We will get to “…For Your Reading Pleasure” but first, let’s get the politics out of the way:

Then, there was former Republican Representative Liz Cheney: A woman of principles and honor.  She was there long before the 2023 Republican primary whose first presidential debate occurred on Wednesday August 23, 2023.  FYI, Mr. Trump did not participate in this debate.

One could easily attribute this to the fact that he is extremely busy dealing with his lawyers and the four indictments that he is saddled with or that he is polling so far ahead of the rest of the pack that he felt that he did not need to be there to defend his position and “policies” (whatever that means)…  Except, he sat for an interview with former Fox employee Tucker Carlson that occurred at around the same time as the debate.  Besides, as if he needed any other incentive (excuse?) to avoid the debate, most of the Republicans there kowtowed to him and defended him anyway.

Former Representative Cheney gave this warning to her fellow Republicans long before this presidential debate.  “I say to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: there will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain.”  Nonetheless, all these Republican candidates have hitched their political wellbeing to Mr. Trump.  They have twisted themselves into political pretzels trying to defend him while at the same time saying that he is not fit for office and should not hold office.

Some of them have even made constitutional arguments stating that, based on the Constitution, he is banned from holding any office.  Yet, at all costs, they refuse to say that they will not vote for him if he is the Republican nominee.  Since Mr. Trump continues to lead in the polls by a large margin and will likely be the Republican nominee, they will likely be forced to reveal their choice on election day because today, August 24, 2023, Mr. Trump surrendered himself at the Fulton County jail and was booked, fingerprinted, and received a mugshot.

When Mr. Trump has figuratively consistently p***ed on these Republicans heads, told them that it was rain and demanded that they lay down their principles and honor to cover the pathway to prevent him from soiling his shoes because the pathway forward was drenched and muddy as a result, they obediently did so…  Then, there was former Republican Representative Liz Cheney: A woman of principles and honor.  She refused to surrender her principles and honor and as a result, she was booted from representing her Wyoming constituents in the Republican Party.

As for the rest of the Republican Party elected politicians I submit this question, how can you lead if you refuse to be a leader?!  You know exactly what I mean because, as professional politicians, you know that a leader must make the tough decisions long enough and consistently enough, using good judgement, so that their followers will trust them enough to follow them.

If you cannot readily and legitimately answer this question without twisting yourself into a political pretzel then you should know that you do not have a defensible position.  And you should also know, to borrow from a well-known idiom, that there is nothing else left for you or any reasonable Republicans to say except, how about that Grand Ole Party (GOP)?!  This will tell all of those who are listening that you know that you have no defensible position but that does not matter.  Consequently, this will also free you up to continue with your pretzel-making antics.

No one can reasonably justify what Mr. Trump has allegedly done and it is mindboggling that anyone, aside from Mr. Trump, is still trying to do so.  It is disheartening and hurtful, especially to reasonable Republicans who remember what the Republican Party once was and what it stood for, to see that most Republicans have chosen to be loyal to Mr. Trump rather than to the American democracy and the Constitution.

Unfortunately, in interview after interview of prospective Iowa voters by one of the major cable news stations, when they were asked who they would vote for when offered other viable candidates besides Mr. Trump; their response was always that they would vote for Mr. Trump.  Then, if he for some reason was not an available candidate, they would consider the viable alternative.  This seems beyond amazing but the polls taken at this same time showed that 51% of Republicans believe Mr. Trump.  They further showed that 62% of evangelicals believe him and 59% of those without college degrees believe him!  Wow!

Having provided that short political synopsis from my perspective, I hope that you got your political fill.  But before we leave all things Trump behind and move on to what will be for your reading pleasure, because I invoked her name, there must be some closure on Former Representative Liz Cheney.  The purpose of recognizing her as a woman of honor and principles is not meant to transform her into some kind of Republican Wonder Woman or Woman of Steel including cape and superpowers.  Instead, it is meant to point out in stark relief that not all politicians are about their political ambitions, power, and money.

It is meant to point out that Former Republican Representative Liz Cheney is like a welcomed breath of fresh air.  And finally, especially to our young voters who in the past have not bothered to vote because – in your mind – it does not matter anyway because politicians in general are corrupt and your vote will be meaningless, your vote does matter!  There are still myriad of Americans; Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who are fighting so that you can keep your right to vote.  So that you can keep your ability to have input into who will govern this great country and choose the path forward for America!  You should join them.

