was a “creator.” A “job creator.” He would have been lying. All he could “create” was more of the same. And if making sure you had as much money as possible and others had as little as possible was considered work.
The two real reasons he liked to come in to work early were a) to get the drop on the markets and b) to check how much money he had. If it had been possible to have a money bin like Scrooge McDuck, he would have had one. He would have happily gone swimming in it.
But money nowadays was electronics. It was all numbers, registered in offshore bank accounts, safe from the tax man, unreported.
He liked to pull up his secret accounts, one by one, revel in the billions he had stashed away. He liked to indulge his day-dreams,imagine what he could do with all that cash. After a while, even the wildest dreams of drugs and sex wouldn't do it for him. They were too easy. He could have any kind of woman he wanted. Any age. Any kind of drug he wanted, too, though he found he wasn't really interested in any drugs but cocaine. He went through cocaine like a weasel through cream.
The only thing that really got him off any more was fucking with people. Fucking with people still set off alarms in whatever vestigial shreds of conscience he had. Which mean adrenaline.
He could violate people with impunity. Ruin their lives, and they would never know why. Disappear them. Have them tortured. Have the videos sent to an address only he could access.
It was wrong, which meant nothing. Nothing would happen to him. He was beyond the law. But there were still a few twinges, deep inside there somewhere. He could still get the old adrenaline going.
He limited his daydreams. He knew if he let them have their head, theywould pull him under, like they were pulling that idiot Pludd under. So he gave himself thirty minutes, early in the morning.
Just to start the day. Just to get the old blood going.
Then he would settle into his “real” job.
Making money.
The torture videos first today, he thought. Then he would spend fifteen minutes looking over his offshore accounts.
Soon, mildly sweaty and nicely energized, he shut down the videos and called up the first of his accounts. He sat there staring at the screen a while. It didn’t make sense. What the fuck? What the fuck was this shit?
The account was showing zero dollars. What the fuck?
Angry at whatever embicilic data error this was, he brought up the other accounts.
What the fuck?
Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero?
WHAT the MOTHERFUCKING what?
Oh, let's make a long story short. He spent the next hour in a state of increasing panic, trying to nail down the source of the problem. It was hard to do, because of the security on these accounts. There weren't many people who even knew about them, much less any problems they might be having.
He got the president of one of the banks. That fellow was as baffled asCuttlebone. He got the presidents of all of the banks. They were no help. What was worse, he could hear their attitude toward him changing.
No money? If he had no money, what did he matter?
In a desperate rage, he pulled up all his accounts, both the legitimate ones and the hidden ones. There was no money in any of them except his personal checking account, which had a balance of $9,781.16.
He spent over $300 of that on an early lunch, at which he could not seem to stop himself from downing martinis, five of them in all.
Over the next 24 hours, he discovered that neither he nor anyone he could hire for what little money he had left could seem to get a handle on what had happened. He worked in a frenzy, unable to sleep, for days and days, trying to find the cause of the “mistake,” raging at various former “friends,” and not doing himself any good by doing so.
“You know who I am,” he told them. “You knowI have the money.” It did no good. Nobody believed him. They believed the bank records.
The checking account ran low. Soon his balance was under $500. Nobody would take his calls. Somehow word of his disaster had leaked out. His credit rating had cratered, as he discovered when he tried to take a loan for $100K, a loan that would have been automatic, that would not even have required collateral just days before. To have no electronic record of your money was to have no money.
It was a matter of less than a week before he found himself, drunken,unshaven for days, psychotic with sleeplessness, in a dingy motel room, the last charge on the only credit card he still had a balance on.
He had one last massive blast of coke to sustain him. A couple of rows, both of them twice as fat as usual. He snorted them down, somehow, his entire face going numb and cold.
The next to the last charge had been a revolver, and a box of ammunition. Not that he was going to need all of the ammunition.


dailykos--2020-10-12--Song for Barr and dRumpf:  "You'll be Gone"
(a.k.a. November 4th)

Writing songs is one of the ways I de-stress .
That said , here ’ s my latest ( country-western style ) effort , intended as a prediction to dRumpf and his “ little dog ” Barr .
You ’ ll be gone in the mornin ’ While you ’ re still abed snorin ’ .
You ’ ll be gone afore you ever knew , All your lies and cheatin ’ Have been self defeatin ’ .
Then the one who ’ ll be cryin ’ will be you .
Ev ’ ry time you hurt us , Ev @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us , Ev ’ ry time you did things you oughtn ’ t do , All the love we had was Turnin ’ sour and bad , ‘ cause We can ’ t trust a single word you spew !
You built walls between us With your stubborn meanness .
And you still just haven ’ t got a clue !
We ’ ll be takin ’ ev ’ ry score You ever cared for .
And the one who ’ ll be cryin ’ now is you !
How will you celebrate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fair election ) ?
Please elaborate in the comments .
And if you haven ’ t already , get out and VOTE !
!
!
!
!

