The Day MAGA Comes True

Note: I've taken a long break from this blog. The reason is simple, it wasn't helping. The therapy of writing for me is being able to express thoughts without having to resort to using a torrent of obscenities backed by unbridled anger to make a point. The new norm of public vitriol has made that difficult but some things cannot be left unsaid, so here goes.

I wake up each day looking forward with optimism. It's not a happy reason for optimism but it's a reason; I know that every passing day puts us one day closer to the twenty first century version of the Nuremberg trials. I can see the courtroom now. It looks very similar to its 1945 counterpart but seated in the guarded defendant box isn't Hermann Göring but Donald Trump and the other assorted members of his administration that have perpetrated crimes against humanity.

The charge of crimes against humanity is not hyperbole. This President ordered the incarceration of children with absolutely no plan of how to reunite them with their parents after due process. Those incarcerated entered the country illegally with their parents, a misdemeanor under U.S. law. The extent to which this policy exceeded not only the level of crime but the definition of cruel and unusual punishment is staggering. Children have been taken from their parents' custody and jailed in warehouse sized internment camps where the "caregivers" have been instructed not to pick them up to provide comfort. The depth of cruelty in this treatment is nearly unimaginable. The trauma inflicted on the kids is permanent, so is the humanitarian stain on the United States.

The President reversed course this week after polls showed nearly seventy percent of the country disagreed with the policy. Now the administration faces a daunting task of reuniting detainee families - an outcome for which they never planned nor one for which they the wherewithal to deliver. Some of these kids will never see their parents again. That is a shameful tragedy that will forever mark Trump in history.

Hearing those that support the President justify this atrocity is sickening. One commentator on the Fox News propaganda outlet went so far as to say, "Like it or not, these are not our kids." Others have made equally reprehensible statements comparing these prisons to summer camps. Some actions of the opposition tread on the sublime like Kirstjen Nielsen being shouted out of a Mexican restaurant after being inexplicably tone deaf to the controversy, let alone the irony, of showing up at all. Public shaming of these individuals is anything but off limits given the level of atrocity for which they are accountable. However, the sad fact remains, there is significant support in America for this most un-American of policies. Could a full thirty percent of the population condone Trump's use of child abuse as an illegal immigration deterrent? As abhorrent as it sounds, it appears to be true.

It's unclear how bad things will get before things get better. The number of Americans that actively condone or are silently complicit racism, homophobia, xenophobia, child abuse, and the destruction of the environment is surprising. The countermovement against Trump remains grass roots and not well organized. The Democratic Party remains without a definitive leader that can unify the opposition and usher in the much predicted blue wave.

It's very possible a blue wave simply may not happen in 2018. However, change will happen eventually as will the harsh judgement of these times by history.

Nuremberg is coming for Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Jeff Sessions, Kirstjen Nielsen, Stephen Miller, and the common thugs they've dressed up in ICE uniforms to do their dirty work. They will have their day in court and the opportunity to defend the indefensible. That will be the day that makes America great again. Today, we are one day closer.

List of Shame

Since the Valentine's Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida, below is the list of definitive steps taken by lawmakers anywhere in America to reduce gun violence:



Here is a list of gun related violence and/or threats of gun violence against schools in America since the Parkland shooting:

Mt. Pleasant, MI: A Central Michigan University student opens fire inside his dorm killing his own parents.

Everett, WA: Authorities arrested an 18 year old who was said to be planning an mass shooting inside a school; the alleged plan was foiled by his grandmother.

Durham, CT: Troopers arrested a high school student for threatening violence and insinuating a school shooting.

Skowhegan, ME: A social media post showed an image of an AR-15 accompanied by a threat, "Skowhegan, February 28, 2018 you're all DEAD".

Vadnais Heights, MN: A 13 year old and his parents were arrested after he made a threat and negligently stored guns were recovered from his home.

West Haven, CT: 14 year old student charged after he made threats against staff and displayed pictures of guns.

Rutland, VT: 18 year old told authorities he wanted to cause "mass casualties" at local school; police recovered a shotgun and ammo and books about Columbine shooting.

Elkhorn, NE: 17 year old student wrote in a classmate's notebook that a school shooting would happen on a certain date using his parent's gun.

Tulsa, OK: Police arrested 23 year old man who made threats against area schools; they recovered guns and ammo from his home.

Lexington County, SC: A Chapin High School student was charged with making a threat of violence against the school by reportedly writing "Shooting up the school tomorrow!" on a bathroom wall.

Collier County, FL: Officers found a note in an 18 year old's backpack that threatened to, "shoot up school," along with a list of names of students and a drawing of a student with bullet holes to the chest.

West Palm Beach, FL: Police arrested a student who brought two guns to his high school.

Towson, MD: A 14-year-old boy was arrested February 15 after being found with a pellet gun at Loch Raven High School.

Broward County, FL: A 13-year-old girl posted a threat on Instagram that students at Central Charter School would be killed. The sixth grader allegedly gave two dates: February 20 or 22.

Flower Mound, TX: Police arrested a 16-year-old at his high school after officers found a small-caliber handgun in his backpack.

Spartanburg, SC: A 9th grader posted a photo showing an assault rifle with the words "round 2 of Florida tomorrow".

Sugar Hill, GA: A Lanier High School student faces criminal charges and disciplinary action after being found with a gun on campus.

Snellville, GA: A South Gwinnett High School student arrested after posting a video online showing himself loading a gun before saying, "South Gwinnett — you're next."

Jackson Township, OH: A 7th grader shot and killed himself inside a school restroom; he had planned a mass shooting but changed his mind.

Rowlett, TX: 17 year old arrested for sitting in his car outside of high school event with a semiautomatic rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition.

Whittier, CA: A school employee heard a 17-year-old student telling a classmate, "I guarantee you the school will be shot up in three weeks".

Arlington, TX: Three teens were arrested after scrawling on a wall and writing online that they were planning to attack their school.

Orono, MN: High school student wrote in Twitter post: "Orono is not safe. Today at 12:00 I will shoot up the school myself".

Hitchcock, TX: 18-year-old student threatened to turn school into "another Florida".

Brethren, MI: 17-year-old arrested after sheriff received tip that the student threatened to attack his high school. A semiautomatic rifle was found in his home.

This list isn't even complete but it's enough to demonstrate American schools are under siege. Sadly, the list of shame showing no action by lawmakers is not only complete but also horrifying and morally offensive. It's no wonder children are mobilizing across the nation to demand gun control. They are literally facing threats every single day while adults do nothing.

It's unconscionable that anyone reading this list could not demand action to end the insanity. The depth of greed demonstrated by lawmakers protecting the gun industry is stunning in its blatant callousness and disregard for constituents that are dying almost daily.

Those clinging to the Second Amendment argument that guns are the only way to prevent government tyranny are so far out of the times it's almost laughable. These paranoid zealots have more to be concerned about when it comes to fighting an electronic war with the government over cyber profiling than a shooting war over guns.

There is noting more to say. The time for change is now. Sensible gun control is the only thing this country has not tried to stop the violence. It's time. Stop the bloodshed. Stop the insanity. Stop the guns.

