As reported on Democracy Now (today)---
"And then I see the disinfectant... knocks it [the virus] out in a minute...is there some way we can do that... by injection... inside [the body]... almost a cleaning." ~ DJT
The above statement was toward the end of Trump's announcement about new research to be done on covid-19 by Homeland Security. Perhaps it was more of his gaslighting, meant to confuse people. Or, perhaps it was simply another measure of his utter ignorance regarding human biology in particular, and Science in general. In any case, these kinds of outrageous announcements might encourage uneducated people who may be feeling desperate to try it on their own. Hopefully, that will never happen.
In all my years of following American politics, I've never heard anything more stupid than this bit by DJT. Absolutely unbelievable. This is the man who has access to the nuclear war trigger. Think about that. Not only that, he's the man who asked, "Why can't we use them [nuclear weapons]?".
Shortly after The Don's imbecilic remark, Lysol issued the following warning:
"...under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion, or any other route)."
Even a four-legged donkey (or a puppet for the Financial Sector) should be able to beat Trump in the next election... that is, if there's any common sense at all left in the American people.
Not only my opinion. Stay Well
Showing posts with label Gaslighting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaslighting. Show all posts
Friday, April 24, 2020
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
The Absurd Gaslighter Trump Falls Flat AGAIN
Kudos to Paula Reid (CBS reporter) and to The Intercept, an alternative News organization--- https://theintercept.com/2020/04/14/trump-pr-stunt-falls-flat-white-house-video-exposes-failure-prepare-pandemic/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=The%20Intercept%20Newsletter
At least watch the embedded video clips in the piece at the link above.
The above article clearly shows the absurdity of Donald John Trump. His egomaniacal antics at the Press Briefing demonstrate not only his ongoing psychological gaslighting, but also his utter incompetence. Apparently, Trump thinks not only his remaining base supporters are stupid and uneducated, but the entire country as well.
When pressed by Reid about the glaring gaps in his self-promotional video, Trump's primary response was: "You're so disgraceful... you know you're a fake". Launching personal attacks is one way that gaslighters handle legitimate criticism. Another way is to completely ignore verifiable instances of failure... key instances. Too bad for Trump, though--- this time all his efforts fell flat.
It's incredible and baffling how this man believes he can sell the idea that his handling of the covid-19 crisis was spot-on from the very beginning. Even a drugged chimpanzee [😊] could see through that outright lie. Unfortunately, if a lie is repeated by a cult leader enough times, then some people (especially cult followers) come to believe it. Despite that, I don't see how that's possible in this particular case. Trump finally made a claim that is so absurd not even his die-hard supporters will believe it. At least, if there's any reasonableness at all left in this Land--- any critical thinking skills still remaining--- that's how it should play out. If it doesn't, that will be one more reason why many Plutocrats and Oligarchs have (for the last 50 or so years) suppressed & poo-pooed the idea of a Liberal Arts education. They didn't want any critical thinkers graduating from colleges and universities, and in general, the broader one's education, the more one possesses critical thinking skills.
Having critical thinkers would not be favorable for the implementation of propaganda... which now reigns supreme. It wasn't any kind of "conspiracy"; it was right out in the open for all to see. Basically, the whole process was people with mutual interests working (primarily independent of each other) toward a common goal. In large part, the goal was reached. Mostly due to a lack of sufficient critical thinking skills on our part, we now have a President who is the King of Elected Gaslighters, makes outrageous claims and contradictory statements, spews out lies as though there's no tomorrow, can't handle the slightest bit of legitimate criticism, usurps unconstitutional power on an unprecedented scale, has totally alienated all our key Allies, launches personal attacks and smears as though he's a spoiled eighth-grader, is a crass bully, and is an Autocrat Wannabe. On top of all that, he may have a 50-50 chance of being re-elected... when his chances in any rational society would be ZERO. I find it all tragic, sad, revealing, and darkly hilarious. It's Bizarro World... again... and eerily Orwellian.
Not only my opinion. Be Well
p.s. I'm not a Biden supporter, either.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
COVID-19 Has Dealt the Trumpian World a Mighty Blow
Preface
Like other posts here, this one is an essay. It's not an academic thesis. Essays usually contain both facts and speculation/opinion/analysis. So, when you read below (for example) Trump & Crew are rolling back environmental-health-safety (EHS) regulations on a massive scale, don't look for footnotes verifying that. I don't have the time or energy to do a bibliography on commonly known facts. If you have doubts about the veracity of some statement, you'll have to do your own research.
..........................
In regard to covid-19, Trump tried his usual (now boring) gaslighting--- lies, contradictory statements, outrageous claims, etc. That didn't work, so here lately, he had to get off his butt and actually do something. About 90% of his public statements now are totally scripted (to keep him from sounding like a gaslighting idiot)... and he sounds bored to death reading them. Every so often, he briefly goes off script and returns to gaslighting; but anyone with any sense at all sees through it. The Trumpian World is starting to collapse. A tiny virus is bringing it down.
