The presidential and post-presidential era of Donald J. Trump impacted on every facet of the United States government.  Among the components that it impacted is the Supreme Court of the United States of America (SCOTUS).  It impacted the SCOTUS in such a way that Americans can no longer depend on the SCOTUS to make decisions on cases based solely upon the law.

Instead, it appears that some SCOTUS justices make their decisions based on, what I will coin and refer to as the Trump Formula: and it is buckling under its weight.  The Trump Formula is; D = CLT².  In this formula, D is decision, C is case, L is law, and T is Trump; that is, Decision = Case x Law x Trump squared.  And no decision can be made without giving full consideration and weight to Donald J. Trump’s opinion of what a right or wrong decision is and then increasing that consideration and weight exponentially.

Figuratively speaking, the pillars that support the high standards of the SCOTUS, this once great and highly esteemed institution, are being strained to the edge of collapse due in great part to the Trump Formula and Trump’s influence on the SCOTUS itself.  Not only that, but the foundation of the SCOTUS is replete with cracks and out-of-place pieces that have been chipped away during this presidential and post-presidential era of want-to-be dictator, Donald J. Trump.

Trump has said publicly that if reelected “I would be a dictator…but only for a day.”  Any American who believes the “but only for a day” part of this quote needs to take a closer look at Trump’s record; a more appropriate word in his case might be jacket.  Jacket is the term that is very often used when law enforcement is referring to a criminal’s record.  Yet, while all this is happening, this current Republican party – which is now the party of Trump, continues to support Trump and is doing absolutely nothing to prevent the demise of a key component of the foundation of the American government.

No American should ever want any facet of the American government to fail: And most of us do not.  Unfortunately, there are some Americans who do want it to fail and they are working hard trying to assure that it will.  Many of these Americans are elected officials and many of these elected officials are Donald J. Trump sycophants.  It does not matter to them that Trump is a want-to-be dictator or whether he becomes one.  What matters to them is that his policies and what he does to shape America are in line with their way of thinking.  It appears that if they are then he will have their full support.

This situation is among the key reasons why it is so important that Americans need the SCOTUS to operate based on those high principles and standards that existed prior to the presidential and post-presential era of Trump and make their decisions based upon the law and not the Trump Formula.  Let me be clear, the reason why it is so urgent right now for the SCOTUS to return to these high principles and standards is because it is highly possible that it will play a part in Trump’s plan.

The first trial that Trump will likely face is currently scheduled to begin on March 4, 2024.  Trump has claimed complete immunity to all charges because, at the time that the things that he is accused of doing occurred, he was the Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  Judge Tanya Chutkan, the presiding judge in this trial has denied Trump’s claim.  True to form, Trump has filed an appeal and that requires that all proceedings be stopped until he receives a decision on that appeal.  Enter the SCOTUS.

As a result of Trump’s appeal, Special Counsel Jack Smith has asked the SCOTUS to bypass the appellate court and take this case on immediately.  This would save time and help to maintain the integrity of the March 4, 2024 trial date.  The obvious problem here is a SCOTUS that has lost the trust of the American people: will they rule based upon the law or based upon the Trump Formula?  Remember the ruling that overturned Roe vs. Wade?!

There was a time before the presidential and post-presidential era of Trump that the answer to this Trump Formula question would have been obvious; of course, the SCOTUS would rule based upon the law.  However, under these current circumstances where Trump has an outsized influence on American politics and the SCOTUS, the answer to this question is not a given.  And since it appears that the SCOTUS will agree to accept Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request to bypass the appellate court, expedite their consideration of a ruling on Trump’s appeal and immediately render their decision, the SCOTUS’s potential decision will determine whether Trump’s plan is successful.

What is Trump’s plan?  Anyone who is accustom to regularly executing their civic responsibility of voting – even if they do not follow politics closely, knows by now Trump’s situation.  If they have done the slightest bit of research, they also know Trump’s reputation so know that he is a prolific liar, been sued numerous times and typically tends to drag out litigation to a point that is favorable to him so that he is able to win, and thus, survive.

Drag out the litigation process; that is Trump’s plan and that is what he is trying to do right now to survive the five indictments and 91 criminal charges that he is faced with.  He is trying to hold on until he becomes the Republican 2024 presidential nominee and then, possibly be reelected The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  If he is reelected, after that he will have much more power and much greater influence to mitigate these indictments and charges or simply make them disappear.