Dumbest Idea in the History of Dumb: Arming Teachers

Are we really having a conversation about arming teachers as a viable way to prevent another mass shooting in a school? This is the single dumbest idea ever put forward. If there was an award for dumbest idea in the history of dumb this one would win. What's worse, is this grand dumb of dumb is being put forward by the President of the United States.

Arming teachers is a giant step forward in turning schools into literal prisons and one not so giant step away from turning America into a Mad Max-like dystopian hellscape.

Donald Trump has repeatedly demonstrated he's a "stable genius" but arming school teachers is a ridiculous idea even for someone with his two digit IQ. What's more surprising is that a segment of America seems to agree with his insane proposal. The sad irony may be that decades of neglect to the American education system has created so many idiots in America that we're actually having a national conversation about an impractically stupid idea that irresponsibly puts children further into harms way. The world this collective idiocracy envisions is barely acceptable as a community of inmates let alone as a community of learning. 

What's even better is the notion that in a country where schools are already so underfunded, Trump is ready to hand out free guns to teachers that have setup GoFundMe pages in order to get basic classroom supplies. Some quick math shows 3.5 million teachers in the U.S. times $400 for a quality 9mm pistol equals $1.4 billion that will not go toward improving American education.

It shouldn't take long to see exactly how well arming teachers improves school safety. A safe guess would be about a month after institution of the policy before the first fatality occurs as the result of a teacher issued firearm falling into the wrong hands. Either via accident or intent, one or more children will die as a result. Presumably, once that happens the next idea put forward by the President will be to arm every student as compliment to the teacher militia.

This insanity must stop. More guns is the strategy that we've been living with for decades and the net result has been more gun related deaths and more mass shootings. A strategy of more guns on top of more guns is not the answer. This favorite NRA trope was debunked during the Parkland massacre itself as at least three armed deputies were onsite but failed to engage the shooter. The science is in from across the world where gun homicide doesn't exist at the American scale when strong gun control measures are in place. Of course, to Trump and the aforementioned idiocracy, science is a four letter word.

Fear is an inherent instinct that all humans have. Flight, not fight is the natural reaction when presented with an extreme situation. It takes a special brand of courage to overcome the flight instinct and that courage doesn't come from a gun. Parkland Athletic Director Chris Hixon and football coach Aaron Feis demonstrated that courage when they heroically gave their lives to protect students. Their courage didn't come from a gun. The trained law enforcement officers at Parkland made a different choice, guns not withstanding.

Trump and the vast majority of the chest thumping ignoramuses barking about arming teachers instinctively would have chosen flight in a similar situation, gun or not. Given the President's demonstrated penchant to focus on himself, it's hard to imagine Trump responding like Hixon or Feis regardless.

Trump and other lawmakers calling for armed classrooms are hypocritical cowards. How dare they ask teachers to also take on the responsibility of soldier when they themselves live in gun free bliss. The Secret Service doesn't allow guns anywhere near the President and Capitol Hill is a gun free zone with its own police force keeping lawmakers safe. Let's see how eager Cadet Bone Spurs or Congress would be to have their security details pulled and be issued firearms instead. Few would embrace that idea because it's idiotic, just as idiotic as their proposal to arm teachers.

There are simply some people in America that choose guns as the cause by which they define themselves above logic, compromise, or all else. It's a choice that defies understanding beyond concluding there is a segment of scared and selfish people that cannot be reached. These people may be fine with their own children growing up in militaristic, armed prisons, however, they are not the majority and, if Parkland has taught us anything, they are also not the future.

Today's children don't want to grow up sentenced to twelve years in an armed prison camp. They will not want their own children to grow up that way either. They've so far been failed by their parents and grand parents generations but now is the time for the elder generations to learn from the next.

Listen to the young people today that have been irreparably changed by the violence and fear they have endured. Hear their pain, hear their ask, and act to stop the insanity. Use your vote, you wallet, and your conscience to stop the NRA, stop Trump, and stop guns from owning and destroying America.

#GunControlNow

Another 17 people died this week as victims of a senseless mass shooting. The attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida was the 30th mass shooting in the United States in 2018. Let that sink in; the Parkland massacre was the 30th time multiple people were shot in the first 45 days of the calendar year. What does that say about America? It says we are a nation that chooses to place common sense and special interest above the protection its citizens - and sadly again in this case, its children.

There should be no debate here. This country needs common sense gun control. Gun right people, just stop. The argument is invalid. The 2nd Amendment of the Constitution was written 200+ years ago when democracy was an experiment and muzzleloaders that shot a lead ball took more than a minute to reload. Today, the democracy experiment has proven viable and automatic weapons that can fire multiple hallow point bullets per second are a reality Jefferson never could have imagined. It makes no sense to apply 18th century logic to 21st century reality. We don't do that with medicine; leeches are no longer the treatment for tonsillitis. The logic around guns must also follow the times.

Gun owners, no one wants your hunting rifles. We want gun sense; obtaining a hunting license can be more difficult than buying the gun with which you plan to hunt. That bar needs to change. We are failing to keep society safe. Lack of common sense gun control has led to the loss of countless lives. How do we know? We know because gun control is the one thing we haven't tried to end the violence.

We are the only nation in the world that has a mass shooting epidemic. The U.S. makes up 5% of the world's population but is home to 31% of the world's mass shooters. The gun culture in the U.S. is driven by a false perception that guns offer protection against violent crime or a baseless paranoia that an armed population is the check and balance against government oppression. None of that is true.

Guns are rarely used to kill criminals or stop crimes. Firearm incidents where lethal force was used in self defense number in the low hundreds each year. Criminal homicides with a firearm number in the tens of thousands.

It's also time to call out the reprehensible behavior the gun industry and gun lobby promotes. Whether scare propaganda that comes from a coiffed source like NRA President Wayne LaPierre, or a raw conspiracy theorist like Alex Jones, the motive is the same. Money and power. The gun industry is an $8 billion enterprise. The NRA is more than a $350 million business. Jones has a net worth of $10 million. Neither the industry or the piles of human garbage that act as their mouthpiece give one iota about individual rights. They care about the money and power conscription of the stupid provides. Marshaling the masses to buy guns with propaganda claims of self defense or the impingement of rights keeps the gun economy booming.

The outcome of this conscription is infuriating and gets personal in every city and town. A man in my own area decided he needed to bring a sidearm to a school concert. I have pity for his monumental insecurity but the fact that he's a coward shouldn't entitle him to bring a gun everywhere he travels. It must be terrible to go through life so afraid. Ironically, today's school children may feel similar fear as a result of his brand of cowardice behavior. These not-men often declare guns aren't the problem, people are. That is partly true; people are to blame and it's precisely these gun zealots that represent the human component in that statement. The other truth remains that a weapon like an AR-15 has no place in the hands of a civilian.

In the wake of Parkland expect profiteering politicians to offer nothing more than thoughts and prayers to victims. Fact, the top 10 senators and house members receiving NRA contributions are all Republicans. That speaks volumes about the values of the GOP but guns are not a totally partisan issue as a lesser number of Democrats also take money from the gun lobby. These morally failed people are complicit in the killing of innocent Americans - American children. NRA blood money is their lifeline to retaining power. Active obstruction of common sense gun control keeps the cash from going to potential opponents. Their longevity in office comes at the cost of lives. Why do we accept this as status quo?

