In my July 10, 2024 post  of this article to this website, I said that Justice Scalia “quoted from this toothless SCOTUS Code of Ethics to refuse to recuse from cases associated with the January 6, 2021 insurrection even though, according to him, his wife flew an upside-down American flag at one of their homes and an ‘Appeal to Heaven’ flag at another.”  The name “Scalia” was in error.  The name should have been “Alito.”  I apologize for the mistake.  This error was corrected concurrent with this apology.

Eulus Dennis

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

In the 2024 presidential election…

Like your life depends upon it…

It does!

The conservative supermajority in the Supreme Court has lost their minds.  One would think that after witnessing the chaos that they brought upon the country after they overturned Roe v. Wade that it would have given them pause about what they had done and motivated them to correct their course: but it did not.  Instead, because it appeared to them that they had gotten away with it, they continued to do asinine things, like overturning Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. and make asinine rulings, like in Trump v. United States.  It seems that they did this with the thought in mind that they would grab unfathomable power for themselves but let the lower courts figure out what they meant in their gobbledygook rulings and how to apply the gobbledygook to cases that come before them.

The SCOTUS even tried to take some of the heat off their backs caused by the scandalous behavior of some of its justices by using this gobbledygook to mitigate what were arguably, in essence, bribes taken by some SCOTUS justices.  E.g., in the case where they overturned the bribery conviction against ex-mayor of Portage Indiana James Snyder, they employed mumbo jumbo about gratuities and whether money or other gratuities are received before or after an action is taken to justify the SCOTUS’ ruling to overturn the Snyder ruling.  Whether intended or not, this ruling could eventually be used to mitigate past and potential future acceptance of “gratuities” by SCOTUS justices if not totally preclude the acceptance of “gratuities” by SCOTUS justices from being viewed as scandalous behavior.

While all of this was going on, Chief Justice John Roberts declined the request by a congressional committee for him to come testify, the SCOTUS created a Code of Ethics that has no enforcement apparatus, Justice Alito quoted from this toothless SCOTUS Code of Ethics to refuse to recuse from cases associated with the January 6, 2021 insurrection even though, according to him, his wife flew an upside-down American flag at one of their homes and an “Appeal to Heaven” flag at another, and now, the SCOTUS is on break until October 2024.  And, in the meantime, Democratic senators have sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking the Department of Justice to initiate a criminal investigation of Justice Clarence Thomas for violating ethics rules and tax laws and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has filed impeachment articles against Justices Thomas and Alito.

This will likely generate a ball of confusion on capitol hill as those who support Justices Thomas and Alito will circle the wagons around them and say that such an investigation and articles of impeachment are politically motivated nonsense.  Then, they will quote from the toothless SCOTUS Code of Ethics to emphasize their point.  My, my.  Whether they investigate Justice Thomas or whether they do not; whether Justice Alito recuses from cases associated with the January 6, 2021 insurrection or whether he does not, whether Chief Justice John Roberts finally agrees to testify before congress or whether he does not, why can’t the SCOTUS just adopt a Code of Ethics in line with those of all the other courts in the land?!  This would not be a magic wand to end the SCOTUS’ problems but it would go a long way toward solving them.  Ultimately – in summary, the job of the SCOTUS is to 1) Interpret and apply the Constitution, 2) Conduct judicial review, 3) Be the final arbiter of the law, and 4) Ensure equal justice under the law for all Americans.  Maybe solving their internal problems would help them to get back to these things.

Even if we consider the SCOTUS’ job based on the few items in the above summary, of course, it is much more complex than this and I am obviously over simplifying, the SCOTUS has suddenly veered far of course.  It has suddenly overturned longstanding (stare decisis?) seminal precedents when nothing on the SCOTUS has changed except the number of conservative justices; they have a supermajority.  No meaningful revelations in these longstanding rulings have occurred.  No genuine epiphany by anyone, relevant to the law, has transpired!  Sadly, the only reasonable conclusion that one can draw from this is that all the talk about the importance and baked-in meaningfulness of stare decisis in already decided cases that the last three justices appointed to the SCOTUS spouted during their confirmation hearings was, like that of the writings of the SCOTUS’ latest rulings, gobbledygook, and mumbo jumbo!

The bottom line is that Democrats need a sweep in the November 2024 presidential election.  They need to win the Presidency, House, and Senate and they need to win them with a significant majority.  And if they win, they must begin reform in the SCOTUS immediately.  They must rescind all the things that those who want to make America something other than a democracy have put into place.  This will begin to reestablish America as that city upon a hill and clear beacon of hope that she has always been and remains.  But because her light has been dimmed by the opaque stain that those who would prefer to have an autocrat or a king have applied to her, the American people must work hard to regain the trust of “all” Americans and democracies around the world.

We can do this!  However, to achieve it, Democrats need all American voters to get out and vote in this election.  I have no doubt that American voters will choose democracy over autocracy or a King.  It is important that you decide between the candidates on the ballot!  Do not write in the name of a candidate because that will be tantamount to sitting out the election!  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!  Vote in the 2024 presidential election…  Vote like your life depends upon it…  It does!

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

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

In the 2024 presidential election…

Like your life depends upon it…

It does!

Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) of America Justices are just politicians in black robes.  And now, the conservative (Republican) justices are fighting to crown Trump King of America.  It is reasonable to believe that these politicians are pulling for him to win the 2024 presidential election because they just ruled in his favor in Trump v. United States: They granted him complete immunity for all acts that he took while he was president.  Oh sure, in the 119 pages of the ruling, written by SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts, the Court said a lot of mumbo jumbo about official acts, unofficial acts, absolute immunity, and presumptive immunity but they did not define or in any way clarify what these things were.