There is still a strong chance that Donald J. Trump could be reelected and once again be The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  If American voters do not step back real soon, see the big picture, and realize the grave mistake that they will be making if they put Trump back into office, there is an extremely high chance that America will not remain a democracy.  As voters, we hold the power to stop Trump, this want-to-be dictator, from achieving his goal to become America’s first dictator.

As responsible voters who want to keep America a democracy, we have an obligation to get involved now and stay involved until we can help to assure by any legal and peaceful means necessary, that neither Trump nor any of his sycophants who, like him, want to destroy democracy, will become president.  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

There are those in the media who have labeled Donald Trump as a – fill in as many blanks as you would like that you can recall that have been publicly stated – stupid prolific liar.  And the media are not the only ones who have relished in heaping these labels upon him.  Likely most other Americans who are not loyal Trump sycophants, MAGA folks and or supportive evangelicals have used these labels as well when referring to him.

This could be due to pure frustration with America’s inability to effectively deal with this one man who is a clear and present danger to democracy.  Or, it could be because he has forced virtually all Republican politicians and all America’s most powerful men to bend the knee to him.  Both these things would have been completely unthinkable before the presidential era of Trump.  Or, it could be out of pure frustration with Trump’s seeming ability to defy all stress-related factors that apply to normal human beings: Normal human beings who – when they have been cornered and found to be lying, conniving, cheating crooks – cannot help but to confess their wrongdoing.

When Trump is cornered like this and all but endless evidence points to the fact that he is the culprit, like a new and yet unstoppable virus, he engulfs and consumes this evidence and grows stronger.  Then, he adds more lies to the lies that he has already told and the media responds by giving him more coverage because it sells.  They are overwhelmed by their profit motive to the point that it overrides their principal responsibilities to the public.  Possibly, this motive is so demanding to these organizations that it even overrides the moral and principle responsibilities they espouse.  Money is indeed king!

Trump likely loathes all these demeaning names but, secretly, delights in the “stupid” label.  He likes it because while everyone is destressing and, at least to some degree, relieving their frustrations by denigrating him, this “stupid” label is allowing him the freedom and more time to implement and carryout his dastardly deeds.  Trump certainly does not believe that he is stupid – after all, he has a big brain (according to him), consults with himself to make critical decisions and has been labeled a genius by Russian president Vladimir Putin; again, according to him.

And, while whether Trump is stupid is arguable, he certainly is not stupid when it comes to chaos.  He thrives in it!  He outshines everyone!  So, the situation that America is in right now is his home turf.  While the rest of America is flailing and trying to decide what to do in these unprecedented circumstances, Trump is staying the course, sailing along smoothly, and piling more lies on top of those that he has already told.  And the media continues to cover him…and them.  This hurts America and helps Trump.  He is well aware of the fact that, although the media does its best to fact check him, he can lie exponentially while the media can only fact check arithmetically.

All three branches of government are unsure of how to handle Trump and what he is doing to further confuse the American public and confuse these three branches of government, testing their limits.  So far, he must be ecstatic about the results.  The judicial branch, which is essential to help assure that every component of the foundation of the American government operates at its optimum, is especially worth watching at this point because, as a result of what certainly must be their concern and confusion in treading these unprecedented situations, they are allowing Trump to get away with virtual murder.  They are not treating him under the law like they would treat any other American citizen, they are treating him differently. They are treating him special; as if everyone is not equal under the law.

To say that it is a challenge for these branches of government to deal with Trump under the existing circumstances is an understatement; he is the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  This is a constitutional crisis and no one in any of these branches wants to deal with the situation.  They especially do not want to be the first to deal with it.  But it must be dealt with.  It must be dealt with in a timely fashion and sure-handed manner because there is too much chaos and too many Americans are confused.  To address the situation while displaying uncertainty will only hurt America and help Trump.  This is exactly what Trump wants; chaos and uncertainty is his home turf.

Our government must settle on the right way to deal with Trump and the media must figure out a way to cover him effectively and fairly without abandoning the moral and principle standards that they espouse.  America needs a strong two-party system of government to operate at the governments optimum.  However, for this two-party system to be effective in America, the politicians in both parties must operate based on reasonable moral and principle standards.  And above all, these politicians must be pro-democracy.  They cannot be antidemocracy, openly or covertly, if they are to be meaningful, elected officials who take seriously their oath of office and want to truly represent their constituents, the American people.