The fact is we won't have to accept it forever. Any child that feels unsafe in their school today will grow up to be a voter that will destroy the NRA and GOP. To forgive and forget the danger both groups have placed on today's kids will not be in the cards. Knowing there will be a day without the NRA or today's GOP fills me with joy but the fact these same children have to fear going to school in the here and now makes me seethe with literal hatred for the human garbage obstructing gun control legislative action today.

We've have failed our children. The choice now is whether to stand complicit while more of them die until they become old enough to enact the change they inevitably will, or do we find the strength to finally stand against the greed soaked, morally bankrupt special interests, lawmakers, and gun zealots obstructing that change today.

Read these names: Alyssa Alhadeff, 14; Scott Beigel, 35; Martin Duque Anguiano, 14; Nicholas Dworet, 17; Aaron Feis, 37; Jaime Guttenberg, 14; Christopher Hixon, 49; Luke Hoyer, 15; Cara Loughran, 14; Gina Montalto, 14; Joaquin Oliver, 17; Alaina Petty, 14; Meadow Pollack, 18; Helena Ramsay, 17; Alexander Schachter, 14; Carmen Schentrup, 16; Peter Wang, 15.

Now, read about their lives that were needlessly cut short.

Now, accept we need to take action by trying something new. Responsible gun control is now the imperative to try.

#GunControlNow

Trump's Pride Parade

Just before the opening of the Olympic Winter Games in South Korea, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un held a giant military parade in Pyongyang. Kim's parade sure seemed similar to the one President Donald Trump described he wants to hold in Washington. Trump seems to be the only one blind to the symbolism that a Kim style military parades conjures up. A-list dictators like Hitler and Stalin set the bar for brute force pageantry that D-list dictators like Kim and dictator wannabe Trump strive to emulate.

The United States certainly has had military parades in the past. Most have been called victory parades tied to the end of conflicts. Occasionally, the military has made appearances in inaugural parades but none have been put on for the mere purpose of a display of brute force which seems to be the impetus of parade Trump.

Trump's idea for such a display is consistent with his persona of touting the gaudy opulence he's built into his private life in places like Trump Tower, Mar a Lago, and his private jet. It seems only natural that he wants to show off his big nuclear button so he can prove to the world it exists. Trump's behavior could be classified as the man baby version of object permanence.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower rejected the idea of a brute force display to counter the Soviet Union. Eisenhower said, "absolutely not, we are the pre-eminent power on Earth. For us to try to imitate what the Soviets are doing in Red Square would make us look weak." Eisenhower was a five star general that led one of the largest fighting forces in the world. His experience influenced the perspective from which he navigated his Commander In Chief role in the White House.

Trump never served a day in the military but now finds himself in charge of a staggering military arsenal. Rather than be self aware of the contrast and behave appropriately, Trump's narcissism drives a need to display himself as the embodiment of U.S. military power. There is no better way to put himself on display than by having the United States military parade before him in full regalia with tanks and missiles to boot. The picture is nothing short of Trump's Pride Parade.

Support for the idea of the parade has been anywhere from mixed to tepid. The justification used by most agreeing with the President is that it offers a way to show support for veterans and to boost recruitment. With an undetermined price tag (the Gulf War victory parade cost $21 million in today's dollars), there are likely better ways to help those who serve. Wider and faster access to mental and physical health care come to mind as does higher pay for active duty service personnel.

The reality is: the parade isn't for veterans. It's all about Trump and has nothing to do with making America great.

Spartan Future

With Larry Nassar now sentenced to 175 years in prison for assaulting countless female athletes during his tenure with USA gymnastics and Michigan State University, the focus now turns to the role those institutions played in fostering a culture where such abuse could take place.

MSU has been in the spotlight this week as its board of trustees deals demonstrated aplomb comparable to that of Marie-Antoinette in dealing with the scrutiny the case has put on the university. The board stumbled in dealing with the fate of President Lou Anna Simon and appears overwhelmed by the depth of their accountability in dealing with the Nassar scandal. 

Michigan Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley, an MSU alumnus, has stated publicly the university should set aside hundreds of millions of dollars to compensate victims and stop fighting lawsuits brought by those Nassar harmed. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schutte has launched an investigation to look into MSU's actions and culpability in the Nassar case. Such a strategy represents clear steps forward in both human decency and institutional accountability. It's also clear politics will play a role in the investigation and the future of MSU.

Both Calley and Schutte are likely to make a run for Michigan's GOP gubernatorial nomination. That in of itself may force them to break with the appalling track record of their party in selectively ignoring sexual predators but any outcome the university faces must deal with the failed individuals and culture responsible without crippling the state's largest public university for years to come. That will not be an easy task.

At a time when Detroit lost out on a bid to bring Amazon's second headquarters to southeast Michigan citing insufficient young talent, state politicians need to be careful not to allow the damage to one of the most important institutions for creating such talent to put Michigan at further disadvantage. The state and all its citizens will need to step up to make sure Nassar victims receive their due compensation and restructure oversight without making MSU unviable as a top educational institution.

State Republicans and Democrats will need to stand together against changes to Title IX that may weaken institutional responses to sexual assault. Ironically, it's a Michigan native, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, leading the charge to raise the standard of evidence in sexual assault cases to a higher bar than those that already allowed Nassar to thrive. DeVos is a national embarrassment demonstrating staggering incompetence given implications of the Nassar case. Michigan deserves, and can do, better.

Michigan State is one of three state public universities where trustees are elected on a statewide basis. MSU's ineffectual board comprised of ex-coaches, ex-jocks, and ex-politicians is a textbook example of parties how put forward name recognition candidates in a popularity contest rather than candidates serious about higher education. The opposite route of all gubernatorial appointees is equally distasteful. Michiganders need look no further than the other green and white state university, Eastern Michigan, who's appointed board of trustees has a distinguished history of dysfunction.

A mix of appointees, congressional district candidates, and at large state candidates is likely the way to build a functional board. However, a change like that will take an amendment to the Michigan constitution. 

MSU must recover. Viable, healthy, diverse and safe institutions of higher learning are key to Michigan's future. Michiganders everywhere must be part of the change to get there and must make it a priority. We are all accountable in preventing a future catastrophe like Larry Nassar and in preventing a spartan future for the Spartans of Michigan State. 

The Face of Immigration

Jorge Garcia was deported to Mexico last Monday after 30 years of living in metro Detroit. Garcia was brought to the United States undocumented at age 10. He works as a landscaper, has never been convicted of a crime, has a wife and two teenage daughters all of whom are American citizens. Too old for DACA protection, Garcia's wife says that the family has spent $125,000 in legal costs since 2005 trying to find a path for Garcia to legally remain in the country.

Living in plain sight as a working member of the community made easy pickings for the lazy thugs passing themselves off as agents in the Detroit Immigration and Customs Enforcement office. If President Donald Trump's statements about the sheer number of dangerous illegals in the country were true, ICE should have it's hands full corralling and deporting them at a pace that should make Garcia a pretty low priority.

