I’m going to tell a joke that I heard a long time ago so please indulge me because it seems so apropos to the era of Trump; to be more precise the era of Mr. Donald John Trump. I don’t know who the author is so I will attribute it to ‘an unknown author’.  The joke goes as follows:

A woman returned home from work early one day and when she entered her house she saw her husband on the couch having sex with another woman.  When her husband saw her, he and the woman quickly got up off of the couch, put their close on and the husband shepherded the woman out of the house.  As she brushed passed the wife who was standing there with her mouth agape, the husband rushed back over to the couch, straightened the pillows, picked up the newspaper and began to read it as if nothing had happened.  What were you doing having sex with that woman?!…  And in our house!  The husband casually looked up from the newspaper he was reading and calmly asked, what woman?  The woman that I just saw you having sex with on the couch, the wife said!  I wasn’t having sex with any woman on the couch, the husband responded.  I saw the two of you having sex on our couch just now with my own two eyes, she said!  Honey, I wasn’t having sex with anybody; who are you going to believe – me, or your lying eyes?

Now, here is a quote from Mr. Trump on about July 23, 2018.  “Remember, what you’re seeing and what you are reading is not what’s happening”; [who are you going to believe – me, or your lying eyes].  I added the ‘who are you going to believe…’  Do you get the gist of why I feel that this joke was worth telling in order to make my point?  What a bunch of nonsense there is contained in that joke.  And there is just as much nonsense contained in the quote from Mr. Trump.  And this kind of nonsense has been coming nonstop ever since Mr. Trump was elected.  Do you see where I am headed here?  Is this the America that we live in and must contend with now?!  God help us!

To make matters worse, in an effort to convince Americans to believe him instead of our ‘lying eyes’, according to Rachel Maddow, Mr. Trump and his minions altered the White House official transcript and video of the Trump-Putin press conference by excluding a very important question that Jeff Mason, a Reuters reporter, asked Mr. Putin.  A question to which Mr. Putin responded “yes.”  That question was, “President Putin, did you want President Trump to win the election and did you direct any of your officials to help him do that?”  By the way, this question is missing entirely from the Kremlin’s transcript.

Mr. Trump and his minions said the exclusion was caused by a technical glitch.  But with their reputation of being liars; a technical glitch?  Come on!  And so far they have not changed the White House transcript or video.  When will this Republican-led congress find the nerve to speak truth to power?!  When will they decide to step up and defend America and the American people against the unorthodox kind of leadership, which ignores all norms that all U.S. presidents in recent history proudly and honorably embraced, that Mr. Trump is providing?!  Will it be too late to allow America to ever completely recover from the damage that Mr. Trump is doing to her?

These are very somber and frustrating times and many Americans might feel like just throwing up their hands and giving up.  But that is just what Mr. Trump is counting on us to do.  So for that reason and so many others that impact on whether or not democracy as we now know it will survive, we cannot and we must not do that!  Americans cannot afford to wait for a president other than Mr. Trump to be elected and then hope and pray that they will be able to repair the damage that has been done.  No, we must fight back now!  And in the words of Senator Elizabeth Warren, when we get knocked down we must get right back up and get right back in the fight!  This is too important for us to just throw up our hands and quit; failure is not an option!

So whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent always remember, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!  So get informed, stay informed, get in the fight and get out and vote in the 2018, 2020 elections and beyond.  As a matter of fact, vote in ever election that you are eligible to vote in whether it is at the local, state or federal level.  It’s your civic duty!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

Let’s think about this a little bit; and it should only take a ‘little bit’ of thought.  Which should we really be concerned about as Americans; athletes not standing and placing their hands over their hearts during the playing of the National Anthem or an American, with the aid of a group of other Americans, in essence placing America and its survival as a democracy in the hands of a foreign adversary?  And let’s give this American and the group that is aiding him the benefit of the doubt by stipulating to the statement that all of them stand up and put their hands over their hearts during the playing of the National Anthem.  Which would you say should be of greater concern to Americans?

If we stand and put our hands over our hearts during the playing of the National Anthem but then in some private setting out of sight of the public and absent the auspices of other Americans who might caution, criticize or disagree with us and offer savory counsel admonishing us not to do the thing that we are about to do because it would not be in the best interest of America; and yet we do it anyway, does the fact that we stood and put our hands over our hearts during the playing of the National Anthem make our decision better or mitigate it in any way?  No.

Mr. Trump knows this too and he knows that his ranting and raving about athletes not standing and placing their hands over their hearts when the National Anthem is played has nothing to do with patriotism.  Much the same as some of the fans at these games who do not stand and place their hands over their hearts and those staffing the concession stands and those visiting those stands do not stop and put their hands over their hearts, has nothing to do with their patriotism.  The fact that he is causing these Americans who are angry for various reasons – and many are also confused and frustrated, to misplace their patriotic enthusiasm doesn’t matter to Mr. Trump.  It does not matter because his true aim is not to serve these people who helped to elect him, it is to manipulate them.  And his true aim does not appear to be to honor and serve America and all of the American people but, instead, to enrich himself and his family.  As regards the Republican-led congress that is enabling him, even if they do not share his goals, their actions are reprehensible.