We, the American people, are responsible for electing the politicians to office and removing them from office when they do not measure up to America’s high democratic standards.  Further, the politicians that we elect are responsible for placing the judges and justices at the highest levels of our judicial system in place.  If we take our civic responsibility as voters seriously and, to the best of our ability, elect politicians who meet America’s high democratic standards to office, we will not only have elected politicians with high standards but – as a result, have judges and justices who are not just politicians in black robes.

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

Well, can you believe it?  The SCOTUS finally succumbed to the great pressure from the public – and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, to establish and abide by a code of ethics.  Or did they?  With the way that they wrote this thing up, it is hard to determine whether the final document is a code of ethics or just a surprise grab-bag of suggestions for this not-so-Supreme Court of justices to take their minds of all of us little people continuously bugging them about this – based on the first paragraph of their proposed code of ethics, “non-issue.”

You have got to check out the opening paragraph of this baby!  This document is a 15-page masterpiece that opens by trying to convince all of us, the American people, that this Supreme Court no code of ethics thing is all just a big “misunderstanding [by the American people] that the justices of this court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by ethics rules.”  Wow!

But that’s not all that the SCOTUS did to cushion the impact to their ego that the public wants them to have a code of ethics just like all the other U.S. courts do.  Not only do they just toss this surprise grab-bag of things that they call a code of conduct out there to cushion the impact to their egos, after all, they are the Supreme Court of the United States, but they fail to establish and articulate any means as to how this “code of conduct” will be enforced.

Once again, wow!  If it appears that I am being unfair and hard on the SCOTUS, I will agree with you that I am being hard on it but I will not agree that I am being unfair.  I will not go into any detail regarding why I am not being unfair other than to say that all the other courts in the United States have a code of ethics and a means of enforcing it so why shouldn’t the highest court in the land have one…and a means of enforcing it?

Indulge me while I mention briefly a few things that some of our SCOTUS justices have done that have raised eyebrows that would likely be subject to review based on the code of ethics if they happened in the lower courts.  Since Justice Clarence Thomas, so far, has been found to be the greatest offender among these justices I will list his offenses first.

According to public reports, 1. GOP megadonor Harlan Crow paid Justice Thomas’ grandnephews tuition and Justice Thomas failed to disclose it.  2. Justice Thomas has received luxury trips nearly every year from a conservative Texas billionaire without disclosing them.  3. Justice Thomas repeatedly claimed income from a real estate company that no longer exists.  4. Justice Thomas received payments from conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo.  5. Justice Thomas refused to recuse from a January 6 case that related to his wife’s role in the insurrection.

As are all other SCOTUS justices – they, along with Justice Thomas are associated with the scandal involving the leak of Justice Samuel Alito’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.  As regards other specific GOP Justices and scandals involving their possible misbehavior, Justice Samuel Alito is involved with scandals most of which are like those of Justice Clarence Thomas’ that involve travel and other gifts from GOP billionaires.  Neil Gorsuch’s sale of a property to the head of a law firm is also among the recent scandals plaguing the SCOTUS.  This list of problems that the SCOTUS currently has that effects its trustworthiness by the American people is by no means exhaustive.

This situation with the SCOTUS is exacerbated by the fact that the Republican party is now the party of Trump and is completely controlled by him.  All the Republican elected officials are afraid of him so have become subservient to him.  The few, like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who were willing to stand up to him have been unceremoniously removed from representing the Republican party as elected officials even if they chose to remain a part of it.  The situation with the SCOTUS is exacerbated by this because the Court has a supermajority of conservatives, three of whom Trump nominated, whom also seem to be willing to do his will.

With two branches of the American government, the judicial and legislative branches, being, at best, reluctant to stand up to Trump and, at worst, unwilling to stand up to him, that leaves only the executive branch and the American people.  This means that it is imperative that all eligible voters make sure that our voices are heard.

It means that the executive branch and those few Republicans in the legislative branch who can summon the courage to do so must join with all the Democrats there and educate the American public as to Trumps exact intensions.  He has stated them openly and without equivocation: He will transform America from a democracy to an Autocracy.  We need all the one-issue voters, especially young people, to understand this because the American democracy is at stake; the American democracy is on the ballot!