ICE isn't overwhelmed on that front because Trump's statements are not true. The national debate around immigration, DACA, and enforcement is no longer a debate. The GOP side of the argument is based on lies. It's not possible to debate an untruth it's only possible to defend against it.

It's easy to armchair the Garcia case by saying the law is the law and Garcia was here illegally. While justice may be blind, it doesn't also have to be deaf and dumb. The law is imperfect. At best, it needs revision to accommodate the gray areas that have built up due to the imperfections; at worst it, violates the spirit of the constitution, the words at the bottom of the Statue of Liberty, and common decency.

Garcia's deportation may have been legal but it was far from just. The human face and family toll must not be overlooked as armchair pundits and hardliners bloviate from afar. How many immigration reform advocates could examine the situation, look Garcia's daughters in they eye, and tell them face to face their father is a criminal unworthy of this country? The only person unworthy of this country in such a scenario would be a person capable of saying that to those girls.

ICE agents did just that. Of course, they were just following orders. It's the classic Nuremberg defense, it's sickening, and begs the question of exactly what level of atrocity are these people capable.

The government is now closed as the battle over immigration reform and DACA escalates. It's a battle between those who value the importance of immigration and compassion versus a President and a Republican party that by all measure are xenophobic.

Jorge Garcia is just one of the faces of immigration. Another can be found in a mirror. Is the one seen there one capable of telling Garcia's daughters their father is not worthy? Is it capable of telling Dreamers to leave the only country they've ever known? If not, demand Republicans come back to the table with facts, not Trump lies, and find a truly American solution.

Words Said, Words Unsaid

Comedian Patton Oswald correctly noted that last Wednesday, a Google search of the words "Trump + shithole" returned results for nothing more than hotel reviews. All that changed Thursday when Trump, the most powerful racist in the world, use the term shithole in reference to a number of countries primarily populated by people of color.

Trump continues to be an abhorrent stain on all things decent. Republican politicians in general remain complicit refusing to denounce the President in equally "tough" language. In short, those not standing against Trump are racists, cowards, and deplorable.

The entire shitholeghazi episode is an outstanding reminder of why words matter. Mastery of language is one of the most powerful tools we have to elicit emotion and action. Trump can barely put a coherent sentence together most days and the limited vocabulary he uses diminishes the message and fails to lead the country toward any deliberate outcome other than chaos.

Trump's oratory style seems to register with some on a basic level. Supporters say they infer a clarity of word from Trump other politicians don't deliver. In actuality, the audience is often left to fill in the blank themselves on the message. Even in the instances where Trump doesn't put forth a statement in direct opposition to the position of his administration, staff and supporters routinely have to explain what the President meant to say.

One of the hallmarks of a leader is the ability to use language to deliver a message that bridges differences and moves them towards a common goal. Ronald Reagan could deliver a scripted speech with an aplomb even his detractors had to admire. Barack Obama's eloquence of delivery is without political match. Trump is neither accomplished or eloquent. His merely delivers emotionally charged statements, offering scapegoat over substance, that resonate with supporters looking for someone to blame for their socioeconomic situation.

Adolph Hitler used a similar strategy. Fortunately, Trump can't match Hitler's mastery of word and discipline of message. Hitler workshopped his delivery, hand gestures, and body language while practicing his speeches. Trump tweets the first thing that comes to mind while watching Fox News. That seems to indicate Donald Trump isn't even a stable genius by comparison to Adolph Hitler.

The fact the Republican establishment cannot bring itself to strongly condemn Trump for his words is astonishing. Words left unsaid also matter. Two of the three Republicans in the room during shitholeghazi said they didn't recall the remarks. They are either tone deaf to racism or lying. Either way, the message the Republican party is sending is that it is complicit with racism.

Trump and the Republicans must be held accountable for the words they've used as well as those they haven't.

A Tale of Two Geniuses

Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, the Michael Wolff tell all book on the inner workings of the Trump White House tops the best-seller list and, at face value, seems to confirm all the worst fears of the Trump resistance. What's less than clear is how much of Wolff's work should be passed off as gossip and how much is fact. Wolff has faced some controversy around the accuracy of the some content but some of the most damning quotes against Trump came from former Chief Strategist Steve Bannon who has apologized for some but denied none of them.

In the end, it is Trump himself that has given the book the most credence by replying to the questions it raises about his mental fitness in a way that gives anyone pause to question his mental fitness:

....Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018

....to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018

The label of stable genius with which Trump brands himself is too close to Wile E. Coyote's self proclamation of super genius not to be found ironic and comical. Yet there really is nothing comical about Trump or his administration.

While the sensational highlights of the book has captured public attention the past week, the Trump administration continues its malevolent march into history. Thursday, the administration unveiled a plan to open vast new stretches of federal waters to oil and gas drilling going against decades of bipartisan agreement to the contrary. On Friday, federal immigration officials said they will proceed with the deportation of an Ohio man who is the sole provider and trained medical caregiver of a 6-year-old paraplegic boy.

The former continues the doctrine of pillaging the planet for profit Trump notably began with the Paris climate accord withdrawal. The latter continues the deliberate torture of individuals Trump sanctions at the hands of the common thugs into which he has transformed agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The values demonstrated by those two decisions do not reflect those of much of the nation but they were enacted by the man rightfully elected president. Or were they? The most concerning question raised by the Wolff book may not be about the President's mental fitness to govern but rather, while Trump flails about in a childlike manner, who is actually drafting and executing policy?

Fire and Fury purports Senate Leader Mitch McConnell allegedly saying, “He (Trump) will sign anything we put in front of him.” However, during the press tour for the book Wolff also said of the administration, "the train will hit the wall." It's easy to believe the cabal of GOP leaders are deliberately trying to squeeze as much loot out of the country for their rich contributors before the end of the line. Trump and his disorganized band of ideologues and lackeys provide the perfect cover.

Trump finds himself in a spot familiar to that of fellow genius Wile E. Coyote. The latter is no stranger to train wrecks. Two geniuses, one a cartoon, the other a coyote. Both have illusions of grandeur destined to fail, often being out thought and out maneuvered by those around them.

Beep Beep.

A Happier New Year

It's the end of the year 2017 and what a year it's been. During the last two weeks much has taken place that will cement a future of more of the same for those disenfranchised enough to have voted for Donald Trump and the Republicans. To be fair, the working class men and women that represent the populist Trump movement are not entirely responsible for the reward, or lack thereof, they will reap. After all, there were not enough of them for Trump to win the popular vote. No, the Republican tax bill passed last week is a gift to the Donald and the rich GOP white men that authored it on behalf of their even richer donors. It was the one percent constituents, not the working class, that got a big return on their investment in the for-sale public servants they purchased. 

Those that voted Trump should take note that the tax legislation has nothing to do with guns, abortion, immigration, or any of the other hot button issues that Trump populists speak of when talking about their man. The bill doesn't bring coal jobs back or raise wages. It doesn't improve education or public infrastructure. Instead, Trump's single legislative accomplishment lines the pockets of the rich, strips healthcare from the poor, and expands the divide between the haves and have nots to a size not seen before in American history.

