The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America is doing everything within his power to destroy the American democracy before he leaves office on January 20, 2021.  He continues to be assisted in this effort by his collection of toadies that he already has in the House and Senate.  Yet, because of his insatiable lust for power and corruption, he is seeking still more Republican representatives and senators who will do his bidding.  He is collecting these trophy representatives and senators through bullying, intimidation and any other means that he deems necessary.  He can smell their fear and sense their lust for power and he ruthlessly uses these things to bring them to their knees: he is a stone cold predator and always conducts himself as such.

There are some among these oath-breaker devoid of principle enablers who do not require bullying or intimidation to cast democracy and the Constitution on the trash heap, they follow him simply because they are Trump loyalist who believe that he can do no wrong.  They willingly accept the fact that loyalty to him is a one way street as he views it and always will be.  They also believe and willingly accept the statement that he made when he said that “I am the president, I can do anything that I want.”  They literally believe that The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America can do anything that he wants to do.

Those who support Mr. Trump and believe that he can do anything that he wants to do does not stop with Republican members of the House and Senate, it extends to more than half of all Republicans.  This poses a grave danger to our democracy and a serious threat to the survival of this republic; the American experiment that began almost 250 years ago.  Many of those Republicans who are not members of the House or Senate may not know that what Mr. Trump and these incumbent representatives and senators are doing is wrong and goes against everything that America has stood for during those almost 250 years and still stands for today; but these representatives and senators do!  I can’t even imagine that they don’t.  And if for some unimaginable reason they don’t, then they do not belong in office!

If our elected officials want to be leaders then they must show some leadership.  They must defend America against all enemies foreign and domestic and protect and defend the Constitution.  Those of them who have chosen to succumb to Mr. Trump – for whatever reason – kiss his ring and do his bidding should never be forgotten!  Always remember their names and never trust them again!  Hold them accountable, present them as examples and let them and what they have done live in infamy throughout history.  That way, those who follow them will realize the gravity of what they did and never repeat it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

I have seen a lot of news headlines lately with the articles following them stating that the Democrats expected a big blue wave but didn’t get it because they didn’t pursue Trump supporters hard enough: because they used virtual campaign techniques rather than the old fashion technique of getting out and knocking on doors and talking to people: because Republicans and Independents still remember the “basket of deplorables” statement that Secretary Hillary Clinton made in 2016 and their feelings remain badly hurt and 2020 Democrats made an equivalent mistake but without using Secretary Clinton’s exact words.  Poppycock!  Here’s how I see it…

Now I am just a regular old guy – who is, by the way, a rock-solid Democrat (I thought that you should know that), who believes that Trump supporters are going to be Trump supporters no matter what!  Some of those supporters might support him for different reasons than do others but he still has their non-wavering support.  For instance, Trump says you can grab women by their “p***y and get away with it; his supporters accept this and don’t budge.  Trump regularly denigrates women in other vile and vulgar ways through name-calling; his supporters accept this and don’t budge.  Trump calls Mexicans rapists and murders; his supporters accept this and don’t budge.  Trump readily denigrates any of his supporters no matter how loyal they have been to him and for how long they have been loyal to him, as soon as they openly disagree with him; his supporters accept this and don’t budge.  Trump rips children, including infants and toddlers, from the arms of their parents and locks them in cages without a solid plan to ever be able to reunite these children with their parents; his supporters accept this and don’t budge.  Trump cuddles up with dictators and other strongmen in secretive meetings while not allowing American note takers into the room and then refuses to tell the American people what was said during those meetings; his supporters accept this and don’t budge.  Trump allowed Covid-19 to run rampant in the United States killing more than 241,000 Americans without establishing a plan to bring it under control and as of the writing of this article, still has no plan; his supporters accept this and don’t budge.  This list is by no means exhaustive.

All of his Republican enablers in the House and Senate also hear these things and witness his complete lack of respect for the office of the presidency and the long-held norms that have been observed by virtually every president before him and they accept this and don’t budge.  Those who voted for him in this 2020 election have witnessed his behavior and know exactly who he is yet they voted for him again.  They also – after all of the protests and demonstrations, after all of the fiery rhetoric about how terrible a person that he is and how unworthy he is to hold the highest office in America and how all of those who enable him should be voted out of office and replaced with elected officials who will respect their oaths of office and serve America with honor – voted those same enablers right back into office.  Why is that?!