In the Trumpian World, phenomena such as Nature, ecosystems, conservation of natural resources, biodiversity, and the like count for little to nothing. At the highest levels, the Trumpistas appear in general to care only about finance, economics, and corporatism. [I imagine they care about their families, as well.] I suspect that is why they know little to nothing about Natural Science. Trump & Crew are rolling back environmental-health-safety (EHS) regulations on a massive scale. As do many to most Corporatists, they believe forms of pollution are externalities... in other words, pollution need not be considered in the manufacturing, distribution, and pricing of consumer goods. It's someone else's problem.
The elected and appointed Trumpistas say they represent the common people, but the EHS regulations and standards they're eliminating protect the health and safety of all of us. In some cases, the health of the planet is being protected as well. Unfortunately and necessarily, EHS regs usually increase the cost of doing business. That's why they're being eliminated. Never mind the health & safety of the common people. According to the Powers-That-Be, the solution to pollution is to ignore it and/or let it dilute in Nature. Wow, what genius thinking by ignoramuses in the Executive Branch (and a large portion of Corporate America).
Then along came covid-19. At the highest levels, the main concern in the Trumpian World was not health, but rather the impact on Business... especially the Financial Sector. So, the initial response was slow. The next response was poo-pooing the disease. The next response was a lack of test kits. After all, we don't want people to know how widespread the bug is... that wouldn't be good for Wall Street. [Incidentally, only about 14% (not counting 401k or Pension accounts) of Americans are invested in the Stock Market as individuals.] All during this whole scenario, Trump is saying it's no big deal, "Relax, it will all pass.". Off script, he's still saying that. Meanwhile, in my opinion, the overdue Recession has begun.
Yes, Mr. Pres, just as with the Spanish Flu and the Swine Flu, this too shall pass. But at what cost in human suffering? Hopefully, Mr. Trump has learned the following lessons.
1. Viruses aren't affected by childish gaslighting.
2. Inept handling of a disease outbreak can have a severe economic impact.
3. It's not really possible to ignore a pandemic.
4. It's not really possible to ignore an economic and/or financial downturn.
5. Business and Wall Street aren't the only things that matter.
6. Lying about a situation is not usually the best way forward.
7. Mother Nature is in charge of this planet, not Corporatists. [By the way, Adam Smith denigrated Corporatists who thought they were "Masters of the Universe". Some in the Trumpian World think he praised them. He did not.]
8. Don't try to ignore Mother Nature, or treat her badly. You'll regret it.
........................
Not only my opinion. Be Well
Like other posts here, this one is an essay. It's not an academic thesis. Essays usually contain both facts and speculation/opinion/analysis. So, when you read below (for example) Trump & Crew are rolling back environmental-health-safety (EHS) regulations on a massive scale, don't look for footnotes verifying that. I don't have the time or energy to do a bibliography on commonly known facts. If you have doubts about the veracity of some statement, you'll have to do your own research.
..........................
In regard to covid-19, Trump tried his usual (now boring) gaslighting--- lies, contradictory statements, outrageous claims, etc. That didn't work, so here lately, he had to get off his butt and actually do something. About 90% of his public statements now are totally scripted (to keep him from sounding like a gaslighting idiot)... and he sounds bored to death reading them. Every so often, he briefly goes off script and returns to gaslighting; but anyone with any sense at all sees through it. The Trumpian World is starting to collapse. A tiny virus is bringing it down.
In the Trumpian World, phenomena such as Nature, ecosystems, conservation of natural resources, biodiversity, and the like count for little to nothing. At the highest levels, the Trumpistas appear in general to care only about finance, economics, and corporatism. [I imagine they care about their families, as well.] I suspect that is why they know little to nothing about Natural Science. Trump & Crew are rolling back environmental-health-safety (EHS) regulations on a massive scale. As do many to most Corporatists, they believe forms of pollution are externalities... in other words, pollution need not be considered in the manufacturing, distribution, and pricing of consumer goods. It's someone else's problem.
The elected and appointed Trumpistas say they represent the common people, but the EHS regulations and standards they're eliminating protect the health and safety of all of us. In some cases, the health of the planet is being protected as well. Unfortunately and necessarily, EHS regs usually increase the cost of doing business. That's why they're being eliminated. Never mind the health & safety of the common people. According to the Powers-That-Be, the solution to pollution is to ignore it and/or let it dilute in Nature. Wow, what genius thinking by ignoramuses in the Executive Branch (and a large portion of Corporate America).