Instead, they left that up to Judge Tanya Chutkan who is handling Trump’s trial in a lower court.  And upon appeal, which is more likely than not to happen, after Judge Chutkan makes her ruling, the decision will end up right back in the Supreme Court.  That way, based upon the fact that they ruled as they did in the first place on presidential immunity, it is reasonable to believe that they will define and clarify things in Trump’s favor.  Then in the future, depending on whether there is a Democrat or a Republican president, it is reasonable to assume that they will continue in that vein: They will rule one way if it is a Democrat and another way if it is a Republican.

If Trump wins the 2024 presidential election, this SCOTUS ruling along with the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 (a.k.a. The Presidential Transition Project) document will give Trump all of the authority that he needs to rule like a king, have a roadmap to eradicate democracy as we now know it and implement the changes listed in Project 2025, and continue to avoid being held to account for any wrong that he has done just as he has always done throughout his whole life.  Even if he loses the election and does not become king, he will still likely be cleared of any crimes, civil or criminal, that he committed while he was president if information from “official acts” (a key piece of the SCOTUS mumbo jumbo) was used to indict/convict him.

Further, he is likely to be cleared of any crimes – again, civil or criminal, he committed before he held office if information from “official acts” while he was in office was used to indict/convict him.  So, you see, the chameleon act by the SCOTUS is no longer in play.  It is all in; it is very carefully concealing its hand.  And it is daring the American people to call.  If the American people do call, the outcome of the 2024 presidential election will be the evidence of whether the SCOTUS was bluffing or held a winning hand.  In other words, if President Biden is reelected, the SCOTUS was bluffing; if Trump wins, they had a winning hand.  So, if the American people do not call and the SCOTUS is holding a winning hand, the only difference will be that accepting the outcome might be a little less painful: but the results will be the same.

I cannot overstate how important it is for all American voters to get out and vote in the 2024 presidential election.  You must get out and vote like your life depends on it; because it does!  Do not sit this one out because you do not like either candidate, think that both are too old to be president, or for any other reason.  And when you do get out and vote, do not write in the name of a candidate since you know that this candidate cannot win.  You are not helping the situation and to do that is tantamount to sitting out the election.  Do not make excuses as to why you are not going to vote.  The 2024 presidential election is a binary decision; either you want America to remain a democracy or you do not.  Make a decision, not excuses.  VOTE!  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

The debate between President Joe Biden and the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America is over.  And I will start by saying President Joe Biden is still the man who should run against Trump in the 2024 presidential election.  In case you might think that how I addressed Trump in the title of this article is harsh, it is no worse than how major newspapers addressed President Biden.  Look at the headlines about President Biden in most of the major newspapers in America and around the world immediately after the debate then see if you still feel the same way.

Just so that you will know, if you did not watch the debate; during most of the debate, one of the hosts addressed both convict Trump and President Biden as President.  No deference, distinction, esteem, dignity, or honor – choose any one of these words that you would like, was granted to President Joe Biden for the distinguished job that he has done as president under extremely polarized partisan political circumstances and that of a convict who has been convicted on 34 felony counts and is awaiting charges in future trials that he has managed to avoid until after the 2024 presidential election.

Journalists who once supported President Biden turned their backs on him and completely slammed him based on one 90-minute broadcast!  They showered him with blistering comments about his debate performance before encouraging him to drop out of the race!  Many Democrats also jumped on the bandwagon.  They said things like, although President Biden has been a good president, perhaps it is time for him to go and that it would be selfish of him not to drop out.  I have always admonished those who read this blog to base their voting decisions on a politician’s record and not on a soundbite.  Perhaps I should add “broadcast” and say that those decisions should be based on a politician’s record and not “a soundbite or one 90-minute broadcast.”  Perhaps the journalist of those major newspapers would benefit from the advice offered in this humble blog.

To contextualize those headlines and comments so that you will better understand just how completely harsh they were, consider this; President Biden was debating a person to whom the word truth is just a conjured-up word that does not actually exist.  The truth is what I say it is could easily be his mantra.  Again, no deference, esteem, honor, dignity, distinction, etc. was granted to President Biden as the President of the United States of America over a convict and serial liar who has been convicted on 34 felony counts and was awaiting a July 11, 2024 sentencing, which has been delayed until September 18, 2024 thanks to “[his] judges” at the Supreme Court.  There was no semblance of respect for the office that President Biden holds in which he has served with dignity and honor over his opponent who, arguably, instigated the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the United States capitol in an effort to remain in power after he lost the 2020 election.  While President Biden debated within the boundaries of truth, Trump, oblivious of those boundaries, spewed pablum – saying whatever came to his mind, mostly lies, to rebut the president and gaslight debate viewers.

Republicans say that Democrats do not fight for what they believe in.  Democrats went a long way in providing some validity to this after the debate.  What do I mean by this?  Donald Trump has said so many derogatory things about women, immigrants, fallen soldiers, and people of color, that I will not even try to list them all.  But to name a few, he said 1) You can grab women by their p***y…” 2) [Mexican immigrants] are bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists, and some, I assume are good people.” 3) Fallen soldiers are “suckers” and “losers.”  4) Regarding people who are crossing America’s southern border: They’re taking Black Jobs.  They’re taking Hispanic jobs. 5) Black people like me because of my mug shot.  Plus, lest American voters should forget, Trump is a convict!  Despite all of this, Republicans have circled the wagons around him.

