Beyoncé (Bey) has gone country with two new singles, Texas Hold Em and Sixteen Carriages.  These singles are topping the country music charts and are sure to generate lots of new country music fans around the world including in Texas.  If those country music lovers in Texas – Black, White, and all hues in between who are in hiding come out, can Texas hold em?!  Can you, Texas?!

I posted an article to this blog back in February 2017 stating how I love country music, how I regularly pluck out a few country tunes on my ole guitar, and why I never attended a concert of any of my favorite country singers.  You can click on the link above if you would like to read that article.

I’m really hyped about seeing what impact Beyoncé’s new country music album, especially her two new country singles that she has already released, will have on country music overall.  I’m just as hyped about seeing how many Black country music lovers it will bring out of hiding; if there are any, because – don’t tell anybody I said this, I was in hiding for a while back in the early 1970s.

I was young then and wasn’t sure whether I wanted my buddies to know how much I liked, and regularly listened to, country music.  That was when I didn’t know better.  But since I learned better, which was a long time ago, I have tried to turn my friends and relatives on to it but I have had little success.  Some of those friends and relatives live in Texas.

I have even had less than “little success” when I have tried to get them to listen to me pluck out a few tunes on my ole (or new) guitar.  They all manage to find some polite reason not to listen or just stealthily remove themselves from the room.  To be fair, maybe those friends and relatives in Texas already liked country music and just did not want to listen to my version of it.

Either way, I can’t wait to see if there are any changes in their perspective toward country music since Bey burst onto the country scene.  My wife really likes Beyoncé but she did not need the Beyoncé nudge to listen to me play.  So, to be fair to her, she was not among those who would find a polite reason to not listen to me play or stealthily remove themselves from the room, at least most of the time she wasn’t, when I would throw down with a few of my favorite country tunes.  Just to be clear, I am sure that even if the remainder of these friends and relatives had a complete change of heart about country music because of Beyoncé, that does not mean that they would now be willing to listen to me pluck out a few tunes.

They will probably regret their polite excuses and stealthiness when I make it to the big time – like Beyoncé, and they ask for my autograph and I snub them.  But that is a different story for a different time.  However, before I leave this subject, I want to clearly state that the “they” mentioned above does not include my wife.  I don’t know why I felt the need to make that abundantly clear but I did.

Anyway, should any of these new-country-music-loving bumpkins (they are from the inner city and suburbs but it is fair to call them bumpkins) come running to me asking me to pluck out a few tunes for them once I have made it, I am going to really make them beg.  I am going to find release for all those years of them ducking out on me before I play for them.  Don’t tell them I said that, okay?  But like I said, that is a different story for a different time.

I think that Beyoncé is going to do a lot to attract new fans of all colors to the country music genre.  I will likely have to wait awhile to see how much impact it will have on the mindset of my relatives’ and friends’ attitude toward my ole (or new) guitar, me, and my plucking out tunes for them.  But when that time comes, remember what I just told you about how I am going to handle that situation.  Again – just as a polite reminder, don’t tell them I said that, okay?

I imagine that, just like in my post back in February 2017 that I provided you the link to, you are probably asking yourself; since this is a political blog, what does this article have to do with politics?  Well, it has to do with the same rationale that I gave you in that article.  You will have to read the article to get the rationale.  So, go ahead and read it; I believe that you will enjoy it and it will take your mind away from all the negative, stressful politics that Americans are currently faced with.

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

Democrats are soooooo concerned about appearing to be non-partisan in their politics that they allow Republicans to run roughshod over them.  Democrats have always been this way and they continue to be even though they are dealing with a completely transformed Republican Party led by Donald J. Trump.  This new Republican Party, based upon the way it is conducting itself, is arguably now the Anti-Democracy Party (ADP).

Yes, you read it right.  The old GOP could now well be the ADP.  Can you believe it?  Can you believe that most Republicans have circled the wagons around Trump and are supporting him despite the four legal cases and 91 counts that he is faced with?  Despite that he said that he would not defend a NATO ally if they were attacked and then encouraged Russia to attack them?  Under these circumstances, Democrats are the sole roadblock standing between Trump and his hellbent determination to turn America into an Autocratic country.

Do you remember what James Comey did to Hillary Clinton?  Do you remember how Former Attorney General Bill Barr handled the Mueller Report and how it impacted on the truth and the Democratic Party?  Do you remember how the appointment of Delaware United States Attorney David Weiss, who was appointed by Attorney General Merick Garland and later appointed Special Counsel in the case, to investigate Hunter Biden impacted the Democratic Party and continues to impact it?

Even if you do not remember any of these examples, surly you remember this recent one.  The one where Special Counsel Robert Hur – who was also appointed by Attorney General Garland, included negative, unnecessary personal opinion remarks about President Biden’s mental acuity in his final investigative report.  This report was on his investigation into classified documents that were found stored in President Biden’s garage.  According to some staunch conservatives, Special Counsel Hur broke long-held Department of Justice rules when he voiced his personal opinion of President Biden in this report.