Hypothetically speaking, if Mr. Trump were the ‘American’ referred to in paragraph one of this article, then the picture taken by Yuri Kadobnov/AFP/Getty Images and used in a recent article in Bloomberg would not only speak a thousand words but it would go a long way in reinforcing the fact that standing and placing ones hand over ones heart during the playing of the National Anthem, if it is not supported by true patriotism, is absolutely meaningless (Mr. Trump stands and places his hand over his heart when the National Anthem is played, even if at times it does take a bit of nudging from First Lady Malania).  The expression on Mr. Trumps face – especially vs. that on president Putin’s face – in this picture is unforgettable and likely etched in the memory of all peoples in the world who viewed it and read the article.  The Bloomberg article was written by Ros Krasny and is entitled ‘Trump’s Two Hours Alone With Putin Still Rattling Washington’.

What a sad thing to think, let alone say, about the person who occupies the Oval Office.  What lofty heights that office has fallen from since Mr. Trump was elected.  Everyone – friend or foe, accept in some cases deserving Americans, is invited into this once lofty office.  Even Russian president Vladimir Putin has been invited to come there.  As to whether or not this will actually happen remains to be seen.  But the very fact that Mr. Trump has invited him is astonishing and humiliating wrapped up in one gigantic ball of confusion.  After all, president Putin did direct some of his military personnel and other Russians to meddle in America’s 2016 elections.  And for this he is being rewarded with a trip to the White House?

Although this whole scenario seems surreal, it is actually occurring right now.  All Americans should be concerned about this.  And since congress is unwilling to do anything about it, all Americans must step up and let these so-called statesmen know that what they are doing (or not doing) is unacceptable.  We must let them know this through all available non-violent means leading up to the 2018 and 2020 elections.  And then, when it comes time to vote in each of these elections, we must let them know by way of our ballot that we mean business.  We must let them know that they must shape up or we will ship them out!

So be sure to get out and vote.  And always remember, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

There’s a new police chief in town and his name is Paul “Smiley” Pazen.  He was selected by Mayor Michael Hancock and was sworn in on July 9, 2018.  The new police chief certainly has his work cut out for him especially when it comes to the ‘Use of Force’ policy. As of June 29, 2018, the new ‘Use of Force’ policy had not yet been completed and implemented.  Despite that notable complication, in an interview with Westword, Chief Pazen said that all new police officers and other officers, no matter how long they had been on the police force, would be thoroughly trained in this new policy.  Chief Pazen has been on the Denver police force for almost  24 years.

The new ‘Use of Force’ policy was thoroughly vetted by Denver business leaders and community members prior to June 29 and its current consideration for implementation as soon as possible.  During that vetting, many community members felt that the policy contained too many vague and ambiguous statements regarding exactly what would instigate and allow for the ‘use of force’ by police officers and many felt that these statements remained in the policy as of June29th.  Whether those statements will be modified in any way or deleted prior to implementation is not yet known.

This is the first time that I have addressed local politics for quite some because I, like many others who follow politics closely, have been totally engrossed in national politics as the result of the election of Mr. Trump.  His antics since he was elected have regularly sucked all of the air out of the federal and local political arena and left room only for himself.  Whenever the media slows on covering him he ups the ante of his endless lies and foolishness.  He relishes and ravels in the coverage that he receives from the press whether it is positive or negative.  I stated in a couple of my previous post to this blog that I would work hard not to fall into the same rut as the mainstream media as regards Mr. Trump.  Yet, the fact that for such a long time I have failed to keep abreast of local politics and post articles on them to this site shows that my level of success when it comes to meeting that goal has been, at best, minimal.

However, if you have visited this site regularly and been reading the articles posted on it, you should have gotten the message that all Americans need to get informed and fulfill their duty to vote in all elections that they are eligible to vote in whether they are local, state or federal level.  Hopefully by now you are aware that our very Republic is at risk as a result of Mr. Trump’s unorthodox style of leadership.  Hopefully you are aware that he and/or his campaign are suspected of colluding with Russia in meddling in the 2016 election in which the American intelligence community has stated unequivocally that Russia interfered in the election to hurt Secretary Clinton and to help Mr. Trump.  Hopefully you are aware that Mr. Trump is trashing our intelligence community, taking Russia’s side and promulgating its perspective on world order and cozying up to president Vladimir Putin and choosing to believe him over America’s intelligence community.

What makes things even more frightening is that our spineless Republican-led congress is not only avoiding using its powers of checks and balances against Mr. Trump to prevent him from abusing his power, they are aiding and abetting him in his efforts.  This is something that impacts on all levels of government and on all Americans.  In the event that you do not already know it, during a speech regarding law enforcement, Mr. Trump – with a group of police officers lined up behind him – even encouraged police officers to rough up people that they arrest.  This is totally unacceptable.