Now, contrast this with the kind of support that President Biden is receiving from Democrats.  President Biden has done a yeoman’s job since he has been in office of carrying out the Democrats agenda even with a slim majority in the senate and a Republican controlled House.  He has always been looked upon as a patriot and a person of honor.  His dedication to serving America with dignity and honor has never been questioned: His determination to protect America against all enemies foreign and domestic, preserve democracy in America and foster democracy around the world has never been questioned.  Recently, President Biden participated in a debate with Trump and, based on the optics – emphasis on optics because a debate between two people with only one being bound by the parameters of truth is fundamentally not a debate, failed.  No consideration was shown President Biden for having been bound by the parameters of truth while Trump was free to say whatever came to mind without the slightest regard for truth.  What did Democrats do?  Did they circle the wagons around President Biden?  No, they cut bait and ran!

Many Democrats now want to run someone else against Trump; they do not know who and do not seem to be concerned about whether the system within which Democratic nominees must operate is set up to handle this kind of a situation, especially at the last minute.  I started this article by saying that President Biden is still the man who should run against Trump.  I will end it by saying that Democrats need to work with President Biden and figure out a path forward without him withdrawing from the race.  I have said before that the cavalry is not coming to save the American people from Donald J. Trump, this one is on us and we must save ourselves: and we must do it through our vote.  After the Supreme Court’s 7/1/2024 presidential immunity ruling, this is our only option.

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

Have our elected officials abandoned and then forgotten us?  I don’t know about you but I sure feel like they have.  Further, have all those people who said all the things that they were well-coached to say to get their potential constituents’ votes when they were trying to get elected been stricken with amnesia?!  Come on!  Remember how they named all these things that we – their constituents, “the American People” overall, and our country need and how much they would value the privilege to work with their friends across the aisle to assure that those needs are met?

Didn’t they project the idea that they wanted to be public servants because they wanted to serve a cause greater than themselves?  Doesn’t it now seem that all those patriotic images that their smooth rhetoric aroused in you when they alluded to a life of public service and a cause greater than themselves have long ago faded?  Doesn’t it now seem like all those words that engendered thoughts of patriotism in you were just a mask to hide their desire for a life of self-service so they could line their pockets and acquire as much power as possible?

Can you recall occasions in these current highly partisan and completely polarized times how when a candidate or elected politician referred to “friends across the aisle,” and they used the adjective “Republican” preceding “friends” if they were a Democrat and “Democrat” preceding “friends” if they were a Republican, that many times when coming from the Republican side of the aisle these words were ladened with vitriol?  That is because now that this is the Trump Republican Party, many Republicans, especially elected Republicans, refuse to use the adjective “Democratic” when referring to Democrats or things that are in any way associated with Democrats out of fear that it might somehow give Democrats a political advantage.

As a result, most Republican candidates running for office have adopted this same approach when referring to Democrats or things associated with Democrats i.e. Democratic Party, Democratic policy, Democratic Dogma, etc.  Instead, they use the words Democrat Party, Democrat policy, Democrat Dogma, etc.  As regards Independents, since you can choose which Party you will caucus with, I assume that as Independents you are not under any pressure to choose one or the other of these adjectives so the decision as to which to use is entirely yours.

As for me and my feelings of being abandoned and then forgotten by elected officials, I feel that way because of: 1) the rude awakening that I have been shocked into.  The rude awakening of witnessing elected politicians that I viewed as principled, strong, and powerful individual men and women who form the collective strong body of our government and way of life, be cowered to the point where they kowtow to a superficial charlatan who is a proven serial liar who has been convicted of 34 felony counts and who is still awaiting trials, which he has cunningly managed to delay, until after the 2024 presidential election in which he is the presumptive Republican nominee.

2) The rude awakening that I have been shocked into.  The rude awakening of witnessing one man, a superficial charlatan who is a proven serial liar who has been convicted of 34 felony counts and who is still awaiting trials, which he has cunningly managed to delay, until after the 2024 presidential election in which he is the presumptive Republican nominee, twist the American judicial system into a Trump-conjured pretzel starting with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).

Is the SCOTUS, under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts, aiding and abetting Trump in his attempt to avoid being held to account for the crimes he has been convicted of and other crimes that he is accused of committing before the 2024 presidential election?  If it is not, it certainly appears that it is.  The SCOTUS, to which Trump appointed three justices in his one term as The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and to whose conservative justices he on many occasions has referred to as “my judges,” has slow-walked a decision on whether he has complete presidential immunity; immunity against any crimes that he might have committed as The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.

3) The rude awakening that I have been shocked into.  The rude awakening of witnessing one man, a superficial charlatan who is a proven serial liar who has been convicted of 34 felony counts and who is still awaiting trials, which he has cunningly managed to delay, until after the 2024 presidential election in which he is the presumptive Republican nominee, twist the American judicial system into a Trump-conjured pretzel by working his will upon, in addition to the SCOTUS, four courts where he is to be held to account for crimes that he is accused of committing.  Even in the court that managed to try and convict Trump, he thumbed his nose at the gag order placed on him the entire time during that trial.  Despite the intimidating atmosphere in which they had to work, the jurors in this court did their job and, although not everyone agrees with it, returned a fair verdict.  Trump will be sentenced on July 11, 2024.  It remains to be seen as to what his sentence will be.  Will the judge do his job?  Without doubt, not everyone will agree with the sentence; but it will be fair.  Hopefully the punishment will fit the crimes and Trump’s defiance of the gag order will also be incorporated into the sentence.