Writing songs is one of the ways I de-stress.
That said, here’s my latest (country-western style) effort,
intended as a prediction to dRumpf and his “little dog” Barr.
You’ll Be Gone
(a.k.a. November 4 th )
A song by Bethann
Refrain (sung before and after each verse)
You’ll be gone in the mornin’
While you’re still abed snorin’.
You’ll be gone afore you ever knew,
All your lies and cheatin’
Have been self defeatin’.
Then the one who’ll be cryin’ will be you.
Verse 1
Ev’ry time you hurt us,
Ev’ry time you’d desert us,
Ev’ry time you did things you oughtn’t do,
All the love we had was
Turnin’ sour and bad, ‘cause
We can’t trust a single word you spew!
Verse 2
You built walls between us
With your stubborn meanness.
And you still just haven’t got a clue!
We’ll be takin’ ev’ry score
You ever cared for.
And the one who’ll be cryin’ now is you!
Happy days ahead!
L to R: Ember and Bruler
Bruler expresses her opinion of the current WH resident.
Pansy predicts dRumpf’s chances.
How will you celebrate on November 4th (assuming a mostly fair election)?
Please elaborate in the comments.
And if you haven’t already, get out and VOTE!!!!!


dailykos--2020-10-12--Enablers, Collaborators and a Mussolini Moment

It started with a ride down an escalator .
And it ’ s been escalating ever since .
From the first cries of rapists invading our country to dog whistles like “ Stand back , stand by ” Donald Trump ’ s dangerous delusions of power and control have brought this country to the brink of collapse , and everyone who has allowed that to happen is an enabler and a collaborator .
From White House cronies who share in Trump ’ s power fantasies and who are incapable of running a government especially during a crisis , to his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate led by Mitch McConnell , to America ’ s attorney general , to the doctors at Walter Reed who agreed to lie for the president and to sign non-disclosure agreements thereby violating their Hippocratic oath , to the ICE bullies who separated infants and children from their parents and put them in concentration camps , to the heads of the CDC and FDA who caved after White House pressure , they are all responsible for the rise of autocracy , and increased violence .
They are also responsible for militias that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for bad cops who mercilessly shoot to death Black and Brown men and women .
They are responsible for the resurgent KKK and they are responsible for federal courts being packed with ultra-conservative , lifetime judges , as well as for a Supreme Court that is eager to see the original Handmaid added to their ranks .
In short , they are responsible for the destruction of democracy .
They are why we are on the edge of a truly great depression , and why America has lost its standing in the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in our health , education , and infrastructure systems , for the filth in our water and the comeback of chemicals in our food .
And they are responsible for the deaths of over 100,000 Americans who died needlessly because the Super Spreader in Chief just didn ’ t give a damn .
Indeed , they are responsible for the Mussolini Moment on the balcony of our dictator ’ s palace , and they , like him , bear some of the guilt for negligent homicide and crimes against humanity .
They are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evil ” that philosopher Hannah Arendt warned us about when she reported on the trial of Adolph Eichmann after the Holocaust .
Eichmann was , he said , simply following orders .
So were the White House staff , the Secret Service men who vow to give their life for the president , but not in a hermetically sealed vehicle , the employees of government agencies who didn ’ t speak up or quit their jobs in order to save this country , the business moguls who didn ’ t end their major @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News who wouldn ’ t stand up to a lunatic when he blamed everyone else for our disasters and incited violence .
So too are the voters who inexplicably still stand with their man even though everything he does hurts them the most .
Every one of these people is the banality of evil personified .
And every one of them became what Arendt called a “ leaf blowing in the whirlwind of time.
” Now every one of them bears responsibility for what lies ahead for us all .
Of course , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president .
And everyone of them did it knowing that they would be punished mightily .
Think about Col. Vindman , and the others who gave testimony to Congress , the lawyers and doctors who wrote letters and petitions , and the activists who marched and were willing to suffer the consequences , including injury , arrest and jail time .
They are our national heroes in this moment , the ones for whom new monuments should be built when this nightmare ends .
As for the rest of us , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a great malignancy metastasized within our national body and many of us let it happen .
We watched it ravish us and slowly terrorize us .
We let it kill people we knew and loved .
We looked the other way , always sure that it couldn ’ t get worse .
Now we need to understand that the “ silence of one good man ” can spell disaster for all good people .
Each of us who remained passive as our impending disaster continued might have been the one “ good man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t speak out , didn ’ t resist , while men like Jeff Sessions and Donald Trump insisted that infants be ripped from their mothers ’ breasts .
Men who didn ’ t care that innocent people were dying from gun violence , a plague , hunger , and violence , which they fostered .
Men who didn ’ t care about pre-existing conditions or elders who rely on Social Security to survive .
Men who didn ’ t care that women would be catapulted back to the Dark Ages .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ t we stop them sooner ?
Why didn ’ t we act in bigger , more effective , timely ways ?
Why did we let them continue for four devastating years , like the blind , chained inhabitants of Plato ’ s allegorical cave who were unable to escape their isolation because , trapped by ignorance and darkness , they couldn ’ t know the truth ?
Can we now remove our blinders and see clearly the dawning truth in time to break our silence , reject the banality of evil , refuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whirlwind of time ?
What awaits us if not ?