Then along came covid-19. At the highest levels, the main concern in the Trumpian World was not health, but rather the impact on Business... especially the Financial Sector. So, the initial response was slow. The next response was poo-pooing the disease. The next response was a lack of test kits. After all, we don't want people to know how widespread the bug is... that wouldn't be good for Wall Street. [Incidentally, only about 14% (not counting 401k or Pension accounts) of Americans are invested in the Stock Market as individuals.] All during this whole scenario, Trump is saying it's no big deal, "Relax, it will all pass.". Off script, he's still saying that. Meanwhile, in my opinion, the overdue Recession has begun.
Yes, Mr. Pres, just as with the Spanish Flu and the Swine Flu, this too shall pass. But at what cost in human suffering? Hopefully, Mr. Trump has learned the following lessons.
1. Viruses aren't affected by childish gaslighting.
2. Inept handling of a disease outbreak can have a severe economic impact.
3. It's not really possible to ignore a pandemic.
4. It's not really possible to ignore an economic and/or financial downturn.
5. Business and Wall Street aren't the only things that matter.
6. Lying about a situation is not usually the best way forward.
7. Mother Nature is in charge of this planet, not Corporatists. [By the way, Adam Smith denigrated Corporatists who thought they were "Masters of the Universe". Some in the Trumpian World think he praised them. He did not.]
8. Don't try to ignore Mother Nature, or treat her badly. You'll regret it.
........................
Not only my opinion. Be Well
Monday, October 21, 2019
The Pitiful Case of Donald John Trump
Preface
Everything I'm about to say in this essay, other than my opinions, is public knowledge. One may have to dig just a little to find some of the information, but it's all available to anyone who looks.
..............................
1. The Don was a millionaire by the time he was eight years old. Thank you, Daddy.
2. He likes to tout the fact that his father gave him a "small loan" of a million dollars (when he was a young adult), and from that he built a billion dollar business...supposedly. Indeed, Fred did give his son that loan...and then, over the following years, he did it again, and again, and again, etc. The total wound up being sixty million dollars. Thank you, Daddy.
3. When his business was on the verge of utter and complete bankruptcy in the 1980's, various banks bailed him out and put him on a generous monthly allowance. The financiers figured his name on a viable business was worth more than what they'd get out of his bankruptcy.
4. So much for Trump's narrative that except for a "small loan" from his father, he essentially built a business from nothing. It's one of an infinite number of outright lies.
5. The Don learned how to lie, smear his opponents, and psychologically gaslight from the former Mob lawyer (and former Chief Counsel for Senator Joe McCarthy), Roy M. Cohn. Cohn was his personal lawyer for a time.
6. During his years in both real estate and the casino business, several times he shafted employees out of both jobs and wages. At the same time, some independent contractors were shafted out of duly earned fees. If they sued, he would countersue. Cases would drag on until the aggrieved parties quit trying to recoup their losses.
7. He's an autocrat wannabe, but appears to be a shallow, weak person who admires most of the dictators on the world stage. That alone makes his Presidency an embarrassment to all decent people in this country.
8. Thanks to the mistakes, misdeeds, and sheer nonsense of the Establishment Oligarchy, The Don pretty much fell into the Oval Office. Shenanigans by the Republican Party operatives prior to and during the 2016 election certainly helped, but mostly it was because most people were fed up with same ol', same ol' crap from politicians. They thought The Don would change things to their benefit. They were about 99.9% wrong about that.
9. Since getting into office, he has been crass, boorish, a serial liar, foolish, ignorant, unstable, alienating, and dangerous. I believe he's the most dangerous President in my lifetime...and I was born in 1942.
10. The Don should not be hated...hate engenders more of the same. Instead, he should be pitied... and booted out of office. Maybe then, we can return politics to some degree of sanity here. Maybe then, 80% of the world's adults will stop believing that our Gov't is the greatest threat to stability and peace on Earth.
Not only my opinion. Be Well
p.s. Again, for any new readers, I'm not a Republican or a Democrat.
Everything I'm about to say in this essay, other than my opinions, is public knowledge. One may have to dig just a little to find some of the information, but it's all available to anyone who looks.
..............................
1. The Don was a millionaire by the time he was eight years old. Thank you, Daddy.
2. He likes to tout the fact that his father gave him a "small loan" of a million dollars (when he was a young adult), and from that he built a billion dollar business...supposedly. Indeed, Fred did give his son that loan...and then, over the following years, he did it again, and again, and again, etc. The total wound up being sixty million dollars. Thank you, Daddy.
3. When his business was on the verge of utter and complete bankruptcy in the 1980's, various banks bailed him out and put him on a generous monthly allowance. The financiers figured his name on a viable business was worth more than what they'd get out of his bankruptcy.
4. So much for Trump's narrative that except for a "small loan" from his father, he essentially built a business from nothing. It's one of an infinite number of outright lies.
5. The Don learned how to lie, smear his opponents, and psychologically gaslight from the former Mob lawyer (and former Chief Counsel for Senator Joe McCarthy), Roy M. Cohn. Cohn was his personal lawyer for a time.