And now, M2: Street Cop To Top Cop Excerpt 2: For Your Reading Pleasure.

Chapter 2

It was about 10:00 o’clock on Tuesday morning when M2 awoke to the sound of his ringing telephone.  Since Monday and Tuesday were his days off each week and he was out partying very late that Monday, he had decided to sleep in.  He propped himself up on one elbow and stared at the phone for awhile while contemplating whether he would answer it.  He decided that he would not.  After it stopped ringing he rolled to his back and laid there staring up at the ceiling.

He was not sure if he wanted to go back to sleep so he closed his eyes and breathed in very slowly and deeply to see if sleep would come to him.  Instead it seemed to want to play a game of hide-and-seek and, mentally, this felt like the equivalent of being caught in a vacuum.  It was just emptiness, a void or virtual no-man’s-land.  Suddenly, he opened his eyes, popped out of bed and headed to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee.

He quickly washed up while the coffee was brewing and prepared a quick breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast.  The breakfast and two cups of black coffee energized him so he decided to jump into the shower before deciding exactly what to do with his day.

His telephone rang again.  By this time it was about noon.  He was fully prepared to begin his day and had not yet determined what he was going to do with it so he answered the phone.  “Hello.”  It was one of his chippies.  Chippie was the word that cops used to refer to a promiscuous woman that they used for their enjoyment whenever they felt moved to do so.  These women seemed to love the uniform and power that it represented and would do almost anything to be with the policemen who wore them.

“Hello, M2; what are you doing”, she asked in a slow, sensuous and suggestive voice?  Although she did not know it, she had just solved M2’s problem.  He no longer had to figure out what he would do with his day.

“Nothing right now but I hope to be doing you very shortly.”

“You know where I live and you know how to get here,” she said.  Before he could respond, he heard a dial tone.

The thought of spending time with chippie 6, her given name was Veronica but M2 had given all of his chippies numbers based on the order in which he met them, completely turned him on so he quickly hung up the phone and was out of the door.  He lived on the 12th floor of a luxury apartment complex in downtown Denver that had an underground parking garage so he pressed the down arrow and impatiently waited for the elevator to arrive.  When the doors opened he quickly stepped inside and pressed the “G1” button.

M2 slid under the wheel of his 2013 BMW M6 convertible and started it.  When the engine roared to life he felt a tingling in his body that made him feel like he and this perfect machine were as one.  It was a beautiful Red Metallic and all of its lines were perfect.  He would have been hard pressed not to feel this oneness with this perfect automobile with its perfect lines because many of his friends and acquaintances, especially the women, had told him on numerous occasions that he and his automobile were a perfect match.

M2 was constantly at the gym and was in excellent physical condition.  He was perfectly sculpted and knew it.  Hidden somewhere not so deep down inside he totally agreed with all of those who heaped praise on him so oftentimes had to work hard not to appear self-centered by reveling in their attention to him rather than humbly acknowledging it.

M2 rang the bell at Veronica’s apartment.  She held the door open and stood behind it shielding herself from him.  He stepped inside and she closed the door behind him.  She was dressed in red satin pajamas and wore a matching robe with them.

Veronica was a very attractive plus-size woman.  She was about five foot seven inches tall, had shoulder-length auburn hair – which most of the time was covered by different wigs of various lengths and colors, beautiful facial features, and a nice body.  Every time that M2 had seen her she always appeared alluring if not totally irresistible.

“You look like you like what you see, she said.”

M2 smiled and responded, “I do.”  Then he laughed and said, “make sure that you keep those words in the right context.”

Veronica sauntered over to him, pressed her body hard against his, wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a deep and passionate kiss.  After the kiss she stared up into his eyes and said in the same sensuous tone that she used when she had spoken to him earlier on the phone, “don’t worry M2, I’m well aware that if you even think that I have ‘I do’ on the brain you will run as fast and as far away from me as you can.”  Then she turned and walked over to the couch and sat down.  And with the honed skill of the manipulative woman that she was, again sultrily stared into his eyes.

M2 did not say a word.  He just smiled, walked over and sat down on the couch beside her.  What a manipulative self-centered bitch, he thought.  I am going to have to be very careful with her.  She is too much like me…that’s scary.