4) The rude awakening that I have been shocked into.  The rude awakening of witnessing one man, a superficial charlatan who is a proven serial liar who has been convicted of 34 felony counts and who is still awaiting trials, which he has cunningly managed to delay, until after the 2024 presidential election in which he is the presumptive Republican nominee, twist the American judicial system into a Trump-conjured pretzel by making a mockery of the flowery words “no one is above the law” and “without fear or favor” that are so frequently used by America’s high-level judicial government officials.  These words have been made meaningless by Trump.  Arguably, he has been treated favorably from the beginning and it remains to be seen whether he is above the law.  So, as regards whether the law is being applied to Trump “without fear or favor,” … well, you have witnessed what is going on in Trump’s case; you decide.

And finally, 5).  The rude awakening that I have been shocked into.  The rude awakening of witnessing one man, a superficial charlatan who is a proven serial liar who has been convicted of 34 felony counts and who is still awaiting trials, which he has cunningly managed to delay, until after the 2024 presidential election in which he is the presumptive Republican nominee, twist the American judicial system – and as a result – the American election system into a Trump-conjured pretzel that enabled him to arrange to participate in a debate with the President of the United States of America!  Yes, on June 27, 2024 the President of the United States of America will be debating a convict in an effort to help Americans to decide as to whether he or a convicted felon should be the next president of the United States of America.  Wow, that will be a first!

Whether or not you feel that you have been abandoned and then forgotten by our elected officials, the current situation that America is in demands that you do your civic duty and vote.  No matter how many roadblocks are placed in our path when it is time to vote in the 2024 presidential election, we must overcome them.  Instead of getting angry or booing at the ridiculous things that Trump says and does; in the words of former president Barack Obama, don’t get mad, vote!  Don’t boo, vote!

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

The Republican Party has gone completely crazy; they are unhinged.  In addition to all the scandals that the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is already involved in, SCOTUS Samuel Alito (a member of the SCOTUS conservative supermajority) is now embroiled in a scandal that involves flying an upside-down American flag at one of his homes and an “Appeal to heaven” flag at another.  Both these flags were carried by those involved in the January 6, 2021 insurrection/riot and are considered by many Americans to indicate support of the January 6^th insurrection/riot and those that participated in it.  Yet, Justice Samuel Alito refuses to recuse from cases that will come before the SCOTUS related to the January 6^th event, Trump’s request for complete presidential immunity, or any other cases involving Trump and his legal woes.

In addition to the SCOTUS, Republicans in the Senate and House have gone all-in in support of Trump.  Some of them, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, went to New York and appeared in court during Trump’s Hush Money Trial and stood behind him in support as he spoke to the press during pauses in the trial for breaks.  Since then, many of them – again, including Speaker Johnson, have referred to the trial as rigged, a sham, a disgrace, and used other denigrating terms to describe it.  Speaker Mike Johnson even went so far as to say that the SCOTUS should get involved and overturn Trump’s conviction, in which he was unanimously convicted of all 34 counts against him by a jury of his peers.  Imagine that; Speaker Mike Johnson, the self-proclaimed Constitutionalist who is second in line to the presidency and who is supposed to represent all Americans, is trashing the American justice system, and conducting himself like a Trump defense attorney!

Once again Republicans have circled the wagons around one of their own.  It does not matter that he has publicly stated that he will be a dictator if he is elected to be president again.  It does not matter that he is a convicted felon.  Trump is their man; he is their presumptive presidential nominee.  Virtually every Republican in the United States congress is supporting Trump whether overtly, covertly, or by their deafening silence!  Not only are these Republicans supporting Trump but most Republicans throughout America are supporting him.  Big business has lined up behind Trump and is holding fundraising activities to help him get elected.  Most everyday Americans, and without doubt, these elected officials and business executives know that Trump is not fit for office.  Notwithstanding, their lust for dominance, money, and power compels them to disregard Trump’s true nature and his existential threat to democracy.  As a result, they view the concerns by many Americans that Trump is unfit for office as an overreaction and discount the real damage that he is currently doing to the country and the greater damage that he can do if he is elected president.  This is shortsighted, frightening, shameful, and disappointing.

Many of Trump’s sycophants and other supporters are encouraging rich Republicans to “come off the sidelines and get involved,” encouraging Republican congressmen to withhold funding from prosecutors conducting the Trump trials, encouraging Republican Attorneys General throughout America to investigate Democrats and do anything else that they can to “defeat these [Democratic] communist.”  Some congressmen are even threating to impede Biden appointments as a protest to Trump’s conviction.  In the meantime while all of this is going on – despite his gag orders, Trump is busy calling Special Counsel Jack Smith a “deranged dumb son-of-a-bitch” calling DOJ employees bastards, and spouting lies and denigrating nearly everyone else who is not pro-Trump in his upcoming trials and the one trial in which he was recently found guilty on all counts, Rudy Giuliani is calling District Attorney Fani Willis a “Ho”, and Representative Byron Donald is telling Black Americans how much better off we were under Jim Crow than we are now.  The amazing part about all of this is that no one in the Republican Party is pushing back on any of this.  They are completely silent!

The 2024 election is a little less than five months from now and the Republican Party is going full speed ahead in their effort to get Trump elected president.  Trump visited capitol hill Thursday and his congressional toadies were there to welcome and support him.  Many of us are asking ourselves, what have we come to as Americans and how could things have ever come down to this?!  My thoughts?  Complacency: we have taken our freedom for granted for so long that we have forgotten that freedom is not free!  It comes at a price and we must fight for it every day by regularly and faithfully performing our civic duty.  That does not only mean that we must vote, but we have a responsibility to stay informed and keep abreast of what is going on in politics whether we like it or not.  To invoke a currently popular slogan, when we see something, we must say something!  We must say it to our elected officials and keep pressure on them to do something about it.  If we do not do this or wait too long before doing it, we will end up in a situation like the one that America is in now.  Hopefully, our current situation is only temporary, one that can be reversed, and one that we will learn from.