It started with a ride down an escalator. And it’s been escalating ever since. From the first cries of rapists invading our country to dog whistles like “Stand back, stand by” Donald Trump’s dangerous delusions of power and control have brought this country to the brink of collapse, and everyone who has allowed that to happen is an enabler and a collaborator.
From White House cronies who share in Trump’s power fantasies and who are incapable of running a government especially during a crisis, to his equally evil children, to Republicans in the Senate led by Mitch McConnell, to America’s attorney general, to the doctors at Walter Reed who agreed to lie for the president and to sign non-disclosure agreements thereby violating their Hippocratic oath, to the ICE bullies who separated infants and children from their parents and put them in concentration camps, to the heads of the CDC and FDA who caved after White House pressure, they are all responsible for the rise of autocracy, and increased violence.
They are also responsible for militias that now feel emboldened in their militarism and for bad cops who mercilessly shoot to death Black and Brown men and women. They are responsible for the resurgent KKK and they are responsible for federal courts being packed with ultra-conservative, lifetime judges, as well as for a Supreme Court that is eager to see the original Handmaid added to their ranks. In short, they are responsible for the destruction of democracy.
They are why we are on the edge of a truly great depression, and why America has lost its standing in the world. They are responsible for the disasters in our health, education, and infrastructure systems, for the filth in our water and the comeback of chemicals in our food. And they are responsible for the deaths of over 100,000 Americans who died needlessly because the Super Spreader in Chief just didn’t give a damn.
Indeed, they are responsible for the Mussolini Moment on the balcony of our dictator’s palace, and they, like him, bear some of the guilt for negligent homicide and crimes against humanity.
They are also examples of “the banality of evil” that philosopher Hannah Arendt warned us about when she reported on the trial of Adolph Eichmann after the Holocaust. Eichmann was, he said, simply following orders.
So were the White House staff, the Secret Service men who vow to give their life for the president, but not in a hermetically sealed vehicle, the employees of government agencies who didn’t speak up or quit their jobs in order to save this country, the business moguls who didn’t end their major donations to a corrupt fraud, Fox News who wouldn’t stand up to a lunatic when he blamed everyone else for our disasters and incited violence. So too are the voters who inexplicably still stand with their man even though everything he does hurts them the most.
Every one of these people is the banality of evil personified. And every one of them became what Arendt called a “leaf blowing in the whirlwind of time.” Now every one of them bears responsibility for what lies ahead for us all.
Of course, some brave souls did stand up to the president. And everyone of them did it knowing that they would be punished mightily. Think about Col. Vindman, and the others who gave testimony to Congress, the lawyers and doctors who wrote letters and petitions, and the activists who marched and were willing to suffer the consequences, including injury, arrest and jail time. They are our national heroes in this moment, the ones for whom new monuments should be built when this nightmare ends.
As for the rest of us, we must remember and own the fact that a great malignancy metastasized within our national body and many of us let it happen. We watched it ravish us and slowly terrorize us. We let it kill people we knew and loved. We looked the other way, always sure that it couldn’t get worse.
Now we need to understand that the “silence of one good man” can spell disaster for all good people. Each of us who remained passive as our impending disaster continued might have been the one “good man” who didn’t act, didn’t speak out, didn’t resist, while men like Jeff Sessions and Donald Trump insisted that infants be ripped from their mothers’ breasts. Men who didn’t care that innocent people were dying from gun violence, a plague, hunger, and violence, which they fostered. Men who didn’t care about pre-existing conditions or elders who rely on Social Security to survive. Men who didn’t care that women would be catapulted back to the Dark Ages.
Now the question is why didn’t we stop them sooner? Why didn’t we act in bigger, more effective, timely ways? Why did we let them continue for four devastating years, like the blind, chained inhabitants of Plato’s allegorical cave who were unable to escape their isolation because, trapped by ignorance and darkness, they couldn’t know the truth?
Can we now remove our blinders and see clearly the dawning truth in time to break our silence, reject the banality of evil, refuse to be a leaf blowing in the whirlwind of time?
What awaits us if not?
# # #
Elayne Clift writes from Saxtons River, Vt. www.elayne-clift.com


dailykos--2020-10-12--We Should Applaud Activist and FINALS MVP Lebron James

As a Cleveland Cavaliers fan , and general person who follows some sports it is difficult to root for the Lakers , it would be like rooting for the Yankees .