Now that they have voted these Representatives and Senators back into office and voted for The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America to have a second term and the race is extremely tight between him and former Vice President Joe Biden, they are pointing the finger at Blacks and Latinos and trying to steer the narrative for this tight race toward them. Well, this regular old guy believes that he knows why this 2020 election between Mr. Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden is so tight.  It certainly ain’t because of Blacks and Latinos!  I agree with Princeton Professor Eddie S. Glaude, Jr.  This story is about White America!  It is about things that far too many White Americans do not want to talk about.  It is about something that our country has struggled with from the day of its founding; that something is race.

The previously mentioned Trump supporters likely enjoy having Democrats chase after them and they wrap this attention around them like a fur coat and completely enjoy the warm and cozy feeling as if this metaphorical wrap were an actual fur coat on a very cold wintry day.  But they haven’t the slightest intention on voting for anyone other than Mr. Trump.  These voters may say that they detest the way that The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America conducts himself but they like his policies because they are for the greater good.

The following scenario is from a Black man’s perspective because that has been my personal experience so that is what I know best.  Take a minute, close your eyes and really think about the things that Mr. Trump has done.  As you relax and let your mind transport you back through some of the things that he has done as The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America, allow yourself to feel and be a part of what is actually happening.  Imagine a young Black man walking home to enjoy candy that he has purchased at a convenience store.  He is attacked by a grown man (vigilante?) with a gun, who is a so-called neighborhood watch person on patrol, and ultimately shot and killed.  Now imagine a twelve-year-old Black child who has a plastic gun, is playing in the park and is shot and killed by a police officer who acted within a few seconds of he and his partner rushing up in their patrol car because someone reported a person in the park with a gun.  Now imagine that a Black man is standing on a corner selling loose cigarettes and the police arrive and within minutes have placed him in a chokehold and chocked him to death as he repeatedly tells them that he cannot breathe.  Now imagine a Black man that has been pulled over for a traffic stop and as he runs away is shot multiple times in the back and killed.  This is important so bear with me as I provide you with a few more examples…

Now imagine a black man who is on the pavement with a police officers’ knee on his neck for almost nine (9) minutes.  And as this Black man pleads for his life, says time-and-again that he can’t breathe and calls out for his mother; the officer, with his hands in his pockets and with his knee still on the Black man’s neck tells him to get up and get in the car…the Black man says “I can’t”…and then he dies.  Now imagine an innocent Black woman who is shot to death in her own apartment by police who are executing a no-knock warrant.  Multiple shots were fired into her home but the only charge filed was against one of the officers for endangering the dead Black woman’s neighbor because one of his bullets penetrated the wall of her apartment…and the list goes on.

But now I ask you to imagine just one more thing, imagine that all of those killed were White…and that the police officers who killed them were Black!  Would the greater good perspective that you hold still prevail?  Would you still be so tolerant of Mr. Trump?  I am not by any means saying that Trump supporters and enablers are responsible for bringing about the above mentioned deaths but I am saying that they condone them by winking at them and they tacitly tender their approval of them by refusing to speak truth to power!  One of the main means to throttle Mr. Trump and his enablers and prevent them from leading America backwards toward the days of Jim Crow and slavery is by way of our vote.  During this 2020 election, almost half of the American voters voted to give Mr. Trump four (4) more years in office.  That speaks volumes about the great divide that exists in America and is indicative of the great amount of work that all Americans have ahead of us if we are serious about creating a more perfect union.  It is neither perfect now nor will it ever be.  But if our democracy, this great American experiment that we are involved in, is to survive, we must work in perpetuity to make it perfect.

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between the Line

Republican politicians first personified the meaning of the expression hollow oath of office then sold their souls to The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  While the majority of Americans have been traumatized by the way that Mr. Trump has conducted himself from the time that he became The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and are now stressed to their breaking point due to the pre-election and post election violence that he is inciting, Mr. Trump is in his element and is as happy as a lark.  And guess what…spoiler alert, all of the Washington Republican politicians in the House and Senate are continuing to enable him in his march to destroy our American democracy and so are all of the other Republican politicians around the country!

I am among those Americans who are traumatized and stressed almost to the limit as a result of Mr. Trump’s tenure in office.  I have followed politics and been involved in it for almost all of my adult life.  I have always been, and am struggling to remain, an optimist when it comes to politicians and the governance our country.  Up until this point, I have always believed that a politician’s oath of office held an honorable meaning to them.  I believed that at any time that a choice arose between Party and politics that even appeared to threaten our country and/or democracy – let alone present an existential threat – that would be a Rubicon that they would refuse to cross and they would therefore choose country and democracy.  Obviously, that is not the case.  Where are the voices of patriotic Republican politicians?  Are there none to be found?!