We have a two-party system of government in America.  Because we live in a democracy, we have a right to expect reasonable discourse to occur between the two political parties in order to solve America’s problems and foster effective governance based on the will of the majority.  We are a country that believes in the rule of law.  That is key in a democracy and what makes it function effectively.  If we discard the rule of law, work in any way to rig the system in favor of minority rule, trash our justice system and refuse to accept the decisions made that are based upon the rule of law and our overall democratic system, then we are no longer a democracy; we just have not formerly established and declared that we are something other than that!  Right now, only one Party is conducting itself like a Party that believes in democracy and the rule of law.  Only one Party is fighting to preserve those precious, irreplaceable things that are the foundation of a democratic system of government.  That Party is the Democratic Party.  Do you want a democracy or something else?  The choice is a binary one.

Again, the 2024 presidential election is a little less than five months away; you must choose.  If you want a Democracy, the Democratic Party is your only logical choice.  Yes, the Republican Party says that it is the Party of the rule of law and it is their Party that wants to save America and the American democracy.  But, in the words of Rachael Maddow, “watch what they do, not what they say.”  Keep a close eye on what Republicans have been doing since Trump’s one term as president and what they are doing now; not what they have been saying since then and are now saying!  To save our democracy, you must do your civic duty and vote.  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

A lot has been said lately about how great the stock market is doing so, to many, this means that the American economy is doing great.  News flash for those who do not already know it, the stock market is not the be-all-end-all that says that the economy is doing great.  It is a part of what determines the health of the American economy but it is certainly not the be-all-end-all indicator of how the economy is doing.  Why?  Because the top 1% of Americans own 49% of stock, the top 10% own 89%, and the bottom 50% of Americans own only 1% of stock.  So, the top 1% of Americans soar, the top 9% glide, and the bottom 50%…well, they do whatever.  In the meantime, the economy just motors along until it finds its way.

After this very brief lesson on the American economy, I cannot resist adding a lamentation on how overall wealth distribution impacts on the everyday American.  I am sure that somewhere along the way during the more than a decade that I have been posting articles to this blog, I must have lamented the special attention paid to the rich by the American government and the waning attention, if not complete neglect, paid to everyday Americans.  With the downward spiral that our government is in right now, I am compelled to again express my frustration with its disparate treatment of everyday Americans when compared to that of the top 10 percent of them.

It is obvious that the rich are given greater consideration than are everyday Americans when it comes to how our government and its great institutions treat one group versus the other.  It is likely that everyday Americans are treated differently from our rich counterparts because the rich have greater access, just one of their perks, to those in power; our elected officials.  They constantly have the ears of these officials readily available to them through their highly paid lobbyists; lobbyists who likely constantly remind these politicians, just by virtue of being there, who their big money contributors are.  Although everyday Americans know that the rich are given special treatment, we have disregarded it: we know that we cannot do anything about it because we have tried and failed so many times in the past.

Everyday Americans use to feel some small degree of comfort because we had, at least, a few senators and representatives advocating for us.  We had a few government organizations in place that were fighting for us.  Even if they were not successful in closing that gap of special treatment, they were continuing to fight to keep it from widening.  They were relentless in their mitigation on behalf of the larger percentage of Americans who are the target of this disparate treatment despite that there are no lobbyists constantly pressuring them on our behalf.  They kept a bright light shining on this unfair practice.  But those days are long gone.  There is no longer any light that illuminates what these money hungry, power-seeking politicians are doing.  Instead, now, the American congress is too busy with the Republicans’ agenda of retribution and fighting about petty issues.  Further, the Republican half of our two-party system of government acts as if it no longer wants America to be a democracy but prefers it to be an autocracy!

To be clear, what prompted me to once again bemoan how the American government is treating the rich and powerful special while virtually ignoring the needs of everyday Americans is the whining of insurance companies about their declining profit margins.  They are whining about how much money they are losing as the result of the claims that they are paying out.  Everything is fine as long as Americans are paying in money and not making any claims: free money!  Yes, that’s great; for insurance companies.  First, they go to the government and talk it into mandating that everyone has insurance on everything from health insurance to car insurance to home insurance and more, then they complain when they must pay out claims?!  But I am getting sidetracked.

The particular insurance company, which is a subsidiary of CVS, that brought on my need to vent my frustration is Aetna.  According to an article in Newsweek, CVS is concerned about its profit margin and has said that it plans to cut 10% of its Aetna health insurance plans in an effort to prioritize its profit margin.  I do not know what the expected profit margin of a health insurance company is but what I do know is this.  CVS paid more than $63,459,882 in salaries and other compensation to five of its executives in 2023.  The total compensation figure for each of these executives likely include stock and stock options.  And I have no doubt that these are not the only CVS executives that are being paid hefty salaries and receiving “other” compensation.

Like any public owned company, CVS needs to pay its stockholders a reasonable return on their investment but maybe they would be better able to do this if they gave their executives less in salaries and other compensation – which again, likely includes stock and stock options.  But, in large part, because the American congress is dysfunctional, corporations are taking full advantage of the situation.  Corporate greed is alive and well and most American companies are fighting hard to make sure that their hand also is in the average Americans’ pocket before we are stretched to our limit and it is too late for them to get their fair share of the plunders.

The bottom line is that these corporations that are swamped in corporate greed need to take a deep breath, take a step back, see the big picture and closely examine it.  The odds are that they will find that everyday Americans are already stretched to their limit.  And even if these billionaires and multi-millionaires who own these corporations find that they cannot bring themselves under control out of (gulp) compassion and empathy for their fellow Americans plight; surely, they will be able to do it when they consider that persisting in gouging them will ultimately bring about the demise of their own lifestyle.  Surely, they will stop gouging them when they recognize that their fellow Americans need to always have a reasonable amount of money to purchase their already overpriced products and goods and that this will not even put a dent in their lavish billionaire and multi-millionaire lifestyles.