6. During his years in both real estate and the casino business, several times he shafted employees out of both jobs and wages. At the same time, some independent contractors were shafted out of duly earned fees. If they sued, he would countersue. Cases would drag on until the aggrieved parties quit trying to recoup their losses.
7. He's an autocrat wannabe, but appears to be a shallow, weak person who admires most of the dictators on the world stage. That alone makes his Presidency an embarrassment to all decent people in this country.
8. Thanks to the mistakes, misdeeds, and sheer nonsense of the Establishment Oligarchy, The Don pretty much fell into the Oval Office. Shenanigans by the Republican Party operatives prior to and during the 2016 election certainly helped, but mostly it was because most people were fed up with same ol', same ol' crap from politicians. They thought The Don would change things to their benefit. They were about 99.9% wrong about that.
9. Since getting into office, he has been crass, boorish, a serial liar, foolish, ignorant, unstable, alienating, and dangerous. I believe he's the most dangerous President in my lifetime...and I was born in 1942.
10. The Don should not be hated...hate engenders more of the same. Instead, he should be pitied... and booted out of office. Maybe then, we can return politics to some degree of sanity here. Maybe then, 80% of the world's adults will stop believing that our Gov't is the greatest threat to stability and peace on Earth.
Not only my opinion. Be Well
p.s. Again, for any new readers, I'm not a Republican or a Democrat.
Friday, July 12, 2019
The Every-Four-Years Comedy & Tragedy in the USA Has Begun
Although the next Presidential election is more than a year away, campaigning for it is already off and running. This year it appears to be more comic & tragic than in any recent past years. So, let's take a brief, hard look at why I say that. We'll examine only the two major Parties...the Trump Party (TP), and the Democratic Party (the Dems). The Republican Party seems to have dried up and blown away.
.................................................
The TP most likely will be nominating a guy who is basically ignorant, a wannabe autocrat, and a psychological gaslighter. Although grossly ignorant of many significant concepts, he nonetheless is quite clever at manipulating people and lying to them. His lies are so blatant, numerous, and obvious that his running for office again is a complete comedy. The tragedy is that he may again get elected. His current Administration's primary legacy will be: abuse of child immigrants. What has happened on his watch in that regard is beyond unconscionable. In my opinion, it's criminal.
There will be lots of talk by the TP about "illegal immigration", but little to none about asylum seekers and the primary reason for them fleeing their Central American countries: past USA support for dictators and thugs in those homelands, plus their neoliberal, privatization policies.
..................................................
The Dems have about twenty people running for the nomination. I've never heard of half of them, so I assume any appeal to voters they possess is regional in nature. Maybe it will become national, maybe not. Of the total twenty or so, some seem to be running mostly on a single issue, which varies from person to person. One or two seem to be running only to defeat Trump, with not much else in their platform. The Upper Crust of the Dems (which comprises many of the vote-stealing "super-delegates") appears to be leaning toward Hillary-Lite (Joe Biden), because he's the neoliberal, "establishment" candidate with close ties to the Financial Sector. That's important to the DNC. If he gets nominated, most likely the Dems will again (as a friend put it) snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Now, that's funny! It's also tragic.
There will be lots of talk by the Dems about immigration, but probably none about Hillary (& the rest of our Gov't) supporting the 2009 coup in Honduras. The result was corruption, neoliberal privatization, thugs, gangs, murders, and unemployment. No wonder many common people there are fleeing their homeland. In 2016, we were still giving millions to that thug gov't.
...............................................
If the last several weeks are any indication, the election in 2020 again will be primarily about personalities, not issues. Get ready for another sham election. It's plain to me why 50% of eligible voters don't vote. The whole thing is a farce.
Not only my opinion. Be Well
Saturday, March 23, 2019
Points For and Against the Current Oval Office Occupier
For---
1. He kept us out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). I've covered the disastrous downside of that Trade Pact elsewhere on this venue, so won't go into it again in this piece. Talks related to joining the TPP were started under Dubya Bush, and accelerated under Obama. Trump killed it his first day in office.
If interested in why the TPP is the worst Trade Treaty in history, use this blog's Search function to locate my assessment of it. Or even better, Google/Bing/etc. : Lori Wallach and the TPP.
2. There is no number 2. I was tempted to list his meetings with North Korea, but decided against it because he's the one who provoked that country with virtually insane threats of nuclear annihilation. The person really responsible for averting (for now, at least) catastrophe is the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-in.
Against---
1. He's a serial liar; he, himself, has proven that over, and over, and over. In terms of frequency of lying, Trump beats out both Dubya Bush and Obama... which I didn't think was possible by anyone.
2. He's mentally unstable, and thus emotionally unfit to be in any political office, much less the Presidency. He, himself, has proven that over, and over, and over. Now admittedly, I've had only a couple university pysch courses; however, you don't have to be a master carpenter to recognize a shack. 😊 Plus, there's a long list of psychologists and psychiatrists who have stated that he needs to be professionally examined.