I am at a complete loss for adequate words to express the situation that we, the American people, find ourselves in under the so-called leadership of The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and his minions – the Republican Party, under the leadership of Senate Majority Leader Addison Mitchell McConnell, Jr. (a.k.a. The Infamous AMM).  Unfortunately, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) got mixed up in this leadership, or lack thereof, quagmire in 2013 when, under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts, the SCOTUS gutted the Voting Rights Act and in essence rendered it powerless.  Now not only is Chief Justice Roberts right in the center of our current Trumpian controversy but thanks to the determined assistance of The Infamous AMM, Mr. Trump has appointed three (3) conservative Justices to the SCOTUS who he fully expects to be loyal to him.  And he has not been shy about what he wants from them with respect to the 2020 election.  It remains to be seen as to how these Justices will respond to his not-so-subtle suggestions but the situation certainly creates the appearance that the SCOTUS is a political sham and not at all about the law and its spirit and intent.

Since I am at a complete loss for adequate words to express the situation that we, the American people, find ourselves in under the so-called leadership of The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and his minions who enable him, I strongly recommend that you read The New York Times article by The Editorial Board.  The title of the article is “Why Are Republicans So Afraid of Voters?”  It’s like they took the words right out of my mouth only they were much, much, much, much better.  The read certainly gave me a clearer understanding of the situation that we find ourselves in and how things really should be if we want to be the democracy that we are meant to be.  I think that it will do the same for you! To read the New York Times article you can simply click on the above link or type the title of the article into your browser search box and click the search icon.

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

I decided that I once again needed a break from writing about The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and his outrageous antics.  As usual, he is continuing to suck up all of the air in the room so is dominating the news coverage in the United States and perhaps around the globe.  So while all of the mainstream news media is covering Mr. Trump I decided to write about the opening episode of the original series called First Ladies and the reminder that exudes from First Lady Michelle Obama that the prospect of “Hope and Change” should always remain with us…until that change comes.

Sunday night, 10/5/2020, I watched “First Ladies” on CNN featuring First Lady Michelle Obama.  When the First Lady began to speak it felt like I was immediately whisked away back to 2008 when now past president Barack Obama was elected president of the United States of America.  Once again I felt that ember of hope that still exists within me that there will be a time in politics someday when we will have a president who will bring all Americans together and lead America forward with dignity and honor; a president who will take that torch of hope that President Obama passed to them, expand on it and continue to make America an even brighter light on that hill burst into flame.  That same sense of pride and joy that welled up inside of me in 2008 when then Mr. Obama was elected president surfaced again!

However, that euphoric feeling that I experienced was accompanied by feelings of sadness and feelings of sympathy for First Lady Michelle Obama and President Obama; but especially for First Lady Obama.  I also experienced feelings of anger and outrage at the way that most of the Republican senators, which included Senator Mitch McConnell, treated First Lady Obama and President Barack Obama.  I specifically call out Senator McConnell because he is the Republicans’ leader and the person who was orchestrating the Republican mess then and is still doing so now.  You see, videos that were taken during President Obama’s tenure were shown during this series opening episode and news clips during that time were also displayed.  The body language demonstrated by those Republican senators toward President Obama and First Lady Obama was palpable and the vitriol, as exemplified in those news clips, that was spewed out of the mouths of far too many white people toward the First Lady and President Obama was all but unforgivable!

When First Lady Michelle Obama wore a sleeveless dress she was sorely criticized.  Many of those who criticized her acted as if no First Lady had ever worn a sleeveless dress before she wore one.  Many of them implied that this was completely out of bounds for a First Lady and some didn’t bother to imply that this was outside of White House decorum; they came right out and said that it was.

Whoa!  Refocus and recalibrate!  Lest I get sidetracked and go off on a complete tangent, which would be easy to do when I focus on First Lady Obama and our current First Lady…and current Donald J. Trump of the United States of America; a rhetorical question, have they been scrutinized anywhere near as closely for their behavior and character as were First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama?  And if they have, where is the outrage and criticism from the public and palpable body language from the Republican congressmen and senators toward First Lady Melania Trump and The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America?!  Food for thought for the Obama haters.  Anyway, I didn’t write this article to rehash all of the wrong that was done to President Obama and First Lady Obama.   I wrote it because of the feelings that were rekindled in me that made me more determined than I have ever been to do everything that I can in an effort to assure that they have the opportunity to read the poem that they inspired me to write prior to President Obama being elected President of the United States of America.  That determination was reinforced and amplified after I watched the first episode of “First Ladies”.  Following is that Poem:

A POEM

History in Black and White

Who is this Barack Obama who keeps appearing on my TV          Spouting words of change and hope in this beautiful land of the free?