Two attorneys who reviewed Special Counsel Hur’s report and summarized it with one of their own to make it more understandable to laypersons elicited the following comment from MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell.  Every time that [Special Counsel Robert Hur] mentioned innocent or unintentional in his report he couched it in language that made it appear tongue-in-cheek or to mean the opposite.   The attorneys who summarized Special Counsel Hur’s report stated that the conclusion in his report to not prosecute President Biden made it appear that this was at his prosecutorial discretion when it was actually because he did not have a provable case.  They further said that all this information that brought Special Counsel Hur to arrive at this conclusion should have been stated at the beginning of the report even though it was dispersed throughout it.

Attorney General Garland could have instructed Special Counsel Hur to remove these unnecessary negative remarks but he did not.  Had he done it, there is no doubt that he would have received blowback from Republicans saying that his redactions were politically motivated.  All things considered, whether you believe that these things were done purposely by these individuals because they are all Republicans or it was simply happenstance is obviously up to you.  However – in my humble opinion and, in the vernacular, these things certainly look, walk, and talk like ducks; so…they must be ducks.

The bottom line?  These Trump-led Republicans have no shame.  Shame is not in their vocabulary so to them shame does not exist.  They know ahead of time that they will be ridiculed for their actions but they move forward with them anyway.  They do this because they know that once they have said the words they cannot be called back into their mouth; they know that once they have written and promulgated words, they cannot be unpublished; and in the end, it does not matter to them anyway because as Donald J. Trump Toadies, they know that they must win at all costs.  The end justifies the means, and these things are simply a conglomerate of means to ends until they achieve their goal.  Anytime that one goal is achieved, they focus their attention on the next one and continue to press forward.  The process is perpetual.

We Democrats know what Republicans are doing to us, yet our only response has been to wring our hands.  This lack of action has garnered negative comments from some Party members.  It is hard to hear some of the things that James Carvel and other Democrats are saying about the Democratic Party even though they are true.  Among the things that they are saying is that in some ways Democrats must become tougher, more hard-nosed, and partisan just like the Republicans.  They need to become less concerned about appearances, especially since the GOP is no longer the conservative Party that it once was but has now become the Trump-led GOP that seems to prefer autocracy over democracy.  Instead, they must become more concerned about using all the legal, nonviolent tools available to them to keep America a democracy.

The Republican Party’s primary priority is to maintain its power.  Based on how it has consistently conducted itself over the years, it is reasonable to conclude that they view Democrats’ determination to compromise and be as non-partisan as possible to govern as a weakness.  Accordingly, they regularly seek to exploit this supposed weakness anytime that it suits their Party’s purposes; it is viewed as simply a means to an end.

As if these domestic problems confronting President Biden and the Democratic Party were not enough of a distraction during this presidential election year, there are global problems which they must contend with as well.  All these problems are exacerbated by Republicans for political gain.  And to make matters worse while Democrats are trying to address these problems, Republicans are doing everything that they can to block any potential progress.  Republicans claim that they want to work with Democrats to govern but all the while they continue to stir this toxic domestic and global Republican brew to assure that as much turmoil as possible will remain in the public eye.

Republicans have proven time-and-again that they are not interested in governing and seriously seeking solutions; e.g., they rejected the bipartisan senate bill that Republicans requested and a bipartisan committee worked on for nearly four months, without even reading it.  This bill contained badly needed funding for Israel, Ukraine, and Tiawan.  The lack of funding for Ukraine has stifled Ukraine’s progress in their war against Russia – straining the American Ukrainian relationship, and the situation in Israel, with or without this funding that Republicans are blocking, has put President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at odds with one another.

Since this new Trump-led Republican Party is pro-Russia in this war, and because Prime Minister Netanyahu is more closely linked with these Republicans than he is with Democrats, he does not seem to be concerned that he is creating strong, negative backlash against President Biden for how he is handling the war in Gaza.  As a result, Republicans are happy to continue business as usual because it is good for Trump.  The way that Republicans are conducting themselves is not normal.  And that many Americans are supporting Trump even though he has said that he wants to be a dictator, believe that violence is acceptable to put him back in office and say that it is worth a civil war to achieve this is freighting.

Those Americans who want America to remain a democracy must wake up and realize how serious the situation is.  Trump is an expert at exploiting chaotic situations and using them to his advantage.  He has already demonstrated an uncanny ability to lull Americans to sleep while he works his Trumpian wizardry on them.  Reasonable Americans have been mesmerized by him and have become his toadies only to realize too late that he is exactly who he has shown them he is.

Some among these Americans, although they have been lulled to sleep, already know exactly who Trump is but have chosen to ally with him anyway.  This is because, out of the human instinct to survive, the impulse to acquiesce to the need to support the divisiveness buried deep within them demands that they submit to the acceptance of the hate of others if that is what survival demands.  Accordingly, all of this is driven by their fear, that is just below the surface within them, of the Trump-driven chaos and turmoil which implies that people of color are trying to take “their” country from them.  These Americans are terrified by the changing color of America from white to black and its various hues.

