Monthly Archives: April 2019

Federal Politics, Local Politics, State Politics

The Donald J. Trump Of The United States Of America. To Impeach Or Not To Impeach, That Is The Question.

The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America says that he is not worried about being impeached “even a little bit.”  He is not worried about any of those who work for him betraying him by defying his orders because he says that “nobody disobeys my orders.”  This man regularly lies to the public, encourages those who work for him to lie to the public and regularly tramples on the rule of law!  And after he does these things, he all but literally dares ‘anyone,’ no matter how powerful they are, to confront him about his behavior.  So far, he has had virtually no one in the Republican Party to accept his dare and those in the Democratic Party – even though they might accept his dare, are extremely careful about the things that they say and do in order to put and keep him in check.

It is up to the Democratic Party to hold Mr. Trump accountable because the Republican Party congressmen and senators have proven time-and-time again that they are either not up to the task or simply refuse to rise to the mantle of their position.  They either hold their Party in higher esteem than they hold their oath to America, they place their personal ambitions ahead of America’s interest – including getting reelected, or it is a combination of the two.  It is up to the Democrats to decide whether or not they should begin proceedings to impeach Mr. Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors.  There is certainly plenty of evidence available to them to begin such proceedings but the political atmosphere and the way that their Republican colleagues have been conducting themselves leaves them in doubt of whether or not they would be successful since the senate would require a super majority to convict Mr. Trump.  Mr. Trump is betting that Democrats cannot secure a super majority of votes to remove him from office.

I am not saying which path that the Democrats should take or whether or not they would be successful in their effort to remove Mr. Trump from office.  It is a tough decision to make; however, they were elected to make decisions on our behalf, including the tough ones.  But those of the American people who feel that the Democratic Party should stand on their principles and for all intents and purposes are saying or implying that Democrats should move forward with impeaching Mr. Trump must be prepared to accept whatever impact that it has on our Party in the 2020 election.  There is a great risk in taking such a step and it could cause Mr. Trump to win reelection, give back the House to Republicans or both.  If either or both of these things that would be favorable to the Republicans should occur, we should not become angry with those Democrats who made the decision and desert them because they failed to successfully impeach Mr. Trump and as a result we were all knocked down!  We must get up, step up and get right back into the fight!  We must always stand on principle and fight for that which is right!

Mr. Trump’s behavior and actions make him appear to be barely above the line that is required for one to be labeled a human being rather than some other organism.  And even though he meets the human being criteria it would not be unfair to label him as the honey badger of human beings.  And as many people say about the honey badger, he just does not care.  Or in the more crass terms that some have used, he just does not give a f**k!  Neither does Mr. Trump.  And since the Mr. Donald J. Trump of the United States of America has an affinity for crassness (if you watch cable news or have read the Mueller Report you are aware that this is true.), the latter description of the honey badger’s attitude would be apropos in describing how Mr. Trump lives his life and his sentiments on all things not Trump.

Mr. Trump knows that he has instilled fear into the minds of his Republican subordinates (I use that word because they have not been conducting themselves like they are, collectively, his co-equal) and with his honey badger mentality, wields this fear brazenly and without any consideration as to how their submitting to it will impact on them…unless it might also have a negative impact on his own interest.  Mr. Trump is an apex predator, and like any predator in the animal kingdom, he is dangerous and without mercy.  He is even more dangerous than all other predators because he is, although what appears to be barely because he lacks the emotions of normal human beings, a human being.  He has the power to think and reason!  And finally, like any apex predator in the animal kingdom – even though it would prefer to flee, it will lash out with all of the ferocity within itself if it is cornered in order to survive!  This description reflects the epitome of Mr. Trump’s situation.  It also perfectly depicts his efforts to flee but even now he can sense that he is already cornered; his instincts say that he must survive!  Mr. Trump is powerful and strong and he is definitely a dangerous man!

I hesitate to speak of Mr. Trump in these terms because he does occupy the Oval Office and is the Mr. Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  This Office should always be held in high esteem and respected and I do hold it in high esteem and respect it.  But it is hard to respect any person who occupies that office if they conduct themselves like Mr. Trump conducts himself.  During my lifetime there has never been a President of the United States of America, Democrat or Republican, that has conducted himself like Mr. Trump is conducting himself.  Even if Mr. Trump means well and there is the slightest chance that he has the best interest of America at heart as long as it does not conflict with his own best interest, thus far, his agenda has not reflected that.  Instead, his antics – unchecked by congress because of Republicans who have continuously put Party and personal ambition before country, have consistently moved America down in the eyes of the world on the rungs of the virtual latter of those countries and individuals who respect the right of all human beings around the world to espouse life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Whether or not you support Mr. Trump, it is incumbent upon us as American, to examine what he is doing, carefully scrutinize with an unbiased eye the direction in which he is leading America and decide if this is who we really are as Americans!  We must decide if this is the right path forward; and whether or not that we believe it is, if he is the right person who should be leading us down this path.  We can determine this and keep America great or decide if, based on Mr. Trump’s definition, we want to ‘Make America Great Again’ by way of our vote.  I believe that America has always been great and will remain great as long as we eschew Mr. Trump’s vision of a great America.