It really would be a change if he wins despite the dissent                    You see, Barack Obama is running for President!

Now this may not sound much like change if your knowledge of history is slack                                                                                                                         But the fact of the matter in point, is this man Obama is Black!

He is truly African-American, as pure as African-American can be   So don’t be afraid to put a shout out that he can speak for you and for me

His father is a citizen of Africa and a true native in his own right     But his mother is a citizen of the USA, not only that but the woman is White!

So put a shout out to the White people too, this man’s knowledge is vast and not slim                                                                                                            Not only can he represent us, but he can also represent them

His knowledge is not based on guessing, like guessing done by you and by me Nor like the guessing done in John McCain’s camp though they’re truly trying to see

They are trying to see common interest, and common ground for those Black and White                                                                                               But when John is matched against Obama, his candle cannot hold a light

He has not an African father; though his parents love him they are White                                                                                                                                      So he can’t truly know their concerns and ours though he tries with all of his might

There’s no doubt that McCain is a patriot and wants our country to grow despite drama                                                                                                     But the best way for him to assure that this happens is for him to vote for Obama

We have not even talked about Michelle, who is as sharp as a First Lady can be                                                                                                                      And although Mr. Obama is not yet elected, she is talked about worldwide on TV

They attack the comments she’s made, to shame Barack for the world to see                                                                                                                   They say a First Lady should be background stuff and not wise and outspoken like she

This woman is as sharp as a whip, must she pretend to be dumb and not wise                                                                                                                               But for the President and the people of the USA she can be astute with nimble compromise

But now let’s get back to Obama who will be our next President      He will break that glass ceiling and enter that room that’s reserved for the establishment

He will surely be good for our country as we explore this new frontier                                                                                                                                                We will shed all labels but American people and conquer all doubt and all fear

Now pay attention Latinos and Native Americans and all others with the franchise true-blue                                                                                             This poem is from a Black perspective and that’s why there was no shout out to you

But Mr. Obama needs your support also to lead our country and let her noble flag wave Then he can assure we remain on task, the land of the free and the home of the brave                                                       ©Eulus Dennis 2008

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

Other than to make this comparison of the stark difference between these two people, it is without a doubt unfair to even mention The Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Infamous Addison Mitchell McConnell, Jr. in the same sentence because they are political polar opposites.  While U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (a.k.a. The Notorious RBG) spent her entire adult life standing on principle while fighting for justice and equal treatment under the law for all people, Senate Majority Leader Addison Mitch McConnell (a.k.a. The Infamous AMM) – as dubbed by yours truly as I began to write this article –  has spent his entire adult life lusting after as much power as he can possibly accumulate and worshiping that power while giving no regard to fairness or how the decisions that he is able to make as a result of that power impacts on others.  Unfortunately, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on September 18, 2020.  She was 87 years old.  As for the Infamous AMM – shortly after her death, likely after prowling the corridors of power to see if there was any new power to grab before issuing a statement, publicly announced that Mr. Trump’s nominee to replace Justice Ginsburg would receive a vote on the floor of the senate.

You might remember that back in 2016 The Infamous AMM denied then President Barrack Obama the right to perform his duty as president to have his Supreme Court nominee, Judge Merrick Garland considered for the Supreme Court by refusing to hold hearings and allow a vote on the senate floor for him to be seated on the Court.  He said that he was withholding hearings and a vote on Judge Garland because it was an election year, about 10 months before Election Day, that the American people should have a voice in this placement and that whoever was elected president should make this nomination.  He said that whoever was elected might or might not choose to submit Judge Garland’s name.  All of the Republican senators supported The Infamous AMM’s decision.  Many of those same senators said that if this same situation arose in an election year in the future they would treat the situation the same way.

This is election year 2020 and that same situation has arisen as a result of the death of Justice Ginsburg.  The only difference is that Election Day 2020 is only 41 days away.  Notwithstanding, the Republican-led senate does not want to handle the situation the same way.  As mentioned previously, The Infamous AMM has made the decision that Mr. Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the senate floor.  And now – because they want to support him again, these Republican senators who said back in 2016 when they supported The Infamous AMM’s decision to block a senate vote on Judge Garland for more than a year that if the same situation occurred again they would treat it the same way are backpedaling.  If it is at all possible they intend to vote on Mr. Trump’s nominee and so are looking for any excuse that they can find in order to spin it to provide cover for themselves and The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.