But , this year , aside from my witnessing lebron ’ s unparalleled physical prowess for years in Cleveland , I found myself having to root for Lebron last night as the Lakers won the NBA finals and Lebron took home Finals MVP ( he has won Championships now on 3 teams , only the third player ever to do so ) .
I urge you also to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for him as the good guy on and off the Court ; for his unprecedented activism and voice as an Athlete .
Perhaps his predecessor in discussions for the Greatest Of All time , Michael Jordan , famously said ( although now saying it was in jest ) “ Republicans buy shoes too ” to justify his lack of civic and political engagement .
For a very long time now , and increased dramatically this year Lebron has ignored that “ wisdom ” and used his platform to do the right things .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his performance on the Court if you are a basketball Court , and if not for his activism off the Court .
Let ’ s look at some of his more advertised recent work , although his evolution of taking the big risk of activism starting 10 years ago is well documented in the NY MAG link below .
-In his hometown of Akron , Ohio , James created the LeBron James Family Foundation and opened up the I Promise School , to provide an education to those less privileged children that otherwise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
More Than a Vote , '' derived after the murder of George Floyd on May 25th while in police custody in Minneapolis .
In the days that followed [ George Floyd ’ s Death ] , as protests ignited across the country , James reached out to multiple athletes and entertainers with ideas on how they could help , and within a few days the `` More Than a Vote '' plan came to fruition .
James ' `` More Than a Vote '' project could n't have come at the more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numerous examples of voter suppression in the state of Georgia were unveiled , James replied to a tweet stating that some African American voters in Atlanta had to wait in line for over three hours to vote , whereas in nearby predominantly white neighborhoods there was no line at all .
The efforts to raise awareness “ concerning issues such as systemic racism , social inequality and police misconduct played a prominent role during the NBA ’ s resumption in the bubble at the Walt Disney World ’ s ESPN Wide World of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hope that people continue to use their platform , use their individual social media platforms , or if they are doing it that way , if you are an individual that goes into your community and does it that way , ” James said Thursday to reporters on a videoconference , per the Los Angeles Times .
“ However that you continue to create change for the better of all of us , I think it only makes us all better .
It doesn ’ t matter what race you are .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are .
No matter how tall , whatever the case may be , because we all want to see better days .
No matter if you agree or don ’ t agree with some of the things that are going on , I think we ’ d all love to see better days and see more love than hate.
” Fox yakker Laura Ingraham once told LeBron to “ shut up and dribble , ” and that phrase so neatly summed up what he had been trying to avoid that he created a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that .
LeBron has now been at the forefront of the social justice movement in sports for nearly a decade , from wearing an “ I Can ’ t Breathe ” shirt for Eric Garner before a game in 2014 ( Kobe had gotten with the program by then and was wearing his own the next night ) to calling for gun control measures in 2015 to hashtagging # BlackLivesMatter after the shooting of Philando Castile in 2016 More Than A Vote , the voting rights group founded by LeBron James and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over felon voting rights playing out in Florida .
The nonprofit is committing to help pay outstanding fines and fees for former felons seeking to vote in November .
James ' group plans to donate $ 100,000 to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition , one of the key organizations behind the 2018 ballot measure that restored the right to vote to the felon population in the state .
The money will help ex-felons pay off any outstanding court debts associated with their convictions so they can register to vote .
He has become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he uses his platform despite Trump and RW threats to call out what ’ s right often now .
It was reported that he and the Clippers wanted to end the Bubble and leave after last month ’ s shooting of Jacob Blake ( Consider that — he now is Finals MVP and has a championship just 3-4 weeks ago he wanted to send a message by leaving the bubble .
Ultimately , the other players decided it would be better to continue playing to keep a spotlight and he agreed but he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve long said that he will at least be Mayor of Akron some day .
And I stand by that , and perhaps more ( Governor ) .
Either way , we should be roooting for or applauding him especially as Trump is still attacking him on his 3 hour Limbaugh rant recently ( which Lebron replied “ we aren ’ t upset about losing his [ Trump ’ s ] viewership ” ] Congratulations Lebron .
I wish you were a CAV but thank you for your hard work and rising above @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to shut up and play .