Those realities will go unnoticed by the average Trump supporter and that blindness is the only fact that matters when it comes to the public discourse. Given all that's happened in 2017, it's clear that once a Trump supporter, always a Trump supporter. This constituency has made a conscious choice to deny fact and ignore reason. They have woven a low information fairy tale where distrust is king and reality has no place. There will be no happy ending to this grim (not Grimm) fairy tale yet there is no reasoning with pro-Trump protagonists over the why.

So, as 2017 comes to a close, Trump is still the president and the GOP is still unchallenged as it divides and loots the country. What's next? It's a question that I've spent time wrestling with for weeks. It would be very easy to cut and run. From a personal perspective, the tax bill won't hurt me nor will the healthcare mandate repeal.  While I'm certainly not the one percent, I'm comfortable enough that even if this bill costs me more I won't feel the pain. It would be easy to sit back and say, "I told you so" once the inevitable pain does hit working class Trumpers.

However, 2017 has been all about incivility and as easy as the I told you so defense would be it does not represent the kind of person any of us should aspire to become. It mirrors the vindictive, reprehensible behavior of the president and the worst of his supporters. In 2018, there is still hope. There is hope that a majority of Americans believe we are better than Donald Trump. There is hope that the large percentage of eligible voters that sat out in 2016 will choose differently in 2018. We may not be able to change Trumpers' minds but we also don't need to debase ourselves to affect a change away from the ugliness they've embraced.

I hope the promise of 2018 does not wind up being my own fairy tale. I simply don't know what the future will bring but wish us all a happier new year.

America Censored

This list of atrocities committed by the Trump administration is nearly as long as the list of excuses the low information voters that continue to support him use in pathetic attempts to justify the unjustifiable. Those excuses are often laced with the word "freedom", at times purporting Trump's defense against some mythical deep state conspiracy. Turns out, Trump himself may be leading something of a deep state conspiracy to censor the dissemination of scientific information to the American public.

The Washington Post reported earlier this week that the Center for Disease Control was prohibited from using the following seven words in preparation of materials for the FY19 budget: vulnerable, entitlement, diversity, transgender, fetus, evidence-based and science-based. It's easy to draw lines from those words to issues that Trump has taken a position against but unfathomable that in America words tied to those issues be banned.

Since the initial report, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, said the reported decree on banned words was a complete mischaracterization of discussions regarding the budget formulation process. CDC director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald tweeted Sunday there are no banned words from the agency's vocabulary.

Mischaracterization or not, even the suggestion the administration is attempting to use ambiguous language to advance a political agenda is concerning. The implications of such a move jumps to  terrifying when the target is a non-political agency charged with securing public health. Ambiguity has no place when it comes to addressing threats to the public health. Delivering anything short of specific, evidence-based information puts lives at risk.

The Trump administration has a demonstrated history blatant of censoring facts that do not support its policies. The words climate change and global warming have been disappearing from government websites since January. This simple censorship exercise has been executed with the aplomb of Trump's boss Vladimir Putin across no fewer than four federal agencies.

Censorship by the American government is not American. Trump's willingness to use censorship to advance his agenda is further demonstration of an authoritarian style that continues to divide the country at every turn. Censorship or ambiguous language does not change the truth, it merely masks the inevitable discovery of the facts.

That discovery will come for Donald Trump. It may be delivered soon by Robert Mueller or it may be delivered years from now by future historians. Either way, the lies Trump passes off as alternative facts will not stand the test of time.

Accountability Lost

This past week saw two Democratic lawmakers announce they will leave congress after allegations of sexual harassment. Last week also saw President Donald Trump go all in on accused sex offender and pedophile Roy Moore's candidacy to join congress as the junior Senator from Alabama.

Just another week in what has become the most disappointing exercise in democracy in history. The fact that a sexual predator sits in the oval office using the power of the presidency to advocate for the election of another sexual predator is astonishing. Even more astonishing are the closed minded voters in Alabama that have ignored the facts, formed baseless opinions, and, when confronted, utter hypocritical religion laced statements justifying their support of a man who has violated women and children. 

The Democrats, albeit rudderless since the 2016 election, have taken the appropriate steps to sanction the offenders in their ranks. Both Congressman John Conyers and Senator Al Franken have done great things during their respective years of service, the former reaching icon status in the civil rights movement. Their transgressions do not take away the good they've done in public service but the inappropriate behavior of which both men have been accused require their storied congressional careers to come to an end. Without accountability there is lawlessness.

Accountability is not in the Republican vocabulary. The GOP leadership, sans the idiot Trump, is a shrewdly calculating bunch lacking both conscience and character. It's very possible Mitch McConnell has no intention of seating Roy Moore in the Senate should he win Tuesday's election. McConnell may well send Moore packing on the grounds of conduct unbecoming but such drama will be only for show. The true GOP intent is to make sure Democrat Doug Jones does not win even if the cost of attaining that goal requires condoning a pedophile for now. It's all about the end game for Republicans. If Moore wins, the Senate can reject him and rely on the Republican governor of Alabama to appoint a marginally less offensive Republican white male to fill the seat. Win/win for McConnell. Lose/lose for the country.

The wanton disregard the GOP has for the foundational tenants of American democracy is sickening. The justifications provided to excuse reprehensible behavior are abhorrent and the message such behavior sends to generations to come is that greed, ideology, and political victory reign supreme above character, accountability, and democracy.

There is a place in America for those that believe in conservatism. Yet those conservatives that identify themselves as members of today's Republican party or supporters of Donald Trump are anything but American. They are characterless, complicit, ideologues split between the rich leaders that are driven by greed and the disenfranchised angry masses looking to blame others for their woe. It's a toxic circle where the increasing wealth of the former is directly proportional to declining prosperity of the latter.

The masses would be advised to look inward and upward. You are accountable for your woe as evidenced by the human garbage you've abandoned all moral compass to follow.

A Handmaid's Tale

Last night, I saw the future and it was terrifying. It was an America where the Constitution had been suspended after a terrorist attack, where the name of God had been used to justify the unjustifiable, where women where subjugated, reproductive rights nonexistent, homosexuality punishable by death, and the powerful procreated in a bizarre ritual where a husband would impregnate a surrogate who was being held in his wife's lap.

Literally, the first thing that came to mind was this is the ideal image of America under a President Pence. It was crafted perfectly, right down to the detail of not being alone in a room with a woman other than your wife. Yet the story laid out in the Hulu production of A Handmaid's Tale well precedes Mike Pence and the President he is eagerly waiting to replace. The Margaret Atwood novel of the same name on which the series is based was written more than 30 years - and that's the scary part. 

First published in 1985 during the Reagan revolution and the birth the modern conservative movement, A Handmaid's Tale demonstrates there were clear signs of what the country could look like if that movement continued unbridled and unchecked. Is America one terrorist attack away from suspending the Constitution and starting on the road to dystopia? In a world where Kim Jong Un continues to test ballistic missiles capable of being zeroed in on the United States and the President continues to become more unhinged on Twitter every day, the scenario is potentially closer than we may want to admit.