So far the excuse that The Infamous AMM has conjured up is that this time the senate and the executive branches are controlled by the same party and that is a key difference.  His spin is that because of this, he and all of his Republican colleagues who refused to grant Judge Merrick Garland a hearing and a vote on the senate floor for more than a year back in 2016 because it was an election year, are not hypocrites.  Guess what?  All of the Republican senators have lined up in support of The Infamous AMM and are using this conjured up excuse to explain their change of mind.  All of them are a bunch of liars and flimflam men…and women.  But they are politicians without principles so lying comes natural for them so it is easy and without shame.  They look at lying as part of the profession and far too many American voters, journalist, pundits and press have been hoodwinked by them into accepting that this truly is the case.  Remember these politicians’ names and never trust them again!

Those people who have chosen to cast all else aside, things like healthcare, the rights of minorities – ethnic and otherwise, equal justice under the law, voting rights and all other rights to life outside of the womb and hold their nose and align themselves with The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America just for judges, are delusional if they believe that these judges in Trump’s America have real meaning.  They may have real meaning right now and yet for a little while.  But Mr. Trump’s actions, manner of thinking and policies align more with those of dictators and other strongmen than they do with American laws, norms and the American way.  And after that “little while” if he has his way – in Trump’s America, those judges will have neither meaning nor power unless they remain in his good graces.  Then, under those circumstances, what will it profit you if you have 100% conservative judges in the courts but lose your freedom and right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Election Day 2020 will indeed be an historic Election Day.  Right now, Mr. Trump is busily traveling all around the country projecting his weaknesses and shortcomings upon his challenger, Vice President Joe Biden, and anyone else that he considers to be an adversary.  He is saying all of the right things about what he will do and how he will run our great country if he is given a second term in office.  But he is a proven liar and all Americans and the world have seen how he ran America in his first term.  He ruined America’s reputation at home and around the world.  We, the American people, can put a stop to the dismantling of our country this Election Day by way of our vote.

Yes, American voters can and should vote Mr. Trump and all of his enablers out of office on November 3^rd this year.  But rest assured that every available obstacle that can be successfully placed in your path to vote will be put there.  Because Mr. Trump is such a dangerous man who obviously possesses the ability to be a modern day pied piper to his base and many other Republican voters via his flimflam chicanery, I leave you with the words of the late John F. Kennedy as food for thought to encourage you to be sure to vote in this important fight for the soul of America to ensure that Mr. Trump will not have a second term as The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  President Kennedy said “the great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.  Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.

Mr. Trump has very skillfully and successfully used the “lie and myth” method to lure trusting American people into his web since his first day in office.  Every vote counts if American voters are to be successful in putting an end to The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America’s “lie and myth” peddling.  That is one among many of the important reasons why you should 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

There are seventy-three days left until Election Day 2020 and Americans are in one of the biggest, if not the biggest, fights of our life.  No matter which side of this fight that we are on we are in the fight for the very soul of America.  The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and his minions are battling to suck what serves as the life-giving blood out of America during this extended period of night.  Mr. Trump and his minions are virtual vampires that are trying desperately to drain America of the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The Declaration of Independence specifically states that these unalienable rights – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – have been bestowed upon all humans by their creator.  And although the Constitution stops short of specifically mentioning happiness, it specifically mentions life and liberty.  As Americans, we have long known that life and liberty allows us the opportunity to be the best that we can possibly be and that they are key components to our potential to pursue livelihood as we see fit and establish a free and happy life at whatever level in society that we choose and are capable of reaching…i.e., “the pursuit of happiness.”  So, although the Constitution does not specifically mention “the pursuit of happiness,” it without doubt implies that we are entitled to this.