Will they do this?  Who knows; we can only hope that they will.  Just like the truth is not agreeable to a liar, perhaps empathy and even the thought of sharing is incomprehensible to the super rich no matter the potential threat to their existing lifestyle.  Most of them are probably far too busy contemplating how to keep what they have and add to it while always fearing that some other super rich person might be successful at taking it away from them.  Be that as it may, one can always hope, right?

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

All indications are that members of the Republican Party have forsaken their oath of office and turned against the American democracy.  Some Republican members of congress are even publicly repeating Russian propaganda on the House floor.  Further, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene continues to fight hard to prevent America from providing additional aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia.  She threatened to force a vote on a move to vacate if Speaker Mike Johnson allowed the $95 billion bipartisan bill to be brought to vote that includes aid to Ukraine.

Speaker Johnson allowed a vote on this bill and it passed.  True to her threat, Representative Green forced a vote to remove Speaker Johnson.  It failed miserably by a vote of 359-43.  Although Representative Greene’s attempt to remove the Speaker was unsuccessful, these shenanigans by House Republicans should be of grave concern to all Americans who value democracy and America’s role as the world leader in fostering and preserving it.

Unfortunately, Donald Trump has managed to normalize things like what House Republicans are doing and many other things that, before his tenure as The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and his time since leaving office, would have set the hair on fire of all Americans regardless of their Party affiliation.  But that is not the case now and that is a huge problem for America if we intend to remain a democracy.

Rachael Maddow said on her May 6^th show this week that democracy is mortal; it can be killed.  And she is right.  She said this in her continued effort to help Americans focus on the existential threat to democracy now; and to do something about it now!  She reemphasized that this is not some kind of future threat that we will be faced with but it is already happening.

However, because we have grown numb to Donald Trump’s behavior despite how outrageous, ridiculous, and unacceptable it might be; and have grown weary of trying to correct it so wink at it, we are abetting him in normalizing it.  This is exactly what America does not need right now.  She does not need those of us who want to keep America a democracy to grow weary and quit.  But it is what Donald Trump and the Trump led Republican Party need and exactly what they want.  And they seem to be already getting it when we consider what is happening in real time in the American judicial system.

The United States Supreme Court is considering Trump’s preposterous presidential immunity appeal while slow walking a decision on it, Judge Aileen Cannon has postponed the Trump documents trial indefinitely, and an appellate court in Georgia has agreed to hear Trump’s appeal of Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee’s decision to not Remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the RICO case he is facing.  And as if all of this was not enough, the Republican Party itself is doing everything that it can to help Trump avoid being held to account and to put him back in the White House.

I explained to readers in articles about Trump that I posted to this website in April, why they should thoroughly scrutinize Trump’s actions and behavior while he was in office – especially leading up to and during the January 6, 2021 insurrection, how he has continued to conduct himself since he left office, and stated that he does not deserve their vote and they should not vote for him.  I also encouraged them to get out and vote in the 2024 election despite all obstacles that they are sure to face.

I reiterate that encouragement in this article because Republicans are obviously putting forth every effort to make it harder to vote: And they are not hiding the fact that they are doing it.  This Trump led Republican Party know that they have done many things under Trump’s leadership that goes against what the majority of Americans want from our government.  They know that this will make it even harder for them to win in the 2024 election and so, therefore, are trying to manufacture an advantage that will help them to win.

Key among the things that Republicans have done is the overturning of Roe v. Wade.  This decision by the Supreme Court conservative supermajority took away rights that women had held for nearly 50 years and, in essence, placed a politician in the room with women and their doctors as regards personal healthcare issues.  It also elicited not-so-veiled threats from some of those same conservatives to take away other rights from, not just women but all Americans.

What is happening in America now is not what Americans want from our government.  We do not want a government by the minority, let alone one person.  Those politicians, whether they wear suits or long black robes, who envision a government under Trump as one that will be worth having because it will allow them to remain in their positions and retain their power are misguided and delusional.  It might allow them to remain in their positions; and that is only as long as they are completely loyal to him and agree with all his policies and everything that he says, but they will not retain their power.  All power will ultimately rest in Trump’s hands and all politicians, again, whether they wear suits or long black robes, will simply be figureheads.

In the end, all of those who are currently humiliating themselves in their effort to ingratiate themselves to Trump but have not yet ended up empty vessels on Trump’s human pile of lost principles, lost dignity, lost honorable legacy, and depleted burned-out souls will ultimately end up there.  No one who willingly enters Trump’s orbit survives; at least, that has not happened yet.  As cynical as this sounds, it is necessary to jolt those off the dime who still believe that someone will come to our rescue.  They will not.

It is on us now and we must save ourselves.  And we can do that if we remain steadfast and continue to fight all the way through the 2024 election.  And if Trump does not win and he and his sycophants cry foul after the election claiming that it was rigged, we must continue to fight until the rot that has penetrated and infected the American government and institutions is isolated and removed.  Only then can we cautiously relax and enjoy some degree of trust in our elected officials to faithfully conduct the business of the American people.  Even then we must remain alert and maintain honorable and trustworthy sentries on the wall of democracy.