Whether or not you agree with me – 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 on the political issues, stay informed, and always vote!  It’s your civic duty so get started today!  As a dyed in the wool Democrat, I challenge you to do this!  Let’s see which Party has the best ideas in the eyes of the majority of the American people!  Put up your dukes, let’s get ready to rumble and then, let’s get it on!  No Matter the results, America will be better for it.

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

Federal Politics, Local Politics, State Politics

Attorney General William Barr Is A Political Hack

After his presser to address the Mueller Report (for the 5th time before it was released to congress and the public) the verdict is in on Attorney General (AG) William P. Barr.  He is definitely a political hack and just the hired gun that Mr. Trump was searching for.  He had no problem at all as US Attorney General in throwing all of the employees at the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the bus as an additional step to acquit his obligation as a hired gun to Mr. Trump, a position which he openly sought to fill by way of a 19-page unsolicited memo that he wrote and supplied to Mr. Trump and his lawyers before he was selected for the job.  The Attorney General of the United States/American people did not stop at throwing the employees at the DOJ under the bus, instead, he went on to throw all Americans under the bus as well.  At his Thursday 4/18/19 presser, he acted as if he were Mr. Trump’s personal attorney rather than the American people’s attorney by – in essence – absolving Mr. Trump of any wrongdoing in how he has conducted himself during the time that he has been in office!  To make matters worse, he did not even have a problem in lying to achieve what he probably thought was the perfect political spin of the report and perfect timing to drop it.  Another one bites the dust; AG Barr has sold his soul to Mr. Trump!  Should we take bets on, not if but when Mr. Trump will throw AG Barr under the bus?  Based on Mr. Trump’s track record, it is sure to happen.

Anyway, after this press conference as I watched while the cable news hosts and their show’s contributors scrambled to review the redacted Mueller report and analyze it in an effort to share its findings with the American people, it was not hard to detect an air of sadness on the faces and in the voices of many of those contributors who were lawyers.  Not only had many of them held AG Barr in high esteem but they had expressed a great deal of confidence in him, labeled him as an institutionalist, expressed their opinion that he would do the right thing and urged that everyone give him the benefit of the doubt after he was confirmed by the senate; but many of them had also expressed why they felt this way.  It was because they had either worked with him or in some other way become closely affiliated with him during the course of their careers.  They had found his reputation to be stellar.  Perhaps Mr. Barr’s reputation had been stellar up until now.  And whether he was simply power hungry or desired to associate himself with Mr. Trump due to his love of the law, belief that he was right in his assessment that a sitting president could not obstruct justice and therefore could not be subject to the charge of “obstruction of justice” and he wanted to see the person who occupied the Oval Office (Mr. Trump) succeed,” once Mr. Barr entered Mr. Trump’s orbit that did not matter; his fate was sealed.  Because everything that Mr. Trump touches either dies or is indelibly stained.

I still struggle to understand how one man – especially a man like Mr. Trump, could come in and tear down what the founders worked so hard to establish and it took America hundreds of years to build on, build up, uphold and spread throughout the world and gain their respect, in one fell swoop.  Does it mean that we need to take a really close look at our democracy and those things that are in place as regards how we govern ourselves and to assure that that democracy remains strong?  Perhaps.  One thing is for sure though and that is that if we intend to even have the opportunity to make an assessment regarding this while our democracy is still intact we must step up to our responsibility as American citizens to get informed on politics, stay informed, and vote!  It is a frightening thing to witness a man such as Mr. Trump be able to so easily manipulate the system and skew the field in his favor when there are so many supposedly savvy and powerful politicians in place to protect the American people against this kind of thing.

Make America Great Again?  Wow!  Based on information in the Mueller Report it seems that at least Russia would be on board with this mantra.  Of course it would have to be based on their interpretation of how to make America great again.  This likely would include a puppet American president that would be controlled by Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.  Let’s say, for instance, someone like America’s current Mr. Donald J. Trump of the United States of America, Mr. Donald J. Trump.  According to the report, Russia did a lot to help Mr. Trump to get elected while at the same time doing as much damage as possible to Hillary Clinton and her campaign.  And although this report does not contain information that proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Trump and individuals associated with his campaign conspired with Russia in interfering with our 2016 election, there is plenty of evidence that indicates that they did.  I challenge you to read the report.  But I must warn you in advance that it is long; 448 pages long.  And after you read it, even if your takeaway is different from mine, you will likely be moved to become more cognizant of what is happening in politics and hopefully be moved to stay informed and vote.  This challenge also applies to Mr. Trump’s dedicated and seemingly immovable base.  Although you might refuse to accept anything negative about Mr. Trump from anyone who does not agree with him, hopefully you will believe what you read for yourself.