What are these virtual vampires doing to suck the blood out of America and make those of us who would prefer to keep America great rather than join the Trump clan who want to participate in a so-called rebirth of America to “Make America Great Again”?  They are joined at the hip with Mr. Trump in all of his shenanigans to do anything and everything that it takes to hold onto power by:

• According to the book “Hoax” by Brian Stelter (and long-held suspicions held by a large percentage of the American people), allowing Fox News to vicariously run the country by allowing Fox News to determine his decisions and policies many of which completely ignore science and are based on conspiracy theories
• Pretending that Coronavirus/COVID-19 does not exist, misinforming the American people about this disease and knowingly and willingly putting them in danger
• Spreading rumors, without evidence, that mail-in ballots will be rife with fraud and as a result…
• Withholding badly needed funding for the post office that will help them to get mail-in ballots to the polls on time so that they will be counted
• Removing mail sorting machines from post offices
• Eliminating overtime at post offices
• Firing post office managers or removing them from their current positions
• Removing post office mailboxes from off the streets where they have long stood
• Treating election mail (ballots) like bulk mail rather than first class mail
• Refusing to address foreign interference in our elections and instead soliciting their help in his own reelection
• Using the Department of Justice to punish his enemies and help his friends
• Using the Department of State and other Departments to line his own pockets
• Firing those who openly disagree with him or investigate any allegations against him even if an investigation is warranted
• Replacing longtime, qualified civil servants with large donors/political hacks
• Lying about almost everything…even when the truth would be as good or better…
• And the list goes on

Right now The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America is doing everything that he can to destroy the United States Postal Service, undermine the American election process by causing the American people to question its integrity and fairness and thereby lose confidence in the entire system and to suppress the vote in any other way possible so that he can be reelected.  He is emboldened by the fact that the Republican-led Senate refused to convict him, despite overwhelming evidence of his guilt, after he was impeached by the House.  He is ignoring all of the norms associated with the position that he holds and is handing out pardons to his convicted friends like candy to children on Halloween!

Mr. Trump was an extremely dangerous and freighting man as a regular American because of the power that he commanded due to his wealth and influence as a celebrity.  But he is even more dangerous and freighting now because of the enormous power that he wields as The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  He is the most powerful man in the world and holds the potential to almost singlehandedly destroy our democracy!  It is unfortunate but it appears that that is exactly what he is trying to do.  And that is why that no matter how many obstacles that he and his Republican minions place in our way in an effort to keep us from voting, we must surmount those obstacles and vote anyway!  I literally cannot say this too many times before Election Day 2020!  Hopefully I will not need to continue to say it after Election Day because we will have voted him and all of his enablers out of office.

Let us not become complacent and not vote due to the obstacles that Mr. Trump and his minions place in our path and we feel that they are too hard to deal with.  Let us not become complacent because Vice President Joe Biden currently has a comfortable lead according to the polls and that his running mate Senator Kamala Harris poses a formidable challenge to whomever Mr. Trump’s running mate might be: The stakes are just too high.  Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris need you!  America needs you!  So always remember, 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

Have you ever tried to get information of any kind to what America considers to be “important” Americans?  Let me be clear, I mean people like past presidents, past first ladies, past Senators and Representatives (current Senators and Representatives?)…and cable news talk show hosts?  I have.  It is virtually impossible!  In my case, it doesn’t matter whether I use high-tech mail or snail mail it just can’t seem to find its way to the person that I am sending it to.  Now don’t get me wrong, I know that “important” people have to be protected from gadflies, unlike the rest of Americans who can receive tons of junk mail each year and be subjected to salespeople or anyone else who wants to plug a bogus name into our caller ID – no matter how much we might complain to our elected officials about it and ask them to fix this problem, because they are “important.”  I have come to grips with the presumed fact that the rest of us are not “important?”  So I think that maybe I accept it?  However, I’m not yet sure about all of this so I am still working on it…it sure can be confusing!

I was moved to write this piece because I was so filled with pride and happiness when Mr. Barrack Obama was elected president that I wrote a poem about him and the First Lady.  I knew how I felt and I believed that virtually all Black Americans held these same feelings so I wanted the President and First Lady to have this poem and have the opportunity to read it, hear my interpretation of it and possibly vicariously feel the overwhelming pride and exhilaration that all of us Black Americans were feeling as a result of them leading our great country, America.  I was so filled with pride and excitement that I gave this poem to the head of the Democratic Party in Denver and asked her if she would see to it that the President and First Lady received it; she said that she would try to see that this happened.  In addition to giving my poem to her, I gave it to the major television stations in Denver and tried to convince them that it was newsworthy.  They didn’t buy it.  So here it is twelve years later and the President and First Lady still have not had an opportunity to read this poem or had the opportunity to be exposed to or even try to experience the great happiness and pride that overwhelms me, and I believe all Black Americans, every time that I think about them.