Let's also not forget the groundwork the GOP has meticulously laid to justify the unjustifiable. At every turn they have sought to marginalize the LGBT community through discriminatory legislation from the various versions of "bathroom bills" to banning same sex marriage. Women continue to see their right to make decisions about their bodies chipped away by the predominantly white male GOP majority. The evangelical right is fine defending a man like Roy Moore because he stands against abortion despite being a sexual predator on the hunt for children slightly older than a fetus.

The GOP also just put the finishing touches on the setup to pry open the class divide in America to its largest proportion ever by approving the HR 1 tax reform bill just last night. This bill is single purposed. Reward Republican donors that put GOP legislators in office. It was payment for services rendered and has very clear winners and losers. The winners: rich people. The losers: everyone else. 

So what is the possible outcome? Those low and middle class Americans that were angry enough to elect Trump in the first place will retreat further into anger and despair.  The disenfranchised ranks will seek a new charlatan, even more extreme than Trump, to lead the way back to an idealized vision of the past that truly never existed. What they may wind up with will not be the Leave It To Beaver version of the American dream but Margaret Atwood's version of the American nightmare.

The Religion of Voting

"I'm torn between voting for a pedophile and voting for a person who believes in abortion." That's  the take from Mountain Brook, Alabama resident Ellen Tipton on the state's upcoming special election. Tipton and other Alabamans voters gets to pick between conservative Republican Roy Moore, who has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault, and Democrat Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney, who has been accused of having integrity and a sense of duty by former Vice-President Joe Biden.

Alabama's economy ranks 44th in the nation. It's educational system is 3rd worst, and the state's infrastructure was given a "C-" by the American Society of Civil Engineers. What's unlikely from looking at those numbers is that voting largely on the anti-abortion platform as implied by Tipton is the smart play toward improve anything. However, the evangelical Christian vote in Alabama may do just that and send a man that has allegedly violated women as young as fourteen to Washington as their Senator. What could be more Christian? What could be less American?

Moore has never shied away from ignoring the law to promote his own Christian beliefs. He was twice removed from the Alabama Supreme Court for ethics violations centered around his enforcement of the bible as the rule of law rather than the Constitution. With thinking like that, Moore has more in common with those that seized power in the Iranian revolution than those we expect to execute jurisprudence in the United States.

Jesus isn't registered to vote in Alabama or anywhere else. It would be better for everyone if others didn't attempt to vote in his name. Jesus was poor, disenfranchised from the system (Rome), and likely bore a resemblance closer to that of Osama bin-Laden than the fair skinned white guy DaVinci and other Renaissance artists portrayed. He also didn't speak English. All of that would have made it hard for him to even register to vote in states like Alabama with restrictive, GOP supported, voter-ID laws.

It's uncertain what Alabamans will do on December 12th. Moore remains defiant in the face of overwhelming calls for his withdrawal. Astonishingly, polls have the candidates within five percentage points of each other. 

It seems asking to keep religion out of the election isn't going to work so maybe leaning into it really is the way to go. God gave mankind freewill. That means the right to make personal choices. Doug Jones supports that fundamental belief. Therefore, the choice voters get is between a person that believes in the the God given right of freewill or a pedophile. Which one is going to stand up when judgement day comes? Pretty sure standing next to Roy Moore that day isn't going to go well. Seems like an easy pick Alabama.

A Year Later

I began writing Read Reid a year ago. It was the week after the 2016 election and America had just hired a failed casino owner and reality TV host to be the 45th President of the United States. I needed a day to day coping strategy that didn't involve bourbon; writing seemed like better therapy.

The year that has elapsed since has been difficult. That was not unexpected but Trumpism has significantly exceeded my lack of expectation. The incivility, partisanship, and ugliness on display in the political arena has stained the fabric that weaves us together. Social media is a cesspool, families have lost the ability to rationally talk to each other about differences. Compromise and empathy have become four letter words. Public discourse starts out loud, turns visceral quickly, and usually panders to the lowest common denominator.

Donald Trump isn't the cause of everything that has turned America sour. The ugly unleashed since last November didn't grow overnight. However, the Trump presidency is a testament to America's failures. The Trump presidency would not exist if America invested in education, infrastructure, and broadening the middle class. The Trump presidency would not exist if the aura of public service wasn't so toxic that qualified individuals run the other direction. The Trump presidency would not exist if Americans congregated into communities that celebrated diversity, equity and inclusion instead of congregating into fundamentalist enclaves celebrating a traditionless set of "traditional values" that most only selectively practice.

But the Trump presidency does exist and the country appears to be vomiting after a year of swallowing its own bile. Two mass shootings resulting in 83 deaths in just over a month, widespread sexual harassment/assault admissions by powerful men, charges in the special prosecutor case against former Trump campaign officials, continued fall out over the racism in Charlottesville, the hurricane in Puerto Rico, and immigration reform are all spewing out at once. Trump isn't directly responsible for everything bad that has happened on his watch but America hurts and Trump has demonstrated no ability to heal.

There have been some glimmers of hope. This year's November elections swung the pendulum a little bit back to the middle with Democratic gubernatorial victories in Virginia, New Jersey, and mayoral victories several major cities. Change will take more than a few Democratic wins. It will take a Democratic commitment to speak to the issues that allowed the Trump presidency to exist. That is a difficult task for a party that still doesn't have a message beyond "anything but Trump."

Yes, it's been a difficult year. More may follow and I don't have a quick fix solution. The best strategy I have is to try and maintain civility in the delivery of my message for change. Not everyone agrees with my point of view and those differences have distanced some friends and family. I welcome any fact based conversation that might bridge that distance. In the end, we still may agree to disagree but we will have done so comparing apples to apples and not Fox News to CNN.

Thus concludes blog entry 46; coming up next...

The Toxic President

In an even worse sequel to of one of Donald Trump's most putrid campaign episodes, the President has again tangled with another Gold Star family. This time, the feud is over the appropriateness of remarks Trump made during a condolence call to a grieving widow. 

None of us where there. None of us can say for sure we know what was said. The only opinion that matters is that of Myeshia Johnson who either heard what she thought she heard or processed whatever Trump said differently than he intended. Grief can certainly cloud the processing of events in anyone so sensitivity to her situation should have been paramount when the President chose his words. Even if he said all the right things, the fact she somehow felt different is not beyond the possible. Trump could have taken the high road and apologized for at least leaving her with an unintended impression even if he stood by his words. He could have acknowledge her grief, the difficulty of the situation, and moved on without appearing patronizing or insincere.

However, Trump is not a man that apologies about anything. He is incapable of admitting error, demonstrating humility, or showing empathy. So this President instead chose to engage in a public war of words with a grieving widow dragging what should be the most private of moments further into the public arena. As if that wasn't mistake enough, surrogates from both side became involved escalating the rhetoric to a new level of ugly. 

Florida congress woman Frederica Wilson who reportedly heard the call defended Johnson's account. The President responded by shoving his Chief of Staff, John Kelly, into the line of fire. Kelly, himself a Gold Star father and retired general, somehow found a way to both defend Trump and level partisan political accusations against the congresswoman that were almost immediately proven false via video evidence. That opened the door for Wilson to fire back raising the issue of race as a motivator for the administration's response.

All of this could have been avoided had the President chose to be the bigger person. Instead, the President chose to be toxic.