3. Based on his words and actions, he doesn't have a broad understanding of anything that a President should know. His understanding of key issues, world affairs, diplomacy, statesmanship, war, the economy, the environment, fiscal and monetary matters, cultural matters, science, genuine capitalism, the Law, health matters, etc. is so limited as to be nothing short of comical.
4. He promotes divisiveness in our country and in the world. Plus, such promotion is not inadvertent. He does it on purpose.
5. While in office (never mind previous to that), he has violated Laws of the Land. Here's only one example---
https://individualsovereignty.blogspot.com/2017/07/trumps-violation-of-nepa-sepa-laws-rules.html
Read it carefully. The acronyms and other abbreviations used are not as confusing as they first appear.
6. He doesn't have even a rudimentary understanding of the United States Constitution. Many times, he has violated his Oath of Office by failing to "preserve, protect, and defend" the Constitution. For example, he (like many other Presidents) has violated the War Clause of Article I, Section 8. Another example--- the Executive Branch (of which he's in charge) violates the Fourth Amendment on an almost daily basis. Another example--- it's crystal clear that Trump is violating the Emoluments portion of Article I, Section 9 (the Nobility Clause).
7. As President, his conflicts of interest truly are beyond the pale.
8. Similar to numbers 1 & 2 above, Trump is the King of Public Gaslighters. Nothing he says can be trusted.
9. He cares not at all for the common people of this country. He's merely manipulating & using some of us in order to further enrich himself. This is so obvious that it's painful. Some of his supporters finally have realized it.
10. He is both an embarrassment and a danger to this country. I've detailed all that in previous posts, so enough said.
Not only my opinion. Be Well
p.s. For any new readers, I'm not a Republican or a Democrat. Ironically, neither is The Don.
Friday, March 8, 2019
The Tragic State of Affairs in the USA
Preface
As a wizened old man who has had (& continues to have) a most interesting life, I find my thoughts below to be not only tragic, but comical as well. I first developed a keen interest in American politics with the election of Ike in 1956. So, point being: I've lived through quite a variety of Presidents and members of Congress. Compared to those of the past, most of the current national office holders in DC don't seem to be at all interested in representing the will of the People...all the People, not just 25% of the population. The politicos of today are beyond the pale in a way that's darkly hilarious. For whatever reasons, they see little to no cause to hide the fact that they are Plutocrats/Oligarchs leading us down the path to NeoFeudalism. It's astounding...and comical.
...........................................
Here's why the USA is in dire straits, in no order of importance---
1. The Powers-That-Be apparently have convinced the population that Debt doesn't matter...especially Gov't Debt. The Repubs (& some Dems) plus the current Oval Office Occupier have increased our National Debt by about two trillion dollars in only two years. And I thought Dubya Bush and Obama were bad in that regard. Ha! Public and private debt here is at record levels. Corporate debt is beyond incredible. The Debt Bubble is the mother of all bubbles, and all bubbles burst.
2. Despite what the Gaslighter in the Oval Office claims, our GDP is decreasing.
3. Trump continues his childish, ridiculous Gaslighting. Most of us simply are bored with it, but many (maybe most) of his supporters still take him at his word, or worse, if he's proven wrong beyond any doubt (which happens often) about something, they don't care. Not only is that potentially dangerous, I find it to be hilarious. They don't care that (as the old joke goes) the lunatics are running the asylum. Go figure.
4. Whether inadvertently or purposely, the White House Crew and The Don are encouraging both lawlessness and racism in our Land.
5. Encouraged by the Fed Gov't and deregulation, as well as by Propaganda, our Bubble Economy is bubbling on. If you look at the time intervals between the Booms & Busts from the severe Recession of 1973-1975 up to present day, you'll see that we're overdue for the next Bust. Unfortunately, the public and private Powers-That-Be seem to have convinced most Americans that's not true, that it's all under control now, that the economy "is booming"...no worries they say. The Gaslighter-in-Chief is especially adamant about that. Please, are you kidding us, or simply lying to us? I find it comical that anyone believes it's all under control, and the economy is doing great.
6. The median income of workers here is now $32,791. So, half the workers in the USA make less than that...HALF. That doesn't sound like the richest country in the world to me.
7. Trump has alienated all of our Allies in the world except for the few who essentially are dictators, such as the Leaders of Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, the UAE, & Brazil...maybe another one or two, can't recall. This is not good for us or the world.
8. Our Two-Party System in politics is rotten to the core. It's oligarchical in nature, and its practices rarely represent the will of the People. Not long ago, a Princeton study found that politicians ignore that will 70% of the time.
9. Our Gov't has managed to institute a State of Perpetual War. The crazy idea that we are the police of the world is now taken as a given by most Americans. Never mind that most of those actions are utterly unconstitutional, and many violate International Law.