Freedom is not free; we must fight for it!  Far too many of us Americans take our democracy and the rights and freedom that we have to the pursuit of happiness for granted.  We have been given what could very well be our only warning to prevent the fall of democracy: the fall of the United States of America; Trump made sure of that.  We must head that warning!  For whom does the bell toll?  It tolls for all Americans.  The need for all Americans to fight for democracy with everything that we have now cannot be overemphasized.  We can fight not only with our vote in the 2024 election, but by getting engaged and staying engaged in the democratic process by always performing our civic duty.

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

Where to start… my, that is a tough one.  Let’s try starting with the fact that there are, at least, two United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) justices who should not even be hearing this presidential immunity argument; they should have recused themselves.  Surely that great new ethics code that the SCOTUS just put together to apply to themselves so that they will be just like all the other courts in the country should have come in handy here.

Meaning, that since these two justices refused to recuse themselves from hearing this argument, Chief Justice John Roberts should have used that brand new shiny ethics code to force them to recuse.  Surely threatening them with that baby would have caused them to recuse!  Oh yeah – I forgot; it doesn’t have any teeth.  It reads more like a surprise grab-bag of suggestions rather than a meaningful ethics code with consequences if any justice should not take their responsibility to recuse seriously.

Yeah, I think that is a good place to start because all the SCOTUS justices heard this presidential immunity argument, which – by the way, they will not decide on until June if they follow their current schedule.  Ethics be damned, right?!  It appears that, under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts and with a conservative supermajority, this court feels that the Republican conservative agenda takes precedence over all; including the American democracy.

And, based on the way that things played out during the hearing, it also appears that those justices appointed by Donald J. Trump, the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America, along with the two justices that should have recused are all-in for helping Trump in any legal way that they possibly can.  One would think that these justices would have at least some concern about being fair and the appearance of being unfair.  And if not that, they would be concerned about their legacy and how their children and grandchildren will view them and remember them as a result of them taking part in disrespecting and then destroying this great American institution.  Well, they do not.

Lamentation.  Ah, the Supreme Court of the United States; this great institution that is the highest court in the land.  This institution that was once awe-inspiring for all Americans is now looked upon by many Americans in the same way that they look upon any other political institution that is subject to partisan bias.  The only real difference in their minds is that it is occupied by politicians in long black robes.  These feelings are reflected in the polls; the SCOTUS is at nearly its lowest level in its history when measured by how it is viewed by the American public.

This Supreme Court – again, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, seems to be oblivious to the damage that they are doing to it.  Chief Justice Roberts either can’t or is reluctant to correct its course to save it.  Based on the questions that the SCOTUS conservative justices asked during argument and their unrelenting determination to focus on hypotheticals to prevent future occurrences like that which occurred on January 6, 2021 rather than focusing on what actually happened on January 6, 2021, they are continuing to lean toward helping Trump to avoid being held to account.  The statement by Justice Neil Gorsuch that “we are writing a rule for the ages” is not a rule that is being written for the benefit of all presidents; it is being written for the benefit of Donal J. Trump, the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.

It seems that instead of embracing the once awe-inspiring aspect of the SCOTUS, too many SCOTUS justices have chosen to embrace Trump and the conservative Republican agenda instead.  These justices have no qualms about their partisan bias and now, they are no longer pretending that they do.  They are no longer hiding it regardless of what the American people think about the SCOTUS and regularly express when they are polled on their thoughts about this once awe-inspiring institution.  After all, their jobs are secured by a lifetime appointment.  And under these circumstances, coming out must be truly liberating for them and not at all frightening.

The expression that everything that Trump touches turns to s**t must apply to all politicians whether they wear suits or long black robes.  That certainly does appear to be the case for the SCOTUS since it entered Trump’s orbit.  To be fair, the SCOTUS was already doing a slow burn downward spiral; Trump just did what comes naturally to him, he poured fuel on the fire.  And now, all Americans must face the facts and recognize that as James Carville said, nobody is coming to rescue us, we have to do it ourselves.

And there are those; lawyers and political activists, who are already fighting behind the scenes to block or reverse the blockades – whether they are laws, gerrymandering, or intimidation tactics – that Republicans are putting forward in their effort to make it harder for Americans to vote.  But if democracy is to survive this well-organized and well-funded onslaught that Republicans are perpetrating against the American people to establish and entrench minority rule, America needs all boots on the ground.  This means that the American people who value the American democracy must turn out in force and vote in the 2024 election.

Americans must prepare ourselves for all adversity that we will surely face in November 2024 as we head to the polls and remain steadfast in our determination that nothing will stop us from making our collective voice heard via our vote.  All of those who are involved in orchestrating these undemocratic things to take away our power through thwarting our collective voice must be made to realize that they will not succeed; they are already destined to lose.  America can do this!  We are a resilient people who are at our best when we are under pressure and need to pull together as one.

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

Finally!  Teflon Don will be held to account!  This does not necessarily mean that he will be found guilty of anything; as a matter of fact, he might be exonerated and the judge will tell him that he is free to go.  But regardless of whether he is found innocent or guilty of the charges that arose out of his alleged sexual relationship with porn star Stormy Daniels, he will have been held to account.  I can’t recall a single time that Donald J. Trump has been held accountable for anything that he has done.  That is the problem!  And that is also why he dared America to even try to hold him to account for any of the 91 counts and four cases that he is currently facing.  Obviously, his challenge has finally been accepted.

You see, it does not matter what you, I, or anyone else might think about Donald Trump or what we believe that he has done but it will matter what the 12 jurors in his Hush Money trial believe.  It matters what these Jurors believe because not only will they have the opportunity to hear testimony from witnesses who are under oath but they will also have access to all the corroborating evidence that supports the testimony of these witnesses.  Corroborating evidence can go either way; it can go toward supporting Trump’s innocence or his guilt.  Most important of all, these 12 jurors’ decision will carry weight.  Once they decide Trump’s innocence or guilt – unlike what you or I or anyone else might think, to no avail, about Trump and what we think that he has done and should be punished for; the presiding judge will use these jurors’ collective belief of Trump’s innocence or guilt to set him free or punish him.