Trump's lack of moral character means his natural instincts are driven by the worst of human emotion running unchecked. Narcism, ego, entitlement, a sense of infallibility, and greed are evident in nearly every action he takes. It is a toxic combination that is poisoning the country. Trump's toxicity also brings out the worst in those around and those that support him.

One of the most troubling examples of the latter came during the Wilson/Kelly back and forth, as if that situation wasn't troubling enough on its own. After Kelly leveled accusations against Wilson that reporters suspected to be false, White House Press secretary Sarah Sanders said it was inappropriate to question a four star general.

Not in this country, Sarah. It's an imperative.

The beyond reproach claim is a diversionary tactic the administration has trotted out before. Senior White House policy adviser Stephen Miller asserted the President's policy beyond question when attempting to defend the original Trump travel ban. The policy, actions, and character of the administration are so indefensible the only option open to them is to try and shutdown all dialog.

Kelly's baseless attack is sad irony to Trump's recent tweet war with the NFL around patriotism. At a time when his boss has spent significant time bashing players over their genuine protest during the national anthem, the former general used false accusations to discredit a woman attempting to defend the widow of an American war hero. There is little honor or patriotism in that.

Aborhent behavior is the norm for this Presidency. The idea the GOP is the party of traditional values is laughable. Few values anyone would consider desirable are based in lies, racism, sexual harassment, greed, narcissism, and intolerance. Yet those toxic behaviors are what Trump and his supporters put on display everyday.

No Good, Plenty Bad, All Ugly

If taking a knee before an NFL game is disrespectful to America, it's a protest that pales by comparison to disrespect that President Donald Trump and his so called conservative "values" supporters give the Constitution and human decency every day.

Trump wakes up each morning and figuratively defecates on Twitter. This week he's challenged the First Amendment's protection of freedom of the press. He's lied to America about healthcare saying he's decreasing costs when every in reality he's sabotaging insurance exchanges. He also took a shot a the idea of sanctuary cities as many continue to oppose his race/religion based immigration policies.

In addition to the Twitter lowlights, former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon stood before the Value Voters Summit of social conservatives and literally outlined Trump's executive order as sabotage designed to "blow up" the health-care law and insurance marketplaces. These so called "values voters" purport to have christian beliefs as their foundation. Yet, can anyone really imagine putting Bannon's words against a what would Jesus do test? It's complete hypocrisy. These "value voters" don't stand for any value other than themselves - something they have in common with Trump.

Speaking of hypocrisy, the Harvey Weinstein scandal dominated headlines this week. Of course the headlines it made with conservatives didn't have much to do with a meaningful conversation around ending sexual harassment. Fox News, itself a former safe house for monsters like Weinstein, focused on the fact Weinstein financially supported democrats rather than the damage he's done to his victims. Trump didn't call for Fox News to be de-licensed like NBC (fact check: networks do not have broadcast licenses, their affiliates do) but he did say he wasn't surprised about Weinstein when asked about the story by CNN. During that exchange the reporter asked how Weinstein's behavior differed from how Trump characterized his own on the Access Hollywood tape. Trump brushed off the tape and stuck to the story that his remarks were just "locker room" talk.

So to recap, conservatives are ok ignoring the victims of sexual harassment in favor of trying to make their opponents look bad. Trump apparently knew Weinstein well enough to not be surprised by his actions, yet said nothing, and apparently that's ok. Trump is again let off scot free by "value voters" when it comes to his own behavior of sexual harassing women.

Every day Trump unloads nothing but ugliness. His lies, baseless accusations, flat out wrong facts, and malicious intent drop on Twitter and from the White House like never ending diarrhea. Trump supporters embrace him even tighter clinging to a indefensible line of defense. The opposition tries to fight back with fact checks and reason but Trump has turned the forum into such a cesspool that civility is near lost on both sides.

The current President of the United States is a malevolent moron but he also may be the product of our own decades of political behavior. We've done little to put value on education, improve the lives of the poor and middle class, and have been a country at war abroad for most of the last twenty years. Those things wear on people. They wear on decency. They breed distrust and foster ignorance. Right and left have looked by each other so long that there is nothing that remains recognizable. The incivility, hypocrisy, and lack of decency personified by Trump may mean we are generations lost when it comes to being able to bridge the divide.

Perhaps subsequent generations will do better but with the current example being set, today's children don't stand a chance at actually making america great again.

The President May Be A Moron

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson didn't deny an NBC News report this week that he characterized President Donald Trump as a moron. Actually, follow up reports clarified that Tillerson may have actually referred to Trump as a "fucking moron" but either way the sentiment is pretty clear. Tillerson is now on a death watch as the top US diplomat and many question whether he can or should survive in the post. If Tillerson were to go now he would join a number of original Trump cabinet members that lost the President's confidence and would have served approximately 24 Scaramuccis (one Scaramucci being an 11 day standard unit of measurement for longevity of Trump appointees).

Whether or not Tillerson called Trump a moron will likely never be confirmed by the Secretary himself but NBC stands by it's reporting that the remark took place. It's also possible that Tillerson misclassified the President if he was truly evaluating him based on the Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scale where the term moron, now deprecated, was used to classify low mental acuity along with two other closely associated terms:

• Morons - Those with IQs between 51 and 70 (adequate learning skills to complete menial tasks and to communicate)
• Imbeciles - Those with IQs between 26 and 50 (unable to progress past a mental age of approximately six)
• Idiots - those with IQs between 0 and 25 (poor motor skills, extremely limited communication, and little response to stimulus)

Clearly, Trump is not an idiot, after all, he successfully navigates the golf course and plays tennis which indicates non impaired motor skills. He does, however, use a cart which forces the Secret Service to do same. That crutch has cost the taxpayers $137,000 so far this year.

Whether Trump has passed the mental age of six is debatable after his Access Hollywood remarks. The tape of that fiasco received an encore showing this week by a women's advocacy group on the National Mall.  Trump has completed a primary education track beyond that of a six year old so that  leaves Tillerson's assessment of moron as the potential correct classification.

In fairness, Tillerson is not a doctor but he is likely a good candidate to evaluate Trump's management and leadership abilities. As CEO of Exxon, Tillerson successfully ran one of the largest companies in the world. Trump has run his own companies into bankruptcy six times.

Tillerson's opinion not withstanding, the President's own words can be measured by anyone against a simple test: Would a moron say this:

"This is an island surrounded by water. Big water. Ocean water.",  Trump speaking about hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico, Sep 29, 2017.

"[he] sold his company for a tremendous amount of money. And he went out and bought a big yacht, and he had a very interesting life. I won't go on any more than that because you're Boy Scouts, so I'm not going to tell you what he did." Trump speaking at the Boy Scout Jamboree, July 24, 2017.

"We should also just cancel the elections and just give it to Trump." Trump, speaking at a rally in the Toledo Ohio, October 27, 2016

"40 Wall Street, in fact, was the second tallest building in business district Manhattan. And now it is the tallest." Donald Trump, bragging about his building following the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in an interview with WWOR/UPN 9 News in New York (Sept. 11, 2001).

"Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!" Twitter, Sep 23, 2017.