10. In most cases, the protections of the Fourth Amendment are totally ignored by Gov't in this day & age...all in the name of "safety". Who's keeping us safe from those who violate the Constitution?
11. Too many Americans no longer seem to understand the difference between nationalism and patriotism. The former engenders arrogance and superiority; the latter engenders responsibility. Trump and Crew promulgate nationalism.
12. For this next point, I'll exaggerate a bit. Exaggeration often drives home a valid point. More and more, Americans appear to be dividing up into "tribes", so to speak. Whether political, or religious, or economic, or cultural, or something else, these tribes often are less & less tolerant of each other than in much of the past... and more & more self-righteous. For example, in politics the Left-leaning folks accuse the Right-leaning people of being intolerant, self-righteous, etc. In fact, though, the Left side of the spectrum also is intolerant---of the Right side---and, self-righteous about it. What's tragic and comical about that whole situation is that neither side thinks it's that way. It's only the "other side" who demonstrates those failings.
13. Finally, all across the political spectrum here in the USA, people are gulping down the Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid coming from Corporatists and Plutocrats as if there will be no tomorrow. Certainly not everyone is, but most are. That's the primary reason that we are in today's tragic situation. It's not only a tragedy; it's a cosmic comedy.
Not only my opinion. Be Well
As a wizened old man who has had (& continues to have) a most interesting life, I find my thoughts below to be not only tragic, but comical as well. I first developed a keen interest in American politics with the election of Ike in 1956. So, point being: I've lived through quite a variety of Presidents and members of Congress. Compared to those of the past, most of the current national office holders in DC don't seem to be at all interested in representing the will of the People...all the People, not just 25% of the population. The politicos of today are beyond the pale in a way that's darkly hilarious. For whatever reasons, they see little to no cause to hide the fact that they are Plutocrats/Oligarchs leading us down the path to NeoFeudalism. It's astounding...and comical.
...........................................
Here's why the USA is in dire straits, in no order of importance---
1. The Powers-That-Be apparently have convinced the population that Debt doesn't matter...especially Gov't Debt. The Repubs (& some Dems) plus the current Oval Office Occupier have increased our National Debt by about two trillion dollars in only two years. And I thought Dubya Bush and Obama were bad in that regard. Ha! Public and private debt here is at record levels. Corporate debt is beyond incredible. The Debt Bubble is the mother of all bubbles, and all bubbles burst.
2. Despite what the Gaslighter in the Oval Office claims, our GDP is decreasing.
3. Trump continues his childish, ridiculous Gaslighting. Most of us simply are bored with it, but many (maybe most) of his supporters still take him at his word, or worse, if he's proven wrong beyond any doubt (which happens often) about something, they don't care. Not only is that potentially dangerous, I find it to be hilarious. They don't care that (as the old joke goes) the lunatics are running the asylum. Go figure.
4. Whether inadvertently or purposely, the White House Crew and The Don are encouraging both lawlessness and racism in our Land.
5. Encouraged by the Fed Gov't and deregulation, as well as by Propaganda, our Bubble Economy is bubbling on. If you look at the time intervals between the Booms & Busts from the severe Recession of 1973-1975 up to present day, you'll see that we're overdue for the next Bust. Unfortunately, the public and private Powers-That-Be seem to have convinced most Americans that's not true, that it's all under control now, that the economy "is booming"...no worries they say. The Gaslighter-in-Chief is especially adamant about that. Please, are you kidding us, or simply lying to us? I find it comical that anyone believes it's all under control, and the economy is doing great.
6. The median income of workers here is now $32,791. So, half the workers in the USA make less than that...HALF. That doesn't sound like the richest country in the world to me.
7. Trump has alienated all of our Allies in the world except for the few who essentially are dictators, such as the Leaders of Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, the UAE, & Brazil...maybe another one or two, can't recall. This is not good for us or the world.
8. Our Two-Party System in politics is rotten to the core. It's oligarchical in nature, and its practices rarely represent the will of the People. Not long ago, a Princeton study found that politicians ignore that will 70% of the time.
9. Our Gov't has managed to institute a State of Perpetual War. The crazy idea that we are the police of the world is now taken as a given by most Americans. Never mind that most of those actions are utterly unconstitutional, and many violate International Law.
10. In most cases, the protections of the Fourth Amendment are totally ignored by Gov't in this day & age...all in the name of "safety". Who's keeping us safe from those who violate the Constitution?
11. Too many Americans no longer seem to understand the difference between nationalism and patriotism. The former engenders arrogance and superiority; the latter engenders responsibility. Trump and Crew promulgate nationalism.
12. For this next point, I'll exaggerate a bit. Exaggeration often drives home a valid point. More and more, Americans appear to be dividing up into "tribes", so to speak. Whether political, or religious, or economic, or cultural, or something else, these tribes often are less & less tolerant of each other than in much of the past... and more & more self-righteous. For example, in politics the Left-leaning folks accuse the Right-leaning people of being intolerant, self-righteous, etc. In fact, though, the Left side of the spectrum also is intolerant---of the Right side---and, self-righteous about it. What's tragic and comical about that whole situation is that neither side thinks it's that way. It's only the "other side" who demonstrates those failings.