I acknowledge that there cannot be even the slightest comparison to what President and First Lady Obama tried to do during President Obama’s term in office – and are still trying to do – and the overwhelming pride that I feel and have expressed in my poem, but it is the most eloquent way that I can come up with to express the agape love and great pride that I, and I believe all Black Americans, have for him and our First Lady…so I ask that you will please indulge me this one time.  My point is that I have tried to the best of my ability to get this poem to President Obama and the First Lady but have been unsuccessful.  This leads to the perfect segue into the other “important” Americans, past and current Senators and Representatives and the cable news talk show folks.  Whenever I have tried to reach them my snail mail has come back to me marked “return to sender.”  How sentimental, I can’t help but to reminisce about an old Elvis Pressley song…you know it; “Return To Sender.”

Sometimes I can’t help but to wonder if it is not only because I am not on the “important” Americans list but maybe it is because I am on some “important” Americans’ bad guy list.  I do write a lot of articles about “important” Americans and I have heard that if you use certain names or words on the phone, via electronic mail or via any articles that you write on your computer and/or post to a website, that those names and words are picked up by those monitoring for them and may generate scrutiny by the monitors.  Whoa, just thinking about that scares me!  Just for the record, I’m not a bad guy.  Anyway, this regular American can’t seem to get in touch with “important” Americans: Maybe some regular Americans can but even if they can, they don’t seem to have any impact, especially with our elected officials.  If they can get in contact with them and have some impact, why are we having all of these protests and why does nothing seem to effectuate any change without such protests; why doesn’t it at least stem the endless tide of the divisive statements and incitement to violence based on race by The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America?!  Obviously, it has neither brought about his removal from office nor has it stopped him from publically exhibiting this shameful behavior, which makes his unfitness for the highest office in America painfully obvious!

Protests in every state in our country; with the way that things are going in our federal government right now, who would have thunk (not misspelled) it?!  I mean, just because the checks and balances on the Executive Branch of government have been pushed over the edge of the cliff – by the Executive Branch – and are hanging on solely by their metaphorical fingernails does not mean that the American people should panic, does it?  And that The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America has become completely unhinged, in large part, as a result of observing this, and attributed it to his grip on power; that should not give Americans pause, should it?  After all, he says that the coronavirus pandemic is under control and that the things that the press is saying about Russia placing a bounty on the heads of American soldiers is a hoax, that Americans should discount this “fake news” and move on with our lives.  With his track record surly we can believe and trust him…right?!

Think about it.  America is in very deep trouble and even if all of us do our civic duty and vote Mr. Trump and all of his enablers out of office in November, we will still be faced with a long and arduous uphill battle.  This is indeed a battle for the soul of America; and if we don’t vote him and his lackeys out of office then America will continue to be drawn by the siren call of The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America until she crashes upon the unseen rocks and her pieces will be carried away by the whim of various currents to a myriad of unknown places.  True, Sirens should still exist only in folklore; but Mr. Trump exists in a Trump World bubble and has become the siren of folklore personified in our modern day world.  He has lured many other elected and appointed officials into his orbit, mesmerized them and they now belong to him: they have completely failed to honor the oath of office that they took and have utterly failed to move America in the direction that the majority of the American people want her to travel.

Before I close, let’s address paragraph two of this article, a paragraph that to some might appear to be somewhat incongruent to this piece, and determine what in the world the poem that I wrote in honor of President and First Lady Obama has to do with the rest of the article.  Okay, here we go.

President Obama:

• Was the President of all of the people, not just those who voted for him
  • I’m proud of that
• Worked to pull us together as Americans, not to divide us and pit us against one another
  • I’m proud of that
• Was pensive, he put a lot of thought into what American policy should be
  • I’m proud of that
• Listened
  • I’m proud of that
• Valued all civil servants, their experience and expertise and thoughtfully weighed the advice given to him by heads of their departments and his cabinet members
  • I’m proud of that
• Did not tweet his way through domestic and foreign policy
  • I’m proud of that
• Was the first African American President of the United States of America
  • I’m proud of that
• As President, placed the interest of America above his personal interest…and the list goes on
  • I’m proud of that

I was extremely proud then and remain extremely proud now of President and First Lady Obama.  The fact that I am an African American only intensifies that sense of pride.  I really wanted to get that poem to them, especially, sense I was inspired by them to write it and wrote it in their honor.  I could not get it to them then and, to this day, still cannot get it to them: it’s sort of like the rest of the unimportant people who can’t seem to get through to the “important” people who represent them in order to bring about desired change.  Hence, protests and demonstrations.