Without elected Republican officials who are willing to stand up to Trump and do the right thing and with a SCOTUS that is either reluctant or unwilling to stand up to him, America is in a precarious dilemma.  President Joe Biden is exactly who America needs right now.  Americans need only to look at his accomplishments for our country even under these current dire and challenging circumstances.  He has the experience and acumen that America requires at this time.  He should not be shunned and cast aside because of his age or the gaffes that might be associated with it.

Americans will be able to argue about President Biden’s policies and any other issues we might have and pressure our elected officials to pressure him to make any changes after he is reelected.  If Trump is elected again, this option will not be available concerning any of his policies.  He will make the ultimate decisions regarding policies and the direction that America will take.

Staying at home and not voting because you do not like either presidential candidate that is available to you is not only irresponsible, but it is a vote for Trump.  Be sure to vote no matter your method of choice!  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, M2: Street Cop To Top Cop, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

Republicans have proven unequivocally that the Republican Party cannot govern and, therefore, should not be trusted with power.  From the time that Kevin McCarthy was voted Speaker of the House, after fourteen humiliating failures and finally being handed the gavel on the fifteenth try, the House has been caught up in a downward spiral.  To make matters worse, on the way to get the 218 votes he needed by the fifteenth try, he had bargained away almost all the power of the speakership.  Although he was obviously thrilled to be handed the gavel and crowned with the title Speaker of the House, this gavel and title carried virtually no power.

In his at-all-costs quest to secure the Speaker’s gavel, Congressman McCarthy had bargained away the previously mentioned speakership power to a small group of far rightwing Republicans who appeared to be more interested in their personal agendas than in effective governance.  To gain the Speaker’s gavel, Congressman McCarthy agreed through his bargaining that a “motion to vacate” could be brought by a single congress member rather than the requirement that it be brought by a caucus or conference.

Shortly after Congressman McCarthy became speaker, these far-right wing members began to demand that he fulfill the promises that he had made to them even though they were at odds with what most of the Republican conference wanted:  Let the show begin.  While the government was barreling toward a shutdown if, at the very least House Republicans and Democrats could not agree on a stop-gap measure to give them more time to agree on a long-term deal, most Republicans refused to agree to this.

Some Republicans insisted on a deal that would include no funding for Ukraine.  Others wanted a deal where funding for Ukraine would be okay but the deal would have to include funding for the border wall.  The contemptuous little group of far-rightwing Republicans would not accept the deal unless, among other things, an impeachment inquiry was opened into President Joe Biden.  As for the demands of the true overall Republican Party leader, Donald J. Trump, his mantra was “…UNLESS YOU GET EVERYTHING, SHUT IT DOWN!”  Because Speaker McCarthy could not unify his conference to pass a stop-gap measure, called a continuing resolution (CR), to prevent a government shutdown, he turned to the Democrats to help him pass it.

Although this worked, the previously mentioned contemptuous little group of far-rightwing Republicans was furious.  This prompted Representative Matt Gaetz to threaten to oust Speaker McCarthy from the speakership by introducing a motion to vacate.  It was not like this was the first time that Representative gates had threatened to do this so Speaker McCarthy responded with “bring it.”  Representative Gaetz brought it and responded to Speaker McCarthy’s invitation to “bring it” with “just did.”  The motion passed, a vote was held – and exactly 269 days after congressman McCarthy became Speaker, he was voted out of the job.  Mr. McCarthy had come full circle in the job that he had so much coveted.  He was once again just congressman McCarthy.

So here we are.  Hamas has attacked Israel and hundreds if not thousands of Israelis have died.  And, hundreds of Palestinians have also died or been wounded.  To make matters even worse, some Americans have died and others have been taken hostage.  In the meantime, the House of Representatives does not have a Speaker so the United States is flailing trying to figure out, not only how to help Ukraine but how to help our closest ally, Israel and what should be done about the Americans who died and those that were taken hostage.

Republicans are now in the process of holding meetings to decide on a new Speaker.  They are holding these meetings in private in an effort to avoid a debacle on the House floor like the one that occurred when they elected Kevin McCarthy.  Based on what has transpired in the Republican conference up to this point, a quick selection of a new Speaker will be a daunting task.  After what Republicans have shown you as regards their ability to govern, do you think that they can be trusted with power?!