As a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, and general person who follows some sports it is difficult to root for the Lakers, it would be like rooting for the Yankees.
But, this year, aside from my witnessing lebron’s unparalleled physical prowess for years in Cleveland, I found myself having to root for Lebron last night as the Lakers won the NBA finals and Lebron took home Finals MVP (he has won Championships now on 3 teams, only the third player ever to do so).
I urge you also to take a moment to appreciate Lebron and root for him as the good guy on and off the Court; for his unprecedented activism and voice as an Athlete.
Perhaps his predecessor in discussions for the Greatest Of All time, Michael Jordan, famously said (although now saying it was in jest) “Republicans buy shoes too” to justify his lack of civic and political engagement.
For a very long time now, and increased dramatically this year Lebron has ignored that “wisdom” and used his platform to do the right things.
"Hopefully, someday down the line, people will recognize me not only for the way I approached the game of basketball, but the way I approached life as an African American man," James told the Times. www.nbclosangeles.com/...
I encourage you to applaud him for his performance on the Court if you are a basketball Court, and if not for his activism off the Court.
Let’s look at some of his more advertised recent work, although his evolution of taking the big risk of activism starting 10 years ago is well documented in the NY MAG link below.
-In his hometown of Akron, Ohio, James created the LeBron James Family Foundation and opened up the I Promise School, to provide an education to those less privileged children that otherwise wouldn't be able to afford one.
More Than a Vote," derived after the murder of George Floyd on May 25th while in police custody in Minneapolis.
In the days that followed [George Floyd’s Death], as protests ignited across the country, James reached out to multiple athletes and entertainers with ideas on how they could help, and within a few days the "More Than a Vote" plan came to fruition. James' "More Than a Vote" project couldn't have come at the more perfect time. On Tuesday, after numerous examples of voter suppression in the state of Georgia were unveiled, James replied to a tweet stating that some African American voters in Atlanta had to wait in line for over three hours to vote, whereas in nearby predominantly white neighborhoods there was no line at all.
The efforts to raise awareness “concerning issues such as systemic racism, social inequality and police misconduct played a prominent role during the NBA’s resumption in the bubble at the Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.”www.yardbarker.com/…
“But I hope that people continue to use their platform, use their individual social media platforms, or if they are doing it that way, if you are an individual that goes into your community and does it that way,” James said Thursday to reporters on a videoconference, per the Los Angeles Times. “However that you continue to create change for the better of all of us, I think it only makes us all better. It doesn’t matter what race you are. It doesn’t matter what color you are. No matter how tall, whatever the case may be, because we all want to see better days. No matter if you agree or don’t agree with some of the things that are going on, I think we’d all love to see better days and see more love than hate.”
Fox yakker Laura Ingraham once told LeBron to “shut up and dribble,” and that phrase so neatly summed up what he had been trying to avoid that he created a TV show for Showtime and named it that. LeBron has now been at the forefront of the social justice movement in sports for nearly a decade, from wearing an “I Can’t Breathe” shirt for Eric Garner before a game in 2014 (Kobe had gotten with the program by then and was wearing his own the next night) to calling for gun control measures in 2015 to hashtagging #BlackLivesMatter after the shooting of Philando Castile in 2016
nymag.com/…
More Than A Vote, the voting rights group founded by LeBron James and other star athletes, is joining the fight over felon voting rights playing out in Florida. The nonprofit is committing to help pay outstanding fines and fees for former felons seeking to vote in November. James' group plans to donate $100,000 to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, one of the key organizations behind the 2018 ballot measure that restored the right to vote to the felon population in the state. The money will help ex-felons pay off any outstanding court debts associated with their convictions so they can register to vote.
abcnews.go.com/…
He has become a force to reckon with. And he uses his platform despite Trump and RW threats to call out what’s right often now. It was reported that he and the Clippers wanted to end the Bubble and leave after last month’s shooting of Jacob Blake (Consider that — he now is Finals MVP and has a championship just 3-4 weeks ago he wanted to send a message by leaving the bubble. Ultimately, the other players decided it would be better to continue playing to keep a spotlight and he agreed but he is not just talk.
I’ve long said that he will at least be Mayor of Akron some day. And I stand by that, and perhaps more (Governor).
Either way, we should be roooting for or applauding him especially as Trump is still attacking him on his 3 hour Limbaugh rant recently (which Lebron replied “we aren’t upset about losing his [Trump’s] viewership”]
Congratulations Lebron. I wish you were a CAV but thank you for your hard work and rising above and shattering the idea Athletes simply need to shut up and play.