Trump has been under a gag order leading up to and during this trial.  However, just like he has done before, he has boldly said things that either violate this gag order or tread extremely close to violating it.  The judge will soon determine which of these things is true.  If it is the former, it is reasonable to believe that the judge will punish him for it.  It is doubtful that this punishment will involve jail time but that is among the available options to the judge.  After the opening statements of the trial today, Trump continued his antics and did not appear concerned about the gag order or any less inclined to test the judges resolve.  The trial will continue tomorrow beginning with a hearing on the previously mentioned gag order.

Judge Juan Merchan has already admonished Trump’s lawyers to control their client after Trump looked toward the jury and angrily mumbled some things under his breath.  Two jurors that had already been selected later requested to be excused; one because she felt intimidated and the other because he said that he could not be fair.  Judge Merchan has also instructed Trump directly to sit down when he stood up and proceeded to leave before court was formally ended for the day.  Despite all of this, Donald Trump continues to conduct himself as he always has.  He appears to have no respect for the judge or jury and this does not bode well for him with either one.  It remains likely that Trump will continue to be Trump throughout this trial.  But if he is found guilty, maybe things will change.  We just must wait and see.

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

Is the not so Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and other federal courts helping the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America to avoid being held to account for the crimes that he allegedly committed?  If they are not, it certainly appears that they are.  The SCOTUS, led by Chief Jus…

Amid writing the first paragraph of this article it struck me that I was once again writing an article that served to vent my personal frustrations about the SCOTUS and complain about those who are aiding want-to-be dictator Trump while, instead, I should be striving to explain to readers why they should not support Trump; why they should not give him their vote.

As I reflected on these thoughts it became clear to me that as dangerous and precarious as the situation with Donald J. Trump is and as close as he is to being elected to another term as president, my focus should be on doing everything that I can to alert others to the blatant, existential threat that he poses to our democracy!  And that I should be working to convince them to fight against his serving again as president.

Therefore, I decided to immediately change course and give it my best effort to explain America’s Trump ignominy to those readers, for lack of a better expression, at their level.  I will quickly add that by “at their level” I simply mean from the perspective of those reading this article.  While I admit that I can only surmise what their perspective is, I am certain that most Americans are not political geeks like me.  Many Americans do not like politics, find it a divisive topic when interacting with family and friends, so eschew it completely.

What I offer in my attempt to explain why Donald J. Trump neither deserves your support nor your vote to those who are not political geeks or do not even follow politics closely is simple.  Do you want democracy or autocracy?  It would be easy for me to simply say that, if you think about it, you should want democracy because, by experience, you know that democracy is wonderful and from what you surely know about autocracy and autocratic countries, autocracy sucks.  But if I do that, it would not explain to you from a kitchen table perspective why a democracy benefits you so much more than would an autocracy.  So, please, take some time to think about this democracy or autocracy question during the time leading up to the November 2024 election and especially before you cast your vote.

My effort to explain things to readers from a kitchen table perspective consists of the following questions followed by rationale as to why you are better off living under a democracy.  Women, do you want to exercise control over your own body?  Men and women, do you want access to reasonable healthcare for yourselves and your children?  Do you like having Medicare and Medicaid benefits available to your elderly loved ones and friends and would like to have these benefits available to you once you become eligible to receive them?  Would you like to have Social Security available to you when the time comes?  Do you like having a minimum wage law?  Do you like having input on all these things that I just mentioned and more, and the ability to have civil discourse and even protests if you disagree with them?

All these things and more are things that you have a right to when living under a democracy.  They are not available to you under an autocracy.  Under a dictator or strongman, you might have faux rights.  In other words, you have a right to them if they are in line with the current dictator’s or strongman’s policies to which you had zero input.  Donald J. Trump has shown all Americans who he really is and it is imperative that we believe him.  He wants to be a dictator and he has said so publicly.

That is why it is extremely important that those who are supporting Trump and intend to vote for him must take a step back, take a deep breath and thoroughly examine why you support him and intend to vote for him.  Is it because you truly believe that he did the right thing when he held office before, rightfully resisted – beyond his legal remedies – leaving office after he lost the election, and then – ever since he left, has tried to destroy many of America’s institutions?  Is it because you truly believe that he is doing the right thing now and deserves another chance to lead America as her Commander-in-Chief?  Or, is it due to some nefarious reason conjured up by Trump, which is fueled by a flaw he has discovered in you and is exploiting for his own political purposes?

I am fully aware that there are many Republicans who may read this article or hear about it who, knowing that I am a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, will be tempted to reject its content out-of-hand.  I implore you not to do this!  Instead, check to see what many of your well-respected conservative elected leaders are saying about Donald J. Trump and how he is an existential threat to democracy.  A threat to the very democracy that guarantees you all of the previously mentioned rights and more.  Further, do not just listen to what those leaders are saying but do further research of your own and bring yourselves up to speed on Donald Trump and as much of the information as possible about his efforts to become president again.

I know that most Republicans disagree with Democrats, and by association that includes me, on policies and how America should move forward.  But I believe that all of us agree that America should remain a democracy.  And if, together, we have the good fortune of keeping her a democracy when all votes have been counted for the 2024 presidential election, we can celebrate that bipartisan accomplishment together.  After that, we can get back to fighting things out through civil discourse to resolve our differences.  On the other hand, if Trump wins and once again becomes 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