No one knows for certain what will happen with the wars in Israel and Ukraine.  But all of us know that America must make reasonable, well-informed decisions about them and that America should do what is in our mutual best interest with our allies and other struggling democracies.  All of us know that America must have a functional government to do this and that she cannot do it with a dysfunctional one.

All of us have seen how the Republican Party functions under their chosen leader, Donald J. Trump, and Americans must believe them.  We must believe them because they have boldly and proudly shown all Americans who they are.  And it will be catastrophic if we do not believe them because polls show that Republicans have chosen Donald J. Trump – this twice impeached, four times indicted, disgraced former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America with 91 counts against him, to be their 2024 presidential nominee.

And Trump has already told America and the world what he will do to his domestic enemies if he becomes The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America again.  Further, all inferences indicate that if he is returned to office, this time it will be for life.

Think about it!  And as you think about it, know that your vote has the potential to prevent Trump from returning to office; and that one vote could be the one that will make that difference.  So, we must not grow weary and faint now; instead, we must be even more determined to do what we can to help get out the vote and be sure to vote ourselves.  And all the while that you are doing this you should always remember that 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

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

I’m back.  This time with a quick rundown on politics and policing; with a quick peek into how they relate to Donald J. Trump from my perspective.  After that, I will give you another excerpt from M2: Street Cop To Top Cop: For your reading pleasure.

Rather than talk a lot in detail about politics, and especially policing, from my perspective I am going to provide you with a link to an NAACP article that reveals the origin of modern-day policing.  This article will give you a good foundation to start from to help you understand why the problems with policing throughout America are systemic and not caused by just “a few rotten apples” in the barrel in each police department.  It is the culture of policing that needs to be addressed and changed.

Politics has everything to do with why this problem has not been effectively addressed.  All Americans see that America is polarized.  Many Americans may not realize that this is the case because far too many of our politicians have been afraid to do the right thing and so have been gaslighting us.  They are afraid to do the right thing because they are more concerned about their political ambitions and holding on to the power and perks of their office than they are about governing.  If this gaslighting by politicians is allowed to continue rather than them doing the job that they were elected and sent to Washington to do, America will never learn from her errors, grow stronger and continue to work to become a more perfect union.

What is happening with our elected politicians right now even though there is an existential threat to the American democracy serves to warn every American that a democratic America is not a given: All Americans must work to keep her as such.  This is where the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America comes in.  He is likely thrilled with America’s current situation.  After all, he wants to “make America great again” by taking all Americans back to “the good ole days;” the days when all Americans were not treated equally.

Let there be no doubt, all Americans are not treated equally today… but most Americans are working on changing that.  And although the work to change things has been slow and excruciatingly painful, if we go back to the “good ole days,” even that work and the progress that has been made will be wiped out.  “Good ole days;” good ole days for who?!

The policing of Americans through fair and equal treatment under the law is only one small piece of the puzzle that is America.  But it is an intricate piece among the many pieces that must be assembled in America’s journey to be the best that she can possibly be.  Notwithstanding our political affiliation, let’s work together to put politicians in office who will uphold their oath of office, put America ahead of their personal political ambitions and party and govern.  Let’s put politicians in office who will keep America great!  “Make America great again?”  “Good ole days?”  Hogwash!

That’s it other than the link to the NAACP article that I previously said I would provide you.  And now:

M2: Street Cop To Top Cop Excerpt 4: For your reading pleasure.

M2 was on his way to Veronica’s.  As he drove with the top down on his M6 BMW, he reflected on what a beautiful day that it was.  He was also thinking about Veronica and what would happen once he told her that he was no longer a cop.  He knew that she ‘liked’ him a lot but she ‘loved’ the blue uniform and badge and the power that they represented.  He had decided that he would break that news to her today and he was all but certain that it would be a deal breaker.

Veronica was the only chippie that he had continued to date since his resignation because she was his favorite.  Consequently, he was having a hard time in making the decision to risk losing her before he was sure that he was ready to handle the potential negative outcome should she choose the uniform and badge over him.