Veronica snuggled close to him.  “Let’s watch an old movie,” she said.  How about ‘The Big Easy’?

M2 knew that this actually meant “we are going to watch The Big Easy.”  This was a movie about a womanizing cop in New Orleans who loved beautiful women and using his power as a cop in any way that he desired, including to lure those beautiful women into his web.  This movie fit Veronica’s method of operation perfectly.  She chose this movie for a reason.  That’s the kind of thing that I would do…and again he thought, it’s scary.  “Okay,” he said.

After they watched the movie they had sex: first on the couch and then in the bed.  After a number of rounds of passionate and exhausting sex Veronica suggested that they order Chinese food.  M2 was all-in for that.  He loved Chinese food.  That’s what I would have ordered after arduous sex…and for the third time that night he found himself thinking, it’s scary.

It was after midnight by the time that M2 got home from his day with Veronica.  As he reflected on the time he had spent with her he thought, I still feel slightly fatigued after “The Big Easy”  and the big easy – the latter big easy was in reference to Veronica.  As he headed to the kitchen to get a bottle of apple juice, he laughed and said aloud, I shouldn’t think like that.

He plopped down on the sofa when he returned from the kitchen with his apple juice and turned on the TV.  He began flipping aimlessly through the channels in an effort to find something, anything, that might hold his interest because he was not in the mood to go to bed.

Eulus Dennis – author, M2: Street Cop To Top Cop, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

 

I am so tired of writing about the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America that I could just puke; especially when he just keeps getting away with anything that he wants to do.  It does not matter if he has been indicted thrice and is facing an imminent forth indictment and completely ignores orders from the court as to how he must conduct himself while awaiting trial, if what he continues to do is against the law, that he states directly or implies that he intends to break the law, or that he makes efforts – whether thinly veiled or overtly – to taint potential jury pools and intimidate witnesses and even judges.  He flaunts all these things and keeps moving forward with that fiendish Joker-like Trump grin on his face while seemingly daring anyone to hold him to account.

There is always a lot of rhetoric by all our elected politicians, appointed government officials, duly elected judges and judges that have been elected and are then recommended and confirmed to federal judgeships, when referring to Mr. Trump’s legal situation, that says no one is above the law.  It says that no one is treated special and that everyone is treated the same under the law.

Well, any reasonable person that has been following what is happening with Mr. Trump as regards his legal situation knows that this is simply not true.  Any reasonable person knows that if we substituted the name of anyone else for the name of the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America, all the trials that are pending would have already been conducted and the accused would have already been proven innocent or guilty and either released or incarcerated.

While it upsets me – and I imagine many of you too, that in his arrogance Mr. Trump does not seem to be concerned in the least about his legal situation and the courts are treating him with kid-gloves while tiptoeing around and trying to decide exactly how to handle things, perhaps we must consider that they are confronted with some extremely tough decisions to make.  Certainly, those who are tasked with making these decisions realize that Mr. Trump has millions of followers who are anxious to do his bidding and polls show that many of those followers feel that, if necessary, violence is warranted to place him back in power.

It does not matter whether these followers truly believe that Mr. Trump was cheated out of the 2020 election and is still the true president.  And based on Mr. Trump’s speech prior to the January 6, 2021 insurrection, he is not opposed to violence either.  Under these circumstances, even though our government would be able to contain this violence and put it down, this would be a terrible blow to our fragile democracy.

As Vice President Kamala Harris said during her recent interview with Reverend Al Sharpton, “…On the other hand, our democracy is fragile; it is only as strong as we are willing to fight for it.”  Accordingly, the decisions surrounding whether to hold Mr. Trump to account must ultimately be made.  And if this, for whatever reasons, should create a violent response from Mr. Trump’s followers then it will be a fight that we must have to preserve our fragile democracy.

Can you believe it, even while I am telling you how tired I am of writing about Mr. Trump, I am writing about Mr. Trump.  Having said that, let’s leave everything Trump behind for now and talk about what is in store for your reading pleasure that the title of this article alludes to.

M2: Street Cop To Top Cop is the title of my latest yet to be published novel.  Following is the excerpt that I mentioned.  There could be more to follow so stay tuned:

 

M2: Street Cop to Top Cop

Chapter 1

 

M2 had been working the 11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. shift for more than five years and intended to remain there until he no longer enjoyed it.  He enjoyed this shift because he liked watching the many different nuances of the people who were a part of the Colfax Avenue night life.   As he watched them, he could not help but to reflect on what Colfax Avenue was like during his younger days.