dailykos--2020-10-13--Pictures relative to the events up to this point speak volumes!

Well .
All in all , we are in and out of this blog deal , trying to vent , opinionate , share , object , let loose and make fun , et cetera .
I find that pictures with words quite often illustrate things best .
You get the best of both worlds .
Images that can not be ignored and show visual displays which we can relate to in many ways .
Words that guide the direction and gives pause to all being presented .
I have made this a visual and verbal short enlightening journey .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inspiration is what all this is led to , inclusively !
This is bred from Mad TV , the hit comedy skit show that ran 14 seasons .
One of those were making light of the President Clinton Administration in league with Seinfeld , and was aptly named , Clintfeld .
In that one , they came up with the best strategy , and something I think is distantly relative to now , that the administration was to promise nothing , which covers itself in a catch-22 scenario .
If you promise nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the backlash ?
Nothing !
It was the greatest thing since there wasn ’ t any criticism for anything because nothing was ever done .
Come to think about it , I believe Trump and his friends came in with the same thing .
What are they doing ?
Nothing .
Promised a lot , so it conflicts with that plan .
This group that invaded the White House and our Federal Government are like cockroaches… Hard as hell to get rid of and even if that is accomplished , you may still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eradicate the infestation ?
Time will tell , along with the will and the actions of We The People !
Nancy Pelosi might actually get an exterminator to do the job .
Might be necessary !
It is amazing how the evolution of things takes place and the results of the same , quite often very contradicting in all .
President Lincoln would be simply blown away to see where things have led .
We elected many Republicans throughout time and in many levels of government , but most have always had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of conduct , also a sense of exactly how far anyone could go in the quest for their agenda .
Enter the world created by President Trump and his Administration , inclusively and exclusively .
Donald Trump didn ’ t make any bones about his intentions and much of what he would employ in order to make his agenda become a reality and a desire to cultivate what he had created into a new order , if one will indulge at least the ideology at hand .
He has managed to disregard almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in many ways that other presidents and their people would even think of doing .
Right now , he would like to arrest his political opponents .
His false sense of impunity is remarkable .
It is too bad that his methods are based in self interests that do not serve to the benefit of most Americans .
This is his ‘ right hand man ’ .
Mitch McConnell is so bent on power and had opposed almost everything that has been brought to him from the House and to the Senate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ boss , President Trump , except with silent composure and diligence .
There is little that this man has really done for the American People and especially a majority of hard core supporters in Kentucky .
Many live on food stamps , have dirt floors with no flowing water .
What has McConnell done for them ?
I couldn ’ t find one thing whatsoever except to guarantee them the right to bear arms ( many hold that very dear ) , keep their culture of alcohol and hate and ... well it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mentioned .
Zilch !
And yet they support him , though it defies logic .
Many things do , so go say no .
And do so when you vote , because that can be your answer to him and those like him in tandem with fellow citizens that have had enough .
NO !
He stands at the top of the heap and still controls much of what has been done and what hasn ’ t .
Rated on caring ?
Don ’ t ask !
Enter the world of the Attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less than finding loopholes that allow the administration to act with carte blanche !
Nothing can stop Trump or those in concert with him from doing what they want , when they want , and relying on the fact that impeachment and the lack of it has led to an ‘ anything goes atmosphere ’ .
Barr proves that laws are just on paper and don ’ t affect him and what his desire is , that being protecting Trump and his endeavors in the weirdest ways possible .
He has set the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ it ’ s only cheating if you get caught ’ , followed by , ‘ and if caught , do it anyway.
’ With hubris like that , he has also in his actions demonstrated this .
‘ We ’ ve taken over in 2016 .
Got a problem with that ?
’ We all have a problem and nothing but problems with that totally .
Voting is soon !
And where in the hell did they dig up Postmaster General Louis De Joy ?
I can not feature how he could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Just being connected with Trump is one thing , but to be hired to sabotage USPS machines , misdirect and delay mail , along with other jungle tactics , has led to a distrust with him , obviously .
Will he pay for his dastardly deeds ?
We ’ ll see .
The wheels are in the works and he isn ’ t immune , as is anyone else , to answer and respond for all actions .
Those men are to answer .
The problem with those mentioned and those around them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t get that from lies , distortions , projections , and generalized statements .
The latter being Trumps best skill .
He baffle us and does so many things all the time , it ’ s hard to pinpoint what he is addressing , talking about and being able to follow him when he tries to make a cryptic point .
The man is articulate when he is not in fear of something .
That changes when he is challenged .
Fight or flight is his thing .
Trust ?
Ha !
Ha @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his supporters and those at state and local levels are near a distrust level .
I have dropped off my mail ballot at the country building as opposed to mailing it due to distrust of the USPS , courtesy of Trump and De Joy .
Just for that alone , they should face charges .
When trust is destroyed , all else that follows will entail no merit .
People in general have lost much of this not only with President Trump and the Feds , it goes right down to state and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are so many that are taking cue for the ‘ Almighty ’ ( Trump ) , such as no shut downs in March , or tacit ones that didn ’ t cover anything important .
Results ?
Around 210,000 or more dead ( it is hard to keep up with the figures ) .
Most of those hardest hit , red states and localities !
The very same anti masker people that claimed liberty in not donning masks , washing hands constantly or just being logical and recognizing the COVID-19 as a threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ qualified to make a professional assessment and action concerning a pandemic .
And it remains A PANDEMIC !
All it all , we have had people that should never have held the positions that they have and still do , plain and simple .
A government that cares for their own does the exact opposite that this one has done and is doing , which again , is basically nothing !
The Pied Piper is leading the rats and they follow because they are lost and need that beacon to pursue .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Too few have challenged that in the camp for they fear any dissension on their part will lead to their destruction .
However , if we ever want to restore honor and transparency in our beloved country , we must oppose all mentioned .
The vehicles needed to keeping democracy a reality are there , we just need the will , effort and unity to do it effectively .
I am confident that so many people are either opposed right from the start to those that may have voted Republican , but are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be on the ‘ common good train ’ and I am one of them .
We board that train and let us get to our destination , then all else will follow .
There is only loss in not trying to do what is needed to restore democracy and learn from the mistakes made , vowing never to repeat the same thing !
Do not be intimidated or dormant !
This is the time for action .
A little time to do this , so vote , volunteer , help your fellow citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are strong !
Divided , we are weak !
Which one do you want to be !
See you out there fighting the good fight !
!
!