13. Finally, all across the political spectrum here in the USA, people are gulping down the Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid coming from Corporatists and Plutocrats as if there will be no tomorrow. Certainly not everyone is, but most are. That's the primary reason that we are in today's tragic situation. It's not only a tragedy; it's a cosmic comedy.
Not only my opinion. Be Well
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Dear President Tweety Bird---
Preface
I really don't like to mock people with name-calling, but the words and actions of your almost constant gaslighting essentially beg for it. Being far from perfect, I gave in. Mea culpa.
...............................................
Perhaps you would do us all a favor and consider the following points.
1. It's good that you appear to be withdrawing military troops from Syria. That's especially true because our involvement in that civil war is unconstitutional. I'm wondering, though, does the withdrawal include aircraft that do bombing and/or missile attacks? How about JSOC teams (Special Ops)?
2. When making your withdrawal announcement, you also claimed (paraphrased here) that we defeated ISIS in Syria. I think you said, "We won...". Mr. President, I seriously doubt that even you believe that. History has shown over and over that war never defeats that type of enemy. Despite the progress made there (and not just because of our military), ISIS in Syria is far from being defeated. They merely have faded back into the woodwork for awhile.
3. Because you tend to lie about half the time, I'm also wondering if you would make public the detailed official Order to withdraw sent to your Commanders in Syria. You, of course, can redact any sensitive info contained therein. I mean, surely you don't believe that your Tweety Bird message was any kind of official Order, eh?
4. How are the seventeen investigations of you and/or your Admin and/or your private companies coming along? Any info you might share about those? This is not counting any private investigations that might be going on involving the sixteen women who have accused you of inappropriate sexual behavior or harassment.
5. How are your gaslighting distractions aimed at We the People doing regarding number 4 above? Are those distractions working to any significant degree?
6. Have you read the U.S. Constitution since the 8th or 9th Grade? Given some of your actions, that seems unlikely. How about just the 1st, 4th, 5th, & 6th Amendments? They're really fairly short. You could easily squeeze them in between golf games.
7. If you really believe that Mexico is going to wind up paying for your ineffective Border Wall (which should be named, "The Sieve") by you levying tariffs on their goods, has it dawned on you yet who ultimately pays for those tariffs? It dawned on us (the consumers) quite awhile ago.
8. Are you aware that 42% of the USA's electorate are Independents, 31% are Democrats, and 25% are Republicans? I mention that because at times you seem to imply in a braying manner that you have some sort of mandate from We the People. That's absolutely hilarious. I'm fairly sure you're not stupid, so most likely your implication is nothing but propaganda. That's especially likely because 58% of us didn't want you or Hillary to get elected.
9. Are you aware that, on average, about 50% of eligible voters don't vote in national elections? It's not because we're lazy; it's because we're fed up with politicians...including you.
10. With all the Court rulings against your Administration, how is your UNCHRISTIAN immigration policy coming along?
11. Is there any Head of State in the entire world that you haven't alienated? At the moment, I can't think of even one.
12. Most of the people on Earth recognize that we are facing a global, economic/financial Crash. It's time that you did, too. The same is true of the worldwide Climate catastrophe. Start telling the truth.
Finally, don't think for a moment that you have the majority of us fooled. You aren't any kind of Populist. While crasser than your predecessors, you're still nothing but a dyed-in-the-wool Plutocrat, an Oligarch. That's so obvious it's both painful and hilarious.
p.s. I'm not a Republican or a Democrat, but I think it's highly likely that you won't last through your first term in office...you'll resign or get kicked out. Given that, perhaps the best course for serious people in the real world (meaning outside the DC Beltway) is to ignore you from this point forward. You know, just as most of our allies are doing. You're no longer worth anyone's time or effort...that is, except for investigators. Your creation of distractions via your childish gaslighting has become boring.
................................................
Not only my opinion. Be Well
I really don't like to mock people with name-calling, but the words and actions of your almost constant gaslighting essentially beg for it. Being far from perfect, I gave in. Mea culpa.
...............................................
Perhaps you would do us all a favor and consider the following points.
1. It's good that you appear to be withdrawing military troops from Syria. That's especially true because our involvement in that civil war is unconstitutional. I'm wondering, though, does the withdrawal include aircraft that do bombing and/or missile attacks? How about JSOC teams (Special Ops)?
2. When making your withdrawal announcement, you also claimed (paraphrased here) that we defeated ISIS in Syria. I think you said, "We won...". Mr. President, I seriously doubt that even you believe that. History has shown over and over that war never defeats that type of enemy. Despite the progress made there (and not just because of our military), ISIS in Syria is far from being defeated. They merely have faded back into the woodwork for awhile.