He thought about its mystique back then, how Colfax was once filled with prostitutes plying their trade and how it was filled with topless bars that the men, including him, were drawn to like moths to flame.

He was a divorcé so the hours that he worked did not matter.  He had plenty of women that he found interesting and who were interested in him but he was not in a committed relationship.  He and the women that he was intimate with were in it for the fun, excitement, and sex, he thought.  It was a mutually beneficial thing.  They also partied together and went to dinner and a movie form time-to-time and, for him, this made their spending time together feel more like a real relationship.  He felt that if that was not enough and they did not like the hours that he worked they could move on.

This particular night, he was cruising east on Colfax Avenue daydreaming about those days gone by and enjoying the evening while making routine observations of his surroundings when a northbound car zipped through a red light followed closely by a sports utility vehicle.

M2 was suddenly fully alert.  He heard a bullet whiz past his right ear, whizzzzzz, watched the glass in his windshield splinter, and then heard a pop, pop, pop as the two vehicles sped by and quickly began to fade from sight!  Although all of this happened in a few seconds it seemed as if it were occurring in supper slow motion.

With the skill and precision of a veteran police officer, M2 steered his cruiser northbound onto Downing Street, turned on his overhead lights and siren, and began pursuit of the two vehicles.  He barked out the situation to dispatch as he quickly accelerated.  “Shots fired!  In pursuit of two vehicles northbound on Downing Street from Colfax Avenue!  Red BMW pursued by white Cadillac SUV!  Shots fired by occupant in white Cadillac!”

While dispatch began to alert other police officers of the situation M2 focused all of his attention on the developing situation.  By now, he was gaining ground on the two vehicles.  His adrenaline had kicked in and he was completely on the job.

By the time that the vehicles turned east onto 32nd Avenue, he had completely closed the gap.  Someone in the Cadillac SUV must have spotted him because they immediately broke off their chase of the BMW and headed north on Marion Street.

Things had happened so quickly that no back-up had yet fallen in line behind M2.  He had to make a decision so immediately decided to pursue the Cadillac because the shooter was in it.  He passed this information on to dispatch.

The SUV continued to speed north on Marion Street until it reached Brighton Boulevard where it made a right and headed toward I-70.  By this time a number of other cruisers had fallen in line behind M2.  When the SUV reached the I-70 on ramps, it headed east on I-70.  Once he was on the highway he floored it; it was pedal to the metal.  Although there was a significant amount of traffic on I-70, the driver in the SUV drove as if there was no tomorrow.

Because of the dangerous situation, M2 opted to call off the chase and informed Dispatch of his decision.  The SUV was later found abandoned in a Walmart parking lot located near I-70 and Tower Road.  Needless to say, the vehicle had recently been reported stolen.  As it turned out, the outcome associated with the BMW was no better.  It was found abandoned in the Park Hill area and it too had been reported stolen.  Upon being informed of the outcome the following day, M2’s thoughts were; Just another day in paradise.  He loved his job!

Matt Morgan had been a police officer for 18 years and still had not made Private First class.  It was not because he was not intelligent enough to be promoted but because he refused to kiss ass.  Although this lack of promotion bothered him at times it had not yet bothered him enough to make him fall in line.

During the time that he had been on the police force his fellow police officers had begun to call him M2 rather than Matt, Morgan, or Matt Morgan.  To Matt, this sounded like a name that should belong to a robot.  He found this to be rather ironic because they were more like robots than he was.  They were the ones who fell in line and kissed ass in order to get promoted; not him.  Nonetheless, he accepted this moniker and had even grown to like it.

I hope that you enjoyed the read and that it took your mind off politics and Mr. Trump at least for a little while.  Again, stay tuned, there could be more excerpts to follow!

Eulus Dennis – author, M2: Street Cop To Top Cop, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

Are political scruples (PS) just bulls*** (BS) when it comes to securing political contributions?  I mean really – I’m not joking; are PS just BS when it comes to money (the king) and clinging to power?!  When presented with a choice of standing on principles and serving their constituents or taking the money and doing whatever is necessary to remain in power, do politicians just cast their constituents to the wind and get their hustle on?