Chief Pazen’s predecessor, Chief Robert White, worked hard with business leaders and community members to create and implement the Use of Force policy before he retired.  It did not happen.  Chief Pazen will now be responsible to shepherd this policy the rest of the way through to implementation.  Even with the successful implementation of a new Use of Force policy, we all should know that the real power of this policy will not come from the words on the paper that it is written on but from the honesty, integrity and statesmanship of the politicians we elect who will be entrusted to enforce it.

The bottom line is that if Mr. Trump is not held to account for what he is doing then the implementation of fair and just ‘use of force’ policies, no matter the city, will be moot.  This, of course, includes our beautiful Mile High City of Denver.  You can do your part to make sure that the politicians that we elect in Denver and Colorado will meet the honesty, integrity and statesmanship qualities that we demand and that Mr. Trump will be held to account for his incompetent and chaotic leadership by becoming and staying informed on politics at all levels.

No one is, nor should they be, above the law; not even the leader of the free world.  You can assure that this is the way that it will be by becoming and staying informed and always voting.  So always remember, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

Mr. Trump – one man.  Cliché – power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Shattered Icons – U.S. Speaker of the House, U.S. Senate Majority Leader, U.S. congress, U.S. congressional statesmen, U.S. prestigious (plum assignment) committees, Supreme Court Justice, and Supreme Court.  Mr. Trump is just one man.  And never in my wildest dreams did I see one man – especially this one man – in America becoming president and taking America hostage while all of our elected so called powerful statesmen not only would allow it but would assist him in doing it!  The U.S. congress, its leaders and all of the prestigious committees that are supposed to provide checks and balances that prevent the president from abusing his power have failed miserably; they are completely shattered.  This is truly a wakeup call for all American citizens who love democracy and want to see America remain a democratic country!

One man is taking over America.  Whether or not it is with the help of a foreign adversary remains to be determined.  Either way, this should not happen at all let alone because Americans who are eligible to vote, for whatever reason, fail to fulfill their civic duty to vote.  Voter turnout in many other countries around the world is much higher than that in America, which was 56.9% in the 2016 elections.  We have taken our right to vote far too lightly for far too long and long ago became lackadaisical about our freedom in this great country.  If we continue in this vein and fail to challenge those who would take this freedom – and the rights that go along with it – away from us, we will lose them.  And by the time that we realize what is happening to us and decide to fight, it will be too late.

It is no secret that Mr. Trump is stacking the federal courts, including appellate courts, with judges that, based on his behavior and track record since he has been in office, will be loyal to him and support whatever decisions he might make.  He has already placed one of his nominees (Neil Gorsuch) on the supreme court (a selection that was in essence stolen from President Barack Obama by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell) and now, with the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, he will have the opportunity to place a second nominee on the Supreme Court.

This ought not be; especially since Mr. Trump is still under investigation in connection with Russia’s meddling in the U.S. 2016 elections.  And especially in light of the fact that if he is indicted the matter certainly would end up being adjudicated by the supreme court.  And especially since he has made statements like ‘I’m the president, I can’t have any conflicts of interest’ and ‘I can pardon myself.’  What will become of our great country if we as citizens do not do everything that we can, without violence, to force our elected officials to effectively address these blatantly un-American acts, in which far too many of them are willing participants?  And if they will not address them, then we need to vote them out of office and replace them with officials who will uphold their oath to the Constitution!

Mr. Trump becomes more bold each time that he acts irrationally, congress winks at it and the American people ignore it.  I believe that the vast majority of those American people who ignore it do not do so because they don’t care but because they believe that they have elected officials who should and will address these problems before they become a real threat to the American people and our national security.  They are putting entirely too much trust in our elected officials, especially in light of how these officials have been conducting themselves since Mr. Trump was elected president.

All Americans should do whatever they can to bring attention to what is currently happening in our country.  And they should encourage all other Americans to get informed, get involved and always participate in our precious democracy and do their part to help keep America great.  Americans do not need a major platform in order to do this.  No contribution to this effort is too small.  We do not need Mr. Trump to ‘make America great again’ because we, as a country, have never stopped being great!  We do not need to march backwards to the drumbeat of racism, misogyny, Islamophobia and hate to Trump’s America!  We must not take Mr. Trump’s bait to engage in any form of divisiveness!  We must resist the invitation to become a divided America!  Instead, we should work together as Americans – as we always have in the past, and resolve these problems and our differences.

House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are extremely powerful men.  To be more incisive and accurate in my description of them, they are extremely powerful politicians, emphasis on politicians, and they are playing political games while Mr. Trump leads America down the primrose path.  But America does not have to put up with this because Americans can find politicians who will be loyal to the Constitution and their oath to it and who will put this ahead of their loyalty to party and personal ambition.  What is required is that we become informed and remain informed when it comes to politics and then vote for politicians based on their records rather than on their political election cycle rhetoric.

Be sure to keep this in mind as we approach the 2018 and 2020 elections.  And always remember, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line