Now that those of you who were scratching your head about paragraph two of this article know why it is there, your mind should be free to focus on and dwell on the final and urgently important message that I want to leave you with.  That message is this: whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, always remember, 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

Since the day that Mr. Donald J. Trump was inaugurated, the democracy of the United States of America has been under siege.  To my knowledge, no democracy has ever lasted longer than that of the United States of America.  My hypothetical equation as to how much damage that our democracy will sustain under the so called leadership of Mr. Trump, if we will recover from it or whether it will even last is this: (18000 L + TIO + IATIO)/3.5 Y x DJT Lifespan = DJTDTD.  In this equation “L” = lies, “TIO” = time in office, “IATIO” = influence after time in office, “Y” = years, “DJT” = Donald J. Trump and DJTDTD = Donald J. Trump damage to democracy.  So to state the equation, it is: the sum of 18,000 lies plus time in office plus influence after time in office divided by 3.5 years times Donald J. Trump lifespan = Donald J. Trump damage to democracy.  In other words, the democracy of the United States of America could hinge on this hypothetical equation and whether or not, by way of our vote, we will cut that “TIO” short.  If we cut it short, America stands a much greater chance of continuing to survive as a democracy.

What did we get ourselves into when America elected Mr. Trump – according to the American intelligence community, with Russia’s help?!  Only history will reveal the complete story.  Unfortunately, many of us will not be around when the final chapter of this occupier of the Oval Office, The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America is revealed.  Whether or not we are around for the final chapter, we are all witnesses right now to the unfettered carnage that Mr. Trump has unleashed and is continuing to unleash on America.

With the Novel Coronavirus that has America in its grip – and to date has killed almost 120,000 Americans – and protests in every state of the United States and around the world because of the rate at which the police are brutalizing and murdering black men and women as if our lives do not matter, The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America has chosen to move on from the coronavirus pandemic and focus on his reelection campaign.  He has moved on from the coronavirus problem by pretending that the pandemic no longer exists in America and is in essence discouraging Americans from wearing masks and from social distancing. He and his Republican minions in the House and Senate are pushing “reopening” America with little to no regard given to advice by scientists and health experts as to how to handle such a reopening.

As regards the brutalization and murders of black men and women by police and the need for transformational reform in the 18,000 police departments throughout the United States, Mr. Trump and almost all congressional Republicans insist that there is not systemic racism in the police departments around the country and that a “few bad apples” in these police departments are causing these problems.  They insist that the problems in police departments can be solved with more training and a bit of tweaking.  Those in the United States and around the world who have been protesting and demanding change because of the way that the police in America treat black people obviously disagree.  And they are continuing to express that disagreement.

Mr. Trump and his administration have failed miserably to provide America and the American people with the leadership that we deserve.  The United States State Department and Department of Justice (DOJ) have succumbed to Mr. Trump’s influence and have now become completely possessed by him.  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo eagerly carries Mr. Trump’s water and DOJ head, William Barr, is nothing more than Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer.  He has done nothing to act as the American peoples’ lawyer and he has lost the confidence of his predecessors, his peers and many of those civil servants who, unfortunately, fall under his auspices.

I would be remiss if I did not mention Trump former National Security Advisor John Bolton.  Mr. Bolton, for whatever reason – I believe it was for consideration of future potential profit from a book that he wrote, was also among those who protected and enabled Mr. Trump: he refused to testify in the House impeachment proceedings and said that he would only testify before the senate if subpoenaed.  With the Republican-led senate, guided by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, hell-bent on clearing Mr. Trump of all Impeachment charges to the point where they chose to have a trial without calling any witnesses, Mr. Bolton did not have to concern himself about being subpoenaed.  He likely knew this in advance.  And although Mr. Bolton’s testimony probably would not have changed the final result of Mr. Trump’s impeachment trial, it would have put more pressure on the senate to avoid presenting a sham trial to the American people.  I agree with Congressman Adam Schiff; former National Security Advisor John Bolton might be an author but he is not a patriot!

The failed well-warranted attempt to impeach and convict Mr. Trump allowed him to remain in office to complete his first term.  And there is no doubt that The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America can do a tremendous amount of damage between now and the time that he leaves office if he should lose.  But he can do far more damage if he is given another four years.  Whether you support Mr. Trump or feel that America needs a new president, it is incumbent upon all of us to vote this November.  And if we all vote no matter how many roadblocks that Mr. Trump and his Republican minions place in our paths, I am confident that America will have a new president in office in January 2021.  I believe that that new president will be a Democrat.  I also believe that all of those elected officials who placed their personal and political ambition above their oath to defend America against all enemies foreign and domestic and blindly followed The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America will be held to account and will be replaced.

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