Well. All in all, we are in and out of this blog deal, trying to vent, opinionate, share, object, let loose and make fun, et cetera. I find that pictures with words quite often illustrate things best. You get the best of both worlds. Images that cannot be ignored and show visual displays which we can relate to in many ways. Words that guide the direction and gives pause to all being presented.
I have made this a visual and verbal short enlightening journey. A mix of commentary, comedy, and inspiration is what all this is led to, inclusively!
This is where the laughs began and the horror has taken over. A show worth cancelling. If the government were run like TV, Trumpfeld would have been out quite a few seasons ago. Too bad that it can’t be run like TV!
This is bred from Mad TV, the hit comedy skit show that ran 14 seasons. One of those were making light of the President Clinton Administration in league with Seinfeld, and was aptly named, Clintfeld. In that one, they came up with the best strategy, and something I think is distantly relative to now, that the administration was to promise nothing, which covers itself in a catch-22 scenario. If you promise nothing and deliver on nothing. What is the backlash?
Nothing! It was the greatest thing since there wasn’t any criticism for anything because nothing was ever done. Come to think about it, I believe Trump and his friends came in with the same thing. What are they doing? Nothing. Promised a lot, so it conflicts with that plan.
Just looking at these people make me sick. A perfect diet aide indeed. Inspiration for all those that want better!
This group that invaded the White House and our Federal Government are like cockroaches…
Hard as hell to get rid of and even if that is accomplished, you may still have some around somewhere. Can we eradicate the infestation? Time will tell, along with the will and the actions of We The People! Nancy Pelosi might actually get an exterminator to do the job. Might be necessary!
A man of ambition for sure, but the methods employed are nothing less than questionable and many cryptic messages being sent has shrouded this current group into a ground breaking scenario. Unfortunately, it is of a negative overtone where people fear and see the potential for a dystopian world. I never knew much about that word before, but after hearing is so many times these days, it is nearly impossible to ignore it and the meaning. Not desired by a long shot! Many oppose this man for many reason. Yet the opposite is true too, so all must be taken into consideration and review, both.
The Grand Ol’ Party (GOP). Wow!
It is amazing how the evolution of things takes place and the results of the same, quite often very contradicting in all. President Lincoln would be simply blown away to see where things have led. We elected many Republicans throughout time and in many levels of government, but most have always had a ‘code’, an unwritten understanding of conduct, also a sense of exactly how far anyone could go in the quest for their agenda. Enter the world created by President Trump and his Administration, inclusively and exclusively.
Donald Trump didn’t make any bones about his intentions and much of what he would employ in order to make his agenda become a reality and a desire to cultivate what he had created into a new order, if one will indulge at least the ideology at hand.
He has managed to disregard almost anything that came across his path and in many ways that other presidents and their people would even think of doing. Right now, he would like to arrest his political opponents. His false sense of impunity is remarkable. It is too bad that his methods are based in self interests that do not serve to the benefit of most Americans.
This is his ‘right hand man’. Mitch McConnell is so bent on power and had opposed almost everything that has been brought to him from the House and to the Senate. He has done no less than his boss, President Trump, except with silent composure and diligence. There is little that this man has really done for the American People and especially a majority of hard core supporters in Kentucky. Many live on food stamps, have dirt floors with no flowing water. What has McConnell done for them? I couldn’t find one thing whatsoever except to guarantee them the right to bear arms (many hold that very dear), keep their culture of alcohol and hate and...well it stops right there! Outside of the mentioned. Zilch! And yet they support him, though it defies logic. Many things do, so go say no. And do so when you vote, because that can be your answer to him and those like him in tandem with fellow citizens that have had enough. NO! He stands at the top of the heap and still controls much of what has been done and what hasn’t. Rated on caring? Don’t ask!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Enter the world of the Attorney General. Bill Barr has done nothing less than finding loopholes that allow the administration to act with carte blanche! Nothing can stop Trump or those in concert with him from doing what they want, when they want, and relying on the fact that impeachment and the lack of it has led to an ‘anything goes atmosphere’.
The man disgraces the American Legal system and has perverted and corrupted the political structure of the Federal Government and has even meddled on lower levels. Purely despicable and not without warrant to pursue legal proceedings, perhaps disbarment.
Barr proves that laws are just on paper and don’t affect him and what his desire is, that being protecting Trump and his endeavors in the weirdest ways possible.
He has set the mode that follows along the lines that ‘it’s only cheating if you get caught’, followed by, ‘and if caught, do it anyway.’ With hubris like that, he has also in his actions demonstrated this. ‘We’ve taken over in 2016. Got a problem with that?’
We all have a problem and nothing but problems with that totally. Voting is soon!
This man violated a sacred trust and committed crimes on a federal level. Even if he was appointed by President Trump, that does not excuse nor provides a defense for this man. He must answer for all.
And where in the hell did they dig up Postmaster General Louis De Joy? I cannot feature how he could have done what he has done. Just being connected with Trump is one thing, but to be hired to sabotage USPS machines, misdirect and delay mail, along with other jungle tactics, has led to a distrust with him, obviously. Will he pay for his dastardly deeds? We’ll see. The wheels are in the works and he isn’t immune, as is anyone else, to answer and respond for all actions.
Those men are to answer. The problem with those mentioned and those around them is straight answers. We can’t get that from lies, distortions, projections, and generalized statements. The latter being Trumps best skill. He baffle us and does so many things all the time, it’s hard to pinpoint what he is addressing, talking about and being able to follow him when he tries to make a cryptic point. The man is articulate when he is not in fear of something. That changes when he is challenged. Fight or flight is his thing.
Pleasing this man is near impossible and hard to gauge. He is also fickle and resorts to unconventional methods to deal with things. Much of it either lacks foundation, merit or cohesion. The very things that a strong and honest administration needs. That is what they lack and don’t even express an interest in changing that at all. Just follow the leader has been the policy lately.
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Trust? Ha! Ha! Get real! Even some of his supporters and those at state and local levels are near a distrust level. I have dropped off my mail ballot at the country building as opposed to mailing it due to distrust of the USPS, courtesy of Trump and De Joy. Just for that alone, they should face charges.
I am league with those that would patronize the sushi before endorsing anything that this administrations has done or say it would do, which amounts to nothing!
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When trust is destroyed, all else that follows will entail no merit. People in general have lost much of this not only with President Trump and the Feds, it goes right down to state and local politicians and their shenanigans. There are so many that are taking cue for the ‘Almighty’ (Trump), such as no shut downs in March, or tacit ones that didn’t cover anything important. Results? Around 210,000 or more dead (it is hard to keep up with the figures). Most of those hardest hit, red states and localities! The very same anti masker people that claimed liberty in not donning masks, washing hands constantly or just being logical and recognizing the COVID-19 as a threat. They listened to a man not qualified to make a professional assessment and action concerning a pandemic. And it remains A PANDEMIC!
It might not be the exact intention, but the actions were bound to lead to disaster. We still lead the world in cases and deaths. Brazil just reported 190,000 deaths and over 6 million COVID cases confirmed. We are still number one!
….yea...
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All it all, we have had people that should never have held the positions that they have and still do, plain and simple. A government that cares for their own does the exact opposite that this one has done and is doing, which again, is basically nothing!
The Pied Piper is leading the rats and they follow because they are lost and need that beacon to pursue. It equates to security on many levels. Too few have challenged that in the camp for they fear any dissension on their part will lead to their destruction. However, if we ever want to restore honor and transparency in our beloved country, we must oppose all mentioned. The vehicles needed to keeping democracy a reality are there, we just need the will, effort and unity to do it effectively. I am confident that so many people are either opposed right from the start to those that may have voted Republican, but are have severe doubts. Most want to be on the ‘common good train’ and I am one of them. We board that train and let us get to our destination, then all else will follow.
There is only loss in not trying to do what is needed to restore democracy and learn from the mistakes made, vowing never to repeat the same thing!
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Do not be intimidated or dormant! This is the time for action. A little time to do this, so vote, volunteer, help your fellow citizens, get involved!
Together, we are strong! Divided, we are weak! Which one do you want to be!
Unity is America! Vote and do the right things!!!
See you out there fighting the good fight!!!