"Just remember, the birther movement was started by Hillary Clinton in 2008. She was all in!" Twitter, Sep 22, 2015.

"If you look at his wife, she was standing there, she had nothing to say, she probably — maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say, you tell me." Trump speaking with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos about the Gold Star parents of Humayun Khan, an Army captain, died in a car bombing in 2004 in Iraq, July 30, 2016.

The list of statements is near endless. They range from baseless to inappropriate at numerous levels. The searchable Twitter archive of Trump tweets can provide numerous additional examples if necessary.

Labeling Trump as moron isn't the point of chasing Tillerson's remarks. Anyone that's said the things that Trump has said and anyone that has demonstrated the lack of depth Trump has demonstrated on issues of race, international relations, and domestic policy is not fit for the job. Trump does not possess the temperament or the intellect to execute the job at a level worthy of the office or the country.

Here is one last quote to consider that came earlier this week when Trump ominously suggested, while standing with military leaders, that this could be "the calm before the storm."

From the mouth of a moron...with keys to a nuclear arsenal.

#racist #unfit #impeach #sad

Friday was a big night for racism, intolerance and sheer stupidity. President Donald Trump showed up in Alabama ostensively to support senatorial candidate Luther Strange but managed to fire up the assembled crowd around nearly everything but the Alabama Senate contest.

The Trump highlight reel included floating the concept that NFL owners, 100% of whom are white, should fire any player, 66% of whom are black, that takes a knee during the national anthem. It was a not so veiled reference to the protest around racial inequality started by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick who Trump didn't mention by name. Instead the presidential dotard referred to any player expressing their 1st amendment right as a "son of a bitch." In contrast to his characterization of Nazis exercising their same rights as "very fine people", the statements pretty well define this President's stance on race. To put it in terms he can understand, #racist #unfit #sad

Trump then continued on a rant lamenting penalties for excessive hits in football and advocated for a harder hitting game. Trump was oblivious to the mounting evidence of the game's impact (pun intended) on brain disease, and specifically, this week's report that former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez suffered from severe C.T.E. (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) at the time of his death at age twenty seven. #sad

Demonstrating further obliviousness, Trump warned that North Korea could explode a "massive weapon" over the Pacific Ocean, resulting in "tremendous, tremendous calamity where the plume goes." Then he told everyone not to worry about that but offered no plan as to how he would diffuse the escalating situation or prevent Kim Jong-un from detonating such a device. Since Friday, Trump continued to tweet insults toward North Korea's leader recklessly provoking a situation that has nuclear consequences. #unfit

Also since Friday, Trump has pursued his war of words with the NFL sending out a series of tweets attacking players and owners supportive of the right to protest during the anthem. It's an embarrassing exchange of rhetoric that puts the man with a sworn oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution on the side of curtailing the the very rights that document guarantees. A violation of the Presidential oath is grounds for removal from office. #unfit #impeach

Trump's ire unleashed on Twitter and at his showboating rallies (some which cost taxpayers nearly half a million dollars) is not only set against the backdrop of a potential North Korean nuclear confrontation but also a humanitarian tragedy unfolding in the wake of hurricane Maria on the island of Puerto Rico. U.S. citizens are at risk of death on the island territory as Puerto Rico remains without power and is running low on food and water. Trump's last tweet directed toward those in jeopardy was four days ago. The administration did approve a disaster declaration earlier this week but the President is noticeably absent from expressing support or concern for Puerto Rico's predominantly hispanic population. #racist #sad

The expectation of the 2016 election was that the United States chose it's new leader. Agree or disagree with the partisan politics of the chosen candidate, competent leadership during the President's tenure is a bi-partisan expectation. Donald Trump is not competent. He is a President, ill equipped to lead, uncomfortable with acting Presidential, and incapable of empathy or inclusion. He is merely a C-list celebrity occupying the White House, a man at home in front of a pandering crowd of deplorables, delivering grandiose, inflammatory, and mostly false statements to make himself look "big" in their eyes. # unfit # impeach #sad

Trump has failed to show the mettle of a leader with any challenge his presidency has faced from racial unrest to natural disasters. Nothing to date has been able to draw his attention away from the trivial.  A mushroom cloud is too high a price to pay.  #racist #unfit #impeach #sad

Race, Public Trust, and Hannity's Angels

It seems impossible to skip addressing this week's faux outrage from the conservatives over the latest private citizen to call President Trump a white supremacist.  Yes, ESPN's Jemele Hill is a public figure but she's a sports TV personality. She's has no responsibility to an electorate, purview over public safety, and did not make the statement as part of a journalistic expose. She made the comments on Twitter, the same platform where other TV personalities have also assailed the President as racist - like this TV reality host did:

Obama's '07 speech which @DailyCaller just released not only shows that Obama is a racist but also how the press always covers for him.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 3, 2012

Conservative backlash over the comment was an exercise in surreal humor.  Fox's Sean Hannity had a  this diverse panel on to discuss the issue:

White House Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders called Hill's comments a "fireable offense" during Wednesday's press briefing. That's rich when measured against the Mooch Scale Of Statements It Takes To Get Fired from the Trump administration itself.

Questioning whether or not Hill exercised good judgement considering her public persona is fair game. Facts matter and so do words. Checking the former and being selective about the latter are important. For instance, this blog entry was going to originally be entitled Michigan Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Thanks Bigot for Endorsement. Yet, there were some facts to check around the following post before that story could move forward:

Thank you @realDonaldTrump for your strong support. Working together, Michigan will start winning again with more jobs, growth & paychecks. https://t.co/c2XdyVZi6C

— A.G. Bill Schuette (@SchuetteOnDuty) September 17, 2017

There is certainly some "very fine" evidence to support Hill's opinion about Trump. That said, organizations like ESPN are entitled to set rules around employee public conduct particularly when that conduct can negatively impact the organization or impugn the ability for the employee to effectively do their job. Hill's comments are not going devastate the public confidence in her reporting on week 3 in the NFL but it's understandable ESPN likely doesn't want to get involved in politics. In a perfect world, it probably shouldn't.

However, the world today is far from perfect and there are certainly social media comments that can undermine public confidence in a way Hill's did not. Take those of Ohio firefighter Tyler Roysdon who, on Facebook, lamented he'd rather save the life of a single dog in a fire over that of that of a million black people.

The difference between Hill's comments and those of Roysdon are clear. The former is an expression of opinion citing behavior in another that is discriminatory. The latter is an expression of intent to do harm to others based on opinion rooted in discrimination. Given Roysdon is charged with upholding public safety that truly is a fireable offense. Both Hill and Roysdon are equally protected in their right to state an opinion. Neither are protected from the consequences of their words.

ESPN and Hill will come to terms on the matter as employer to employee. Whether or not those terms are perceived fair by Hannity's Angels or the public at large is also a matter of opinion but since watching ESPN isn't mandatory there are options for expressing sentiment on any given outcome.

With Roysdon there are no options. This deplorable has violated the public trust and lost the right to make a living off that trust. He's stated race as a basis he may use to choose who to save from a burning building. Any decision short of permanently removing his cancer from the Franklin Township Ohio Fire Department endangers the public.

There can be no difference of opinion on that one.