The answer to this rhetorical question is “they take the money and do whatever is necessary to remain in power.”  If this is not the correct answer, the actions of our politicians – especially since the time that Donald J. Trump was elected to office up until now, certainly make it appear to be.

Because when it comes to money and remaining in power, a switch seems to trip in politicians’ minds that says to hell with constituents, it’s imperative that I get reelected so that I can continue to serve them.  Continue to not serve them would be the appropriate wording under these circumstances.  In their eagerness to justify bowing to the king they drone on in their efforts at critical thinking.

I can’t risk being replaced by someone who doesn’t know how things work here in Washington and would run afoul of their colleagues by insisting on representing their constituents rather than adhering to party norms and traditions; yes, I have got to get my hustle on. And this applies to all politicians whether they are accustomed to wearing suits or black robes…  These politicians unspoken mantra?  Show me the money!

This kind of thing is especially hard on regular Americans since the dawn of the Trump political era.  Truth (the truth is what I say it is), lies (alternative facts), “my generals”, “my judges”, “my R congressmen”, “my documents.”  Mine, mine, mine!  Divisiveness, hate, anger and fear.  A ball of confusion; helter-skelter.  And then there are these Trump infamous statements; “I’m the most honest human being, perhaps, that God has ever created.”  “I’m the only one that matters.” And, “It is election interference, & the Supreme Court Must intercede. MAGA!”

This is Trump’s America and what his politics is all about!  This is Trumpworld!  This is a former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America who has been involved in more than 3,000 lawsuits, has been twice impeached, is a convicted criminal and is facing multiple indictments that could involve felony charges and prison time.

His latest indictment was handed up on August 1, 2023 for interfering in the 2020 election; United States of America v. Donald J. Trump.  Nevertheless, Mr. Trump is supported by the Republican Party, the majority of Republican voters and is on trajectory to be the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.  According to recent polls, He is polling at +43 points ahead of his nearest challenger, Governor Ron DeSantis, and is holding steady or gaining ground with each new indictment.

This latest indictment, because it is replete with evidence and has witnesses who can corroborate this evidence, seems to have placed Mr. Trump in an untenable position.  But the American people must never underestimate the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America because he is a proven true, although infamous, phenomenon: he is a modern-day Houdini!

He is likely already thinking along the line of “my judges” – including Supreme Court Justices, “my R congressmen”, truth (the truth is what I say it is), lies (alternative facts) and how he can use divisiveness, hate, anger and fear to his advantage.  And if none of these things work to prevent him from ultimately being convicted and sent to prison, then he is sure to have a plan B, C, D etc.

Just like I am aware, and likely many who read this article are as well, that even if Mr. Trump is convicted and given a prison sentence, he could still run for president from prison.  Even then – if he is elected, even if he could carry out his duties as The Donald J. Trump of the United States of American from prison it is unlikely that this would occur.

His sentence would at the very least need to be placed on hold and he would be released from prison during his tenure as the Occupier of the Oval Office.  On day one of his new term as The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America, everyone knows that he would try to pardon himself.

The American people must not allow Mr. Trump to have a second opportunity to convert America from a democracy to an autocracy.  It is far too risky.  That is why every American should read the indictment of Mr. Trump for his interference in the 2020 election that was handed up by the Grand Jury on August 1, 2023.  It is reasonable to assume that no one who is a Trump sycophant, Trump supporter or closet Trump supporter will ever read this article but if you do, you too are included in that previously mentioned “every American.”

For your convenience, you can click on this PBS page link and it will bring up the full indictment so that you can read it to help you decide for yourself if Mr. Trump was indicted strictly for political reasons as his followers have claimed.  Or, if you prefer not to click on the provided link, type https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2023/08/trump-indictment.pdf into your browser and that also will bring up the indictment.

On the trial date and going forward until he is either found innocent or guilty, Mr. Trump will receive a fair trial.  He should be assumed innocent until it is proven otherwise.  The American democracy is at stake in this trial so all Americans must put aside our personal political preferences, biases and differences as regards the direction in which America is traveling and whether a D or R precedes a politician’s name, and move forward together to keep our Republic.

And for any politician who opts to get their hustle on rather than stand up for America and to represent their constituents, they should be voted out of office whenever they come up for reelection.  As for the Supreme Court Justices who believe that congress cannot regulate them; if they will not reasonably regulate themselves through written policies, then congress must prove to them that it can regulate them.

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