His thoughts flipped to the reason why he made the decision to tell Veronica he was no longer a cop; it was Diana Minnelli.  From the time that he met her he had not been able to stop thinking about her.  He had not called her because she was married, which was not like him because something like that usually didn’t matter.  But his gut had told him that she was special.  He briefly reflected on her comment at Civic Center Station when she said that she had to make relief and how, due to his facial expression, she had assured him that it wasn’t what he was thinking.  He also recalled that during their conversation she managed to interject a comment about the imminent dissolution of her brief marriage.  Before he refocused his thoughts on Veronica, he decided that he would call Diana.

M2 turned into the driveway at Veronica’s house and pulled up within a few feet of the closed garage door.  Veronica opened the door before he rang the bell and stood behind it as he entered the house.

She looked extremely desirable, as she always did, when she closed the door and paused briefly so that he could get a good look at her.  Like what you see, she asked?

That goes without saying, M2 responded.

Yeah, but I want to hear it, Veronica said as she approached him sultrily.

I like what I see; I always do, M2 said.

Veronica put her arms loosely around his neck and kissed him.  What’s on your mind, baby, she asked?

M2 decided that rather than get all hot and bothered first and then get let down as soft and easy as the impact of a heavy rock dropped from the top of the Empire State Building – him being the rock, he would go directly to the point of his visit.  Veronica, I resigned and I am no longer a cop, he said.

Veronica looked into his eyes and giggled, stop fooling around, M2, she said.

No, it’s true.  I resigned more than a month ago.

Veronica’s tone became more serious.  Are you serious, she asked?

Yes, I’m serious, M2 said.

Veronica’s sensuous air vanished and her demeanor completely changed.  She softly pushed herself away from him while looking down at the floor and didn’t say anything.

M2 could see that he was right in his assessment about how Veronica would feel about him without the blue uniform and badge.  If he no longer had those, it was a deal breaker.  Tell me what you’re thinking, Veronica, he said.

Veronica continued to stare at the floor and did not immediately respond.  When she shifted her gaze from the floor to M2,  she appeared to be in a daze.  She paused awhile longer before she finally said, M2…  She did not finish her sentence.

There was an awkward pause while M2 waited for her to finish saying what it seemed that she wanted to say.  When she didn’t, he spoke up.  It’s okay, Veronica; I understand.

After M2 broke the silence Veronica, seemingly still in shock, asked, why did you quit?  Everything was so perfect, she said.

I just thought that it was time to go.  When Veronica just continued to gaze at him without saying a word, M2 said – goodbye, Veronica.

Goodbye, M2, she said as she continued to stare at him in amazement.

M2 walked to the door and Veronica followed him.  When he stepped outside, he intended to tell her how sorry he was that things ended this way.  But before he could turn around to say anything, she closed the door.  Without any meaningful elaboration whatsoever, their relationship was over.

M2 felt relieved and felt a new sense of freedom now that the chapter with Veronica in his life was over.  He decided that the next thing he should do was to contact Charles and tell him which option he chose.  After that, he would call Diana.

He took a little more than two weeks to recover from his breakup with Veronica before he called Charles.  The telephone rang only one time before it was answered.

Winston Morgan, and Morgan a pleasant sounding voice said.

This is Matt Morgan; may I speak to Charles please.

Mr. Morgan is in a meeting right now, may I have him return your call when he is available?  Everyone at the firm knew that Matt was Winston Morgan’s son and they also knew, by way of office gossip, that their relationship was a strained one but staff always avoided talking about it openly.

Yes, that will be fine.

Okay, sir; I will be sure that he gets the message.

Thank you, M2 replied and hung up.  He reflected briefly on the major step that he was about to take in joining his father’s law firm and tried to imagine what working for him would be like.  He cringed at the thought and immediately dismissed it out of concern that he would change his mind.  He did not want to do that because he had no doubt that this option was the best one for him at this point in his life.

Stay tuned for more political news and the next exciting excerpt of M2: Street Cop To Top Cop.

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

For many people, performing civic duty politics can feel like coughing to recover from COVID.  The process is irritating but absolutely necessary to get back to full health and remain that way for as long as possible.  And if one ultimately contracts COVID again after recovering, they must repeat that same process to achieve the same result.  And no matter how many times they contract COVID, to get back to and remain healthy, they must repeat this process.

All people who make excuses not to vote and then refuse to vote as a result of those excuses are refusing to cough.  Yes, you are the equivalent of people recovering from COVID who refuse to cough.  Just like someone who has COVID and refuses to cough is unlikely to recover, the American democracy, which is in an existential crisis, is unlikely to recover unless all Americans do our civic duty, which includes voting.