Wake up, America; so far, Trump is winning!  The verdict that Judge Engoron rendered yesterday, February 16, 2024, against Donald J. Trump was the first step toward Holding Trump accountable for the numerous unlawful acts he has committed.  Now it is our turn as voters to also hold him to account as a politician.  Using all the lawful, nonviolent tools available to us, we must do our part to keep America a democracy and assure that she remains great!  We must turn out and vote in the 2024 election and keep Trump out of the White House!

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

Donald J. Trump, the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America – figuratively speaking, has declared war on America.  With the way that he has so adroitly manipulated the United States justice system into twisting itself into a complex, judicial pretzel and tying itself into knots is, well, amazing!  As of the writing of this article, he has successfully prevented three of the four cases against him from moving forward as scheduled without knowing when the current proceedings will continue or the scheduling of a new trial date.

But since Trump is the king of chaos and thrives in it, he is likely not so amazed by what he has done and is surprised and bemused as to why all the rest of America is so shocked by this feat.  Most of the mainstream media are saying things like although it is important that Trump is found innocent or guilty in one or more of the four cases he is faced with before Election Day in 2024, the courts do not run on political time.  It is no surprise that they and practically the entire federal government are putting a positive spin on things.

However, knowing whether Trump is a convicted felon before Election Day could be crucial in determining the election outcome.  Many Americans who at this point say that they will vote for him say they will not vote for him if he is convicted.  Based on what Trump has done and what he is saying that he will do if he is elected in 2024, it is arguable that he has not just figuratively but literally declared war on America.  He is an existential threat to the American democracy.

Trump is unlike any other man, in a negative way, that has held the title of the highest office in the land; President of the United States of America.  Trump has an affinity for all the strongmen in the world – especially the more powerful among them – and he seems to bask in his own erosive impact on the American democracy.  No, there are no tanks rolling down American streets followed by numerous American soldiers preparing to assure that his will shall be done in every part of the country…yet.

Although he regularly employs divisiveness, fear, hate, racism, and misogynistic language in his speechmaking, most of what he is doing to get elected as president again – though despicable, seems legal.  I say “seems legal” rather than “is legal” because I am not a lawyer and am simply expressing my opinion.  It is reasonable to say that Trump has already taken control of the Republican Party, is the leader and face of it and has turned them into the anti-democracy party.  They have become oblivious to political norms in governance and have basically refused to govern.

These lawmakers have abandoned their duty to fulfill their oath of office and have elected to follow Trump rather than do the business of the American people.  Trump has mesmerized all these Republican elected officials in Washington and around America and a large swath of Americans throughout the country.  Who is this person that has dubbed himself “the chosen one” and “perhaps the most honest person that God has ever created?”  Who is he, really?  The answer is painfully obvious since he has already shown everyone who he really is.  Everyone just has to believe him!

But the Republican elected officials and that “large swath” of Americans throughout the country do not believe him.  This is obvious because they have circled the wagons around him even though he has broken every American political norm, has flagrantly attacked the American democracy and continues to do so.  They look upon this as political baggage that is part-and-parcel to a means to an end and, therefore, must be acceptable.

I oftentimes hear in the media that what these Republican elected officials are doing is “good politics.”  Can watching America implode upon herself be good politics?!  Would someone in this media please define “politics” for the rest of America and explain to us what “good politics is?!  Can it really be distorting the truth, accepting all lies, and normalizing these things as long as they are coming from a politician and benefits them and/or their Party politically?!

American voters are exhausted and Trump and his sycophants know it.  They are waiting for these voters to admit defeat and just quit.  He and his sycophants are confident that voters will do this so they are emboldened.  They are saying all the despicable things out loud that the Trump-led Republican Party stands for.  It does not matter that many of these elected Republicans may be good American officials who just want to hold on to power at all cost with the intention of reverting to true conservativism when the time is right and then working to govern and make fair and reasonable change when that time is right.

It does not matter that many people among this large swath of Americans throughout the country may have this same kind of good intentions.  What truly matters is whether these “good American officials” and “large swath” of Americans throughout the country are for or against the American democracy.  If those in either of these two groups are against democracy then those Americans who are for democracy must be against them.

Trump, even without an army, has proven that he is a formidable adversary.  And he is an adversary if he is against the American democracy.  And if he is against democracy then he – like any of those in the previously mentioned two groups who are against democracy, must be held to account for that position.  And those Americans who are for democracy must be against him and resist him with every non-violent, legal weapon available to them.  American voters must not grow weary and quit.

Instead, they must be determined to see the 2024 election cycle through until the end.  They must refuse to quit and work even harder to defeat Trump, his sycophants and all of those who want America to become something other than the democracy that she is now.  And for those who believe, like Trump, that he is the better choice between President Joe Biden and himself, should he become the Republican nominee, and that it would be good to have a strongman run America; I implore you to educate yourself on the situation and not just via Fox News and only other conservative media.

The American democracy is at stake and will be on the 2024 ballot.  With so much at stake it is imperative that all voters expand their horizons and go beyond their normal methods of how they approach and consume news.  They must educate themselves to the greatest extent possible on the issues and political situation before they cast their ballot.  It is crucial that in 2024 they make their decision on who will be the United States president based on facts and not soundbites or the “D” or “R” that precedes the candidates’ name.

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