3. Because you tend to lie about half the time, I'm also wondering if you would make public the detailed official Order to withdraw sent to your Commanders in Syria. You, of course, can redact any sensitive info contained therein. I mean, surely you don't believe that your Tweety Bird message was any kind of official Order, eh?
4. How are the seventeen investigations of you and/or your Admin and/or your private companies coming along? Any info you might share about those? This is not counting any private investigations that might be going on involving the sixteen women who have accused you of inappropriate sexual behavior or harassment.
5. How are your gaslighting distractions aimed at We the People doing regarding number 4 above? Are those distractions working to any significant degree?
6. Have you read the U.S. Constitution since the 8th or 9th Grade? Given some of your actions, that seems unlikely. How about just the 1st, 4th, 5th, & 6th Amendments? They're really fairly short. You could easily squeeze them in between golf games.
7. If you really believe that Mexico is going to wind up paying for your ineffective Border Wall (which should be named, "The Sieve") by you levying tariffs on their goods, has it dawned on you yet who ultimately pays for those tariffs? It dawned on us (the consumers) quite awhile ago.
8. Are you aware that 42% of the USA's electorate are Independents, 31% are Democrats, and 25% are Republicans? I mention that because at times you seem to imply in a braying manner that you have some sort of mandate from We the People. That's absolutely hilarious. I'm fairly sure you're not stupid, so most likely your implication is nothing but propaganda. That's especially likely because 58% of us didn't want you or Hillary to get elected.
9. Are you aware that, on average, about 50% of eligible voters don't vote in national elections? It's not because we're lazy; it's because we're fed up with politicians...including you.
10. With all the Court rulings against your Administration, how is your UNCHRISTIAN immigration policy coming along?
11. Is there any Head of State in the entire world that you haven't alienated? At the moment, I can't think of even one.
12. Most of the people on Earth recognize that we are facing a global, economic/financial Crash. It's time that you did, too. The same is true of the worldwide Climate catastrophe. Start telling the truth.
Finally, don't think for a moment that you have the majority of us fooled. You aren't any kind of Populist. While crasser than your predecessors, you're still nothing but a dyed-in-the-wool Plutocrat, an Oligarch. That's so obvious it's both painful and hilarious.
p.s. I'm not a Republican or a Democrat, but I think it's highly likely that you won't last through your first term in office...you'll resign or get kicked out. Given that, perhaps the best course for serious people in the real world (meaning outside the DC Beltway) is to ignore you from this point forward. You know, just as most of our allies are doing. You're no longer worth anyone's time or effort...that is, except for investigators. Your creation of distractions via your childish gaslighting has become boring.
................................................
Not only my opinion. Be Well
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
While Gaslighting, The Don and His Crew Dismantle Protections and Ignore Laws
In general, the Corporate Media should be both embarrassed and ashamed. With rare exceptions when it comes to Trump, all they focus on are his bizarre actions, statements, and contradictions... in other words, his psychological gaslighting. At the cost of serious, in-depth reporting, the Media appear to be pursuing nothing but ratings and advertising revenue. They enable The Don by catering to his purposeful, distracting, contradictory behavior.
Little, if any, attention has been given to the dismantling of protections provided by the EPA, or the Interior Department, or NOAA, or various consumer protection agencies. Little to no attention has been given to violations of the Constitution, or violation of Laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). See my essay here: http://individualsovereignty.blogspot.com/2017/07/trumps-violation-of-nepa-sepa-laws-rules.html
Little to no attention has been given to the anti-Science thrust of Trump and His Crew.
Worst of all, there's almost no discussion of the fact that Trump is merely a symptom of our problems, not the cause. He's a by-product of conditions (social, economic, political, & philosophical) that go back for decades. For a brilliant discussion of that issue, see Glenn Greenwald's piece here:
https://theintercept.com/2018/09/21/michael-moores-fahrenheit-119-aims-not-at-trump-but-at-those-who-created-the-conditions-that-led-to-his-rise/
The underlying problems in this great Land are the Plutocracy and accompanying Corporatism or Crony Capitalism. Until we address those, we will be subject to more of the Trump types... autocrat wannabes, plutocrats, and frauds.
Not only my opinion. Be Well
Monday, October 9, 2017
The White House Has Become...
"It's unfortunate that the White House has become an adult day care center." ~ Senator Bob Corker
Thank you, Senator Corker, for stating a truth that most of your Republican colleagues probably recognize, but are afraid to speak. In my book, you are a genuine political hero...a rarity nowadays.
It's important to keep in mind, though, that Trump is not stupid. His buffoonery coupled with his ignorance of important matters make his gaslighting all the more dangerous to the USA & the world. The man is mentally unstable. No, I'm not a psychologist or psychiatrist, but as the old saying goes---
You don't have to be a Master Carpenter to recognize a shack.
Not only my opinion. Be Well
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