The preceding short message and admonition along with the following link to an extremely important and informative article on the Alternet that is a must read that will prepare and encourage you to do your civic duty, are the only politics that you will need to receive your political fill from this article.  So now, here is “… For Your Reading Pleasure”:

M2: Street Cop To Top Cop

M2 was startled awake by his ringing telephone.  He looked at the clock and could not believe what he saw; it was 4:15 a.m.  Who could that possibly be, he thought, as he dragged himself out of the bed and answered the phone.

Hello, he said, while struggling to keep his voice from sounding groggy and unclear.

Hello, Mr. Morgan.  This is Albert, the front desk attendant in the lobby.  He continued before M2 could respond.  It seems that we have a young woman in the lobby who insists on speaking with you.  She is causing quite a scene and she refuses to leave unless we allow her to speak with you.

What is her name?  There was a brief pause before Albert responded.

She says that her name is Candy, sir.

It was chippie 10!  M2 had introduced himself to her only a few months ago and, just as it was with all of his chippies, they had immediately become friends with benefits.  I knew that she was a mistake, he thought, as he retrieved the jeans that he had worn to happy hour.  I’ll be right down.

Thank you, sir.

M2 was fuming!  When the elevator stopped at the lobby level M2 took a deep breath and calmed himself before he got off and took the short walk to the lobby area.  Although Albert did not say anything, M2 nodded at him just to acknowledge his presence.  He smiled broadly when he reached chippie 10 before he spoke.  It was obvious to him that she had been drinking.

Good morning, Candice.  You are here bright and early.  Let’s go up to my place.

Good morning, baby, she said as she walked beside him toward the elevator.

M2 remained calm while he and Candice were on the elevator but did not say anything because he knew that the elevator had surveillance cameras.  Candice was very happy and chatty.

As soon as they entered M2’s apartment, he exploded in anger.  What the hell do you think that you are doing, Candy, coming here like this and at this time of the morning?!  As a matter of fact, what the hell are you doing coming here period?!  And how did you find out where I live, anyway?!

Candice was overcome with anger as she attempted to respond.  First of all, don’t you…!  M2 interrupted her midsentence.

Listen bitch, I don’t know what kind of scheme you have in mind but you had better realize that I am not one of those guys out there on the street or that you pick up at the bars that you frequent! As of this minute, we are done!  And if you are thinking of going to Internal Affairs (IA), forget it; if you try that, I will bury you.  You will be in jail for so long that you will forget what the outside looks like… and you know that I can do it!

Candice had heard about M2’s reputation before she met him and they had become friends so she knew what he was saying was true.  A lot of her friends who lived the same lifestyle as she did had told her about other women who had crossed him and what had happened to them.

Under the circumstances, rather than press the issue Candice decided to remain silent and accept her fate.  She and M2 were through.  Because of her demeanor and lack of response, M2 calmed down.  He could sense her fear and acquiescence so when he continued to speak it was in a kinder and gentler tone.

I’m sorry that I yelled at you, Candy, but you have to know that you shouldn’t have come to my apartment without calling me first to see if it would be okay.  And just so that you will know it, it would not have been okay.  This is my private space; this is where I can always be alone, relax, and escape from any and everything that I might want to escape from.

Now, I can tell that you have been drinking so I am going to fix you a hot cup of coffee and after you have finished it, I’m going to drop you off at your place.  And Candice, after what happened today, I don’t want to hear from you again.  And another thing, I don’t want you to share my address with anyone.

Okay, Candice responded.

She spoke in a whispered voice and her tone was so contrite that M2 felt terrible and hurt about how he had just treated her.  His experience as a cop told him that he could not let Candice know this though because he knew that with her background she would take it as a sign of weakness and her natural instinct would be to take advantage of the opportunity.  So he put on his calloused street cop face and went to fix her coffee.

It was 5:15 a.m. by the time that M2 dropped Candice off at her apartment and headed home so he decided to stop and have breakfast.  When he got home it was a little past 6:30 a.m.  He went back to bed.

Again, I hope that you enjoyed the read.  Be sure to continue to stay tuned because there will be more political articles to keep you informed and… there could be more excerpts for your reading pleasure.

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

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