To everyone who reads this article and especially to Mr. Trump’s immovable base mentioned in the preceding paragraph, I implore you to 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

Federal Politics, State Politics

Political Pawns And Puppets Board Game: It’s Real For Billionaires, Millionaires And The Super Rich!

The political pawns and puppets board game is real for the billionaires, millionaires, super rich and politicians who play it.  Following is what the corporate structure likely looks like.  I say “likely looks like” because I cannot prove beyond the shadow of a reasonable doubt that this is what it actually looks like.  Those with far more power and resources than I have can’t prove it to this degree either.  Having said that, the structure follows:

  1. An agreed upon, whether this agreement was forced upon the lesser billionaires by the more powerful and dominant billionaires or was reached by a traditional mutual agreement process, number of billionaires control the president and vice president
  2. Another selected group of billionaires control the legislative branch (senators and Representatives)
  3. And a combined group composed of the aforementioned two groups control the judicial branch by way of controlling the legislative branch
  4. The millionaires and super rich by way of their campaign donations try to control us, the rest of the American people – among whom are the rest of the American voters, via their outsized funding which fuels and supports election cycle sound bites. And based on the situation that we currently find ourselves in, they do a pretty good job of it.

Everything happens from there.  It’s as simple as that.  Now this governance process perpetrated upon Americans by these elite groups may not be a crime that can be proven beyond the shadow of a reasonable doubt; or, it might not be a crime at all.  But the one thing that it is; it is grossly unfair, a flaw in the process of how we as Americans govern ourselves and a stain on our great democracy.  Obviously we should not paint all politicians with a broad-brush; however, based on how most politicians conduct themselves, the great majority of them view and treat all of the American people as nothing more than pawns in this board game.  But depending upon where we fall in the social cast system, we are still looked upon as Kings, Queens, Rooks, Bishops, Knights and Pawns.  It’s definitely about the Benjamins and social strata.

It grieves me greatly as I watch these elected politicians smile, call each other names, hold meaningless votes intended to poke fun at bills that are introduced to possibly insure the continued wellbeing of this planet and provide a more healthy and better way of life for Americans while those of us who elected them to protect America and represent us writhe in pain as we long for, hope for, and pray for meaningful change that will bring us back together rather than continue to divide us!  What is wrong with these people?!  Has Mr. Trump dragged every politician so low that they have completely forgotten the meaning of statesmanship and common decency?!  This is not a game to those of us who are struggling everyday to survive, provide for our family, keep a roof over their heads, feed them and assure that all of us have the necessary health insurance that we will surly need to call upon, who knows how many times, during the time that we are struggling to provide these needs?!

Where is the leadership that we need to keep America great and guide us and future generations into the future?!  Before Mr. Trump was elected we did not need to make America great again, although he is doing his utmost to make that the case now while constantly holding rallies and shouting his mantra ‘Make America Great Again!’  He is bound and determined to create that problem so that, in his words, “only I can fix it.”  He has already done a great amount of damage to this country and by the time that he leaves office we may indeed need to make America great again.  And no matter how complex the pretzels that congressional Republicans twist themselves into or how hard they squeeze their eyes shut and click their heels together three times to wish their way out of being complicit in Mr. Trump’s efforts to divide America and lead us back into the past; no matter how hard they try to use smoke-and-mirrors to con Americans into believing that they are putting America above personal ambitions and party, ultimately, they will fail.

Because Mr. Trump has failed so miserably to provide the kind of leadership that America deserves and congress has thus far failed to provide the checks and balances on the executive branch of government that they are meant to provide, it is not only the aforementioned congressmen who need to be closely watched and kept in check by the American people.  Because some of the people that Mr. Trump has chosen to nominate and have installed into office at very high levels conduct themselves as if they are his personal lackeys, they too need to be watched and kept in check.  One of those recent nominated and confirmed nominees is Attorney General William Barr.  Attorney General Barr wrote a summary of the Mueller Report that was heavily skewed in Mr. Trump’s favor and he has thus far refused to provide congress with a copy of the unredacted report or even cooperate with them in an effort to be as transparent as possible with congress and the public.  This does not necessarily mean that he is Mr. Trump’s lackey but it certainly does not help in any way to preserve his reputation considering how he secured the nomination to be confirmed to fill the job.  My point?  Everything that Mr. Trump touches either dies or is indelibly stained: Another one bites the dust?!

The sooner that all of these politicians get back to upholding the oath that they took when they entered office the sooner that America will be able to restore her true image and begin to prosper in the magnitude that she did in the past when all Americans were pulling together as one.  Whether they are Democrats, Republicans or Independents all of those politicians who are placing their personal ambition and party above country must be voted out of office and replaced with politicians who are determined to be loyal to country and Constitution above president and party.

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