dailykos--2020-10-14--Ah . . . too late I guess and I should have written this before about Nominee Amy Coney Barrett.

I have written two posts about suggested questions for Nominee Barrett — here and here .
But watching a good deal of today ’ s confirmation hearing , and listening to her dodge way too many questions , I realize I should also have set out some suggested questions to highlight how thin are her qualifications to be a Supreme Court nominee .
Why ?
Because it is relevant — and not just undiscussed but wrongly conceded .
But also because she is quietly cocky and at times had an openly expressed “ I hope no one would question my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So .
I think some Democratic Senator could do well by asking : Q. Ms. Barrett you have some impressive academic credentials .
But you recognize that you have a pretty thin resume for the job you are seeking , right ?
Q .
No ?
Well let me ask you a few questions .
Q. Elena Kagan was a Solicitor General .
Have you served in that capacity ?
Q .
Justice Kagan argued 6 cases before the Supreme Court .
Justice Roberts argued 39 cases before the Supreme Court .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Supreme Court .
How many have you argued ?
Q .
Before being appointed to the Supreme Court , J. Sotomayor served 5 years a a federal district judge and then about 10 years as a 2d Cir appellate court judge .
Justice Alito served about 15 years as a federal appellate judge .
Justice Gorsuch was a federal appellate judge for 11 years .
RBG was a federal appellate judge for 13 years .
David Souter had had seven years of judicial experience at the appellate level , four years at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the Attorney General 's office .
How many years have you served as a judge ?
Q. I understand you have been a law professor .
Elena Kagan was the Dean of Harvard Law School .
Have you ever been the head of a law school ?
Q .
Justice Steven Breyer was a Harvard Law School professor .
While there he wrote the leading textbook on Administrative Law .
Have you ever authored a textbook ?
Q .
Justice Breyer also previously worked as a senior counsel in the DOJ ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Assistant Attorney General , and as chief counsel to the US Senate Judiciary Committee , among other appointments .
Have you ever served in any such government positions ?
Q. Brett Kavanuagh worked as a counsel to a Special Prosecutor and as an assistant counsel to President Bush .
John Roberts was a special assistant to the US Attorney General and later an associate White House Counsel and later a Deputy Solicitor General .
Justice Gorsuch was the Principal Deputy to the Associate Attorney General .
Have you ever served in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kavanaugh was a partner at the international law firm Kirkland Ellis .
John Roberts was a partner and head of the Supreme Court practice at the prestigious firm Hogan & Hartson .
Have you ever been a partner at a law firm ?
Q. Sonia Sotomayor was an assistant district attorney in NYC .
Samuel Alito was an Assistant US Attorney for NJ .
Have you ever been a prosecutor ?
Q. David Souter served as a state Supreme Court justice .
Sandra Day O ’ Connor served on a state Court of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Arizona State Senate .
Do you have any state Supreme Court or State legislative experience ?
Q. Thurgood Marshall founded the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund , and personally argued Brown v. Board of Education ( ! )
Both he and RBG innovated sepate civil rights litigation strategies that changed the face of American law and society .
Ever done anything like that ?
I could go on and on but I put this up quickly because the relevance timing is running out .
Bottom line — this nominee is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far measure .
She was picked because of her anti-Roe and anti-ACA credentials and her young age ( given the lifetime appointment ) .
I think the above themes need to be drawn out .

I have written two posts about suggested questions for Nominee Barrett — here and here. But watching a good deal of today’s confirmation hearing, and listening to her dodge way too many questions, I realize I should also have set out some suggested questions to highlight how thin are her qualifications to be a Supreme Court nominee. Why? Because it is relevant — and not just undiscussed but wrongly conceded. But also because she is quietly cocky and at times had an openly expressed “I hope no one would question my integrity and competence” sort of approach.
So. I think some Democratic Senator could do well by asking:
Q. Ms. Barrett you have some impressive academic credentials. But you recognize that you have a pretty thin resume for the job you are seeking, right?
Q. No? Well let me ask you a few questions.
Q. Elena Kagan was a Solicitor General. Have you served in that capacity?
No.
Q. Justice Kagan argued 6 cases before the Supreme Court. Justice Roberts argued 39 cases before the Supreme Court. Justice Alito argued 12 cases before the Supreme Court. How many have you argued?
None.
Q. Before being appointed to the Supreme Court, J. Sotomayor served 5 years a a federal district judge and then about 10 years as a 2d Cir appellate court judge. Justice Alito served about 15 years as a federal appellate judge. Justice Gorsuch was a federal appellate judge for 11 years. RBG was a federal appellate judge for 13 years. David Souter had had seven years of judicial experience at the appellate level, four years at the trial court level, and ten years with the Attorney General's office. How many years have you served as a judge?
Less than 3 years.
Q. I understand you have been a law professor. Elena Kagan was the Dean of Harvard Law School. Have you ever been the head of a law school?
No.
Q. Justice Steven Breyer was a Harvard Law School professor. While there he wrote the leading textbook on Administrative Law. Have you ever authored a textbook?
No.
Q. Justice Breyer also previously worked as a senior counsel in the DOJ’s Antitrust Division and as special assistant to the Assistant Attorney General, and as chief counsel to the US Senate Judiciary Committee, among other appointments. Have you ever served in any such government positions?
No.
Q. Brett Kavanuagh worked as a counsel to a Special Prosecutor and as an assistant counsel to President Bush. John Roberts was a special assistant to the US Attorney General and later an associate White House Counsel and later a Deputy Solicitor General. Justice Gorsuch was the Principal Deputy to the Associate Attorney General. Have you ever served in such or similar capacities?
No.
Q. Brett Kavanaugh was a partner at the international law firm Kirkland Ellis. John Roberts was a partner and head of the Supreme Court practice at the prestigious firm Hogan & Hartson. Have you ever been a partner at a law firm?
No.
Q. Sonia Sotomayor was an assistant district attorney in NYC.
Samuel Alito was an Assistant US Attorney for NJ. Have you ever been a prosecutor?
No.
Q. David Souter served as a state Supreme Court justice. Sandra Day O’Connor served on a state Court of Appeals, and was also Majority Leader in the Arizona State Senate. Do you have any state Supreme Court or State legislative experience?
No.
Q. Thurgood Marshall founded the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and personally argued Brown v. Board of Education (!) Both he and RBG innovated sepate civil rights litigation strategies that changed the face of American law and society. Ever done anything like that?
No.
******
I could go on and on but I put this up quickly because the relevance timing is running out.
Bottom line — this nominee is also not the best qualified by a far measure. She was picked because of her anti-Roe and anti-ACA credentials and her young age (given the lifetime appointment). I think the above themes need to be drawn out.