Take a few minutes and thoroughly contemplate the current situation with governance in America. Take a long, hard look at the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America. Take a long hard look at the United States congress. And finally, take a long hard look at the Supreme Court of the United States of America (SCOTUS).
Ask yourself if you are or should be concerned about the four indictments and 91 criminal charges that Mr. Trump is facing. Then ask yourself, am I comfortable with the amount of control and influence that Mr. Trump has on the Republican led congress, that he is in essence running it through a few right-wing extremist congressmen, that the House Republican majority is being held hostage by that minority and as a result, that minority is running congress under the leadership of Mr. Trump. It is reasonable to assume that your answer should be no.
Now, shift your attention away from Mr. Trump, the four indictments and 91 criminal charges that he is facing and focus it on the SCOTUS. Contemplate its current situation. Reflect on the fact that its approval rating is at the lowest in U.S. history. Reflect on the possible effect that the drip, drip negative revelations about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his relationship to billionaires who have, have had or are likely to have cases addressed by the Court will have on the American public. Ask yourself, will this drive trust in the SCOTUS even lower? Will there be more negative revelations about Justice Thomas’ wife Ginni? And it is not a secret that there is at least one other Justice, Samuel Alito, on the Court who is said to be involved in things with billionaires like those as Justice Thomas that have already raised eyebrows.
During his one term as The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America, Mr. Trump was able to nominate and have three nominees appointed to the SCOTUS thereby giving the Court a supermajority of conservative justices. Further, the SCOTUS is likely to soon address and/or rule on several matters and cases that could have a major impact on governance in America. Among those possible matters and cases is the Chevron deference test. This is a principle of administrative law that refers to the judicial doctrine of deferring to the legal interpretation of an executive agency.
For instance – as regards Chevron deference, currently the SCOTUS would defer to the interpretation of an executive agency such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) when a dispute arises rather than the courts, including the SCOTUS, having to address each dispute.
Of course, it is somewhat more complicated than this quick explanation but that is the gist of it. The point is that the Koch billionaires allegedly are interested in changing, if not eliminating, Chevron deference. According to recent reports, Justice Clarence Thomas has secretly participated in at least two Koch Network Donor events. This raises questions about whether Justice Thomas should recuse and has the potential of bringing trust in the SCOTUS down even further.
Congress will need to address the issues involving the SCOTUS if it cannot or is unwilling to address them itself. And right now, it appears that the SCOTUS has no intention of addressing them. This creates another problem because currently the House of Representatives is in complete chaos and is amid a downward spiral. Speaker Kevin McCarthy has lost control of his caucus and there are no signs that he will be able to regain control of it.
Just like he sold all the power of the speakership to become Speaker, he is now selling slivers of what is left of it in the form of favors to move what would normally be routine bills, forward in order to avoid a government shutdown. At this point it appears that there will be a shutdown so all Americans should prepare for the consequences that will accompany it.
That’s it. That no doubt did not do a lot to brighten your day but it is news that needed to be shared. It needed to be shared to remind all voters that we must stay in the fight. We must stay in the fight to keep America great and assure that she remains a democracy. How do we do that? Voters can do it through our votes. The rest of the American people who do not vote; whether it is because you are not yet old enough or there is some other reason that prevents you from doing so, you must still make your voices heard. Mr. Trump and his toadies would like nothing better than to see voters and all the American people grow weary and quit.
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! And now, M2: Street Cop To Top Cop Excerpt 5: For Your Reading Pleasure. This is the final excerpt. Enjoy.
M2: Street Cop To Top Cop Excerpt 5
It was the weekend and Charles was at home relaxing in his bed while sipping on a glass of chilled champagne. He was winded and his body glistened with sweat. The silk sheet felt cool against his skin as it rested down near his waistline. He was perfectly content! A beautiful young woman, also sipping champagne, was relaxing beside him: her name was Candice. She must have felt content as well because with each sip of champagne she made what was an almost purring sound and pressed hard against Charles and wriggled her upper body in small circles. Charles was enjoying every second of this because it made him feel like his work had been a job well done.
After they finished their bottle of champagne and went a few more rounds between the sheets, Charles suggested that they have some breakfast. I’m famished, let’s have something to eat, he said as he got out of bed, tossed on a robe then walked toward the bedroom door. Candice swiftly followed him.
Great idea. I hope that you plan on doing the cooking, she said.
By now Charles had been seeing Candy – that’s what he often called her, and with good reason as far as he was concerned – for about six months so he knew that she could not cook. If she can cook, she does an excellent job of pretending that she can’t, he thought.
I’m not making any promises about cooking but I will put something together for us to eat.
That’s good enough for me. After we eat we can get back to doing more fun things like… Candice did not add anything further but instead paused briefly in a seductive pose and gave him a come-on look.
Don’t tempt me or we may never reach the kitchen!
Candice laughed. For what I have in mind, it’s imperative that we reach the kitchen because you will need all of your strength; hopefully, that will be sufficient.
Follow me then, Charles said as he headed toward the kitchen. Then he added, I can’t wait to see what you have in mind.
When Charles arrived at Winston Morgan and Morgan on Monday morning his secretary could not help but to notice his radiance.
Good morning, Mr. Morgan; you seem to be in an extraordinarily good mood this morning. You’re glowing! Was this a special weekend, Cindy asked?
Charles flashed a quick smile. No it wasn’t, Cindy. I guess I just put a little extra oomph into my exercise regimen this weekend he said as he continued past her and into his office. He closed the door behind him to discourage any follow-up questions that she might have.
I have no doubt that you did, Cindy thought as she glared at the closed door. She was not unfamiliar with the ‘as if he were walking on air strut’ and glowing aura that Charles projected because there was a time when she had been responsible for it: she had been that extra oomph in his exercise regimen.
Although she and Charles still had sex from time-to-time, even at the office during regular business hours, it was no longer the same kind of hot and passionate sex that produced the air she witnessed this morning. She wanted what they had before but since she still enjoyed their occasional sex, she had accepted the thought that this was probably as good as it would get. Besides, she thought, this is not a bad trade-off because I’m still earning really good money and continuing to get really good salary increases every year. Then she dismissed her thoughts about Charles and refocused on her work.
Cindy always took coffee in to Charles as soon as he arrived with the exception of the times when he immediately closed his door. He usually only did this when he was troubled by something whether it was business or personal. Although she knew that this wasn’t the case today, since he closed his door, she followed protocol and did not bother him. About fifteen minutes later he opened his door.
Cindy, would you bring me a cup of coffee, he asked cheerfully?
Right away, Mr. Morgan, she responded. She was always formal like this unless her office door was closed. When she took his coffee to him everything seemed to be normal. Will there be anything else, she asked?
No, that will be all.
While Charles sat in his office and sipped his coffee he reflected on the time that he and Candice spent together during the weekend. He knew that Cindy had a pretty good idea that he had been with a woman over the weekend because of her comment to him when he arrived. Women just seem to know those kind of things; especially those that you are intimate with, he thought as he took another sip of his coffee. He also felt sure that Candice would never be anything to him other than a beautiful young woman that he could enjoy spending time with at his leisure.
Eulus Dennis – author, M2: Street Cop To Top Cop, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line